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PowerForms User Guide

1. 62 Changing Object Visibility mmmmmmemmemem 63 Setting the Tab Order in Which the Data is Entered 64 IErans apo ONG oot aa tale cool WA AA EM Ld AA MERE 65 Using Data from Database ssssssssssllsss es Rs eee rere rni 67 Using Distributed Printing wmmmmmememe me 67 Automating the Software 2 2222m22mm2mme nnl 68 Command Line Parameters mmmmama mamaaa manana 68 Technical SUDI Aa nue Shae utu I EDS bat otaeeaes 69 Online Support jin te daewenieciodexwlausaadesecedd ced nei deeper n Mor doedacaddyspedecs ent 69 Introduction About this manual Your User Manual is composed of four main sections Introduction This chapter will introduce you to the software Setting Up the Application Learn how to set up and customize software to your preferences Designing Forms Learn how to create forms You should refer to this chapter regularly while designing forms until you have completely familiarized yourself with the commands By using the information contained in this chapter you will be very quickly able to use the software efficiently Conventions used in this Manual Text that appears in bold letters refers to the name
2. File Name You can set a fixed command file name or let some variable define it Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Save Variable Data This action saves the data from the variables to the text file File Name Specify the name of the text file with data It can be fixed or variable 54 Advanced Options Click on this button to select variables you want to save from the text file and define the structure of the text file Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Scripting Languages NiceForm supports the following scripting programming languages Visual Basic Scripting Edition VBScript VBScript is scripting language developed my Microsoft that is modelled on Visual Basic VBscript has been installed by default in every desktop release of Microsoft Windows since Windows 98 in Windows Server since Windows NT NiceForm will use the VBScript already installed in the sys tem To help you begin working with VB script NiceForm ships with the help file named Microsoft Windows Script Tech
3. Note If there are no variables in the list click on the New button and create a new variable or import variables from the label Then repeat the process from step 1 4 Click on the form where you want to position the object 59 Printing a Label Which File Name is Read from the Database 1 Create new form 2 Select the command Get variables from the Design menu 3 Browse to one of the labels you want to print and click on tt The variables from the label will be imported on the form 4 Select the option Variables in the Data menu 5 Click on the Add button to define one local variable that will contain the name of the label file that should be opened Name the variable Label 6 Select the Database Access in the Data dialog box 7 Click on the buttons Wizard to create a connection to a database that stores the label names Select the option I want a table object in the database wizard 8 Double click the table object Table properties will open 9 Go to the Columns tab 10 Make sure the variable Label is linked to the database field containing the name of the label 11 Click on the OK button 12 Place a button object on the form 13 Double click the button object 14 Go to the Actions tab 15 Click on the Edit button 16 Insert the action Open label to the right pane 17 In the action properties select the option Variable label file name 18 Select the variable Label 19 Click o
4. o etcetera aictudos Gouge eee I e pe deca b etacenze ccs 24 QUIE IAA te ee tu COM IN LE Ie Wa d EE AA Pt AAC CAM POE Set d 24 Creatine the Button IIIA 24 Working with Button Group sssenmnnsss n eee cece eee manane mane 25 Creating the Button Group 0200 222i eee ee eee eee ee 25 Working with Check Boxes mame mamaaa manana nama 25 Creatine the Check BOX ccs MUI uU ERU TUNE ML D E 25 Working with Combo Boxes 2 2 0 0 22 20 22 cece ccc eee eee cence manana namana me 26 Working with Combo Box 2 20 2 2 e eee cece mume mme 26 Working with Database Navigator 27 Creating the Database Navigator 27 Working with the Database Navigator 27 Working with Database Search 28 Creatine the Database Search 28 Working with the Database Search 28 Working with Edit Fields 2 000000 0 occ cee cece cece e cece ceeeeeees 28 Creatine the Edit Field 2 vot EA 28 Working with Frame Objects 00 0002222 c cece cece cece ee eee cece e
5. Designing FormS ea RE ea ee ee 11 Using Toolbars 2 2 0 0 2 02 e eee e ee ee ee eeeeeee nesses 11 Using Database Toolbar 0000 00 022 e eee eee eees 11 Using Standard Toolbar mmmmemememo 11 Using Text Toolbar _ 0 0 00 2 0c cco mamaaa maana mami 12 Using Toolbox 2 0 0 0 0 220i eee cece eee eee teeeeeeeeeeees 12 Using Transformations Toolbar 000 022222 c cece e eee eee e eee ee cee eeeeee 13 Using Variable Toolbar 0 000 000 occ cece ccc cece eee cee eee cece cece eeeeeeeees 13 Working with Objects mmmmmama mamaaa maamuma meme mu aman 14 Working with Buttons mmmmam amenena namana mume 14 Defining Actions mmmmm udeeuna i deu seas bids 14 Browse for File or Folder 22222 14 Close Label Rem ee WW 14 Define Printer Settings _ 2 0 0 0 20 e cece cece eeeee 15 CC UU CG aa he es ee n 15 Execute SQL Statement __ _ 2 2 2 22 lec ec eee LLa aooaa naL 15 F r Every Label Ia 16 For Every Record in a Table 17 OM Mises ss we Sw se A ao 17 Import Data Into Database _ 2 222020 ee ee ee eee
6. only if condition returns True as the result of the expression 2 32 Verify License This action allows the user to insert a license check to the trigger e Ifthe entered Solution ID number is not the same as the ID of the application no actions will be executed e Ifthe entered value is 0 actions will be executed if any valid license is found Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Write Data to Serial Port Define how the data will be written to the serial port The data sent to the serial port is stored as a fixed value or in the generated variable You can use the value of the variable directly on the label or use it in some other action in the form like Visual Basic script if additional data manipulation is required Serial Port Settings Define the properties of the serial port where you have attached the serial device The parameters in this dialog box have to match the settings on the device Refer to the documentation of your serial communication device so you will be able to specify the correct com munication parameters If the settings on the device and in the software do not match com munication will not be possible Data Set the data to be sent to the serial port as fixed data or
7. Data to Serial Port Define how the data will be written to the serial port The data sent to the serial port is stored as a fixed value or in the generated variable You can use the value of the variable directly on the label or use it in some other action in the form like Visual Basic script if additional data manipulation is required Serial Port Settings Define the properties of the serial port where you have attached the serial device The parameters in this dialog box have to match the settings on the device Refer to the documentation of your serial communication device so you will be able to specify the correct com munication parameters If the settings on the device and in the software do not match com munication will not be possible Data Set the data to be sent to the serial port as fixed data or data from a variable Type in the set of characters that must be sent to the device Click on the small arrow button on the right to display list of all available special characters Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Automatic Repositioning of Objects in the Resized Form Changing the Size of Multiple Objects Simultaneously 1 Select all objects that you want to resize 2 Select the command Size
8. Define the action Move focus to Object Note If you do not see the action Move focus to Object listed click the Advanced button to show all available actions 5 In the action you have two available options e Move the focus to the first object in tab order e Move the focus to some particular pre defined object Note You can also use the action Move focus to Object in the automatic events File gt Form Properties gt Events Changing the Screen Position of the Running Form When you run the form that you have created by default it will run in the maximized mode on the default display You do not have to run the form in the maximized mode you can center the form on the desktop or current screen Do the following 1 Select File gt Form Properties 2 Go to Appearance tab 3 Select the option Normal Now you can set the form dimensions centering and offsets on your own 4 Select the appropriate option for the Position and Size section _ 62 Changing Object Visibility You can control many object properties on the form including object visibility or object state enabled disabled state The interface to the form object is exposed through the action Set object property When this action executes in the runtime it will adjust a particular object property The object will immediately respond and change its state The action can be executed from the chosen event such as onButtonClick actions
9. Field connections to variables 41 Database Wizard Additional Objects 41 Database Wizard Completing the Process 42 Usine ers ok ets es oo ee ee ee re ee DD ee ue aes 42 Working with Variables wmememen 43 Editing Variables mmmmmmmmmmmmn DOC DI nu 43 Internal Variables wwwmmmnn I Ire eee eee eee 43 UV Varrabl II eu ladas ates elu bie peas ei LII Loue A dd 43 DON A COONS IIIA 44 TWAIN Advanced III AI 44 ACHOnNS Edito AAA TA ny ma sue ral E ir MANA ABANA AAA aaah oe ea de SI AAA WAZAWA 45 Advanced Options for Label Quantity 46 Advanced Options for Load Variable Data 46 Advanced Options for Save Variable Data 46 Browse for File or Folder m meme 46 Close Labe PEDE 47 Define Printer Settings eo cdiiloxcodhavnads ave tenet deste diabhteivotendedisdiui mh as 47 EXeCcule scrIpUz uoo ete oe tilii SIDA E les med teed Siete eee 47 Execute SQL Statement _ __ _ 22 2 22 22 ecco cece cc
10. Go to the Contents tab 4 Select Variable value for the contents 5 Select the variable from the list This variable will store the value the user will provide Note If no variable is available in the list import the variables from the label Design gt Get Variables or click on the button New 6 Click on the OK button Note To cancel placing an object on the form press the ESC button 30 Working with Pictures Creating the Picture Object To use the picture object do the following 1 Click on the icon in the toolbox Note You can also select the command Picture in the Object menu 2 Click on the form where you want to position the object The Open dialog box opens 3 Browse for the picture that you want to use 4 Click on the Open button Note To change the object properties double click on it To cancel placing an object on the form press the ESC button Working with Previews Creating the Preview To use the preview object do the following 1 Click on the icon in the toolbox Note You can also select the command Preview in the Object menu 2 Click on the form where you want to position the object The dialog box Select Label File opens 3 Browse to the label file you want to preview on the form 4 Click on the Open button Note To cancel placing an object on the form press the ESC button Working with Radio Groups Creating the Radio Group To cre
11. additional objects that can be positioned on the form as well Search Control For more information refer to the topic Database Search Database Nav For more information refer to the topic Database Nav igator igator Database Wizard Completing the Process Database Wizard Completing the Database Wizard You have successfully completed the Database Wizard Summary of tasks completed Selected database table Selected fields in the table Established links between database fields and variables Ta close this wizard click Finish Database Wizard Completing the process All information required by the Wizard have been entered You can review the changes you have made If you are not satisfied with the settings click Back to return to previous step of the Wizard Click Finish to close the Wizard and create a new table connectivity based on parameters you entered Using Filters If you add the filter in the DESIGN mode on the form such filter is stored with the form and is applied every time the form is run The user cannot remove such filter If the user adds some cus tom filter in RUN mode such filter is not stored with the form It is active only for as long as the form is running When the form is closed the filter 1s discarded and is not applied at next form run _ 42 Working with Variables Editing Variables You can only edit internal variables on the form If variable is defined and acquired from label fi
12. appearance of your pre defined values Note You can also use keyboard shortcuts Alt Up and Alt Down to change the position of values in the list 12 Click on the OK button DO Note To cancel placing an object on the form press the ESC button Working with Database Navigator Creating the Database Navigator To use the database navigator object do the following l Click on the icon in the toolbox Note You can also select the command Database Navigator in the Object menu 2 Click on the form where you want to position the object 3 Double click on the object The dialog box opens with object properties 4 Go to the Database tab 5 Select the database from the list Note If no database is available in the list click on the Edit button and create a link to the data base 6 Click on the OK button Working with the Database Navigator The database navigator is used to move the focus from one record in the database to the next All objects that are connected with the fields from the same database that database navigator 1s linked to will change when you use the database navigator Note The database navigator is also part of the table object You would use it as a separate object if you do not use the table object on the form The available buttons in the database navigator are First record Prior record Next record Last record Refresh data CEECEE xD Working wit
