User Manual

User Manual  /  Editor and Plug-ins  /  2. VDP Editor

2.3 Prepare VDP Job

Updated on

In this chapter you will learn,

  • which settings can be selected for the VDP Editor and
  • which CSV files can be edited in the VDP Editor, as well as
  • how the Variable Data tab in the workflow is displayed before and after creating or saving a VDP job.

1. Introduction

The implementation of a VDP job requires, for all practical purposes, quite some planning. The following areas are affected:

  1. Selection of parameters in the VDP Editor Settings - this can be done in the VDP Editor.
  2. Selection and preparation of the Print Item intended for the job and the to be used image data . This can be done via Fixups in the Workflow and by creating a link to the storage location for the image data in the VDP Editor
  3. Preparation and upload of the to be used control file - this is done in advance by a database export or in Microsoft Excel
  4. Creation of the variable elements - this is done in the VDP Editor
  5. Saving the VDP specification for the Print Item - this is done in the VDP Editor
  6. Creating the Imposition in the desired order - this is done in the Impose Editor of the Workflow
  7. Output the VDP job to the desired printer - this is done in a Production Job in the Workflow

Since this article is about the preparatory tasks in the VDP Editor, the above mentioned points 1, 3 and 5 will be described below.

2. VDP Editor settings

For the VDP Editor, the presets for basic functions have to be done by the user. To open the VDP Editor preferences, proceed as follows. 1:

  1. Open a Print Item resp. an Article.
  2. Open the VDP Editor.
  3. Click the VDP Editor settings icon (gear icon) in the menu bar of the VDP Editor.
  4. Three options are available in the VDP Editor settings dialog.

Figure 1: Der VDP-Editor Einstellungen-Dialog

The

Dim static content

To enable the user to recognize variable elements in the VDP editor more quickly, a function to dim the static content is available. How much the static content is dimmed can be determined by entering the percentage value in the settings. Proceed as follows:

  1. Open the VDP Editor Settings dialog.
  2. Define the desired percentage value in the Dim static content by [1] input field.
  3. Save the settings.
  4. To dim the static content, activate the Dim static content option in the VDP Editor menu bar which is the "D" symbol.

Control display of variable images

Depending on the file format as well as the file size of the images used for variable image elements, the available memory in the browser may overflow very quickly when displaying the preview. To avoid this, two additional options are available in the VDP Editor Settings dialog.

  • Maximum file size in MB for calculating the preview [2]: Determine up to which file size preview images are calculated for the variable images. When an image has more than the set file size, the dummy preview (placeholder image) is displayed in the browser. Of course, the high-resolution data will be used in the output.
  • Show only dummy preview [3]: Use this to specify that only placeholder images are used in the preview for variable images and for barcodes/QR codes. By enabling this, operators can act faster when setting up the variable elements. In the output, of course, the high-resolution images and barcodes/QR codes are used.

3. Handling of CSV files

Control files, which serve as a source for filling the content of variable elements, are in practice created in advance. Subsequently the files are then uploaded to the Print Item as a CSV file in the Workflow or in the VDP Editor. Whether the data of the CSV file is created by a database export or manually in Microsoft Excel is not important for processing in the VDP Editor. What is significant, however, is that there is no function available in the VDP Editor to formulate logical if-then queries based on the CSV file. Thus, all contents must be correctly recorded in advance in the control file and saved as a CSV file.

3.1. Upload CSV files

CSV files can be uploaded and attached to the Print Item at two points in the Workflow. Only when the CSV file has been assigned, the content in the CSV file can be referenced during creation.

Upload in the "Variable Data" tab

To upload a CSV file in the Variable Data tab, proceed as follows.

  1. Open an Article or Print Item which should contain variable data.
  2. Switch to the Variable Data tab [5].
  3. Activate the Add CSV file [4] button there and select the desired CSV file in its file directory.

Figure 2: The initial view of a VDP job in the Variable Data tab

  1. Open the desired CSV file in the file system or drag the CSV file to the drop zone in the Add CSV File dialog and select the settings to be used. The following options are available in the dialog:
    • First row is Header Row [6] - Enable this option if a header row with column labels is defined in the CSV file. By activating this option, this record will not be used in production.
    • Delimiter Definition [7] - specify with which separator the CSV file was created.
      • Select the drop-down list option to choose the required separator in the drop-down menu in the Column separator [8] option.
      • Select User defined to enter the separator used manually in Column Separator [8].
  2. Click Save to add the CSV file to the Print Item in the defined pattern. 

