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User Guide Version 2020.2.1 Last Revision: 2021-06-04 Objectif Lune, Inc. 2030 Pie-IX, Suite 500 Montréal, QC, Canada, H1V 2C8 +1 (514) 875-5863 www.objectiflune.com All trademarks displayed are the property of their respective owners. © Objectif Lune, Inc. 1994-2021. All rights reserved. No part of this documentation may be reproduced, transmitted or distributed outside of Objectif Lune Inc. by any means whatsoever without the express written permission of Objectif Lune Inc. Objectif Lune Inc.
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Table of Contents Table of Contents 4 Welcome to PReS Connect 2020.
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General information 136 Connect: a peek under the hood The Workflow server The Connect server The Connect database The File Store The engines The REST API Log files Location Name Format Connect file types OL Connect projects 136 137 138 139 139 140 140 141 141 142 142 143 145 Automation with Workflow Using the REST API Project Wizards Project wizard: Basic Email Project Wizard: COTG Timesheets Project Wizard: Print Promotional Jobs Project Wizard: Print Transactional Jobs Project Wizard: Submitting Data
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Opening a data mapping configuration Saving a data mapping configuration Using the wizard for CSV and Excel files Using the wizard for databases Using the wizard for PDF/VT or AFP files Using the wizard for XML files Advanced PCL to PDF options Data mapping workflow Creating a data mapping workflow Testing the extraction workflow Data source settings Properties and runtime parameters Extracting data Steps The Data Model About records Creating a Data Model Editing the Data Model Using the Data Model Fields D
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Features Templates Contexts Sections Print Creating a Print template with a Wizard Print context Print sections Pages Master Pages Media Email Designing an Email template Creating an Email template with a Wizard Email context Email templates Email header settings Email attachments Web Creating a Web template with a Wizard Web Context Web pages Forms Using Form elements Using JavaScript Capture OnTheGo COTG Forms Creating a COTG Form Filling a COTG template Sending the template to the Workflow tool Using COT
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Using the COTG plugin: cotg-2.0.0.
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Rotating elements Styling a table Styling an image Background color and/or image Border Colors Fonts Locale Spacing Personalizing content Variable data Conditional content Dynamic images and Print section backgrounds Dynamic tables Snippets Scripts Loading data Variable Data Formatting variable data Showing content conditionally Conditional Print sections Dynamic images Dynamic Table Dynamic Print section backgrounds Personalized URL Preferences General preferences Clean-up Service preferences DataMapper pr
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Parallel Processing preferences Print preferences Project Wizards preferences Save preferences Scripting preferences Servers preferences Web preferences Writing your own scripts Script types Creating a new Standard Script Writing a script Setting the scope of a script Managing scripts Testing scripts Optimizing scripts The script flow: when scripts run Selectors in Connect Loading a snippet via a script Loading content using a server's API Using scripts in Dynamic Tables Control Scripts Post Pagination Scri
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Designer Script API Standard Script API Control Script API Post Pagination Script API Generating output Print output Fax output Email output Web output Generating Print output Generating Print output from the Designer Generating Print output from Workflow Print settings in a template Aborting content creation Print using standard print output settings Print Presets Print using Advanced Printer Wizard Adding print output Models to the Print Wizard Splitting printing into more than one file Print output varia
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Runtime parameters Print Manager 1506 1508 Print Manager Introduction Video Print Manager usage Print Manager Interface Menu options Printers pane Printer Queue pane Job Queue pane Messages pane Job History pane Printer Capabilities pane Printer Status pane Print Manager Preferences PReS Connect Release Notes 1508 1508 1509 1509 1510 1517 1526 1528 1529 1531 1531 1533 1543 OL PReS ConnectRelease Notes 2020.2.1 License Update Required for Upgrade to Connect 2020.
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Print Manager Improvements Workflow 2019.2 Improvements Known Issues License Update Required for Upgrade to Connect 2019.1 Overview OL Connect 2019.1 Enhancements Connect 2019.1 Designer Updates Connect 2019.1 DataMapping Updates Connect 2019.1 Output updates Print Wizard and Preset Wizard Improvements Workflow 2019.1 Updates Known Issues Overview Connect 2018.2.1 Enhancements/Fixes Connect 2018.2 Enhancements Connect 2018.2 Designer Updates Connect 2018.2 DataMapping Updates Connect 2018.
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Overview Connect 1.8 General Enhancements and Fixes Connect 1.8 Performance Related Enhancements and Fixes Connect 1.8 Designer Enhancements and Fixes Connect 1.8 DataMapping Enhancements and Fixes Connect 1.8 Output Enhancements and Fixes Connect 1.8 Print Manager Enhancements and Fixes Capture OnTheGo (COTG) Enhancements and Fixes Workflow 8.8 Enhancements and Fixes Known Issues Overview Connect 1.7.1 General Enhancements and Fixes Connect 1.7.1 Designer Enhancements and Fixes Connect 1.7.
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Connect 1.4.1 Output Enhancements and Fixes Connect 8.4.
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Welcome to PReS Connect 2020.2 Note Since we are always looking for new ways to make your life easier, we welcome your questions and comments about our products and documentation. Use the feedback tool at the bottom of the page or shoot us an email at doc@ca.objectiflune.com. PReS Connect is a series of tools designed to optimize and automate customer communications management. They work together to improve the creation, distribution, interaction and maintenance of your communications.
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Setup And Configuration This chapter describes the PReS Connect installation and the different considerations that are important in regards to the installation and use of PReS Connect. l "System and Hardware Considerations" below l "Installation and Activation" on page 35 l "Known Issues" on page 120 l "Server Configuration Settings" on page 95 l "Uninstalling" on page 134 System and Hardware Considerations There are a variety of considerations to be aware of.
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Directories and folders All Connect applications are installed under an arbitrarily selectable main folder. If the default installation folder options were used, this installation folder would be %PROGRAMFILES%\Objectif Lune\OL Connect. The installation folder will hold all the executable files and other files and folders required for the operation of the whole product suite. All these files and folders remain static after installation.
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Working folders Working folders for Connect are created and used on a per-user-basis under the respective user's profile folder, accessible on Windows with the standardized system variable %USERPROFILE% in the subfolder "Connect". Working folders are: l l l l %USERPROFILE%\Connect\filestore: This folder will hold non-intermediate files for the operation of Connect. Files in this folder will be used frequently, but not with a high frequency.
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Database Considerations This page describes the different considerations and pre-requisites for the database back-end used by PReS Connect, whether using the MySQL instance provided by the installer, or preexisting (external) instance. Using the MySQL Instance from the Installer The MySQL Instance provided in the "Installation Wizard" on page 40is already pre-configured with options to provide the most stable back-end setup. These are the specific options that have been changed in our version of "my.
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If you chose not to install the supplied MySQL database, and instead opt for using a preexisting (External) database then you yourself must ensure that the External database is accessible to Connect. Objectif Lune Inc. will take no responsibility for setting up database connections to any but the supplied MySQL database.
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but the supplied MySQL database. Note Since PReS Connect version 1.6 the minimum required version of the MS SQL Server is SQL Server 2012. l l l When MS SQL is selected, the default values for root user are sa and 1433 for the port. If database settings from a previous OL Connect installation are found, the pre-exising settings will be displayed for the matching database type. For MS SQL settings, this will only work if they were created with Server Config Tool 1.5.
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When modifying Connect l l If local MySQL is removed from an installation, the Database Configuration page will offer additionally the Microsoft SQL Server database type with respective default values. If local MySQL is added to an installation, the usual MySQL Configuration page with default values will be displayed. If the user has installed the Installer Supplied MySQL and then switches to an external Microsoft SQL by using the Server Configuration Tool, the supplied MySQL cannot be switched off.
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Warning If a Connect 1.5 user wants to use Microsoft SQL instead of MySQL for the Connect Server, there are several points to be taken care of. These are: l l If a MySQL instance exists which could be used intermediately, then this should be selected during the setup. This ensures, that nothing gets installed. Otherwise the supplied MySQL needs to be installed and the switch to Microsoft SQL needs to be done as outlined above.
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Configuration Page. Environment considerations Terminal Server/Service Support PReS Connect does not support Terminal Server (or Terminal Service) environment as possible under Windows 2000, 2003 and 2008. This is to say, if Terminal Service is installed on the server where PReS Connect is located, unexpected behaviours may occur and will not be supported by Objectif Lune Inc.. Furthermore, using PReS Connect in a Terminal Service environment is an infringement of our End-User License Agreement.
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Warning Copying (duplicating) a Virtual Machine with Connect installed and using both images simultaneously constitutes an infringement of our End-User License Agreement. Note While some virtual machine environments (from VMWare and Microsoft) are supported, other virtual environments (such as Parallels, Xen and others) are not supported at this time. Remote Desktop Support Tests have demonstrated that PReS Connect can be used through Remote Desktop.
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l Click on Start, Run. l Type in services.msc and click OK. l Locate the Windows Search service and double-click on it. l Change the Startup Type to Disable, and click Stop to stop the service. l Try the installation again. l Once complete, you may re-enable the service and start it. Commandline switches and .ini entries PReS Connect is intended to work stably and reliably, based on Java and the Eclipse framework.
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l Portuguese l Chinese (Simplified) l Chinese (Traditional) l Japanese. The default language is English. The PReS Connect help system (this document and the online help) is currently only available in English and (for the biggest part) in French. l Encoding: l Issues can sometimes be encountered in menus and templates when running PReS Connect on a non-English operating system. These are due to encoding issues and will be addressed in a later release.
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HTTPS Server NodeJS Server NodeJS HTTPS Server Listens on port # 443 9090 Destination port # Comment TCP TCP 8443 TCP 25, or 587 when SMTP Input plugin encryption is enabled Email Input plugin 110 Secure Email Input 993 plugin Send Email plugin Secure Email Output plugin LPR LPD Telnet FTP Input/Output MySQL Microsoft SQL Server HyperSQL Type TCP TCP TCP 25 TCP 587 TCP 515 3306 TCP TCP TCP TCP TCP+UDP 1433 TCP+UDP 9001 TCP 515 9100 21 Default POP3 port Default SMTP port l Port numbe
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Performance considerations In order to get the most out of PReS Connect, it is important to determine how best to maximize performance. The following guidelines will be helpful in extracting the best performance from PReS Connect and they give a rough indication when it would be useful to start looking into hardware upgrades or extra PReS Connect Performance Packs.
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A DataMapper engine extracts data from a data file. A Merge engine merges the template and the data to create Email and Web output, or to create an intermediary file for Printed output. The intermediary file is in turn used by a Weaver engine to prepare the Print output. Configuring these engines to match both the hardware configuration and the typical usage situation is probably the most effective way to improve Connect's performance.
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in this topic). l l l l l l Antivirus exclusions. Sometimes, virus scanners, other security software or indexing services can interfere. It can help to disable those kinds of tools for the areas where Connect stores intermediate files. You could exclude the entire C:\Users\\Connect folder. See also: "Antivirus Exclusions" on page 17. Use a high-performance, low-latency hard drive. Connect benefits from fast I/O.
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Note PReS Connect 2020.2 is expected to run on some older operating systems, but just as Microsoft no longer supports these older operating systems, Objectif Lune Inc. will not provide support for PReS Connect products running on them. The historic operating systems that it is expected PReS Connect 2020.2 will continue to run on include: Microsoft Windows 7; Microsoft Windows 2003 Server; and Microsoft Windows 2008 Server R2.
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implementation. The following specs should therefore be viewed as a general guideline that is most likely to produce expected results for most implementations. You should, however, keep in mind that it may not represent the optimal setup for your particular application. For more information and tips about performance considerations, see "Performance considerations" on page 30.
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Editions of Connect Products There are three editions of OL Connect: PrintShop Mail Connect, PlanetPress Connect and PReS Connect. While all three editions share common modules, they are generally not used for the same purposes. Technically speaking, their hardware requirements would therefore be the same but in practice, PReS Connect is likely to require higher-end hardware while PrintShop Mail Connect will generally require less power to achieve expected results.
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l If you are a Reseller, the installers can be downloaded from the Objectif Lune Partner Portal site (https://extranet.objectiflune.com/) or through the OL Update Manager if it is activated.
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l In order to use the automation features in Version 2020.2, PReS Workflow 2020.2 will need to be installed. This can be installed on the same machine as an existing PlanetPress® Suite 7.x installation or on a new computer. For more information, please see "Information about PReS Workflow" on page 72. If Workflow installation finds that .NET 4.0 is not already installed, it will install that version as part of the setup process.
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Permissions for PReS Connect Server The PReS Connect Server module, used by the Automation module, requires some special permissions to run. These permissions are set during installation, in the Engine Configuration portion of the "Installation Wizard" on page 40, but it can also be configured later by modifying permissions for the service. To do this: l l l l In Windows, open the Control Panel, Administrative Tools, then Services (this may depend on your operating system).
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Updating Connect Updating to Connect 2019.1 from earlier Connect version In order to update PReS Connect to 2019.1 it is first necessary to update the Connect License. For details on how to upgrade the Connect License offline see the Upgrading Connect on machines with no internet access section in the document.
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the current Certificate Revocation List (CRL), which needs to be retrieved from the internet. However, if the machine in question does not have internet access, the retrieval of the CRL must fail, which will lead to subsequent validation issues. To circumvent such issues it is highly recommended to switch off the CRL retrieval prior to installing Connect on machines without internet access.
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Navigate to the PReS_Connect_Setup_x64.exe and double-click on it. After a short pause the Setup Wizard will appear as a guide through the installation steps. Note that PReS Connect requires prior installation of Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5. For a full list of other prerequisites, see "Installation prerequisites" on page 36. Running the Installation with extra logging The installer can be run with enhanced logging options, if needed. To do so, run the PReS_Connect_Setup_x64.
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l PReS Connect Server Extension: A Slave server for the main PReS Connect Master Server module. When an Slave server is installed it communicates with the Master server in order to shares tasks with it. Note Only one of the Server or Server Extensions can be installed on a single machine, not both. l MySQL: A supplied MySQL database used by PReS Connect. The database is used for referencing temporary Connect files and for sorting temporarily extracted data, and similar.
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Note All instances of PReS Connect Server (Master) and PReS Connect Server Extension (Slaves) must use the same instance of MySQL. Whilst it is possible for each separate Slave installation to have its own MySQL instance, doing so will prevent the Servers from functioning together within a "Server Clustering" on page 116 environment. The single MySQL instance can be on any machine, however, whether it be the Server (master) or one of the Server Extension (slave) machines.
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End User License Agreement The next page displays the Skin/Formats/CrossReferencePrintFormat("" on page 1), which needs to be read and accepted before clicking Next. Configuring Supplied Database Connection The Default Database Configuration page appears if the supplied MySQL module was selected for installation in the Product Selection screen. It defines the administrative password for the MySQL server as well as which port it uses for communication.
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displayed at the top of the dialog. Note The MySQL database controlled by the OLConnect_MySQL service communicates through port 3306 by default. l Allow MySQL Server to accept non-local TCP connections checkbox: Click to enable external access to the MySQL server. Note This option is required if setting up clustering, or if MySQL Server will need to be accessed from any other machine. It will also be required if the MySQL database is on a separate machine to this PReS Connect installation.
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non-local TCP connections, and the user account must also be configured to accept remote connection. For example, the "root" MySQL user entered as root@localhost is not allowed to connect from any other machine than the one where MySQL is installed. l l l l Database Instance Name: Enter an existing Microsoft SQL Server's instance name. This option only applies to existing Microsoft SQL Server instances, and not for MySQL.
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changed after installation within the "Database Connection preferences" on page 844 (which can be accessed from either the "Server Configuration Settings" on page 95 tool, or "Preferences" on page 838 window). l Test Connection button: Click to verify that the information provide into previous fields is valid by connecting to the database. Note This test does not check whether the remote user has READ and WRITE permissions to the tables under the objectiflune schema.
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and Users Settings" on page 119 dialog can only ever be executed through the user account specified here. l l l Username: The account that the service uses to login. If the machine is on a domain, use the format domain\username. This account must be an existing Windows profile with local administrator rights. Password: The password associated with the selected user. Validate user button: Click to verify that the entered username and password combination is correct and that the service is able to login.
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previously been setup on another machine, and that the option "Allow MySQL Server to accept non-local TCP connections” option were selected during that installation. Before installing the software, make sure that both TCP/IP ports 3306 and 9340 are open on the Connect Master Server and Connect Extension Server, in both the Inbound and Outbound Firewall Rules. Access within the Private and Domain profiles is sufficient.
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Note This button must be clicked and the user validated before the Next button becomes available. l Master Server Connection (Default Settings): l Hostname: Enter the machine name or IP Address where the Connect Master Server resides. There is no requirement for the Master and Extension servers to belong to the same IP subnet. IP subnetting is beyond the scope of this documentation, but more information can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subnetwork.
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Completing the installation This screen describes a summary of the components that have been installed. l l l Configure Update Check checkbox: This option is enabled by default. It causes the Product Update Manager to run after the installation is complete. This allows configuring PReS Connect to regularly check for entitled updates. Note: this checkbox may not be available in the event that an issue was encountered during the installation. Show Log...
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Product Activation After installation, it is necessary to activate the software. See "Activating a License" on page 61 for more information. Before activating the software, please wait 5 minutes for the database to initialize. If the software is activated and the services rebooted too quickly, the database can become corrupted and require a re-installation. Running Connect installer in Silent Mode Updating from Connect versions predating 2019.1 In order to update PReS Connect to 2020.
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Note The install.properties file notation must follow commons configuration rules. Please refer to Properties files for more details. Required and optional properties Required properties depend on the specified product. Only fields related to that specified product must be entered. If no product is mentioned, properties must be specified for all valid Connect products. Here is an example of an install.properties file. # Verbose logging logging.verbose = true # Product selection install.product.
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Product selection (optional) By default, if nothing is entered for the products to be installed (install.product.X), Silent Installer will install all products which are visible to the user for the respective brand (except for the Server Extension, because only Server or Server Extension can be installed at the same time). PReS defaults install.product.0 install.product.1 install.product.2 install.product.3 = = = = Connect Designer Connect Server Connect Print Manager MySQL Note The values of install.
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Server Extension configuration (required if Server Extension is selected for install) For Server Extension, the following properties need to be provided: server.runas.username = server.runas.password = server.master.host = server.master.port = server.master.authenticate = true or false server.master.username = server.master.
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Note The port will be defined automatically for the MySQL installation. All connect products selected in the Silent Installer will automatically be configured to use the MySQL running under the port defined by the database.port property, regardless of the default port 3306 or any other user defined port. A different port is required if 3306 is already taken on that machine by another application.
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2b: Configuring an external Microsoft SQL Server database Note Since PReS Connect version 1.6 the minimum required version of the MS SQL Server is SQL Server 2012. To configure an external Microsoft SQL Server database, the following properties should be defined: database.type = Microsoft SQL Server (required) database.host = (default value is localhost, otherwise required) database.port = (default value is 1433, otherwise required) database.
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1. If the property exists, and its value contains an existing file location with a repository, the installer will attempt to install from that repository. 2. If the property exists, and its value starts with http://, the installer will attempt to install from that location. It will fail if no repository can be found at this location. 3.
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l zh-MO (Chinese, Macau) l zh-TW (Chinese, Taiwan) l it-IT (Italian, Italy) l pt-BR (Portuguese, Brazil) l es-419 (Spanish, Latin America) Locale selection by defining user.language and user.country If both user.language and user.country are defined in the install.properties file, the combination must match exactly one of the supported locales, otherwise the Installer will exit with an error. For example, user.language = fr and user.
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Getting the exit code of a silent installation If getting the exit code of a silent installation is desirable, use the following procedure. 1. Create a new local folder on the machine (or VM) on which Connect shall be installed and copy/extract the contents of the Connect ISO into this folder. 2. Open a command prompt with Administrator privileges and use the "cd" command to access this local folder. 3.
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Sample batch file @echo off preinstall.exe if errorlevel 10 goto err_installer if errorlevel 2 goto err_unknown if errorlevel 1 goto err_preinstall echo Success goto:eof :err_installer echo "Installer error - see OL_Install_.log" goto:eof :err_unknown echo "Unknown preinstall error - see preinstall_err.log" goto:eof :err_preinstall echo "Preinstall error - see preinstall_err.
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l Open the Start Menu l Click on All Programs and browse to the Objectif Lune folder. l Open the Connect Software Activation shortcut. l The PReS Connect Software Activation application consists of the following: l License Information subsection: l l l Magic Number: Displays the PReS Connect Magic Number. Copy the magic number to the clipboard: Click to copy the Magic Number to the clipboard. It can then be pasted in the activation request email using the Windows CTRL+V keyboard shortcut.
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Requesting a license After getting the Magic Number, a license request must be done for both PReS Connect (for both Master and Extension Servers, if using a Clustered environment) and Workflow 8: l l Customers must submit their Magic Number and serial number to Objectif Lune via the Web Activations page: http://www.objectiflune.com/activations. The OL Customer Care team will then send the PReS Connect license file via email.
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l Using a user profile that has local Windows Administration rights, open the Start Menu l Click on All Programs, then browse to the Objectif Lune folder. l Run the “Connect Software Activation” tool. l l l Click the Load License File button, and browse for the .olconnectlicense file you received from Objectif Lune Inc.. Read the EULA and click the I agree option to accept it. Click Install License to activate the license.
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Downloading and installing the software In order to migrate to a new workstation, the software must already be installed on the new workstation. Follow the "Installation and Activation" on page 35 guide to download and install the newest version of PReS Connect on the new workstation. If using Clustering, please read the "Server Clustering" on page 116 page of this documentation for more details relevant to the installation.
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l l The Workflow configuration file itself is named ppwatch.cfg, and is backed up with the folders. However, it needs to be re-sent to the Service to be used. To do this, rename the file to .OL-Workflow, open the file with the Workflow tool, and send the configuration. Locate Custom Plugins (.dll) from the below folder on the old workstation and import them onto the new workstation: C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Objectif Lune\PlanetPress Workflow 8\Plugins To import the plugins: 1.
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l l Click on Tools in the Workflow Configuration menu bar. l Click on Access Manager l Grant necessary permissions to remote machines. l Restart the Workflow Messenger service. Reconfigure the Workflow Preferences as previously by clicking on the Workflow button at the top left corner and clicking on Preferences: l l l l Reconfigure the Server Connection Settings under Behavior > OL Connect.
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Tip Actually, the path may not begin with 'C:\Users', as this is language-dependent. On a French system, for example, it would be 'C:\Utilisateurs'. Type %userprofile% in a Windows File Explorer and press Enter to open the actual current user's home directory. Other Resources l l l l OL Connect Designer Templates , DataMapperor Package files, copied from the folder where they reside.
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4. Import the following files and folders from the old server into their equivalent location on the new server: C:\ProgramData\Objectif Lune\PlanetPress Workflow 8\PlanetPress Watch\capture\PPCaptureDefault.mdb C:\ProgramData\Objectif Lune\PlanetPress Workflow 8\PlanetPress Watch\DocumentManager C:\ProgramData\Objectif Lune\PlanetPress Workflow 8\PlanetPress Watch\PGC 5.
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l l Configure the DataMapper, Merge and Weaver engines preferences (see "Parallel Processing preferences" on page 108). As of version 2018.1 these preferences include the minimum (Xms) and maximum (Xmx) memory utilization for the Server, Merge and Weaver engines . Configure any other options for the Clean-up Service. 3. If the version used on the new machine is 1.8/8.
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Transferring software licenses Once all the above resources have been transferred over to the new server, it is recommended to thoroughly test the new system - in demo mode - with sample files under normal production load to identify points of improvement and make sure the output matches the user’s expectation. Output generated at this point will normally bear a watermark which can be removed by transferring licenses from the old server to the new one.
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To apply the PlanetPress Capture License: 1. Open the Workflow Configuration. 2. Click on Help on the Menu Bar and click on PlanetPress Capture License manager to import your license. Uninstalling PReS Connect from the previous workstation It is recommended to keep the previous install for a few days until everything is completed. However, once your transition is successful and complete, the OL Connect software must be uninstalled from the original server. See "Uninstalling" on page 134.
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l l PReS Workflow 2020.2 and PlanetPress® Suite Workflow 7 cannot run simultaneously, since only one version of the Messenger service can run at a time. In fact, no two versions of Workflow can be run simultaneously on the same machine, regardless of versions. It is possible to switch between different versions running by shutting down one version's services and then starting the other. However, this is not recommended.
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upgrade. Users of Connect prior to 2019.1 Users of Connect 1.1 should see "Users of Connect 1.1" below first. Users of all other Connect versions prior to 2019.1 should note that Update Client 1.2.40 is a prerequisite for both OL Connect 2019.1 and Connect Workflow 2019.1 installations. Only Update Client 1.2.40 has the capacity to upgrade the OL Connect license to the newer format that is required by the installers of those products. If you do not have Update Client version 1.2.
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If you do not have such a version installed already, the next time you run your Update Client it will show that there is an update available of itself to Version 1.1.8 (or later). Simply click on the download button in the dialog to install the new version of the Update Client. Note that it is no problem to run the update while the Client is open. It will automatically update itself. Once you have done this, PReS Connect2020.2 will become available for download. Note From PReS Connect Version 1.
