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Field Options
Format
Alphanumeric
Alphanumeric text can consist of letters, numbers and symbols.
Alphanumeric fields consist of Alphanumeric text and will be placed on the document unchanged. (same format as the original data)
- Strip Whitespace
-
Whitespace is defined as things like tabs, spaces, etc.
Select this option to remove whitespace that appears at the start or end of the field’s content.
Strip Whitespace is performed after processing anchored items.This prevents blank lines or whitespace remaining in the document if an anchored object deletes itself. |
- Formatted
-
Select this option if your source data contains formatted text tags like eg. <b>, <i>..
HTML formatting is applied when the field is placed into the document, while the original source content will be displayed in the data source panel. |
- HTML
-
Selecting this option provides support for HTML tags.
- Updates Preserve Local Formatting
-
Once a formatted field has been inserted into the document, with this option checked any subsequent use of the "Update Document" menu option will not apply the formatting specified by the tags in the field content.
Instead, EasyCatalog will attempt to preserve any local formatting that has been applied to the field wherever possible. - Embed Tags As Conditional Text
-
This option will preserve, where possible, formatting tags in the text.
- Ignore Whitespace Changes
-
Selecting this option allows minor modifications to be made to the field in the document without it being shown as ‘in error’ in the panel.
When selected, this option allows white space to be inserted into the field in the document, such as additional carriage-returns, tabs, etc
^i^y^t^n^p^S^-^f^>^m^3^4^%^/^s^<^|
Code | Description |
---|---|
^i |
Indent to here |
^y |
Right indent tab |
^t |
Tab |
^n |
Forced line break |
^p |
End of paragraph |
^S |
Nonbreaking space |
^- |
Discretionary hyphen |
^f |
Flush space |
^> |
En space |
^m |
Em space |
^3 |
Third space |
^4 |
Quarter space |
^% |
Sixth space |
^/ |
Figure space |
^s |
Nonbreaking white space |
^< |
Thin space |
^| |
Hair space |
- Preserve Whitespace on Update
-
EasyCatalog will attempt to keep the characters listed in the edit field during an "Update Document" operation.
This can be used in instances where you need to manually insert characters that affect the formatting of the text in the document that you would not to be removed when you update the field.
Depending on how the source data changes and what needs to be updated its not always possible to correctly preserve the position of these characters. |
Code | Description |
---|---|
^i |
Indent to here |
^y |
Right indent tab |
^t |
Tab |
^n |
Forced line break |
^p |
End of paragraph |
^S |
Nonbreaking space |
^- |
Discretionary hyphen |
^f |
Flush space |
^> |
En space |
^m |
Em space |
^3 |
Third space |
^4 |
Quarter space |
^% |
Sixth space |
^/ |
Figure space |
^s |
Nonbreaking white space |
^< |
Thin space |
^| |
Hair space |
- Exclude From Panel Updates
-
The characters listed in the edit field will not appear in the field content when using the "Update Panel" menu option.
This is useful, for example, if you need to exclude characters used only by InDesign from appearing in your data source content.
^m^=^>^f^|^s^<^-^~^k
Code | Description |
---|---|
^m |
Em space |
^= |
En dash |
^> |
En space |
^f |
Flush space |
^| |
Hair space |
^s |
Nonbreaking white space |
^< |
Thin space |
^- |
Discretionary hyphen |
^~ |
Nonbreaking hyphen |
^k |
Discretionary line break |
Number
Defines the field to contain numerical content.
- Format
-
Whole number
1 Decimal Place
2 Decimal Places
3 Decimal Places
4 Decimal Places
5 Decimal Places
6 Decimal Places
Percentage
Decimal values will be converted to percentages with the number of decimal places specified.
e.g. 0.1 will be output as 10%
- Format
-
Whole number
1 Decimal Place
2 Decimal Places
3 Decimal Places
4 Decimal Places
5 Decimal Places
6 Decimal Places
Currency
Select from a number of predefined currency formats.
For those currencies not listed, please use the Custom field type where you can specify currency symbols and the decimal seperator to use. |
Custom
A formatting string should be defined for when the field contains a positive number and a negative number.
