Run a class when a file is created in a folder

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How is it possible to make a function in Ax 4.0 that will monitor a local Windows folder and run a class when a new file is detected inside this folder?

I'm unable to find anything that will guide me in the right direction, using Google and forum searches, when it comes to X++ and in particular the older Ax 4.0 my customer is running.

Background for this issue is that we recieve a xml file from a web front end and need to create a quotation based on this file. The class reading the xml file and creating a quotation is already up and running in Ax 4.0, but for now I need to manually trigger the class to run.

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Community Member on at

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Thank you for the respons. I might have searched using the wrong keywords. I'll give it a try by using a recurring batch job with a high frequency.

Regards

Bredo

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Vilmos Kintera 46,149 on at

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You could do it via a batch like mentioned above, but that is only one option.

You could write a simple Service application which runs in the background in Visual Studio, that monitors if the file is received, and then makes a call to AX via Business Connector through a static method in your class, that initiates the processing.

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Hi Vilmos

Thank you for your suggestion. Crispin suggested much the same and in fact that was my first choice, to have the application that delivers the file also starts a method in our Ax class. However I'm unsuccessfull about logging in to Ax from the C# service that we are going to run on the Ax server.

To run a batch job every minute or so is not satisfactory for our client. We have a web front end that awaits feedback and we want to avoid any delays. I'm going back to the track of having our service start the method and will post a new question when I have some solid info on where my code fails.

Thanks a lot to both of you.

Regards

Bredo

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Vilmos Kintera 46,149 on at

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This is exactly what my recommendation above is, to use BC from either their web app straight, or from a standalone service.

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Martin Dráb 237,898 Most Valuable Professional on at

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If you can use neither a batch nor a synchronous call and you need to stick to your original requirement, the solution is using FileSystemWatcher. It raises Created event when a file is created in the given folder. You'll a ,NET class library wrapping FileSystemWatcher, because you can't subscribe to events from X++, but I think you'll be able to use the library directly from AX process (via CLR Interop).

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