Considerations for the Lotus® Connector for File System
Consider the following information when using the Lotus® Connector for File System.
- The Directory Path field in the File System connection document
corresponds to the Database field in other connection documents. The
Subdirectory field in an activity document corresponds to the Table
or Form name. In the Selection statement, you can use a file specification
that includes wild cards such as "*.txt". See the example below.
- Timestamps on the Windows™ FAT file system are precise to two seconds only and are always even. This may cause replication mismatches with more precise systems.
- The metadata returned from the Lotus® Connector for File System is file name, timestamp, size, and contents.
- Any file name, timestamp, or size can be used as a key, and can be used in combination. Contents cannot be used as a key.
- Results can be ordered by file name, timestamp, or size, although only one order field is permitted, resulting in only one key field for replication.
- The Select Metadata action button gives a list of subdirectories in the directory path.
- If the Source or Target Connection of a Direct Transfer is a File
Connection and Automatic Field Mapping by Position is selected, the
positional order of the File's fields is as follows:
Filename
Contents
Timestamp
Size
- If the Source Connection of a Direct Transfer is a File Connection,
you can leave the select statement blank. The activity will proceed
without an error as though the select statement had read as follows:
select *.*
- For any activity in which you use the Field Mapping by Position
option, the field display and the internal field order are not identical
for this Connector. The fields listed for the Text Connector connection
appear onscreen in alphabetical order. However, internally, Lotus Enterprise
Integrator® (LEI) and Domino® Enterprise
Connection Services (DECS) read and map the fields in the following
order to the external system.
Filename (VARCHAR)
Contents (BLOB or TEXT)
Timestamp (TIMESTAMP)
Size (INTEGER)
- There is a limitation on how Lotus® Connectors interpret a Notes® NUMBER field. When you use the "Create Target Metadata" option from an Notes® source, heavy precision loss may occur with Notes® NUMBER fields.
For Microsoft™ Windows™ users, the following example identifies all text files beginning with the letters "nab" in the directory path D:\files\somefiles\myfiles.
Field |
Value |
Note |
---|---|---|
Directory Path (in Connection Document) |
D:\FILES\SOMEFILES |
Equivalent to Database in other connections |
Subdirectory (in Activity Document) |
MYFILES |
Equivalent to Table or Form in other connections |
Select Statement |
nab*.txt |