User Manual

Version 2.70

© Smart Printing Solutions LTD.

April 2010
All rights reserved. Neither this documentation nor any part of it may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, translated into another language, or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of
Smart Printing Solutions (SPS) LTD.

PDF reading is performed using Foxit PDF Reader SDK. Copyright © 2002-
2012, Foxit Software Company, All rights reserved.

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this manual, SPS
assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions; neither is any liability
assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained
herein. The information contained in this document is subject to change
without notice. SPS reserves the right to make any such changes without
obligation or to notify any person of such revisions or changes. SPS makes no
commitment to keeping the information contained herein up to date.

Copyright © 2001-2010 Smart Printing Solutions (SPS) LTD.

Address: P.O.Box 30, Teradion Industrial Area,

Misgav, 20179, Israel.
Tel: +972-4-9909357
Fax: +972-4-9990068
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.smartprinter.co.il
Chapter 1: About xPress2 3

Contents
Chapter 1: About xPress2 ..................................................................................... 7
Introduction ....................................................................................................... 7
System Capabilities........................................................................................ 7
System Requirements..................................................................................... 8
How to Use this Manual ................................................................................ 8
Chapter 2: Getting Started.................................................................................. 11
Installing the System ....................................................................................... 11
Launching xPress2 ........................................................................................ 12
Running xPress2 under Windows Vista / Windows 7 ................................. 12
Application Window ....................................................................................... 14
Working Area (xPress2 Desktop)................................................................. 15
The Main Menu............................................................................................ 15
xPress2 Toolbars........................................................................................... 16
The Normal Toolbar ................................................................................. 16
The Objects Toolbar (Toolbox) ................................................................ 17
The Format Toolbar (Zoombar)................................................................ 18
The Objects Tree.......................................................................................... 19
Characteristics Window ............................................................................... 20
Setting up the system ...................................................................................... 20
Paper Tray Definition................................................................................... 20
PCL Paper Trays ....................................................................................... 21
Postscript Paper Trays .............................................................................. 22
Other Print Settings...................................................................................... 23
GDI Paper Tray Offset................................................................................. 25
Event Log ..................................................................................................... 26
Defining the Style Sheet .............................................................................. 27
Other settings ............................................................................................... 28
Event Log Viewer ........................................................................................ 28
Chapter 3: Creating a Document........................................................................ 31
4 Chapter 1: About xPress2

Defining Document Characteristics ................................................................ 31

Page .............................................................................................................. 32
Object ........................................................................................................... 32
Amount......................................................................................................... 33
Job Split........................................................................................................ 34
Page Wizard ................................................................................................. 34
Page Object Visibility .................................................................................. 36
Notebook settings......................................................................................... 36
Defining the Number of Copies ................................................................... 37
Protecting the Document.............................................................................. 38
Add document information .......................................................................... 38
Saving the Document ................................................................................... 39
Inserting Objects.............................................................................................. 39
About Objects............................................................................................... 39
Adding new Objects..................................................................................... 40
Method 1: via dialog box .......................................................................... 41
Method 2: default quick build................................................................... 42
Combination of the two methods.............................................................. 43
Copy-Paste of objects ............................................................................... 44
Duplicating existing objects...................................................................... 44
Insert multiple objects at once .................................................................. 45
Static vs. Variable Data................................................................................ 47
Layout........................................................................................................... 47
Set Visibility Dialog Box.......................................................................... 49
Changing output objects layout easily ...................................................... 49
Copying output object characteristics....................................................... 52
Output Objects Display Order Dialog Box............................................... 52
File Manager.................................................................................................... 53
Substitution Rules............................................................................................ 54
Define Substitution Rules ............................................................................ 55
Define Substitution Rule Sets ...................................................................... 57
Chapter 1: About xPress2 5

Use Substitution Rule Sets........................................................................... 59

Substitution Rule Sets Examples ................................................................. 59
Tray Inserts...................................................................................................... 60
Select Paper Tray for Pages ......................................................................... 60
Printing the Document .................................................................................... 61
Faxing the Document ...................................................................................... 63
Chapter 4: Output and Input objects .................................................................. 67
Output Objects ................................................................................................ 67
Output as Text ......................................................................................... 67
Output as Barcode ................................................................................... 68
Output as Picture ..................................................................................... 70
Output as Check ...................................................................................... 71
Output as Shape....................................................................................... 72
Output as xPress file................................................................................ 74
Input Objects ................................................................................................... 75
Text as Input............................................................................................ 75
Copies as Input ........................................................................................ 75
Counter as Input ...................................................................................... 77
Checksum Digit ........................................................................................ 80
Checksum Digit Examples........................................................................ 81
File as Input ............................................................................................. 83
Excel as Input .......................................................................................... 84
List as Input ............................................................................................. 85
Database as Input .................................................................................... 87
Adding a user data source (DSN) ............................................................. 88
System Data as Input............................................................................... 89
ASCII as Input......................................................................................... 89
PDF as Input............................................................................................ 92
Chain as Input.......................................................................................... 93
Chain Items ............................................................................................... 94
Connector as Input .................................................................................. 95
6 Chapter 1: About xPress2

Chapter 5: Scripts ............................................................................................... 97

The Master Script ............................................................................................ 98
Running the Master Script ........................................................................... 98
Editing the master Script.............................................................................. 98
Commands and options in script editing................................................... 99
Output Object Script...................................................................................... 100
Chapter 6: Running in command line............................................................... 103
Command Line options ................................................................................. 103
XPS Files (xPress2 Startup Files).................................................................. 104
Chapter 7: Frequently Asked Questions........................................................... 105
Chapter 1: About xPress2 7

Chapter 1: About xPress2

Introduction

xPress2 is an innovative digital press software that enables production of diverse

documents containing both constant and variable information from different sources.
Using xPress2 you can create documents with different page layouts and copies.

The software is designed for printing houses, photocopy offices and other businesses
that print documents with variable data, such as tickets, coupons, stickers, letters,
checks, etc. For example, create a coupon flyer with a permanent title and
background and 20 different coupons in the body of the flyer.

System Capabilities
The xPress2 software is flexible and powerful, yet it is easy to operate and allows the
user to perform numerous actions, including the following:

• Printing documents with consecutive numbering according to counter

definitions (e.g., ascending or descending, flat or deep).

• Inserting different types of objects in a document and determining its preferred

order and structure.

• Formatting data using any font and size available in your system.

• Inserting information from other applications such as Excel data, pictures in

various formats, ASCII files, etc.

• Printing an original and any number of copies.

• Printing different copies from a different printer tray, according to user defined
options.
8 Chapter 1: About xPress2

• Printing MICR CMC7 / E13B / OCR-A magnetic lines for checks (for printers
supporting MICR toners).

System Requirements
• Operating system: Windows 2000/XP or higher.

• Hardware: Pentium 4 system with 512MB RAM or higher

• Printer: any printer supporting Windows applications.

For Tray selections, a printer supporting PCL5 language is required.
For additional information about printing on different printers, please check the
printer manufacturer’s User Guide.

How to Use this Manual

This User Manual has been designed to assist xPress2 users. In addition to describing
the system in general, it provides an in-depth explanation of the functions in the
system. If you are looking for a tutorial that will walk you through the basic xPress2
functions, please refer to the Quick User Guide, also supplied with the xPress2
package.
Chapter 1: About xPress2 9

This manual contains the following parts:

Chapter 1 Provides general information about the xPress2 software. It explains

how to use this manual as well as system requirements.

Chapter 2 Describes the xPress2 software and explains the basic tools and
concepts you will need in order to use it.

Chapter 3 Is the most important chapter. It teaches you the basic step-by-step
processes that you will use in creating new documents, arranging
various objects and printing. This chapter includes the following
subjects:

1. Creating a new document.

2. Inserting input and output objects.

3. Defining the object’s characteristics.

4. Arranging objects in the document.

5. Printing the document.

Chapter 4 Describes the different Input and Output objects.

Chapter 5 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).

10 Chapter 1: About xPress2

This page is intentionally blank

Chapter 2: Getting Started 11

Chapter 2: Getting Started

Installing the System

These installation instructions refer to the Windows 2000 operating system. In other
versions, the screen displays and messages might be slightly different from those
displayed below, but the principles remain the same.

To install the software, close all active programs, insert the installation disk you have
received and wait for a few seconds. The installation wizard will appear. If the
installation program does not start automatically, double click the SETUP.EXE file
from the installation disk.

• When the initial installation screen opens, click the OK button to start the
installation process.

• The software license agreement will be displayed, please read this agreement
carefully. To accept the agreement conditions, check the "I accept all the
terms of the preceding License Agreement" checkbox, and click Continue.
If you do not accept the conditions you will not be able to continue the
installation or to use the software.

• Select the installation folder or confirm the default path.

Click the Start Setup button to start the installation.

• The xPress2 program will appear as a default program in the Program Group
window, click Continue to proceed.

• Follow the wizard’s instructions and messages, confirm the actions when
required.

• When the installation is completed a message will appear. Click OK to

confirm and finish the setup.
12 Chapter 2: Getting Started

Launching xPress2
To launch xPress2, simply click on the Start button and choose the Programs option.
Locate the xPress2 program in the Programs List and click on its name.

Æ Æ Æ

Running xPress2 under Windows Vista / Windows 7

If you are using the Windows Vista / Windows 7 operating system, after the
installation instructions above, you will need to run the application once as an
Administrator. This will enable the software to define some initial printer related
definitions and settings that are impossible to define if the application is running in
standard user mode. In order to run the application under administrative privileges,
you need to go to the folder in which xPress2 was installed (usually under
"C:\Program Files\xPress"), select the application icon, right click it and select
"Properties".
Chapter 2: Getting Started 13

The properties dialog box will

open, check the "Run this program
as an administrator" checkbox,
and confirm the dialog box. Run
the application. You may be asked
to provide the administrator
password or to confirm the
operating system to switch to
administrator mode.

After the application has started in

administrator mode, define the
PCL and Postscript paper trays
(for more information see paper
tray definitions in page 20), and
print once in Optimized PCL
mode and once in Optimized

Postscript mode. After you have printed once in each of the options, you can return to
the properties dialog box, uncheck the "Run this program as an administrator"
checkbox and use xPress2 under standard user mode.
14 Chapter 2: Getting Started

Application Window

When you start the system, the application window appears. This is the main working
window in which you perform all your actions.

Menu Commands

Toolbars

Objects tree

Working Area

Characteristics
Window

The application window includes 4 main parts:

• The working area.

• The toolbars and menu bar.

• The objects tree.

• The characteristics window.

Chapter 2: Getting Started 15

Working Area (xPress2 Desktop)

The Working Area (also know as the xPress2 Desktop) is the main working space of
the system. In this area you will place the objects composing the document.

