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NiceForm User Guide

1. cccccceseeeeccceeeceeeeceaeaaeeesssseseeeeceeeeeeseeeeaaaas 12 Usine Varmble Eo0lD t tse ERU N 13 VY OE KAS with CCUG cocoa taste creel orale see auto us Ootus Quien Du deer unucu rai 14 WY OF KIO WIth BOM ONS sss cence tne Heber a east flange ftum 14 IB gipPs ertum 14 Browse for File Or Folde E T 14 MEMS dele eden diues tena aiescieca om ora une qus arde sear A dade esa oan tae E 15 Derne Pnn Se BP SoioncseaccesdtOutba Deed a tese besote ne tubo o E 15 E XCOUEr Se ELE E E EE AAA poet ae eas cep asd A AE A lid oa dede cerae 15 Exeoute SO D SPEI DE ecsteoedaisseotto aeta didesdeereppo Elba a a ubpas Cure d Pc esee aps Ed 16 bor Every Label aside sist ge tle eire entadirdei eod oe teeedecex R 17 bor Every Recordin a L3ble ua decer ocio dei eco uerit a e ertet Iason oae 18 POL OPO edad M aste deco oe aw tole dese esa nese a d tut bo dia Mtuse 18 Import Data Into Daba e aani eoo to ap ee bien A de Ro TNR Pau eiecti vein Ee Sade ettet da 18 Rad V aia le 1 Ate oto tie draco naa fette E ha tU T E ueteri iu iq idee irs 19 Moye Focus OKO DCC RERO T T OT om UM 19 Open ATIOLBetr FOL acci iui tit Ee Ram cebat dada fedi i bu euet den astancetennbeaies 20 Open Doc nientPrOoPtalilczs ou aa et as Pape cbe aa ora Renee DO Re PR re bue ein emu duda URS 20 Sail E NETT 2 Prnpl3bUlboos a a em mene rte ee ae em PAC ates etai o ec SE aluo Eu ioo ber OE EC re 21 Read Data from Serial POL oninsicieh abis
2. NiceForm has the logic that supports default values This logic speeds up the work and prevents printing labels with incorrect contents The DDE Dynamic Data Exchange function sends the entered data to the basic program NiceLabel that manages the entire printing process NiceForm User Guide Setting up the Application 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 For example The dialog box Actions Editor has two level user interface Keyboard Shortcuts Delete Deletes selected object Shift Delete Cut Ctrl Insert Copy Shift Insert Paste Alt Backspace Undo Alt Shift Redo Backspace Ctrl A Align Ctrl X Cut Ctrl C Copy Ctrl V Paste Ctrl Z Undo Ctrl N New Ctrl O Open Ctrl S Save NiceForm User Guide Setting up the Application Ctrl F9 Ctrl G Ctrl Tab Alt F4 Ctrl move object with mouse Ctrl cursor keys Shift cursor keys Turning mouse wheel Shift turning mouse wheel Enter or F2 with any label element Status bar Run form Snap to grid Leave the database table change focus Exit Parallel moving of the object
3. 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 5 bin nform5 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 filename 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 form 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 Files EuroPlus NiceLabel 5 bin nformrt5 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 desi
4. 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 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 actions 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 Note To cancel placing an object on the form press the ESC button
5. Goto the Columns tab 5 Click on the not connected entry next to the database field and select the proper variable from the list Note If no variable is available in the list attach a label to the form During the attaching process the form will import the 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 1s the functionality available in the table element that allows you to link two database tables together The first table 1s 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 oJ NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms to use on the form Using Master Detail Connections allows you to construct linked tables which data changes according to the selection in the parent table CUSTO The table contains a list of all customers with the IDs of their orders MERS ORDER The table contains a list of all orders that the customers h
6. 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 D using an edit field and wants to delete all customer information for the entered D The SQL statement will delete all records where the value of the Customer ID field is equal to the entered D 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 FROM 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
7. SQL are preceded by a semicolon param_name Variables used as parameters must have a default value that corresponds to SQL a variable used as a parameter in place of the Date Field must 56 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms 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 Use 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 application does 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 application over TCP IP network protocol Design Form for Mobile Devices NiceLabel Suite edition is available with the license for Pocket edition of the labeling software print only edition for Windows Mobile devices You can define the labels and forms on your desktop computer and then export them to your Mobile device To create a form suitable for Mobile device to the following 1 If you use the New Form Wizard to create a form When you are prompted for system platfo