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Backup these folders l C:\ProgramData\Objectif Lune\OL Connect\.settings\ConnectHostScope l C:\Users\[UserName]\Connect\filestore l C:\Users\[UserName]\Connect\workspace\configurations l C:\Users\ [UserName]\Connect\workspace\Designer\.metadata\.plugins\org.ec lipse.core.runtime\.settings l C:\Users\ [UserName]\Connect\workspace\Server\.metadata\.plugins\org.ecli pse.core.runtime\.settings Where [username] is replaced by the appropriate Windows user name.
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not abandon existing PReS Classic print jobs. They can still be run through Connect Workflow, via the PReS Print Controls task in the Online Help of Workflow (see http://help.objectiflune.com/en/PReS-workflow-userguide/2020.2/#Workflow/TasksProperties/PReS_Print_Control.html). Upgrading from PlanetPress Suite 6/7 Note This document is intended for people that purchased PReS Connect and were previously users of PlanetPress Suite version 6 or 7.
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l l l PlanetPress Capture is still supported in PReS Workflow 2020.2 but only with documents created with the PlanetPress Suite Design 7. PReS Connect Designer. This is a design tool based on completely new technology. It is not backwards compatible and therefore cannot open PlanetPress Suite Design 7 documents. If you want to continue editing those documents you can keep doing so in PlanetPress Suite Design 7. PReS Connect Server.
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Distributed installation or not You can decide to install PReS Connect modules all on the same computer or have each module on a different computer. Reasons for this could be: l l There is insufficient memory in the computer currently running PReS Workflow 2020.2 to also run PReS Connect Server. You want to use a more powerful computer with more RAM and more cores to run the Server to achieve maximum performance (see "Performance considerations" on page 30).
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Create new documents and integrate them into your workflow at your own pace You can start benefiting from the innovative technology of the new PReS Connect Designer right away by designing new documents, or re-doing existing ones at your own pace. You can also now: l l l Use the new DataMapper to easily map any input data into a clean data model that any designer person can use.
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l PlanetPress Workflow: l Processes configuration l PlanetPress Suite compiled documents l Service configuration l Access manager configuration l Custom plug-ins l PlanetPress Fax settings l PlanetPress Image settings l PlanetPress Search profiles l Printer activation codes l PlanetPress Capture database l PlanetPress Capture pen licenses l Custom scripts l Content of your virtual drive l PlanetPress Messenger configuration 5. If you installed PReS Workflow 2020.
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7.
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8. Then select the product from which you wish to upgrade: 9.
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10.
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11. After that you will need to get the activation file for your product. To obtain your activation, download the PReS Connect installer from the Web Activation Manager (http://www.objectiflune.com/webactivationmanager/), follow the instructions for the installation using the serial number provided to you. You can activate your license through the Web Activation Manager. 12.
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How to perform a Workflow migration What do you need to consider when upgrading from PlanetPress Suite 7 to PReS Connect Workflow 2020.2 on a new computer? Installing and Activating Workflow 2020.2 on a new computer Points to consider: l l l l Before installing, be sure to read "Installation and Activation" on page 35. There you will find detailed Connect Workflow installation steps as well as system requirements, notes on license activation and much more.
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then activate all of your printers on the new computer. l l Login to our Web Activation Manager (www.objectiflune.com/activations) using your customer number and password to get your Printer Activation Codes. If you do not have access to the computer in which PlanetPress Suite was previously installed, print a Status Page for each printer from your Connect Workflow 8 Configuration. Do this via the Tools > Printer Utilities menu option.
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2. Copy all the PlanetPress Suite 7 Documents and Compiled forms (*.ptk and *.ptz) from the Documents folder on the PlanetPress Suite computer and paste them into the equivalent folder on the Connect Workflow Computer. The PlanetPress Suite 7 folder would be "C:\ProgramData\Objectif Lune\PlanetPress Suite 7\PlanetPress Watch\Documents". The PReS Connect Workflow 8 folder will be "C:\ProgramData\Objectif Lune\PlanetPress Workflow 8\PlanetPress Watch\Documents" 3.
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Alternatively, you can download custom plug-ins from http://planetpress.objectiflune.com/en/suite/resources/support onto the new computer. Once you've copied your PlanetPress Suite Workflow configurations to Connect Workflow, you can confirm their availability through the Plug-in Bar Uncategorized category. There you will find all the Custom plug-ins that have been installed. Missing plug-ins will be represented in Workflow steps through the use of a "?" icon.
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l l l l If the Windows "TCP/IP Print Server" service is running on the new computer, it is recommended that you disable the Server so that it does not interfere with the PlanetPress LPD/LPR services. If you are using images from a virtual drive, copy the entire contents of "C:\ProgramData\Objectif Lune\PlanetPress Suite 7\PSRIP" and paste them onto the new computer here: "C:\ProgramData\Objectif Lune\PlanetPress Workflow 8\PSRIP". Make sure to set the user who will run the PlanetPress Services.
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page 86. Failure to do so will result in unexpected problems. Note It is recommended that you first update your PlanetPress Suite to version 7.6 before cross-grading to PReS Connect. Using PReS Connect Workflow 2020.2 on the same computer as PlanetPress Suite 7.6 Steps to migrate: 1. Update existing installation to PlanetPress Suite version 7.6 if not already done. 2. Install PReS Connect Workflow 2020.2 on the same computer. 3. Do the following for both PlanetPress Suite version 7.
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Note Prior to PlanetPress Suite 7.6, all Capture patterns, documents and several other details were contained within the one single database. As of PlanetPress Suite 7.6 a separate database has been used for the patterns alone (PPCaptureDefault.mdb). 5. Copy the contents of this folder: "C:\ProgramData\Objectif Lune\PlanetPress Suite 7\PlanetPress Watch\DocumentManager" to this folder: "C:\ProgramData\Objectif Lune\PlanetPress Workflow 8\PlanetPress Watch\DocumentManager". 6.
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rending the parallel mode very hard to produce. It is not impossible, but describing how it can be done is beyond the scope of this migration article. Steps to migrate: 1. Update existing installation to PlanetPress Suite version 7.6 if not already done. 2. Install PReS Connect Workflow 2020.2 on new computer. 3. The Anoto PenDirector must be installed. It if is not, you can download it from http://www.objectiflune.com/OL/lib/Common/Downloads/PlanetPressCaptureResources/ AnotoPenDirector.
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Note These steps must be done for both PlanetPress Suite Workflow 7 and PReS Connect Workflow 8. 5. Copy the file PPCaptureDefault.mdb from this folder on the PlanetPress Suite 7.6 computer: "C:\ProgramData\Objectif Lune\PlanetPress Suite 7\PlanetPress Watch\capture" to this folder on the new PReS Connect Workflow 2020.2 computer: "C:\ProgramData\Objectif Lune\PlanetPress Workflow 8\PlanetPress Watch\capture" and overwrite the existing database. Note Prior to PlanetPress Suite 7.
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2. Select Messenger in the tree list, right click and select Start from the context menu options. 9. Contact your local Objectif Lune activation team and transfer any Pen(s) licenses across. Server Configuration Settings This chapter describes configuring the PReS Connect Server. In PReS Connect you can install Servers on multiple machines, in a Master/Slave relationship. To see an overview of these Master/Slave setups, please see the "Server Clustering" on page 116 topic.
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l "Database Connection preferences" on page 844 l Engines preferences l "Automatic Restart Settings" on page 107 (not available in Server Extension (Slave) installations) Note Automatic Restarts are controlled by the main server. Slaves are treated the same as local engines in regards to restart timing.
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Connection settings (standalone/Master) l Primary Connection group. Use this to adjust the HTTP communication settings for Connect. l l l l Port: Set the primary HTTP Server connection port number for Connect. Maximum threads: Sets the maximum number of HTTP threads for processing requests. This entry should only be changed in consultation with OL. Maximum queues: Sets the maximum number of requests can remain in the queue. This entry should only be changed in consultation with OL.
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Connection settings (Slave) l Master Server group. Use this to set connection to PReS Connect Master server. l Hostname: Set the device name for the PReS Connect Master server. l Port: Set the port number for the PReS Connect Master server. l l l l l Username: The account that the services use to login to the PReS Connect Master server. If the machine is on a domain, use the format domain\username. Password: Enter the password associated with selected username.
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create Email and Web output, or to create an intermediary file for Printed output. The intermediary file is in turn used by a Weaver engine to prepare the Print output. (For more information see: "Connect: a peek under the hood" on page 136). Settings for these engines are made in the Connect Server Configuration tool (see "Server Configuration Settings" on page 95). Connect allows for the parallelization of jobs. This means you can allocate 1 or more engines to process jobs.
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l l l Your licence, which imposes a speed quota (see "Speed quota: Pages Per Minute" below). The processing power of your machine(s). How many cores it has determines how many engines can be launched (see "Launching multiple engines" on the next page). The size and number of jobs of one kind that need to be handled, sequentially or simultaneously. In other words, your use case.
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In situations where Print and Email and/or Web output are created at the same time, only the Merge engines that create Email/Web output count towards the maximum number of Licensed tasks for that type of output. Spare speed units are distributed proportionally Since the number of engines is configurable, and jobs may run concurrently, the number of engines in use may not match the exact number of available Licensed tasks.
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1. Open the Connect Server Configuration utility tool (see "Server Configuration Settings" on page 95). 2. Under Parallel Processing, go to the Content Creation tab and set the number of Merge engines for the various tasks. 3. Go to the Output Creation tab and set the Reserved Weaver (Output) engines. See "Deciding how many engines of each type to launch" below. 4. Click Apply or Apply and Close. It is advised that you do not configure more engines than can be backed by actual processing power.
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When the database is installed on a system with a slow hard drive, adding a DataMapper engine may not increase the overall performance. Weaver engine Adding extra Weaver (Output) engine(s) might be useful when large Print jobs are to be run simultaneously with smaller Print jobs. Memory per engine By default, each engine is set to use up to a predetermined amount of RAM. To make optimum use of a machine's capabilities it might be useful to increase the amount of memory that the various engines can use.
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The first step in this process is to define the size of small, medium and large jobs. Job size Connect lets you define job sizes by setting the maximum number of pages a job can have and still be considered a small job, and what the minimum number of pages a job can have in order to be considered large. Jobs that fall between the small and large jobs are medium jobs.
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handled at the same time by that kind of engine, because there are only so many engines (and speed units) available. Note When each individual record in a job is composed of a very large number of pages, the Memory per engine setting and the machine's hard drive speed are probably more important than the number of Merge engines, since one record cannot be split over multiple machines or even cores (see "Memory per engine" on page 103).
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may have to wait (or wait longer). However, if the server receives many web requests then having engines reserved for HTML output can help performance. l l By reserving a number of parallel engines for Print jobs of a certain size (see "Number of parallel engines per Print job" on page 104). More parallel engines will make them run faster, but they will have to wait (longer) if the required number of engines isn't available when they come in.
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Batch processing. In a batch processing situation, jobs don't have to be handled simultaneously. All jobs - whether they are big and small - are processed one after another. Every job should be handled as quickly as possible. It is therefor recommended to assign the maximum number of engines and target speeds to all jobs. Do not reserve engines for certain jobs. Web requests. In online communication, response times are critical.
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l l Daily restart period begin: Only available if Daily restart in period selected. Enter the daily start time for the time window in which automatic restarts will be scheduled to occur. Daily restart period end: Only available if Daily restart in period selected. The end of the daily time window in which the automatic restarts are scheduled to occur. Memory limit Enter the memory limit for individual Engines.
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Parallel Processing properties (Designer Preferences) Preset selection (Designer Preferences) Only the Custom setting is applicable to the Designer Preferences, so this option is always selected and the field made read-only. Content Creation Tab (Designer Preferences) A Tab with data that relates solely to Content Creation. The options are: l l Total Merge engines configured read only display: This is a read only entry that shows the total number of Merge engines available.
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l Additional engine every (records) entry: This controls how many Merge engines are used for a Content Creation task. It means that for every additional 'x' records in the task, an additional Merge engine will be used. For example, with the default 100 record threshold, tasks with 1-100 records will be assigned 1 Merge engine, tasks with 101-200 get assigned 2 merge engines, tasks with 201-300 get assigned 3 merge engines, and so on. Note These entries aren't applied instantaneously. There is often a lag.
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l l l l l l l Default - Basic settings that are good for running most things. Single jobs have preference over multi-tasking, however. Batch Print - Best settings for processing jobs, one by one, in a sequential, first in first out (FIFO) order. On demand Print - Best settings for processing many small print jobs simultaneously. On demand - Use when serving web pages, sending emails, and printing many on demand jobs simultaneously. Connect Send - Settings optimized for use with Connect Send.
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l Multi tasking group: When starting a new Content Creation task, the task will immediately commence if there is a Merge engine available. How many Merge engines to use is based on the number of records in the input data. Select from the following options: l Optimize per task: This runs each task with as many Merge engines as needed (until engines are exhausted). Using this option means that Merge engines will not be reassigned when new tasks come in. This option is better suited for batch processing.
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number, not because it has been proven to have any significant value. It means that on an average system (i.e., less than 10 Merge engines) any decently sized task is allowed to use all Merge engines. It also assumes that using more than one Merge engine for less than 100 records will probably not make a big enough difference to throughput speed. Obviously, there are situations where these assumptions will not apply.
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If only the single Weaver Engine is configured in the Engines preferences page, then this whole tab will be disabled. l l Licensed speed limit (pages per minute): This read only entry shows the current license speed limitations, in pages per minute. The speed limitations are determined by your Connect license. This information is to help you choose what settings would make sense when assigning the “Target speed” values later in the Tab.
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l l l Small job (engines): Optionally enter the number of Weaver engines you wish to reserve for Small jobs. To make sure large batch jobs get sufficient speed during Output Creation, set a lower target speed for small jobs, this will automatically allow more for the large and medium jobs. Medium job (engines): Optionally enter the number of Weaver engines to reserve for Medium jobs. Total Weaver engines configured: This read only entry shows the number of Weaver engines still available.
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The entire licensed speed limit will always be distributed among jobs when running jobs simultaneously. After assigning a target speed, any remaining licensed speed will be distributed throughout any simultaneous jobs by a ration of the target speed. Some general rules of thumb to apply when distributing target speed: n Do you need to change speeds? In many cases there will likely be no need to change the target speed.
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"Installation Wizard" on page 40, while any Slave Servers are setup by installing the PReS Connect Server Extension module instead. Quick Howto 1. Install the Master server (PReS Connect Server module), making sure to select the MySQL module. 2. Grant access to the MySQL root user for the appropriate IP range on the Master server. 3. Restart the MySQL Service on the Master server. 4. Install Slave servers (PReS Connect Server Extension module). 5.
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l Access must be granted to the root user on the IPs from which the Slave server will connect.> l Open a Command Prompt in the following folder: C:\Program Files\Objectif Lune\OL Connect\MySQL\bin Note Navigate to the folder, SHIFT+Right-click and select "Open a command prompt here" l Type in the following command to connect to the database, where is your MySQL password. (This password is the MySQL root password entered as part of Connect installation process.
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l The "Clean-up Service preferences" on page 839 requires special configuration on Clustering setups: l l Clean-up service should not run simultaneously on all machines (staggered cleanup). Doing so may cause jobs not to be processed since all servers are busy. Only the machine where the MySQL Server product is installed should attempt to clean-up database items. Essentially servers that do not have MySQL should only run Orphan File Clean-up.
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The options available in the Add/Edit dialogs are as follows: l Username: Enter the username for the server security. l Roles: Check the roles that apply to the user. l l l l l Data Handler: The user can start and stop operations, get results of operations, and view and handle data (except resources). This appears as ROLE_DATA in the table. Resource Handler: The user can manage resources like data mapping configurations, templates, and print presets. This appears as ROLE_ RESOURCE in the table.
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Secure Email Output plugin not timing out when failing to connect to Email Server It has been discovered that when the Secure Mail Output is connected to the Email Server and then stops receiving data, it is not behaving as expected. Instead of timing out and returning an error, the plugin instead sits there inactive. This blocks the current process from finishing, and holds up further processing. This will be fixed in upcoming release by adding a timeout configuration option in the plugin.
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Redistributable. These two versions are: l MSVC++ 2017 v14.14.26405.0 l MSVC++ 2017 v14.14.26429.4 To workaround this issue, we recommend downloading and manually installing the latest Visual C++ Redistributable from https://support.microsoft.com/en-ca/help/2977003/the-latestsupported-visual-c-downloads then re-running the Connect installation.
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The license update introduced in OL Connect 2019.1 does not cater for existing AFP input licenses AFP Input is an add on option for OL Connect licenses. Unfortunately, the update to the 2019.1 version of the OL Connect license does not cater for existing AFP input licenses. If you have an existing AFP input license we ask that you contact your local Customer Care team (https://www.objectiflune.com/WebActivationManager/CareInfo.
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Issue with image placement in 2019.1 when using some customized AFP and IPDS Printer Definitions An issue with image placement in Connect 2019.1 AFP and IPDS output was discovered just prior to the release. The issue is specific to AFP and IPDS 600 DPI Printer Definitions that are not set to "Scale to Fit". As "Scale to Fit" is now switched on by default in all standard Connect 2019.1 AFP and IPDS Printer Definitions, none of those should encounter the issue.
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If using MySQL, the following script should be run in a query window: set @a=null,@c=null,@b=concat("show tables where",ifnull(concat(" `Tables_in_",database(),"` like '",@c,"' and"),'')," (@a:=concat_ws (',',@a,`Tables_in_",database(),"`))"); Prepare `bd` from @b; EXECUTE `bd`; DEALLOCATE PREPARE `bd`; set @a:=concat('optimize table ',@a); PREPARE `sql` FROM @a; EXECUTE `sql`; DEALLOCATE PREPARE `sql`; set @a=null,@b=null,@c=null; If using Microsoft SQL Server run the following command in a query window: s
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Creation Preset in the new version, reset the line end setting in the sorting options and then save the preset. Engine Preferences: Backward Compatibility Issues introduced in 2018.2 l Prior to version 2018.2 Connect allowed a mixture of internal and external engines. As of PReS Connect 2018.2 this is no longer allowed. When upgrading to PReS Connect 2018.
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the Columns are series setting were used. Pie charts will thus only show data from the first record in the detail table. If the number of records in the detail table remains consistent, then the charts can be corrected by modifying the data mapping configuration (see "Preparing a data table" on page 697 in the Online Help: https://help.objectiflune.com/en/PReS-connect-user-guide/2020.2.). Otherwise the data needs to be transposed via script. l NOTE: Expanded custom chart scripts cannot be converted.
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table line widths and font spacings might differ slightly (particularly for SMALL CAPS text), which could lead to slightly different word-wrapping in some circumstances. Windows Server 2016 issue As of PReS Connect 2018.1 Connect is officially supported under Windows Server 2016. Please note, however, that the Objectif Lune Inc. Update Client application might be blocked by the enhanced security settings in Windows Server 2016. To fix this, add http://updates.ca.objectiflune.
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Memory usage in clustered environments If Database Petitioning is not selected (see "Clean-up Service preferences" on page 839 in the Online Help: https://help.objectiflune.com/en/PReS-connect-user-guide/2020.2), then PReS Connect can fill the database faster than the Clean-up service can clear it (the ratio is approximately 3:1), in high speed clustered environments.
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1. Go to the .ini files for the Designer and Server Config: l C:\Program Files\Objectif Lune\OL Connect\Connect Designer\Designer.ini l C:\Program Files\Objectif Lune\OL Connect\Connect Server Configuration\ServerConfig.ini 2. Change the language parameter to the required one under Duser.language=en | es | de | fr | it | ja | ko | pt | tw | zh Only one of the above language tags should be selected. Once saved, Connect will appear in the selected language at next start-up.
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Available Printer Models Note that only the single Printer Model (Generic PDF) will appear on the Advanced page of the Print Wizard by default. To add additional printer models click on the settings entry box. button next to the Model selection External resources in Connect There are certain limitations on how external resources can be used in Connect. For example if you want to link a file (e.g., CSS, image, JavaScript etc.
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and the Messenger for Workflow 7 is taken offline. It is only possible to use Capture from PReS Connect Workflow 8 thereafter. Capturing spool files after installing Workflow 8 If PReS Connect Workflow 8 is installed alongside PlanetPress Suite Workflow 7, the PlanetPress Suite 7 option to capture spool files from printer queues will no longer function. The solution is to use PReS Connect Workflow 8 to capture spool files from printer queues.
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indefinitely until the required engines become available. The Server will log when it is waiting for an engine and when it becomes available. Note that there is no way to cancel any commands other than stopping the Server. Print Content and Email Content in PReS Workflow In PReS Workflow’s Print Content and Email Content tasks, the option to Update Records from Metadata will only work for fields whose data type is set to String in the data model.
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Note Installing Connect after Docker has already been installed will not cause issues. Uninstalling This topic provides some important information about uninstalling (removing) PReS Connect2020.2. To uninstall PReS Connect select the application from within the Add/Remove programs option under the Control Panel. This will start the PReS Connect Setup Wizard in uninstall mode. Note The PReS Connect Setup Wizard might take some seconds to appear.
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4. PReS Connect Server Extensions on remote systems which connect to this machine as the Master Server. Uninstallation Wizard The uninstallation is done by running the PReS Connect Setup Wizard in uninstall mode. The Wizard consists of the following pages: 1. PReS Connect Setup: An information page, listing what will be uninstalled, and also warning about impacts upon running Applications and Services. 2. Data Management: A page that provides options for backing up or deleting Connect data.
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General information Connect consists of visible and invisible parts. The invisible parts process the Connect job to provide the actual output. They are introduced to you in the topic: "Connect: a peek under the hood" below. For information about Connect logging, see "Log files" on page 141. For a list of all file types used in Connect, see: "Connect file types" on page 143.
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The Workflow server The Workflow server (also referred to as the 'Watch service') executes processes independently, after a Workflow configuration has been uploaded and the services have been started. The Workflow server can run only one configuration at a time. There are a number of services related to Workflow.
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tool. The Workflow Service Console lets you start and stop the different services, except the Connect server, and see their log files (see Workflow Service Console). Note that Workflow isn't limited to Connect functionality. It was originally developed as part of the PlanetPress Suite. Many of the plugins in the Workflow configuration tool are older than Connect. They were left in for compatibility reasons, even though they aren't all useful or usable within Connect.
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The Connect Server Configuration tool lets you change the settings for the Connect server, the engines and the service that cleans up the database and the file store. These settings can also be made in the preferences of the Designer. The Connect database The Connect database is the database back-end used by Connect itself when processing jobs. It can be either the MySQL instance provided by the Connect installer, or a pre-existing (external) instance (see "Database Considerations" on page 20).
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The engines DataMapper engine/s. A DataMapper engine extracts data from a data file. The number of DataMapper engines is configurable (Engines preferences). Merge engine/s. A merge engine merges data with a template using the scripts in the template, in order to create (Print,Email or Web) content items. The number of merge engines is configurable (see Engines preferences): it can be increased depending on the capacity of the machine that runs the solution (see "Performance considerations" on page 30).
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Printing and emailing from the Designer To print or send email from within the Designer, the PReS Connect service has to be running. The service is started automatically when the Designer starts, but it may not be running if the Connect Server and the Designer are installed on different computers. The PReS Connect service can be found on the Services tab in the Task Manager. For a proof print the Connect server is not used. Proof printing is always done locally, by the Designer.
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Every time output is generated, the Designer and/or Connect Server and any engines involved in the operation produce their own log files. Each component writes its log files to a dedicated subfolder of the Log folder. Merge engines write to the logs/Mergeengine folder, Weaver engines to the logs/Weaverengine folder, DataMapper engines to the logs/Datamapperengine folder, Server to the logs/Server folder, and so forth. Note that actions of the Cleanup service are only logged in the Server's log file.
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l l The Designer's logging preferences are set via the Designer; see: "Logging preferences" on page 857. The Connect Server's settings are maintained by the Connect Server Configuration utility tool; see "Server Configuration Settings" on page 95. The logging level that is set applies to the Server as well as the engines. The Designer's log messages are also displayed in the Messages pane (see "Preflight Results and Messages" on page 1058).
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l l l l .OL-package: A transfer file used to package one or many of the above files (the data model being part of both the template and the data mapping configuration). Created by using the File > Package dialog. (See "Package dialog" on page 980.) .OL-script: One or more Designer scripts. Scripts personalize the output of a template. They are either added via wizards (see "Personalizing content" on page 783) or selfwritten (see "Writing your own scripts" on page 867).
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OL Connect projects An OL Connect project is an automated process, or combination of processes, in which the Connect Server and Database are used. (For an overview of the architecture of the OL Connect software, see "Connect: a peek under the hood" on page 136). Typically, an OL Connect project aims at automating (part of) a company's communication with its customers, suppliers, or other parties.
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Tip Project Wizards The OL Connect software comes with a number of Project Wizards that generate a Workflow configuration, and any Connect templates, data mapping configurations, and Print Presets required to make the project work. For more information, see "Project Wizards" on page 994 in the online help or the Project Wizards overview video on the OL Learn website.
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Tip The Designer can send templates, data mapping configurations and print presets to a Connect Server; see "Sending files to Connect Server" on page 446. Project Wizards A Project Wizard generates a small Connect solution that is ready to be tested and deployed. The solution contains a specific Workflow configuration, as well as the Connect templates, data mapping configurations, and any Job Presets and Output Presets that are used in that configuration.