During your work with the xPress2 Desktop, the mouse cursor might change
according to the activity you perform:

Pointing arrow – for selecting objects.

Cross shape – for selecting an area for creating a new object.

Multi-directional arrow – for moving an existing object.

Bi-directional arrow – for resizing an existing object

The Main Menu

xPress2’s Main Menu includes the following options

File Includes options performed on the entire document, such as open, save,
print, print preview, etc.

Edit Includes general editing features.

View To display or hide toolbars, toolboxes, status bars, etc.

Tools Tools and options used to edit the document and operate the software.

Format To format selected objects and arrange them in the document.

Objects To add input and output objects in the document, duplicate or remove
them.

Script Lets you work with the Master Script of the document to achieve special
and more powerful results using the xPress2 software.

Help This option lets you work with the Help file to assist you in operating the
xPress2 software.
16 Chapter 2: Getting Started

xPress2 Toolbars
The xPress2 software includes 3 toolbars. Most of the actions operated using the
toolbars can be also operated from the menu commands.

The Normal Toolbar

This toolbar includes buttons for the most often-used actions. You might be familiar
with the buttons of this toolbar from other Windows applications.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

1 - Create a new document.

2 - Open an existing document.

3 - Save the active document.

4 - Cut objects to clipboard.

5 - Copy objects to clipboard.

6 - Paste objects from clipboard.

7 - Undo last action.

8 - Redo previous action.

9 - Display the document in print preview mode.

10 - Print the document.

11 - Open the event log viewer dialog box.

12 - Open the master script of the document in the script editor.

13 - Execute the master script of the document.

14 - Gives information about the object on which you place the cursor.

15 - Open the About dialog box.

Chapter 2: Getting Started 17

The Objects Toolbar (Toolbox)

This toolbar, also known as the Toolbox, is designed for adding new objects into the
document, and selecting which objects are displayed in the working area. It lets you
choose between several output objects to be added to the document. For more
information, see Inserting Objects on page 39. To view other page types such as the
notebook cover or footer page, and other copy pages, choose the appropriate page
type from the combo box. The working area will only display the output objects that
are visible in the selected page type. For more information on objects visibility, see
Set Visibility Dialog Box on page 49.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

1 - Select objects.

2 - Insert output object as Picture.

3 - Insert output object as Text.

4 - Insert output object as Barcode.

5 - Insert output object as Check.

6 - Insert output object as Shape.

7 - Insert output object as xPress file (xpr).

8 - Display the relevant part of the unit (original, copy, cover, etc).

- Show which page to display in the work area.

- Display either the undivided page – the universal background or title – or the
changing sections on the page, like coupons.
18 Chapter 2: Getting Started

The Format Toolbar (Zoombar)

This toolbar, also known as the Zoombar, is designed for arranging and positioning
the objects in the document.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

1 - Zoom In.

2 - Distance from Display.

3 - Zoom Out.

4 - Send Backwards.

5 - Send to Back.

6 - Bring to Front.

7 - Bring Forward.

8 - Align Left.

9 - Align Middle.

10 - Align Right.

11 - Align to Top.

12 - Align to Center.

13 - Align to Bottom.

14 - Make same size – Height.

15 - Make same size – Width.

16 - Make same size – Width & Height.

17 - Horizontal Spacing – Equal.

18 - No Horizontal Spacing.
Chapter 2: Getting Started 19

19 - Vertical Spacing – Equal.

20 - No Vertical Spacing.

21 - Copy Format of Selected Object(s).

22 - Delete Selected Object(s).

The Objects Tree

The Objects Tree is like the map of the document. It includes all the objects arranged
by levels. The upper level is the document. The level beneath is the input object
(Copies, Input 1, Input 2, etc…) and the corresponding output object (Output 1,
Output 2, etc…) lies beneath each input object.

Output object - An object defining the type of display in the

document. An output object may be Text, Picture, Barcode, etc.

Input object - An object defining the data type displayed by the

Output Object. An input object may contain constant text,
number sequences, Excel data, etc.

Each output object obtains its data from a single input object, but every input object
may provide its data to more than one output object. The Objects Tree displays the
input object above the output objects to which it provides its data.

In the above illustration, the output object Output 2 obtains its data from the input
object Input 2. This is understood by the location of Output 2 underneath Input 2 in
the Objects Tree.
20 Chapter 2: Getting Started

Characteristics Window

In this window, at the lower left corner of the xPress2

window, you can define the characteristic of each
input and output objects of the document, as well as
the characteristics of the document itself.

The tabs and the content of this window change

according to the selected object.

Setting up the system

Before you start working with xPress2, it is recommended to define print settings.
These settings define the trays from which the printer takes each copy of the printed
document, the offset of each paper tray, the use of Macro of the fly option etc...

For example: if you print an invoice book in which you want the first copy to be
white, the second to be blue and the third to be yellow - the paper source for each
copy should be taken from a different paper tray in the printer.

Paper Tray Definition

Before you print a document with different paper sources for different copies, you
must define the printer tray code for each paper tray. The tray definition can be done
in one of two ways: PCL or Postscript.
Chapter 2: Getting Started 21

In order to print different copies from different paper trays using PCL or
Postscript commands, your printer must support PCL5 or PostScript
language accordingly. This requires a PCL5 or Postscript printer driver.

PCL Paper Trays

1. From the Tools Menu select Options. The Options dialog box will open,
select the PCL Paper Trays tab.

2. From the Automatic Definitions combo box, select one of the existing
definitions according to your printer type. If your printer type does not appear
in the list box, you can define the tray numbers manually. In order to link the
correct numbers to the corresponding trays, please refer to your printer’s User
Guide, or contact your printer's vendor.

3. If your printer does not support PCL5, you should select the Never Use PCL
Tray numbers option. If your printer definitely supports PCL5, you should
select the Always Use PCL Tray numbers option. If you are not sure, consult
22 Chapter 2: Getting Started

your printer’s User Guide, or leave the Auto Select PCL Tray numbers so
that xPress2 will try to evaluate whether your printer supports PCL5 or not.

4. If you want the Tray codes to be saved as a part of the document and will
override the default setting for this specific document, check the Save Setting
to Document and Override Default Settings checkbox

5. Click OK to confirm the settings.

Postscript Paper Trays

1. From the Tools Menu select Options. The Options dialog box will open,
select the Postscript Paper Trays tab.

2. Next you need to assign a paper tray definition to each paper tray you intend to
use. Click the <…> button next to the paper tray you want to define. The
printers dialog box will be opened.

3. Select the Postscript printer driver suitable for your printer, and click the
Properties button. The appropriate printer driver properties window will be
opened.
Chapter 2: Getting Started 23

4. From the printer's properties dialog box, select the desired paper tray, and click
the OK button to confirm the printer settings, and again the OK button to
confirm the printer selection dialog box.

5. Once you defined a specific paper tray assignment, the sign next to it will be
changed to a sign. Now you can repeat steps 2 to 4 and define all the paper
trays.

6. In case some of the paper trays contain paper which is slightly different in size
from the primary document paper size (such as Tab stock covers) uncheck the
Force paper size to tray settings during print checkbox.

7. If you want the Tray definitions to be saved as a part of the document and will
override the default setting for this specific document, check the Save Setting
to Document and Override Default Settings checkbox

8. Click OK to confirm the settings.

If you are working with a custom paper size, you need to set the proper
paper size for each tray in addition to selecting the paper tray as described
in step 4 above.

With some Postscript printers, there is no definition for paper tray

numbers. Instead, you can define a different media color for each tray, and
make sure that this definition is consistent with the media color definition
for each tray in the printer's panel or controller.

Other Print Settings

1. From the Tools Menu select Options, the Options dialog box will open. Select
the Other Print Settings tab.
24 Chapter 2: Getting Started

2. Select the print emulation you want to be the default print emulation whenever
you print a job to the printer from the options.

3. Select whether you want xPress2 to use a "PCL Macro on the fly" technique
when printing the file or not. This reduces the size of the print file and can lead
to a more efficient printer work. Although this technique requires the printer to
support PCL5 language, not all PCL5-supported printers are suitable for use
with this technique. If you want to use this feature, select the Always option
under Use PCL Macro of the fly option.

4. Select the Always option under Force PCL custom page size to 101 if you
want to instruct xPress2 to force the PCL printer driver to use code 101 when
printing to custom paper size. Although this feature requires the printer to
support PCL5 language, not all PCL5-supported printers are suitable for use
with this feature.

5. Click the Remove xPress2 Print Processor button if you want to uninstall the
print processor used in the macro on the fly process. Click this button only if
you want to uninstall xPress2 or upgrade the print processor.
Chapter 2: Getting Started 25

6. If you want the print method to be saved as a part of the document and will
override the default setting for this specific document, check the Save Setting
to Document and Override Default Settings checkbox

7. Click OK to confirm the settings.

GDI Paper Tray Offset

1. From the Tools Menu select Options, The Options dialog box will open,
select the GDI Paper Tray Offset tab to define the paper offset for each tray.

2. The tray offset allows you to shift the entire print image in any direction so as
to achieve maximum accuracy of the print image on the paper. In order to
move the image up or left, you may write negative values.

3. Click OK to confirm the settings.

26 Chapter 2: Getting Started

Event Log
1. From the Tools Menu select Options, the Options dialog box will open, Select
the Event Log tab to define which events will be logged by xPress2.

2. To select the desired log file, click the browse button and select the file.

3. To start the event log with the selected file, you can click the Start Event Log
Viewer, which will be started with the selected event log file even if it's not the
standard log file of your xPress2 application.

4. You can choose to ignore certain event types by removing the check mark next
to the appropriate event type, or ignore a specific event type by adding its code
to the Ignore specific events list.

All changes you made to the Options dialog box will apply only for the
current session of xPress2. To make these changes the default for future
xPress2 sessions, you must choose Save Settings from the Tools menu.
Chapter 2: Getting Started 27

Defining the Style Sheet

The Style Sheet window includes the default settings for all types of input and output
objects. When you create a new object it obtains its characteristics from the
definitions in the Style Sheet. You can then change the specific object's
characteristics in the Characteristics Window to achieve the desired result for that
specific object.

The Style Sheet dialog box shows the data tabs of the characteristic windows of each
Output and Input objects type.

1. From the Objects Menu select Style Sheet. The dialog box will open.

2. Select the desired output or input object type from the tabs at the top of the
Style Sheet window.
28 Chapter 2: Getting Started

3. Change the values of the different characteristics of the desired output or input
object type to the desired values. A detailed explanation of the role of each
characteristic of each output or input object type can be found in Chapter 4:
Output and Input objects on page 67.