8. 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 Here you can define the action that will take data from the text data file and import it into the SQL database Before you can use this action you must already create a connection to the SQL database The action does not work with file based databases like Microsoft Access or data files like Microsoft Excel or plain text files You must use server based SQL database like Microsoft SQL Note The action is only available for forms running on the Web platform not for forms running on a desktop platform Rules 18 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms 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 If the text file does not provide a value for some field NULL will be written to the database If the field does not accept NULL values then the empty string will be written e Se
9. 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 1s 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 1s 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 1s clicked File Name Define a file name for the document program that you want to open Include full path to the program or document 20 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms Note If you are opening a program you can also include variables as parameters in the command line Enclose the variables in the square brac
10. and stop string Define the two strings that will enclose the data you need to extract For example if start string is and stop string is the extracted data from the raw data q 12345 1 is 12345 22 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms 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 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 1t 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
11. 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 You can 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 the name of the variable which is attached to the currently selected 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 contextual file or folder browsing such as a pre defined extension filter and starting directory Note If the checkbox is marked to indicate that the name of the selected file will be saved as a variable see the appropriate sections of Help to learn more about variables 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 14 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms Condit
12. by main axes only Fine tuning the position of the object move it in very small steps Fine tuning the dimensions of the object resize width and height in very small steps Scrolls the form up and down Scrolls the form left and right Open dialog box with element s properties Status bar shows information and messages at the bottom of the window that helps you use the application Status bar information Modified Current position Label filename Indicates whether the form has been modified since the last time the file was saved blank if the file has not been modified Current position of the mouse cursor The start of the coordinate system is the upper left corner of the form Label file attached to the form blank if the label file is not attached NiceForm User Guide Setting up the Application 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 1s running the form by double clicking on its s
13. e When you use command SELECT the variable will contain the result returned from the database server The result for SELECT command can be 16 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms 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 is 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 individual fields in the form Sample statement SELECT FROM dbTable WHERE ID 1 OR ID 2 The result ID MyField 1 field 2 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 e Add Add labels to the list e Arrow next to the Add b
14. edit the text all standard Windows editing features cut copy and paste can be used Variabl When the Variable option is selected you can connect any e variable field to the element just select the appropriate variable name from the list This approach will allow you to change the 40 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms variable value on the labels If no variable is defined on the label you should first create one or import them from the labels Databa When this type of contents provider is selected you can select the se 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 procedure 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 1s a great shortcut for designing quick connectivity to data 1n database tables 4 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms Database Wizard Starting Database Wizard Welcome to the Database Wizard This wizard helps vou connect your data fram a database
15. etu loses EE 35 Working With Badio OtOUpsuiau ie ttes on cosecha oeste a pig ebehe RE E Mee es 35 Birnen detener em 35 Working Wy Ty AICS esse perpe ao desides tantus ecu s AC D D 36 Create dolis c 36 Formatting Table ObJ66L o drei e edusa eedem esso doc ibus ame ru a 36 Linking Fields vithi Variables eiit paier edant e ede UE einer Tou ame c Repo aa 57 Using Master e tail Connec OM adeo o esr oet vub det osea m exo E EE EUUES 37 Woskine with Text ODIeCtUs c oe an E PATRE Du penas EIL ete 38 Creatine the Text ObIeetocisumcdc s eden DA E Du Samia eite UE bL MM CDU 38 Working With Variable Prompts e E e etre gau iu ee seo dDube M eu UNES 39 Working with the Variable Prompt ii ei rire roh EP ENTE ob dea vo iis 39 Alisnine Objects on tbe EODD uos guste epe de Eu issu dade aaa 39 NiceForm User Guide Table of Contents MoOyanpe and Resme ObJIeCbSa eite perat SE asta 39 wiesen ler M MER M T MERO NOR 40 Workine with Variable Datasoutsstessie dolus tad pe MU tu ra op alte ted aie 40 Contents PT OVS ES cuins crise otitis alin cile mucus CREER CR etit iene e M Reims 40 Contents Providers acetate bor bebe ope Qa seen obo tee isa ete oS ed tatio CE es ute na va Eu She Ata 40 Working iti Databases uuo tian ei aee ebat cc S 4 Database WIZAE ses studeo tO pg tulaobo do eM Dodge mm MN dua ted 4 Database MIZOEG coin a como ae d Otto ES basin PR Cul fo Da ciet teas pu dud n ede boda d euos Mud 4 Data
