Configure the Custom Rendering Module Options

The Custom rendering module options specify which source document file extensions to render and the parameters to pass to the rendering application.

ClosedNotes about Functionality

The Custom rendering module does not provide any of the following that are the responsibility of the rendering application and of the organization that implements it:

  • All processes started by the resource (script) file are properly closed when they are no longer needed. The process (script) that the module starts will be terminated by the module if it exceeds the time-out specified in Configuring the Publishing Options.

  • Dialog boxes shown by the rendering application are suppressed or handled appropriately

  • Resources created by or consumed by the rendering application do not interfere with publishing job processing

  • The rendering application is properly installed, configured, and licensed to run under the Enterprise Server service account

  • Error handling, roll-back, or fail-over processes

The rendering module automatically generates a configuration file from the source document information and the configuration parameters. The rendering application can use this configuration file to perform the rendering.

The desired path of the configuration file can be specified on the rendering application command line with the -profile key, for example, <Application>.exe -profile CustomRender.ini. If no path is specified, the default location of the configuration file is <ServiceAccountTempFolder>/BCTemp/<JobName>. The file is generated in standard .ini format with sections that group related settings together, for example, [Page]. The format makes it easier for you to understand the configuration and for applications to interpret the parameters.

Each setting occupies one line, for example, PageSize=A3.

Following is an example of an automatically generated configuration file:

[Common]
Source=F:\DataStor\Cache\ANDREWD\M-And-w8-64,D-Ht1\Publish\Test_2017.dwg
Destination=C:\tmp\BCTemp\CustomRender\Test_2017.pdf
Log=C:\tmp\BCTemp\CustomRender\Test_2017.log
[Source]
Category=Meridian
Name=Ht1@AND-W8-64
ID={417B4146-EF2B-11E0-0000-9D6D3C3A882E}
[Page]
Layout=0
PageSize=A3
PageOrientation=0
ZoomToExtents=1
[Pen]
Color=2
UseLineWeights=0
[Custom]
Units=mm
Stamp=1
Note:
  • The file paths, names, and extensions are calculated by the rendering module and are not configurable.

  • The rendering application is responsible for writing its command line output to the specified log file.

If the rendering application does not support a parameter file in this format, create logic in an executable script file (.bat,.cmd,.ps1) that parses the parameter file and calculates and runs a command line that is compatible with the application. Upload the script file as a custom resource file on the server as described in Manage Custom Resources. An example PowerShell script for rendering with the AutoVue Document Converter is provided in C:\Program Files\BC-Meridian\Enterprise Server\CustomRenderAutoVue.ps1. Thoroughly test your script file apart from the publishing job first to be sure it works as expected.

ClosedConfigure Custom Rendering Module Options

To configure the Custom rendering module options:

  1. In Meridian Enterprise Server Administration Console, in the Data Exchange group, click Rendering Profiles.

    The All Rendering Profiles page appears and lists the existing profiles grouped by the name of the computer (cluster node) to which they are assigned.

  2. Double-click the rendering profile that you want to configure.

    The rendering options page appears.

  3. On the GENERAL page, click options or type values using the descriptions in the following table.

    Custom rendering module general options
    Option Description

    Name

    The name of the rendering profile as seen in the Administration Console.

    Computer

    The name of the Meridian Enterprise Server cluster node on which to run this job.

    Input extensions

    The file extensions that will be rendered by this module.

    To modify this list:

    1. Click Configure.

      The INPUT EXTENSIONS dialog box appears and lists the file extensions that are registered in Windows on the computer specified for Computer. Any custom file extensions specified for the Custom input extensions option are listed in the Custom files group.

    2. Select the file extensions that you want to be rendered.

    3. Click OK.

      The quantity is refreshed to reflect your selections.

    Custom input extensions

    If you want the module to render files with extensions that are not shown in the INPUT EXTENSIONS list by default, type them (without the period) here separated by semi-colons (;). For example, txt2;xyz. The extensions will be added to the INPUT EXTENSIONS list in the Custom files group where you can select them.

    If you try to enter file extensions that already exist in the INPUT EXTENSIONS list, they will be automatically removed.

  4. On the OUTPUT page, click options or type values using the descriptions in the following table.

    Custom rendering module output options
    Group Option Description
    General

    Resource file to run

    Select an existing resource filename to run on the command line. The list contains files that have been uploaded as described in Manage Custom Resources.
    General

    Include input and output filename parameters

    If enabled, passes the input, output, and log file names on the command line to the script. The log file output is also saved in the publishing log.

    If disabled, the file names are not passed to the script and output is not saved in the publishing log.

    General

    Command line preview

    Read-only preview of the command line that would be run with the selected options.
    Options

    Output file format

    The file extension (without the period) of the output from the rendering application. Files with this extension in the output folder will be detected for publishing.

    Options

    Update title blocks before rendering

    If enabled and the native application of the source document is installed on the rendering node, the title blocks in the document will be updated from the document properties before the document is rendered.

    If disabled or the application is not installed on the rendering node, the update is skipped.

    Options

    Use job advanced rendering settings

    Select this option if the values for the options in the PAGE SETUP group and the PEN SETUP group are stored as property values of the source documents. If so, then the document properties must be selected as described in Configure Rendering Options.
    Page Setup

    Default page size

    Select an option from the list to specify the default rendition page size if Use job advanced rendering settings is not enabled or if a valid size is not found in the document property.

    Page Setup

    Default orientation

    Select an option from the list to specify the default rendition page orientation if Use job advanced rendering settings is not enabled or if a valid size is not found in the document property.

    The values that are saved in the configuration file are:

    0 — portrait

    1 — landscape

    Page Setup

    Layouts to export

    Select an option from the list to specify the default layout to render if Use job advanced rendering settings is not enabled or if a valid layout is not found in the document property.

    The values that are saved in the configuration file are:

    0 — active layout

    1 — model space only

    2 — all paper space layouts

    3 — all layouts

    4 — layout name specified in Custom layout

    Page Setup

    Custom layout

    If Custom is selected for the Layouts to export option, the name of the custom layout to render.

    This option is only available if Layouts to export is set to Custom.

    Page Setup

    Zoom to extents

    If enabled, renders the drawing extents if it is larger than what is shown in the layout that is specified for the Layouts to export option.
    Pen Setup

    Default color

    Select an option from the list to specify the default color depth of the rendition if Use job advanced rendering settings is not enabled or if a valid size is not found in the document property.

    The values that are saved in the configuration file are:

    0 — monochrome

    1 — gray scale

    2 — color

    Pen Setup

    Use line weights

    If enabled, renders line weights in the output according to the setting of Default pen table.
    Pen Setup

    Default pen table

    Select an option from the list to specify the default pen table to use if Use job advanced rendering settings is not enabled or if a valid pen table is not found in the document property. If the name of the pen table does not appear in the list, the computer might need to be scanned to discover the pen table as described in Configure Rendering Options.

    Custom Parameters

    Custom parameters

    Type parameter name and value pairs that are required by the rendering application. Type one pair per line in the format <Parameter>=<Value>. Each line will be added to the profile file unaltered for the script to parse accordingly.

    For example, username=john

  5. Click Save.

2021 R3