Print Templates

To create a Print Template in Messaging, you must have a Pageflex Studio Project file in .zip format from the Pageflex application. The project must be zipped by either using the utility within the Studio application, or the stand-alone Pageflex Packager Zip utility. You can have multiple Job Setup(s) in your project, but at least one Setup must create PDF output.

If you're using personalization, there will be variables in the Pageflex job that will need to be "mapped" to their corresponding fields in your Messaging database. To use fields from the platform, they must be associated as a Data Source lookup in Pageflex Studio (not a “Constant” or other variable source).

This topic describes how to create a new Print Template. Print Templates can also be created from the New Item screen (see Create a New Item: Print Template for more details).

To create a new Print Template through the Print Template screen:

1. In the Tool Ribbon, click + New Print Templates.

2. A "New Item" pop-up window is displayed. To select the folder where you want to save this new Print Template, click the folder name in the Navigation Tree on the left side of this pop-up. The "Where?" field is updated with the selected folder name.

3. In the "Name" field, enter a name for your new Print Template. This name must be unique within the selected folder.

4. From the "Data Source" drop-down menu, select the source table for this Print Template.

Note: You can never modify this source table after the Print Template is created.

5. Click save new item. The Workspace is refreshed to show a blank Print Template details screen.

6. In the Tool Ribbon, click Import Project. The "Upload Studio File" pop-up window is displayed. Either enter the filepath to your Pageflex Studio Project file, or click browse to browse to and select the file. Click upload file.

7. The Print Template screen is refreshed to show a list of all the variables that were identified within the Pageflex project. Every variable is marked as "NOT MAPPED." To map a variable to a field in your Messaging database, click the edit button (pen icon) next to a field. A "Data File Column" pop-up window is displayed.

8. The "Data Source" drop-down menu is populated with all of the fields on the source table for this Print Template. From this menu, select a field.

9. Optionally, enter a default value in the "Default" field.

10. Optionally, select a formatting mask from the "Formatter" drop-down menu. The formatting mask is used to control the appearance of the value in this field. For example, you can format date fields as "mm/dd/yyyy." The system includes formatting masks for dollar amounts, dates, numbers, and URLs. You can also use a formatting mask to truncate or encode the field value.

11. Click save column. The system closes the "Data File Column" pop-up window. The mapped field name is displayed next to the variable.

12. Repeat steps 7 through 11 as needed to map additional variables.

13. Optionally, you can add new columns to the Print Template that weren't included in the Pageflex project file. Messaging offers two methods for defining these columns:

    Add One Column at a TimeAdd One Column at a Time

    1. Click add new column. The "Data File Column" pop-up window is displayed.

    2. The "Data Source" drop-down menu is populated with the following sections:

    1. • Custom Column: This section allows you to define a custom column "on-the-fly," rather than selecting an existing column. From this section, you can pick either:

       • • Dynamic Block: Select this option if you want to use logic, or business rules, within a Dynamic Block to determine the value in this custom column. If you select this option, the system displays the "Browse Dynamic Blocks" pop-up window so you can select the desired Dynamic Block.  

         • Static value: Select this option if you want to provide a static value that the system will use to populate this custom column.  

       • Data Source Fields: This section contains all of the fields on the source table.  

       • Table Joins: This section contains all of the system joins that have been defined for the source table. If you select one of these joins, you'll be able to pick a field from the joined table.

       • Campaign Fields: This section contains system-generated campaign fields, such as the Campaign ID.

       • Metadata Fields: This section contains all of the Metadata fields defined for this account.

       • System Fields: This section contains system-generated fields, such as the Primary Key ID (PKID).

    3. By default, the "Project Field Name" field is populated with the name of the selected field. This value will appear within the header row for this column. Optionally, you can override this value and enter a different Header value. Note: If you selected either of the Custom Column options, the "Header" field is blank, and you'll need to provide a Header name.

    4. The "Value" field is disabled unless you selected "Static value," in which case you'll need to enter the desired value here.

    5. Optionally, enter a default value in the "Default" field. Note: the "Default" field is not displayed if you selected either of the Custom Column options.

    6. Optionally, select a formatting mask from the "Formatter" drop-down menu. The formatting mask is used to control the appearance of the value in this field. For example, you can format date fields as "mm/dd/yyyy." The system includes formatting masks for dollar amounts, dates, numbers, and URLs. You can also use a formatting mask to truncate or encode the field value. Note: the "Formatter" menu is not displayed if you selected either of the Custom Column options.

    7. Click save column. The system closes the "Data File Column" pop-up window. The new field is added to the end of the Print Template.

     

    Add Multiple ColumnsAdd Multiple Columns

    1. Click add multiple columns. The "Add Multiple Data File Columns" pop-up window is displayed.

    2. The "Select Fields" list box is populated with all of the fields on the source table for this Print Template. From this list box, select one or more fields (use Shift + Click or Control + Click to select multiple fields).

    3. Click add columns. The system closes the "Add Multiple Data File Columns" pop-up window. The new fields are added to the end of the Print Template.

    Note: When you use the "Add Multiple Columns" feature, the system applies certain default settings to each new field. The "default" value will be blank, and the system will not apply a formatting option. If you need to modify any of these settings for a specific field, click the edit button (pen icon) for that field.

