Repeat data list with different variable

[TimRinkel]

I am running an older version of FusionPro Desktop, 7.2P1k on Windows.

Is it possible to repeat all of the records in a data list using different variables?

Specifically, I have a list of names. I need to print cards with those names and a date, then another group of cards with the same names but a different date. The order needs to be like Tim, Tom, George, Tim, Tom, George, Tim, Tom, George not Tim, Tim, Tim, Tom, Tom, Tom, George, George, George so I can't just do a repeat record thing.

Incrementing the dates I think I can handle (maybe?), it's repeating the full list of names without building the data source that way that I can't figure out.

Thanks!

[ThomasLewis]

The only way that I know of to cycle through the same data set multiple times is to read it in as an external data file instead of your input file (which would be "none") and then loop it using repeat record count to build out the PDF. I could try to walk you through it but I think the syntax for external data files has changed since version 7.

[TimRinkel]

Hmmmm. I'm not familiar with "external data file" as opposed to an "input file". Maybe if you fill me in with the modern version I might be able to dumb it back to v7.

Thanks

Tim

[Dan Korn]

Wow, you're on version 7.2?  That's almost 13 years old and out of support.  I don't even remember how much of the current functionality of FusionPro was present back then.

That said, I think (but don't hold me to it) that there was a version of the ExternalDataFile object that you could invoke via a JavaScript rule in 7.2.   And (I think) you could set FusionPro.Composition.repeatRecordCount in the OnRecordStart rule, and pull data from the ExternalDataFile object based on the repeat number.

But the easiest thing for you, other than upgrading to a much more recent, and supported, version of FusionPro, may be to simply edit the data file to add a line for each combination of name and date that you want.  It also shouldn't be too hard to write an Excel macro or batch file or some other kind of script to generate that.

[TimRinkel]

Thanks for the information Dan. I know it's a really old version. We just don't use FusionPro enough to justify the upgrade price.

Doing something in Excel has been in my mind as a fallback, but the geek in me was hoping there was something buried in FP to help me pull it off. I'll dig into it and give it a shot.

Thanks again!