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o A single PDF for the entire job (in which the invoices are grouped per customer). o One PDF per customer. One PDF per invoice. (See: "Project Wizard: Print Transactional Jobs" on page 170.) The Workflow process implements the typical Print plugins (see "Print processes with OL Connect tasks" on page 195). o l l l l Basic web page. This project serves a simple web page, personalized via URL parameters. (See: "Project Wizard: Serving a Web Page" on page 183.) Submitting data with webforms.
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Note In order to use the project, OL Connect Server and OL Connect Workflow must be installed on the local machine. The wizard lets you select the folder in which you want the solution to be installed. In the selected folder, the Project Wizard will create two subfolders: Configurations and Workspace. The project's resource files are saved to the Configurations folder. The Workspace folder is used for debugging or running the solution.
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Running the project Having tested the project, you will be ready to send it to Workflow; see Saving and sending a Workflow Configuration in Workflow's Online Help. The project will run when you copy the Sample Data.xml file from the Configurations\Data folder to the Workspace\In folder. By default the project will still send all the emails to the sender's address. To change this: 1. Open the Create Email Content task and select the Email Info tab; then uncheck the Send emails to sender (test mode) option.
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Two attachments are added to the email, in different ways. l l The Return and Refund Policy PDF is stored in the template (in the Images folder). Rightclick the Email section and select Attachments to see how this is attached to the email. The delivery note is a dynamic attachment, based on a data field. It is attached to the email by the Attachment script. To learn how to create dynamic attachments, see "Dynamic attachments: creating file names based on data fields" on page 532.
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Double-click on a task to see its properties. l l l l The Folder Capture task reads the project's Workspace path from a global variable. The value of that variable is set by the project wizard when it installs the project. The Execute Data Mapping task extracts data from the sample data file and outputs them in the Metadata. The Create Email Content task creates the emails, using the Metadata as data source. Note that it sends the emails in test mode, which means it will send the emails to the sender.
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Using a Workflow variable The path to the delivery note is constructed via JavaScript: automation.variables.em_basic_workspace + '\\Delivery Notes\\' + record.fields.OrderNumber + '.pdf'; The script uses a property: automation.variables.em_basic_workspace, which is defined in the Preprocessor step. (See also: "Properties and runtime parameters" on page 262.) In this case, the variable holds the project's path. The order number in the path is extracted from the sample data.
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Workflow" on page 445). Then open the Workflow configuration, double-click the Execute Data Mapping task to open it and select the new data mapping configuration. To capture input data from a different source: 1. Replace the Folder Capture Input task by the appropriate Input task. See: Input tasks in Workflow's Online Help. 2. Add a Send to Folder task directly after the new Input task and set its output folder to the Workspace\Debug folder (%{global.pr_prom_workspace}\Debug).
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In order to further personalize the email, open your data mapping configuration (or JSON data, if the input data will be in that format; see "Adding JSON data from a JSON file" on page 796) and use the data fields to personalize the email. (See: "Personalizing content" on page 783.) Tip The Designer can have one data mapping configuration and one template open at the same time. Use the tabs at the top of the workspace to switch between the two.
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The wizard lets you select the folder in which you want the solution to be installed. In the selected folder, the Project Wizard will create two subfolders: Configurations and Workspace. The project's resource files are saved to the Configurations folder. The Workspace folder is used for debugging or running the solution. It has an In folder that may be used to monitor incoming data and an Out folder to write output files to.
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1. If the templates and data mapping configurations haven't been sent to Workflow yet, do that first (see "Sending files to Workflow" on page 445). This requires that the Workflow service is running (see Starting the Workflow service in Workflow's Online Help). 2. Send the Workflow configuration to the Workflow service; see Saving and sending a Workflow Configuration in Workflow's Online Help. 3. Open the Workflow configuration from the project's Resources\Workflow folder. 4.
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Project details The templates The form The COTG Timesheet Form template contains a Web context with one Web section: Section 1 (see "Web pages" on page 541 and "Forms" on page 710). The form has regular Form elements as well as COTG elements (see "Form Elements" on page 715 and "COTG Elements" on page 702). The template was started with the Time Sheet Wizard (see "Capture OnTheGo template wizards" on page 573), which also provides the necessary JavaScript files and style sheets.
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The template also contains a dynamic table which is filled and expanded dynamically by the scripts in the Table folder. To learn how to insert and edit such a table, see "Dynamic Table" on page 814. Note that this table does not use one of the default table styles, and that the style sheet with the default table styles is not present in the template. To add that style sheet to the template, insert a table using the Dynamic Table wizard.
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processes with OL Connect tasks" on page 198 and "Print processes with OL Connect tasks" on page 195). Creating the forms The cotg_ts_deploy_form process is triggered when any file enters the Workspace\In folder, but its Execute Data Mapping task expects an XML file that is structured exactly like the Sample Data.xml file (in the Resources\Data folder). The Execute Data Mapping task outputs records in the Metadata.
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the app. This way there is no need for the COTG user to wait while output is being generated. The response to the app can be sent right away. The cotg_ts_generate_report process picks up the XML file from the Temp folder, converts it to JSON and saves it to a JSON file. Note how the Branch task keeps a backup of the job file. It is the backup file - the XML - that is handed down to the next Branch, where it is saved as an XML file.
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Saving input as sample data Testing a process in Debug mode is only possible with a sample data file. The process is preconfigured to use the Sample Data.xml file located in the Configurations\Data folder. To create your own sample data file: 1. Locate the Workflow configuration in the Configurations\Workflow folder and open it in Connect Workflow. 2. Select the process. 3. Enable the Send to Folder step (step 2 in the process). 4.
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l Add text, images and other elements (see "Content elements" on page 625) l Change the layout (see "Styling and formatting" on page 739) l Change the "Media" on page 501. If you have an image of the stationery the PDF will be printed upon, add it to the Media to make designing the template little easier.
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Project Wizard: Print Promotional Jobs The Print Promotional Jobs Project Wizard creates a simple, yet complete OL Connect project that produces promotional print output. The project extracts data from an XML file and uses that data to personalize a promotional letter. The output is a single file containing all the letters, in the format that was selected in the wizard (PDF, PCL or PostScript Level 3).
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stationery (stored in the OL Connect template) in the output. This is a setting in the Output Creation Preset (see "Print settings" on page 167). Testing and running the project Once the Project Wizard has finished the installation, the project is ready to be tested. 1. Locate the Workflow configuration in the Configurations\Workflow folder and open it in OL Connect Workflow. 2. Select the pr_prom_generate_output process. 3. Open the Debug ribbon and click Run.
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Personalization is mostly done via simple text scripts. Such scripts look for a text surrounded by @ (e.g. @city@) and replace that by the correct data. To add a text script you just drag-anddrop data onto the template. (See: "Variable Data" on page 798.) A few scripts are a little bit more sophisticated. l l l l l The sales_rep script combines some data fields and adds a line break. Double-click the script to open the Text Script Wizard with which this script was made.
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Configurations\Resources folder and select the data mapping configuration: PR_PROM Data XML. Print settings The Print context and Print sections can have their own print settings, such as Duplex printing or binding style (see "Print settings in the Print context and sections" on page 476). But in this template, they don't have any. The way the letter is outputted is determined (mostly) by an Output Creation Preset. The Project Wizard installs six Output Creation Presets; two for each type of output.
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plugin is set to handle the output 'Through Workflow'. This means that the task will return the output file to the Workflow process. l The Send to Folder Output task. This task writes the output file to a subfoler in the Workspace\Out folder. It makes use of system variables (see Standard variables) to dynamically create a subfolder based on the current month and year (%M_%y). The name of the file consists of the original file name (%O), the current time (%h%n%s) and the file extension.
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Note If the input data is JSON, you don't need a data mapping configuration: JSON data can be used in a template as is. See: "Adding JSON data from a JSON file" on page 796. However, if you want the data to be saved in the Connect database, let the XML/JSON Conversion plugin convert the JSON to XML and create an XML data mapping configuration to extract the data. Template There are countless ways to customize the template to meet your exact requirements.
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Print output To save the output to another kind of file, you could use one of the other Output Creation Presets. To do that, adjust the process in Workflow: double-click the All In One task to open it, and select the Output Creation Preset of your choice on the Output Creation tab. To change the settings in an Output Creation Preset, open it in the Designer: 1. Select File > Output Creation Presets from the menu 2. Click the Import button and browse to the Configurations\Resources\Output presets folder to s
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The wizard lets you select the folder in which you want the solution to be installed. In the selected folder, the Project Wizard will create two subfolders: Configurations and Workspace. The project's resource files are saved to the Configurations folder. The Workspace folder is used for debugging or running the solution. It has an In folder that may be used to monitor incoming data and an Out folder to write output files to.
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Running the project Having tested the project, you will be ready to send it to PlanetPress Workflow service; see Saving and sending a Workflow Configuration in Workflow's Online Help. To test the project when it runs on the server, copy the Sample Data.xml file from the Configurations\Data folder to the Workspace\In folder. The same output should appear in the same folders as before. Project details The invoice template The invoice is designed in the PR_TRAN Invoice template.
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Wrapping elements in a box (see "Boxes" on page 689) or in a semantic HTML element makes it easier to target them in a script or in a style sheet. Place the cursor in the element or select multiple elements. Then, on the menu, click Insert > Wrap in Box. You can now use the wrapper element as a script's or style's selector; see "Using the Text Script Wizard" on page 801 and "Styling and formatting" on page 739.
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Print settings A Print context and Print sections can have their own print settings (see "Print settings in the Print context and sections" on page 476). The only print setting that the Print section has in this template, is the Duplex setting. (Right-click the section and select Sheet Configuration. See also: "Sheet Configuration dialog" on page 1017.) All other print settings are in the three Output Creation Presets. These are used by the Create Output tasks in the Workflow process.
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Workflow configuration Whenever new input data appears in the Workspace\In folder, the invoices are automatically merged with the data and printed to one file, one file per customer, and one file per invoice. That is, if the Workflow server is running with the Workflow configuration installed by the Project Wizard. (See "Running the project" on page 172.) This project's Workflow configuration contains just one process.
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4. Double-click the Folder Capture Input task and change the file mask, or replace the task by the appropriate Input task. See: Input tasks in Workflow's Online Help. 5. Double-click the All In One task and select the new data mapping configuration on the Data Mapper tab. Note If the input data is JSON, you don't need a data mapping configuration: JSON data can be used in a template as is. See: "Adding JSON data from a JSON file" on page 796.
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When the template is ready, send it to Workflow (see "Sending files to Workflow" on page 445). Finally, in Workflow, adjust the process: double-click the Create Print Content task to open it, and select the new template. This is only necessary when the file name has changed. Send the Workflow configuration to the server (see Saving and sending a Workflow Configuration in Workflow's Online Help).
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handles the submitted data, saving them to the Data Repository. For an introduction to this Project Wizard, see Project Wizards overview video on the OL Learn website (start at 16:50) or on Youtube: Submitting Data with Web Forms. Installing the project From the menu, select File > New > Project Wizards > Submitting Data with Web Forms to start the wizard. See also: "Submitting Data with Web Forms - Project Wizard" on page 1000.
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4. Fill in some data and submit the form. You will now be presented with a Thank You web page. Saving input as sample data Testing a process in Debug mode is only possible with a sample data file. The process is preconfigured to use the Sample Data.xml file located in the Configurations\Data folder. To create your own sample data file: 1. Locate the Workflow configuration in the Configurations\Workflow folder and open it in Connect Workflow. 2. Select the process. 3.
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Dynamic content is inserted by scripts, which are listed on the Scripts pane. You can doubleclick a script to open it. The scripts in the Thank you folder only affect the thank_you Web page; on the form Web page, nothing matches their selectors. Tip Hover over the name of a script in the Scripts pane to highlight parts of the template that are affected by the script.
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The Delete task is an Output task that does nothing, actually; it doesn't even remove anything. However, this step is useful when running the project step by step in Debug mode. When it is followed by another task, the Create Web Content task returns its output to the Workflow process, where it can be viewed (click View as HTML). The data mapping configuration To extract the submitted data from the job file (the request XML), the process uses the data mapping configuration: WEB_FORM Data.
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3. Upload the Workflow configuration to the server (see Saving and sending a Workflow Configuration in Workflow's Online Help) and let the process save the input data to a file (see "Saving input as sample data" on page 179). 4. Use the saved file to add the new data to the data mapping configuration (see "Opening a data mapping configuration" on page 212). Send the data mapping configuration to Workflow. 5.
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Wizard" on page 536. Workflow configuration Serving the two web pages could also be achieved using separate processes, but in fact it is more efficient to have a single process, as activity needs to be monitored for each process. In real life the submitted data will probably not be stored in the Data Repository, but used differently. This means that the Push to Repository task will need to be replaced by the appropriate tasks, but that won't change the way the submitted data is retrieved.
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Note In order to use the project, OL Connect Server and OL Connect Workflow must be installed on the local machine. The wizard lets you select the folder in which you want the solution to be installed. In the selected folder, the Project Wizard will create two subfolders: Configurations and Workspace. The project's resource files are saved to the Configurations folder. The Workspace folder is used for debugging or running the solution.
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To create your own sample data file: 1. Locate the Workflow configuration in the Configurations\Workflow folder and open it in Connect Workflow. 2. Select the process. 3. Enable the Send to Folder step (step 2 in the process). 4. Send the Workflow configuration to PlanetPress Workflow service (see Saving and sending a Workflow Configuration) and run it again, with a custom name value. The Send to Folder step will now write the input data - the job file - to a file in the Workspace\Debug folder.
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Tip Hover over the name of a script in the Scripts pane to highlight parts of the template that are affected by the script. l l The My name is script looks for an element that has the ID: hero. Inside that element it looks for the text: @name@ and replaces that with either the default name ("John Doe") or the name given in the URL. The Year script puts the current year in the footer. For more information about writing scripts, see: "Writing your own scripts" on page 867.
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The data mapping configuration When the browser sends the request to Workflow, the Workflow process starts and puts the request into XML, including the values that were given in the URL. To extract those values from the 'job file' (the XML) the process uses a data mapping configuration, made with the DataMapper: WEB_HELLO Data. To open the data mapping configuration, select File > Open from the menu and browse to the Configurations\Resources folder.
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4. Open the Workflow configuration, double-click the Execute Data Mapping task to open it and select the new data mapping configuration. 5. Use the data in the template (see: "Personalizing content" on page 783), send the new template to Workflow and select it in the properties of the Create Web Content task. 6. Send the Workflow configuration to the server (see Saving and sending a Workflow Configuration in Workflow's Online Help). Alternatively you could use input data from a Web form.
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Note If you want the web page to be responsive (have a different layout on screens of different sizes), it is recommended to start a new template with a wizard; see "Creating a Web template with a Wizard" on page 536. Workflow configuration The current Workflow configuration is very simple. In a real-life solution, a process that generates a web page could be part of a larger solution, in which, for example, emails are generated with a link to a personal landing page.
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Note Workflow was originally developed - and is still used - as part of PlanetPress Suite. Nevertheless, most plugins are just as useful in Connect as in PlanetPress Suite. Where plugins are restricted to one software package or the other, it is indicated in Workflow's Online Help. Common OL Connect Workflow processes In an OL Connect project there are typically a number of Workflow processes that communicate with the Connect Server and/or database through one or more of the OL Connect tasks.
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In each process, runtime parameters can pass variables from PReS Connect Workflow to the template, data mapping configuration or Job Creation Preset. For more information see "Runtime parameters" on page 1506. OL Connect tasks In Workflow there is one set of plugins developed especially for OL Connect: the OL Connect tasks.
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The All In One task combines the four tasks involved in a Print process. If a process's only goal is to create Print output, this task is often the better choice because it is faster and more efficient. (See "Print processes with OL Connect tasks" on page 195.) However, sometimes using the separate tasks is inevitable.
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database's Cleanup process runs. l The Update Data Records task updates records in the OL Connect database using values from the current Metadata. File Store The OL Connect Server has a File Store which it uses for transient files. This File Store is managed by the Cleanup service who takes care of removing obsolete files when those files are not marked as permanent. You can make use of the File Store in your own Workflow processes.
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Tip An easy way to create a COTG solution, including the Workflow configuration and other files that it needs, is to use the COTG Timesheets Project Wizard. See "Project Wizard: COTG Timesheets" on page 155. Email processes with OL Connect tasks Sending out emails, based on a Connect template, via an automated process requires you to design a Connect email process in the Workflow configuration tool. This topic explains which tasks and files are used in a Connect email process.
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l A Retrieve Items task which retrieves an existing record set from the Connect database and outputs it in the Metadata or as JSON data. l A Create File task that creates a JSON file. l Etc. Which task or tasks fit best, depends on where the data come from. The Create Email Content task can be found on the OL Connect tab of the Plug-In Bar in Workflow. For a description of all OL Connect tasks, see "OL Connect tasks" on page 191.
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Tip An easy way to setup a print project in OL Connect, including the print process and the files that it needs, is to use a Project Wizard. There are two Project Wizards that create a sample print project. See "Project Wizards" on page 994. There is also a Walkthrough sample that helps you build a Print process for Connect documents in the Workflow Configuration tool by yourself, step-by-step: Creating a Print process in Workflow.
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l l The input is JSON data, which can be used directly. In this case there is no need to use the Execute Data Mapping task or Retrieve Items task. The necessary Print Content Items have already been created, whether in the same or in another Workflow process. Print Content Items can be retrieved from the OL Connect database using the Retrieve Items task. Subsequently, the Create Job and Create Output tasks can generate print output from them.
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Web processes with OL Connect tasks Serving a web page, made with a template, via an automated process requires you to design a web process in the PReS Workflow configuration tool. This topic explains which tasks and files are used in a web process. Tip An easy way to start an OL Connect web project including the web process and the files that it needs, is to use a Project Wizard. There are two Project Wizards that generate a sample web project. See "Project Wizards" on page 994.
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The Create Web Content task creates an HTML output file from the Web context in a template. Select the Web template in the task's properties. If the Web template doesn't need any data, you can set the Data Source of this task to JSON and enter an empty JSON string: {}, or set it to Record ID and enter 0 (zero). However, if the template should be merged with data, the task needs either a valid Record ID or a JSON object.
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The next step is to create a process in PReS Workflow that generates Web output, using these files. For more information about how to create a process in Workflow, please refer to the Online Help of Workflow. Batching and commingling A Connect Print process in its simplest form merges data with a template and creates the print job(s) in one go, as shown in "Print processes with OL Connect tasks" on page 195.
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In order to retrieve print content from the Connect database in the second phase, some preparatory work must be done in the first phase. What needs to be done exactly depends on what you want to retrieve, and how. Sorting and separating the output also requires some preparation (see "Sorting and grouping items in print batches" on page 203). 1Database entries get cleaned up automatically as well.
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and store them somewhere else. Workflow's Data Repository would be a good place to store them in; you can use the Push to Repository task to store the IDs there. Retrieving items or sets using conditions When the Retrieve Items task retrieves items or sets based upon conditions, the respective database entities are matched against the values of data fields or by the values of properties set on entities in the Connect database.
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sorting the output. Make sure to set properties that are necessary for sorting on the content item level. Commingling When documents in one print batch originate from different templates, that is called commingling. Commingling isn't very different from batching in how it's done. The content creation phase will likely be a little different, as there will probably be a separate process or branch for each of the templates used to create the print content.
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Sorting by property is only possible if the property has been set explicitly on the respective content items (not content sets) in the Connect database. It is also important to note that in order to use a data field or property in a sorting rule, it should be present in all content items. You may have to set properties on content items (not content sets) or add data fields to a data model (see "Data mapping configurations" on page 207), for no other reason than to sort the items by them eventually.
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Note that this tab is only available when the Retrieve Items task is configured to retrieve content items - not content sets. Separating the output Print output in batches can be separated just like all other print output, using an Output Creation Preset in the Create Output task (see "Output Creation Presets" on page 1470). This requires that the output be grouped beforehand, either via a Job Creation Preset or via the Batching/Commingling tab of the Retrieve Items task.
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The DataMapper The DataMapper is the tool to create a data mapping configuration. Data mapping configurations are used to extract data and transpose that data into a format that can be shared amongst different layouts and outputs created with the OL Connect Designer and Workflow. The original data, located in a file or database outside of OL Connect, is called a data source.
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3. Build the data mapping workflow. A data mapping workflow always starts with the Preprocessor step and ends with the Postprocessor step. You can add as many steps as you like and edit the Data Model of the extracted data as required. See "Data mapping workflow" on page 230 and "The Data Model" on page 273. What's next? Use the data mapping configuration in the Designer module to create templates for personalized customer communications. To learn more, see "The Designer" on page 438.
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Note AFP input is dependent on a third party library (CDP), which only allows PReS Connect to run up to 4 AFP input processes on a given machine at a given time. Creating a new data mapping configuration A new data mapping configuration can be made with or without a wizard. When you open a data file with a DataMapper wizard, the wizard automatically detects a number of settings. You can adjust these settings.
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3. Click the Browse button and open the file you want to work with (for a database, you may have to enter a password). 4. Click Finish. l From the File menu 1. Click the File menu and select New. 2. Click the Data mapping Configuration drop-down and select Files and then the file type: l Comma Separated Values or Excel (CSV/XLSX/XLS), l Microsoft Access l PDF, PS, PCL or AFP l Text l XML. For a JSON file, select XML. 3. Click Next. 4.
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an authenticated user must be configured via the Preferences (see "Connect Servers preferences" on page 864). Note that when used in a production environment (e.g. a Connect Workflow process) the conversion to PDF may influence the processing speed, depending on the available processing power. l l l Some advanced PCL to PDF options are available by calling LincPDF (PReS Connect's PCL to PDF converter) command line module; see "Advanced PCL to PDF options" on page 222.
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l From the Welcome screen 1. Open the PReS Connect Welcome page by clicking the select the Help menu and then Welcome. icon at the top right or 2. Click New DataMapper Configuration. 3. From the Using a wizard pane, select the appropriate file type. l From the File menu 1. In the menu, click File > New. 2. Click the Data mapping Wizards drop-down and select the appropriate file type. The steps to take with the wizard depend on the file type.
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2. Click New DataMapper Configuration. 3. From the Using a wizard pane, select Generate counters. l From the File menu 1. In the menu, click File > New. 2. Click the Data mapping Wizards drop-down and select Generate counters. You can set the following parameters: l l l l l l l Starting Value: The starting number for the counter. Defaults to 1. Increment Value: The value by which to increment the counter for each record.
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Saving a data mapping configuration A data mapping configuration file has the extension .OL-datamapper. The file contains the settings, the extraction workflow ('Steps'), the Data Model and the imported Data Samples (excluding database source files such as mySQL, oracle, etc). To save a data mapping configuration: l l In the "Menus" on page 309, click on File > Save, or click on Save As to save a copy of a data mapping configuration under a different name.
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4. Click the Browse button and open the file you want to work with. 5. Click Next. l From the File menu 1. In the menu, click File > New. 2. Click the Data mapping Wizards drop-down and select From CSV/XLSX/XLS File. 3. Click Next. 4. Click the Browse button and open the file you want to work with. 5. Click Next. Note Excel files saved in "Strict Open XML" format are not supported yet.
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l l l l Text Delimiter: Defines which character surrounds text fields in the file. Separators and comment delimiters within text are not interpreted as separator or delimiter; they are seen as text. Ignore unparseable lines: Ignores any line that does not correspond to the settings above. First row contains field names: Uses the first line of the CSV as headers, which automatically names all extracted fields.
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l From the Welcome screen 1. Open the PReS Connect Welcome page by clicking the select Help > Welcome on the menu. icon at the top right or 2. Click New DataMapper Configuration. 3. From the Using a wizard pane, select Database. 4. Use the drop-down to select the database type. 5. Click Next. l From the File menu 1. In the menu, click File > New. 2. Click the Data mapping Wizards drop-down and select From databases. 3. Click Next. 4. Use the drop-down to select the database type. 5. Click Next.
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MySQL, SQL Server or Oracle l Server: Enter the server address for the database. l Port: Enter the port to communicate with the server. The default port is 3306. l l l l l Database name: Enter the exact name of the database from where the data should be extracted. User name: Enter a user name that has access to the server and specified database. The user only requires Readaccess to the database. Password: Enter the password that matches the user name above.
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l This ODBC source is MSSQL: Check this option if the ODBC source is MSSQL (SQL Server). The options below appear under MSSQL-ODBC advanced configuration: l l l Windows authentication: Select to use the Windows user name and password that are used by the Connect Service. SQL Server authentication: Select to use the User name and Password set below to connect to the SQL Server: l User name: Enter the SQL Server user name. l Password: Enter the password for the above user name.
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l Sort on: Select a field on which to sort the data, in ascending (A-Z) or descending (Z-A) order. Note that sorting is always textual. Even if the selected column has numbers, it will be sorted as a text. Using the wizard for PDF/VT or AFP files The pages in PDF/VT and AFP files can be grouped on several levels. Additional information, such as TLEs - a TLE is a Tagged Logical Element - in AFP files, can be attached to each level in the structure.