13. button to open the Expression Editor that will help you construct your script The button might not be available for all scripting languages Check Script Click on this button to verify the syntax of you script If there is a syntax error in the your script you will be notified about it Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to execute the current action Execute script only when the condition is True Execute SQL Statement Here you can define a custom SQL statement that can add modify or delete data in the database table When running forms on desktop platform you can use the SQL commands SELECT INSERT UPDATE and DELETE When running forms on the web platform you can use all SQL commands This procedure is considered advanced and requires prior SQL programming knowledge SQL Statement Type in the SQL commands to execute with this action TO use form s variables in the SQL statement put a colon in front of their name If the form variable includes a space enclose the variable in square brackets For example The user works with his customer database The table Customers includes a field named Customer ID There is a variable ZD defined in a form The user enters the value for ID _15 using an edit field and wants to delete all customer information for the entered JD The SQL statement will delete all records where the value of the Custo
14. country The image object contains action Translate Form with hard coded the language name Such as DE for German language NiceForm must find the matching DE field in the translations file e Variable name For example your form contains a drop down box with lan guage names When the user changes the language in the list the onChange action for this object will execute the Translate Form action The drop down box saves the user selection in some variable which is used in the action Structure of the Translation File The translation file is a text file with UTF 8 encoded data It is similar to comma separated val ues CSV The Formatting Rules Y ou have to pay attention to the following formatting rules 65 e The first line contains the ID of languages e The very first field is always named Source You must not change it e The names of the rest of the fields in the first row are user con figurable Y ou can use the suggested names such as Language 2 and Language 3 or you can change them to whatever describes the language better such as German French Chinese etc e All lines that follow the first line are lines with the translations from the original language The first field contains the original string the next fields in the same line contain translation to other languages The first line specifies in which order the translation must follow the source string e All values are enclosed with dou
15. data from a variable Type in the set of characters that must be sent to the device Click on the small arrow button on the right to display list of all available special characters Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Quit The action will close the currently running form If you are a form designer executing Quit action will close the running form and return you back to the form designer When the print operator the end user will execute Quit command the form will close entirely Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Creating the Button To use the button object do the following 1 Click on the icon in the toolbox Note You can also select the command Button in the Object menu 2 Click on the form where you want to position the object The dialog box opens with object properties _ 24 3 Go to the Actions tab 4 Click on the Edit button to open the Actions Editor window 5 Define the actions you want to execute when the user will click on the button Drag the appropriate actio
16. defined on the label you should first create one or import them from the labels Database When this type of contents provider is selected you can select the database field and link it to the object The data from the database table will be used for the object Working with Databases Database Wizard Database Wizard Database wizard lets you specify the source database for the table in an easy step by step pro cedure Click the Wizard button in the Database Access Functions dialog box or click the Wizard button in the Database Tool The Database Wizard offers you a quick and easy method to make database table available to the form elements When the Wizard is finished it will leave you with ready made connection You can further modify the table layout and properties or use it as is This is a great shortcut for design ing quick connectivity to data in database tables 206 Database Wizard Starting Database Wizard Welcome to the Database Wizard This wizard helps you connect your data from a database to the variable fields on the label You will complete the following tasks Select the database Select fields in the database Connect fields with label variables To continue click Next Database Wizard Starting On the starting screen of Database Wizard you will learn what tasks will be completed Wizard will comfortable guide you through each required step The result of the Wizard will be datab
17. form designer executing Quit action will close the running form and return you back to the form designer When the print operator the end user will execute Quit command the form will close entirely Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Read Data from Serial Port Define how the data will be read from the serial port The data received on the serial port is stored in the generated variable You can use the value of the variable directly on the label or use it in some other action in the form like Visual Basic script if additional data manipulation is required Serial Port Settings Define the properties of the serial port where you have attached the serial device The parameters in this dialog box have to match the settings on the device Refer to the documentation of your serial communication device so you will be able to specify the correct com munication parameters If the settings on the device and in the software do not match com munication will not be possible Initialization Data Initialization data is set of characters that need to be sent to the serial device in order to activate it and make it ready to send data to the PC computer Type in the set of characters that must be sent to the device Cl
18. from Transformations menu _ 58 Importing Variables from the Label 1 Select the command Get Variables from the Design menu The Select Label File dialog box opens 2 Select the label files from which you want to import the variables 3 The prompted variables that exist in a label file are available on the form These variables can now be connected with specific objects on the form Note You can also import the database variables from the labels Just make sure to tick the option Use database variables defined in the label file If you do not want to manually import variables use the New Form Wizard Note Avoid using the same variable names as are the names of the internal variables in the application like Date Time or Username Linking Object with Variables METHOD 1 1 Place a fixed object on the form 2 Double click the object The properties of the object open 3 Go to the Contents tab 4 Select the Variable value in the Contents combo box 5 Select the appropriate variable from the list of variables Note If there are no variables in the list click on the New button and create a new variable or import variables from the label Then repeat the process from step 1 6 Click on the OK button METHOD 2 1 Click on the small arrow button next to the object icon in the toolbox A context menu will display 2 Select the option Use Existing Variable 3 Select the variable from the list
19. individual values if you want to use indi vidual fields in the form sample statement SELECT FROM dbTable WHERE ID 1 OR ID 2 The result ID MyField n l yA fieldl n pu field2 Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression For Every Label The property defines the list of labels for which all defined actions will be executed Fixed values Define the list of labels 16 e Add Add labels to the list e Arrow next to the Add button Add variables to the list The variables must contain the path and name of the label e Delete Remove the selected item from the list e Arrow buttons Change the order of labels in the list This is the order in which the labels are printed Variable value Select one variable that will contain the path and name of the label Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression For Every Record ina Table The property defines the table All records or all selected records from the table will be used in the defined actions Table Select the name of
20. is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression this setting is only available in the advanced Action Editor mode Open Document Program The action executes the specified program or opens the specified document when the button is clicked File Name Define a file name for the document program that you want to open Include full path to the program or document Note If you are opening a program you can also include variables as parameters in the com mand line Enclose the variables in the square brackets For example c program files my_pro gram exe Variable Hide window Enable this option to hide the Command Prompt window that displays when the selected application launches Usually you do not want the user to see the black Command Prompt window Wait for completion Enable this option if you want to wait for the result from the application that you run and the next actions in the list rely on its completion Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression 19 Open Label This action defines the label file that will be used to printing when the user clicks on the button Label Define the fixed name of the label or select the variable containing the path a
21. of the expression Print Label This action executes the printing command and defines how many labels will be printed Number of Labels Define how many labels should be printed e Fixed The number entered in the edit field defines how many labels will be printed e Unlimited The maximum quantity of labels supported by the current printer will be prin ted This options is generally used with database files where unlimited would be used as print the whole database Note Be careful and do not create an infinite loop when label printing would not end e Variable quantity Some variable on the label will set the quantity of labels to be prin ted In most cases this will be some field from the database The form does not know 255 how many labels will be printed When the data 1s processed on the label the variable quantity gets its value e From variable The value of the selected variable defines the quantity of labels that will be printed Advanced Options Click this button to set advanced options for the quantity of labels Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression this setting is only available in the advanced Action Editor mode Quit The action will close the currently running form If you are a
22. path and name of the label e Delete Remove the selected item from the list e Arrow buttons Change the order of labels in the list This is the order in which the labels are printed Variable value Select one variable that will contain the path and name of the label Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression For Every Record in a Table The property defines the table All records or all selected records from the table will be used in the defined actions Table Select the name of the table you want to use Use selected records only Enable this option to use only selected records in the defined actions not all records in the table Note The database table must already be defined on the form Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression For Loop For loop makes it possible for the action to be executed a certain number of times Loop from Select a starting value for the incremented loop Loop to Select an end value for the incremented loop Note If the loop from value is higher th
23. the expression this setting is only available in the advanced Action Editor mode Note The action Open Label can contain other actions nested below it You must always use the Open Label action to print labels and executing some other actions Such actions cannot exist on their own but are always nested below Open Label action Open Another Form This action will close the current form and open the specified form File Name Select a fixed form name on the hard disk or select a variable containing the name of the form Previously opened form The form that was used to open the current form will be re opened The history of opened forms is remembered and you can go back several levels deep Note The result of using the Previously opened form option is the same as if you would click Back button in your Internet Explorer while browsing the internet Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression this setting is only available in the advanced Action Editor mode Other Actions Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as th4e result
24. the table you want to use Use selected records only Enable this option to use only selected records in the defined actions not all records in the table Note The database table must already be defined on the form Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression For Loop For loop makes it possible for the action to be executed a certain number of times Loop from Select a starting value for the incremented loop Loop to Select an end value for the incremented loop Note If the loop from value is higher than the loop to value the loop will decrement the value regressively The Loop from and Loop to values can be fixed or variable and the current loop value can also be saved into a variable Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Import Data Into Database Note The action is only available for forms running on the Web platform not for forms running on a desktop platform This action will read data from formatted CSV text file and import it into the SQL database Before you can
