Creating file applications

Unwired Accelerator lets you create applications that are based on files. The file must contain data arranged in a format that can be mapped to grid data (see “Using grid rules” for information about grid rules, for example:

Delimited columns – a file that has data separated by commas, tabs, semi-colons, colons, or spaces. Typically, this is a file with a .csv extension, which you can create when you save the contents of a spreadsheet application.

Fixed-size columns – a file with data arranged in columns of a fixed size with a .txt extension.

Using either file type, you can create an application element that uses the grid-rule functionality of Unwired Accelerator.

UA uses the uploaded copy of the file, not the copy that is local to the browser. In other words, changes to the original file have no impact on the application created from the uploaded file. To have the changes take effect, you must upload the application again.

Creating a file element

You can create file elements using files that use commas, tabs, semi-colons, colons, or spaces to separate data.

Log in to Web Studio, select Build Applications, select New from the Application Manager Status menu, then click New to launch Application Builder.

Click the arrow to the right of the Add button and select File Element. You see the New File Element window, which allows you to identify the file to upload from your local machine to the Unwired Accelerator server.

Complete the File Element Definition options:

File Name – enter the file name of your source data.
Delimited, Fixed Width – reflects how source file content is arranged—data separated by a delimiter (such as a comma), or data arranged in fixed-sized columns.
Destination Location – accept the default location, which is created automatically.
File Name – leave blank. This field is automatically filled in once you upload the file.
Delimiter – select the delimiter used in the source data file.
Merge Repeated Delimiters – whether repeated delimiters should be replaced with a single delimiter. This is useful if your source data includes blank columns.
Text Quoter – specifies the quote character that is used to define a section of “as is” text that may include delimiters.

Click Upload to the right of the Destination Location field. When the confirmation displays that the file was successfully uploaded, click OK.

Click Preview to see the result.

Click Next.

In the Split window, split columns or rows using delimiters. See “Adding split rules”. Click Next.

In the Define window, define the record layout and specify a record header. See “Defining record layout”. Click Next.

In the Filter window, specify filter rules to select only the relevant data from the element. See “Adding filter rules”. Click Next.

In the Preview window, enter a name for the file element.

In the Continuous Capture window, click Finish.

In the Application Builder, click Save. See “Saving applications”.