JoLetter 2.0

Personalization of documents for QuarkXPress.

Overview

JoLetter is a XTensions Software for the layout application QuarkXPress.

JoLetter is able to create personalized documents similar to many word processors like MS Word. For this reason JoLetter provides a palette, from which all settings and input can be done. The data are supplied by ASCII files with tab separated entries. Most available database and spreadsheet applications are able to export their data in that way.

JoLetter is available for MacOS (PowerPC), Windows NT, Windows 95/98 und Windows 2000 and requires QuarkXPress version 4.04 or higher for MacOS and 4.1 or higher for Windows.

Using JoLetter

JoLetter adds a menu item Show JoLetter to the View Menu of QuarkXPress. After choosing Show JoLetter the following palette appears on the desktop.

Choosing the data source

Via the button Choose table the current document will be associated with a data source. This data source is a ASCII file with many rows and tab separated fields within each row. The first line must contain the column names of the following rows of data. Most available databases and spreadsheet applications are able to export their data in that form.

The button WinEncoding is useful for importing data from Windows applications. JoLetter maps the high ASCII chars to MacRoman format.

After choosing the data source the column names are displayed in the palette and enables you to enter placeholders for the according data.

The column names can now be inserted into the current text box simply by double clicking the desired field. For optical reasons the column names are added with double brackets around the name (<<...>>) similar to most word processsing applications.

There are two ways to process the created document. With the button Document... you can create a document with additional pages for each data row and the placeholder replaced by the actual data. With the button Print... the processed pages are printed directly to a printer. With the fields From and To it is possible to process only parts of the data source.

The option Delete empty lines should be checked, if you want to remove empty lines due to empty data fields.

Rules

Sometimes it is necessary not to enter the field data but some other text dependant on the data. For this reason there is a multiline text edit field in the JoLetter palette. After placing the cursor at the start of a placeholder (before the brackets) you can enter some replacement strings as shown in the following example. Each line is one rule.

After clicking Set the replacement will be active and displayed each time the cursor is in front of the placeholder string.

There are two additional rules, making JoLetter even more powerful.

#1: Enter this, if you want to add spaces for not empty fields.

#2: Enter this, if you want to switch to the next data row. This is useful, if you want to place more than one data row on one page. Please note, that JoLetter parses the boxes from back to front.

Images

Even images are supported by JoLetter. Therefore the field entry must be a valid path to the wanted image. You can assign a field to an image simply by selecting this image and double clicking the according column name. To control this setting the column name of the image is displayed in the top left corner of the image frame (italic and underlined). This image name is not drawn on printing or eps creation.

During creation of the personalized document the according images are imported into these picture boxes.

Restrictions

The maximum possible number of pages within a QuarkXPress document is 2000. So for processing with Document... the product of document pages and the data rows is also limited by 2000.

Installation

MacOS

JoLetter is delivered as a stuffIt-archive in macbinary-format (JoLetter.sit.bin). To extract the archive you need the stuffIt-expander, which you can download for free at http://www.aladdinsys.com. After extraction you get a folder JoLetter. You can place this folder anywhere on your hard disk. The folder contains the QuarkXPress XTensions software JoLetter and a ReadMe file with latest information according to the delivered version.

For installation of the JoLetter XTensions software you have to copy the JoLetter to the XTensions folder of QuarkXPress. After restarting QuarkXPress JoLetter is ready for use.

Windows

JoLetter is delivered as a zip-File for Windows. By double-clicking the archive-file it creates a folder named JoLetter. You can place this folder anywhere on your hard disk. The folder contains the QuarkXPress XTensions software JoLetter and a readme.txt file with latest information according to the delivered version.

For installation of the JoLetter XTensions software you have to copy JoLetter in the XTensions™-folder of QuarkXPress. After restarting QuarkXPress JoLetter is ready for use.

Disclaimer of Quark, Inc.

QUARK MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, REGARDING THE ENCLOSED SOFTWARE PACKAGE, IST MERCHANTABILITY, OR ITS FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. QUARK DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES RELATING TO THE ENCLOSED SOFTWARE PACKAGE. ALL OTHER WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, COLLATERAL, MADE BY THE DISTRIBUTORS, RETAILERS OR DEVELOPERS OF THE ENCLOSED SOFTWARE ARE DISCLAIMED BY QUARK, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, NON-INFRINGEMENT, COMPATIBILITY, OR THAT THE SOFTWARE IS ERROR-FREE, OR THAT ERRORS CAN OR WILL BE CORRECTED. SOME JURISDICTIONS, STATES, OR PROVINCES DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON IMPLIED WARRANTIES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO PARTICULAR USERS.

REGARDLESS OF WHETHER ANY REMEDY FAILS OF ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE, IN NO EVENT SHALL QUARK OR ANY ENTITY WHICH CONTROLS, IS CONTROLLED BY, OR IS UNDER COMMON CONTROL OF QUARK, BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST TIME, LOST SAVINGS, LOST DATA, LOST FEES, OR EXPENSES OF ANY KIND ARISING FROM INSTALLATION OR USE OF THE SOFTWARE OR ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION IN ANY MANNER, HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY. IN ANY EVENT, QUARK’S LIABILITY RELATING TO THE SOFTWARE SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT PAID BY USERS TO QUARK, IF ANY. THESE LIMITATIONS WILL APPLY EVEN IF QUARK HAS BEEN ADVISED OF SUCH POSSIBLE DAMAGES. SOME JURISDICTIONS, STATES, OR PROVINCES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITAION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION INCLUDED IN THIS LICENSE AGREEMENT MAY NOT APPLY TO PARTICULAR DEVELOPERS.

Quark, QuarkXPress, QuarkXPress Passport, QuarkXTensions und XTensions sind Warenzeichen von Quark, Inc. und aller betreffenden verbundenen Unternehmen, Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off. und in vielen anderen Ländern. Das Quark Logo und das XTensions Logo sind Warenzeichen von Quark, Inc. und aller betreffenden verbundenen Unternehmen.

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