The Template Design Studio • Template Maintenance Details screen is where you build your Templates. It is comprised of three (3) main parts:
- The Preview Window on the right-hand portion of the screen, which displays the template properties as you create it.
- The Template Object Editor on the top left-hand panel of the screen, which is used to add fields to the template. Fields that have been added are listed in order of their layer from bottom (the top-most item on the list) to top (the last item, top-to-bottom, on the list)
- The green buttons on the lower left-hand panel of the screen, which perform the function of their label.
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Template Preview
The Template Preview displays the layout of your template and all the fields currently on it. The field uses What You See is What You Get (WYSIWYG) format. Plain text, rectangles and images display "as they are." Calculated fields (fields drawn from a Database record, such as Member Photos, Ticket Codes, Reservation Names, etc…) and mag encode fields will display their Label name. The Template Preview displays one (1) template only regardless of the number of rows and/or columns you chose in your layout. So if you have a label template with thee (3) columns of 10 labels, your preview window still will show one (1) template only.
You can position and resize any object layer on the Template Preview by selecting it and using either "click and drag" to position or "grabbing and dragging" a dot (click a dot and hold) to resize.
Right-Clicking on a Template Object Layer
Note: To use the right-click menu, you can select an Object (or objects) from the Preview OR you can selecting an Object Layer (or Object Layers) in the Template Object Editor.
Click to select an Object Layer and right-click with your mouse. The following menu items appear:
- Change this Object - This option takes you to the Template Object Update screen.
- Delete this Object - Deletes the Object from your template.
- Clone this Object - Makes an exact copy of the Object, which can then be repositioned on the screen.
- Select All Objects - Selects all Objects on the Template.
- Deselect All Objects - De-select all Objects on the Template.
- Object Print Order - Allows you to move the Layer up or down on the print order. When printing Templates, the system prints the bottom layer first and then each successive layer on top of the previous.
- Match Object Properties - Allows you to match Color, Size and Font properties across multiple Objects. Press and hold the <Ctrl> key and click on Objects in the template. Right-click and select an Object Property to match. The system will match the property element selected (Color, Font, or Size) of the first Object selected to all subsequently selected Objects.
- Align Object - Allows you to align multiple Objects on the Template. Press and hold the <Ctrl> key and click on Objects in the template. Right-click and select an Object Alignment (Top, Bottom, Left, or Right). The system will match the alignment property of the first Object selected to all subsequently selected Objects.
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Move Object - Allows you to move the selected Object(s) on the Template in one (1) pixel increments. You can click on a single Object or you can press and hold the <Ctrl> key and click on multiple Objects in the template
THEN
Select the direction you wish to move the Object(s) (Up, Down, Left, or Right).
OR
Use the Up/Down/Left/Right arrows on your keyboard. -
Text Alignment - This option is applicable to Text Fields only. Allows you to rotate the text in a field by 45-degree increments. Text fields rotate counter clockwise. A watermark preview displays how your text will align with the rotation selected. You can click on a single Object or you can press and hold the <Ctrl> key and click on multiple Objects in the template
THEN
Select the rotation degree for the Object(s) (0, 45, 90, 135, 180, 225, 270, or 315). - Match Aspect Ratio by Height or Width - This option is applicable to Image Fields only. Allows the system to size an image field automatically based on one set aspect (height or width). The system uses the aspect ratio as defined on your Photo profile.For Example: you place a Member Photo image on your Template. You set the Height at 40px. When you select Match Aspect by Height, the system will set the Width aspect automatically based on the ratio for height to width as defined on your Photo profile to ensure the width is proportional to your set 40px height.
Object Editor
In the Standard VSI default design, the Object Editor runs along the top half of the left-hand panel of your screen and is used to add fields to your template. It presents a number of options for building a template for whatever purposes you choose.
To use the Object Editor
- To add an Object Layer, expand the Drop-down list and select the type of Layer you wish to add.
THEN
Click Add You will continue to the Template Object Update screen. The types of Layers you can add are:- Text - Text for Calculated Fields and/or plain text and/or both.
- Image - A picture from a calculated field, such as a Member Photo or a .jpg that can serve as a background image or supplement image, if needed.
- Rectangle - A box.
- Whenever you Add a new Object Layer, it is listed in the left-hand panel. The first layer added is given the number "1." Successive layers get successive numbers. When printed, the lowest numbered layer (i.e. Layer 1) is printed first; it is the "bottom layer." Successive layers print in successive order, so a four-layer template would have Layer 1 on the bottom, then Layers 2, 3, and 4, where Layer 4 would be the last/top-most Object printed.
- You can re-order print Layers on the fly, if desired by clicking and holding on the "pipe" (|) symbol with your mouse (the "pipe" symbol is the left-most column on the Object Editor Layer grid) and then "dragging and dropping." The Layer Number will update automatically.
- To select a Layer, simply click on it with your mouse. The Object will select in the Preview. To select multiple layers, press and hold the <Ctrl> key and click with your mouse.
- Once you've selected a Layer(s), you can right-click to bring up the Options menu. This is the same Options menu as discussed above.
Other Buttons
The remaining buttons on the lower left-hand panel of the screen perform the function of their label.
Note Regarding the Preview and Quick Preview Options: The system needs a valid record in order to generate a preview image for your Template.
In order to preview a template, a valid sale for the item to which you wish to link the Template must have occurred. For Example: The Template you wish to preview is your Annual Family Pass. In order to use the Preview or Quick Preview feature, a sale for the Annual Family Pass must have taken place in your database. In other words, the system needs to have record to print..
This is a requirement for each Template type you create, whether it is a Pass, an Inventory Bar Code, an Activity Access Control Ticket, a POS Ticket, etc…
- Preview - Clicking this button takes you to the Template Preview DataGrid, where you can select the record you wish to use as your preview. Using the example from the Note above, you would advance to a Pass Membership DataGrid where you would pick the member whose pass you wish to preview.
- Quick Preview - The system will generate a preview of your Template based on the first valid record of the item found. Using the example from the Note above, the system would generate a preview from the first Annual Family Pass sold in your database.
- Mag Encode - Takes you to the Template Object Update screen where you can insert Mag Stripe encoding for either an Eltron Zebra or Fargo printer.
- Refresh - The system refreshes the Template Maintenance Details Screen. This is a good option in the event you cannot remember where you left off when working on a template.
- Cancel - Discards your changes and returns you to the Template Management DataGrid. Any changes you made WILL NOT be saved.
- Done Saves your changes and returns you to the Template Management DataGrid. Any changes you made ARE SAVED.