Pipelines and their steps

For: The comrce Hub Owner, who manages comrce cloudprint for the companyRequires: comrce cloudprint activated in comrce HubScreenshots show sample data

A pipeline decides what happens to a print job. It picks the printer, and it can filter, change or archive the document. Under Pipelines (pipelines) in the red bar you see every pipeline of your company. Each one opens in a graphical editor. Every change you confirm there is saved at once and applies to the next job.

What you can do here

See your pipelines and their queues. The list shows each pipeline with the queues that start it. comrce cloudprint creates one pipeline per printer for you. The screen at a glance
Create a pipeline. You give it a name, and the editor opens with an empty pipeline. Create a pipeline
Read a pipeline in the editor. Queues, the Start tile and the steps appear as a diagram from left to right. Read a pipeline
Link or unlink a queue. A queue decides which incoming jobs run through the pipeline. Link a queue
Add, change and delete steps. There are seven step types, from printer output to condition. Add a step · Change or delete a step
Delete a pipeline or reset all of them. Resetting rebuilds the automatic pipelines for every active printer. Delete or reset pipelines

The screen at a glance

The "Pipelines" page of comrce cloudprint, in German. Below the red menu bar with "Client- Aufträge", "Pipeline- Aufträge", "Service- Clients", "Drucker" and "Pipelines", the page bar holds the heading "Pipelines", the highlighted plus button and "Alle Pipelines zurücksetzen" (reset all pipelines). The table lists five pipelines with the columns "ID", "Name" and "Warteschlangen" (queues), for example "Autopipeline for Versand-Etiketten" with two queues and "Billbee Versand Packplatz" with an API queue and an email queue. Each row ends with a pencil and a bin icon. The plus button creates a new pipeline. — The pipeline list. The plus next to the heading creates a pipeline, the pencil opens one.

The list has no filter or search. Each row is one pipeline.

Region	What it shows	What you do there
Page bar	Pipelines, a plus and Alle Pipelines zurücksetzen (reset all pipelines)	Create a pipeline or reset all pipelines
ID	The pipeline’s number	Tell pipelines with similar names apart
Name	The pipeline’s name	Find the pipeline
Warteschlangen (queues)	Every queue that starts the pipeline, with its type in brackets	See where the pipeline’s jobs come from
Pencil and bin	Open the pipeline, delete it	Edit or remove the pipeline

Pipelines that comrce cloudprint created for a printer are called “Autopipeline for” and the printer name. Their two queues are called “Input for”, the printer name and a number in square brackets. The number identifies the printer’s Service Client.

Create a pipeline

On Pipelines, select the plus next to the heading. The dialog “Neue Pipeline anlegen” (create a new pipeline) opens.

Name the new pipeline. Ok creates it and opens the editor.
What this screenshot shows
Highlighted
“Ok”: creates the pipeline and opens it
Also visible
Field Pipelinename with "Retouren-Etiketten"; Abbrechen and Ok
Purpose
create a pipeline
Enter a name in “Pipelinename”. Ok stays inactive until the name has at least three characters.
Select Ok. comrce cloudprint creates the pipeline and opens it in the editor.

A new pipeline holds only the Start tile. It does nothing until you link a queue and add a step. Example: Lena Hoffmann creates “Retouren-Etiketten” for return labels. She links the queue her shop system sends returns to and adds a printer output.

Read a pipeline

The pencil in the list opens the editor. Its heading shows the pipeline’s name.

The comrce cloudprint page "Pipeline 'Billbee Versand Packplatz' bearbeiten" (edit pipeline). The graph area shows, from left to right: two queue tiles, "Billbee Lieferscheine (API Warteschlange)" and "Rechnungen per E-Mail (E-Mail Warteschlange)", with arrows into the "Start" tile. From Start, one branch leads to the condition "Nur Versandetiketten" and on to the printer output "Versand-Etiketten drucken". A second branch leads to the step "Auftragsnummer aufdrucken", which feeds two outputs in parallel: "Lieferschein drucken" and the FTP output "Lieferschein archivieren". Every line between steps carries a round plus. A small map sits at the top right. — A pipeline in the editor. Queues on the left, the Start tile, then the steps and their branches.

The diagram runs from left to right:

Queues sit on the left. Each tile shows the queue’s name and type.
Start follows. Every job that arrives in one of the queues begins here.
Steps follow Start. Each tile shows the step’s name and its number in brackets.
Lines connect the tiles. A job travels along every line that leaves a tile.

