In this article you'll learn
- How to execute Fixups
- Which files are used in the Workflow for that
- Which default values are displayed in Fixups
- How to enter custom values in a Fixup.
1. Introduction
In the General Overview article you have made yourself familiar with where you can access Fixups. You have also read about the methods used to locate the desired Fixup in the article Searching for Fixups. Once you have found the desired Fixup, all you have to do is apply it.
In order to apply a Fixup, two files must be valid in the Workflow. Both file which have the same name are:
- kfpx file – Contains a set of rules that will be passed to the pdfToolbox engine. The creation of these rules can be a bit complex in some cases, which is a good reason to leave the creation of these files to a professional. For more information on how to create your own Fixups, please refer to the chapter Custom Fixups.
- XML file – Contains information such as: the name, description, labels for parameters and the entries in the drop-down menus. Furthermore, the categorization of the Fixup in terms of category, action and search is defined.
2. Adapt Fixups
Applying a Fixup always opens a dialog in which the corresponding parameters are displayed depending on the selected Fixup. Essentially, you will have to deal with four types of dialogs:
- Dialog without parameters - no additional configurations are required from the user.
- Generic dialog - only a few parameters are required.
- User-defined dialog - the user must enter user-specific parameters in order to correct their file correctly.
- Combined Fixup dialog - many parameters can be set in different processing steps
The structure and functions of the dialogs are explained in more detail below.
2.1. Dialogs without Parameters
Many Fixups perform actions that do not need to be configured. In this case, the Fixup dialog displays only two pieces of information:
- Name [1] – Describes the Fixup in a few words.
- Description [2] – A more detailed explanation of what happens when applying the Fixup. In many cases, it also describes application options.
Figure 1: A Fixup dialog which contains no additional parameters.
In these dialogs the parameter area [3] is empty and not neeed.
2.2. Generic Dialogs
If the Fixup requires only a few parameters and doesn't require a detailed explanation, all parameters are listed in the parameter area [4]. In this case we refer to this as a generic Fixup dialog.
Figure 2: A generic Fixup dialog with a single parameter.
Which parameters and in which order are they displayed?
By setting attributes in the XML file it can be determined whether a parameter should be displayed in the dialog or not. The way things are listed (order) is also determined by how the options are ordered in the XML file by the creator of the Fixup. Whether numbers, percentages or texts can be entered for the option or whether it is a drop-down menu is also determined by adding attributes in the XML file.
2.3. User-defined Dialogs
If the Fixup contains many parameters and requires that the user is "guided" through the process, these Fixup dialogs are available as user-defined dialogs in the Workflow. User-defined dialogs are characterized by the following differences:
- Template [5] – settings that are set in such a Fixup can be saved as template and taken over for other Articles/Print Items.
- Tabs [6] – Options are present in at least two tabs. The Basic Settings tab contains options that must be selected to perform the Fixup, while the Advanced tab contains options that can be selected additionally or that must be used to parameterize the options selected in the Basic Settings tab.
- Grouped Values [7] – While in generic dialogs, for example, the four input values for CMYK are listed one below the other, in user-defined dialogs, certain options are grouped together.
- Example Images [8] – When using very complex Fixups, in addition to the text description, the user is also shown a visual representation when an option is selected.
- Variable Content [9] – The Variable Content option is permitted for Fixups. By pressing this icon, the user can access meta information about the Print Item as well as values in user-defined fields in order to process a Fixup controlled by values from a Print Item description.
Figure 3: A user-defined Fixup dialog with many parameters grouped in tabs and an example image.
2.4. Dialog for combined Fixups
If Fixups are Fixup instructions that consist of many individual Fixups, the dialog consists of the following areas:
- Selecting the Fixup [10] - the Fixup is activated by clicking the symbol.
- Parameterization of the Fixup [11] - Enter the parameters for the selected Fixup
Figure 4: The available options for a combinable Fixup
3. Applying a Fixup
Now the Fixups just need to be applied. There are basically three procedures available in the Workflow:
- Apply Fixups in the detail view.
- Apply Fixups to favored Articles/Print Items.
- Apply several Fixups in one step.