The two formatting strings are separated by a semi-colon (;).
Character | Meaning |
---|---|
# |
The # character indicates where digits from the source field should appear. |
. |
Decimal point. |
, |
May or may not be present as a divider between groups of digits, such as thousands, millions, etc. |
* |
Used after the decimal point, the * character indicates the minimum number of characters that must appear. |
Format String | Original Content | Custom Result |
---|---|---|
Only 2 positions are available after the decimal point. |
||
$#.## |
123456.123456 |
$123456.12 |
The comma may be used to separate groups of digits. No decimal point is provided in the format string, therefore the value will appear as a whole number. |
||
$###,### |
123456.123456 |
$123,456 |
4 places are available after the decimal point - the output value is truncated, not rounded. |
||
$#.#### |
123456.123456 |
$123456.1234 |
As the characters "USD" do not have any special meaning, they appear untranslated in the output. |
||
# USD |
123456.123456 |
123456 USD |
The position "*" character specifies that a minimum of 2 decimal places are required. |
||
###.##* |
123456.1 |
123456.10 |
123456.1234 |
123456.1234 |
- Custom Formatting Keywords
-
Instead of the custom formatting string, keywords can also be specified to control characteristics such as the character(s) used as a decimal point.
Keyword | Description | Example |
---|---|---|
DECIMAL |
Specifies the decimal separator (radix point) character(s) to use. |
|
THOUSANDS |
Specifies a character or characters to use to as the thousands separator. |
|
PRECISION |
Specifies the number of digits that will appear after the decimal point. |
|
PREFIX |
Specifies the characters to be inserted before the numeric content of the field. |
|
SUFFIX |
Specifies the characters to be appending to the numeric content of the field. |
|
REMOVE |
Characters can be optionally removed when the content of the field matches the specified criteria. |
|
Example using Remove - Remove ".00" from numbers over 99.
.00(>99)
-
.00
stipulates what to remove -
>99
from numbers over 99`
Field Value | Remove Applied |
---|---|
10.45 |
10.45 |
79.00 |
79.00 |
123.00 |
123 |
1000.01 |
1000.01 |
1000.00 |
1000 |
Hyperlink
InDesign hyperlinks for text and images can be inserted into the document that will be included when exporting the document as an interactive PDF.
- The Hyperlink pane is split into two sections
-
- Text
-
When inserting a text-based hyperlink, the contents of this edit field will appear in the document.
You can either use static text or include the content of other fields.This setting is ignored when inserting a hyperlink on an image box. - URL
-
The URL to hyperlink to is specified in this box.
This hyperlink can include values from other fields by including the field name in { brackets }.
You can also use Custom Field commands to build the URL.
SKU
will be used to build the hyperlink URL.myCompanyCode
will be used as the hyperlink text.
Cross-referencing to other pages in the document can be done using the command ECPAGE://{….} in the URL edit box. Where {….} is the field where the page numbers are stored. |
myPageNumber
will be used to link too another page.Imported Text
EasyCatalog can import formatted text such as Rich Text Format (RTF), InDesign Tagged Text from a file, Microsoft WORD (.docx), or from the content of a field by setting the field type to Imported Text.
EasyCatalog can import any of the formatted text styles supported by InDesign.
Fields of type Imported Text will not be updated as part of the "Update Panel" operation. |
- Field Content
-
If the contents of the field contains the formatted content select the
Field Content
radio button. - Externally Referenced
-
If the field contains the name of a file to import, or a full path to a file, select the
Externally Referenced
radio button.-
If the field contains a full path to the file to import:
No further configuration in theContent Location:
orExtension:
is required. -
If the field contains only the filename of the file to import:
Specify the folder than contains the file in theContent Location: → Folder:
.
If the content of the field does not contain the file extension, specify this in theExtension:
.
-
Date/Time
EasyCatalog supports the re-formatting of date and time fields.
By changing a field’s type to be Date/Time, EasyCatalog is able to sort data correctly in the panel.
