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You can link data from a variety of sources to text, barcode and encoder objects to obtain the data that you want the objects to print on your documents.

When you initially place one of these data-sourced object types on the template, it is created to have a single Embedded Data data source. This means that the value or characters that you enter for the data is the value or characters that are printed on the document. You can replace this default data source with another data source type that you want, such as the system date or time, another object value, or a database field. You can also add additional data sources to the object when you want it to print a concatenated value that consists of two or more different data sources.

When you open the Object Properties dialog for a text, barcode, or encoder object, the dialog's navigation pane displays a list of the object's data sources. You can configure each data source separately by clicking the data source that you want to configure and then using the tabs on the Data Sources property page to specify the property settings that you want.

To view an object's data sources in the Object Properties dialog

In This Section

• Available Data Sources

  Learn about the different data sources that you can use with data-sourced template objects to specify the data values that you want objects to print.

• Configuring Data Sources

  Learn the different methods to change the value of an Embedded Data data source, replace an existing data source, create and delete data sources, and concatenate data sources. Additionally, learn about the properties that are available on the Data Sources property page, and learn about the data types and data source transforms that you can specify for a data source.

• Using Named Data Sources

  Learn how to create and use named data sources so that you can share data between multiple objects or scripts in your document.

• Using Global Data Fields

  Learn how to create global data fields so that you can easily share a data source across all users, computers, and documents that are connected to the same BarTender System Database.