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3. Click Next. 4. Click the Browse button and open the PDF/VT or AFP file you want to work with. Click Next. After selecting the file, select the following options in the Metadata page: l l Metadata record levels: Use the drop-down to select what level in the metadata defines a record. Field List: This list displays all fields on the chosen level and higher levels in the PDF/VT or AFP metadata. The right column shows the field name. The left column displays the level on which it is located.
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rotated after the page was rotated. The page number and rotation of a page are shown in the status bar at the bottom, next to the region selection information. Using the wizard for XML files The DataMapper wizard for XML and JSON files helps you create a data mapping configuration for an XML file. The wizard lets you select the type of node and the trigger that delimit the start of a new record. Next, the wizard extracts the data in one extraction step.
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l From the File menu 1. In the menu, click File > New. 2. Click the Data mapping Wizards drop-down and select From XML File. 3. Click Next. 4. Click the Browse button and select the file you want to work with. For a JSON file, change the file type to JSON first. Click Next. After selecting a file, you have to set the split level and trigger type: l l XML Elements: This is a list of node elements that have children nodes. Select the level in the data that will define the source record.
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This topic's intention is to provide you with a method to make LincPDF take these advanced settings into account, so the generated PDF can be correctly read in the DataMapper. Note The method described in this topic can only be done using PReS Workflow. Requirements To be able to import PCL input files, you will need the PCL Input license, in addition to PReS Connect. To check if you have a PCL Input license: 1. Open the Connect Software Activation module. 2.
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1. Add a local variable to your process and name it lincPDFOptions. 2. Add another local variable named workingDir and give it a default Windows path (for example: C:\PCL2PDF\). 3. Add a plugin to capture the PCL File. You may use any input plugin that imports the PCL file into the process, such as Folder Capture, LPD Input, etc. 4. Using the Change Emulation plugin, change the Emulation to ASCII.
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(default: 0). PDF Author -dAuthor:$s string PDF document’s author (default: null). PDF Title -dTitle:$s string PDF document’s title (default: filename). 6. Next, use the External Program plugin to convert the PCL to PDF with the above % {lincPDFOptions} options. In the General tab: l l l l l Set the Executable file to: C:\Program Files\Objectif Lune\OL Connect\LPDFConv\Bin\LincPDFC.exe Set the Parameters to: -i"%F" -o"%{workingDir}\Temp\%O.
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the Workflow log. 7. Save the output of LincPDFC using the –o folder specifier in the parameter (% {workingDir}\Temp, in this case.) In another Workflow process, import the created PDF with the Folder Capture input plugin, specifying the output folder of the previous process (%{workingDir}\Temp in the example) as input folder, and %O.pdf as the file mask.
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Once you have the PDF as job file, you may pass it to the Execute Data Mapping plugin for further processing. LincPDFC Options To view the available options that can be set in LincPDF, run the executable (LincPDFC.exe) in a command prompt window. It will display a help message with available options.
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/*Open Windows Command Prompt Change directory cd C:\Program Files\Objectif Lune\OL Connect\LPDFConv\Bin C:\Program Files\Objectif Lune\OL Connect\LPDFConv\Bin\LincPDFC.exe LincPDF for Command-Line, Version 2.6.6.14 Copyright (c) 2001-2007 Lincoln & Co., a division of Biscom, Inc. Usage: LincPDF -iInput.PCL [-oOutput.
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-dTitle:$s : PDF Title -dSubject:$s : PDF Subject -dAuthor:$s : PDF Author -dKeywords:$s : PDF Keywords -dVersion:num : PDF Version (multiply by 10) Page Setup: -pWidth:num : Page Width (required only if Page Type is Custom) -pHeight:num : Page Height (required only if Page Type is Custom) -pXOff:num : Page X Offset (see also Measurement) -pYOff:num : Page Y Offset (see also Measurement) -pMeasure:num : Page Measurement (0-inch, 1-mm, 2-point) -pOrient:num : Page Orientation (0-Portrait, 1-Landscape) -pTyp
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-yCopyContents : Enable Copying Text and Graphics from Document -yUse128Bit : Use 128-bit Encryption -yAssembleDocument : Enable Assemble Document (128-bit encryption only) -yExtractText : Enable Text and Graphics Extraction (128-bit encryption only) -yLowResolutionPrint : Enable Lower-level Resolution Printing (128-bit encryption only) Tips ---------------------------------------------------. using quotation mark for complicated string, for example, -dKeywords:"key1, key2" .
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after the Data Mapping workflow has completed ("Postprocessor step" on page 271). When you create a new data mapping configuration, these steps are added automatically, but they don't actually do anything until you configure them. In between the Preprocessor and Postprocessor step, the workflow can contain as many steps as needed to extract the required data.
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Editing steps The properties of each step in the extraction workflow become visible in the Step properties pane when you select that step in the Steps pane. The name of each step is shown in the Steps pane. You can change it under Description in the Step properties pane. The other properties are different per step type; see "Steps" on page 261. Rearranging steps To rearrange steps, simply drag & drop them somewhere else on the colored line in the Steps pane.
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If any errors are encountered in one or more records, an error message will be displayed. Errors encountered while performing the extraction workflow on the current record will also be visible on the Messages tab. Note How many records are displayed in the Data Viewer (200, by default) is specified in the Record limit on the Settings pane. Data source settings After opening a data file you have to make a number of settings to make sure that the source data is interpreted and grouped the way you want.
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field separator. This ensures that, for example, the field “Smith; John” is not interpreted as two fields, even if the field delimiter is the semicolon. For an explanation of all the options, see: "CSV file Input Data settings" on page 328. Settings for an Excel File For an Excel file you have to specify which sheet to use. You can also set how many lines should be skipped, if the first row contains field names or not, and how the data should be sorted. See: "Excel file Input Data settings" on page 329.
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of, or unwanted characters at the beginning of your file, for example; you can also set a line width if you are still working with old line printer data; etc. It is important that pages be defined properly. This can be done either by using a set number of lines or using a string of text (for example, the character “P”), to detect on the page. Be aware that this is not a Boundary setting; it detects each new page, not each new record.
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page in a PDF file. It can also be something in the data that is either static (for example, the text "Page 1 of" in a PDF file) or changing (a customer ID, a user name, etc). To define a more complex trigger, you can write a script (see "Setting boundaries using JavaScript" on page 389). A new record cannot start in the middle of a data field, so if the trigger is something in the data, the boundary will be set on the nearest preceding natural delimiter.
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Note Data format settings tell the DataMapper how to read and parse data from the data source. They don't determine how these data are formatted in the Data Model or in a template. In the Data Model, data are converted to the native data type. Dates, for example, are converted to a DateTime object. How they are displayed in the Data Model depends on the current operating system's regional settings.
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l Define default values that are different from one data mapping instance to the next, even when using the same data mapping configuration. Defining custom properties and runtime parameters Defining properties You can define custom properties properties under Properties in the "Preprocessor step" on page 261 (see "Preprocessor step properties" on page 345). To add a property: 1. Select the Preprocessor step on the Steps pane. 2. On the Step properties pane, under Properties, click the Add button .
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1. Click the Add button. The Add Parameter dialog opens. 2. Give the runtime parameter a name. The name is needed to access the parameter in a script and to set its source in the automation tool. 3. Optionally, set a default value. Note that the default value is never actually used outside of the DataMapper. Its only purpose is to make it easier to design and test the data mapping configuration. The actual value of a runtime parameter comes from the automation tool, e.g.
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l l The data object has a properties array that lets you access custom properties of the data as a whole, i.e. the scope of the property is set to Entire data. (See: "data" on page 401.) These are read-only. To access a runtime parameter inside of any JavaScript code within the data mapping configuration, use automation.parameters.runtimeparametername. (See: "Objects" on page 394.) Runtime parameters are read-only. Tip Runtime parameters in a data mapping configuration are always of the type String.
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These properties may be used throughout the extraction workflow. For more information, see "Preprocessor step" on page 261. Adding an extraction In an extraction workflow, Extract steps are the pieces that take care of the actual data extractions. To add an Extract step: 1. In the Data Viewer pane, select the data that needs to be extracted. (See "Selecting data" on page 245.) 2. Choose one of two ways to extract the selected data.
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Special conditions The Extract step may need to be combined with another type of step to get the desired result. l l l Data can be extracted conditionally with a Condition step or Multiple Conditions step; see "Condition step" on page 266 or "Multiple Conditions step" on page 269. Normally the same extraction workflow is automatically applied to all records in the source data. It is however possible to skip records, entirely or partially, or to stop data mapping using an Action step.
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Adding fields to an existing Extract step For optimization purposes, it is better to add fields to an existing Extract step than to have a succession of extraction steps. To add fields to an existing Extract step: 1. In the Data Viewer pane, select the data that needs to be extracted. (See "Selecting data" on page 245.) 2. Select an Extract step on the Steps pane. 3. Right-click on the data and select Add Extract Field, or drag & drop the data on the Data Model.
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Alternatively you could create a JavaScript extraction (see "Using scripts in the DataMapper" on page 387 and "extractMeta()" on page 409). Note NOP (No Operation) records in AFP files cannot be extracted. Editing fields After extracting some data, you may want to: l Change the names of fields that are included in the extraction. l Change the order in which fields are extracted. l Set the data type, data format and default value of each field. l Modify the extracted data through a script.
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Note How many records are displayed in the Data Viewer (200, by default) is specified in the Record limit on the Settings pane. Selecting data In order to extract the data, it is necessary to first define the data to be extracted, by selecting it. How this is done depends on the data source type. The following paragraphs explain how to create and manipulate a data selection for each different type of data.
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Model actually changes which data is extracted into that field. CSV/XLS/XLSX file or database recordset Tabular data is displayed in the Data Viewer in a table where multiple fields appear for each line and row in the original data. To select data, click on a field, keep the mouse button down, drag to the last field that you want to select and release the mouse button. You cannot select multiple lines with tabular data.
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between a company and their customers or suppliers: invoices, statements, and purchase orders, for example. Naturally these data differ per customer. They are stored in detail tables in the extracted record. The number of detail lines in a detail table can vary from record to record. Detail tables are created when an Extract step is added within a Repeat step. The Repeat step goes through a number of lines or nodes. An Extract step within that loop extracts data from each line or node.
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1. Select a field in the column that contains the first line item information. 2. Right-click this data selection and select Add Repeat. This adds a Repeat step with a GoTo step inside it. The GoTo step moves the cursor down to the next line, until there are no more lines (see "Goto step" on page 265). 3. (Optional.) Add an empty detail table via the Data Model pane: right-click the Data Model and select Add a table. Give the detail table a name. 4. Select the Repeat step on the Steps pane. 5.
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The extraction step is placed inside the Repeat step, just before the GoTo step. From an XML file The transactional data appears in repeated elements.
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1. Right-click one of the repeating elements and select Add Repeat. This adds a Repeat step to the data mapping configuration. By default, the Repeat type of this step is set to For Each, so that each of the repeated elements is iterated over. You can see this on the Step properties pane, as long as the Repeat step is selected on the Steps pane. In the Collection field, you will find the corresponding node path.
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2. (Optional.) Add an empty detail table via the Data Model pane: right-click the Data Model and select Add a table. Give the detail table a name. 3. Select the Repeat step on the Steps pane. 4. Extract the data: inside a repeating element, select the data that you want to extract. Then right-click the selected nodes and select Add Extraction, or drag & drop them in the Data Model. When you drag & drop data on the name of a detail table in the Data Model pane, the data are added to that detail table.
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1. Select an element in the first line item. 2. Right-click on the selection and select Add Goto. The Goto step will move the cursor to the start of the first line item. 2. Add a Repeat step where the loop must stop. 1. In the line under the last line item, look for a text that can be used as a condition to stop the loop, for example "Subtotals", Total" or "Amount". 2. Select that text, right-click on it and select Add Repeat. The Repeat step loops over all lines until the selected text is found. 3.
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1. Select the start of the Repeat step on the Steps pane. 2. Look for something in the data that distinguishes lines with a line item from other lines (or the other way around). Often, a "." or "," appears in prices or totals at the same place in every line item, but not on other lines. 3. Select that data, right-click on it and select Add Conditional. Selecting data - especially something as small as a dot - can be difficult in a PDF file.
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4. (Optional.) Add an empty detail table to the Data Model: right-click the Data Model and select Add a table. Give the detail table a name.
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5. Extract the data (see "Adding an extraction" on page 241). When you drag & drop data on the name of a detail table in the Data Model pane, the data are added to that detail table. Dropping the data somewhere else on the Data Model pane, or using the contextual menu in the Data Viewer, creates a new detail table, with a default name that you can change later on (see "Renaming a detail table" on page 318).
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Note In a PDF or Text file, pieces of data often have a variable size: a product description, for example, may be short and fit on one line, or be long and cover two lines. To learn how to handle this, see "Extracting data of variable length" on the next page. 6. Extract the sum or totals. If the record contains sums or totals at the end of the line items list, the end of the Repeat step is a good place to add an Extract step for these data.
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Extracting data of variable length In PDF and Text files, transactional data isn't structured uniformly, as in a CSV, database or XML file. Data can be located anywhere on a page. Therefore, data are extracted from a certain region on the page. However, the data can be spread over multiple lines and multiple pages: l l Line items may continue on the next page, separated from the line items on the first page by a page break, a number of empty lines and a letterhead.
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Using a Condition step or Multiple Conditions step Using a Condition step ("Condition step" on page 266) or a Multiple Conditions step ("Multiple Conditions step" on page 269) one could determine how big the region is that contains the data that needs to be extracted. In each of the branches under the Condition or Multiple Conditions step, an Extract step could be added to extract the data from a particular region. The Extract steps could write their data to the same field.
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Using a script A script could also provide a solution when data needs to be extracted from a variable region. This requires using a Javascript-based field. 1. Add a field to an Extract step, preferably by extracting data from one of the possible regions; see "Extracting data" on page 240. To add a field without extracting data, see "JavaScript-based field" on page 279. 2. On the Step properties pane, under Field Definition, select the field and change its Mode to Javascript.
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Note that this script replicates exactly what can be done in a Condition step. In cases like this, it is recommended to use a Condition step. Only use a script when no steps are sufficient to give the expected result, or when the extraction can be better optimized in a script. Steps In the DataMapper, steps are part of an extraction workflow (see "Data mapping workflow" on page 230). They contain a specific instruction for the DataMapper, for example to extract data, create a loop, or apply a condition.
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also lets you define properties and runtime parameters that can be used throughout the data mapping workflow. For a complete overview of the settings for a Preprocessor step, see: "Preprocessor step properties" on page 345. Properties and runtime parameters A data mapping configuration's properties hold data that can be used throughout the data mapping workflow to compare against in conditions or to complement the existing data.
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Extract step The Extract step is essential in each and every data mapping configuration. It extracts data from the data source, based on their location (a row and column in CSV or tabular data, an XPath in XML, or a region of the page in PDF and Text) or on JavaScript code. The data is stored in the record set that is the result of the extraction workflow. Fields always belong to an Extract step, but they don't necessarily all contain extracted data.
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see: "Extracting data" on page 240. l Alternatively, right-click the Steps pane and select Add a Step > Add Extraction. Make the required settings on the Step properties pane. If an Extract step is added within a Repeat step, the extracted data are added to a detail table by default; see "Extracting transactional data" on page 246 and "Detail tables" on page 317.
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1. On the Steps pane, select the step after which to insert the Condition step. 2. Make sure that the cursor is located where the extraction loop must start. By default the cursor is located at the top of the page or record, but previous steps in the extraction workflow may have moved it down. If necessary, add a Goto step (see "Goto step" below). This step can be skipped when the data source is an XML file. 3.
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l l On the Steps pane, select the step after which to insert the Goto step. In the Data Viewer, select some data, right-click that data and choose Add Goto, to add a Goto step that moves the cursor to that data. Alternatively, right-click the Steps pane and select Add a Step > Add Goto. Make the required settings on the Step properties pane. Configuring a Goto step For information about how to configure the Goto step, see "Goto step properties" on page 375.
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Adding a Condition step To add a Condition step: l On the Steps pane, select the step after which to insert the Condition step; then, in the Data Viewer, select some data, right-click that data and choose Add Conditional. In the Step properties pane, you will see that the newly added Condition step checks if the selected position (the left operand) contains the selected value (the right operand). Both operands and the operator can be adjusted.
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(in the Step properties pane).Make a selection in the Data Viewer and click the Use selected text button in the Right Operand section. You will now be able to see whether or not the proper text is extracted by the current selection. Repeat this until you are satisfied that the proper data is being extracted.Click on the Use selection button in the Left Operand section to fill out the coordinates.The point of origin of each character is at the bottom left of each of them and extends up and to the right.
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Rules are by default combined with AND. To change the way rules are combined, right-click "AND" in the Rule Tree, on the Step properties pane, and select OR or XOR instead. (XOR means one or the other, but not both.) Renaming a rule To rename a rule, double-click its name in the Rule Tree and type a new name. Multiple Conditions step The Multiple Conditions step is useful to avoid the use of nested Condition steps: Condition steps inside other Condition steps.
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Adding a Multiple Conditions step To add a Multiple Conditions step, right-click the Steps pane and select Add a Step > Add Multiple Conditions. To add a case, click the Add case button to the right of the Condition field in the Step properties pane. Configuring a Multiple Conditions step For information about how to configure the Multiple Conditions step, see "Multiple Conditions step properties" on page 372.
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l l l l Execute JavaScript code. Set the value for a record property. Record properties are defined in the Preprocessor step; see "Preprocessor step" on page 261. Stop the processing of the current record and move on to the next one. Normally an extraction workflow is automatically executed on all records in the source data. By stopping the processing of the current record, you can filter out some records or skip records partially.
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l Select the Postprocessor step on the Steps pane. l On the Step properties pane, under Postprocessor, click the Add button l . Under Postprocessor definition, add the script. Postprocessor tasks must be written in JavaScript (see "Using scripts in the DataMapper" on page 387 and "DataMapper Scripts API" on page 384). Configuring the Postprocessor step For an explanation of the settings for post-processors, see "Postprocessor step properties" on page 379.
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mapping workflow. In order to test post-processors you must execute them manually by clicking the Apply button in the Post-processor step properties (see "Postprocessor step properties" on page 379). Note that in the DataMapper and Designer, only one data record is active at any given time. Therefore, the changes made by the post-processes are only visible on the current data record (i.e. the one currently displayed).
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About records A record is a block of information that may be merged with a template to generate a single document (invoice, email, web page...) for a single recipient. It is part of the record set that is generated by a data mapping configuration. In each record, data from the data source can be combined with data coming from other sources. Records can be duplicated by setting the number of copies in a script (see "record" on page 416). Duplicates are not shown in the Data Model.
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Note l l Imported Data Model fields always overwrite existing field properties when the field name is the same (although they will still be part of the same Extract step). Nonexistent fields are created automatically with the appropriate field settings. The import is case-insensitive. All imported data model fields are marked as required in the Data Model (indicated with an asterisk (*) next to their names).
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To change the order in which data are extracted, see "Renaming and reordering fields in an extraction step" on page 281. Moving fields To move a field, a group of fields or a detail table, you can simply drag and drop it to some other place in the Data Model. Alternatively, you can right-click the field, group or detail table and select one of the options in the Move menu, to move it up or down within the list or group. Fields cannot be moved into another table.
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In Workflow, when a data mapping configuration is used to extract data from a data source (see "Data mapping configurations" on page 207), the extracted data is stored in a record set in the OL Connect database. Adding fields and data via Workflow The Data Model is not extensible outside of the DataMapper. When it is used in Workflow - as part of a data mapping configuration - the contents of its fields can be updated but not its structure.
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l Select Metadata as the data source in the Create Preview PDF plugin. Note Many of these actions can also be performed using REST calls. Please refer to PReS Connect Workflow documentation for more information about the plugins involved. Fields Extracted data are stored in fields in the Data Model (see "The Data Model" on page 273). Fields can be present on different levels: on the record level or in a detail table (see "Detail tables" on page 317).
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JavaScript-based field JavaScript-based fields are filled by a script: the script provides a value. Note that the last value attribution to a variable is the one used as the result of the expression. There is a number of ways to add a Javascript based field. Via the Steps pane 1. Make sure there is no data selection in the Data Viewer. 2. Right-click on an Extract step on the Steps pane and select Add a Step > Add Extract Field. (To add a new Extract step, select Add a Step > Add Extraction first.) 3.
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Property-based field A property-based field is filled with the value of a property (see "Properties and runtime parameters" on page 237). Custom properties can be added via the Preprocessor step; see "Preprocessor step" on page 261. A property-based field cannot be added directly. To fill a field with the value of a property, you have to change an existing field's Mode to Properties. 1. Select the field in the Data Model. 2. On the Step properties pane, under Field Definition, change its Mode to Properties.
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Renaming and reordering fields in an extraction step The names of fields, as well as the order of fields in an extraction step, can be changed via the properties of the Extract step that they belong to. 1. Select the Extract step that contains the fields that you want to rename. To do this you could click on one of those fields in the Data Model, or on the step in the Steps pane. 2. On the Step properties pane, under Field Definition, click the Order and rename fields button. 3.
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Setting the data type Fields store extracted data as a String by default. The data type of a field can be changed via the properties of the Extract step that the field belongs to. 1. Select the Extract step that contains the field. You can do this by clicking on the field in the Data Model, or on the step in the Steps pane that contains the field. 2. On the Step properties pane, under Field Definition, set the Type to the desired data type. See "Data types" on page 291 for a list of available types.
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Post function On the Step properties pane, under Field Definition, you can enter a script in the Post function field to be run after the extraction. (Click the Use JavaScript Editor button to open the "boundaries" on page 396 dialog if you need more space.) A Post function script operates directly on the extracted data. Its results replace the extracted data. For example, the Post function script replace("-", ""); replaces the first dash character that occurs inside the extracted string.
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2. In the Step properties pane, under Field Definition, click the Remove Extract Field button next to the Field List drop-down. Detail tables A detail table is a field in the Data Model that contains a record set instead of a single value. Detail tables contain transactional data. They are created when an Extract step is added within a Repeat step; see "Extracting transactional data" on page 246. In the most basic of transactional communications, a single detail table is sufficient.
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3. Click somewhere else on the Step Properties pane to update the Data Model. You will see the new name appear. Creating multiple detail tables Multiple detail tables are useful when more than one type of transactional data is present in the source data, for example purchases (items with a set price, quantity, item number) and services (with a price, frequency, contract end date, etc).
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and you will have to rename the detail table created in each Extract step to pull the detail tables apart (see "Renaming a detail table" on page 284).
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Nested detail tables Nested detail tables are used to extract transactional data that are relative to other data. They are created just like multiple detail tables, with two differences: l l For the tables to be actually nested, the Repeat step and its Extract step that extract the nested transactional data must be located within the Repeat step that extracts data to a detail table. In their name, the dot notation (record.services) must contain one extra level (record.services.charges).
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a number of "details" such as movie rentals or long distance calls.
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The services can be extracted to a detail table called record.services. The "charges" and "details" can be extracted to two nested detail tables.
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The nested tables can be called record.services.charges and record.services.details.
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Now one "charges" table and one "details" table are created for each row in the "services" table. Data types By default the data type of extracted data is a String, but each field in the Data Model can be set to contain another data type. To do this: 1. In the Data Model, select a field. 2. On the Step properties pane, under Field Definition choose a data type from the Type drop-down. Changing the type does not only set the data type inside the record.
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The following data types are available in PReS Connect. l "Boolean" below l "String" on page 299 l "HTMLString" on page 298 l "Integer" on page 298 l "Float" on page 297 l "Currency" on the next page l "Date" on page 294 l "Object" on page 299 Note The Object data type is only available in the DataMapper module. It can be used for properties in the Preprocessor step, but not for fields in the Data Model.
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Note The value must be all in lowercase: true, false. Any variation in case (True, TRUE) will not work. Boolean expressions Boolean values can be set using an expression of which the result is true or false. This is done using operators and comparisons. Example: record.fields["isCanadian"] = (extract("Country") == "CA"); For more information on JavaScript comparison and logical operators, please see w3schools.com or developer.mozilla.org.
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Note While Currency values can be set to up to 4 significant digits, only 2 are displayed on screen. Building Currency values Currency values can be the result of direct attribution or mathematical operations just like Integer values (see "Integer" on page 298). Date Dates are values that represent a specific point in time, precise up to the second. They can also be referred to as datetime values. While dates are displayed using the system's regional settings, in reality they are stored unformatted.
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l In the user preferences ("DataMapper preferences" on page 843). l In the data source settings ("Data source settings" on page 233). l In the field properties: on the Step properties pane, under Data Format, specify the Date/Time Format. 4. For the letters and patterns that you can use in a date format, see "Defining a date/time format" below. Data format settings tell the DataMapper how to read and parse data from the data source.
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l l ap: AM/PM string. In addition, any constant character can be included in the mask, usually to indicate date/time separators (i.e. / - :) . If one of those characters happens to be one of the reserved characters listed above, it must be escaped using the \ symbol. Note The markers that can be used when extracting dates are different from those that are used to display dates in a template (see the Designer's "Date and time patterns" on page 1297).
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l In a Preprocessor property. To do this, go to the Steps pane and select the Preprocessor step. Then, on the Step properties pane, under Properties add a property, specify its Type as Date and put the JavaScript in the Default Value field. The use of the JavaScript Date() object is necessary when creating dates through a JavaScript expression. For more information, see w3schools - JavaScript Dates and w3schools - Date Object.