In some situations the output format should be the same as the input format: this is useful when the panel should be sorted by date or time. |
Go to our in-depth section on using the Date/Time field :
https://www.cunka.com/easycatalog/myEasyCatalog.html#_datetime
Barcode
The Barcode field allows a quick and convenient way to create many types of barcodes into an image frame from a field.
Currently only the barcode patterns are produced, there is no support for including human-readable content below the code. This can achieved by including a text box below the barcode. |
- Barcode Type
EAN5 |
e.g. 11111 |
|
---|---|---|
EAN8 |
e.g. 9080140 |
|
EAN13 |
e.g. 5272068363969 |
|
EAN14 |
e.g. 01234567890128 |
|
Code39 |
e.g. Aa-1234 |
|
Code128 |
e.g. ABC-abc-1234 |
|
GS1-128 |
e.g. 19123456789012 |
|
UPCA |
e.g. 725267915267 |
|
I2of5 |
e.g. 1234567890 |
|
DataMatrix |
e.g. Made by CUNKA |
|
NEW QR Code (URL) |
||
NEW QR Code (Text) |
e.g. Made by CUNKA |
NEW QR CODE
The following QR code types are supported:
-
Text
-
URL/hyperlink
Additional QR code types (listed below) can be created and inserted, but a custom field needs to be created first in order to collect the necessary data through a custom command.
-
Business/vCard
(See the Custom Command QRCODEENCODEVCARD)
- Color
-
Sets the barcode color with the default setting of
black
.
No Document open |
Open Document |
---|---|
When no document is open, the available selections are the InDesign document default colors |
Colors in the open document/template can also be used. |
Introduced in to EasyCatalog v15.0.0
Formatting Rule
The Formatting Rule option allows the content of a formatting rule to be inserted between the field markers for the field you’re defining.
- Name
-
The name of the exisiting formatting rule to insert.
- Fields
-
Is a list of the fields used within the Formatting Rule that you’ve specified, and is used to determine whether the formatting rule needs to be re-inserted.
(i.e. if any of those fields changes then the formatting rule will be updated within the field markers).You can include quite complex logic, or layout information, inside of what looks like a regular field.
If you specify a function formatting rule type, thenFields:
can assist to determine which actual formatting rule to insert. - Preview
-
Displays a preview of the formatting rule that will be inserted.
Go to our in-depth section on the Formatting Rules field :
https://www.cunka.com/easycatalog/myEasyCatalog.html#_formatting_rules
Tabular
The Tabular field allows the creation and insertion of tabular tables from a variety of content styles and sources from a field.
- Source
-
The Source determines where the source data to create the tabular table will be coming from.
-
Field Content
The source data is coming from a field. -
Data Source
A tabular table can be created from fields from the existing data source panel, or via an alternative data source panel.
Press the Configure button to enter the `Tabular Field Configuration.See our usage example here :
https://cunka.com/easycatalog/creating_tables.html#DATASOURCETABULAR_TABLE -
Command Script
Calls a LUA based script via the EasyCatalog custom command GROUPSCRIPT to create the tabular table..
See our usage example here :
https://www.cunka.com/easycatalog/myEasyCatalog.html#GROUPSCRIPT
-
- Field Content Type
-
-
XML
See our usage example here :
https://cunka.com/easycatalog/creating_tables.html#XMLTABULAR_TABLE -
HTML
See our usage example here :
https://cunka.com/easycatalog/creating_tables.html#HTMLTABULAR_TABLE -
Delimited Text
See our usage example here :
https://cunka.com/easycatalog/creating_tables.html#CSVTABULAR_TABLE
e.g. CSV
-
- Configure
-
When the option Field Content Type: is set to
Delimited Text
, selecting theConfigure
button allows you to set the row and column characters for the delimiter.-
Row delimiter is usually set to ^n in a CSV file.
-
Column delimiter is usually set to , (comma) in a CSV file.
When the option Field Content Type: is set to
XML
selecting theConfigure
, button allows you to set up a XSLT transformation for the XML data.
-
- Additional Processing
-
Additional Processing is an additional mechanism to manipulate the source table changing its content and structure through the LUA scripting programming language.
When executed, an object called 'table' is passed to the script which can be processed by the LUA programming language.
