Tag: Document Publisher

Named Item Lists in Document Publisher

When working with large datasets it is sometimes convenient to cache the returned items for re-use in multiple tags. Document Publisher makes this possible using named items lists. These are created from the User Variables dialog.

Creating an Item List

To create an item list you need to:

1. From an open template select Tools > User Variables
2. This produces the Variables dialog. Locate the predefined $ItemList entry
3. Add a new entry in the Value column. This is a comma separated list of all the named item lists in your template
4. Press OK to save the variable and your item list is now ready to use in a tag

Populating an Item List

Once you have generated a suitably named list you must create a Paragraph Group tag to populate the list.  For further information on how to create a Paragraph Group tag please click here. No output is to be generated from this tag, its sole purpose is to fill the item list for subsequent tags to use.

1. Create the Paragraph Group tag at an appropriate place in the document, this must appear before the tags which are to use the item list
2. Within Tag Properties find the Hierarchy property and click … to create a new hierarchy
3. Edit the hierarchy and set the appropriate item selection(s)
4. For each node set the Document Section property to <None> so that no output will be generated
5. Select your newly created item list in the Item List property
6. If the same list is being filled multiple times then set the Clear Cache property depending on if you want to refill the list from scratch or append to the existing list
7. Press OK to save the hierarchy

Please note that duplicate items are automatically removed from item lists as they are filled.

Using an Item List

Once a Paragraph Group tag has been setup to fill your item list, it can be used by any tag appearing after it in the template document.

1. Create a Paragraph Group or Table tag at an appropriate location in your template
2. Set the tag‘s item selection to match what information is stored in the item list
3. Optionally, create a hierarchy to follow from the items stored in the list
4. Optionally, override the Sort By property if it needs to be different from the item list sorting order
5. Expand the item selection and set the Identity property as shown below, using the special value $ItemList followed by a colon and then the name of the list to use it

Referencing an Item List in a Filter

There are two special filter properties that can be used to check for the existence of items stored in an item list. These are available in the Filter dialog as Link Attributes:

• Exists in Item List – where the filter expression will evaluate to true if the item exists in the named item list
• Is Linked to Item in Item List – where the filter expression will evaluate to true if the item is linked via a specified link type to an item that exists in a named item list

Article Updated 04/02/2019 – Incresed image sizes

In Document Publisher you can define headings in several ways; this post will show how to define the Heading tag.

Before starting, Word’s Multilevel List needs to be set; use the list which has Numbering and Heading set:

This will give the user a Heading style which numbers the names of the items output.

Add a ParagraphGroup tag and create your Hierarchy table and set the Key or Identity in the Item Selection.

Default Settings for the Heading Tag

Placing cursor at the end of the word ParagraphGroup in the tag but before the bookmark, click on the arrow for the Field tag button and select the All item types option and then down to Heading tag option at the bottom.

The Field Details UI will look like this when it opens:

This is where the user sets the Heading tag options for each row, starting with the top row. Leaving all the options as set for each row will give the user the following output:

1  Stakeholder Requirements
1.1  Customer Requirements
1.1.1  Capacity
1.1.1.1  Flight Crew
1.1.1.1.1  Corrective Maintenance (Air)
1.1.1.1.1.1  Fault Monitoring System
1.1.1.1.1.2  Pilot
1.1.1.1.1.3  Co-pilot

Basing the Heading Level on the Item Attribute Key

The user may require that the sections start with a different number for example they may wish to use the key instead for the Heading tag.

The Word’s Multilevel List is not needed to be set for this option as the numbering is set by the Key.

Setting the Include level to No and Count Separators to Add and the Attribute to Key, the type of Separator will now not use the Hierarchy Level in the output but base the numbering on each items Key.

The user can set each of the other rows to the same settings as the top row by select the row, clicking the Remove Field button and then the Copy Field button .

This will give the user the following type of output; remember the Key starts at 0 but the Heading numbering in the Heading Styles starts at 1:

1  Stakeholder Requirements
2  Customer Requirements
2.1  Capacity
2.1.1   Flight Crew
2.1.2  Corrective Maintenance (Air)
2.1.3  Fault Monitoring System

Using the Separator Option

This option allows the user to change to which separator is used within Key or attribute the user has decided to use

Using the include Fixed Number Option

The user can use an Include Fixed Number of separators and Add or Subtract the number of separators for a different output. If the user sets it to Add and the Fixed Number to 2, it will add 2 separators to the key and the output will look like this:

1.1.1  Stakeholder Requirements
1.1.2  Customer Requirements
1.1.2.1  Capacity
1.1.2.1.1   Flight Crew
1.1.2.1.2  Corrective Maintenance (Air)
1.1.2.1.3  Fault Monitoring System

If the user set it to Subtract and the Fixed Number to 1 the output will look like this:

1  Stakeholder Requirements
2  Customer Requirements
3  Capacity
3.1  Flight Crew
3.2  Corrective Maintenance (Air)
3.2.1  Fault Monitoring System

Note: Don’t use subtract on rows where the key is only a single digit as the numbering will not be output, showing up like this:

Stakeholder Requirements
Customer Requirements
Capacity
1    Flight Crew
2    Corrective Maintenance (Air)
3    Fault Monitoring System

Using the Hierarchical Level with an attribute

The user can use the Hierarchical Level with the Key which will add the key to the level in the hierarchy and the output will show like this:

1.1  Stakeholder Requirements
1.1.1  Customer Requirements
1.1.1.1.1  Capacity
1.1.1.1.1.1.1   Flight Crew
1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1  Corrective Maintenance (Air)
1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1  Fault Monitoring System

The other attributes the user can use to the set the level with or without the Hierarchical level are Identity, Group and a Category. When Category is selected a new option shows to let the user pick the category they wish to use.

Using the Heading Title Option

The Heading Title option allows the user to use different sources to name the item being output. The option include:

• <None>
• Static text
• Identity
• Key
• Group
• Name
• Comment
• Description
• Category
• Frame

The Category and Frame options allow the user to select from a new option which category or frame they would like to use.

Using the Strip Prefix

This option allows the user to remove any specified text from the attribute during output. For example, the items Key may be REQ-1.1 and the user only requires the 1.1. The user would enter REQ- in the Strip Prefix option to have it removed.

Using the Character Format Option

This option allows the heading style to be overridden but not the numbering. If the user decides that the second and fourth levels should look like the style Subtitle, it will have the font, size and colour of Subtitle but still the numbering set to Heading 2.

Using this option the output would look as below:

This style will also be reflected in the Table of Contents: