SimpleCoversheet Design: Difference between revisions

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== [[Element Modes]] ==
== [[Element Modes]] ==
== Input by the User Before Printing ==
[[File:SimpleCoversheet Design Element Modes Input Label Configuration.png|300px|thumb|alt=SimpleCoversheet Design Element Modes Input Label Configuration|SimpleCoversheet Label Configuration Before Printing]]
[[File:SimpleCoversheet Design Element Input User Mode.png|300px|thumb|alt=SimpleCoversheet Design Element Input User Mode|SimpleCoversheet Design in User Mode]]
The ''input'' by the ''user'' before printing option is similar except that the value has to be entered by the user in user mode before printing the coversheet.
If the values fit a certain format that should adhered to, you can create a template for the format that will dictate valid and invalid values during user mode. If an invalid value is present the program will not allow the coversheet to be printed. So a label configured in the following manner:
Ends up behaving like this in ''User Mode'' (once the final zero is entered for 2010 the field will turn black and be accepted for printing):
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<br>
=== Selected by the User from a Text File or Data Source ===
[[File:SimpleCoversheet Design Elements Input Selection Text Files Data Sources.png|300px|thumb|alt=SimpleCoversheet Design Elements  User Input Selection: Text Files Data Sources|User Input Selection: Text Files Data Sources]]
The selection types are another way of restricting the values available in user mode. For these options, during user mode, a drop down will be shown containing all the values from the specified text file or column in a ''Data Source''.
If you want to restrict the user to only being able to use values from the list then check the option labeled ''Only allow values from list''. Otherwise the list is basically a list of suggestions, allowing the user to select options, but also to type in a value if necessary.
If you choose to get your values from a text file, all you need to do is specify the location of the text file. The program assumes there is one option per line in the file. When using a ''Data Source'', you will need to select the ''Data Source'' and then the column of values to use. If at the point when you need to choose a ''Data Source'', you have not created one already, just click the ''Add…'' button next to the drop down of available ''Data Sources''. This will bring up the ''Data Source configuration wizard''.
=== Populated from a Text File or Data Source ===
[[File:SimpleCoversheet Design Element Input Populated Data Sources.png|300px|thumb|alt=SimpleCoversheet Design Element Input Populated Data Sources|Input Populated from Text File & Data Sources]]
The ''populated from a text file'' option is fairly similar to the setup for the ''selected from a text file'' option. The difference is in the behavior of the coversheet in user mode.
When a field is populated from a text file, multiple pages are created, where the different values in the file each appear on a separate coversheet page. So if you have 5 values in your text file, then you would end up with 5 coversheet pages, each one having one of the 5 values.
The number of coversheet pages in user mode can change depending on how many labels you have and how many values each of them have.
[[File:Simple Coversheet Design Element Label Wizard Cycle Function.png|300px|thumb|alt=Simple Coversheet Label Wizard Cycle Function|Simple Coversheet Label Wizard Cycle Function]]
The ''cycle'' option will cause there to be an unlimited number of coversheets if there is no other element with a limited number of values. With the ''cycle'' option enabled the 5 values in a text file or ''Data Source'' column will be repeated over and over again, every 5 pages, ad infinitum, unless there is another element to limit the number of pages. This is useful for printing multiple coversheets for each record in a related dataset, such as a patient chart that has 5 standard sections that need to be divided.
When ''populating from a data source'', the configuration is similar to the ''populated from a text file'' option, with the addition of some special functions designed for printing multiple records on one page. These are the ''Move to next record after element is filled'' and ''Database Fill Order'' properties.
The ''Database Fill Order'' property allows you to determine what order elements receive the values from the same ''Data Source'' and column. The values are positive integers (1, 2, 3, etc…) and dictate the order, where the smaller values get populated first.
The ''Move to next record after element'' is filled property tells the program to skip to the next record in the ''Data Source'' after populating the value for the element in question. It should be set on the last element of a group.
You can ignore these options when printing coversheets that only displays data from one record on each page. When printing label sheets, or any template with multiple records on a single page, ''Database Fill Order'' and ''Move to next record after element is filled'' are used to determine how the page is filled.
You can change the automatic setting for these options after all elements have been created by using the ''Options > Database Fill Order'' menu. Select ''One record per element'' to print multiple records on one page, or ''One record per page'' to print one or more columns from a single record on each page.
The Manual option should be used in cases where the automatic options are not capable of populating the data as you need.
For example, if you had a coversheet with 6 rows of information and 3 elements on each row (as in the following table). In order to group the 3 elements together, you would need to number the ''Database Fill Order'' to ensure each group is together in the sequence and every ''Last Name'' element you would need to set the ''Move Next Record After Fill'' to true.
{| class="wikitable"
! First Name !! MI !! Last Name !
|-
| Darren || F || Markert |
|-
| Javier || V || Eastin |
|-
| Kurt || G || Jordahl |
|-
| Julio || D || Smiddy |
|-
| Penelope || E || Rasmus |
|-
| Lance || R || Frizell |
|}
In order to get one full name per row, the elements would need to be setup as follows (assume each square is a label or barcode element):
[[File:SimpleCoversheet Design Label Barcode Element Setup.png|300px|thumb|center|alt=SimpleCoversheet Design Label Barcode Element Setup|SimpleCoversheet Label & Barcode Element Setup]]
This would create a coversheet that looks similar to the following:
[[File:SimpleCoversheet Design Label Barcode Coversheet.png|300px|thumb|center|alt=SimpleCoversheet Design Label Barcode Coversheet|SimpleCoversheet Label & Barcode Coversheet]]


== Element Properties ==
== Element Properties ==

Revision as of 00:38, 15 January 2022

SimpleCoversheet provides an interface for designing, populating and printing barcode document separator sheets, sheets of sticky labels, and any other type of document that contains barcodes. These coversheets and other barcodes allow documents to be automatically indexed after capture. The scanning process is most efficient whenever such coversheets can be printed by the person generating the document.

