This is a printable page that lists frequently asked questions and answers for Expedite for Windows.

Click here to go to FAQs page 1.

Yes. Because AT&T no longer supports the version of AT&T Global dialer (version 4.27) that was packaged with earlier versions of Expedite programs, AT&T Global Network Client version 5 is now included with Expedite for Windows 6.3.1. This allows Expedite customers to get support on any dialer issues from AT&T.

AT&T Global Network Client version 5 supports both dial and Virtual Private Network (VPN) communications.

Note: AT&T Global Network Client version 5 is not officially supported on Windows 2003 Server editions. [Return to questions]

When Expedite for Windows 6.3.1 is installed, the following items are also installed:

• Java Runtime environment 1.3.1 (JRE) in c:\program files\IBM\IKMJRE dir.
• GSKIT for enabling SSL communications
• IKEYMAN, a certificate management tool
• AT&T Global Network Client version 5.

The highlights of each licensed program are listed below:

Expedite Base for Windows

• Supports asynchronous and TCP/IP connections to Information Exchange
• Supports Information Exchange commands, which are contained in control files
• Supports most Information Exchange commands to provide the following functions: send files, receive files, list files in your mailbox, cancel files sent, delete files from your mailbox, request an audit trail, update an alias table, and work with libraries
• Provides a command-line, file-oriented interface for batch sessions

Expedite for Windows

• Supports TCP/IP connections to Information Exchange
• Provides C-language and Java programming interfaces to all Expedite for Windows functions, including interactive access to the Information Exchange mailbox
• Supports Information Exchange commands to send files, receive files, list files in your mailbox, and delete files from your mailbox
• Provides a graphical interface
• Provides a command-line interface for batch sessions
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What is the difference between Expedite for Windows 6.2 and Expedite for Windows 6.3.1?

Expedite for Windows 6.3.1 supports secure socket layer (SSL) TCP/IP communication, and Expedite for Windows 6.2 does not support SSL.
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How is the C-API different between versions 6.2 and 6.3.1?

There is no difference.
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Can I send a free-format e-mail note using Expedite for Windows?

Yes, you can create an ASCII text file using any text editor or word processing program, file it, and then send the file to Information Exchange.
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If an ealier version of Expedite for Windows is already installed and set up, how do I upgrade to version 6.3.1?

You can install version 6.3.1 over your existing installation of Expedite for Windows version 6.x. There is no need to migrate your projects for this upgrade.

What is an Expedite project?

An Expedite project provides a way for you to enable multiple users or applications (one at a time) to access the same installation of Expedite. Expedite manages separate addresses, orders, and drop-off boxes for each project. You can add password protection to Expedite projects to prevent unauthorized access.

You can use the same Information Exchange mailbox IDs across projects. If a mailbox is disabled because of a checkpoint-level recovery error in one project, Expedite ensures that the mailbox cannot be used by another project until the problem is resolved. This prevents loss or duplication of data by keeping users or applications from interfering with one another and accidentally resetting the Information Exchange session.
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I only need one project.  What do I do?

When you install Expedite, you have the option of installing the "default project". If you select the default project option, or if you create only one project, the Expedite GUI  automatically opens and closes the project for you. You do not need to be concerned about projects. The project will be transparent to you.

However, once you create a second project, Expedite does not automatically  open projects for you. You must select File/Open to open a project before you can work with Expedite.

If you are accessing an Expedite project from a C-language application, the application must include logic to open and  close the project.
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Why does Expedite provide orders and drop-off boxes?

Expedite provides orders and drop-off boxes as objects that can be configured and stored on a shelf (database).

EDI customers usually send and receive the same files each time data is transmitted  (although the files generally differ in content). Also, most customers need to set up more than one set of transmissions. These are usually fixed sets of transmissions occurring with regularity.

Both orders and drop-off boxes can be reused for individual sessions with Information Exchange.
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How do I use orders?

Expedite enables you to define the send and receive commands as orders, and to store the orders on an order shelf.

For example, if on Tuesdays you send data to your trading partner and also  receive data from headquarters, and on Wednesdays you receive data only from headquarters, then you should create two orders.  The first order can be a send order that indicates the address for your trading partner and the name of  the file Expedite should send.  The second order can be a receive order that indicates the address for headquarters and the name of the file where Expedite should store the data received.

You can assign each order to one or more drop-off boxes.  You can create a drop-off box for the Tuesday transmission and another drop-off box for the Wednesday transmission.  You can assign the send order to the Tuesday  drop-off box, and assign the receive order to both the Tuesday and Wednesday drop-off boxes.
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How do I use drop-off boxes?

