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Batch Files

The Batch run facility allows you to build up a list of keyword files which you wish to analyse. In order to invoke the functionality, you must first create a batch file; one method to do this is to invoke File -> New File from the Top Menu Bar and then selecting the Batch option. Batch files have the file extension .fcbat (an acronym for FlexCom BATch).

The operation of the Batch run facility is fairly self-explanatory – you define various rules and criteria which determine whether a keyword file should be included in or excluded from the batch run. Use the and    buttons at the top to add new rules or remove existing ones. Once a rule is selected in the Rules section, its definition may be viewed or modified in the Criteria section underneath. Some additional points to note are as follows:

•Include rules are evaluated as logical TRUE or FALSE constants. If more than one Include rule is defined, they are combined in a similar manner to logical OR operators. Specifically, if a keyword file matches any of the specified Include rules then it is included in the file list (assuming for simplicity that there are no exclude rules defined).

•Each rule is defined using one or more criteria. Criteria may be defined in terms of directory, file names (wildcard operators may be used) or file creation/modification dates. If more than one criterion is defined, the criteria within that rule are combined in a similar manner to logical AND operators. Specifically, a keyword file must match all of the specified criteria within a rule for that particular rule to be satisfied.

•Exclude rules are evaluated as logical TRUE or FALSE constants, and effectively behave in a similar manner to logical NOT operators. If more than one Exclude rule is defined, they are combined in a similar manner to logical OR operators, and the overall result is applied as a NOT operator. Specifically, if a keyword file matches any of the specified Exclude rules then it is excluded in the file list.

•Where both Include and Exclude rules are defined, overall Include and Exclude results are evaluated using logical OR operators as mentioned already. The Exclude result is then inverted using the NOT operator, and an overall final TRUE/FALSE result is obtained by combining the Include and Exclude results using the logical AND operator. Specifically, if a keyword file matches any of the specified Include rules, and it does not match any of the specified Exclude rules, then it is included in the file list.

An option is provided to preview the list of keyword files before initiating the actual run series. This is facilitated by the File View, which only displays the keyword files pertaining to the Batch run, rather than all the keyword files included in the project workspace.

When you perform a Batch run, a list of analyses is compiled initially and each keyword file in the list is then entered into a “run queue”. For maximum efficiency, Flexcom determines how many processing units are available on your machine, and endeavours to continually match the number of analyses in progress with the number of available processing units.

Note also that the program is aware of the hierarchy within your project workspace, so it recognises the list of analyses which should be performed, and the order in which they should be executed (so a restart analysis is not initiated until the preceding analysis has completed).