Offset Dialog

Use the Offset dialog to apply an offset value to an object’s data source, so that the data source is automatically adjusted to a new time or numeric value. The adjusted value is the final output that will be printed on your items.

To open this dialog, use one of the following methods:

For template objects, click next to the transform on the Transforms tab of the Data Sources property page.
For data entry controls, click next to Offset on the Data Entry property page.

The following options are available:

Offset Source: Specifies how BarTender determines where to retrieve the offset value from.
- Constant: Specifies that the offset value is the same for each item that is printed.
- Database Field: Specifies that the offset value is retrieved from a specified field from the database that is connected to the document.
- Named Data Source: Specifies that the offset value is the value that is specified in the selected named data source.
- Printer Code Template Field: Specifies that the offset value is the value that is specified by the Printer Code Template Field.
Offset: Specifies the amount to add or subtract from the current date, time, or numeric value or specifies the database field or named data source that contains the offset value.
Units: Specifies the unit of measurement for the offset value. Available when the data type is a date or time.
Apply offset after data entry: When the object is linked to a data entry control, this option specifies that the value that is shown on the data entry form does not include the offset; the offset is added to the value returned by the form. When this option is not selected, the offset is calculated prior to data entry, so the value that is shown on the form includes the offset.

By default, Apply offset after data entry is not selected. In a document that was created in an earlier version of BarTender, whether this setting is selected depends on the behavior that was previously specified.

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, the company wants each label to include 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 create these labels, create a single text object for the manufacturing date by using the Clock data source type. On the Data Source tab of the Data Sources property page, assign a unique name to the data source. Create a second text object for the expiration date by using Link to an Existing Named Data Source as the data source type. Then, use the Offset dialog to specify that the expiration date is offset by two years for each label that is printed.