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Building Float values Float values can be the result of direct attribution or mathematical operations just like Integer values (see "Integer" below). HTMLString HTMLStrings contain textual data that includes HTML markup. They are essentially the same as String values except in cases where the HTML markup can be interpreted. Example: Assume that a field has the value He said WOW!.
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l l Direct attribution: Assign an integer value directly, such as 42, 99593463712 or data.extract("TotalOrdered");. Mathematical operations: Assign the result of any mathematical operation. For example: 22+51, 3*6, 10/5 or sourceRecord.property.SubTotal. For more information on mathematics in JavaScript , see w3Schools - Mathematical Operators. For more advanced mathematical functions, see w3schools - Math Object. Note When adding numbers that are not integers, for instance 4.5 + 1.
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l Extraction: l In the Data Model, select a field. On the Step properties pane, under Field Definition set the Type to String. The field value will be extracted and treated as a string. l l JavaScript Expression: Set the desired value to any string between quotes. Example: record.fields["countryOfOrigin"] = "Canada"; Building String values String values can be made up of more than just a series of characters between quotes.
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xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.objectiflune.com/connectschemas/Data ModelConfig http://www.objectiflune.com/connectschemas/DataModelConfig/1_0_0_ 3.xsd" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.
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Example: transactional details, in a simple invoice format PAGE 303
Example: nested tables (one table into another) PAGE 304
Keyboard shortcuts This topic gives an overview of keyboard shortcuts that can be used in the DataMapper. Keyboard shortcuts available in the Designer for menu items, script editors and the data model pane can also be used in the DataMapper; see "Keyboard shortcuts" on page 1032. Although some of the keyboard shortcuts are the same, this isn't a complete list of Windows keyboard shortcuts. Please refer to Windows documentation for a complete list of Windows keyboard shortcuts.
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Key combination Function Alt Put the focus on the menu. (Alt + the underlined letter in a menu name displays the corresponding menu.) The menu can then be browsed using the Enter key, arrow up and arrow down buttons.
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Key combination Function Ctrl + Shift + W or Ctrl + Shift + F4 Close all Ctrl + F5 Revert Ctrl + F7 Next view Ctrl + Shift + F7 Previous view Ctrl + F8 Next perspective Ctrl + Shift + F8 Previous perspective Ctrl + F10 Save as Ctrl + F12 Send to Workflow / Package files F4 Ignore step/Reactivate step F6 Add an Extract step F7 Add a Goto step F8 Add a Condition step F9 Add a Repeat step F10 Add an Extract field F11 Add an Action step F12 Add a Multiple Conditions step Alt +
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Key combination Function Home Go to the first step in the workflow End Go to the last step in the workflow Alt + V Validate records Shift + F10 or Ctrl + Shift + F10 Open context menu Viewer pane The following key combinations activate a function in the Viewer. Key combination Function Alt + - Open system menu Ctrl + - Zoom out Tip You can also use the mouse's scroll wheel in combination with the Ctrl button to gradually zoom in or out.
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Data Model pane Key combination Function PageUp Go to previous record PageDown Go to next record Alt + CR Property page Alt + PageDown Scroll down to the last field Alt + PageUp Scroll up to the first field Steps tab Key combination Function Ctrl + - Zoom out Ctrl + + Zoom in Edit Script and Expression windows The following key combinations have a special function in the Expression and in the Edit Script windows (expanded view).
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Key combination Function Ctrl + J Line break Ctrl + L Go to line; a prompt opens to enter a line number. Ctrl + Shift + D Delete line Shift + Tab Shift selected lines left Tab Shift selected lines right Ctrl + / Comment out / uncomment a line in code Ctrl + Shift + / Comment out / uncomment a code block Menus The following menu items are shown in the DataMapper Module's menu: File Menu l l l l l New...
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l l l l l Save: Saves the current data mapping configuration or Template to its current location on disk. If the file is a data mapping configuration and has never been saved, the Save As dialog appears instead. Save As...: Saves the current data mapping configuration or Template to a new location on disk. In the case of Templates, it is saved to a location that can be different than the local repository. Save All: Saves all open files.
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l Cut: Click to remove the currently selected step, or steps, and place them in the clipboard. l Copy: Click to place a copy of the currently selected step, or steps, in the clipboard. l Paste: Click to place any step, or steps, from the clipboard before the currently selected step in the "Steps pane" on page 343. Data Menu l l l Hide/Show datamap: Click to show or hide the icons to the left of the Data Viewer that displays how the steps affect the line.
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l l l Add Extract Field: Adds the data selection to the selected Extract step, if an extract step is currently selected. If multiple lines, nodes or fields are selected, multiple extract fields are added simultaneously. Add Multiple Conditions: Adds a condition that splits into multiple case conditions. Add Action Step: Adds a step to run one or more specific actions such as running a JavaScript expression or setting the value of a Source Record Property.
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Panes The DataMapper screen contains the following panes. l "Settings pane" on page 328. The Settings pane contains settings for the data source. l "Steps pane" on page 343. The entire extraction workflow is visible in the Steps pane. l "The Data Viewer" on page 325. The Data Viewer shows one record in the data source. l "Step properties pane" on page 345. The Step properties pane contains all settings for the step that is currently selected on the Steps pane. l "Data Model pane" below.
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The file's data model structure will be displayed in the Data Model pane without data. l : Export Data Model: Click to browse to a location to save the Data Model file. The available file types are: l l l A Data Model file (*.OL-datamodel). A JSON file (*.json): A JSON object or an array of JSON objects representing records. A 'typed' JSON file (*.json). Note Typed JSON follows the structure of a JSON Record Data List (see the REST API Cookbook).
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this, open the contextual menu within the pane itself by right-clicking on something in the Data Model pane. Depending on where you've clicked, it can contain the following options. Note Moving and grouping fields in the Data Model has no impact on the order in which data are extracted, or on the final records in the OL Connect database. They only help you organize the Data Model visually.
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l l l l Set Type: Use the list to select the field type (see "Data types" on page 291). Ungroup: Delete the selected group. The fields in the group will be moved up one level in the Data Model. Default Value: Click to set the default value for a field. This value is used if no extraction is present, or if an extraction attached to this field returns no value. Move: Click to move the selected field within the current level or group in the Data Model.
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l l A field with a blue background indicates that the field has attached extracted data and the step extracting the data is currently selected. A field or table with red text indicates a difference between the data model in the data mapping configuration and template. Record navigation Records can be navigated via the Data Model pane.
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In the most basic of transactional communications, a single detail table is sufficient. However, it is possible to create multiple detail tables, as well as nested tables. Detail tables and nested tables are displayed as separate levels in the Data Model (see "The Data Model" on page 273). Detail tables can be included in a template via a Dynamic Table ; see "Dynamic Table" on page 814.
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To create more than one detail table, simply extract transactional data in different Repeat steps (see "Extracting transactional data" on page 246). The best way to do this is to add an empty detail table (right-click the Data Model, select Add a table and give the detail table a name) and drop the data on the name of that detail table.
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Nested detail tables Nested detail tables are used to extract transactional data that are relative to other data. They are created just like multiple detail tables, with two differences: l l For the tables to be actually nested, the Repeat step and its Extract step that extract the nested transactional data must be located within the Repeat step that extracts data to a detail table. In their name, the dot notation (record.services) must contain one extra level (record.services.charges).
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a number of "details" such as movie rentals or long distance calls.
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The services can be extracted to a detail table called record.services. The "charges" and "details" can be extracted to two nested detail tables.
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The nested tables can be called record.services.charges and record.services.details.
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Now one "charges" table and one "details" table are created for each row in the "services" table. The Data Viewer The Data Viewer is located in the middle on the upper half of the DataMapper screen. It displays the data source that is currently loaded in the DataMapper, specifically one record in that data. Where one record ends and the next starts is determined in the Data Source settings (see "Record boundaries" on page 235).
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l l l Hide/Show datamap : Click to show or hide the icons to the left of the Data Viewer which displays how the steps affect the line. Hide/Show extracted data : Click to show or hide the extraction selections indicating that data is extracted. This simplifies making data selections in the same areas and is useful to display the original data. Lock/Unlock extracted data : Click to lock existing extraction selections so they cannot be moved or resized.
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Messages pane The Messages pane is shared between the DataMapper and Designer modules and displays any warnings and errors from the data mapping configuration or template. At the top of the Message pane are control buttons: l Export Log: Click to open a Save As dialog where the log file (.log) can be saved on disk. l Clear Log Viewer: Click to remove all entries in the log viewer. l Filters: Displays the Log filter (see "Log filter" below).
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Settings pane Settings for the data source and a list of Data Samples and JavaScript files used in the current data mapping configuration, can be found on the Settings tab at the left. The available options depend on the type of data sample that is loaded. The Input Data settings (especially Delimiters) and Boundaries are essential to obtain the data and eventually, the output that you need. For more explanation, see "Data source settings" on page 233.
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l l l l l Lines to skip: Defines a number of lines in the CSV that will be skipped and not used as records. Set tabs as a field separator: Overwrites the Field separator option and sets the Tab character instead for tab-delimited files. First row contains field names: Uses the first line of the CSV as headers, which automatically names all extracted fields. Ignore unparseable lines: Ignores any line that does not correspond to the settings above. Skip empty lines: Ignore any line that has no content.
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Each value represents a fraction of the average font size of text in a data selection, meaning "0.3" represents 30% of the height or width. l l l l l l Word spacing: Determines the spacing between words. As PDF text spacing is somehow done through positioning instead of actual text spaces, text position is what is used to find new words. This option determines what percentage of the average width of a single character needs to be empty to consider a new word has started. The default value is 0.
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l l l l l l l Connection String: Displays the connection string used to access the Data Source. Browse button : Opens the Edit Database configuration dialog, which can replace the existing database data source with a new one. This is the same as using the Replace feature in the Data Samples window. Table: Displays the tables and stored procedures available in the database. The selected table is the one the data is extracted from.
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l l l Add/Remove lines: Defines the number of lines to add to, or remove from, the head of the data stream. The spin buttons can also increment or decrement the value. Positive values add blank lines while negative values remove lines. Maximum line length: Any line that is longer than the given maximum line length will be split at the maximum line length, as often as necessary. This option is used to cut (and wrap) long lines into logical blocks of data.
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XML File Input Data settings For an XML file you can either choose to use the root node, or select an element type, to create a new delimiter every time that element is encountered. Note The settings for XML files also apply when extracting data from a JSON file, because JSON files are automatically converted to XML. l l l Use root element: Selects the top-level element. No other boundaries can be set. If there is only one top-level element, there will only be one record.
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l Show all elements: When the delimiter is set to a specific element or XPath, checking this option allows to extract information from higher-level nodes, including those that follow the element or path. This might slow down the processing, so if you don't need any information from the higher-level nodes that follow that specific element, it is recommended to leave this option unchecked.
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l l Line limit: Defines the limit of detail lines in any detail table. This is useful for files with a high number of detail lines, which in the DataMapper interface can slow down things. This does not affect output production; when generating output, this option is ignored. To disable the limit, use the value 0 (zero). Trigger: Defines the type of rule that controls when a boundary is set, creating a new record. l Record(s) per page: Defines a fixed number of lines in the file that go in each record.
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l On page: Defines a boundary on a static number of pages. l l Number of pages: Defines how many pages go in each record. On text: Defines a boundary on a specific text comparison. l l l l l Start coordinates (x,y): Defines the left and top coordinates of the data selection to compare with the text value. Stop coordinates (x,y): Defines the right and bottom coordinates.
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l On delimiter: Defines a boundary on a static number of pages. l l Occurrences: The number of times that the delimiter is encountered before fixing the boundary. For example, if you know that your documents always have four pages delimited by the FF character, you can set the boundaries after every four delimiters. On text: Defines a boundary on a specific text comparison.
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l l l Use selected text button: copies the text in the current selection as the one to compare to it. Match case: Makes the text comparison case sensitive. On script: Defines the boundaries using a custom JavaScript. For more information see "Setting boundaries using JavaScript" on page 389. XML file boundaries The delimiter for an XML file is a node. The Boundaries determine how many of those nodes go in one record.
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Data samples The Data Sample area displays a list of all the imported Data Samples that are available in the current data mapping configuration. As many Data Samples as necessary can be imported to properly test the configuration. Only one of the data samples - the active data sample - is shown in the Data Viewer. A number of buttons let you manage the Data Samples.
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Editor Data Format The Editor Data Format setting is only available for Excel files. l Date Display Format: This setting specifies how dates must be displayed in the Data Viewer. Note that extracting a Date value will only be successful if the expected date format matches the actual format of a date in the Data Viewer (see: "Data format settings" on page 236.) l l l Excel Default Format: Displays dates and times the way they would be displayed in Excel, using the specified locale.
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l Reload to it. : Reload the currently selected library and any changes that have been made Default Data Format The Default Data Format settings defined here apply to any new extraction in made in the current data mapping configuration. Any format already defined for an existing field remains untouched. It is also possible to set a default format for dates and currencies in the user preferences ("DataMapper preferences" on page 843).
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l l l l Tables: Lists all tables and stored queries in the database. Custom Query: Displays the query that retrieves information from a database. You may use variables and properties in the query, to make the selection dynamic. See "Using variables and properties in an SQL query" below. Each database type has their own version of the SQL query language. To learn how to build your own query, please refer to your database's user manual.
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Example = SELECT {automation.variables.FieldList} FROM {automation.jobInfo.JobInfo9} If the Workflow variable defined as FieldList contains the value "id,name" and Job Info 9 contains the value "MyTable", then this custom query, once parsed, yields the following SQL statement: SELECT id,name FROM MyTable which is then executed. Steps pane The Steps tab displays the data mapping workflow: the process that prepares and extracts data.
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You can also click on the Preprocessor step to select all the steps in the workflow to show a complete map of all the extracted data. Window controls The following controls appear at the top of the Steps pane: l Zoom In (CTRL +) l Zoom Out (CTRL -) : Click to zoom in by increments of 10% : Click to zoom out by increments of 10% Contextual menu You can access the contextual menu using a right-click anywhere inside the Steps pane. l Add a Step: Adds a step to the process.
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Step properties pane The Step Properties pane is used to adjust the properties of each Step in the process (see "Steps" on page 261). The pane is divided in a few subsections depending on the Step and the data type. It always contains a subsection to name and document the selected Step. Other subsections allow you to edit or delete fields that belong to the Step (see "Fields" on page 278) or change the expected data format (see "Data Format" on page 354), for example.
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Name: The name of the step. This name will be displayed on top of the step's icon in the Steps pane. Comments: The text entered here will be displayed in the tooltip that appears when hovering over the step in the Steps pane. Fixed automation properties The Fixed automation properties subsection lists all the fixed runtime parameters available from PReS Workflow. These properties are equivalent to data within the PReS Workflow process in which the data mapping configuration is applied.
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access this property inside of any JavaScript code within the data mapping configuration, use automation.properties.ProcessName. l TaskIndex: This property contains the index (position) of the task inside the process that is currently executing the data mapping configuration but it has no equivalent in PReS Workflow. To access this property inside of any JavaScript code within the data mapping configuration, use automation.properties.ProcessName.
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l l l Each Record: These properties are evaluated and set at the beginning of each source record. Once they have been set, these properties can be modified via an Action step (see "Action step" on page 270), but they are always reset at the beginning of each source record. Type: The data type of the property. For more information see "Data types" on page 291. Default Value: The initial value of the property. This is a JavaScript expression. See "DataMapper Scripts API" on page 384.
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Extract step properties The Extract step takes information from the data source and places it in the record set that is the result of the extraction workflow. For more information see "Extract step" on page 263 and "Extracting data" on page 240. Description This subsection is collapsed by default in the interface, to give more screen space to other important parts. Name: The name of the step. This name will be displayed on top of the step's icon in the Steps pane.
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Tip To change the name of a field quickly, right-click it in the Data Model and select Rename. l l Add Unique ID to extraction field: Check to add a unique numerical set of characters to the end of the extracted value. This ensures no two values are identical in this field in the record set. Mode: Determines the origin of the data. Fields always belong to an Extract step, but they don't necessarily contain extracted data. See "Fields" on page 278 for more information.
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l Properties: The value of the property selected below will be the value of the selected field. l l l Property: This drop-down lists all the currently defined properties (including system properties). Custom properties can be defined in the Preprocessor step; see "Preprocessor step" on page 261. For an explanation of the objects to which the properties belong, see "DataMapper Scripts API" on page 384.
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A Post function script operates directly on the extracted data, and its results replace the extracted data. For example, the Post function script replace("-", ""); would replace the first dash character that occurs inside the extracted string. l Use JavaScript Editor: Click to display the "boundaries" on page 396 dialog. l Trim: Select to trim empty characters at the beginning or the end of the field.
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the data format that the DataMapper expects matches the actual format of the data in the data source; see "Data Format" on the facing page. l Split: l l l Split lines: Separate a multi-line selection into individual fields . Join lines: Join the lines in the selection with the Concatenation string defined below. Concatenation string: The (HTML) string used to concatenate lines when they are joined.
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l XPath: The path to the XML field that is extracted. l Use selection: Click to use the value of the current data selection for the extraction. Note If the selection contains multiple lines, only the first line is selected. l Post Function: Enter a JavaScript expression to be run after the extraction. For example replace("-","") would replace a single dash character inside the extracted string. l l Use JavaScript Editor: Click to display the "boundaries" on page 396 dialog.
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l l Date Language: Set the date language for a date value (ex: If English is selected, the term May will be identified as the month of May). Treat empty as 0: A numerical empty value is treated as a 0 value. Order and rename fields dialog The Order and rename fields dialog displays the extracted fields in the currently selected Extract step. To open it, first select an Extract step on the Steps pane.
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Note The order of fields in an extraction step isn't necessarily the same as the order of those fields in the Data Model; see "Ordering and grouping fields in the Data Model" on page 275. Action step properties The Action step can run multiple specific actions one after the other in order; see "Action step" on page 270 for more information. The properties of an Action step become visible in the Step properties pane when the Action step is selected on the Steps pane.
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visible, but with its data model pane greyed out, when it is being skipped as a visual clue to determine to which records the "Stop Processing Record" action is being applied. If fields were already extracted prior to encountering the Action step, then those fields are stored as usual. If no fields were extracted prior to encountering the Action step, then no trace of the record is saved in the database at run time. l Stop data mapping: The extraction workflow stops processing the data.
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l l Trim: Select to trim empty characters at the beginning or the end of the field JavaScript : The result of the JavaScript Expression written below the drop-down will be the value of the extracted field. If the expression contains multiple lines, the last value attribution (variable = "value";) will be the value. See "DataMapper Scripts API" on page 384. l l l l Expression: The JavaScript expression to run.
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CSV and Database Files l Property: Displays a list of record properties set in the Preprocessor step (see "Preprocessor step" on page 261). l Type: Displays the type of the property. Read only field. l Based on: Determines the origin of the data. l Location: The contents of the data selection set below will be the value of the extracted field. The data selection settings are different depending on the data sample type.
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l Use selection: Click to use the value of the current data selection for the extraction. Note If the selection contains multiple lines, only the first line is selected. l Data Format: Data format settings tell the DataMapper how certain types of data are formatted in the data source. Make sure that this format matches the actual format of the data in the data source. l Negative Sign Before: Any value in a numeric field that has a "-" sign before or after it is interpreted as a negative value.
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Note If the selection contains multiple lines, only the first line is selected. l l Trim: Select to trim empty characters at the beginning or the end of the field JavaScript : The result of the JavaScript Expression written below the drop-down will be the value of the extracted field. If the expression contains multiple lines, the last value attribution (variable = "value";) will be the value. See "DataMapper Scripts API" on page 384. l l l l Expression: The JavaScript expression to run.
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l Thousand Separator: Set the thousand separator for a numerical value. l Currency Sign: Set the currency sign for a currency value. l Date Format: Set the date format for a date value. l l Date Language: Set the date language for a date value (ex: If English is selected, the term May will be identified as the month of May). Treat empty as 0: A numerical empty value is treated as a 0 value. Run JavaScript Running a JavaScript expression offers many possibilities.
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Description This subsection is collapsed by default in the interface, to give more screen space to other important parts. Name: The name of the step. This name will be displayed on top of the step's icon in the Steps pane. Comments: The text entered here will be displayed in the tooltip that appears when hovering over the step in the Steps pane. Repeat Definition l Repeat type: l l l l While statement is true: The loop executes while the statement below is true.
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l l Use JavaScript Editor: Click to display the Edit Script dialog. Collection (only with For Each): The XPath that specifies the level and (optionally) elements to select on that level. To select elements you can either use static values, e.g. ./user[@lastname="Smith"] or JavaScript statements, for example: =./user [@lastname="{automation.jobInfo.JobInfo1}"]. In order to use JavaScript: l The XPath must start with = l The JavaScript statement must be enclosed in curly brackets: { ...
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Text and PDF Files Note The Repeat Step expects lines of text in a PDF file to be horizontal (regardless of the orientation of the page). Vertical text will cause an error. l Based On: l Position: The data in the specified position for the comparison. l l l l l l l l Top offset: The vertical offset from the current pointer location in the Data Sample (Viewer). Height: The height of the selection box. Use Selection: Click to use the value of the current data selection for the extraction.
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l l l l l Data Property: The value of a data-level property set in the Preprocessor step (see "Preprocessor step" on page 261). Record Property: One of the local variables that you can create and that are reset for each document as opposed to data variables that are global because they are initialized only once at the beginning of each job. Automation Property: The current value of a Document-level property set in the Preprocessor step (see "Preprocessor step" on page 261).
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l l l l l l l l l l Value: The text value to use in the comparison. Use selected text:Uses the text in the current data selection as the Value. If multiple lines or elements are selected, only the first one is used. Field: The Extracted Record field to use in the comparison. JavaScript : The result of a JavaScript Expression. l l Trim: Select to trim empty characters at the beginning or the end of the field. Field: The contents of a specific field in the Extracted Record.
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l Operators: l l l l l l is equal to: The two specified value are identical for the condition to be True. contains: The first specified value contains the second one for the condition to be True. is less than: The first specified value is smaller, numerically, than the second value for the condition to be True. is greater than: The first specified value is larger, numerically, than the second value for the condition to be True. is empty: The first specified value is empty.
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l l l l l Data Property: The value of a data-level property set in the Preprocessor step. Record Property: One of the local variables that you can create and that are reset for each document as opposed to data variables that are global because they are initialized only once at the beginning of each job. Automation Property: The current value of a Document-level property set in the Preprocessor step.
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Description This subsection is collapsed by default in the interface, to give more screen space to other important parts. Name: The name of the step. This name will be displayed on top of the step's icon in the Steps pane. Comments: The text entered here will be displayed in the tooltip that appears when hovering over the step in the Steps pane.
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l Based On: l Position: The data in the specified position for the comparison. l l Right (Txt and PDF only): The end position for the data selection. l Height (Txt and PDF only): The height of the selection box. l l l l l l l l Top offset: The vertical offset from the current pointer location in the Data Sample (Viewer). Use Selection: Click to use the value of the current data selection for the extraction. Trim: Select to trim empty characters at the beginning or the end of the field.
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l l l Record Property: One of the local variables that you can create and that are reset for each document as opposed to data variables that are global because they are initialized only once at the beginning of each job. Automation Property: The current value of a Document-level property set in the Preprocessor step (see "Preprocessor step" on page 261). Extractor Property: The value of an internal extractor variable: l l l Counter: The value of the current counter iteration in a Repeat step.
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Name: The name of the step. This name will be displayed on top of the step's icon in the Steps pane. Comments: The text entered here will be displayed in the tooltip that appears when hovering over the step in the Steps pane. Condition Left operand, Right operand The Left and right operand can be Based on: l Position: The data in the specified position for the comparison. l l Right (Txt and PDF only): The end position for the data selection.
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l l l l l l l Expression: The JavaScript line that is evaluated. Note that the last value attribution to a variable is the one used as a result of the expression. See also: "DataMapper Scripts API" on page 384. Use JavaScript Editor: Click to display the Edit Script dialog (see "Using scripts in the DataMapper" on page 387). Use selected text: Inserts the text in the current data selection in the JavaScript Expression. If multiple lines or elements are selected, only the first one is used.
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l l l l l l is equal to: The two specified value are identical for the condition to be True. contains: The first specified value contains the second one for the condition to be True. is less than: The first specified value is smaller, numerically, than the second value for the condition to be True. is greater than: The first specified value is larger, numerically, than the second value for the condition to be True. is empty: The first specified value is empty.
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Text file l Target Type: Defines the type of jump. l Line: Jumps a certain number of lines or to a specific line. l l l l Current Position: The Goto begins at the current cursor position. l Top of record: The Goto begins at line 1 of the source record. Move by: Enter the number of lines or pages to jump. Page: Jumps between pages or to a specific page.
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l Left: The starting column, inclusively. l Right: The end column, inclusively. l l l l Use selection: Click while a selection is made in the Data Viewer to automatically set the left and right values to the left and right edges of the selection. Expression: Enter the text or Regex expression to look for on the page. Use selection: Click while a selection is made in the Data Viewer to copy the contents of the first line of the selection into the Expression box.
