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Chapter 5 : Using Processes

5.8.1.

Variable Assign

General introduction

The Variable Assign command allows you to assign a value to one or

more variables.

Up to 10 variables can be assigned with one single variable assignment
process.

Variable Assign

To assign a value to a variable, proceed as follows:

Add the process Variable Assign to your label program.

In the left-hand column, click

to open the Variables dialogue

box as shown here

October 2007

Page

160

Summary of Contents for 123 Print v1.1

Page 1: ... Copyright 2007 MCL Technologies All Rights Reserved www mcl collection com Visualize Mobilize Realize MCL Collection 123 Print v1 1x User Manual Visualize printers with intelligence Realize 123 Print ...

Page 2: ...demark of Datamax Bar Code Products Corporation Seagull and BarTender are trademarks or registered trademarks of Seagull Scientific Inc Microsoft Windows Windows XP Windows 2000 and Windows 98 are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and or other countries All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners All specifications terms and desc...

Page 3: ... Setup 110 4 Designing a Label 119 4 1 BarTender Integration 120 5 Using Processes 128 5 1 Introduction to 123 Print Variables 131 5 2 Branch 134 5 3 Date Operation 143 5 4 File Search 147 5 5 Mathematic Operation 149 5 6 Other 150 5 7 Serial Communications 155 5 8 Processes on Variables 159 6 Simulating Your Project 171 6 1 Simulation Mode 172 6 2 Debugger Mode 176 7 Deploying a Printer Project 1...

Page 4: ...on com October 2007 Page 4 Appendix A Sample License Certificate 218 Appendix B Datamax Printer Setup 220 Appendix C Supported Datamax Printers 221 Appendix D System Requirements 222 Appendix E Mapping Label Graphic Elements 223 Appendix F Connectivity Function Matrix 224 ...

Page 5: ...mer that explains the basic concepts of 123 Print and introduces you to its purpose and the philosophy behind it The goal of this Primer is to give you an understanding of the General capabilities of 123 Print Kinds of labels you can print using 123 Print General project flow behind the creation of static and dynamic labels Topics This chapter covers the following topics Topic Page 1 1 1 2 1 3 Wha...

Page 6: ...systems from your printer application consider using MCL Designer for Datamax printers As a component of MCL Collection MCL Designer allows you create printer applications with easy host integration Purpose The purpose of 123 Print is to Make your Datamax printers intelligent Quickly and easily create simple applications to run on your Datamax printers Provide a full application creation environme...

Page 7: ... 123 Print provides the capability to associate and print variable data on labels Consider the sample labels shown below The labels on the left are templates that would be saved on your printer with your 123 Print project The labels on the right show the actual label that will come off the printer after the 123 Print project inserts the variable data into the template and initiates a print of the ...

Page 9: ...l Label Name Label name Qty to Print 1 2 3 The first screen 1 is a Welcome screen The second screen 2 is the Select Label screen The third screen 3 is the Quantity to Print screen These screens are displayed in a black font on the Datamax printers When your 123 Print project is run on the printer it first displays the Welcome screen It then goes into a loop alternating display between the Select L...

Page 10: ...t Retry 4 This message will be displayed for example if the label roll is out of labels The User Interface function allows you to customize this error message Labels If you are only concerned with static labels you only need to use the Labels function to identify the static labels you want to include in your project If however you want to create dynamic labels you will want to take advantage of th...

Page 11: ...eded to complete the item label selected at 2 User input is required on screens at A and B The item code entered in A is saved in a variable at C A process at X is used to browse through a lookup file to get the item description for the item code entered in A The item description is saved in a variable at D When the user indicates at B that the item is ready to be weighed a process at Y is used to...

Page 12: ...tarted Overview Chapter 2 introduction This chapter describes the installation and setup of 123 Print Topics This chapter covers the following topics Topic Page 2 1 2 2 2 3 Installation Activation General Setup 2 3 1 DPL Connection 2 3 2 MCL Connection 2 3 3 Local Settings 2 3 4 Others 13 17 25 October 2007 Page 12 ...

Page 13: ...ntroduction This section describes how to install 123 Print Installation 1 Double click on the 123 Print installation executable which you have downloaded The default folder in which 123 Print is installed is C 123Print A welcome screen is displayed as shown below 2 Click Next to proceed with the installation October 2007 Page 13 ...

Page 14: ... shown below To accept the license terms and proceed 3 Click Yes As shown below a screen is displayed prompting you to enter the location where you want to install 123 Print 4 Click Next to use the default folder for your installation or 5 Edit the entry or browse for the folder where you want to install 123 Print 6 Click Next October 2007 Page 14 ...

Page 15: ...ights Reserved www mcl col lection com Chapter 2 Getting Started As shown below a screen is displayed to show you the progress of the installation The following is displayed when installation is completed 7 Click Finish October 2007 Page 15 ...

Page 16: ...col lection com Chapter 2 Getting Started Starting 123 Print Once 123 Print is installed start it by 1 Double click on the 123 Print shortcut icon on the Windows desktop The 123 Print splash screen is superimposed on the 123 Print environment October 2007 Page 16 ...

Page 17: ... make your choice carefully The activation method you choose cannot be changed at a later stage Activation The first time you run 123 Print you will be prompted to Activate the software To do this you will need to have the License Certificate ready which you have received by email when you ordered 123 Print 1 Get out your 123 Print License Certificate Please see Appendix A for a sample certificate...

Page 18: ... Copyright 2007 MCL Technologies All Rights Reserved www mcl col lection com Chapter 2 Getting Started 3 Enter the License Number found on your License Certificate 4 Click Next October 2007 Page 18 ...

Page 19: ... down to the bottom of the terms 6 Check the checkbox to accept the license terms 7 Click Next The 123 Print software registration form is displayed 8 Enter the details of the company to whom the License should be registered 9 Click Next Note Only Organisation and Country are compulsory fields However the more details you provide the easier it will be for MCL Technologies to provide technical assi...

Page 20: ...licensing details over to a different PC if you want to install and run 123 Print on a different PC Hardware Activation This method of activation requires the purchase of a Hardware Serial Number Key Using this method of activation 123 Print ties your license number to the serial number of your Hardware Key Thus your software becomes PC Independent This means you can install and run 123 Print on a...

Page 21: ...ate if you want to use on line or off line activation 13 Click the appropriate radio button 14 Click Next Your system needs internet access for on line activation to be possible This example uses on line activation Consequently the On Line Activation screen is displayed as shown below The off line activation mode will step you through the activation process in a similar fashion October 2007 Page 2...

Page 22: ... your registration information is accurate 17 Click Next to confirm the details you entered on the previous screens 123 Print now connects to MCL s Licensing Server and records your details on the server The Licensing Server then returns an Activation Key When the Activation Key is received your software is ready to be used An Activation successful screen is displayed as shown below October 2007 P...

Page 23: ...tion You are now prompted to save a backup of your License Key It includes your license number serial number and activation key 20 Edit the entry or browse to the location where you want your License Key backed up 21 Click Next Note It is very important for you to record and save a backup of your license key This is the only way MCL Technologies can help you recover your 123 Print license in the e...

Page 24: ...ackup screen is displayed as shown here 22 Click Finish Starting 123 Print When the activation is completed 123 Print is started automatically To start 123 Print again in the future double click on the 123 Print short cut on the Windows desktop The main 123 Print window is displayed as shown here October 2007 Page 24 ...

Page 25: ...TX F Please refer to your Datamax manual for more information DPL Mode is a one way communication between 123 Print and the printer MCL Mode refers to the mode in which 123 Print communicates with the printer using MCL commands to direct the printer and run MCL applications These are commands like NO 001 TF INVENTORY DAT AA DAT Please refer to your MCL Link manual for more information MCL Mode is ...

Page 26: ... Click on the DPL Connection tab If you want to use network communications for your DPL commands 2 Edit the Printer TCP port with the appropriate port number typically 9100 or 3000 If you want to use serial communications for your DPL commands 3 Edit the Serial settings with values appropriate for your printer These values may be found through the menu on your printer or in your Datamax printer ma...

Page 27: ...s on your network segment your printers into 3 groups of 250 printers each Assign each of the 250 printers to the same group and assign a Group ID of 001 002 or 003 for example to those printers Then assign a unique MCL ID such as a number from 001 250 to each of the printers within the group These assignments will allow you to uniquely identify all 750 printers on your network MCL Host ID can be ...

