LoftwareSpectrum

Version 3.0.1
User Guide
2017May. All rights reserved. Version 3.0.1

Loftware, Loftware Spectrum, LLM, Loftware Label Design, Loftware Print Server, LPS, Loftware Connector, Global Marking
Solutions, I-Push, and I-Pull are all registered trademarks of Loftware, Inc. Loftware WebAccess, LWA, and Loftware Web Services
are trademarks of Loftware, Inc. SAP is a registered trademark of SAP AG in Germany and in several other countries. Oracle and
Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. Loftware
Spectrum contains barcode components licensed from IDAutomation.com, Inc. These products may only be used as part of and in
connection with Loftware Spectrum.

Loftware, Inc., 249 Corporate Drive, Portsmouth, NH 03801

Phone: 603.766.3630
Fax: 603.766.3631
[email protected]
www.loftware.com
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 Contents

Welcome to LoftwareSpectrum 20
Documentation and Support 21
About the LoftwareSpectrum UserGuide 22
Open the SpectrumUserGuide 23
User Interface: Help 24
About Loftware Spectrum 25
Tabs 26
Buttons 28
Licensing, Warranty, and Support 29
Technical Support 30
Contact Loftware 31
Sales 32
Customer Account Management 33
Engineering Technical Support (ETS) 34
Professional Services Group 35
Technical Requirements for Spectrum3.0 37
Server Requirements for Spectrum3.0 39
Requirements for Loftware Spectrum Database Server with Existing Oracle
Database 40
Requirements for Loftware Spectrum Database Server with Embedded Database 41
Requirements for Loftware SpectrumApplicationServer 42
Requirements for Multi-Site Deployment 43
Server Performance Tips 44
Client Computer Requirements for Spectrum3.0 46
Requirements for Spectrum Client Computers 47
Requirements for SpectrumRemotePrint Agent Computers 49
Other Requirements for Integrations 50
Requirements for Oracle Applications Integration 51
Requirements for Integration for use with SAP Applications 52
Log in to Spectrum 53
Spectrum Root Folder 57
Change Your Password 58
Loftware Spectrum Tools 59
Designing Labels 60
Configuring the Design Workspace 61
Set User Preferences 62
Select Data to Display in Design 63

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 3

 Display Default, Placeholder, or Live Data in Design 64
Add Data to a Live Data Set from a Data Source 65
Import Data to a Live Data Set from a File 66
Manually Change a Data Set 67
Arranging the Design Workspace 68
Grid Overlay and Rulers 69
Zoom 70
Split Screen View 71
User Preferences Page (Designing) 72
General Preferences 73
Label/Document Preferences 74
Design Preferences 75
Print Preferences 77
Buttons 78
Working in a Version-Controlled Environment 79
Check Out a Version-Controlled Object 83
Save a Copy 84
Check In a Version-Controlled Object 85
Next Steps 86
Publish a Version-Controlled Object 87
Take Control of a Version-Controlled Object 88
Managing Label Templates 89
Using Layouts to Control Print Order on a Page 90
Create, Import, or Export a Label Template or Other Object 91
Create a Label Template 92
Create a Layout 93
Create a Form 94
Create a Reusable Object 95
Import a New Image 97
Export a Label Template or Other Object 98
Import a Label Template or Other Object 99
Using Workflows 101
Workflow Sample 104
Categorize a Label Template or Other Object 105
Built-in Tag Category: Source 105
Associate a Layout with a Label Template 107
Save a Label Template or Other Object 108
Save a New Label Template or Other Object 109
Save an Existing Label Template or Other Object 110
Save a Copy of a Label Template or Other Object 111
Open an Existing Label Template or Other Object 112

4 Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide

 Close a Label Template or Other Object 113
Close a Label Template or Layout 114
Close All Open Label Templates and Layouts 115
Delete a Label Template or Other Object 116
Designing Labels and Forms 117
Work with a Migrated Label Template 119
Configuring Label Template Properties and Options 121
Configure the Design Orientation of a Label 122
Change the Print Rotation of a Label 123
Change the Unit of Measure for a Label Template 124
Override Device Options with Label Specific Options 125
Adding Fields to a Label 127
Add a Data Source to a Field 128
Resize and Position Fields in a Label Template 129
Configure the Properties of a Field 133
Using Text 134
Add Fixed Text 135
Add Variable Text 136
Add Text Box 137
Change the Field Tabbing Order 139
Text Properties 140
Using Controls 151
Adding Controls 153
Add a Table Rule 164
Add a Column Rule 165
Select Data Source Queries and Rules to Run 168
Configure the Running Order for Queries and Rules 172
Dynamically Manage If a Control Is Displayed 174
Dynamically Manage If a Control Is Enabled 175
Dynamically Manage the Tab Order of a Control 176
Associate the Control Output with a Field in a Label 177
Control Properties 178
Using Barcodes 195
Add a Barcode 196
Add Healthcare Barcodes 197
Add Healthcare Barcodes with Data Identifiers 201
Barcode Properties and Symbologies 204
Using Images 229
Add an Image 230
Add a Variable Image 231
Image Properties 233

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 5

 Using Shapes 236
Add Shapes 237
Shape Properties 238
Using Reusable Objects 241
Add a Reusable Object to a Label Template or a Form 242
Using Forms 243
Configure a Form to Run a Data Source 244
Search the Tool Library 245
Preview and Print a Label in Design 246
Design Page 247
Views and Document Information 248
Menu Bar and Toolbar 250
Library 260
Data Sources 264
Format Sources 265
Form Rules 266
Properties 267
Field Tabbing Order 268
Label Specific Options or Layout Specific Options 269
Tags 270
Data Sets 271
Top Bar 272
Label Template Properties 273
Layout Properties 282
Form Properties 284
Stock Layouts 289
Building with Application Architect 290
Create an Application 292
Next Steps 293
Save the Application 294
Create a Transition Between Forms 295
Create a Form Rule 296
Create a Trigger to Run a Rule 297
Application Properties 299
Application Properties 300
Form Properties in an Application 302
Configuring Label Data Sources 305
About Data Refs 306
Create a Data Entry Data Source 307
Associate a Data Entry Data Source with Variable Text Field 308
Create a Database Data Source 309

6 Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide

 Create a Date/Time Data Source 313
Create a Formula Data Source 314
Create and Verify a Formula Data Source 315
Use a Formula with a Variable Text or Barcode Field 316
Create an Inc/Dec Data Source 317
Create an Alternate Data Source 318
Creating Script Data Sources 321
Create a Script Data Source 325
Script Reference 326
Script Methods for Barcodes 347
ASCII Characters in Scripts 373
Script Examples 375
Label Data Sources Properties 390
Date/Time Data Source Formats 391
Formula Data Source Operations and Functions 394
Inc/Dec Data Source Properties 402
Form Rules Reference 405
Close Application Form Rule 407
Electronic Signature Form Rule 408
File Selector Form Rule 409
Focus Form Rule 411
Hyperlink Form Rule 412
Job Request Form Rule 413
Map Operations Form Rule 414
Message Form Rule 417
Static Form Rule 418
Triggers in Design 419
Configuring Format Sources 425
Create a Character-Level Format Source 426
Examples of Character-Level Formatting 429
Character-Level Format Source Properties 431
General Data 432
Patterns 433
Ranges 434
Style/Effect and Value 435
Designing Business Rules with the Configurator 437
Getting Started with Business Rules in Configurator 438
Create a Business Rule in Configurator 440
A Component Set: A Trigger and Component Blocks 441
Component Block Order 442
Create a Business Rule 443

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 7

 Create a Reusable Rule 446
Create a Reusable Rule 447
Delete Blocks and Triggers in Configurator 448
Delete a Business Rule 449
Examples of BusinessRules Using Configurator 450
Replace the Label Template 451
Change Print Attributes 453
Retrieve Data from a Database 455
Generate Related Labels Using Multiple Label Templates 457
Business Rule Configurator Reference 459
Triggers in Configurator 460
Component Blocks 463
Reusable Rules 486
Process Design with the Configurator 487
Navigation Tree 490
Business Rule Properties 491
Printing Labels and Viewing Status 494
Configuring User Preferences for Printing 495
Set User Preferences (Printing) 496
User Preferences Page (Printing) 497
General Preferences 498
Print Preferences 499
Buttons 500
Printing Labels 501
Printing Copies of a Label 502
Print a Label Using On-Demand Print 503
Reprint Labels 504
View the Print Data 505
Print a Label to Multiple Destinations 506
Print by Using File Drop 507
Print by Using Oracle 508
Print by Using SAP ERP 509
Print Page 510
Documents Tree 511
Data Entry View 512
Managing Job and Device Status 515
View Status Summary 516
View the Status of Device Queues 517
View Jobs in a Device Queue 518
Start, Stop, or Pause aDevice Queue 519
Find a Print Job in a Queue 520

8 Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide

 Cancel a Print Job 521
Set a Print Job to an Error Status 522
View an Error Reason 523
Move a Print Job to a Different Queue 524
Release a Print Job 525
Add a Marker to a Queue 526
Search Device Queues 527
Take Control of a Device Queue 528
View the Status of Print Jobs 529
Search Print Jobs 530
View the Status of Devices 533
Search Devices 534
View a Device Web Page 535
Cancel the Current Job on a Device 536
Send a Command to a Device 537
View the Status of Facilities 538
Status Page 539
Dashboard 540
Queues 542
Jobs 547
Successes and Failures 548
Status 549
Date Range 550
Devices 556
Facilities 558
Configuring and Administering 559
Controlling Access in Spectrum 560
Authenticating Users 561
Configuring Access 562
Restrictive versus Permissive Security 563
Access Concepts in Spectrum 564
Best Practices for Access Control 568
Getting Started with Users and Permissions 569
Create Folders to Manage Users and Groups 570
Create a Group and Assign a Role to Grant Permissions 571
Grant Access to a Work Area and Objects 574
Create a User Account and Assign Group Membership 579
Configuring Folder Structure and Access 580
Considerations 581
Best Practices 582
Create a Folder 583

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 9

 Configuring Roles 585
Access Control List 586
Permissions 587
Best Practices 588
Create or Modify a Role 589
Configuring Loftware Spectrum Groups 592
Considerations 593
Best Practices 594
Create or Modify a Group 595
Configuring Loftware Spectrum Users 597
Considerations 598
Best Practices 599
Create or Modify a User 600
Assign a Domain to a User 602
Change a User's Password 603
Configuring Access Control Lists 604
Root Access Control 605
Best Practices 606
Configure the Default Access Control List 607
Configuring Document Access 608
Best Practices 609
Control Document Access 610
Configuring Device Access 611
Control Access to a Device Group 612
Configuring Process Access 614
Control Access to a Process 615
Configuring Integration Access 616
Control Access to an Integration 617
Configuring Data Service Access 618
Control Access to a Data Service 619
Configuring SpectrumApplicationServer Access 620
Control Access to a SpectrumApplicationServer 621
Remove a SpectrumApplicationServer 622
Configuring and Managing a Multi-Site Deployment 624
What Items Are Synchronized 627
Create or Modify a Facility 629
Select Objects to Sync 631
Schedule Synchronization for a Facility 633
Manually Synchronize a Facility with Headquarters 635
Review Synchronization Results 637
Stop Synchronization 639

10 Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide

 User Interface: Facility 641
Categorize an Object 646
Built-in Tag Category: Source 646
Delete an Object 648
Create a Link 649
Access Control Page 650
Access Control Tree 651
Access Tab 653
Types of Objects 654
Object Access Permissions 678
Role Permissions 684
User Info 693
Group Info 697
Version Info 699
Managing a Version-Controlled Environment 701
Turn on Version Control 704
Force a Check In 705
Roll Back to a Previous Version 706
Roll Back a Recently Published Version 707
Roll Back to a Specific Version 708
Version-Control Actions and Permissions 710
Version-Controlled Document Commands 711
Version-Controlled Process Commands 713
Terminate an Active Workflow 714
Performing System Management 715
High Availability with Distributed Services 716
Types of Services 718
Configure for High Availability 723
Configure for Load Balancing 725
Configure for Failover 726
Automatically Configure Services 728
Load Balance Among Application Servers 729
Configure a Load-Balanced Service Group 730
Service Management Options 731
Managing a Multi-Site Deployment 734
What Items Are Synchronized 735
Manually Synchronize a Facility with Headquarters 737
Review Synchronization Results 739
Facility Sync Options 741
Configuring Authentication 743
LDAP 744

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 11

 Single Sign-On 745
Configure LDAP Authentication 746
Configuring Single Sign-On (SSO) Using Integrated Windows Authentication 747
Configure Single Sign-On (SSO) Using Security Assertion Markup Language
(SAML) 750
LDAP Authentication Options 753
Managing Fonts 758
Install Additional Fonts 759
Delete Fonts 761
Font Management Options 762
Tag Management 766
Create a Tag Category 767
Change Tag Values in a Tag Category 769
Tag Management Options 770
Change the Source of Spectrum Help 772
Provide Static Help to Users 773
Provide Dynamic Help to Users (Recommended) 774
System Management Page 775
Global Settings 776
Other Options 780
Configuring User Profiles 781
Configure and Apply a User Profile 782
Configure a User Profile 783
Assign and Apply a User Profile 784
Update and Reapply a User Profile 785
User Preferences Page (Administration) 786
General Preferences 787
Label/Document Preferences 788
Design Preferences 790
Print Preferences 792
Buttons 793
Managing Devices 794
Add a Device 796
Create a TCP/IP Device Connection 797
Create a Print-to-PDF Device Connection 799
Create a Print-to-Image Device Connection 801
Create a Server Spooler Connection 803
Create a USB Device Connection 805
Create a RemoteSpooler(LPR) Connection 807
Create a Generic Device Connection 810
Create a QCPL Device Connection 812

12 Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide

 Create a Pass Through Device Connection 814
Importing Multiple Devices 816
Categorize a Device 819
Built-in Tag Category: Source 819
Delete a Device 820
Supported Printers 821
Remote Printing with SpectrumRemotePrint 822
Configure a Remote Site 823
Install the Remote Print Agent 824
Add Devices for a Remote Site 826
Import/Export Names 827
Common Options for Import/Export File 828
Connection Options for Import/Export File 829
Device Options for Import/Export File 830
Device Management Page 842
Connection Options 845
Device Driver Options 858
Pass Through File Types 869
Pass Through File Types 877
Pass Through File Types 885
Pass Through File Types 897
Pass Through File Types 916
Pass Through File Types 925
Pass Through File Types 943
Pass Through File Types 960
Pass Through File Types 974
Remote Site Options 977
Managing Data Services 979
Using Data from a Database or a Spreadsheet 980
Modifying Data in a Database 982
Requirements for JDBC Data Services and JDBC Update Data Services 983
Using Data or an Image from a File or URL 984
Using Data from a Web Service 985
Managing Data Service Parameters 986
Add a JDBC Driver to Spectrum 989
Configure a JDBC Data Service 990
Configure a Link Data Service 994
Configure a File Data Service 996
Configure an HTTP Data Service 999
Configure a SOAP Web Service Data Service 1001
Test a JDBC Data Service 1004

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 13

 Test the JDBC URL for a JDBC Data Service 1005
Preview a JDBC Data Service 1006
Start a Data Service 1007
Update a JDBC Data Service Result Map 1008
Determine Where a Result Map is Managed 1009
Update a Result Map 1010
Stop a Data Service 1011
Categorize a Data Service 1012
Built-in Tag Category: Source 1012
Delete a Data Service 1013
Data Services Page 1014
Configuration Parameters for JDBC Data Services 1020
Configuration Parameters for File Data Services 1028
Configuration Parameters for HTTP Data Services 1032
Configuration Parameters for Link Data Services 1036
Configuration Parameters for SOAP Web Service Data Services 1038
Integrating with Other Applications 1042
Configuring a Run As User for Integrations 1043
Configure a Job Target Folder 1045
Configuring Triggers to Support Integration 1047
File Drop Integration 1048
File Structure of a Scan Folder 1049
Integrate by File Drop 1050
Commands for Use with File Drop Integration 1053
User Interface: File Drop Integration 1057
Oracle Integration 1062
Configure an Oracle User for Spectrum 1063
Integrate with Oracle 1064
Loftware on the Oracle MSCA & Warehouse Management System 1067
Defining Label Formats 1069
How to Set Up Label Formats 1071
User Interface: Oracle Integration 1082
Integration for Use with SAP Applications 1085
Preparing for Integration for Use with SAP Applications 1086
Configure SAP ERP for BC-XOM Communication 1092
Integrate with SAP BC-XOM 1098
RDI Format Reference for SAP BC-XOM Integrations 1102
XSF and XML Format Reference for SAP BC-XOM Integrations 1106
XFP Format Reference for SAP BC-XOM Integrations 1111
User Interface: SAP BC-XOM Integration 1114
Configure SAP ERP for RFC Communication 1119

14 Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide

 Integrate with SAP RFC 1122
ABAP Reference for SAP RFC Integrations 1125
User Interface: SAP RFC Integration 1130
Event Integration 1134
Web Services Integration 1136
REST API for Web Services Integration 1137
SOAP API for Web Services Integration 1139
Categorize an Integration 1177
Built-in Tag Category: Source 1177
Delete an Integration 1178
Integration Management Page 1179
Implementing Business Logic 1181
Getting Started with Business Rules in XML, Processes, and Integrations 1183
Getting Started with Workflow Templates 1185
Configuring Access for Processes and Business Rules 1186
Creating Objects to Support Business Logic 1188
Create a Business Rule in XML 1189
Create a Simple Process 1192
Create a Generator Process 1194
Create a Reprint Process 1196
Create a Workflow Template 1198
Categorize a Process, Business Rule, or Workflow Template 1200
Built-in Tag Category: Source 1200
Delete a Process, Business Rule, or Workflow Template 1201
Print External Files 1202
Examples 1205
Configure Job Handling Options 1207
Configure Auditing Data 1208
Business Rules to Replace Loftware Connector Filters 1209
Examples of Business Rules Using XML 1210
Replace the Label Template (XML) 1211
Change Print Attributes (XML) 1214
Access Label Data Sources (XML) 1216
Specify an Email Address for a Device Connection (XML) 1217
Retrieve Detailed Device Status (XML) 1221
Retrieve Data from a Database (XML) 1224
Generate Related Labels Using Multiple Label Templates (XML) 1227
Business Rule Reference 1229
Business Rules 1230
Business Rule Components 1231
Triggers and Events 1346

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 15

 Conditions and Operators 1353
Data and Parameters 1359
Children 1366
Business Rules for Generator Processes 1367
Process Design Page 1374
Navigation Tree 1377
Simple Process Properties 1378
Generator Process Properties 1383
Reprint Process Properties 1387
Business Rule Properties 1392
Workflow Template Properties 1395
Using Cross Reference Table Applications 1396
What Cross Reference Table Applications Are 1397
What Cross Reference Table Applications Can Do 1398
How Cross Reference Table Applications Work 1399
ConfiguringAccess for Cross Reference Tables 1402
Who are the users who need access to the cross reference table applications? 1403
What are the basic permissions required? 1404
What other permissions are required? 1407
Create a Cross Reference Table 1408
Edit Columns in a Cross Reference Table 1409
Reorder a Column 1410
Add a Column 1411
Edit a Column Name 1412
Change a Column Type 1413
Delete a Column 1414
View Data in a Cross Reference Table 1415
Search for Data in a Table 1416
Edit Data in a Cross Reference Table 1417
Insert Row 1418
Update Row 1419
Delete Row 1420
Import Data to a Cross Reference Table 1421
Export Data from a Cross Reference Table 1422
Delete a Cross Reference Table or Data in a Table 1423
View Cross Reference Table Audit Records 1424
Search for Data in a Table Audit Record 1425
Export Data from a Audit Record Table 1426
Troubleshooting 1427
Event (Application) Logging 1428
Log4j 2 Configuration File 1429

16 Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide

 Logging Levels 1430
Configure Log Files 1432
Adjust Rollover Triggers 1433
Configure Appenders 1434
Package-Level Loggers 1435
Spectrum Log Files 1436
System Log (spectrum.log) 1437
Critical Event Log (spectrum-critical.log) 1438
Driver Install Log (spectrum-drv-install-svc.log) 1439
Integration Event Log (spectrum-integration.log) 1440
Printing Event Log (spectrum-print.log) 1441
Security Event Log (spectrum-security.log) 1442
SOAP Web Service Log (spectrum-soap.log) 1443
Entity Sync Log (spectrum-sync-entity.log) 1444
Transaction Sync Log (spectrum-sync-transaction.log) 1445
User Event Log (user-rules.log) 1446
View Log Files 1447
Troubleshoot General Issues 1448
Time Values in Spectrum 1449
Troubleshoot Access Control (Permissions) 1450
Troubleshoot Data Services 1453
Troubleshoot Design 1455
Troubleshoot Label Data Sources 1457
Troubleshoot Label Specific Options 1460
Troubleshoot Layouts 1461
Troubleshoot Devices 1462
Troubleshoot a RemoteSpooler(LPR) Connection 1465
Troubleshoot a TCP/IP Device Connection 1467
Troubleshoot Distributed Services 1468
Troubleshoot Integrations, Processes, and Business Rules 1470
Troubleshoot File Drop Integration 1471
Troubleshoot Oracle Integration 1475
Troubleshoot Integration for Use with SAP Applications 1477
Troubleshoot LDAP Authentication 1479
Troubleshoot Printed Labels 1481
Troubleshoot by Using Status 1482
References 1483
Open and Save As Dialog Boxes 1484
Barcode Properties and Script Methods 1486
Reserved Keys 1487
Miscellaneous Reserved Keys 1488

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 17

 Reserved Keys for Process Properties 1489
Reserved Keys for Print Parameters 1490
Reserved Keys for Spectrum System Properties 1494
Job Processing 1495
Printing 1496
Reserved Keys for Detailed Device Status 1497
Reserved Keys for Detailed Status for cab Devices 1498
Reserved Keys for Detailed Status for Datamax-O'Neil Devices 1501
Reserved Keys for Detailed Status for PCL Devices 1504
Reserved Keys for Detailed Status for QuickLabel Devices 1506
Reserved Keys for Detailed Status for SATO Devices 1510
Reserved Keys for Detailed Status for Zebra Devices 1512
Character Set References 1515
ASCII Code 39 Reference 1516
Code 128 Character Sets 1517
Wedge Reader Conversion Reference 1523
IBM ASCII Reference 1525
IBM ASCII Extended Reference 1526
Configuring User Preferences 1527
Spectrum Reporting Schema 1547
Sample Queries 1548
Reporting Schema Reference 1551
Master Data Views 1552
Transactional Archive Views 1572
Spectrum Auditing Schema 1584
DEVICE_ACL_ENTRY 1586
DEVICES 1588
DOCUMENT_ACL_ENTRY 1590
DOCUMENT_STEP 1592
FOLDER_ACL_ENTRY 1594
FOLDERS 1598
FONT 1602
FONT_JOIN 1604
FONT_TYPE 1605
GROUP_ACL_ENTRY 1607
GROUP_ROLES 1609
GROUPS 1610
JVM_PROCESS 1612
JVM_PROCESS_DEVICE_CONFIG 1614
JVM_SRVC_CONFIG 1615
LDAP_DOMAINS 1617

18 Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide

 LOCALIZED_RESOURCES 1618
LOGICAL_DEVICE_ACL_ENTRY 1620
LOGICAL_DEVICES 1622
PERMISSIONS 1624
ROLE_ACL_ENTRY 1625
ROLES 1627
SERVER_ACL_ENTRY 1629
SERVERS 1631
SERVICES 1633
SYSTEM_PROPERTIES 1635
USER_ACL_ENTRY 1636
USER_GROUPS 1638
USER_ROLES 1639
USERS 1640
Bitmask Values 1643
External Links 1645

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 19

 Welcome to LoftwareSpectrum

LoftwareSpectrum is the industry's first all-in-one, browser-based enterprise labeling solution

and it offers unparalleled integration, design, management, and printing capabilities for labels and
documents throughout your supply chain. Spectrum is designed for global enterprises and
leverages over 25 years of innovation and industry leadership with more than 5,000 customers in
all major industries.
Spectrum enables companies to extend the power of enterprise labeling to users across the
supply chain while maintaining centralized control of access, permissions, and data. Spectrum is
designed to integrate with enterprise applications and seamlessly connect to the sources of
labeling data. At the same time, it empowers users to create business rules and processes that
provide nearly limitless flexibility in addressing variability in labeling due to unique business
processes, product variants, geographies, languages, customer demands, and regulatory
requirements.
This browser-based label design solution offers users an intuitive, WYSIWYG approach to
designing even the most complex labels and documents for your supply chain. Powerful version
control capabilities ensure that the proper version of a label is used during the printing process,
which can be triggered automatically through business process in external applications or via
Spectrum's robust on-demand print capabilities. On-demand print capabilities can be securely
extended to remote users, enabling suppliers and partners to directly print the appropriate labels
and documents.
Spectrum builds on Loftware's track record of printing performance by offering native print
drivers for leading printer vendors and introducing revolutionary universal label templates
allowing the same label to be printed on different printer makes and models. Spectrum also
affords users a wide array of capabilities to check on the status of print requests, control device
queues, and extend the ability to view print status directly to users that initiate a print request.
Welcome to Loftware Spectrum!

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 20

Welcome to LoftwareSpectrum

Documentation and Support

You are reading the LoftwareSpectrum UserGuide, which includes topics that provide an overview
of concepts, topics that provide instructions about how to perform a task, and reference
material.
The LoftwareSpectrum UserGuide is optimized for delivery via web browser. The printed version
may contain links that do not connect due to its standalone nature.
For further assistance, contact Loftware.

21 Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide

 Documentation and Support

About the LoftwareSpectrum UserGuide

This user guide includes three types of topics:
l Concepts - Topics that give you an overview. They describe a process such as
administering roles in the LoftwareSpectrum Role Based Access Control system.
l Tasks - Topics that tell you how to do something. They describe how to use
LoftwareSpectrum to accomplish a goal such as creating a user role.
l References - Topics that provide details and definitions. They describe the objects on
the screen and define properties such as the permissions you can assign to a role.

Context Sensitivity
When you click Help in Spectrum, the SpectrumUserGuide displays a topic about the section you
are viewing. For example, if you click help while you are in Design, the help for the Design
page is displayed. From these topics, you can follow links to complete tasks and to view
reference material.

Dynamic Help
When you click Help in Spectrum, a dynamic web-based version of the help is opened by
default. The dynamic help system is hosted on Loftware's website, and it gives you access to up-
to-the-minute content updates, additions, and corrections. For information about how an
administrator can configure Spectrum to use a static copy of the help system instead, see
"Change the Source of Spectrum Help" on page 772.

Help Version
At the bottom of each topic is a copyright statement that includes the version of Spectrum and
the revision of the help that you are viewing.
The example shown below would indicate that this topic is from the B (or second) revision of
the 1.0 version of SpectrumUserGuide.
Copyright 2012 Loftware, Inc. All rights reserved. Version 1.0 Rev B

Comments
Each topic contains an Ask the Doc Team link. Please send us your thoughts about what we got
right, what we got wrong, and where we need to expand our documentation.

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 22

Welcome to LoftwareSpectrum

Open the SpectrumUserGuide

After logging into Spectrum, you can use the Help buttons to open the SpectrumUserGuide.
l Click near the top of the Spectrum window in the title bar.
l Click the button in dialog boxes in Spectrum to display context sensitive help.

23 Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide

 Documentation and Support

User Interface: Help

The following tools are available while viewing the Help for LoftwareSpectrum.
Contents

The Contents tab contains a list of the help topics available. Think of it as the Table of
Contents of a book.
Glossary

The Glossary tab contains a list of terms and their definitions.

Search

The Search field allows you to search all the content in the help system.

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 24

Welcome to LoftwareSpectrum

About Loftware Spectrum

To view information about Spectrum, click in the Spectrum title bar. The About
Loftware Spectrum dialog box opens and displays the following information.

25 Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide

 Documentation and Support

Tabs
General
l Spectrum Version
l Server Name
l Usage
l Operating System
l Server ID
License
l Spectrum Version
l Server Name
l Usage
l Contract
l Data Management
l Business Rules
l Web Service Integrations
l Multi-Site (if applicable)
l Device Seats
l File Drop Integrations
l Oracle Integrations
l Integrations for use with SAP ERP
Advanced
l Spectrum Version
l Server Name
l Usage
l Operating System
l Server ID
l Contract
l Server Version
l Server Build Number
l Client Version
l Client Build Number
l Flash Player Version
l Flash Player Debugger
l Java Home
l Java Runtime Version
l Java Vendor
l Java Classpath
l OS Name
l OS Version

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 26

Welcome to LoftwareSpectrum

l OS Architecture

27 Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide

 Documentation and Support

Buttons

Button Description
Copy to Saves a copy of the information on all tabs, which can be pasted into an
Clipboard application such as a word processor.
OK Closes the About Loftware Spectrum dialog box.

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 28

Welcome to LoftwareSpectrum

Licensing, Warranty, and Support

The following documents are available with the Loftware Spectrum Installation Package.
l Loftware End User License Agreement (if applicable)
l Loftware Third Party Terms and Conditions

l Loftware Software Services Support Agreement

Tip: You can check the version of LoftwareSpectrum and obtain information
about its components, the SpectrumApplicationServer, and your Spectrum
license (including the integrations allowed) by clicking in the Spectrum
title bar. You can save a copy of the information by clicking the Copy to
Clipboard button in the About Loftware Spectrum dialog box and pasting into
an application such as a word processor.

29 Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide

 Documentation and Support

Technical Support
Software licenses purchased directly from Loftware include the first year of Technical Support.
This initial 12-month support period starts on the day the product is shipped and invoiced from
Loftware's factory. During this period, customers are eligible to receive unlimited telephone and
web-based support and access to software upgrades and enhancements.

Before Calling Support

Loftware has highly trained professional technicians available to help you with your labeling
system needs and issues. Technical support calls are most efficiently handled when all of the
following Technical Support requirements are met:
1. There is an active Support Contract in place that covers the specific license in question.
2. You have checked the product documentation for information related to your question.
3. If you suspect that your problem is hardware related, try to first determine if it is a
problem with your computer, network, or printer and contact the appropriate company.
Loftware does not sell or service any hardware products.
4. Have your serial number and the version number of the product you are using ready.
These numbers can be obtained by clicking the About button in the Spectrum window.
5. Think about how you are going to efficiently explain the problem prior to speaking with a
technician. The better the description, the quicker the solution and/or resolution to your
problem.
6. If this is a follow up call to a previous incident, please have the case number ready.
Phone: +1-603-766-3630 Option 3
Fax: +1-603-766-3635
E-mail: [email protected]

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 30

Welcome to LoftwareSpectrum

Contact Loftware
Locations
US Office GmbH Office
Corporate Headquarters Rmerstrasse 39
249 Corporate Drive 78183 Hfingen
Portsmouth, NH 03801 Germany
Phone: +1-603-766-3630 Phone: +49 771-8978-4250
Fax: +1-603-766-3631 Fax: +49 771-8978-4251
UK Office Asia Office
Abbey House 31 Rochester Drive Level 24
Brooklands Business Park Singapore 138637
Wellington Way, Weybridge Phone +65-6808-8763
Surrey KT13 0TT Fax +65-6808-8779
Phone: +44 (0) 1932 268470

31 Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide

 Documentation and Support

Sales

Loftware's Sales Department is available for product information, quotes, and placing orders.
Call between 8:00a.m. and 5:00p.m. (Eastern Time), Monday - Friday. Email and faxes are
received 24 hours a day.
Phone: +1-603-766-3630, Option 1
Fax: +1-603-766-3631
Email: [email protected]

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 32

Welcome to LoftwareSpectrum

Customer Account Management

Loftware's Customer Account Management Department is available for product and license
information and placing orders. Call between 8:00a.m. and 5:00p.m. (Eastern Time), Monday -
Friday. Email and faxes are received 24 hours a day.
Phone: +1-603-766-3630, Option 2
Fax: +1-603-766-3631
Email for Customer Service: [email protected]
Email for Contracts Administration: [email protected]

33 Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide

 Documentation and Support

Engineering Technical Support (ETS)

Loftware's Engineering Technical Support Department is available between the hours of

6:00AM and 10:00PM (Eastern U.S. Time), Monday - Friday. Email and faxes are received 24
hours a day. To receive Technical Support from our highly-trained Technical Support Call
Center, we require registration of your software and ask that you follow the recommended
troubleshooting procedures. Please allow up to 24-hours for your registration information to
become active.
Each purchase of a Loftware Product includes one full year of Technical Support. Your Annual
Support Contract is renewable and includes on-going upgrades, access to our Technical Support
Call Center, and guaranteed replacement keys.
Phone: +1-603-766-3630, Option 3
Fax: +1-603-766-3635
Email: [email protected]

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 34

Welcome to LoftwareSpectrum

Professional Services Group

If you are a Systems Analyst, Integrator, or an MIS, IS, or IT Director and your questions
specifically refer to integrating other applications or programs with Loftware, please contact one
of our System Analysts for a free telephone consultation. This is an extremely important and
invaluable service to those who are in the process of designing and developing labeling systems.
It is our desire to help you start your development process in the right direction. Email and faxes
are received 24 hours a day.
Phone: +1-603-766-3630 x209
Fax: +1-603-766-3631
Email: [email protected]

35 Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide

This page intentionally left blank
 Technical Requirements for Spectrum3.0

Technical Requirements for Spectrum3.0

The following are the hardware and software requirements for LoftwareSpectrum3.0. This
includes the requirements for the SpectrumApplicationServer and the database server, as well
as for client computers that connect to Spectrum. Also, the requirements for devices that
receive output from Spectrum, and requirements for integrating with other applications.

Server Requirements
All enterprise environments are unique. The server requirements necessary to fulfill your
organization's needs can be affected by the number of unique labels to be printed, the number of
devices to which labels will be printed, the relationship between the number of labels and the
number of devices, the complexity of your label templates, and other factors. Depending on
your organization's needs, you may able to use these recommendations as base guidelines.
Loftware's Professional Services Group can help you determine the server requirements
necessary to meet your exact business needs.
Database Server
You can configure and install Spectrum into your existing Oracle database, or you can use the
embedded database included with Spectrum.
l "Requirements for Loftware Spectrum Database Server with Existing Oracle Database"
on page 40
l "Requirements for Loftware Spectrum Database Server with Embedded Database" on
page 41

Note: For more information, see the LoftwareSpectrum Installation and Configuration
Guide.
Application Server
Whether you install the Spectrum database into your existing Oracle database or use the
embedded database, Loftware requires the SpectrumApplicationServer to be installed on a
dedicated server.
l "Requirements for Loftware SpectrumApplicationServer" on page 42
Tip: Spectrum can be configured with the application and embedded database on
the same computer. A combined server may be appropriate for proof of concept or
development environments, but it is not supported for production printing. You
must follow the Embedded Database Server requirements for a combined
application and embedded database server.

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 37

 Multi-Site Requirements
In a multi-site deployment1 of Loftware Spectrum, a Spectrum instance 2 at one site
(headquarters) is synchronized with Spectrum instances at other sites (facilities). There are a few
considerations when configuring a multi-site deployment.
l "Requirements for Multi-Site Deployment" on page 43
Server Performance Tips
The following tips may help you optimize your configuration.
l "Server Performance Tips" on page 44

Client Computer Requirements

Client computers connect to the SpectrumApplicationServer.
l "Requirements for Spectrum Client Computers" on page 47
l "Requirements for SpectrumRemotePrint Agent Computers" on page 49

Device Requirements
LoftwareSpectrum supports printers from a variety of manufacturers. For a list of supported
printers, in Spectrum click Device Management, click Add Device, select a Family, and then
click Model to view the list of supported models. The printer models supported may vary with
the version of Spectrum.
Note: LoftwareSpectrum encodes print data using UTF-8. Ensure that your
device firmware supports UTF-8. Older devices may not support this encoding.

Other Application Requirements for Integration (Optional Features)

You can integrate Spectrum with Oracle, SAP ERP, or other applications. By doing so, you can
route print requests initiated by users in other applications so that they are processed and printed
using Spectrum. In many cases, Spectrum can report the status back to the originating
application. You can configure as many integrations as your Spectrum license allows.
l "Requirements for Oracle Applications Integration" on page 51
l "Requirements for Integration for use with SAP Applications" on page 52

1A configuration of a Spectrum environment that includes Spectrum instances located at different sites within the same WAN. In a
multi-site deployment, each Spectrum instance acts as either a headquarters or a facility.
2A Spectrum Application Server and a Spectrum Database Server that are associated with each other by a Spectrum License.

38 Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide

 Technical Requirements for Spectrum3.0

Server Requirements for Spectrum3.0

The following are the hardware and software requirements for servers for
LoftwareSpectrum3.0.

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 39

 Requirements for Loftware Spectrum Database Server with Existing Oracle
Database

These are the database server requirements for LoftwareSpectrum3.0 when it is used with a
new or existing Oracle database server.
Important! The storage for both the flash recovery area and the tablespace data
must be on a fault-tolerant system, such as SAN or NAS. The same is
recommended for all drives that hold the Spectrum applications and data.
Component Requirement
CPU 8 cores or better
Memory 32 GB RAM or more
Available disk space for 2 TB or more. Multiple factors can affect the amount of space
database required. Contact Loftware's Professional Services Group (PSG)
for assistance.
Available disk space for 2.5 TB or more
flash recovery
Oracle One of the following, as appropriate for the operating system:
l Oracle Database 12c

l Oracle Database 11g, version 11.2.0.4 or later

40 Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide

 Technical Requirements for Spectrum3.0

Requirements for Loftware Spectrum Database Server with Embedded Database

These are the Loftware-supplied embedded database server requirements for

LoftwareSpectrum3.0.
Important! The storage for both the flash recovery area and the tablespace data
must be on a fault-tolerant system, such as SAN or NAS. The same is
recommended for all drives that hold the Spectrum applications and data.
Component Minimum Maximum
CPU 4 cores 4 cores
Memory 16 GB RAM No limit
Available disk 2 TB. Multiple factors can affect the amount of space 10 TB
space for required. Contact Loftware's Professional Services Group
database (PSG) for assistance.
Available disk 2.5 TB. This drive must be separate from the database drive. 10 TB
space for flash
recovery
Operating One of the following 64-bit operating systems:
system l Microsoft server operating systems

l Windows Server 2012 R2

l Windows Server 2008 R2

Constraints

The Loftware-supplied embedded database includes the following limits. If these limits are
exceeded, you must use the non-embedded database configuration. For more information, see
"Requirements for Loftware Spectrum Database Server with Existing Oracle Database" on page
40.
Component Maximum
Archive retention 12 months or less
period
Peak load 10 labels per second, summed across all distributed application
servers
Label throughput 1 million labels per month
Users 1500 users
Devices 1500 devices
Archive retention 50 million labels
Distributed servers 3 SpectrumApplicationServers, including the primary

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 41

 Requirements for Loftware SpectrumApplicationServer

A server that will act as a dedicated SpectrumApplicationServer has the following

requirements.
Important! If you are installing Spectrum into a network running as a Windows
domain, install the SpectrumApplicationServer on a domain-member server.
Production Spectrum servers running in a Windows domain are not supported
unless they are part of the domain.
Component Requirement
CPU 8 cores or better
Memory 32GB RAM or more
Available 250GB or more
disk space Note: The Spectrum application requires approximately 10GB
of disk space upon installation. This includes space to retain
SpectrumApplicationServer log files which are archived and
retained.
Operating One of the following 64-bit operating systems:
system l Microsoft server operating systems

l Windows Server 2012 R2

l Windows Server 2008 R2

l Oracle Linux operating systems

l Oracle Linux "Unbreakable" 7.x

l Oracle Linux "Unbreakable" 6.x, version 6.4 or later

l Red Hat Linux operating systems

l Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.x

l Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.x, version 6.4 or later

Note: For Linux operating systems, the Spectrum installation

requires the latest lsb_release package as well as a graphical
interface.

42 Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide

 Technical Requirements for Spectrum3.0

Requirements for Multi-Site Deployment

If you are configuring a multi-site deployment1, the following are requirements for facility
sites.
l Each facility site can have only one SpectrumApplicationServer and one Spectrum
Database Server.
l Each facility site must use the Loftware-supplied embedded database.
l The name of the root folder in Spectrum must be the same at the headquarters site and at
each facility site associated with that headquarters.
l The headquarters and facility sites must be in the same WAN, but facilities are not
required to be able to communicate with each other.

1A configuration of a Spectrum environment that includes Spectrum instances located at different sites within the same WAN. In a
multi-site deployment, each Spectrum instance acts as either a headquarters or a facility.

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 43

 Server Performance Tips

The following information may help you configure your Spectrum environment and your servers
to optimize their performance.
Configuring for High Availability with Distributed Services

If you are planning a Spectrum environment that will include more than one
SpectrumApplicationServer, it is recommended that you configure your environment to
support distributed services. In a Spectrum environment with distributed services, all
SpectrumApplicationServers are configured to interact as peers within the Spectrum
environment, all accessing the same Spectrum database.
In such an environment, you use distributed services to manage which server or servers are
providing Spectrum functionality at any time. In Spectrum, you can configure distributed
services for high availability or for failover only. It is recommended that you configure for high
availability of distributed services in Spectrum. This approach involves configuring Spectrum to
load balance those services that support load balancing so that they are run concurrently on
multiple SpectrumApplicationServers. Services that do not support load balancing should be
configured to fail over among SpectrumApplicationServers so that if one or more servers go
offline, a standby server or servers begin running the associated services to minimize any
interruption for users.
For information about how to install Spectrum to support distributed services, see the
LoftwareSpectrum Installation and Configuration Guide in More Documentation. For information
about configuring distributed services, see "High Availability with Distributed Services" on page
716.
For information about how to install Spectrum to support distributed services, see the
LoftwareSpectrum Installation and Configuration Guide. For information about configuring distributed
services, see the LoftwareSpectrum UserGuide.
Optimizing Performance

The following tips may help you to optimize the performance of your Spectrum configuration.
l Consult your database administrator for guidance about database tuning.
l The more memory that you have configured for the SpectrumApplicationServer, the
greater the number of devices, label templates, and users that it can support. For more
information, see the LoftwareSpectrum Installation and Configuration Guide.
l Increasing the amount of memory available to the database server typically improves
performance. If you can make significantly more memory available, you can dramatically
increase performance because all or a significant portion of the label and configuration
data can be cached in memory.

44 Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide

 Technical Requirements for Spectrum3.0

l The amount of space on the database server required for recent history data is typically
greater and more variable than the space required for label and configuration data.
However, if you can make the amount of memory required for recent history data
available on the database server, you can dramatically increase the performance of
reporting.
l Sufficient network bandwidth must be available to support your expected printing
throughput.

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 45

 Client Computer Requirements for Spectrum3.0
Client computers connect to the SpectrumApplicationServer.

46 Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide

 Technical Requirements for Spectrum3.0

Requirements for Spectrum Client Computers

Each computer on which the LoftwareSpectrum3.0 client software will be run must be able
to connect to the SpectrumApplicationServer and has the following requirements.
Component Requirement
CPU 2.0GHz Dual Core or better
Memory One of the following
l 4GB RAM or more (64-bit operating system)

l 2GB RAM or more (32-bit operating system)

Operating system One of the following:

l Microsoft client computer operating systems

l Windows 10

l Windows 8.x

l Windows 7 with SP1 or later

l Microsoft server operating systems

l Windows Server 2012 R2

l Windows Server 2008 R2

l Oracle Linux operating systems

l Oracle Linux "Unbreakable" 7.x

l Oracle Linux "Unbreakable" 6.x, version 6.4 or later

l Red Hat Linux operating systems

l Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.x

l Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.x, version 6.4 or later

Web browser One of the following:

l Internet Explorer 9.0 or later

l Mozilla Firefox 18.0 or later

l Google Chrome 24.0 or later

l Microsoft Edge

Plugin Adobe Flash Player Plugin 11.8.800.94 or later

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 47

 Component Requirement
Support for Optional. You can configure the client computer to allow
remotespooler(LPR) Spectrum to print via remotespooler(LPR) connection (that is, to
connections spool to a device queue that is directly connected to it by a wired
or wireless connection). If you plan to do so, you must configure
the computer as follows:
l Ensure that the computer is accessible via IP address or

DNS name.
l If Windows Server is installed, ensure that the Role

Services installed include Print Server and LPD Service.

l If Windows is installed, ensure that the LPD Print

Service feature of Windows is turned on. (The LPR Port

Monitor feature is not required.)
It is not necessary to perform this configuration on other
computers that access this device connection via shared network
printing.
Note: For information about creating a
remotespooler(LPR) connection, see " Create a
RemoteSpooler(LPR) Connection" on page 807.

48 Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide

 Technical Requirements for Spectrum3.0

Requirements for SpectrumRemotePrint Agent Computers

LoftwareSpectrum3.0 supports remote printing, the act of printing a label to a device that
would not normally be accessible to Spectrum by using your LAN or by using a direct
connection to Spectrum. For example, printing using a device that is physically connected to a
computer outside of your WAN. The SpectrumRemotePrint solution includes a Remote Print
Agent that is installed on a remote computer. Each Remote Site computer on which
SpectrumRemotePrint will be run has the following requirements.
Component Requirement
CPU 2.0GHz Dual Core or better
Memory 4GB RAM or more
Operating system One of the following 64-bit operating systems:
l Microsoft client computer operating systems

l Windows 10

l Windows 8.x

l Windows 7 with SP1 or later

l Microsoft server operating systems

l Windows Server 2012 R2

l Windows Server 2008 R2

Web browser One of the following:

l Internet Explorer 9.0 or later

l Mozilla Firefox 18.0 or later

l Google Chrome 24.0 or later

l Microsoft Edge

Plugin Adobe Flash Player Plugin 11.8.800.94 or later

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 49

 Other Requirements for Integrations
You can integrate Spectrum with Oracle, SAP ERP, or other applications. By doing so, you can
route print requests initiated by users in other applications so that they are processed and printed
using Spectrum. In many cases, Spectrum can report the status back to the originating
application. You can configure as many integrations as your Spectrum license allows.

50 Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide

 Technical Requirements for Spectrum3.0

Requirements for Oracle Applications Integration

Oracle integration extends the functionality of Oracle applications, incorporating

LoftwareSpectrum capabilities so that users can print labels and other Spectrum documents
from Oracle Warehouse Management Solution (WMS), Oracle Mobile Supply Chain, and other
Oracle applications. Print requests initiated by users in Oracle applications can be processed and
printed by Spectrum, and Spectrum reports the status of each request to the originating
application. You can configure as many Oracle integrations as your Spectrum license allows. If
you are integrating Spectrum3.0 with Oracle applications, you must meet the following
requirements.
Component Requirement
Loftware License Spectrum license that includes Oracle Integration
Database Software One of the following, including patches:
l Oracle 12c

l Oracle 11g

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 51

 Requirements for Integration for use with SAP Applications

LoftwareSpectrum Integration for use with SAP Applications is an optional component that
extends the functionality of SAP applications, incorporating LoftwareSpectrum capabilities so
that users can print labels from SAP applications. Print requests initiated by users in SAP
applications are processed and printed by Spectrum, and Spectrum reports the status of each
request to the originating application. You can configure as many integrations as your Spectrum
license allows. If you are integrating Spectrum3.0 with SAP ERP, you must meet the following
requirements.
Component Requirement
License Spectrum license that includes Integration for use with SAP Applications
SAP ECC SAPECC 6.0 or later with the latest enhancements
SAP JCo SAP JCo (sapjco3.jar) 3.0.16 or later must be deployed to the
SpectrumApplicationServer. SAP JCo can be obtained from SAP
Marketplace. For more information, see "Preparing for Integration for Use
with SAP Applications" on page 1086.
Java Java Development Kit (JDK) version 1.8 must be installed on the SAP
Application Server for the Command Line Interpreter

52 Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide

 Log in to Spectrum

Log in to Spectrum
To log in to Spectrum, use this procedure.
Note: Logging into Spectrum simultaneously as different users from the same
workstation is not supported.
1. Open Spectrum from a supported browser. The Login page is displayed.
Example
Enter the following in the address field of your browser, where spectrum-server
is the name of the server hosting Spectrum for your organization:
http://spectrum-server:8080/loftwarespectrum
Note: If opening Spectrum in Internet Explorer, use the fully-qualified
name of the server, such as www.example.com, rather than a short form of
the server name such as example. To permit the use of short names, in
Internet Explorer configure the Compatibility View Settings so that intranet
sites are not displayed in Compatibility View.

2. Enter your user name in the Username field.

3. Enter your password in the Password field.
4. Select the domain to which you want to log in from the Domain list.
Tip: If you entered your user name by using the format
username@domain, you can skip this step. Any domain selected will be
disregarded.
5. Click Login.
If you are logging into Spectrum for the first time, you may be asked to change your password.

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 53

 From Internet Explorer on a Computer Running Windows Server
The computer must meet the requirements for client computers as specified in the "Technical
Requirements for Spectrum3.0" on page 37. After installing Spectrum, you may need to disable
Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration to connect to Spectrum from a computer
running Windows Server.

54 Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide

 Log in to Spectrum

Windows Server 2012 R2

1. Open Server Manager.

2. Select Local Server.
3. In the Properties section, click On next to IE Enhanced Security Configuration.
The Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration dialog box opens.
4. Select Off for Administrators and/or Users as needed.

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 55

 Windows Server 2008 R2

1. Open Server Manager.

2. Select the root node.
3. In the Server Summary section, select Security Information.
4. Select Configure IE ESC.
5. Select Off for the appropriate groups.

56 Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide

 Log in to Spectrum

Spectrum Root Folder

After installing Spectrum and before you create any objects, you should rename the root folder
(initially named Default) to something relevant to your organization.

Important: Changing the root folder name after you have started using Spectrum
is not recommended.

Note: In a multi-site deployment, the name of the root folder must be the same at
the headquarters (HQ) and at each facility associated with that HQ.

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 57

 Change Your Password
The first time you log into Spectrum, you may be required to change your password.
Note: If you use domain credentials to log into Spectrum, then you are not
prompted you to change your password.
1. In the Old Password field, enter your old password, or the password you were given by
your administrator.
2. In the New Password and Confirm Password fields, enter a new password.
3. Click OK to make the change and return to the Login window.
4. Enter your new password to log in to Spectrum.

58 Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide

 Loftware Spectrum Tools

Loftware Spectrum Tools

LoftwareSpectrum provides the following tools for designing and printing labels and for
configuring and administering user access, device connections, and data services such as
database connections, files, and URLs.
Design "Managing Label Templates" on page 89
"Designing Labels and Forms" on page 117
"Building with Application Architect" on page 290
"Configuring Label Data Sources" on page 305
" Configuring Format Sources" on page 425 (including
character-level formatting)
Print " Printing Labels" on page 501
Data Services " Managing Data Services" on page 979
Device Management " Managing Devices" on page 794
Access Control " Controlling Access in Spectrum" on page 560
Status " Managing Job and Device Status" on page 515
Integration Management "Integrating with Other Applications" on page 1042
System "Performing System Management" on page 715
Management
User Preferences "Configuring the Design Workspace" on page 61
"Configuring User Preferences for Printing" on page 495
"Configuring User Profiles" on page 781
Process Design "Implementing Business Logic" on page 1181
"Designing Business Rules with the Configurator" on page
437
About "About Loftware Spectrum" on page 25
LoftwareSpectrum

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 59

Designing Labels

Designing Labels

The topics in this section describe how to use LoftwareSpectrum to perform the following
tasks.
l Configure your Design workspace by using User Preferences.
l Design and develop label templates, forms, layouts, reusable objects, or applications by
using Design.
l Design and develop business rules by using the Configurator in Process Design.

60 Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide

 Configuring the Design Workspace

Configuring the Design Workspace

You can arrange the workspace in Design to suit your needs. Also, by configuring your User
Preferences you can customize which page is initially displayed when you log into Spectrum,
which device is your default device 1, and default characteristics of new label templates that you
create. You can also specify whether the data displayed in fields in Design is based on default
values that you specify, placeholder data provided by Spectrum, or live data from a Database data
source.

1A physical printer, print queue, or other target for output, such as an image file or a PDF file.

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 61

Designing Labels

Set User Preferences

User preferences in Spectrum may allow you to customize which page is initially displayed when
you log into Spectrum, to specify a default device 1 for yourself, to specify whether default
values or placeholder data2 is displayed for fields in Design, and to specify the default size,
shape, and orientation of new label templates that you create. The preferences available to you
depend on the user profile applied to you.
To configure the default behavior for when you are logged in to Spectrum, use this procedure.
1. Click User Preferences.
2. In the Preferences pane, click your user profile.
3. Configure preferences to suit your needs. For more information, see " User Preferences
Page (Designing)" on page 72.
4. Click Save.

