Secure File Sharing

Sharing files securely is still a challenge. I’ve tried every combination of AirDrop, WeTransfer, Dropbox, email and numerous other but it’s still not as smooth as I’d like. Then I found Wormhole. No login required, fully encrypted and works simply on any device. Just open the page, drop in your files and share the link. …

Dynamically Output to Multiple Files in KNIME

The Problem How to output to multiple files with dynamic contents and unique names using KNIME without hardcoding filters and using multiple branches? Loops, you need loops. Coming from Alteryx that doesn’t have loops (you are required to use macros to achieve the same effect) it took me a while to understand KNIME loops. But …

Default Include or Exclude New Columns in KNIME

It’s common when creating a new workflow that after the flow is finished the source data can change. The most common scenario is when connected to a database table or view and the data gets extra columns added. In this scenario you need to make sure that your workflow doesn’t break caused by the introduction …

Money As Data

Current ‘Digital’ Money As much as many people use banking apps and send money via their smartphones, money isn’t really digital yet. What do I mean by ‘not digital’? Of course it doesn’t mean you need to physically transfer paper money and metal coins to buy a coffee. You can of course do this digitally …

Magento Commerce API Fun 🙄

As a consultant you get to work with many different systems, some easy, some difficult and some downright weird. Magento Commerce fits firmly into the last category. For those that don’t know Magento is a very popular E-commerce platform owned by Adobe and used by some of the largest companies in the world. How APIs …

File Hashing in Alteryx

Identifying Duplicate Files Imagine you have a folder full of files, all with different names, where you need to identify which, if any, are duplicates. You could use the file size but it’s not a guarantee the files are exactly the same just because they are the same size. Hashing files is an easy way …

You Should Probably Learn To Code

There’s been a clear trend going on for many years now known as ‘No code’ or ‘Low code’. This essentially describes tools or platforms that provide you with a GUI that abstracts away the underlying technicalities so non-technical users can use powerful software. Doing this has been a huge benefit to business since the addressable …

Web Automation Using Python and Selenium

Selenium is a software library that’s used to automate web browsers. It’s often used to run automated testing but can be used for anything involving a web browser. Since so much software is now running in the cloud and accessible via web interfaces Selenium is ideal for automating lots of manual tasks. There’s libraries available …

Multi-threading API Requests in Python

When making hundred or thousands of API calls things can quickly get really slow in a single threaded application. No matter how well your own code runs you’ll be limited by network latency and response time of the remote server. Making 10 calls with a 1 second response is maybe OK but now try 1000. …

Using Python with One Time Passwords (2FA)

Ever wanted to automate a process involving a vendor website and come across this. Me too 😔 One time passwords (aka MFA, 2FA, or two factor authentication as I’ll say from here on) are something everyone should use and are great for security, not so great for automation. Until recently I thought this was hard …