Barcode & Label supports the printing of a Serialized Counter through the "Variable Fields" Flyout. A Serialized Counter is a counter value that is set up to step over a set of numbers. For example, a value of 1 increment by 1 up to 10 will provide you with the following sequence:
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
Note - This tutorial also applies to the Poster & Flyer app, Greeting Cards app, Scrapbook app, and the Envelope & Address Print app
The "Variable Fields" Flyout can be launched by tapping on the "Setup Fields" menu item from the top Ellipsis button.
A Serialized Counter is handy when you need to print inventory labels. For example, when you have an inventory of 100 items and will like to assign a unique number to each item for tracking purposes. The easiest way to do this is to set up a Serialized Counter and assign the Counter to a Text or Barcode object on your label canvas. The following shows a screenshot of labels with a Serialized Counter.
Video on using Serialized Counter
Step-by-step guide on using Serialized Counter
1. In Barcode & Label, select the Text object in the toolbar at the bottom of the app.
2. Drag your finger or mouse on the label canvas to create a Text object.
3. Double-tap or click on the Text object to launch the Properties Flyout.
4. Select "Counter : C01" as the Type in the Flyout. Notice the text in the object on the label changes to "<C01>".
This step instructs the app to use the Serialized Counter "Counter : C01" when printing the Text object on a label.
5. Tap or click on the Preview button on the label. This is the second button from the right of the top-right hand corner of the app. You will notice the value in the Text object has already been set up to automatically increment as shown below.
00001
00002
00003
.
.
.
6. The Serialized Counter comes set up with default values. The counter starts with 1 and is incremented by 1 each time a label is printed. This behavior can be easily changed by launching the Variable Fields Flyout. This is the third button from the right of the top right-hand corner of the app.
7. Set the Type to "Counter" and the Field Name to "Counter : C01". This will allow you to change the behavior of the counter that you have previously selected in step 4. Barcode & Label currently supports up to 10 Serialized Counter.
8. Now, change the Step Value to "2" and the Field Alias to "OddNumber". Notice how the Text object on the label changes to match the Field Alias. The Field Alias provides an easy way to help you remember what you are using a field for.
9. Tap or click on the Generate button to display 10 samples of the count generated. These are the values that will be used on your labels.
10. Finally, tap on the label to dismiss the Flyout and then on the Preview button to see the labels with serialized values.
Explanation of Fields in the Flyout
This section describes all the functionalities provided by the Variable Fields Flyout.
Type The current version supports only Serialized Counter. Future versions will implement Comma Delimited fields and Excel Spreadsheet fields.
Field Name The default name of the field. Each variable field is assigned a Field Name for easy identification on the label.
When an object uses a Variable Field, the Field Name will automatically be rendered on the object.
Field Alias Generic names such as "Counter : 01" can be easily used to identify which field has been used on which object. However, it may get confusing if you are referencing many fields. The Alias field helps you by allowing you to provide a name for each counter. . For example, you can use a name such as "ProductID" to help you remember the function of the field.
Start Value The start value of the counter. This value must be a number and comply with the length specified in the Length field.
Step Value The increment/decrement step value of the counter. This value must be a number and comply with the length specified in the Length field.
Step Operation The operation to apply on the counter value when getting the next counter value. "Increment" adds the Step Value to the current value to get the next value. "Decrement" subtracts the Step Value from the current value to get the next value.
Prefix Characters to prepend to the Counter. A maximum of 8 characters is supported.
Suffix Characters to append to the Counter. A maximum of 8 characters is supported.
Length Length of the string generated by the Counter exclusive of Prefix and Suffix characters.
Padding
"Pad Zeros" - Pad the counter with '0'.
"Pad Spaces" - Pad the counter with ' '.
"No Padding" - Do not apply padding.
"Custom Padding" - Allows you to specify a custom pad character. The Pad Character text box will be enabled.
Pad Character Specify a single character for padding the counter.
Rollover Minimum If the Rollover Maximum value is exceeded, the Counter will start over from the Rollover Minimum.
Note: When using the "Decrement" Step Operation, the following logic applies:
If the Counter value falls below the Rollover Minimum, it will start over from the Rollover Maximum.
Rollover Maximum This is the maximum value of the Counter. If this value is exceeded, the Counter will start over from the Rollover Minimum.
Show 10 Samples and Generate button
The "Show 10 Samples" is useful if you are experimenting with the counter values and will like to see the outcome before they are generated on the label.
Examples
The following section illustrate some examples of the Serialized Counter.
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,1,2,3,...
Start Value - 1
Step Value - 1
Step Operation - Increment
Prefix -
Suffix -
Length - 2
Padding - None
Pad Character -
Rollover Minimum - 1
Rollover Maximum - 10
00001,00002,00003,00004,00005,00006,00007,00008,00009,00010,00001,00002,...
Start Value - 1
Step Value - 1
Step Operation - Increment
Prefix -
Suffix -
Length - 5
Padding - Pad Zeros
Pad Character - 0
Rollover Minimum - 1
Rollover Maximum - 10
ST01E,ST02E,ST03E,ST04E,ST05E,ST01E,ST02E,ST03E,ST04E,ST05E,...
Start Value - 1
Step Value - 1
Step Operation - Increment
Prefix - ST
Suffix - E
Length - 2
Padding - Pad Zeros
Pad Character - 0
Rollover Minimum - 1
Rollover Maximum - 5
010,009,008,007,006,005,004,003,002,001,010,009,008,007,...
Start Value - 10
Step Value - 1
Step Operation – Decrement
Prefix -
Suffix -
Length - 3
Padding - Pad Zeros
Pad Character - 0
Rollover Minimum - 10
Rollover Maximum - 1
