What is FileScan Tool


	FileScan Tool (FST) is a file-triggered event tool. This means that you can tell FST to monitor any given number of directories and when files are found within these directories FST executes predefined commands. On NT/Win2K-systems FST can be run as a service. A simple example is to monitor one directory for incoming files and move these files to another directory. Why would you want to do this you ask? Well, often when you receive files which have to be processed by a certain program, this program periodically checks the input-directory for a file and if a file is found it begins processing it. Sometimes however the file is not complete, but is still being transmitted by the remote system. When your program cannot detect this properly you have a problem. FST can solve this problem, because FST will not begin processing the incoming files before they are complete (stable). This however is but a small feature of FST. In between the input and output of the file, you can program FST to do anything with the file (or other tasks) you want. Beside the fact that you can program FST to call an external program to do the things you want, FST already has a number of powerful internal commands and pre-defined variables you can use. FST now also has the ability to dynamically create/calculate variables which you can use in subsequent commands. For example, you can make calculations (add, subtract, multiply and divide) and perform string operations (substring, string-length etc.). You can save the result to a local- or a global variable. Local variables are only valid within the FileScanner in which they are used and are reset every time you (re)start FST. Global variables can be used to pass information from one FileScanner to another and are NOT reset when FST is (re)started. NOTE: The configuration-file (fst.ini) of version-3 is NOT compatible with version-4!!!!

	I would like to thank all the people who gave me positive feedback and made very useful suggestions to enhance the program! Keep it up! Although FST is FREEWARE - and I intend to keep it FREEWARE - a lot of time and effort has been put into the program to make it what it is today. If anyone wants to show their appreciation, who am I to stand in their way. So if you maybe want to send me a postcard (or money :-) or anything at all, you can send it to the address at the bottom! I hope you'll like the program!

	Ton Trommelen Nederlandplein 56 5628AG Eindhoven The Netherlands t.trommelen@phlexss.com