This page contains information about the File Writer device. This device accepts messages from other devices in the Connexion channel and writes them to a final destinations. Files can be written and stored in a server directory or sent via FTP.

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Device configuration is divided into four areas.

Actions

Options on the Actions tab define how the file is written (see image above). Use the following options to configure the device actions.

Write Operations: Choose how the file will be written. Synchronous writing means that messages in the channel can be blocked by the File Writer device and will not be written. In Asynchronous mode, message processing will never be blocked and the file will be saved when possible. Why would you want to use either method?

Once the file is saved/written, you can either copy it to a destination or FTP it.

• To copy the file, select the Copy File option. set the following:
  • Destination: The location to which the file should be copied, usually a network path. Connexion must have write permissions to the destination for the copy action to be successful. As part of the action, you can insert variables into the name of the copied file, such as the date or a file counter. Variables are inserted between braces ({ }) in the destination path. Click on the blue information icon next to the Destination field to see a list of possible variables and how to use them.
  • Use Impersonation: Similar to the File Reader device, the Filter Writer device can use the credentials of a specific user or group to access the Destination path. Select the check box and then enter the username and password for the appropriate credentials.
• To FTP the file, select the FTP File option and set the following:
  • Destination: The location to which the file should be sent via FTP. As part of the action, you can insert variables into the name of the copied file, such as the date or a file counter. Variables are inserted between braces ({ }) in the destination path. Click on the blue information icon next to the Destination field to see a list of possible variables and how to use them.
  • Username: The username for the FTP client. This should be a user that has permissions to use the FTP client.
  • Password: The password for the FTP client user specified above.
  • Use SSL: Select this box if the FTP client should use SSL encryption to transmit the file. Remember, without SSL encryption, user names, passwords and PHI are vulnerable to outside parties. Once you check the Use SSL option, complete the following fields:
    • SSL Port: the port that should be used for the SSL-protected FTP process.
    • Cert Path: the path to the location of the SSL certificate.

In addition, there are two options that are available regardless of the action you choose (copy or FTP).

Set File Name: Check this option if you want to use a specific name for the copied/FTP'd file. The field should only contain the file name, not the entire path. You can insert variables into the name of the copied file, such as the date or a file counter. Variables are inserted between braces ({ }) in the destination path. Click on the blue information icon next to the Destination field to see a list of possible variables and how to use them.

As part of the file name, you can include one of two dates, either the date the first message was received by the device or the date the last message was written by the device. Select the appropriate option under the Destination field.

Compress File: If the file being written is very large, you can compress it (this is useful if the destination system has a limit on file size). Check this option to compress the file. If the compressed file should be encrypted (using AES 256 encryption), enter a password in the associated field. Note: this encryption is for decompressing the file and does not affect security during an FTP transfer.