Automating project creation

We have received a query from one of our departments regarding the ability to automate the project creation workflow using watch folders. I know this is possible with Connecting Content from Kaleidoscope. Are there also ways to do this without an external solution, if need be?

  • Hi there Dave!

    You could indeed do this with a Business Rule.

    There is an out of the box action clause called "Intiate Project" that you can utilise this alongside the selector clause that looks for new files that get dropped into a location.

    Here are the steps to set this up:

    1. Management > Business Rule Linkage > Rules > ADD.

    2. It will first ask you to name the Rule. Each rule will have to be linked to a single Source Locale so call it something like "English US Projects"

    3. Next check the box on the Selector clause page "Asset Based - All New or Changed Assets under particular path since the rule was last executed":

    Trados Studio screenshot showing the 'New Rule' setup with 'Asset Based' selected and a note for 'All new or changed assets since this rule was last executed'. Rule name is 'Rule: Create Project'.

    You will then have to click the blue hyperlink "path" and select the watch folder where you will drop assets in to be translated. 

    4. Click Next and enter the Condition Clause screen - Here you could limit what files are picked up in someway. Maybe you only want .doc files to be collected.

    Trados Studio screenshot displaying the 'New Rule' condition clause with 'If asset is of a particular MIME type' highlighted. Rule name is 'Rule: Create Project'.

    5. The Next screen is the Action clause and it here where the project details are defined. such as Project Name, Source Locale, Workgroup and Workflow.

    Trados Studio screenshot of the 'New Rule' action clause with 'Initiate project' option selected. Rule details are provided at the bottom for 'Rule: Create Project'.

    6. Once selected click next and maybe add more exceptions if you want. If none, then move to the final screen.

    7. This is the screen where you decide how and when your rule shall execute and thus check the watch folder for new files. There are two options.

    Manually or on a recurring schedule.

    For the Schedules there are 3 that come as standard - Hourly, Daily or Weekly. But you can add your own if you want here Management > Business Rule Linkage > Recurrences.

    8. Once completed Save the rule and then you can test!

    Hope that helps out and was the kind of solution you were looking for.

    Thanks
    Ryan

    emoji


    Generated Image Alt-Text
    [edited by: Trados AI at 3:39 AM (GMT 0) on 5 Mar 2024]
  • Hi Ryan,

    I keep getting the error "No workflows were found." even though I was presented with a picklist of the workflows defined on the server.

    Error message in Trados Studio stating 'No projects have been created. Project creation completed with errors: Project(s) for locale(s) English (United States), French (France) were not created because no workflows were found.'

    emoji


    Generated Image Alt-Text
    [edited by: Trados AI at 3:40 AM (GMT 0) on 5 Mar 2024]
  • Hi Dave,

    Sorry I was so use to configuring a similar custom rule that I forgot how to properly configure the out of the box ones!

    The missing pieces are:

    In step 5 above don't choose your Source Locale instead pick all the Target Locales you want!

    Error message in Trados Studio rule configuration stating 'Rule (click underlined values to edit)' with a list of target locales and instructions to execute rule manually.

    The next piece is how to define the Source Locale.

    This is to be done on the AIS folder in the Explorer tab. 

    Select your Watch folder and set the Locale AIS property explicitly for that folder to the Source Locale:

    Trados Studio Explorer tab showing 'Rule Projects' folder with subfolders for different locales and a 'Change Properties' window for 'EN_UK' locale.

    Remain in the Explorer, create a folder in AIS for each target locale you defined in the rule. Then again set the AIS locale value to that same target locale.

    So you may have something like this is AIS:

    Close-up of Trados Studio Explorer tab displaying 'Rule Projects' folder with subfolders for 'DE', 'EN_UK', 'ES', 'FR', and 'IT' locales.

     

    Still within Explorer click the Linkage Editor button. 

    Trados Studio Explorer tab highlighting the 'Linkage Editor' button among other toolbar options.

    This is where we will create a relationship with the source files and where there translations will be created and stored throughout the Project lifespan.

    First select your Source Locale and then choose one of your Target locales in the dropdown.

    Trados Studio Linkage Editor window with 'Source Locale' set to 'English (United Kingdom)' and 'Target Locale' set to 'German (Germany)'.

     

    Underneath these dropdowns you will set a mini AIS explorer, find your source locale folder and also find your target locale folder

    Now using the mouse in a similar fashion to creating a transition in the workflow editor drag a link from the Source AIS folder to the Target AIS folder and your should see this:

    Trados Studio Linkage Editor interface showing source and target locale folders with 'EN_UK' selected as source and 'DE' as target.

    Repeat this for all the target locale folders so your should have a link from the source to each of the targets.

    then hit Save in the linkage editor and that should do it!

    Apologies for missing these crucial steps!

    emoji


    Generated Image Alt-Text
    [edited by: Trados AI at 3:40 AM (GMT 0) on 5 Mar 2024]
  • I am not sure but i think AIS Triggers can be used to take actions immediately rather than waiting for the recurrence to trigger.