You use drop-off boxes to set up multiple sessions with Information Exchange. You do this by creating a drop-off box for a specific session, and add the appropriate orders for that session to the  drop-off box.

For example, if you send data to your trading partners every day, but receive data from your trading partners only once a week, you should set up two drop-off boxes.

The drop-off boxes should have different  names but the same characteristics. One drop-off box contains send orders and is processed every day to transmit data to your trading partners. The other drop-off box contains receive orders and is processed once a week.
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What if I do not transmit the same files every time?

You can use the Pickup Counter station to do a quick send or receive without using orders or drop-off boxes. To do this

• Start a session with Information Exchange using the Pickup Counter.
• Use the "Check mailbox" feature to list your mailbox contents and select the items to receive.
• Use the "Send" option to send a file

Expedite includes a software development toolkit called the C-Language Interface, which is a programming tool you can use to develop customized applications for Expedite. You can include logic in a C-language application to control the flow of the session and determine which files to send and receive.

Using the C-Language Interface, you can start a session, send and receive files, and end the session. Expedite returns control to your application after each function call. 

You can configure orders and drop-off boxes in the Expedite GUI and then process them through C-Language Interface function calls. Or, you can send and receive files without orders or drop-off boxes.

Refer to the : Expedite for Windows Software Development Kit Programming Guide for more information.
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How can I schedule drop-off boxes for processing?

You can use the script interface included with Expedite for Windows to process a script in a text file. The script interface provides support for opening a project, processing a drop-off box, and closing a project. From your scheduler, start the expscrip.exe program to process the script and run the drop-off box to transmit data according to your needs.
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How do I use trading profiles?

Trading profiles contain information used on send and receive orders, such as user class, message name, and sequence number. To save time filling out orders, you can specify information in a trading  profile for a group of trading partners and assign that profile to those trading partners in the address book. When you select that address as a destination (when creating an order in the GUI), Expedite automatically retrieves the appropriate values for the order from the trading profile.

Expedite includes a default trading profile, named $Default$, that specifies the default values that Expedite uses. Although you can assign the $Default$ trading profile to an address, the results are the same as if you  had not assigned a trading profile. The $Default$ trading profile can be used as a reference for the default values. You cannot edit or delete any record in Expedite named $Default$.

If you are writing a C-Language Interface application and you assign trading profiles to an address, Expedite uses the trading profile to fill in any fields not already specified in your send and receive orders. If you do not specify a trading profile, Expedite uses the values shown in the $Default$ trading profile.
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Do I have to set up the address book?

If you plan to use the Expedite GUI, you should set up the address book with entries containing nicknames and associated Information Exchange addresses. Using the address book and nicknames simplifies addressing and makes it easy for Expedite to present lists of nicknames as choices when creating orders.

If you plan to use the C-Language Interface to write an application, you do not need to set up the address book. Your application should specify the Information Exchange address in structures used as arguments passed to the Expedite function calls, ExpDoSend and ExpDoRecv.
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Why does the address book include personal, postal, and phone information?

Expedite uses only the nickname and the Information Exchange address information from the address book. The other fields are provided for your convenience as an Expedite GUI user, or as a programmer using the C-Language Interface to write an application such as an e-mail application.
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Why would I specify a project password?

An administrator can use a project password when setting up a hub site project for distribution to trading partners. The password prevents the trading partners from changing the project configuration. An administrator can also use passwords to protect projects from accidental changes when multiple users have access to a single installation of Expedite.

To set up a project password, you must specify both a read and a read/write password. This enables support personnel to use the read password to view the configuration if there is a problem. Most problem determination and resolution is still accessible even when the project is  password protected.
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I forgot my project password, now what?

If you forget or misplace your project password, you must send your project database to Customer Care to have the password reset.
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How do I use a dialer other than the AT&T Global Network Client to establish the TCP connection?  

When using the AT&T Global Network Client, Expedite can start the dialer connection and automatically reconnect and resume the session if the connection fails. If you use a different dialer, Expedite does not attempt to re-establish a session if the session is disconnected before completion.

To use a different dialer, edit your communications profile to indicate the connection is via leased line. Each time you use Expedite, establish the dial connection with your dialer first. Expedite looks for and uses the TCP connection established (either via leased line or LAN) by the other dialer. You must end the dial connection once Expedite finishes sending and receiving data.
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