Enfocus Community

Hello,

I'm hoping someone can help me with a situation I'm trying to resolve. I want to have a dropdown panel in the job ticket where a client can choose from a number of common sizes: A4, A3, A5 etc. At the bottom of the list would be the last option "Custom Size". When custom size is chosen two new dependencies will ask "(Width= )" and "(Height= )"

The problem I have is when I'm creating variables for Smart Preflight I have a number of XPath locations to get the size from in the ticket and Pitstop server only has a width and height to link to a variable. Ideally I would need some instruction in the variable set editor to say "For Width: If XPath location tag-1 returns 'Custom Size' then use the XPath location tag-2" and "For Height: If XPath location tag-1 returns 'Custom Size' then use the XPath location tag-3".

I thought a rule based instruction would do it but I would need the "THEN use this length" panel to be able to access an XPath location but it seems to be a asking for a fixed size, or am I wrong?

Regards

Pat Buckley

Hi Pat. Sorry this took so long to respond. I know our support staff is digging this up for you. I'll post the solution as soon as we have it.

Pat, I know that Michele in support has you taken care of now.

Here's the solution for other users.... Thanks to Freddy in our professional services for sorting this out!

1) Create a job ticket with a paper size variable. Make a pop-up list listing: Custom; A4 Portrait (210 mm x 297 mm); A4 Landscape (297 mm x 210 mm); A5 Portrait (148 mm x 210 mm); etc... (Or, US letter Portrait (8.5 x 11), etc... if in the US).

2) Create Job Ticket Variables for "Custom Height", "Custom Width", "Standard Height" and "Standard Width". Link to the Job Ticket XML (XPath) and the proper fields. You'd need to use text manipulation to extract the sizes from the names of the standard sizes.

2) Add a text variable “Finished Field” with Xpath /ValueDescription/MF_1

3) Add two rule-based boolean variables: “Custom” (if “Finished Field” is equal to “Custom Size” then true, else false) and “Standard” (if “Finished Field” is not equal to “Custom Size” then true, else false).

4) This is the key... Create two Action Lists that check the size, one that uses the standard variables and one that uses the custom variables and add them both to the preflight profile. Enable variables for the execution of the Action Lists and use the “Custom” variable for the Action List that uses the custom variables, and “Standard” for the one that uses the standard variables.

In other words, you create two sets of variables and you make sure that only the Action List with the correct variable names is being used.

I hope this is useful.

Michael Reiher
Product Manager, Connect