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Global Data Fields Dialog

Required Edition

Automation, Enterprise Automation

Using the Global Data Fields dialog, you can create, manage, and delete global data fields and configure their properties, and import and export global data fields that are created in different instances of the BarTender System Database.

ClosedTo open the Global Data Fields dialog from the Toolbox

  1. In the Toolbox, click the Data Sources tab.

  2. Open the context menu for the Global Data Fields node.

  3. Select Manage Global Data Fields.

ClosedTo open the Global Data Fields dialog from the Properties dialog

This procedure lets you access only the properties for the specific global data field that is selected in the Navigation Pane of the Object Properties dialog. The resulting Global Data Fields dialog may not have all of the features that are described on this page (such as the toolbar).

  1. Double-click the border of the text object to open the Text Properties dialog. Alternatively, select Properties from the object's context menu.

  2. From the Navigation Pane, select the data source that is (or will be) a global data field.

  3. Click the Data Source tab.

  4. If needed, click the icon next to Type, change the data source type to Global Data Field, and complete the wizard to connect to a global data field.

  5. On the Data Source tab, click Global Data Field Properties.

Any changes that are made in the Global Data Fields dialog will be uploaded to the BarTender System Database. All documents using the global data field will also be modified to reflect these changes.

The Global Data Fields dialog contains the following:

ClosedNavigation Pane

The Navigation Pane lists all of the global data fields that are stored in the connected BarTender System Database. You can manage the global data fields by using the toolbar, which is located below the list.

Enables you to create a new global data field by opening the Create Global Data Field Wizard.

Creates a new folder in the list. By creating folders, you can organize global data fields so that they can be more easily categorized.

Deletes the selected folder or global data field. When a folder is deleted, all contents of the folder are also deleted.

Deletes the selected folder or global data field and copies it to BarTender's clipboard.

Copies the selected folder or global data field to BarTender's clipboard.

Pastes a copy of the folder or global data field that is currently in the clipboard into the list.

ClosedData Source Tab

The Data Source tab controls the name and data source type for the data source that is currently selected in the Navigation Pane.

It contains the following options:

Each of the different data source types has its own set of options. Instead of displaying all of the options for the different data source types at once, the Data Source tab includes a dynamic area that changes to display only those options that are relevant to the data source that you have specified. Each of these options is described in detail in Selecting a Data Source.

ClosedData Type Tab

The Data Type tab specifies the data type for the selected data source, which prevents BarTender from interpreting certain data inputs, such as numerical values, dates, or binary data, as text. This enables you to perform mathematical functions on numerical values or display the time and date in a different language's format without changing the language of the BarTender interface. By changing the data type of a value, you can easily format and display scientific notation, automatically display numbers as percentages, format and serialize roman numerals, or perform functions on date objects.

Each of the different data types has its own set of options. The Data Type tab includes a dynamic area that changes to display only those options that are relevant to the data type that you have specified. For more information about the options that are available for each data type, click the data type you want:

ClosedTransforms Tab

The Transforms tab provides access to additional options that are used to modify (or "transform") a data source, such as serialization and truncation. To configure these options, select the icon next to the option you want. The selection of available transforms will vary based on the selected Data Type and will include one or more of the following:

Importing and Exporting Global Data Fields

BarTender supports importing and exporting global data fields. When you want to use your global data fields with another instance of the BarTender System Database, you can export your global data fields by clicking Export Global Data Fields in the Global Data Fields dialog. Exporting your global data fields creates a BarTender Global Data Fields (*.btgdf) file.

Subsequently, by clicking Import Global Data Fields on the Global Data Fields dialog, you can import a global data fields file that was created previously.

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