Same Serial Number On Two Different Label Formats Follow

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Hello, we're struggling with something I hope the bartender experts can help us with. We want to print out two (or more) different label formats, with the same serial number. We have a product label and a box label which both must have the serial number on the outside. How can we do this using bartender? We have tried using the batch maker and commander and can't find the magic combination.

We also have some fields that are "Screen data" and prompted for at print time. We want the same screen data to print on several different label formats, without the operator having to re-key in the same answer for the prompt. This data is not in a database, the operator enters it. How can we prompt just once and then pass the information along so each label format prints the information? Re-keying in the data several times is taking too long and is error-prone.

An example or a pointer in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.

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Ian Cummings
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Unfortunately, although powerful the user prompt form feature in BarTender is tied to individual label formats, and doesn't quite cover the features you need. Therefore it sounds like you need to create a front-end application form using something like VB.NET. In this way you can design the user input form exactly as required and then have it control BarTender via the .NET component automation interface for opening the label formats, setting data on them and then printing them each in turn as a result of the one user action. The below white papers and the BarTender Help topic "Automating BarTender" will assist in getting started.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/SeagullBarTender/ftp/WhitePapers/WhitePaper_BarTenders.NET_SDKs_English.pdf

http://s3.amazonaws.com/SeagullBarTender/ftp/WhitePapers/WhitePaper_BarTendersActiveXAutomationInterface.pdf

*Note that the Automation edition or higher is required to use this functionality.
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Thank you very much for your reply, Ian!

The machine creating the info for the label is on a non-windows platform. We have it creating a text file, which Commander scans and then prints the labels, which prompt for the additional info they need.

If I understand you correctly, we could have Commander scan for the file, and when it detects it, call a custom activex/.net application which does additional processing, is that right? I don't think we could launch the label print from a front-end - since it requires data from our back-end system, which is not windows and can't "talk" to .net/activex applications.

Thanks so much for your help.
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Ian Cummings
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I don't see any great solutions for you here. Is it not possible for all user prompting to be done within your "system" when the transaction is called off? In that way the extra data can be included in the trigger that Commander detects and will have the advantage of presenting the user with a single interface form to deal with.
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Thank you for your help Ian. Even though we'd like to hear it could be done, knowing for certain it won't work is infinitely preferable to getting frustrated trying everything one can think of to make it work. We'll explore other options. Thanks again; your help is very much appreciated.
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Shotaro Ito
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In BarTender enterprise Automation edition, you can use BarTender XML Script trigger in Commander.
In XML Script, you can print multiple format (have multiple <Print> command) in a trigger and you can specify Query prompt value and user prompt value for each formats.

What if - you have a tiny application which generates XML Script, based on user input? (I haven't tried though. Enterprise Automation feature can be tested by 30-day trial.)

Consider you have 2 tasks. the first is OS command, the second is XML Script.

When Commander detect initial trigger, the 1st task runs the application by OS command and pass trigger file to the application.
command line can be
"C:\XMLGenerator.exe" %Trigger File Name%
This application (done by .net etc) shows some text box. Based on user input, it generates XMLScript and save as trigger file.
(Commander need to run as Application mode to show user interface.)

Commander detects the XML trigger by 2nd task and process task.

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