Figure 3: The Add CSV file dialog with the possibility to select the Column Seperator

Upload in the VDP Editor

The process of uploading the CSV file in the VDP Editor works the same way as uploading in the Variable Data tab in the workflow. The only difference is the starting point. Proceed as follows:

  1. Open an Article or Print Item that is to contain variable data.
  2. Switch to the Variable Data tab [10].
  3. Activate the VDP Editor button [9], which will start the VDP Editor.

Figure 4: The initial view of the Variable Data tab in the Workflow

  1. After opening the VDP Editor, the Transform & General Settings tab [11] is automatically displayed in the settings area.
  2. Press the Upload/Replace CSV file button [12] in the General settings area.

Figure 5: The Transform & General Settings in the VDP Editor

  1. This will open the Upload CSV File dialog, where you can select a CSV file by simply dragging it into the drop zone.
  2. Select the desired settings in the dialog and finish the process by pressing Save.

Figure 6: The Add CSV file dialog with an already inserted CSV file

  1. When the upload process is finished, the user will be informed with a message.
  2. After the CSV file has been uploaded, the file name [13] of the CSV file is displayed in the Transform & General Settings tab.

Figure 7: The Transform & General Settings tab in the VDP Editor with an already assigned CSV file

3.2. Update, download, delete and view CSV file

If you have assigned a CSV file to the Print Item, you can access the data in the columns when configuring the VDP elements. However, if you have uploaded the wrong CSV file or want to update a CSV file, you can do so as described below.

Update CSV file

An already uploaded CSV file can be updated or replaced retrospectively, either directly in the VDP Editor or in the Variable Data tab of the Workflow. Proceed as follows.

  1. Open an Article or a Print Item including variable data and CSV file.
  2. Switch to the Variable Data tab.
  3. Click the Replace VDP CSV file button [14].
  4. Alternatively, open the VDP Editor and press the Upload/replace CSV file [15] icon again.

Figure 8: The Variable Data tab (left) in the Workflow as well as the Transform & General Settings tab (right) in the VDP Editor with an already assigned CSV file

Delete CSV file

An already uploaded CSV file can be deleted retrospectively. This can be done directly in the VDP Editor or in the Variable Data tab of the Workflow. Proceed as follows.

  1. Open an Article resp. Print Item including variable data and CSV file.
  2. Switch to the Variable Data tab.
  3. Click the Delete CSV file button [16].
  4. Alternatively, open the VDP Editor and click the Delete CSV file [17] icon there.

Figure 9: The Variable Data tab (left) in the Workflow as well as the Transform & General Settings tab (right) in the VDP Editor with an already assigned CSV file

Deleting a CSV file

Note that deleting a CSV file may invalidate a VDP order if you have used VDP elements as a data source before. If you want to update a CSV file, you should replace the CSV file, which means that if the CSV file does not differ in terms of structure (number of columns), the VDP job would not become invalid.

Download CSV file

A CSV file that has already been uploaded can also be downloaded again afterwards, but not deleted in the process. This can be done directly in the VDP Editor or in the Variable Data tab of the workflow. Proceed as follows:

  1. Open an Article or a Print Item including variable data and CSV file.
  2. Switch to the Variable Data tab.
  3. Click the Download button [18].
  4. Alternatively, you can also open the VDP Editor and click the Download [19] icon there.

Figure 10: The Variable Data tab (left) in the Workflow as well as in the Transform & General Settings tab (right) in the VDP Editor with an already assigned CSV file

3.3. Inspect CSV file

Before approaching the creation of variable elements which are to be linked to a CSV file, you should get an idea of the content of the CSV file beforehand.

Inspecting the CSV file is also possible in the Variable Data tab in the Workflow or in the Transform & General Settings tab in the VDP Editor.

3.3.1. "Variable Data" tab

The list of all records can be viewed below the file name [20] of the CSV file. You can navigate through the list [21] as you are used to in the Workflow of other lists.