4. You can import and export the style sheet settings to an external file. You can
also select which style sheet file will be used as the default for new documents

5. Click OK to confirm the settings and save them for the current document.

Other settings
You can change the view options such as zoom, hide or show toolbars, and any other
settings as well.

To save the current settings as the Default settings, from the Tools Menu select Save
Settings.

The default settings will automatically apply whenever you open the xPress2
software.

Event Log Viewer

The Event Log Viewer dialog box can be opened by selecting Event Log Viewer
from the Tools Menu.
Chapter 2: Getting Started 29

The Event Log Viewer is a tool in which you can view all events and statuses of the
xPress2 software. There are five types of events, which can be noticed by the unique
icon of each event type:

Error: This event occurs when a general error occurs, usually as a

result of incorrect user input.

System Error: This event occurs when a system related error happens.

Security: This event indicates some security or licensing problem.

Warning: This event occurs when a suspicious activity takes place.

Information: This event indicates that the system is operating normally,

but some information is being logged for future reference.
30 Chapter 2: Getting Started

This page is intentionally blank

Chapter 3: Creating a Document 31

Chapter 3: Creating a Document

The process of creating a new document is quiet simple. It consists of 4 steps:

1. Define the characteristics of the new document (paper size, copies, etc).

2. Insert output objects and input objects, and define their characteristics.

3. Arrange the objects in the document.

4. Print and/or save your document.

Defining Document Characteristics

To create a new document, select New from the File Menu, or click the New
button in the Normal toolbar. A new blank document will be created, and a
Document object will be displayed in the Objects Tree. Select the Document object
to define its characteristics.

The Characteristics Window of the Document object at the bottom left corner of the
window displays 4 tabs:
32 Chapter 3: Creating a Document

Page

• Click the Page Tab to define paper size and

margins. From the Size combo box select the
desired paper size. If you select a custom size,
indicate in the corresponding boxes below the
Width and Height (in millimeter units) of the
paper.

• Select the document orientation by clicking one

of the radio buttons Portrait or Landscape.

• In the Margins area indicate the document margin size. The measurements are
indicated in millimeters.

Not all printers support printing on a custom paper size.

Object

• Click the Object Tab to define the number of

document-objects on each page. For example, to
place 6 invoices on a page you can indicate 2 in
Columns and 3 in Rows box.

• In the Gap boxes, indicate the gaps between

document-objects in columns and rows.

• The total number of document-objects will be

displayed underneath.
Chapter 3: Creating a Document 33

• In the Frame area you can choose whether the document objects will be framed
with lines, crosses, dots, crop marks, etc… and select the properties of the
frame, such as line length, color, width, bleed distance, etc…

After defining the number of document-objects, you will need to create

only one event. This document-object will be multiplied in the printed
document according to the number of objects you have just specified.

Amount

• Click the Amount Tab to indicate the number of

pages the document will include. There are 3
options to choose from:

• Fixed amount of pages: Simply write the

number of pages you want the document to have
in the No. of pages box. This amount refers only
to the original pages and does not include the
copies.

• Fixed amount of notebooks: This option will be available only if there are
notebook definitions. The total amount of pages in the document will be the
number of notebooks you wrote multiplied by the number of pages defined to
each notebook. For more information on this option, please refer to Notebook
Settings on page 34.

• Variable amount of pages according to a file size: This option allows you to get
the amount of pages automatically, according to the size of the ASCII or PDF
file from which you receive your data. For more information on this option,
please refer to ASCII as Input on page 89 or PDF as Input on page 92. The
34 Chapter 3: Creating a Document

Divide by amount of objects checkbox determines whether you want xPress2

to divide the number of pages taken from the file by the amount of document-
objects defined for that xPress2 document or not.

Job Split

• Click the Job Split Tab to split the print job into
several small print jobs. This allows the printer
to perform actions that are job-oriented to the
printout, such as to staple each notebook
separately. There are 4 options to choose from:

• Never split print job means that the entire

document will be printed in one print job.

• Split after # pages means that after the indicated amount of pages from the
document, a new print job will be opened.

• Split after # originals means that after the indicated amount of original pages
from the document, a new print job will be opened.

• Each notebook in a new job means that each notebook will be printed as a
separate job, according to the notebook settings.

Page Wizard
The Page Wizard is designed to ease up the process of defining the number of
document-objects in a page and calculating the margins and gaps. Click on Page
Wizard from the File Menu to start the wizard.
Chapter 3: Creating a Document 35

5. Define the desired object Height and Width in the appropriate boxes.

6. Select the desired page size from the combo box.

7. Select whether the wizard can set the page as Portrait, Landscape or Any of
them according to the best covered area.

8. Check the box next to Force Top / Bottom / Left / Right Margin if you want
the wizard to force any of the margins.

9. Check the box next to the Force Vertical / Horizontal Gap if you want to
force a fixed gap between the objects.

10. A preview of the layout is displayed, as well as the number of objects on the
page and the percent of usage of the objects out of the page area.

11. To apply the settings calculated by the wizard to the document, click the Apply
settings to document button.

12. To cancel the wizard without making any changes to the document, click Exit
button.
36 Chapter 3: Creating a Document

Page Object Visibility

This window displays which objects to display – and hence to print – and which
objects should be hidden.

1. Click on Display Document Objects located in the File Menu to open the
display window.

2. Choose the objects you do not want to display by pressing on their number.

3. Objects that are unselected (not pressed into the screen) will not be printed.

Notebook settings
When creating a notebook, such as an invoice book, ticket book etc., there are some
additional definitions:

1. From the Tools Menu choose Notebook Settings. The Notebook Settings
dialog box will appear.
Chapter 3: Creating a Document 37

2. Select the Use notebook definitions box.

3. Indicate the Number of pages in a notebook using the up/down arrows.

4. To add a cover page to each notebook in the document, check the Cover 1
checkbox. To add more cover pages (up to 5 cover pages), check the
appropriate cover page checkboxes.

5. For each cover page, select from the Paper Tray combo box, where the cover
page will be printed from.

6. Check the appropriate Print Page Frame checkbox to indicate whether the
paper frame will be printed on the cover page.

7. To add a footer page to each notebook in the document, repeat step 4 above
with footer instead of cover page.

Defining the Number of Copies

After creating a new document, you can indicate the number of copies in the
document. Every document must have at least one input object of the type Copies.
This object is always called Copies and cannot be deleted.
38 Chapter 3: Creating a Document

Click on the (+) sign next to the Document-object in the Objects Tree. The Copies
branch will be displayed. Select the Copies branch and in the Characteristics Window
define the number of copies of the document.

Although it is a unique object, the Copies input object is still an Input object. Please
refer to Copies as Input on page 75 for information regarding the different
characteristics of a Copies input object.

Protecting the Document

You can protect a document by assigning a password to protect some document
actions such as Load, Save, Print, Run Script and change counter value. To set up
these passwords, select the Document password from the Tools menu.

Add document information

You can add information that will describe the document and make it easier to be
identified in the future. To add such information select the Document Information
from the File menu.
Chapter 3: Creating a Document 39

Saving the Document

To save the document click the Save button in the Normal toolbar. In the File
Name text box, type the name of the document and browse to the folder in which you
want to save the document. Click the Save button.

Inserting Objects

About Objects
Every document created using the xPress2 software is constructed of objects: output
objects and input objects. While creating a document you should place an output
object on the xPress2 desktop, define its characteristics and link it to an input object
that defines the displayed data.

Sometimes a single input object can supply its data to more than one output object.
For example, a ticket with 2 parts – one part containing the ticket number displayed
as a barcode and the other part is a drinks voucher with the same number displayed as
digits.
40 Chapter 3: Creating a Document

The following illustration shows the links between the document and its Object Tree.
You can see that one input object (Main), such as the ticket number, can be displayed
in 3 different output objects.

The output object and its linked input are displayed in the Objects Tree on the same
"branch", but the input appears one level higher than the corresponding output.

Adding new Objects

There are two methods of adding new output objects to the document. The first one is
via a dialog box and the second one is to allow the xPress2 to create the desired
default object and then change it to suit your needs.

Selecting one of the two methods is done by checking or un-checking the 9 sign next
to the Show Insert Dialog option in the Objects Menu.
Chapter 3: Creating a Document 41

Method 1: via dialog box

1. From the Objects Menu select the Show Insert Dialog option. The 9 sign will
be added to the left of the sub-menu. This feature enables the display of a
dialog box every time you create a new object

2. From the Objects Menu choose Insert Output and select the type of output
object you wish to add (e.g. Text) from the sub-menu.

3. The Add New Output dialog box will appear:

4. In the New Output Name text box, write a name for the output (the name
Output # is displayed by default).

5. If you want the new output object to receive its content from an existing input
object, you can select it from the From an existing input combo box.
42 Chapter 3: Creating a Document

6. If you want the new output object to receive its content from a new input
object, select the Create a new input radio button.

7. From the Input Type combo box select the desired type of input object (e.g.
Text).

8. Write a name for the new input object in the Input Name text box (the name
Input # is displayed by default).

9. Click OK to confirm. The new output object will be created on the xPress2
desktop, and the new output and input objects will appear in the Objects Tree.

10. Now you can select the new output object, either from the xPress2 desktop or
from the Objects Tree, and change its characteristics. Each output object has
two tabs in the Characteristics Window, the Layout tab (which will be
explained on page 47) and the Data tab. The Data tab appearance differs
according to the type of output, and its content is explained in details in
Chapter 4: Output and Input objects on page 67.

11. You can also select the newly created Input object from the Objects Tree, and
change its characteristics. All input objects have only one Tab in the
Characteristics Window, the Input Tab, which is explained in detail in Chapter
4: Output and Input objects on page 75.

Method 2: default quick build

1. Make sure that the 9 sign next to the Show Insert Dialog option in the
Objects Menu is not checked.

2. Select the type of output object you want to add by clicking the desired output
type on the Objects toolbar. When moved to the working area, the mouse
cursor will change its shape to a cross.
Chapter 3: Creating a Document 43

3. On the working area, draw a square using the mouse. When you release the
mouse button, an output object of the type you chose will be created in the
location you marked, and a new input text object will be created as well.

4. In order to change the Input type to the desired input type, you can select it
from the Objects Tree. From the Objects menu, select Change Input to and
select the new desired input type from the sub-menu.

5. In order to change the characteristics of the new output and input objects, see
steps 10 and 11 above.

When you create an Output type, except for picture outputs, the default
input type that will be created is a Text Input. When you create a picture
output, the default Input that will be created is a File Input.

Combination of the two methods

Methods 1 and 2 for adding new output objects can also be combined:

• You can select the 9 sign next to the Show Insert Dialog option in the
Objects Menu, and then use the mouse to select the desired output type, and to
mark a place for it on the desktop. In this case, the output position will be set
and the Show Insert Dialog option will be displayed when you release the
mouse button.