     

14. If you need to remove a field, click the remove button ("X" icon). The field is grayed-out to indicate that it's been marked for deletion. To complete the removal, click Save in the Tool Ribbon.If you need to edit the properties for a field, click the edit button (pen icon). The "Data File Column"pop-up window is displayed. Make any necessary changes, then click save column.

15. Optionally, you can assign one or more tags to your Print Template. To assign a tag, click on the "Add tag" field in the Edit > Tags section of the Tool Ribbon. The system displays a pop-up menu of all the existing tags. You can select one of these tags, or type in a new one and press Enter. You can repeat this process to add more tags. To remove a tag, click the "X" icon next to the tag label.  

16. When finished, click Save in the Tool Ribbon.

 

To copy an existing item to use as the basis for a new item:

1. Search for the desired item (see Search for an Item for more details).

2. Click on the item name. The main item screen is displayed and populated with the details of the selected item.

3. In the Tool Ribbon, click Save As. A "Save as" dialog box is displayed.

4. Enter a name for the new item.

5. By default, the new item will be saved in the same folder location as the base item. Optionally, click the magnifying glass icon to browse to and select a different folder location.

6. Click save a copy. The system creates a copy of the selected item.

 

 

To view or edit an existing Print Template:

1. Search for the desired Print Template (see Search for an Item for more details on the available search methods).

2. Click on the Print Template name. The Print Template screen is displayed and populated with the details of the selected Print Template.

3. Optionally, to view detailed information about the Print Template, click the Print Template tab in the Tool Ribbon. The Item Details screen is displayed, showing who created the item, who modified it last, and what the last actions taken on the item were. On this screen, click "Related Items" in the Function Menu to see other items in the system that reference or utilize this Print Template. When finished, click the Edit tab in the Tool Ribbon to return to the main edit screen.

4. Optionally, you can assign one or more tags to your Print Template. To assign a tag, click on the "Add tag" field in the Edit tab of the Tool Ribbon. The system displays a pop-up menu of all the existing tags. You can select one of these tags, or type in a new one and press Enter. You can repeat this process to add more tags. To remove a tag, click the "X" icon next to the tag label.  

5. Optionally, to rename the Print Template, click Rename in the Tool Ribbon. A "Rename Item" dialog box is displayed. Enter a new name for the Print Template, then click save new name.

6. Make any necessary changes to the Print Template:

   • Add one or more new fields (see "Create a New Print Template" above for details on how to create a new field).  

   • If you need to remove a field, click the remove button ("X" icon). The field is grayed-out to indicate that it's been marked for deletion. To complete the removal, click Save in the Tool Ribbon.

   • If you need to edit the field properties, click the edit button (pen icon). The "Data File Column" pop-up window is displayed. Make any necessary changes, then click save column

7. To save your changes, click Save in the Tool Ribbon.

 

To delete an item:

1. Search for the desired item (see Search for an Item for more details).

2. Click on the item name. The main item screen is displayed and populated with the details of the selected item.

3. In the Tool Ribbon, click Delete. A confirmation dialog box is displayed.

4. Click delete item to confirm the deletion.

Foldered items are moved to the Recycle Bin. Non-foldered items are permanently deleted.

 

Messaging allows you to download the Pageflex source files from the platform, either with or without images. The latter option is useful if the image library of the project is quite large and if a copy of the images already exists on the local system.

To export a Print Template:

1. Search for the desired Print Template (see Search for an Item for more details on the available search methods).

2. Click on the Print Template name. The Print Template screen is displayed and populated with the details of the selected Print Template.

3. In the Tool Ribbon, click Download Files.

4. From the drop-down menu, select either "Download Studio Files With Images," or "Download Studio Files Without Images."

5. The system displays a Download File dialog box. Click open to open the file, or click save to browse to and a select a destination where you want to save the downloaded file.

 

Once you've created your Print Template, you can use it within a Campaign by assigning it as the "Content Source" for that Campaign.

To change the Campaign's primary Content Source to use a Print Template:

1. Navigate to the desired Campaign (see Campaigns for more details).

2. Scroll down to the "Message" section, and click change. The "Choose Content Source" pop-up window is displayed.

3. Click variable digital print. The "Browse Print Templates" pop-up window is displayed.

4. From the "Browse Print Templates" pop-up window, you can click on a folder in the directory structure to see a list of all the Print Templates stored within that Folder. Or, if you want to search across the entire system, click the double-left arrow icon near the top of the directory structure; the system collapses the directory structure and shows every Print Template in the system. This pop-up window also allows you to search based on Tags, or by Print Template name. When you find the desired Print Template, click on its name.

Note: Print Templates have to be created using the same source table as the Campaign in order for them to be available as a selection.

5. The Content section is refreshed to show the name of the selected Print Template.

6. The "Production Job" drop-down menu is populated with all of the Jobs Setups that were defined in the Pageflex project file (you must save the Campaign first, in order to get this menu to populate). The Job Setup  controls various aspects of the output file, such as output format, marks, sizes, and imposition. Select the desired Job Setup from this drop-down menu.

7. The "OMR Page #" field is used to indicate how many pages represent a single record. The system will put an OMR mark at the page interval that you enter here.