File Trigger

A File Trigger is a trigger that causes a job to be executed whenever specified files are created, modified, or deleted.

Use the File Condition instead to make execution of a job or step conditional on the presence or absence of a file, when the job is triggered by a different kind of trigger.

When you create a File Trigger, you specify the files or directories that adTempus should watch for, and under which conditions the job should be triggered. Additional options can be used to prevent adTempus from triggering for a file while another application is still updating it.

The File Trigger works with local drives, network drives, and FTP and SFTP servers.

The File Trigger works by periodically scanning the directories being watched by the trigger and comparing the current state to the previous state. Options for the trigger allow you to specify how often adTempus should look for changes. Note that the trigger does not respond to individual file events. Therefore if a file is deleted and re-created in between two scans of the folder, adTempus will see this as a file modification, not as a file deletion and a file creation.

Changes Made While adTempus is Not Running

adTempus saves the current state of the directories it is monitoring each time it makes an evaluation pass. This state information is stored in the adTempus database, and so is not lost if the adTempus service is shut down. Therefore when adTempus starts, it compares the current file state to the state information it saved before it shut down, and triggers jobs based on the differences. That is, adTempus will respond to files that were added, changed, or deleted while adTempus was not running.

Removable Drives and Network Drives

If the target files are on a removable drive or a network drive and the drive is removed or disconnected, adTempus will ignore those target files until the drive is reattached. It will then compare the new state of the files on the drive to the last snapshot it took before the drive was disconnected, and assess file creations, deletions, and modifications accordingly.

In adTempus 3 and earlier, adTempus acted in this scenario as though the files had been deleted when the drive was disconnected, and created again when the drive was re-connected.

The File Trigger cannot be used to monitor network drives mapped to a local drive letter. You must use the UNC path to the files rather than the drive letter. This is because drive letters mapped outside adTempus are not available to adTempus, and drive mappings you establish on the Resources page are not connected until after the job has been triggered. See the Network Access for Jobs topic for more information.