Start document generation
primedocs Connect can be processed on both the client and server side.
Client-side processing
File extensions
Two file extensions are already linked to the primedocs client in Windows:
| File extension | Description |
|---|---|
| .pdcx | Contains primedocs Connect-compliant XML and is executed directly by primedocs (without prompting). Unless otherwise defined in the XML, the file is deleted after the document is created. |
| .pdck | Same as .pdcx, but the k stands for keep. The primedocs Connect file is not deleted after processing. |
If you create a primedocs Connect file and name it with the file extension .pdcx or .pdck, this file is automatically linked to primedocs and can be started normally via Windows.
Invocation via console
It is also possible to call primedocs via the console:
.\primedocs.exe /connect "<path to xml file>"
Alternatively, the call via the /URI parameter can be used:
.\primedocs.exe /uri "primedocs:connect=<path to xml file>&keepConnect=true"
A file path or a URL (see Retrieval from URL) can be specified as the path to xml file.
IMPORTANT
primedocs automatically deletes the connect file after processing. If the additional argument /keepConnect is passed, this behavior can be suppressed. If called via shell, the file extension “.pdck” must be used.
URI via Protocol Handler
When the primedocs desktop client is installed, a protocol handler is registered that enables command invocation via URI.
This also allows primedocs desktop to be launched from a browser via a link.
<a href="primedocs:connect="[path to xml file]">Generate document</a>
Retrieval from URL
If a URL starting with http:// or https:// is specified as [path to xml file] , primedocs desktop retrieves the connect file from there. This means, for example, that an API can be used for data delivery.
For the URL call to work, it must first be approved via the Connect Remote Policies in the Admin Dashboard. In this setting, HTTP headers can also be defined, for example, to transmit an authentication token.
Since the characters & and = are used as separators for the connect arguments, the URL should be encoded. For example the URL
https://api.example.com/connect?token=124AbC&language=de
has passed to the call as primedocs:connect=https%3A%2F%2Fexample.com%2Fconnect%3Ftoken%3D124AbC%26language%3Dde .
When using a URL, the keepConnect setting is ignored.
TemplatePicker
The TemplatePicker is displayed if:
- no template element has been specified
- or the TagFilter would produce several templates and
AllowTemplatePicker="true"has been defined.
Server-side processing
primedocs Connect can be used on the server side via the Web API: Connect API