Page 28: ...t PC See Chapter 6 Simulating Your Project This Simulation setup lets you define the source emulation or peripheral connection to a port on your PC of these inputs for your simulation Assign Com 1 Printer Port To This option lets you indicate from where the simulator should fetch the port 1 input in simulation This is to simulate what the final project will receive from printer port 1 when the pro...

Page 29: ...sign Internal Printer Port To This option allows you to simulate label printing when you are running your project in simulation You can emulate the label print or send the label as output to a port on your development PC The output may be sent to a serial com port an LPT parallel port or to a file Sending the output to a file is useful if you want to see the DPL code your project is using to print...

Page 30: ...efault printer for label design for your project when you invoke BarTender from the 123 Print toolbar while creating your project 3 In the BTW Folder field navigate to the folder you plan to use as your common folder for your BarTender labels By default if BarTender is installed on your system 123 Print assigns MyDocuments BarTender Formats for your BarTender labels This is the default path BarTen...

Page 31: ...Started October 2007 Page Timer is used to set the duration in seconds of the display of the Welcome screen The Welcome screen is typically displayed momentarily only 5 Edit the timer value or 6 Use the up and down arrows beside the timer field to increment or decrement the value of the field 31 ...

Page 32: ...n You may associate several additional screens up to 50 with each label in your project As you create these additional screens you are creating what is called a label program Topics This chapter covers the following topics Topic Page 3 1 3 2 3 3 3 4 3 5 Project Description User Interface 3 2 1 Welcome Screen 3 2 2 Select Label Screen 3 2 3 Quantity to Print Screen 3 2 4 Print Error Message Screen ...

Page 33: ...there are 6 fields available to describe the project you are creating Project Name Version Author Printer Type Printer Name Notes The name you wish to assign to your project application The build version of your application This is a number you assign for project version control Typically your name or the name of the company creating the application The target Datamax printer model for the project...

Page 34: ... following buttons appear on the left hand side of the main window The functions associated with these buttons are discussed in the subsequent sections of this chapter These are the functions used to create your 123 Print project To return to the Project Description at any time on the menu bar 4 Click Project 5 Click Project Description Alternatively simply click the Project button on the left han...

Page 35: ...oject Description It also uses this information to present a User Interface as shown below that is appropriate for the display type text display or graphical display available on the printer model selected for the given project The User Interface window shows 4 default screens Welcome Screen Select Label Quantity to Print Print Error Message These 4 screens form the basis of all 123 Print projects...

Page 36: ...ved www mcl col lection com Chapter 3 Creating a Project Text Display The User Interface for a text display printer is as shown here Graphical Display Large The User Interface for a large graphical display printer is as shown here October 2007 Page 36 ...

Page 37: ...lay printer is as shown here Graphical Display Status Toolbar The status toolbar across the top of the graphical display screens gives the following printer status Printer is Ready Printer is Paused Printing Error Printer is Printing The Printer is Printing status is accompanied by the Printer Ready status and a Printing Progress indicator as shown here October 2007 Page 37 ...

Page 38: ...ottom of the window As with the Interface Screen the Welcome Screen varies according to the display type available on the printer model selected for the given project Text Display The Welcome Screen editing window for a text display printer is as shown here Edit the Welcome screen to give the desired information 3 On Line 1 enter up to 20 characters of text 4 On Line 2 choose one of the system var...

Page 39: ...vance the application to the next screen To accept the changes made to the Welcome screen 7 Click OK Graphical Display Large To edit the Welcome screen for a graphical display project on the User Interface window 1 Click on the Welcome screen or 2 Click the Welcome button at the bottom of the window Alternatively on the User Interface window 3 Simply double click on the thumbnail view of the Welco...

Page 40: ...lay printers Although default content is provided each of the screens provides a number of options for screen content To edit the Welcome screen 4 Select a Header option 5 Select a Line 1 option 6 Select a Line 2 option 7 Select a Footer option 8 Click OK Below shows the options available for a Header Alternatively instead of choosing one of the pre defined options 9 Type fixed text in any of the ...

Page 41: ...econds or 13 Increment or decrement the value of the delay using the up and down arrows beside the delay entry field 14 Click OK If the delay is set to zero 0 seconds a user will have to press a button on the printer to advance the application to the next screen Graphical Display Small The Welcome Screen editing window for a small screen graphical display printer is as shown below The properties a...

Page 42: ...f the window As with the Welcome Screen Section 3 2 1 Welcome Screen the Select Label Screen varies according to the display type available on the printer model selected for the given project Text Display The Select Label Screen editing window for a text display printer is as shown here This screen is the default screen that is displayed when a user is required to select a label on a printer runni...

Page 43: ... the Select Label screen or 2 Click the Select button at the bottom of the window Alternatively on the User Interface window 3 Simply double click on the thumbnail view of the Select Label screen The Select Label Screen editing window for a large graphical display printer is as shown here Notice that this screen has the same display screen editing options a Header Footer and two lines on the main ...

Page 44: ...as those described above for Select Label Text Displays 7 Select a Footer option 8 Click OK Alternatively instead of choosing one of the pre defined options 9 Type fixed text in any of the edit boxes 10 Click OK Graphical Display Small The Select Label Screen editing window for a small screen graphical display printer is as shown below The properties and options available for this screen are ident...

Page 45: ...ing window for a text display printer is as shown here This screen is the default screen displayed for a user to select the quantity of a label to be printed Line 1 automatically displays the name of the Label chosen on the Select Label screen Line 1 is therefore not editable By default the user can always increment or decrement the quantity of the labels to be printed Therefore the arrows on line...

Page 46: ...The graphical display Select Quantity Screen is equivalent to the text display Quantity to Print Screen To edit the Select Quantity screen on the User Interface window 1 Click on the Select Quantity screen or 2 Click the Quantity button at the bottom of the window Alternatively on the User Interface window 3 Simply double click on the thumbnail view of the Select Quantity screen The Select Quantit...

Page 47: ... those described above for Quantity to Print Text Displays 7 Select a Footer option 8 Click OK Alternatively instead of choosing one of the pre defined options 9 Type fixed text in any of the edit boxes 10 Click OK Graphical Display Small The Select Quantity Screen editing window for a small screen graphical display printer is as shown below The properties and options available for this screen are...

Page 48: ... displays the message Print Error By default Line 2 displays the actions available to the user when a print error occurs When a print error occurs two user actions are possible exit the project or retry to print the label These actions are initiated by pressing buttons on the front panel of the printer The project will exit when either the REV or ESC button on the left hand side of the printer fro...

Page 49: ... being printed when this print error occurs Alternatively instead of choosing one of the pre defined options 9 Type fixed text in any of the edit boxes 10 Click OK The Printer Error Message screen also supports the addition of an optional image The image must be a monochrome wallpaper image in bmp format with a size of 240x320 pixels To add an image 11 Click on the Image checkbox or Image button A...

Page 51: ...s can be a static label you simply want to print It can also be a static label you want to use as a template for creating dynamic labels This section also describes the functions available for creating a dynamic label using screen prompts peripheral inputs and processing logic This combination of screens variable data and logic is referred to as a label program The pre designed labels that you ass...

Page 52: ... your 123 Print project This number is displayed on the Select Label Screen when the user is choosing which label to print for a given operation Enter the path and name or browse to search for the label you want to add to your project Valid file types are btw dpl and txt if the txt file contains DPL code Assign a name to this label This is displayed on the Select Label screen when the user is choo...

Page 53: ...re Edit allows you to modify your label design from within 123 Print See Section 3 3 1 Edit Variables allows you to add screen prompts and logic to your label design See Section 3 3 2 Variables Mapping allows you to associate variable data with a label template See Section 3 3 3 Mapping Note Any static label may be used as a template for a dynamic label The functions associated with these buttons ...

Page 54: ...abel open for editing If you do not have a BarTender label and are working directly with a txt or dpl file Edit will display the DPL code of the label for editing Edit 1 Click the Edit button to view and edit your selected label If you are working with a dpl label the DPL code is opened in the Edit DPL File window as shown here If you are working with a btw label the label is opened in BarTender a...

Page 55: ...roperties dialogue box 1 Click the Variables button Variables The Variables function allows you to build a dialogue between your label program see Section 1 3 Project Flow and the user via a series of screen prompts These are displayed on the left hand side of the 123Print Designer window as shown below You can assign up to 50 screens to each label Each screen is editable The first line is text to...

Page 56: ...Only one prompt screen is displayed at a time for large graphical displays Use the scroll bar provided to navigate through your prompt screens Graphical Display Small The 123Print Designer window for a small graphical display printer is as shown here Up to 2 prompt screens are displayed at a time for small graphical displays Use the scroll bar provided to navigate through your prompt screens Octob...