16. 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 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 23 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms 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
17. on the table gt Move all fields to the right side and use them on the table T 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 46 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms Database Wizard Field connections to variables Database Wizard Field Connections Connect table Fields with variables Connect table fields fram database with variables an the label Field value will be transfered to label variable at print time Table fields Variables Position g PICTURE Picture 4 POSITION Quantity Room ROOM Name gt NAME Delete Der 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 yourself To add the link do the following 47 NiceF
18. said o ba mau o eet uento eoa dia teni see 55 Change the Screen Position of the Running Form eeeessssss 56 Set the Tab Order in Which the Data is Entered ssssssse 56 Use Data from Data Dase uu pee e pepe qe E Fe Nec EE pe E exei n 56 Use Distributed PUTIN oco oot o e teas 57 D sien Porm for Mobile Devices iino din P e e E E 57 Automating the Software ccccccsssecesseeceseeceneecenseeeeseecenseseneeseneeseenesseas 59 Command Line Paramete ucene aa nr e T ne ete E T 59 Technical SUDON icini E 61 ONDE SUP POU na 6l COMlAC EMT ONIN AMO sea den toti E eanse 61 NiceForm User Guide Introduction 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 names of the menus buttons and other clickable things like OK button Text that appears in italic refers to the options and conf
19. the selected order Working with Text Objects Creating the Text Object To use the text object do the following 1 Click on the icon in the toolbox Note You can also select the command Text in the Object menu 38 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms 2 Click on the form where you want to position the 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 1 Click on the E Variable Prompt _ B 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 Goto 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 Transform
20. 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 communication parameters If the settings on the device and in the software do not match communication will not be possible Initialization Data Initialization data 1s 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 Click on the small arrow button on the right to display list of all available 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 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 1s optional feature Use start
21. 2 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms 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 Go to the Actions tab 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 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 PU 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 l Click on the Hl Shes Box I 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 Goto the Contents tab 5 Select the variable from the list that will store the value for check box state enabled disabled Note If no variable is available in the list import the variables from the label Design gt Get Variables or click on the butt
22. Define another command Open label and select the other label file you want to print 6 Define the command Print label under the second Open label command 7 Click on the OK button to close the Actions Editor window 8 Click on the OK to return to the form ar ai S When the user runs the form and clicks on the Print button each of the Open label commands will print separate label file Quickly Design and Test 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 Tab button to skip between fields lt MadCap variable name Variables Module Form gt it is possible to use the Enter key which performs the same function 54 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms Change 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 appeara
23. NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms 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 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 on 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 Using Transformations Toolbar HEB El E Align as Hs 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 O EE Choose the color for the selected object on the form align 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 Align to left 12 NiceForm User Guide Desi
24. To use the database search object do the following C Database Search icon in the toolbox 1 Click on the 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 Goto 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 database 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 1s 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 1n the database search are Edit box for entering the data database search must find in the database 3l NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms Click on this button to perform the search Select the field from the database where the search will be conducted i il il Enable filter functionality You can add ad
