Data Sources Property Page

The following property is available when Embedded Data is selected for the Type property:

• Embedded Data: Specifies the data source value that you want the object to print for this data source each time the object is printed. Click in the input box, and then enter the value that you want.

The following properties are available when Clock is selected for the Type property:

• Use Printer's Clock: Retrieves the date and/or time from the printer's clock instead of from the system clock on the computer.

• Printer Clock Options: Opens the Printer Clock Options dialog, where you can configure how BarTender responds if the printer clock is not available at print time.

The following properties are available when Database Field is selected for the Type property:

• Field Name: Specifies the field from your database that replaces the sample data for the currently specified data source.

• Sample Data: Specifies the data that is displayed on the template if BarTender cannot connect to the database.

• Update record when data source changes: Specifies that when the data source value is serialized or otherwise updated during a print request, the data source writes the new value back to the database. The value that is written back to the database includes the effects of all transforms except for Character Template and Prefix and Suffix. The new value is written back to the database regardless of whether the print job is successful.

• Lock during print job: Specifies that individual records (when possible) or the table is locked during the current print job, which prevents other print jobs from reading the record or table before it is updated. This option is automatically selected when Update record when data source changes is selected.

The Update record when data source changes and Lock during print job options are not available with text, SAP IDoc, XML, OLE DB, ODBC, and Microsoft Excel databases. To use these data update options on supported database formats, the following conditions must be met: You must have write permission for the table or database. The primary key must be available on the table. The selected field must not be the primary key.

• Database Connection Setup: Opens the Database Setup dialog, which you can use to configure the connection that BarTender has to an external database.

• Type Conversion: Opens the Type Conversion dialog, which you can use to convert data from one type to another, such as converting from a number to currency. Available after you select a Type on the Data Type tab.

The following properties are available when Global Data Field is selected for the Type property:

• Field Name: Specifies the name of the global data field. Select the name that you want in the list.

• Global Data Field Properties: Opens the Global Data Fields dialog, where you can configure the properties for the selected global data field.

The following properties are available when Object Value is selected for the Type property:

• Object Name: Specifies the object whose data is read.

• Value: Specifies the data that is read into the selected data source. Available options include the following:

  • Main Data Source: Specifies that the entire contents of the referenced object are read.

  • Human Readable Text: Specifies that only the human readable character data of the referenced object is read. Available for barcode objects.

  • Primary Data: Specifies that the data that is contained within the first data source of the referenced object is read. Available for GS1 Composite barcode objects only.

  • Secondary Data: Specifies that the data that is contained within the data source that follows the separator of the referenced object is read. Available for GS1 Composite barcode objects only.

  • Primary Human Readable Text: Specifies that the human readable character data of the first data source of the referenced object is read. Available for GS1 Composite barcode objects only.

  • Secondary Human Readable Text: Specifies that the human readable character data of the data source that follows the separator of the referenced object is read. Available for GS1 Composite barcode objects only.

  • Hexadecimal Encoded Data: Specifies that the RFID Hexadecimal Encoded data of the referenced object is read, if it is available.

The following property is available when Print Job Field is selected for the Type property:

• Field: Specifies the print job field that you want to use as the data source value. The following print job field types are available.

  Print Job Field Type	Description
  Application Edition	The edition of BarTender (For example, Enterprise, Automation, and Professional)
  Application Version	The version of BarTender (for example, 2016 R4, 2016 R7, and 2019)
  Computer Name	The name of the computer on which BarTender is currently running
  Document Comment	Any comments that are attached to the document's metadata
  Document Last Modified Time	The last time the document was modified
  Document Latest Save Number	The number of times the document has been saved
  Document Name	The name of the document
  Document Revision	The current revision number of the document
  Page Number	The current page number
  Printer Model	The model of the printer that will print the document
  Printer Name	The name of the printer that will print the document
  Printer Port	The port that is associated with the printer that will print the document
  Print Job Name	The name of the print job that includes the document
  Print Job Start Time	The start time of the print job
  Printed Template Number	The number of the template on the page layout
  Printed Template Numbers on Page	The range of templates on the page
  Record Number	The record number of the document
  Record Numbers on Page	The range of record numbers on the page
  Total Number of Pages	The number of pages to be printed
  Total Number of Printed Items	The total number of printed items on the page
  Total Number of Records	The total number of records on the page
  Template Name	The name of the template
  User Name	The Windows user name that is associated with the document

The following properties are available when External File is selected for the Type property:

File Source

• Specify file name: Imports the contents of an external file into the data source.

  • File Name: Specifies the path and file name for the external file.

  • Select File: Opens the Select External File dialog, which you can use to browse to the external file.

• Get file name from database field: Specifies the external file to use by retrieving the file name from a database field. When you do this, you can dynamically select an external file based on the contents of the database that is connected to your document.

