Getting Started

Just getting started, and need to know:

How do I get a variable (name) to link with the Sand(BeachFootPrints) template?

I did create a resource called: image which is of type: FP EXpression Image. File name: Sand(Beach FootPrints_.....fpx).

I don't know how to associate the Graphic-Frame with the "Name" variable so that the proper "Name in the sand" graphic would show.

Like I said, just getting started ....

Thanks in advance

It's pretty easy, just follow these steps:

• In FusionPro Desktop, open the Rules dialog (from the menu in Acrobat, FusionPro -> Edit Rules, or click the "right turn arrow" icon on the FusionPro toolbar).
  
• In the Rules dialog, click "New," then click the "Graphic" button, select "Personalized Picture Rule" from the list, and click "Next."
  
• In the Personalized Picture Rule dialog, in the first drop-down list, select your FP Expression template resource by the name you gave it. (I think you said its name is "image.") In the second drop-down list, select the "Name" field (or whatever field you want). (You can also type a different name for the rule in the first edit box if you want, but you can skip this and keep the default name.)
  
• Click "OK" twice to save the rule.
  
• Now, double-click the graphic frame that you want to see the personalized image in. This brings up the Graphic Frame Properties palette.
  
• In the Graphic Frame Properties palette, click the arrow next to the the "[Field or Rule]" drop-down combo box (second box from the top), and select "Personalized Picture Rule" (or whatever name you gave to the rule if you changed it from the default).
  

That's it! You can preview or compose and you should see the personalized image with the name from your data.

Thanks Dan,

I Followed your instructions, and got it going.

I would like to make the size of the names (font point size?) to be bigger.

I tried all the "clip" options but its like it had no impact.

How do I go about that?

I would like to make the size of the names (font point size?) to be bigger.

 

I tried all the "clip" options but its like it had no impact.

How do I go about that?

The size of the text from an FP Expression image in a FusionPro job depends on the size of the personalization in the FP Expression template (as defined in the FP Expression Designer app) and the size of the graphic frame containing the personalized image (as defined in FusionPro Desktop). Increasing either should make the text larger.

Hello Again,

I tried a sample 8.5x11 page.

top half graphic frame, and the bottom half another graphic frame.

I set-it up to place the christmas ornament on top and the surfboard on the bottom ... (yes, I am just experimenting)!!

I used a test file with 5-names.

Everything worked but the names are too small on both the ornament and the surfboard. I have attached the first page from the pdf file for your review.

Pages1fromXmas-Output.pdf

Everything worked but the names are too small on both the ornament and the surfboard. I have attached the first page from the pdf file for your review.

Yes, as I said, it depends on the size of the personalization in the FP Expression template. Those two templates have a very small personalization (text) area inside a larger image. You may want to edit the templates with the FP Expression design tool to make the text a larger portion of the overall images.

Thanks Dan, and I really apologize if I sound too dense!

However, in the surfboard template, the text box holding the sample name "Shawn" fills the entire surfboard (I am attaching a screenshot).

I don't follow how I can make the personlization any larger.

Fadels_screenshot.pdf

However, in the surfboard template, the text box holding the sample name "Shawn" fills the entire surfboard (I am attaching a screenshot).

 

I don't follow how I can make the personlization any larger.

Are you sure that the FP Expression template you're editing in the FP Expression designer app is the same one that you're using in the FusionPro job? And that you're only sending that single first name from the data? If the answer to both is Yes, then I would have to see the job in order to figure out why you're getting that output.

Problem Solved!!!!

After re-reading this sentence of your post:

"And that you're only sending that single first name from the data?"

I looked at the delimited file again and noticed that the name field looked like this: "Scott "

I adjusted it to look like this: "Scott"

Then it worked flawlessly, though slow as molasses.

Subsequent runs do finish very fast.

The other document composition software that we use allows us to trim Leading/Trailing/Both blanks from any data field. I don't know if yours allows the same functionality or not.

Thanks Dan,

Fadel

Thanks Eric,

Well, now that you helped, where do I use the Trim().

In the other software it happens when I am mapping the fields in the delimited file.

By the way, in my earlier post I showed that my fields had a bunch of spaces (blanks) after each name not just one. I believe the forum software "timmed" the spaces in my post!!!

You can use the trim function when assigning a field's value to a variable or referencing a field anywhere in your rule. So instead of:

var myField = Field("YourField");

you would enter:

var myField = Trim(Field("YourField"));

I am trying to color text in a text-frame and I am given a choice of a grand-total of 8-colors: CMYK, RGB & white, Could that be possible?

Also, for the Harrington Font, italics does not work.

What say you?

It's pretty easy, just follow these steps:

 

• In FusionPro Desktop, open the Rules dialog (from the menu in Acrobat, FusionPro -> Edit Rules, or click the "right turn arrow" icon on the FusionPro toolbar).
  
• In the Rules dialog, click "New," then click the "Graphic" button, select "Personalized Picture Rule" from the list, and click "Next."
  
• In the Personalized Picture Rule dialog, in the first drop-down list, select your FP Expression template resource by the name you gave it. (I think you said its name is "image.") In the second drop-down list, select the "Name" field (or whatever field you want). (You can also type a different name for the rule in the first edit box if you want, but you can skip this and keep the default name.)
  
• Click "OK" twice to save the rule.
  
• Now, double-click the graphic frame that you want to see the personalized image in. This brings up the Graphic Frame Properties palette.
  
• In the Graphic Frame Properties palette, click the arrow next to the the "[Field or Rule]" drop-down combo box (second box from the top), and select "Personalized Picture Rule" (or whatever name you gave to the rule if you changed it from the default).
  

That's it! You can preview or compose and you should see the personalized image with the name from your data.

In the box where I am to "Choose the resource containing the personalized graphic", the pulldown has no options available. Tried using the "Create Resources" method to point to the .fpx file, but the web service url path button will not work either. I can't seem to manually point to the file either by typing it in. The .fpx is on the same hard drive as FP & Exp. Using Expression 3.1.9 and FP 6.2P1a on an intel mac.

In the box where I am to "Choose the resource containing the personalized graphic", the pulldown has no options available. Tried using the "Create Resources" method to point to the .fpx file, but the web service url path button will not work either. I can't seem to manually point to the file either by typing it in. The .fpx is on the same hard drive as FP & Exp. Using Expression 3.1.9 and FP 6.2P1a on an intel mac.

You need to go into the Resources dialog (from the menu in Acrobat, FusionPro -> Data Definition -> Input Options -> Edit Resources, or click the resources icon http://forums.printable.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=516&stc=1&d=1316651193 on either the FusionPro toolbar or the Steps palette). Then click "Add", and select "FP Expression Image", and you can browse to the .FPX file and give the resource a name, which will appear in the drop-down list for the template rule.

Or, instead of adding the .fpx file in the Resources dialog and using the template rule, you can use the CreateResource function in a JavaScript rule, like so:

var myResource = CreateResource("myfile.fpx", "FP Expression Image");
myResource.AddData("hi");
return myResource;

The Web Service URL is for an older method of integrating FP Expression or DirectSmile resources from a different machine. You don't want to use that unless you specifically set up a Web Service, which I'm sure you didn't.