1A physical printer, print queue, or other target for output, such as an image file or a PDF file.
2For a Variable Text field, the series of digits 1234567890, repeated until the maximum number of characters allowed for the field is
displayed. For a barcode field, a sample barcode that adheres to the specified properties. For an image field, a sample image.
Whether placeholder data is used in Design is controlled by the selection for Design Data.

62 Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide

 Configuring the Design Workspace

Select Data to Display in Design

You can specify what data to show in fields when a label template or a reusable object is
displayed in Design. You can use default data that you specify in the Default Value properties,
placeholder data1 provided by Spectrum, or data from a live data set2 drawn from a Database
data source, an Alternate data source, or a Date/Time data source.
Your choice affects what is displayed in the Label view for a label template or a reusable object,
as well as what is displayed when you preview or print a label in Design. More specifically, this
option affects what is displayed in text fields, barcode fields, and variable image fields.
Displaying placeholder data can help you evaluate the size of the field when the maximum
character limit is reached. Using a snapshot of live data from a database can help you evaluate the
appearance of a label or a form using typical data.

1For a Variable Text field, the series of digits 1234567890, repeated until the maximum number of characters allowed for the field is
displayed. For a barcode field, a sample barcode that adheres to the specified properties. For an image field, a sample image.
Whether placeholder data is used in Design is controlled by the selection for Design Data.
2A collection of data (names and values) that was retrieved from a data source and is specific to a label template or a reusable
object. A data set can be used to populate fields displayed in Design, in a preview, and when test printing.

Loftware Spectrum 3.0.1 User Guide 63

Designing Labels

Display Default, Placeholder, or Live Data in Design

To change the source for data displayed in Design, use the following procedure.
1. In Design, click Options > Design Data.
2. Select one of the following:
n Default Value: The values specified in the Default Value property for each field
are used.
n Placeholder: The data used for each field is placeholder data 1 provided by
Spectrum.
n LiveData Set: If configured, values from a live data set2 obtained from a
Database data source, an Alternate data source, or a Date/Time data source are
used. You can also add data map entries to the data set manually.
Tip: If the Default Value property or the value from a live data set is empty or
contains only a space and that option is selected, then a placeholder value is
displayed in the Label view or Form view in Design. No visible indication of the
field is displayed when you preview or print in Design.

1For a Variable Text field, the series of digits 1234567890, repeated until the maximum number of characters allowed for the field is
displayed. For a barcode field, a sample barcode that adheres to the specified properties. For an image field, a sample image.
Whether placeholder data is used in Design is controlled by the selection for Design Data.
2A collection of data (names and values) that was retrieved from a data source and is specific to a label template or a reusable
object. A data set can be used to populate fields displayed in Design, in a preview, and when test printing.

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Add Data to a Live Data Set from a Data Source

To add data map entries to a data set by querying a Database data source, an Alternate data
source, or a Date/Time data source, use the following procedure.
1. In Design, click the title bar of the Data Sources pane in the left column and the Data
Sets pane in the right column to expand those panes if they are collapsed.
2. In the Data Sources pane, click a Database data source, an Alternate data source, or a
Date/Time data source.
3. Click to query the selected data source and save the data to a live data set.
4. Click File > Save or click the Save button on the toolbar to save the label template
or reusable object.
Important! A data set is part of a label template or a reusable object. If you
do not save the label template or reusable object, the data set that you
created will be discarded.
In the Data Sets pane, a data map entry or data map entries is added using data retrieved by
querying the data source.

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Import Data to a Live Data Set from a File

To add data map entries to a data set by importing data from an XML file or a CSV file, use the
following procedure.
1. In Design, click the title bar of the Data Sets pane in the right column to expand it if it
is collapsed.
2. In the Data Sets pane, click the item that should be the parent of the new data map
entries, such as the Live data set.
3. Click to open the Import Data dialog box.
4. In the Import Data dialog box, select whether you are importing data from an XMLfile
or a CSV file.
5. If you are importing data from a CSV file, specify the following information about the
source data.
a. Select whether the source data is tabular data or key/value pairs (data map entries).
b. For Text Qualifier, enter the character that can be used to enclose the data of
one cell in the source data. By default, this is a double quotation mark (").
6. Select the XML or CSV file to import, and then click OK.
7. Click File > Save or click the Save button on the toolbar to save the label template
or reusable object.
Important! A data set is part of a label template or a reusable object. If you
do not save the label template or reusable object, the data set that you
created will be discarded.

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Manually Change a Data Set

To manually add a data map entry 1 to a data set or to alter a data map entry in a data set, use
the following procedure.
1. In Design, click the title bar of the Data Sets pane in the right column to expand it if it
is collapsed.
2. To add a new data map entry to a data set, do the following.
a. In the Data Sets pane, click the item that should be the parent of the new data
map entry, such as the Live data set.
b. Click to create a new data map entry.
c. In the Add Entry dialog box, enter a name and a value for the data map entry, and
then click OK.
d. Repeat for any other data map entries to be added.
3. To delete a data map entry from a data set, do the following.
a. In the Data Sets pane, click the data map entry that you want to delete from the
data set.
b. Click to delete the selected data map entry and its children, if any.
c. Repeat for any other data map entries to be deleted.
4. To change a data map entry in a data set, do the following.
a. In the Data Sets pane, click the data map entry that you want to change.
b. Click to edit the data map entry.
c. In the Edit Entry dialog box, change the name and value as needed, and then
click OK.
d. Repeat for any other data map entries to be changed.
5. Click File > Save or click the Save button on the toolbar to save the label template
or reusable object.
Important! A data set is part of a label template or a reusable object. If you
do not save the label template or reusable object, the data set that you
created will be discarded.

1A name (key) and value pair in the data map for a job.

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Arranging the Design Workspace

You can configure the appearance of the Design workspace.

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Grid Overlay and Rulers

To view the grid

You can add a grid overlay to your Design workspace to aid in aligning fields.
l Click View > Grid. The grid appears on the label and form view. The grid setting field
and Set Grid button are displayed.
To change grid settings

You can change the appearance of the grid overlay.

1. Click Options, and point to Grid Settings.
2. Select the type of grid to overlay on your Design workspace.
If you have made the grid visible, the grid overlay changes to match the type you select.
To set the grid

You can change the spacing of grid marks.

1. With the grid displayed, enter a value in the grid setting field.
2. Click Set Grid.

Figure A.1: Grid setting field and Set Grid button

To align a field with the grid

You can align a corner of a field to the nearest grid intersection.

1. Click a field in the label template.
2. Click Options > Align to Grid. The top left corner of the field moves to the nearest
grid intersection point.

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Zoom
To change zoom level
From the Menu
1. Click View, and point to Zoom.
2. Select a zoom percentage from the list.
The Design view changes to the new zoom level.
From the Toolbar

Select a zoom percentage from the Zoom icon.

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Split Screen View

To change split style

1. Click View, and point to Split Screen.

2. Select a split style. The Design window changes.

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User Preferences Page (Designing)

The following are options that may be included in your user profile on User Preferences and
may be configurable in the Preferences pane.
Note: Even if Spectrum is configured so that you cannot change a preference that
controls what is initially displayed when you log in, you can still change what is
displayed while working in a session of Spectrum.

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General Preferences

Preference Description
Display The language used in the user interface of Spectrum. Options include the
Language following:
l English

l German

l French

l Spanish

l Simplified Chinese

l Traditional Chinese

l Portuguese (Brazilian)

l Japanese

Landing Page The page (top-level tab) that is displayed when you log in to Spectrum.
Home Folder Folder in Spectrum initially selected and expanded in the tree when
opening, saving, or printing.
Initial Label The label template or process that is initially loaded when you click Print.
Default Process The process used if users to whom this profile is applied do not select a
process when printing a label template from Print.
ReprintProcess The Reprint process used when users to whom this profile is applied click
Reprint in Status.
Change Display a dialog box that allows you to change your password for
Password Spectrum.

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Label/Document Preferences

These preferences control what is initially selected in Design when you create a new label
template. However, even if these preferences are locked down, you can change what is displayed
for the current session by selecting options in Design.
Preference Description
Size The default size used when producing a label template.
Width The default horizontal span of the label template.
The unit of measure is as defined in Units under Design Preferences, or in
Design under Options > Units.
Height The default vertical span of the label template.
The unit of measure is as defined in Units under Design Preferences, or in
Design under Options > Units.
Shape The default appearance of the outside edge of the label canvas when you
create a new label template.
Orientation Sets the default direction objects are aligned on the label when you create a
new label template.
Document The default resolution in dots per inch for objects on the label.
DPI
Font The default font category to be used on the label.
Category TrueType
DPL1
IPL2
ZPL II3
Note: If Use Label Font Category is selected, the default
type of font is whatever type was most recently used by that
user when creating a label template or reusable object.
New Whether to display the Create Label dialog box when creating a new label
Document template.
Dialog Box If Bypass and use my preferences is selected and if Size (or Width and
Height), Shape, Orientation, Document DPI, and Font Category are
configured in your preferences, then the dialog box is not displayed.
Otherwise, the dialog box is displayed.

1Datamax-O'Neil Programming Language, a printer control language.

2Intermec Printer Language, a printer control language.
3Zebra Programming Language II, a printer control language.

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Design Preferences

These preferences control what is initially displayed in Design when a Document Designer
creates or edits a label template. However, even if these preferences are locked down, the
Document Designer can change what is displayed for the current session by selecting options in
Design.
Preference Description
View Whether to initially display the Label View, Form View, or both.
Units The default unit of measure to be used to position and size objects in label
templates. Options include inches, cm, and mm.
Grid Whether to initially display an overlay grid to assist Document Designers with
aligning objects. The dots or lines of the grid are not displayed in printed
labels or in the forms displayed to Data Providers. The type of grid can be
configured in Grid Settings.
Align to Whether to initially force the top left corner of each object to align with the
Grid nearest alignment overlay dot or intersection of lines. Whether the grid is
used can be configured in Grid.
Grid The type of alignment overlay. Options include Dot, Line, Dotted Line, and
Settings Dashed Line.
The dots or lines of the grid are not displayed in printed labels or in the forms
displayed to Data Providers. Whether the grid is used can be configured in
Grid.

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Preference Description
Design What data to show in fields when displaying a label template or a reusable
Data object in Design. This option affects what is displayed in the Label view and
Form view in Design, as well as what is displayed when you preview or print
a label in Design. More specifically, this option affects what is displayed in
text fields, barcode fields, and variable image fields.
l Default Value: The values specified in the Default Value property

for each field are used.

l Placeholder: The data used for each field is placeholder data
1
provided by Spectrum.
2
l Live Data Set: If configured, values from a live data set obtained

from a Database data source, an Alternate data source, or a Date/Time

data source are used. You can also add entries to the data set manually.
Tip: If the Default Value field or the value from a live data set
is empty or contains only a space and that option is selected,
then a placeholder value is displayed in the Label view or Form
view in Design. No visible indication of the field is displayed
when you preview or print in Design.
For more information, see "Select Data to Display in Design" on page 63.
Label Font Default font to be used in Label View and on printed labels. The available
options are restricted by the Font Category selected.
Label Font For text in Label View and on printed labels, the default size of text in points.
Size This property may not be used by some fonts.
Form Font Default font to be used in Form View and in forms displayed to Data
Providers.
Form Font For text in Form View and in forms displayed to Data Providers, the default
Size size of the text in points. This property may not be used by some fonts.

1For a Variable Text field, the series of digits 1234567890, repeated until the maximum number of characters allowed for the field is
displayed. For a barcode field, a sample barcode that adheres to the specified properties. For an image field, a sample image.
Whether placeholder data is used in Design is controlled by the selection for Design Data.
2A collection of data (names and values) that was retrieved from a data source and is specific to a label template or a reusable
object. A data set can be used to populate fields displayed in Design, in a preview, and when test printing.

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Print Preferences

These preferences control the default options when printing from Print. However, even if these
options are locked down, you can change printing options for the current session on Print.
Preference Description
Default The device 1 used unless you select a different device at print time.
Device
Clear fields Whether to automatically reset all values entered in the form for on-demand
after print after printing occurs.
successful
print
Navigation Whether the Documents Tree is displayed in Print.
Panel Show: The tree is displayed, but you can click a control to hide it.
Hide: The tree is hidden, but you can click a control to display it.
Hide and Lock: The tree is hidden and you cannot display it.
Allow Print Whether the Preview button is displayed in Print.
Preview Note: To use Print Preview, a user should have a role with
Print permission for Documents, have Print permission for
Documents for folders containing label templates and images to
be previewed, and have Allow Print Preview selected in User
Preferences.
View Data Whether to allow a user to click the object title in Print and display the data
Map on map entries in a dialog box. For more information, see " View the Print Data"
PrintPage on page 505.

1A physical printer, print queue, or other target for output, such as an image file or a PDF file.

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Buttons

Button Effect
Save Save any changes that you have made to your preferences.
Cancel/Undo Discard any changes that you have made to your preferences.
Edits
Restore Reset all of your preferences to the default values specified in the user
Defaults profile applied to you. These default values can be changed in the user
profile by an administrator.

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Working in a Version-Controlled Environment

In LoftwareSpectrum, you can use version control1 to retain multiple versions of a label
template, form, layout, image, reusable object, application, business rule, or process and to roll
back to a previous version if necessary. In a multi-user environment, you can use version control
to help ensure that users do not accidentally overwrite each other's work.
Creating version-controlled items
Any object that can be version controlled that you create in a folder for which version
control is turned on will be version-controlled. Version control can be enabled or disabled
only during the creation of a folder. After a new folder has been saved, its version control
setting can no longer be changed. Any object that is created in or saved into a folder becomes
version-controlled if version control is turned on for that folder.
Note: If you save a copy of a version-controlled object into a different folder,
the version control history is not propagated to the new instance.

Note: You cannot import an object from an import (SER) file into a folder in
which an object with the same name already exists unless the folder is version-
controlled, the object in the folder is checked out to you, and the version
number of the object in the folder is less than the version number of the object
you are importing.
Recognizing version-controlled items
When you open a version-controlled object, the Version is displayed in the bar at the bottom
of the editing pane in Design or Process Design. A lock icon is also displayed in this bar if
the object is checked in. Also, in the File menu, the Version Control > Check In option is
available if the item is checked out, and the Version Control > Check Out option is
available if the item is checked in and you have the permissions needed to check out the
item.

Figure A.2: Checked-in version-controlled label template

Figure A.3: Checked-out version-controlled label template

Version-controlled folders are identified in console trees where they appear by the icon .
In a console tree, if a label template is checked out, it is identified by the icon . If
checked in, it is identified by the icon .

1The ability to maintain distinct versions of a label template or other item. An item is checked out to be modified, and checked in to
save a new version. After a version is checked in, that version cannot be changed.

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Understanding version numbers

A major.minor numbering scheme is used to differentiate between published versions (major
versions) and minor versions of an object. Images have only published versions. Layouts
must be published before they are available for attachment to a label template.
The first time that an object is checked out, the Version is 0.1. The minor version is
incremented each time that a user checks out the object. Merely saving an object does not
change its version.
When an object is published, its major version number is incremented and its minor version
number is set to zero. For example, if you have a label template with a version of 1.3,
publishing that label template creates a version 2.0.
Note: For a version-controlled reusable object to be displayed in the Library in
Design, the reusable object must be in the Reusable Objects folder or a
subfolder and the reusable object must be published.
Printing and version control
By default, the latest available version of a version-controlled object is selected when you
print an object . However, the versions available for you to print can be limited by your
permissions. If you have the necessary permissions for printing from Design, then you can
print any published version1 or minor version except a version that is checked out to
another user. Otherwise, you can print only the latest published version.
A Data Provider 2 typically has only the permissions necessary to view and print published
versions. For a Data Provider, the latest version is the latest published version.
Checking in a version
A checked-in version cannot be altered. The most recently published version3 can be rolled
back and deleted if no minor version has been checked in after that published version. If the
most recently published version is immediately preceded by other published versions, they
can also be rolled back and deleted. Other than those exceptions, although an entire object
can be deleted, individual versions of it cannot be deleted separately.
Checking out before making changes
Before you begin making changes to a version-controlled object, you should check it out so
that you will be able to save and check in changes when finished. Checking out an object also
prevents other users from making changes to it at the same time and from viewing your
version until you check it in. If you do not check out a version-controlled object before
changing it, then you must save your changes to a new object to retain them. Otherwise, the

1When version control is used, a version for which the minor version number is zero. Users with some permissions can print only the
latest published version.
2Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.
3When version control is used, a version for which the minor version number is zero. Users with some permissions can print only the
latest published version.

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changes will be discarded when the object is checked out.

Publishing objects
Typically, the latest published version of an object is used for printing and within business
rules and processes.
Because some users do not have the permissions necessary to print minor versions of a
version-controlled label template, you may need to create a published version1 of a label
template for review. Because a version-controlled layout must be published before it can be
attached to a label template, you may need to create a published version of a layout for
review. You can do so by publishing the object in place.
Requesting review and approval of a label template (workflow)
If your Spectrum environment is using workflow, you can request review of a label template
by starting a workflow. For more information, see "Using Workflows" on page 101.
Approving or rejecting a label template (workflow)
If your Spectrum environment is using workflow, you may be responsible for reviewing and
approving a label template that someone else has edited. For more information, see "Using
Workflows" on page 101.
Requesting that a label template be published to another folder
Your Local Admin2 may configure separate folders for development (where you create and
edit objects) and production (where released objects are stored), or for any situation in which
objects are edited in one folder and must be moved to another. If you are a Document
Designer 3, you may not have the necessary permissions to publish objects to the production
area. When an object is ready to be released, request that a Local Admin4 publish the object
to the production area.
Alternatively, you may have the permissions necessary to export an object to a separate file
and import it into another folder.
Note: You cannot import an object from an import (SER) file into a folder in
which an object with the same name already exists unless the folder is version-
controlled, the object in the folder is checked out to you, and the version
number of the object in the folder is less than the version number of the object
you are importing.
Best Practices

1When version control is used, a version for which the minor version number is zero. Users with some permissions can print only the
latest published version.
2A Spectrum role with all permissions except those needed for role administration.
3Person who creates and designs label templates for use by Data Providers. Also a default role in Spectrum.
4A Spectrum role with all permissions except those needed for role administration.

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If label templates that you create are typically copied from one folder to another,
it is recommended that you save layouts and label templates in separate folders
to prevent confusion. Administrators can copy all label templates and layouts in a
folder to a second folder. If associated layouts and label templates are mingled in
the same folder, when an administrator copies all items in the folder to a second
folder, label templates in the second folder still point to the layouts in the
original folder.
Note: A version-controlled layout must be published before it can be attached to a
label template.

Note: Each version of an object can have different tags applied.

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Check Out a Version-Controlled Object

Before you edit a version-controlled object, you should check out the object or save it under a
different name or in a different folder. Otherwise, any changes that you make will be discarded
when you close or check out the object. In order to check out an object, the object must be
checked in.
To check out a version-controlled object, use the following procedure.
1. Open the version-controlled object, and verify that it is checked in.
2. Click File > Version Control > Check Out. This option is available only for the latest
version of the object and only if it is not currently checked out by another user.

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Save a Copy

To create a copy of a version-controlled object that you can edit, click File > Save As, select
the folder where you want to save the new copy, change the name if desired, and then click OK.

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Check In a Version-Controlled Object

When you are finished editing a version-controlled object, you must check in the object to save
a version that includes your changes and to make the object available for others to check out.
After you check in a version, that version cannot be changed.
1. Click File > Version Control > Check In.
2. In the Version Control Comment dialog box, enter a description by which to identify
the version that you are creating.
3. Click OK.

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Next Steps

If the object is ready to be used in production, you can "Publish a Version-Controlled Object"
on page 87.

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Publish a Version-Controlled Object

To publish a version-controlled object, use the following procedure.
Note: Performing this task requires Publish permission for Documents. By
default, the only role that has this permission is the Local Admin1 role.
1. Open the version-controlled object.
2. Click File > Version Control > Publish.
3. In the Version Control Comment dialog box, enter a description by which to identify
the published version that you are creating, and then click OK. If the object is checked
out, it is automatically saved and checked in. The object is published and the Version is
updated to display the next major version number.
Note: If you need to immediately remove the published version that you created
and are certain that no print jobs that use it are pending, you can do so by clicking
File > Undo Publish. This option is only available if no minor version has been
created after the published version.

1A Spectrum role with all permissions except those needed for role administration.

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Take Control of a Version-Controlled Object

In certain cases it may be necessary to check in an object that is checked out to another user.
Note: Performing this task requires both the Write and Admin permissions for
Documents.
1. Open Access Control, and select the object that you need to take control of.
2. Select the Version Info tab.
3. Right-click the most recent version, and select Take Control.
The document is checked out to you. You can now open and edit the object in Design or
Process Design, or you can check in and publish from Access Control.

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Managing Label Templates

In LoftwareSpectrum, a Document Designer 1 can design a form for data entry, a label used
for printed output, and the layout of labels within a page 2. A typical label template includes
both a form for data entry and a label for printed output. If you want to configure the
organizational structure for a page, you can create a layout and associate the layout which each
label template to which it should apply. Additionally, you can create reusable objects that
contain components for use in a label and form so that you can incorporate them into labels and
forms efficiently and consistently. You can use the same label template for printing regardless of
the type of integration that you are using or whether you are printing via on-demand print.
The Spectrum library comes with some common images already installed, and if your
organization migrated existing label templates from Loftware Print Server (LPS), then images
unique to your organization may have been added to the library. You can also import images.
You can also export label templates, forms, layouts, reusable objects, or applications as import
(SER) files so that they can be imported into another instance of Spectrum.
See "Working in a Version-Controlled Environment " on page 79 for information on managing
objects, including label templates in version-controlled folders.
Tip: You can create a new folder when you save a label template.

1Person who creates and designs label templates for use by Data Providers. Also a default role in Spectrum.
2In relation to media, the organization of labels specified by a layout. In relation to the Spectrum user interface, a top-level tab.

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Using Layouts to Control Print Order on a Page

A label template allows you to design the layout of a printed label and the data entry form
associated with that label. However, when printing a series of related labels or when printing
labels onto stock with slots for multiple labels in each row, you may also want to manage the
order in which labels are printed within a page of stock.
You can associate a layout with a label template to specify how many slots for labels exist on a
page of stock and in what order to print labels on a page. For example, you could specify that
twelve slots for labels exist on each page, three across each row and four down each column. By
configuring the Fill Direction and Start Origin, you could specify that labels should be printed
on the page beginning with the label in the top left slot and then progressing vertically down
slots in the first column before moving to the next column.
Tip: You can associate the same layout with multiple label templates.
If a Document Designer associates a layout with a label template, then a Data Provider 1 who
uses Print to print the label receives access to page-related information and commands such as
the number of labels queued for the page and an Eject button to print queued labels and then
eject the page from the device.

1Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.

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Create, Import, or Export a Label Template or Other Object

In LoftwareSpectrum, a Document Designer 1 can create label templates, forms, layouts,
reusable objects, or applications, and can import new images into Spectrum. You can also export
any of these objects as import (SER) files so that they can be imported into another instance of
Spectrum.

1Person who creates and designs label templates for use by Data Providers. Also a default role in Spectrum.

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Create a Label Template

You can use a label template to design a label for printed output.
To create a new label template, use this procedure.

1. In Design, click File > New > Label or click the button.
2. In the Create Label dialog box, configure the "Label Template Properties" on page 273.
Note: To view or configure the unit of measurement, in the menu bar
select Options > Units.

Tip: To configure a custom label template size, for the Size field select
Custom. Specify the dimensions of the label template in the Width and
Height fields.
3. Click OK. The Label and Form views are displayed.
Best Practice
Save your label template immediately after creation.
Save the Label Template

To save the label template, use this procedure.

1. Click File > Save or click the Save button.

2. In the Save dialog box, click a folder in the left column and enter a Name.
Characters permitted in names
The following characters are permitted in the name: letters, numbers, parentheses, square
brackets, ampersands, asterisks, plus signs, equal signs, commas, semi-colons, and tildes.
Additionally, the following characters are permitted but cannot begin or end the name:
spaces, double quotes, single quotes, hyphens, underscores, periods, and grave accents.
For letters, the case that you specify is displayed, but case is ignored when Spectrum
interprets a name.
Tip: You can add a new folder within the folder selected in the left pane by
clicking the Add Folder button.
3. Click OK.
Note: The first time you save a label template to a version controlled folder, the
label template is automatically checked out. When you are finished editing it, be
sure to click File > Check In to save and check in your version and make it
available for others to check out.

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Create a Layout

You can use a layout to configure the organization of labels within a page (a sheet of stock or a
row of roll stock).
Note: Stock layouts are available in Document Templates\Stock Layouts.
To create a new layout, use this procedure.

1. In Design, click File > New > Layout or click the button. A new layout is
displayed.
2. In the Properties pane, configure the "Layout Properties" on page 282.
Tip: To configure a custom stock size, for the Stock Size field select
Custom. Specify the dimensions of the stock in the Width and Height
fields.
3. Click File > Save As.
4. In the Save As dialog box, select a folder in the document tree, and enter a name for the
layout.
Characters permitted in names
The following characters are permitted in the name: letters, numbers, parentheses, square
brackets, ampersands, asterisks, plus signs, equal signs, commas, semi-colons, and tildes.
Additionally, the following characters are permitted but cannot begin or end the name:
spaces, double quotes, single quotes, hyphens, underscores, periods, and grave accents.
For letters, the case that you specify is displayed, but case is ignored when Spectrum
interprets a name.
5. Click OK.
Best Practices
Save your layout immediately after creation.
If label templates that you create are typically copied from one folder to another, it
is recommended that you save layouts and label templates in separate folders to
prevent confusion. Administrators can copy all label templates and layouts in a
folder to a second folder. If associated layouts and label templates are mingled in the
same folder, when an administrator copies all items in the folder to a second folder,
label templates in the second folder still point to the layouts in the original folder.
Note: A version-controlled layout must be published before it can be attached to a
label template.

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Create a Form

You can use a form to design a data entry user interface to use with your label templates.
To create a new form, use this procedure.

1. In Design, click File > New > Form or click the button. A blank form is displayed.
2. In the Properties pane, configure the "Form Properties" on page 284.
Note: To view or configure the unit of measurement, in the menu bar
select Options > Units.

Tip: To configure a custom form size, for the Size field select Custom.
Specify the dimensions of the form in the Width and Height fields.
3. Click File > Save As.
4. In the Save As dialog box, select a folder in the document tree, and enter a Name.
Characters permitted in names
The following characters are permitted in the name: letters, numbers, parentheses, square
brackets, ampersands, asterisks, plus signs, equal signs, commas, semi-colons, and tildes.
Additionally, the following characters are permitted but cannot begin or end the name:
spaces, double quotes, single quotes, hyphens, underscores, periods, and grave accents.
For letters, the case that you specify is displayed, but case is ignored when Spectrum
interprets a name.
5. Click OK.
Note: The first time you save a form to a version controlled folder, the form is
automatically checked out. When you are finished editing it, be sure to click File >
Check In to save and check in your version and make it available for others to
check out.
Best Practice
Save your form immediately after creation.

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Create a Reusable Object

You can use a reusable object to include components for use in a form for data entry, a label for
printed output that, or both. After you create and save a reusable object, it is displayed in the
Library in Design so that it is available for use in label templates, forms, and reusable objects.
Note: Changes made to a reusable object are not reflected in copies already
incorporated into label templates, forms, or reusable objects. Also, after a reusable
object is incorporated into a label template or other object, the copy of the
reusable object in the label template or other object can be modified.

Tip: You can include any aspect of a label template or a form in a reusable object
except for Label Specific Options and Database data sources.
To create a new reusable object, use this procedure.

1. In Design, click File > New > Reusable Object or click the button.
2. In the Create Reusable Object dialog box, configure the "Label Template Properties"
on page 273 for the reusable object.
Note: To view or configure the unit of measurement, in the menu bar
select Options > Units.

Tip: To configure a custom label template size, for the Size field select
Custom. Specify the dimensions of the label template in the Width and
Height fields.
3. Click OK. The Label and Form views are displayed.
Best Practice
Save your reusable object immediately after creation. Always save reusable objects
in the Reusable Objects folder or a subfolder within it so that they can be
displayed in the Library and incorporated into label templates. If you want some
reusable objects to be version-controlled, create them in a version-controlled
subfolder of the Reusable Objects folder.
Save the Reusable Object

To save the reusable object, use this procedure.

1. Click File > Save As.
2. In the Save As dialog box, select the Reusable Objects folder or a subfolder within it
so that the reusable object can be displayed in the Library, and enter a Name.
Characters permitted in names
The following characters are permitted in the name: letters, numbers, parentheses, square
brackets, ampersands, asterisks, plus signs, equal signs, commas, semi-colons, and tildes.
Additionally, the following characters are permitted but cannot begin or end the name:

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spaces, double quotes, single quotes, hyphens, underscores, periods, and grave accents.
For letters, the case that you specify is displayed, but case is ignored when Spectrum
interprets a name.
3. Click OK.
Note: The first time you save a reusable object to a version controlled folder, the
reusable object is automatically checked out. When you are finished editing it, be
sure to click File > Check In to save and check in your version and make it
available for others to check out.

Create a Reusable Object Containing Existing Fields

To create a reusable object that includes existing fields from a label template, form, or another
reusable object, use this procedure.
1. Open the label template, form, or reusable object that contains the fields you want to
reuse.
2. Select the fields you want to include in the reusable object by holding the Shift key and
clicking the fields.
3. Right-click on one of the fields selected, and click Create Reusable Object.
4. In the Create Reusable Object dialog box, select the Reusable Objects folder or a
subfolder within it so that the reusable object can be displayed in the Library, and enter a
Name.
Characters permitted in names
The following characters are permitted in the name: letters, numbers, parentheses, square
brackets, ampersands, asterisks, plus signs, equal signs, commas, semi-colons, and tildes.
Additionally, the following characters are permitted but cannot begin or end the name:
spaces, double quotes, single quotes, hyphens, underscores, periods, and grave accents.
For letters, the case that you specify is displayed, but case is ignored when Spectrum
interprets a name.
5. Click OK. The reusable object that you created is added to the Library.

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Import a New Image

You can import a new image into the LoftwareSpectrum library.

Tip: You can also import images or other objects that were previously exported
from Spectrum as import (SER) files. For more information, see "Import a Label
Template or Other Object" on page 99.
To import a new image, use the following procedure.
1. Click Design.
2. Click File > New > Image or click the button, browse to select an image file to
import into the library, and then click Open.
Note: Spectrum supports images that use an RGB color model and one of
the following file formats: PNG, GIF, JPG, BMP, or PCX.
3. Click File > Save As, enter a name for the image, and save the image to the
Images\User Images folder.
Characters permitted in names
The following characters are permitted in the name: letters, numbers, parentheses, square
brackets, ampersands, asterisks, plus signs, equal signs, commas, semi-colons, and tildes.
Additionally, the following characters are permitted but cannot begin or end the name:
spaces, double quotes, single quotes, hyphens, underscores, periods, and grave accents.
For letters, the case that you specify is displayed, but case is ignored when Spectrum
interprets a name.

Important: When importing an image, it is recommended that you save it

to the Images\User Images folder. An image that will be used only as
part of a Variable Image may be saved to any folder in Spectrum. Otherwise,
for an image to be available to add to a label template, you must save it to
the Images\User Images folder, the Images\Stock Images folder, or a
subfolder of one of those folders.

Note: Spectrum converts all image files to PNG, so you must give each
image that you import a name that is unique within the folder where it is
saved.
If the image is saved to a version-controlled folder, the image is automatically saved as a
published version to ensure that it can be printed by a Data Provider 1 with the Document
Printer role. It is not necessary to manually publish the image.

1Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.

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Export a Label Template or Other Object

You can export a label template, form, layout, image, reusable object, application, business rule,
or process to an import (SER) file that you can import into another instance of Loftware
Spectrum.
Example

If your organization has one SpectrumApplicationServer for development, one

for testing, and one for production, you can use this capability to export a label
template from one SpectrumApplicationServer and import it into another.
To export a label template, form, layout, image, reusable object, application, business rule, or
process, use the following procedure.
1. Click Design.
2. Open a label template, form, layout, image, reusable object, application, business rule, or
process.
3. Click File > Export.
4. In the Export dialog box, click OK.
5. In the Select location for download dialog box, navigate to a folder on your computer
or a shared folder in which to save the file, and then click Save. If changing the file name,
it is recommended that you choose a name using characters supported in Spectrum.
Characters permitted in names
The following characters are permitted in the name: letters, numbers, parentheses, square
brackets, ampersands, asterisks, plus signs, equal signs, commas, semi-colons, and tildes.
Additionally, the following characters are permitted but cannot begin or end the name:
spaces, double quotes, single quotes, hyphens, underscores, periods, and grave accents.
For letters, the case that you specify is displayed, but case is ignored when Spectrum
interprets a name.
For the import file that you have exported to be used, it must be imported into an instance of
Spectrum. For more information, see "Import a Label Template or Other Object" on page 99.

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Import a Label Template or Other Object

You can import a label template, form, layout, image, reusable object, application, business rule,
or process into Loftware Spectrum if the object was previously exported to an import (SER) file.
For information about exporting to an import file, see "Export a Label Template or Other
Object" on page 98.
Tip: You can also import images that were not previously in Spectrum. For more
information, see "Import a New Image" on page 97.
To import a label template, form, layout, image, reusable object, application, business rule, or
process, use the following procedure.
1. Click Design.
2. Click File > Import.
3. In the Import dialog box, click Browse and select an import file.
4. In the Import Name field, you can specify what the name of the object will be in
Spectrum.
Characters permitted in names
The following characters are permitted in the name: letters, numbers, parentheses, square
brackets, ampersands, asterisks, plus signs, equal signs, commas, semi-colons, and tildes.
Additionally, the following characters are permitted but cannot begin or end the name:
spaces, double quotes, single quotes, hyphens, underscores, periods, and grave accents.
For letters, the case that you specify is displayed, but case is ignored when Spectrum
interprets a name.
5. For Import Location, select a folder in Spectrum where the object will be saved.
Important: When importing an image, it is recommended that you save it
to the Images\User Images folder. An image that will be used only as
part of a Variable Image may be saved to any folder in Spectrum. Otherwise,
for an image to be available to add to a label template, you must save it to
the Images\User Images folder, the Images\Stock Images folder, or a
subfolder of one of those folders.

Important: When importing a reusable object, it is recommended that you

save it to the Reusable Objects folder. For a reusable object to be
available to add to a label template, you must save it to the Reusable
Objects folder or a subfolder of that folder.
6. Click OK.

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Note: You cannot import an object from an import (SER) file into a folder
in which an object with the same name already exists unless the folder is
version-controlled, the object in the folder is checked out to you, and the
version number of the object in the folder is less than the version number
of the object you are importing.

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Using Workflows
In LoftwareSpectrum, you can use workflows to track and manage the creation and
modification of label templates, while automating the approval and publishing process.
Depending on its configuration, a workflow can:
l Automatically select users to review or approve a label template
l Automatically email users when they need to review or approve a label template
l Allow users to see the current step of the workflow for a label template

l Require users to review, approve, reject, or comment on a label template applied to a

workflow
l Use eSignature at any step

l Automatically publish a label template once the required users have approved

A workflow template is a collection of steps1 and possible progressions2 defined by XML

that can be applied to a label template to create an instance of the workflow. The workflow
template can call Event integrations (for example, an Event Email Producer) to extend the
capabilities of workflow outside of Spectrum.
A workflow template is created in Process Design, which can then be applied to a label
template in Design . Application Architect is used to create a custom front-end interface for the
workflow. You may have multiple workflow templates in your Spectrum environment.
Workflow sample
A workflow is a sequence of steps that a workflow template follows. Your Administrator can
create workflow templates in Process Design. For more information, see "Workflow
Sample" on page 104.
Recognizing an item in a workflow
When you open a label template in Design that is applied to a workflow, the following
information is displayed:
l In Workflow appears in the bar at the bottom of the editing pane. A lock icon is also
displayed in this bar if the label template is checked in.

Figure A.4: Checked-in version-controlled label template in a workflow

lWorkflow Step is included in the Properties pane of the label template with the
name of the current step of the workflow.
Note: A label template can only be applied to one workflow at a time.
View the current step of a workflow
If an item is applied to a workflow, you may view the current step of that workflow,

1The states an item goes through when applied to a workflow.

2The transitions between the steps in a workflow.

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depending on the workflow template and your permissions.

To view the step of a workflow for a label template, use this procedure.

1. In Design, click File > Open or click the Open button in the toolbar.
2. In the Open dialog box, select a label template and then click OK.
3. Click File > Workflow > View Current Step Details or click the View Current

Step Details button in the toolbar.

Starting a workflow
If your Spectrum environment is using workflow, you can request review of a label template
by starting a workflow.
To start a workflow for a label template in Design, use this procedure.

1. In Design, click File > Open or click the Open button in the toolbar.
2. In the Open dialog box, select a label template and then click OK.
3. Make changes to the label template as needed and save. If it is a version-controlled
object, see "Working in a Version-Controlled Environment " on page 79 for more
information.

4. Click File > Workflow > Start Workflow or click the Start Workflow button in
the toolbar.
5. In the Select a Workflow Template dialog box, select a workflow template and then
click OK.
Approving or rejecting an item in a workflow
If your Spectrum environment is using workflow, you may be responsible for reviewing and
approving a label template that someone else has edited.
To approve or reject a label template in a workflow, use this procedure.

1. In Design, click File > Open or click the Open button in the toolbar.
2. In the Open dialog box, select a label template and then click OK.
3. Click File > Workflow and select a progression as appropriate. For example, select
Approve to approve the changes to the label template.
Note: The options or progressions available are dependent on the
workflow template and your permissions.
4. Depending on the workflow template, a dialog box for comments may display.
5. Depending on the workflow template, you may be required to add your electronic
signature.
Using eSignature
In Spectrum, you can use eSignature to electronically sign a label template in a workflow,

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providing a formal and verifiable approval of the label template.

eSignature can be customized using Forms and Application Architect, and applying an
Electronic Signature form rule to the application. For more information, see "Electronic
Signature Form Rule" on page 408.

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Workflow Sample

A workflow is a sequence of steps that a workflow template follows. Your Administrator can
create workflow templates in Process Design.

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Categorize a Label Template or Other Object

In Spectrum, users can categorize certain objects by assigning tags to them. Each tag has a
category and a value. A tag can be assigned to an application, business rule, data service, device
group, facility, form, image, integration, label template, layout, process, remote site, reusable
object, user, or workflow template. For a version-controlled object, tags cannot be changed in a
previously checked-in version.
Note: If a label template or other object is version controlled, you must check it
out before you can assign tags or change which tags are assigned. Each version of
the object can have different tags applied. However, you cannot change the tags
applied in a previous version of an object.
To assign a tag in Design, use this procedure.

1. In Design, click File > Open or click the Open button in the toolbar.
2. In the Open dialog box, select an object and then click OK.
3. In the right column, click the Tags title bar to expand the pane.
4. Perform one or more of the following actions:
n To add a tag to the object, click . In the Add Tags dialog box, select a
category and a value for the tag, and then click OK.
Note: The list of values available is dependent on the category
selected.
n To change the value of a tag that has been assigned to the object, click the row for
that tag, and then click . Select a value for the tag, and then click OK.
n To remove a tag from the object, click the row for that tag, and then click .
When prompted, click Yes to delete the tag.
Tip: Deleting a tag from a device does not delete the tag category
from Spectrum. You can add a new tag to the device and select that
same category again.

5. Click File > Save or click the Save button in the toolbar.
Built-in Tag Category: Source

A built-in tag category named Source is included with Spectrum. It is designed for use in a tag
that characterizes the origin of an object. If an object supports tags, then a tag with a category of
Source and a value of Spectrum is automatically assigned to it the first time that the object is
saved.
Value Purpose
System The object was built in to Spectrum.

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Value Purpose
LPS The object was created in Loftware Print Server (LPS) and was migrated to
Spectrum.
Spectrum The object was created in Spectrum.
Unknown The origin of the object is unknown.

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Associate a Layout with a Label Template

You can associate a layout1 with a label template to specify the organizational structure with
which labels are printed on a sheet of stock or a row of roll stock. The same layout can be
associated with multiple label templates.
To associate a layout with a label template, use this procedure.

1. In Design, click File > Open or and select the label template that you want to
associate with a layout.
2. If a lock is displayed in the tab showing the name, click File > Check Out.
3. Click the Label view, and click the label canvas to display the properties of the label.
4. In the Properties pane, for Layout browse to select a layout.
Note: Stock layouts are available in Document Templates\Stock
Layouts.

Note: A version-controlled layout must be published before it can be

attached to a label template.

Note: When browsing to layouts in the version-controlled folder, only the

latest version of each layout is displayed.
5. Ensure that Layout Enabled is selected.
Note: You can temporarily turn off the layout without disassociating it from
the label template by clearing this check box. You can disassociate the
layout from the label template by clicking next to the name of the
layout.

6. Click File > Save or to save the label template. When the label template is printed,
the printed labels are organized as indicated in the layout.
7. If the label template is version-controlled, click File > Check In to save and check in a
version that includes your changes and to make the label template available for others to
check out. After you check in a version, that version cannot be changed.

1An item that defines an organizational structure for printing multiple labels by using the same label template.

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Save a Label Template or Other Object

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Save a New Label Template or Other Object

To save a n object for the first time, use this procedure.

1. Click File > Save As, or click the Save button on the toolbar.
2. In the left pane of the Save As dialog box, click the folder in which you want to save the
object. You can double-click a folder to display subfolders.
Tip: You can add a new folder within the folder selected in the left pane by
clicking the Add Folder button.
3. In the Name box, enter a name for the object.
Characters permitted in names
The following characters are permitted in the name: letters, numbers, parentheses, square
brackets, ampersands, asterisks, plus signs, equal signs, commas, semi-colons, and tildes.
Additionally, the following characters are permitted but cannot begin or end the name:
spaces, double quotes, single quotes, hyphens, underscores, periods, and grave accents.
For letters, the case that you specify is displayed, but case is ignored when Spectrum
interprets a name.
4. Click OK.
Note: If an object is in a version-controlled folder , you should check in the
object when you are finished working on it so that it is available for other users to
edit. Checking in an object also saves the object, but merely saving or closing an
object does not check it in.

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Save an Existing Label Template or Other Object

To save an object under its existing name, use this procedure.

l Click File > Save, or click the Save button on the toolbar.

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Save a Copy of a Label Template or Other Object

To save an object with a new name or in a new location, use this procedure.
1. Click File > Save As.
2. In the left pane of the Save As dialog box, click the folder in which you want to save the
object. You can double-click a folder to display subfolders.
Tip: You can add a new folder within the folder selected in the left pane by
clicking the Add Folder button.
3. In the Name box, enter a name for the object.
4. Click OK.
Best Practice
Click the Save button or File > Save frequently while designing objects.

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Open an Existing Label Template or Other Object

To open an existing label template, form, layout, reusable object, or application, use this
procedure.

1. In Design, click File > Open or click the Open button.

2. In the left pane of the Open dialog box, click a folder to display the label templates and
other objects within that folder. You can also double-click a folder to display subfolders.
3. In the middle pane, click the object that you want to open. You can also double-click a
subfolder to navigate to it. The right pane displays details and tag information about the
selected object.
Tip: If you do not know where to find a particular object, in the left pane
click the top-level folder, type part of the name of the object into the search
box, and click the Search button. Search results are displayed in the
middle pane. Note that only the folder selected in the left pane is searched.

4. If the object is in a version-controlled folder , the latest version is selected by default.

However, in the Versions pane, you can select a different version to open instead.
5. Click OK. The object is displayed. If it is version-controlled, the Version is displayed
near the bottom of the editing pane.
Important: Before you edit a version-controlled object, you should check out the
object or save it under a different name or in a different folder. Otherwise, any
changes that you make will be discarded when you close or check out the object.
For more information, see "Check Out a Version-Controlled Object" on page 83.

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Close a Label Template or Other Object

Note: If a label template, form, layout, image, reusable object, application,
business rule, or process is in a version-controlled folder , you should check in
the label template, form, layout, image, reusable object, application, business rule,
or process when you are finished working on it so that it is available for other users
to edit. Checking in a label template also saves the label template, but merely
saving or closing a label template does not check it in.

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Close a Label Template or Layout

To close the active label template, form, layout, reusable object, or application, use this
procedure.

1. Click File > Close or click the Close button on the toolbar. The active label
template, form, layout, reusable object, or application is closed.
2. If you have not saved the label template, form, layout, reusable object, or application
since a change, respond to the Close dialog box.

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Close All Open Label Templates and Layouts

To close all open label templates, forms, layouts, reusable objects, or applications, use this
procedure.
1. Click File > Close All. All open label templates, forms, layouts, reusable objects, or
applications are closed.
2. If you have not saved a label template, form, layout, reusable object, or application since
a change, respond to the Close dialog box.

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Delete a Label Template or Other Object

To delete a label template, layout, or other object, use this procedure.
1. Click Access Control.
2. In the Access Control tree, click the object that you want to delete.
3. At the bottom of the window, click Delete Label, and then click Yes to confirm.
Tip: You can also delete a label template or other object in an Open dialog box in
Design by right-clicking the object and selecting Delete.

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Designing Labels and Forms

A label template in Spectrum is the combination of the design for a label that will be printed and
the entry form that will be used for gathering the data for the label. You can use the same label
template for printing regardless of whether you are printing via on-demand print, Oracle
integration, File Drop integration, or Integration for Use with SAP Applications. Designing
label templates involves creating Label and Form views, adding fields and other items, and
configuring the properties of fields.
Note: You can also create forms that are not associated with a label template and
use Loftware Spectrum's Application Architect to link individual forms together to
provide complex, intelligent data entry form experiences for end users. For more
information, see "Building with Application Architect" on page 290.

Create Label and Form Views in a Label Template

In LoftwareSpectrum, label templates have a Label view and a Form view. The Label view
shows the design for the printed label. The Form view shows how the data entry form appears
to users in Print.
Note: Fields cannot be placed off the canvas in Label view.

Add Fields and Other Items to the Label Template

You can use the following fields and other items in a label template.
l Data sources are used to populate fields in a label template. You can use buttons and
prompts as triggers1 to allow a Data Provider 2 to select information from a data source
such as a database.
l Format sources are used to format text within fields to which they are applied. You can
use format sources to apply character-level formatting to specified characters within a
field.
l Fixed Text fields contain text that remains the same for all printed labels that use a
particular label template. You can use text fields for data such as company name or
address.
l Variable Text fields and Text Box fields contain text that can vary among printed
labels produced using the same label template. You can use variable text for data such as
customer name or part number.
l Controls can be used to permit data entry in forms.
l Shapes include lines, circles, and rectangles. You can use shapes to separate sections of a
label template, or to emphasize information.

1A means of running a data source, form rule, or business rule. Includes a trigger source if interactive (such as a button, a prompt,
or a form) and a trigger event (such as clicking a button, entering text at a prompt, loading a form, or submitting a job). For
example, you can specify a particular button as a trigger source that Data Providers can click to perform a query of a database.
2Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.

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l Images can be used as background, to add brand information, or to help identify a

product associated with a label template.
l Barcodes encode data to be read by scanners. You can use this data to provide
information about an object or package to which a label template is attached.
l Reusable objects contain fields and other items that can be added to a label template,
form, or reusable object. After you add a reusable object to a label template, form, or
another reusable object, you can edit the fields and other items contributed by the
reusable object.

Configure the Properties of Fields

Your label template and each field in it are defined by properties. These include settings that
define the appearance of fields such as height and width, font size and color, and settings that
define the function of the field such as barcode symbology and check digit.
Best Practice
Name the fields in a label template by configuring the Field Name property.

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Work with a Migrated Label Template

If you are working with a label template that was migrated from a Loftware Print Server (LPS)
environment, you should assess whether LPS-Style Font Rendering is and should continue to be
in use. You should also review whether issues occurred during migration.

Migration Issues
If you are viewing a label template that was migrated from an LPS environment, you can
determine whether issues occurred during migration. If issues occurred, you can view
information about the issues and any changes that were necessary.
Review Migration Issues
To determine whether issues occurred during the migration of a label template, do the following.
1. In Design, click File > Open, select the label template that you want to review for
migration issues, and click OK.
2. In the Properties pane, review the value displayed for the Migration property.
n If the value is Successfully migrated, then no migration issues occurred for the
label template.
n If the value is Migrated with issues, then migration was performed but some
issues occurred and changes may have been necessary.
3. If the label template was migrated with issues, you can view information about the issues
and any changes that were necessary.
n To view a tool tip listing any migration issues for a particular field, in the
Properties pane click the flag icon for that field.
n To view a report of all migration issues for the label template, in the Migrated
property click the flag icon.
Tip: You can remove an individual icon by clicking the Clear Flag button, or
remove all of the icons and the report by clicking the Clear All Flags button.

LPS-Style Font Rendering

When migrating a label template from an LPS environment to a Spectrum environment, the
administrator performing the migration can specify whether to use LPS-Style Font Rendering for
the migration. Using this feature maintains compatibility with LPS/LLM (version 9.8) printed
output for TrueType fonts. However, when LPS-Style Font Rendering is used, the label
template may not be WYSIWYG and is read-only except for changes that can be performed in
Access Control.
Note: For information about how to configure LPS-Style Font Rendering when
performing migration, see the Loftware Spectrum Migrate and Transfer Guide.
Determine If LPS-Style Font Rendering Is Used
If a label template has been migrated with LPS-Style Font Rendering turned on, then when you
open the label template in Design an LPS-Style Font Rendering in use notice is displayed in

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the Properties pane. Also, the label template is read-only.

Turn Off LPS-Style Font Rendering

When LPS-Style Font Rendering is used, the label template is read-only except for changes that
can be performed in Access Control and the label template may not be WYSIWYG. You can
turn off LPS-Style Font Rendering and use Spectrum Font Rendering instead, which will allow
you to edit the label template.
To turn off LPS-Style Font Rendering for a particular label template, use the following
procedure.
1. In Design, click File > Open, select the label template for which you want to turn off
LPS-Style Font Rendering, and click OK.
2. Click File > Save As and enter a file name.
Important! It is recommended that you save to a different file name so that
you do not overwrite the label template for which LPS-Style Font
Rendering is in use. If you overwrite the label template, Spectrum Font
Rendering is applied and LPS-Style Font Rendering cannot be restored.
3. Click OK.
The LPS-Style Font Rendering in use message is removed, and Spectrum Font Rendering is
employed.

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Configuring Label Template Properties and Options

You can configure characteristics of a label template such as its orientation for design, rotation
for printing, unit of measurement. You can also configure Label Specific Options.

Configure the Design Orientation of a Label 122

Change the Print Rotation of a Label 123
Change the Unit of Measure for a Label Template 124
Override Device Options with Label Specific Options 125

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Configure the Design Orientation of a Label

You can configure how your label canvas in Spectrum is aligned in relation to objects in the label
template.
Note: To change the orientation of the label relative to the stock on which it will
be printed, see "Change the Print Rotation of a Label" on page 123.

When Creating a New Label Template

In the Create Label dialog box, click Portrait or Landscape for the Orientation property.
The canvas changes shapes to match your selection.
When Editing an Existing Label Template

1. In Design, open a label template and then expand the Properties pane.
2. Click the Label view, and click the label canvas to display the properties of the label
template.
3. For Orientation, click Portrait or Landscape. The canvas shape changes.
Note: Objects on your label may move so that they stay on the label canvas.

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Change the Print Rotation of a Label

To change the orientation of the label relative to the stock on which it will be printed, use this
procedure.
1. In Design, open a label template and then expand the Properties pane.
2. Click the Label view, and click the label canvas to display the properties of the label
template.
3. Select a value in degrees for Print Rotation.
Note: The appearance of the label in Spectrum is not changed. To change the
orientation of the label in Spectrum, see "Configure the Design Orientation of a
Label" on page 122.

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Change the Unit of Measure for a Label Template

To change the unit of measure used in Spectrum, use this procedure.

1. In Design, in the menu bar, click Options and point to Units.
2. Click a unit of measure.
The rulers and grid change to the unit of measure you select. The values of properties dependent
on the unit of measure are converted to the new unit of measure.

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Override Device Options with Label Specific Options

Label Specific Options (LSOs) enable a Document Designer 1 to override device settings on a
per-label template, per-device model basis. For example, if devices are typically configured with
cutters turned off and a particular label template requires every label to be cut, then when
designing the label template you would create an LSO to override the default setting. LSOs
override device options, and device options override the settings on the device itself if Send
Device Options is enabled.
Tip: If available for the device, Send Device Options can be configured on the
Advanced tab in an LSO or in Device Management.
Each LSO that you create is associated with a specific label template and with a specific device
model or device family. If no LSOs are included in a label template, then the device options
configured in Device Management are used.
Best Practice
It is recommended that device options be configured in Device Management and
overridden by LSOs only where necessary.
To add a collection of Label Specific Options to a label template, use the following procedure.
1. In Design, open a label template.
2. In the right column of the Spectrum window, click the Label Specific Options title bar
to expand the pane.
3. In the Label Specific Options pane, click to open the Label Specific Options
dialog box.
4. For Family, select the family of the devices for which you want to override settings.
5. For Model, select the model of the devices for which you want to override settings.

1Person who creates and designs label templates for use by Data Providers. Also a default role in Spectrum.

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6. For each setting that you want to override, select the Override check box, and then
configure the option. (If there is more than one check box for the setting, the Override
check box is the first one following the option name.)
Tip: For information about specific device options, see " Device Driver
Options" on page 858.

Tip: If overriding the Paper Size or Paper Source option for a server
spooler device, you are not limited to selecting from the values displayed.
You can type in a custom value.

Note: Selecting the Print as Image property for a Barcode field overrides
the option for the relevant symbology on the Barcode Imaging tab for
both LSOs and device options, and the barcode is sent as an image.
Selecting Print as Image removes any potential device variation when
natively encoding the barcode data. If you have cleared Print as Image,
selecting Override in the LSO and selecting the relevant symbology also
causes barcodes to be generated by Spectrum and printed as an image.
7. Click OK to save the Label Specific Options collection.
8. Click File > Save or click on the toolbar to save the label template.
Important! An LSO is part of a label template. If you do not save the label
template, the LSO that you created will be discarded when you close the
label template.

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Adding Fields to a Label

You can add fields such as text, shapes, barcodes, and images to the label view or the form view
of a label template.
Drag an object from the Library to the Label view or Form view to add it. Your mouse pointer
indicates where the upper left corner of the field will appear. Rulers track the location of the
field when you move the mouse pointer over the canvas.
Note: Some fields, such as variable text, can only be placed in the Label view.
Other fields, such as prompts and buttons, can only be placed in the Form view.

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Add a Data Source to a Field

To attach a data source to a field on the label or form, use one of the following methods:
l Drag the data source from the Data Sources pane to the field on the Label or Form
view.
l Enter the name of the data source in the Data Ref property of the field that you want to
display the data.

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Resize and Position Fields in a Label Template

To position text fields, images, shapes, and barcodes in your label template, use the following
tools.
Tip: You can group fields together so that you can move and order them as a single
unit and configure some properties in common. However, fields within a group are
rotated, aligned, and distributed individually. If you copy and paste a group, the
fields are ungrouped when pasted.

Resize a Shape or an Image

To change the size of a circle, box, line, or the displayed size of an image, use one of the
following procedures.
Note: Resizing an image by using these procedures does not alter the image in the
Spectrum library.
Using Handles
1. Click a field to resize. Drag handles appear at the corners, sides, or ends.
2. If resizing an image in the Label view, for Resizing select Fit to Envelope.
3. Drag the handles to change the size.
Note: By default, images maintain proportionality when you change their sizes. To
disproportionately resize an image, clear the Lock Aspect Ratio check box in the
Properties pane.
Using Properties
1. Click a field to resize.
2. If resizing an image in the Label view, for Resizing select Fit to Envelope.
3. Open the Properties pane, and adjust the Width and Height properties.
Resize a Text Field

You can resize Fixed Text and Variable Text fields using the Chars Per Line and Font Size
properties.
1. Click a text field to resize.
2. Open the Properties pane, and adjust the Width and Height properties.
Rotate a Field

Tip: When rotating a barcode, it is possible to become disoriented about which

edge of the barcode is which. It is recommended that you use the Rotation
property for a barcode rather than other methods to help ensure that the
orientation of the barcode is as you intend it.
Using Handles

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To freely rotate a field that permits it, do the following. This approach is not available for
barcodes or for groups of fields that include a barcode.
1. Click a field to rotate.
2. Move the mouse pointer outside one of the corners of the field. The pointer changes to
an arc with arrows on each end.

Figure A.5: Rotation tool

3. Click and hold the mouse button, and move your mouse to rotate the field.
Using the Menu
To rotate a field in 90-degree increments, do the following.
1. Click the field to rotate.
2. Click Position > Rotate, and then click one of the rotation options.
n Clockwise
n Counterclockwise

Note: Fields cannot be positioned off the label canvas. If you need to rotate a large
field, you may notice that the field is blocked by the edge of the canvas. You can
temporarily resize a field to rotate or reposition it.

Align Fields

You can position fields so their edges or centers are aligned with each other, or you can align a
single field relative to the label template. You can also align some types of fields within their
envelopes.
Tip: To move a field only horizontally or vertically from its current position, press
Shift while moving the field.

Tip: For a text field with only one line, you can display guidelines indicating the
top, text baseline 1, and bottom edge of text. To do so, click the text field, and in
the Properties pane, Font section, select the check box for Alignment Markers.
Align Fields with Each Other
To position fields so their edges or centers are aligned, use Align.
1. Select the fields to align. You can use one of the following methods to select multiple
fields.
n Click and drag over the fields. Envelopes appear around the fields selected.
n Press and hold the Shift key, and click fields.

1The conceptual line on which characters sit by default. Characters with a rounded bottom edge may extend slightly below the
baseline. Some characters (such as y) have descenders that extend significantly below the baseline. The baseline is not printed on
labels or displayed in forms, but is an alignment marker that can be viewed in Design.

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2. Click Position > Align, and click one of the alignment options.
n Left
n Center
n Right
n Top
n Middle
n Bottom
Align a Field with the Label Template
To align a single field relative to the label template, use Align.
1. Select the field to align.
2. Click Position > Align, and click one of the alignment options.
n Left
n Center
n Right
n Top
n Middle
n Bottom
Align a Field with its Envelope
You can align a barcode, a variable image, or text within or relative to its envelope.
To align a field relative to its envelope, perform the following steps.
1. Select the field to align.
2. In the Properties pane, navigate to the section specific to the type of field, such as
Barcode, Image, or Font.
3. Click an option for Horizontal Alignment.
4. If available, click an option for Vertical Alignment.
Equally Distribute Fields

To separate multiple fields by an equal amount of space, use Distribute. You must select at least
three fields.
1. Select the fields to separate. You can use one of the following methods to select multiple
fields.
n Click and drag over the fields. An envelope appears around the fields selected.
n Press and hold the Shift key, and click fields.
2. Click Position > Distribute, and click one of the space options.
n Horizontally
n Vertically

Order Overlapping Fields

To adjust the stacking order of overlapping fields, use Order. Within the Label view and within
the Form view, each field has a unique position in the stacking order.

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1. Click a field for which you want to change the stacking order in relation to other fields in
the view.
2. Click Position > Order, and click one of the options.
n Bring to Front: Position forward of all other fields in the view. If this field
overlaps with others, this field appears in front of the other fields.
n Bring Forward: Move one step closer to the front of the view.
n Send to Back: Position underneath all of the other fields in the view. If this field
overlaps with others, this field appears behind the other fields.
n Send Backward: Move one step closer to the back of the view.

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Configure the Properties of a Field

After adding a field, shape, image, or barcode to a label template, you may need to adjust the
properties of the field.
1. If the Properties pane is not visible in the right column, click the arrow at the top right
of Design.
2. Click the field, shape, image, or barcode in the label template or select it from the
Document Field drop down in the Properties pane. The properties of the field are
displayed in the Properties pane.
3. Change the properties of the field.
Tip: The option selected for Design Data controls what data is used in
fields when previewed, printed, or displayed in Design. Either default
data1, placeholder data2, or data from a live data set3 can be used. For
more information, see "Select Data to Display in Design" on page 63.

1For each field, the value specified in the Default Value property for that field.
2For a Variable Text field, the series of digits 1234567890, repeated until the maximum number of characters allowed for the field is
displayed. For a barcode field, a sample barcode that adheres to the specified properties. For an image field, a sample image.
Whether placeholder data is used in Design is controlled by the selection for Design Data.
3A collection of data (names and values) that was retrieved from a data source and is specific to a label template or a reusable
object. A data set can be used to populate fields displayed in Design, in a preview, and when test printing.

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Using Text
Fixed Text fields contain text that remains the same for all printed labels that use a particular
label template. For example, you can use Fixed Text fields for data such as company name or
address.
Variable Text fields and Text Box fields contain text that can vary among printed labels
produced using the same label template. For example, you can use Variable Text fields for data
such as customer name or part number. Text Box fields provide additional formatting options for
text that spans more than one line.

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Add Fixed Text

To add text that stays the same from label to label, use these procedures.
Add Fixed Text

1. From the Text list in the Library, click and drag Fixed Text to the Label or Form
view.
2. Double-click the Fixed Text field. The Edit Fixed Text dialog box is displayed.
3. Type the field text in the Enter Text field.
n Press Enter to add more lines to the field.
4. Click OK. The text is displayed in the label template.
Modify the Text in a Fixed Text Field

1. Double-click the Fixed Text field. The Edit Fixed Text dialog box is displayed.
2. Modify the text in the Enter Text field, and click OK.
The changed text is reflected in the Label view or the Form view, and in the Default Value
property in the Properties pane.

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Add Variable Text

To add text that can vary from label to label, use these procedures.
Tip: For data that must fill a region of a specific size or for which you want to
control paragraph spacing, a Text Box field is recommended. For data that must be
restricted to a specific number of characters, a Variable Text field is recommended.

Add a Variable Text Field

From the Text list in the Library, select Variable Text.

l No Prompt - Click and drag the variable text field to the Label view. The variable text

field appears on the Label view.

l With a Prompt - Press Shift, and click and drag the variable text field to the Label view.

A Prompt appears on the Form view. A Data Entry data source is created.

Tip: The option selected for Design Data controls what data is used in fields
when previewed, printed, or displayed in Design. Either default data1,
placeholder data2, or data from a live data set3 can be used. For more
information, see "Select Data to Display in Design" on page 63.

1For each field, the value specified in the Default Value property for that field.
2For a Variable Text field, the series of digits 1234567890, repeated until the maximum number of characters allowed for the field is
displayed. For a barcode field, a sample barcode that adheres to the specified properties. For an image field, a sample image.
Whether placeholder data is used in Design is controlled by the selection for Design Data.
3A collection of data (names and values) that was retrieved from a data source and is specific to a label template or a reusable
object. A data set can be used to populate fields displayed in Design, in a preview, and when test printing.

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Add Text Box

To add a Text Box field to the Label view, use the following procedures.
Tip: For data that must fill a region of a specific size or for which you want to
control paragraph spacing, a Text Box field is recommended. For data that must be
restricted to a specific number of characters, a Variable Text field is recommended.

Add a Text Box Field

1. From the Text list in the Library, click and drag Text Box to the Label view.
2. Double click the Text Box field. The Edit Text Box Default Data dialog box is
displayed.
3. Type the default text for the Text Box field in the Enter Text field.
4. Click OK. The text is displayed in the label template.
Modify the Default Data for a Text Box

1. Double click the Text Box field. The Edit Text Box Default Data dialog box is
displayed.
2. Modify the text in the Enter Text field, and click OK.
The changed text is reflected in the Label view and in the Default Value property in the
Properties pane.
Tip: The option selected for Design Data controls what data is used in fields
when previewed, printed, or displayed in Design. Either default data1,
placeholder data2, or data from a live data set3 can be used. For more
information, see "Select Data to Display in Design" on page 63.

When Data Exceeds the Space

When configuring a Text Box field, the following is the behavior when data exceeds the length
of a line or the size of the Text Box.
Line wrapping in a Text Box
Data in a Text Box field automatically wraps at the end of each line if the text would
otherwise extend beyond the envelope of the field. When line wrapping occurs, the line
break is either at the end of a word or after a hyphen, en-dash, or em-dash. If a word is too
wide to fit in the field, a line break occurs within the word at the edge of the envelope.
When data exceeds the size of a Text Box
If the amount of data received for a Text Box field is more than fits, the Text Box Overrun

1For each field, the value specified in the Default Value property for that field.
2For a Variable Text field, the series of digits 1234567890, repeated until the maximum number of characters allowed for the field is
displayed. For a barcode field, a sample barcode that adheres to the specified properties. For an image field, a sample image.
Whether placeholder data is used in Design is controlled by the selection for Design Data.
3A collection of data (names and values) that was retrieved from a data source and is specific to a label template or a reusable
object. A data set can be used to populate fields displayed in Design, in a preview, and when test printing.

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Mode property controls how Spectrum responds. Text may overrun the Text Box and
continue until reaching the edge of the label, text may be truncated at the end of a word or
paragraph, or the print job may be failed. An administrator may configure this property
system-wide for Spectrum or for a specific device. You can override the system-wide and
device options by using Label Specific Options (LSOs). For more information, see "Override
Device Options with Label Specific Options" on page 125.

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Change the Field Tabbing Order

You can change the order in which prompts receive focus as a user enters information and
presses theTab key to move to the next prompt on the data entry form.
Alternatively, you can "Dynamically Manage the Tab Order of a Control" on page 176 or use a
"Focus Form Rule" on page 411. To manage whether the control is a tab stop, use the "Tab
Stop" on page 181 control property.
Note: By default, the first prompt that is added has a tab order value of 1, the
second prompt that is added has a tab order value of 2, and so on.
1. In the right column of the Spectrum window, expand the Field Tabbing Order pane.
2. Arrange the available fields by dragging them into the intended order.
The tabbing order is changed for users entering data in Print.

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Text Properties

Text fields in a label template, a form, or a reusable objectsuch as Fixed Text, Variable Text,
and Text Boxhave the following properties.
Note: A Field Name, Data Ref, or Input Data Ref can include letters and
numbers. Additionally, the following characters are permitted but cannot begin the
name: hyphens, underscores, and periods.
Name and Data

Property Description Fields Where Available

Field Name The identifier of the text in the label template, form, or All Fields
reusable object. A field name is the link between a label and
data entry.

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Property Description Fields Where Available

Data Ref Data reference. The data source used to populate the field Variable
with a value. Text
Tip: By default, Data Ref fields are case Prompt
sensitive. If the label template is intended for Text Box
use with an SAP BC-XOM integration or an SAP RFC
integration, use only uppercase text in the Data
Ref field.
When configuring a Text Box field, the following is the
behavior when data exceeds the length of a line or the size of
the Text Box.
Line wrapping in a Text Box
Data in a Text Box field automatically wraps at the end of
each line if the text would otherwise extend beyond the
envelope of the field. When line wrapping occurs, the line
break is either at the end of a word or after a hyphen, en-
dash, or em-dash. If a word is too wide to fit in the field, a
line break occurs within the word at the edge of the
envelope.
When data exceeds the size of a Text Box
If the amount of data received for a Text Box field is more
than fits, the Text Box Overrun Mode property controls
how Spectrum responds. Text may overrun the Text Box
and continue until reaching the edge of the label, text may
be truncated at the end of a word or paragraph, or the print
job may be failed. An administrator may configure this
property system-wide for Spectrum or for a specific
device. You can override the system-wide and device
options by using Label Specific Options (LSOs). For more
information, see "Override Device Options with Label
Specific Options" on page 125.
Default Value Default content for the field. If the field is populated by a Variable
Data Ref that returns a null value or has not yet received data, Text
this value is used. Prompt
Note: The text box for the property is read- Text Box
only, but you can click the button for the
property to open a dialog box that allows you to
edit the value.

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Property Description Fields Where Available

Value Content for the field. The text box for the property is read- Fixed
only, but you can click the button for the property to Text
open a dialog box that allows you to edit the value.
Chars Per The maximum number of characters on a line within the field. Fixed
Line For Fixed Text, the value is automatically calculated from theText
text entered. (read-
only)
Variable
Text
# Lines The number of text rows in the field. For Fixed Text, the Fixed
value is automatically calculated from the text entered. Text
(read-
only)
Variable
Text
Max Chars The greatest number of characters that can appear in the field. Fixed
The value is automatically calculated based on Chars Per Text
Line and # Lines. (read-
only)
Variable
Text
(read-
only)
Force Max Whether Data Providers are required to enter the number of Variable
Chars characters specified by the Max Chars property. Text
: Data Providers may enter any number of characters up to
the number specified by Max Chars.
: Data Providers must enter exactly the number of
characters specified by Max Chars.
Remove Line Whether line breaks in the data should be reflected in the Text Box
Breaks label. Regardless of how this property is configured, the text
wraps when it reaches the envelope of the text box.
: Line breaks in the data are included in the label.
: Line breaks in the data are omitted from the label and
replaced with a space except when preceded by a hyphen.
Note: This property applies hard returns
(control characters \r and \r\n), but not to soft
returns.

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Property Description Fields Where Available

Trim Whether to remove leading or trailing spaces from the value if Variable
they exist. Text
l None: Leading and trailing spaces are not removed. Text Box
l Left: Any spaces on the left side of the text are

removed. For languages that are read from left to right,

these are the leading spaces, if any. For languages that
are read right to left, these are the trailing spaces, if
any.
l Right: Any spaces on the right side of the text are

removed. For languages that are read from left to right,

these are the trailing spaces, if any. For languages that
are read right to left, these are the leading spaces, if
any.
l Both: Any leading or trailing spaces are removed.

Arrange

Property Description Fields Where Available

Left The distance from the left edge of the field to the left All Fields
edge of the label. The value is dependent on the unit of
measure for the label template.

Top The distance from the top edge of the field to the top of All Fields
the label. The value is dependent on the unit of measure
for the label template.
Center X The distance from the middle of the field to the left edge All Fields
of the label. The value is dependent on the unit of
measure for the label template.
Center Y The distance from the middle of the field to the top of All Fields
the label. The value is dependent on the unit of measure
for the label template.
Width The distance from the left edge of the field to the right All Fields
edge of the field. The value is dependent on the unit of
measure for the label template. Chars Per Line, Max
Chars, and font formatting also impact this value.
For some properties, this property is automatically
configured and is read-only by default. For Fixed Text and
Variable Text, this property can be manually configured if
Auto Envelope is cleared.

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Property Description Fields Where Available

Height The distance from the top edge of the field to the bottom All Fields
edge of the field. The value is dependent on the unit of
measure for the label template. Line Spacing, # Lines,
and font formatting also impact this value.
For some properties, this property is automatically
configured and is read-only by default. For Fixed Text and
Variable Text, this property can be manually configured if
Auto Envelope is cleared.
Rotation The angle of the text field in relation to the printed label. Fixed Text
The value is in degrees. Variable
Text
Text Box
Printing Field Whether the field appears on the printed label. Fixed Text
(Label
view only)
Variable
Text
Text Box
Lock Field If selected, no changes can be made to the properties of All Fields
the field, and the field cannot be moved or deleted. The
order of the field relative to other fields in the label
template can be changed regardless of whether the field is
locked.
Note: This feature can be used to prevent
accidental changes to fields. It does not
prevent other Document Designers from
unlocking a field.
Font

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Property Description Fields Where Available

Font Category The type of font to use for text in the field. The following Fixed Text
options are available: Variable
TrueType Text
DPL1 Text Box
IPL2
ZPL II3
If the Font Category is TrueType, the fonts reside on
the server. For other font categories, the fonts reside on
the target device.
Note: The options available may be limited
by the Font Category selected for the
entire label template. In the Label view,
click the label canvas and then configure the
Font Category in the Properties pane.
Font The set of type to use for text in the field. Fixed Text
If the Font Category is TrueType, the fonts reside on Variable
the server. For other font categories, the fonts reside on Text
the target device. Text Box
Note: For a Text Box field, only TrueType
fonts and native scalable fonts are available.

Tip: If you have selected Datamax Native

for Font Category, Datamax recommends
using a native scalable font rather than the
Smooth font.
Font Size The size of type in the field in points. Fixed Text
Note: If Dynamic Font Sizing is enabled, Variable
the size of text displayed or printed in a Text Text
Box field may differ from the value specified Text Box
by Font Size.

1Datamax-O'Neil Programming Language, a printer control language.

2Intermec Printer Language, a printer control language.
3Zebra Programming Language II, a printer control language.

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Property Description Fields Where Available

Font Height % For text that uses a TrueType font or a native scalable Fixed Text
font, you can adjust the height and width independently as Variable
percentages with respect to the selected point size. By Text
default, the Font Height % and Font Width % are Text Box
100.0%.
Note: This property is available only if a
TrueType font or a native scalable font is
used for the text.
Font Width % For text that uses a TrueType font or a native scalable Fixed Text
font, you can adjust the height and width independently as Variable
percentages with respect to the selected point size. By Text
default, the Font Height % and Font Width % are Text Box
100.0%.
Note: This property is available only if a
TrueType font or a native scalable font is
used for the text.
Mag. Height For text that uses a font other than a TrueType font or a Fixed Text
native scalable font, you can adjust the magnification of Variable
the height and width independently as multipliers with Text
respect to the base font size. The default multiplier is
dependent upon the font.
Note: This property is available only if a
font that is not a TrueType font or a native
scalable font is used for the text.
Mag. Width For text that uses a font other than a TrueType font or a Fixed Text
native scalable font, you can adjust the magnification of Variable
the height and width independently as multipliers with Text
respect to the base font size. The default multiplier is
dependent upon the font.
Note: This property is available only if a
font that is not a TrueType font or a native
scalable font is used for the text.

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Property Description Fields Where Available

Font Style For text that uses a TrueType font, additional formatting Fixed Text
for text in the field. Options include Bold, Italic, Variable
Underline, and Strikethrough. Text
Note: This property is available only if Text Box
TrueType is selected for Font Category.
Horizontal For text that uses a TrueType font, horizontal alignment Fixed Text
Alignment of text in the field. Options include Left, Center, and Variable
Right. Text
Note: This property is available only if Text Box
TrueType is selected for Font Category.
Vertical Vertical alignment of text in the field. Options include Text Box
Alignment Top, Center, and Bottom.
Vertical Distance by which the text is shifted up or down from the Fixed Text
Alignment baseline 1. The value is dependent on the unit of measure Variable
Offset for the label template. Text
Tip: Offset distances are from the top left
corner of the envelope. A positive value
indicates that the text is shifted below the
baseline. A negative value indicates that the
text is shifted above the baseline.
Line Spacing Vertical space allotted for each line of text in the field. Fixed Text
This can include additional space below the text if you Variable
specify more than single line spacing. Text
For Fixed Text and Variable Text, values include Single, Text Box
Double, Triple, and Quadruple.
For a Text Box, you can enter a numeric value in points
relative to Font Size. Single line spacing for the font's
size is represented as 1.000.
Auto Envelope If selected, the Height and Width are configured Fixed Text
automatically based on Font Size and Max Chars. If Variable
cleared, Height, Width, and Fit to Envelope can be Text
manually configured. By default, Auto Envelope is
selected.

1The conceptual line on which characters sit by default. Characters with a rounded bottom edge may extend slightly below the
baseline. Some characters (such as y) have descenders that extend significantly below the baseline. The baseline is not printed on
labels or displayed in forms, but is an alignment marker that can be viewed in Design.

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Property Description Fields Where Available

Fit to Envelope If selected, the text will be stretched or compressed as Variable
needed to completely span the height and width of the Text
envelope for the field. The aspect ratio of the text will not
be maintained.
Note: Fit to Envelope is available only if a
TrueType font or a native scalable font is
used and if Auto Envelope is cleared.
Alignment If # Lines is set to 1, display gray horizontal dashed Fixed Text
Markers 1
guidelines indicating the top, text baseline , and bottom Variable
edge of the text. Alignment markers are not displayed in Text
forms or printed.
The following text is shown with alignment markers.

Paragraph Vertical space preceding each paragraph within a Text Box Text Box
Before in lines of space. The height of a line of space is defined
by Line Spacing.
Paragraph After Vertical space following each paragraph within a Text Box Text Box
in lines of space. This spacing is in addition to any defined
by Line Spacing. The height of a line of space is defined
by Line Spacing.
Dynamic Font Whether to permit the point size for the text to increase Text Box
Sizing or decrease until the text reaches the envelope, or to
strictly adhere to the value specified by Font Size.
: The text size is specified by Font Size.
: The text size is automatically adjusted to allow the
text to more completely fill the Text Box field. The font
size is limited by Min Size, Max Size, and Maintain
Aspect Ratio.
Min Size If Dynamic Font Sizing is enabled, the smallest font size Text Box
that may be used. This value is in points.
Note: This property is available only if
Dynamic Font Sizing is selected.

1The conceptual line on which characters sit by default. Characters with a rounded bottom edge may extend slightly below the
baseline. Some characters (such as y) have descenders that extend significantly below the baseline. The baseline is not printed on
labels or displayed in forms, but is an alignment marker that can be viewed in Design.

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Property Description Fields Where Available

Max Size If Dynamic Font Sizing is enabled, the largest font size Text Box
that may be used. This value is in points.
Note: This property is available only if
Dynamic Font Sizing is selected.
Maintain Aspect When Dynamic Font Sizing is enabled, whether to permit Text Box
Ratio the height and width of characters change asynchronously
when the size of the font is altered.
: The aspect ratio of the font may be altered,
asynchronously changing the height and the width of the
characters to enable the text to more completely fill the
field.
: The aspect ratio of the font may not be altered.
Note: This property is available only if
Dynamic Font Sizing is selected.
Color

Property Description Fields Where Available

Text Color Color of characters in the field. You can select a color or Fixed Text
enter a hexadecimal RGB color value. Variable
Tip: To swap the Text Color and the Fill Text
Color, click . Text Box

Note: Color printing is possible only if

supported by the device and device driver.
Fill Color The background color if Fill is set to a value other than Fixed Text
No Fill. You can select a color or enter a hexadecimal Variable
RGB color value. Text
Note: Color printing is possible only if Text Box
supported by the device and device driver.
Fill Whether the specified Fill Color is used as the Fixed Text
background for the text. Variable
No Fill: The field has a transparent background and the Text
Fill Color is not used. Text Box
Solid Fill: The field has a background of the Fill Color.
Format Sources
In a label template, you can configure format sources, which serve as formatting

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specifications that can be applied to text fields. Format sources allow you to configure
formatting once, and then apply it to as many fields in the label template as needed. For more
information, see " Configuring Format Sources" on page 425.
Property Description Fields Where Available
Format Sources A list of format sources that are applied to the field. Fixed Text
To apply a format source to the field, expand the (Label view
Format Sources pane in the left column, and drag and only)
drop a format source onto a field in the Label view. Variable
To remove a format source from a field, click the field, Text
and in the Format Sources section of the Properties Text Box
pane select the name of a format source and click .

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Using Controls
Controls such as Button1, Check Box2, Drop-Down List3, Device Selector 4,Folder
Selector 5, Label Selector 6, Radio Button Group7, Prompt8, User Selector 9, and Text Box
Prompt10 fields can be included in data entry forms to allow a Data Provider 11 to enter
information for use in printed labels. In addition to simple data entry, those controls as well as a
Table 12 control can be used to allow a Data Provider to run a data source query and select
information from a database, or to run a form rule or a business rule that performs complex
instructions.
When configuring controls such as drop-down lists and radio button groups that provide a list of
options from which to select, a Document Designer 13 can manually provide the option names
and values from which Data Providers can select. Alternatively, the available options can be
dynamically drawn from the data map14.
A Document Designer can dynamically manage the appearance of each control. You can manage
whether each control is displayed to or hidden from Data Providers. Also, you can manage
whether each control is enabled or disabled"grayed out" and not available for use.
Example

If a form in Design includes a Print Alternate Address check box, you can
configure the dynamic properties of the Check Box field so that it is displayed to a
Data Provider in Print only if an alternate address is available in the data map14.

1A type of control or document field in the data entry view of a label template or in a form that can be used to run a data source
query, a form rule, or a business rule when clicked by a Data Provider.
2A type of control or document field in the data entry view of a label template or in a form that can be used to run a data source
query, a form rule, or a business rule when the check box is selected or cleared by a Data Provider.
3A type of control or document field in the data entry view of a label template or in a form that can be used to run a data source
query, a form rule, or a business rule when a Data Provider changes which item is selected.
4A control field in a form or in the data entry view of a label template that allows a Data Provider to select a printer or other device. A
Device Selector is displayed as a browse button and the name of the selected device. Clicking the browse button opens a dialog
box from which a Data Provider can select a device. A control can also be used to run a data source query, a form rule, or a business
rule.
5A control field in a form or in the data entry view of a label template that allows a Data Provider to select a folder. A Folder Selector
is displayed as a browse button and the name of the selected folder. Clicking the browse button opens a dialog box from which a
Data Provider can select a folder. A control can also be used to run a data source query, a form rule, or a business rule.
6A control field in a form or in the data entry view of a label template that allows a Data Provider to select a label. A Label Selector is
displayed as a browse button and the name of the selected label. Clicking the browse button opens a dialog box from which a Data
Provider can select a label. A control can also be used to run a data source query, a form rule, or a business rule.
7A type of control or document field in the data entry view of a label template or in a form that can be used to run a data source
query, a form rule, or a business rule when a Data Provider changes which item is selected.
8A type of control or document field used to collect information from a Data Provider in the data entry view of a label template or in
a form. When a Data Provider submits data via a prompt, a data source query, a form rule, or a business rule may be run.
9A control field in a form or in the data entry view of a label template that allows a Data Provider to select a user. A User Selector is
displayed as a browse button and the name of the selected user. Clicking the browse button opens a dialog box from which a Data
Provider can select a user. A control can also be used to run a data source query, a form rule, or a business rule.
10A type of control or document field in the data entry view of a label template or in a form that can be used to allow a Data Provider
to retrieve lengthy data from a database and then manipulate the data retrieved.
11Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer.
A user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.
12A control field in a form that systematically displays the results of a data source query, a form rule, or a business rule in columns
and rows.
13Person who creates and designs label templates for use by Data Providers. Also a default role in Spectrum.

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Tip: For most on-demand data entry, a Prompt field is recommended. However, a
Text Box Prompt field is appropriate for situations in which Data Providers are
expected to retrieve lengthy data from a database and then manipulate the data
retrieved.

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Adding Controls

You can add the following control fields to a label template, a form, or a reusable object:

Tip: For most on-demand data entry, a Prompt field is recommended. However, a
Text Box Prompt field is appropriate for situations in which Data Providers are
expected to retrieve lengthy data from a database and then manipulate the data
retrieved.

Add a Button

To add a Button control to a data entry form, use this procedure.

1. From the Controls list in the Library, click and drag Button to the Form view of a label
template to or to a form.
2. In the Properties pane, enter a name for the button in the Field Name property.
Note: A Field Name, Data Ref, or Input Data Ref can include letters
and numbers. Additionally, the following characters are permitted but
cannot begin the name: hyphens, underscores, and periods.
3. For the Label Text property, enter text to be displayed on the button.

Configure Functionality
You can configure more functionality for the control, such as running data source queries or
rules, dynamically displaying or hiding the control, dynamically enabling or disabling the control,
and associating the control with data.
l "Select Data Source Queries and Rules to Run" on page 168
l "Configure the Running Order for Queries and Rules" on page 172
l "Dynamically Manage If a Control Is Displayed" on page 174
l "Dynamically Manage If a Control Is Enabled" on page 175
l "Dynamically Manage the Tab Order of a Control" on page 176
Best Practice
Save the label template or form immediately after configuring a control.
Add a Check Box

To add a Check Box control to a data entry form, use this procedure.
1. From the Controls list in the Library, click and drag Check Box to the Form view of a
label template to or to a form.
2. In the Properties pane, enter a name for the check box in the Field Name property.
Note: A Field Name, Data Ref, or Input Data Ref can include letters
and numbers. Additionally, the following characters are permitted but
cannot begin the name: hyphens, underscores, and periods.

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3. For the Default Value property, enter either true (selected) or false (cleared) for the
value that is returned by the check box by default.
4. For the Label Text property, enter text to be displayed next to the check box.

Configure Functionality
You can configure more functionality for the control, such as running data source queries or
rules, dynamically displaying or hiding the control, dynamically enabling or disabling the control,
and associating the control with data.
l "Select Data Source Queries and Rules to Run" on page 168
l "Configure the Running Order for Queries and Rules" on page 172
l "Dynamically Manage If a Control Is Displayed" on page 174
l "Dynamically Manage If a Control Is Enabled" on page 175
l "Dynamically Manage the Tab Order of a Control" on page 176
l " Associate the Control Output with a Field in a Label" on page 177
Best Practice
Save the label template or form immediately after configuring a control.
Add a Drop-Down List

To add a Drop-Down List control to a data entry form, use this procedure.
1. From the Controls list in the Library, click and drag Drop-Down List to the Form
view of a label template to or to a form.
2. In the Properties pane, enter a name for the drop-down list in the Field Name
property.
Note: A Field Name, Data Ref, or Input Data Ref can include letters
and numbers. Additionally, the following characters are permitted but
cannot begin the name: hyphens, underscores, and periods.

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3. In the Name and Data section, configure the initial appearance of the drop-down list.
You can either display text with no associated value to prompt the Data Provider 1 to
make a selection, or you can specify an option that is selected by default.
n To display text to prompt the Data Provider to make a selection, enter text for the
Prompt.
Note: This text is not associated with an option value. Also, if you
specify a Default Value, then the Prompt is not displayed to Data
Providers.
n To display a default option as selected, for the Default Value enter an option
value from the list.
Tip: Enter the option value, not the corresponding option name.
4. Click the Option Values pane to expand it, and then indicate whether you will manually
enter the options for the drop-down list or whether you will provide a data ref pointing to
the names and values for the options.
n To manually type the option names and values for the drop-down list, click
Manual Entry. Click Add Value. In the dialog box, enter an option name for
Label, enter the corresponding value, and click Add. Repeat for each option. For
the last option in the list, click OK to enter the option and close the dialog box.
n To configure Spectrum to retrieve the option names and values from the datamap,
click From Data Map. For Data Ref, enter a reference to a data map entry 2.

Configure Functionality
You can configure more functionality for the control, such as running data source queries or
rules, dynamically displaying or hiding the control, dynamically enabling or disabling the control,
and associating the control with data.
l "Select Data Source Queries and Rules to Run" on page 168
l "Configure the Running Order for Queries and Rules" on page 172
l "Dynamically Manage If a Control Is Displayed" on page 174
l "Dynamically Manage If a Control Is Enabled" on page 175
l "Dynamically Manage the Tab Order of a Control" on page 176
l " Associate the Control Output with a Field in a Label" on page 177
Best Practice
Save the label template or form immediately after configuring a control.
Add a Device Selector

To add a Device Selector control to a data entry form, use this procedure.

1Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.
2A name (key) and value pair in the data map for a job.

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1. From the Controls list in the Library, click and drag Device Selector to the Form view
of a label template or to a form.
2. In the Properties pane, enter a name for the device selector in the Field Name
property.
Note: A Field Name, Data Ref, or Input Data Ref can include letters
and numbers. Additionally, the following characters are permitted but
cannot begin the name: hyphens, underscores, and periods.

Configure Functionality
You can configure more functionality for the control, such as running data source queries or
rules, dynamically displaying or hiding the control, dynamically enabling or disabling the control,
and associating the control with data.
l "Select Data Source Queries and Rules to Run" on page 168
l "Configure the Running Order for Queries and Rules" on page 172
l "Dynamically Manage If a Control Is Displayed" on page 174
l "Dynamically Manage If a Control Is Enabled" on page 175
l "Dynamically Manage the Tab Order of a Control" on page 176
l " Associate the Control Output with a Field in a Label" on page 177
Best Practice
Save the label template or form immediately after configuring a control.
Add a Folder Selector

To add a Folder Selector control to a data entry form, use this procedure.
1. From the Controls list in the Library, click and drag Folder Selector to the Form view
of a label template or to a form.
2. In the Properties pane, enter a name for the folder selector in the Field Name
property.
Note: A Field Name, Data Ref, or Input Data Ref can include letters
and numbers. Additionally, the following characters are permitted but
cannot begin the name: hyphens, underscores, and periods.

Configure Functionality
You can configure more functionality for the control, such as running data source queries or
rules, dynamically displaying or hiding the control, dynamically enabling or disabling the control,
and associating the control with data.
l "Select Data Source Queries and Rules to Run" on page 168
l "Configure the Running Order for Queries and Rules" on page 172
l "Dynamically Manage If a Control Is Displayed" on page 174
l "Dynamically Manage If a Control Is Enabled" on page 175

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l "Dynamically Manage the Tab Order of a Control" on page 176

l " Associate the Control Output with a Field in a Label" on page 177
Best Practice
Save the label template or form immediately after configuring a control.
Add a Label Selector

To add a Label Selector control to a data entry form, use this procedure.
1. From the Controls list in the Library, click and drag Label Selector to the Form view
of a label template or to a form.
2. In the Properties pane, enter a name for the label selector in the Field Name property.
Note: A Field Name, Data Ref, or Input Data Ref can include letters
and numbers. Additionally, the following characters are permitted but
cannot begin the name: hyphens, underscores, and periods.

Configure Functionality
You can configure more functionality for the control, such as running data source queries or
rules, dynamically displaying or hiding the control, dynamically enabling or disabling the control,
and associating the control with data.
l "Select Data Source Queries and Rules to Run" on page 168
l "Configure the Running Order for Queries and Rules" on page 172
l "Dynamically Manage If a Control Is Displayed" on page 174
l "Dynamically Manage If a Control Is Enabled" on page 175
l "Dynamically Manage the Tab Order of a Control" on page 176
l " Associate the Control Output with a Field in a Label" on page 177
Best Practice
Save the label template or form immediately after configuring a control.
Add a Radio Button Group

To add a Radio Button Group control to a data entry form, use this procedure.
1. From the Controls list in the Library, click and drag Radio Button Group to the Form
view of a label template to or to a form.
2. In the Properties pane, enter a name for the radio button group in the Field Name
property.
Note: A Field Name, Data Ref, or Input Data Ref can include letters
and numbers. Additionally, the following characters are permitted but
cannot begin the name: hyphens, underscores, and periods.

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3. For the Default Value property, enter the option value for the radio button that is
initially selected by default.
Tip: Enter the option value, not the corresponding option name.
4. Click the Option Values pane to expand it, and then indicate whether you will manually
enter the options for the radio button group or whether you will provide a data ref
pointing to the names and values for the options.
n To manually type the option names and values for the radio button group, click
Manual Entry. Click Add Value. In the dialog box, enter an option name for
Label, enter the corresponding value, and click Add. Repeat for each option. For
the last option in the group, click OK to enter the option and close the dialog box.
n To configure Spectrum to retrieve the option names and values from the datamap,
click From Data Map. For Data Ref, enter a reference to a data map entry 1.

Configure Functionality
You can configure more functionality for the control, such as running data source queries or
rules, dynamically displaying or hiding the control, dynamically enabling or disabling the control,
and associating the control with data.
l "Select Data Source Queries and Rules to Run" on page 168
l "Configure the Running Order for Queries and Rules" on page 172
l "Dynamically Manage If a Control Is Displayed" on page 174
l "Dynamically Manage If a Control Is Enabled" on page 175
l "Dynamically Manage the Tab Order of a Control" on page 176
l " Associate the Control Output with a Field in a Label" on page 177
Best Practice
Save the label template or form immediately after configuring a control.
Add a Prompt

To add a Prompt field to a data entry form, use this procedure.

1. From the Controls list in the Library, click and drag Prompt to the Form view of a
label template or to a form. A Form Prompt and a Prompt are added. A Data Entry data
source is added to the label template.
2. In the Properties pane, enter a name for the prompt in the Field Name property. This
is shared by the Form Prompt and the Prompt.
Note: A Field Name, Data Ref, or Input Data Ref can include letters
and numbers. Additionally, the following characters are permitted but
cannot begin the name: hyphens, underscores, and periods.
3. For the Prompt property, enter text to be displayed next to the Prompt field.

1A name (key) and value pair in the data map for a job.

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Configure Functionality
You can configure more functionality for the control, such as running data source queries or
rules, dynamically displaying or hiding the control, dynamically enabling or disabling the control,
and associating the control with data.
l "Select Data Source Queries and Rules to Run" on page 168
l "Configure the Running Order for Queries and Rules" on page 172
l "Dynamically Manage If a Control Is Displayed" on page 174
l "Dynamically Manage If a Control Is Enabled" on page 175
l "Dynamically Manage the Tab Order of a Control" on page 176
l " Associate the Control Output with a Field in a Label" on page 177
Best Practice
Save the label template or form immediately after configuring a control.
Add a User Selector

To add a User Selector control to a data entry form, use this procedure.
1. From the Controls list in the Library, click and drag User Selector to the Form view
of a label template or to a form.
2. In the Properties pane, enter a name for the user selector in the Field Name property.
Note: A Field Name, Data Ref, or Input Data Ref can include letters
and numbers. Additionally, the following characters are permitted but
cannot begin the name: hyphens, underscores, and periods.

Configure Functionality
You can configure more functionality for the control, such as running data source queries or
rules, dynamically displaying or hiding the control, dynamically enabling or disabling the control,
and associating the control with data.
l "Select Data Source Queries and Rules to Run" on page 168
l "Configure the Running Order for Queries and Rules" on page 172
l "Dynamically Manage If a Control Is Displayed" on page 174
l "Dynamically Manage If a Control Is Enabled" on page 175
l "Dynamically Manage the Tab Order of a Control" on page 176
l " Associate the Control Output with a Field in a Label" on page 177
Add a Table

You can use a Table control to display the results of a data source query, form rule, or business
rule in an application in Print. You can also add rules to the table and to specific columns to
change the styling based upon the data in a cell. For more information, see "Add a Table Rule"
on page 164.
To add a Table control to a data entry form, use this procedure.

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1. From the Controls list in the Library, click and drag Table to the Form view of a label
template or to a form.
2. In the Properties pane, change the Field Name to a meaningful name.
Note: A Field Name, Data Ref, or Input Data Ref can include letters
and numbers. Additionally, the following characters are permitted but
cannot begin the name: hyphens, underscores, and periods.
3. For the Source Data Ref field in the Table section, enter the location in the datamap
from which the columns obtain data.
Example
/MyData
4. For the ColumnCount property, modify the value to add or remove columns in the
table as needed.
Tip: If you want the number of columns in the table to be determined from
the data source, set the Column Count to 0.
5. Decide whether the envelope 1 of the table should automatically resize based on row
height and column width or if the envelope should be a fixed size, then do one of the
following:
Automatically resize the envelope of the table
a. In the Table section of theProperties pane, select the Auto Envelope check
box.
b. Adjust the values in the Row Height and Row Count fields as needed.
Set a fixed size for the envelope of the table
a. In the Table section of theProperties pane, clear the Auto Envelope check
box.
b. In the Arrange section, adjust the values in the Width and Height fields as
needed.
6. To add a search toolbar to the table, select Show Search.
7. To display the number of each row, select Show Row Numbers. Row numbers are
displayed in Print.
8. To modify the fill color of alternating rows, use Alternating Row Colors.
9. Click the Columns and Table Rules pane.

1In the Label view or Form view in Design, a blue box that outlines a field when the field is selected.

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10. In the ColumnHeaders section, do the following for each column in the table:
Note:If yourColumn Count is 0, skip this step.
a. Select the row of the column you want to configure and then click Edit . The
Configure Properties dialog box for the column is displayed.

b. Under Header, enter text for the header Display Name or leave this field blank
to use the name as defined in the data source.
c. UnderColumn, enter the name of the column as defined in the data source for
the Column Name.
d. If desired, modify the column Width and any additional header and column
properties. For more information, see "Columns and Table Rules" on page 189.
11. If desired, configure rules for the table and for specific columns. For more information,
see "Add a Table Rule" on page 164.
12. To style the table using a business rule, in the Style Data Ref field, enter the location in
the datamap from which the columns obtain styling data, and then add a trigger on the
form to run the business rule with the onLoad event. For more information, see "Style a
Table" on page 165.
Note: Styles defined by a Style Data Ref override the styles configured in
the Columns and Table Rules pane.
13. View the populated and styled table in Print. For more information, see View a Table.
View a Table
A table is displayed in an application in Print. To view a table, perform the following steps:
1. If the table data is populated by a business rule, add a trigger on the form to run the
business rule with the onLoad event.
2. Open or create an application and add the form to the application.
3. In Print, open the application to view your table with data and styling as specified.
Note: If a table cell is editable, editing the cell modifies the data map entry
but does not modify the data in the data source.

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4. If a column is sortable, you can click the column header to sort the table by that column
in ascending or descending order.
5. To change the displayed order of a columns, click and drag the column in the table.

Configure Functionality
You can configure more functionality for the control, such as running data source queries or
rules, dynamically displaying or hiding the control, dynamically enabling or disabling the control,
and associating the control with data.
l "Select Data Source Queries and Rules to Run" on page 168
l "Configure the Running Order for Queries and Rules" on page 172
l "Dynamically Manage If a Control Is Displayed" on page 174
l "Dynamically Manage If a Control Is Enabled" on page 175
l "Dynamically Manage the Tab Order of a Control" on page 176
l " Associate the Control Output with a Field in a Label" on page 177
Best Practice
Save the label template or form immediately after configuring a control.
Configure Table Rules
You can use table rules to change the styling of rows in the table based upon the data in the row,
and you can use column rules to change the styling of cells in a specific column based upon the
data in the column. For example, if you want the rows that contain a specific date to stand out,
you can add a table rule to change the background color of the rows containing that date to
yellow. If you add a rule to both the table and a column that overlaps, the column rule overrides
the table rule for that cell.
Example
You add a table rule to change the background color of rows that contain January 1 in
the Date column to yellow.
Table Rule
Column Name Operator Value Set Style Style Value
Date Equals January 1 BackgroundColor yellow
You also add a rule on the Date column to change the background color of cells in
the column that contain January 1 to green.
Column Rule
Column Name Operator Value Set Style Style Value
Date Equals January 1 BackgroundColor green
Result

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When the table is displayed in Print, the cells containingJanuary 1 in the Date
column are green because a column rule overrides a table rule, and the other cells in
the row are yellow from the table rule.
Date Item Quantity
January 1 12345 100
January 2 12346 100

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Add a Table Rule

1. In Design, click the table you want to add a rule to.
2. Click the Columns and Table Rules pane.
3. Click the TableRules button.
4. In the Table Rules dialog box, click add to add a rule.
5. For Column Name, double-click the cell and select a column from the drop-down list.
6. For Operator, double-click the cell and select an operator from the drop-down list.
7. For Value, enter the value for which the rule applies.
8. For Set Style, double-click the cell and select a property from the drop-down list.
9. For Style Value, enter the desired style. For information on accepted values, see
"Columns and Table Rules" on page 189.
10. To add an additional rule, click add and configure the fields for the rule.
11. To change the order in which a rule is implemented, click the row and use the arrows
to move the rule. Rules are implemented in order beginning with the rule at the top,
and the last rule overrides previous rules if applicable.

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Add a Column Rule

1. In Design, click the table you want to add a rule to.
2. Click the Columns and Table Rules pane.
3. Select the column you want to add a rule to and click Edit . The Configure
Properties dialog box for the column is displayed.
4. In the dialog box under Column Rules, click add to add a rule.
5. For Operator, double-click the cell and select an operator from the drop-down list.
6. For Value, enter the value for which the rule applies.
7. For Set Style, double-click the cell and select a property from the drop-down list.
8. For Style Value, enter the desired style. For information on accepted values, see
"Columns and Table Rules" on page 189.
9. To add an additional rule, click add and configure the fields for the rule.
10. To change the order in which a rule is implemented, click the row and use the arrows
to move the rule. Rules are implemented in order beginning with the rule at the top,
and the last rule overrides previous rules if applicable.

Style a Table
You can style a table using the options in the Properties pane and by configuring the properties
for each column in the Columns and Table Rules pane. However, if you have several tables
inSpectrum and you want to quickly apply the same styles to multiple tables, you can define the
table styles using a business rule and then apply those styles to a table using the Style Data Ref
property.
Note: Styles defined by a Style Data Ref override those configured in the
Columns and Table Rules pane.
Styles can be defined using the following locations in the datamap. If the same style is defined
in both locations, the Style Data Ref is used. For property keys and values, see "Columns and
Table Rules" on page 189.
Property
Location in DataMap Example
Type
Table /{Style Data Ref}/{Key} /myTableStyle/alternatingItemColors
Table /{Table Name}/{Key} /Table001/alternatingItemColors
Columns /{Style Data Ref}/columns/{Key} /myTableStyle/columns/horizontalAlign
Columns /{Table Name}/columns/{Column /Table0001/columns/Date/horizontalAlign
Name}/{Key}
To style a table using a business rule, perform the following steps:

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1. In Process Design, create and save a new business rule that adds the desired values (or
"styles")to the appropriate data map entries (or "properties"). For more information, see
"Create a Business Rule in Configurator" on page 440. For property keys and values, see
"Columns and Table Rules" on page 189.
Tip: To apply these styles to more than one table, use the /{Style Data
Ref}/{Key} and /{Style Data Ref}/columns/{Key} locations in the
datamap.
2. In Design, open the label template or form with the table and click the table.
3. In the Table section of the Properties pane, in the Style Data Ref property, enter the
location in the datamap from which the columns obtain styling data as defined in your
business rule.
Example
/myTableStyle
4. On the form, add a trigger to run the new styling business rule with the onLoad event.
For more information, see "Create a Trigger to Run a Rule" on page 297.
5. View the styled table in Print. For more information, see View a Table.

Add a Text Box Prompt

To add a Text Box Prompt field to a data entry form, use this procedure.
Tip: For most on-demand data entry, a Prompt field is recommended. However, a
Text Box Prompt field is appropriate for situations in which Data Providers are
expected to retrieve lengthy data from a database and then manipulate the data
retrieved.
1. From the Controls list in the Library, click and drag Text Box Prompt to the Form
view. A Form Prompt and a Text Box Prompt are added to the Form view of the label
template. A Data Entry data source is added to the label template.
2. In the Properties pane, enter a name for the Text Box Prompt in the Field Name
property. This is shared by the Form Prompt and the Text Box Prompt.
Note: A Field Name, Data Ref, or Input Data Ref can include letters
and numbers. Additionally, the following characters are permitted but
cannot begin the name: hyphens, underscores, and periods.
3. For the Prompt property, enter text to be displayed next to the Text Box Prompt field.

Configure Functionality
You can configure more functionality for the control, such as running data source queries or
rules, dynamically displaying or hiding the control, dynamically enabling or disabling the control,
and associating the control with data.

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l "Dynamically Manage If a Control Is Displayed" on page 174

l "Dynamically Manage If a Control Is Enabled" on page 175
l "Dynamically Manage the Tab Order of a Control" on page 176
l " Associate the Control Output with a Field in a Label" on page 177
Best Practice
Save the label template or form immediately after configuring a control.

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Select Data Source Queries and Rules to Run

If you want data source queries, form rules, or business rules to run when a Data Provider 1
performs a particular action using a control, you must configure a trigger 2 for each data source
or rule.
Trigger
Control When the Trigger Event Occurs
Event
Button3 onClick A Data Provider clicks a button.
Check Box4 onChange A Data Provider selects or clears a check box,
changing its state.
Drop-Down List5 onChange A Data Provider changes which option is selected in
a drop-down list.
Device Selector 6 onChange A Data Provider changes which printer or other
device is selected and clicks OK in a Device
Selector dialog box.
Folder Selector 7 onChange A Data Provider changes which folder is selected and
clicks OK in a Folder Selector dialog box.
Label Selector 8 onChange A Data Provider changes which label is selected and
clicks OK in a Label Selector dialog box.
Radio Button onChange A Data Provider changes which option is selected in
Group9 a radio button group.

1Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.
2A means of running a data source, form rule, or business rule. Includes a trigger source if interactive (such as a button, a prompt,
or a form) and a trigger event (such as clicking a button, entering text at a prompt, loading a form, or submitting a job). For
example, you can specify a particular button as a trigger source that Data Providers can click to perform a query of a database.
3A type of control or document field in the data entry view of a label template or in a form that can be used to run a data source
query, a form rule, or a business rule when clicked by a Data Provider.
4A type of control or document field in the data entry view of a label template or in a form that can be used to run a data source
query, a form rule, or a business rule when the check box is selected or cleared by a Data Provider.
5A type of control or document field in the data entry view of a label template or in a form that can be used to run a data source
query, a form rule, or a business rule when a Data Provider changes which item is selected.
6A control field in a form or in the data entry view of a label template that allows a Data Provider to select a printer or other device. A
Device Selector is displayed as a browse button and the name of the selected device. Clicking the browse button opens a dialog
box from which a Data Provider can select a device. A control can also be used to run a data source query, a form rule, or a business
rule.
7A control field in a form or in the data entry view of a label template that allows a Data Provider to select a folder. A Folder Selector
is displayed as a browse button and the name of the selected folder. Clicking the browse button opens a dialog box from which a
Data Provider can select a folder. A control can also be used to run a data source query, a form rule, or a business rule.
8A control field in a form or in the data entry view of a label template that allows a Data Provider to select a label. A Label Selector is
displayed as a browse button and the name of the selected label. Clicking the browse button opens a dialog box from which a Data
Provider can select a label. A control can also be used to run a data source query, a form rule, or a business rule.
9A type of control or document field in the data entry view of a label template or in a form that can be used to run a data source
query, a form rule, or a business rule when a Data Provider changes which item is selected.

