Resizing "templates"

[DSweet]

When you use a "template" within a template to place more than one item on a page, are you able to alter the size of the template opening and have the placed template proportionally fit the new opening size?

 

We have one client for which we print insurance cards. They have several different cards and card layouts so I figure if I use a series of individual templates for each card I can then envoke template calls to place the specific card they want for that person on the final printout sheet. They also want a duplicate of the original insurance card to be used as a sample with explanation bullets and pointers to the different sections and what they mean (almost like an exploded pie chart). Again no problem with the use of the templates. However, they want that "example card" to be smaller than the original one.

 

I've figured out the template programming scripts to create the individual cards and being able to swap them out with the template calls. But I would rather simply use that same card-template for both placements instead of having to create two template pages for each card and then having to proportionally alter the second template card and opening. When editing and altering each card this would be quite cumbersome and having to do it twice would allow for mistakes to happen.

 

Currently we use DesignMerge (Quark on the Mac) for this project. DesignMerge can call a separate template, do it's sub-programming, place it and proportionally alter it as though it was a graphic. However it is dreadfully slow getting only 500 or so cards done in an hour. I really want to program this in FusionPro but I'm not sure how to approach it any further. We are still trying to convince the customer to allow us to put this example card the same as the other size but alter it in a way as to not give the end-customer a second card that could possible be used.

 

I've posted this once before earlier on this past August but I haven't heard anything back yet. So I'm trying it again.

 

Happy Holidays y'all!

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[rpaterick]

D,

 

Do you have a "generic" sample of what you are talking about that you could post or a screen shot of when it's completed?

[DSweet]

Here is a generic sample. The three cards along the right edge are all called by template pages and filled in with information from the data file. It's the card on the left which is about 15% smaller that I'm having a problem with. It's supposed to be a duplicate of the top/primary card from the right. I would like to be able to just duplicate the top template frame and adjust it down by 15% and just have it fill in. It doesn't have to be proportionally exact, just somewhat fit and still have the pointers close to where they are supposed to be indicating.

 

I realize that I'm a bit behind in the version for FusionPro, but our company is still testing FP v6.1 before I can fully install everything. So if something does work in the current version, as opposed to the arcane one that I'm working in now, please tell me so I can light a fire under my bosses.

 

Thanks.

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[esmith]

When I first reviewed your PDF attachment of your desired final product, I wondered why you wouldn't just set it up like the revised attachment in this post where the magenta copy would all be added to a static template with data for CARD1 populating both the first card on right and the sample (at reduced point sizes or scaling for graphics).

 

After re-reading your OP, I assume that a record could use completely different card designs or have n number of cards for family members so I suppose sub-templates are still in order for the actual cards, but I would still think that the data used on the sub-template for CARD1 could still be regurgitated for the example card separately (as described above).

 

Could your FP template file have a first page with the letter-size master page with the static example card pulling data from CARD1's data, and then several smaller template pages that pull necessary data and get placed on the master page?

 

Confusing I know, and I haven't had the opportunity to work with placed "sub-templates" so I'm not really sure how this is implemented other than in the section in the User Guide beginning on page 119. I'm interested to see what your final outcome is as you are exploring unchartered territory for me!

InsureCard_r1.pdf

[DSweet]

I'm trying a new twist on this now that I have been able to upgrade to version 6.1:).

 

If I use the "AddTextVar" statement using the FPRepeatableComponent, can I force a certain variable from the data file to be placed into a variable "opening" within the template page itself? For example, given the three card openings that I have in my project (top, middle, bottom) and the fact that I have three duplicate field entires in each record of this data file (i.e. Name1, id1, info1, Name2, id2, info2, Name3, id3, info3), can I somehow program the template call to pass the information of Name1, id1 and info1 when I call the top card opening; then for the middle and bottom use the same template call (same template page design) but force the appropriate information to be passed each time?

 

I would like to be able to use separate calls like...

 

//For the TopCard

var TopCard = new FPRepeatableComponent("HH");

TopCard.AddTextVar("Frame1", Field("Name1"), Field("id1"), Field("info1"))

return TopCard;

 

//For the MiddleCard

var MiddleCard = new FPRepeatableComponent("HH");

MiddleCard.AddTextVar("Frame1", Field("Name2"), Field("id2"), Field("info2"))

return MiddleCard;

 

//For the BottomCard

var BottomCard = new FPRepeatableComponent("HH");

BottomCard.AddTextVar("Frame1", Field("Name3"), Field("id3"), Field("info3"))

return BottomCard;

 

Then have those calls fill in the missing blanks within the existing body-copy flow of "Frame1" on the template page named "HH".

 

If I am able to use calls like the above, I would only have to program 1 card/template page for each of the 8 card versions instead of having to program and/or later edit 24 different template pages (8 cards each for top, middle and bottom). There isn't much in the Manual about passing Field variables to the template pages, it just shows passing either static text or simply the CurrentRecordNumber(). Not all that useful.

 

Also if I can use calls like this, what type of variable items do I use in the template pages themselves to pass those fields to?

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