  • Field Name: Specifies the field from your database that provides the path and/or file name of the external file.

  • Database Connection Setup: Opens the Database Setup dialog, which you can use to configure the connection to an external database.

  • Default Path: Specifies the path to the external file when it is not provided in the database field.

  • Select Path: Opens the Browse for Folder dialog, which you can use to browse to the directory location of the external file. When you select a location, BarTender automatically updates the Default Path field with the selected path.

• Get file name from named data source: Specifies the external file to use by retrieving the file name from the contents of a named data source in your document.

  • Named Data Source: Specifies the named data source that provides the path and/or file name of the external file.

  • New Data Source: Opens the Create Named Data Source dialog, which you can use to create a new named data source.

  • Default Path: Specifies the path to the external file when it is not provided in the value of the named data source.

  • Select Path: Opens the Browse for Folder dialog, which you can use to browse to the directory location of the external file. When you select a location, BarTender automatically updates the Default Path field with the selected path.

• Encoding: Specifies the encoding scheme that the data source uses.

The following properties are available when Visual Basic Script is selected for the Type property:

• Script Type: Specifies the type of VBScript to use. Depending on your needs and technical expertise, three different levels of VBScript are available. For more information, refer to Using VBScript as a Data Source Type.

  • Single-Line Expression: Specifies that a single-line VBScript is run to produce the data source value.

  • Multi-Line Script: Specifies that a multiple-line VBScript is run to produce the data source value.

  • Event Control Scripts: Specifies that advanced event control scripts are run to produce the data source value.

• Expression: Provides an input box to enter the single-line VBScript that you want to run. Available when you select Single-Line Expression for the Script Type.

• Script: Provides an input box to enter the multiple-line VBScript that you want to run. Available when you select Multi-Line Script for the Script Type.

• Output: Displays the data source value that results from the VBScript expression or script that you entered in the input box. Available when you select Single-Line Expression or Multi-Line Script for the Script Type.

• Edit with Script Editor: Opens the Script Editor, which you can use to write, store, and run VBScript.

The following properties are available when Printer Code Template Field is selected for the Type property:

• Field Name: Specifies the field from the external print system that replaces the sample data for the data source.

• Sample Data: Specifies the data that is displayed on the template if BarTender cannot connect to the external print system.To add a symbol or special character to the Sample Data field, click to open the Insert Symbols or Special Characters dialog.

The Link to Existing Named Data Source option is available in the Change Data Source Type wizard only when one or more named data sources are created for the document.

When Link to an Existing Named Data Source is selected for the Type property, the available properties are determined by the named data source's own data source. For example, if you selected a named data source that was configured to have a Database Field data source, then the available properties for the selected object's data source are the properties that are associated with a Database Field data source.

The Table Data Field option is available in the Change Data Source Type wizard only after you add a table object to the template and specify a source of data for the table by using the table object's Table Data property page.

The following properties are available when Table Data Field is selected for the Type property:

• Object Name: Specifies the name of the table whose table source is defined.

• Field Name: Specifies the field that is defined by the table source.

• Calculate sum or other aggregate function: Specifies that you want to evaluate the table source field with a sum or aggregate function in order to determine the value that you want to be displayed. Available when the object is placed in a row with a table data template that is not Data.

  • Function: Specifies the sum or other aggregate function that you want to use for the Table Data Field data source.

  • Range: Specifies the range of records to use for the specified function.

• Sample Data: Specifies the text that is displayed by the object in the design view. When the table is printed, this value is replaced by the source data or by the value that is determined by the function that is applied to the source data when you specified a function.

The Text data type formats the data source value as one or more lines of text, including letters, numbers, and/or special characters. This is the default data type for all text objects in BarTender.

There are no additional properties to configure for a Text data type.

The Date data type formats the data source value as a date that consists of one or more of the following attributes: a day of the week, a day of the month, a month, a year, and/or a time.

You can configure the following properties for a Date data type:

• Locale: Specifies the language and country of the selected date format. In addition to all locales that are supported by Windows, the following options are available:

  • Use Windows Default: Sets the locale to the user's current Windows Regional and Languages setting. When you use this setting, the date is formatted differently depending on the system’s current language. If you do not want the potential for different formatting between different systems, select a specific locale setting.

  • Language Independent (Generic): Lists formats that are the same in every language. This includes several numeric formats for year, month, day, and time.

  • Language Independent (ISO 8601): Lists formats according to the ISO 8601 specification. These formats are language-independent.

• Calendar: Specifies the calendar to use for locales that contain multiple calendars.

• Format: Lists the date and date-and-time formatting options that are available for the specified Locale. You can use the Custom option to specify a user-defined date format that uses Custom Date and Time Format Strings.