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Trigger
Control When the Trigger Event Occurs
Event
Prompt1 onCommit A Data Provider submits text via a prompt.
Note: After an interactive user has
typed text into the field, clicking to
another field, tabbing to another field,
or pressing the Enter key submits the
text in the Prompt field to Spectrum.
User Selector 2 onChange A Data Provider changes which user is selected and
clicks OK in a User Selector dialog box.
Text Box Prompt3 onCommit A Data Provider submits text via a text box prompt.
Note: After an interactive user has
typed text into the field, clicking to
another field, tabbing to another field,
or pressing the Enter key submits the
text in the Text Box Prompt field to
Spectrum.

Note: For information about how to add a control, see "Adding Controls" on page
153.

Select a Data Source Query to Run

If you want a query of a Database data source 4 or an Alternate data source 5 to be run when
a Data Provider uses a particular control, do the following to select a trigger.
Tip: If you have not yet created the data source for which using the control should
act as a trigger, you can skip this step and select the trigger when you create the
data source. For more information, see "Create a Database Data Source" on page
309 or "Create an Alternate Data Source" on page 318.
1. Click the Triggers pane.
2. Click Add to open the Select a Trigger dialog box.

1A type of control or document field used to collect information from a Data Provider in the data entry view of a label template or in
a form. When a Data Provider submits data via a prompt, a data source query, a form rule, or a business rule may be run.
2A control field in a form or in the data entry view of a label template that allows a Data Provider to select a user. A User Selector is
displayed as a browse button and the name of the selected user. Clicking the browse button opens a dialog box from which a Data
Provider can select a user. A control can also be used to run a data source query, a form rule, or a business rule.
3A type of control or document field in the data entry view of a label template or in a form that can be used to allow a Data Provider
to retrieve lengthy data from a database and then manipulate the data retrieved.
4A connection to a database that acts as a data source and can serve as the data ref for a document field. A Database data source
is associated with a Database data service.
5A connection to a file external to Spectrum that acts as a data source and can serve as the data ref for a document field. An
Alternate data source is associated with either a File data service or an HTTP data service.

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3. For Trigger Type, select Data Source.

4. For Data Source, click the data source for which using the control should act as a
trigger.
5. If you have configured more than one data source query to be run by this control, you
can configure the running order of the data source queries by entering a value for
Trigger Priority. The data source with the lower value for Trigger Priority is run first.
6. Click OK.
7. Repeat for any additional data source queries to run when the control is used by a Data
Provider.

Select a Form Rule to Run

If you want a form rule to be run when a Data Provider uses a particular control, do the
following to select a trigger:
1. Click the Triggers pane.
2. Click Add to open the Select a Trigger dialog box.
3. Select a Trigger Event from the drop-down list.
4. For Trigger Type, select Form Rule.
5. For Form Rules, click the form rule to be run when the control is used by a Data
Provider.
6. If you have configured more than one form rule to be run by this control, you can
configure the running order of the form rules by entering a value for Trigger Priority.
The form rule with the lower value for Trigger Priority is run first.
7. Click OK.
8. Repeat for any additional form rules to run when the control is used by a Data Provider.

Select a Business Rule to Run

If you want a business rule to be run when a Data Provider uses a particular control, do the
following to select a trigger:
1. Click the Triggers pane.
2. Click Add to open the Select a Trigger dialog box.
3. Select a Trigger Event from the drop-down list.
4. For Trigger Type, select Business Rule.
5. For Business Rule, click , select a business rule to be run when the control is used
by a Data Provider.
6. For Business Rule Event, enter the name of an event specified in the business rule.
When the control is used by a Data Provider, the business rule is run as if this event has
occurred.
7. If you have configured more than one business rule to be run by this control, you can
configure the running order of the business rules by entering a value for Trigger
Priority. The business rule with the lower value for Trigger Priority is run first.

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8. Click OK.
9. Repeat for any additional business rules to run when the control is used by a Data
Provider.

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Configure the Running Order for Queries and Rules

If a control acts as a trigger source 1 for more than one data source or more than one rule and
the order in which the they are run is important, then you must configure values for trigger
priority 2 for these triggers. In that situation, you can assign different values for Trigger
Priority for these otherwise identical triggers, and the data source, form rule, or business rule
with the lower value for Trigger Priority is run first. For data sources, whether the type of data
source differs is not relevant.
Note: For information about how to select data source queries, form rules, and
business rules to be run when a control is used, see "Select Data Source Queries
and Rules to Run" on page 168.

Note: Trigger Priority values for data sources are not compared with Trigger
Priority values for form rules and business rules. Regardless of their Trigger
Priority values, all data sources are run before any form rules or business rules are
run.
To configure the order in which data source queries are run relative to each other and the order
in which rules are run relative to each other, do the following:
1. If the control acts as a trigger for more than one data source and the order in which the
they are run relative to each other is important, do the following to assign values for
trigger priority for these triggers.
a. In the Triggers section of the Properties pane, double-click a trigger in the
Data Sources box.
b. In the Select a Trigger dialog box, click Next twice.
c. In the list of triggers, enter a value for Trigger Priority for the data source. The
data source with the lower value for Trigger Priority is run first.
Tip: Trigger priorities are compared only if the triggers have the
same trigger source, trigger event, and trigger key (if any). For
example, if a data source has both a button and a prompt that act as
triggers, their Trigger Priority values are not compared to each
other.
d. Click OK.
e. Repeat for each data source for which a trigger is listed.

1A field that is used in conjunction with a trigger event to interactively run a data source, form rule, or business rule. For example, a
button that runs a query when clicked, a prompt that runs a query when submitted, or a form that runs a query when loaded.
2The order in which data sources, form rules, or business rules that have otherwise identical triggers are run. Trigger values are
compared only if the triggers have the same trigger source, trigger event, and trigger key (if any). The type of data source is
irrelevant. Among data sources, form rules, or business rules with otherwise identical triggers, the data source with the lowest
value for trigger priority is run first.

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2. If the control acts as a trigger for more than one rule (regardless of whether they are form
rules or business rules) and the order in which the they are run relative to each other is
important, do the following to assign values for trigger priority for these triggers.
a. In the Triggers section of the Properties pane, double-click a trigger in the
Form Rules box.
b. For Priority, enter a value for trigger priority for the rule. The rule with the lower
value for trigger priority is run first.
c. Click OK.
d. Repeat for each form rule or business rule for which a trigger is listed.

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Dynamically Manage If a Control Is Displayed

You can use the value referred to by a data ref to manage whether the control is displayed to or
hidden from Data Providers. The control is displayed only if a comparison between the value
associated with a field and a specified value is evaluated as true.
Note:By default, a control with no dynamic properties is enabled and visible and is
a tab stop.
1. Click the Dynamic Properties pane.
2. Click Add to open the Configure Properties dialog box.
3. For Property, select Visible.
4. For Data Ref, select the field to use to manage whether the control is displayed.
5. For Operator, select how the value associated with the field should be compared to a
specified value.
6. If the Value property is displayed, enter the literal value to which the value associated
with the field should be compared.
7. Click OK.
Tip: The Value property must not include a data ref or the name of a data map
entry. If you want to use a variable to manage whether the control is displayed, you
can accomplish this by using a business rule that includes a conditional business
rule component. Configure the output of the business rule to be a value in the
data map1, and then use that value to manage whether the control is displayed.

1A repository for the data for use when responding to a print request. Each data map entry is composed of a name (key) and a
value.

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Dynamically Manage If a Control Is Enabled

You can use the value referred to by a data ref to manage whether the control is enabled for Data
Providers to use. The control is enabled only if a comparison between the value associated with
a field and a specified value is evaluated as true. Otherwise, the control is displayed in a disabled
state"grayed out" and not available for use.
Note:By default, a control with no dynamic properties is enabled and visible and is
a tab stop.
1. Click the Dynamic Properties pane.
2. Click Add to open the Configure Properties dialog box.
3. For Property, select Enabled.
4. For Data Ref, select the field to use to manage whether the control is enabled.
5. For Operator, select how the value associated with the field should be compared to a
specified value.
6. If the Value property is displayed, enter the literal value to which the value associated
with the field should be compared.
7. Click OK.
Tip: The Value property must not include a data ref or the name of a data map
entry. If you want to use a variable to manage whether the control is enabled, you
can accomplish this by using a business rule that includes a conditional business
rule component. Configure the output of the business rule to be a value in the
data map1, and then use that value to manage whether the control is enabled.

1A repository for the data for use when responding to a print request. Each data map entry is composed of a name (key) and a
value.

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Dynamically Manage the Tab Order of a Control

You can use the value referred to by a data ref to manage whether a control field is a tab stop,
and, if it is, manage the order in which the field receives focus when a Data Provider uses the
Tab key for navigating in the form. The field is not a tab stop if the Tab Order value is -1.
Alternatively, you can select or clear the "Tab Stop" on page 181 property, manually "Change
the Field Tabbing Order" on page 139, or use a "Focus Form Rule" on page 411.
Note: By default, a control with no dynamic properties is enabled and visible and
is a tab stop.
1. Click the Dynamic Properties pane.
2. Click Add to open the Configure Properties dialog box.
3. For Property, select Tab Order.
Note: If the Tab Order option is not displayed, click the Properties pane,
select theTab Stop property for the control, and then click Save.
4. For Data Ref, select the field to use to manage the tab order of the control.
5. Click OK.
Tip: If you want to use a variable to manage the tab order value of a control, you
can accomplish this by using a business rule. Configure the output of the business
rule to be a value in the data map1, and then use that value to manage the tab
order value.

1A repository for the data for use when responding to a print request. Each data map entry is composed of a name (key) and a
value.

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Associate the Control Output with a Field in a Label

If the form containing the control is part of a label template, you can use a Data Entry data
source to associate the data provided via the control with a field in the Label view of a label
template. Data provided by using the control can be printed on a label. To do so, use this
procedure.
1. Expand the Data Sources pane.
2. Expand the Data Entry data sources.
3. Click and drag the listing for the control onto a Variable Text field or a Barcode field in
the Label view.
n : Displayed when the mouse pointer is over a field that can accept the data
source.
n : Displayed when the mouse pointer is not over a field that can accept the data
source.
The Variable Text or Barcode field is now configured to use the control as its source of data.
You can confirm this by clicking the Variable Text or Barcode field and noting that in the
Properties pane the Data Ref property contains the name of the control.
Important! After you assign a data source to a field, renaming the data source or
associated control breaks the connection between the variable field or barcode and
the data source. You must complete the association procedure again, or rename the
Data Ref property of the variable field or barcode to match the new name of the
data source.

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Control Properties

The types of control fields available in Loftware Spectrum include Button1, Check Box2,
Drop-Down List3, Device Selector 4, Folder Selector 5, Label Selector 6, Radio Button
Group7, Prompt8, User Selector 9, Table 10, and Text Box Prompt11 fields. Control fields
can be used in a form, in the Form view of a label template, or the Form view of a reusable
object and have the following properties.
Name and Data

Note: A Field Name, Data Ref, or Input Data Ref can include letters and
numbers. Additionally, the following characters are permitted but cannot begin
the name: hyphens, underscores, and periods.

Property Description Fields Where Available

Field Name The identifier of the control in the label template, form, All fields
or reusable object. A field name is the link between a
label and data entry.

1A type of control or document field in the data entry view of a label template or in a form that can be used to run a data source
query, a form rule, or a business rule when clicked by a Data Provider.
2A type of control or document field in the data entry view of a label template or in a form that can be used to run a data source
query, a form rule, or a business rule when the check box is selected or cleared by a Data Provider.
3A type of control or document field in the data entry view of a label template or in a form that can be used to run a data source
query, a form rule, or a business rule when a Data Provider changes which item is selected.
4A control field in a form or in the data entry view of a label template that allows a Data Provider to select a printer or other device. A
Device Selector is displayed as a browse button and the name of the selected device. Clicking the browse button opens a dialog
box from which a Data Provider can select a device. A control can also be used to run a data source query, a form rule, or a business
rule.
5A control field in a form or in the data entry view of a label template that allows a Data Provider to select a folder. A Folder Selector
is displayed as a browse button and the name of the selected folder. Clicking the browse button opens a dialog box from which a
Data Provider can select a folder. A control can also be used to run a data source query, a form rule, or a business rule.
6A control field in a form or in the data entry view of a label template that allows a Data Provider to select a label. A Label Selector is
displayed as a browse button and the name of the selected label. Clicking the browse button opens a dialog box from which a Data
Provider can select a label. A control can also be used to run a data source query, a form rule, or a business rule.
7A type of control or document field in the data entry view of a label template or in a form that can be used to run a data source
query, a form rule, or a business rule when a Data Provider changes which item is selected.
8A type of control or document field used to collect information from a Data Provider in the data entry view of a label template or in
a form. When a Data Provider submits data via a prompt, a data source query, a form rule, or a business rule may be run.
9A control field in a form or in the data entry view of a label template that allows a Data Provider to select a user. A User Selector is
displayed as a browse button and the name of the selected user. Clicking the browse button opens a dialog box from which a Data
Provider can select a user. A control can also be used to run a data source query, a form rule, or a business rule.
10A control field in a form that systematically displays the results of a data source query, a form rule, or a business rule in columns
and rows.
11A type of control or document field in the data entry view of a label template or in a form that can be used to allow a Data Provider
to retrieve lengthy data from a database and then manipulate the data retrieved.

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Property Description Fields Where Available

Data Ref Data reference. The data source used to populate the All fields
field with a value. except
Tip: By default, Data Ref fields are case Form
sensitive. If the label template is intended Prompt
for use with an SAP BC-XOM integration
or an SAP RFC integration, use only
uppercase text in the Data Ref field.
Input Data Ref The data reference for a data source, such as a Database All fields
data source, from which a Prompt field obtains data. except
Button
Default Value The default option value or content for the field. If the Check Box
field is populated by a Data Ref that returns a null Drop-
value 1, then the default value is used instead. Down List
Note: For controls that have both an option Prompt
name and an option value, this is the option Radio
value. Button
Group
Important! For a Check Box field, this Text Box
value must be either true (selected) or false Prompt
(cleared).
Prompt Text displayed next to or in a prompt or a drop-down list Drop-
in a form. Down List
Prompt
Form
Prompt
Text Box
Prompt
Label Text Text displayed on a button or adjacent to a check box. Button
Check Box

1A value that is unknown. A null value is different from an empty string or a zero value.

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Property Description Fields Where Available

Entry Type Whether a Data Provider 1 is required to provide data for Prompt
this field. Text Box
Optional: The field may be left empty. Prompt
Mandatory: The field must have content.
Must Fill: The maximum number of characters (Max
Chars) for the field must be entered. This value is not
available for Text Box Prompt fields.
Read-Only Whether a Data Provider 2 is prevented from entering Prompt
data in this field. Selecting this option may be appropriate Text Box
if the field is automatically populated with data from a Prompt
database and should not be altered in Print.
Important! If this option is selected, then
Entry Type should be set to Optional
unless the field is being automatically
populated.
Character Mask Type of characters that are permitted in the field. None Prompt
indicates that there is no masking and any characters are
permitted.
The following options are available:
l None

l Alpha-Numeric

l Alpha-Only

l Code 39

l Code 93

l Full ASCII

l Hexadecimal

l Numeric-Only

l GS1

l GS1-128 Alpha-Numeric

l Uppercase Alpha-Numeric

l Uppercase Alpha-Only

Scan Only Whether data for the prompt can only be scanned in. Prompt
: Data can be entered by any means.
: Data for this prompt can be entered only by scanning.

1Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.
2Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.

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Property Description Fields Where Available

Mask Text If selected, the information entered in the field is Prompt
displayed as asterisks for concealment.
Chars Per Line The maximum number of characters on a line within the Prompt
field.
# Lines The number of text rows in the field. Prompt
Max Chars The greatest number of characters that can appear in the Prompt
field. The value is automatically calculated based on (read-only)
Chars Per Line and # Lines.
Force Max Chars Whether Data Providers are required to enter the number Prompt
of characters specified by the Max Chars property.
: Data Providers may enter any number of characters up
to the number specified by Max Chars.
: Data Providers must enter exactly the number of
characters specified by Max Chars.
Tab Stop Whether focus is set to the field when a Data Provider 1 All fields
uses the Tab key for navigating in a form.
: Focus is set to the field according to the tab order
when a Data Provider uses theTab key for navigating.
: Focus is not set to the field when a Data Provider
uses theTab key for navigating.
Alternatively, you can "Dynamically Manage the Tab
Order of a Control" on page 176, use a "Focus Form
Rule" on page 411, or "Change the Field Tabbing Order"
on page 139.
Arrange

Note: Rotating a field does not change the values of these properties. For
example, regardless of what the value for Rotation is, the Width refers to the
distance from the left edge of the field to the right edge of the field when
Rotation is set to 0.
Property Description Fields Where Available
Left The distance from the left edge of the field to the left All fields
edge of the label. The value is dependent on the unit of
measure for the label template.

1Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.

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Property Description Fields Where Available

Top The distance from the top edge of the field to the top of All fields
the label. The value is dependent on the unit of measure
for the label template.
Center X The distance from the middle of the field to the left edge All fields
of the label. The value is dependent on the unit of
measure for the label template.
Center Y The distance from the middle of the field to the top of the All fields
label. The value is dependent on the unit of measure for
the label template.
Width The distance from the left edge of the field to the right All fields
edge of the field. The value is dependent on the unit of
measure for the label template. Chars Per Line, Max
Chars, and font formatting also impact this value.
For some properties, this property is automatically
configured and is read-only by default. For Fixed Text,
Variable Text, and Table, this property can be manually
configured if Auto Envelope is cleared.
Height The distance from the top edge of the field to the bottom All fields
edge of the field. The value is dependent on the unit of
measure for the label template. Line Spacing, # Lines,
and font formatting also impact this value.
For some properties, this property is automatically
configured and is read-only by default. For Fixed Text,
Variable Text, and Table, this property can be manually
configured if Auto Envelope is cleared.
Rotation The angle of the text field in relation to the printed label. All fields
The value is in degrees.
Flip Horizontal Whether to display the options in a radio button group as Radio
a vertical list or a horizontal list. Button
: Display a vertical list of options. Group
: Display a horizontal list of options.

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Property Description Fields Where Available

Lock Field If selected, no changes can be made to the properties of All fields
the field, and the field cannot be moved or deleted. The
order of the field relative to other fields in the label
template can be changed regardless of whether the field is
locked.
Note: This feature can be used to prevent
accidental changes to fields. It does not
prevent other Document Designers from
unlocking a field.
Font

Property Description Fields Where Available

Font Category The type of font to use for text in the field. The All fields
following options are available: except
TrueType Prompt and
DPL1 Text Box
IPL2 Prompt
ZPL II3
If the Font Category is TrueType, the fonts reside on
the server. For other font categories, the fonts reside on
the target device.
Note: The options available may be
limited by the Font Category selected for
the entire label template. In the Label
view, click the label canvas and then
configure the Font Category in the
Properties pane.

1Datamax-O'Neil Programming Language, a printer control language.

2Intermec Printer Language, a printer control language.
3Zebra Programming Language II, a printer control language.

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Property Description Fields Where Available

Font The set of type to use for text in the field. All fields
If the Font Category is TrueType, the fonts reside on
the server. For other font categories, the fonts reside on
the target device.
Tip: If you have selected Datamax
Native for Font Category, Datamax
recommends using a native scalable font
rather than the Smooth font.
Font Size The size of type in the field in points. All fields
Note: If Dynamic Font Sizing is enabled,
the size of text displayed or printed in a
Text Box field may differ from the value
specified by Font Size.
Font Style For text that uses a TrueType font, additional formatting All fields
for text in the field. Options include Bold, Italic, and
Underline.
Note: This property is available only if
TrueType is selected for Font Category.
Color

Property Description Fields Where Available

Text Color Color of characters in the field. You can select a color or All fields
enter a hexadecimal RGB color value.
Tip: To swap the Text Color and the Fill
Color, click .

Note: Color printing is possible only if

supported by the device and device driver.
Fill Color The background color if Fill is set to a value other than Prompt
No Fill. You can select a color or enter a hexadecimal Text Box
RGB color value. Prompt
Note: Color printing is possible only if Form
supported by the device and device driver. Prompt

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Property Description Fields Where Available

Fill Whether the specified Fill Color is used as the Prompt
background for the text. Text Box
No Fill: The field has a transparent background and the Prompt
Fill Color is not used. Form
Solid Fill: The field has a background of the Fill Color. Prompt
Format Sources
In a label template or a form, you can configure format sources, which serve as formatting
specifications that can be applied to text fields. Format sources allow you to configure
formatting once, and then apply it to as many fields in the label template as needed. For more
information, see " Configuring Format Sources" on page 425.
Property Description Fields Where Available
Format Sources A list of format sources that are applied to the field. Form
To apply a format source to the field, expand the Format Prompt
Sources pane in the left column, and drag and drop a
format source onto a field in the Label view.
To remove a format source from a field, click the field,
and in the Format Sources section of the Properties
pane select the name of a format source and click .
Table
In a label template or a form, you can configure data sources and styling for a table. For
additional table properties, see "Columns and Table Rules" on page 189.
Property Description Fields Where Available
SourceData Ref A reference to the location in the datamap from which Table
the table columns obtain data.
Example
/MyData
Style Data Ref A reference to the location in the datamap from which Table
the table columns obtain styling. For more information,
see "Style a Table" on page 165.
Example
/MyData/Styling

Note: Styles defined by a Style Data Ref

override the styles configured on a column.
Show Search If selected, a toolbar is added to the table that allows users Table
in Print to quickly locate rows that contain specific text
or numbers in a column.

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Property Description Fields Where Available

Show Row If selected, a column is added that displays the number of Table
Numbers each row when viewing in Print.
Alternating Row
The default fill colors for every other row in the table. Table
Colors You can select a color or enter a hexadecimal RGB color
value.
Key: alternatingItemColors
ColumnCount The number of columns to display in the table. You can Table
set this value to 0 if you want the number of columns to
be determined from the first row of data in the Source
Data Ref.
Auto Envelope If selected, the Height and Width of the envelope are Table
configured automatically based on Row Count, Row
Height and column Width (in the Columns and
TableRules pane). If cleared, Height and Width can be
manually configured. By default, Auto Envelope is
selected.
Row Height The vertical span of each row in pixels. Table
Note: This property is available only if Auto
Envelope is selected.
Row Count The number of rows to display in the table. If a table Table
contains more rows than the Row Count number, a scroll
bar is added to the table envelope.
Note: This property is available only if Auto
Envelope is selected.
Dynamic Properties
You can use the value of a field to manage whether each dynamic property of the control is
turned on or off. For example, you can use a dynamic property to manage whether the control
is enabled or disabled. You can also use a dynamic property to manage whether the control is
displayed or hidden and to manage whether a control field is a tab stop as well as the tab
order.
Note: By default, a control with no dynamic properties is enabled and visible
and is a tab stop.
The following commands are available in the Dynamic Properties pane.
l : Open the Configure Properties dialog box so that a property can be added to
the list.

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l : Delete the property.

l : Edit or configure the selected property.

Configure Properties
The following properties are displayed in the Configure Properties dialog box.
Property Description Values
Property A property of a control Enabled: Whether the control can be used
that can be turned on or by a Data Provider in Print. If a
off, such as whether the comparison between the value associated
control is enabled or with a field and a specified value is
whether the control is evaluated as true, then the control is
displayed to a Data displayed and can be used. If false, the
Provider 1 in Print. control is displayed in a disabled state and
cannot be used.
Visible: Whether the control is displayed
to a Data Provider in Print. If a
comparison between the value associated
with a field and a specified value is
evaluated as true, then the control is
displayed. If false, the control is not
displayed.
Tab Order: The order in which the
control receives focus when a Data
Provider uses the Tab key for navigating in
Print. The control is not a tab stop if the
Tab Order value is -1.
Data Ref The field used to manage The list of fields that exist in the form
whether the specified
property is turned on or
off.
Operator The operator used to Equals
compare the value Not Equal
referred to by the Data Greater Than
Ref to a specified value. Less Than
Is Empty
Is Not Empty

1Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.

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Property Description Values

Value The literal value to be A literal value
compared to the Data Tip: The Value property
Ref to manage whether must not include a data ref or
the specified property the name of a data map entry.
should be applied to the If you want to use a variable
control. to manage the control, you
Note: The can accomplish this by using
Value a business rule that includes a
property is conditional business rule
omitted if component. Configure the
the output of the business rule to
Operator be a value in the data map1,
itself and then use that value to
provides the manage the control.
value.
Option Values
For controls such as a Drop-Down List or a Radio Button Group, you provide a list of
options from which a Data Provider 2 can select.
Property Description Fields Where Available
Data Provider Whether the option names displayed to Data Providers Drop-
and the associated values are typed by a Document Down List
Designer 3 or retrieved from the datamap. Radio
Manual Entry: A Document Designer types the option Button
name and value pairs that are displayed to Data Providers. Group
From Data Map: A Document Designer types a data ref
that points to a list of option name and value pairs that
are displayed to Data Providers.

1A repository for the data for use when responding to a print request. Each data map entry is composed of a name (key) and a
value.
2Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.
3Person who creates and designs label templates for use by Data Providers. Also a default role in Spectrum.

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Property Description Fields Where Available

Values The list of options in the Drop-Down List or Radio Drop-
Button Group. Only the option names are displayed to Down List
Data Providers. Radio
Add Value: Open the Option Value dialog box so that Button
an option can be added to the list. Group
: Delete the option.
The following properties and commands are displayed in
the Option Value dialog box.
l Label: The option name displayed to Data

Providers.
l Value: The option value, which is not displayed

to Data Providers.
l Add: Add the option to the list and clear the

information from the Option Value dialog box so

that another option can be entered.
l OK: Add the option to the list and close the

Option Value dialog box.

l Cancel: Close the Option Value dialog box

without adding the current option to the list.

Tip: You can drag and drop an option to
change its position in the list, and you can
double-click an option to edit it.

Note: This property is displayed only if

Manual Entry is selected for the Data
Provider property.
Data Ref A reference to a data map entry from which the list of Drop-
options for the Drop-Down List or Radio Button Group Down List
is obtained. Radio
Note: This property is displayed only if Button
From Data Map is selected for the Data Group
Provider property.

Columns and Table Rules

For a table 1 in a label template or a form, the Column and Table Rules pane allows you to
add or remove columns in a table, configure properties and styles for the table, and add styling

1The view that is displayed to a user on the Print page that allows the user to enter information for a label. A Document Designer
can configure this view in the Form view on the Design page.

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rules to the table and to specific columns. Additional table options can be found in
theProperties pane. For more information, see "Table" on page 185.
Note: Styles defined by a Style Data Ref override the styles configured on a
column.
Table Rules
You can use table rules to apply styling to rows that meet the specified criteria. Table rules are
implemented in order beginning with the rule at the top, and the last rule overrides previous
rules if applicable. Use the arrows to change the order in which the rules are
implemented. Table rules are overridden by rules for the column for that cell.
Property Description
Column Name The name of the column which the rule applies to.
Operator The rule operator. Options include Equals, Not Equals, Begins
With, Doesn't Begin With, Contains, Doesn'tContain, Is Empty, Is
Not Empty, Is Null, Is Not Null, Less Than, Less or Equal,
Greater Than, and Greater or Equal.
Value The data criteria. This field is case sensitive.
Set Style Which style to modify. Options include Background Color, Font
Color, Font Size, Font Style, Font Weight, and Text Decoration.
Style Value How the style is modified.
Header Properties
Header properties are overridden by those defined by a StyleData Ref.
Accepted
Property Description Key
Values
Display Name Content for the column String headerText
header. To use the name as
defined in the data source,
leave this field blank.
Header Background The column header #000000 headerBackgroundColor
Color background color. You can to
select a color or enter a #FFFFFF
hexadecimal RGB color value. (Default)
Header Height The vertical span of the 0 to 999 headerHeight
header row in pixels. (Default:
20)

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Accepted
Property Description Key
Values
Header Horizontal The horizontal alignment of left headerHorizontalAlign
Align text in the column header cell. center
(Default)
right
Header Font Color Color of characters in the #000000 headerFontColor
column header. You can select (Default)
a color or enter a hexadecimal to
RGB color value. #FFFFFF
Header Font Size The size of type in the column 0 to 999 headerFontSize
header in points. (Default:
12)
Header Font Style Additional formatting for text normal headerFontStyle
in the column header. (Default)
italic
Header Font Weight Additional formatting for text normal headerFontWeight
in the column header. bold
(Default)
Header Opacity The opacity of the column 0 to 1 headerAlpha
header background color, (Default:
where 0 is transparent and 1 is .8)
solid.
Header Text Additional formatting for text none headerTextDecoration
Decoration in the column header. (Default)
underline
Column Properties
Column properties are overridden by those defined by a StyleData Ref.
Accepted
Property Description Key
Values
Column Name The name of the column in the data. String dataField
Editable Whether a Document Designer can true allowEditing
edit the contents of the column cells. false
(Default)

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Accepted
Property Description Key
Values
Horizontal Align The horizontal alignment of text in the left horizontalAlign
column cells. (Default)
center
right
Padding Bottom The margin between the text and the 0 paddingBottom
bottom of the column cells. (Default)
to 999
Padding Left The margin between the text and the 0 paddingLeft
left edge of the column cells. (Default)
to 999
Padding Right The margin between the text and the 0 paddingRight
right edge of the column cells. (Default)
to 999
Padding Top The margin between the text and the 0 paddingTop
top of the column cells. (Default)
to 999
Renderer Whether the column cells display text checkbox renderer
or a check box. To allow a check box text
to be selected, Editable must also be (Default)
set to true for the column.
Resizable Whether a Document Designer can true resizable
adjust the column width. (Default)
false
Sortable Whether a DocumentDesigner can true sortable
sort the column cells. (Default)
false
Type The data type of values in the column. String datatype
(Default)
Number
Boolean
Text Decoration Additional formatting for text in the none textDecoration
column cells. (Default)
underline

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Accepted
Property Description Key
Values
Vertical Align The vertical alignment of text in the top verticalAlign
column cells. middle
(Default)
bottom
Width The distance from the left edge of the 0 to 999 width
column to the right edge of the column (Default:
in pixels. 100)
Min Width The minimum width of the column in 0 to 999 minWidth
pixels. (Default:
20)
Word Wrap If text in a cell reaches the column true wordWrap
edge, whether to automatically move (Default)
the text to the next line. false
True: Text is moved to the next line if
it reaches the column edge. The Row
Height does not change.
False: Text is not moved to the next
line if it reaches the column edge and
does not display unless the column
width is increased.
Column Rules
You can use column rules to apply styling to cells in the selected column that meet the specified
criteria. Column rules are implemented in order beginning with the rule at the top, and the last
rule overrides previous rules if applicable. Use the arrows to change the order in which
the rules are implemented. Column rules override table rules for the cell. For more information,
see "Add a Table Rule" on page 164.
Property Description
Column Name The name of the column which the rule applies to.
Operator The rule operator. Options include Equals, Not Equals, Begins
With, Doesn't Begin With, Contains, Doesn'tContain, Is
Empty, Is Not Empty, Is Null, and Is Not Null.
Value The data criteria. This field is case sensitive.
Set Style Which style to modify. Options include Background Color, Font
Color, Font Size, Font Style, Font Weight, and Text
Decoration.
Style Value How the style is modified.

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Example
The following column rule sets the background color to green for cells containing
January 1 in the Date column.
Colum- Style
Oper- Valu-
n Set Style Valu-
ator e
Name e
Date Equals Januar Backgrou green
y1 nd Color

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Using Barcodes
Each barcode symbol has a unique set of properties that are used to define the symbol.

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Add a Barcode

To add a basic barcode to a label, use this procedure.

1. In the Library, navigate in the Barcodes list to the type of barcode that you want to
add.
2. Add the barcode to the label.
n No Prompt - Click and drag the barcode to the Label view to add a barcode
symbol to the label without adding a prompt to the form.
n With a Prompt - Press Shift, and click and drag the barcode to the Label view to
add a barcode symbol to the label and a prompt to the form. A Data Entry data
source is created.
3. Configure the properties of the barcode in the Properties pane.
Tip: The option selected for Design Data controls what data is used in
fields when previewed, printed, or displayed in Design. Either default
data1, placeholder data2, or data from a live data set3 can be used. For
more information, see "Select Data to Display in Design" on page 63.
4. If the barcode includes a human readable field, click that text field and configure its
properties in the Properties pane.
Tip: To align a barcode and a human readable text field relative to each
other, select both fields and click one of the Align buttons in the toolbar or
click Position > Align and then click an alignment. For more information,
see "Align Fields with Each Other" in "Resize and Position Fields in a Label
Template" on page 129.

1For each field, the value specified in the Default Value property for that field.
2For a Variable Text field, the series of digits 1234567890, repeated until the maximum number of characters allowed for the field is
displayed. For a barcode field, a sample barcode that adheres to the specified properties. For an image field, a sample image.
Whether placeholder data is used in Design is controlled by the selection for Design Data.
3A collection of data (names and values) that was retrieved from a data source and is specific to a label template or a reusable
object. A data set can be used to populate fields displayed in Design, in a preview, and when test printing.

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Add Healthcare Barcodes

You can configure primary, secondary, and combined barcodes that comply with the UPN
specification for the Health Industry Bar Code (HIBC) Supplier Labeling Standard by using
LoftwareSpectrum. This standard is intended for use with products distributed in the
healthcare industry.
For more information about encoding HIBC barcodes, see the The Health Industry Bar Code
(HIBC) Supplier Labeling Standard listed in "External Links" on page 1645.
To add barcodes that comply with the HIBC standard to a label template, use the following
procedure.
1. Click Design and open a label template or create a new label template.
2. Add either a primary barcode and optionally a secondary barcode, or else a combined
barcode. The HIBC Supplier Labeling Standard considers a secondary barcode to be
optional. If using a 2D symbology, either use only a primary barcode or else use a
combined barcode.
For each barcode, do the following.
a. To create the barcode, in the Barcodes list in the Library, expand either Linear
or 2D.
b. Click one of the following symbologies and drag it to the Label pane: Code 128,
Code 39 (not Full ASCII), Aztec, DataMatrix, MicroPDF417, or QR Code.
c. In the Properties pane, change the Field Name to a meaningful name, such as
PrimaryBarcode, SecondaryBarcode, or CombinedBarcode.
d. Configure the Max Chars to meet or exceed the length of the data. In addition to
the data to be entered, you must allow space for the flag character and the check
character. For a Combined barcode, you must also allow space for a separator
character.
e. If using Code 39 or Code 128, set Check Digit to None so that you can
configure and use it separately.
f. If using Code 39 or Code 128, set Human Readable to None so that you can
configure it separately.
g. If using Code 39, for Ratio select 3.0:1.
h. Configure other fields as appropriate, leaving the Data Ref field blank.

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3. Add a Variable Text field for the human readable text for each barcode. For each
barcode, do the following.
a. To create human readable text for the barcode, in the Text list in the Library,
click Variable Text, and drag it to the Label pane.
b. In the Properties pane, change the Field Name to a meaningful name, such as
PrimaryText, SecondaryText, or CombinedText.
c. Configure the Chars Per Line to meet or exceed the length of the data. In
addition to the to be data entered, you must allow space for the flag character,
check character, and two asterisks (denoting the beginning and end of the human
readable text). For a Combined barcode, you must also allow space for a separator
character.
d. Configure other fields as appropriate, leaving the Data Ref field blank.
4. For each input that you want to be entered by the Data Provider, create and configure a
Prompt (which will be automatically associated with a Data Entry data source and a Data
Ref). You do not need to create a Prompt for any component of the barcode data that is
static.
These inputs, defined by the HIBC standard, include some or all of the following.
Input Field Name
Labeler Identification Code LIC
Product or Catalog Number PCN
Unit of Measure Identifier UM
Reference Identifier RefId
Quantity Quantity
Expiration Date ExpDate
Lot/Batch or Serial Number Lot
For each input that you want to include, do the following.
a. To create a Prompt, in the Text list in the Library, click and drag a Prompt to
the Form pane. A Data Entry data source is created.
b. For each field in the Form pane, click the field to select it, and in the Properties
pane change the Field Name to a meaningful name and the Prompt to the text
that should be displayed to Data Providers. Either use the Field Names suggested
in the preceding table, or else change the Formulas in the following steps to
incorporate the Field Names that you chose.
c. Leave the Data Ref field blank.
d. Select an Entry Type and Character Mask for each input as appropriate.
e. Configure Chars Per Line for each input to meet or exceed the length of the data
to be entered.

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5. Create Formula data sources to support each barcode. Leave the Data Ref field for the
Formula data source blank. For any component of the barcode data that is static, you can
replace the Data Ref shown in the formula below (such as {/Body/LIC}) with the
appropriate text enclosed in quotation marks (such as "A123").
Data
Description Source Formula
Name
Primary Pri_Base "+" + {/Body/LIC} + {/Body/PCN} + {/Body/UM}
barcode data
except for
check digit
Primary Pri_Check Mod43({/Pri_Base})
check digit
Secondary Sec_Base "+" + {/Body/RefId} + {/Body/Quantity} +
barcode data {/Body/ExpDate} + {/Body/Lot} + {/Pri_Check}
except for
check digit
Secondary Sec_Check Mod43({/Sec_Base})
check digit
Combined Com_ "+" + {/Body/LIC} + {/Body/PCN} + {/Body/UM}
barcode Base1 + "/"
data, part 1
Combined Com_ {/Body/RefId} + {/Body/Quantity} +
barcode Base2 {/Body/ExpDate} + {/Body/Lot}
data, part 2,
except for
check digit
Combined Com_ Mod43({/Com_Base1} + {/Com_Base2})
check digit Check
6. Create a Formula data source for each barcode. Leave the Data Ref field for the Formula
data source blank.
Data Source
Description Formula
Name
Primary barcode data Pri_Barcode {/Pri_Base} + {/Pri_Check}
Secondary barcode data Sec_Barcode {/Sec_Base} + {/Sec_Check}
Combined barcode data Com_Barcode {/Com_Base1} + {/Com_Base2} +
{/Com_Check}
7. For each barcode, click and drag the formula to be associated with that barcode, and drop
it onto that barcode in the Label pane. This populates the Data Ref field for the barcode.

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8. Create a Formula data source for the human readable text for each barcode. These
formulas enclose the data in asterisks and replace any check digit that is a space with an
underscore, as specified by the HIBC standard. Leave the Data Ref field for the Formula
data source blank.
Data Source
Description Formula
Name
Human readable text Pri_Text "*" + {/Pri_Base} + ({/Pri_Check}.rtrim
for Primary barcode (" ")).rpad("_",1) + "*"
Human readable text Sec_Text "*" + {/Sec_Base} + ({/Sec_Check}.rtrim
for Secondary (" ")).rpad("_",1) + "*"
barcode
Human readable text, Com_Text1 "*" + {/Com_Base1}
line 1, for Combined
barcode
Human readable text, Com_Text2 {/Com_Base2} + ({/Com_Check}.rtrim("
line 2, for Combined ")).rpad("_",1) + "*"
barcode
9. For each barcode, click and drag the formula to be associated with the human readable
text, and drop it onto the appropriate Variable Text field in the Label pane. This
populates the Data Ref field for the human readable text.

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Add Healthcare Barcodes with Data Identifiers

If you need to configure barcodes for products in the healthcare industry that comply with the
UPN specification for the Health Industry Bar Code (HIBC) Supplier Labeling Standard but
need more flexibility than the basic HIBC barcode formats provide, the HIBC standard allows
you to use an alternative format defined in ISO/IEC 15434 with Data Identifiers (DIs). This
alternative format may be helpful if you want to include data not otherwise covered by the
HIBC standard or need to produce a small label for use on a small package.
For more information about encoding HIBC barcodes with DIs, see the The Health Industry Bar
Code (HIBC) Supplier Labeling Standard listed in "External Links" on page 1645.
To add barcodes that include DIs and comply with the HIBC standard, use the following
procedure. Because using DIs provides the flexibility to include custom inputs, you may use
different inputs than shown in this example. Including human readable text is optional according
to the standard.
1. Click Design and open a label template or create a new label template.
2. Add a barcode.
For each barcode, do the following.
a. To create the barcode, in the Barcodes list in the Library, expand 2D.
b. Click one of the following symbologies and drag it to the Label pane: Aztec,
DataMatrix, MicroPDF417, or QR Code.
c. In the Properties pane, change the Field Name to a meaningful name, such as
HIBC_Barcode.
d. Configure the Max Chars to meet or exceed the length of the data. In addition to
the data to be entered, you must allow space for the seven-character message
header, one-character data delimiters, DIs, and two-character message trailer.
Unlike a typical HIBC barcode, no flag character, check character, or separator
character is used.
e. Configure other fields as appropriate, leaving the Data Ref field blank.
3. If you want to include human readable text for the barcode, add a Variable Text field.
For each barcode, do the following.
a. To create human readable text for the barcode, in the Text list in the Library,
click Variable Text, and drag it to the Label pane.
b. In the Properties pane, change the Field Name to a meaningful name, such as
HumanReadText.
c. Configure the Chars Per Line to meet or exceed the length of the data. In
addition to the data to be entered, you must allow space for parentheses to enclose
each DI. The message header, data delimiters, and message trailer are omitted.
Unlike a typical HIBC barcode, no asterisks are used to enclose the human
readable text.
d. Configure other fields as appropriate, leaving the Data Ref field blank.

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4. For each input that you want to be entered by the Data Provider, create and configure a
Prompt (which will be automatically associated with a Data Entry data source and a Data
Ref). You do not need to create a Prompt for any component of the barcode data that is
static.
This format gives you the flexibility to include standard HIBC inputs, custom inputs, or
both. The following inputs are used in this example, but you can include different
standard or custom inputs. If you always use the same Issuing Agency Code (IAC), then
you can incorporate it into your Formulas as a static value instead of creating a Prompt for
it.
Field
Input
Name
DI for the Issuing Agency Code, the Labeler Identification Code, and part PCNDI
number
Issuing Agency Code IAC
Labeler Identification Code for supplier LIC
Part number assigned by supplier PCN
DI for the first custom input Custom1DI
First custom input Custom1
DI for the second custom input Custom2DI
Second custom input Custom2
For each input that you want to include, do the following.
a. To create a Prompt, in the Text list in the Library, click and drag a Prompt to
the Form pane. A Data Entry data source is created.
b. For each field in the Form pane, click the field to select it, and in the Properties
pane change the Field Name to a meaningful name and the Prompt to the text
that should be displayed to Data Providers. Either use the Field Names suggested
in the preceding table, or else change the Formulas in the following steps to
incorporate the Field Names that you chose.
c. Leave the Data Ref field blank.
d. Select an Entry Type and Character Mask for each input as appropriate.
e. Configure Chars Per Line for each input to meet or exceed the length of the data
to be entered.

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5. Create Formula data sources for the barcode. Leave the Data Ref field for the Formula
data source blank. For any component of the barcode data that is static, you can replace
the Data Ref shown in the formula below (such as {/Body/IAC}) with the appropriate
text enclosed in quotation marks (such as "RH"). If you are using different inputs than
shown in this example, you must change the barcode formula accordingly.
Data
Description Source Formula
Name
Message MsgHeader "[)>" + ASCII_RS() + "06" + ASCII_GS()
header
Message MsgTrailer ASCII_RS() + ASCII_EOT()
trailer
Barcode data BarcodeData {/MsgHeader} + {/Body/PCNDI} + {/Body/IAC} +
{/Body/LIC} + {/Body/PCN} + ASCII_GS() +
{/Body/Custom1DI} + {/Body/Custom1} + ASCII_
GS() + {/Body/Custom2DI} + {/Body/Custom2} +
{/MsgTrailer}
6. Click and drag the formula to be associated with the barcode, and drop it onto that
barcode in the Label pane. This populates the Data Ref field for the barcode.
7. If you are including human readable text for the barcode, create a Formula data source for
the human readable text. The message header, data delimiters, and message trailer are
omitted. Each DI is enclosed in parentheses. Leave the Data Ref field for the Formula
data source blank. If you are using different inputs than shown in this example, you must
change the formula accordingly.
Data Source
Description Formula
Name
Human readable text HumanReadData "(" + {/Body/PCNDI} + ")" +
for barcode {/Body/IAC} + {/Body/LIC} +
{/Body/PCN} + "(" +
{/Body/Custom1DI} + ")" +
{/Body/Custom1} + "(" +
{/Body/Custom2DI} + ")" +
{/Body/Custom2}
8. If you are including human readable text for the barcode, click and drag the formula to be
associated with the human readable text, and drop it onto the appropriate Variable Text
field in the Label pane. This populates the Data Ref field for the human readable text.

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Barcode Properties and Symbologies

The following are the barcode symbologies supported by LoftwareSpectrum.

Common Properties
Barcode properties common to all symbologies

Symbology-Specific Properties

Note: To create a barcode that adheres to the Health Industry Bar Code (HIBC)
Supplier Labeling Standard, you can use Code 128, Code 39 (not Full ASCII),
Aztec, DataMatrix, MicroPDF417, or QR Code.
Linear
Symbology More Information
Code 39 Commonly used variable length symbology restricted to 43
characters. ISO/IEC 16388.
Code 39 Extended (Full ASCII) Code 39
Full ASCII
Code 93 Enhanced Code 39
Code 93 Extended (Full ASCII) Code 93
Full ASCII
Code 128 High density alphanumeric/numeric symbology. ISO/IEC
15417.
EAN-8 World-wide, GS1 approved symbology. ISO/IEC 15420.
EAN-13 World-wide, GS1 approved symbology. ISO/IEC 15420.
Interleaved Typically non-retail packaging. ISO/IEC 16390.
2 of 5
POSTNET There are no properties unique to a Postal Numeric Encoding
Technique (POSTNET) barcode.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) replaced POSTNET
with USPS Intelligent Mail in January 2013.
UPC-A Universal Product Code. ISO/IEC 15420.
UPC-E Zero-suppressed version of UPC-A
USPS The United States Postal Service (USPS) requires the use of a
Intelligent USPS Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb) to qualify for automation
Mail prices.
2D
Symbology More Information
Aztec ISO/IEC 24778

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Symbology More Information

DataMatrix ISO/IEC 16022
MaxiCode Primarily used by United Parcel Service.
MicroPDF417 Smaller version of PDF417
PDF417 Stacked linear barcode. ISO/IEC 15438.
QR Code ISO/IEC 18004
GS1
Refer to the GS1 General Specification for the appropriate usage and encoding of GS1
Symbologies.
Symbology
GS1 DataBar
GS1 DataMatrix
GS1-128
ITF-14

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EAN/UPC

Barcodes using these symbologies are typically used on items to be scanned at point-of-sale.
Symbology
EAN-8
EAN-13
UPC-A
UPC-E

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Composite

Composite barcodes have a 2D portion followed by a linear portion. In the barcode data, the 2D
portion appears first and is followed by a composite delimiter (|) and then the linear portion.
Within a Formula data source, the composite delimiter can be represented by the COMPDELIM
() function.
In addition to the Max Chars property, Spectrum also displays 2D Max Chars and Linear
Max Chars for composite barcodes. Otherwise, a composite barcode uses the same symbology
as the related type of linear barcode.
Symbology
EAN-8 Composite
EAN-13 Composite
GS1 DataBar Composite
GS1-128 Composite
UPC-A Composite
UPC-E Composite
Common Properties for Barcodes

Barcode fields in a label template all share the following properties. These properties relate to
the position on the label, the source of the data for the barcode, the symbology used, and the
formatting of the barcode. In addition to these common properties, a barcode may also have
properties specific to the symbology selected.

Note: For GS1-128 and GS1-128 Composite barcodes, the first two digits in the
data provided are assumed to be the application identifier, regardless of whether
they are enclosed in parentheses.

Note: Composite barcodes have a 2D portion followed by a linear portion. In the

barcode data, the 2D portion appears first and is followed by a composite delimiter
(|) and then the linear portion.

Note: A Field Name, Data Ref, or Input Data Ref can include letters and
numbers. Additionally, the following characters are permitted but cannot begin the
name: hyphens, underscores, and periods.

Tip: Properties for positioning a barcode relative to the envelope of that field are
listed in the Barcode section, while those for positioning a barcode relative to the
label are listed in the Arrange section.
Name and Data

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Property Description Options

Field The identifier of the barcode in the label template, form, or Text
Name reusable object.
Data Ref Data Reference. The data source used to populate the barcode withThe
a value. name of
Tip: By default, Data Ref fields are case sensitive. If a data
source.
the label template is intended for use with an SAP BC-XOM integration
or an SAP RFC integration, use only uppercase text
in the Data Ref field.
Default Default value with which to populate the barcode. If the Data Ref Text
Value returns a null value or does not receive data, this value is used as
the data for the barcode.
Arrange

Property Description Options

Left The distance from the left edge of the field to the left edge Value is
of the label. dependent on
the unit of
measure for the
label template.
Top The distance from the top edge of the field to the top of Value is
the label. dependent on
the unit of
measure for the
label template.
Center X The distance from the middle of the field to the left edge of Value is
the label. dependent on
the unit of
measure for the
label template.
Center Y The distance from the middle of the field to the top of the Value is
label. dependent on
the unit of
measure for the
label template.
Rotation The degrees the barcode is rotated in relation to the label. 0
90
180
270

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Property Description Options

Printing Whether the barcode appears on the printed label.
Field
Lock If selected, no changes can be made to the properties of the
Field field, and the field cannot be moved or deleted. The order
of the field relative to other fields in the label template can
be changed regardless of whether the field is locked.
Note: This feature can be used to prevent
accidental changes to fields. It does not
prevent other Document Designers from
unlocking a field.
Barcode

Property Description Options

2D Max The maximum number of characters that can Increments of 1.
Chars appear in the 2D portion of a composite
barcode.
Note: This property is available
only in composite barcodes. For
EAN-8 Composite, EAN-13
Composite, GS1 DataBar
Composite, UPC-A Composite,
and UPC-E Composite, the
maximum value that can be used
for this field is 150.
Linear Max The maximum number of characters that can Increments of 1.
Chars appear in the linear portion of a composite
barcode.
Note: This property is available
only in composite barcodes.

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Property Description Options

Max Chars The maximum number of characters that can Increments of 1.
appear in the barcode. For a composite
barcode, this is the total of 2D Max Chars
and the Linear Max Chars. If a barcode
includes a check digit or an extension, those
characters are not counted toward this value.
In some types of barcodes, this value is
affected by another property.
l DataMatrix: Limited by Symbol Size.

l MicroPDF417: Limited by Size.

l ITF-14: Affected by Check Digit.

l EAN and UPC: Affected by

Extension.
l GS1 DataBar: Affected by GS1

DataBar Type.
Symbology The type of barcode.
Horizontal Whether the barcode is left aligned, : Align to left edge of
Alignment horizontally centered, or right aligned within envelope
or relative to the envelope. : Align to horizontal
center of envelope
: Align to right edge of
envelope
Vertical Whether the barcode is aligned to the top : Align to top edge of
Alignment edge, vertical center, or bottom edge of the envelope
envelope. : Align to vertical center
of envelope
: Align to bottom edge of
envelope

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Property Description Options

Print as Whether to print the barcode as an image or : The device encodes the
Image to use the device's native ability to encode barcode. If the device does
the barcode. not support native encoding
Tip: Selecting Print as Image of barcodes, then the
removes any potential device barcode is encoded by
variation when natively Spectrum and printed as an
encoding the barcode data. image.
: Spectrum encodes the
Note: Selecting the Print as barcode and prints it as an
Image property for a Barcode image.
field overrides the option for the
relevant symbology on the
Barcode Imaging tab for both
Label Specific Options
(LSOs)1 and device options,
and the barcode is sent as an
image.

Code 39 and Code 39 Full ASCII Properties

The following properties are specific to this barcode symbology. Additionally, barcode fields
using this symbology have properties that are common to all barcode fields.
Code 39 Full ASCII is also known as Code 39 Extended (Ext).
Property Description Values
Bar The height of the bars in the barcode. Value is dependent
Height on the unit of
measure for the
label template.

1Device settings that can be sent to a printer or other device when a specific label template is used to print, overriding options
configured for the device in Device Management or in the operating system. LSOs can be configured in Design.