- Column ID
-
Column selections:
- Row ID
-
Row selections:
Preprocessing
The Preprocessing option allows content to be processed before any additional formatting is applied.
- Once pre-processed other options are then applied, such as
-
-
cleansing
-
prefix
-
suffix
-
Only fields with content are processed.
This option should only be used on fields that do not update back to a data source, because there is no way of reversing the process. |
Ensure that preprocessing is stand-alone and not reliant on the formatted content of other fields, as they may not exist at the point the script is called. |
- Method
-
Method chooses whether to use preprocessing, and if required which process to use.
-
None
This is the default value for all EasyCatalog fields.
Indicates that no preprocessing is applied. -
Lua
Uses the Lua scripting language.
The field content is passed as a content variable.
The return value is used as the new content. -
Mustache
Uses the Mustache logicless template engine for transforming JSON/hash content fields. -
JMESPath
JMESPath (JSON Matching Expression Paths) is a query language for JSON.
It allows you to declaratively search and extract elements from JSON field content. -
XPath
XPath is a query language for XML.
It can be used to navigate through elements and attributes of an XML field.
-
- Report Processing Errors
-
Report Processing Errors will report in the data source panel if there are any errors the method syntax.
Error in code
Data Source Panel
--error code return string.format("<b>%s</b>", content -- correct code return string.format("<b>%s</b>", content)
- Lua
-
Example using Lua preprocessing:
-
If any of the content contains an "X" then append "PREMIUM MODEL" to the end.
-
Additionally, if any content begins with an " * " (asterisk) then append "LIMITED STOCK" to the end.
Original content
Preprocessing (LUA)
-- Lua code by Brian Cowell @cunka.com -- Look for content that has an "X" -- Include text PREMIUM MODEL if "X" exists if string.find(content,"X") then return string.format("%s **PREMIUM MODEL**", content) end -- Look for content that begins with a "*" -- Remove the "*" and include LIMITED STOCK text if string.find(content,"^*") then return string.format("%s **LIMITED STOCK**", string.sub(content,2)) end -- if none of the above applies, change nothing return string.format("%s", content)
-
- Mustache
-
Example using Mustache preprocessing:
-
Given a field of JSON format data, transform all fields so the content can be used.
Original content
Preprocessing (Mustache)
Field with JSON syntax:
{ "type": "Battery Drill", "brand": "CUNKA", "code": 1234567890, "model":{ "title":"18V Drill Driver Kit", "serial":"CUNKA-9000", "material":"Plastic, Metal", "color":"Red, White and Black", "weight":"1kg", "width":"200mm", "height":"165mm", "length":"225mm", "warranty": 5, "customer-note":"Intended for DIY use only" } }
Preprocessing code used:
{{type}} {{brand}} {{code}} {{#model}} {{title}} {{serial}} {{material}} {{color}} {{weight}} {{width}} {{height}} {{length}} {{warranty}} years PLEASE NOTE : {{customer-note}} {{/model}} by Brian Cowell @cunka.com
-
- JMSEPath
-
Example using JMSEPath preprocessing:
-
Given a field of JSON format data, search for all stock that contains "YES", then return the location in a sorted order, comma separated.
Original content
Preprocessing (JMSEPath)
Field with JSON syntax:
{ "availability": [ {"location": "CUNKA Warehouse", "stock": "YES"}, {"location": "Zurich", "stock": "YES"}, {"location": "Melbourne", "stock": "YES"}, {"location": "New York", "stock": "NO"}, {"location": "London", "stock": "YES"}, {"location": "Berlin", "stock": "NO"}, {"location": "Tokyo", "stock": "YES"}, {"location": "Paris", "stock": "YES"}, {"location": "Moscow", "stock": "NO"}, {"location": "Amsterdam", "stock": "YES"}, {"location": "Sydney", "stock": "NO"} ] }
Preprocessing code used:
availability[?stock == 'YES'].location | sort(@) | join(' / ', @)
-
- XPath
-
Example using XPath preprocessing:
-
Given a field of XML format data, find the "side" view image.