Design and User Modes[edit | edit source]

Designer Interface[edit | edit source]

Creating a New Coversheet[edit | edit source]

Elements[edit | edit source]

Element Modes[edit | edit source]

Element Properties[edit | edit source]

In addition to the properties that are set during element configuration via the wizards, there are other properties that are available to be changed via the properties pane in design mode.

Layout Properties[edit | edit source]

The following properties are valid for most elements.

SimpleCoversheet Design Element Layout Properties
SimpleCoversheet Design Element Layout Properties
  • Autosize – Determines whether or not the element should change size based on its contents in user mode. If some values for a label or barcode are longer or shorter than the previous values or designed size, then this allows the element to change size. Turn this off if you would like the text in an element to wrap.
  • Autosize mode – Specifies whether the element should only grow to accommodate large values, or if it should also shrink when a smaller value is being used.
  • Horizontal Anchor – Specifies in which direction the element should grow and shrink when the horizontal size is hanged by the autosize option. Anchoring the element on the left side will cause it to grow to the right. Anchoring the element on the center will cause it to grow to the left and right while remaining centered. Anchoring the element on the right side will cause it to grow to the left.
  • Maximum size – Specifies the maximum size to grow to when autosize is enabled. A value of ‘0; 0’ means that there is no maximum size.
  • Minimum size – Specifies the minimum size to shrink to when autosize is enabled. A value of ‘0; 0’ means that there is no minimum size.
  • Position and Size – These values can be changed via the properties pane, but it is much easier to just resize the element or drag it to a new position with the pointer.
  • Vertical Anchor – Specifies in which direction the element should grow and shrink when the vertical size is changed by the autosize option. Anchoring the elementon the top will cause it to grow ownward. Anchoring the element on the center will cause it to grow both up and own while remaining centered. Anchoring the element on the bottom will cause it to grow upward.

Appearance Properties[edit | edit source]

  • Background color – Changes the background color of the selected element or coversheet.
  • Border style – Changes whether or not the element has a border, and what type of border. A Fixed Single border is a small, thin, flat border. A Fixed 3D border is a beveled border like on windows style forms and buttons. Only applies to labels and text.
  • Character(s) separating the text and value – By default this is a colon and then a space, but can be changed or removed entirely. Only applies to labels.
  • Color – Allows for the color to be changed.
  • Font – Allows for the font to be changed.
  • Text – Allows the text to be changed for elements that are static.
  • Text Alignment – Determines how the text should be aligned inside the borders of the element.

Coversheet Field Data Properties[edit | edit source]

These are only for display and cannot be changed via the properties pane. They give basic configuration information about the currently selected element. To change these properties you must either create a new element or right-click on the element and choose Edit so that the configuration wizard starts and the changes can be made there.

Data Properties[edit | edit source]

  • Column – Specifies which column to get values from in the Data Source.
  • Data Source – Specifies which Data Source to get values from.
  • Move Next Record After Fill – Specifies whether or not to skip to the next record after populating the value for the element in question.
  • Database Fill Order – Specifies the order in which the element should be populated in regards to other elements with the same Data Source. This can only be changed via the configuration wizards.
  • Synchronize on Fill – Only available for elements populated by a Data Source, or selected from a Data Source. When two or more elements with the same Data Source both have Synchronize on Fill enabled, the fill functionality changes to synchronize the two or more elements. So selecting or populating a value from a record in a Data Source for one element, would cause all the synchronized elements’ values to change to their corresponding column values of the same record.

Design Properties[edit | edit source]

The only design property is the Name property which is an internal name used by elements to reference each other. For instance, a Data Source with the name of ‘BindingSource1’ is referenced by a label or barcode whose values are populated by it.

Miscellaneous Properties[edit | edit source]

SimpleCoversheet Design Element Use Verifier Property
SimpleCoversheet Design Use Verifier
  • Use Verifier – This is used for elements where the value will be input by hand. It adds another level of verification when inputting values by requiring the value to be input twice. When setting this option to True, it causes SimpleCoverSheet to create a second input box in User Mode. If this second box’s value is not the same as the first box’s value then you will not be able to print. The image shows User Mode configured with an element named RequiresVerification with the Use Verifier option set to true.

File Indexing Settings[edit | edit source]

SimpleCoversheet Design File Indexing Settings
SimpleCoversheet Design File Indexing Settings

Indexing mode lets you move and rename files based on the values you select for your coversheet. To configure indexing, select the coversheet background to view its properties.

Filename Separator[edit | edit source]

Files will be renamed according to the values selected in the user mode fields. The character(s) entered in this setting will be used to separate values in the filename.

Input Folder[edit | edit source]

The default folder to display for selecting the next file to index.

Output Folder[edit | edit source]

The default folder to save indexed files to.

Remove Original File[edit | edit source]

Set to True to remove files from their original location after indexing. Set to False to create a copy of each indexed file.