• On the other hand, you can remove the 9 sign next to the Show Insert Dialog
option in the Objects Menu, and then select from the Objects Menu the
Insert Output and select the desired type of output object you want to add
from the sub-menu. In this case the desired output type will be added
immediately to the upper left corner of the desktop with the default input
44 Chapter 3: Creating a Document

object type, and you can make all the adjustments and changes to both output
and input objects later.

Copy-Paste of objects

You can copy output and input objects to the clipboard, and then paste it back to the
same document or to another document.

When you copy input objects to the clipboard, all dependent inputs are copied as
well, e.g. when you copy a chain input object, all input objects in the chain are copied
as well.

When you copy output objects to the clipboard, all the inputs of these outputs are
copied to the clipboard as well.

If you paste an object (input or output) to a document in which an object with that
name already exists, xPress2 will automatically change the name of the pasted object
to a new unique name.

Duplicating existing objects

It is sometimes easier to duplicate an existing output object than to create a new one.
All you need to do in order to duplicate existing objects is:

1. Select the desired object or objects using the mouse, holding the shift key
while clicking all desired objects.

2. Select Duplicate Outputs from the Objects Menu.

All the selected objects will be duplicated and placed near the position of the original
outputs, but not in the exact place. The newly selected group contains only the new
objects and not the original ones, which can now be moved to any other location and
treated as any other output objects.
Chapter 3: Creating a Document 45

When you duplicate output objects, its input objects are NOT duplicated. However,
the new output objects are linked to the same input objects to which the original
output objects were linked.

There are two differences between copy-paste and duplicate of objects:

1. Copy-paste can be done on both input and output objects, and

duplicate can be only done on output objects.

2. When copy-pasting an output object, its input object is also copy-

pasted and new input and output objects are created. When
duplicating an output object, it is duplicated and inserted under the
original input of the duplicated object.

Insert multiple objects at once

You can create a large number of objects at once by using the "Add multiple inputs"
dialog box from the "Objects" menu. This option is useful when you want to set a
large number of input objects to one data file with identical characteristics besides the
location of the fields from which you want the input objects to get the data.
46 Chapter 3: Creating a Document

Choose the type of the input objects you want to create, and then type the length of
the fields, number of fields or column names for each input object (according to the
type of input object you selected) and separate the data with a comma.

Choose whether you like an output object to be created under each input object as
well, and choose the type of output object to be created.

Click the "Style Sheet" button and select from the style sheet dialog box all of the
characteristics which will be the same for all objects created. It is very important to
choose the file for the input objects to take the data from. It is very much
recommended to select the file from the file manager, this way if in the future you
will need to change the file for all input objects at once, it will be very easy to be
done. For more information about the file manager, please see page 53. For more
information about the style sheet, please see page 27.
Chapter 3: Creating a Document 47

Static vs. Variable Data

The Output objects in xPress2 are always linked to an Input object. The type of the
Input object defines whether the output object will be static (will always contain the
same data) or variable (where the data varies from one page to another).

• The static variable input object types are: Text, File.

• The variable input object types are: Copies, Counter, Excel, List, System, and
ASCII.

• PDF Input can be either static or variable, depending on the characteristics of

the specific PDF Input object.

• Chain Input can be either static or variable, depending on the inputs in the
chain.

Layout
A Layout box is created automatically for each output object added to the document.
The Layout box indicates the general characteristics of the output object.

• In the Position boxes, indicate (using the

up/down arrows) the exact location of the object
in the document:

Top – the distance of the top of the object from

the upper margin of the paper.

Left - the distance of the left of the object from

the left margin of the paper.

Height – the height of the object.

Width – the width of the object.

48 Chapter 3: Creating a Document

• Click the Set Visibility button to open a dialog box that will allow you to
decide in which pages and copies of the document the object will be visible.

• Click the Lock button to lock the location of the object, to avoid moving it
unintentionally with the mouse.

• Select Show Background Color to add a background color to the object.

• The Frame area is used for indicating the borders of the object.

Use the Shape combo box to choose the border shape.

Use the Style combo box to choose the line style of the border.

Use the Length box to change the length of the frame lines if the frame type is
Cross.

Use the Width box to choose the line width of the border.

• To change the size and location of an object using the mouse, drag the object to
the new location and change its size. By default, xPress2 will allow you to
move the objects only within the xPress2 Desktop. If, for any reason, you want
to place an output object outside the xPress2 Desktop (in the gray area) you can
remove the 9 sign next to the Limit outputs to page option from the View
Menu.

• To define the exact size or location of an object, select the output object in the
Objects Tree and define its characteristics in the object's Characteristics
Window.
Chapter 3: Creating a Document 49

Set Visibility Dialog Box

Here you can decide in which of the

document's pages the output object will
be visible or invisible.

The list will show all page types available

in your document, check the box next to
each page type to make the output object
visible, or uncheck the box to make it
invisible.

The Set Visibility also allows you to

decide if the object should appear in the
undivided section of the page or as part of
the changing section, as explained in page
17.

• Click the Select All button to make an object visible in all pages.

• Click the Unselect All button to make an object invisible in all pages.

• Click the Invert button to invert the selection of visibility.

To make the working area show different page type, choose the desired page type
from the Show objects on combo box in the Toolbox, for more information about
viewing different page types, see The Objects Toolbar (Toolbox) on page 17.

Changing output objects layout easily

After inserting an output object you can change its location relative to other output
objects in the document. You can align output objects, set horizontal or vertical
spacing and arrange their display order by levels.
50 Chapter 3: Creating a Document

Select the output objects you want to arrange using the mouse and the Shift key.
When you select objects, the last object you select is always the leader object of the
group; you can distinguish this output object from the rest of the group since its
dotted border is red, while the borders of all the other output objects are gray.

After you finish selecting the group of output objects, from the Format Menu select
one of the positioning options:

• Select the Align Menu and choose one of the direction options from the sub-
menu (Lefts, Centers, Rights, Tops, Middles, and Bottoms) all of the
selected output objects will be aligned according to the leader object.

• To equalize the size of the selected output objects, select Make Same Size
from the Format Menu and choose one of the options displayed in the sub-
menu. All of the selected output objects will be resized according to the leader
object (Width, Height or Both).
Chapter 3: Creating a Document 51

• To change the spacing between output objects: Select the output objects, and
then from the Format Menu select either Horizontal Spacing or Vertical
Spacing. To use this option, at least 3 output objects must be selected.

o Select Make Equal to create equal spaces between the selected output
objects.

o Select Remove to remove the spaces between the output objects.

• To change the graphic layout order of the output objects: Select the output
objects, and then from the Format Menu select the Order option and choose
one of the options displayed in the sub-menu: bring to front (1st level), bring
forward, send backward, send to back (last level).

All formatting actions can be performed easily and conveniently from the
Format toolbar.
52 Chapter 3: Creating a Document

Copying output object characteristics

You can copy the characteristics of one output object to another output object. This is
useful for quick characteristics editing and creating a uniform document.

1. Using the mouse and the Shift key, select the objects you wish to change.
Make sure that the leader object (the object that is selected last in the group) is
the object you want to use as the source characteristics object.

2. Click the Brush button from the Format toolbar.

3. The characteristics of the leader object will be copied to all objects in the
selected group.

All output objects in the selected group must be of the same type in order
to successfully copy the characteristics.

Output Objects Display Order Dialog Box

The Output Object Display Order is

used to comfortably view and
change the order in which the
Output Objects are created,
displayed and printed on the page.
Chapter 3: Creating a Document 53

File Manager

When you want to select a file as an input (picture, ASCII, PDF or Excel input
objects), you may first insert the file into the File Manager, and then select the input
file from the File Manager list of the input object. This will allow you, when you
want to change the file in the future, to change it only once in the File Manager,
instead of needing to change the file in each input object separately.

To insert a file into the File Manager:

• Select File Manager from the Tools Menu. The File Manager dialog box will
appear.

• To insert a new file, click the Insert button, the File dialog box will appear.

o Write a descriptive name for the file in the Name box.

o Select the file path using the browse button.

54 Chapter 3: Creating a Document

o Choose whether the file is in Absolute or Relative location to the

xPress2 document. If the document is a new document that was never
saved, you must first save it using the Absolute option, since an unsaved
document doesn't have a path on the drive.

• To delete an input file from the File Manager, select the file and click the
Delete button.

• When selecting a file from the File Manager, if this file is an ASCII file or a
CSV file, the properties of the file can be seen on the right hand side.

• To change an input file linked to the File Manager

o Open the File Manager window and select the file you want to change.

o Click the Edit button, select a new file and confirm.

o All Output Objects that receive their input from the selected file in the
File Manager display the new input file.

To link an Input to a file from the File Manager:

• Select the desired input object from the Objects Tree.

• In the Input tab of the Characteristics Window, select the File Manager check
box and select the file name from the list of File Manager files.

Substitution Rules

Substitution Rules are a set of rules you can use to change the text that an output
object receives from an input object. It is like a filter which can change all or some of
the text. Substitution Rules are organized in groups, called Substitution Rule Sets.
Each Substitution Rule Set is composed of one or more Substitution Rules.
Chapter 3: Creating a Document 55

Without Substitution Rule Set With Substitution Rule Set

Output Output
Data Object1 Data Object1
Input Input Subst.
Object1 Object1 Data Rule
Output Set Output
Data Object2 Data Object2

To define Substitution Rules and Substitution Rule Sets, Select Substitution Rules
Manager from the Tools menu.

Define Substitution Rules

In the Substitution Rules Manager

dialog box, click the Insert Rule
button and the Substitution Rule Edit
dialog box will open. Select the
properties of the Substitution Rule.

• Select a name for the Rule, this

name will be used to identify
that Substitution Rule.

• If you want the rule to be used

only if the data in the input field
is not empty, check the Perform
rule only if data is not empty
checkbox.
56 Chapter 3: Creating a Document

• In the Original String box, write the text you want to replace with a different
text.

• In the New String box, write the new text you want instead of the original text.

If you want to replace or insert a text which is composed of

unprintable characters (for example a form feed or a line feed
character) you can type the hexadecimal value of that character in
the following format: <0x**>, where ** is the hexadecimal value of
the unprintable characters. For example, <0x0C> will insert a form
feed character. <0x0D0A> will insert the carriage return and line
feed characters.

• In the Matching Method combo box, select one of the methods:

o Any Part of Field – The original string will be searched and replaced
with the new string anywhere in the text. If you select this option, select
Match All to replace all appearances of the original string with the new
string, or Match # Times to replace the original string only a specific
number of times.

o Whole Field – The original string will be replaced with the new string
only if the data is exactly identical to the new string.

o Start of Field – The original string will be replaced with the new string
only if the data starts with to the new string.

o End of Field – The original string will be replaced with the new string
only if the data ends with the new string.