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options appear below to specify in which area of each line the Gotostep checks in: l Left: The starting column, inclusively. l Right: The end column, inclusively. l l Use selection: Click while a selection is made in the Data Viewer to automatically set the left and right values to the left and right edges of the selection. Next occurrence of: Jumps to the next occurrence of specific text or a text pattern, either anywhere on the line or in specific columns.
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XML File l Destination (XML files): Defines what type of jump to make: l l l l l Sibling element: Jumps the number of siblings (nodes at the same level) defined in the Move byoption. Sibling element with same name: Jumps the number of same name siblings (nodes at the same level of which the node is the same name) defined in the Move byoption. Element, from top of record: Jumps to the specified node. The XPATH in the Absolute XPATHoption starts from the root node defined by /.
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Postprocessor The Postprocessor subsection defines what postprocessors run on the Data Sample at the end of the data mapping workflow. Each Postprocessor runs in turn, using the result of the previous one as an input. l Name: The name to identify the Postprocessor. l Type: The type of Postprocessor. Currently there is a single type available. l JavaScript: Runs a JavaScript Expression to modify the Data Sample. See "DataMapper Scripts API" on page 384.
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Toolbar In the DataMapper module, the following buttons are available in the top toolbar. File manipulation l New: Displays the New wizard where a new data mapping configuration or a new template can be created. Open: Displays the Open dialog to open an existing data mapping configuration. l l Save: Saves the current data mapping configuration. If the configuration has never been saved, the Save As... dialog is displayed.
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l l l l l l l l Add Extract Field: Adds the data selection to the selected Extract step, if an extract step is currently selected. If multiple lines, nodes or fields are selected, multiple extract fields are added simultaneously. Add Multiple Conditions: Adds a condition that splits into multiple case conditions. Add Action Step: Adds a step to create a custom JavaScript snippet. See "DataMapper Scripts API" on page 384 for more details.
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If you are new to PReS Connect and you don't know where to start, see "Welcome to PReS Connect 2020.2" on page 16. The Welcome Screen can be reopened in two ways: l The Welcome Screen button in the "Toolbars" on page 1075. l From the Menus in Help, Welcome Screen. To go back from the Welcome Screen to the template or data mapping configuration that you were working on: l Close the Welcome Screen by clicking the cross next to the text 'Welcome' at the top.
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l Create/Open: l l l l l Open File: Lets you open an existing template or data mapping configuration. New template: Lets you choose a Context to create a new template without a Wizard. Template Wizards: Displays a list of available Template Wizards, producing premade templates with existing demo content; see "Creating a template" on page 440. Project Wizards: Displays a list of available Project Wizards, producing a complete Connect project; see "Project Wizards" on page 994.
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Name Description Available in scripts of type "db" on page 414 An object that allows to connect to a database. Boundaries, all steps except Goto "logger" on page 416 An object that allows to log error, warning or informational messages. Boundaries, all steps except Goto "record" on page 416 The current record in the main data set. Extract, Condition, Repeat and Multiple Conditions steps "region" on page 417 An object that defines a subsection of the input data.
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Name Description "Functions" on page 426 Copies a file to the target file path, replacing it if it already exists. "createGUID()" on page 426 Returns a unique 36-character string consisting of 32 alphanumeric, lower case characters and four hyphens (format: 8-4-4-4-12). Example: 123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456426655440000. "createHTTPRequest()" on page 427 Creates a new HTTP Request Object.
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Name Description page 432 "newStringArray()" on page 432 Returns a string array. "openBinaryReader()" on page 432 Opens a file as a binary file for reading purposes. "openBinaryWriter()" on page 433 Opens a file as a binary file for writing purposes. "openTextReader()" on page 433 Opens a file as a text file for reading purposes. "openTextWriter()" on page 435 Opens a file as a text file for writing purposes.
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l l l Let an Action step run a JavaScript, for example to add a value to a custom property defined in the Preprocessor step. (See "Properties and runtime parameters" on page 237.) Note that only the value of properties of which the scope is set to "Each record" can be changed in a script. Change the left and right operands in a Condition step to a JavaScript expression.
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designed for use in the DataMapper are listed in the DataMapper API (see "DataMapper Scripts API" on page 384). External JavaScript libraries The External JS Libraries box on the Settings pane lets you add JavaScript libraries to your configuration and displays all the libraries that have been imported (see "Settings pane" on page 328). You can use JavaScript libraries to add more JavaScript functionality to your data mapping configuration.
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Note Remember that a boundary script is being called on each new delimiter encountered by the DataMapper parsing algorithm. If for instance a database query returns a million records, the script will be executing a million times! Craft your script in such a way that it doesn't waste time examining all possible conditions. Instead, it should terminate as soon as any condition it is evaluating is false.
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Examples Basic example using a CSV file Imagine you are a classic rock fan and you want to extract the data from a CSV listing of all the albums in your collection. Your goal is to extract records that change whenever the artist OR the release year changes.
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/* Read the values of both columns we want to check */ var zeBand = boundaries.get(region.createRegion("Artist")); var zeYear = boundaries.get(region.createRegion("Released")); /* Check that at least one of our variables holding previous values has been initialized already, before attempting to compare the values */ if (boundaries.getVariable("lastBand")!=null) { if (zeBand[0] != boundaries.getVariable("lastBand") || zeYear[0] != boundaries.getVariable("lastYear") ) { boundaries.set(); } } boundaries.
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Trigger to On script. Then paste the above JavaScript code in the Expression field and click the Apply button to see the result.
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This script uses the exact same code as used for CSV files, with the exception of parameters expected by the createRegion() method. The get method adapts to the context (the data source file) and therefore expects different parameters to be passed in order to achieve the same thing. Since a text file does not contain column names as a CSV does, the API expects the text regions to be defined using physical coordinates. In this instance: Left, Top, Right, Bottom.
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This automation object is available in all script types and with all file types. Note The automation object available in Designer scripts is not of the same type. It has different properties. Properties The following table lists the properties of the automation object. All properties are read-only.
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To access ProcessName, OriginalFilename or TaskIndex from Workflow: automation.properties.OriginalFilename; To access Workflow variables (see "Properties and runtime parameters" on page 237): automation.parameters.runtimeparametername; boundaries Returns a boundaries object encapsulating properties and methods allowing to define the boundaries of each document in the job. This object is available when triggering document boundaries On script.
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Method Description Script type "get()" on the facing page Retrieves an array of strings. Boundaries "getVariable()" on page 399 Retrieves a value of a variable stored in the boundaries object. Boundaries "set()" on page 399 Sets a new record boundary. (See: "Record boundaries" on page 235.) Boundaries "setVariable()" on page 401 Sets a boundaries variable to the specified value, automatically creating the variable if it doesn't exist yet.
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String to find. in_Region The in_Region region can be created prior to the call to find() with the region.createRegion() method. It depends on the type of data source how a region is defined; see "createRegion()" on page 418. When used to search through a Text file, the find() method returns a different region object (see "region" on page 417) whose range property is adjusted to point to the exact physical location where the match was found. This will always be a subset of the in_Region.range property.
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Example This script retrieves all text from the Email_Address field in a CSV or database file. boundaries.get(region.createRegion("Email_Address")); getVariable() Method that retrieves the value currently stored in a variable. Note Boundary variables are carried over from one iteration of the Boundaries script to the next, while native JavaScript variables are not. getVariable(varName) varName String name of the variable from which the value is to be retrieved.
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Note Specifying a positive value not only sets the DataMapper record boundary but it also advances the current delimiter to the specified delimiter. That's where the processing resumes. This allows you to skip some pages/records when you know they do not need to be examined. Negative (or 0) values simply set the boundary without changing the current location. Example This script sets a boundary when the text TOTAL is found on the current page in a PDF file.
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setVariable() This method sets a variable in the boundaries to the specified value, automatically creating the variable if it doesn't exist yet. Note Boundary variables are carried over from one iteration of the Boundaries script to the next, while native JavaScript variables are not. setVariable(varName, varValue) Sets variable varName to value varValue. varName String name of the variable of which the value is to be set. varValue Object; value to which the variable has to be set.
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Property Description filename Returns the fully qualified file name of the data file, i.e. the temporary work file being processed. properties Returns an array of the custom properties defined in the Preprocessor step that have their Scope set to "Entire data". These properties are statically set at the start of the job. (See "Properties and runtime parameters" on page 237 for details.) Methods The following table lists the methods of the data object.
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Method Description Script type File type position. extract() Extracts the text value from selected data: a node path, column, or rectangular region, depending on the type of data source. This method always returns a String. extract(left, right, verticalOffset, regionHeight, separator) Extracts a value from a position in a text file. Coordinates are expressed as characters (horizontally) or lines (vertically).
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Tip l l "
" is a very handy string to use as a separator. When the extracted data is inserted in a Designer template, "
" will be interpreted as a line break, because
is a line break in HTML and Designer templates are actually HTML files. Setting the regionHeight to 0 makes it possible to extract a variable number of lines at the end of a record. Examples Example 1: The script command data.
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Example 2: The script command data.extract(1,22,9,6,"
"); means that the left position of the extracted information is located at 1, the right position at 22, the offset position is 9 (since the first line number is 10) and the regionHeight is 6 (6 lines are selected). Finally, the "
" string is used for concatenation. extract(xPath) Extracts the text value of the specified node in an XML file. xPath String that can be relative to the current location or absolute from the start of the record.
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Example The script command data.extract('./CUSTOMER/FirstName'); means that the extraction is made on the FirstName node under Customer. extract(columnName, rowOffset) Extracts the text value from the specified column and row. columnName String that represents the column name. rowOffset Number that represents the row index (zero-based), relative to the current position. To extract the current row, specify 0 as the rowOffset.
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Example The script command data.extract('ID',0); means that the extraction is made on the ID column in the first row. extract(left, right, verticalOffset, lineHeight, separator) Extracts the text value from a rectangular region in a PDF file. All coordinates are expressed in millimeters. left Double that represents the distance from the left edge of the page to the left edge of the rectangular region.
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Double that represents the distance from the left edge of the page to the right edge of the rectangular region. verticalOffset Double that represents the distance from the current vertical position. lineHeight Double that represents the total height of the region. separator String inserted between all lines returned from the region. If you don't want anything to be inserted between the lines, specify an empty string (""). Tip "
" is a very handy string to use as a separator.
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extractMeta() Method that extracts the value of a metadata field on a certain level in a PDF/VT. This method always return a String. extractMeta(levelName String, propertyName String) levelName String, specifying a level in the PDF/VT or AFP. Case sensitive. propertyName String, specifying the metadata field. fieldExists() Method of the data object that returns true if a certain metadata field, column or node exists. (See "data" on page 401.
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fieldExists(levelName, propertyName) This method returns true if the given metadata field exists at the given level in a PDF/VT or AFP file. levelName String, specifying a level in the PDF/VT or AFP file. propertyName String, specifying the metadata field. fieldExists(fieldName) This method returns true if the specified column exists in the current record in a CSV file. fieldName String that represents a field name (column) in a CSV file.
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expressed in a number of characters if the data source is a text file, or in millimetres if the data source is a PDF file. Partial matches are not allowed. The entire string must be found between the two constraint parameters. The data.find() function only works on the current page. If the record contains several pages, you must create a loop that will perform a jump from one page to another to do a find() on each page.
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The return value of the function is: Left=26,76, Top=149.77, Right=40,700001, Bottom=154.840302 These values represent the size of the rectangle that encloses the string in full, in millimeters relative to the upper left corner of the current page. findRegExp() Finds the first occurrence of a string that matches the given regular expression pattern, starting from the current position.
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i: Enables case-insensitive matching. By default, case-insensitive matching assumes that only characters in the US-ASCII charset are being matched. Unicode-aware case-insensitive matching can be enabled by specifying the UNICODE_CASE flag (u) in conjunction with this flag. s: Enables dotall mode. In dotall mode, the expression . matches any character, including a line terminator. By default this expression does not match line terminators. L: Enables literal parsing of the pattern.
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Examples data.findRegExp(/\d{3}-[A-Z]{3}/,"gi",50,100); or data.findRegExp("\\d{3}-[A-Z]{3}","gi",50,100);}} Both expressions would match the following strings: 001-ABC, 678-xYz. Note how in the second version, where the regular expression is specified as a string, some characters have to be escaped with an additional backslash, which is standard in JavaScript. db Object that allows to connect to a database. Methods The following table describes the methods of the db object.
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java.lang.String-java.lang.String-java.lang.String-. In the returned Connection object normally any public method should be available. The returned Connection object is described here: https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/api/java/sql/Connection.html. Note Make sure to close any Connection object created by connect() and any other closable resources created from the Connection instance (ResultSet, etc.). url String that represents a database url of the form jdbc:subprotocol:subname, e.g.
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else 'nothing'; values.close(); statement.close(); con.close(); logger Global object that allows logging messages such as error, warning or informational messages. Methods The following table describes the methods of the logger object. Method Parameters Description error() message: String Logs an error message info() message: String Logs an informational message warn() message: String Logs a warning message record The current record in the main data set.
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Property Description tables The details table that belong to this record. You can access a specific table using a numeric index or the table name. Example See this How-to for an example of how the current record index, and/or the total number of records in the record set, can be displayed in a document: How to get the record index and count. region The region object defines a sub-section of the input data. Its properties vary according to the type of data.
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Property/method Description Return Type region: x1 (left), y1 (top), x2 (right), y2 (bottom), expressed in characters for a text file or in millimeters for a PDF file. For a CSV file, it is the name of the column that defines the region. "createRegion()" below Creates a region by setting the physical coordinates of the region object. A region that has the specified coordinates. createRegion() This method sets the physical coordinates of the region object.
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Example The following script attempts to match ((n,m)) or ((n)) against any of the strings in the specified region and if it does, a document boundary is set. var myRegion = region.createRegion(170,25,210,35); var regionStrings=boundaries.get(myRegion); if (regionStrings) { for (var i=0;i
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l l For a PDF file, the range() method contains the physical coordinates of the region: x1 (left), y1 (top), x2 (right), y2 (bottom), expressed in millimeters. For a CSV file, the range contains the name of the column that defines the region. sourceRecord Returns a sourceRecord object containing custom properties specific to the current source record being processed. These are the custom properties defined in the Preprocessor step that have their Scope set to "Each record".
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Method Description File type XML), an integer (e.g. line numbers in text ot tabular data), or a measure in millimeters(e.g. PDF data). currentLoopCounter An integer value representing the current iteration of the containing loop. When loops are nested, you have access to the iteration for the current loop but not to any of the parent loops. Note: This variable is a counter so it starts at 1 as opposed to an index which usually starts at 0.
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Example if(steps.currentPage > curPage) { steps.moveTo(0, steps.currentPosition+14); /* Moves the current position to 14 lines below the current position of the pointer in the data */ curPage++; } else if(curLine.startsWith("LOAD FACTOR")) { /* Extracts data to the curLine variable until the string "LOAD FACTOR" is encountered */ break; } else { lineArray.
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Number that may be set to: l 0 or steps.MOVELINES l 1 or steps.MOVEDELIMITERS l 2: next line with content verticalPosition Number. What it represents depends on the value specified for scope. With the scope set to 0 or steps.MOVELINES, verticalPosition represents the index of the line to move to from the top of the record. With the scope set to 1 or steps.
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verticalOffset Double. What it represents depends on the value specified for scope. With the scope set to 0 or steps.MOVEMEASURE, verticalOffset represents the number of millimeters to move the current position, relative to the top of the record (NOT the top of the current page). With the scope set to 1 or steps.MOVEPAGES, verticalOffsetrepresents the index of the target page, relative to the top of the record.
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moveToNext(scope) Moves the current position in a text file or XML file to the next instance of scope. What scope represents depends on the emulation type: text or XML. Text scope Number that may be set to: l l l 0 or steps.MOVELINES: the current position is set to the next line. 1 or steps.MOVEDELIMITERS: the current position is set to the next delimiter (as defined in the Input Data settings). 2 (next line with content): the current position is set to the next line that contains any text.
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right Double that represents the right edge (in millimeters) of the text to find. moveToNext() Moves the current position in a CSV file to the next row, relative to the current position. Functions copyFile() Function that copies a file to the target file path, replacing it if it already exists. copyFile(source, target) source String that specifies the source file path and name. target String that specifies the target file path and name. Example This script copies the file test.txt from c:\Content into the
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createHTTPRequest() Function that creates a new ScriptableHTTPRequest object, in order to issue REST/AJAX calls to external servers. This feature allows the data mapping process to complement its extraction process with external data, including data that could be provided by an HTTP process in Workflow, for instance a process that retrieves certain values from Workflow’s Data Repository.
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l l open(String method, String url, String user, String password) open(String verb, String url, String userName, String password, String[] headers, String[] headervalues, String requestBody) l send() l send(String requestBody) Opens a HTTP request. Note If you don't use a user name and password, pass empty strings: request.open ("GET",url,"",""); Sends an HTTP request and returns the HTTP status code. Blocked call. getResponseHeader(String header) Gets the ResponseHeader by name.
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getTimeout() Gets the time to wait for the server's response setTimeout(int timeout) Sets the time (in ms.) to wait for the server's response. getUsername() gets the username for basic HTTP authentication. setUsername(String userName) sets the username for basic HTTP authentication abort() Aborts the request. createTmpFile() Function that creates a file with a unique name in the temporary work folder and returns a file object. This file stores data temporarily in memory or in a buffer.
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writer.newLine(); } } finally{ // Close the writer of the temporary file writer.close(); } } finally{ // Close the reader reader.close(); } deleteFile(data.filename); tmpFile.move(data.filename); deleteFile() Function that is used to delete a file. deleteFile(filename) filename String that specifies the path and file name of the file to be deleted. Examples 1. Deleting a file in a local folder: deleteFile("c:\Content\test.txt"); 2. Deleting the sample data file used in the DataMapper: deleteFile(data.
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newByteArray() Function that returns a new byte array. newByteArray(size) Returns a new byte array of of the specified number of elements. size Integer that represents the number of elements in the new array. newCharArray() Function that returns a new Char array. newCharArray(size) Returns a new Char array of the specified number of elements. size Integer that represents the number of elements in the new array. newDoubleArray() Function that returns a new double array.
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Integer that represents the number of elements in the new array. newIntArray() Function that returns a new array of Integers. newIntArray(size) Returns a new Integer array of the specified number of elements. size Integer that represents the number of elements in the new array. newLongArray() Function that returns a new long array. newLongArray(size) Returns a new Long array of the specified number of elements. size Integer that represents the number of elements in the new array.
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openBinaryReader(filename) filename String that represents the name of the file to open. openBinaryWriter() Function that opens a file as a binary file for writing purposes. The function returns a DataOutputStream(see DataOutputStream). openBinaryWriter(filename, append) filename String that represents the name of the file to open.
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while((line = fileIn.readLine())!=null){ fileOut.write(line.replace((subject),"")); fileOut.newLine(); } fileIn.close(); fileOut.close(); deleteFile(data.filename); tmp.move(data.filename); TextReader The TextReader object, returned by the openTextReader() function, allows to open, parse, read and close a text file. (See: "openTextReader()" on the previous page.) Methods The following table describes the methods of the TextReader object.
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Method Description read() Reads and returns the next character, or -1 if the end of the stream has been reached. readLine() Reads and returns the next line, or null if the end of the stream has been reached. skip(offset) Skips the specified number of characters. Parameters: l offset: the number of characters to skip openTextWriter() This function opens a file as a text file for writing purposes. The function returns a "TextWriter" on the facing page object. This must be closed at the end.
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while ((line = fileIn.readLine())!=null){ fileOut.write(line.replace((subject),"")); fileOut.newLine(); } fileIn.close(); fileOut.close(); deleteFile(data.filename); tmp.move(data.filename); tmp.close(); TextWriter The TextWriter object, returned by the openTextWriter() function, allows to open a text file, write to it and close it. Methods The following table describes the methods of the TextWriter object. Method Description close() Close the stream. newLine() Creates a new line in the file.
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Method Description write(c) Writes a character in the file write(value) Writes a string in the file.
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The Designer The Designer is a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor that lets you create templates for various output channels: Print, Email and Web. A template may contain designs for multiple output channels: a letter intended for print and an e-mail variant of the same message, for example. Content, like the body of the message or letter, can be shared across these contexts. Templates are personalized using scripts and variable data extracted via the DataMapper.
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2. Fill the template Add text, images and other elements to the template and style them. See "Content elements" on page 625 and "Styling and formatting" on page 739. 3. Personalize the content Personalize the content using variable data. See "Personalizing content" on page 783. 4. Generate output Adjust the settings, test the template and generate output: letters, emails, and/or web pages. See "Generating output" on page 1459. Note that steps 2 and 3 are not necessarily to be followed in this order.
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l "Print" on page 466. This topic helps you design and fill sections in the Print context. l "Email" on page 508. This topics helps you design an email template. l "Web" on page 535. This topic helps you design a web page. "Sections" on page 461. Sections in one context are designed for the same output channel. "Content elements" on page 625. Elements make up the biggest part of the content of each design. "Snippets" on page 735.
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There are Wizards for the three types of output channels, or contexts as they are called in the Designer: Print, Email and Web. See: l "Creating an Email template with a Wizard" on page 513 l "Creating a Print template with a Wizard" on page 468 l "Creating a Web template with a Wizard" on page 536 Tip The quickest way to create a Print template based on a PDF file is to right-click the PDF file in the Windows Explorer and select Enhance with Connect.
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Warning A template created in an older version of the software can be opened in a newer version. However, opening and saving it in a newer version of the software will convert the template to the newest file format. The converted template can't be opened in older versions of the software. Opening a package file Templates can also be stored in a package file (see "Creating package files" on page 444). To open a package file, switch the file type to Package files (*.OL-package) in the Open File dialog.
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Saving older templates Saving a template in a newer version of the software will convert the template to the newest file format. This makes it unreadable to older versions of the software. The warning message that is displayed in this case can be disabled. To re-enable this message (and all other warning dialogs), go to Window > Preferences > General, and click the Reset All Warning Dialogs button at the bottom.
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Backup files have the same name as the original template with two underscores and a progressive number (without leading zeros) at the end: originalname__1.OL-template, originalname__2.OL-template, etc. Note The Auto Save function does not cause backup files to be created. File properties On the menu, select File > Properties to view and complement the file properties. See "File Properties dialog" on page 956. The file properties can also be used in scripts; see "template" on page 1427.
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selection of printing options, such as binding, OMR markings and the like. See "Print Presets" on page 1466 for more details. Package files can be imported into Workflow, sent to the Connect Server, or opened by other Connect users. To open the Package dialog, select File > Package.... For an explanation of the options in the Package dialog, see "Package dialog" on page 980.
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Sending files to Connect Server When OL Connect plugins in a Workflow process need templates and other configuration files, Workflow sends the necessary resources to the Connect Server. The Send files to Connect Server dialog provides a way to send templates, data mapping configurations and print presets to the Connect Server directly.
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Creating a Web template with a Wizard With the Designer you can design Web templates and output them through Workflow or as an attachment to an email when generating Email output. Capture On The Go templates are a special kind of Web templates; see "Capture OnTheGo template wizards" on page 573. A Web Template Wizard helps you create a Web page that looks good on virtually any browser, device and screen size.
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l Jumbotron l Thank You If you don't know what template to choose, see "Web Template Wizards" on page 450 further down in this topic, where the characteristics of each kind of template are described. 3. Click Next and make adjustments to the settings. The wizard remembers the settings that were last used for a Foundation Web template. l Section: l l l Description: Enter the description of the page. This is the contents of a HTML tag.
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l l l l A Web context with one web page template (also called a section) in it. The web page contains a Header, a Section and a Footer element with dummy text, and depending on the type of web page, a navigation bar, button and/or Form elements. Resources related to the Foundation framework (see "Web Template Wizards" on the facing page): style sheets and JavaScript files. The style sheets can be found in the Stylesheets folder on the Resources pane.
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Web Template Wizards Foundation With the exception of the most basic one, all Web Template Wizards in the Designer make use of the Zurb Foundation front-end framework. A front-end framework is a collection of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files to build upon. Foundation is a responsive framework: it uses CSS media queries and a mobile-first approach, so that websites built upon Foundation look good and function well on multiple devices including desktop and laptop computers, tablets, and mobile phones.
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A Capture OnTheGo Form is actually just a Web Form, that you could add without a wizard, but the COTG Template Wizards include the appropriate JavaScript files for the Capture OnTheGo app, and styles to create user-friendly, responsive forms. They are built upon the Foundation framework. Foundation With the exception of the most basic one, all Web Template Wizards in the Designer make use of the Zurb Foundation front-end framework.
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l Alternatively, on the File menu, click New, expand the Template folder, and then expand the Capture OnTheGo Starter folder. 2. Select a template. There are 8 types of Web Template Wizards: l l l l l l l l Blank. The Blank COTG Template has some basic design and the appropriate form, but no actual form or COTG elements. Bill of Lading. The Bill of Lading Template is a transactional template that includes a Dynamic Table with a checkmark on each line, along with Signature and Date COTG elements.
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l Colors: Click the colored square to open the Color Picker dialog (see "Color Picker" on page 951) and pick a color, or enter a valid hexadecimal color code (see w3school's color picker) for the page background color. Do the same for the background color of the navigation bar at the top and for the buttons on the Form. 4. Click Next to go to the next settings page if there is one. 5. Click Finish to create the template.