25. use this action you must have already created a connection to the SQL database The action does not work with file based databases such as Microsoft Access or data files like a 7s Microsoft Excel or plain text files You must use server based SQL database such as Microsoft SQL Server Rules e You must have the table already created within SQL database e The table must contain PRIMARY KEY e The first line in a text file must define field names e The field names in the text file must match field names in the database table e Ifthe text file does not provide a value for some field NULL will be written to the data base If the field does not accept NULL values then the empty string will be written e Setting values for auto incremental fields are ignored The database will provide value for such field e Ifthe value from text file does not match the structure of the field the action 1s canceled and error message displayed E g when you try to write alphanumerical value into numerical field e If you filter records in the form and display just records matching some condition you can only import records that either do not provide value for the filter field or provide the same value for the filter as your form has defined You can only use filters with equal condition not greater than less than con tains or similar e Ifthe text file contains fields not defined in the SQL database the import will ignore the
26. variables you want to load from the text file e All variables The default setting is to load all variables e Selected variables Click on the Select button and select the variables you want to load Other Define the delimiter and text qualifier as are used for the text file Advanced Options for Save Variable Data Advanced options for the text file containing the exported data are defined in this dialog box Variables Select which variables you want to save to the text file e All variables The default setting is to save all variables e Selected variables Click on the Select button and select the variables you want to load If File Exists Define the action if the file already exists Other Define the delimiter and text qualifier as are used for the text file Browse for File or Folder The action opens a file browser window The action settings offer details which enable easier con textual file or folder browsing such as a pre defined extension filter and starting directory Filter Define the file browsing filters You may choose between preset filter choices or enter your own Initial Directory Choose which folder will be open by default in the browsing window 46 Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns
27. Create new form Create new form using the wizard Open existing form Save currently opened label Cut the selected objects to clipboard Copy the selected objects to clipboard alis Paste the objects from the clipboard Undo last action Redo last action Run the current form New window with running form will open Access to variables Click on the small arrow for more commands 2 Databases Access to the databases Click on the small arrow for more com mands Using Text Toolbar You can use text toolbar to quickly format the text objects on the label ER Arial ili 7 Bl U Here is how 1 First select it the text object by clicking tt 2 Click the appropriate shortcut button in the text toolbar 3 To change the font select the appropriate font from the list in the list box 4 To change the size of the text click on the list with font sizes and select appropriate size Note You can change the fonts size also directly on the label by resizing the text element with a mouse 5 To format the text bold italic or underline click on the appropriate formatting buttons Formats the selected text in bold style Formats the selected text in italic style Formats the selected text in underline m style Using Toolbox To use the toolbox do the following 1 Click on the icon in the toolbox to select the object 2 Move the mouse over the form See how the cursors has changed 3 Click o
28. Down arrows to set the order of appearance in which values are defined in the text file Send Custom Commands Send the defined list of commands to the print engine for execution Commands Enter the commands in the text area _ 55 Edit Click on the Edit button to open the Expression Editor that will help you define the script of custom commands You can also include variables in the commands Just type in the variable name and enclose it with the square brackets For example To print the number of labels as specified in the variable Quantity the print com mand should look like PRINT Quantity Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Send Data to TCP IP Define the sending of data to the TCP IP port Destination Define the destination to which you wish to send the TCP IP data If you only provide the address and not the port number the port will default to 80 Click on the detailed settings button to enter the host name or port number separately or to connect them with a variable Content Set the data to be sent to the TCP IP port Encoding Set the encoding data Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable curre
29. Just type in the variable name and enclose it with the square brackets For example To print the number of labels as specified in the variable Quantity the print com mand should look like PRINT Quantity Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Note For more information about commands refer to the help or user guide Send Data to TCP IP Define the sending of data to the TCP IP port J 2 Destination Define the destination to which you wish to send the TCP IP data If you only provide the address and not the port number the port will default to 80 Click on the detailed settings button to enter the host name or port number separately or to connect them with a variable Content Set the data to be sent to the TCP IP port Encoding Set the encoding data Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Set Printer The action defines the printer name that you want to use for label printing This setting will over ride the printer setting that were set directly on the label Printers Defi
30. NiceLabel NiceForm User Guide PowerForms English Edition Rev 1409 2014 Euro Plus d o o All rights reserved Euro Plus d o o Poslovna cona A 2 SI 4208 en ur Slovenia tel 386 4 280 50 00 fax 386 4 233 11 48 www nicelabel com info nicelabel com Table of Contents Table of Ole a 5 lt a mami mma mmama mlie ma mii 3 INtrOdUCHION R 7 About this manual mmmammm mamaaa mamaa mamae 7 Conventions used in this Manual mmmemeem 7 Welcome to NiceForm scessenne cece ccc ccc ceeeceeecceeeceecceueeeeues 7 Setting up the Application 2 22 8 User Interface _ 2 200 2 coon ccc c cece e cece eee eee eee ceeeeeecceeeseceeseees 8 Basic and Advanced User Interface 8 Keyboard Shortcuts mmemmm mmama mamaa maua mwani 8 Status bar mmmmama mamaa mmama a lawama alaa a aa 9 Toolbars _ 2 2 2 2 22 cece cece cece ccc cece cece cece cece cece ecee eee eeeeeeeceeeeeeeeeeeceeeeeeeeeeeees 9 Form SCCM CY ai 9 Locking Form wmmm weww mumu u eee eeeeeeeeeeeeeeees 9
31. Note You can also select the command List box in the Object menu 2 Click on the form where you want to position the object 3 Double click on the object The dialog box opens with object properties _ 29 4 Go to the Contents tab 5 Select Variable value for the contents 6 Select the variable from the list This variable will store the value the user will select Note If no variable is available in the list import the variables from the label Design gt Get Variables or click on the button New 7 Go to Values tab 8 Click on the Edit button The Edit items dialog box opens 9 Enter the values that will be available for the selection Each line contains one value 10 Click on the OK button to close Edit items dialog box 11 You can use the Up and Down arrows to change the order of appearance of your pre defined values Note You can also use keyboard shortcuts Alt Up and Alt Down to change the position of values in the list 12 Click on the OK button Note To cancel placing an object on the form press the ESC button Working with Memo Fields Creating the Memo Field To use the memo field object do the following l Click on the EH Memo Field icon in the toolbox Note You can also select the command Memo field in the Object menu 1 Click on the form where you want to position the object 2 Double click on the object The dialog box opens with object properties 3
32. True as the result of the expression Close Label Use this command to force closing the label that you previously opened with a command Open Label Do not use this action if printing speed is important to you By default NiceForm will open the label and keep it open as long the application runs Keeping the label open saves you time you would otherwise spend for re loading the label In time critical label printing environments every second can count Note NiceFormwill not see the changes in the label file that label designer made and will con tinue to print the older label contents If the design of your label templates changes frequently make sure to use the action Close Label otherwise don t use it to speed up printing Define Printer Settings The action displays the dialog box with properties of the form s selected printer This way the end user can change the printer properties like printing speed darkness and other controls independently from the current printer settings in the label in the printer driver or printer hardware settings The modifications the user makes are temporarily and influence current print job only The modifications are not saved in the label or form Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expr
33. an the loop to value the loop will decrement the value regressively 49 The Loop from and Loop to values can be fixed or variable and the current loop value can also be saved into a variable Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Import Data Into Database This action will read data from formatted CSV text file and import it into the SQL database Before you can use this action you must have already created a connection to the SQL database The action does not work with file based databases such as Microsoft Access or data files like Microsoft Excel or plain text files You must use server based SQL database such as Microsoft SQL Server Rules e You must have the table already created within SQL database e The table must contain PRIMARY KEY e The first line in a text file must define field names e The field names in the text file must match field names in the database table e Ifthe text file does not provide a value for some field NULL will be written to the data base If the field does not accept NULL values then the empty string will be written e Setting values for auto incremental fields are ignored The database will provide value for such field e Ifthe value from text file do
34. ase table connected on the form The database fields will be linked to form objects 287 Database Wizard Selecting the Database File Database Wizard Browse for Database File Select the file that contains your data 9 Direct database access Recommended option Other databases ODBC Identity Browse for the table containing your data You can read data from Paradox dB ase MS Access and MS Excel files Database Wizard Selecting the database file First you must select the database file which has stored the appropriate data you would like use Wizard can work with MS Access dBase Paradox and MS Excel databases If you have any other type of database you will have to make a manual connection to the database and you cannot use the Wizard Select the database file and click on the Next button to continue with the Wizard 38 Database Wizard Field Usage Database Wizard Field usage Specify the usage of the selected fields from the database Define how you want the selected database fields to be used want a table object want an edit field for each field in the database vill link the database fields to the objects myself later Database Wizard Field usage Select how the database fields should be used on the form I want a table A table object is used on the form and linked to the database I want an edit field for each field in the database Edit field objects are
35. atabase fields are used on the label the label preview might be slowing down the user experience A solution is to disable automatic refresh of the label preview When you want to update the previews use this action Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Refresh Database The action refreshes a database object on the form There must be a database object on the form for this action to be available Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Run Command File Executes the commands in the specified command file The following types of the command files are supported e JOB file e XML file e CSV Comma Separated Values file All of the command files provide the commands to instruct the print engine what to do In most cases you want to open the label set the values to variables on the label and print the label to the specified printer See the chapters in the section Integration and Connectivity in the label designer user guide or Automating the Software in middleware integration module user guide
36. ate the radio group object do the following 1 Click on the icon in the toolbox Note You can also select the command Radio Group in the Object menu zd 2 Click on the form where you want to position the object 3 Double click on the object The dialog box opens with object properties 4 Go to the Contents tab 5 Select Variable value for the contents 6 Select the variable from the list This variable will store the value the user will select Note If no variable 1s available in the list import the variables from the label Design gt Get Variables or click on the button New 7 Go to Values tab 8 Click on the Edit button The Edit items dialog box opens 9 Enter the values that will be available for the selection Each line contains one value 10 Click on the OK button to close Edit items dialog box 11 Click on the OK button Working with Tables Create the Table Element To use the table object do the following 1 Click on the Note You can also select the command Table in the Object menu 2 Click on the form where you want to position the object 3 Double click on the object The dialog box opens with object properties 4 Go to the Database tab 5 Select a database from the list If no database is available in the list click on the Edit button and define a link to the data base 6 Go to the Columns tab icon in the toolbox 7 Link each database field with the app
