Main Features

This page lists the main features of PowerSWITCH; of course you can only fully appreciate the ease of use and flexibility of PowerSWITCH after trying it for yourself. Download a fully-functional trial.

• Filter files using script expressions
• Integrate applications using platform specific scripting
• Import incoming metadata
• Use metadata to route files
• Set processing parameters for files depending on associated metadata properties
• Submit and track files from workstations

Filter files using JavaScript

In all SWITCH products you can filter which files flow through a connection: you might only want to have files of a certain file type or with a certain naming convention to pass through a certain connection. In PowerSWITCH you can also use script expressions to filter files.

Integrate applications using platform specific scripting

FullSWITCH and PowerSWITCH feature configurators to work with key applications such as Adobe Acrobat Distiller and Enfocus PitStop Server. For those applications that are not supported through a configurator, PowerSWITCH supports full Visual Basic Scripting on Windows and AppleScript on Mac.

Scripts can also be used to talk to databases, MIS or vendor-specific workflow systems and to perform special routing and filtering not directly supported by the SWITCH products.

Import incoming metadata and access embedded metadata

More and more publishing workflows include various types of metadata together with the actual content. PowerSWITCH has built-in support to read incoming XML, XMP and JDF metadata. All metadata is stored with the processed files and can be used later on in the flow.

Embedded XMP, EXIF and IPTC metadata is immediately accessible in PowerSWITCH. The embedded metadata can be accessed with variables, but using scripting PowerSWITCH allows accessing and updating embedded metadata.

Use metadata to route files

Metadata properties stored with a file (from metadata generated in SWITCH or imported) can be used to determine how a file should be routed through a flow.

Set processing parameters for files depending on associated metadata properties

Metadata properties stored with a file (from metadata generated in SWITCH or imported) can be used to directly set processing properties for built-in tools or configurators in PowerSWITCH. This for example allows different preflight or distilling parameters to be used depending on the final destination or purpose for a file (as long as that destination or purpose is available as a metadata property).

Submit and track jobs from workstations

Using the SWITCHclient that is bundled with PowerSWITCH you can submit jobs from your own workstation and track their status. This allows for a much greater control over the jobs you process without ever having to go to the server where PowerSWITCH is running.

For adminstrators the workgroup client also shows full logging information so that it becomes easier to keep an eye on what is going on with PowerSWITCH.