Original content
Preprocessing (XPath)
XML field content:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <item> <car category="sports"> <image view="front"> <mime>qdf45643.jpg</mime> </image> <image view="top"> <mime>edf4tu43.jpg</mime> </image> <image view="side"> <mime>wwwq1u11.jpg</mime> </image> <image view="back"> <mime>zaza4671.jpg</mime> </image> </car> </item>
Preprocessing code used:
//car/image[@view="side"]
-
General
- Style
-
The character style sheet specified in this pop-up is applied to the field when it is inserted into the document.
The Character Styles for the current document, or the default character style sheets if there is no document open, will be listed in this popup.
When inserting the field into the document, you must ensure that the character style sheet is available.
A warning will be displayed if it is not, and the field will be inserted without applying the style sheet. - Prefix & Suffix
-
Any characters that should included before the content of this field should go in the Prefix field; any that should be included after should go in the Suffix field.
The Prefix and Suffix is only applied to non-empty fields. |
- Sorting
-
Where your data contains non-English data, select the language in the Sorting pop-up.
This will force EasyCatalog to use a linguistic sort when sorting this field, but should only be used when necessary as it can have a significant impact on performance. - Content Is Tracked
-
Turn this check box off if you do not want the content of this field to be tracked in the document.
When off, the field will not be enclosed inside of our field marker characters in the document and so cannot be updated with new data. - Cleansing Options
-
EasyCatalog allows the content of each field to be "cleansed" before it is used in the document.
"Data Cleansing" is a simple search-and-replace that is applied to the data during import and before any formatting options are applied.See our in-depth usage of Cleansing Options, with examples here :
https://www.cunka.com/easycatalog/myEasyCatalog.html#CLEANSING - Cleansing Options (Pencil Icon)
-
Allows the creation and preview of cleansing options.
Commonly-used cleansing options can be stored in a plain text file and imported using theImport
button, or saved by using theExport
button.
Picture Content
In addition to inserting textual field content into an InDesign text flow, EasyCatalog can also be configured to import images into picture boxes.
See also our in-depth Working with Images section here :
https://www.cunka.com/easycatalog/myEasyCatalog.html#_working_with_images
The picture to import is specified by the content of each field.
The Picture Content pane is split into two sections:
-
How the image will be imported.
-
Where it will be imported from.
- Scaling
-
This option determines how the image will be scaled to fit into its containing box.
See our in-depth usage of Scaling/Alignment, with examples here :
https://www.cunka.com/easycatalog/myEasyCatalog.html#_images_in_frames
None |
The picture will not be scaled when it is imported |
---|---|
Proportionally Fit |
The picture will be proportionally scaled to fit its containing picture box. |
Fill Frame |
The picture will be scaled to fit the picture box but, unlike Proportionally Fit, it will completely fill the box ensuring there is no white space around the image. |
Fill Proportionally |
The picture will be proportionally scaled to fill the picture box but, unlike Proportionally Fit, it will completely fill the box ensuring there is no white space around the image. |
Fixed Scale |
Pictures will always be imported and scaled to the percentage specified by the |
Field Specified |
If your data also contains picture scaling information, this option can be used to nominate the field containing this value. |
- Alignment
-
After the image has been imported into the frame, it can be aligned to any of its containing frame’s corners or edges.
See our in-depth usage of Scaling/Alignment, with examples here :
https://www.cunka.com/easycatalog/myEasyCatalog.html#_images_in_frames - X Offset / Y Offset
-
These options are used to offset the image within its containing frame by an amount specified in the selected field.
Specify the name of a field containing the X and/or Y offset that must be applied to the image.
The field should also contain the measurement system (e.g. 'mm') to ensure the offset it applied correctly. - Content Color
-
Monochrome TIFF images can be recoloured when imported: specify a field that contains the name of a swatch to apply to the image.
- Clipping Path
-
A clipping path can be automatically applied to the image when it is imported.
Clipping Path |
Description: |
---|---|
None |
No clipping path will be applied. |
Default |
The default clipping path settings will be used - i.e. the settings that were selected during the last import on the |
Photoshop |
The first Photoshop clipping path will be applied to the imported image. |
- Preserve Size and Position On Update
-
By default when re-importing an image during an "Update Document" operation the alignment, scale, etc will all be re-applied.
