Offset Dialog |
The Offset dialog, accessible from the Transforms tab of the Data Source property page, allows you to specify a past or future date and/or time by adding or subtracting a unit of time from the current date and time.
Offset Source. Specifies how
Constant. The offset value will be the same for each item printed.
Set by Database Field. The offset value will be retrieved from a specified field from the database connected to the document.
Set by Named Data Source. The offset value is the value specified in the selected named data source.
Offset. Specifies the amount to add or subtract from the current date and time; alternatively, specifies the database field or named data source containing the offset value.
Units. Specifies the unit of time. When used with the Offset option, this determines how much time is added or subtracted to achieve the offset time.
Consider the following example: a peanut packaging company prints a single label for each of the products it distributes. Along with the name of the product, each label contains two dates: the manufacturing date and the expiration date. The manufacturing date is the same date as the one on which the label is printed. The expiration date is always exactly two years after the manufacturing date. To do this, create a single text object for the manufacturing date, using the Clock data source type. On the Data Source tab of the Data Source property page, assign a unique name to the data source. Create a second text object for the expiration date, using Link to an Existing Named Data Source as the data source type. Using the Offset dialog, you can specify that the expiration date is offset by two years for each label printed.