Page 57: ...arehouse The labels would then be applied to the shelving racks in the warehouse to assist customers in finding the product they want to purchase Text displays are used in the following example However the procedure is identical for graphical displays To get started designing your label program 1 Select the first from top to bottom available prompt screen on the left hand side of the 123Print Desi...

Page 58: ...elect Value From File Display Data The various Input Methods available for line 2 are discussed in Sections 3 3 2 1 to 3 3 2 7 Please see these sections for more detailed explanations about the Input Methods you can use to create a user friendly interface for your label program For the Warehouse Shelving example on line 2 of the screen prompt you are creating 3 Select External Keyboard as shown he...

Page 59: ...lt Variable is the variable where the user s input will be saved when they enter a location on the screen prompt The Force Uppercase will prevent the user from entering lowercase letters when they enter a location on the screen prompt To assign a Result Variable for the location for the Warehouse Shelving example 4 Click on the next to the Result Variable field The Variables window is displayed as...

Page 60: ...not applicable for use as a resultant variable and are grayed out whenever you are creating a resultant variable Please see Section 5 1 Introduction to 123 Print Variables for more detailed information about variables Returning to the Warehouse Shelving example create the Variable in which you wish to store the input Location information 5 Click on the first available user local variable in this c...

Page 61: ... screen of your label program For this Warehouse Shelving example repeat the above steps to create a second prompt screen Enter Product Name Create a Resultant Variable A1 Product_Name as the storage location for the user input for this screen prompt This prompt will allow the user to enter the Product Name to be printed on the given label After creating the Enter Product Name screen prompt the 12...

Page 62: ...eft hand side of the 123Print Designer window Then proceed as for Screen 1 and 2 by first entering the text to be displayed on Line 1 and then the action to be performed on Line 2 9 Type Product Name on Line 1 10 For Line 2 select the Display Data option This function allows you to display data stored in a variable 11 To select which Variable is to be displayed click on the next to the Default Val...

Page 63: ...ly for the period you set in seconds 15 Set the Display Time to 2 seconds When completed the properties for Screen 3 are as shown above Continuing with the Warehouse Shelving example create a fourth screen to ask the user to confirm by entering Yes or No the Product Name displayed on the previous screen The choice made here by the user will determine the next step in the program 16 Type the text C...

Page 64: ... Copyright 2007 MCL Technologies All Rights Reserved www mcl col lection com Chapter 3 Creating a Project When completed the properties for Screen 4 are as shown here October 2007 Page 64 ...

Page 65: ...es are actions performed in between screen prompts in your label programs Please reference Chapter 5 Using Processes for complete information on all the processes available in 123 Print Processes are added by selecting the reverse triangles arrows between the screens on the left hand side of the 123 Print Designer window A given process is performed after the related screen prompt is handled If mo...

Page 66: ... to do is to choose the Variable on which the test is to be performed In this example the Yes or No input from screen 4 is stored in variable A2 Confirmation 22 Select A2 Confirmation in the If Value field The test to be performed is to determine whether the value entered on screen 4 is equal to Y 23 Set the Condition field to Equal to 24 Type Y in the Value 2 field If the value is Y the program s...

Page 67: ...rint Designer window is displayed again as shown below with an entry for the Test Branch process you just defined 28 Click the OK button to accept the screen prompts program flow and processes you have created and return to the Label Properties window The addition of this Conditional Branching process to the Warehouse Shelving example is intended to show you why where and how you add processes to ...

Page 68: ...as follows Increment Range Min Range Max Default Value Result Value Output Format Set the rate the number will increment with each up down click Set the minimum value for the range This is the lowest number which will be accepted Set the maximum value for the range This is the highest number which will be accepted maximum value 999 Type a value or set a default value using the contents of a variab...

Page 69: ...ould be accepted e g Alphanumeric Numeric Decimal Enter the minimum number of characters needed for the input to be accepted Set the maximum number of characters allowed for the input to be accepted Enter the number of integer positions to accept in a number entry when using the Cash Input Type Enter the number of decimal positions to accept in a number entry when using the Cash Input Type Set a r...

Page 70: ...nput Users will not be able to enter lower case letters into a screen prompt if this option is selected Type a value or set a default value using the contents of a variable If you use a variable remember to assign a value to the variable someplace in your label program Select the variable in which the user input should be stored Set the format you want to use when saving the input from the externa...

Page 71: ...o Set which types of Barcode Symbologies may be read Set the minimum number of characters needed for the input to be accepted Set the maximum number of characters needed for the input to be accepted Set a required pattern for the input Possible pattern masks include the letters A Z the numbers 0 9 and the special characters _ These pattern masks and their use are described in Chapter 5 Using Proce...

Page 72: ... a variable If you use a variable remember to assign a value to the variable someplace in your label program Select the variable in which the user input should be stored Set the format you want to use when saving the input from the external barcode reader Several options are available such as fill blank on left fill zeros on left Select the appropriate format for your program design October 2007 P...

Page 73: ...ing on the printer For Weight Scale the property settings are as follows Data to Send Start With Data End With Check the Data to Send checkbox if your weight scale requires a request from the printer before it will send weight information The following options allow you to specify the format of this request You should check the manual for your weight scale to find out how your model requires the r...

Page 74: ...property box the exact number of characters to be received from the weight scale Check the checkbox beside this option if you wish to extract only a specific set of characters from the received data Set the starting position for the extraction Set the ending position of the extraction For example if you set From Position 4 and To Position 6 you will extract 555 out of 0005550 Set the mode with whi...

Page 75: ...xt character followed by the command SP64 and ending with a CRLF Carriage Return Line Feed then your Data To Send settings should look as shown below If in return you weight scale s return data stream starts with STX followed by the weight and ends with a CR your Data To Receive settings should look as shown below When the entire data stream is received from the scale the STX and CR are automatica...

Page 76: ...ect The remaining weight data may be further refined by selecting an output format such as stripping leading zeros The result may then be saved in a variable for additional processing or printing Below shows what the complete Input Method properties might be for a Weight Scale input October 2007 Page 76 ...

Page 77: ...value from a predefined list of values or from existing variables For Select Value From List the property settings are as follows Variable Value selection Result Variable Create the list from which the user will choose the desired input Create the list by typing entries directly in the property table provided Alternatively select existing variables to create the list To select a variable click the...

Page 79: ...lue From File the property settings are as follows Local File Name Select Record Using Field Start Browse With Keyboard Input to Search Data F1 Copy Value to Variable Select the file to be used to lookup the desired input Files are available for selection here only once they have been added to your label program as Lookup Files Select the field in your file which you want to use as your browse or ...

Page 80: ...ant to lookup The user input is then used to initiate a search in the file This approach can help find an item more quickly than browsing for the item by scrolling through the entire list If a match is found the entry is displayed and the user presses ENTER to select that entry as the input The user can also use this as the starting point to browse for a different item to enter Once the desired en...

Page 81: ...alue using the contents of a variable If you use a variable remember to assign a value to the variable someplace in your label program Set the starting position if extracting only certain characters from the input Set the ending position if extracting only certain characters from the input For example if you set Extract From 4 and Extract To 6 you will extract 555 out of 0005550 Set the number of ...

Page 82: ...e mapped must be of the format btw dpl or txt providing the txt file contains DPL code This section discusses 123 Print s Mapping function to create labels that print with variable content Mapping The last step to complete your label program is to make the printed label display the variable data entered using the Variables function as described in Section 3 3 2 Variables Printing the variable data...

Page 83: ...bel The original static default data for the field Original Field Data The data which should replace the default data Replace By Replace By Replace By allows you to associate your different Variables with the label elements so that what is stored in the selected variable s will replace the original label data at the time of printing Simply double click in the Replace By column on the element you w...

Page 84: ...in the Mapping table this element is the first of the two Barcodes on the example label The Variables list is displayed as shown here 3 Select the Location variable A0 Location 4 Click OK The variable A0 Location is mapped to the first barcode as shown below When the label is printed the contents of the A0 Location variable will be printed as a barcode where the barcode location was printed in the...

Page 85: ...re the text location was printed beneath the barcode on the static label 6 Repeat the above steps for the remaining elements of the label Select an element and assign a variable to it If no Replace By assignment is made for a given element the original static data will be printed for that element When all the element to variable mapping assignments are completed the mapping of the example label lo...