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Filling a COTG template Before inserting elements in a COTG Form, have the design ready; see "Designing a COTG Template" on page 570. In a Capture OnTheGo form, you can use special Capture OnTheGo Form elements, such as a Signature and a Barcode Scanner element. For a description of all COTG elements, see: "COTG Elements" on page 702. To learn how to use them, see "Using COTG Elements" on page 587.
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Tip Click the Edges button on the toolbar t emporarily adds a frame to certain elements on the Design tab. These will not .Print or output. Tip If you have started creating your Capture OnTheGo template using a COTG Template Wizard, you can find ready-made elements in the Snippets folder on the Resources pane. Resources This page clarifies the difference between Internal, External and Web resources that may be used in a template, and explains how to refer to them in HTML and in scripts.
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When refering to them, normally you would simply use the path directly with the file name. The structure within those folders is maintained, so if you create a "signatures" folder within the "Images" folder, you need to use that structure, for example in HTML: 
. In scripts, you can refer to them in the same way, for example: results.loadhtml("snippets/en/navbar.
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Web resources Web resources are simply accessed using a full URL. This URL needs to be publicly accessible: if you type in that URL in a browser on the server, it needs to be visible. Authentication is possible only through URL Parameters (http://www.example.com/data.json?user=username&password=password) or through HTTP Basic Auth (http://username:password@www.example.com/data.json).
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page 191. To add a parameter, start by opening the template to which the parameter should be added. Make sure the template is visible in the workspace; then open the Parameters pane. Note Runtime parameters are always added to the file currently visible in the workspace. To add a single parameter: 1. Click the Add button ( ). 2. Give the parameter a name. 3. Select the data type.
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3. Click OK. The keys of the JSON object appear in the Name column, the values in the Value column. 4. For new parameters an attempt is made to derive the data type from the value, but this is only possible to a limited extent. Double-click any new parameter to set its desired data type. Note The supplied values of runtime parameters are used when printing from Workflow and when proof-printing the template (File > Proof Print).
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Contexts Contexts are parts of a template that are each used to generate a specific type of output: Web,Email or Print. l l l The Print context outputs documents to either a physical printer or a PDF file; see "Print context" on page 474. The Email context outputs HTML email, composed of HTML code with embedded CSS. See "Email context" on page 517. The Web context outputs an HTML web page. See "Web Context" on page 540.
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Adding a context To add a context, right-click the Contexts folder on the Resources pane and click New print context, New email context or New web context. Or use Context > Add in the main menu. Only one context of each type can be present in a template. Each context, however, can hold more than one section; see "Sections" below. Importing a context To import a context, click File > Import Resources... in the menu. See: "Import Resources dialog" on page 962.
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Tip When you add an Email context to an existing template you get a 'basic action email'. This is one of the 4 types of email that you can choose from when you start a template with an Email Template Wizard; see "Creating an Email template with a Wizard" on page 513. Importing a section To import a section from another template, click File > Import Resources... in the menu. See: "Import Resources dialog" on page 962. Remember to copy the related source files, such as images, to the other template as well.
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1. Open the section that you want to copy and go to the Source tab in the workspace. 2. Copy the contents of the Source tab (press Ctrl+A to select everything and then Ctrl+C to copy the selection). 3. Add a new section (see "Adding a section" on page 461, above). 4. Go to the Source tab and paste the contents of the other section here (press Ctrl+V). 5. When copying a section to another template, add the related source files, such as images, to the other template as well.
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Section properties Which properties apply to a section, depends on the context it is part of. See also: "Print sections" on page 478, "Email templates" on page 519, and "Web pages" on page 541. To change the properties for a section: 1. On the Resources pane, expand the Contexts folder. 2. Expand the folder of the respective context. 3. Right-click the name of the section, and then click one of the options.
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Note Style sheets are applied in the order in which they are included in a section. The styles in each following style sheet add up to the styles found in previously read style sheets. When style sheets have a conflicting rule for the same element, class or ID, the last style sheet ‘wins’ and overrides the rule found in the previous style sheet. Note Style sheets that are linked to (i.e. included in) a section show a chain icon in the Resources pane (see "Resources pane" on page 1060).
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page 1500 and "Web pages" on page 541 and"Generating Email output" on page 1490 and "Email templates" on page 519. The 'default' section is always executed when the template is run using the Create Email Content task in Workflow (see Workflow Help: Create Email Content). It is, however, possible to include or exclude Print sections when the output is generated, depending on a value in the data. A Control Script can do this; see "Control Scripts" on page 903.
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When a Print template is created or when a Print context is added to an existing template the Print context folder is created along with other folders and files that are specific to a Print context (see "Creating a Print template with a Wizard" on the facing page, "Adding a context" on page 461 and "Print context" on page 474). Only one Print section is created at the start, but you can add as many Print sections as you need; see "Print sections" on page 478.
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media, in the form of a PDF file, to the Media folder. Media can be applied to pages in a Print section, to make them appear as a background to those pages. This ensures that elements added to the Print context will correspond to their correct location on the preprinted media. When both Media and a Master Page are used on a certain page, they will both be displayed on the Preview tab of the workspace, the Master Page being 'in front' of the Media and the Print section on top.
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l Or choose New Template and select PDF-based Print. Alternatively, on the menu select File > New, expand the Template folder, and then: l l Select PDF-based Print. Or expand the Basic Print templates or ERP templates folder, select a template type and click Next. Another way to start a PDF-based Print template is this: l Right-click the PDF file in the Windows Explorer and select Enhance with Connect. The various template types and their options are described below.
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l l l l l A Print context with one section in it, that has duplex printing (printing on both sides) enabled. See "Printing on both sides" on page 476. Two Master Pages that each contain a background image. The first Master Page is applied to the front of every page in the Print section. The second Master Page is applied to the back of every page in the Print section. See "Master Pages" on page 498. Scripts and selectors for variable data.
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On the next settings page (click Next to go there), you can type a subject, the sender's name and the sender's title. These will appear in the letter. You can also: l l Click the Browse button to select a signature image. This image will appear above the sender's name and title. Select Virtual Stationery: a PDF file with the letterhead stationery. Also see Media.
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PDF-based Print template Tip The quickest way to create a Print template based on a PDF file is to right-click the PDF file in the Windows Explorer and select Enhance with Connect. The PDF-based Print template wizard creates a document from an existing PDF file: a brochure, voucher, letter, etc. The PDF is used as the background image of the Print section (see "Using a PDF file or other image as background" on page 484).
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ERP templates The ERP template wizard creates a business document. There is a collection of business documents that you can choose from: Sales Invoice, Purchase Order, Collection Letter, etc.. Currently all of these documents follow the corporate style designed by Microspective. The first page of the wizard lets you select the page settings, see "Page settings: size, margins and bleed" on page 490. A few clarifications: l l l l Duplex means double-sided printing.
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l l l l A Print context with one section in it; see "Print context" below and "Print sections" on page 478. One Master Page. Master Pages are used for headers and footers, for images and other elements that have to appear on more than one page, and for special elements like tearoffs. See "Master Pages" on page 498. One Media. You can see this on the Resources pane: expand the Media folder. Media 1 is the Virtual Stationery that you have selected in the Wizard.
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Tip Editing PDF files in the Designer is not possible, but when they're used as a section's background, you can add text and other elements, such as a barcode, to them. The quickest way to create a Print template based on a PDF file is to right-click the PDF file in the Windows Explorer and select Enhance with Connect. Alternatively, start creating a new Print template with a Wizard, using the PDF-based Print template (see "Creating a Print template with a Wizard" on page 468).
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l l One Media is added to the template, as is visible on the Resources pane, in the Media folder. This folder can hold the company's stationery in the form of PDF files. When applied to a page in a Print section, Media can help prevent the contents of a Print section from colliding with the contents of the stationery. See "Media" on page 501 to learn how to add Media and, optionally, print them.
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Setting the binding style for the Print context The Print context , as well as each of the Print sections, can have its own Finishing settings. In printing, Finishing is the way pages are bound together after they have been printed. Which binding styles can be applied depends on the type of printer that you are using. To set the binding style of the Print context: 1. On the Resources pane, expand the Contexts folder; then right-click the Print context and select Finishing.
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which is not visible anyway, will save ink or toner. However, there are cases when underlying colors should not be knocked out: l l If the top color is a special ink or toner, such as varnish or UV, it should go over any other colors, as it is meant to be transparent and go over other content. In Connect you may enable overprint when you define a spot color; see "Defining colors, spot colors and tints" on page 773.
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output" on page 1461). The Print context can also be added to Email output as a PDF attachment; see "Generating Email output" on page 1490. When generating output from the Print context, each of the Print sections is added to the output document, one after the other in sequence, for each record. Pages Unlike emails and web pages, Print sections can contain multiple pages. Pages are naturally limited by their size and margins.
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Media can be applied to pages in a Print section, to make them appear as a background to those pages. This ensures that elements added to the Print context will correspond to their correct location on the preprinted media. Note When both Media and a Master Page are used on a certain page, they will both be displayed on the Preview tab of the workspace, the Master Page being 'in front' of the Media and the Print section on top.
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Note that the new section automatically gets the same properties as the first section. The first Master Page (see "Master Pages" on page 498) and Media (see "Media" on page 501) will automatically be applied to all pages in the new section, but this can be changed, see "Applying a Master Page to a page in a Print section" on page 500 and "Applying Media to a page in a Print section" on page 505. Note that Print sections always start on a front page.
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Importing a Print section To import a section from another template, click File > Import Resources... in the menu. See: "Import Resources dialog" on page 962. Remember also to add or import any related source files, such as images. Note that when the imported Print section replaces a Print section in your template, its context's Color Output and Finishing settings get imported as well. (See "Print settings in the Print context and sections" on page 476.
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l Alternatively, on the Resources pane, right-click a section in the Print context and click Arrange. In the Arrange Sections dialog you can change the order of the sections by clicking the name of a section and moving it using the Up and Down buttons. Styling and formatting a Print section The contents of a Print section can be formatted directly, or styled with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). See "Styling and formatting" on page 739.
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sheet ‘wins’ and overrides the rule found in the previous style sheet. Note Style sheets that are linked to (i.e. included in) a section show a chain icon in the Resources pane (see "Resources pane" on page 1060). Using a PDF file or other image as background In the Print context, a PDF file can be used as a section's background.
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l l Disk lists image files that reside in a folder on a hard drive that is accessible from your computer. Click the Browse button to select a folder (or an image in a folder). As an alternative it is possible to enter the path manually. You can give a local path (e.g. C:\Images\Test.jpg) or use the "file" protocol. The complete syntax of a fully qualified URL with the "file" protocol is: file:///.
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l Absolute places the PDF at a specific location on the page. Use the Top field to specify the distance between the top side of the page and the top side of the PDF, and the Left field to specify the distance between the left side of the page and the left side of the PDF. The Top and Left offset can be specified in the usual units of measurement or as a percentage of the page (for example: a Left value of 25% means it will be placed at 25% of the page width). 6.
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The settings in a script take precedence over the settings made in the Print Section Properties dialog. Setting the binding style for a Print section In printing, Finishing is the binding style, or the way pages are bound together. Each Print section can have its own Finishing settings, as well as the Print context as a whole; see "Setting the binding style for the Print context" on page 477. To set the binding style of a Print section: 1.
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1. On the Resources pane, expand the Print context, right-click the print section and click Sheet configuration. 2. Check Duplex to enable content to be printed on the back of each sheet. 3. When Duplex printing is enabled, further options become available. l Check Omit empty back side for Last or Single sheet to reset a page to Simplex if it has an empty back side. This changes the Duplex job into a Mixplex job.
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The consequences of empty back sides for printing and page numbering In a Duplex job, the last page of a section may be empty since each new section starts on a new sheet. You may wonder what this means for the number of 'print clicks' and for the page numbering. Note that an empty page is defined as a page that has no content and no Master Page.
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Although generally the same content elements can be used in all three contexts (see "Content elements" on page 625), the specific characteristics of pages make it possible to use special elements, such as page numbers; see "Page numbers " on page 492. The widow/orphan setting lets you control how many lines of a paragraph stick together, when content has to move to another page; see "Preventing widows and orphans" on page 494.
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These, as well as the bleed, are set per Print section, as follows: l On the Resources pane, right-click a section in the Print context and click Properties. For the page size, click the drop-down to select a page size from a list of common paper sizes. Changing the width or height automatically sets the page size to Custom. Margins define where your text flow will go. Static elements can go everywhere on a page, that is to say, within the printable space on a page that depends on the printer.
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2. Insert the promotional image or snippet in the content. Note l l Only a top-level element (for example, a paragraph that is not inside a table or div) can function as a whitespace element. Do not place the promotional image or snippet inside an absolute positioned box. Whitespacing only works for elements that are part of the text flow, not for absolute-positioned boxes. 3.
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in the Sheet Configuration dialog, see "Applying a Master Page to a page in a Print section" on page 500) but no contents, is not included in the Content page count. l l l Content page count: This is the total number of pages in the current document that have contents, supplied by the Print section. A page that has a Master Page but no contents, is not included in the Content page count. Sheet number: The current sheet number in the document.
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Configuring page numbers By default the page numbers are Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.) without leading zeros nor prefix, and page numbering starts with page 1 for each section. But this can be changed. To do that: 1. On the Resources pane, right-click a section in the Print context and click Numbering. 2. Uncheck Restart Numbering if you want the page numbers to get consecutive page numbers, instead of restarting the page numbering with this section.
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Note Widows and orphans are ignored if the page-break-inside property of the paragraph is set to avoid; see "Preventing a page break" on page 497. In the entire Print context To prevent widows and orphans in the entire Print context: 1. On the menu, select Edit > Stylesheets. 2. Select the Print context. 3. Click New (or, when there are already CSS rules for paragraphs, click the selector p and click Edit). 4. Click Format. 5.
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In tables The CSS properties widows and orphans can be used in tables to prevent a number of rows from being separated from the rest of the table. Dynamic Tables are automatically divided over several pages when needed. A Standard Table doesn't flow over multiple pages by default. Splitting a Standard Table over multiple pages requires setting the Connect-specific data-breakable attribute on all of its rows.
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3. In the Breaks group, set the before or after property. l l Before: Sets whether a page break should occur before the element. This is equivalent to the page-break-before property in CSS; see CSS page-break-before property for an explanation of the available options. After: Sets whether a page break should occur after the element. Equivalent to the page-break-after property in CSS; see CSS page-break-after property for an explanation of the available options.
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Master Pages In Print sections, there are often elements that need to be repeated across pages, like headers, footers and logos. In addition, some elements should appear only on specific pages, such as only the first page, or the last page, or only on pages in-between. Examples are a different header on the first page, and a tear-off slip that shows up on the last page. This is what Master Pages are used for. Master Pages can only be used in the Print context (see "Print context" on page 474).
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applied to different pages; see "Applying a Master Page to a page in a Print section" on the facing page. Importing a Master Page To import one or more Master Pages from another template, click File > Import Resources... in the menu. See: "Import Resources dialog" on page 962. Editing a Master Page Master Pages are edited just like sections, in the workspace. To open a Master Page, expand the Master pages folder on the Resources pane, and double-click the Master Page to open it.
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2. Next, define the margins for the header and footer. The margins for a header and footer are set in the Master Page properties. This does not change the content placement within the Master Page itself; in Master Pages, elements can go everywhere on the page. Instead, the header and footer of the Master Page limit the text flow on pages in the Print sections to which this Master Page is applied.
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consequently, check Omit Master Page Back in case of an empty back page to omit the specified Master Page on the last backside of a section if that page is empty. That page will then also be skipped from the page count unless the page numbers continue on the next section (see "Configuring page numbers" on page 494).
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Per Media, a front and back can be specified and you can specify on what kind of paper the output is meant to be printed on. This includes paper weight, quality, coating and finishing; see "Setting Media properties" below. Adding Media To add a Media, right-click the Media folder on the Resources pane and select New Media. The new Media is of course empty. You can specify two PDF files for the Media: one for the front, and, optionally, another for the back.
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2. Now you can change the name and page size of the Media. Note that it isn't possible to change the page size once the Media is applied to a section. Media can only be applied to sections that have the same size. 3. On the Virtual Stationery tab, you can click the Select Image button to select a PDF image file. Note Encrypted PDF files are not supported in PDF pass-through mode. See "PDF Options" on page 1193. l Click Resources, Disk or Url, depending on where the image is located.
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they are used internally. Therefore, URLs that rely on one of these parameters cannot be used. l With an external image, you can check the option Save with template. If this option is checked, the file will be inserted in the Images folder on the Resources pane at the top left. If it isn't saved with the template, the image remains external.
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1. On the Resources pane, expand the Contexts folder, expand the Media folder, and right-click the Media. Click Characteristics. 2. Specify the paper's characteristics: l l l l l l l Media Type: The type of paper, such as Plain, Continuous, Envelope, Labels, Stationery, etc. Weight: The intended weight of the media in grammage (g/m2). Front Coating: The pre-process coating applied to the front surface of the media, such as Glossy, High Gloss, Matte, Satin, etc.
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1. On the Resources pane, expand the Print context; right-click the Print section, and click Sheet configuration. 2. Optionally, check Duplex to enable content to be printed on the back of each sheet. Your printer must support duplex for this option to work. If Duplex is enabled, you can also check Tumble to duplex pages as in a calendar, and Facing pages to have the margins of the section switch alternately, so that pages are printed as if in a magazine or book. 3.
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2. Decide which pages should have dynamically switching media: every first page in the Print section, every last page, one of the pages in between (a 'middle page'), or a single page. (Uncheck the option Same for all positions, to see all page positions.) 3. In the area for the respective sheet position, click the Edit script button next to Media. The Script Wizard appears with a standard script: results.
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Note l l Any Virtual Stationery settings made for the Media also influence how the Media is displayed in each section (see "Setting Media properties" on page 502). Section backgrounds are rotated separately (see "Using a PDF file or other image as background" on page 484). If in the Media properties, the Virtual Stationery position is set to Absolute, any offset given by the Top and Left values will be applied after rotation.
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HTML email that displays properly on a variety of devices and screen sizes is challenging. Building an email is not like building for the web. While web browsers comply with standards (to a significant extent), email clients do not. Different email clients interpret the same HTML and CSS styles in totally different ways.
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Designing an Email template With the Designer you can design Email templates. It is strongly recommended to start creating an Email template with an Email Template Wizard, because it is challenging to design HTML email that looks good on all email clients, devices and screen sizes that customers use when they are reading their email.
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Email templates: Slate and others The most obvious solution offered in the Designer is to use one of the templates provided with the Designer; see "Creating an Email template with a Wizard" on page 513. The layout of these templates has been tested and proven to look good in any email client, on any device and screen size. The Tables in these templates are nested (put inside another table) and they have no visible borders, so readers won't notice them.
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All standard abbreviations can be found in Emmet's documentation: Abbreviations. To learn more about Emmet, please see their website: Emmet.io and the Emmet.io documentation: http://docs.emmet.io/. Preferences To change the way Emmet works in the Designer, select Window > Preferences, and in the Preferences dialog, select Emmet; see "Emmet preferences" on page 852.
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Do not capture your email in one big image Most e-mail clients do not automatically download images, so do not capture your email in one big image. The recipient initially sees a blank message and probably deletes it right away. Do not resize images in your email Many mail clients do not support image resizing and will show the image in its original dimensions. Resize the images before you link to or embed them.
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1. In the Welcome screen that appears after startup: l l Choose Browse Template Wizards. Scroll down until you see the Email Template Wizards. There are three types of Email Template Wizards: l Basic Email templates l Banded Email templates l Slate: Responsive Email templates by Litmus. Or choose Create a New Template and select the Email template. This starts the Basic Action Email wizard. Alternatively, on the File menu, click New, and: l l Select Email Template.
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called "email-to". After loading dataor a data mapping configuration, you can change the script so that it uses the actual field in your data that holds the customer's email address. See "Email header settings" on page 523 l A style sheet, named context_htmlemail_styles.css, and another style sheet depending on which Template Wizard was used. The style sheets can be found in the Stylesheets folder on the Resources pane.
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Slate: Responsive Email Templates by Litmus Scroll past the Web Template Wizards to see the Slate: Responsive Email templates, created by Litmus (see https://litmus.com/resources/free-responsive-email-templates). More than 50% of emails are opened on mobile. These five responsive HTML email templates are optimized for small screens and they look great in any inbox. They’ve been tested in Litmus and are completely bulletproof.
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l l l The text for the header. The header is the colored part at the top. The text can be edited later. The color of the header and the color of the button. Click the small colored square, right next to the field that holds the default color value, to open the Color dialog and pick a color (see "Color Picker" on page 951). The color can be changed later; see "Colors" on page 773. The web address where the recipient of the email will be taken after clicking the button in the email.
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The Wizard opens the Email section, so that you can fill it with text and other elements; see "Content elements" on page 625 and "Email templates" on the next page. Sending email When the template is ready, you can generate Email output; See "Generating Email output" on page 1490. To test a template, you can send a test email first. This allows you to override the recipient address.
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Compressing PDF attachments For PDF attachments, generated from the Print context, you can set the Print Context Image Compression to determine the quality of the files, and with that, the size of the files. To set the Print Context Image Compression: 1. On the Resources pane, expand the Contexts folder; then right-click the Email context and select PDF Attachments. Alternatively, select Context > PDF Attachments on the main menu. This option is only available when editing an Email section in the Workspace.
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it is advisable to position elements using Tables and to put text in table cells (see "Designing an Email template" on page 510). Email templates are personalized just like any other template; see "Variable Data" on page 798. The subject, recipients (To, CC and BCC), sender and reply-to address are specified with Email Script Wizards; see "Email header settings" on page 523. An Email context can contain multiple templates.
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Importing an Email template To import an Email section from another template, click File > Import Resources... in the menu. See: "Import Resources dialog" on page 962. Remember also to add or import any related source files, such as images. Note that when the imported Email section replaces an Email section in your template, the PDF attachments settings are imported as well. (See: "Compressing PDF attachments" on page 519.
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Tip Before you can style an element, you have to select it. In an Email context it can be difficult to select an element by clicking on it. Use the breadcrumbs at the top and the Outline pane at the left, to select an element. See "Selecting an element" on page 630. In order for a style sheet to be applied to a specific section, it needs to be included in that section. There are two ways to do this. Drag & drop a style sheet 1. Click and hold the mouse button on the style sheet on the Resources pane. 2.
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Note Style sheets that are linked to (i.e. included in) a section show a chain icon in the Resources pane (see "Resources pane" on page 1060). Setting a default Email template for output An Email context can contain multiple templates. When generating output from the Email context, however, only one of the Email templates can be merged with each record.
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Email Fields The subject, the recipients (To, Cc and Bcc), the sender and the Reply to address can be entered in the Email Fields at the top of the workspace. If the fields are not visible, click the words 'Email Fields' (or the small plus before them) to expand the Email Fields area. To use a variable email address in any of the fields, simply drag and drop a data field into the email field. The specified subject and addresses will be visible when viewing the email in the workspace in Preview mode.
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Other header fields At some point you may need to define a header field that isn't available in the Preferences or in the Email Fields. This can be done in a Control Script. For a few examples of such scripts, see "Adding custom ESP handling instructions" on page 1496. To get started with Control Scripts, refer to "Control Scripts" on page 903. Email SMTP settings Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is the standard protocol for sending emails across the Internet.
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l l Use authentication: Check this option and fill in the user name if a user name and password are needed to send emails through the host. (The password has to be specified in the Send Email or Send Test Email dialog.) Send STARTTLS: This option is enabled if authentication is checked. With STARTTLS the client negotiates with the mail server to use some form of encryption, usually a version of Transport Layer Security (TLS).
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You can add as many data fields to the subject as you like. When you do add more than one data field, the existing Subject script will be modified to include all data fields that are added to the subject. The result of the script will be visible in the Subject field in Preview mode: click the Preview tab at the bottom of the workspace. Note By default, the Subject script targets one email section specifically. You can see this when you double-click the script on the Scripts pane.
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added to the Scripts pane. Note that you can add only one data field to the email field this way. When you drag another data field into the email field the existing script will be replaced.. Email addresses can be added to the Cc and Bcc fields in the same manner, but it is also possible to type an email address directly in the Cc or Bcc field (as long as no script is present for that field). Multiple email addresses should be separated by a semicolon.
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Note When sending emails with a variable From address through PReS Workflow, check the option Precedence to template address in the Create Email Content task properties to make sure that the dynamic address gets precedence over the email address specified in the task properties (see Create Email Content task). Reply To address The Reply To address is used by mail clients, when the recipient clicks the Reply To (or Reply All) button.
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For more information on tags, see W3Schools - HTML meta tag. Email PDF password The Email PDF Password Script Wizard defines a password with which to protect the PDF generated when using the Print context as PDF Attachment option in the Send Email or Send Test Email dialogs (see "Generating Email output" on page 1490). The result of the script will be the password necessary to open the PDF when it is received by email. To define a password to protect the generated PDF attachment: 1.
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Email attachments Output, generated from an Email template, can have the following attachments: l The contents of the Print context, in the form of a single PDF attachment. (Compression options for PDF attachments can be specified in the Email context's properties; see "Compressing PDF attachments" on page 519.) l The output of the Web context, as a self-contained HTML file. l Other files, an image or a PDF leaflet for example.
