Edit Barcode Label Template
The application includes several features that let you design and print
barcode labels for use in item and patron tracking. Before printing labels,
you must design templates for both the full page of labels, and for each
individual label on the page. The design of page templates is performed
through the Edit Barcode Page Template form.
Once a page is defined, you can create label templates for use on that
page through the Edit Barcode Label Template form. To access this form,
click the Label Templates button on the Administration panel of
the Main form. Printing is done through
the Print Barcode Labels form.
The Edit Barcode Label Template form is actually two forms, a "parent"
form (the List Maintenance Codes form)
that lists all existing templates, and a "child" form that lets
you add a new item or edit the properties of a single item in the list.
To define a template on the child form, fill in the data fields, confirm
the look of the template in the Label Preview field in the bottom-left
corner of the form, and then click the OK button to save the template.
The Edit Barcode Label Template form includes the following data fields.
- Template Name - Supply a unique name for this template.
- Page Template - Select the base page template to use for this label set.
The list of choices is defined through the
Edit Barcode Page Template form.
- Measurement - Select the measurement system to be used in the design of the label
template. You may select the system that you find most convenient; the
output will be the same no matter what system is selected. The valid measurements
systems include Inches, Centimeters, Points, and Twips. One "point"
is 1/72 of an inch. One "twip" (a twentieth of a point) is 1/1440
of an inch. You do not need to use the same measurement system on the
label template as you used on the page template.
- Label Items - Each label consists of several "items" that make up the display
of the label. Items already added to the label appear in the Label Items
list. Each item has many properties, such as position, size, and color,
that define the item. To modify the properties of a label item, select it
from the list, then modify the properties using the Selected Item Properties
area on the right side of the form. Several tool buttons surround the
Label Items list.
- Add Text Item
(
)
- Adds a new text item to the label, which can be used
to display any static text.
- Add Barcode Image
(
)
- Adds a barcode to the label.
- Add Barcode Number
(
)
- Adds the numeric value of a barcode to the label.
- Add Line
(
)
- Adds a two-dimensional line to the label.
- Add Rectangle
(
)
- Adds a rectangle to the label.
- Move Item Up
(
)
- Moves the selected item up in priority. Items that
are higher in priority are drawn first. When two items occupy the same
location on a label, higher priority items appear "underneath"
the lower-priority items.
- Move Item Down
(
)
- Moves the selected item down in priority. Items that
are higher in priority are drawn first. When two items occupy the same
location on a label, higher priority items appear "underneath"
the lower-priority items.
- Delete Item
(
)
- Removes the selected item from the label.
- Label Preview - Displays a image of what the label will
look like when printed.
- Selected Item Properties - Displays the details of an
item selected in the Label Items list. Information on individual
settings within this field appear below.
- Sample Barcode - Indicates the numeric value to use in the Label
Preview field when displaying barcode image items and barcode number items.
The Selected Item Properties
field changes based on the type of item selected in the Label
Items field. The field consists of multiple rows of settings that
define the selected item. To change the value for a row, click in the
second column for that row, then type in the new setting value. Many property
rows contain features to help you select the value. When such rows are
active, a small button appears on the right-most edge of the row. Click
this button to modify the setting in a more user-friendly way.
Text Items
- Alignment - Set the vertical and horizontal
position of the text within its defined position and size settings.
- DisplayText
- Enter the actual static text to display on the label.
- Font
- Select font and font properties that affect the display of the text.
- Height - Enter the height of the "bounding
box" that contains the text using the selected measurement system.
- Left - Enter the left edge of the "bounding
box" that contains the text using the selected measurement system.
- RotationAngle - Enter a value, from
0 to 359 degrees, by which the text should be rotated in a clockwise direction
around the upper-left corner of the "bounding box."
- TextColor - Indicate the color of the text.
- Top - Enter the top edge of the "bounding
box" that contains the text using the selected measurement system.
- Width - Enter the width of the "bounding
box" that contains the text using the selected measurement system.
Barcode Image Items
- Alignment - Set the vertical and horizontal
position of the barcode image within its defined position and size settings.
- BarcodeColor
- Indicate the color of the barcode image.
- BarcodeSize - Enter the size of the
barcode image. Barcodes are basically text images, but with strange looking
letters. As you can set the font size of text items, you can also set
the font size of the barcode image.
- Height - Enter the height of the "bounding
box" that contains the barcode image using the selected measurement system.
- Left - Enter the left edge of the "bounding
box" that contains the barcode image using the selected measurement system.
- PadDigits - Enter the total number of
digits to be used when printing barcode images. For instance, if you set
this value to 10, when printing the barcode "12345," the label
will actually print the value "0000012345," which is 10 digits
long. For numbers that are shorter than the pad value, zeros will always
be added on the left side of the number. For numbers that are longer than
the pad value, the pad value will be ignored; all digits will be printed.
- Rotation Angle - Enter a value, from
0 to 359 degrees, by which the barcode image should be rotated in a clockwise
direction around the upper-left corner of the "bounding box."
- Top - Enter the top edge of the "bounding
box" that contains the barcode image using the selected measurement system.
- Width - Enter the width of the "bounding
box" that contains the barcode image using the selected measurement system.
Barcode Number Items
- Alignment - Set the vertical and horizontal
position of the barcode number within its defined position and size settings.
- Font - Select font and font properties
that affect the display of the barcode number.
- Height - Enter the height of the "bounding
box" that contains the barcode number using the selected measurement system.
- Left - Enter the left edge of the "bounding
box" that contains the barcode number using the selected measurement system.
- PadDigits - Enter the total number of
digits to be used when printing barcode numbers. For instance, if you
set this value to 10, when printing the barcode "12345," the
label will actually print the value "0000012345," which is 10
digits long. For numbers that are shorter than the pad value, zeros will
always be added on the left side of the number. For numbers that are longer
than the pad value, the pad value will be ignored; all digits will be
printed.
- Rotation Angle - Enter a value, from
0 to 359 degrees, by which the barcode number should be rotated in a clockwise
direction around the upper-left corner of the "bounding box."
- TextColor
- Indicate the color of the barcode number.
- Top - Enter the top edge of the "bounding
box" that contains the barcode number using the selected measurement system.
- Width
- Enter the width of the "bounding box" that contains the
barcode number using the selected measurement system.
Line Items
- LineColor
- Indicate the color of the line.
- X1 - Indicate the starting horizontal
position of the line using the selected measurement system.
- X2 - Indicate the ending horizontal
position of the line using the selected measurement system.
- Y1 - Indicate the starting vertical
position of the line using the selected measurement system.
- Y2 - Indicate the starting vertical
position of the line using the selected measurement system.
Rectangle Items
- BorderColor
- Indicate the color of the border of the rectangle.
- FillColor
- Indicate the color of the inside of the rectangle.
- Height - Enter the height of the rectangle
using the selected measurement system.
- Left - Enter the left edge of the rectangle
using the selected measurement system.
- Rotation Angle - Enter a value, from
0 to 359 degrees, by which the rectangle should be rotated in a clockwise
direction around its the upper-left corner.
- Top - Enter the top edge of the rectangle
using the selected measurement system.
- Width
- Enter the width of the rectangle using the selected measurement system.
To return to the parent form without saving changes, click the Cancel button.