Page 86: ...n prompts will request Location and Product Name for a given product If you input a location of A78 25Z and a product name of OAK BOOKCASE then the variables you created will contain the following A0 Location A78 25Z A1 Product_Name OAK BOOKCASE When you print the label using these variables and using the mapping assignments made in the Mapping section the resulting dynamically created label will ...

Page 87: ... list view click the view list icon on the left of the Labels List window Your labels will be displayed in the Labels List as shown here Notice that in the Type column icons are displayed with your label entry The Process icon indicates that you have processes associated with this label The Mapping icon indicates that you are mapping certain elements of this label The BarTender icon indicates that...

Page 88: ...label and choose duplicate If you wish to re arrange the sequence in which the labels appear in your labels list you can do so using the arrows in the bottom right hand corner of the window Deleting a label If you delete a label from your project please note that the label and all of the screens associated with it are fully and permanently removed from your project They cannot be recovered even if...

Page 89: ...left hand side of the main 123 Print window or on the menu bar 1 Click Project 2 Click Lookup Files The Lookup Files window is displayed as shown here Lookup files Initially the only Lookup File option available is Add Lookup File However once a Lookup File has been added other file options become available Add Lookup File You may add a Lookup File to your 123 Print project On the Main Lookup File...

Page 90: ...ect the file you want to delete 2 Click on the Delete button You are prompted to confirm the request to delete a Lookup File 3 Click Yes to proceed with the deletion The Lookup file is deleted from your project without any further warning If you delete a lookup file from your project please note that the lookup file and all of its contents are fully and permanently removed from your project They c...

Page 91: ...p files are saved in C 123Print Projects your project prj lookup On the Lookup Files window 1 Click the Add button The Lookup File Properties screen is displayed as shown here A file code is automatically assigned to your lookup file Use this code in your 123 Project when referring to this lookup file The file codes include 99 predefined two character codes the first is LA the last is OV 123 Print...

Page 92: ...y is the Memory property The lookup file may be saved in flash RAM or optional flash memory on your Datamax printer when you download your 123 Print project and lookup files into your Datamax printer If you select Default the lookup file is stored wherever the MCL Client is stored This is typically in Flash memory 3 Indicate where you want this file to be saved on the printer October 2007 Page 92 ...

Page 93: ...orted and saved according to this sort selection 4 Select the desired sort field s if any The next file property is the Separator property 123 Print provides a variety of separators that can be used as field delimiters in the lookup file you are creating 5 Select the desired field separator if any If you want to create a lookup file from scratch you have now entered all the properties necessary to...

Page 94: ...see Section 3 4 3 Add Lookup File from Scratch Add Lookup File from Import To create your lookup file from an existing data source 1 Complete the Lookup File Properties as described above 2 Click on the Import button in the Lookup File Properties To see how to create your Lookup File with data from an existing data source please see Section 3 4 2 Add Lookup File from Import File October 2007 Page ...

Page 95: ...File from import file In 123 Print you can create a Lookup File from an existing data source Several file types are valid for import dat txt xls cvs First complete the Lookup File Properties as described in Section 3 4 Add Lookup File 1 Click on the Import button The Select a file Import structure data window is displayed as shown here October 2007 Page 95 ...

Page 96: ...ct the appropriate file type of the file to be imported 5 Navigate to the file you want to use 6 Click Open The file you select appears in the Select a file Import structure data screen as shown here If you are importing a dat txt or cvs file 7 Indicate which separator if any is being used to delimit the fields in the Lookup File you are importing This step is not required for an excel spreadsheet...

Page 97: ...alue in the field 10 Click on the Preview button The first few lines of the imported file are displayed as shown below Number of Lines is useful if you are importing from a large file and do not need to view all the data to be satisfied that the import fields and data are being properly processed in creating the lookup file 11 Click OK As shown below the Lookup File Properties window is displayed ...

Page 98: ...ames or field length may be edited at this time Edit the Product Description field length to 25 for example and the Manufacturer field length to 20 12 Double Click on the field to be edited 13 Enter the revised value for the field You may also decide to sort the data at this time if you did not do so earlier in the Sort On entry field 14 Select the desired option A key icon is displayed beside the...

Page 99: ...6789012345 DMX M 4208 Datamax 4567890123456 DMX A 4210 Datamax If you decide you would like a different separator select the desired separator in the Lookup Files Properties window and click OK This example changes the separator to a semi colon You are prompted to confirm 16 Click Yes The revised Product Description dat file now looks like the following 1234567890123 DMX A 4212 Datamax 23456789012...

Page 100: ...complete the Lookup File Properties as described in Section 3 4 Add Lookup File 123 Print assigns the next available file code LB to this new file Now create the structure for your lookup file 1 Enter field names for the data in the Lookup File you are creating 2 Enter the field lengths for the fields you created in step 1 This example shows the possible structure for a Purchase Orders Lookup File...

Page 101: ...d your data to the Lookup File In the Lookup Files window 4 Click the Data button 5 Double click on the first field in the first row to edit it with the desired data 6 Press TAB or ENTER to move to the next field for editing When all fields of a record have been filled in TAB or ENTER automatically advances you to the beginning of the next record October 2007 Page 101 ...

Page 102: ...e adding records until your Lookup File is completed Save Lookup File To save the Lookup File 7 Click OK You are prompted to confirm that you want to save the file 8 Click Yes The Lookup File is closed with an updated file date and file size The Lookup Files window is displayed as shown below October 2007 Page 102 ...

Page 104: ... may perform the following on your data records Add Insert Modify Delete Edit Data The Lookup File data may be edited at any time when the file is first being created or at a later time whenever changes are required In the Lookup Files window 1 Select the Lookup File to be edited This example edits the Product Description file created in Section 3 4 2 Add Lookup file from Import File 2 Click the D...

Page 105: ... of the columns is shown A check mark beside a column indicates it is being displayed No check mark indicates the column is hidden To hide a column 4 Select the column name of column s you want to hide This is a toggle function At any time you can re enable the display of the column 5 Select the column name beside the column name s you want to display Here is the result if you hide the Manufacture...

Page 106: ...d is added to the file 2 Enter the desired data for this record for example the product information for Seagull s BarTender software When all the data for the new record has been entered 3 Press ENTER If your Lookup File is being sorted on Field 1 the record you added will automatically be sorted into the correct position in your file as show here October 2007 Page 106 ...

Page 107: ...elected record 3 Enter the desired data for this record for example the product information for Seagull s BarTender License Server Insertion at a desired point is only useful if you are inserting records in an unsorted file If the file is sorted the insertion point is not relevant since 123 Print automatically re sorts the records for you If you want to control where the record goes change the Loo...

Page 108: ...record is in the desired position Change record order is only useful if you are ordering the records in an unsorted file If the file is sorted the order change is not relevant since 123 Print automatically re sorts the records for you Delete record To delete a record 1 Click on the record to be deleted 2 Click the Delete button The record is deleted immediately without any further warning Save Loo...

Page 110: ...he menu bar 1 Click Project 2 Click System Setup Text Display When you select System Setup for a text display printer the Aux Com Settings window is displayed as shown here These are the only project related settings for a text display printer project See Section 3 5 2 Auxiliary Communications for Aux Com Settings setup Graphical Display When you select System Setup for a graphical display printer...

Page 111: ...ghts Reserved www mcl col lection com Chapter 3 Creating a Project 3 Select the desired Date Format for your project 4 Select the desired Time Format for your project 5 Select the desired Font Code Page for your project October 2007 Page 111 ...

Page 112: ...the Datamax printer keys 123 Print allows you to define the function of these keys on a project by project basis thus making them Soft Keys This section describes how to Define the function of the Datamax printer keys Setup what is displayed in the footer of your project screens Soft Keys Setup To enter Soft Keys setup you must first have a project open Then 1 Click the System Setup button on the ...

Page 113: ...own here The keys found on your Datamax printer are depicted with a Key Code box beneath each key 5 Select the desired function for each of the keys from the drop down list of options as shown here Next decide whether you want text or an image to be displayed in the footer to show the functions you have applied to the keys October 2007 Page 113 ...

Page 114: ...ject 6 Select the Text or Image radio button If you select Text simply edit the text box provided for each key to reflect the given function of the key as shown here Below shows what the Welcome screen footer looks like if the above text is entered in the Soft Key text edit boxes October 2007 Page 114 ...

Page 115: ...e Screen The Soft Key footer image for a large screen graphical display should be a monochrome bmp image with the following specifications Black and white 1 bit Uncompressed Max 240x320 px Graphical Display Small Screen The Soft Key footer image for a small screen graphical display should be a monochrome bmp image with the following specifications Black and white 1 bit Uncompressed Max 128x64 px O...