When this option is selected the new image will be imported into the box but the options specified above will be ignored. - Location
-
Images can be imported from either a folder on a file system or by downloading them from a URL.
Select eitherFolder
orURL
in theLocation
pop-up. - Folder
-
- If the field contains a full path to the file to import
-
No further configuration in
Location
orExtension
is required. - If the field contains only the filename of the file to import
-
Specify the folder than contains the file in
Location
.
If the content of the field does not contain the file extension (e.g. '.jpg','.gif',etc), specify this inExtension
.
Specify multiple file extensions inExtension
by separating them with semi-colons:
.jpg;.pdf;.eps;.gif
Where multiple file extensions are specified, EasyCatalog will attempt to import a file with each file extension in turn. In the example above it will look for a .jpg file, then a .pdf file. This can be useful in situations where multiple files exist with different file extensions: specify the order you would like to search with the most preferred format first in the list. |
- The path to the folder containing the images can be selected using the
Choose
button -
It can also be dynamically built using one of EasyCatalog’s inbuilt Custom Field functions.
For example, the following will pick out the fourth and fifth character from the 'code' field:// Macintosh Macintosh HD:Images:SUBSTR(code, 4,2): // Windows C:\Images\SUBSTR(code, 4,2)\
Fig 6. Macintosh file pathFig 7. Windows file path - URL
-
EasyCatalog can also download images from a URL.
Images that are downloaded are cached in the EasyCatalog Workspace folder.
Images will be automatically downloaded as required, so an attempt to insert a picture that has not previously been cached will result in the image being downloaded.If you’re using the optional EasyCatalog Pagination Module, all images required will be downloaded before the pagination commences. The
Extension
option is ignored when importing from a URL.- If the field contains a full path to the file to import
-
No further configuration in
Location
is required. - If the field contains a partial URL, or the URL needs to be built from the contents of one of the record’s other fields
-
The Image URL field can also be built from the contents of the record’s other fields using EasyCatalog’s inbuilt Custom Field functions.
For example, ‘FIELDSTR(key)’ will insert the contents of the ‘key’ field.
// Note that .jpg is being appended to the end of the file path https://www.cunka.com/images/FIELDSTR(key).jpg
- Options
-
Select the Options button to specify HTTP authentication and Proxy Server settings on a field-by-field basis.
Any settings specified here will override the ones specified in the main EasyCatalog preferences for the field. |
- Store all images in a single folder
-
By default, all the images downloaded will be stored the data sources EasyCatalog Workspace folder (under Images) in a hierarchical folder of the domain name it has retrieved the image from.
e.g. https://www.cunka.com/easycatalog/images/automation/panel2.png image stored in the folder www.cunka.com
Fig 9. Images stored in a URL named folderSelecting
Store all images in a single folder
checkbox removes the default behaviour and puts all the images in a folder named after the EasyCatalog field that called the download.Use Store all images in a single folder
if you want all the images downloaded stored in a single convenient location.Fig 10. Images all stored in a folder named after the field- Downloading Images
-
EasyCatalog will download images on demand and cache them in your EasyCatalog Workspace folder.
When one of the fields in the data source has 'URL' based images a new sub-menu will be available on the data panel’s pop-out menu: 'Images'.
Download All |
Download and cache all images referenced in the panel. |
||
---|---|---|---|
Download Missing |
Download images referenced in the panel that have not previously been downloaded. |
||
Delete Unused Images |
Deletes images not referenced by URL picture fields.
|
||
Always Download Latest |
Once an image has been downloaded and cached in your workspace folder, it will never be downloaded again unless this menu item is checked. |
||
Delete Unused Images on Synchronize |
Deletes images not referenced by URL picture fields when the panel is synchronized.
|
||
Prevent Images from Being Downloaded |
Disables images from being downloaded or updated. Easycatalog will use whatever is currently in the "Images" Workspace folder. Disables the ability to use the Always Download Latest selection. |
- Replacement Image
-
When an image cannot be found (or downloaded), the image specified in the
Replacement Image:
field will be used instead.The
Replacement Image:
is often used as a placeholder in the document to indicate that an image isn’t yet available.The field will be shown as 'in error' in the panel to indicate that the correct image is not being used.