Figure 11: The Variable Data tab in the Workflow with displayed content of the CSV file

3.3.2. "Transform & General Settings" tab

When pressing the option Show CSV File [22] in the Transform & General Settings tab in the VDP Editor, the CSV file dialog is opened, in which all records of the CSV file are displayed. It is also possible to navigate through the list here, as you are used from other lists in the Workflow.

Figure 12: The Transform & General Settings tab in the VDP Editor (left) with displayed content of the CSV file (right)

The list is not displayed properly separated in columns

If the list of records is not displayed properly separated in columns, you have selected the wrong separator when uploading the CSV file. In this case, replace the CSV file and select the correct separator for columns. Only if the list is displayed as shown in the figure, error-free processing can be assumed.

3.4. Structure of a CSV file

Die Anforderung an die CSV-Datei sind sehr einfach gehalten. Berücksichtigen Sie bei der Erstellung der CSV-Datei folgende Hinweise:

The requirements for the CSV file are kept very simple. Consider the following notes when creating the CSV file:

  • The saving of a CSV file should be conducted out of the generating application as classic CSV file.
  • All glyphs except control characters are allowed in the CSV file.
  • Header in CSV file: A header line with a description of the values should be inserted for a better overview. However, this is not mandatory
  • File names of the images must always have a .jpg, .pdf, .png  etc. extension in the CSV file. The path to the directory in which the images are stored is selected as a global path specification in the Transform & General Settings tab in the Image Directory option.
  • Decimal places in color definitions are to be made with a point - i.e. 0.33 for 33%.
  • Color definitions can be made in the following formats:
    • 0,1,0.5,0.4 – CMYK definition: C=0% | M=100% | Y=50% | K=40%
    • 70%,8%,12%,0% –  CMYK definition: C=70% | M=8% | Y=12% | K=0%
    • 255,0,128 – RGB definition: R=255 | G=0 | B=128
    • 0.7,0,-0.5 – Lab definition: L=70 | a=0 | b=-64
    • PANTONE 327 C,1,0.03,0.56,0.15 – Spot Color definition with CMYK values: Pantone 327 C with color vlaues C=100% | M=3% | Y=56% | K=15%

4. "Variable Data" tab

The Variable Data tab in the Workflow provides access to the creation and management of VDP orders for the selected Article and Print Item.

4.1. Before creating a VDP job

To create a VDP Jobs, the user must first select the Print Item and then jump to the Variable Data tab. Only after starting the VDP Editor and adding at least one variable element, the Print Item will be marked as a Print Item with variable content. This is done in the user interface by attaching a green tag with the label Variable Data.

If the Variable Data tab is displayed as shown in the figure below, the selected Print Item is not yet a Print Item with variable content.

Figure 13: The initial view of the Variable Data tab when creating a VDP job

4.2. After saving a VDP job

If at least one variable element has been created correctly, optionally a CSV file has been added and the contents of the VDP Editor have been saved, the Variable Data tab will look as shown in the figure below.

Figure 14: The Variable Data tab at the end of VDP job build

After creating and saving the VDP job, the following options are available to the user:

  • VDP Editor [26] - Open the VDP Editor for the selected Print Item to change the layout or structure of the VDP job.
  • Remove VDP Spec [27] - Removes the description for the layout and structure of the variable elements for the selected Print Item. After removing the specification, the Print Item is no longer a variable job!
  • Replace CSV file [29] - Replaces the existing CSV file by uploading a new CSV file.
  • Delete CSV file [30] - Irrevocably deletes the CSV file for this VDP job. Note that this may invalidate VDP elements and cause output errors.
  • Download [31] - Downloads the current CSV file.
  • Preview with toolbar [23] - The preview file is displayed including variable elements. The user can move around in the live preview, as in the VDP editor, and zoom in and out of the Print Item, and by entering a page number in the pagination [28], display a specific record.
  • File name [24] - Display the file name of the currently loaded CSV file.
  • Content of CSV file [25] - Display of the content of the CSV file.

Article update: Workflow version 1.13.2 – 08/2022

Previous Article 2.2 User Interface
Next Article 2.4 Serial numbers

Editor and Plug-ins

1. Print Item Editor 4
2. VDP Editor 6
3. Adobe Illustrator 10

Other Resources

 Download Article PDF Print Article
Still Need Help? Contact Us