• Select whether you would like to trim spaces from either side of the data in the
Trim Spaces combo box.

• Select Delete Empty Lines checkbox if you want to remove empty lines.

• Select Delete All Content checkbox if you want to clear the data.
Chapter 3: Creating a Document 57

• If you want to delete characters from the beginning (left side) of the data, select
Delete First checkbox, and type in the number of characters you want to
delete.

• If you want to delete characters from the end (right side) of the data, select
Delete Last checkbox and type in the number of characters you want to delete.

• If you want to delete characters from the middle of the data, select Delete
checkbox and type in the number of characters you want to delete and the
position of the deletion.

• To add text before the data, select the Add Before checkbox and type in the
text to add.

• To add text before the data, select the Add After checkbox and type in the text
to add.

• To insert text within the data, select the Insert into the Field checkbox, type in
the text to insert and select the position to add it in.

• To make the field a given fixed length, select the Fill field with char
checkbox, select which character is the padding character, determine which
side to add the padding and enter the desired final field length.

• Click OK and the new Substitution Rule will appear in the Substitution Rules
list.

Define Substitution Rule Sets

Once you have finished defining the Substitution Rules, you must organize them in
Sets in order to be able to use them:
58 Chapter 3: Creating a Document

1. Click Insert Set button, and type the name of the set.

2. The new set will appear in the Substitution Rule Sets list. Click on the set, the
sets properties will be enabled.

3. Select a Substitution Rule from the list on the Substitution Rules list, and
click the >> button. The selected rule will be added to the Rules in Set list.
Repeat this step for each rule you want to add to the set.

4. If you want to remove a rule from the set, select it in the Rules in Set list and
click the << button. The selected rule will be removed from the list.

5. You can change the order of the rules in the set using the up/down arrow
buttons, the order of the rules is important since this is the order in which
xPress2 performs the rules when the set is in use.

6. Select Use First Successful Only option if you want xPress2 to perform the
rules in the set until a rule is performed successfully, and skip all remaining
rules.
Chapter 3: Creating a Document 59

7. select Use All Rules in Set option if you want xPress2 to perform all the rules
in the set regardless if any rule was successful or not.

Use Substitution Rule Sets

Once you finished defining the Substitution Rule Sets, you need to select a set to be
used with a specific input object. Select the desired input object from the Objects
Tree, this input object may be of a type: ASCII, Excel, System, Counter or List, and
in the characteristics window of that input, check the Subst. Set checkbox and select
the desired Substitution Rule Set from the combo box.

Substitution Rule Sets Examples

Following are a few examples that may assist in understanding the Substitution Rules
and Substitution Rule Sets. Assume the following condition:
Rule 1 Rule 2 Set 1
Original String: "0" Original String: "1" Rules: Rule1
New String: "xx" New String: "yy"
Matching: Any Part of Field Matching: Any Part of Field
Match 2 times Match All Use First Successful Only

Set 2 Set 3 Set 4

Rules: Rule1 Rules: Rule2 Rules: Rule1
Rule2 Rule1 Rule2

Use First Successful Only Use First Successful Only Use All Rules in Set

Original Data After Set 1 After Set 2 After Set 3 After Set 4
000111 xxxx0111 xxxx0111 000yyyyyy xxxx0yyyyyy
123456 123456 yy23456 yy23456 yy23456
100000 1xxxx000 1xxxx000 yy00000 yyxxxx000
ABC01 ABCxx1 ABCxx1 ABC0yy ABCxxyy
60 Chapter 3: Creating a Document

Tray Inserts

The tray inserts dialog box is used to

assign a specific tray to a certain
page or page group.

• To add an insert, click the

Insert button and the Select
Paper Tray for Pages dialog
box will open.

• To edit an insert, select the

desired insert from the list,
and click the Edit button.

• To delete an insert from the list, select the desired insert, and click the Delete
button.

Select Paper Tray for Pages

The Select Paper Tray for Pages dialog box

is used to select the properties of the insert
command.

• Select the From and To pages for the

insert. The page numbers are the
numbers including cover and footer
pages of a notebook, and copy pages.

• Select the desired paper tray from the Paper tray list.
Chapter 3: Creating a Document 61

• Select the Return to previous tray after this page option if you want the
insert to be for these pages only, or the Keep using this tray for all following
pages if you want the following pages to be taken from the same paper tray
until any other tray changes (whether by a different tray for a different copy or
by a new insert) will occur.

• Check the Repeat insert every x pages checkbox, and select the number of
pages if you want the insert to be repetitive and not one time only.

• Click the OK button.

Before you print a document with different paper sources for different
pages, you must define the printer tray code for each paper tray. The tray
definition can be done in one of two ways: PCL or Postscript. For more
information about setting the paper tray definition please refer to PCL
Paper Trays on page 21 or Postscript Paper Trays on page 22.

In order to print different copies from different paper trays using PCL or
Postscript commands, your printer must support PCL5 or Postscript
language accordingly. This requires a PCL5 or Postscript printer driver.

Printing the Document

Before printing, it is recommended to display the document in the Print Preview

display. This display shows the full page according to the number of columns and
rows you have defined. For more information, please see Defining Document
Characteristics on page 32.
62 Chapter 3: Creating a Document

1. To view the document in Print Preview mode select File from the Main Menu
and choose Print Preview, or click Print Preview in the Normal toolbar.

2. Click the arrow buttons to see the copies of the document and the other pages
of the document.

3. Click the Zoom In and Zoom Out buttons to see parts of the document in a
more detailed manner.

4. Click Close to return to the document or click the Print button to print the
document.

5. To print the document without displaying the Print Preview window, click the

Print button in the Normal toolbar.

Chapter 3: Creating a Document 63

6. The Select Print Method dialog box will appear. Select the desired print
emulation you want to use.

Click Print to continue the print process.

7. In the Print dialog box select the page numbers for printing, and press the OK
Button to confirm. The document will be printed according to the number of
pages and the number of copies you have specified and according to the paper
trays you have chosen for each copy.

Faxing the Document

In order to send fax from the xPress2 software, the fax module must be
licensed. It is only possible to send fax from the xPress2 software when it
is installed on windows 2000/XP or higher operating system. Additionally,
make sure that the Microsoft Fax software is installed on your computer
and is working properly.

xPress2 software is able to send a document automatically via fax. The sent is made
using Microsoft Fax software. When sending a fax from xPress2, the fax number field
can be taken from any input field (including excel or ASCII), which enables you to
64 Chapter 3: Creating a Document

send each page or page group to a different fax number, without the need to send
each fax manually.

To fax a document automatically from the xPress2 software, please follow these
steps:

1. Click Fax Properties from the Tools menu, which will open the Fax
Properties dialog box.

2. For each fax property, select its content. The content can be either a static text,
or from an Input field. The only mandatory parameter is the Recipient Number
(destination fax number), all other parameters are optional. After setting the fax
parameters, click OK.

3. Click Send Fax from the File menu, this will present a Fax Send dialog box,
where you may specify the range of pages to be faxed.
Chapter 3: Creating a Document 65

Click OK to send the document by Fax.

4. Each page of the document will be faxed to the appropriate fax number. If two
consecutive pages have the same fax recipient number, they will be sent in the
same fax call.
66 Chapter 3: Creating a Document

This page is intentionally blank

Chapter 4: Output and Input objects 67

Chapter 4: Output and Input objects

Output Objects

Output as Text

Use this output to display texts:

• To format the text font, click the Font button

and from the displayed dialog box choose the
font type, font style, size and color.

• The text can be stretched to fit into the object’s

borders by using the stretch options. Click the
vertical arrows and/or the horizontal arrows
button in order to stretch the text to the dotted
outline. Min/Max gives the minimum and
maximum font size values allowed to the text
to the object.

• Click on one of the 9 Alignment options to choose the preferred combination

of vertical (Top, Middle, Bottom) and horizontal (Right, Center, Left)
alignments.

• To indicate the spacing between the text lines:

o Select Automatic spacing if you want the system to automatically

choose spacing according to font size.

o Select Stretch if you want the system to stretch the text lines over the
entire output area.

o Select Exactly to indicate the distance between lines in points.

68 Chapter 4: Output and Input objects

• Use the up/down arrows in the Text Direction box to indicate the direction of
the text in the text box.

• Use the up/down arrows in Scale Width to stretch the fonts (starting at 100%).

• Select the Visual or RtoL radio button if the text in text box is in reversed
display.

• In the Font dialog box, you can also decide how the text will act if it exceeds
the limits of the area assigned to it by the output object, using the following
options:

o No Clipping – The area of the output object doesn't limit the text, so if
the text exceeds the area of the output object, it will still be printed.

o Clip Text – Those parts of the text that exceed the area of the output
object will not be printed.

o Wrap Text – Will cause the text to wrap automatically to the next line if
it exceeds the limit of the output object.

Output as Barcode

Use this output for printing Barcodes.

• From the Barcode Type combo box, choose the

Barcode encoding standard.

• In the Add Before and Add After boxes, insert

the text you want to add before or after the
Barcode.

• To display text in addition to the Barcode code,

click the arrow of the Display Text combo box
and select location of the display.
Chapter 4: Output and Input objects 69

• Select the Text Size to be Automatic or an exact size (if a human readable text
is displayed in addition to the barcode).

• Select what will be the ratio between the tall and short lines in the barcode
(only in barcodes that have both tall and short lines).

• Click the Text Color box to choose the text color (if a human readable text is
displayed in addition to the barcode).

• Click the Bar Color box to choose the bar color.

• To rotate the Barcode display, click on one of the Rotate buttons, according to
the preferred direction.

• If you want an empty barcode to be hidden when its data is empty, check the
Hide Barcode if data is empty checkbox.

Not every barcode standard can encode any type of data. Some barcode
types can only encode numbers, while other can encode both numbers and
letters. Some barcode types can only encode a limited length of data, while
others can encode variable data lengths. You must know the different
standards before using the barcode output.

If the output area on the xPress2 desktop appears as a gray rectangle

instead of a barcode, it means that the selected barcode encoding type
cannot encode the desired data.
70 Chapter 4: Output and Input objects

Output as Picture

Use this output for displaying a picture, such as a

company logo.

• To set a picture as a document background,

select the Set as Background box. The picture
will be stretched across the entire working area.

• Check the Show on Screen box to show the

background picture on the screen while
designing the page. This option lets you place
output fields easily on a preprinted document.

• Check the Print on Paper box show the background picture in the printed
document only. This option lets you work on the document without displaying
the background picture on the screen.

• You can rotate the picture by clicking the appropriate Rotate direction icon.
Selecting the Auto rotate option will cause the picture to be displayed in the
best direction according to the object dimensions.