37. bels NiceForm has the logic that supports default values This logic speeds up the work and prevents printing labels with incorrect contents Setting up the Application User Interface Basic and Advanced User Interface The software has two level user interface By default basic user interface is enabled that makes the software easier to use for beginners and inexperienced users To switch to the Advanced mode showing all program functionality click on the Advanced button in the bottom of some dialog boxes Keyboard Shortcuts Delete Deletes selected object Shift Delete Cut Ctrl Insert Copy Shift Insert Paste Alt Back Undo Alt Shift Backspace Reno Ctrl A Select all objects in the form Ctrl X Cut Ctrl C Copy Ctrl V Paste Ctrl Z Undo Ctrl N New Ctrl O Open Ctrl S Save Ctrl F9 Run form Ctrl G Snap to grid Ctrl Tab Leave the database table change focus Alt F4 Exit Ctrl move object with Parallel moving of the object by main axes only mouse Ctrl cursor Fine tuning the position of the object move it in very keys small steps Shift cursor Fine tuning the dimensions of the object resize width keys and height in very small steps Turning mouse wheel Scrolls the form up and down Shift turning mouse wheel Enter or F2 with any label Open dialog box with element s properties element Status bar Status bar shows information and messages at the bo
38. ble quote characters e All values are delimited by a semicolon character e If you have multi line text objects in the form the newline lt CR gt lt LF gt will be encoded as special string NEWLINES e If you leave the translation empty the Source string will be used Sample of a Translation File Source DE amp Prinr s Uspruck Dese tom 1 zeSNEWLINES yourSNEWLINESprintingSNEWLINES forms AnpassenSNEWLINESSieSNEWLI Printer Drucker Quantity Menge SAMPLE PROBE Se amp ttings Einstellungen Translate Ubersetzen www nicelabel com solutions Translating Strings If you use the Translate Form anywhere in your form all strings that you have in the form are automatically saved to translation file whenever you save the form This ensures that the trans lation file is always up to date with your form The translation file is Unicode aware text file You can edit it in any text editor but you might have troubles recognizing the fields because their values are semicolon separated and not aligned one below another You can also open the file in a spreadsheet application such as Microsoft Excel In this case the fields belonging to particular language will be displayed in the same column of data and much easier to edit However note that spreadsheet applications might no honor the input file struc ture In this case you will have to reformat the data yourself after you have
39. button to open the properties of the currently selected action in the right pane Double clicking the action also opens the properties e Delete Click on this button to delete the selected action in the right pane e Arrow buttons Click on the arrow buttons to change the order of the actions in the right pane Use the same arrows to change the nesting of actions Actions in the Actions Editor can be copied to the Clipboard and pasted into another or the same Actions Editor If Actions are pasted into another Actions Editor all of the variables used in the copied Actions must also be defined in the target Trigger 45 Advanced Options for Label Quantity Number of Skipped Labels This many labels will be skipped on the first page of labels the option is useful is some labels on the sheet have already been used and you would like to use the rest of the labels on the same page Identical Label Copies The option sets the number of label copies you want to use with every printed label Label Sets The option instructs how many times the printing process should be repeated For example If you set Number of Labels to Fixed 5 and Number of labels sets to 3 in the Advanced Options the printing of 5 labels will be repeated three times resulting in 15 printed labels Advanced Options for Load Variable Data Advanced options for the text file containing the exported data are defined in this dialog box Variables Select which
40. c cece ccc e ec ee cee cece seen r serere cr me 47 Filter SA NA AA ai AA KA AWA YESU TA MAA MGUSA APAA NAA WA KUNAWA SUMA SAA WEEE UNA 49 For Every Lab NORTON RECETA 49 For Every Record in a Table 0 000 002 c ccc ccc eee cece eee eee e eee ees 49 For OO uu co NETT REMIT 49 Import Data Into Database 000 0 2 occ ccc cece IR Iesse ee eee eee eeees 50 Load Variable Data m em eeeeeeeeeeeeees 50 Move Focus to Object scene seed so ci en are Lo ea sees SI Open Document Program ssscsssse sss ese esr lesse rni S1 Open Ty AVC hio es oats Sa ee abe na eet tic AA LEA dU CL paLD LR ick cuo de 52 Open Another Form eod exceeds A ae mamaaa mamae I 52 Other Actions mmmmmmm mmama mamaaa lala la UR EE 52 Prmt DE AA Fa AA Wa tse te tt oe he ite Be ERA EAM 52 np TL 53 Read Data from Serial Port LtttuuuuusssssesslllsllllIlsss sss sss Illi 53 Resh Preview ss crar Senissecsmnahatiase dsl Slaton ay AA basen denis eec dU Va 54 Relresh Data as IA IIIA IN ce 54 Run Command File m2mmmmmm mam am am emmem 54 Save Variable Data mmm manana namna mum 54 Scripting Languages ma
41. ck box state enabled dis abled Note If no variable is available in the list import the variables from the label Design gt Get Variables or click on the button New 7 Go to Values tab 8 Type in the text for the check box The text will explain to the user what he can enable disable with the check box 9 Enter the values for both states of the check box enabled and disabled 10 Click on the OK button Note To cancel placing an object on the form press the ESC button Working with Combo Boxes Working with Combo Box To use the combo box object do the following l Click on the icon in the toolbox Note You can also select the command Combo box in the Object menu 2 Click on the form where you want to position the object 3 Double click on the object The dialog box opens with object properties 4 Go to the Contents tab 5 Select Variable value for the contents 6 Select the variable from the list This variable will store the value the user will select Note If no variable is available in the list import the variables from the label Design Get Variables or click on the button New 7 Go to Values tab 8 Click on the Edit button The Edit items dialog box opens 9 Enter the values that will be available for the selection Each line contains one value 10 Click on the OK button to close Edit items dialog box 11 You can use the Up and Down arrows to change the order of
42. e current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Verify License This action allows the user to insert a license check to the trigger e Ifthe entered Solution ID number is not the same as the ID of the application no actions will be executed e Ifthe entered value is 0 actions will be executed if any valid license 1s found Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression View Log File This action opens the printing log file for the current workstation As such the button with this action offers access to the reprinting function where past print jobs can be selected in the log file and reprinted Reprinting 57 1 Define how many labels should be printed 2 Select the printer for the reprinting 3 Select the individual labels for reprinting in the list Note If many labels are listed you can use the search function to locate the label that you wish to reprint Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Write
43. e with this action TO use form s variables in the SQL statement put a colon in front of their name If the form variable includes a space enclose the variable in square brackets For example The user works with his customer database The table Customers includes a field named Customer ID There is a variable ZD defined in a form The user enters the value for JD using an edit field and wants to delete all customer information for the entered ZD The SQL statement will delete all records where the value of the Customer ID field 1s equal to the entered JD number Customer ID ID Y ou must use the variable ZD in your SQL statement In NiceLabel software you can do it by including colon character in front of the variable name like this DELETE FROM Customers WHERE Customer ID l1D To test your SQL statement click the Execute button The result of your SQL statement is remembered in the variable you select in the Variable section e When you use commands INSERT UPDATE or DELETE the variable will contain the numerical value which represents the number of the rows affected by the command You can use this result for execution tracking If the result 1s 0 no updates were done in the database e When you use command SELECT the variable will contain the result returned from the database server The result for SELECT command can be e Value of a single field in this case your SQL statement is written to return j
44. ect an object simply click on it To select more than one object hold Shift while clicking You can also drag a rectangle around the objects to select all of them The rectangle does not have to enclose all of them it is enough that it only touches the objects you want to select Using the keyboard to select objects You can also use keyboard shortcuts to select move and resize objects Selects new object that is Up down left right from Cursor keys the one already selected Ctrl Cursor Moves the currently selected object in the direction of keys the pressed cursor key ift SIMI Cursor Resizes the selected object Keys 2 452 Working with Variable Data Contents Providers Contents Providers Contents Provider is an expression for any method that can be used as an source of data for ele ments on the form It is applicable to all form elements that can have some sort of data associated with them The contents provider for objects can be one of the following Fixed When you select Fixed you can enter a desired value in the edit box This value will remain the same for the object To edit the text all standard Windows editing features cut copy and paste can be used Variable When the Variable option is selected you can connect any variable field to the element just select the appropriate variable name from the list This approach will allow you to change the variable value on the labels If no variable is
45. ee eeeeees 29 Creating the Frame Object isp a et es ER Sate Ug M Heute 29 Working with List Boxes _ 0 200 220 cece ccc cece eee RR Iss seres srl rl 29 Creating the List BOX t6 eeenesenieuatosites es 29 Working with Memo Fields 00 00 022 c cece cee cece eee cece nnne 30 Creatine th Memo Field AAA 30 Working with Pictures cori eoe ec enrdeautsbied wabeadee anter Pe S ablautebe pene crewed x 31 Creating the Picture Object 2222 31 Working with Previews 02 222 cece cece eee e cece cece cece cece mamaaa mamaa mumu 31 Creating the Preview olus oe cot usta bosses cane oa nas aidendareud Souk dda ma mM uA ME E ET 31 Working with Radio Groups ssssse lessen eee ee cece wanan 31 Creatine the Radio Group 226 ooi Bolas etapa toot tali e ecu ee sant leuss 31 Working with Tables mmeme manana 32 Create the Table Element 32 Formatting Table Object mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmwmn 33 Linking Fields with Variables 33 Using Master Detail Connection ssl sss sss esses nene 33 W
46. eee 17 Load Variable Data sssss ee ee I RI eee eee eeeeeerererees 18 Move Focus to Object 22222mmmmmmmemeeee us 18 Open Another Form meme e eee 19 Open Document Program emem umeme em 19 Opa a ei ee ee eee 20 Print Label 000a ch erecacevs bidbcowiuechasecestencleeccadcduusuatquastdecdecdacetebentedauues 20 Read Data from Serial Port 22222 20 Refresh Database mmmeme meme m enu u em 21 Refresh Previews mmmmmmmm mema mama mumu em mumu l ume 21 Run Command File mmmmmmmemememe meme 21 Save Variable Data __ _ 0 0 2 lle ccc eee cece cece eee cece cece meme eee 22 Select Variables mme eee ee 22 Send Custom Commands s s s sess cece eee aaoo 22 Send Data to TCP IP s sss ss eee eee cece e ence eeeeeeeeeees 22 Vm iur t cx XT ccm 23 d Sb MI E ET 23 Veri Dacense AA hacen MILIA Ln UL uL le hee COR bane Boat Re 24 Wite Data to Serial Pori
47. en the button is clicked File Name Define a file name for the document program that you want to open Include full path to the program or document Note If you are opening a program you can also include variables as parameters in the com mand line Enclose the variables in the square brackets For example c program files my_pro gram exe Variable Hide window Enable this option to hide the Command Prompt window that displays when the selected application launches Usually you do not want the user to see the black Command Prompt window Wait for completion Enable this option if you want to wait for the result from the application that you run and the next actions in the list rely on its completion Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression 5 Open Label This action defines the label file that will be used to printing when the user clicks on the button Label Define the fixed name of the label or select the variable containing the path and name to the label Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of
48. es not connect to the print engine directly to print the labels but creates a batch command JOB file containing necessary commands to describe the current print operation The JOB file can then be either dropped on a specified network folder or sent to the server applic ation over TCP IP network protocol _67 Automating the Software Command Line Parameters You can use the command line parameters to pass advanced commands to the form designer when the application starts There are actually two form applications available two EXE files One is form designer one is run time module that executes the designed form lt Program Name gt EXE file name options For designer The Program Name is C Program Files EuroPlus NiceLabel 6 bin nform6 exe file name Represents the full path and name of the form file to open parameter can be the following off2xff If you start form designer with this parameter you can convert the form files from previous versions of the software text OFF file format to newer version XML XFF file format Single file conversion If the application is run with filename off off2xff parameters then form designer will convert file filename off to the new format with the name file name xff Note If the file filename xff already exists it will be overwritten without a question Multiple file conversions If the application is run with foldername off2xff parameters then f
