FtpConnection and palette window problem

Question

I've tried to implement a progress bar for handling FtpConnection puts and gets.
My progress bar code works; I use it in PSCS2 and PSCS3 just fine. My ftp code
is also working in Bridge CS3: my progress bar and text is getting updated
correctly, the files are getting transferred, I am just locked out of doing
anything with it, like hit the cancel key.
I've tried doing this with ftp sync and async, I've pumping and not pumping.
Nothing I do will let the palette window acquire focus while FtpConnection is
doing a get or a put.
Has anybody got a progress bar/palette working with FtpConnection yet?
-X

Answer 1

Hi,
You can create a scheduled task and call pump() on the ftp object from within that, then use the ftp call back to update your progress bar. With the Asynch demo Bridge/dialog will lock because the main thread is sleeping and writing to the console inside the while loop.
Try the following, you will have to adjust the timings and what not to get exactly what you are after but this works. I 'quickly' tested with a 100mb zip file using Bridge/ESTK CS3 and plain old ftp server.
Make sure a selection is made in Bridge and then run the script from ESTK - hope it helps.
Cheers,
// Load the webaccess library
if( webaccesslib == undefined )
if( Folder.fs == "Windows" ) {
var pathToLib = Folder.startup.fsName + "/webaccesslib.dll";
} else {
var pathToLib = Folder.startup.fsName + "/webaccesslib.bundle";
// verify that the path is valid
var libfile = new File( pathToLib );
var webaccesslib = new ExternalObject("lib:" + pathToLib );
// Create the progress dialog
var win = new Window("palette", "FTP Dialog");
// Add a panel to contain the components
win.pnl = win.add("panel", undefined, "FTP Status");
// Add a progress bar with a label and initial value of 0, max value of 100.
var pBar = win.pnl.add("progressbar", undefined, 0, 100);
// Add buttons
win.cancelButton = win.add("button", undefined, "Cancel");
win.cancelButton.onClick = function()
$.writeln("FTP Cancelled");
ftpServer.cancel();
app.cancelTask(MyTask.id);
win.close();
// This task will be scheduled to control the progress bar upddate
MyTask = {};
MyTask.id = 0;
MyTask.updateStatus = function()
//$.writeln("updateStatus() called");
ftpServer.pump();
var ftpAddress = "";
var ftpUsername = "";
var ftpPassword = "";
var ftpDir = "";
// Create ftp object and assign username/password
var url = "ftp://" + ftpAddress;
var ftpServer = new FtpConnection(url);
ftpServer.timeout = 30;
// We don't want a blocking connection
ftpServer.async = true;
ftpServer.username = ftpUsername;
ftpServer.password = ftpPassword;
ftpServer.onCallback = function(reason,p_log,total)
if(reason == FtpConnection.reasonProgress)
pBar.value += 10;
if( reason == FtpConnection.reasonStart ) {
$.writeln("AsyncFTP: Upload started");
if( reason == FtpConnection.reasonComplete ) {
$.writeln("AsyncFTP: Upload finished");
app.cancelTask(MyTask.id);
win.close();
if(reason == FtpConnection.reasonFailed ) {
$.writeln("AsyncFTP: Upload failed");
app.cancelTask(MyTask.id);
win.close();
ftpServer.open(url);
if(ftpServer.isOpen)
// Move to a directory (if needed)
ftpServer.cd = "bridge"
// Create the destination directory on the server
//ftpServer.mkdir(ftpDir);
// Move to the new directory
ftpServer.cd = ftpDir;
if(app.document.selections.length == 1)
win.show();
// The selected thumbnails in Bridge
var sels = app.document.selections;
ftpServer.put(sels[0].spec, sels[0].name);
// Rerun this task every 100 ms
MyTask.id = app.scheduleTask("MyTask.updateStatus()", 100, true);
"End"