Page 116: ...tions setup you must first have a project open Then Click the System Setup button on the left hand side of the main window or on the menu bar 1 Click Project 2 Click System Setup If using a graphical display printer on the System Settings screen 3 Click the Aux Com button The Aux Com Settings window is displayed as shown here Com 1 is the default port for barcode scanning Type allows you to define...

Page 117: ... 3 Creating a Project Com 2 Com 2 if installed on your Datamax printer is typically used to support non barcode scanning peripherals such as weight scales Any serial device may be connected here 5 Select Com 2 port settings to match those of your peripheral device October 2007 Page 117 ...

Page 118: ...es a Serial In process see Section 5 7 1 Serial In Any data received before the printer is in this Input mode will be ignored After Read the input buffer is cleared when the data is read from the input buffer Data can be received before the program initiates a Serial In process Data will be buffered in the input buffer until the Serial In process reads the buffer Before and After Read Data will on...

Page 119: ...your convenience the printer setting is saved as part of the label format Therefore the next time you need to print the same labels all you need to do is load the format and print However Seagull also states the following Note It is always a good idea to select a printer before you begin a label format in order to ensure that the label format will be set up using the correct printer specifications...

Page 120: ...tamax printer driver for the target printer be installed on your system as a Windows printer for the label you are creating The BarTender label you create must have a Datamax printer name saved in the label format The preparation of a label for use with a 123 Print project involves both 123 Print and BarTender 1 Run 123 Print 2 Click File 3 Click Open 4 Select the project that is to use the label ...

Page 121: ... target Datamax printer model is defined in Bartender s printer settings Design your label as you normally would Save your BarTender label On BarTender s menu bar 5 Click File 6 Click Save As 7 Save the label into whichever folder you setup as the default BTW folder when you were setting up 123 Print see Section 2 3 4 Others If you used the default path save the label to BarTender s default locati...

Page 122: ... BarTender Label To incorporate your new label into your project return to 123 Print 9 If not already done open your project 10 Click the Labels button on the left hand side of the main window Alternatively on the 123 Print menu bar 11 Select Project 12 Select Labels 13 Click on the Add button October 2007 Page 122 ...

Page 123: ...abel 14 Click on the browse icon 15 123 Print looks for labels either in the last folder from which a label has been added or in the btw folder you selected during setup 16 Select a label from this folder or navigate to the label you want to use 17 Select the label in btw format October 2007 Page 123 ...

Page 124: ...sociating a label with your project 123 Print creates a working copy of your BTW label file in the label sub directory of the project folder 19 When the label conversion is completed the Labels Properties screen is displayed as shown below Please reference Section 3 3 Labels for information about Label Properties 20 Set the Label Properties as per Section 3 3 Labels 21 Click OK The label you selec...

Page 125: ...creen The BTW icon under type indicates that the label you have added is a BTW label The Label File and Label Name are the names you assigned in the Label Properties screen for the given label The Date Time indicates when the DPL file was created The Size indicates the size of the DPL file This can be useful in understanding your Datamax printer memory usage October 2007 Page 125 ...

Page 126: ...u as a warning icon in the labels list beside all the entries that use the given label If a label change is detected in an unselected label entry the entry is highlighted in red as shown below Note Label edits can affect any Mapping done previously for the given label 22 Double click on your label entry You are prompted to regenerate the DPL file as shown below This screen also reminds you that an...

Page 127: ... message This message reminds you to check to see if your mapping has been affected by the label edits you have made The restrictions referenced here are discussed in Appendix E Mapping Label Graphic Elements If for any reason 123 Print cannot generate the DPL code an error message is displayed as shown below This error will occur for example if you are using a demo version of BarTender 127 ...

Page 128: ...r covers the following topics and processes Topic Page 5 1 Introduction to 123 Print Variables 131 Processes Process 5 2 5 3 5 4 5 5 5 6 5 7 5 8 Branch 5 2 1 Case and Branch 5 2 2 Control and Branch 5 2 3 Goto Label 5 2 4 Goto Screen 5 2 5 Key and Branch 5 2 6 Set Label 5 2 7 Test and Branch Date Operation 5 3 1 Date Add Subtract 5 3 2 Date Conversion 5 3 3 Date Difference File Search Mathematic O...

Page 129: ... a label 1 Open or create a new project 2 Click the Labels button 3 Add a label 4 Double click on the label or click label properties 5 Click Variables 6 Click the arrow icon between the screens where you want to add a process The Process window is displayed as shown here 7 Click Add button to insert a new process The Add Process dialogue box is displayed as shown here October 2007 Page 129 ...

Page 130: ... to be added or 9 Click in the tree view to view the processes available in a given group of processes 10 Click OK The processes described in this chapter start from step 8 in this procedure When a process es have been added to a label screen the process arrow icon between the screens turns solid as shown here October 2007 Page 130 ...

Page 131: ...es contain system information that can be used by your label programs System variables contain information like the current date time the current record number in a local file the program name and version You cannot write to a system variable The System Variables are grayed out if you are working on a process or properties window where you are required to write to a variable Variables are used thr...

Page 132: ... Below is the list of all local variables available for a Price Label This list includes both those that have already been defined and those available for definition as user local variables This is where you define new user local variables for your label program To see the list of all local variables in a label program on the Variables dialogue box 12 Click on the All Local tab To define a new use...

Page 133: ...es is a label program on the Variables dialogue box 16 Click on the Global tab To define a new global variable for your label program s 17 Select an undefined variable L2 for example in the above list 18 Enter the name you want for this global variable 19 Click OK or define another global variable System Below is a list of some of the system variables available for use with a Price Label To see th...

Page 134: ...uction This section describes the possible branching related operations that you can perform in your label program Branch Processes 1 Click the plus sign beside Branch in the Add Process dialogue box to see the list of available branching processes 2 Select the Branch process you want to add to your program October 2007 Page 134 ...

Page 135: ... or variable selected in the Case Value box 4 In the corresponding Goto boxes select the action to be performed or the screen to go to if the test results are true 5 In the Otherwise Goto box select the action to be performed or the screen to go to if the test results are false 6 Click OK Example In this example the user is prompted to enter a product type The Case and Branch process then compares...

Page 136: ...thod chosen is Select Value from List to set up a list of possible product types The user scrolls through this list and selects the appropriate product type NONE SOFTWARE or HARDWARE In the process screen the variable A9 Product Option is given the value SOFTWARE before the Case and Branch process is executed October 2007 Page 136 ...

Page 137: ...letter The numbers 0 to 9 to specify a specific number The dollar sign stands for any numeric character The double quotes stand for any alphabetic character The underscore _ stands for any alphanumeric character The interrogation mark stands for ignore The asterisk stands for ignore the rest of the input from this point on 4 In the Then go to box select the action to be performed or the screen to ...

Page 138: ...at can be set to identify a specific position in the program such as a certain line in a process Once a label reference is entered it always refers to the same position in your program When a label is defined in a program a direct jump to that location can be made from anywhere within the program Goto Label To set a goto screen function proceed as follows 1 Add the process Goto Label to your label...

Page 139: ...to Screen To set a goto screen function proceed as follows 1 Add the process Goto Screen to your label program The Goto Screen dialogue box is displayed 2 Select the screen you want to jump to from the Goto Screen drop down box The list includes all the screens found in your program 3 Click OK Note You can only go to a screen that has a process tied to it or contents on line 2 of the screen Octobe...

Page 140: ...e time out occurs 4 If you want to branch to an action or screen when the user presses the Clear Up Down PgUp PgDown or Enter key on the printer or connected keyboard assign the action or screen in the box corresponding to the given key 5 If you want to branch to a function or screen when the user presses some other keys on the printer or keyboard connected to the printer proceed as follows In the...

Page 141: ...ference In this context a label is a reference point in your program that can be set to identify a specific position in the program such as a certain line in a process Once a label reference is entered it always refers to the same position in your program When a label is defined in a program a direct jump to that location can be made from anywhere within the program Set Label To set a label procee...

Page 142: ...ect the variable against which you want to test the variable selected in the first parameter You may also type any text here instead of selecting a variable 6 In the Then Goto box select a screen or action to go to if the comparison is true 7 In the Else Goto box select a screen or action to go to if the comparison is false 8 Click OK String or numeric If you select String the test will consider b...

Page 143: ...r 5 Using Processes 5 3 Date Operation General introduction This section describes the possible operations that you can perform on a date in your label program Add Subtract Date Difference Conversion Date Operation 1 Click on the Date Operation process 2 Click OK October 2007 Page 143 ...

