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You can use the Embedded Data Table Editor to manage data for your BarTender document in the following ways: 

• You can create a database that becomes part of your BarTender document. This database can include multiple data tables and/or phrase libraries. A phrase library is a specialized data table that contains frequently used and/or translated text content that you can add to your templates at print time.

  When you add a data table to the embedded database, you can connect to the data table in the same way as you would any other external database. When you add a phrase library to the embedded database, it automatically appears under Libraries in the Data Sources pane of the Toolbox.

  For more information, refer to Reading Data from Databases and/or Using Library Phrase Data Sources.

To use the editor to create an embedded database

1. On the BarTender Edit menu, click Embedded Data Tables.

2. Use the Embedded Data Table Editor user interface to add data to the default data table, to create new data tables and/or phrase libraries, or to import tables or libraries. For more information, refer to Creating and Modifying Data Tables and/or Creating and Modifying Phrase Libraries.

3. Click OK to close the editor.

4. Connect your document to the data tables and/or phrase libraries in the embedded database.

To connect your document to a data table in the embedded database

Use one of the following methods:

• On the File menu, click Database Connection Setup to start the Database Setup wizard. Use the wizard to connect to the embedded database. After you do this, the database fields appear under Database Fields on the Data Sources pane of the Toolbox. Drag the data source that you want to the template. This process creates a text object on the template that is connected to the database field.

• Change the data source type for an existing data source to a Database Field data source. To do this, click next to the Type field on the Data Sources property page to start the Change Data Source Type wizard. Select Database Field, click Next, and then click Database Connection Setup to use the Database Setup wizard to connect to the embedded database.

• Create a new data source that has a Database Field type for an object on the template. To do this, double-click the object that you want, click on the toolbar on the Object Properties page, select Database Field in the Type list of the New Data Source wizard, click Next, and then click Database Connection Setup to use the Database Setup wizard to connect to the embedded database.

For more information about Database Field data sources, refer to Database Field.

To connect your document to a phrase library in the embedded database

1. Under Libraries on the Data Sources pane of the Toolbox, drag the phrase library that you want to the template. This process creates a text object on the template that is connected to the phrase library.

2. In the Select a Phrase dialog, select the phrase that you want, and then click OK.

For more information about Library Phrase data sources, refer to Library Phrase.

• You can connect a data table or phrase library to a data entry control on a data entry form. This type of data source is supported by the following controls:

• Dropdown list

• List box

• Radio button list

To connect a data table or phrase library to a data entry control

1. Add a dropdown list, list box, or radio button list control to the data entry form.

2. Double-click the control to open the Object Properties dialog. Alternatively, right-click the control, and then click Properties.

3. On the List Items property page, change the Source type to Database, and then click Database Setup to start the Database Setup wizard.

4. In the wizard, select the Embedded Data Table option, and then select the data table or phrase library that you want to use.

5. On the List Items property page, change the setting of the Display Text Field list as needed to the field data that you want to be displayed in the control (for example, if you connected to a phrase library and want the phrases to be displayed, select the language option that you want in the list, such as en-US for English-US).

6. Use the Linked Data Source property page to link the control to an object on your template.

By using the Embedded Data Table Editor to create data tables, you can specify data types for the fields in a table (including auto-incrementing ID, text, number, date, time, check box, picture, and multiple choice) and select from various formats for each data type. You can specify that fields are required or unique within the table, and you can create validation rules for each field in a table and create the error message that you want to be displayed if validation fails.

By using the Embedded Data Table Editor to create phrase libraries, you can share frequently used text between documents. Phrase libraries can also be translated so that you can print a template design that uses different languages and/or select a language to print the design in at print time.

In This Section

• Using the Embedded Data Table Editor Interface

  The Embedded Data Table Editor interface includes the Home tab (for data tables and phrase libraries) and the Fields tab, Data view, and Design view for data tables. Use these components to create and modify the embedded database.

• Creating and Modifying Data Tables

  Learn how to use the Embedded Data Table Editor to create and modify data tables, including how to add and remove tables, add and remove fields from tables, add and remove data from the tables, and import an external data table.

• Creating and Modifying Phrase Libraries

  Learn how to use the Embedded Data Table Editor to create, modify, import, and export phrase libraries.