25. a ofessional labeling software N as La b www nicelabel com info nicelabel com tne D NiceForm User Guide English Edition Rev 1011 2011 Euro Plus d o o All rights reserved www nicelabel com E LUI F C Euro Plus d o o Poslovna cona A 2 SI 4208 Sen ur Slovenia PLUS tel 386 4 280 50 00 fax 386 4 233 11 48 EET www europlus si info europlus si Table of Contents Table of Contents Tab I go Beroruir 1 Cete D cs 1 lujigerefije o eet 5 About this manudal eecet ees vees saute eia rea erosut eu ne ea tea te o aged dc use Lnd soa ag SES 5 Conventions used m this Manudl e E ter ER EE RAE Ee 5 Welcome t0 NI CC FO Meen a EE EEN 5 Setting up the Application tie occi iir iori onyx dota puo e eura eoru paren Coop olco Era nnna 7 User Intern ACS RE T 7 Basic and Advanced User Interface ios cbe icem queo rE 7 Key bodrd Sho ub osse otioso dea tn Fea esu ated tue den t Foi eu duca ta duis Rue 7 Satis Daie en ee en 8 TOODI e A T O cM LM LL EE 9 Form SECU omaes E Sm altus eod NOM ETIN 9 FOCK T O Iean tide loire tun dit hc iain Chi atacndastene Donate cM RU e Mea Paus 9 BreplueNueutllceemee m 10 Usine Morello Yu EET E LT 10 UsmoDatabase l Oolbdf suere ot E ER oba tO eoo ex ue EEUU Oba CIS ides E Me eus 10 Usm standard DoolBAt u eise Cic eaa esie iei Cui edat a adt 10 Usine TexCToolD3t ooo odii dbr eia ai 11 T AE EE E A N A E E A EE E E AE E S A Nt E E 12 Using Transformations Toolbar
26. ations 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 39 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms Selecting Objects To select an object simply click on it To select more than one object hold lt Shift gt 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 Cursor keys Selects new object that is Up down left right from the one already selected Ctrl Cursor Moves the currently selected object in the direction of keys the pressed cursor Key Shift Cursor Resizes the selected object Keys 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 elements 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
27. ave made S The orders contain the IDs of the items they include ITEMS The table contains information about the 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 is done in the Database tab and Master Detail Connection 1s disabled on it The second table on the form is connected to ORDERS database table this is done in the Database 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 customer 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 parent 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 is 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 1s automatically refreshed and displays only the items the selected customer has order in
28. base Wazatd SUaEIBE aio ati ue ood pa tency sian el Pot din PUE tud Gora deo Pei ded Foe den uds dud s 42 Database Wizard Selecting the Database File sees 43 Database Wizard Field E S38 suoi da e ris uet eo a iri d be ga en e re vere SL Reti 44 Database Wizard Select Ereluss deett incen oe E Reset do de vet Yo PURI vas UC a 45 Database Wizard Field connections to variables eese 47 Database Wizard Additional ODjeCts cccccccccccccceeeeesesseeeseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaeaeeeeeees 48 Database Wizard Completing the Process eeesssssssssseeeeeeeeeenn 49 Usine PES rr dea tea Giacnnasi ah 50 Morkri g Witi Vattables dass roots Eois ral te onion Lana ted ades ees onte 50 Edite Vartable Soest aieo eara Rb airo Donee ua btc tta ao Gace tides Pra Eod uUi died 50 TGC Gia MN apraDle Sesesoseoat viae akon ays Com Fin vntoa S ee RHEIN oe oa eoo besote pet ETE L DA ona ea eee 50 bus Pob Cb ND c 51 Changing the Size of Multiple Objects Simultaneously 52 Import Variables Trom the Waa Del sion teu pM tameu lattei ten ooo ties 02 Link Object with Variabl8S8 i ene etu duxere tinet e terae deu seed tod tto aub sait 52 Print a Label Which File Name is Read from the Database 53 Print Two or More Different Labels uet teet etd be ee ete cte tubum 54 Quickly Design and Test the FOr oi o RERO Lee ante E 54 Chanse the Focus ofthe ODJIects
29. d 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 fe Click on this button to open the database table in database z management application Using Standard Toolbar Click on the icons in the standard toolbar will execute the following actions 10 NiceForm User Guide x Databases Designing Forms 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 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 Access to the databases Click on the small arrow for more commands Using Text Toolbar You can use text toolbar to quickly format the text objects on the label Th Arial Here is how 1 First select it the text object by clicking it o 29 Es Click the appropriate shortcut button in the text toolbar To change the font select the appropriate font from the list in the list box 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 11
