"Loop Parameters over a collection of strings"

arc12

HI -
I can see how Loop Parameters works to loop over numerical values but I want to set a parameter with a string type.
Specifically, I want to set the URL parameter for the "Read RSS Feed" operation from a list of URLs,

I've experimented, googled and searched these email forums but got nowhere.

Is this possible somehow?

Cheers, Adam

ImageMiner

Hi,

maybe read your urls from a file via "Read Excel" operator. Then make a "Loop Values" over the attribute holding the urls.
Inside operator "Read RSS" use the macro %{loop_value} as value for "url".
The name "loop_value" is defined inside the loop operator, so you can use self defined names, too.

Hope this helps

ImageMiner

arc12

Thanks imageminer; that was just the info I needed. Simple when you know how!

For the benefit of others, below is the XML for a how-to-do-it. NB I used the CSV reader, which requires metadata be set. The easiest way to get this right is to use the "wizard". In my case below there was a fist column with entries I discard.

Cheers, Adam
------------------
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<process version="5.1.004">
  <context>
    <input/>
    <output/>
    <macros/>
  </context>
  <operator activated="true" class="process" compatibility="5.1.004" expanded="true" name="Process">
    <process expanded="true" height="325" width="413">
      <operator activated="true" class="read_csv" compatibility="5.1.004" expanded="true" height="60" name="Read CSV" width="90" x="55" y="162">
        <parameter key="csv_file" value="[path to file]/feeds.csv"/>
        <parameter key="column_separators" value=","/>
        <parameter key="first_row_as_names" value="false"/>
        <list key="annotations">
          <parameter key="0" value="Name"/>
        </list>
        <list key="data_set_meta_data_information">
          <parameter key="0" value="type.false.text.attribute"/>
          <parameter key="1" value="url.true.text.attribute"/>
        </list>
      </operator>
      <operator activated="true" class="loop_values" compatibility="5.1.004" expanded="true" height="76" name="Loop Values" width="90" x="246" y="255">
        <parameter key="attribute" value="url"/>
        <process expanded="true" height="593" width="614">
          <operator activated="true" class="web:read_rss" compatibility="5.1.000" expanded="true" height="60" name="Read RSS Feed" width="90" x="112" y="147">
            <parameter key="url" value="%{loop_value}"/>
          </operator>
          <connect from_op="Read RSS Feed" from_port="output" to_port="out 1"/>
          <portSpacing port="source_example set" spacing="0"/>
          <portSpacing port="sink_out 1" spacing="0"/>
          <portSpacing port="sink_out 2" spacing="0"/>
        </process>
      </operator>
      <connect from_op="Read CSV" from_port="output" to_op="Loop Values" to_port="example set"/>
      <connect from_op="Loop Values" from_port="out 1" to_port="result 1"/>
      <portSpacing port="source_input 1" spacing="0"/>
      <portSpacing port="sink_result 1" spacing="0"/>
      <portSpacing port="sink_result 2" spacing="0"/>
    </process>
  </operator>
</process>