5.3 Layout Elements in a Fixup

Updated on Mar 24, 2025

In this article, you will learn

which layout elements are available for creating Fixups and
how to incorporate them into the XML file to use them in the Workflow.

1. Introduction

As in many areas, a well-considered structure is important when creating a custom Fixup. This helps to keep the Fixup dialog clear and concise as well as facilitates the handling of the Fixup for the user. However, a proper structure does not change the function of the Fixup and is a purely cosmetic improvement within the dialog when accessing a Fixup in the Workflow.

Creating user-defined Fixups

Before incorporating graphical elements into a Fixup, prepare both the KFPX file and the XML file. For information on how to create these files, take a look at the article Creating Fixups without a Variable as well as the advanced article Create Parametrizable Fixups.

2. Layout Elements in Fixup Dialogs

In addition to the option of assigning the respective type to variables within the XML file, layout elements can also be incorporated. Among other things, layout elements can be used to display templates for Fixups, subheadings or even a page selection in the user interface. The following article provides a detailed description of the individual layout elements that can be displayed in dialogs when executing Fixups in the user interface.

2.1. Fixup Templates

Settings that are selected within a Fixup can be saved as a Template. The user can then select Templates quickly when the Fixup is accessed, eliminating the need to enter values and thereby largely prevent human error.

Creating Fixup Templates is highly important

Not only do Fixup Templates save the user a lot of time in their daily work, but Fixup settings can only be exported and imported on another workstation if they have been created as a Fixup Template. Fixup Templates are also required to parameterize the selected Fixups in the Apply Fixups operation within a Production Configuration.

Figure 1: Left: XML file containing a template; Right: Fixup dialog in Workflow

To incorporate a template into your user-defined Fixup, proceed as follows:

Open the XML file of the Fixup that you have already created.
Below the <automationKey>...</automationKey> element insert the <dialog>...</dialog> element. The structure is shown in Figure 1.
To create a template for a Fixup, assign the following attributes to the <dialog>...</dialog> element:
- mode [2] – enter the value default here. This ensures that the values defined as default in the KFPX and/or XML file are displayed in the respective options of the Fixup.
- hasTemplate [1] – set this value to true to display the selection of a template in the user interface.
- templateLabel local [3] – enter the label for the template selection menu here. The Fixup will only work if the English translation is available. If a language is not translated, the English translation is displayed as a fallback.

For illustration purposes, we have provided a KFPX file "PLACE_TEXT_TEMPLATE_MANUAL.kpfx" and the corresponding XML file "PLACE_TEXT_TEMPLATE_MANUAL.xml" for download. The template was defined in the XML file.

2.2. Subheadings

The presence of many options within a Fixup, can quickly become confusing. With the help of subheadings, distinctions or groupings can be created within the user interface in the dialog of a Fixup, so that options can be displayed together for the user.

Handling headings

A heading is handled within the XML file in exactly the same way as all the other variables that were previously defined in the KFPX file. However, no changes need to be made to the KFPX file; only the elements need to be added to the XML file.

Figure 2: Left: Section of the XML file in which a subheading has been inserted; Right: Dialog of the Fixup in the Workflow

To insert a subheading into your custom Fixup, proceed as follows:

Open the XML file of the Fixup you have already created.
Insert the <variable>...</variable> element below the variable where you want the subheading to appear. Figure 2 shows what the structure looks like.
Assign the following attributes for the <variable>...</variable> element to create a heading for a Fixup:
- name [5] – enter the internal name for the heading here. This name will not be visible in the user interface later. You can choose this name freely, but it is recommended that it be chosen in a comprehensible way.
- type [4] – assign the type UI_LIMITER here to create a subheading.
- displayVariable [7] – enter the value true here to ensure that the subheading is also displayed in the dialog.
- description [6] – enter a description for the subheading here. This description will also be displayed in the dialog later. The heading can be translated into all languages offered in the Workflow. The English translation is mandatory; the Fixup will only work if it is present. If a language is not translated, the English translation will be displayed.

2.3. Lock Icon

In some cases, two or four variables are needed, for example, to define the Bleed or Offset of a Fixup. To avoid that the user has to enter the same values in two or four input fields, variables can optionally be locked within the XML file. This means that the user only has to enter the desired value in one input field.