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Property Description Values

Check Add an optional check digit to the barcode. None
Digit The listed check digits are optional forms of the selected Mod 43
symbology (For Example: Code 39 or Code 39 with User Mod 43
check).
Special purpose check digits can be added to the barcode
using the Formula data source.
Note: When a form that includes a check
digit is used, the Data Provider 1 is not
alerted if the check digit fails.
Data Data entered in this field will be encoded in the barcode
Identifier but will not print in the human readable text field for the
barcode.
Data Identifiers are used to help the scanner identify the
field.
For Example
For an AIAG label, a barcode with a data
identifier of P contains a part number, a data
identifier of Q signifies a quantity field and a
data identifier of S signifies a serial number
field.
Human Whether a text representation of the barcode is printed. None
Readable The human readable text can be positioned anywhere on Free Floating
the label (free floating).
Line X- The width of the module (narrow bar) of the barcode. Thousandths of an
Dim The range of values available varies with the Document inch (mil) in fixed
DPI of the label template. increments
Line X- Whether to round up, down, or to the nearest dpi when Nearest
Dim printing to a device with a different resolution from the Up
Round resolution specified in the label template. Down

1Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.

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Property Description Values

Ratio The ratio of the wide bar to the narrow bar. The ratio can 2.0:1 to 3.0:1 in
be used to create intermediate sizes between different X- fixed increments
dimensions.
For Example
For Ratio 3.0:1, the wide bars are three
times the size of the narrow bars.
Show Specifies if the Start/Stop character (*) is to be displayed Yes/No
Start/Stop in the human readable text for the barcode.
Code 93 and Code 93 Full ASCII Properties

The following properties are specific to this barcode symbology. Additionally, barcode fields
using this symbology have properties that are common to all barcode fields.
Code 93 Full ASCII is also known as Code 93 Extended (Ext).
Property Description Values
Bar The height of the bars in the barcode. Value is dependent
Height on the unit of
measure for the
label template.
Data Data entered in this field will be encoded in the barcode
Identifier but will not print in the human readable text field for the
barcode.
Data Identifiers are used to help the scanner identify the
field.
For Example
For an AIAG label, a barcode with a data
identifier of P contains a part number, a data
identifier of Q signifies a quantity field and a
data identifier of S signifies a serial number
field.
Human Whether a text representation of the barcode is printed. None
Readable The human readable text can be positioned anywhere on Free Floating
the label (free floating).
Line X- The width of the module (narrow bar) of the barcode. Thousandths of an
Dim The range of values available varies with the Document inch (mil) in fixed
DPI of the label template. increments

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Property Description Values

Line X- Whether to round up, down, or to the nearest dpi when Nearest
Dim printing to a device with a different resolution from the Up
Round resolution specified in the label template. Down
Show Specifies if the Start/Stop character is to be displayed in Yes/No
Start/Stop the human readable text for the barcode.
Code 128, GS1-128, and Composite Properties

The following properties are specific to this barcode symbology. Additionally, barcode fields
using this symbology have properties that are common to all barcode fields.
Note: For GS1-128 and GS1-128 Composite barcodes, the first two digits in the
data provided are assumed to be the application identifier, regardless of whether
they are enclosed in parentheses.

Note: Composite barcodes have a 2D portion followed by a linear portion. In the

barcode data, the 2D portion appears first and is followed by a composite delimiter
(|) and then the linear portion.

Property Description Values

Bar Height The height of the bars in the Value is dependent on the
barcode. unit of measure for the
label template.
Check Digit Whether to add an optional check None
digit to the barcode. Mod 10 (Code 128 only)
The listed check digits are optional GS1 Mod 10
forms of the selected symbology Mod 7 (Code 128 only)
(For Example: Code 128 or Code User Mod 10 (Code 128
128 with check). only)
Special purpose check digits can be User GS1 Mod 10 (Code
added to the barcode by using a 128 only)
Formula data source. User Mod 7 (Code 128
Note: When a form only)
that includes a check
digit is used, the
Data Provider 1 is
not alerted if the
check digit fails.

1Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.

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Property Description Values

Data Identifier Data entered in this field will be
encoded in the barcode but will
not print in the human readable
text field for the barcode.
Data Identifiers are used to help
the scanner identify the field.
For Example
For an AIAG label, a
barcode with a data
identifier of P
contains a part
number, a data
identifier of Q
signifies a quantity
field and a data
identifier of S
signifies a serial
number field.
Note: This property
is not available for
GS1-128 Composite
barcodes.
Human Readable Whether a text representation of None
the barcode is printed. Free Floating
The human readable text can be
positioned anywhere on the label
(free floating).
Line X-Dim The width of the module (narrow Thousandths of an inch
bar) of the barcode. The range of (mil) in fixed increments
values available varies with the
Document DPI of the label
template.
Line X-Dim Round Whether to round up, down, or to Nearest
the nearest dpi when printing to a Up
device with a different resolution Down
from the resolution specified in the
label template.

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Property Description Values

Start Code Specify the initial subset (code set) n AUTO: The device
selects a subset based
for the barcode data. on the data.
Note: Regardless of n A: ASCII characters 00
to 95 (0-9, A-Z and
the Start Code control codes), special
specified, Spectrum characters, and
Function 1-4 (FNC1-
will switch to a FNC4) symbol
subset that supports characters.
the data if it n B: ASCII characters 32
to 127 (0-9, A-Z, a-z),
encounters data not special characters, and
supported by the FNC1-FNC4.
current subset. n C: 00-99. Code C
produces the highest
density barcode and is
Note: This property the most efficient for
is not available for encoding numeric
GS1-128 barcodes data.
n GS1: Inserts Function
and GS1-128 1 (FNC1) symbol
Composite barcodes. character.
Alphanumeric
characters, special
characters, and
symbols. Leaves
parentheses and
spaces in Human
Readable.

Aztec Code Properties

The following properties are specific to this barcode symbology. Additionally, barcode fields
using this symbology have properties that are common to all barcode fields.
Property Description Values
Cell The width of the barcode cell (module). The range of Thousandths of
Width values available varies with the Document DPI of the an inch (mil) in
label template. fixed increments
Cell Whether to round up, down, or to the nearest dpi Nearest
Width when printing to a device with a different resolution Up
Round from the resolution specified in the label template. Down

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Property Description Values

Error The level of error checking and correction used in the Auto: Use the
Correction symbol. default Error
Correction level
(23%)
1-99: Error
Correction level
in percentage.
DataMatrix and GS1 DataMatrix Properties

The following properties are specific to this barcode symbology. Additionally, barcode fields
using this symbology have properties that are common to all barcode fields.
Property Description Values
Cell The width of the barcode cell (module). The range Thousandths of an inch
Width of values available varies with the Document DPI of (mil) in fixed increments
the label template.
Cell Whether to round up, down, or to the nearest dpi Nearest
Width when printing to a device with a different resolution Up
Round from the resolution specified in the label template. Down
Symbol The number of rows and columns in the symbol. For Auto
Size more information, see the "Symbol Size" section Square Form: 10x10 to
following this table. 144x144
Note: This value limits Max Chars. Rectangular Form: 8x18
to 16x48
Error The level of error checking and correction employed ECC 0
Correction in the symbol. ECC 50
Note: The current DataMatrix standard ECC 80
requires the use of ECC 200. ECC 100
ECC 140
ECC 200 (recommended)

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Property Description Values

Format ID Defines the type of data that can be encoded in the 1: Numeric digits 0
symbol. through 9 and the space
Note: If the Error Correction Level is character
set to ECC 200, the Format ID is not 2: Upper case alpha A-Z
used. and the space character
3: Upper case
alphanumeric A-Z, 0-9,
and the space character
4: A-Z, 0-9, space,
minus, period, comma,
and forward slash (/)
5: 7 bit ASCIIall
ASCII characters
between ASCII 0
through ASCII 127
6: 8-bit ASCIIall
ASCII characters
between ASCII 0
through ASCII 255
Symbol Size
The Symbol Size is the number of rows and columns in the symbol. The Symbol Size and
whether the data represented by the symbol is numeric, alphanumeric, or binary, limits the
maximum number of characters that can be represented by the symbol. You can configure the
value of Max Chars to further limit the number of characters allowed.
When you select a Symbol Size other than Auto, the value of Max Chars is changed to the
maximum number of numeric characters that can be represented by the symbol. The value of
Max Chars displayed is not dynamically updated to correspond to the type of data to which the
data ref points, and you cannot explicitly define the data type in Spectrum. If the data can be
alphanumeric or binary, you should reduce the value of Max Chars to the limit shown in the
following table to ensure that data incorporated into the symbol is not unexpectedly truncated.
Note: If you select Auto for the Symbol Size, the value of Max Chars is not
changed automatically. However, with Auto selected, you can configure Max Chars
to any value up to 3116, which is the number of numeric characters that can be
represented when using a Symbol Size of 144x144.

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Square Form

Maximum Characters Possible

Symbol Size
Numeric Alphanumeric Binary
10x10 6 3 1
12x12 10 6 3
14x14 16 10 6
16x16 24 16 10
18x18 36 25 16
20x20 44 31 20
22x22 60 43 28
24x24 72 52 34
26x26 88 64 42
32x32 124 91 60
36x36 172 127 84
40x40 228 169 112
44x44 288 214 142
48x48 348 259 172
52x52 408 304 202
64x64 560 418 278
72x72 736 550 366
80x80 912 682 454
88x88 1152 862 574
96x96 1392 1042 694
104x104 1632 1222 814
120x120 2100 1573 1048
132x132 2608 1954 1302
144x144 3116 2335 1556

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Rectangular Form

Maximum Characters Possible

Symbol Size
Numeric Alphanumeric Binary
8x18 10 6 3
8x32 20 13 8
12x26 32 22 14
12x36 44 31 20
16x36 64 46 30
16x48 98 72 47
EAN 8, EAN 13, and Composite Properties

The following properties are specific to this barcode symbology. Additionally, barcode fields
using this symbology have properties that are common to all barcode fields.

Note: Composite barcodes have a 2D portion followed by a linear portion. In the

barcode data, the 2D portion appears first and is followed by a composite delimiter
(|) and then the linear portion.

Property Description Values

Bar The height of the bars in the barcode. Value is dependent
Height on the unit of
measure for the
label template.
Extension Whether a 2 or 5 digit extension is to be used. UPC None
extensions are used to extend the range of available part +2
numbers that can be encoded in EAN 13 and EAN 13 +5
Composite barcodes.
Note: This property affects Max Chars.

Note: This property is not available for EAN

8 and EAN 8 Composite barcodes.
Human Whether a text representation of the barcode is printed. None
Readable The human readable text is in a fixed position below the Fixed Below
barcode.
Line X- The width of the module (narrow bar) of the barcode. The Thousandths of an
Dim range of values available varies with the Document DPI of inch (mil) in fixed
the label template. increments
Line X- Whether to round up, down, or to the nearest dpi when Nearest
Dim printing to a device with a different resolution from the Up
Round resolution specified in the label template. Down

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GS1 DataBar and Composite Properties

The following properties are specific to this barcode symbology. Additionally, barcode fields
using this symbology have properties that are common to all barcode fields.
Note: Composite barcodes have a 2D portion followed by a linear portion. In the
barcode data, the 2D portion appears first and is followed by a composite delimiter
(|) and then the linear portion.

Property Description Values

Bar The height of the bars in the barcode. Value is dependent on
Height the unit of measure for
the label template.
GS1 Which variation of the GS1 DataBar symbology is used. Omnidirectional
DataBar Note: This property affects Max Chars. Truncated
Type Stacked
Stacked
Omnidirectional
Limited
Expanded
Expanded Stacked
Segments The degree to which the barcode is stacked. 2-22
Note: The Segments property is
available only if the GS1 DataBar Type
is Expanded Stacked.
Human Whether a text representation of the barcode is printed. None
Readable The human readable text can be positioned anywhere Free Floating
on the label (free floating).
Line X- The width of the module (narrow bar) of the barcode. Thousandths of an inch
Dim The range of values available varies with the Document (mil) in fixed
DPI of the label template. increments
Line X- Whether to round up, down, or to the nearest dpi when Nearest
Dim printing to a device with a different resolution from the Up
Round resolution specified in the label template. Down
Interleaved 2 of 5 and ITF-14 Properties

The following properties are specific to this barcode symbology. Additionally, barcode fields
using this symbology have properties that are common to all barcode fields.

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Property Description Values

Bar Height The height of the bars in the barcode. Value is
dependent on the
unit of measure
for the label
template.
Check Digit Add an optional check digit to the barcode. None
The listed check digits are optional forms Mod 10
of the selected symbology. User Mod 10
Special purpose check digits can be added (Interleaved 2 of 5
to the barcode using the Formula data only)
source.
Note: Specifying a value
other than None decreases
Max Chars to allow a
character for the check digit,
which is not counted toward
the value of Max Chars.

Note: When a form that

includes a check digit is used,
the Data Provider 1 is not
alerted if the check digit fails.
Human Readable Whether a text representation of the None
barcode is printed. Free Floating
The human readable text can be positioned
anywhere on the label (free floating).
Bearer Bar Type Bearer bars are used to reduce the chance None
that a non-fixed length symbol is incorrectlyTop/Bottom
read. Rectangle
Line X-Dim The width of the module (narrow bar) of Thousandths of an
the barcode. The range of values available inch (mil) in fixed
varies with the Document DPI of the label increments
template.
Line X-Dim Round Whether to round up, down, or to the Nearest
nearest dpi when printing to a device with a Up
different resolution from the resolution Down
specified in the label template.

1Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.

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Property Description Values

Ratio The ratio of the wide bar to the narrow bar. 2.0:1
The ratio can be used to create intermediate 2.1:1
sizes between different X-dimensions. 2.2:1
For Example 2.25:1
2.3:1
For Ratio 3.0:1, the wide bars 2.4:1
are three times the size of the 2.5:1
narrow bars. 2.6:1
2.7:1
2.8:1
2.9:1
3.0:1
MaxiCode Properties

The following properties are specific to this barcode symbology. Additionally, barcode fields
using this symbology have properties that are common to all barcode fields.
Property Description Values
Current When used with the structured append format, the position of the 0-8
Symbol symbol in a set.
Mode Modes 0 and 1 are part of the original MaxiCode specification and 0
are now considered obsolete. 1
Mode 2 is used for Domestic U.S. destinations. 2
Mode 3 is used for non U.S. destinations. 3
Mode 4 is free form data entry. 4
Mode 5, if supported by the device, is used for free form data entry 5
with Full Enhanced Error Correction. 6
Mode 6 is used for reader programming only.
Total When used with the structured append format, the total number of 0-8
Symbols the symbols in a set.
UPS Version 1: Implements an ANSI-compliant UPS MaxiCode format None
Compression for compressing data and increasing data storage. Version
None: No compression is performed on the data. The format of the 1
data is governed by original MaxiCode specifications and the
requirements of the printer command language.
MicroPDF417 Properties

The following properties are specific to this barcode symbology. Additionally, barcode fields
using this symbology have properties that are common to all barcode fields.

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Property Description Values

Line X- The width of the barcode cell (module). The range of Thousandths of
Dim values available varies with the Document DPI of the an inch (mil) in
label template. fixed increments
Line X- Whether to round up, down, or to the nearest dpi when Nearest
Dim printing to a device with a different resolution from the Up
Round resolution specified in the label template. Down
Line Y- The height of the barcode cell (module). The range of Thousandths of
Dim values available varies with the Document DPI of the an inch (mil) in
label template. fixed increments
Ratio The ratio of Line Y-Dim to Line X-Dim.
Size The discreet size of the symbol expressed in number of 1-4 columns
columns by number of rows. rows vary
Note: This value limits Max Chars. depending on
columns used.
PDF417 Properties

The following properties are specific to this barcode symbology. Additionally, barcode fields
using this symbology have properties that are common to all barcode fields.
Tip: If the amount of data in a barcode exceeds the usable space, adjust the
Columns, the Security Level, or both.

Property Description Values

Line X-Dim The width of the barcode cell (module). Thousandths of
The range of values available varies with an inch (mil) in
the Document DPI of the label template. fixed increments
Line X-Dim Round Whether to round up, down, or to the Nearest
nearest dpi when printing to a device with Up
a different resolution from the resolution Down
specified in the label template.
Line Y-Dim The height of the barcode cell (module). Thousandths of
The range of values available varies with an inch (mil) in
the Document DPI of the label template. fixed increments
Ratio The ratio of Line Y-Dim to Line X-Dim.
Columns The number of columns in the symbol.
Each column consists of multiple modules.

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Property Description Values

Security Level The amount of destruction the symbol can 0-8
withstand.
A greater number increases the amount of
destruction the symbol can withstand,
while also increasing the size of the
symbol.
Truncate Whether to truncate the barcode symbol. No/Yes
A truncated PDF symbol occupies a
smaller printed area than a standard symbol;
however, there is a slight degradation in
decode performance.
QR Code Properties

The following properties are specific to this barcode symbology. Additionally, barcode fields
using this symbology have properties that are common to all barcode fields.
Property Description Values
Cell Width The width of the barcode cell Thousandths of an inch
(module). The range of values (mil) in fixed increments
available varies with the
Document DPI of the label
template.
Cell Width Round Whether to round up, down, or Nearest
to the nearest dpi when printing Up
to a device with a different Down
resolution from the resolution
specified in the label template.
Encoding Mode The type of information l Byte: 8-bit bytes
encoded in the symbol. (binary).
l Alpha: Uppercase
alphanumeric
characters and the
symbols $, %, *,
+, -, /, :, period,
and space.
l Numeric:
Numeric digits

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Property Description Values

Error Correction The level of error checking and l L: Approximately

correction employed in the 7% error

symbol. correction.
l M: Approximately

15% error
correction.
l Q: Approximately

25% error
correction.
l H: Approximately

30% error
correction.
For more information about encoding QR Codes, see the QR Code entry listed in "External
Links" on page 1645.
UPC-A, UPC-E, and Composite Properties

The following properties are specific to this barcode symbology. Additionally, barcode fields
using this symbology have properties that are common to all barcode fields.
Note: If using UPC-E, provide data on which zero suppression has already been
performed.

Note: Composite barcodes have a 2D portion followed by a linear portion. In the

barcode data, the 2D portion appears first and is followed by a composite delimiter
(|) and then the linear portion.

Property Description Values

Bar The height of the bars in the barcode. Value is dependent
Height on the unit of
measure for the label
template.
Input Establishes whether the input length is a 6 or 12 digit 6 digit
Format value. This property works in conjunction with the 12 digit
Extension property, allowing for input lengths of 6, 8, 11,
12, 14, or 17.
Note: This property affects Max Chars.

Note: This property is NOT only available

for
UPC-A and UPC-A Composite barcodes.

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Property Description Values

Extension Whether a 2 or 5 digit extension is to be used. UPC None
extensions are used to extend the range of available part +2
numbers that can be encoded. +5
Note: This property affects Max Chars.
Human Whether a text representation of the barcode is printed. None
Readable The human readable text is in a fixed position below the Fixed Below
barcode.
Line X- The width of the module (narrow bar) of the barcode. The Thousandths of an
Dim range of values available varies with the Document DPI inch (mil) in fixed
of the label template. increments
Line X- Whether to round up, down, or to the nearest dpi when Nearest
Dim printing to a device with a different resolution from the Up
Round resolution specified in the label template. Down
USPS Intelligent Mail Properties

United States Postal Service (USPS) Intelligent Mail is a suite of barcode symbologies.
l For Intelligent Mail barcodes (IMb) for mailpieces (letters, cards, and flats), use the
USPS Intelligent Mail symbology.
l For Intelligent Mail Tray barcodes, use either Code 128 symbology with Start Code C or

Interleaved 2 of 5 symbology.
l For Intelligent Mail Container barcodes, use the GS1-128 symbology with Start Code C or

B.
l For Intelligent Mail Package barcodes (IMpb), use the GS1-128 symbology with Start

Code C.
The USPS Intelligent Mail barcode for mailpieces is a 4-state barcode that consists of 65 bars
that can encode up to 31 digits. The following information can be included:
l Barcode Identifier
l Service Type Identifier (STID)

l Mailer Identifier (MID)

l Serial Number

l Routing Code, also referred to as a ZIP Code or a delivery-point code

The USPS Intelligent Mail symbology in Spectrum supports all formats for Intelligent Mail
barcodes for mailpieces. Those formats include using a 6-digit Mailer Identifier, a 9-digit Mailer
Identifier, or the Origin IMb Tracing Intelligent Mail Barcode Format.
For more information about encoding USPS Intelligent Mail barcodes, see the USPS entry listed
in "External Links" on page 1645.

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Property Description Values

Symbol Size Changes the relative height and width of all bars in the symbol. Small
Medium
Large

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Using Images
Images can be used as background, to add brand information, or to help identify a product
associated with a label template.

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Add an Image

To add an image to a label or a form, use this procedure.

1. In the Images list in the Library, expand Stock Images or User Images.
Note: If the image that you want to use is not listed in the Library, see
"Import a New Image" on page 97.
2. Drag an image to either the Label view or the Form view.
Tip: If you want an image to be selected at print time based on data entered
or on data from a database, use a Variable Image field instead.
3. Configure the "Image Properties" on page 233.

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Add a Variable Image

You can add a Variable Image field to a label so that a specific image can be selected at print
time. The path to the actual image in Spectrum can be provided by entering data into a prompt,
by retrieving the path from a database, or by generating the path using a formula or script.
To add a placeholder for an image to a label so that the actual image can be selected at print time,
use this procedure.
1. From the Images list in the Library, drag Variable Image to the Label view. A
placeholder envelope appears for the image.
2. Expand the Data Sources pane and configure a data source to determine which of
several images should be displayed. The data source must return the full path to an image
in Library.
Note: If the image that you want to use is not listed in the Library, see
"Import a New Image" on page 97.
3. Drag the data source to the image placeholder in the Label view. In the Properties pane,
the data source name is displayed in the Data Ref property for the image.
4. To specify a default image to appear in case the data source does not return a value, click
next to the Default Value property, and then select an image file.
Note: If the data source returns a value, the Default Value will not be
displayed even if the value returned by the data source is not valid.

Tip: The option selected for Design Data controls what data is used in
fields when previewed, printed, or displayed in Design. Either default
data1, placeholder data2, or data from a live data set3 can be used. For
more information, see "Select Data to Display in Design" on page 63.
5. Configure other "Image Properties" on page 233.
Example: Using a Prompt and a Formula to Select an Image

Create a label template that allows a Data Provider 4 to enter a hazard code into a form and uses
a Formula data source to produce a label displaying an image based on the code entered.
1. In Design, create a label template, and add a Prompt to the Form view.
a. For Field Name, enter Hazard.
b. For Prompt, enter Hazard Classification (C, F, N, O, or T).
c. For Chars Per Line, select 1.

1For each field, the value specified in the Default Value property for that field.
2For a Variable Text field, the series of digits 1234567890, repeated until the maximum number of characters allowed for the field is
displayed. For a barcode field, a sample barcode that adheres to the specified properties. For an image field, a sample image.
Whether placeholder data is used in Design is controlled by the selection for Design Data.
3A collection of data (names and values) that was retrieved from a data source and is specific to a label template or a reusable
object. A data set can be used to populate fields displayed in Design, in a preview, and when test printing.
4Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.

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2. Drag a Variable Image to the Label view.

3. Create a Formula data source named ImagePath that contains the following formula:
"/Default/Images/Stock Images/" + {/Body/Hazard}

4. Drag the Formula data source onto the variable image.

5. Click the variable image. Verify that the Data Ref property is set to /ImagePath.
6. Save the label template.
To test your label template, click Print, enter a letter, and click Preview. If you entered one of
the specified letters, an icon is displayed.

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Image Properties

Images in a label template have the following properties.

Note: Spectrum supports images that use an RGB color model and one of the
following file formats: PNG, GIF, JPG, BMP, or PCX.

Note: A Field Name, Data Ref, or Input Data Ref can include letters and
numbers. Additionally, the following characters are permitted but cannot begin the
name: hyphens, underscores, and periods.

Tip: Properties for positioning an image relative to the envelope of that field are
listed in the Image section, while those for positioning an image relative to the
label or the form are listed in the Arrange section.
Name and Data

Property Description
Field The identifier of the image in the label template, form, or reusable object.
Name
Data Ref Data Reference. The data source used to provide a path to an image in
Spectrum.
Tip: By default, Data Ref fields are case sensitive. If the label
template is intended for use with an SAP BC-XOM integration
or an SAP RFC integration, use only uppercase text in the Data
Ref field.
Default Path in Spectrum to a default image for the field. If the field is populated by a
Value Data Ref that returns a null value or has not yet received data, this value is
used.
Tip: For a variable image, browse to select an image.
Image

Property Description
Lock Whether to use the latest version of the image or a specific version of the
Version image.
If cleared, then the latest version of the image is used.
If selected, then the specified version of the image is used.
Note: This property is not available for variable images.
Lock Whether to make the proportions between the height and width of the
Aspect image fixed.
Ratio

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Property Description
Resizing Whether the displayed size of the image can be changed. You can use this
Method option to display images used for variable image with consistent dimensions.
None: The displayed size of the image cannot be changed. For a variable
image that is larger than the envelope, the image extends beyond the
envelope when printed.
Fit to Envelope: The image can be resized either by dragging a handle or by
changing the Width and Height. For variable images, each image will be
displayed with the specified dimensions.
Note: This property is displayed only for images in Label
view. Changing the displayed size does not alter the original
image in the library.
Dither What dithering method to apply to the image when printed on a label or
Method displayed in a form. If the image has greater resolution or color depth than
the printer or display supports, dithering may provide a smoother
representation of the image. The original image is not altered.
None: The image is not dithered.
Floyd-Steinberg: Floyd-Steinberg dithering is applied to the image. If this
method is applied to a color image, the image is displayed in gray scale.
Ordered: Ordered dithering is applied to the image. If this method is
applied to a color image, the image is displayed in gray scale.
Horizontal Whether the image is left aligned, horizontally centered, or right aligned
Alignment within the envelope.
: Align to left edge of envelope.
: Align to horizontal center of envelope.
: Align to right edge of envelope.
Note: This property is available only for variable images.
Vertical Whether the image is aligned to the top edge, vertical center, or bottom
Alignment edge of the envelope.
: Align to top edge of envelope.
: Align to vertical center of envelope.
: Align to bottom edge of envelope.
Note: This property is available only for variable images.
Arrange

Property Description
Left The distance from the left edge of the image to the left edge of the label or
form. The value is dependent on the unit of measure for the label template.

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Property Description
Top The distance from the top edge of the image to the top of the label or form.
The value is dependent on the unit of measure for the label template.
Center X The distance from the middle of the image to the left edge of the label or
form. The value is dependent on the unit of measure for the label template.
Center Y The distance from the middle of the image to the top of the label or form.
The value is dependent on the unit of measure for the label template.
Width The horizontal span of the image. The value is dependent on the unit of
measure for the label template.
Height The vertical span of the image. The value is dependent on the unit of
measure for the label template.
Rotation The angle of the image in relation to the printed label. The value is in
degrees.
Printing Whether the image appears on the printed label.
Field Note: This property is only displayed for images in Label view.
Lock If selected, no changes can be made to the properties of the field, and the
Field field cannot be moved or deleted. The order of the field relative to other
fields in the label template can be changed regardless of whether the field is
locked.
Note: This feature can be used to prevent accidental changes to
fields. It does not prevent other Document Designers from
unlocking a field.

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Using Shapes
Shapes include lines, circles, and rectangles and can be used to separate sections of a label
template, or to emphasize information.

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Add Shapes

To add shapes to your Label or Form, use these procedures.

Add a Circle

From the Shapes list in the Library, click and drag Circle to the Label or Form view.
Add a Box

From the Shapes list in the Library, click and drag Box to the Label or Form view.
Add a Line

From the Shapes list in the Library, click and drag Line to the Label or Form view.

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Shape Properties

Shapes in label templatessuch as Circles, Boxes, and Lineshave the following properties.
Note: A Field Name, Data Ref, or Input Data Ref can include letters and
numbers. Additionally, the following characters are permitted but cannot begin the
name: hyphens, underscores, and periods.
Name and Data

Shapes Where
Property Description
Available
Field The identifier of the shape in the label template, form, All
Name or reusable object.
Arrange

Shapes
Property Description Where
Available
Left The distance from the left edge of the shape to the left edge of the All
label. The value is dependent on the unit of measure for the label
template.
Top The distance from the top edge of the shape to the top of the All
label. The value is dependent on the unit of measure for the label
template.
Center X The distance from the middle of the shape to the left edge of the All
label. The value is dependent on the unit of measure for the label
template.
Center Y The distance from the middle of the shape to the top of the label. All
The value is dependent on the unit of measure for the label
template.
Width The horizontal span of the shape. The value is dependent on the Circle
unit of measure for the label template. Box
Height The vertical span of the shape. The value is dependent on the unit Circle
of measure for the label template. Box
Length The span of the line. Line
Rotation The angle of the shape in relation to the printed label. The value is All
in degrees.
Printing Whether the object appears on the printed label. All (Label
Field view
only)

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Shapes
Property Description Where
Available
Lock If selected, no changes can be made to the properties of the field, All
Field and the field cannot be moved or deleted. The order of the field
relative to other fields in the label template can be changed
regardless of whether the field is locked.
Note: This feature can be used to prevent accidental
changes to fields. It does not prevent other
Document Designers from unlocking a field.
Appearance

Shapes
Property Description Where
Available
Thickness The width of the line. The value is dependent on the unit of Line
measure for the label template.
Border The thickness of the line that forms the shape. The value is Circle
dependent on the unit of measure for the label template. Box
Border The color of the line that forms the shape. You can select a Circle
Color color or enter a hexadecimal RGB color value. Box
Tip: To swap the Border Color and the Fill
Color, click .

Note: Color printing is possible only if supported

by the device and device driver.
Color The color of the line. You can select a color or enter a Line
hexadecimal RGB color value.
Note: Color printing is possible only if supported
by the device and device driver.
Line The border color of a circle or a box and the color of a line. See Group of
Color Border Color and Color for more information. shapes
Fill Color The color within the shape if Fill is set to a value other than Circle
No Fill. You can select a color or enter a hexadecimal RGB Box
color value.
Note: Color printing is possible only if supported
by the device and device driver.

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Shapes
Property Description Where
Available
Fill Whether the specified Fill Color is used within the shape. Circle
No Fill: The area within the shape has a transparent Box
background and the Fill Color is not used.
Solid Fill: The area within the shape is the color specified by
Fill Color.

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Using Reusable Objects

You can use a reusable object to include components for a form for data entry and components
for a label for printed output that you want to incorporate into label templates. After a reusable
object is added to a label template, a form, or another reusable object, the components that it
contributed to the label template, form, or reusable object can be modified as needed.
Reusable objects that have been saved in the Reusable Objects folder are displayed in the
Library in Design and are available for use in label templates and forms.
Note: If a reusable object is saved in a version-controlled subfolder of the
Reusable Objects folder, that version-controlled reusable object is displayed in
the Library in Design only after the reusable object is published. For more
information, see "Working in a Version-Controlled Environment " on page 79.

Note: If a reusable object is changed, label templates, forms, and reusable objects
to which it was added before the change was made are not affected.

Tip: For information about creating reusable objects, see "Create a Reusable
Object" on page 95.

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Add a Reusable Object to a Label Template or a Form

By adding a reusable object to a label template, a form, or another reusable object, you can
include all of the components of a label template that are part of that reusable object.
Tip: For information about creating reusable objects, see "Create a Reusable
Object" on page 95.

Note: If a reusable object is saved in a version-controlled subfolder of the

Reusable Objects folder, that version-controlled reusable object is displayed in
the Library in Design only after the reusable object is published. For more
information, see "Working in a Version-Controlled Environment " on page 79.
To add an existing reusable object to a label template, form, or another reusable object, use this
procedure.
1. In the Library, expand the Reusable Objects list.
2. Drag a reusable object to either the Label view or the Form view.
Note: If the reusable object includes fields in both the Label view and the
Form view, they are copied into the appropriate view regardless of which
view you were pointing to when you dropped in the reusable object. Fields
from the Label view are disregarded if you drop a reusable object onto a
form.
3. Any fields contributed by the reusable object are grouped when added to a label template,
form, or reusable object. You can ungroup, move, and edit the fields.

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Using Forms
You can configure a form to accept data entry from a Data Provider 1. A form is included as part
of a label template or a reusable object, but can also be created as a separate object.
You can configure the loading of a data entry form to act as a trigger for a query of a data service
associated with a Database data source or an Alternate data source.

1Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.

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Configure a Form to Run a Data Source

You can configure the loading of a data entry form to act as a trigger 1 to run a data source. A
Database data source 2 or an Alternate data source 3 associated with the data service must
already exist.
Tip: If you have not yet created the data source for which the loading of this form
should act as a trigger, you can select the trigger when you create the data source
instead. For more information, see "Create a Database Data Source" on page 309 or
"Create an Alternate Data Source" on page 318.
To configure the loading of a form to act as a trigger, use this procedure.
1. For a label template or a reusable object, if both the Label view and the Form view are
displayed, click the Form view.
2. In the Properties pane, expand the Triggers section and click Select a Trigger.
3. In the Data Source Selector dialog box, click the data source for which the loading of
the form should act as a trigger, and then click OK.
4. If the form acts as a trigger for more than one data source and the order in which the data
sources are run relative to each other is important, then you must configure values for
trigger priority 4 for these triggers. To assign trigger priorities, do the following:
a. In the Triggers section of the Properties pane, double-click a data source.
b. In the Database Data Source or Alternate Data Source dialog box, click Next
twice.
c. In the list of triggers, enter a value for Trigger Priority for the form. When these
triggers cause the data services to run, the data source with the lower value for
Trigger Priority is run first.
Tip: Trigger priorities are compared only if the triggers have the
same trigger source, trigger event, and trigger key (if any). For
example, if a data source has both a button and a prompt that act as
triggers, their Trigger Priority values are not compared to each
other.
d. Click OK.
e. Repeat for each data source listed in the Triggers section.

1A means of running a data source, form rule, or business rule. Includes a trigger source if interactive (such as a button, a prompt,
or a form) and a trigger event (such as clicking a button, entering text at a prompt, loading a form, or submitting a job). For
example, you can specify a particular button as a trigger source that Data Providers can click to perform a query of a database.
2A connection to a database that acts as a data source and can serve as the data ref for a document field. A Database data source
is associated with a Database data service.
3A connection to a file external to Spectrum that acts as a data source and can serve as the data ref for a document field. An
Alternate data source is associated with either a File data service or an HTTP data service.
4The order in which data sources, form rules, or business rules that have otherwise identical triggers are run. Trigger values are
compared only if the triggers have the same trigger source, trigger event, and trigger key (if any). The type of data source is
irrelevant. Among data sources, form rules, or business rules with otherwise identical triggers, the data source with the lowest
value for trigger priority is run first.

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Search the Tool Library

Enter text in the Search field. The list of tools in the Library pane changes to match your
search.

Figure A.6: Search box with preview pane

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Preview and Print a Label in Design

If you have finished creating a label template and want to review a label produced by using it, or
if you want to compare the appearance of a label produced before and after making a change to a
label template, you can preview and print a label in Design.
Tip: The option selected for Design Data controls what data is used in fields
when previewed, printed, or displayed in Design. Either default data1,
placeholder data2, or data from a live data set3 can be used. For more
information, see "Select Data to Display in Design" on page 63.
To preview and print a label in Design, use the following procedure.
1. In Design, review the buttons at the rightmost end of the menu bar.
2. If the name of the device connection that you want to use is not displayed, click and
select the device connection.
Tip: To create a PDF file of a sample label that you can send to others for
review, select a PDF device connection.
3. Open the label template that you want to preview or print.
4. To preview the label, click or File > Design Preview.
Tip: If you want to make a change and compare the results side by side,
leave the preview window open, make changes to the label template, and
click again. You can position the two preview windows side by side for
comparison.

5. To print the test label, click or File > Design Print.

Tip: After you print a label using a label template in Design, you can view
information about the printing by clicking the link for the job number that
is displayed next to View Job Status in the menu bar.

1For each field, the value specified in the Default Value property for that field.
2For a Variable Text field, the series of digits 1234567890, repeated until the maximum number of characters allowed for the field is
displayed. For a barcode field, a sample barcode that adheres to the specified properties. For an image field, a sample image.
Whether placeholder data is used in Design is controlled by the selection for Design Data.
3A collection of data (names and values) that was retrieved from a data source and is specific to a label template or a reusable
object. A data set can be used to populate fields displayed in Design, in a preview, and when test printing.

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Design Page
Click Design at the top of the LoftwareSpectrum window to display options for creating and
configuring a label template, form, layout, reusable object, or application.

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Views and Document Information

When a label template 1 or a reusable object is open, you can see both the Label view and
Form view of the label template. When a form that is not associated with a label template is
open, you see only a Form view.
l The Label view of a label template or reusable object shows the design for printed labels
produced from a label template and optionally allows you to associate a layout with the
label template.
Note: The impact of character-level formatting is not displayed in Design.
You can determine whether a Character-Level format source has been
applied to a text field by clicking the text field and viewing the Properties
pane. View the Format Sources section for a list of the format sources
applied to the text field. Also, the impact of character-level formatting is
displayed in Print when previewing a label.
The Form view of a label template, reusable object, or form shows the design for data
l

entry forms produced from a label template. If a user acting as a Data Provider 2 enters
data in Print, they do so by using the data entry form produced by a label template.
A layout3 has only one view, which shows the slots for labels on a page 4.
Document Object Name

The name of each label template or other object currently open in Design appears on a tab
above the label template. An asterisk next to the name indicates that the label template or other
object has unsaved changes. Also, you can move the mouse pointer over the tab to display the
file path of the object.

Figure A.7: Asterisk next to label template name indicating change

Version

If the active label template, form, layout, reusable object, or application is version-controlled,
the version number of the version displayed is shown at the bottom of the editing pane as the
Version. A lock indicates that the label template or other object is version-controlled and that
you are viewing a checked-in version.

1A digital representation of a label that can be combined with variable data and used by print jobs to generate print job details.
2Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.
3An item that defines an organizational structure for printing multiple labels by using the same label template.
4In relation to media, the organization of labels specified by a layout. In relation to the Spectrum user interface, a top-level tab.

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For more information, see "Working in a Version-Controlled Environment " on page 79.
Design Data

The source of data displayed in Design is shown at the bottom of the editing pane when a label
template or a layout is displayed. This option affects what is displayed in the Label view in
Design, as well as what is displayed when you preview or print a label in Design. More
specifically, this option affects what is displayed in text fields, barcode fields, and variable image
fields.
l Default Value: The values specified in the Default Value property for each field are
used.
l Placeholder: The data used for each field is placeholder data1 provided by Spectrum.
l Live Data Set: If configured, a snapshot of live data obtained from a Database data
source, an Alternate data source, or a Date/Time data source is used. You can also add
entries to the data set manually.

For more information, see "Select Data to Display in Design" on page 63.

1For a Variable Text field, the series of digits 1234567890, repeated until the maximum number of characters allowed for the field is
displayed. For a barcode field, a sample barcode that adheres to the specified properties. For an image field, a sample image.
Whether placeholder data is used in Design is controlled by the selection for Design Data.

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Menu Bar and Toolbar

File Menu Commands

Toolbar
Command Description
Icon
New Label Open the Create Label dialog box, which allows
you to create a label template and configure
properties for a printed label, such as the height
and width.
New Form Create and open a form that is not associated with a
label template.
New Create and open a layout.
Layout
New Image Import a new image into the Spectrum library so
that it can be used in label templates.
Note: An image that will be used
only as part of a Variable Image may
be saved to any folder in Spectrum.
Otherwise, for an image to be
available to add to a label template,
you must save it to the
Images\User Images folder, the
Images\Stock Images folder, or a
subfolder of one of those folders.
New Create and open a reusable object. As with a label
Reusable template, you can add fields to a reusable object
Object and save it. You can add content from a reusable
object to label templates, forms, or reusable
objects.
New Create and open an application in which you can
Application design a flow of work that transitions among
multiple forms.
Open Open the Open dialog box, which lets you select
an existing object to open.
Close Close the active object .

Close All Close all open objects.

Save Save the active object . This command does not
check in a version-controlled object that is
checked out.

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Toolbar
Command Description
Icon
Save As Open the Save As dialog box, which lets you save
the active object under a different name and in a
particular folder. The folder can be an existing
folder, or you can create a new folder.
The Add Folder button allows you to create a
subfolder in the selected folder. Clicking this
button displays the Add New Folder dialog box,
allowing you to enter a folder name and description
and to specify whether version control is turned on
or off for any object in the new folder.
Note: You cannot change the
Version Control setting after you
save the folder.
The new object is displayed in the editor.
Export Export an object to a separate file outside of
Spectrum.
Tip: You can use this capability to
transfer a label template from one
instance of Spectrum to another.
Import Import an object that was previously exported to a
separate file outside of Spectrum.
Design Print a sample label using the current label
Print template and the device connection displayed in
the menu bar.
Note: The icon button for this
command is displayed in the menu
bar and is near the rightmost edge of
the window.
Design Display a preview of the label generated by using
Preview the current label template. The preview is
displayed in a separate window.
Note: The icon button for this
command is displayed in the menu
bar and is near the rightmost edge of
the window.

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Toolbar
Command Description
Icon
Version Save the current version of the object and make
Control > this the object available for publication or for
Check In others to check out. Checking in creates a version
that can no longer be altered.
Available only for an object that is in a version-
controlled folder and only to the user who checked
out or has taken control of the object .
Version Create a new, editable version of the object ,
Control > increment the minor version number. Other users
Check Out cannot change the object or view the version that
you have created until it is checked in.
Available only for an object that is in a version-
controlled folder and is checked in.
Version Undo any changes made since the object was most
Control > recently checked out, and then check it in. The
Undo checked out version is discarded and the version
Check Out number is decremented to that of the previous
version.
Available only for an object that is in a version-
controlled folder.
Version Check in and create a new published version of the
Control > object, incrementing the major version number and
Publish setting the minor version number to zero.
Available only for an object in a version-controlled
folder. Available only to users with Publish (PB)
permission for Documents.

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Toolbar
Command Description
Icon
Version Delete the published version1 with the highest
Control > version number. The next latest version that
Undo remains may be a minor version.
Publish WARNING: If you have already
initiated a print job using the
published version or have used or
link to that version, you may get
unexpected results.
Available only for an object in a version-controlled
folder. Available only to users with Publish (PB)
permission for Documents and only if the current
version of the object is a published version.
Workflow Open the Select a Workflow Template dialog
>Start box, which allows you to select a workflow for
Workflow tracking and managing modifications to the label
template.
Workflow View the details of the current step of the
>View workflow that the label is in.
Current
StepDetails
Edit Menu Commands

Toolbar
Command Description
Icon
Undo Reverse the most recent action on a label template,
form, or reusable object.
Redo Reapply the previously undone action on a label
template, form, or reusable object.
Cut Remove a selected item from a label template,
form, or reusable object and place it into the
clipboard.
Copy Create a duplicate of a selected item and place it
into the clipboard.
Paste Place an item from the clipboard onto a selected
label template, form, or reusable object.

1When version control is used, a version for which the minor version number is zero. Users with some permissions can print only the
latest published version.

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Toolbar
Command Description
Icon
Delete Remove a selected element from a label template,
form, or reusable object.
Select All Select all fields in the current view (Label view or
Form view) so that you can cut, copy, paste, or
delete them.
View Menu Commands

Toolbar
Command Description Options
Icon
Label View Display the Label view in the full
window.
Form View Display the Form view in the full
window.
Split Changes the arrangement of the label Horizontally
Screen template, form, or reusable object Vertically
views displayed.
Grid Display an overlay grid on the label
template, form, or reusable object to
assist with aligning objects. The dots
or lines of the grid are not displayed in
printed labels or in the forms
displayed to Data Providers. The type
of grid can be configured under
Options > Grid Settings.
Zoom Change the magnification level at 200%
which the label template, form, or 150%
reusable object is displayed. 125%
100%
75%
50%
Position Menu Commands

Toolbar
Command Description
Icon
Align > Left For a selected object, align its left edge to
the left of the label template.
For two or more selected objects, line up
their left edges.

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Toolbar
Command Description
Icon
Align > Center For a selected object, align its horizontal
center to the center of the label template.
For two or more selected objects, line up
their horizontal centers.
Align > Right For a selected object, align its right edge to
the right of the label template.
For two or more selected objects, line up
their right edges.
Align > Top For a selected object, align its top edge to
the top of the label template.
For two or more selected objects, line up
their top edges.
Align > Middle For a selected object, align its vertical
midpoint to the middle of the label template.
For two or more selected objects, line up
their vertical midpoints.
Align > Bottom For a selected object, align its bottom edge
to the bottom of the label template.
For two or more selected objects, line up
their bottom edges.
Distribute >
Horizontally
Distribute >
Vertically
Rotate >
Clockwise
Rotate >
Counterclockwise
Order > Bring
Forward
Order > Bring to
Front
Order > Send
Backward
Order > Send to
Back
Options Menu Commands

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Command Description Options

Design What data to show in fields when displaying a Default
Data label template or a reusable object in Design. Value
This option affects what is displayed in the Placeholder
Label view and Form view in Design, as well Live Data
as what is displayed when you preview or print Set
a label in Design. More specifically, this
option affects what is displayed in text fields,
barcode fields, and variable image fields.
l Default Value: The values specified in

the Default Value property for each

field are used.
l Placeholder: The data used for each

field is placeholder data1 provided by

Spectrum.
l Live Data Set: If configured, values

from a live data set2 obtained from a

Database data source, an Alternate data
source, or a Date/Time data source are
used. You can also add entries to the
data set manually.
Tip: If the Default Value field
or the value from a live data set is
empty or contains only a space
and that option is selected, then a
placeholder value is displayed in
the Label view or Form view in
Design. No visible indication of
the field is displayed when you
preview or print in Design.
For more information, see "Select Data to
Display in Design" on page 63.
Align to Force the top left corner of an item to align
Grid with the nearest alignment overlay intersection
or dot. Whether the grid is used can be
configured under View > Grid.

1For a Variable Text field, the series of digits 1234567890, repeated until the maximum number of characters allowed for the field is
displayed. For a barcode field, a sample barcode that adheres to the specified properties. For an image field, a sample image.
Whether placeholder data is used in Design is controlled by the selection for Design Data.
2A collection of data (names and values) that was retrieved from a data source and is specific to a label template or a reusable
object. A data set can be used to populate fields displayed in Design, in a preview, and when test printing.

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Command Description Options

Grid The type of alignment overlay. The dots or Dot
Settings lines of the grid are not displayed in printed Line
labels or in the forms displayed to Data Dotted Line
Providers. Whether the grid is used can be Dashed Line
configured under View > Grid.
Units The measurement standard used to size and inches
position items in a label template. cm
(centimeters)
mm
(millimeters)
Grouping Commands
The following commands are available by using the toolbar or by right-clicking selected
objects or a group.
Toolbar
Command Description
Icon
Group Associate the selected fields so that they can be
moved and configured in unison.
Ungroup Disassociate the selected group of fields so that the
fields can be moved and configured separately.
Tip: When you select a group, you can name the group using the Group Name
field in the Properties pane.
Application Commands
The following command is available by using the toolbar when viewing an application.

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ToolbarIcon Command Description

Turn on Turn on Connection Mode so that you can
/ Connection configure transitions between forms. While
Mode / Connection Mode is enabled, you can
Turn off establish a new connection by clicking the
Connection first form, then clicking the second form, and
Mode then configuring the transition.
Turn off Connection Mode so that you can
configure aspects of an application other than
transitions between forms.
Note: This button is displayed
only if you are viewing an
application. The button is blue
when Connection Mode is off,
green when Connection Mode is
on.
Preview and Print Commands

Menu
Bar Command Description
Icon
View Job View information about your recent printing. The job
Status ID and time stamp are displayed in the menu bar as a
link. You can click the link to display additional
information in Status. This option is displayed only
if you recently printed a sample label in Design.
Browse Browse to select the device connection to use for
Devices previewing and printing labels from Design. A
device may be a physical printer, device queue, or
other target for output, such as an image file or a
PDF file.

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Menu
Bar Command Description
Icon
Design Print a sample label using the current label template
Print and the device connection displayed in the menu bar.
Note: You must save the label template
before you can print.

Tip: The option selected for Design

Data controls what data is used in
fields when previewed, printed, or
displayed in Design. Either default
data1, placeholder data2, or data from
a live data set3 can be used. For more
information, see "Select Data to Display
in Design" on page 63.
Design Display a preview of the label generated by using the
Preview current label template. The preview is displayed in a
separate window .
Note: You must save the label template
before you can preview.

Tip: The option selected for Design

Data controls what data is used in
fields when previewed, printed, or
displayed in Design. Either default
data4, placeholder data5, or data from
a live data set6 can be used. For more
information, see "Select Data to Display
in Design" on page 63.

1For each field, the value specified in the Default Value property for that field.
2For a Variable Text field, the series of digits 1234567890, repeated until the maximum number of characters allowed for the field is
displayed. For a barcode field, a sample barcode that adheres to the specified properties. For an image field, a sample image.
Whether placeholder data is used in Design is controlled by the selection for Design Data.
3A collection of data (names and values) that was retrieved from a data source and is specific to a label template or a reusable
object. A data set can be used to populate fields displayed in Design, in a preview, and when test printing.
4For each field, the value specified in the Default Value property for that field.
5For a Variable Text field, the series of digits 1234567890, repeated until the maximum number of characters allowed for the field is
displayed. For a barcode field, a sample barcode that adheres to the specified properties. For an image field, a sample image.
Whether placeholder data is used in Design is controlled by the selection for Design Data.
6A collection of data (names and values) that was retrieved from a data source and is specific to a label template or a reusable
object. A data set can be used to populate fields displayed in Design, in a preview, and when test printing.

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Library

Types of fields and objects that can be added to a label template or a reusable object are
displayed in the Library pane in the left column. When you click one of these items in the
library, an example of that type item is displayed in the preview box at the bottom of the pane.
Text

Name Description
FixedText Text that does not change for each printed label or each time
a form is displayed.
VariableText Text that may change for each printed label or each time a
form is displayed.
Text Box Text that may change for each printed label.
Controls

Name Description
Button A field in the Form that can allow Data Providers to select
information from a data source. For types of data sources that
accept a trigger 1, a button can be associated with the data source
so that an action is performed when a Data Provider clicks the
button.
Check A field in the Form that can allow Data Providers to select
Box information from a data source. For types of data sources that
accept a trigger 2, a check box can be associated with the data
source so that an action is performed if a Data Provider has
selected the check box.
Drop- A field in the Form that can allow Data Providers to select
Down information from a data source. For types of data sources that
List accept a trigger 3, a drop-down list can be associated with the data
source so that an action is performed if a Data Provider has
selected a particular item in the list.
Device A field in the Form that allows Data Providers to select a device to
Selector be used when printing.

1A means of running a data source, form rule, or business rule. Includes a trigger source if interactive (such as a button, a prompt,
or a form) and a trigger event (such as clicking a button, entering text at a prompt, loading a form, or submitting a job). For
example, you can specify a particular button as a trigger source that Data Providers can click to perform a query of a database.
2A means of running a data source, form rule, or business rule. Includes a trigger source if interactive (such as a button, a prompt,
or a form) and a trigger event (such as clicking a button, entering text at a prompt, loading a form, or submitting a job). For
example, you can specify a particular button as a trigger source that Data Providers can click to perform a query of a database.
3A means of running a data source, form rule, or business rule. Includes a trigger source if interactive (such as a button, a prompt,
or a form) and a trigger event (such as clicking a button, entering text at a prompt, loading a form, or submitting a job). For
example, you can specify a particular button as a trigger source that Data Providers can click to perform a query of a database.

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Name Description
Folder A field in the Form that allows Data Providers to select a folder.
Selector

Label A field in the Form that allows Data Providers to select a label.
Selector
Radio A field in the Form that can allow Data Providers to select
Button information from a data source. For types of data sources that
Group accept a trigger, a radio button group can be associated with the
data source so that an action is performed if a Data Provider has
selected a particular radio button.
Prompt Field in the Form that allows Data Providers to enter data. For
types of data sources that accept a trigger 1, a prompt can be
associated the data source so that an action is performed after a
Data Provider enters text into the prompt.
Tip: For most on-demand data entry, a Prompt field
is recommended. However, a Text Box Prompt field
is appropriate for situations in which Data Providers
are expected to retrieve lengthy data from a database
and then manipulate the data retrieved.
User A field in the Form that allows Data Providers to select a user.
Selector Example

A User Selector control can be added to a form on an

application which is used in a workflow template.
When a label template is being progressed through
the workflow, a user can click the browse button and
choose a user from the dialog box to send the label
template to for review.
Table A field in the Form that systematically displays the results of a data
source query, form rule, or a business rule in columns and rows.

1A means of running a data source, form rule, or business rule. Includes a trigger source if interactive (such as a button, a prompt,
or a form) and a trigger event (such as clicking a button, entering text at a prompt, loading a form, or submitting a job). For
example, you can specify a particular button as a trigger source that Data Providers can click to perform a query of a database.