49. es not match the structure of the field the action is canceled and error message displayed E g when you try to write alphanumerical value into numerical field e If you filter records in the form and display just records matching some condition you can only import records that either do not provide value for the filter field or provide the same value for the filter as your form has defined You can only use filters with equal condition not greater than less than con tains or similar e Ifthe text file contains fields not defined in the SQL database the import will ignore them Only known fields will be imported Condition This is a scripting Boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Load Variable Data This action reads the data from the text file and sets values to the variables on the form File Name Specify the name of the text file with data It can be fixed or variable 50 Advanced Options Click on this button to select variables you want to load from the text file and define the structure of the text file Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition ret
50. ession Execute Script This action defines the programming script that you can use for advanced data manipulation on the form The scripting allows you to implement some feature that is not built in the application and expand the possibilities in your forms Several scripting languages are supported on the form but only one at a time To choose between scripting languages see the options in File gt Form Properties gt Scripting Define Script Type in your script in the text area Build Script Click on this button to open the Expression Editor that will help you construct your script The button might not be available for all scripting languages Check Script Click on this button to verify the syntax of you script If there is a syntax error in the your script you will be notified about it Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to execute the current action Execute script only when the condition is True Execute SQL Statement Here you can define a custom SQL statement that can add modify or delete data in the database table 47 When running forms on desktop platform you can use the SQL commands SELECT INSERT UPDATE and DELETE When running forms on the web platform you can use all SQL commands This procedure is considered advanced and requires prior SQL programming knowledge SQL Statement Type in the SQL commands to execut
51. execute when the user clicks a button onFormLoad actions execute when the form loads one Vari ableChange actions execute when the particular variable changes its value and other To hide the object on the form do the following pe S Lo oum 1 Double click the object you want to hide 2 Go to the Advanced tab and remember the Object Name 3 4 Decide what should trigger the object to hide and open the actions editor For example if Click Cancel a button should hide some object double click the button go to the Events tab and click Actions button In Actions Editor dialog box navigate to the Other section and drag amp drop the Set object property action in the action list In Object name drop down box find and select the object name remembered in step 2 In Property drop down box select Visible In Value section enter false in the Fixed value edit field Click OK buttons until you close all dialog boxes s63 Action Properties Set object property Object E Define object name and the property you want to set Object name Property Value 427 Define a fixed or variable property value for the selected A object Fixed value false 9 Variable value Condition Define the condition that must be met for action to be executed If no condition is defined action always executes To show the object on the form you would use similar approach as for hiding the object just the Vis
52. f characters that must be sent to the device Click on the small arrow button on the right to display list of all avail able special characters Send initialization data Tick the option to enable initialization data This 1s optional feature Wait before starting to read data You can define the time out in milliseconds after which the receiving data will begin This 1s optional feature Filter You can filter the data you receive from the serial port and cut only the important characters You can limit what data you will receive This is optional feature Use start and stop string Define the two strings that will enclose the data you need to extract For example if start string 1s and stop string is the extracted data from the raw data q 12345 1 is 12345 Use start and end position Define the start and stop position of characters you want to extract For example if start position is 10 and stop position is 14 the extracted data from the raw data q 12345 1 is 12345 Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Refresh Database The action refreshes a database object on the form There must be a database object on the form for this action to be available Condition This is a scripting boolean ex
53. h Database Search Creating the Database Search To use the database search object do the following 1 Click on the LA Database Search icon in the toolbox Note You can also select the command Database Search in the Object menu 2 Click on the form where you want to position the object 3 Double click on the object The dialog box opens with object properties 4 Go to the Database tab 5 Select the database from the list Note If no database is available in the list click on the Edit button and create a link to the data base 6 Click on the OK button Note To cancel placing an object on the form press the ESC button Searching for an entry in the database will also select the corresponding database record in Edit fields with an enabled lookup setting if they are connected to the same database Working with the Database Search The database search is used to search for the records in the database Only records complying with the condition are obtained from the database Note The database search is also part of the table object You would use it as a separate object if you do not use the table object on the form The available buttons in the database search are Mary Edit box for entering the data database search must find in the database Click on this button to perform the search Select the field from the database where the search will be conducted i g Enable filter funct
54. he label variables 6 Repeat step 5 for all other database fields that need to be linked with the variables 7 Click on the OK button Using Master Detail Connection Master detail connection is the functionality available in the table element that allows you to link two database tables together The first table is master table The second table is slave table that displays only the records that comply with the selected record in the first database One field in the master table links to the field in the slave table Only the records in the slave table that have the same contents in that linked field as the master database are displayed The example Here is most likely usage of the Master Detail Connection functionality There are three database tables that contain information about customers orders and items that you want to use on the form 33 Using Master Detail Connections allows you to construct linked tables which data changes accord ing to the selection in the parent table The table contains a list of all customers with the IDs of their CUSTOMERS orders ORDERS The table contains a list of all orders that the customers have made The orders contain the IDs of the items they include The table contains information about the items ITEMS All three tables need to be positioned in the form The first table form element has to be connected to CUSTOMERS database table this 1s done in the Database tab and Master De
55. ible property would be set to true Setting the Tab Order in Which the Data is Entered 1 Select Design gt Tab order 2 Select the order of the objects click Up and Down arrows to adjust the tab order Note You can also use keyboard shortcuts Alt Up and Alt Down to change the position of objects in the list 3 Click on the OK button 4 Select Run in the Design menu to start the form 5 Test the behavior of the tab order As the user presses the lt Tab gt key the focus advances from one object to the other The next object in the tab order 1s selected and becomes act ive 64 Translating Forms Your form applications can automatically change the language in the user interface upon a certain user action This is done on the fly on the same form without a need to open some other form with hard coded translation Typically the form will have a drop down box with language selection or it will have country flags Selecting a language in the drop down box or clicking the country flag will change all UI strings into the selected language When you build your application enabled for multi lingual usage the list of all strings used in the application will be created automatically and saved to disk in a plain text file When the application design has been done you will have to have the strings trans lated to the target language and your multi lingual application is ready for usage For more reference see samp
56. ick on the small arrow button on the right to display list of all avail able special characters Send initialization data Tick the option to enable initialization data This is optional feature Wait before starting to read data You can define the time out in milliseconds after which the receiving data will begin This is optional feature Filter You can filter the data you receive from the serial port and cut only the important characters You can limit what data you will receive This is optional feature Use start and stop string Define the two strings that will enclose the data you need to extract For example if start string 1s and stop string is the extracted data from the raw data q 12345 1 is 12345 E Use start and end position Define the start and stop position of characters you want to extract For example if start position is 10 and stop position is 14 the extracted data from the raw data q 12345 1 is 12345 Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Refresh Previews The action refreshes all label preview objects on the form By default each label preview updates itself automatically as soon as the data it previews changes In some cases especially when a lot of variables and d
57. in the translation file that application will generate for you The translation file is automatically generated and contains source text from all text content on the form Language Define the fixed or variable name of the language When this action will execute it will look into the file with translations and change the user interface in that language Translation file Select the file that will contain the source strings and translations into various lan guages This is a structured text file similar to CSV comma separated values e Create translation file If you are creating new form project and do not already have the translation file click this button to create the initial translation file Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression For more information See Translating Forms on page 65 Acquire Image TWAIN device Select your TWAIN device from the list and set its advanced options The Test command displays a test with a preview of the Acquire Image action Settings The file name options must be set for the action to perform Assigning an image to the variable is optional Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enabl
58. ionality You can add advanced filters to the database Working with Edit Fields Creating the Edit Field To use the edit field object do the following _ 28 1 Click on the icon in the toolbox Note You can also select the command Edit field in the Object menu 2 Click on the form where you want to position the object 3 Double click on the object The dialog box opens with object properties 4 Go to the Contents tab 5 Select Variable value for the contents 6 Select the variable from the list This variable will store the value the user will provide Note If no variable is available in the list import the variables from the label Design gt Get Variables or click on the button New 7 Click on the OK button Working with Frame Objects Creating the Frame Object To use the frame object do the following 1 Click on the icon in the toolbox Note You can also select the command Frame in the Object menu 2 Click on the form where you want to position the object 3 If you click once the frame is inserted in a default size You can click once and hold the left mouse button then drag in the desired direction to resize the frame Note To change the object properties double click on it To cancel placing an object on the form press the ESC button Working with List Boxes Creating the List Box To use the list box object do the following 1 Click on the icon in the toolbox
59. ist box displays variable linked to that object If no object is selected selecting a vari able then clicking on the form places new text object and links it to the variable Create new variable manually Edit the properties of the selected variable Note If you select the variable object the variable linked to the object will be automatically listed in the list Delete the selected variable d3 Note If you want to delete the variable you must not use it on the form linked to label objects Open the variable dialog box Obtain variables from the label file There are several methods to connect a variable to some form objects that should contain variable values e If you have the object already positioned on the form select it then choose the appro priate variable in the list e If the object is not already on the form you can first select the variable in the list and then click the form where you want the element positioned Text element will appear there and will be connected to the chosen variable e If you want any other object and not text connected to the variable you can first select the variable in the list then click the desired element in the Toolbox and then click on the form e Youcan click on the small arrow button next to the object icon in the toolbox select the option Use Existing Variable select the variable from the list and click on the form Variable toolbar always shows