• You can reduce the pictures resolution by changing the percent in the
Resolution box (this will cause faster printing but lesser quality).

• Check the Stretch to Fit box to fit the Input picture to the size of the output
object bounding box.

• Check the Lock Ratio box to instruct xPress2 to keep the original height-width
ratio of the picture to prevent distortions.

• Alternatively, you can indicate the picture size and offset in the output box by
choosing the Width and Height Percent, Horizontal and Vertical Offset and
the attach direction of the picture.
Chapter 4: Output and Input objects 71

Output as Check

Use this output for displaying a Check Output in the

MICR CMC7, E13B or OCR-A standards.

• Select the type of standard you want to use from

the Type section.

• The letters in the Legend area represent the

symbols separating the variable parts on the
check. The symbols are different for each
standard, and the legend will change according
to the standard you selected.

• You can rotate the check output by clicking the appropriate icon.

• Click the Advanced button to open the Check Advanced features dialog box.

• If you want to add text before / after the data, insert the letters representing the
requested symbol in the text boxes in the Add Text area.

• If you want to use a PCL printer font (a Flash / Dimm / Simm font) instead of
the internal software font to print the MICR stripe, it can bee done by checking
the Use a PCL printer font for the check printing checkbox and typing the
72 Chapter 4: Output and Input objects

PCL font selection command in the PCL font command text box. Such a
command can be something like that:

<ESC>(8M<ESC>(s1p12v0s4b4457T

The font selection command can be found in the printer PCL font list. When
using a printer PCL font for the MICR stripe of the check it is recommended to
ensure that in the driver's definitions under Advanced, the option Print
Optimizations is Disabled.

The use of a PCL command to select a PCL printer font is an advanced

feature which is not recommended for beginner users. You must be
familiar with the usage of the PCL language and the commands to select
the proper font, otherwise the printed results may be wrong.

Output as Shape

Use this Output for adding Shapes and lines to the

document.

• Click the Shape list box to choose an object

shape. You may choose one of four options, the
content of the characteristics window will
change according to the selected shape type:

• Line – indicate the line color, width and style

and the combination of line and location around
the object.
• Rectangle – indicate the line color, width and style and the degree of rounded
corners of the rectangle.

• Ellipse – indicate the line color, width and style.

Chapter 4: Output and Input objects 73

• Table - Indicate the line color, width and style and the degree of rounded
corners of the table. For a Table also indicate the number of columns and rows,
and the width ratio between columns.

In the Columns Ratio text box, indicate the ratio between the columns. For
example, for a 3-column Table if you write "1,1,1" - all the columns of the
Table will have the same width. If you write "1,1,3" - the 3rd column will be 3
times wider than the 1st column. If you write "1,2" for a Table that have more
than 2 columns, the width of the last columns will be set according to the last
number written. For example, in a 4 columns Table, indicating "1,2" is
identical to indicating "1,2,2,2". By that, it can be understood that writing "1"
will generate a Table in which all the columns width are equal, regardless of
the number of columns. In order to achieve maximum accuracy in complex
Tables, you can treat the numbers in the box as the width of the Table in
millimeters, and write for example "22,46,53".

• Triangle – indicate the line color, width and style, and the direction of the
triangle.

• Arrow – indicate the line color, width and style, and the direction of the arrow.

• Star – indicate the line color, width and style, and the direction of the star.

• If you want the shape to be hidden when its data is empty, check the Hide
Shape if data is empty checkbox.

The fields in the shape output characteristics window change according to

the selected shape type.
74 Chapter 4: Output and Input objects

Output as xPress file

This option is used when you want to use one xPress2

document as a variable element in a “parent” xPress2
document. This is especially useful, for example,
when making a “coupon flier” – each “coupon” can
be a different type of xPress2 output, while the entire
flier is built of several “coupons”.

To set as the background for the parent document, choose Set As Background. The
background will cover the entire background.

Clip to Output limits the background xPress2 document from exiting the borders of
the work area and will delete anything that is outside the work area definitions.

Select Stretch to Fit in order for the background to stretch to its maximum size
within the given borders.

The Lock Ratio button will enable you to change the size of the image without
distorting it.

The Refresh button will refresh the child xPress2 document, if changes have been
made, so that the current display will be the correct and updated one.

Use the Edit XPR File to change the child xPress2 document.
Chapter 4: Output and Input objects 75

Input Objects

Text as Input

Use this input to connect the output object to a

constant text, such as Company details or any other
fixed text.

The text may be multi-line text.

If you want to use a language that is different from

your default operating system language in your
document, you may need to use the Unicode encoding.
In this case, check the Use Unicode checkbox. Note
that you can't use Unicode in every situation, for
example: you can't link a barcode or check outputs to
an input that was defined as Unicode.

Copies as Input

Use this input to connect the output object to a

different text in each copy of the document, this is also
used to select the paper source of each copy of the
document.

• To add another copy to your document, click the

Add Copy button.

• To switch between the data of the different

copies, use the up/down arrows of the
Currently Viewing Copy box.

• To define a paper tray from which this document will be printed, choose the
tray number from the Paper Tray list.
76 Chapter 4: Output and Input objects

• In the Copy Data area, add the text that will be printed on this copy (for
example Copy1, Original, etc.).

• Repeat the above steps for adding additional copies.

• To remove an existing copy, change the copy number in the Currently

Viewing Copy box to the copy you want to delete, and click the Remove
Copy button.

Each document must have at least one Copies input object - that is the
object with the name Copies. The paper source is set in this input object
and it cannot be deleted. Additional Copies input objects can be added to
the document in order to create different texts on each copy of the
document, but the paper trays in these objects can't be set and will be
ignored.

Before you print a document with different paper sources for different
copies, you must define the printer tray code for each paper tray. The tray
definition can be done in one of two ways: PCL or Postscript. For more
information about setting the paper tray definition please refer to PCL
Paper Trays on page 21 or Postscript Paper Trays on page 22.

In order to print different copies from different paper trays using PCL or
Postscript commands, your printer must support PCL5 or Postscript
language accordingly. This requires a PCL5 or Postscript printer driver.
Chapter 4: Output and Input objects 77

Counter as Input

Use this input to connect the output object to a

counter.

• In the Start counting at box indicate the start

number of the counter.

• If you want the counter to count in loop, and

that the counting will restart after reaching a
certain number, select the Loop at checkbox
and indicate the last number before the loop in
the box.

• In the Display at least box indicate the number of digits to be displayed in the
Output data.

• In the Increase by box indicate the difference between a counter value and the
next value

• In the After Every box indicate if the values will increase after each object (1)
or after more than one object.

• Select one of the objects at the bottom of this window to indicate the order of
the printed numbers in the counter, according to the Object tab of the
document. See page 32 for more details.

• Click the up/down arrow to change the order direction and receive more
options for the order of the printed numbers.

• Flat and Deep radio buttons indicate the order of the numbers on the printed
document.

o Flat – distribution of numbers on the first page and then on the next
pages.
78 Chapter 4: Output and Input objects

o Deep – calculating the number of required papers in advance and

ordering the numbers in a way that enables cutting the document and
placing more that one set of documents in a pile, in the right order.

• Subst. Set checkbox and combo box are used to assign a Substitution Rule Set
to the input object, see Substitution Rules page 54 for more details.

• Click the Advanced button to open the Counter Advanced features dialog box.

• Check the Add Check Digit checkbox to add a checksum digit to the counter
number. Click the Settings button to define the method in which this digit will
be calculated. The Settings options are explained on page 79.
Chapter 4: Output and Input objects 79

• The Flip Counter Position for Duplex Page has two sub checkboxes:
Horizontal and Vertical. These will allow you to flip horizontally or vertically
the position of the counter on each even page. This is effective when using
duplex printing to make sure that the correct object will be printed on the back
of each object on the front page. Example for Horizontal flipping:

Front Page Back Page Back Page

(No Flip) (Flipped)
1 3 5 7 7 5
2 4 6 8 8 6

• Check the Do special first-last numbering order checkbox to change the

counting order to the following order: assuming that there are 16 pages in the
print job, the order will be: 1, 16, 2, 15, 3, 14, 4, 13, 5, 12, 6, 11, 7, 10, 8, 9.

• Check the Save last counter value for next print job checkbox if you want
xPress2 to keep the last counter value automatically between print jobs, and
give a unique identification to the counter in the Counter ID box. If you
choose this option, and you will print for example 10 pages in which the first
page is number 1 and the last is number 10, then in the next print job the first
page will automatically be number 11. It is possible to protect the ability to
change the last counter value with a password. To do so, choose the Document
Password option from the Tools menu, and assign a Counter Password to the
document.

• In the After loop return to number textbox fill in the number you want
xPress2 to return to in case a loop is required and the counter is saved between
print jobs.

• Check the Change the numbers to Arabic digits checkbox if you want the
counter displayed in the Arabic language.
80 Chapter 4: Output and Input objects

Checksum Digit

There are many methods to calculate a

checksum digit. This dialog box enables you to
choose the different properties for the
calculation.

• In the Weight Number box write the

number that will be used to calculate the
weight of each digit in the number that
was calculated by the Counter Input. This
number must have the same number of
digits in it as the original number, if the
number of digits is different, it will be
extended or trimmed.

• Choose which weight method will be used to calculate the weight of each digit in
the Weight Method combo box:

o Digits – If the calculated weight of a digit is greater the 10, then the
result will be the sum of the digits of the weight.

o Numbers – The weight of each digit will be untouched.

• Choose from the Weight Alignment box the alignment of the checksum weight,
this will be important in case the weight doesn't have the same number of digits in
it as the number itself.

• Choose from the Divider box the number in which the final weight of the number
will be divided by.

• Choose whether the checksum digit will be the remainder of the weight to the
divider or the complement thereto.
Chapter 4: Output and Input objects 81

• If the divider is greater than 10, then there may be a possibility that the check digit
itself will be greater or equal to 10, and therefore will have more than 1 digit in it.
The Leap Digit and Leap Digit Position will cause the checksum to be
recalculated in such cases with a slight difference so that the new check digit will
be smaller than 10.

• Separator Text will allow you to add a fixed text between the original number and
the checksum digit.

• Test Check Digit button is useful to test yourself with the settings you chose.
Type a number that you already know what its checksum digit should be in the
Number box, and make sure that the correct digit is added to the number shown
in the Result box.