To link the input fields by displaying a lock symbol and thus create a group, the following changes or additions must be made in the XML file:

All variables that are to be linked must be given additional attributes.
The created group must be defined in the XML file.

For illustration purposes, we have provided a KFPX file called "CREATE_BLEED_LOCKER_MANUAL.kpfx" and the corresponding XML file "CREATE_BLEED_LOCKER_MANUAL.xml" for download. The template was defined in the XML file.

2.3.1. Assign Attributes to Linked Variables

To link variables within the XML file, you first need to determine which variables should be linked. Additional attributes have to be added to the variables that should be linked.

Attributes of a Variable

For information on which attributes have to be assigned for the different variables or types, refer to the article Create Parameterizable Fixups.

Figure 3: Section of the XML file in which all the attributes for the linked variables are displayed

The following attributes must also be added to variables so that they can be linked in a group:

controlGroupKey [8] – enter the name for the group in which the respective variables should be linked. This group name is the same for all the variables concerned.
controlGroupPosition [9] – specify the position of the variables within the link. The numbering indicates the following order:
- 1 – the variable is positioned in the upper left corner.
- 2 – the variable is positioned in the upper right corner.
- 3 – the variable is positioned in the lower left corner.
- 4 – the variable is positioned in the lower right corner.

2.3.2. Define Group

To link the variables, the previously defined groups must be defined within the XML file. To do this, proceed as follows:

Below the <fixups>...</fixups> element insert the <controlGroups>...</controlGroups> element and add the <controlGroup>...</controlGroup> element. Figure 4 shows what the structure should look like.
Assign the following attributes for the <controlGroup>...</controlGroup> elements to create the group for the variables that should be linked:
- key [11] – enter the group name [8] (Figure 3) that was assigned to the variables that should be linked here.
- designType [10] – enter the desired design for the variables to be linked here. Depending on whether you want to link two or four variables, the following two types are available:
  - LOCKER_2 – use this type if two variables should be linked. Thereby, display the variables next to each other in the dialog, with a lock in the middle.
  - LOCKER_4 – use this type if four variables should be linked. Thereby, display the variables in a 2 x 2 grid with a lock in the middle.
- validationType [12] – enter the Type you used for the respective variables.
- validationModelUnit [13] – enter the modelUnit you defined for the respective variables in the KFPX file.

Figure 4: Left: Excerpt from the XML file in which the group was defined; Right: The Fixup dialog in the Workflow

2.4. Filters for Fixups

Category – as soon as filters are set for Fixups, the user has to decide which category the Fixup can be assigned to. Each Fixup can only be assigned to one category. The following category ID's and category names are used in the Workflow by default:

Category ID	Name
`DOCUMENT`	Document
`PAGES`	Page
`IMAGES`	Image
`TEXT`	Text
`OBJECTS`	Object
`FONTS`	Font
`COLORS`	Color
`PACKAGING`	Packaging
`PAGEBOXES`	Page Box
`PAGECONTENT`	Page Content
`LAYERS`	Layer
`LFP`	LFP

Action various Action filters can be set for each Fixup. Unlike categories, multiple Action filters can be set for a Fixup. The following process ID and process names are used in the Workflow as standard:

Action ID	Name
`ADD`	Add
`APPLY`	Apply
`CHANGE`	Change
`CLIP`	Clip
`COMPRESS`	Compress
`CONVERT`	Convert
`CREATE`	Create
`CROP`	Crop
`DELETE`	Delete
`DOWNSAMPLE`	Downsample
`FILL`	Fill
`FLATTEN`	Flatten
`HIDE`	Hide
`IMPOSE`	Impose
`INCREASE`	Increase
`MAKEVISIBLE`	Make Visible
`MERGE`	Merge
`MIRROR`	Mirror
`OPTIMIZE`	Optimize
`PLACE`	Place
`REDUCE`	Reduce
`RENAME`	Rename
`ROTATE`	Rotate
`SCALE`	Scale
`SPLIT`	Split
`TRANSFORM`	Transform

Search – in addition to each Fixup, a property can be assigned as a filter. Multiple filters can also be passed for a Fixup for property filters. The following Search ID and Search Name are used in the Workflow by default:

Search ID	Name
`ALL`	All Pages
`ANNOTATION`	Comments
`ARTBOX`	ArtBox
`BACKGROUND`	Background
`BANNER`	Banner
`BITMAP`	Bitmap
`BLEED`	Bleed
`BLEEDBOX`	BleedBox
`CMYK`	CMYK
`CAPTION`	Caption
`CROPBOX`	CropBox
`CROPMARKS`	Crop Marks
`DIE`	Dieline
`DRILLHOLE`	Drillhole
`DUPLICATE`	Duplicate
`EDGEREINFORCEMENT`	Edge Reinforcement
`EMBED`	Embed
`EMPTY`	Empty Page
`EVEN`	Fill
`FLIP`	Flip
`FOLDINFLINE`	Folding Line
`GRAYSCALE`	Gray
`GRID`	Grid
`GROMMET`	Grommet
`HEM`	Hem
`HKS`	HKS
`IMAGEBOX`	ImageBox
`IMAGEBOX_BLEED`	ImageBox + Bleed
`IMAGE`	Images
`KNOCKOUT`	Knockout
`LAB`	Lab
`MEDIABOX`	MediaBox
`MIRROR`	Mirror
`N-CHANNEL`	N-CHANNEL
`OCR`	OCR
`ODD`	Odd
`OUTLINE`	Outline
`OI`	Output Intent
`OVERLAY`	Overlay
`OVERPRINT`	Overprint
`PANTONE`	Pantone
`PREVIEW`	Preview
`PRIMER`	Primer
`RAL`	RAL
`REGISTRATIONMARK`	Registration Marks
`RGB`	RGB
`RICHBLACK`	Rich Black
`ROTATE`	Rotate
`USERUNIT`	Scale Factor
`LINEART`	Vectors
`SHAPE`	Shape
`SPOT`	Spot Color
`STROKE`	Stroke
`TEXT`	Text
`TILING`	Tiling
`TONEVALUE`	Tone Value
`TRANSPARENCY`	Transparency
`TRIMBOX`	TrimBox
`VARNIS`	Varnish
`WHITE`	White

Handling of Filters

Read on to find out how filters are handled in the Workflow for Fixups. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with all filter functions first so that you can apply the right filters to your custom Fixup.

However, you can also use any other value as a filter for your Fixups. The values listed above are the default values used for filters in the Workflow.

Figure 5: Left: Excerpt from the XML file in which the filters were defined; Right: The filtered Fixup in the Workflow

To set filters for your user-defined Fixup, proceed as follows:

Open the XML file of the Fixup that you have already created.
Below the element <fixups>...</fixups> insert the element <category>...</category>. The category filter for the Fixup is set in this element. Assign the following attribute for this:
- ID [14] – enter the internal key of the category filter. If, for example, the ID "TEXT" is entered here, find your Fixup with the category filter "Text".
- name [15] – enter the name of the filter with which your Fixup should be searchable. This name can be translated into all desired languages offered in the Workflow. The English translation is mandatory and the Fixup will only work when it is available. If a language is not translated, the English translation is displayed.
Into the <category>...</category> element insert the <filter>...</filter> element. Assign the following attributes:
- ID [16] – enter the internal key for the filter – Action or Search. Assign the appropriate filter type depending on whether you want to find the Fixup in the selection menu for actions or search.
- type [17] – select whether the filter should be a process filter (ACTION) or a search filter (SEARCH).
- name [18] – enter the name of the filter with which your Fixup should be found later in the Action or Search filter in the respective languages. This name can be translated into all desired languages offered in the Workflow. The English translation is mandatory and the Fixup will only work when it is available. If a language is not translated, the English translation is displayed.
Repeat step 3 until you have set all the filters you want for this Fixup.

For illustration purposes, we have provided a KFPX file "PLACE_TEXT_FILTER_MANUAL.kpfx" and the corresponding XML file "PLACE_TEXT_FILTER_MANUAL.xml" for download. The template was defined in the XML file.

Artikel update: Workflow 1.19.2 – 02/2025

Previous Article 5.2 Create Parametrizable Fixups

Next Article 5.4 Uploading and Applying Custom Fixups

User Manual – Durst