Page 144: ...ystem variables 3 In the Input Format box select the format of the input date 4 In the Operation box select Add Subtract and the measure of time days weeks months etc 5 In the Value 2 box type the quantity of the given unit of measure to add to the input variable or select a variable that contains the value to be added or subtracted 6 In the Result Variable box select or create the variable in whi...

Page 145: ... the available User Local variables All Local variables Global variables or System variables 3 In the Input Format box select the format of the input date 4 In the Operation box select Conversion 5 In the Result Variable box select or create the variable in which you want to save the value of the converted date and click OK 6 In the Output Format box select format to which the date is to be conver...

Page 146: ...l variables or System variables 3 In the Input Format box select the format of the input date 4 In the Operation box select Date Difference 5 In the Value 2 box create or select a variable that contains the second date to be used in the calculation 6 In the Result Variable box select or create the variable in which you want to save the value of the difference between the dates and click OK 7 In th...

Page 147: ...the first field in the file Field 2 represents a lookup key for the second field in the file If your lookup file is unsorted you may use both the first and second fields in your search If your lookup file is sorted by the first field you may use only the first field in your search If your lookup file is sorted by the first and second fields you may use both the first and second fields in your sear...

Page 148: ...ple The following example searches the first field of the lookup file Product Description for the value found in the variable A1 Product_Name When a matching record is found the contents of the record fields Product Code Product Description and Manufacturer are copied respectively into the variables A4 Product Code A5 Product Description and B0 Manufacturer If no match is found the application jum...

Page 149: ...ox to indicate the number of integers you want in the resulting number A 5 here will allow a maximum number of 99999 6 Enter a value in the Decimal box to indicate how many decimal positions you want in the resulting number A 2 here will allow a maximum decimal of 0 99 7 In the Sign box select the sign if any you want to precede the resulting number 8 In the Result Variable box select or create th...

Page 150: ...introduction This section describes the various miscellaneous processes that you can perform in your label program Other Processes 1 Click the plus sign beside Other in the Add Process dialogue box to see the list of other available processes 2 Select the Other process you want to add to your program October 2007 Page 150 ...

Page 151: ...nsert a pause in your application This is used frequently to display a screen for a couple of seconds to give a user enough time to read it Delay To add a delay to your project proceed as follows 1 Add the process Delay to your program and click OK 2 In the Duration box insert the value you want for the delay or use the up down arrows beside the box to increment decrement the value in the box 3 Cl...

Page 152: ...uage command lines directly into your label program MCL Code To insert a process line in MCL Code proceed as follows 1 Add the process MCL Code to your label program 2 Type the MCL Code for the process lines you want to add to your program 3 Click the Variables button in the lower left hand corner of the dialogue box to access the Variable List as necessary 4 Click OK October 2007 Page 152 ...

Page 153: ... 3 Notes General introduction The Notes process allows you to insert comment lines in your label program This will help in the understanding of some special routines Notes To insert a comment proceed as follows 1 Add the process Note to your label program 2 Type your comment 3 Click OK October 2007 Page 153 ...

Page 154: ...s follows 1 Add the process Print Label to your label program 2 In the Printer Port box identify the port you want to print on Select Internal if you want to print on the printer where your project is running Select one of the other ports if you want the label to print on a secondary printer 3 In the File box select the label you want to print from the drop list of labels This list includes all th...

Page 155: ...ribes the possible serial communications operations that you can perform in your label program Serial communication processes 1 Click the plus sign beside Serial Communication in the Add Process dialogue box to see the list of available processes for serial communications 2 Select the Serial Communication process you want to add to your program October 2007 Page 155 ...

Page 156: ...ceived Choose one of the other available options as appropriate 5 If you want to extract only part of the received data check the checkbox beside Extract from Received Data 6 To extract from the received data indicate the From position and the To position of the extraction by entering values or using the arrows to increment or decrement the existing values 7 In the Timeout box set the time out val...

Page 157: ...hex Line Feed 0A hex Horizontal Tab 09 hex NULL 00 hex Note Any hexadecimal value can be entered in the serial data stream In order to define an ASCII character by its hexadecimal format use the back slash character in front of the hexadecimal value 02 represents the Start of Text value 03 represents the End of Text value 0D 0A represents the sequence carriage return line feed October 2007 Page 15...

Page 158: ... as the first character in the data stream to be transmitted None if you do not want to wait for a special start character STX if you want to wait for a Start of Text character 4 In the End with box click the appropriate character to be used to terminate the data stream to be transmitted ETX if you want an End of Text character as the stop character CR LF if you want a Carriage Return Line Feed as...

Page 159: ...ntroduction This section describes the possible operations that you can perform on variables in your label program Variable Processes 1 Click the plus sign beside Variable in the Add Process dialogue box to see the list of available processes for variables 2 Select the Variable process you want to add to your program October 2007 Page 159 ...

Page 160: ... command allows you to assign a value to one or more variables Up to 10 variables can be assigned with one single variable assignment process Variable Assign To assign a value to a variable proceed as follows 1 Add the process Variable Assign to your label program 2 In the left hand column click to open the Variables dialogue box as shown here October 2007 Page 160 ...

Page 161: ...the value you want to assign to the corresponding variable This value can be Any fixed value Another user defined variable or A system variable 7 Click OK If you change your mind about an assignment simply right click to get a list of edit options for that field Copy Cut Paste and Delete Example In this example the first three variables E0 E1 and E2 are initialized with constant values The fourth ...

Page 162: ...a fixed value or select the variable you want to concatenate 3 To select a variable click beside one of the Data boxes to open the Variables dialogue box 4 Select the desired variable and click OK 5 Repeat steps 2 to 4 for the next variable When all the variables and fixed content have been identified for concatenation 6 Click beside the Result Variable box 7 Select or create the variable that wil...

Page 163: ... your label program 2 In the Value box select the input variable from which you want to extract fields 3 In the Separator box select the separator used between the fields in the input variable The left hand column of the Result Variable table shows the number of the field to be extracted from the input variable 4 Identify the field numbers of the fields you want to extract from the input variable ...

Page 164: ... col lection com Chapter 5 Using Processes Example In this example the variable C1 contains three fields separated by semi colons This process extracts the first and third fields and copies their contents to variables B1 and B3 respectively October 2007 Page 164 ...

Page 165: ...esult Variable box 6 Select or create the variable that will contain the reformatted contents and click OK 7 Click OK Examples In this example the contents of variable B4 are reformatted as follows The contents are converted to all upper case letters leading spaces are removed the contents are right filled with zeros to give a total fixed variable length of 15 characters The resulting reformatted ...

Page 166: ...MCL Technologies All Rights Reserved www mcl col lection com Chapter 5 Using Processes If the above Variable Format processes are run with B4 001234 569 Then B5 1234 5690000000 And B6 000001234 57 October 2007 Page 166 ...

Page 167: ...t variable Variable Length To determine the length of a variable proceed as follows 1 Add the process Variable Length to your label program 2 In the Value box select the variable whose length you want to measure 3 Click beside the Result Variable box 4 Select or create the variable to receive the length value and click OK 5 Click OK Examples In this example if the following Variable Length process...

Page 168: ...ariable after the From Position Last occurrence in the input variable before the To Position 5 Specific occurrence between the From Position and To Positions 6 Enter values for the From Position and To Position These entries define the area inside the input variable where the search must start and stop A zero for the To Position means until the end of the variable in the case where a variable vari...

Page 169: ...ter or string of characters to be used in the search This can also be a variable if the search criteria is contained in a variable 4 In the Replace Value box type the character or string of characters or select a variable containing the character s to be used as the replacement value 5 Select the occurrence of the criteria first occurrence in the input variable after the From Position last occurre...

Page 170: ...t to substring a certain number of characters 3 In the From Position box and the To Position box type respectively the starting and ending position of the characters to be substringed from the variable Alternatively use the up and down arrows to increment decrement the existing values of these entries 4 Click beside the Result Variable box 5 Select or create the variable to receive the extracted c...

Page 171: ... in your development environment Simulator mode Simulator Mode displays an image of the printer and lets you run a project to see how it will operate when loaded onto a printer Simulator Mode may also be used to demonstrate a Datamax printer application to potential users Debugger mode In Debugger Mode instead of showing the printer image the simulator uses multiple windows to display different in...