3.1. Applying Standard Fixups in detail view
Proceed as follows when applying a Fixup in the Print Item [13] tab, information relavant to the selected Article/Print Item is displayed:
- Select the item(s) you want to correct in the Print Item overview [12] of the Print Item tab [11]. The Print Item tab and the Print Item overview are only available in the Production Job and Order menu items. In the Article menu item, a Fixup can only be applied to the selected Article in the Print Data tab.
- Then select the desired Fixup [14] in the footer of the Document Information and User-defined Fields area.
Figure 5: The Print Data tab of a Production Job.
- The Fixup dialog opens, where you can select the desired options. Note that the set options are applied to all Articles/Print Items in the same way. If other parameters are set for individual Articles/Print Items, these must be selected in a second step and the Fixup applied again.
- By pressing Apply to Selection button [12], the Fixup instruction is applied to all previously selected Articles/Print Items. The processing of the Fixup is executed by the system in parallel, which saves you a lot of time when preparing data.
Figure 5: The Fixup dialog Create Bleed By Mirroring.
3.2. Applying Fixups to Articles/Print Items
If you want to apply a ixup to any Article/Print Item, proceed as follows:
- Select one of the following menu items:
- Article > Articles – Select the desired Articles in the Article list.
- Article > Collections – Select the desired Collection in the Collection list.
- Order > Print Items – Select the desired Print Items in the Print Item list.
- Select Process > Apply Fixup in the action bar, which opens the Apply Fixup to selected Article(s) or Print Item(s) dialog.
- Search for the desired Fixup. One possibility is to enter the term in the Filter [16] input field in order to narrow down the list of possible Fixups.
- Select the desired Fixup [17] in the list and press Apply [18].
Figure 6: The Apply Fixup to selected Article(s) dialog with the Create Bleed by Mirroring Fixup selected.
- This opens the corresponding Fixup dialog, as shown in Figure 5.
- By pressing the Apply button [18], the Fixup is applied to the selected Article/Print Item. The processing of the Fixup instruction is carried out by the system in parallel, saving you a lot of time when preparing data.
3.3. Applying Multiple Fixups in one Step
As described in the procedures above, the limitation is that only one Fixup can be applied to one or more Articles/Print Items. However, if you need to apply several Fixups to the same Articles/Print Items, you can proceed as follows:
- Apply the procedure described above several times to the same selected Articles/Print Items, or
- Create a Fixup Chain with the Fixups to be applied and then apply the Fixup Chain to the selected Articles/Print Items.
Advantages and disadvantages of both procedures:
- Multiple application offers the advantage that an intermediate version is created for each Fixup in the Workflow; the disadvantage lies in the increased amount of time required as well as the fact that these steps cannot be easily repeated.
- Working with Fixup Chains offers the advantage that no intermediate versions are saved, repeatability is guaranteed at all times, and processing is extremely fast; the disadvantage is that you have to create and test the Fixup Chain beforehand.
Working with Fixup Chains
For more information on how to create, parameterize and apply Fixup Chains correctly, read the articles in the Fixup Chains chapter.
4. Overwriting Default Fixup Parameters
When you open a Fixup dialog, you will notice that the same default values are entered each time, even though you have changed the values several times before. The reason for this is that the default values are taken from the XML file when the dialog is opened and only altered values are passed to pdfToolbox when the Fixup is executed.
However, if you require different values by default, there are two ways to do this:
- Fixup Chain: Create a Fixup Chain, add the desired Fixup to the Fixup Chain and select the values you need for that Fixup. You can then apply the saved Fixup Chain to Articles and Print Items using the new default values. The disadvantage is that you cannot change other parameters when you apply the FIxup.
- Duplicate the Fixup and adjust the XML file: You can load the Fixup (kfpx file) together with the XML file and upload it again using a differnt name and the adjusted default values in the XML file. This procedure is only recommended for people with the required technical knowledge, and can lead to an unorganized structure in the generic dialog for Fixups that are using a user-defined dialog. So it is not always possible.
Create and use Templates
Rather than to just overwrite the default values of a Fixup we recommend to save the Fixup template. Thereby, your desired values are stored the next time.
Article update: Workflow 1.17.0 - 02/2024