30. dn edi red iba quits 20 Working with Database Navigator ccccccccccccceccceceeceaaeeeeseeeeseeeecceeeeeeeeeenaaas 30 Creating the Database INaVISatOE ici E beiss u sedia a a Ean 30 Working with the Database Navigator sseeseeeeeeeseseeeeeeeeeeeeenn nennen enne 30 Working with Database Search c enssetceacs sed esp acea ete Sa Ede deu tue e bep Fede baba Rede buds 3l Creating he Database Seabe nada dete eh E Rob Cosa utes te Pool m dob bxt d cep beant aote 31 Working with the Database Search ccccccccccecccccceceeeeeseeeseseeeeceeeeeeeeeesaasaeassseeeeeeeeess 31 Working with Edit Fields cerieirar s rr aa a annus 32 Creatine thesbdit Ereld use or Vernal A CUSTOS 32 Working with Frame ODJects au o potent hain ide ride ete pe eset t ants 32 Creating the Trame OD ject ssi ooo en dance In s ius iniit tous E M E MEME IU 32 Working WiN Eust B ORCS uuu c eee tod orte ure a o a AR to cue Un ue Eis 33 Creato the East OX cos eie occa beans ete dos eR inea di opo et terna a eM Sad eie to its 33 WOrk mie vE Memo Pte ls ueniueeeotuties m E seu aue nee Qn 34 Creating the Memo Pie IG ccs NR E IN emee 34 Workine WITH PICUUEOS ous oi e sa teasers Gemwhinadeet aac 34 Creating the Picture Di CC ts 45 to ites tle OR OE e od Paste Eum uv Pas Do oU MEE sade 34 VV OP IIIT QI PE VTO Boss dise astute ics cael ec uua LR een eee ake 35 e reabing the Pre VIe Wate sias nears alecn dria exti deiode ao duet Goda of
31. e To cancel placing an object on the form press the ESC button Working with Radio Groups Creating the Radio Group To create the radio group object do the following icon in the toolbox 1 Click on the Note You can also select the command Radio Group 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 Goto 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 Goto Values tab 35 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms 5 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 Note To cancel placing an object on the form press the ESC button Working with Tables Create the Table Element To use the table object do the following l Click on the Table H icon in the toolbox 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 prop
32. e 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 is defined during the form design process 19 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms If you do not change the tab order the default tab order 1s 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
33. e the list box object do the following icon in the toolbox 1 Click on the 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 4 Goto 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 Goto 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 33 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms 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 icon in the toolbox 1 Click on the Note You can also select the command Memo field in the Object menu 1 Click on the form where you want to posit
34. eesna vce Condom ete lus avem ven Contatto tu Ya Cea pLM ERE 22 2 NiceForm User Guide Table of Contents FRETS SARA AGE aseo it edat alates dcaeeanaatie cede dices Pulido a oath EL un a la rues 23 IehresPEeViIe WS eutesatu tot E Area ue Meo pP ME NA CA etur A MEC Lan epa 23 Run Command Ee sae Rh e MEMINI MTS QU uacua ePQUP M Mane E 23 Savesvaridble AU cusam bann pr M mE UN LUE E Me P o LODS 24 SEIECE V JEIBDIO S eae ae ree MR LU TR E ute P D UR ese er ere tere errata AD DOE IE E 24 Send Custom Commands cots 0 pneter aE EORR ORE RRIBS M GrR DOLO PR UN eO E PAD DOLI 24 Send Data co PEPI aui Eaton AQ se ema M aO Ei UM I it errr anne tan LRL IU 25 Se PHDIOE AA eate M I E PP EE P UU LI e tard 23 Set Vartable c das aM ELM ase ace 23 Vie W Oo PNG aget i a Mua UL EM S 26 Verniy LUCenSe o ndi DU end i Maa UL EM AE ae 26 Mte Data tO Se tial POLL sis oU cii ba ME Mecca Rupe e tence taal den 26 I RR rr RERUM 27 Creating the Button s s ote n in pun v reda ueste esq d em edet ieee 2 Working wat Button CIEOBUD ies eoo dosi er dpi en tbe ud Ld IM er Mspuiecenbiute dated 28 Creating the Button CEFOUD diia bedcba ei ee rte E taU nuce PE UeE QC Matin odo M BE T 28 MOotrkimp wid heck BOXES esas cite m io debsu cessi e Eau iss su uet eco as 28 Creating the Check BOX id i ia t et EE os teet eee eae eoa iam dc utes fe ta met usta un 28 Working with Combo BOX68 1i rint E adie encased 29 M orkine with Combo BOX susce dan put telz ma itp potui rotta
35. ere labels are processed as specified from Windows system Date Contains the current system date DefaultPrinterNa Contains the name of the default printer on the system me 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 LabelPrinterNam Contains the name of the printer that is used on the label 50 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms 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 filename with the extension LBL is available SystemUserName Contains the name of the system Windows user that is Time logged in and is running the application 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 management 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 8 Prompt variables that are defined in a label file 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 app
36. erties 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 database 6 Go to the Columns tab 7 Link each database field with the appropriate 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 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 2 Go to the Columns tab 36 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms Select the database field you would like to format Click on the Display Style button 5 Format the title and data area The title are is the caption of the field the data area displays the records from the database 6 Click on the OK button to close Column Properties dialog box 7 Click on the OK pu 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 1s selected in the list Note If no database is available in the list click on the Edit button and define the link to the database 4