Page 172: ...nt panel buttons The buttons can be pushed under simulation with a mouse click Using the simulator The simulator is a valid option only if a project is already open in 123 Print To launch the simulator first 1 Open the project you want to simulate On the 123 Print toolbar click the Simulator icon or on the menu bar 2 Click Tools 3 Click Simulator The simulator is launched with your project and an ...

Page 173: ...ulating your project When you switch from Simulator mode to Debugger mode the project continues to run in Debugger mode from the point at which it was stopped in Simulator mode This allows you to run the program quickly up to the point where you want to do a more detailed test When you have tested the specific routine in Debugger mode you may return to Simulator mode Break option Simulation Mode i...

Page 174: ...ox beside Interactive I O dialogue box With this option enabled whenever an I O instruction is executed in your project the simulator will stop An Aux comm Simulation dialogue box is displayed showing the I O command that is being simulated Simulate I O success or failure 4 Click Succeed or Fail respectively October 2007 Page 174 ...

Page 175: ...ayed if there is a problem printing a label Simulating barcode input Barcode input simulation allows you to test routines by simulating the barcode scanning inputs you want to allow in your project To simulate barcode scanning input run your project under simulation When you arrive at point where your application is waiting for an input on your PC keyboard press F12 or on the simulator menu bar 1 ...

Page 176: ...Code Viewer a view of the MCL code lines your project is executing Debugger mode also includes Break options not available in Simulator Mode You may switch at any time from Debugger Mode back to Simulator Mode testing Using the Debugger Text Display Printer The debugger is a valid option only if there is a project already open in 123 Print To launch the debugger first open a project in 123 Print 1...

Page 177: ...your printer project consider using MCL Designer for Datamax printers MCL Screen View In MCL Screen Viewer you control the execution of the project in Debugger mode To simulate the user actions Rev Fwd Ent Esc on the printer s front panel buttons 1 Use the following keys respectively on your PC keyboard Cursor down Cursor up Enter Esc For data entry required by your project 2 Use any valid key on ...

Page 178: ...l window is displayed as shown here 2 Edit the value of the variable to the desired value 3 Click OK This may be useful to test some specific situations Local Files Viewer The Local Files viewer gives a view on the local files Only one file can be viewed at a time To view the contents of a file 1 Click on the files icon to view the list of local files found in your project 2 Select the file you wa...

Page 179: ...onal conditions to Perform step by step execution Stop automatically when the contents of any variable are modified Stop automatically when the contents of a specific variable are modified These break options can be useful for example to test negative paths in your project and verify the error routines you have created to handle these conditions To set one of these break points on the MCL Screen V...

Page 180: ...aiting for user input Red a break condition has occurred execution is suspended When the execution is suspended red the Execute Next Line icon is enabled 5 Click this icon to execute the next MCL Code line of your project When a break condition occurs a status bar across the bottom of the MCL Screen Viewer gives information about the current line of code being executed When the execution is in a b...

Page 181: ...ger Graphical Display Large Screen The MCL Screen Viewer presents a view that is representative of a given printer s display type Below shows the Debugger windows for a large graphical display printer The Debugger functions and Debugger Viewers for a graphical display printer are the same as those described above for a text display printer 181 ...

Page 182: ...inter at a time This chapter describes the printer management and control capabilities available in 123 Print Description The printer management and control capabilities available in 123 Print allow you to connect to a print read the printer status execute printer control functions load a file or application and build and execute a script Topics This chapter covers the following topics Topic Page ...

Page 183: ...Once 123 Print is installed and activated you can connect to your Datamax printer at anytime You must open a project with the valid printer type selected before initiating the connection Notice the connection status on the bottom left hand corner of the display It shows in red letters that the printer is Not Connected To setup the connection to your printer 1 On the menu bar click Tools and then s...

Page 184: ...printer 3 Select the appropriate radio button for your choice of communications interface 4 Fill in MCL ID and IP Address as appropriate Please see Appendix B for more information 5 Click OK 123 Print tries to establish communications with the printer as shown here If 123 Print has difficulties making the connection it displays error messages like the one shown below Correct the problem and try ag...

Page 185: ...the printer When the printer is successfully connected the connection status on the bottom left hand corner of the main 123 Print window shows in green letters that the printer is Connected If the connection is over an Ethernet network the connection status message gives the IP address of the connected printer such as Connected IP 172 16 32 21 Parallel port and serial connections result in similar...

Page 186: ...nnect To disconnect 123 Print from your printer 1 On the menu bar click Tools and then select Disconnect Alternatively 2 On the tool bar click the Disconnect icon The connection status on the bottom left hand corner of the main 123 Print window shows in red letters that the printer is Not Connected October 2007 Page 186 ...

Page 187: ...Status icon found on 123 Print tool bar The printer status screen is displayed as shown here The printer information given means the following Model The Datamax printer model to which 123 Print is connected Part number Please reference your Datamax documentation Product level Please reference your Datamax documentation Firmware version This is the version of your Datamax firmware Firmware date Thi...

Page 188: ...e of memory used In this example 0 RAM and 3 Flash memory are in use To refresh the printer status displayed on this screen 3 Click on the Refresh button Alternatively to automate the printer status refresh 4 Check the checkbox beside Auto Refresh The box above the Refresh and Help buttons indicates the printer connection status A Ready status means 123 Print is connected to the printer You can do...

Page 190: ...ate Time Reprint Last Label Print Label Load File Control Connect to a printer to enable these controls If no printer is connected these controls are not active and the control icons are grayed out Many of these controls are also available via the physical printer s front panel or printer menu Consequently you may also refer to your Datamax user manual for more information about these printer cont...

Page 191: ...inter for more information Following is a more detailed description about each control and how to execute it Feed Label 1 Click to perform a form feed and advance the label roll to the top of the next label Pause Printer This is a toggle function that operates in the same way as the PAUSE button on your printer 1 Click once to pause the printer 2 Click a second time to resume printer operation fro...

Page 192: ...lect A Send Label dialogue box is displayed as show here 2 Enter the path and file name or click the browse icon to search for the label you want to print The label to be printed must be in dpl format 3 Enter the quantity or use the up and down arrows to increment or decrement the quantity of the label that you want to print 4 Check the checkbox beside Pause Mode if the Quantity is greater than 1 ...

Page 193: ...ludes Load options special to the given Load type Note The Actions available at any given time depend upon the physical connection to the printer and the printer Class involved For more information see Appendix F Connectivity Function Matrix Note In the following sections you are frequently prompted to enter a Target Name This is what the file you are downloading will be called when it is loaded o...

Page 194: ...and MCL system menu options 2 Select the firmware you want to load into the printer or 3 Click the browse icon to browse for the firmware you want to load 4 Next select the MCL System Menu you want to load if any into the connected printer or 5 Click the browse icon to browse for the MCL System Menu you want to load Note To assure compatibility make sure the version of the MCL System Menu you are ...

Page 195: ...lowing error message Change your connection to a parallel or network connection and try again For more information see Appendix F Connectivity Function Matrix Note Be aware that there are differences between the MCL System Menu files for Datamax text display printers and Datamax graphical display printers The MCL System Menu for text display printers are zs files as shown above Graphical display p...

Page 196: ...ystem Menu into the printer when you are loading firmware Loads the selected firmware Reboots the printer Waits for the printer to boot up and restore its settings normally about 40 seconds Loads the selected MCL System Menu Note It is advisable to shut down any applications such as AppleTalk before downloading new firmware These applications can affect the printer reboot time October 2007 Page 19...

Page 197: ...printer You must enter a target file name If no target name is entered 123 Print will not load the font 5 Select the target Location This is the drive where the font file will be saved on the printer drive D G F X H I or other depending upon your printer model 6 Enter the Font ID This is a user assigned ID for the given font Once a Font ID has been assigned subsequent references to this font use t...

Page 198: ... to load 4 Enter the Target Name This is the name the graphic file will have when loaded on the printer You must enter a target file name If no target name is entered 123 Print will not load the graphic 5 Select the target Location This is the drive where the graphic file will be saved on the printer drive D G F X H I or other depending upon your printer model Below are examples of I Class and H C...

Page 199: ...col lection com Chapter 7 Deploying a Printer Project 7 Select the appropriate Type ASCII characters only or all characters 8 Click Load Note Graphic images must be monochrome Valid graphic file types are bmp pcx img f7b Datamax graphic file October 2007 Page 199 ...

Page 200: ...t to load 4 Enter the Target Name This is the name the label file will have when loaded on the printer You must enter a target file name If no target name is entered 123 Print will not load the label 5 Select the target Location This is the drive where the label file will be saved on the printer drive D G F X H I or other depending upon your printer model as shown below for A Class and H Class pri...