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Name Description
Text A field in the Form that allows Data Providers to enter data. For
Box types of data sources that accept a trigger 1, a Text Box Prompt
Prompt can be associated the data source so that an action is performed
after a Data Provider enters text into the prompt.
Tip: For most on-demand data entry, a Prompt field
is recommended. However, a Text Box Prompt field
is appropriate for situations in which Data Providers
are expected to retrieve lengthy data from a database
and then manipulate the data retrieved.

Shapes

You can add the following shapes to labels or forms.

l Circle
l Box
l Line
Barcodes

You can add barcodes to labels. A list of the supported barcode symbology is displayed in
Spectrum.
Images

You can add images to labels or forms.

l Stock Images
l User Images
l Variable Images
Reusable Objects

You can add reusable objects2 to label templates or forms.

Search and Preview

You can search the Library and view an example any type of field or object that you select.

1A means of running a data source, form rule, or business rule. Includes a trigger source if interactive (such as a button, a prompt,
or a form) and a trigger event (such as clicking a button, entering text at a prompt, loading a form, or submitting a job). For
example, you can specify a particular button as a trigger source that Data Providers can click to perform a query of a database.
2An item that can contain components of a label and a form so that you can incorporate them into labels and forms efficiently and
consistently.

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Figure A.8: Search and Preview

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Data Sources

The Data Sources pane is displayed in the left column when a label template, form, or reusable
object is displayed. It is initially collapsed near the bottom of the left column. Click the title bar
for Data Sources to expand the pane.
Use this pane to manage label data sources such as Data Entry, Database, Date/Time, Formula,
Increment/Decrement, and Script data sources. For more information, see "Configuring Label
Data Sources" on page 305.
Buttons in the Data Sources pane

Button Command Description

Add Label Create a new label data source of the selected type.
Data Source
Delete Delete the selected label data source and its
Label Data children.
Source
Edit Label Edit the selected label data source.
Data Source
Query Label Query the selected data source and save the result
Data Source to a live data set1. You can use this command on a
Database data source, an Alternate data source, or a
Date/Time data source. For more information, see
"Select Data to Display in Design" on page 63.

1A collection of data (names and values) that was retrieved from a data source and is specific to a label template or a reusable
object. A data set can be used to populate fields displayed in Design, in a preview, and when test printing.

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Format Sources

The Format Sources pane is displayed in the left column when a label template or a reusable
object is displayed. It is initially collapsed at the bottom of the left column. Click the title bar
for Format Sources to expand the pane.
Use this pane to manage Character-Level format sources, which allow you to format spans of
text within a Fixed Text object or a Variable Text object. For more information, see " Character-
Level Format Source Properties" on page 431.
Note: Character-level formatting is supported for TrueType fonts only. Also,
you cannot use a Character-Level format source to format the human readable text
associated with a barcode or to format fields in the data entry form of a label
template.
Buttons in the Format Sources pane

Button Command Description

Add Format Source Create a new format source of the selected
type.
Delete Format Delete the selected format source.
Source
Edit Format Source Edit the selected format source.

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Form Rules

The Form Rules pane is displayed in the left column when a form or an application is displayed.
It is initially collapsed near the bottom of the left column. Click the title bar for Form Rules to
expand the pane.
Use this pane to manage form rules such as Electronic Signature, Job Request, Map Operations,
and Static form rules. For more information, see "Form Rules Reference" on page 405.
Buttons in the Form Rules pane

Button Command Description

Add Form Rule Create a new form rule of the selected type.

Delete Form Rule Delete the selected form rule.

Edit Form Rule Edit the selected form rule.

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Properties

The Properties pane is displayed in the right column. If the right column is collapsed, click the
arrow button at the top of the column to expand it. If the Properties pane is collapsed, click the
Properties title bar to expand it.
Note: When a label template, form, or reusable object is displayed, the name of the
view (Label or Form) or the field you have selected appears near the top of the
Properties pane. You can select other fields by name from the drop-down list, or
you can click a field in the Label view or Form view to select it. When a layout is
displayed, all properties are always displayed in the Properties pane. When an
application is displayed, initially the application-level properties are displayed.
When you click a form within an application, the form-level properties are
displayed.
Use this pane to view and change the following:
l "Label Template Properties" on page 273
l "Form Properties" on page 284

l "Layout Properties" on page 282

l "Application Properties" on page 300

l " Form Properties in an Application" on page 302

l "Text Properties" on page 140

l "Control Properties" on page 178

l "Shape Properties" on page 238

l "Common Properties for Barcodes" on page 207

l "Image Properties" on page 233

Tip: If you are viewing a label template that was migrated from a Loftware Print
Server (LPS) environment, a flag icon is displayed in the Migrated property for
each field. You can click the icon to display information about any migration issues
related to that field. To display a report of all migration issues for the label
template, click the Label view and then click the icon in the Migrated property.
You can remove the icons by clicking the Clear All Flags button in the Migrated
property. Also, if LPS-Style Font Rendering was turned on when the label template
was migrated, then a notice to that effect is displayed in the Properties pane. For
more information, see "Work with a Migrated Label Template" on page 119.

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Field Tabbing Order

The Field Tabbing Order pane is displayed in the right column when viewing a label template,
form, or reusable object. If the pane is collapsed, click the Field Tabbing Order title bar to
expand the pane.
Use this pane to rearrange the order of input fields for users printing labels on demand. For more
information, see "Change the Field Tabbing Order" on page 139.

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Label Specific Options or Layout Specific Options

The Label Specific Options pane or Layout Specific Options pane is displayed in the right
column when viewing a label template or a layout. If the pane is collapsed, click the Label
Specific Options title bar or Layout Specific Options title bar to expand the pane.
Use this pane to customize device-specific options for an individual label template or layout. For
situations in which a label may be printed to more than one family or model of device, you can
create multiple configurations of Label Specific Options.
Tip: To configure baseline device-specific options for all label templates, use Device
Management.

Note: Label Specific Options cannot be included in a reusable object, and the
Label Specific Options pane is not displayed when editing a reusable object.

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Tags

The Tags pane is displayed in the right column when viewing an application, business rule, data
service, device group, facility, form, image, integration, label template, layout, process, remote
site, reusable object, user, or workflow template. If the pane is collapsed, click the Tags title
bar to expand the pane.
You can categorize an application, business rule, data service, device group, facility, form, image,
integration, label template, layout, process, remote site, reusable object, user, or workflow
template by assigning tags to it. Each tag has a category and a value. For a version-controlled
object, tags cannot be changed in a previously checked-in version.
Buttons in the Tags pane

Button Command Description

Assign Tag Assign a tag to an object. The tag category must
already exist.
Delete Tag Remove a tag that was assigned to an object.
Edit Tag Change the value specified for a tag that has been
assigned to an object.
For more information, see "Categorize a Label Template or Other Object" on page 105.

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Data Sets

The Data Sets pane is displayed in the right column when viewing a label template. If the pane
is collapsed, click the Data Sets title bar to expand the pane.
You can use a data set to store a snapshot of live data retrieved from a Database data source. You
can use this data to produce a more realistic view when designing a label template. You can also
manually alter data map entries in a data set.
Buttons in the Data Sets pane

Button Command Description

Add Data Map Create a new data map entry 1 in a data set.
Entry
Delete Data Delete the selected data map entry and its
Map Entry children from the data set.
Edit Data Map Edit the selected data map entry.
Entry
Import Data Import data from an XML file or a CSV file into
the data set.
For more information, see "Select Data to Display in Design" on page 63.

1A name (key) and value pair in the data map for a job.

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Top Bar

Name Description
Username Displays the user name with which you are logged on.
Help Open the SpectrumUserGuide.
About View the version of Spectrum that you are using.
Logout Close Spectrum and sign out.

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Label Template Properties

The following are properties that describe a label template 1. They include the Label2
properties and the Form 3 properties. The Label properties and the Form properties for a label
template are configured independently. The Trigger properties are part of the Form properties.
Tip: If you are viewing a label template that was migrated from a Loftware Print
Server (LPS) environment, a flag icon is displayed in the Migrated property for
each field. You can click the icon to display information about any migration issues
related to that field. To display a report of all migration issues for the label
template, click the Label view and then click the icon in the Migrated property.
You can remove the icons by clicking the Clear All Flags button in the Migrated
property. Also, if LPS-Style Font Rendering was turned on when the label template
was migrated, then a notice to that effect is displayed in the Properties pane. For
more information, see "Work with a Migrated Label Template" on page 119.
Label Properties
Label properties affect printed labels produced by using the label template. These properties
can be configured in the Create Label dialog box when you create the label template. In an
existing label template, these properties can be displayed by clicking the Label tab at the
bottom of the window or clicking the label background to select the Label view, and can be
configured in the Properties pane.
Property Description Options Notes
Font The type of fonts to be used on the label. TrueType
Category DPL4
IPL5
ZPL II6

1A digital representation of a label that can be combined with variable data and used by print jobs to generate print job details.
2The output or part of the output from a job, either printed on physical media or stored in a digital file.
3The interface for data entry by a data provider. A form is a separate object in Spectrum, but it can be combined with a label
template so that the form serves as the Form view for the label template.
4Datamax-O'Neil Programming Language, a printer control language.
5Intermec Printer Language, a printer control language.
6Zebra Programming Language II, a printer control language.

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Property Description Options Notes

Document The resolution in dots per inch that 200 Set to the DPI
DPI objects on the label should be printed. 203 of your device.
Important: The value 300
selected affects the size at 400
which bit mapped fonts are 406
displayed. For example, a 600
bit mapped font appears 1200
larger at 203dpi than at
400dpi because a 400dpi
device produces smaller
pixels.

Note: The value selected

affects the values available
for the Line X-Dim and
Line Y-Dim properties in
any barcode symbology in
which they exist.
Size The dimensions of the label or stock Letter
used for printed labels. Legal
A4
2x2
4x4
4x6
Custom
Width The horizontal span of the printed label. Millimeters (up To view or
If the Size is set to Custom, you can to 914.4mm) configure the
manually configure this value. Centimeters (up unit of
to 91.44cm) measurement,
Inches (up to in the menu
36in) bar select
Options >
Units.

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Property Description Options Notes

Height The vertical span of the printed label. If Millimeters (up To view or
the Size is set to Custom, you can to 3810mm) configure the
manually configure this value. Centimeters (up unit of
to 381cm) measurement,
Inches (up to in the menu
150in) bar select
Options >
Units.
Shape The appearance of the outside edge of Rectangle
the printed label. Rounded
Rectangle
Orientation The direction objects are aligned in the Portrait: This property
printed label. Objects are is ignored on
aligned on the PCL 5
narrowest span devices.
of the label, like Orientation is
the pages of a controlled by
book. the Device
Landscape: Specific
Objects are Options
aligned on the Orientation
widest span of property.
the label, as on a
typical video
display.
Print The orientation of the printed label 0 Ignored on
Rotation relative to the print stock. 90 PCL 5
180 devices. See
270 note above.
Fill Color The background color of the label. This RGB color
color is displayed on-screen only if Fill is values
set to a value other than No Fill. This
color is printed only if Fill is set to a
value other than No Fill and if Print Fill
is selected.
Note: Color printing is
possible only if supported
by the device and device
driver.

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Property Description Options Notes

Fill Whether the Fill Color is displayed on- No Fill: The
screen and may be printed. label is displayed
Note: Color printing is on-screen and
possible only if supported printed with no
by the device and device background
driver. color.
Solid Fill: The
label is displayed
on screen with a
background of
the Fill Color
and may be
printed with a
background of
the Fill Color.
Print Fill Whether the Fill Color is printed. If Fill : Do not print
is set to No Fill, this option is ignored. Fill Color
Note: When printing on : Print Fill
color stock, it is Color
recommended that you
specify the color of the
stock as the Fill Color and
for Fill select Solid Fill to
approximate the stock color
on-screen while designing a
label. Because color stock
rather than printing
provides the background
color, you would clear
Print Fill in that situation.

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Property Description Options Notes

Layout The layout to be associated with the label You cannot
template. If Layout Enabled is attach the
selected, this layout is used to specify layout if the
the organizational structure in which Width and
labels are printed on a sheet of stock or a Height of this
row of roll stock. label exceed
Note: A version-controlled the Label Size
layout must be published specified in the
before it can be attached to layout.
a label template.
Layout Whether the specified layout is used : Do not use a You can
Enabled when the label is printed. layout temporarily
: Use the turn off the
specified layout layout without
disassociating
it from the
label template
by clearing this
check box.
Migration Whether issues occurred when a label Successfully If the value is
template was migrated from a Loftware migrated Migrated with
Print Server (LPS) environment to a Migrated with issues, click
Spectrum environment. issues the icon in
Note: This property is the Migrated
displayed only if the label property for
template was migrated from more
an LPS environment. information.

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Property Description Options Notes

Migrated If changes were necessary or if issues
occurred when a label template was Clear Flag
migrated from a Loftware Print Server Clear All Flags
(LPS) environment into Spectrum, then a
flag icon is displayed.
If you are viewing the properties for a
field and Migrated with issues is
displayed, clicking the icon displays a
tool tip that lists any migration issues for
that field. You can remove this icon by
clicking the Clear Flag button.
If you are viewing the properties for the
Label view and Migrated with issues
is displayed, then clicking the icon
displays a report that includes the
migration issues for all properties of the
label template. You can remove the icons
for all fields in the label template by
clicking the Clear All Flags button.
Note: This property is
displayed only if the label
template was migrated from
an LPS environment.
Form Properties
Form properties affect the on-screen data entry form (if any) produced by using the label
template. These properties can be displayed by clicking the Form tab at the bottom of the
window or clicking the Form background to select the Form view, and can be configured in
the Properties pane.
Property Description Options Notes
Font The type of fonts to be used in the data TrueType This field is
Category entry form. read-only.

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Property Description Options Notes

Size The dimensions of the data entry form in Letter This property
Design. Legal does not limit
A4 the dimensions
2x2 of the data
4x4 entry form
4x6 display area in
Custom Print.
Width The horizontal span of the form. If the Millimeters (up To view or
Size is set to Custom, you can manually to 356mm) configure the
configure this value. Centimeters (up unit of
to 36cm) measurement,
Inches (up to in the menu bar
14in) select Options
> Units.
Height The vertical span of the form. If the Size Millimeters (up To view or
is set to Custom, you can manually to 3810mm) configure the
configure this value. Centimeters (up unit of
to 381cm) measurement,
Inches (up to in the menu bar
150in) select Options
> Units.
Orientation The direction objects are aligned in the Portrait:
data entry form. Objects are
aligned on the
narrowest span
of the form, like
the pages of a
book.
Landscape:
Objects are
aligned on the
widest span of
the form, as on a
typical video
display.
Fill Color The background color of the form if Fill RGB color
is set to a value other than No Fill. values

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Property Description Options Notes

Fill Whether the Fill Color is displayed in No Fill: The
the data entry form. data entry form
is displayed with
no background
color.
Solid Fill: The
data entry form
is displayed on
screen with a
background of
the Fill Color.
Hide Whether to display the Quantity field : Display the
Quantity when this form is viewed in Print. Quantity field
: Do not
display the
Quantity field
Hide Whether to display the Duplicates field : Display the
Duplicates when this form is viewed in Print. Duplicates
field
: Do not
display the
Duplicates
field
Hide Whether to display the Device field : Display the
Device when this form is viewed in Print. Device field
: Do not
display the
Device field
Hide Label For a form, whether to display the Label : Display the
field when the form is displayed in Label field
Print. The Label field allows a Data : Do not
Provider 1 to select a label template and display the
use the Label view of that label template Label field
in conjunction with the form.
For a label template, this property has no
effect.
Triggers

1Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.

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An event such as the clicking of a button or the submission of text input via a prompt can
serve as a trigger 1 to run a label data source, form rule, or business rule. The loading of a
form or an application can also serve as a trigger to run a rule.
When you configure a form, you can add or remove triggers that use the loading of that form
as a trigger source. Because triggers do not have names, in the Properties pane for a form, a
trigger is identified by the name of the data source for which the loading of the form acts as a
trigger.
Note: The Triggers section is displayed when the Form properties are
displayed.
Property Description Options
Data Sources A list of label data sources for which the loading of this form Select a
acts as a trigger to run the data source. This list can include Trigger
Alternate data sources and Database data sources.
To select a trigger, click Select a Trigger, select the data
source to be run when the form is loaded, and click OK.
To remove a trigger, select the data source that the trigger
runs, and click .
To edit the properties of a data source acting as a trigger,
double-click the name of the data source.
Important! If the form acts as a trigger for more
than one data source and the order in which the
data sources are queried relative to each other is
important, then you must configure priorities for
these triggers. For more information, see
"Configure a Form to Run a Data Source" on
page 244.

Tip: For information about creating data sources

or configuring triggers by editing a data source,
see "Configuring Label Data Sources" on page
305 and "Triggers in Design" on page 419.

1A means of running a data source, form rule, or business rule. Includes a trigger source if interactive (such as a button, a prompt,
or a form) and a trigger event (such as clicking a button, entering text at a prompt, loading a form, or submitting a job). For
example, you can specify a particular button as a trigger source that Data Providers can click to perform a query of a database.

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Layout Properties

The following are properties that describe a layout1 and affect how any label template 2 to
which the layout is attached is printed. These properties can be configured on the Properties
pane when the layout is opened for editing.
Note: A version-controlled layout must be published before it can be attached to a
label template.

Property Description Options Notes

Stock Size The size of stock on 2x2 Values in the Stock Size selection box
which to print labels 4x4 are in inches.
that use this layout. 4x6 The unit of measure for Width and
If Custom is selected, 8.5x11 Height depend on the unit of
then you can manually Custom measure for the layout. To view or
configure the Width configure the unit of measurement, in
and Height of the the menu bar select Options > Units.
layout.
Margins Top: The distance Millimeters To view or configure the unit of
from the upper edge of Centimeters measurement, in the menu bar select
labels in the top row to Inches Options > Units.
the upper edge of the
sheet or row of stock.
Left: The distance
from the left edge of
the leftmost column of
labels to the left edge
of the sheet or stock.
Label Size The size of labels to be 2x2 Values in the Label Size selection
used in this layout. All 4x4 box are in inches.
labels in a layout must 4x6 The unit of measure for Width and
be the same size. Custom Height depend on the unit of
If Custom is selected, measure for the layout. To view or
then you can manually configure the unit of measurement, in
configure the Width the menu bar select Options > Units.
and Height for a label.
Horizontal The horizontal distance Millimeters To view or configure the unit of
Gap between labels within Centimeters measurement, in the menu bar select
the layout. Inches Options > Units.

1An item that defines an organizational structure for printing multiple labels by using the same label template.
2A digital representation of a label that can be combined with variable data and used by print jobs to generate print job details.

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Property Description Options Notes

Vertical The vertical distance Millimeters To view or configure the unit of
Gap between labels within Centimeters measurement, in the menu bar select
the layout. Inches Options > Units.
Labels The number of labels in You should configure this value to
Across one row of the layout. match the number of labels across one
row of stock.
Labels The number of labels in You should configure this value to
Down one column of the match the number of labels down one
layout. column of stock.
Fill The order in which Vertical: Fill This property controls the direction of
Direction incoming form data is all labels in a fill of whole labels within the layout,
used to fill labels in the column before not the fill of content within each
layout. moving to the label.
The starting label next column.
position from which Horizontal:
the Fill Direction Fill all labels
proceeds is specified by in a row
Start Origin. before moving
to the next
row.
Start Label position from Top Left This property controls the starting
Origin which to begin using Top Right point within the layout, not within
incoming form data to Bottom Left each label.
fill labels in the layout. Bottom Right
The direction in which
fill proceeds from this
position is specified by
Fill Direction.

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Form Properties

The following are properties that describe an on-screen data entry form. Unlike the properties
for a complete label template, they include only the Form 1 properties, of which the Trigger
properties are a subset. The properties of a form can be displayed by clicking the Form canvas
when editing a form or by clicking the icon for a form in an application, and they can be
configured in the Properties pane.
Note: For information about the properties of a form that are displayed when
editing an application, see " Form Properties in an Application" on page 302.
Form Properties
The following properties are displayed when editing a form but not when editing an
application.
Property Description Options Notes
Font The type of fonts to be used in the data TrueType This field is
Category entry form. read-only.
Size The dimensions of the data entry form inLetter This property
Design. Legal does not limit
A4 the dimensions
2x2 of the data
4x4 entry form
4x6 display area in
Custom Print.
Width The horizontal span of the form. If the Millimeters (up To view or
Size is set to Custom, you can manually to 356mm) configure the
configure this value. Centimeters (up unit of
to 36cm) measurement,
Inches (up to in the menu bar
14in) select Options
> Units.
Height The vertical span of the form. If the Size Millimeters (up To view or
is set to Custom, you can manually to 3810mm) configure the
configure this value. Centimeters (up unit of
to 381cm) measurement,
Inches (up to in the menu bar
150in) select Options
> Units.

1The interface for data entry by a data provider. A form is a separate object in Spectrum, but it can be combined with a label
template so that the form serves as the Form view for the label template.

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Property Description Options Notes

Orientation The direction objects are aligned in thePortrait:
data entry form. Objects are
aligned on the
narrowest span
of the form, like
the pages of a
book.
Landscape:
Objects are
aligned on the
widest span of
the form, as on a
typical video
display.
Fill Color The background color of the form if Fill RGB color
is set to a value other than No Fill. values
Fill Whether the Fill Color is displayed in No Fill: The
the data entry form. data entry form
is displayed with
no background
color.
Solid Fill: The
data entry form
is displayed on
screen with a
background of
the Fill Color.
Hide Whether to display the Quantity field : Display the
Quantity when this form is viewed in Print. Quantity field
: Do not
display the
Quantity field
Hide Whether to display the Duplicates field : Display the
Duplicates when this form is viewed in Print. Duplicates
field
: Do not
display the
Duplicates
field

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Property Description Options Notes

Hide Whether to display the Device field : Display the
Device when this form is viewed in Print. Device field
: Do not
display the
Device field
Hide Label For a form, whether to display the Label : Display the
field when the form is displayed in Label field
Print. The Label field allows a Data : Do not
Provider 1 to select a label template and display the
use the Label view of that label template Label field
in conjunction with the form.
For a label template, this property has no
effect.
Triggers
An event such as the clicking of a button or the submission of text input via a prompt can
serve as a trigger 2 to run a label data source, form rule, or business rule. The loading of a
form or an application can also serve as a trigger to run a rule.
When you configure a form, you can add or remove triggers that use the loading of that form
as a trigger source. Because triggers do not have names, in the Properties pane for a form, a
trigger is identified by the name of the data source or rule for which the loading of the form
acts as a trigger.

Note: The Triggers section is displayed when the Form properties are
displayed.

1Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.
2A means of running a data source, form rule, or business rule. Includes a trigger source if interactive (such as a button, a prompt,
or a form) and a trigger event (such as clicking a button, entering text at a prompt, loading a form, or submitting a job). For
example, you can specify a particular button as a trigger source that Data Providers can click to perform a query of a database.

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Property Description Options

Data A list of label data sources for which the loading of this form acts as Select a
Sources a trigger to run the data source. This list can include Alternate data Trigger
sources and Database data sources.
To select a trigger, click Select a Trigger, select the data source to
be run when the form is loaded, and click OK.
To remove a trigger, select the data source that the trigger runs, and
click .
To edit the properties of a data source acting as a trigger, double-
click the name of the data source.
Important! If the form acts as a trigger for more than
one data source and the order in which the data
sources are run relative to each other is important,
then you must configure priorities for these triggers.
For more information, see "Configure a Form to Run a
Data Source" on page 244.

Tip: For information about creating data sources or

configuring triggers by editing a data source, see
"Configuring Label Data Sources" on page 305 and
"Triggers in Design" on page 419.

Note: The Data Sources property is not displayed

when viewing Form properties within an application.

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Property Description Options

Form A list of form rules and business rules for which the loading of this Select a
Rules form acts as a trigger to run each form rule 1 or business rule 2. Trigger
To select a trigger, click Select a Trigger and for Trigger Type
select whether to run a Form Rule or a Business Rule when the
form is loaded. If running a form rule, select the name of the form
rule. If running a business rule, select the business rule and enter an
event name that is specified by the business rule. Click OK.
To remove a trigger, select the rule that the trigger runs, and click
.
To edit the properties of a rule acting as a trigger, double-click the
name of the rule.
Important! If the form acts as a trigger for more than
one rule and the order in which the rules are run
relative to each other is important, then you must
configure priorities for these triggers. For more
information, see "Configure a Form to Run a Data
Source" on page 244.

Note: When viewing Form properties within an

application, only form rules that were created within
the application are displayed. Although not displayed,
form rules that were created in the form are run when
the form is used by an application. All rules
configured for a form at the application level are run
before rules configured for that form at the form level.

1An entry or a collection of entries that provides a form or an application with enhanced functionality. A form rule can add or change
data or print parameters, submit a print request, validate user credentials, open a label template, form, layout, image, reusable
object, or application in Design, open a URL in a web browser, or close an application. Form rules are similar to business rules, but
simpler to create. Form rules are created on the Design page and are specific to a particular application or form. Some form rules
are available only in applications.
2A collection of component sets or business rule components that can be used to incorporate logic or to add, change, or remove
data or print parameters after a print request is submitted but before printing occurs. Business rules are similar to form rules, but
provide more robust functionality. Business rules are created on the Process Design page and can be designed using the
Configurator or programmed using XML.

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Stock Layouts

Although you can create your own layouts, the following stock layouts are provided in the
Document Templates\Stock Layouts folder in Spectrum. You can use a stock layout as is, or
if you are creating a custom layout you can use a stock layout as a starting point by opening the
stock layout in Design and clicking File > Save As.
Layout Stock Labels Labels
Label Size Notes
Name Size Across Down
4x4-2x2 4"4" 2"2" 2 labels 2 labels 4 labels per page.
4x4-3x3 4"4" 1"1" 3 labels 3 labels 9 labels per page.
8x11-1x2 8"11" 4-3/4"7- 1 label 2 labels 2 labels per page.
3/4" Compatible with Avery
#6876.
8x11-2x2 8"11" 3-3/4"4- 2 labels 2 labels 4 labels per page.
3/4" Compatible with Avery
#6878.
8x11-2x3 8"11" 3"3-3/4" 2 labels 3 labels 6 labels per page.
Compatible with Avery
#6874.
8x11-2x5 8"11" 2"4" 2 labels 5 labels 10 labels per page.
Compatible with Avery
#15563.
8x11-2x6 8"11" 1-1/4"3- 2 labels 6 labels 12 labels per page.
3/4" Compatible with Avery
#6879.
8x11-2x10 8"11" 1"4" 2 labels 10 labels 20 labels per page.
Compatible with Avery
#5161.
8x11-3x10 8"11" 1"2-5/8" 3 labels 10 labels 30 labels per page.
Compatible with Avery
#8860.
8x11-4x20 8"11" 0.5"1.75" 4 labels 20 labels 80 labels per page.
Compatible with Avery
#18167.

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Building with Application Architect

Loftware Spectrum's Application Architect1 allows you to do the following:
lDesign complex, intelligent data entry form experiences for users in Design.
l Link individual forms together and provide a dynamic path through them that varies

based on data values or information entered by an end user.

l Link forms together to create a data set for use by a process .
2
l Perform complex validation of data in data entry forms.

You can use Application Architect to create custom front-end interfaces that empower end users
to make the decisions necessary to print what they need without deviating from a standard
procedure. For example, you could provide a flow of interactive forms that allows a Data
Provider 3 working in Print to select whether to print a kitting list, a production label, or a
shipping label, and then provide the information necessary to print the specified type of
document.
When using Application Architect, you create an application that connects individual forms by
using transitions. In an application, a trigger 4 can be used to run a form rule 5 or a business
rule 6. In a form, a trigger can also be used to run a data source. For data in a form, you can
manually enter a value, or you can use a data map entry 7.

1A framework that allows you to use Design to create custom applications that interface with Spectrum.
2An object in Spectrum that binds together all of the components to be used when responding to a print request. Among other
items, those components may include a label template, layout, device, and a business rule to be used when processing a print
request. Processes are created in the Process Design page.
3Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.
4A means of running a data source, form rule, or business rule. Includes a trigger source if interactive (such as a button, a prompt,
or a form) and a trigger event (such as clicking a button, entering text at a prompt, loading a form, or submitting a job). For
example, you can specify a particular button as a trigger source that Data Providers can click to perform a query of a database.
5An entry or a collection of entries that provides a form or an application with enhanced functionality. A form rule can add or change
data or print parameters, submit a print request, validate user credentials, open a label template, form, layout, image, reusable
object, or application in Design, open a URL in a web browser, or close an application. Form rules are similar to business rules, but
simpler to create. Form rules are created on the Design page and are specific to a particular application or form. Some form rules
are available only in applications.
6A collection of component sets or business rule components that can be used to incorporate logic or to add, change, or remove
data or print parameters after a print request is submitted but before printing occurs. Business rules are similar to form rules, but
provide more robust functionality. Business rules are created on the Process Design page and can be designed using the
Configurator or programmed using XML.
7A name (key) and value pair in the data map for a job.

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Create an Application
Loftware Spectrum's Application Architect1 allows you to design complex, intelligent data
entry form experiences for Data Providers2. You can link individual forms together and
configure transitions that guide users from one form to another in response to their input or
other conditions.
Before You Begin: You should create the forms, business rules, and processes
that you intend to use with an application before you create the application. For
more information, see "Create a Form" on page 94 and "Designing Business Rules
with the Configurator" on page 437.
To create a new application, use this procedure.

1. In Design, click File > New > Application or click the New Application button
in the toolbar.
2. In the Forms pane, click the form that you want to be displayed to a Data Provider 3
when the application is initially loaded in Print, and then drag and drop the form into the
application.
3. Drag and drop additional forms into the application.
Note: You should not add more than one instance of a specific form to the
application.
4. Click the application canvas4 to display the properties of the application.
5. In the Properties pane, review the selection for Start Form and ensure that it is the
form that should initially be displayed when the application is loaded.
Best Practice
Save your application immediately after creation.

1A framework that allows you to use Design to create custom applications that interface with Spectrum.
2Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.
3Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.
4The background of an application on which you can add forms and transitions. Clicking the application canvas displays the
properties of the application.

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Next Steps

If the application includes more than one form, you should create transitions to allow Data
Providers to navigate from one form to the next by performing an action. For more information,
see "Create a Transition Between Forms" on page 295.
If you want to cause a form rule or a business rule to run when an application or a particular form
is loaded, when a Data Provider performs an action, or when other circumstances occur, see
"Create a Trigger to Run a Rule" on page 297.

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Save the Application

1. Click File > Save or click the Save button.

2. In the Save dialog box, click a folder in the left column and enter a Name.
Characters permitted in names
The following characters are permitted in the name: letters, numbers, parentheses, square
brackets, ampersands, asterisks, plus signs, equal signs, commas, semi-colons, and tildes.
Additionally, the following characters are permitted but cannot begin or end the name:
spaces, double quotes, single quotes, hyphens, underscores, periods, and grave accents.
For letters, the case that you specify is displayed, but case is ignored when Spectrum
interprets a name.
Tip: You can add a new folder within the folder selected in the left pane by
clicking the Add Folder button.
3. Click OK.
Note: The first time you save an application to a version controlled folder, the
application is automatically checked out. When you are finished editing it, be sure
to click File > Check In to save and check in your version and make it available
for others to check out.

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Create a Transition Between Forms

When you use Loftware Spectrum's Application Architect1 to design data entry form
experiences for end users, you can configure transitions that guide users from one form to
another in response to their input or other conditions.
Before You Begin: You should create the forms, business rules, and processes
that you intend to use with an application before you create the application. For
more information, see "Create a Form" on page 94 and "Designing Business Rules
with the Configurator" on page 437.
To configure a transition between forms in an application, use this procedure.
1. In Design, open an application.
2. To configure transitions between forms in the application, click Connect . The
Connect button changes color to indicate that you are in Connection Mode.
3. Click the current form from which the transition should begin, and then click the form
that the transition should lead to next.
4. In the Transition dialog box, select a control in the form to act as a trigger source and
select an event associated with that control. When the trigger event occurs to the trigger
source (for example, when a particular button is clicked), the application transitions from
the current form to the next form.
5. Optionally, you can further restrict whether the transition will occur by requiring that a
particular data map entry 2 have a specified value. To do so, select Enable Conditional
Trigger.
a. For Name, enter the name of a fully-qualified data map entry.
b. For Operator, specify whether the data map entry must be equal to, not equal to,
greater than, or less than a particular value, or whether it must be empty or not
empty.
c. If the data map entry is being compared to a specified value, for Value enter that
value.
6. Click OK. The transition is displayed in the list of Events in the Properties pane when
you click the form from which the transition begins.
7. Click File > Save or click the Save button to save the application.
If you want to cause a form rule or a business rule to run when an application or a particular form
is loaded, when a Data Provider performs an action, or when other circumstances occur, see
"Create a Trigger to Run a Rule" on page 297.

1A framework that allows you to use Design to create custom applications that interface with Spectrum.
2A name (key) and value pair in the data map for a job.

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Create a Form Rule

You can create a form rule 1 for use in a form or an application. For information about types of
form rules, see "Form Rules Reference" on page 405.
Before You Begin: You should create the forms, business rules, and processes
that you intend to use with an application before you create the application. For
more information, see "Create a Form" on page 94 and "Designing Business Rules
with the Configurator" on page 437.
To create a form rule, use this procedure.
1. In Design, open an application.
2. In the left column, click the Form Rules title bar to expand the pane.
3. Click the type of form rule that you want to create.
4. Click .
5. Configure the form rule. For more information, see "Form Rules Reference" on page 405.
6. Click OK. The form rule is displayed in the Form Rules pane.
7. Click File > Save or click the Save button to save the application.
For information about how to configure an application to run a form rule or a business rule when
an application or a particular form is loaded, when a Data Provider 2 performs an action, or
when other circumstances occur, see "Create a Trigger to Run a Rule" on page 297.

1An entry or a collection of entries that provides a form or an application with enhanced functionality. A form rule can add or change
data or print parameters, submit a print request, validate user credentials, open a label template, form, layout, image, reusable
object, or application in Design, open a URL in a web browser, or close an application. Form rules are similar to business rules, but
simpler to create. Form rules are created on the Design page and are specific to a particular application or form. Some form rules
are available only in applications.
2Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.

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Create a Trigger to Run a Rule

If you want a form rule 1 or a business rule 2 to run when a Data Provider 3 performs one of
the following actions in Print, you can configure a trigger 4 for the rule in the application.
Initially load an application
l

l Initially load a particular form

l Click or change a control in a form

l Commit text to a prompt in a form

Whenever the trigger event occurs, the form rule or business rule is run.
Tip: For more information about triggers, see "Triggers in Design" on page 419.

Before You Begin: You should create the forms, business rules, and processes
that you intend to use with an application before you create the application. For
more information, see "Create a Form" on page 94 and "Designing Business Rules
with the Configurator" on page 437.
To configure a trigger in an application to run a rule, use this procedure.
1. In Design, open an application.
2. Configure the rule to run either when the application is loaded, when a specific form is
loaded, or when a control in a form is clicked, changed, or used to commit text in a
prompt.
n If you want a rule to run when the application is initially loaded, click the
application canvas5, and then in the Triggers section click Select a Trigger.
n If you want a rule to run when a specific form is initially loaded, click the form,
and then in the Properties pane click Select a Trigger. In the Select a Trigger
dialog box, the form is selected as the Trigger Source by default.
n If you want a rule to run when a control in a form is clicked or changed or when
text is committed to a prompt, click the form, and then in the Properties pane
click Select a Trigger. In the Select a Trigger dialog box, for Trigger Source
select a control to associate with the trigger.

1An entry or a collection of entries that provides a form or an application with enhanced functionality. A form rule can add or change
data or print parameters, submit a print request, validate user credentials, open a label template, form, layout, image, reusable
object, or application in Design, open a URL in a web browser, or close an application. Form rules are similar to business rules, but
simpler to create. Form rules are created on the Design page and are specific to a particular application or form. Some form rules
are available only in applications.
2A collection of component sets or business rule components that can be used to incorporate logic or to add, change, or remove
data or print parameters after a print request is submitted but before printing occurs. Business rules are similar to form rules, but
provide more robust functionality. Business rules are created on the Process Design page and can be designed using the
Configurator or programmed using XML.
3Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.
4A means of running a data source, form rule, or business rule. Includes a trigger source if interactive (such as a button, a prompt,
or a form) and a trigger event (such as clicking a button, entering text at a prompt, loading a form, or submitting a job). For
example, you can specify a particular button as a trigger source that Data Providers can click to perform a query of a database.
5The background of an application on which you can add forms and transitions. Clicking the application canvas displays the
properties of the application.

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3. In the Select a Trigger dialog box, use the Trigger Type to specify whether you want
to run a form rule or a business rule.
n If you have selected Form Rule as the trigger type, select a form rule to be run
when the trigger event occurs.
n If you have selected Business Rule as the trigger type, click the browse button
and select a business rule to be run when the trigger event occurs. For Event
Name, enter the name of an event as specified in the XML of the business rule.
When the trigger event occurs, the business rule is run as if this event has
occurred.
4. Click OK.
n If the rule is configured to run when the application is loaded, then the trigger is
displayed in the Triggers list in the Properties pane if you click the application
canvas.
n If the rule is configured to run when a form is loaded, then the trigger is displayed
in the Triggers list in the Properties pane if you click the form.
n If the rule is configured to run when a control in a form is clicked, is changed, or
is used to commit text, then the trigger is displayed in the Triggers list in the
Properties pane if you click the form.
5. Click File > Save or click the Save button to save the application.

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Application Properties
The following topics describe the properties of applications and forms when configuring an
application by using Loftware Spectrum's Application Architect1.
l "Application Properties" on page 300
l " Form Properties in an Application" on page 302

Note: For information about the properties of a form that are displayed when
editing a form, see "Form Properties" on page 284.

1A framework that allows you to use Design to create custom applications that interface with Spectrum.

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Application Properties

The following are properties of an application created by using Loftware Spectrum's Application
Architect1.

Settings
Property Description Options
Start The form that is initially A list of forms that have been associated
Form displayed when the application with the application.
is run. Note: An application should
not include more than one
instance of a specific form.

Triggers
An event such as the clicking of a button or the submission of text input via a prompt can
serve as a trigger 2 to run a label data source, form rule, or business rule. The loading of a
form or an application can also serve as a trigger to run a rule.
When you configure an application, you can add or remove triggers that use the loading of
that application as a trigger source. Because triggers do not have names, in the Properties
pane for an application, a trigger is identified by the name of the rule for which the loading of
the application acts as a trigger.

1A framework that allows you to use Design to create custom applications that interface with Spectrum.
2A means of running a data source, form rule, or business rule. Includes a trigger source if interactive (such as a button, a prompt,
or a form) and a trigger event (such as clicking a button, entering text at a prompt, loading a form, or submitting a job). For
example, you can specify a particular button as a trigger source that Data Providers can click to perform a query of a database.

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Property Description Options

Form A list of form rules and business rules for which the loading of Select a
Rules this application acts as a trigger to run each form rule 1 or Trigger:
business rule 2. For information about configuring a trigger, Display a
see "Create a Trigger to Run a Rule" on page 297. dialog box
Important! If the application acts as a trigger for that allows
more than one rule and the order in which the you to create
rules are run relative to each other is important, a trigger.
then you must configure priorities for these : Remove
triggers. For more information, see "Triggers in the trigger
Design" on page 419. associated
with the
selected
rule.
Double-
click a
trigger:
Display a
dialog box
that allows
you to
configure
the selected
trigger.

1An entry or a collection of entries that provides a form or an application with enhanced functionality. A form rule can add or change
data or print parameters, submit a print request, validate user credentials, open a label template, form, layout, image, reusable
object, or application in Design, open a URL in a web browser, or close an application. Form rules are similar to business rules, but
simpler to create. Form rules are created on the Design page and are specific to a particular application or form. Some form rules
are available only in applications.
2A collection of component sets or business rule components that can be used to incorporate logic or to add, change, or remove
data or print parameters after a print request is submitted but before printing occurs. Business rules are similar to form rules, but
provide more robust functionality. Business rules are created on the Process Design page and can be designed using the
Configurator or programmed using XML.

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Form Properties in an Application

The following are properties that describe an on-screen data entry form. Unlike the properties
for a complete label template, they include only the Form 1 properties, of which the Trigger
properties are a subset. The properties of a form can be displayed by clicking the Form canvas
when editing a form or by clicking the icon for a form in an application, and they can be
configured in the Properties pane.
The following are the properties of a form that are displayed when viewing a form within an
application.
Note: For information about the properties of a form that are displayed when
editing a form, see "Form Properties" on page 284.

Triggers
An event such as the clicking of a button or the submission of text input via a prompt can
serve as a trigger 2 to run a label data source, form rule, or business rule. The loading of a
form or an application can also serve as a trigger to run a rule.
When you configure a form, you can add or remove triggers that use the loading of that form
as a trigger source. Because triggers do not have names, in the Properties pane for a form, a
trigger is identified by the name of the rule for which the loading of the form acts as a trigger.

1The interface for data entry by a data provider. A form is a separate object in Spectrum, but it can be combined with a label
template so that the form serves as the Form view for the label template.
2A means of running a data source, form rule, or business rule. Includes a trigger source if interactive (such as a button, a prompt,
or a form) and a trigger event (such as clicking a button, entering text at a prompt, loading a form, or submitting a job). For
example, you can specify a particular button as a trigger source that Data Providers can click to perform a query of a database.

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Property Description Options

Form Rules A list of form rules and business rules for which the loading Select a
of this form acts as a trigger to run each form rule 1 or Trigger:
business rule 2. For information about configuring a trigger, Display a
see "Create a Trigger to Run a Rule" on page 297. dialog
Important! If the form acts as a trigger for box that
more than one rule and the order in which the allows
rules are run relative to each other is important, you to
then you must configure priorities for these create a
triggers. For more information, see "Triggers in trigger.
Design" on page 419. :
Delete
Note: When viewing Form properties within an the
application, only form rules that were created trigger
within the application are displayed. Although associated
not displayed, form rules that were created in with the
the form are run when the form is used by an selected
application. All rules configured for a form at rule.
the application level are run before rules Double-
configured for that form at the form level. click a
trigger:
Display a
dialog
box that
allows
you to
configure
the
selected
trigger.

1An entry or a collection of entries that provides a form or an application with enhanced functionality. A form rule can add or change
data or print parameters, submit a print request, validate user credentials, open a label template, form, layout, image, reusable
object, or application in Design, open a URL in a web browser, or close an application. Form rules are similar to business rules, but
simpler to create. Form rules are created on the Design page and are specific to a particular application or form. Some form rules
are available only in applications.
2A collection of component sets or business rule components that can be used to incorporate logic or to add, change, or remove
data or print parameters after a print request is submitted but before printing occurs. Business rules are similar to form rules, but
provide more robust functionality. Business rules are created on the Process Design page and can be designed using the
Configurator or programmed using XML.

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Events
Property Description Options
Events A list of events that cause the application to transition from :
the selected form to another form if one of the events Connect
occurs. If the trigger event occurs to the control serving as a Mode is
trigger source, then the application transitions to the next disabled,
form. so you
Note: Only controls that exist in the form are cannot add
included in the list of available trigger sources. transitions.
Only events appropriate to the selected trigger Click to
source are included in the list of available enable
trigger events. Connect
Mode.
Tip: If is displayed in the toolbar, then :
you are in Connect Mode and you can add a Connect
transition by clicking the form from which a Mode is
transition should begin and then the form to enabled,
which the transition should lead. so you can
For more information, see "Create a Transition Between add
Forms" on page 295. transitions.
Click to
disable
Connect
Mode.
:
Delete the
selected
transition.
Double-
click a
transition:
Configure
the
selected
transition.

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Configuring Label Data Sources

In Spectrum, label data sources can be created independently of fields in the label template. This
allows multiple fields to be filled from the same label data source.
Spectrum supports the following types of label data sources:
Data Entry
The label data source provides data input by a user into a form when preparing to print a
label. A Data Entry data source is created when you drag a Prompt into the Form view. To
use the data provided, you can associate a Data Entry data source with a Variable Text,
Barcode, or Image field in the Label view, or incorporate it into a Formula data source.
Database
The label data source provides data from a row or rows of a database. A Database data source
is connected to a database via a data service in Spectrum.
Date/Time
The label data source provides the date and time on the SpectrumApplicationServer when
this label data source is processed.
Formula
The label data source provides the result of a mathematical operation or physical operation
(copy, combine, trim) on data from other label data sources, data service parameters, or static
values using mathematical and logical operations and functions. You can use Formula data
sources to do the following:
l Perform mathematical operations
l Copy data from one field to another
l Combine data from multiple fields
l Manipulate string data
l Combine the results other Formula data sources
Increment/Decrement (Inc/Dec)
The label data source provides the value of a counter that is increased or decreased for each
printed label in a print run. The starting value for each print run is entered by the user at print
time or is configured as part of the label data source.
Alternate
The label data source provides data from a file external to Spectrum. An Alternate data source
is connected to a file via a File data service or an HTTP data service in Spectrum.
Script
The label data source provides the result of a mathematical operation or physical
manipulation (copy, combine, trim) of other label data or metadata using JavaScript.

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About Data Refs

All variable fields have a Data Ref property. Data Refs link the source of data to fields in the
label template.
Important: Data Refs are not dynamic. If a data source name changes, the
associated Data Refs are not updated.

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Create a Data Entry Data Source

Data Entry data sources are automatically generated when you create a Prompt field. You cannot
manually create a Data Entry data source.
To create a Prompt field and a Data Entry data source, use this procedure.
1. Drag a Prompt from the Library to the Form view.
2. Click the Properties pane, and enter a Field Name by which to identify the Prompt
field and the Data Entry data source.
Note: The name of a label data source can include letters and numbers.
Additionally, the following characters are permitted but cannot begin or end
the name: hyphens, underscores, and periods.
3. For Prompt, enter the text to display to the user who acts as a Data Provider 1.
4. Expand the Data Sources pane, and expand Data Entry to display the list of Data Entry
data sources that you can use as data refs in other fields or in Formula data sources.

1Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.

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Associate a Data Entry Data Source with Variable Text Field

To use the data provided via a Data Entry data source, you can use that Data Entry data source
as a data ref in another field such as a Variable Text, Barcode, or Image field, or you can use it as
a data ref in a Formula data source.
To associate a Data Entry data source with a Variable Text field, use the following procedure.
1. Drag Variable Text from the Library to the Label view to create a Variable Text
field.
2. Expand the Data Sources pane, and expand the list of Data Entry data sources.
3. Drag a Data Entry data source to the Variable Text field. A green plus icon
appears when your pointer is over a field that can accept the data source. Alternatively,
you can enter the name of the Data Entry data source as the Data Ref property of a
Variable Text field. When the label is printed, that Variable Text field will display the data
received from the Data Entry data source.

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Create a Database Data Source

To create a Database data source, a Document Designer 1 should use this procedure.
Before You Begin: A Data Service Administrator 2 must create the data service
with which you intend to associate the Database data source. (If you are a Data
Service Administrator, see " Configure a JDBC Data Service" on page 990 for more
information.)
1. In Design, open an existing label template or create a new label template.
2. Expand the Data Sources pane.
3. Click Database, and click . The Database Data Source dialog box is displayed.
4. In the General Data box, enter a Data source name by which to refer to this label data
source.
Note: The name of a label data source can include letters and numbers.
Additionally, the following characters are permitted but cannot begin or end
the name: hyphens, underscores, and periods.
5. In the Data Service box, select the data service to use, and then click Next.

1Person who creates and designs label templates for use by Data Providers. Also a default role in Spectrum.
2A local administrator who creates and configures data services for use by Document Designers who configure Database data
sources and Alternate data sources.

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6. Edit the data service configuration. Depending on how the data service is configured, you
may be able to edit some of the configuration information or data service parameters that
were provided by the Data Service Administrator.
a. If text boxes are displayed, you can enter either static values or data refs using the
format ${<DataRef>}. After you begin typing in the field, a message may be
displayed about the type of data required until you finish entering a value or data
ref. For information about default parameters, see " Configuration Parameters for
JDBC Data Services" on page 1020.
b. If a Result Map is displayed, you can configure which columns are displayed to a
Data Provider 1. For more information, see " Configuration Parameters for JDBC
Data Services" on page 1020.
c. For Auto Select Single Row, specify how the data service should respond if only
a single row is returned by the SQL Query.
n If this option is selected, the Data Source Results dialog box is not
displayed and the data from the row is inserted into the form automatically.
n If this option is not selected, the Data Source Results dialog box is
displayed and the Data Provider must manually click the row to select it.
Note: If you select this option, it is recommended that you
include at least one Prompt field in the Form that is
populated by the results to provide confirmation to the Data
Provider that the query was executed.
d. When you have finished configuring the data service parameters, click Next.

1Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.

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7. If the label template must support on-demand printing, click Add Trigger and configure
at least one trigger 1 that a Data Provider 2 can use to run the SQL Query on the
database. Repeat for additional triggers if needed.
Tip: If you have not yet created the field that should serve as the Trigger
Source 3, you can skip this step and select the trigger when you create the
field.
nTo query the data source when a button is clicked, for Trigger Source select the
name of a Button field and for Trigger Event select onClick.
n To query the data source after submitting data at a prompt, for Trigger Source
select the name of a Prompt field and for Trigger Event select onCommit.
n To query the data source when the form is loaded, for Trigger Source select
/Body and for Trigger Event select onLoad.
8. If the label template must support both on-demand printing and integrations, click Add
Trigger again.
Note: If the label template is not required to support on-demand printing,
then no trigger is needed.
a. For Trigger Source, select Do Not Run.
b. For Trigger Event, select Enqueue.
c. For Trigger Key, enter the name of a data map entry 4 that will manage whether
the data source should be run. It is recommended that this data map entry not be
used for any other purpose. The value of this data map entry does not affect how
it functions as a trigger key.
n When the trigger key exists in the datamap, the data source will not run.
This is appropriate when using the label template with an integration. This
is also appropriate if you need to prevent the data source from running in
some situations when using on-demand printing.
n When the trigger key does not exist in the datamap, the data source is run.
This is appropriate when using the label template for on-demand printing.
Important! For a File Drop integration, if the data map entry
specified for Trigger Key does not exist in the drop file, then the
data source is queried and the first row of data is automatically
returned. This occurs regardless of whether Auto Select First Row
and Auto Select Single Row Result are selected.

1A means of running a data source, form rule, or business rule. Includes a trigger source if interactive (such as a button, a prompt,
or a form) and a trigger event (such as clicking a button, entering text at a prompt, loading a form, or submitting a job). For
example, you can specify a particular button as a trigger source that Data Providers can click to perform a query of a database.
2Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.
3A field that is used in conjunction with a trigger event to interactively run a data source, form rule, or business rule. For example, a
button that runs a query when clicked, a prompt that runs a query when submitted, or a form that runs a query when loaded.
4A name (key) and value pair in the data map for a job.

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9. Assigning values for Trigger Priority 1 is necessary only if more than one data source in a
label template includes a trigger with the same trigger source, trigger event, and trigger
key (if any). In that situation, you can assign different values for Trigger Priority for
these otherwise identical triggers, and the data source with the lower value for Trigger
Priority is run first.
10. Click OK.
In the Data Sources pane, the Database section now lists the Database data source that you
created. Expand the Database data source to display the names of columns from the database
that you can use as data sources. You can drag a column data source onto a field in the Label
view such as a Variable Text or Barcode field to assign the data source as the data ref for that
field, or you can enter a data ref manually. You can create a formula and select the data refs for
the database columns for use in the formula.
Note: The format by which to refer to a database column data source is
/<DatabaseDataSourceName>/<ColumnName>.

Important! If you have not yet created at least one trigger for the data source, you
can do so by using the Triggers section in the Properties pane when you
configure a control, a form, or the Form view of a label template that will serve as
the Trigger Source 2. For more information, see "Adding Controls" on page 153,
"Label Template Properties" on page 273, or "Form Properties" on page 284.

1The order in which data sources, form rules, or business rules that have otherwise identical triggers are run. Trigger values are
compared only if the triggers have the same trigger source, trigger event, and trigger key (if any). The type of data source is
irrelevant. Among data sources, form rules, or business rules with otherwise identical triggers, the data source with the lowest
value for trigger priority is run first.
2A field that is used in conjunction with a trigger event to interactively run a data source, form rule, or business rule. For example, a
button that runs a query when clicked, a prompt that runs a query when submitted, or a form that runs a query when loaded.

