Connecting to a folder to read the input file

Question

Instead of directly using a file as an input to a workflow, I am trying to connect to a shared folder named 'Current' that at any given time will have only one excel file with a predetermined structure. For instance, the file name could be FTE_Nov2020. I plan to move the older files (FTE_Oct2020, FTE_Sep2020, etc.) to an Archive folder. How do I connect it to the 'Current' folder, so as to use the only file in that folder to be used as an input to a workflow I have already designed?

AngelosPachis · Accepted Answer

Hi @Adityasa ,

Will those excel files have the same sheet name? If yes, you can use a wildcard to read them. Assuming that the file path when you connect to a specific file is:

G:/Your_project/another_subfolder/Readthis.xlsx

you can swap the name of the file with an asterisk, so

G:/Your_project/another_subfolder/*.xlsx

That will read all excel files within that directory, but if the sheet names change for every file you keep there that won't work.

The alternative would be a Directory tool feeding into a dynamic input tool. In the Dynamic Input tool, you should define a template file and then you can set it to read a list of data sources and change the entire file path

The other solution would be a batch macro, but I think that would be an overkill for that problem. I believe the easiest solution is the first one suggested above, so if you manually copy and paste that file in that drive, just make sure every time it has a consistent sheet name.

Hope that helps, please feel free to ask any questions.

Cheers,

Angelos