Lasernet allows you to retrieve documents from external sources. One way of doing this is by using the File Retriever modifier, which will allow you to get documents from:

• Local File

• FTP

• SFTP

• HTTP

• HTTPS

A document extracted using this modifier could then be saved to a JobInfo, combined with a processed document, and attached to an email. A good example of this would be appending a Terms and Conditions statement to a customer invoice. The modifier can be set at most points in your Lasernet build.  To create it, follow these steps within Lasernet Developer:

1. Click Modifiers.

2. Select File Retriever, opening a new window.

3. Fill in the General information and then click Setup.

4. Click Add and the File Retriever entry window is displayed. 

5. Add the location of the document(s) you want to import, along with the retrieval protocol file.

File

This can be a local or a networked location. For a network location, the security settings must be correctly populated and Lasernet must have full access to the folder.

You will need to provide:

• Path - the full path to the folder, excluding the file itself.

• Filename JobInfo - the JobInfo that needs to be set before running this modifier - should contain the file name and extension, but not the path.

• Output JobInfo - the JobInfo that stores the document retrieved by this modifier.

• Replace JobInfo - if you select this box then it will replace the given Output JobInfo with the new data, even if it currently exists. If the box is left clear, any data already in the JobInfo will not be replaced.

FTP

The FTP protocol connects to a given FTP server to retrieve a file. You will need to enter a valid username and password for the server and ensure that the user has access to the desired files. To set this up you will need to provide:

• Host - the host address of the FTP server.

• Port - specify the connection port or leave it as 0 to keep the default.

• Username and Password - used to log into the FTP server.

• Path - the location of the file on the FTP server.

• FTP Mode - allows you to change the mode of the FTP.

• Checksums - used to make sure the data passed back is complete.

• Filename JobInfo - the JobInfo that needs to be set before running this modifier - should contain the filename and extension, but not the path.

• Output JobInfo -  the JobInfo that stores the document retrieved by this modifier.

• Replace JobInfo -  if you select this box then it will replace the given Output JobInfo with the new data, even if it currently exists. If the box is left clear, any data already in the JobInfo will not be replaced.

There are two variations of the FTP protocol, FTPS, and SFTP.  The setup process is almost the same, however, FTPS connections also require the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) type. Additionally, SFTP will not allow you to choose FTP Mode and Checksum type.   

HTTP

The HTTP protocol uses a web address to retrieve a document.

To illustrate the setup process and requirements, the following address, "http://www.example.com/test/file.txt", will be used:

• Host - the host address you wish to access.

• Port - specify the connection port or leave it as 0 to keep the default.

• Username and Password -  if required for Lasernet to access the web address

• Domain - the domain extension. Using the above example the domain would be: .com.

• Authentication -  authentication type used by the HTTP server.

• Path - the complete path to the file. Using the example it would be: /test/.

• Filename JobInfo - the JobInfo that needs to be set before running this modifier - should contain the filename and extension, but not the path. In the example, it would be file.txt.

• Output JobInfo - the JobInfo that stores the document retrieved by this modifier.

• Replace JobInfo -  if you select this box then it will replace the given Output JobInfo with the new data, even if it currently exists. If the box is left clear, any data already in the JobInfo will not be replaced.

• Response - this is where the data will be extracted from.

The HTTPS protocol is also available and follows an identical setup process. Client certificates can be specified if required.