A tile with two outgoing lines sends the job down both branches. Use this to print one document on two printers, or to print and archive it.

You can’t drag tiles: comrce cloudprint arranges them. Zoom with the mouse wheel and move the view with the small map at the top right.

Link a queue

A queue links to a pipeline through a trigger. That’s why the dialog for a new queue speaks of a trigger, Auslöser.

In the editor, select the plus at the top left of the Start tile.

The plus at the top left of Start adds a queue. The one at the bottom right adds a step.
What this screenshot shows
Highlighted
opens the dialog that links another queue
Also visible
Start tile with a plus on each side; Two queues leading into Start
Purpose
add a queue or a step at the start
The dialog “Neuen Auslöser anlegen” (create a new trigger) opens. Pipeline is already set to this pipeline.
Choose the queue under Warteschlange (queue) and select Ok.

Pick the queue to link. Queues already in the pipeline are not offered.
What this screenshot shows
Highlighted
chooses the queue that starts this pipeline
Also visible
Pipeline field, fixed to the open pipeline; Warteschlange list with a queue chosen; Abbrechen and Ok
Purpose
link a queue to a pipeline

The list offers only queues that aren’t linked to this pipeline yet. So each queue appears at most once per pipeline. One queue can start several pipelines, though. To create a queue, use Queues.

To unlink a queue, select the bin on its tile. comrce cloudprint removes the link at once, without asking. The queue itself stays. The icon above the bin opens the queue’s settings.

Add a step

There are two kinds of plus, and they place the step differently:

Plus	Where the new step goes
On a connecting line	Between the two tiles the line connects
At the bottom right of a tile	After that tile. If the tile already has a successor, the new step starts a parallel branch

Select the plus where the step should go. A menu with the step types opens.

The plus on a connecting line inserts a step there. Its menu has no printer output.
What this screenshot shows
Highlighted
lists the step types that can be inserted between two steps
Also visible
Six step types with icons; The menu opened from the plus between Start and Auftragsnummer aufdrucken
Purpose
insert a step into a pipeline
Choose the step type. Its dialog opens.
Enter a name and the settings, then select Ok. comrce cloudprint saves the pipeline and shows “Pipeline bearbeitet” (pipeline edited).

Every step needs a name. Without one, comrce cloudprint shows “Speichern fehlgeschlagen” (saving failed) and “Bitte gib einen Namen an.” (please enter a name).

The step types:

Step	What it does	Details
Druckerausgabe (printer output)	Sends the job to a printer of a Service Client	Output options
FTP Ausgabe (FTP output)	Saves the document in a folder on an FTP server	Output options
Bedingung (condition)	Lets the job continue only when its rules are met	Filters and conditions
Inhalt bearbeiten (edit content)	Scales, crops, extends, rotates or mirrors every page	Processing steps
Text rendern (render text)	Prints a text onto chosen pages	Processing steps
Seiten filtern (filter pages)	Keeps only the pages you list	Processing steps
Drucker- Einstellungen (printer settings)	Sets margins, colour, scaling and rotation for the print	Job settings

Outputs end a branch, so their tiles have no plus at the bottom right. Druckerausgabe is in the menu of a tile’s plus only, not of a line’s plus.

After a step that changes the document, the next steps work with the changed document. A branch that splits off before that step keeps the original.

Change or delete a step

Change a step: select the icon at the top left of its tile. The step’s dialog opens with its settings. Ok saves the change at once.
Delete a step: select the bin on its tile and confirm “Element entfernen” (remove element). The steps after it move up to the step before it.

A Drucker- Einstellungen step can’t be opened again after saving: its icon does nothing. To change it, delete it and add a new one.

Delete or reset pipelines

Delete one pipeline: select the bin in its row and confirm “Pipeline löschen” (delete pipeline). Its triggers and steps are deleted with it. The queues stay, and so do the pipeline jobs. The client jobs its printer outputs created are deleted.

Reset all pipelines: select Alle Pipelines zurücksetzen and confirm “Pipelines zurücksetzen”.

The comrce cloudprint confirmation "Pipelines zurücksetzen" (reset pipelines), shown after "Alle Pipelines zurücksetzen" on the pipeline list. The text asks whether to reset the pipelines for good. All existing queues, triggers and pipelines are deleted, and new ones are created for every active printer. Queues connected to other systems must be connected again afterwards. The buttons are "Abbrechen" (cancel) and "Ok". — Resetting deletes every queue, trigger and pipeline and rebuilds one per active printer.