37. gn option He can use the form only 59 NiceForm User Guide Automating the Software parameter Run time module does not have any command line parameters 60 NiceForm User Guide Technical Support Technical Support Online Support You can find the latest builds updates workarounds for problems and Frequently Asked Questions FAQ on the product web site at www nicelabel com If you cannot solve the problem on your own please contact your local vendor or representative offices listed in the topic Contact Information For more information please refer to Support FAQ http kb nicelabel com NiceLabel FAQ www nicelabel com Learning center Sales FAQ NiceLabel Tutorials www nicelabel com Learning center Tutorials NiceLabel Forums forums nicelabel com Contact Information Head Office Euro Plus d o o Poslovna cona A 2 SI 4208 Sen ur Slovenia Tel 386 4 280 50 00 Fax 386 4 233 11 48 support nicelabel com www nicelabel com North American Office Niceware International LLC 200 South Executive Drive Suite 200 Brookfield Wisconsin 53005 USA Tel 888 894 NICE 6423 Fax 262 784 2495 support nicewareintl com www nicewareintl com 61 NiceForm User Guide Technical Support German Office NiceLabel Germany GMBH Liebknechtstr 29 63179 Obertshausen Germany Tel 49 0 6104 405 400 support nicelabel de www nicelabel de China Office GARDEN BUSINESS CENTER Ju
38. gning Forms Align to horizontal center Align to right Align to top Align to vertical center Align to bottom Distribute selected objects horizontally Distribute selected objects vertically Note If you hold lt CTRL gt key while clicking on the align buttons the objects are aligned relative to the form instead to each other Using Variable Toolbar By Quantity zm Gf C CN p The list box contains the variables available on the form If you have selected some variable object the list box displays variable linked to that object If no object 1s selected selecting a variable 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 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 ie el 13 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms 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 appropriate variable in the list e If the object is not already on the form you can first select the variable in the list
39. hortcut 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 the Set password button Provide the password and click on the OK button Click on the OK button Select the command Save in the File menu Close the form e Um UA sw Es NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms Designing Forms Using Toolbars Using Database Toolbar 23S E 8 First field shows the list of currently active databases It allows you to browse through the attached databases Identity Identity List box lists the links to the databases that are available in the label Define a link to new database using Database wizard The Database wizard will guide you through the necessary steps to link database on the label The result will be database fields available as variables Define new link to the database manually E c8 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 linke
40. ion 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 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 continue 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 expre
41. ion the object 2 Double click on the object The dialog box opens with object properties 3 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 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 34 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms 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 o Preview 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 Not
42. irming 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 NiceForm runs under 32 bit and 64 bit Microsoft Windows operating system 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 NiceLabel using DDE although the user sees only the form NiceForm User Guide Introduction 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 labels
43. kets For example c program files my_program 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 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 the expression this setting 1s 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 Ope
44. lication will read these variables from the label file and show them in the list 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 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 51 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms Changing the Size of Multiple Objects Simultaneously 1 Select all objects that you want to resize Note Press and hold lt Shift gt key while clicking on the objects to select mode than one object 2 Select the command Size from Transformations menu Import 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 variable
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46. n 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 printed This options 1s 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 21 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms e Variable quantity Some variable on the label will set the quantity of labels to be printed 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 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 1s only available in the advanced Action Editor mode Read Data from Serial Port Define how the data
