Conditioning: flexibility and power

For a computer tool to be truly efficient it must be conditionable in its behavior.

The operating methods of Validoc are conditionable.

In this way they have been made flexible and effective.

Validoc allows conditioning, among others, on the following operations:

• choice of spool AS/400 (iSeries – System i – IBM i) to be processed
• addition of graphics
• elimination of parts of the print
• font and barcode settings
• displacements and copying of print areas
• setting of automatic page numbering
• detail and print foot restructuring
• spool subdivision
• saving documents in a PC environment
• setting the name of the generated document on PC
• shipping by e-mail or fax
• adding passwords to PDFs
• creation of zipped PC files and related password protection
• selection phase for sending by fax and/or e-mail

More generally, all operations performed by Validoc are conditionable.

The conditions can be performed in AND/OR combinations (for example: the carrier has code 12 and the customer is an Italian customer).

The operands of the conditionings, that is the elements on which the evaluations can be performed, are:

• text elements of the processed print
• name of the AS400 spool
• module type (FORMTYPE)
• copy of the form
• user data (USRDTA)
• print queue
• username
• page number

The operators can be:

• EQUAL TO
• DIFFERENT FROM
• GREATER THAN
• GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO
• LESSER THAN
• LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO
• CONTAINS (Like)
• DOES NOT CONTAIN (Not Like)

All the above operands are present in the print (print content) or are AS/400 environment parameters of the print itself (spool name, module type, etc.).

Sometimes, however, the data with which you want to condition the print with does not appear in the spool.

Going back to the previous example, there may not be a vector code in the print with which to condition the operation.

Validoc allows you to find it, during the printing preparation operation, using two different methods:

• retrieval of the datum from the contents of an external file
• retrieval of the datum via an external program

With these two methods it is possible to greatly extend the acqusition of the data with which to condition the print.

In fact, if the first of the two methods allows for the pure acquisition of the data on which to operate, the second allows for the introduction of further conditioning logics.

For example: the code of the company issuing the document does not appear in the print, but the company logo must be variable according to this code.

During the preparation of the print, Validoc will recall an external program and pass one or more elements of the text of the print to it.

The program, depending on the input, will search for the company code on the database of the management software, and communicate it back to Validoc, which will then insert the appropriate logo.

The external program is created by the customer (who knows his own management software) on the basis of example programs provided by Record Informatica together with Validoc.

To better understand the potential of Validoc and its conditionings, would you like to try to follow an example of an accompanying invoice management process using Validoc?

If you feel like it, read below.

Step 1: A three-copy invoice is printed: sender, recipient and carrier. Validoc distributes the three copies, as indicated, to three different printers in the company: “sender” to the administration printer, “recipient” to the printer of the post office and “carrier” to the printer of the warehouse for shipping.

Step 2: if the copy for the recipient is already sent by fax or email Validoc will not print it to avoid wasting paper and time.

Step 3: The decision to send by fax or e-mail is based on the presence in the customer’s personal datasheet that indicates which method to follow for the shipment, or alternatively, the presence of the fax number or addressmail or on the basis of any other reasoning that the company decides to follow to condition this operation.

Step 4: the graphic of the three printed copies (sender, recipient, carrier), which differs only by the words “”Sender copy “, “Recipient Copy”, etc. is combined with the appropriate copy based, simply, on the copy number.

Step 5: The Carrier copy undergoes the deletion of economic data. Always or conditionally.

Step 6: Document pages undergo further differentiation in graphics. The first pages do not have the print “foot”, that is the portion of the print that contains the totals and the VAT. This saves some room in the print. The foot is also printed on the last page of the document. This mechanism is activated via conditioning, to determine which graphics to apply, and with “detail restructuring” (function of Validoc) to recover the space from the first pages, normally used by the “foot” (detail restructuring is a Validoc process that DOES NOT require programming. If you want to see a complete example, click here for the italian version).

Step 7: The graphic is further differentiated according to the customer’s language. The fixed wording will be printed in the customer’s language.

Step 8: The copy for the recipient is saved to a file server on the local network for consultation by the users of the company. If the customer of the document is a foreign customer, the foreign commercial branch of the sending company receives an email with the invoice attached in PDF. If the customer receives the invoice by fax or mail, the foreign branch can still be sent the email (less expensive and more practical).

Step 9: If the customer prefers to receive the e-mail with the enclosed document protected, he will receive the attached PDF protected by a read password (indicated by the customer or decided by the company issuing the document). The issuing company may decide to prevent the modification of the PDF by introducing password protection. The PDF can be generated “graphic” or with copiable text and, possibly, inserted in a ZIP file.

Step 10: A further copy of the PDF can be saved on the web server of the issuing company, so that the customer can download it from their customer area.