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Email section's properties (see "Properties tab" on page 1008). With new templates this is always the case. Attaching files Selecting and adding files as attachments If you want all recipients to get the same attachments with their email, you can add the attachments to the Email section(s). The easiest way is to drag and drop the desired file on the Email section. If the file is an image, you will be presented with the option to import it into the template's Resources folder.
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4. Fill in the different parts of which the file name is composed: l l l Prefix. The first prefix contains the base path (or at least the first, static part of the path). For example:C:\Attachments\, C:/Attachments/, or file:///C:/Attachments/. Data field/s. The selected data field/s will be evaluated. If a data field is empty, the entire row is skipped. Otherwise the prefix, data field value and suffix are added to the path/file name. Suffix.
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Note that even a space character is invalid in a URL. Spaces in a URL are supported for backward compatibility, but it is recommended to percent-encode a space character as %20. 5. The attachment's name in the email will be the part of the path that comes after the last '/'. When there are no forward slashes in the path, the full path is used. You may want to use a custom attachment name. To learn how to do that, see "Renaming attachments" below. 6. Click OK or Apply to save your changes.
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Note For attachment names, it is recommended to use only US-ASCII characters. Other characters may not be supported by all email servers and clients. Web With the Designer you can create one or more Web templates and merge the template with a data set to generate personal web pages. The Web context is the Web output channel and the folder in the Designer that can contain one or more Web templates.
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When a Web template is created, either with a Wizard or by adding the Web context to an existing template (see "Adding a context" on page 461), the Web context folder is created along with other files that are specific to a Web context; see "Web Context" on page 540. Many of the content elements that are available for all three contexts are particularly suitable for web pages; see "Content elements" on page 625. Web templates are personalized just like any other template; see "Variable Data" on page 798.
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1. l l In the Welcome screen that appears after startup, choose Browse Template Wizards. Scroll down until you see the Foundation Web Page Starter Template Wizards. Alternatively, on the File menu, click New, expand the Template folder, and then expand the Foundation Web Page Starter folder. 2. Select a template.
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l Primary: links on the page. l Secondary: secondary links on the page. l Text: text on the page contained in paragraphs (
). l Headings: all headings (
through ) including the heading section's subhead. 4. Click Finish to create the template. The Wizard creates: l l l l A Web context with one web page template (also called a section) in it.
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Use the Styles pane next to the Attributes pane to see which styles are applied to the currently selected element. Tip Click the Edges button on the toolbar t emporarily adds a frame to certain elements on the Design tab. These will not .Print or output. Web Template Wizards Foundation With the exception of the most basic one, all Web Template Wizards in the Designer make use of the Zurb Foundation front-end framework. A front-end framework is a collection of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files to build upon.
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Blank web page The Blank Web Page template is a very simple Foundation template that contains a top bar menu and some basic contents to get you started. Web Context In the Designer the Web context is the folder that contains Web page templates. Creating the Web context You can start creating a Web template with a Wizard (see "Creating a Web template with a Wizard" on page 536), or add the Web context to an existing template (see "Adding a context" on page 461).
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l Output the Web context in an automated Workflow using the Create Web Content task (see Workflow Help: Create Web Content). See "Generating Web output" on page 1500. Includes The Web context outputs one HTML web page. In addition to the HTML text it contains either the resources or references to the resources necessary to display it. JavaScript files are added to the
in the generated HTML file.
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section (see "Setting a default Web page for output" on page 545) before generating Web output; also see "Generating Web output" on page 1500. Creating a Web page When creating a Web page, it is advisable to follow design guidelines for web pages, so that they are likely to look good in different browsers and on different devices and screen sizes.
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Importing a Web page To import a Web page from another template, click File > Import Resources... in the menu. See: "Import Resources dialog" on page 962. The Web page's Includes settings get imported automatically (see "Includes" on page 541). Remember to add or import any related source files, such as style sheets and images. Deleting a Web page To delete a Web section: l On the Resources pane, expand the Contexts folder, expand the Web context, rightclick the name of the section, and then click Delete.
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Using Variable Data in Form elements Variable data may be used in form elements, such as a drop-down list (a Select element). How to do that, is described in this how-to: Dynamically add options to a dropdown. Passing Variable Data to client-side JavaScript When serving Web pages using Workflow, the HTML is first personalized and then served to the web browser by a Workflow process. At that stage custom JavaScripts do not have access to the information stored in the Data Model.
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4. You can also change the order in which the CSS files are read: click one of the included CSS files and use the Up and Down buttons. Note that moving a style sheet up in the list gives it less weight. In case of conflicting rules, style sheets read later will override previous ones. Note Style sheets are applied in the order in which they are included in a section. The styles in each following style sheet add up to the styles found in previously read style sheets.
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Tip Use a Control Script to dynamically select a Web section for output depending on the value of a data field. See "Control Scripts" on page 903. Including JavaScript files Which JavaScript files are included in the a Web section, depends on a setting for that section. To change this: 1. On the Resources pane, right-click a section in the Web context and click Includes. 2. From the File types dropdown, select JavaScripts. 3. Choose which JavaScript files should be included in this section.
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Tip If a valid favicon image is dragged to the Web section, it will automatically be set as a shortcut icon. 4. The Meta Information Group lists all tags that will be added to the header of the HTML file generated in the output. Click the Add button to add a new tag to the list. Then you can select the type of tag, which is either name or http-equiv, and enter the value (for a name-type meta tag) or the content. For more information on tags, see W3Schools - HTML meta tag.
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Forms Web templates can contain Forms. Capture OnTheGo templates always contain a Form. Tip To create a Capture OnTheGo template, preferably use a Template Wizard (see "Capture OnTheGo template wizards" on page 573). The Wizard doesn't just add the form, it also adds the necessary Capture OnTheGo form elements (see "COTG Elements" on page 702), style sheets and JavaScript files, and extra pre-made elements. Adding a Form This procedure describes how to add a Form element to an existing Web context. 1.
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5. Using the the Method drop-down, select whether the form should be sent using the GET or POST method. 6. Using the next drop-down, select the form's Encryption Type (enctype): l l l application/x-www-form-urlencoded: Default. All characters are encoded before they are sent. Spaces are converted to "+" symbols, and special characters are converted to ASCII HEX values. multipart/form-data: No characters are encoded. This value is required when you are using forms that have a file upload control.
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11. Use the Location drop-down to select where to insert the element. l l l l l l At cursor position inserts it where the cursor is located in the template. Before element inserts it before the HTML element in which the cursor is currently located. For example if the cursor is within a paragraph, the insertion point will be before the
tag.* After start tag inserts it within the current HTML element, at the beginning, just after the start tag.
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l l l l The ID and/or class. ID's and classes are particularly useful with regard to variable data (see "Personalizing content" on page 783) and styling (see "Styling templates with CSS files" on page 740). An Action: the URL where the form data should be sent. The URL should be a server-side script that can accept form data (a Workflow process that starts with a Server Input task, for example). A Method: this defines whether the form should be sent using the GET or POST method.
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l l l l Required: Check if the field is required to submit the form. If a field is required but contains no data, a message will be shown to the user. Minimum length: Enter a numerical value for the minimum character length required for this field. Maximum length: Enter a numerical value for the minimum character length accepted for this field. Equal to: Use the drop-down to select another field that is already added to the same Form. The contents of both fields must match for the data to be validated.
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Using Form elements Web Form elements can be used in a Web Form or in a Capture OnTheGo Form (see "Forms" on page 710 and "Capture OnTheGo" on page 563). This topic explains how to add these elements to a Form and how to prepare them so that when the Form is submitted, they provide valid data that can be handled easily. For a list of Form elements, see "Form Elements" on page 715. For a list of the extra elements that can be used in a Capture OnTheGo form, see "COTG Elements" on page 702.
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l No style omits the label altogether. Note The first two label styles ensure that when the user clicks the label, the input element gets the focus. 4. The following options are only available for specific elements: l l l For a Text Area you can specify a number of rows. For a Radio Button, the submit name indicates to which Radio Button Group the Radio Button belongs. For a Button, Checkbox, Hidden Field, and Radio Button you can set the value.
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settings (see "Changing a Form's validation method" on page 713). It isn't always useful to make a field required; after all, if it has a default value it will never be empty. l l Minimum and maximum length: Enter a numerical value for the minimum and maximum character length required for this field. Equal to: Use the drop-down to select another field that is already added to the same Form. The contents of both fields must match for the data to be validated.
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To insert a placeholder in a field, type a label and choose Use label as placeholder as its style when adding the element to the form; see "Adding elements to a Form" on page 553. Making elements required To change the validation of a COTG or Form element, right-click the element and choose Validation settings. Now you can change the Form's validation method and set the requirements per field; see "Changing a Form's validation method" on page 713.
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With the Use PHP arrays option enabled in Workflow, the above HTML results in the following XML: pparker@eu.objectiflune.
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This option makes it easier to select all elements on the same level in a data mapping configuration, and to convert the XML to a JSON object. You can try out this feature with the COTG Time Sheet template, as explained in this how-to: Using The PHP Array Option. The COTG Fields Table element (see "Fields Table" on page 706) in that template has an Add button to add rows to a table, and groups data following this approach.
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Some JavaScript files are added automatically: When you create a template with a COTG Template Wizard (see "Capture OnTheGo template wizards" on page 573), the Designer automatically adds the jQuery library and the COTG library: cotg-2.0.0.js. This also happens when you add a Capture OnTheGo (COTG) element to a template that you didn't start with a COTG template wizard. For more information about this plugin, see "Using the COTG plugin: cotg-2.0.0.js" on page 600.
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Now the JavaScript file is ready to be used in your Web templates; see "Including a JavaScript file in a Web context" on the next page. Adding a remote JavaScript file A Remote JavaScript Resource is a file that is not located within your template but is hosted on an external web server , generally called a CDN.
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(while the page continues the parsing). When neither option is checked, the script is fetched and executed immediately, while the parsing of the page is paused. 5. Optionally, for a Capture OnTheGo Form, you can check Use cached Capture OnTheGo resource, to prevent downloading a remote JavaScript file again if it has been downloaded before.
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4. The available JavaScript files are listed at the left. Use the arrow buttons or double-click to move the JavaScript files that should be included to the right-hand list. Using the Up and Down buttons or drag-and-drop you can change the order of the files, too. 5. Click OK. Note JavaScript files that are linked to (i.e. included in) a section show a chain icon in the Resources pane (see "Resources pane" on page 1060).
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JavaScript resources included in a Print section are executed on the Preview tab. (The editor for a Print section does not have a Live tab.) Note The internal browser engine which is used as of version 2018.2, Gecko 38, is compliant with the ECMAScript 5 language specification. This means that scripts using features described in ECMAScript 2015 (aka ES6) - such as the keyword let - will fail in the Preview and Livetab of the Designer.
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l It may be reusable. This depends on a setting in the Output to Capture OnTheGo plug-in (found on the Connectors tab) in Workflow (see the Workflow Help: Output to CaptureOnTheGo). A reusable COTG Form is not deleted from the app's form library when it is submitted, so it can be used again. Creating a COTG Form A Capture OnTheGo Form is actually just a Web Form, so you could add a Form element to a Web page in the Web context without the use of a Template Wizard.
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Note For testing purposes, it is possible to use another URL for the Form's action or not to specify an action at all; see "Testing a Capture OnTheGo Template" on page 593. Filling a COTG template Before inserting elements in a COTG Form, have the design ready; see "Designing a COTG Template" on page 570. In a Capture OnTheGo form, you can use special Capture OnTheGo Form elements, such as a Signature and a Barcode Scanner element. For a description of all COTG elements, see: "COTG Elements" on page 702.
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Use the Attributes pane at the right to see the current element's ID, class and some other properties. Use the Styles pane next to the Attributes pane to see which styles are applied to the currently selected element. Tip Click the Edges button on the toolbar t emporarily adds a frame to certain elements on the Design tab. These will not .Print or output. Using JavaScript COTG plugin Capture OnTheGo widgets do not function without the COTG plugin: cotg-2.0.0.js.
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to preview the form, how to submit data and how to preview the submitted data is described in another topic: "Testing a Capture OnTheGo Template" on page 593. Sending the template to the Workflow tool After testing the template (see "Testing a Capture OnTheGo Template" on page 593) the template must be sent to the Workflow module. Templates sent to the Workflow module can be used in any process within it.
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Note When a COTG Form is submitted, by clicking or touching the Submit button, the name and value of form elements are submitted. If a Checkbox or Radio Button is not checked, its name and value are not sent when the form is submitted. Fortunately, there is a workaround for this; see "Using COTG Elements" on page 587. The Form's validation should ensure that the data that the user submits is valid (see "Changing a Form's validation method" on page 713 and "How to make COTG elements required" on page 590).
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and Windows 6.0) is formatted so that the signature will automatically be scaled to fit in the containing box in a template. With previous versions of the app the format of returned signatures could vary. Adding Camera data to the template The Camera widget submits a base64-encoded string, which can be put in a data field using the DataMapper. When this data field is dragged into a template, the string will show up in the content, instead of the image.
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should be resized as well. If the inline box isn't visible, click the Show Edges button in the toolbar. Designing a COTG Template Designing a Capture OnTheGo template is more than adding elements to a Web form. This topic shares some insights regarding the design process and principles. Design process Ideally, the design process consists of the following steps. 1. Gathering information.
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4. Creating the form. Create the form in accordance with web design principles; see "Form design" below. 5. Testing the form. Even if you did proper research and showed a mockup, customers or users will likely come up with new requirements once they've seen the initial live version. Be prepared and plan for this, too. Form design Paper forms and web forms are very different in nature. For example, paper forms have a fixed size: the size of the paper they are printed on.
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responsive (see "Using Foundation" on page 577 and http://foundation.zurb.com/learn/about.html). Tip In the Designer, you can test the responsiveness of a form using the Responsive Design button at the top right of the workspace. Some browsers also let you test the responsiveness of a form. In Firefox, for example, select Developer > Responsive Design to view a form in different sizes. Usability Usability defines the ease of use of a form.
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Provide feedback. Show what input data is expected, clearly identify which fields are required and show errors when the entered data doesn’t meet the required format. Capture OnTheGo form characteristics Reusable forms Capture OnTheGo forms can be single-use or reusable. This doesn't depend on the design (although, of course, this should be reflected in the design). What makes a form reusable is a setting in the Output to Capture OnTheGo plugin in Workflow; see Output to CaptureOnTheGo.
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For more information about the use of Foundation in the Designer, see "Using Foundation" on page 577. After creating a COTG template, the other contexts can be added, as well as other sections (see "Adding a context" on page 461 and "Adding a Web page" on page 542). Tip If the COTG Form replaces a paper form, it can be tempting to stick to the original layout. Although that may increase the recognizability, it is better to give priority to the userfriendliness of the form.
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l l l l Membership Application. The Membership Application Template is a signed generic request form that can be used for memberships such as gyms, clubs, etc. Patient Intake. The Patient Intake Template is a generic medical questionnaire that could potentially be used as a base for insurance or clinic form. Kitchen Sink. The Kitchen Sink Template includes a wide range of basic form and COTG form elements demonstrating various possibilities of the software. Time Sheet.
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folder on the Resources pane. The JavaScript files are located in the JavaScript folder on the Resources pane. l A collection of snippets in the Snippets folder on the Resources pane. The snippets contain ready-to-use parts to build the web form. Double-click to open them. See "Snippets" on page 735 and "Loading a snippet via a script" on page 894 for information about using Snippets. The Wizard opens the Web section, so that you can fill the Capture OnTheGo form. 6.
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Foundation, the framework added by the COTG template wizards, comes with a series of features that can be very useful in COTG forms; see "Using Foundation" below. Naturally, Web Form elements can also be used on COTG Forms (see "Forms" on page 710 and "Form Elements" on page 715) as well as text, images and other elements (see "Content elements" on page 625).
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Foundation With the exception of the most basic one, all Web Template Wizards in the Designer make use of the Zurb Foundation front-end framework. A front-end framework is a collection of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files to build upon. Foundation is a responsive framework: it uses CSS media queries and a mobile-first approach, so that websites built upon Foundation look good and function well on multiple devices including desktop and laptop computers, tablets, and mobile phones.
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l l l row: This class identifies a Div as a horizontal block (a row) that can contain up to 12 columns. columns: This class should be used for a Div inside a Div with the class row. It identifies a Div as part of a row Div. small-n, medium-n, large-n: These classes indicate the number of columns that this Div occupies within in the row, on a small, medium or large screen, respectively. Replace n with a number, for example: small-2, large-4.
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There's more that you can do with the Grid, for example, you could center columns, or switch columns depending on the screen size they are viewed on. For information about all these possibilities, see this website: http://foundation.zurb.com/sites/docs/v/5.5.3/components/grid.html. Adding Divs and classes to a Connect Form template To insert a Div, select Insert > Structural Elements > Div on the menu.
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They make use of checkbox inputs (or radio buttons) and require no javascript. Their size can be adapted, to make them easy to use on a touch screen. For a full overview and explanation of all Foundation components (v. 5), see this web page: http://foundation.zurb.com/sites/docs/v/5.5.3/. COTG Elements With the Designer you can create Capture OnTheGo templates. COTG templates are used to generate forms for the Capture OnTheGo mobile application. This topic is about Capture OnTheGo form elements.
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Camera The Camera element adds a group of buttons to capture or select an image. Once the image is selected via the camera or the device's library (aka "gallery"), it is saved within the Form data. When the form is submitted, the image is sent in a base64-encoded string format. To learn how to add Camera data to a template, see "Adding Camera data to the template" on page 569. The Camera element has a number of options, of which most can be set in the Design view. These options are described below.
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widths. Annotations are submitted in SVG format by a hidden input added to the Camera element. The name of that input is the ID of the Camera element, followed by "-note-data", for example camera1-note-data. Cropping/editing/deskewing To allow the user to crop, edit and deskew the image after taking or selecting it, select Camera properties, and then check Edit Image and/or Allow Deskew.
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How to use the captured or selected image in a template After a user has submitted the form and the data has been extracted, you may want to display the captured or selected image in a Designer template, for example in a letter or on a web page. To do this: 1. Load the data mapping configuration (or at least the data model). 2. Insert a dummy image in the template. 3. Right-click the dummy image and select Dynamic Image. The Text Script Wizard appears. 4.
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Document ID The Document ID element retrieves the Document ID of the form currently viewed by the app. You could put the Document ID in a hidden input, so that when the form is submitted, the Document ID is submitted as well. A Document ID can be used on the server side to check (in the Connect database) if the data has already been submitted. Fields Table The Fields Table element adds a table with two rows, a Delete button at the end of the first row and an Add button at the end of the second row.
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Image & Annotation The Image & Annotation element is meant to be used with an image that needs input from the user. When inserting an Image & Annotation element you have to select the image. The user can simply click (or rather, touch) the image to bring up the annotation dialog. Annotations can be made in a Marker (semi-transparent) or Pencil (solid) style, in different colors and with different widths. Annotations are submitted in SVG format by a hidden input.
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containing box in a template. With previous versions of the app, the format of returned signatures could vary. Time and Formatted Time The Time element and the Formatted Time element display the current time on the device when the form is first opened. When the element is touched, a time selector appears so the user can modify this time. The Formatted Time element displays times in a format that depends on the locale of the device on which the user is viewing the form.
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1. Add an ID (required) and, optionally, a class. Note The ID will be copied to the name attribute of the element. The name attribute is what identifies the field to the receiving server-side script. To change the name, select the element after inserting it and type the new name on the Attributes pane. ID's and classes are also useful with regard to variable data (see "Personalizing content" on page 783) and styling (see "Styling templates with CSS files" on page 740). 2.
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The Foundation JavaScript files and style sheets will not be added. You only get those automatically when you start creating a COTG template with a template wizard. (See: "Using Foundation" on page 577.) Element specific settings After inserting certain COTG elements, such as the Camera element, some important settings have to be made. These will appear when you right-click the element and select it from the short-cut menu.
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Tip Click the Edges button on the toolbar t emporarily adds a frame to certain elements on the Design tab. These will not .Print or output. How to make COTG elements required To make a COTG element required, or to change the validation of a COTG Form, right-click the element and choose Validation settings. Set the Form's validation method to jQuery and set the requirements and a message per field. For an explanation see "Changing a Form's validation method" on page 713.
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Grouping data using arrays In a Connect solution, when a Web Form or COTG Form is submitted, there is a Workflow process that receives the data and creates a job data file (which is an XML file). Having arrays in the job data file greatly simplifies creating a data mapping configuration and looping over data in Designer scripts. Here's how to group data in the HTML so that they get submitted as arrays.
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253 dent 361 341 dent With the Use enhanced PHP arrays option, the XML looks similar, but in this case, the value between the first pair of square brackets is expected to consist of two parts, separated by an underscore (e.g. row_0). The first part becomes the element's name. All content after the first underscore (preferably an integer) is given as an attribute of the element (e.g. ).
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Getting the status of unchecked checkboxes and radio buttons Unchecked checkboxes and radio buttons are not submitted (as per standard HTML behavior), so how to get the state of those checkboxes and radio buttons? A common approach to get the state of unchecked checkboxes and radio buttons is to add a hidden field to the Form with the same name as the checkbox or radio button, for example: Whe
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remember that COTG Form elements are only functional in the COTG app, so they won't submit any data. l Within the default browser on your computer. Click the Preview HTML button in the toolbar. This opens your operating system’s default browser and displays the form in that context. Tip In the Designer, you can test the responsiveness of a form using the Responsive Design button at the top right of the workspace. Some browsers also let you test the responsiveness of a form.
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Enter the appropriate information in the Send Test dialog (see "Send COTG Test" on page 1011). Click Finish to send the document. It should automatically appear in the app's Repository for 4 days from the moment it is sent. Once downloaded it remains accessible in the app's Library for 2 days. Tip To manually delete a test template from the app's Library, swipe it to the left.
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right-click HTTP/Soap Server and start it. l In the Designer menu Window > Preferences > Web, the Workflow URL has been set to the correct host. The default is http://127.0.0.1:8080/_getSampleFormData_. This points to an internal process of the Workflow component running at that host. If these conditions are met, you can get the XML file as follows: 1. Open the Form in the Designer, toggle to Live mode and fill out the form.
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Standard Form input dummy data values Input Dummy Value Text "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet" Textarea (multi-line text field) "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet" Email "pparker@localhost.com" Number random integer Password 1234567890 URL "http://www.localhost.com" Checkbox Checkboxes in Dynamic Tables and in the Fields Table control (time sheet) are checked. Radio button Selects the first radio button that is not disabled in each radio group.
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Input Dummy Value tion widget Date Picker (formatte d and standar d) Today's date* TimePic ker (formatte d and standar d) Now* Device Info widget " {"available":true,"platform":"Android","version":"9.9.9","uuid":"17206724b80774 91","cordova":"3.6.4","model":"Connect Designer"}" User Account widget "user@localhost.com" Locale widget en-US * Note that the formatted date and time can be different from the values that the COTG app provides.
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Get submitted data via email Getting submitted data via email requires the Form's action to be set to a test URL that contains an API Key. You can obtain an API Key as follows. 1. Go to http://learn.objectiflune.com/. 2. Create an account, or log in to your account. 3. Go to your Profile Page, and click the API Key link. Now, when creating or editing a COTG Form, you can use the API Key in the Form's action: 1. Select the Form (see "Selecting an element" on page 630). 2.
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Using the COTG plugin: cotg-2.0.0.js A Capture OnTheGo (COTG) Form may contain special COTG input elements, like a Signature, Geolocation, or Camera element. These elements do not function without the COTG JavaScript library. It is this library that links the controls with hardware features on the mobile device. As of Connect 1.8, cotg-2.0.0.js replaces the cotg-1.x.js versions of the library. The new COTG plugin introduces options and custom events for COTG widgets.
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If a template contains an earlier version of the COTG library, the newest version will be added to the resources, but you will be asked which version of the library you prefer to use. Your preferred library will be included in the section (see: "Includes dialog" on page 964). When this library is included in a Web template instead of a COTG template, it won't affect the template, except when the user submits a Form.
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Reacting to, or triggering, widget events The new COTG plugin introduces custom events for COTG controls. You can trigger and/or react to them as the user interacts with the Form. l l Use jQuery’s .on() method to attach an event handler to an element (or set of elements). Call this function on the $(document).ready event, which is triggered when the Form is loaded in the app. Use the .trigger() method to trigger an element's event.
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topic explains how to implement this. It is assumed that you have a basic understanding of HTML forms, CSS, JavaScript, and jQuery. Prerequisites Before you can start writing code that adds a widget in response to an action of the user, you need the following: l l l Some element on the Form to trigger the creation of the widget. This could be anything that responds to an action of the user; a button or link, for example. Make sure that this element has an ID.
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Constructing the HTML A widget basically is an HTML element with certain attributes and contents. The HTML structure of a widget can be seen on the Source tab after adding the widget to a Form in the Designer. In code, reconstruct the HTML. Make sure to give the new element an ID. This code constructs the HTML of a Date element:
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function addCameraWidget(cameraID, value) { if(typeof value == 'undefined') { value = ''; } var html = '