Checksum Digit Examples

Data: Weight Calc: Check Digit Calc:

Original number: 0000501 2 x 1 = 2 12 / 10 = 1 (2)
Weight Number: 2121212 1 x 0 = 0 10 – 2 = 8
Weight Method: Number 2 x 5 = 10
Divider: 10 1 x 0 = 0 Check Digit = 8
Method: Complement 2 x 0 = 0
1 x 0 = 0
2 x 0 = 0
Weight = 12
82 Chapter 4: Output and Input objects

Data: Weight Calc: Check Digit Calc:

Original number: 0000561 7 x 1 = 7 21 / 10 = 2 (1)
Weight Number: 7137137 3 x 6 = 18 Æ 9
Weight Method: Digit 1 x 5 = 5 Check Digit = 1
Divider: 10 7 x 0 = 0
Method: Remainder 3 x 0 = 0
1 x 0 = 0
7 x 0 = 0
Weight = 21

Data: Weight Calc: Check Digit Calc:

Original Number: 1200667 2 x 7 = 14 78 / 11 = 7 (1)
Weight Number: 8765432 3 x 6 = 18 11 – 1 = 10
Weight Method: number 4 x 6 = 24
Divider: 11 5 x 0 = 0 Check Digit = 10
Leap Digit: 5 6 x 0 = 0
Leap Digit Pos: 4 7 x 2 = 14
Method: Complement 8 x 1 = 8 Do Leap Process…
Weight = 87

New Weight Calc: New Check Digit:

New Number: 1205667 2 x 7 = 14 103 / 11 = 9 (4)
th
(put the digit 5 in the 4 3 x 6 = 18 11 – 4 = 7
position from the left)
4 x 6 = 24
5 x 5 = 25 Check Digit = 7
6 x 0 = 0
7 x 2 = 14
8 x 1 = 8
Weight = 103
Chapter 4: Output and Input objects 83

File as Input

When the output object receives its content from a file,

such as a graphic picture or xPress2 file, it should be
linked to the file input type.

• To choose the file click on the browse

button and locate the picture file, select the file
and click Open to link it to the object.

• Click the radio button that indicates the type of link the path to the file will
have:

o Choose Absolute to link a file to a specific location.

o Choose Relative to indicate a location relative to the location of your

document. It is recommended to choose the Relative option when you
intend to open the document from another computer.

• Select the File Manager checkbox if you want to select a file via the File
Manager. For more information regarding the File Manager see page 53.
84 Chapter 4: Output and Input objects

Excel as Input

You can connect the output object to an input Excel

file.

• To choose the file click on the browse

button and locate the Excel file, or use the File
manager. Please refer to File as Input on page
83 for more information.

• Indicate the data location from the Excel file:

o From the Sheet combo box, choose sheet name .

o In the Column box indicate the column from which to receive data.

o In the Starting at Row box indicate the row number from which to
receive data.

o If the data acquired from Excel is not consecutive, select the radio button
Get Row from the Counter Input and select the counter input object
that indicates the linked row numbers.

• Subst. Set checkbox and combo box are used to assign a Substitution Rule Set
to the input object, see Substitution Rules on page 54 for more details.

• If you want to use a language that is different from your default operating
system language in your document, you may need to use the Unicode
encoding. In this case, check the Use Unicode checkbox. Note that you can't
use Unicode in every situation, for example: you can't link a barcode or check
outputs to an input that was defined as Unicode.
Chapter 4: Output and Input objects 85

It is highly recommended NOT to change the content of the Excel file

while the xPress2 software is open and the Excel file is selected in an input
object. Doing so may cause unexpected results.

List as Input

Use this input type to link an output object to a list of

items.

• Items on the list can be a text, a number or a

combination of the two.

• To insert a list entry, click the Insert button and

type the entry in the displayed box.

• To edit an existing entry, select the desired entry, click the Edit button, and
type the new entry in the displayed box.

• To delete an existing entry, select the desired entry, and click the Delete
button.

• To delete all the entries in the list, click the Clear List button.

• Use the up/down arrows to change the order of the list items.

• Select the Get Row from Counter Input check box to link the list to an
existing counter, and select the counter from the list box below.

• Subst. Set checkbox and combo box are used to assign a Substitution Rule Set
to the input object, see Substitution Rules on page 54 for more details.

• Click the Advanced button to open the List Advanced features dialog box.
86 Chapter 4: Output and Input objects

• Automatic folder synchronization:

o Check the Synchronize the list to a folder checkbox and select the
desired path to this folder if you want the list to automatically contain
the names of the files in a specific folder.

o If you want the list to automatically synchronize itself with the files in
the selected folder, and whenever files will be added or removed from
the folder they will automatically be added or removed from the list,
select the Keep list automatically synchronized with the folder
option.

o If you want to add the files currently existing in the folder to the list, and
keep them in the list without automatically synchronizing it with the
folder in the future, select the Read folder files and keep list static
option, and click the Read Now button.

o If you want to add only some of the files in the folder into the list, e.g.
only files with a specific extension, check the Filter files checkbox and
type the filter in the text box.
Chapter 4: Output and Input objects 87

• Automatic number filling: If you want to add a series of numbers to the list,
you can do this automatically by selecting the range of numbers in the To and
From boxes, and clicking the Add Now button.

This function is useful if you want to make a list with page numbers
and connect the presentation of PDF pages to this list (by chaining
the list after a text PDF input containing the path to the PDF file
with a comma between the filename and the page number).

Database as Input

Use this input type to link an output object to a

database via ODBC connection.

• Type the ODBC database connection name in

the DSN text box. The data source must be a
user data source.

• Type the SQL query you want to perform on the

database you chose in the SQL text box.

• You may select a Field Separator that will be

added between each two consecutive data fields.

• Select how many data lines will be returned each time in the Display Rows
box.

• Select the Get Row from Counter Input check box to link the SQL query
return order to an existing counter, and select the counter from the list box
below.

• Subst. Set checkbox and combo box are used to assign a Substitution Rule Set
to the input object, see Substitution Rules on page 54 for more details.
88 Chapter 4: Output and Input objects

Adding a user data source (DSN)

In order to create a new data source, follow these steps:

1. Go to the "Control Panel", and select the "Administrative tools", and then
select the "Data Sources (ODBC)" icon.

2. From the "User DSN" tab, click the "Add…" button.

3. In the "Create New Data Source" dialog box, select the desired database driver
you want to use (for example "Microsoft Access Driver (*.mdb)"), and click
"Finish".

4. According to the selected driver, a setup dialog box will be issued. If you
selected the "Microsoft Access Driver (*.mdb)" all you need to do is to type a
"Data Source Name" and a use the "Select…" button to choose a database file.
Click the "OK" button and close all dialog boxes.

5. From the DSN selection button in the database input property, select the newly
added DSN, it should appear under the "Machine Data Source" as a type
"User".
Chapter 4: Output and Input objects 89

System Data as Input

Use this input type to connect the output object to

information received from your computer system or
the document itself, such as time and date format, or a
random number. This field can also be used to print
the number of pages or number of objects in the
document or the path of the document.

• Subst. Set checkbox and combo box are used to

assign a Substitution Rule Set to the input
object, see Substitution Rules on page 54 for
more details.

ASCII as Input

Use this input type to link an output object to an

ASCII File.

• To choose the file click on the browse

button and locate the ASCII file, or use the File
Manager. Please refer to File as Input on
page 83 for more information.

• Click the Refresh Data button if the data in the

ASCII file was changed after you set the link.

• Select the Get Row from Counter Input check box to link the list to an
existing counter, and select the counter from the list box below.
90 Chapter 4: Output and Input objects

• Subst. Set checkbox and combo box are used to assign a Substitution Rule Set
to the input object, see Substitution Rules on page 54 for more details.

• To set the details of the ASCII file, click the Advanced button and the ASCII
Input Advanced features dialog box will be opened.

• First select the type of ASCII file you are using by clicking Flat ASCII File or
CSV File at the top of the dialog box.

• If the file is a flat ASCII file:

o Select the size of the read block (in characters and lines units) at the
Read Block Size, Width and Height boxes.

o Select the start position of the reading in the ASCII file in terms of
Columns, Lines and Pages from the beginning of the file.

o Select the amount to proceed in each reading step from the file in terms
of Columns, Lines and Pages.

• If the file is a CSV file:

Chapter 4: Output and Input objects 91

o Select the delimiting characters that will separate the fields of the file.
This is usually the “,” (comma) character, but it may be any other
character. If the file is separated by the "Tab" character, you must write
its ASCII hexadecimal value, since this is an action character, so you
must write "<0x09>" in case it is a Tab separated file.

o Select which field of the CSV file you want to read (counting from left
to right, when the first field is number 1).

o Select what is the size of the block you want to read (how many lines).

o Select whether you want the field to be a search field, if so check the
Use Field Search checkbox:

ƒ Select the key text to be searched by clicking the <…> button and
selecting a fixed text, or an input field as the input to the search.

ƒ Select the field number to be used as a key field.

ƒ Check the Key Field is Sorted checkbox if the CSV file is sorted
according to the key search, this will increase search speed, but
may result in wrong results if the CSV file is not sorted.

ƒ In the Number of Lines box, select how many lines will be

returned (if return type is a block) or which line to return (if the
return type is a line).

ƒ Select whether the return type is a Single Line or a Block of all

the lines found in the search.

ƒ Type in the Default Text to be returned if the key is not found at

all, or not found enough times as the Number of Lines parameter
indicates.

• Select a translation table for the file, if needed, in the Translation Table
combo box.
92 Chapter 4: Output and Input objects

• Select whether you would like xPress2 to trim spaces from either side of the
field in the Trim Spaces combo box.

• If you would like to add a fixed text before and/or after the field text, type it in
the Before and/or After boxes.

• If you want xPress2 to add the result of the ASCII input to a result of another
input and use it as the final result of the ASCII input object, check the
Mathematically add data to input checkbox, and select the desired input
object from the combo box.

• Once finished, click the OK button to close the dialog box.

PDF as Input

You can connect the output object to an input PDF

file.

• To choose the file click on the browse

button and locate the PDF file, or use the File
manager. Please refer to File as Input on page
83 for more information.

• Indicate the type of reading from the PDF file:

o Check the Static box to read a specific page from the PDF, and then
select the page number from the Starting at Page box.

o Uncheck the Static box to read different pages of the PDF file, and then
select the page number to start the reading from the Starting at Page
Chapter 4: Output and Input objects 93

box. xPress2 will advance by one page in the PDF document for each
new document object.

o If the page number reading order from PDF is not consecutive, select the
radio button Get Page from the Counter Input and select the counter
input object that indicates the linked page numbers.

Another useful way to control the presentation order of the PDF pages is to
connect the picture output into a chain input instead of to the PDF input.
Then inside the chain you put the PDF input, followed by a comma (",")
character (as a static text) and followed by another input that contains the
page number in any order (e.g. a list input with numbers in it, or an Excel
file with the page numbers in it). This will allow you to print the PDF in
any page order you like.