60. le you cannot make any modifications When you want to change such variable you will have to make modifications to the variable on the label When you will re open the form file the application will automatically update the variable set tings Internal Variables Internal variables are filled automatically by the software and you do not have any influence on them They cannot be edited and modified but only used on the form Their value is updated for every printed label Internal variables are represented with the icon so they can be easily distinguished from the other types of variables The list of available internal variables ComputerName Contains the information about the computer name of a PC computer where labels are processed as specified from Windows system Date Contains the current system date DefaultPrinterName Contains the name of the default printer on the system FormName Contains the name of the form file that is currently used LabelName Contains full name of the current label including the path to the file LabelPrinterName Contains the name of the printer that is used on the label ShortFormName Contains the name of the form file without the path Only filename with the extension OFF is available ShortLabelName Contains the name of the label without the path Only file name with the extension LBL is available SystemUserName Contains the name of the system Windows user that is logged in and is run
61. les installed with NiceForm Enabling the Application for Translation You enable the form translation option whenever you use the Translate Form action anywhere in the form and configure it The main configuration parameter is the name of the translation file This is a file that will contain the list of source strings and the list of corresponding translations to one or more languages You can have just one translation file to use for all forms in your project In this case simply ref erence this one file in all Translate Form actions that you have Whenever you save the form NiceForm will update the translation file with new strings found in the UI If you have removed some of the strings they will not be removed from the translation file NiceForm will add new strings in the file but never remove the old strings The Translate Form action takes two parameters to define e Name of the translation file e Language name ID The Language ID 1s the language name coming from the first row in the translation file The language name in the translation file is user con figurable Make sure to use the same ID name in the action as you have defined in the translation file The language name can be fixed or variable the usage depends on the language selection type you will use in the form e Fixed name For example your form contains images of the country flags When the user clicks the flag the form language 1s changed to language of that
62. linked with each data base fields I will link the database fields to the objects myself later The wizard will only make the link to the database but will not make the fields available on the form You will have to link them to objects yourself 39 Database Wizard Select Fields Database Wizard Select Fields Select appropriate fields from the database Select table fields you want to use on the form Available table fields Ordered selected fields l Foston ID Room Name Picture Database Wizard Select fields Select the database fields you want to use on the form Use the arrow buttons for managing the fields Available table fields All fields defined in the database Selected fields The fields to be used on the form Click the arrow buttons to select fields Move selected field to the right side and use it on the table Move all fields to the right side and use them on the table Move all fields back to the left side and do not use them on the table Move selected field back to the left side and do not use it on the table Fields on the right side can be ordered The first in the list will be the leftmost in the table element the last in the list will be the rightmost in the table Use up and down arrow buttons to change the order of fields 40 Database Wizard Field connections to variables Database Wizard Field Connections Connect table fields with variables Connect table fields f
63. m Only known fields will be imported Condition This is a scripting Boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Load Variable Data This action reads the data from the text file and sets values to the variables on the form File Name Specify the name of the text file with data It can be fixed or variable Advanced Options Click on this button to select variables you want to load from the text file and define the structure of the text file Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Move Focus to Object This action moves the focus to a particular object on the label When some object has the focus it is active and you can use it without selecting it with the mouse first Normally the focus is moved from one object to another with press of a tabulator Tab key on the keyboard The tab order 1s defined during the form design process If you do not change the tab order the default tab order is the order in which you put the objects on the form 18 Note To see the tab order select Design gt Tab Order However you can also u
64. mama namana ma oaoaraa mamaa alale 55 suum IQ DEREN TERCER CITUR 55 Send Custom Commands w mmmmmmm wwa s sm wwa eeeeeeeee 55 send Data to III ia 56 WO KA AA AA AA AA Meee dee 56 DeL V MADI aa IA AA WA AA LA EE EAR ee eae ed eee 56 Translate EOEHIL AA AAA eel ge be AA M ee IA 57 Acquire mage mmmma nea Sate ele LM eere 57 Ver WNC OMS AA aa a CUL ya Aa hie Ud Ie 57 VEW EOTF WAA AA WA IA AA IA WA a AWA 57 Write Data to Serial Port mee 58 Automatic Repositioning of Objects in the Resized Form 58 Changing the Size of Multiple Objects Simultaneously 58 Importing Variables from the Label 59 Linking Object with Variables wmemmmmmnen 59 Printing a Label Which File Name is Read from the Database 60 Printing Two or More Different Labels 61 Quickly Designing and Testing the Form 61 Changing the Focus of the Objects mmemeemem 61 Changing the Screen Position of the Running Form
65. mer ID field is equal to the entered JD number Customer ID ID You must use the variable D in your SQL statement In NiceLabel software you can do it by including colon character in front of the variable name like this DELETE PROM Customers WHERE Customer ID ID To test your SQL statement click the Execute button The result of your SQL statement is remembered in the variable you select in the Variable section e When you use commands INSERT UPDATE or DELETE the variable will contain the numerical value which represents the number of the rows affected by the command You can use this result for execution tracking If the result is 0 no updates were done in the database e When you use command SELECT the variable will contain the result returned from the database server The result for SELECT command can be e Value of a single field in this case your SQL statement is written to return just single field from one record field sample statement SELECT MyField FROM dbTable WHERE ID 1 Result If there is just one record matching the above condition the value of variable will be value of field MyField e Values of two or more fields in one or more records In this case a dataset 1s returned Each line in the dataset contains data from one record fields are included in the line delimited by comma The first line will contain names of the fields Y ou will have to write a script to parse the values into
66. n the OK button 20 Define the rest of the actions for the button 21 Click OK to return to the form When you select a record in the table the label name will be saved in the variable Label and the appropriate label will be opened and printed 60 Printing Two or More Different Labels If you want to print more labels from single click on the Print button do the following Make sure you are in the Design mode Double click on the Print button on the form Go to the Actions tab Click on the Edit button to open Actions Editor window Define another command Open label and select the other label file you want to print Define the command Print label under the second Open label command Click on the OK button to close the Actions Editor window Click on the OK to return to the form WA NA see YA When the user runs the form and clicks on the Print button each of the Open label commands will print separate label file Ouickly Designing and Testing the Form 1 Select the command New Form Wizard from the File menu and complete the wizard The result will be working form file based on the selected label file 2 Select the command Run in the Design menu to start the form Note You can also click on the button to start the form 3 Enter all the necessary data values and then click on the Print button to start printing labels Note In addition to the usual use of lt Tab gt button to skip between fields lt MadCa
67. n the form where you want to place the selected object Some objects have additional shortcut on the right side of the icon Using this shortcut you can quickly create a new object with fixed content create a new variable and connect it to the selected object or connect the object to one already defined variable eM lea Using Transformations Toolbar As EE ee Use the tranformations toolbar to modify the color position or arrangement of the objects Note The objects are always aligned to the first selected object BH Choose the color for the selected object on the form Align the objects to each other or to the form Click on the small arrow button for more options Position selected object on the top of all other objects Position selected object on the bottom of all other objects Note If you dock the toolbar on the left or the right side of the window all alignment icons become available Note If you hold lt CTRL gt key while clicking on the align buttons the objects are aligned rel Align to left Align to horizontal center Align to right Align to top Align to vertical center Align to bottom Distribute selected objects hori zontally Distribute selected objects vertically ative to the form instead to each other Using Variable Toolbar i amp Quantity E AE aa The list box contains the variables available on the form If you have selected some variable object the l
68. nd name to the label Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression this setting is only available in the advanced Action Editor mode Note The action Open Label can contain other actions nested below it You must always use the Open Label action to print labels and executing some other actions Such actions cannot exist on their own but are always nested below Open Label action Print Label This action executes the printing command and defines how many labels will be printed Number of Labels Define how many labels should be printed e Fixed The number entered in the edit field defines how many labels will be printed e Unlimited The maximum quantity of labels supported by the current printer will be prin ted This options is generally used with database files where unlimited would be used as print the whole database Note Be careful and do not create an infinite loop when label printing would not end e Variable quantity Some variable on the label will set the quantity of labels to be prin ted In most cases this will be some field from the database The form does not know how many labels will be printed When the data is processed on the label the variable quantity gets its value e From variable The
69. ne fixed name of the printer or select the variable name containing the name of the printer Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression this setting is only available in the advanced Action Editor mode Set Variable The actions sets the defined value to the selected variable Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression View Log File This action opens the printing log file for the current workstation As such the button with this action offers access to the reprinting function where past print jobs can be selected in the log file and reprinted Reprinting 1 Define how many labels should be printed 2 Select the printer for the reprinting 3 Select the individual labels for reprinting in the list Note If many labels are listed you can use the search function to locate the label that you wish to reprint Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started
70. ning the application Time Contains the current system time UserName Contains the name of the Label Gallery user that is logged in and is using the application This variable has some value only when you have enabled user man agement in the software Types of Variables Each type of variable has its own icon to easier distinguish variables among each other The icon in front of the variable name determines its type The available types of variables are E Prompt variables that are defined in a label file 43 The application reads these variables from the label file and show them in the list Database variables that are defined in a label file The application will read these variables from the label file and show them in the list iy Local variables on the form These variables are local to the form and are not included in the label file You can use these variables on the form and in the actions un ae Internal variables on the form These variables are local to the form and are not included in the label file You can use these variables on the form and in the actions Internal variables cannot be modified you can only use them Defining_Actions TWAIN Advanced Device dialog visible Select this option if you wish to display the device driver settings dialog before capturing the image Image settings Set the color and the resolution for the captured image Selection area Select this option to limit the captu