• Pattern: Displays the selected date or date-and-time format. When Custom is selected, you can use this option to enter a user-defined format. For more information about available custom strings, refer to Custom Date and Time Format Strings.

• Time Zone: Specifies whether the date is displayed in the local time zone or Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). UTC time, or Greenwich Mean Time, is an international time scale that is based on the local standard time on the 0 longitude meridian in Greenwich, England.

The Time data type formats the data source value as a time that consists of one or more of the following attributes: hours, minutes, seconds, and/or fractions of seconds.

You can configure the following properties for a Time data type:

• Locale: Specifies the language and country of the selected time format. In addition to all locales that are supported by Windows, the following options are available:

  • Use Windows Default: Sets the locale to the user's current Windows Regional and Languages setting. When you use this setting, the timeis formatted differently depending on the system’s current language. If you do not want the potential for different formatting between different systems, select a specific locale setting.

  • Language Independent (Generic): Lists formats that are the same in every language. This includes several numeric formats for hour, minute, and second.

  • Language Independent (ISO 8601): Lists formats according to the ISO 8601 specification. These formats are language-independent.

• Format: Lists the time formatting options that are available for the specified Locale. You can use the Custom option to specify a user-defined time format that uses Custom Date and Time Format Strings.

• Pattern: Displays the selected time format. When Custom is selected, you can use this option to enter a user-defined format. For more information about available custom strings, refer to Custom Date and Time Format Strings.

• Time Zone: Specifies whether the time is displayed in the local time zone or Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). UTC time, or Greenwich Mean Time, is an international time scale that is based on the local standard time on the 0 longitude meridian in Greenwich, England.

The Number data type formats numerical data according to a specific locale and/or notation.

You can configure the following properties for a Number data type:

• Locale: Specifies the language and country of the selected numerical format. In addition to all locales that are supported by Windows, the following options are available:

  • Hexadecimal: Converts the specified number to hexadecimal (for example, the decimal number 1234 is converted to 04D2).

    • Use lowercase letters: Displays the letters in hexadecimal numbers in lowercase format.

    • Minimum length: Specifies the minimum number of digits for the hexadecimal number. Any extra digits are represented with leading zeroes.

  • Roman Numerals: Displays the number as roman numerals (for example, the number 1234 is displayed as MCCXXXIV). The supported range is from 0 to 3999, with zero displayed as "N".

    • Use lowercase letters: Displays roman numerals in lowercase format.

  • Scientific Notation: Displays the number in scientific notation (for example, the number 1234 is displayed as 1.234E+003).

    • Use lowercase letters: Displays the letters in scientific notation numbers in lowercase format.

• Use native numerals: Specifies whether to use Arabic numerals or the native numeric system when you use a locale that supports alternative numeric systems. Available for the following locales: Arabic (Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, U.A.E., Yemen), Assamese (India), Bengali (Bangladesh, India), Dari (Afghanistan), Gujarati (India), Kannada (India), Khmer (Cambodia), Konkani (India), Lao (Lao P.D.R.), Malayalam (India), Marathi (India), Nepali (Nepal), Oriya (India), Pashto (Afghanistan), Persian (Iran), Punjabi (India), Sanskrit (India), Telugu (India), Thai (Thailand), and Urdu (Islamic Republic of Pakistan).

• Use digit grouping separator: Separates the number into groups by using a delimiter; this delimiter is also known as the thousands separator because it separates the number at every third digit, which is the thousands place.

• Show leading zero: Displays a zero before a decimal number.

• Precision: Specifies a fixed number of digits to follow the decimal mark. Alternatively, you can limit the precision to a maximum number of digits that is specified by this option.

• Negative numbers: Specifies the formatting of any negative numbers that the data source contains.

The Currency data type formats your text as a numerical input of a monetary amount.

You can configure the following properties for a Currency data type:

• Locale: Specifies the language and country of the selected currency format.

• Use native numerals: Specifies whether to use Arabic numerals or the native numeric system when you use a locale that supports alternative numeric systems. Available for the following locales: Arabic (Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, U.A.E., Yemen), Assamese (India), Bengali (Bangladesh, India), Dari (Afghanistan), Gujarati (India), Kannada (India), Khmer (Cambodia), Konkani (India), Lao (Lao P.D.R.), Malayalam (India), Marathi (India), Nepali (Nepal), Oriya (India), Pashto (Afghanistan), Persian (Iran), Punjabi (India), Sanskrit (India), Telugu (India), Thai (Thailand), and Urdu (Islamic Republic of Pakistan).

• Use digit grouping separator: Separates the number into groups by using a delimiter; this delimiter is also known as the thousands separator because it separates the number at every third digit, which is the thousands place.

• Show leading zero: Displays a zero before a decimal number.

• Decimal places: Specifies the number of decimal places to include in the number.

• Positive currency: Specifies the formatting of a positive currency value.