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Create a Date/Time Data Source

To create a Date/Time data source, a Document Designer 1 can use this procedure.
1. In Design, open an existing label template or create a new label template.
2. Expand the Data Sources pane.
3. Click DateTime, and click . The Date/Time Data Source dialog box is displayed.
4. For Data Source Name, enter a name for the label data source.
Note: The name of a label data source can include letters and numbers.
Additionally, the following characters are permitted but cannot begin or end
the name: hyphens, underscores, and periods.
5. Select a Format.
6. Click OK.

1Person who creates and designs label templates for use by Data Providers. Also a default role in Spectrum.

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Create a Formula Data Source

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Create and Verify a Formula Data Source

To create a Formula data source, a Document Designer 1 can use the following procedure.
1. In Design, open an existing label template or create a new label template.
2. Expand the Data Sources pane.
3. Click Formula, and click . The Formula Data Source dialog box is displayed.
4. For Data Source Name, enter a name for the label data source.
Note: The name of a label data source can include letters and numbers.
Additionally, the following characters are permitted but cannot begin or end
the name: hyphens, underscores, and periods.
5. Create the formula in the Formula section using the available "Formula Data Source
Operations and Functions" on page 394.
Verify the Formula Syntax

Click Verify Formula to check the syntax of your formula. The results of the check appear in
the Verify Results field.
Note: The Verify Formula function only checks the syntax of your formula. It
does not check the validity of references or data.

Clear the Formula

Click the Clear Formula button to remove the text from the Formula field.

1Person who creates and designs label templates for use by Data Providers. Also a default role in Spectrum.

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Use a Formula with a Variable Text or Barcode Field

You can create a Formula data source to manipulate data obtained via a Prompt in the Form view
and then display the result of the formula in a Variable Text field or a Barcode field in the Label
view. When creating the Formula data source, you select the Data Entry data source associated
with the Prompt as a data ref that you incorporate into the formula. After you have created the
Formula data source, you drag it onto the Variable Text field or Barcode field so that the
Formula data source serves as the data ref for that field. You can use the same Formula data
source as the data ref for multiple fields, such as a barcode and human readable text.
Best Practice

Giving your fields meaningful names makes it easier to work with formulas.

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Create an Inc/Dec Data Source

To create an Inc/Dec data source, a Document Designer 1 can use the following procedure.
1. In Design, open an existing label template or create a new label template.
2. Expand the Data Sources pane.
3. Click IncDec, and click . The Inc/Dec Data Source dialog box is displayed.
4. Enter a name for the label data source in the Data Source Name property.
Note: The name of a label data source can include letters and numbers.
Additionally, the following characters are permitted but cannot begin or end
the name: hyphens, underscores, and periods.
5. Define the label data source in the Definitions section.
a. Select Increment or Decrement in the Type property.
b. Select a Mode. For more information, see "Inc/Dec Data Source Properties" on
page 402.
c. Enter a value by which to increment or decrement the count in the By Value
property.
6. Enter behavior information for the label data source in the Parameters section.
a. Select Fixed Start or From Data Source in the Start property.
b. Enter a Minimum Value and Maximum Value.
Note: To optimize performance, ensure that the Minimum Value
and Maximum Value include the same number of digits. The
Minimum Value can be padded with leading zeros.
c. Enter a Minimum Length and Maximum Length.
Important! If the label data source is populated from a Prompt, you
should ensure that the Max Length property of the label data
source and the Max Chars property of the Prompt contain the same
value. The Max Chars property is automatically calculated based on
the Chars Per Line and # Lines properties.
d. Select Reset Count or Update Count in the After Print property.
7. Add the data source to a field. For more information, see "Add a Data Source to a Field"
on page 128.

1Person who creates and designs label templates for use by Data Providers. Also a default role in Spectrum.

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Create an Alternate Data Source

To create an Alternate data source so that you can incorporate data from a file external to
Spectrum into a label, a Document Designer 1 can use this procedure.
Before You Begin: A Data Service Administrator 2 must create the File data
service or HTTP data service with which you intend to associate the Alternate data
source. (If you are a Data Service Administrator, see " Managing Data Services" on
page 979 for more information.)
1. In Design, open an existing label template or create a new label template.
2. Expand the Data Sources pane.
3. Click Alternate, and click . The Alternate Data Source dialog box is displayed.
4. In the General Data box, enter a Data source name by which to refer to this label data
source.
Note: The name of a label data source can include letters and numbers.
Additionally, the following characters are permitted but cannot begin or end
the name: hyphens, underscores, and periods.
5. In the Data Service box, select the data service to use, and then click Next.
6. Edit the data service configuration. Depending on how the data service is configured, you
may be able to edit some of the configuration information or data service parameters that
were provided by the Data Service Administrator.
a. If text boxes are displayed, you can enter either static values or data refs using the
format ${<DataRef>}. After you begin typing in the field, a message may be
displayed about the type of data required until you finish entering a value or data
ref. For information about parameters, see " Configuration Parameters for File
Data Services" on page 1028 or " Configuration Parameters for HTTP Data
Services" on page 1032.
b. When you have finished configuring the data service parameters, click Next.

1Person who creates and designs label templates for use by Data Providers. Also a default role in Spectrum.
2A local administrator who creates and configures data services for use by Document Designers who configure Database data
sources and Alternate data sources.

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7. If the label template must support on-demand printing, click Add Trigger and configure
at least one trigger 1 that a Data Provider 2 can use to run the data source. Repeat for
additional triggers if needed.
Tip: If you have not yet created the field that should serve as the Trigger
Source 3, you can skip this step and select the trigger when you create the
field.
nTo run the data source when a button is clicked, for Trigger Source select the
name of a Button field and for Trigger Event select onClick.
n To run the data source after submitting data at a prompt, for Trigger Source
select the name of a Prompt field and for Trigger Event select onCommit.
n To run the data source when the form is loaded, for Trigger Source select
/Body and for Trigger Event select onLoad.
8. If the label template must support both on-demand printing and integrations, click Add
Trigger again.
Note: If the label template is not required to support on-demand printing,
then no trigger is needed.
a. For Trigger Source, select Do Not Run.
b. For Trigger Event, select Enqueue.
c. For Trigger Key, enter the name of a data map entry 4 that will manage whether
the data source should be run. It is recommended that this data map entry not be
used for any other purpose. The value of this data map entry does not affect how
it functions as a trigger key.
n When the trigger key exists in the datamap, the data source will not run.
This is appropriate when using the label template with an integration. This
is also appropriate if you need to prevent the data source from running in
some situations when using on-demand printing.
n When the trigger key does not exist in the datamap, the data source is run.
This is appropriate when using the label template for on-demand printing.
Important! For a File Drop integration, if the data map entry
specified for Trigger Key does not exist in the drop file, then the
data source is queried and the first row of data is automatically
returned. This occurs regardless of whether Auto Select First Row
and Auto Select Single Row Result are selected.

1A means of running a data source, form rule, or business rule. Includes a trigger source if interactive (such as a button, a prompt,
or a form) and a trigger event (such as clicking a button, entering text at a prompt, loading a form, or submitting a job). For
example, you can specify a particular button as a trigger source that Data Providers can click to perform a query of a database.
2Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.
3A field that is used in conjunction with a trigger event to interactively run a data source, form rule, or business rule. For example, a
button that runs a query when clicked, a prompt that runs a query when submitted, or a form that runs a query when loaded.
4A name (key) and value pair in the data map for a job.

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9.
Assigning values for Trigger Priority 1 is necessary only if more than one data source in a
label template includes a trigger with the same trigger source, trigger event, and trigger
key (if any). In that situation, you can assign different values for Trigger Priority for
these otherwise identical triggers, and the data source with the lower value for Trigger
Priority is run first.
10. Click OK.
In the Data Sources pane, the Alternate section now lists the Alternate data source that you
created. You can drag an Alternate data source onto a field in the Label view such as a Variable
Text field to assign the data source as the data ref for that field, or you can enter a data ref
manually. You can create a formula and select the data refs for the Alternate data source for use
in the formula.
Important! If you have not yet created at least one trigger for the data source, you
can do so by using the Triggers section in the Properties pane when you
configure a control, a form, or the Form view of a label template that will serve as
the Trigger Source 2. For more information, see "Adding Controls" on page 153,
"Label Template Properties" on page 273, or "Form Properties" on page 284.

1The order in which data sources, form rules, or business rules that have otherwise identical triggers are run. Trigger values are
compared only if the triggers have the same trigger source, trigger event, and trigger key (if any). The type of data source is
irrelevant. Among data sources, form rules, or business rules with otherwise identical triggers, the data source with the lowest
value for trigger priority is run first.
2A field that is used in conjunction with a trigger event to interactively run a data source, form rule, or business rule. For example, a
button that runs a query when clicked, a prompt that runs a query when submitted, or a form that runs a query when loaded.

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Creating Script Data Sources

By using a Script data source, you can specify the data value or alter the visual properties of a
field based on the result of a JavaScript.
LoftwareSpectrum uses the Rhino JavaScript engine for Script data sources. Rhino is an open
source JavaScript engine maintained by the Mozilla Corporation. It enables you to parse,
compile, and execute JavaScript statements, and it supports JavaScript versions 1.0 through 1.8.
Note: JavaScript versions 1.3 and later conform to the ECMAScript-262
specification (Standard ECMA-262).

Using Scripts
A Script data source can be used to provide data for Variable Text, Text Box, Barcode, and
Variable Image fields.
Field Properties
You can change a field's characteristics such as font type, boldness, size, rotation, and visibility
based upon data included in the data stream, database fields on the label, or other data sources.
Example

A script can cause the font size of a field to change based on the number of
characters supplied for the field.
Math and Logic
A script can be used to perform if-then-else, mathematical, and Boolean logic on data elements
included in the data stream, database fields on the label, or other data sources.
Formula Functions
Use fields, operations, and functions also supported by the Formula data source.
Note: While the JavaScript environment provides some functionality similar to the
Formula data source, the syntax is different.

Considerations
l Because the value of a scripted field can depend on the values of other fields on the label,
you must first resolve the values of the script's dependencies.
l While Design allows different units of measure, Script data sources only support field
positions configured in inches.
l As a safeguard to protect against infinite looping, a script that has not finished running
after 10 seconds is terminated.
l Business rules can be used to perform the same tasks as Script data sources. Also, you
can incorporate scripts into business rules. For more information, see "Implementing
Business Logic" on page 1181.

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Built-in Variables
A script includes contains the following standard variables.
l FORMAT: The label template containing all the fields that can be added to a canvas in
Design.
l MAP: The datamap, a repository for all data for use when responding to a print request.
l LOG: A class for logging information to the server log file.
Names to Avoid
There are a few functions and methods that are provided by default in scripts. Therefore, when
creating a script, these names should not be defined in the script.
l FORMAT
l MAP
l LOG
l context (A scripting engine object for internal use.)
l getField

Built-in Helper Method

There is a built-in method available to users for accessing components.
l getField("/Body/Text0001"): This method returns the field with the specified fully-
qualified name.
Note: Take care when creating local functions, methods, and variables. If a local
method, function, or variable is created with the same name as the built-in
function, then the function will be overloaded with the local setting.

Built-in Classes
The following classes are provided to all scripts. These classes allow you to manipulate the label
template fields and the data map entries, as well as to log information to the main Spectrum log
file.
l FORMAT
l MAP
l LOG

Accessing and Modifying Data

To specify or change the value or properties of a label template field, you must be able to access
the field. The structure of a label template has a few parts, and each part controls certain aspects
of the field. Each part has a number of methods that can be called on to access information.
FORMAT
The top-level label template object that contains all the fields for the label template.
l Field: An area holds several fields that describe the text, barcode, shapes, and image
objects that are displayed on the label.

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l FieldFormat: The standard field has a single format object that defines the location and
other details of the field on the label. A barcode field can have two formats, one for the
barcode and one for the human readable text.
MAP
The datamap is a repository for all data for use when responding to a print request. Each data
map entry is composed of a name (key) and a value. The datamap is referenced and
updated by all data sources. The datamap is then provided to the script for additional
modification.
The data in the datamap can be provided to the script in two ways.
l Method 1: A variable is added to the script and converted when the script is run. This
method provides the data as read only, and the method is resolved before the script runs.
This is the same method used with the Formula data source.
l Method 2: Retrieve the data from the datamap during the runtime of the script. The
datamap is able to be read and be written to at runtime, so you can change, add, or
remove any data map entry in the datamap.
LOG
The LOG variable is used to log messages to the Spectrum log. By default, the Spectrum log is
located in <SPECTRUM_HOME>\product\logs. This log is managed by using the same
mechanisms that are used for all logging on the SpectrumApplicationServer. The tag for the
logger is scriptLogger.

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Script Example
LOG.debug("found key for value 1");
LOG.error(" an error occurred");
LOG.info("applying value");
LOG.warn(" an unexpected value was detected.");

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Create a Script Data Source

To create a Script data source, a Document Designer 1 can use the following procedure.
1. In Design, open an existing label template or create a new label template.
2. Expand the Data Sources pane.
3. Click Script, and click . The Script Data Source dialog box is displayed.
4. Enter a name for the label data source in the Data Source Name field.
Note: The name of a label data source can include letters and numbers.
Additionally, the following characters are permitted but cannot begin or end
the name: hyphens, underscores, and periods.
5. Enter or paste your script in the Script field.
Enter Fields, Data References, and Database Columns
Use the Fields, Data Ref List, and Database Columns to enter fields and data references in a
script. Using these fields enters each reference with the proper syntax.
Verify the Script
To check the syntax of your script, click Verify Script.
If the syntax is correct, the Verify Results field displays Script verification completed
successfully.
If there are errors in the syntax, the Verify Results field displays the first error encountered.
For example, "Line 2: ReferenceError: x is not defined."
Clear the Script
To remove the current script from the Script field so that you can enter a different script, click
Clear Script.

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Script Reference

There are script methods for accessing and managing label templates, fields, and datamap.
l "Script Methods for Label Templates (Formats)" on page 326
l "Script Methods for Fields" on page 327
l "Script Methods for Field Formats" on page 329
l "Script Methods for Shapes" on page 333
l "Script Methods for Images" on page 334
l "Script Methods for Text Fields" on page 335
l "Script Methods for Character-Level Formatting" on page 337
l "Script Methods for Barcodes" on page 347
l "Script Methods for Accessing the DataMap at Runtime" on page 343
Script Methods for Label Templates (Formats)

The following table describes the methods provided for label templates (formats).
Method Value Description
findField(String) Field Retrieve a field by using its fully-qualified name.
object Example
var field = FORMAT.findField
("/Body/Text0001");
field.setVisible=false;
findFields(String) A list Find a list of fields by using a set of criteria.
of field Operation Description
objects && Logical AND
|| Logical OR
!= Not equal
== Equal
~= Equal, ignoring case
Example
var fields = FORMAT.findFields
(type=='text');
var count = fields.size;

Example Criteria
(name=='t1' || type=='label') &&
visible!='false')

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Method Value Description

getCategoryValue String Retrieve the value of a tag that is applied to an application, business
(String, String) rule, data service, device group, facility, form, image, integration,
label template, layout, process, remote site, reusable object, user, or
workflow template.
The first argument is the full path of the object to which the tag is
assigned.
The second argument is the name of the tag category.
Note: This method returns the value of a tag, not the
name of the tag category.
Example
var tagValue =
DOCUMENTLOADER.getCategoryValue
("/Company/LabelTemplates/Label0001", "Life
Cycle");

Script Methods for Fields

The following are the basic methods provided for all fields. Each type of field may have
additional methods provided.
Tip: Script methods with names beginning with get or is retrieve the current value
for a property. Script methods with names beginning with set or move configure a
value for the property.

Method Value Description

getName() String The name of the area. "Body" is the main area.
Example
var name = Field.getName();
getType() String The type of the field.
Example
var type = Field.getType();
getDataRef() String The alias of the field. This is not the fully qualified key.
setDataRef(String) Examples
var alias = Field.getDataRef();
Field.setDataRef("/myref");

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Method Value Description

getFullyQualifiedKey String The fully qualified key for the field.
() Namespace Name Data Ref Value
body nm -- /body/nm
body nm dr /body/dr
body nm /dr /dr
Example
var fqn = getFullyQualifiedKey();
isVisible() boolean Whether the field is visible.
setVisible(boolean) Example
var visible = Field.isVisible();
Field.setVisible(true);
getFormatProxy() Field The field format object from the field.
format Example
object var format = Field.getFormatProxy();
getDefaultData() String The value of the default data.
setDefaultData Examples
(String) var default = Field.getDefaultData();
Field.setDefaultData("newvalue");
getPrintingValue String The value that will be used at print time for this field. The map
(MAP) must be passed to the method because the value may come
from the map.
Example
var value = Field.getPrintingValue(MAP);
getData() String The value of the current static data for the field. By default, the
setData(String) return value is null.
setData() overrides the default data and the MAP values and
sets the isDataSet flag to true.
Examples
Field.setData("myvalue");
Field.getData();
clearData() Clear the static data from the field and reset the isDataSet flag
to false.
Example
clearData();

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Method Value Description

isDataSet() boolean Whether the data has been statically set on the field.
Example
var set = Field.isDataSet();

Script Methods for Field Formats

The following are basic methods provided for all field formats. Some field formats may have
additional methods.
Tip: Script methods with names beginning with get or is retrieve the current value
for a property. Script methods with names beginning with set or move configure a
value for the property.
Method Value Description
getFormatType() String The type of the format.
Example
var type = fieldFormat.getFormatType
();
getTop() Int in The location of the top coordinate in 1/1000 of an inch at
1/1000 0 degrees rotation.
inch Example
var top = fieldFormat.getTop();

Note: To change this location and move the

object, use a method with a name beginning
with move.
getBottom() Int in The location of the bottom coordinate in 1/1000 of an inch
1/1000 at 0 degrees rotation.
inch Example
var bottom = fieldFormat.getBottom();

Note: To change this location and move the

object, use a method with a name beginning
with move.

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Method Value Description

getLeft() Int in The location of the left coordinate in 1/1000 of an inch at
1/1000 0 degrees rotation.
inch Example
var left = fieldFormat.getLeft();

Note: To change this location and move the

object, use a method with a name beginning
with move.
getRight() Int in The location of the right coordinate in 1/1000 of an inch at
1/1000 0 degrees rotation.
inch Example
var right = fieldFormat.getRight();

Note: To change this location and move the

object, use a method with a name beginning
with move.
getHeight() Int in The height in 1/1000 of an inch.
1/1000 Example
inch var height = fieldFormat.getHeight();
getWidth() Int in The width in 1/1000 of an inch.
1/1000 Example
inch var width = fieldFormat.getWidth();
getRotation() Int The rotation in single degree increments from 0 to 359.
setRotation() degrees Example
var rotation =
fieldFormat.getRotation();
fieldFormat.setRotation(90);
getRotatedTop() Int The top coordinate at the rotated angle. This point may not
1/1000 reside on the object if the angle is something other than 0,
inch 90, 180, or 270 degrees.
getRotatedLeft() Int The left coordinate at the rotated angle. This point may not
1/1000 reside on the object if the angle is something other than 0,
inch 90, 180, or 270 degrees.
getCenterX() Int The horizontal center of the object.
1/1000
inch

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Method Value Description

getCenterY() Int The vertical center of the object.
1/1000
inch
isVisible() boolean Whether the field format is visible.
setVisible(boolean) Example
var visible = fieldFormat.isVisible
();
fieldFormat.setVisible(true);
isFlipHorizontal() boolean Whether the format is flipped horizontally.
setFlipHorizontal() Example
var flipped =
fieldFormat.isFlipHorizontal();
fieldFormat.setFlipHorizontal();
getForegroundColor () Color The color object for the foreground color. This object
object cannot be replaced, but can be modified.
Example
var color = Field.getForegroundColor
();
getBackgroundColor () Color The color object for the background color. This object
object cannot be replaced, but can be modified.
Example
var color = Field.getBackgroundColor
();
getFormatter() Formatter The formatter object. This object cannot be replaced, but
object can be modified.
Example
var fmt = fieldFormat.getFormatter();

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Method Value Description

moveFromTopLeft Reposition the object based on the top and left coordinates.
(top,left) The rotation passed in is the final rotation expected for the
object.
Units are in 1/1000 of an inch.
Example
Field.moveFromTopLeft(200,300);

Note: For barcodes this moves the barcode

and human readable text together. Use field
format move if each should move
independently.
moveFromCenter Reposition the object based on the center coordinates.
(centerx,centery) The rotation passed in is the final rotation expected for the
object.
Units are in 1/1000 of an inch.
Example
Field.moveFromCenter(200,300);
moveGroupFromCenter Reposition a barcode and human readable text object based
(centerx,centery) on the center coordinates.
The rotation is based on the rotation of the barcode only.
The human readable text rotation is changed relative to this
rotation.
Example
Field.moveGroupFromCenter(3000,3000);

Note: For barcodes this moves the barcode

and human readable text together. Use field
format move if each should move
independently.
moveFromCenter Reposition the field based on the center coordinates. The
(centerx,centery,rotation) rotation passed in is the final rotation expected for the
object.
Units are in 1/1000 of an inch.
Example
Field.moveFromCenter(200,300,0);

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Method Value Description

moveGroupFromCenter Reposition a barcode and human readable text object based
(centerx,centery,rotation) on the center coordinates.
The rotation is based on the rotation of the barcode only.
The human readable text rotation is changed relative to this
rotation.
Example
Field.moveGroupFromCenter(3000,
3000,90);

Note: For barcodes this moves the barcode

and human readable text together. Use field
format move if each should move
independently.

Script Methods for Shapes

Box Field
Method Return value Description Example
getType() or type "box" The type of field var type = Box.type;
Box FieldFormat
Return
Method Description Example
value
getFormatType() or "boxFormat" The type of field var type = Box.type;
formatType
getThickness() or 1/1000 inch Retrieves the thickness of var t = Box.thickness;
thickness the line
setThickness(int) or n/a Sets the thickness of the Box.thickness = 500;
thickness line in 1/1000 th of an
inch increments.
isApplyBackgroundColor Boolean Retrieves the value var bc =
() specifying whether the box.applyBackgroundColor;
or applyBackgroundColor background color is
applied or not.
setApplyBackgroundColor n/a Sets whether the Box.applyBackgroundColor
(boolean) background color should = true;
or applyBackgroundColor be applied or not.
Line Field
Method Return value Description Example
getType() or type "line" The type of field var type = Line.type;
Line FieldFormat

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Return
Method Description Example
value
getFormatType() or "lineFormat" The type of field var type =
formatType line.type;
getThickness() or 1/1000 inch Retrieves the thickness of the line var t =
thickness line.thickness ;
setThickness(int) or n/a Sets the thickness of the line in 1/1000 of line.thickness
thickness an inch increments. = 500;
Circle Field
Method Return value Description Example
getType() or type "circle" The type of field var type = Circle.type;
Circle FieldFormat
Method Return value Description Example
getFormatType() or "circleFormat" The type of field var type = circle.type;
formatType
getThickness() or 1/1000 inch Retrieves the var t = circle.thickness ;
thickness thickness of the line
setThickness(int) or n/a Sets the thickness of circle.thickness = 500;
thickness the line in 1/1000 of
an inch increments.
isApplyBackgroundColor Boolean Retrieves the value var bc =
() specifying whether circle.applyBackgroundColor;
or applyBackgroundColor the background color
is applied or not.
setApplyBackgroundColor n/a Sets whether the circle.applyBackgroundColor
(boolean) background color = true;
or applyBackgroundColor should be applied or
not.
Script Methods for Images
Image Field
Return
Method Description Example
value
getType() or type "image" The type of the field var type = Image.type;
isMaintainAspectRatio() Boolean Retrieves the value for var ar =
or maintainAspectRatio specifying whether the image Image.maintainAspectRatio;
should maintain the aspect ratio
setMaintainAspectRatio none Sets whether to maintain aspect Image.maintainAspectRatio
(boolean) ratio or not. = false;

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Script Methods for Text Fields

The following tables describe methods provided for text fields.

Tip: Script methods with names beginning with get or is retrieve the current value
for a property. Script methods with names beginning with set or move configure a
value for the property.
Fixed Text Fields
Method Value Description
getType() "text" The type of field.
getPadding() String The padding style. Accepted values are:
setPadding(String) n Leading zeros
n Leading spaces
n Trailing spaces
n Center with spaces
Variable Text Fields
Method Value Description
getType() "text" The type of field.
getMaxLength() int The max number of characters.
setMaxLength(int)
getPadding() String The padding style. Accepted values are:
setPadding(String) n Leading zeros
n Leading spaces
n Trailing spaces
n Center with spaces
Text Format
Method Value Description
getFormatType() "textFormat" The type of format.
getLines() int The number of lines supported by the format.
setLines(int)
getLinespacing() float The spacing between lines.
setLinespacing(float)
getJustify() String The justification for the line.
setJustify(String) Acceptable values are:
n left
n right
n center
getCharsPerLine() int The number of characters allowed per line.
setCharsPerLine(int)
getFont() Font object The font object.
See the following "Font" section.
Font

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Method Value Description

getName() String The name of the font.
setName(String)
getCategory() String The name of the font category.
Note: This method is not related to
tag categories.
getBold() Boolean Whether the font is bold.
setBold(Boolean)
isItalic() Boolean Whether the font is italicized.
setItalic(boolean)
isInverse() Boolean Whether the font is inverse.
setInverse(boolean)
isStrikeout() Boolean Whether the strikeout effect is applied to the font.
setStrikeout(boolean)
isUnderline() Boolean Whether the font is underlined.
setUnderline(boolean)
getPointSize() Int The point size of the font.
setPointSize(int)
getScaleHeight() float The font height percentage divided by 100.
getScaleWidth() float The font width percentage divided by 100.
DotFont
Method Value Description
getXmagnification Int The magnification factor (1 to 10).
setXmagnification(int)
getYmagnification Int The magnification factor (1 to 10).
setYmagnification(int)
FlexiFont
Method Value Description
getCharHeight() float The character height in thousandths of an inch (mils).
setCharHeight(float)
getCharWidth() float The character width in thousandths of an inch (mils).
setCharWidth(float)
TrueTypeFont
Method Value Description
getCharHeight() float The character height in thousandths of an inch (mils).
setCharHeight(float)

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Method Value Description

getCharWidth() float The character width in thousandths of an inch (mils).
setCharWidth(float)
Script Methods for Character-Level Formatting

The following methods are provided for performing character-level formatting in fixed text and
variable text fields when using Script data sources. These methods are not supported in business
rules.
Note: Character-level formatting is supported for TrueType fonts only. Also,
you cannot use a Character-Level format source to format the human readable text
associated with a barcode or to format fields in the data entry form of a label
template.

Tip: You can use a Character-Level format source to configure character-level

formatting instead. Script data sources override Character-Level format sources and
field-level formatting that is configured in the Properties pane. For more
information, see " Configuring Format Sources" on page 425.
Example

Except where noted otherwise, each method returns a reference to the text field
being modified. This allows you to use a chaining approach. In this example, the
first eight characters are formatted with a strikethrough effect, an italic effect, and
gray text color.
var myField = getField("/Body/Text0001");
myField.addEffect("STRIKETHROUGH",0,7).addEffect("ITALIC",0,7)
.addStyle("FOREGROUND","#CCCCCC",0,7);

Tip: For more examples, see "Script Examples: Individually Format Characters
within a Field" on page 388.
Character Selection by Pattern
You can use literal text or use a regular expression as a pattern to specify text to which a style or
effect should be applied.
Important! Patterns for character-level formatting and for values returned from
data map entries are governed by the Java syntax for regular expressions.
Escape sequences are required for the following characters. Precede the character
with a backslash.
<>()[]{}|^-=+*$!?.\

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By default, literal text within a pattern is case sensitive. You can make a pattern
case insensitive by beginning it with the special construct (?i). If you configure
both patterns and ranges in a Character-Level format source, ranges are resolved
before patterns.
For more information about Java syntax for regular expressions, see The Java
Tutorials: Regular Expressions on the Oracle website.
Methods Description
addEffect Apply the specified effect to characters in the text field that are specified
(effect, pattern) by the pattern.
Example
var field1=getField("/Body/Text0001");
field1.addEffect("BOLD","(?i)(Peanuts)");
field1.addEffect("BOLD","Warning");
field1.addEffect("ITALIC","Warning");
addStyle(style, Apply the specified style and value to characters in the text field that are
value, pattern) specified by the pattern.
Example
var field1=getField("/Body/Text0001");
field1.addStyle("FONT","Arial","Note");
getEffectsList Create a list of effects to be applied. You can add and remove items from
() the list by using add and delete methods for lists. Apply all effects in the
add(effect) list to characters in the text field specified by the pattern.
delete(effect) Example
addEffectMulti var field1=getField("/Body/Text0001");
(effects_list, var myList=field1.getEffectsList();
pattern)
myList.add("BOLD");
myList.add("ITALIC");
field1.addEffectMulti(myList,"Note");

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Methods Description
getStyleMap() Create a map of effects and of styles and associated values. You can add
add(style,value) and remove items from the map by using add and delete methods for
delete(style) maps. For effects, specify an empty string as the value. Apply all of the
addStyleMulti styles and effects in the map to characters in the text field specified by the
(style_map, pattern.
pattern) Example
var field1=getField("/Body/Text0001");
var myStyleMap=field1.getStyleMap();
myStyleMap.add("FONT","Arial");
myStyleMap.add("SIZE","14");
myStyleMap.add("BOLD","");
field1.addStyleMulti(myStyleMap,"Note");
Character Selection by Range
You can use a numeric range of character positions within a text field to specify text to which a
style or effect should be applied.
Methods Description
addEffect Apply the specified effect to the text field beginning at the position
(effect, start, end) specified by start through the position specified by end.
Example
var field1=getField("/Body/Text0001");
field1.addEffect("BOLD",0,7);
addStyle(style, Apply the specified style and value to the text field beginning at the
value, start, end) position specified by start through the position specified by end.
Example
var field1=getField("/Body/Text0001");
field1.addStyle("SIZE","14",0,7);
getEffectsList Create a list of effects to be applied. You can add and remove items from
() the list by using add and delete methods for lists. Apply all effects in the
add(effect) list to the text field beginning at the position specified by start through the
delete(effect) position specified by end.
addEffectMulti Example
(effects_list, var field1=getField("/Body/Text0001");
start, end) var myList=field1.getEffectsList();
myList.add("ITALIC");
myList.add("STRIKETHROUGH");
field1.addEffectMulti(myList,0,7);

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Methods Description
getStyleMap() Create a map of effects and of styles and associated values. You can add
add(style,value) and remove items from the map by using add and delete methods for
delete(style) maps. For effects, specify an empty string as the value. Apply all of the
addStyleMulti styles and effects to the text field beginning at the position specified by
(style_map, start, start through the position specified by end.
end) Example
var field1=getField("/Body/Text0001");
var myStyleMap=field1.getStyleMap();
myStyleMap.add("FONT","Arial");
myStyleMap.add("SIZE","14");
myStyleMap.add("BOLD","");
field1.addStyleMulti(myStyleMap,0,7);
Clearing Character-Level Formatting
You can remove character-level formatting from a text field.
Tip: To remove a style or an effect from a style map or an effects list, use delete
(style) or delete(effect).
Methods Description
clearStyles() Remove all styles and effects from the text field.
Example
var field1=getField("/Body/Text0001");
...
field1.clearStyles();
removeEffect(effect) Remove all occurrences of the specified effect from the text field.
Example
var field1=getField("/Body/Text0001");
field1.addEffect("ITALIC","Note");
...
field1.removeEffect("ITALIC");
removeStyle(style) Remove all occurrences of the specified style from the text field.
Example
var field1=getField("/Body/Text0001");
field1.addStyle("SIZE","14","Note");
...
field1.removeStyle("SIZE");
Arguments

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The arguments used in the preceding methods include effects, styles, and other arguments.
Effects
Effects are string values and are not case sensitive.
Note: If multiple effects (such as BOLD and ITALIC) are applied to a the same
character, all of the effects are used.
Effect Description
BOLD Apply a bold, italic, strikethrough, subscript, superscript, or
ITALIC underline formatting effect to the text.
STRIKETHROUGH
SUBSCRIPT
SUPERSCRIPT
UNDERLINE
Styles and Values
Styles and values are string values. Styles are not case sensitive.
Note: If more than one value for a style (such as 12 and 14 for SIZE) is applied to
the same character, the last value applied is used.

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Style Description Value

BACKGROUND Apply the specified fill The RGB color in hexadecimal format, or any
color. of the following color names:
BLACK
BLUE
CYAN
GRAY
DARK_GRAY
LIGHT_GRAY
GREEN
MAGENTA
ORANGE
FOREGROUND Apply the specified text PINK
color. RED
WHITE
YELLOW
Note: Color names are not case
sensitive.
Examples

"GRAY"
"#CCCCCC"
FONT Apply the specified font The name of the font.
to the text. Example

"Arial"
SIZE Apply the specified font The font size in points. Note that this is a
size to the text. string value.
Example

"12"

Other Arguments
The following is additional detail about the other arguments described in the methods for
character-level formatting. The argument names shown here are merely placeholders for
whatever variables you define.

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Argument Type Description

start int The position of the first character to which the style or effect
should be applied.
Important! In a Script data source that performs
character-level formatting, the first position in a text
field is 0. However, in a Character-Level format
source, the first position in a text field is 1. In
languages that are read left to right, this is the
leftmost position. In languages that are read right to
left, this is the rightmost position.
end int The position of the last character to which the style or effect
should be applied.
effects_list EffectsList The name of a list of effects, which behaves as a List<String>. You
can add effects to the list by using the add() method, and remove
effects by using the delete() method.
style_map StyleMap The name of a map of styles and effects, which behaves as a
Map<String,String>. You can add styles and effects to the map by
using the add() method, and remove styles and effects by using
the delete() method. Each map item has a name and a value. For
an effect, the value is an empty string.
pattern String A regular expression or literal text that specifies characters to
search for in the text field.
Script Methods for Accessing the DataMap at Runtime

The data available or generated when LoftwareSpectrum responds to a print request is stored
in a datamap. Each data map entry consists of a name (also called a key) and a value. You can use
a Script data source to access and alter data in the datamap after a print request is submitted but
before printing occurs. By using a Script data source to access the datamap, you can check for
the existence of a data map entry by using its fully-qualified name, retrieve the value of a data
map entry, change the value of a data map entry, and add new data map entries.
Note: The datamap can also be accessed and modified by using a business rule. If
a business rule and a Script data source both modify the datamap, the Script data
source is evaluated last.
You can access and modify data in the datamap by using the following methods:
Note: In the following methods, Name must be the fully-qualified name of a data
map entry, such as the name of a field or a data source. NewValue must be a text
string.
About the syntax documentation

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Vertical bars indicate that you must choose one of the options shown. Italicized items can be
named or specified by you.

Return
Method Description
Value
keyExists(Name) Boolean Determines whether the datamap contains is an entry for the
specified name.
l true: A data map entry with this name exists.

l false: No data map entry with this name exists.

Example
var dataMapEntryExists = MAP.keyExists
("/Body/Text0001");
putValue(Name, NewValue)Adds a data map entry or updates the data map entry associated
with the specified name by changing the value of that data map
entry to the new value.
Example
MAP.putValue("/Body/Text0001", "New Field
Value");
getValue(Name) Node Retrieves the value of the specified data map entry interpreted
as a node value. Null is returned if the name does not exist.
Example
var nodeVal = MAP.getValue
("/Body/Text0001");
getNodeType() String If a data map entry has been retrieved by using getValue, this
method retrieves the data type of the data map entry.
Example
var nodeVal = MAP.getValue
("/Body/Text0001");
nodeVal.getNodeType();
getStringValue String Retrieves the value of the specified data map entry interpreted
(Name) as a string value. Null is returned if the name does not exist.
Example
var stringVal = MAP.getStringValue
("/Body/Text0001");

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Return
Method Description
Value
getIntegerValue Integer Retrieves the value of the specified data map entry interpreted
(Name) as an integer value. Null is returned if the name does not exist.
Example
var integerVal = MAP.getIntegerValue
("/Body/Text0001");
getDoubleValue Double Retrieves the value of the specified data map entry interpreted
(Name) as a double-length integer value. Null is returned if the name
does not exist.
Example
var doubleVal = MAP.getDoubleValue
("/Body/Text0001");
getDateValue Date Retrieves the value of the specified data map entry interpreted
(Name) as a date value. Null is returned if the name does not exist.
This method is useful for taking a binary Date value from a
Database data source, and converting it to a human readable
date value. This method should only be called using a data
source name parameter that has the Date data type and has data
values that are binary.
By default, the returned date is in the following format:
EEE MMM dd hh:mm:ss z yyyy
The following is an example of a date using this format:
Mon Mar 26 00:00:00 EDT 2012
For more information, see "Date/Time Data Source Formats"
on page 391.
Example
var dateVal = MAP.getDateValue
("/Body/Text0001");
getBinaryValue Byte Retrieves the value of the specified data map entry interpreted
(Name) array as a byte array value. Null is returned if the name does not exist.
Example
var binaryVal = MAP.getBinaryValue
("/Body/Text0001");

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Return
Method Description
Value
getBooleanValue Boolean Retrieves the value of the specified data map entry interpreted
(Name) as a Boolean value. Null is returned if the name does not exist.
Example
var booleanVal = MAP.getBooleanValue
("/Body/Text0001");
setValue If a data map entry has been retrieved by using getValue, this
(NewValue) method changes the value of the data map entry to the specified
value.
Example
var nodeVal = MAP.getValue
("/Body/Text0001");
nodeVal.setValue("New Field Value");

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Script Methods for Barcodes

The following are the barcode symbologies supported by LoftwareSpectrum, linked to the
script methods available for each symbology.
Common Methods

Script methods common to all symbologies

Symbology-Specific Methods
Linear
Symbology More Information
Code 39 Commonly used variable length symbology restricted to 43
characters. ISO/IEC 16388.
Code 39 Extended (Full ASCII) Code 39
Full ASCII
Code 93 Enhanced Code 39
Code 93 Extended (Full ASCII) Code 93
Full ASCII
Code 128 High density alphanumeric/numeric symbology. ISO/IEC
15417.
EAN-8 World-wide, GS1 approved symbology. ISO/IEC 15420.
EAN-13 World-wide, GS1 approved symbology. ISO/IEC 15420.
Interleaved Typically non-retail packaging. ISO/IEC 16390.
2 of 5
POSTNET There are no methods unique to a Postal Numeric Encoding
Technique (POSTNET) barcode.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) replaced POSTNET
with USPS Intelligent Mail in January 2013.
UPC-A Universal Product Code. ISO/IEC 15420.
UPC-E Zero-suppressed version of UPC-A
USPS The United States Postal Service (USPS) requires the use of a
Intelligent USPS Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb) to qualify for automation
Mail prices.
2D
Symbology More Information
Aztec ISO/IEC 24778
DataMatrix ISO/IEC 16022
MaxiCode Primarily used by United Parcel Service.
MicroPDF417 Smaller version of PDF417
PDF417 Stacked linear barcode. ISO/IEC 15438.

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Symbology More Information

QR Code ISO/IEC 18004
GS1
Refer to the GS1 General Specification for the appropriate usage and encoding of GS1
Symbologies.
Symbology
GS1 DataBar
GS1 DataMatrix
GS1-128
ITF-14

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EAN/UPC

Barcodes using these symbologies are typically used on items to be scanned at point-of-sale.
Symbology
EAN-8
EAN-13
UPC-A
UPC-E

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Composite

Composite barcodes have a 2D portion followed by a linear portion. In the barcode data, the 2D
portion appears first and is followed by a composite delimiter (|) and then the linear portion.
Within a Formula data source, the composite delimiter can be represented by the COMPDELIM
() function.
In addition to the Max Chars property, Spectrum also displays 2D Max Chars and Linear
Max Chars for composite barcodes objects in Design. Otherwise, a composite barcode uses
the same symbology as the related type of linear barcode.
Symbology
EAN-8 Composite
EAN-13 Composite
GS1 DataBar Composite
GS1-128 Composite
UPC-A Composite
UPC-E Composite
Common Script Methods for Barcodes

The following methods are common to all barcode symbologies. For symbology-specific
methods, see "Script Methods for Barcodes" on page 347.
Barcode Field
Method Return value or type Description
getType() "barcode" Retrieve the type of field.
getBarcodeFormatProxy()FieldFormat Retrieve the barcode field format.
getFormatProxy() FieldFormat Retrieve the human readable field format.
getMaxLength() int Retrieve the maximum number of characters.
setMaxLength(int) Set the maximum number of characters.
getPadding() String Retrieve the padding style.
setPadding(String) Set the padding style to use. The following
values are accepted:
n Leading zeros
n Leading spaces
n Trailing spaces
n Center with spaces

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Method Return value or type Description

getFormatType() code128Format Retrieve the type of barcode.
code39Format
code93Format
azteccodeFormat
dataMatrixFormat
ean13Format
ean8Format
gs1CompositeFormat
gs1Format
interleaved2of5Format
maxicodeFormat
microPDF417Format
pdf417Format
postnetFormat
qrcodeFormat
upcaFormat
upce6Format
uspsIntelMailFormat
Barcode Format

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Method Return value or type Description

getSymbology() code39 Retrieve the type of barcode.
extCode39
code93
extCode93
code128
dataMatrix
ean13
ean8
gs1Composite (for
GS1 DataBar
Composite)
gs1 (for GS1 DataBar)
gs1DataMatrix
interleaved2of5
maxicode
itf14
micropdf417
pdf417
postnet
qrcode
gs1128Gen
upca
upce6
gs1128Composite
upcaComposite
ean8Composite
ean13Composite
uspsIntelMail
azteccode
isShowStartStop boolean Returns whether the Start/Stop character is to be
() displayed in the human readable text for the barcode.
setShowStartStop Sets whether the Start/Stop character is to be
(boolean) displayed in the human readable text for the barcode.
Code 39 and Code 39 Full ASCII Script Methods

The following script methods are specific to this barcode symbology. Additionally, you can use
the "Common Script Methods for Barcodes" on page 350.

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Tip: Script methods with names beginning with get or is retrieve the current value
for a property. Script methods with names beginning with set configure a value for
the property.
Code 39 Full ASCII is also known as Code 39 Extended (Ext).
Methods Description Values
getBarHeight() The height of the bars in the barcode. Thousandths
setBarHeight(long) of an inch
(mil)
getCheckDigit() Add an optional check digit to the barcode. None
setCheckDigit(String) The listed check digits are optional forms of Mod 43
getUserGeneratedCheckDigit the selected symbology (For Example: Code User Mod
() 39 or Code 39 with check). 43
Special purpose check digits can be added to
the barcode using the Formula data source.
Note: When a form that includes
a check digit is used, the Data
Provider 1 is not alerted if the
check digit fails.
getDataIdentifier() Data entered in this field will be encoded in
setDataIdentifier(String) the barcode but will not print in the human
readable text field for the barcode.
Data Identifiers are used to help the scanner
identify the field.
For Example
For an AIAG label, a barcode
with a data identifier of P
contains a part number, a data
identifier of Q signifies a
quantity field and a data
identifier of S signifies a serial
number field.
getHumanReadable() Whether a text representation of the barcode None
setHumanReadable(String) is printed. freeFloating
The human readable text can be positioned
anywhere on the label (free floating).

1Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.

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Methods Description Values

getXdim() The width of the module (narrow bar) of the Thousandths
setXdim(float) barcode. The range of values available varies of an inch
with the Document DPI of the label template. (mil)
setRatio(String) The ratio of the wide bar to the narrow bar. 2.0:1 to
The ratio can be used to create intermediate 3.0:1 in
sizes between different X-dimensions. fixed
For Example increments

For Ratio 3.0:1, the wide bars

are three times the size of the
narrow bars.

Code 93 and Code 93 Full ASCII Script Methods

The following script methods are specific to this barcode symbology. Additionally, you can use
the "Common Script Methods for Barcodes" on page 350.
Tip: Script methods with names beginning with get or is retrieve the current value
for a property. Script methods with names beginning with set configure a value for
the property.
Code 93 Full ASCII is also known as Code 93 Extended (Ext).
Methods Description Values
getBarHeight() The height of the bars in the barcode. Thousandths
setBarHeight(long) of an inch
(mil)
getDataIdentifier() Data entered in this field will be encoded in the barcode
setDataIdentifier but will not print in the human readable text field for the
(String) barcode.
Data Identifiers are used to help the scanner identify the
field.
For Example
For an AIAG label, a barcode with a data
identifier of P contains a part number, a
data identifier of Q signifies a quantity field
and a data identifier of S signifies a serial
number field.

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Methods Description Values

getHumanReadable Whether a text representation of the barcode is printed. None
() The human readable text can be positioned anywhere on freeFloating
setHumanReadable the label (free floating).
(String)
getXdim() The width of the module (narrow bar) of the barcode. Thousandths
setXdim(float) The range of values available varies with the Document of an inch
DPI of the label template. (mil)
Code 128, GS1-128, and Composite Script Methods

The following script methods are specific to this barcode symbology. Additionally, you can use
the "Common Script Methods for Barcodes" on page 350.
Tip: Script methods with names beginning with get or is retrieve the current value
for a property. Script methods with names beginning with set configure a value for
the property.

Note: For GS1-128 and GS1-128 Composite barcodes, the first two digits in the
data provided are assumed to be the application identifier. Optionally, these digits
may be enclosed in parentheses.

Note: Composite barcodes have a 2D portion followed by a linear portion. In the

barcode data, the 2D portion appears first and is followed by a composite delimiter
(|) and then the linear portion.

Methods Description Values

getBarHeight() The height of the bars in the Thousandths of an
setBarHeight(long) barcode. inch (mil)

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Methods Description Values

getCheckDigit() Whether to add an optional None
setCheckDigit(String) check digit to the barcode. Mod 10 (Code 128
getUserGeneratedCheckDigit The listed check digits are only)
() optional forms of the selected GS1 Mod 10
symbology (For Example: Code Mod 7 (Code 128
128 or Code 128 with check). only)
Special purpose check digits User Mod 10 (Code
can be added to the barcode by 128 only)
using a Formula data source. User GS1 Mod 10
Note: When a (Code 128 only)
form that includes User Mod 7 (Code
a check digit is 128 only)
used, the Data
Provider 1 is not
alerted if the
check digit fails.

1Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.

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Methods Description Values

getDataIdentifier() Data entered in this field will be
setDataIdentifier(String) encoded in the barcode but will
not print in the human readable
text field for the barcode.
Data Identifiers are used to help
the scanner identify the field.
For Example
For an AIAG
label, a barcode
with a data
identifier of P
contains a part
number, a data
identifier of Q
signifies a quantity
field and a data
identifier of S
signifies a serial
number field.
Note: This
property is not
available for GS1-
128 Composite
barcodes.
getHumanReadable() Whether a text representation None
setHumanReadable(String) of the barcode is printed. freeFloating
The human readable text can be
positioned anywhere on the
label (free floating).
getXdim() The width of the module Thousandths of an
setXdim(float) (narrow bar) of the barcode. inch (mil)
The range of values available
varies with the Document DPI
of the label template.

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Methods Description Values

getStartCode() Specify the initial subset (code n AUTO: The device
selects a subset
setStartCode(String) set) for the barcode data. based on the data.
Note: Regardless
n A: ASCII
of the Start Code characters 00 to
specified, 95 (0-9, A-Z and
control codes),
Spectrum will special characters,
switch to a subset and Function 1-4
that supports the (FNC1-FNC4)
symbol
data if it characters.
encounters data n B: ASCII
not supported by characters 32 to
127 (0-9, A-Z, a-
the current subset. z), special
characters, and
Note: This FNC1-FNC4.
property is not n C: 00-99. Code C
produces the
available for GS1- highest density
128 barcodes and barcode and is the
GS1-128 most efficient for
encoding numeric
Composite data.
barcodes. n GS1: Inserts
Function 1 (FNC1)
symbol character.
Alphanumeric
characters, special
characters, and
symbols. Leaves
parentheses and
spaces in Human
Readable.

Aztec Code Script Methods

The following script methods are specific to this barcode symbology. Additionally, you can use
the "Common Script Methods for Barcodes" on page 350.
Tip: Script methods with names beginning with get or is retrieve the current value
for a property. Script methods with names beginning with set configure a value for
the property.
Methods Description Values
getXdim() The width of the barcode cell (module). The Thousandths of an
setXdim(float) range of values available varies with the inch (mil)
Document DPI of the label template.

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Methods Description Values

getErrorCorrection The level of error checking and correction Auto: Use the
() used in the symbol. default Error
setErrorCorrection Correction level
(String) (23%)
1-99: Error
Correction level in
percentage.
DataMatrix and GS1 DataMatrix Script Methods

The following script methods are specific to this barcode symbology. Additionally, you can use
the "Common Script Methods for Barcodes" on page 350.
Tip: Script methods with names beginning with get or is retrieve the current value
for a property. Script methods with names beginning with set configure a value for
the property.
Methods Description Values
getCellWidth() The width of the barcode cell (module). Thousandths of an inch
setCellWidth(int) The range of values available varies with (mil)
the Document DPI of the label template.
getSymbolSize() The number of rows and columns in the Auto
setSymbolSize symbol. For more information, see the Square Form: 10x10 to
(String) "Symbol Size" section following this table. 144x144
Note: This value limits Max Rectangular Form: 8x18 to
Chars. 16x48

getErrorCorrection The level of error checking and correction ECC 0

() employed in the symbol. ECC 50
setErrorCorrection Note: The current ECC 80
(String) DataMatrix standard requires ECC 100
the use of ECC 200. ECC 140
ECC 200 (recommended)

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Methods Description Values

getFormatID() Defines the type of data that can be 1: Numeric digits 0
setFormatID(int) encoded in the symbol. through 9 and the space
Note: If the Error Correction character
Level is set to ECC 200, the 2: Upper case alpha A-Z
Format ID is not used. and the space character
3: Upper case
alphanumeric A-Z, 0-9,
and the space character
4: A-Z, 0-9, space, minus,
period, comma, and
forward slash (/)
5: 7 bit ASCIIall ASCII
characters between ASCII
0 through ASCII 127
6: 8-bit ASCIIall ASCII
characters between ASCII
0 through ASCII 255
Additional Methods
The following methods do not have corresponding controls for barcode objects in the Spectrum
user interface.
Methods Description Values
getRows() The number of rows in the symbol. For more information, see the
setRows(int) "Symbol Size" section following this table.
getColumns() The number of columns in the symbol. For more information, see
setColumns the "Symbol Size" section following this table.
(int)
getCellHeight The height of the barcode cell (module). The range of values
() available varies with the Document DPI of the label template.
setCellHeight
(int)
Symbol Size
The Symbol Size is the number of rows and columns in the symbol. The Symbol Size and
whether the data represented by the symbol is numeric, alphanumeric, or binary, limits the
maximum number of characters that can be represented by the symbol. You can configure the
value of Max Chars to further limit the number of characters allowed.
When you select a Symbol Size other than Auto, the value of Max Chars is changed to the
maximum number of numeric characters that can be represented by the symbol. The value of
Max Chars displayed is not dynamically updated to correspond to the type of data to which the

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data ref points, and you cannot explicitly define the data type in Spectrum. If the data can be
alphanumeric or binary, you should reduce the value of Max Chars to the limit shown in the
following table to ensure that data incorporated into the symbol is not unexpectedly truncated.
Note: If you select Auto for the Symbol Size, the value of Max Chars is not
changed automatically. However, with Auto selected, you can configure Max Chars
to any value up to 3116, which is the number of numeric characters that can be
represented when using a Symbol Size of 144x144.

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Square Form

Maximum Characters Possible

Symbol Size
Numeric Alphanumeric Binary
10x10 6 3 1
12x12 10 6 3
14x14 16 10 6
16x16 24 16 10
18x18 36 25 16
20x20 44 31 20
22x22 60 43 28
24x24 72 52 34
26x26 88 64 42
32x32 124 91 60
36x36 172 127 84
40x40 228 169 112
44x44 288 214 142
48x48 348 259 172
52x52 408 304 202
64x64 560 418 278
72x72 736 550 366
80x80 912 682 454
88x88 1152 862 574
96x96 1392 1042 694
104x104 1632 1222 814
120x120 2100 1573 1048
132x132 2608 1954 1302
144x144 3116 2335 1556

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Rectangular Form

Maximum Characters Possible

Symbol Size
Numeric Alphanumeric Binary
8x18 10 6 3
8x32 20 13 8
12x26 32 22 14
12x36 44 31 20
16x36 64 46 30
16x48 98 72 47
EAN 8, EAN 13, and Composite Script Methods

The following properties are specific to this barcode symbology. Additionally, barcode fields
using this symbology have properties that are common to all barcode fields.

Note: Composite barcodes have a 2D portion followed by a linear portion. In the

barcode data, the 2D portion appears first and is followed by a composite delimiter
(|) and then the linear portion.