71. nologies that includes VBScript user s guide and VBScript lan guage reference Additionally look up Web programming resources such as w3schools com Python Python is general purpose high level programming language By default NiceForm does not sup port Python Before you can use Python programs you must install Python libraries in your PC You can find Python installation files on the CD and also online You need Python version 2 x and the following components Make sure the versions of both com ponents match For example both versions are 2 7 e Python Windows Installer from python org e Python for Windows extensions project pywin32 from sourceforge For Python user guides documentation samples and additional information visit the official Python Web site You can use Python scripts in the forms running on the Web when using product NiceLabel Power Forms Web while VBScript is not supported on the Web Using Python in NiceLabel software has a bit different syntax when referring to variables To set or use variable value you must add Value to the right of the variable name where the word Value is case sensitive For example to set value abc to the variable vari you must use the syntax varl Value abc For more information about Python syntax in NiceLabel software see the Knowledge Base article KB204 Select Variables Select the variables which values you want to save load to from file Use Up and
72. ns from the list on the left side to the right working area Set the action properties if necessary 6 When ready click on the OK button to close the Actions Editor 7 Click on the OK button Working with Button Group Creating the Button Group To use the button group object do the following 1 Click on the Button Group icon in the toolbox or select the command Button Group object in the Object menu 2 Click on the form where you want to position the object The dialog box opens with object properties 3 Go to the Actions tab 4 Click on the Edit button to open the Actions Editor window 5 Define the actions you want to execute when the user will click on buttons Drag the appropriate actions from the list on the left side to the nght working area Set the action properties 1f necessary 6 When ready click on the OK button to close the Actions Editor 7 Click on the OK button Note To cancel placing an object on the form press the ESC button Working with Check Boxes Creating the Check Box To use the check box object do the following 1 Click on the E Check Box icon in the toolbox Note You can also select the command Check box in the Object menu 2 Click on the form where you want to position the object 3 Double click on the object The dialog box opens with object properties 4 Go to the Contents tab 25 5 Select the variable from the list that will store the value for che
73. nt action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Set Printer The action defines the printer name that you want to use for label printing This setting will over ride the printer setting that were set directly on the label Note This action is useful 1f you want to print one label file to several different printers without the need for creating duplicated label files linked to different printers Printers Define fixed name of the printer or select the variable name containing the name of the printer Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression this setting is only available in the advanced Action Editor mode Set Variable The actions sets the defined value to the selected variable Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression 56 Translate Form This actions will change all strings in the user interface and replace them with translations from the selected language Beforehand you have to translate the source files
74. object The dialog box opens with object properties 3 Enter the content for the object then click on the OK button Note To change the object properties double click on it To cancel placing an object on the form press the ESC button Working with Variable Prompts Working with the Variable Prompt To use the Variable Prompt object do the following 34 1 Click on the E Variable Prompt icon in the toolbox Note You can also select the command Variable Prompt in the Object menu 2 Click on the form where you want to position the object 3 Double click on the object The dialog box opens with object properties 4 Go to the Content tab 5 Select Variable from the Content pane 6 Review the form variables or add new variables and edit the length default values and entry type limitations of current variables Your Variable Prompt object is set up and ready for use in the form Aligning Objects on the Form 1 Select all objects that you want to align Note Press and hold Shift key while clicking on the objects to select more than one object 2 Select the command Align from the Transformations menu The same align options are available in the Transformations toolbar Moving and Resizing Objects You can move selected objects to another position by dragging them or resize them by selecting object s handles and dragging them in the desired direction Selecting Objects To sel
75. orking with Text Objects sssemnnmIIIIIIRIRRmRIIIemmmellIll 34 Creagne the Text ODJECE 55 ote seouesedadta DUUM ssec a MCA SM E eie 34 Working with Variable Prompts 0 222 cc cece cece cece ccc e cece manane ma men 34 Working with the Variable Prompt 34 Aligning Objects on the Form mmmmmmmmmmm 35 Moving and Resizing Objects mmmmmmema manane mane 35 Selecting Objects 2 000 0 2 0 2 occ ccc ccc ccc eee cece cece ee ee cece eee cece eee eeeeeeeeeees 35 Working with Variable Data __ 22 0 2 00 2200 eeeeeeeeees 36 Contents PEOVIdGES III 36 Contents Providers 5 15003 eod pec Se timeo Gut ndun Wi ee Gees incre Le 36 Working with Databases w mememmumumen 36 Database Wizard 405 oco diesen ecce teca te Gut AE AA AA AA lA 36 Database Wizard ui ict ort aa ee re cae nwo AA Desc rom i La uM e TAL E IDE 36 Database Wizard Starting 0 0 00022 e eens 37 Database Wizard Selecting the Database File 38 Database Wizard Field Usage 39 Database Wizard Select Fields 40 Database Wizard
76. orm designer will convert all files with the off extension in the specified folder foldername to the new format with the xff extension For run time module The Program Name is C Program FilesNEuroPlusNNiceLabel 6 bin nform6ort exe file name Represents the full path and name of the form file to start In this case the user does not see the form design option He can use the form only parameter Run time module does not have any command line parameters 68 Technical Support Online Support You can find the latest builds updates workarounds for problems and Frequently Asked Questions FAQ on the product web site For more information please refer to e Knowledge base http kb nicelabel com e NiceLabel Support http Awww nicelabel com support e NiceLabel Tutorials www nicelabel com Learning center Tutorials e NiceLabel Forums forums nicelabel com 69
77. p variable name e Variables Module Form gt it is possible to use the Enter key which performs the same func tion Changing the Focus of the Objects Every object that is currently active in the running form has the focus If the object has the focus you can use it You can type in the data in the edit field You can select pre defined data from combo box You can press Enter to execute the actions in the button All objects in the form are organized in the tab order This is the object order of appearance in which the focus moves Focus moves from the first object in the tab order list to the last one then the focus is moved to the first object and the cycle repeats To change the focus of the objects during the form design you have the following options Pre define the tab order 61 1 Select Design gt Tab Order 2 Use the Up and Down arrow buttons to change the object order of appearance The top object is the first in the tab order The tab order is saved with the form Note If you do not change the tab order the default tab order is the order in which you put the objects on the form 3 To change the object focus while the form is running press the Tab tabulator key Each press of the Tab key will move the focus to the next object in tab order Use the action Move Focus to Object in the button 1 Open the properties of the Button object 2 Go to the Actions tab 3 Click the Edit button 4
78. pression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Refresh Previews The action refreshes all label preview objects on the form By default each label preview updates itself automatically as soon as the data it previews changes In some cases especially when a lot of variables and database fields are used on the label the label preview might be slowing down the user experience A solution is to disable automatic refresh of the label preview When you want to update the previews use this action Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Run Command File Executes the commands in the specified command file The following types of the command files are supported e JOB file e XML file e CSV Comma Separated Values file zd All of the command files provide the commands to instruct the print engine what to do In most cases you want to open the label set the values to variables on the label and print the label to the specified printer See the chapters in the section Integration and Connectivity in the label designer user guide or Automating the Sof
79. re area of the image Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression 44 Actions Editor Actions Editor xp Insert lan Properties X Delete Q o ie gt Wi dmn NES n S Action Types Action Details Labeling gp Open label C Labels SAMPLE LBL d Print label Pi Set variable Variable ID Value 123 ng E Get printer Set printer Avery 64 05 RFID Upen label eh Print label Number of labels 1 Close label Other Open some other form Qui Description Set printer Actions editor Use the Actions editor to define the actions on the button Action types All available action types are listed in the left pane Similar action types are grouped together Each action has a description displayed at the bottom of the left pane Note To show also the advanced actions click on the Advanced button at the bottom of the dia log box To switch batch to the basic mode click on the Basic button List of defined actions The right pane displays the actions that are already defined for the button e Insert Click on this button to insert currently selected action to the right pane Note You can also drag amp drop action from the left to the right pane e Properties Click on this
80. rom database with variables on the label Field value will be transfered to label variable at print time Table fields Variables Posilion d PICTURE Picture POSITION iy Quantity Room ROOM Cea Ea 00 CE Name NAME Delete Database Wizard Field Connections You have to make a connections between database fields and variables on the form The purpose of this connection is to let the application know to which variable it has to assign a value read from the database table If you are using the same variable s names as the names of the fields the application will make the connections automatically Variables and fields with the same names will be connected together If the names are not the same you will have to make connections your self To add the link do the following 1 Select the field name from the left pane and appropriate variable name from the right panee 2 Click on the Add button to make a connection Delete Deletes the currently selected connection from the bottom list Clear Clear all defined connections Click on the Next button to continue with the Wizard Database Wizard Additional Objects If you have specified that the Wizard should create a table element connected to the database this table will also contain a search control and database navigator But if you have selected that you _A need an edit field for each database field you have the option to select
81. ropriate label or form variable Note If no variable is available in the list import the variables from the label before you can use the table object 8 Click on the OK button Note To cancel placing an object on the form press the ESC button 23 Formatting Table Object To change the format of columns in the table do the following 1 Double click on the table object The dialog box opens with object properties Go to the Columns tab Select the database field you would like to format Click on the Display Style button Format the title and data area The title are is the caption of the field the data area displays the records from the data base puc xm X ae 6 Click on the OK button to close Column Properties dialog box 7 Click on the OK Linking Fields with Variables To link database fields with appropriate variables in the table object do the following 1 Double click on the Table object The properties of the table object will open 2 Go to Database tab 3 Make sure the proper database is selected in the list Note If no database is available in the list click on the Edit button and define the link to the data base 4 Go to the Columns tab 5 Click on the not connected entry next to the database field and select the proper vari able from the list Note If no variable is available in the list attach a label to the form During the attaching pro cess the form will import t
82. s of the menus buttons and other clickable things like OK button Text that appears in italic refers to the options and confirming actions like Read only Text enclosed in brackets refers to keys from the PC keyboard like lt Enter gt Variables are enclosed in square brackets like variable Welcome to NiceForm NiceForm is a software package that helps you create forms for entering data and printing labels Using NiceForm you can easily design any form with none programming skills required The basic idea of the NiceForm is to simplify entering variable data on the labels First you have to design the label in NiceLabel using the variables of prompted or database type for the variable fields on the label Then you can use the NiceForm to create the simple user interface to fill in the variable data needed to print a label This way the user cannot accidentally modify the label and entering the data is greatly simplified The process of printing labels is still performed by NiceLa bel although the user sees only the form The way of designing forms is very user friendly and flexible Forms can include different fixed text pictures or variable objects edit fields memo fields and action buttons which are used to start some sort of action e g print or change the form The forms have two modes the design mode and the run mode In design mode you can create and design forms and in the run mode you can enter data and print la
