Configuration

The Configuration tab has the following fields.

Field

Global

Var?

Description

Name

No

The name to appear as the label for the activity in the process definition.

Description

No

Short description of the activity.

Command to Execute

Yes

The command line to execute. You can also specify any input and command-line arguments to the command in this field. You cannot specify more than one command by piping output from one command to another (for example, ls | more is not allowed).

You can specify a global variable for this configuration field. This allows you to easily specify different commands on different operating systems. For example, you may specify %%EXTERNAL_COMMAND%% as the value for this field. On MS Windows, the value of the global variable may be the following:

cmd /c dir

On UNIX, the global variable may have the following value:

ls

If the command to execute is not located in one of the directories specified in the PATH environment variable (on UNIX or Windows), you can specify the full path for the executable command or you can use the environment input element to specify the environment for the command.

Make Output Available as Activity Output

Yes

When checked, this field specifies that the output sent to standard output and standard error by the command should be available in the output schema of this activity.

For commands that produce a large amount of output, it is recommended to uncheck this field and write the output to a file. This saves memory and allows you to use other activities, such as Read File and Parse Data, to handle the output file more efficiently.

Remove Parameter Quotes

Yes

When checked, this field specifies that the quotes surrounding the parameters should be removed. The quotes get removed even if the parameter contains space(s).

By default, the check box is not selected.

Output Filename

Yes

Name and location of the file for storing any output or errors produced by the command. If this field is blank, no output file is created.

Output Line Splitting

Yes

Controls whether the command output and errors are split into multiple strings. This field can have the following values:

  • None — The activity produces a single string containing the command’s output or errors. Line end characters are included in this string.

  • At Operating System Line End — The activity produces a repeating string element with one string element per output line. The lines are split by default on the carriage return/line feed character, depending on the operating system. The line end characters are not included in the output.

  • At Specified Token — The lines are split wherever the specified token occurs. The token is specified as an activity input element, and the token is not included in the output.