crossTransform

crossTransform enables you to add user-defined steps to the check-in and check-out processes. This makes it possible to prepare update or alignment files with the program of your choice prior to check-in or to start a post-processing process after check-out.

A typical example of this is processing formats not supported by Across. This allows customers to work with file formats not natively supported by Across. Other possible uses for crossTransform are in the fields of controlling, quality management, or reporting.

crossTransform can be specified with the system settings of Across or with crossTransform plugins. Both ways are described below.

System settings

In Across, use Tools > System Settings > Document Associations to associate filename extensions with document formats and specify pre- and post-processing scripts to be executed before check-in and after check-out.

Tip

You have to ensure that the corresponding path to the scripts can be resolved on the client machines.

Plugins

An alternative to the system settings are crossTransform plugins that allow specifying the same information. In contrast to the system settings, crossTransform plugins are not system-wide, which can be helpful when settings are different or the crossTransform solution should be available to selected users only.

Detection

When started, Across searches the directory %ProgramFiles%\across\across\plugin for XML files. XML files with the root element plugin and the attribute value type="crossTransform plugin" are detected as crossTransform plugins.

Attributes of the Plugin element

Attribute	Description
type	Must be crossTransform plugin, so that the XML file is detected as a plugin.
name	Optional name of the plugin. Is not evaluated by Across.

The plugin element must have
one docasso sub-element
one pre-processing sub-element
one post-processing sub-element

docasso element

Defines the document association of the plugin. It has no sub-elements.

Attribute	Description
ending	The file extension that this plugin supports.
formatGUID	The GUID with which the file should be checked in.
description	A short description of the extension. Will be used e.g. in the File Open dialog in Across.
template	The document template to be used during check-in. It must be a template for the document type specified with formatGUID.
extGUID	An arbitrary GUID. Across uses this GUID to differentiate different file extensions registered with one document type. It has to be unique and must not be the same GUID as the formatGUID.

The menu element can have a sub-elements menu, a separator, and an icon.

Pre-processing element

Defines the command to be executed before checking in the file. It is used to convert the file from its original format into a format known by Across.

command: The command to execute. You have access to environment variables like %ProgramFiles%.

The executable specified by this tag will be called by Across as follows:

<specified executable><Path of the original file><Path of the check-in file><LCID of the source language>

Parameters	Description
Path of the original file	Path of the file selected by the user in Across Client (Project Wizard, Update Wizard or Alignment Wizard).
Path of the check-in file	Path of the file that the crossTransform pre-processing must generate. Across automatically creates a unique path name, based on the temporary directory and expects a file in this position during check-in. If such a file does not exist after concluding the crossTransform pre-processing, no document will be checked in. If you do not wish to modify the original file, you will have to at least add a copying procedure to your implementation to make it possible to check in the file.
LCID of the source language	The LCID of the source language selected by the user in the Project Wizard.

Tip

Check-ins via crossAPI SI do not consider crossTransform directly. But with CheckInManager.CreateCheckInJob5(), CheckInManager.CreateCheckInJob6(), CheckInManager.CreateCheckInJob7(), and CheckInManager.CreateCheckInJob8(), this behavior can be emulated: There, the path of a pre-processing script (this would be the value of the command attribute of the pre-processing tag), the document type (this would be the value of the formatGUID attribute of the docasso tag) and the doc settings (this would be the value of the template attribute in the docasso tag) can be specified.

Post-processing element

Defines the command to be executed after a file has been checked out. It is used to convert the file from the format known by Across into its original format. In case no post-processing should take place, the script or program specified by the command attribute should simply do nothing.

command: The command to execute. You have access to environment variables like %ProgramFiles%.

The executable specified by this tag will be called by Across in the following way:

<specified executable><Path of the checkout file><Source LCID><Target LCID>

Parameters	Description
Path of the checkout file	Path of the check-out file. This is a filename and a path selected by the user in the Check-Out Wizard. Across does not process this file after the post-processing command has finished executing.
Source LCID	The LCID of the original document. Can be used for setting code pages and doing needed conversions.
Target LCID	The LCID of the target language. Can be used for setting code pages and doing needed conversions.

Tip

Check-outs via crossAPI SI do not consider crossTransform. But with CheckOutManager.CreateCheckOutJob2(), this behavior can be emulated: There, the path of a post-processing script (this would be the value of the command attribute of the post-processing tag) can be specified.

Because pre-processing and post-processing both have 3 parameters, it is best to use batch files that call your program and use these batch files in the pre-processing and post-processing tags.