• Negative currency: Specifies the formatting of a negative currency value.

The Percentage data type formats the data source value as a number and a percent sign (%), and it represents portions of a greater whole.

You can configure the following properties for a Percentage data type:

• Locale: Specifies the language and country of the selected numerical format.

• Use native numerals: Specifies whether to use Arabic numerals or the native numeric system when you use a locale that supports alternative numeric systems. Available for the following locales: Arabic (Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, U.A.E., Yemen), Assamese (India), Bengali (Bangladesh, India), Dari (Afghanistan), Gujarati (India), Kannada (India), Khmer (Cambodia), Konkani (India), Lao (Lao P.D.R.), Malayalam (India), Marathi (India), Nepali (Nepal), Oriya (India), Pashto (Afghanistan), Persian (Iran), Punjabi (India), Sanskrit (India), Telugu (India), Thai (Thailand), and Urdu (Islamic Republic of Pakistan).

• Use digit grouping separator: Separates the number into groups by using a delimiter; this delimiter is also known as the thousands separator because it separates the number at every third digit, which is the thousands place.

• Show leading zeroes: Displays one or more zero numerals before a decimal number.

• Pad with zeroes to maximum number of decimal places: Adds one or more zero numerals to a number that does not match the specified number of decimal places.

• Decimal places: Specifies the number of decimal places to include in the number.

• Positive percentage: Specifies the formatting of a positive percentage value.

• Negative percentage: Specifies the formatting of a negative percentage value.

The Fraction data type formats the data source value as a numerical fraction, complete with a numerator and a denominator.

You can configure the following properties for a Fraction data type:

• Locale: Specifies the language and country of the selected numerical format.

• Use native numerals: Specifies whether to use Arabic numerals or the native numeric system when you use a locale that supports alternative numeric systems. Available for the following locales: Arabic (Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, U.A.E., Yemen), Assamese (India), Bengali (Bangladesh, India), Dari (Afghanistan), Gujarati (India), Kannada (India), Khmer (Cambodia), Konkani (India), Lao (Lao P.D.R.), Malayalam (India), Marathi (India), Nepali (Nepal), Oriya (India), Pashto (Afghanistan), Persian (Iran), Punjabi (India), Sanskrit (India), Telugu (India), Thai (Thailand), and Urdu (Islamic Republic of Pakistan).

• Use composite fraction symbols: Formats fractions as a single character (for example, ½). Otherwise, fractions are displayed as a group of separate characters (for example, 1/2).

• Precision: Specifies the degree to which BarTender rounds a complex fraction. For example, if you select As quarters, the fraction is rounded to the nearest 1/4, and if you select Up to 3 digits, the fraction is rounded to the nearest 1/999.

• Improper fractions: Specifies how to format improper fractions. An improper fraction contains a higher numerator (upper number) than denominator (lower number) (for example, 4/3). Alternatively, these fractions can be formatted as mixed fractions, which are a combination of an integer and a regular fraction (for example, 1 1/3).

The Binary data type instructs BarTender to convert the data source to a binary string of ones and zeroes. If the data source is a database field, the input can be translated based on the translation method that is selected in the Convert To Binary dialog. The binary data type is available for binary large object (BLOB) database fields, object values, external files, and embedded data.

There are no additional properties to configure for a Binary data type.

The Picture data type converts an image into binary data.

You can configure the following properties for a Picture data type:

• Format: Specifies the file type of the image.

• Colors: Specifies the color range that is available for the image.

• Dithering: Specifies the dithering method for the image. Dithering mixes different primary colored dots to produce secondary colors. Not available for JPEG, JPEG 2000, or JPEG XR formats.

• Quality: Specifies the quality with which the image is saved. Available only for JPEG, JPEG 2000, or JPEG XR formats.

• Sizing Method: Specifies whether a picture can be resized on the template and, if so, what method is used to resize it. Available options include the following:

  • Fit to Rectangle: Sizes a picture by forcing it into a specific rectangular area. You can use your mouse to adjust a picture's size or enter an exact measurement by using the following options:

    • Width: Specifies the width of the rectangle.

    • Height: Specifies the height of the rectangle.

    • Fit: Specifies how the picture is aligned within the rectangle.

      • Entire Picture: Fits the image into the rectangle while maintaining the original aspect ratio.

      • Width: Fits the image so that the width of the image matches the width of the rectangle. This might result in vertical clipping of your image.

      • Height: Fits the image so that the height of the image matches the height of the rectangle. This may result in horizontal clipping of your image.

  • Stretch to Rectangle: Stretches the image to fill a given rectangle, regardless of aspect ratio.

    • Width: Specifies the width of the rectangle.

    • Height: Specifies the height of the rectangle.

  • Percentage of Original Size: Specifies the size of the printed image by the selected percentage of the image's original size.