Templates

Each job has one associated template, which is very likely a text file or web page. Each run of the template produces one output file. The template may be automatically run many times for a job. The run size depends on these rules:

RULE ONE

If a job specifies a source folder and some of the job's tasks take contents from files in that folder, then each file in the source folder will be used once with the template to produce one output file. In this case, the number of files in the source folder sets the run size.

For example, if you have 10 files in the Source folder, and each contains contents needed by the template to generate a web page, the template will then be automatically run 10 times to merge with the 10 source files to produce 10 web pages. This rule does NOT apply if the As Single Source checkbox is marked in the job definition, because Mergemill will then treat the whole Source folder as a single 'source file', which submit to the next rule.

RULE TWO

If you specify a task to take contents from a source text or external file, and the field associated with the task is not in any loop in the template, then all extra data elements for that field in the source text or file will be used to generate additional output files. That is, the number of data elements for a field tag not in loops in the template determines the run size.

For example, if you have a database export containing 100 records of student data, you may use a template to restructure the data into student record cards. In this case, the template will be run 100 times to generate the 100 individual record cards.

IF BOTH CONDITIONS ABOVE OCCUR, the greater number of output files will be generated and field tags (outside loops) with insufficient data elements will reuse the last element for the extra output files.

PLEASE NOTE that Mergemill will not generate files with no dynamic content. This is particularly helpful where you have no control on the availability of online source XML documents.