47. nce 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 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 Goto the Actions tab 3 Click the Edit button 4 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 Inthe 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 39 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms Change the Screen Position of the Running Fo
48. 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 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 command 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 refe
49. of values in the list 12 Click on the OK button Note To cancel placing an object on the form press the ESC button 29 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms Working with Database Navigator Creating the Database Navigator To use the database navigator object do the following 1 Click on the Lif Database Navigator 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 database 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 is 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 UJ 0 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms Refresh data Working with Database Search Creating the Database Search
50. on New 7 Goto 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 28 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms 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 icon in the toolbox 1 Click on the 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 Goto 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 Goto 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 Youcan 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
51. orm User Guide Designing Forms 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 need an edit field for each database field you have the option to select additional objects that can be positioned on the form as well Search Control For more information refer to the topic Database Search Database Navigator For more information refer to the topic Database Navigator 48 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms Database Wizard Completing the Process Database Wizard Completing the Database Wizard You have successtully completed the Database Wizard Summary of tasks completed Selected database table Selected fields in the table Established links between database fields and yvarables 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 p
52. r to the help or user guide 24 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms 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 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 override the printer setting that were set directly on the label Note This action is useful if 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 Tr
53. red 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 communication parameters If the settings on the device and in the software do not match communication will not be possible 26 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms 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
54. revious step of the Wizard Click Finish to close the Wizard and create a new table connectivity based on parameters you entered 49 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms Using Filters If you add the filter in the DESIGN mode on the form such filter 1s stored with the form and is applied every time the form is run The user cannot remove such filter If the user adds some custom filter in RUN mode such filter is not stored with the form It 1s 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 Working with Variables Editing Variables You can only edit internal variables on the form If variable is defined and acquired from label file 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 settings 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 wh
55. rm 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 Goto 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 Set 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 Tab key the focus advances from one object to the other The next object in the tab order is selected and becomes active Use Data from Database 1 Select the command Database Access in the Data menu 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
56. rm selection make sure to select the option Mobile Windows application and then select the appropriate platform from the list The platform must match your Mobile device specifications 2 If you create the form manually open File gt Form Properties gt Window tab and select appropriate platform from the list The platform Windows is desktop Windows application all other options are for Mobile windows applications Once you are finished with the form design you must to export the form and other files labels graphics databases to the Mobile device Do the following 1 Make sure the following is accomplished The selected platform for the form is for the Windows Mobile device The form file is saved on disk ActiveSync is installed on the computer Your Mobile device is in sync with the desktop computer Your labels are optimally designed for the selected thermal printer 57 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms Note Not all label design features are available when you design the label for Mobile devices Make sure your label does not use some incompatible feature To verify the compliance label design use the command File gt Export gt Export to Pocket PC inside the label designer and see the possible error messages on screen 2 Select the command File gt Save to Pocket PC 3 Follow on screen instructions in the Wizard 58 NiceForm User Guide Automating the Software Automating the Software