Advanced
The Advanced options pane contains settings that ordinarily will not require any adjustment. |
- Source Data Number Format
-
This option allows you to specify the thousands and decimal separators used in your source data.
For example, if your data source outputs numeric data using a
.
as a thousands separator and a,
as the decimal separator, these should be specified on the Advanced pane.When first configured, fields will default to the settings specified:
-
in the Regional and Language Options control panel on Windows
-
or the International System Preference on Macintosh.
-
- Field Group
-
The
Field Group
parameters are used to group fields together so that some operations can operate on multiple fields simultaneously.For example, if you have sets of fields for English, French and German text, three groups could be created that contain the relevant fields for each language.
Replace Fields menu option, for example, can use these Field Groups to replace all fields in a group with fields from another group. - Group Name
-
Group Name
is the name of the group (e.g. English) - Identifier
-
Identifier
is used to specify part of a field name that all fields in the group have in common.For example, if all English fields begin with ‘en_’, enter ‘en_’ as the Identifier
.When replacing field content, this identifier will be used to determine which fields relate to one another.
(e.g. EasyCatalog will to identify that en_Description equates to de_Description). - Language
-
Language
is used to identify the language of the field content.
The language specified here will be set on the text that’s inserted into InDesign, and will affect hyphenation, spell checking, etc. - Exclude from ‘Update Panel’
-
This field will not be updated in the panel when using the ‘Update Panel’ function from the data panel’s pop-out menu.
- Exclude from ‘Update Document’
-
This field will not be updated in the document when using the ‘Update Document’ functionality.
- Exclude from ‘Synchronize with Document’
-
This field will not be included during a Synchronize with Document operation, and so will not show as red or green in the panel.
This field’s content can still be updated using the 'Update Document' menu option. - Fill Down On Synchronize
-
This option will populate any empty fields in the column with data from the first non-empty field above it in the data.
This option is commonly used when only the first record in a group contains the grouping information: Original Data
Fill Down On Synchronize
In this data set, the Parent_Category and Child_Category fields are only populated for the first record in the group. It would not be possible to group the data using these fields as the "Group" function relies on all records in the group sharing the same value.
When Fill Down On Synchronize is selected for a field, if an empty field is encountered the last non-empty value will be used instead:
Changes to this flag only take effect at the next Synchronize with Data Source operation. - Flag Empty Pictures As Errors
-
When checked, the Replacement Image will not be imported for image fields that have no content and the field will not be shown as 'in error' in the panel.
- Exclude From Status Flagging
-
When checked this field will not affect the record’s status flag (shown in the status column in the data panel) after a Synchronize with Data Source.
So, for example, if this field is updated during the Synchronize with Data Source the record will not be shown as 'updated' (unless other fields have also been updated).
This option can be useful for fields that frequently change but are not important to the layout.
(e.g. time stamps).
Database Update
Requires the optional EasyCatalog ODBC Data Provider module. |
Appearance
The Appearance field settings allow you to format the way information is displayed in the data source panel through color and shapes.
For large amounts of fields in a data source panel, use certain colors for image fields, custom fields for quick reference. |
- Style
-
Select from a range of existing colors and shapes.
- Commands
-
Shows the existing LUA scripting code to create the color shape.
You do can further edit or create your own colors/shapes and use the Test to preview the results.
