Automating a sequence of tasks

[xoggoth]

May soon get job to automate processing of a large batch of satellite images.

This is actually a whole sequence of processes employing various programs, some proprietary. Not just straight list, processing path would be conditional depending on errors thrown up in previous stage etc. What's the best way to go about it?

The main programs used are all either bespoke and modifiable, com compliant and ditto (Excel/VBA) or in the case of the very expensive proprietary program have a decent built in language so no problem in principle, just what's the best glue?. Ideally it would even automatically post images on the website and email clients with details.

I know you can run Windows processes from code with shell etc. but have sometimes found that a bit iffy. It's on XP. Is this Windows scripting thingy any good? Or maybe there is some suitable third party software?

Ta for any thoughts.

PS Thoughts preferably not consisting entriely of "Use .net"

[DimPrawn]

How about having someone offshore do the work by hand whilst you sit back and sip Gin & Tonics?

Glue - If you have SQL Server (eval version would do) there is Data Transformation Services (DTS)

msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnsql2k/html/dts_overview.asp

This can call into COM, run external processes, make decisions, read/write Excel, Access DB plus tons of other stuff.

[swamp]

xoggoth,

Look at Perl for windows (ActivePerl) It's the traditional glue/script language, but with the windows version you also have COM.

"Ideally it would even automatically post images on the website and email clients with details."

Well that's a no-brainer in Perl.

[xoggoth]

Ta chaps. Will look at both those when/if job materialises.