It gives you a clean start when your own pipelines no longer work as you want.

Other controls on this page

Control	What it does	Why
Plus next to Pipelines	Opens “Neue Pipeline anlegen”	Create a pipeline
Pencil in a row	Opens the pipeline in the editor	See and change its steps
Bin in a row	Deletes the pipeline after a confirmation	Remove a pipeline you no longer use
Question mark next to the editor heading	Opens a help article on another site	Background reading
Small map, top right of the editor	Shows the whole diagram and moves the view	Find your way in a large pipeline

What you need to know

Topic	Fact
Changes	Every confirmed change is saved at once. There is no draft and no undo.
Automatic pipelines	When a Service Client reports a new printer, comrce cloudprint creates a pipeline, a manual queue, an API queue and a printer output for it.
Edited pipelines and plans	comrce cloudprint notes when you create or change pipelines, queues or triggers. A plan change to a plan without extended functions then asks to delete and recreate them.
Who sees it	Only the comrce Hub Owner. Other members of the company don’t see Pipelines.

Frequently asked questions

General

Where do I find the pipelines?

Select Pipelines in the red bar of comrce cloudprint. The list shows every pipeline of your company. The pencil in a row opens the editor.

Why do I already have pipelines I never created?

comrce cloudprint creates one for every printer your Service Client reports. It’s called “Autopipeline for” and the printer name. It prints every job from its two queues on that printer.

What’s the difference between a queue and a pipeline?

A queue takes jobs in, for example through the API or by email. A pipeline decides what happens to them. The pipeline list shows which queues start each pipeline.

Do my changes apply to jobs that are already printing?

No. comrce cloudprint saves each change at once, and it applies to jobs that arrive afterwards. Jobs already sent to a printer keep their settings.

Editing

How do I print one document on two printers?

Add a second printer output from the plus at the bottom right of the tile before it. Both outputs then run in parallel, and each printer gets the job.

How do I put a condition in front of an existing printer output?

Select the plus on the line that leads to the printer output and choose Bedingung. The condition goes between the two tiles.

Why can’t I add a printer output on a connecting line?

A step on a line always has a successor, and an output can’t have one. Use the plus at the bottom right of a tile instead.

Can I move a step to another place?

No. Tiles can’t be dragged, and comrce cloudprint arranges them on its own. Delete the step and add it again at the new place.

How do I change a step’s settings?

Select the icon at the top left of its tile. The step’s dialog opens, and Ok saves the change at once.

Why does nothing happen when I select the icon of a printer settings step?

A saved Drucker- Einstellungen step can’t be opened again. Delete it with the bin and add a new step with the settings you want.

What happens to the steps after a step I delete?

They move up to the step before the deleted one, so the rest of the branch keeps working without changes.

Queues

How do I add a queue to a pipeline?

Open the pipeline and select the plus at the top left of the Start tile. Choose the queue under Warteschlange and select Ok.

Why is my queue missing from the list when I link one?

The list leaves out queues that are already linked to this pipeline. A queue you haven’t created yet isn’t there either: create it under Queues.

Does removing a queue from a pipeline delete the queue?

No. The bin on a queue tile only removes the link to this pipeline. The queue stays under Queues, and other pipelines keep it.

Deleting and resetting

What does deleting a pipeline delete?

Its triggers and steps go, and so do the client jobs its printer outputs created. Its queues and the pipeline jobs stay.

What does resetting all pipelines do?

It deletes all queues, triggers and pipelines and creates one automatic pipeline per active printer. Systems connected to your old queues must be connected again.

Can I get a deleted pipeline back?

No. Deleting can’t be undone, and comrce cloudprint keeps no copy. Create the pipeline again, link its queues and add its steps.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	What to check
“Speichern fehlgeschlagen” and “Bitte gib einen Namen an.”	Enter a name in the step’s Name field.
Ok stays inactive in “Neue Pipeline anlegen”	The name needs at least three characters.
A queue isn’t offered in “Neuen Auslöser anlegen”	It’s already linked to this pipeline, or it doesn’t exist yet. Check Queues.
The step menu has no printer output	You opened the plus on a line. Use the plus at the bottom right of a tile.
A printer settings step doesn’t open	A saved step of this type can’t be opened again. Delete it and add a new one.
Another system can’t reach a queue after a reset	The reset created new queues. Connect the other system to the new queue.
Jobs don’t reach a printer	Check that a queue is linked to the pipeline, and that the printer output names the right printer.