Page 201: ...file name of the lookup you want to load into the printer or 3 Click the browse icon to browse for the lookup you want to load 4 Enter the Target Name This is the name the lookup file will have when loaded on the printer You must enter a target file name If no target name is entered 123 Print will not load the lookup file 5 Select the target Location This is the drive where the lookup file will be...

Page 202: ...rea 2 Select the file name of the file you want to load into the printer or 3 Click the browse icon to browse for the file you want to load 4 Enter the Target Name This is the name the file will have when loaded on the printer You must enter a target file name If no target name is entered 123 Print will not load the file 5 Select the target Location This is the drive where the file will be saved o...

Page 203: ...same printer settings into other printers to configure them identically 123 Print can load a profile created using DMXNet Manager Profiles are of the type dmp If you used the default paths when installing DMXNet Manager your profiles are saved in C DMXNetMan Profile 1 On the tool bar click the Load File Control icon 2 Select Load Profile A Load Profile dialogue box appears as shown here Load profi...

Page 204: ...e applications that run on Datamax printers To load a project into the printer 1 Select Load MCL Project A Load MCL Project dialogue box appears as shown here Load project options In the project options area 2 Click the browse icon in the MCL Projects Path to choose the source directory of the project you want to load 3 Select the project name of the project you want to load into the printer 4 Cli...

Page 205: ...ntrol action A dialogue box is displayed giving DPL Command load options as shown here DPL command options 123 Print offers a list of preset DPL Commands for you to choose from These are the most commonly used DPL commands Note These preset actions are the same commands as provided by DMX Loader 3 Select the predefined DPL command you want to load in the printer Alternatively if you want to execut...

Page 206: ...007 MCL Technologies All Rights Reserved www mcl col lection com Chapter 7 Deploying a Printer Project 5 In the DPL Command box provided enter the DPL command you want to execute 6 Click Load October 2007 Page 206 ...

Page 207: ...nly used MCL commands used in scripts However they are also available here for direct MCL control 1 Select the predefined MCL Agent command you want to send to the printer When would you use these commands Stop MCL engine is useful if you want to stop the MCL engine before you download a new project or new firmware to the printer You may also want to stop the MCL engine if for example your MCL app...

Page 208: ...nt loads the open project onto the connected printer You must have a project open for this function to work On the 123 Print main window menu bar 1 Click File 2 Click Open 3 Select the project that is to be loaded into the printer On the 123 Print main window toolbar click the Load Project icon or on the menu bar 4 Click Tools 5 Click Load Project You are prompted to confirm that you want to load ...

Page 209: ...e at a time into the connected printer By contrast scripting allows you to identify several files to be automatically loaded into the connected printer This section discusses how to create and use scripts to manage and control your Datamax printer Create script To create a script click on the Script icon on the project tool bar or on the 123 Print menu bar 1 Click Tools 2 Click Script The Script u...

Page 210: ...exception of a new action to Pause the printer the choice of actions available for scripting are the same as those described in Section 7 4 Load File Control The possible script actions are also available as icons on the Script tool bar as follows Add firmware Add font Add graphic Add label Add lookup file Add any file Add MCL Project Add profile Add Other Controls This icon takes you to a dialogu...

Page 211: ...nue adding all the actions you want to the script You save the script to be executed at a later time Pause The Pause action is a Scripting action that is not available as a Load File Control option in Section 7 4 Use the Pause as necessary between file loads in your script For example if you load a large file into the printer you might want to delay a few seconds to give the printer time to save t...

Page 212: ... Menu does not show in the script it is included in the Load Firmware action options Script edit action The script you create may be modified at any time 1 Select the Script action you want to edit 2 Double click on the Script action or 3 On the menu bar click Script then click Edit or 4 Click the Edit button found at the bottom of the Script utility screen 5 Edit the Script Detail dialogue box th...

Page 213: ...e previously inserted in the script 1 Select the action you want to delete On the Script menu bar 2 Click Script 3 Click Delete Alternatively click the Delete button found at the bottom of the Script utility screen As an example if we delete the Pause we inserted in our new script a confirmation dialogue box is displayed as shown below 4 Click Yes to delete the selected action from the script Octo...

Page 214: ...ve Save the script you have created On the Script menu bar 1 Click File 2 Click Save or 3 Click Save as A dialogue box is displayed as shown here 4 Enter a File name for your script 5 Click Save Scripts are of the type dms If you used the default paths when installing 123 Print your scripts are saved in C 123Print Script October 2007 Page 214 ...

Page 215: ...ying a Printer Project 7 6 4 Script Open Script open Once saved the Script you created may be opened and modified again at any time On the Script menu bar 1 Click File 2 Click Open A dialogue box is displayed as shown here 3 Select the script you want to open 4 Click Open October 2007 Page 215 ...

Page 216: ...actions are sent to the connected printer To execute a script on the 123 Print tool bar 1 Click the script icon The Script utility screen is displayed The script that was last open when you last quit the script utility is automatically opened again for you If you want to open a different script than the one opened by default 2 Click File 3 Click Open A script selection dialogue box is displayed as...

Page 217: ...ed various dialogue boxes are displayed indicating the progress of the script execution Below are the progress dialogue boxes for a delay count down and a Lookup File transfer respectively for the example script The Lookup File lz dat being loaded in this example is the 4th of 8 files being downloaded with the project load A status dialogue box indicates that the script executed successfully If yo...

Page 218: ...ease access the http mcl mcl collection com website go to Section Download B To automatically activate On Line Mode your purchased MCL Collection Software follow instructions displayed at install To manually activate Off Line Mode your purchased MCL Collection Software access the http www MCL License com website An easy activation process will require the License Number s and Password s provided h...

Page 219: ...t are confidential and may be legally privileged They are intended solely for the use of the intended recipient i e CUSTOMER The content of this e mail or any file or attachment transmitted with it may have been changed or altered without the consent of the author If you are not the intended recipient i e CUSTOMER of this e mail you are hereby notified that any review dissemination disclosure alte...

Page 220: ...nter to apply the value 10 Make a note of this Group ID You will need it to set up 123 Print as described in Section 2 3 2 MCL Connection Printer IP address Next setup your printer for Serial or Ethernet communications On the MCL Agent Port 11 Select Ethernet or Serial This setting is the physical means of connection you intend to use to connect to your printer as described in Section 7 1 Connect ...

Page 221: ...Printers List of Printers that 123 Print v1 1x supports A Class A 4212 A 4310 A 4408 A 4606 A 6212 A 6310 H Class H 4212X H 4310X H 4606X H 6212X H 6310X H 8308X H 4212 H 4310 H 4408 H 4606 H 6210 H 6308 I Class I 4210 I 4212 I 4308 I 4406 I 4604 M Class M 4208 M 4306 W Class W 6208 W 6308 W 8306 October 2007 Page 221 ...

Page 222: ...unications interface 123 Print supports three physical means of communication with the Datamax printers Serial Com Network Ethernet TCP IP and UDP protocol stacks Ports 3000 9100 5001 Parallel Datamax Printer firmware V1 20 or greater Label Format 123 Print requires labels to be in one of the following formats txt a text file containing DPL code dpl btw 123 Print has been developed to integrate wi...

Page 223: ...l be sure the label only includes one image Use native fonts For barcodes choose the Print Method option Bar codes and human readable text controlled by the printer These restrictions do not apply to labels that have a unique DPL code line per graphic image Understanding the restrictions The graphic mapping restrictions mentioned above are imposed by the way Bartender treats images on a label BarT...

Page 224: ...uires MCL mode or DPL mode at a given moment should not be of concern to you However you do need to be aware of the impact this sharing has on the functions supported depending on the connectivity you choose The matrix below summaries the functions supported according to the printer Class and the physical connectivity being used A I M and W Class Printers H Class Printers Function Connectivity Con...

Page 225: ...t succeed If you attempt to perform an invalid communication action you will receive an Operation Failed dialogue box as shown here If this occurs verify that you have the appropriate physical connection for the desired action If the load action you have selected starts with DMX such as DMX Load Firmware and you are confident that you have an appropriate physical connection set up yet the action i...

Page 226: ... ie mcl collection com MCL Technologies NL Competence Centre Competence nl mcl collection com About MCL Technologies MCL Technologies is a recognized leader in delivering high productivity software development tools for mobile workforce application development deployment and management Its enterprise ready standards based software suite MCL Collection seamlessly integrates the latest technologies ...

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Summary of Contents for 123 Print v1.1

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Summary of Contents for 123 Print v1.1

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