See a more detailed usage example of Appearance here :
https://www.cunka.com/easycatalog/myEasyCatalog.html#_using_appearance_to_change_the_panel_style
- List of Style Colors
Appearance Color Name |
RGBA with opacity |
RGB without opacity |
---|---|---|
Light blue |
79, 153, 255, 0.2 |
79, 153, 255 |
Red |
255, 0, 0, 0.2 |
255, 0, 0 |
Green |
79, 255, 79, 0.2 |
79, 255, 79 |
Blue |
0, 0, 255, 0.2 |
0, 0, 255 |
Yellow |
255, 255, 79, 0.2 |
255, 255, 79 |
Magenta |
255, 79, 255, 0.2 |
255, 79, 255 |
Cyan |
0,255,255,0.2 |
0,255,255 |
Gray |
127,127,127,0.2 |
127,127,127 |
Black |
0,0,0,0.2 |
0,0,0 |
Orange |
255,102,0,0.2 |
255,102,0 |
Dark Green |
0,84,0,0.2 |
0,84,0 |
Teal |
0,153,153,0.2 |
0,153,153 |
Tan |
204,153,102,0.2 |
204,153,102 |
Brown |
153,51,0,0.2 |
153,51,0 |
Violet |
153,51,255,0.2 |
153,51,255 |
Gold |
255,153,0,0.2 |
255,153,0 |
Dark Blue |
0,0,135,0.2 |
0,0,135 |
Pink |
255,153,204,0.2 |
255,153,204 |
Lavender |
153,153,255,0.2 |
153,153,255 |
Brick Red |
153,0,0,0.2 |
153,0,0 |
Olive Green |
102,102,0,0.2 |
102,102,0 |
Peach |
255,153,153,0.2 |
255,153,153 |
Burgundy |
153,0,51,0.2 |
153,0,51 |
Grass Green |
153,204,0,0.2 |
153,204,0 |
Ochre |
153,102,0,0.2 |
153,102,0 |
Purple |
102,0,102,0.2 |
102,0,102 |
Light Gray |
186,186,18,0.2 |
186,186,18 |
Charcoal |
170,163,181,0.2 |
170,163,181 |
Grid Blue |
122,186,216,0.2 |
122,186,216 |
Grid Orange |
255,181,107,0.2 |
255,181,107 |
Fiesta |
247,89,107,0.2 |
247,89,107 |
Light Olive |
140,165,107,0.2 |
140,165,107 |
Lipstick |
206,130,181,0.2 |
206,130,181 |
Cute Teal |
130,206,193,0.2 |
130,206,193 |
Sulphur |
206,206,130,0.2 |
206,206,130 |
Grid Green |
155,221,155,0.2 |
155,221,155 |
White |
255,255,255,0.2 |
255,255,255 |
Introduced in to Easycatalog CC2015 v11.0.2
Custom Field
A Custom Field allows you to add functionality to EasyCatalog by creating your own fields to repurpose data in a new way, or create new data that currently does not exist in the original data source.
-
Custom fields can be create data from EasyCatalogs custom reference commands or the LUA scripting programming language
-
Custom fields can group data
-
Custom fields can be identified in the data source panel by the
function
icon in the column header.- Name
-
Contains the name you create for the Custom Field.
AName:
must exist for the field to be created. - Type
-
- Standard
-
This is the default setting.
Contents:
will be created with the use of the EasyCatalog Custom Reference commands. - Advanced
-
Uses the LUA scripting programming language.
See our example usage of Advanced in "Debugging EasyCatalog LUA with ZeroBrane" here :
https://www.cunka.com/easycatalog/myEasyCatalog.html#_easycatalog_luaThe return value from LUA becomes the field content. return string.format("%d, %q", string.match("I have 2 questions for you.","(%d+)%a+)"));
- Scripted
-
For More Information : https://www.65bit.com/docs/batch-scripted-custom-fields/
- Reference
-
Lists the EasyCatalog Custom Reference Fields that can be used and inserted that creates the field contents.
Update Automatically |
Always keep the content of the field up-to-date |
---|---|
Update Manually |
Only update the custom field when the Update Selected Custom Field(s) menu option is used |
Update Only After Synchronize |
Only update the field after a Synchronize with Data Source operation. |
Update During Content Creation |
Updates when the records associated with the field are used to populate document content. |
Notes
Introduced in to Easycatalog CC2019 v14
The Notes tab can be used to store notes/memos to aid in documenting each field.
eg. to detail its purpose, store previous custom field command settings.
Tooltips will show the content of the Notes field when hovering over the column header in the data source panel. |
Getting Help
Brian Cowell can be contacted at contact@cunka.com
©2019-2023 Brian Cowell