Maybe this will be more readable.

namefmt 1    
lcd /home/test
cd /out      
mget *.csv   
QUIT         

Path already exists: /home/test/20120405-103602_LoadMaster_040512103326.csv 
Specify REPLACE as a subcommand option.    

how often does this run???

if daily, you could mget 20120406*.csv
or even hourly, mget 20120406-14*.csv

you would need to have a process update the control script file before you start the FTP session

CharlieBrown, Bigkat – thanks for the prompt response.
I doubt I have anything but ‘read’ authority on their server. I could try that. That would be a good way.

Bigkat, not sure yet how often this will run. Most likely once a day, late at night for the current day. A guy here had also come up with that (20120406*.csv) plan.

Here is what I came up with.
Two connections.
First- connect, dir, quit. Read through the ftp log, parse the filename, chain out to a file with all previously downloaded filenames. If not found(we haven’t downloaded it before), update/write a different script file with the new-exact file name to get.
Second- connect, get new files, quit. Read the ftp log, parse the filenames, add them to the file with previously downloaded file names.

Then I can kickoff the conversion programs to build db files we can use.
I think it is a plan, just had to think on it a bit.
How does that sound?

You two probably have the easier way and less coding now that I think about it. I will check on the rename authority. If not, I will use the current date to change the script file.

CharlieBrown,
How do you know the file name to rename inside the ftp session?
mget 20120406*.csv
rename 20120406*.csv 20120406*.PRX <<<<would this work?

Kinda a combination of both suggestions.
Nick

Here is what I came up with. …

If only read authority exists, your two-part FTP solution was pretty much what came to mind for me.

Tom

Well, the rename is not exactly right.
The server said RNFR not correct. My believe is that it does not like the ‘*’. It seems like the tofile (RNTO) would need to be the whole name of the file ‘ 20120405etc_and_so_on.prx’. I haven’t found any examples on the rename command.
Interactively, I typed rename and hit enter. The server asked for the fromfile name, then the tofile name. It still did not like the ’20120405*.csv’ as the from file name. Maybe rename just will not accept generics.
This will keep me from bringing in all files in the folder each day. I would still love to rename as I pull them (just to prove that I can).

BigKat, I did have a pgm to update the script for the put operation. I copied/changed for the get operation. thx.

When I mget 20120405*.csv, I get:

Path already exists: /home/tms/20120405-103602_LoadMaster_040512103326.csv
Specify REPLACE as a subcommand option.      

How much of the pathname/filename is checked on the IFS? The whole name is unique but the first 19 characters are the same as existing files on the IFS.

We do a 3 step process
1. retrieve a DIR
2.Read the DIR to determine what files to puul
3. Go back and rename the files that we pulled.

250 Rename successful.

Here is the short of it.
mget 20120405*.csv
read the log file, grab the filenames that were downloaded.
rebuild a script file to reconnect to their server and rename each file downloaded.
Kick off the mapping programs.

thanks everyone.

It occurs to me that we all talked about how to help about renaming those files, but not about making sure that just because he CAN rename them, that he SHOULD.

If the client is keeping the files there for a reason (auditability, other people need to download them too, etc.), renaming them could cause them problems.

That is a possibility. It should not be a problem for them.

…how to help about renaming those files…

My original comment assumed that the files wouldn’t be renamed on the server. If renaming is done at all, the files should only be renamed on the client after being downloaded.

Tom

Hi Is this sorted out…Is not let me know, then I’ll add my comments