Methods Description Values

getBarHeight() The height of the bars in the barcode. Thousandths
setBarHeight(long) of an inch
(mil)
getExtension() Whether a 2 or 5 digit extension is to be used. UPC none or None
setExtension extensions are used to extend the range of available plus2
(String) part numbers that can be encoded in EAN 13 and plus5
EAN 13 Composite barcodes.
Note: This property affects Max Chars.

Note: This property is not available for

EAN 8 and EAN 8 Composite barcodes.
getHumanReadable Whether a text representation of the barcode is None
() printed. The human readable text is in a fixed position Fixed Below
setHumanReadable below the barcode.
(String)
getXdim() The width of the module (narrow bar) of the barcode. Thousandths
setXdim(float) The range of values available varies with the of an inch
Document DPI of the label template. (mil)
GS1 DataBar and Composite Script Methods

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The following script methods are specific to this barcode symbology. Additionally, you can use
the "Common Script Methods for Barcodes" on page 350.
Tip: Script methods with names beginning with get or is retrieve the current value
for a property. Script methods with names beginning with set configure a value for
the property.

Note: Composite barcodes have a 2D portion followed by a linear portion. In the

barcode data, the 2D portion appears first and is followed by a composite delimiter
(|) and then the linear portion.

Methods Description Values

getBarHeight() The height of the bars in the barcode. Thousandths of
setBarHeight(long) an inch (mil)
getType() Which variation of the GS1 DataBar symbology is Omnidirectional
setType(String) used.
Note: This property affects Max Truncated
Chars. Stacked
Stacked
Omnidirectional
Limited
Expanded
Expanded
Stacked
The degree to which the barcode is stacked. 2-22
Note: The Segments property is
available only if the GS1 DataBar
Type is Expanded Stacked.
getHumanReadable Whether a text representation of the barcode is None
() printed. freeFloating
setHumanReadable The human readable text can be positioned anywhere
(String) on the label (free floating).
getXdim() The width of the module (narrow bar) of the barcode. Thousandths of
setXdim(float) The range of values available varies with the an inch (mil)
Document DPI of the label template.
Interleaved 2 of 5 and ITF-14 Script Methods

The following script methods are specific to this barcode symbology. Additionally, you can use
the "Common Script Methods for Barcodes" on page 350.

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Tip: Script methods with names beginning with get or is retrieve the current value
for a property. Script methods with names beginning with set configure a value for
the property.
Methods Description Values
getBarHeight() The height of the bars in the barcode. Thousandths of
setBarHeight(long) an inch (mil)
getCheckDigit() Add an optional check digit to the None
setCheckDigit(String) barcode. Mod 10
getUserGeneratedCheckDigit The listed check digits are optional User Mod 10
() forms of the selected symbology. (Interleaved 2
Special purpose check digits can be of 5 only)
added to the barcode using the
Formula data source.
Note: Specifying a value
other than None
decreases Max Chars to
allow a character for the
check digit, which is not
counted toward the value
of Max Chars.

Note: When a form that

includes a check digit is
used, the Data
Provider 1 is not alerted
if the check digit fails.
getHumanReadable() Whether a text representation of the None
setHumanReadable(String) barcode is printed. freeFloating
The human readable text can be
positioned anywhere on the label (free
floating).
Bearer bars are used to reduce the None
chance that a non-fixed length symbol Top/Bottom
is incorrectly read. Rectangle

1Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.

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Methods Description Values

getXdim() The width of the module (narrow bar) Thousandths of
setXdim(float) of the barcode. The range of values an inch (mil)
available varies with the Document
DPI of the label template.
getRatio() The ratio of the wide bar to the narrow 2.0:1
setRatio(String) bar. The ratio can be used to create 2.1:1
intermediate sizes between different 2.2:1
X-dimensions. 2.25:1
For Example 2.3:1
2.4:1
For Ratio 3.0:1, the wide 2.5:1
bars are three times the 2.6:1
size of the narrow bars.
2.7:1
2.8:1
2.9:1
3.0:1
Additional Methods
The following methods do not have corresponding controls for barcode objects in the Spectrum
user interface.
Methods Description Values
getHrzBearerWidth()
setHrzBearerWidth(double)
getVrtBearerWidth()
setVrtBearerWidth(double)
MaxiCode Script Methods

The following script methods are specific to this barcode symbology. Additionally, you can use
the "Common Script Methods for Barcodes" on page 350.
Tip: Script methods with names beginning with get or is retrieve the current value
for a property. Script methods with names beginning with set configure a value for
the property.
Methods Description Values
getCurrentSymbol When used with the structured append format, the position of 0-8
() the symbol in a set.
setCurrentSymbol
(int)

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Methods Description Values

getMode() Modes 0 and 1 are part of the original MaxiCode specification 0
setMode(int) and are now considered obsolete. 1
Mode 2 is used for Domestic U.S. destinations. 2
Mode 3 is used for non U.S. destinations. 3
Mode 4 is free form data entry. 4
Mode 5, if supported by the device, is used for free form data 5
entry with Full Enhanced Error Correction. 6
Mode 6 is used for reader programming only.
getTotalSymbols When used with the structured append format, the total 0-8
() number of the symbols in a set.
setTotalSymbols
(int)
Additional Methods
The following methods do not have corresponding controls for barcode objects in the Spectrum
user interface.
Methods Description Values
getRows() The number of rows in the symbol. For more information, see the
setRows(int) "Symbol Size" section following this table.
getColumns() The number of columns in the symbol. For more information, see
setColumns the "Symbol Size" section following this table.
(int)
getCellHeight The height of the barcode cell (module). The range of values
() available varies with the Document DPI of the label template.
setCellHeight
(int)
getCellWidth The width of the barcode cell (module). The range of values
() available varies with the Document DPI of the label template.
setCellWidth
(int)
MicroPDF417 Script Methods

The following script methods are specific to this barcode symbology. Additionally, you can use
the "Common Script Methods for Barcodes" on page 350.
Tip: Script methods with names beginning with get or is retrieve the current value
for a property. Script methods with names beginning with set configure a value for
the property.

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Methods Description Values

getXdim() The width of the barcode cell (module). The range of Thousandths of
setXdim(float) values available varies with the Document DPI of an inch (mil)
the label template.
getYdim() The height of the barcode cell (module). The range Thousandths of
setYdim(float) of values available varies with the Document DPI of an inch (mil)
the label template.
getxToYRatio The ratio of Line Y-Dim to Line X-Dim.
()
setxToYRatio
(double)
getSymbolSize The discreet size of the symbol expressed in number 1-4 columns
() of columns by number of rows. rows vary
setSymbolSize Note: This value limits Max Chars. depending on
(String) columns used.
Additional Methods
The following methods do not have corresponding controls for barcode objects in the Spectrum
user interface.
Methods Description Values
getRows() The number of rows in the symbol.
setRows(int)
getColumns() The number of columns in the symbol.
setColumns
(int)
getCellHeight The height of the barcode cell (module). The range of values
() available varies with the Document DPI of the label template.
setCellHeight
(int)
getCellWidth The width of the barcode cell (module). The range of values
() available varies with the Document DPI of the label template.
setCellWidth
(int)
PDF417 Script Methods

The following script methods are specific to this barcode symbology. Additionally, you can use
the "Common Script Methods for Barcodes" on page 350.

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Tip: Script methods with names beginning with get or is retrieve the current value
for a property. Script methods with names beginning with set configure a value for
the property.

Tip: If the amount of data in a barcode exceeds the usable space, adjust the
Columns, the Security Level, or both.

Methods Description Values

getXdim() The width of the barcode cell (module). The Thousandths of
setXdim(float) range of values available varies with the an inch (mil)
Document DPI of the label template.
getYdim() The height of the barcode cell (module). The Thousandths of
setYdim(float) range of values available varies with the an inch (mil)
Document DPI of the label template.
getxToYRatio() The ratio of Line Y-Dim to Line X-Dim.
setxToYRatio(double)
getColumns() The number of columns in the symbol. Each
setColumns(int) column consists of multiple modules.
getSecurity() The amount of destruction the symbol can 0-8
setSecurity(int) withstand.
A greater number increases the amount of
destruction the symbol can withstand, while
also increasing the size of the symbol.
isTruncate() Whether to truncate the barcode symbol. No/Yes
setTruncate(boolean) A truncated PDF symbol occupies a smaller
printed area than a standard symbol;
however, there is a slight degradation in
decode performance.
Additional Methods
The following methods do not have corresponding controls for barcode objects in the Spectrum
user interface.
Methods Description Values
getRows() The number of rows in the symbol.
setRows(int)
getCellHeight The height of the barcode cell (module). The range of values
() available varies with the Document DPI of the label template.
setCellHeight
(int)

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Methods Description Values

getCellWidth The width of the barcode cell (module). The range of values
() available varies with the Document DPI of the label template.
setCellWidth
(int)
QR Code Script Methods

The following script methods are specific to this barcode symbology. Additionally, you can use
the "Common Script Methods for Barcodes" on page 350.
Tip: Script methods with names beginning with get or is retrieve the current value
for a property. Script methods with names beginning with set configure a value for
the property.
Methods Description Values
getCellWidth() The width of the barcode cell Thousandths of an inch
setCellWidth(int) (module). The range of values (mil)
available varies with the
Document DPI of the label
template.
getDataEncodingMode() The type of information l Byte: 8-bit bytes

setDataEncodingMode encoded in the symbol. (binary).

(String) l Alpha:

Alphanumeric
characters and the
symbols $, %, *, +,
-, /, :, period,
comma, and space.
l Numeric: Numeric

digits
getErrorCorrection() The level of error checking l L: Approximately

setErrorCorrection(String) and correction employed in 7% error correction.

the symbol. l M: Approximately

15% error
correction.
l Q: Approximately

25% error
correction.
l H: Approximately

30% error
correction.

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For more information about encoding QR Codes, see the QR Code entry listed in "External
Links" on page 1645.
UPC-A, UPC-E, and Composite Script Methods

The following script methods are specific to this barcode symbology. Additionally, you can use
the "Common Script Methods for Barcodes" on page 350.
Tip: Script methods with names beginning with get or is retrieve the current value
for a property. Script methods with names beginning with set configure a value for
the property.

Note: If using UPC-E, provide data on which zero suppression has already been
performed.

Note: Composite barcodes have a 2D portion followed by a linear portion. In the

barcode data, the 2D portion appears first and is followed by a composite delimiter
(|) and then the linear portion.

Methods Description Values

getBarHeight() The height of the bars in the barcode. Thousandths
setBarHeight(long) of an inch
(mil)
getExtension() Whether a 2 or 5 digit extension is to be used. UPC None
getExtension extensions are used to extend the range of available part +2
(String) numbers that can be encoded. +5
Note: This property affects Max Chars.
getHumanReadable Whether a text representation of the barcode is printed. None
() The human readable text is in a fixed position below the Fixed Below
setHumanReadable barcode.
(String)

getXdim() The width of the module (narrow bar) of the barcode. Thousandths
setXdim(float) The range of values available varies with the Document of an inch
DPI of the label template. (mil)
USPS Intelligent Mail Methods

United States Postal Service (USPS) Intelligent Mail is a suite of barcode symbologies.
l For Intelligent Mail barcodes (IMb) for mailpieces (letters, cards, and flats), use the
USPS Intelligent Mail symbology.
l For Intelligent Mail Tray barcodes, use either Code 128 symbology with Start Code C or
Interleaved 2 of 5 symbology.

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l For Intelligent Mail Container barcodes, use the GS1-128 symbology with Start Code C or
B.
l For Intelligent Mail Package barcodes (IMpb), use the GS1-128 symbology with Start

Code C.
The USPS Intelligent Mail barcode for mailpieces is a 4-state barcode that consists of 65 bars
that can encode up to 31 digits. The following information can be included:
l Barcode Identifier
l Service Type Identifier (STID)
l Mailer Identifier (MID)

l Serial Number

l Routing Code, also referred to as a ZIP Code or a delivery-point code

The USPS Intelligent Mail symbology in Spectrum supports all formats for Intelligent Mail
barcodes for mailpieces. Those formats include using a 6-digit Mailer Identifier, a 9-digit Mailer
Identifier, or the Origin IMb Tracing Intelligent Mail Barcode Format.
For more information about encoding USPS Intelligent Mail barcodes, see the USPS entry listed
in "External Links" on page 1645.
The following script methods are specific to this barcode symbology. Additionally, you can use
the "Common Script Methods for Barcodes" on page 350.
Tip: Script methods with names beginning with get or is retrieve the current value
for a property. Script methods with names beginning with set configure a value for
the property.

Methods Description Values

getSymbolSize() Changes the relative height and width of all bars in the Small
setSymbolSize symbol. Medium
(String) Large

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ASCII Characters in Scripts

You can insert Lower ASCII characters into a script by using an escape sequence around the
hexadecimal value of the ASCII character. In this context, lower ASCII is the first 31 characters
of the ASCII character set.
Note: Loftware converts Upper ASCII characters, so they can be included in a
script without the escape sequence.
l Begin the escape sequence: #x
l End the escape sequence: ;

For example, this sequence would send the Backspace character:

#x08;

Lower ASCII Character Set

Character Description Decimal Hexadecimal

NUL Null Character 0 0
SOH Start of Header 1 1
STX Start of Text 2 2
ETX End of Text 3 3
EOT End of Transmission 4 4
ENQ Enquiry 5 5
ACK Acknowledgement 6 6
BEL Bell 7 7
BS Backspace 8 8
HT Horizontal Tab 9 9
LF Line Feed 10 A
VT Vertical Tab 11 B
FF Form Feed 12 C
CR Carriage Return 13 D
SO Shift Out 14 E
SI Shift In 15 F
DLE Data Link Escape 16 10
DC1 Device Control 1 (XON) 17 11
DC2 Device Control 2 18 12
DC3 Device Control 3 (XOFF) 19 13
DC4 Device Control 4 20 14

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Character Description Decimal Hexadecimal

NAK Negative Acknowledgement 21 15
SYN Synchronous Idle 22 16
ETB End of Transmission Block 23 17
CAN Cancel 24 18
EM End of Medium 25 19
SUB Substitute 26 1A
ESC Escape 27 1B
FS File Separator 28 1C
GS Group Separator 29 1D
RS Record Separator 30 1E
US Unit Separator 31 1F

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Script Examples

The following are examples of ways that you can use Script data sources.
l "Script Examples: Examine and Modify Data to be Used at Print Time" on page 375
l "Script Examples: Move Objects" on page 380
l "Script Examples: Search for Fields" on page 383
l "Script Examples: Change Rotation" on page 385
l "Script Examples: Turn Printing of Fields On or Off" on page 386
l "Script Examples: Calculate the Check Digit" on page 386
l "Script Examples: Change the Format of a Date" on page 387
l "Script Examples: Individually Format Characters within a Field" on page 388
Script Examples: Examine and Modify Data to be Used at Print Time

At print time, the data used for a field is usually pulled from the datamap (MAP). This is done
by getting the name (key) for the data map entry from the field (getFullyQualifiedKey) and then
doing a lookup in the datamap with this key to get the value. If the key does not exist, then the
default value is used. If you configure the data for the field explicitly by calling setData, then
what is configured will be used and the datamap and default data will not be checked.
Refer to the following sample fields and data for the examples that follow.
FORMAT
Field Name FQN Default data
Field1 Text0001 /Body/Text0001 Unset
Field2 Text0002 /Body/Text0002 "text2DefaultData"
Field3 Text0003 /groupedField Unset
Field4 Text0004 /groupedField Unset
Field5 Text0005 /groupedField Unset
MAP
Name (Key) Value
/Body/Text0001 "value1"
/groupedField" "value2"
Examine the Field Data Value to Print
The value to be used at print time for a field is based on conditions.
Field data has not been set and there is an entry in the datamap with the fully-qualified name of
the field will result in the value for the entry in the map to be used.
var field1 = getField("/Body/Text0001");
var dataToBePrintedForField1 =
field1.getPrintingValue(MAP);

dataToBePrintedForField1 will have the value "value1"

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Field data has not been set and no entry exists in the map for the fully-qualified name will result
in the default value for the field to be used.
var field1 = getField("/Body/Text0002");
var dataToBePrintedForField2 =
field1.getPrintingValue(MAP);

dataToBePrintedForField2 will have the value "text2DefaultData"

Field data that has been set explicitly will take precedence over a data map entry and the default
data.
var field1 = getField("/Body/Text0001");
field1.setData("explicitValue");
var dataToBePrintedForField1 =
field1.getPrintingValue(MAP);

dataToBePrintedForField1 will have the value "explicitValue"

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Override the field data for a single field

The field's data can be explicitly set by setting it directly on the field.
var field1 = getField("/Body/Text0001");
field1.setData("mystaticdata");
var dataToBePrintedForField1 =
field1.getPrintingValue(MAP);

dataToBePrintedForField1 will have the value "mystaticdata"

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Checking whether a fields data has been explicitly set

var field1 = getField("/Body/Text0001");
var isSet = field1.isDataSet(); -- isSet will return false,
because the script has not set the data on the field.

field1.setData("explicitValue");
var isSetNow = field1.isDataSet(); -- isSetNow will
return true, because the script data has been set.

field1.clearData()
var isSetAfterClear = field1.isDataSet(); --
isSetAfterClear will return false, because the script
data has been cleared.

field1.setData(null);
var isSetWithNull = field1.isDataSet(); -- isSetWithNull
will return true, because the script data has been set.

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Override the field data for multiple fields with the same data reference
This example expects that there are a few fields on the label that have the same fully qualified
name. Refer to Text0003, Text0004, Text0005 in the example data above.
var field3 = getField("/Body/Text0003");
var fqn = field3.getFullyQualifiedName(); -- the FQN in
this case will be "/groupedField"
MAP.setValueForKey(fqn,"myglobalvalue");

var field4 = getField("/Body/Text0004");

var field5 = getField("/Body/Text0005");

var dataToBePrintedForField3 =
field3.getPrintingValue(MAP);
var dataToBePrintedForField4 =
field4.getPrintingValue(MAP);
var dataToBePrintedForField5 =
field5.getPrintingValue(MAP);

dataToBePrintedForField3, dataToBePrintedForField4, and dataToBePrintedForField5 will all

have the same value of "myglobalvalue"

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Change the default value of a field

var field2 = getField("/Body/Text0002");
field2.setDefaultData("mynewDefaultData");

var dataToBePrintedForField2 =
field2.getPrintingValue(MAP);

dataToBePrintedForField2 will be set to the value "mynewDefaultData"

Script Examples: Move Objects
Moving Fields Around on the Label
You can move a field on the label based on its center position or its top-left coordinates. When
you rotate a field, it is always based on its center position, and the value you provide is the final
rotation that you would like the field to be rotated, not the product of the intended rotation
minus its current rotation.
The values passed to these methods are in 1/1000 of an inch, so a value of 3000 is 3 inches.

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Barcode Rotation Considerations

All fields with the exception of barcodes have a single object associated with them. Barcodes
can have either just a barcode or a barcode and human readable pair.
There are some special calls that are available for rotating barcodes as a group. These calls have
the word Group in them.
lmoveGroupFromCenter
l rotateGroup

l moveGroupFromTopLeft

Take care when using these calls where the human readable is not in close proximity to the
barcode as the call may have unintended consequences.
The standard move and rotate commands shown in the first examples will only move and rotate
the barcode itself.
Barcodes can only be rotated at 0, 90, 180, and 270 degrees. A barcode's human readable fields
can be rotated all 360 degrees.
Move a Field by its Center Position
The following example moves a box from its current position to centered at 3 inch by 3 inch on
the label.
var box = getField("/Body/Box0001");
box.moveFromCenter(3000,3000);

To move the box relative to its current position by some distance use the following:
var box = getField("/Body/Box0001");
box.moveFromCenter
(box.centerX+500,box.centerY+250);

This moves the box .5 inch to the right and .25 inch lower on the label from its current position.
Move and Rotate a Field by its Center Position
The following example moves a box from its current position to centered at 3 inch by 3 inch on
the label, and then rotates it to the 90 degree position. If it is already at 90 degrees then no
rotation will be applied.
var box = getField("/Body/Box0001");
box.moveFromCenter(3000,3000,90);

Move a Field by its Top/Left Corner Position

The following example moves a box from its current position to a position where its top left
coordinate will be at 3 inch by 3 inch on the label.
var box = getField("/Body/Box0001");
box.moveFromTopLeft(3000,3000);

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If you want to move it relative to its current position by some delta then do the following:
var box = getField("/Body/Box0001");
box.moveFromTopLeft
(box.rotatedTop+250,box.rotatedLeft+500);

This moves the box a half an inch to the right and a inch down the label from its current
position.
Note: The top/left coordinates are based on the bounding rectangle of the field.
This means that if the field is rotated at an "off-axis position (NOT one of 0, 90,
180 or 270) then the top/left position will be a point that is not on the object, but
a projection of the topmost and leftmost points of the object. For example,
consider an object rotated at 30 degrees where the leftmost corner is the
bottom/left corner and the topmost corner is the top/left corner.
Move and Rotate a Field by its Top/Left Corner Position
The following example moves a box from its current position to a position where its top left
coordinate will be at 3 by 3 on the label before rotation, and then it is rotated 90 degrees.
Unless the box is a square, the final top/left will not be at 3 by 3.
var bar1 = getField("/Body/Box0001");
bar1.moveFromTopLeft(3000,3000);
bar1.rotation=90;

To make the final top/left position of the box be 3 x 3, apply the rotation first.
var bar1 = getField("/Body/Box0001");
bar1.rotation=90;
bar1.moveFromTopLeft(3000,3000);

Move a Barcode with a Human Readable as a Group by its center position

The following example will find the center of the smallest bounding rectangle that encompasses
the barcode and human readable and move both together to where this center is at 3 x 3
var bc = getField("/Body/Barcode0000")
bc.moveGroupFromCenter(3000,3000);

If you want to move it relative to its current position by some delta then do the following:
var bc = getField("/Body/Barcode0000")
bc.moveGroupFromCenter
(bc.groupCenterX+250,bc.groupCenterY+500);

Move a Barcode with a Human Readable as a Group by its Top/Left Position

The following example will find the top/left of the smallest bounding rectangle that
encompasses the barcode and human readable and move both together to where this top/left
coordinate is at 3 x 3

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var bc = getField("/Body/Barcode0000")
bc.moveGroupFromTopLeft(3000,3000);

If you want to move it relative to its current position by some delta then do the following:
var bc = getField("/Body/Barcode0000")
bc.moveGroupFromTopLeft
(bc.groupTop+250,bc.groupLeft+500);

Rotate a Barcode with a Human Readable as a Group

Rotating the barcode group can be done by either rotating it with the moveGroupFromCenter
method or by rotating it with the rotateGroup method. The rotation is based on the rotation of
the barcode only. The human readable rotation will be changed relative to this rotation. That is,
if the initial barcode rotation is 0 and the human readable is 90, and the rotation is set to 90,
then the final rotation will be 90 for the barcode and 180 for the human readable.
var bc = getField("/Body/Barcode0000")
bc.moveGroupFromCenter(3000,3000,90);

or
bc.rotateGroup(90);

Move and Rotate a Barcode Human Readable Only

To single out the barcode human readable for movement, rotation, or any other changes you
must retrieve it from the field and make calls on it.
var bc = getField("/Body/Barcode0000");
var hr = bc.formatProxy;
hr.moveFromCenter(3000,3000);

Script Examples: Search for Fields

Find fields of a specific Type
Fields can be searched by type. The type names are all lowercase, so searching with the equality
operator (==) should be followed with the lowercase value of the field name (it is case
sensitive).
The type name can also be searched with the equals ignore case operator(~=) which can be
followed with the type name in any case format. See the following examples.

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Case Sensitive
var barcode = FORMAT.findFields("type=='barcode'");
println("*** Barcode is "+barcode[0].name);

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Case Insensitive
var barcode = FORMAT.findFields("type~='Barcode'");
println("***2 Barcode is "+barcode[0].name);
barcode = FORMAT.findFields("type~='BARCODE'");
println("***3 Barcode is "+barcode[0].name);
barcode = FORMAT.findFields("type~='BaRcOdE'");
println("***3 Barcode is "+barcode[0].name);

Search for fields of a specific type and name and make them invisible
var fields = FORMAT.findFields("(type=='label' ||
name=='text3') && visible=='true');
for(i=0;i<fields.length;i++){
var f = fields[i];
f.visible=false;
}";

Find all fields that are visible

var flist = FORMAT.findFields("visible=='true');
println("field count is "+flist.length);
for(var i=0; i < flist.length;i++){
println("Field name "+flist[i].name);
}

Find all fields

var flist = FORMAT.findFields("");
println("field count is "+flist.length);
for(var i=0; i < flist.length;i++){
println("Field name "+flist[i].name);
}

Find all fields where the data has been set by calling setData()
var setFields = FORMAT.findFields("dataSet == 'true'");
var notSetFields = FORMAT.findFields("dataSet !=
'true'");

Script Examples: Change Rotation

The variable FORMAT is available in the script. This is the top level object containing all the
fields in the label template. There is a field called rotation that allows you to change the rotation
of the label.
Note: The rotation needs to be set in 90-degree increments.

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Script Example
var rotation=MAP.getStringValue
("/Body/Prompt0001");

if (rotation%90 == 0)
{
FORMAT.rotation=rotation;
}

Script Examples: Turn Printing of Fields On or Off

var mapvalue = ${/Body/Text0002};
if(mapvalue == "false"){
var f = getField("/Body/Box0001");
LOG.debug("**** The format is "+f);
if(f != null){
f.visible = false;
}
};

Script Examples: Calculate the Check Digit

This can be done either as a Formula or as a Label script. The example below shows it done as a
Label script. Map values are pulled to perform the calculation and then the field data member is
set at the end. This assumes that no other data source will be setting the data on this field at run
time.
Note: When a form that includes a check digit is used, the Data Provider 1 is not
alerted if the check digit fails.
To write this as a formula, remove the "var result" from the top, as it is already provided, and
return result at the bottom instead of modifying the field.
var result;
var input = new String;
var cf = ${/Body/Collection_Facility};
var cy = ${/Body/Collection_Year};
var sn = ${/Body/Seq_No};
input = cf +cy + sn;
println("cf ="+cf+" cy = "+cy+" sn = "+sn+" input =
"+input);
var ch,sum=0,charValue, isDigit, isUpperAlpha, count;
var
CharTable="0123456789ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRS
TUVWXYZ*";

var inputLength = input.length;

for (count = 0; count < inputLength; count++){
ch = input.charAt(count);

isDigit = ((ch >= "0) && (ch <="9));

1Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.

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isUpperAlpha = ((ch >= "A) && (ch <="Z));

println(ch+" digit "+isDigit+" uppercase
"+isUpperAlpha);
if(isDigit || isUpperAlpha){
if(isDigit){

charValue = ch.charCodeAt(0) - "0.charCodeAt(0);

}else{
charValue = ch.charCodeAt(0) - "A.charCodeAt(0) +
10;
}
}
sum = ((sum + charValue) * 2) % 37;
}
charValue = (38 - sum) % 37;

result = CharTable[charValue];
MAP. setValueForKey ("/Body/Check_
Character,result);

Script Examples: Change the Format of a Date

You can use a Script data source to convert a date value obtained from a database and processed
by LoftwareSpectrum into a human readable format suitable for printing.
For example, an Oracle database table can have a column of data type DATE. In Oracle SQLPlus
or SQL Developer, the values in this table column are displayed in a format of dd-MMM-yy.
However, when the table is used as a Database data source in LoftwareSpectrum, Spectrum
receives the date value in a special milliseconds format. By default, the Database data source
would return a value such as 13849236000000 at print time instead of a human readable date.
You can use a Script data source with MAP functions to convert the date from milliseconds
format to a human readable format appropriate for printing. In this example, the Database data
source column /DS_0001/DATE_COL is passed as a parameter to the MAP.getDateValue()
method. This method converts the milliseconds date value, such as 13849236000000, obtained
from the Database data source to a human readable format, such as Wed Nov 20 00:00:00 EST
2408.

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Script Example
// Use the MAP function to change the date value from
milliseconds format to a human readable date format.
var dateVal = MAP.getDateValue("/DS_0001/DATE_
COL");

// Create an instance of the Variable Text field to which

you want to assign the human readable date value.
var text1 = getField("/Body/Text0003");

// Assign the human readable date value to the field

you want to print.
text1.setData(dateVal);

Script Examples: Individually Format Characters within a Field

The following are some examples of configuring character-level formatting by using a Script data
source. Character-level formatting methods are not supported in business rules.

Important! Patterns for character-level formatting and for values returned from
data map entries are governed by the Java syntax for regular expressions.
Escape sequences are required for the following characters. Precede the character
with a backslash.
<>()[]{}|^-=+*$!?.\
By default, literal text within a pattern is case sensitive. You can make a pattern
case insensitive by beginning it with the special construct (?i). If you configure
both patterns and ranges in a Character-Level format source, ranges are resolved
before patterns.
For more information about Java syntax for regular expressions, see The Java
Tutorials: Regular Expressions on the Oracle website.
Example 1: Make all instances of an allergen name bold (case sensitivity)

You want all instances of the allergen name Peanuts within a text field to be bold,
regardless of case. You can accomplish this by using the following script in a Script
data source:
var field1=getField("/Body/Text0001");
field1.addEffect("BOLD","(?i)(peanuts)");

Example 2: Apply special formatting to the first character (matching by

range)

You want to format the first character in a field as bold, 16-point Letter Gothic
text. You can accomplish this by using the following script in a Script data source:
var field1=getField("/Body/Text0001");
var myStyleMap=field1.getStyleMap();

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myStyleMap.add("FONT","Letter Gothic");
myStyleMap.add("SIZE","16");
myStyleMap.add("BOLD","");
field1.addStyleMulti(myStyleMap,0,0);

Tip: You can use a Character-Level format source to configure character-level

formatting instead. For more information, see " Configuring Format Sources" on
page 425.

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Label Data Sources Properties

The following topics provide information about the properties of various types of label data
sources.
l "Date/Time Data Source Formats" on page 391
l "Formula Data Source Operations and Functions" on page 394
l "Inc/Dec Data Source Properties" on page 402
l "Triggers in Design" on page 419

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Date/Time Data Source Formats

Tip: If you are associating a Date/Time data source with a variable text field,
ensure that the value of Max Chars (controlled by Chars Per Line and # Lines)
for the variable text field is great enough to accommodate the length of the
resulting data.

Format Description Example

ddMMyy Date, month number, year 080512
d-MMM Date and month name 8-May
d-MMM-yy Date, month name, year 8-May-12
h:mm Hour and minutes 9:56
h:mm Hour and minutes with AM or PM suffix 9:56 AM
AM/PM
h:mm:ss Hours, minutes, seconds 9:56:04
h:mm:ss Hour, minutes, seconds with AM or PM suffix 9:56:04 PM
AM/PM
hhmm Hour and minutes in 24-hour format 0956
hhmmss Hour, minutes, seconds in 24-hour format 095604
M/d/yy Month number, date, two-digit year 5/8/12
M/d/yy Month number, date, two-digit year, hour, minutes 5/8/12 9:56
h:mm
MMddyy Month number, two-digit date, two-digit year with no 050812
separators
MM/dd/yy h:mm
Month number, two-digit date, two-digit year, hour, minutes 05/08/12
9:56
MM/dd/yyyy Month number, two-digit date, year 05/08/2012
MMddyyyy Month number, two-digit date, year with no separators 05082012
MMM-yy Month name, two-digit year May-12
WWyy Week of the month and two-digit year with no separator 0415
Custom Use the date and time symbols to create a custom data format.
Tip: After entering a custom format in the
Format field, click another field to refresh the
Date/Time Sample.

Placeholder Characters in Custom Date/Time Formats

You can also include static text by enclosing it in single quotation marks. You can include
symbols such as a colon, slash, or hyphen without quotation marks.

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In general, entering a single placeholder character produces a value including the minimum
number of characters required. Using repeated placeholder characters typically specifies the
minimum number of characters to use and may produce leading zeros in numeric values.
Tip: If you require a placeholder for the Julian day, Julian date, or ordinal date, use
D, which produces the day number of the year.

Number of
Placeholder Description placeholders
to use
a Period of day, such as AM or PM 1 or 2
D Day of year 1 or 3
d Day of month 1 or 2
E Day of week 1, 3, or 4
Note: Use one or three characters to produce a
three-character day abbreviation, or four
characters to produce the full name of the day.
F Day of week in month. For example, if referring to the second 1
Thursday in a month, the F placeholder would produce a
value of 2.
G Era, such as A.D. or B.C. 1
H Hour of day using 24-hour format (0-23) 1 or 2
h Hour of day using 12-hour format (1-12) 1 or 2
K Hour of day using 12-hour format(0-11) 1 or 2
k Hour of day using 24-hour format (1-24) 1 or 2
M Month of year 1, 2, 3, or 4
Note: Use one or two characters to produce the
month number, three characters to produce a
three-character abbreviation, or four characters
to produce the full name of the month.
m Minute of hour 1 or 2
S Millisecond of second 1 or 3
s Second of minute 1 or 2
u Day of week using numeric format (1-7), such as 1 1
(representing Monday).
W Week of month 1
w Week of year 1 or 2

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Number of
Placeholder Description placeholders
to use
X ISO 8601 time zone, such as -04, -0400, or -04:00. 1, 2, or 3
Note: Use one character to produce a two-digit
time (hours only), two characters to produce a
four-digit time with no colon, or three
characters to produce a four-digit time including
a colon.
y Year 1, 2, or 4
Note: For a two-digit year, use two characters.
Otherwise, a four-digit year is displayed.
Z RFC 822 time zone, such as -0400. 1 or 5
z General time zone, such as Eastern Standard Time or EST. 1, 3, or 4
Note: Use one or three characters to produce a
three-character abbreviation, or four characters
to produce the full name of the time zone.

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Formula Data Source Operations and Functions

The following tables describe the operations and functions that you can use when creating
formulas.
In this table, input refers to a field name, data source, or data service parameter.
Tip: For string concatenation, use the + operator. Note that & is not a valid
concatenation operator.

Formula Data Source Operations

Operation Description Syntax Example

+ Adds numeric values or <input1> {/Body/Text1} +
concatenates string + {/Body/Text2}
values. If the values <input2>
provided are numbers, If Text1=1 and Text2=2,
then the values are then the result is 12.
added. If the values
provided are strings, then num({/Body/Text1}) +
num({/Body/Text2})
the values are
concatenated. If Text1=1 and Text2=2,
(1 * {/Body/Text1}) + then the result is 3.
(1 * {/Body/Text2})
results in numeric
addition.
{/Body/Text1} +
{/Body/Text2} results
in string concatenation.
1 + {/Body/Text1}
results in numeric
addition.
{/Body/Text1} + 2
results in string
concatenation.
num({/Body/Text1}) +
num({/Body/Text2})
results in numeric
addition.
"" + 1 + 2 results in
string concatenation.
- Subtracts numeric values. <input1> - {/Body/Text01} -
<input2> {/Body/Text02}

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Operation Description Syntax Example

* Multiplies numeric <input1> {/Body/Text01} *
values. * {/Body/Text02}
<input2>
/ Divides numeric values. <input1> {/Body/Text01} /
/ {/Body/Text02}
<input2>
% Returns the remainder of <input1> {/Body/Text01} %
the division of two % {/Body/Text02}
numeric values <input2>
(modulus).
Parentheses Group values resulting ()
from one or more
operations.
Fixed Enclose a fixed string "<fixed_
String value. string>"
Trim Removes the character < {/Body/Text3}.trim
specified in parentheses input ("0")
and quotation marks from >.trim
both the left and the right ("<trim_ Removes all consecutive
of the input. If no char>") occurrences of the
character is supplied .trim character 0 from both
removes spaces from the sides of the input. If
left side and right side of Text3=010100, then the
the input. result is 101.
Left-Trim Removes the character < {/Body/Text3}.ltrim
specified in parentheses input ("0")
and quotation marks from >.ltrim
the left of the input. If ("<trim_ Removes all consecutive
no character is supplied, char>") occurrences of the
.ltrim will strip spaces character 0 from the
from the left side of the leftmost side of the input.
input. If Text3=010100, then
the result is 10100.

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Operation Description Syntax Example

Right-Trim Removes the character < {/Body/Text3}.rtrim
specified in parentheses input ("0")
and quotation marks from >.rtrim
the right side of the ("<trim_ Removes all consecutive
input. If no character is char>") occurrences of the
supplied, .rtrim will strip character 0 from the
spaces from the right side leftmost side of the input.
of the input. If Text3=010100, then
the result is 0101.
Left-Pad Adds the character < {/DS_0000}.lpad
specified in parentheses input ("0",10)
and quotation marks onto >.lpad
the left side of the of the ("<pad_ Adds zeros to the left side
input until the result has char of the input until the total
the length specified after >",< length is 10 characters. If
the comma. length>) DS_0000=12345678,
then the result is
0012345678.

Right-Pad Adds the character < {/DS_0000}.rpad

specified in parentheses input ("0",10)
and quotation marks onto >.rpad
the right side of the input ("<pad_ Adds zeros to the right
string until the result has char side of the input until the
the length specified after >",< total length is 10
the comma. length>) characters. If DS_
0000=12345678, then
the result is 1234567800.
Left-String Returns the number of < {/DS_0001}.lstr(3)
characters specified in input>.lstr
parentheses from the left (<length>) Returns the first three
side of the input string. characters from the left
side of the input. If DS_
0001=12345, then the
result is 123.

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Operation Description Syntax Example

Right- Returns the number of < {/DS_0001}.rstr(3)
String characters specified in input>.rstr
parentheses from the (<length>) Returns the first three
right side of the input characters from the right
string. side of the input. If DS_
0001=12345, then the
result is 345.
Mid-String Returns a substring, < {/DS_0004}.midstr
starting at <position>, input (2,2)
with the length of >.midstr
<number_of_chars>. The (< Returns the second and
index count for position third characters. If DS_
<position> begins at 1. >,< 0004=ABCDE, then the
number_of_ result is BC.
chars>)
Spaces Returns a string, repeated spaces spaces(3,
a specified number of (<number_ {/Body/Text4})
times. If the input string of_
is not specified, the strings Returns three of the string
default value of a single >,< specified in the Text4
space is used and the input>) prompt. If Text4=0, then
specified number of the result is 000.
spaces is returned.

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Operation Description Syntax Example

inString Returns the index of the {/Body/Text5}.inStr
specified occurrence of < ing("AB",4,2,0)
the specified substring input
within the input string, or >.inString Searches the string named
-1 if the substring is not (< Text5 from left to right,
found. The search begins substring_ beginning with the fourth
at the position of the to_find>, character. Returns the
start index and moves in <start_ numerical position of the
the direction specified. index>, second occurrence of the
The index count begins < substring AB. If
at 1, representing the occurrence>, Text5=ABCDEFGABCA
position of the character < B, then the result is 11.
at beginning of the string, direction>)
regardless of the start
index for the search. The
direction determines at
which end of the string
the index count begins.
For the direction, 0
indicates left to right, and
any number greater than
zero indicates right to
left.
The start index,
occurrence, and direction
values are optional. If
they are omitted, the
following default values
are used:
l Start index: 1

l Occurrence: 1

l Direction: 0 (left

to right)
Length Returns the number of < {/Body/Text6}.length
characters in the string. input
>.length If Text6=A1BC2, then
the result is 5.

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Operation Description Syntax Example

Num Forces a string containing num num({/Body/Text1}) +
only numeric characters (<input>) num({/Body/Text2})
to be interpreted as a
number. To produce If Text1=1 and Text2=2,
expected results, the then the result is 3.
string should include
only numeric data.
Formula Data Source Functions

Function Description Syntax

Duplicates The formula uses the number of duplicate labels to be printed, COPIES()
entered at print time, as its data.
Quantity The formula uses the number of labels to be printed, entered at QTY()
of Labels print time, as its data.
Example

In conjunction with an incrementing field, you

can use this feature to build a label counter (For
example, 1 of 5, 2 of 5) where the "of" count
automatically matches the number of labels
printed.
ASCII Inserts the ASCII character for the decimal value specified. ASCII_CHAR
Character (<input>)
ASCII Inserts an audible alert (bell) character. ASCII_BEL()
BEL
ASCII CR Inserts a carriage return. ASCII_CR()
ASCII Inserts a carriage return line feed. ASCII_CRLF
CRLF ()
ASCII Inserts an end of transmission. ASCII_EOT()
EOT
ASCII FF Inserts a form feed. ASCII_FF()
ASCII FS Inserts a file separator character, common in Maxi-Code. ASCII_FS()
ASCII GS Inserts a group separator character, common in Maxi-Code. ASCII_GS()
ASCII HT Inserts a tab character. ASCII_HT()
ASCII LF Inserts a line feed. ASCII_LF()
ASCII RS Inserts a record separator character. ASCII_RS()

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Function Description Syntax

ASCII SO Inserts a Shift Out character to extend the graphic character ASCII_SO()
set.
ASCII US Inserts a unit separator character. ASCII_US()
FNC1 Inserts a Function 1 symbol character into the barcode. FNC1()
FNC2 Inserts a Function 2 symbol character into the barcode. FNC2()
FNC3 Inserts a Function 3 symbol character into the barcode. FNC3()
FNC4 Inserts a Function 4 symbol character into the barcode. FNC4()
Code Inserts a Code 128 Shift character for switching subsets. SHIFT()
128:Shift
Code Changes to Code A for processing the portion of the barcode CODEA()
128:Code that follows. Code A can include upper case alphabetic
A characters, numeric characters, and ASCII function calls.
Code Changes to Code B for processing the portion of the barcode CODEB()
128:Code that follows. Code B can include upper and lower case
B alphanumeric characters.
Code Changes to Code C for processing the portion of the barcode CODEC()
128:Code that follows. Code C can include numeric characters only.
C
Code Makes a standard Code 128 barcode and inserts a Function 1 CODEGS1()
128:Code symbol character.
GS1
Composite Inserts a vertical bar character that should be used to separate COMPDELIM
Delimiter the 2D portion and the linear portion in the data for a ()
composite barcode.
Mod 10 Inserts a Modulus 10 check character based on numeric input Mod10
enclosed in parentheses. (<
Note: The length parameter is optional. length
>,<input>)
Mod 43 Inserts a Modulus 43 check character based on the input Mod43
enclosed in parentheses. (<
Note: The length parameter is optional. length
>,<input>)
Mod 7 Inserts a Modulus 7 check character based on numeric input Mod7
enclosed in parentheses. (<
Note: The length parameter is optional. length
>,<input>)

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Function Description Syntax

GS1 Mod Inserts a Modulus 10 check character based on numeric input GS1Mod10
10 enclosed in parentheses. The result is the same regardless of (<
whether the Application Identifier is included in the input. length
Note: The length parameter is optional. >,<input>)

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Inc/Dec Data Source Properties

An Inc/Dec data source alters a starting value by adding (incrementing) or subtracting

(decrementing) a consistent value. The following are the definitions and parameters that describe
an Inc/Dec data source. For information about creating an Inc/Dec data source, see "Create an
Inc/Dec Data Source" on page 317.
General Data

Property Description
Data Source Name The identifier assigned to the Inc/Dec data source.
Data Ref The data source used to populate a field with a value.
Definitions

Tip: When incrementing an alphanumeric series, by default the series begins

with zero, progresses through the numerical digits, and then progresses through
letters.
Property Description Values
Type Whether the count is Increment
increasing or decreasing. Decrement
Mode The type of characters in the CUSTOM: Characters
count. defined by the Custom
Sequence property
NUMERIC: Numeric
digits
UPPERCASE_
ALPHA: Uppercase
alphabetic characters
UPPERCASE_
ALPHANUM:
Uppercase alphanumeric
characters

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Property Description Values

Custom Sequence The order of succession for a Numeric digits,
character in the count. alphabetic characters,
For example, and symbols.
0123456789ABCDEF for a
hexadecimal digit.
Note: This
property is read-
only unless
CUSTOM is
selected for
Mode.
By Value The value by which to 0 to 9999
increment or decrement the
count.
Parameters

Important: If the data source is populated from a Prompt, you should ensure
that the Max Length field of the data source and the Max Chars field of the
Prompt contain the same value. The Max Chars field is automatically
calculated based on the Chars Per Line and # Lines fields.

Property Description Values

Start The source of the Fixed Start: The specified value
start value of the is used as the start value. The
count. default value is 1.
From Data Source: The value
of the selected data source is
used as the start value.
Min Value The lowest value of a 0 to 999999999
decrementing count. Default: 1
Max Value The highest value of 1 to 999999999
an incrementing
count.
Min Length The minimum 1 to 9
number of characters Default: 1
in the count.
Max Length The maximum 1 to 9
number of characters
in the count.

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Property Description Values

After Print How the count is Reset Count: The count is
changed after a print returned to its start value.
command is issued. Update Count: The count is
incremented or decremented
unless the user manually changes
the start value.

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Form Rules Reference

A form rule is an entry or a collection of entries that provides a form or an application with
enhanced functionality. You can use a form rule to add or change data or print parameters,
submit a print request, validate user credentials, open a label template, form, layout, image,
reusable object, application, business rule, or process in Design, open a URL in a web browser,
or close an application. Form rules are similar to business rules, but simpler to create. Form rules
are created on the Design page and are specific to a particular application or form. Some form
rules are available only in applications. The following tables summarize the purpose of each type
of form rule that you can use in LoftwareSpectrum.

Adding and Changing Data

Tip: For these types of form rules, within each form rule you can create multiple
form rule entries. Each form rule entry allows you to configure one data map
entry 1 or data ref2.

Rule Type Purpose Properties

File Selector Open a browser dialog box from which you can File Selector
select a file. Depending on the operation, the
contents of the selected file are imported to
the datamap or the contents of a data ref3 are
exported to the selected file.
Note: This type of form rule is
available only in applications.
Map Operations Add, remove, or change data map entries. Map Operations
Static Add default data to the datamap. Static

Submitting Jobs
Rule Type Purpose Properties
Job Request Submit a job4 request or job preview request Job Request
to the SpectrumApplicationServer.
Note: This type of form rule is
available only in applications.

1A name (key) and value pair in the data map for a job.
2Data reference. The data source used to populate a field with a value. An Input Data Ref is the data source from which a Prompt
field obtains data.
3Data reference. The data source used to populate a field with a value. An Input Data Ref is the data source from which a Prompt
field obtains data.
4What is submitted for processing. A job is separated into print jobs and print job details based on the processing rules. A job
defines which processes to use.

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Other Form Rules

Rule Type Purpose Properties
Close Application Close an application by submitting or Close Application
canceling.
Note: This type of form rule is
available only in applications.
Electronic Signature Validate user credentials. Electronic
Note: This type of form rule is Signature
available only in applications.
Focus Using a field name, set the focus to a particular Focus
field based on data entered or retrieved from
the datamap.
Note: This type of form rule is
available only in applications.
Hyperlink Open a label template, form, layout, image, Hyperlink
reusable object, application, business rule, or
process in Design, or open a URL in a new
browser window.
Note: This type of form rule is
available only in applications.
Message Open a pop-up dialog displaying text as entered Message
or retrieved from the datamap.
Note: This type of form rule is
available only in applications.

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Close Application Form Rule

A Close Application form rule allows you to close an application by submitting or canceling.
Note: This type of form rule is available only in applications. Also, Close
Application form rules do not have form rule entries.

Note: Each form rule must have a name by which it is identified, and this name
must be unique within the form in which it appears. This name can be modified in
the Data Ref field of the form rule and is displayed in the Form Rules pane after
the rule has been created. For form rules that have form rule entries, this name is
for the entire rule.
The following are the properties for a Close Application form rule.
Value Description
Submit The application submits the workflow progression to the server.
Cancel The application cancels the current progression and remains in the
current step.

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Electronic Signature Form Rule

An Electronic Signature form rule allows you to provide validation of credentials on a form in an
application.
Note: This type of form rule is available only in applications.

Note: Each form rule must have a name by which it is identified, and this name
must be unique within the form in which it appears. This name can be modified in
the Data Ref field of the form rule and is displayed in the Form Rules pane after
the rule has been created. For form rules that have form rule entries, this name is
for the entire rule.
The following are the properties for an Electronic Signature form rule entry.
Important! Content in a form rule is case sensitive.

Value Description
Username Data Ref The username of the user.
Password Data Ref The password of the user generating the signature.
Domain Data Ref The domain of the user.
Action Data Ref The action being performed for this signature.
Entity Data Ref The fully qualified name to the object1 being signed.
Entity Type Data Ref The type of object being signed.
Workflow Instance Data The workflow instance ID.
Ref
Comments Data Ref The comments to attach to the signature.
Submit Status Whether the signature will have a Sign or Reject status.
Target Token Data Ref Where the token from a successful signature will be added to the
data map.

1An item in Spectrum such as a role, group, user, business rule, application, workflow template, data service, form, image,
integration, job, label template, layout, device, device group, process, reusable object, facility, Remote Site, Spectrum Application
Server, or server process.

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File Selector Form Rule

A File Selector form rule allows you to open a browser dialog box from which you can select a
file. Depending on the operation, the contents of the selected file are imported to the datamap
or the contents of a data ref1 are exported to the selected file.
Note: This type of form rule is available only in applications.

Note: Each form rule must have a name by which it is identified, and this name
must be unique within the form in which it appears. This name can be modified in
the Data Ref field of the form rule and is displayed in the Form Rules pane after
the rule has been created. For form rules that have form rule entries, this name is
for the entire rule.
The following are the properties for a FileSelector form rule.

Important! Content in a form rule is case sensitive.

Operation
The operation to perform on the Data Ref.
Value Description
Import Import the contents of the selected file to the following data map
entries:
l <DataRef>/data: The contents of the file.

l <DataRef>/filename: The name of the file.

l <DataRef>/filetype: The type of file.

Export Export the contents of the Data Ref to the selected file.
Data Ref
A reference to the location in the datamap to import data to or to export data from.
File Filter
The type or types of files permitted to display in the dialog box for selection. If allowing
multiple file types, use a semicolon as a delimiter. If a file type is not specified, all file types are
permitted.
Example
*.xml;*.csv;*.txt;

Note: This property is displayed only if Import is selected forOperation.

Type
The type of file being imported to or exported from the Data Ref.

1Data reference. The data source used to populate a field with a value. An Input Data Ref is the data source from which a Prompt
field obtains data.

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Value Description
Text The file is XML,CSV, or TXT format.
Other The file is a PDF or an image such as PNG, GIF, JPG, BMP, or
PCX.
Character Encoding
The type of encoding to use when converting the file to text. The default character encoding is
UTF-8.
Note: This property is displayed only if Import is selected forOperation and
Text is selected for Type.
Post Selection Rule or Pre Selection Rule
If selected, you can configure a trigger to run a form rule 1 or a business rule 2 after (for
import) or before(for export) a Data Provider 3 selects a file to import or export.
For Trigger Type, select whether to run a Form Rule or a Business Rule after a file is
selected. If running a form rule, select the name of the form rule. If running a business rule,
select the business rule and enter an event name that is specified by the business rule.

1An entry or a collection of entries that provides a form or an application with enhanced functionality. A form rule can add or change
data or print parameters, submit a print request, validate user credentials, open a label template, form, layout, image, reusable
object, or application in Design, open a URL in a web browser, or close an application. Form rules are similar to business rules, but
simpler to create. Form rules are created on the Design page and are specific to a particular application or form. Some form rules
are available only in applications.
2A collection of component sets or business rule components that can be used to incorporate logic or to add, change, or remove
data or print parameters after a print request is submitted but before printing occurs. Business rules are similar to form rules, but
provide more robust functionality. Business rules are created on the Process Design page and can be designed using the
Configurator or programmed using XML.
3Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Document Designer. A
user acting as a Data Provider requires the Document Printer role or equivalent permissions.

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Focus Form Rule

A Focus form rule allows you to set the focus to a particular field (using the name of the field)
based on the data entered or retrieved from the datamap. For example, if a user enters invalid
data in a field and then performs an action to validate the data, the focus can be set to that field
for correction by the user.
Note: This type of form rule is available only in applications.

Note: Each form rule must have a name by which it is identified, and this name
must be unique within the form in which it appears. This name can be modified in
the Data Ref field of the form rule and is displayed in the Form Rules pane after
the rule has been created. For form rules that have form rule entries, this name is
for the entire rule.
The following are the properties for a Focus form rule.

Important! Content in a form rule is case sensitive.

Field Name Source
Whether the value in Field is literal or the reference to a data map entry.
Value Description
Literal The value in Field should be treated as a literal value and used in
its current form.
From Data Map The value in Field should be resolved to values in the datamap.
Field
The name of the field to set focus to, or the reference to a data map entry that contains the name
of the field to set focus to.

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Hyperlink Form Rule

A Hyperlink form rule allows you to open a specific label template, form, layout, image, reusable
object, application, business rule, or process in Design or open a URL in a new browser
window from an application. The hyperlink is displayed in the application in Print.
Note: This type of form rule is avail