Chain as Input

You can connect the output object to a chain of input

objects. Items in the chain can be input objects, fixed
text or a carriage return sign.

• To insert an item to the chain, click the Insert

button and use the Chain Item dialog box to
define the nature of the Chain Item.

• To edit an existing Chain Item, select the

desired Item, and click the Edit button.

• To delete an existing Chain Item, select the desired Item, and click the Delete
button.
94 Chapter 4: Output and Input objects

• Use the up/down arrows to change the order of the Chain Item.

• Subst. Set checkbox and combo box are used to assign a Substitution Rule Set
to the input object, see Substitution Rules on page 54 for more details.

Chain Items

Each Item in the chain can be one of the following: an input object, a fixed text or a
carriage return sign. Select the desired Item Type using the radio buttons on the left.

• Input Object – Select the desired Input Object from the list, Input objects that
can be added to a Chain can be from any type but File, PDF or Chain.

• Fixed Text – Type the text you want to add to the chain.

• Carriage Return – This will add a carriage return character (New Line) to the
chain.

You can't make a chain input object that will contain other chain input
objects.
Chapter 4: Output and Input objects 95

Connector as Input

This is used when you want to use one xpr file as an

input for a “parent” xpr file. (See xPress2 Document
as an Output on page 74)

Name of Connected Input Object is the name of the

object in the “father” xPress2 document that is being
imported.

Sample Data for Design Mode – Since the link

between the father and son documents will be
performed only at print time. This gives a sample
value to view while designing and for previewing the
page.

• If you want to use a language that is different from your default operating
system language in your document, you may need to use the Unicode
encoding. In this case, check the Use Unicode checkbox. Note that you can't
use Unicode in every situation, for example: you can't link a barcode or check
outputs to an input that was defined as Unicode.
96 Chapter 4: Output and Input objects

This page is intentionally blank

Chapter 5: Scripts 97

Chapter 5: Scripts
The Script is a tool which enables you to create very powerful xPress2 applications.
Using a Script, it is possible to embed a Basic like program in the document, this
program will have functions and commands that their arguments are taken from the
document and their results will influence the document.

Among the actions that can be performed in the script, you can find all of the
standard basic commands and statements, such as:

• Variable definitions (Integer, Float, String).

• Loops (For-Next, Do-Loop, While-Wend).

• Logical conditions (If-Else-Endif).

• Mathematical actions.

• String manipulations

• Definition of new functions and subroutines.

The software allows two types of scripts: The master script and an internal script for
each output object. A complete list of all the legal statements and functions possible
in the xPress2 script language is available in the on-line help of the software.

Using scripts is only possible if the script module is licensed.

98 Chapter 5: Scripts

The Master Script

The master script allows you to create programs that perform actions with influence
on the entire document, such as:

• Read / Change values of input object properties.

• Read / Change values of the document properties, including the number of

pages in the document.

• Print the document to any printer.

• Reading data from external files and inserting it into input objects.

Running the Master Script

To run the Master Script of the document, choose the Run Master Script option
from the Script menu. The script will run from start to end continuously.

Editing the master Script

To edit the Master Script of the document, choose the Edit Master Script option
from the Script menu. The script editor dialog box will appear, and within it you can
see the document's master Script.
Chapter 5: Scripts 99

In this dialog box you can edit the script's text, and make additional actions that will
make it easier for you to work with scripts. Additionally, in this dialog box you can
run the script line by line in debug mode to diagnose malfunctions and make sure the
script you wrote is valid.

Commands and options in script editing

The menu of the script editor includes the following options:

File Clear Contents Clear all the content of the script editor.

Import Script Import external text to the script editor.

Export Script Export the existing script to an external file.

Save Save and update the script to the xPress2 document.

Exit Exit the script editor and return the xPress2 software.

Edit Undo Undo last action.

Redo Redo last action.

100 Chapter 5: Scripts

Cut Cut the selected text to the Clipboard.

Copy Copy the selected text to the Clipboard.

Paste Paste the text from the Clipboard.

View Error Window Show / Hide the Error window.

Variable Window Show / Hide the Variable window.

Debug Run Script Run the script from start to end continuously.

Stop Script Stop the running of the script.

Step Into Run the script one line at a time, step inside

Step Over Run the script one line at a time, step over functions.

Step Out Run the script until exiting the current function.

Run To Cursor Run the script to the current cursor position.

Toggle Toggle a breakpoint for the script.

Help Help Topics Show the script help screen.

Output Object Script

You can assign a script to each output object. This script can perform actions that will
affect this object. Usually the purpose is to change the way the object displays the
data according to the value of the data itself. A simple and common example is to
display text in a different color (for example red) when the data answers some criteria
(for example a negative value).

In order to create a script to an output object, you need to choose the object from the
objects tree, select the Script tab, and write the script directly in the textbox.
However, it is usually more comfortable to edit the script in a separate window,
which is also larger and you can see different colors according to the different parts
of the script.
Chapter 5: Scripts 101

The most common commands in the output object script are the GetMyData
command which returns the data of the object at print time, and the SetMyProperty
command that changes the value of a specific property of an output object. In the
above example, if we assume that the output object is a Text object, it receives its
data from a Counter input object, and the numbering starts from 1 and increases in
each page, then on the first page the text color will be blue and on the rest of the
pages the text color will be red.

A complete list of all the existing functions and the properties for each output object
type in the xPress2 script language is available in the on-line help of the software.
102 Chapter 5: Scripts

This page is intentionally blank

Chapter 6: Running in command line 103

Chapter 6: Running in command line

Command Line options

After you finished preparing your documents, there is sometimes a need to run
xPress2 with a specific document on a given data file in command line (usually as a
part of an external script of another system). In order to do this, xPress2 has the
ability to run in command line mode with a variety of arguments to perform different
actions. The syntax of these arguments is:

xPress <xPress file> [options]

where <xPress file> is the full path name to the document file you want to open with
the software and [options] is one or more of the following options:

/p Print the opened xPress2 file to the default printer.

/pt <printer name> Print the opened xPress2 file to the specified printer.

/preview Open the xPress2 software directly to print preview

mode.

/fm <file item> <file name> Replace the file manager item specified with the new
data file specified. For more information about the file
manager see page 53.

/xps <file name> Use the specified xPress2 startup file (XPS file) to
determine the initial values for the input objects and
for the document object. More information about
xPress2 startup files is followed hereafter.

/runscript Run the master script after opening the xPress2 file.
104 Chapter 6: Running in command line

If any of the arguments (such as a file name or a printer name) contains

spaces in it, you will need to write it between two quotation marks ("…").

If you use the /p or /pt options (meaning automatic printing), then the
xPress2 software will be closed after the document was printed, otherwise
the xPress2 software will remain opened.

XPS Files (xPress2 Startup Files)

XPS files are used to assign values to input objects and to the document object during
the startup of the xPress software, these values are written in a textual file that is
composed of consecutive lines, each of them has the following structure:

ObjectName.Property=Value

ObjectName The string "Document" if this is the document object, or the

name of the input object.

Property The name of the property to be changed. You can find a list
and a description of all the property names for each input
object type in the online help under scripts.

Value The value to be assigned to the selected property.

An example of an XPS file can look like that:

Document.NumberOfPages = 10

Document.Orientation = 1

Input 001.Text=NewText
Chapter 7: Frequently Asked Questions 105

Chapter 7: Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions received from xPress2 users:

(1) Question:

How do I change the input of an existing output object to a different input object?

(1) Answer:

Link the objects using the Object Tree: Select the output object in the Objects Tree
and drag it to the input object you want to link it to. Release the mouse button when
the object is located on the correct Input. The output object will now appear under the
new input object in the Objects Tree.

(2) Question:

I have linked a few output objects to an existing Input. Therefore the Objects Tree
includes inputs without a linked output. Can I delete all of them at once?

(2) Answer:

You can delete all unused input objects by selecting the Clear Unused Objects
option from the Objects Menu.

(3) Question:

I have created objects in my documents, using the automatic names (output1, output2
etc). How can I give meaningful names to these objects?

(3) Answer:

In order to change the name of an object, right click the object on the Objects Tree
and select Rename from the Context Menu.
106 Chapter 7: Frequently Asked Questions

(4) Question:

I have created a counter input to a text output. How do I change this input to a list
input?

(4) Answer:

To change the input type, right click the Input in the Objects Tree, select Change
Type To from the Context Menu and select the required new input type.

(5) Question:

When I am printing in duplex, and have more than one object on the page, the even
pages are supposed to be flipped left-right. That way the correct object will be printed
on the back side of each object from the front of the paper. How can I do it?

(6) Answer:

Select the counter objects in your document, and in the input characteristics, click the
Advanced button. In the dialog box, check the appropriate Horizontal or Vertical
checkbox (according to the type of duplex you are using) under Flip Counter
Position for Duplex Page.

(6) Question:

When I click on an object in the Working Area, the corresponding objects in the
Objects Tree are highlighted. Is it possible to select an object in the Working Area by
clicking on it from the Objects Tree?

(6) Answer:

Yes, it is possible. Double click the desired object on the Objects Tree and it will be
selected on the Working Area.
Chapter 7: Frequently Asked Questions 107

(7) Question:

I added an output object under the Copies input object, but in the working area I see
only the text of the first (original) page. Is it possible to see the other copies in the
working area?

(7) Answer:

Yes, it is possible. Select the desired page type (e.g. copy 1) from the Show objects
on combo box in the Toolbox, and then only the objects that are visible on that page
type will be displayed on the working area.

(8) Question:

How can I make an object to appear only on the notebook cover page and not on
normal document pages?

(8) Answer:

Select the desired object, and in the layout characteristics, click the Set Visibility
button. In the dialog box, check only the notebook cover page and uncheck all other
page types.

(9) Question:

How can I tell what was the xPress2 version used to create a certain document?

(9) Answer:

From the File Menu, select Show File Version. The version of the document will be
displayed in a dialog box.
108 Chapter 7: Frequently Asked Questions

(10) Question:

I want to make a document that is 5cm * 9cm in size. Is there a way I can instruct
xPress2 to make the calculations needed for the margins and amount of objects
automatically?

(10) Answer:

Yes, it is possible. Select Page Wizard from the File menu. In the dialog box, type
the appropriate object height and width, and select the page size. xPress2 will
calculate the best layout to place the selected document-object's size on the selected
page size and will show you a preview. If the layout is acceptable, click the Apply
Settings to Document button. The settings you chose will be implemented to your
xPress2 document.

(11) Question:

I am using a database input object to read data from an MDB file, but if I change the
SQL query, the result is not updated. Only after I reselect the DSN the new SQL
query is being used.

(11) Answer:

The DSN you are using is probably a File DSN and not a User DSN. You must
redefine your DSN and select the new DSN in the database input object.