83. saved the translation file For example Microsoft Excel will save the translation file as CSV The fields will lose the double quotes around the values and will be delimited by comma instead of semicolon 66 You will have to convert commas into semicolons and put double quotes around fields This can be done with a few search amp replace actions Using Data from Database 1 Select the command Database Access in the Data menu 2 Click on the Wizard button and follow on screen instructions The database table will be defined on the label Database fields will be linked to the specified objects Once the database is available in the application its fields can be used with any form object It is possible to use variables in SQL as parameters The parameters in SQL are preceded by a semicolon param name Variables used as parameters must have a default value that cor responds to SQL a variable used as a parameter in place of the Date Field must have a default value that corresponds to a date DO NOT change the default values of variables used in SQL after defining SQL It is however possible to connect those variables to an EditBox creating a form that knows how to filter data Using Distributed Printing The application provides additional printing method Apart from the regular printing to the local or network connected printers it is possible to enable true network printing In this mode the applic ation do
84. se this action to put the focus on some form object Whenever the action executes the selected object will have the focus Move focus to first object in tab order When the action executes the first object in the tab order will have the focus Move focus to the selected object When the action executes the selected object will have the focus Note You can define the object names that you see in the combo box Each object has an unique name in the Advanced tab of its properties Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Open Another Form This action will close the current form and open the specified form File Name Select a fixed form name on the hard disk or select a variable containing the name of the form Previously opened form The form that was used to open the current form will be re opened The history of opened forms is remembered and you can go back several levels deep Note The result of using the Previously opened form option is the same as 1f you would click Back button in your Internet Explorer while browsing the internet Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term
85. signer made and will con tinue to print the older label contents If the design of your label templates changes frequently make sure to use the action Close Label otherwise don t use it to speed up printing Define Printer Settings The action displays the dialog box with properties of the form s selected printer This way the end user can change the printer properties like printing speed darkness and other controls independently from the current printer settings in the label in the printer driver or printer hardware settings The modifications the user makes are temporarily and influence current print job only The modifications are not saved in the label or form Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Execute Script This action defines the programming script that you can use for advanced data manipulation on the form The scripting allows you to implement some feature that is not built in the application and expand the possibilities in your forms Several scripting languages are supported on the form but only one at a time To choose between scripting languages see the options in File gt Form Properties gt Scripting Define Script Type in your script in the text area Build Script Click on this
86. tail Connection is disabled on it The second table on the form is connected to ORDERS database table this is done in the Data base tab The table with Customers is the parent table for the Orders table They will have to be linked together Connect the ORDER ID field from the CUSTOMERS database with the ORDER ID field in the ORDERS database This link will ensure that only the Orders for the cus tomer selected in the first table will be shown in the second one Then connect the third form table element to the ITEMS database table The Orders table is a par ent for the Items table They too will have to be linked together This will ensure that only items from the selected Order from the second database will be shown in this third database table The result of all this preparations 1s the following The user selects the customer in the first table Customers the second table Orders is automatically refreshed and displays only orders that the selected customer has performed When the user selects the appropriate order from the second table the third table Items is automatically refreshed and displays only the items the selected cus tomer has order in the selected order Working with Text Objects Creating the Text Object To use the text object do the following l Chck on the icon in the toolbox Note You can also select the command Text in the Object menu 2 Click on the form where you want to position the
87. the Set password button Provide the password and click on the OK button Click on the OK button on et EM E dE AE 8 Select the command Save in the File menu 9 Close the form 10 Designing Forms Using Toolbars Using Database Toolbar Identity wa d H First field shows the list of currently active databases It allows you to browse through the attached databases idenety w eo e ce List box lists the links to the databases that are available in the label Define a link to new database using Database wizard The Data base wizard will guide you through the necessary steps to link data base on the label The result will be database fields available as variables Define new link to the database manually Edit the properties of the selected link to the database You can change the database driver select which records will be printed and define if quantity of the labels comes from the database Delete the selected link to the database Note Make sure that database fields are not used anywhere on the label linked to objects or used in the functions Otherwise the link cannot be removed If you are not sure where the database fields are used use the Label Inspector to find that out Click on this button to open the database table in database man agement application Using Standard Toolbar Click on the icons in the standard toolbar will execute the following actions
88. the name of the variable which is attached to the currently selec ted object If there are two or more elements selected and do not have the same variable attached to it then the variable combo box is empty Working with Objects Working with Buttons Defining Actions Browse for File or Folder The action opens a file browser window The action settings offer details which enable easier con textual file or folder browsing such as a pre defined extension filter and starting directory Filter Define the file browsing filters You may choose between preset filter choices or enter your own Initial Directory Choose which folder will be open by default in the browsing window Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Close Label Use this command to force closing the label that you previously opened with a command Open Label 14 Do not use this action if printing speed is important to you By default NiceForm will open the label and keep it open as long the application runs Keeping the label open saves you time you would otherwise spend for re loading the label In time critical label printing environments every second can count Note NiceFormwill not see the changes in the label file that label de
89. ttom of the window that helps you use the application Scrolls the form left and right Status bar information Indicates whether the form has been modified since the Modified last time the file was saved blank if the file has not been modified Current pos Current position of the mouse cursor The start of the ition coordinate system is the upper left corner of the form Label file Label file attached to the form blank if the label file is not name attached Toolbars There are several toolbars available in the application You can hide show them by choosing the corresponding command in the View menu They are fully movable and can be placed anywhere on the screen They can be docked within the main window or floating outside the main window Form Security Locking Form In majority of cases you do not want the end user to be able to modify forms Once the form is locked all the actions button actions On Load On Close On Timer will be encrypted One method to prevent the users having access to the design mode is running the form by double clicking on its shortcut This will start the form directly in the Run mode where no changes can be done But the user can bypass it by manually opening the form file To lock the form do the following Open your form Select the command Form Properties in the File menu Go to the Advanced tab Tick the option Form locked Tick the option Password protection and click on
90. tware in middleware integration module user guide File Name You can set a fixed command file name or let some variable define it Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Save Variable Data This action saves the data from the variables to the text file File Name Specify the name of the text file with data It can be fixed or variable Advanced Options Click on this button to select variables you want to save from the text file and define the structure of the text file Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Select Variables Select the variables which values you want to save load to from file Use Up and Down arrows to set the order of appearance in which values are defined in the text file Send Custom Commands Send the defined list of commands to the print engine for execution Commands Enter the commands in the text area Edit Click on the Edit button to open the Expression Editor that will help you define the script of custom commands You can also include variables in the commands
91. urns True as the result of the expression Move Focus to Object This action moves the focus to a particular object on the label When some object has the focus it is active and you can use it without selecting it with the mouse first Normally the focus is moved from one object to another with press of a tabulator Tab key on the keyboard The tab order is defined during the form design process If you do not change the tab order the default tab order is the order in which you put the objects on the form Note To see the tab order select Design gt Tab Order However you can also use this action to put the focus on some form object Whenever the action executes the selected object will have the focus Move focus to first object in tab order When the action executes the first object in the tab order will have the focus Move focus to the selected object When the action executes the selected object will have the focus Note You can define the object names that you see in the combo box Each object has an unique name in the Advanced tab of its properties Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Open Document Program The action executes the specified program or opens the specified document wh
92. ust single field from one record field sample statement SELECT MyField FROM dbTable WHERE ID 1 Result If there is just one record matching the above condition the value of variable will be value of field MyField e Values of two or more fields in one or more records In this case a dataset 1s returned Each line in the dataset contains data from one record fields are included in the line delimited by comma The first line will contain names of the fields You will have to write a script to parse the values into individual values if you want to use indi vidual fields in the form sample statement SELECT FROM dbTable WHERE ID 1 OR ID 2 The result ID MyField n l fieldl n 2 field2 48 Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression Filter Editor The filter editor offers file filter settings for the Browse for File action You can select one of the preset filters by clicking on Add or create your own filter For Every Label The property defines the list of labels for which all defined actions will be executed Fixed values Define the list of labels e Add Add labels to the list e Arrow next to the Add button Add variables to the list The variables must contain the
93. value of the selected variable defines the quantity of labels that will be printed Advanced Options Click this button to set advanced options for the quantity of labels Condition This is a scripting boolean expression Only two results are possible True and False Use this option to enable current action only when some term is met The action will be started only if condition returns True as the result of the expression this setting is only available in the advanced Action Editor mode Read Data from Serial Port Define how the data will be read from the serial port The data received on the serial port is stored in the generated variable You can use the value of the variable directly on the label or use it in some other action in the form like Visual Basic script if additional data manipulation is required Serial Port Settings Define the properties of the serial port where you have attached the serial device The parameters in this dialog box have to match the settings on the device Refer to the documentation of your serial communication device so you will be able to specify the correct com 20 munication parameters If the settings on the device and in the software do not match com munication will not be possible Initialization Data Initialization data is set of characters that need to be sent to the serial device in order to activate it and make it ready to send data to the PC computer Type in the set o

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