57. s in the application like Date Time or Username Link 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 Goto 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 32 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms METHOD 2 l D 3 Note Click on the small arrow button next to the object icon in the toolbox A context menu will display Select the option Use Existing Variable Select the variable from the list 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 Print a Label Which File Name is Read from the Database l 3 Note Create new form Select the command Get variables from the Design menu Browse to one of the labels you want to print and click on it The variables from the label will be imported on the form All labels that you want to print using the suggested approach must have defined the variables with the same name 4 5 Select the option Variables in
58. sage Specify the usage of the selected fields from the database Defne how you want the selected database fields to be used 9 want a table object C want an edit field for each field in the database CO will 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 1s used on the form and linked to the database I want an edit field for each field 1n the database Edit field objects are linked with each database fields 44 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms 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 Database Wizard Select Fields Database Wizard Select Fields Select appropriate fields from the database Select table fields vou want ta use on the Form Available table fields Ordered selected fields Imm Room Picture ID Name 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 45 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms 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
59. ssion 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 button to open the Expression Editor that will help you construct your script The button might not be available for all scripting languages 15 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms 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
60. the Data menu 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 Select the Database Access in the Data dialog box 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 Double click the table object Table properties will open Go to the Columns tab Make sure the variable Label is linked to the database field containing the name of the label Click on the OK button Place a button object on the form Double click the button object Go to the Actions tab Click on the Edit button Insert the action Open label to the right pane 53 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms 17 Inthe action properties select the option Variable label file name 18 Select the variable Label 19 Click on 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 Print Two or More Different Labels If you want to print more labels from single click on the Print button do the following 1 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
61. 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 database table connected on the form The database fields will be linked to form objects 42 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms Database Wizard Selecting the Database File Database Wizard Browse for Database File Select the file that contains your data Direct database access Recommended option Other databases ODBC Identity Browse for the table containing your data You can read data from Paradox dbase 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 43 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms Database Wizard Field Usage Database Wizard Field u
62. tting values for auto incremental fields 1s ignored The database will provide value for such field value for such field from the text file 1s ignored but the rest of the fields in a record will be written to the table e If the value from text file does not match the structure of the field the action 1s canceled and error message displayed E g you want 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 contains or similar e If the 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 Advanced Options Click on this button to select variables you want to load from the text file and define the structure of th
63. ue as the result of the expression this setting 1s 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 23 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms 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 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 If the entered Solution ID number is not the same as the ID of the application no actions will be executed e If the ente
64. utton 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 17 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms 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
65. vanced filters to the database Working with Edit Fields Creating the Edit Field To use the edit field object do the following icon in the toolbox 1 Click on the 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 Note To cancel placing an object on the form press the ESC 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 32 NiceForm User Guide Designing Forms 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 us

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