Best Practices - Various Static Backgrounds with Variable data overlay

Business Card with various static backgrounds, using variable data fields over top of bottom right. I have attached a rough sample of what we are trying to accomplish.

 

Fast Facts:

 

-Business has 10+ locations, each with designated logo and address. (one flat file)

 

-Each flat file contains static information for that location, and blank white space for additional variable text fields to fit. All items in Red on the attached sample are in the background file that changes based on the location selected.

 

-Variable text fields for First/Last name, title, email and phone numbers are in same place regardless of background image/location chosen.

 

-Looking to have a drop down menu in template to choose location/address. If they choose 'Location A' return 'location A background' image

 

Do I create one, 10+ page pdf with variable text fields on each page? I'm hoping to hear the 'best practice' for this sort of job, as the concepts will apply to a handful of upcoming templates I have for other clients.

 

Thank you,

 

Andy

If the variable fields go in the same place regardless of the static background, then I would create a one-page template from a blank page, and have a variable graphic frame covering the whole page at the bottom layer, then have a Graphic rule which pulls in the appropriate PDF resource file (or a page from a multi-page PDF resource file) for the background.

Thank you Dan. I ended up taking another route (not necessarily right, but trying). I wrote this script and it worked like I wanted it to in Fusion Pro (I changed the file names for this post):

 

{
if (Field("Background Image")=="Name of Dropdown Item 1") 
{
return Resource("Item1.pdf");
}
if (Field("Background Image")=="Name of Dropdown Item 2") 
{
return Resource("Item2.pdf");
}
if (Field("Background Image")=="Name of Dropdown Item 3") 
{
return Resource("Item3.pdf");
}
if (Field("Background Image")=="Name of Dropdown Item 4") 
{
return Resource("Item4.pdf");
}
if (Field("Background Image")==Name of Dropdown Item 5") 
{
return Resource("Item5.pdf");
}
}

 

I collected the data and uploaded to the Digital Storefront. This is where I ran into trouble.

 

I've tried making sure the file names and field names are the same in the 'Form Display' options. I read through a number of posts suggesting the pdf files are in the same folder as the template pdf when collecting. After several failed attempts with this, I am back here.

 

The preview in Fusion Pro works great, but when I preview the template on the storefront, it returns a white background. Any suggestions on what I am missing?

 

Thanks again,

 

Andy

The preview in Fusion Pro works great, but when I preview the template on the storefront, it returns a white background. Any suggestions on what I am missing?

Since this is now a DSF-specific question, you really should ask EFI Support. There should be a way to access the .msg file from the DSF, which will should help you figure out what's wrong. Are you sure you uploaded the PDF resource files into the DSF so that the online composition can find them?

 

Actually, this is a bit of a guess, but it could be that the Field("Background Image") has a different path included with it in the DSF composition than in the Desktop composition. I would try just returning that field in a text frame so you can see what's in it in the DSF preview. You might need to do something like this instead, to compare just the file names:

if (GetFileName(Field("Background Image"))=="Name of Dropdown Item 1")
// etc...

Of course, if you already have the background image resource name in the data field, the entire rule could probably just be a single line like so:

return Resource(Field("Background Image"));

Or if the field contains the actual file name:

return CreateResource(Field("Background Image"));