Note: Printing functionality is currently only supported in the Aeon Desktop Client and cannot be performed from the Aeon Web Client.
To print most Aeon documents used in processing special collections requests, Aeon uses a combination of document templates (Word documents) and output data files (.xlsx files). During each print process, the data files and the document templates are merged to create the new, complete document to be printed. The Word templates can be edited to suit your needs, and you can also create new templates.
The first time you print something using the Aeon document templates, the desktop client will display the Aeon Printer Settings screen to confirm your printing options for each template. See the section titled Printer Setup in the Configuring Printing section of the documentation for further information.
If you are using Microsoft Word 2013, the default options will not allow printer templates to open properly. To fix this problem, open MS Word and click on File - Options. Uncheck the box that says “Open e-mail attachments and other uneditable files in reading view.”
Changing a Document's Data Source
Use the following steps to change a document template's data source.
- To change a document's data source, open the Word document you wish to change.
- Go to the Mailings menu and select Start Mail Merge.
- Then select Step by Step Mail Merge Wizard. The Mail Merge Wizard opens on the right side of the Word window.
- To change the data file being used, under the Select Recipients heading, choose to Use an existing list.
- Under the Use an existing list heading, click browse. The Select DataSource window opens.
- Navigate to the logged-on user's Documents\Aeon\Print\ directory and select the .xlsx data file.
Using Merge Fields
Adding New Merge Fields
You can add any Aeon field related to the current record by clicking the Mailings Menu and choosing the Insert Merge Field drop-down box. A list of all available database fields appears. Clicking a field name on the list will add the record to the mail merge document and show a merge tag within the template.
Adding Custom Fields as Merge Fields
As of v5.1, Aeon allows for the creation of an unlimited number of custom fields. When a new custom field is created in the Aeon Customization Manager, this field is also added to the list of available merge fields on print templates in Microsoft Word up to a limit of 255 total merge fields. If a large number of custom fields are added to Aeon and this limit on the number of merge fields is exceeded, Word will begin removing existing custom fields from the available merge fields in this order: Activity fields, then User fields, then Transaction fields. If any custom fields are removed on a template as a result of exceeding the limit, a warning will display at the time of printing. For more information on custom fields, see Unlimited Custom Fields.
Editing the Date Format in a Merge Field
The default PrintDigitizationRequest.docx template is designed differently than the other default print templates. See Editing the Print Digitization Request Template if you choose to edit this document.
You can easily edit the date formats of merge fields such as TransactionDate and ItemDate using date/time format switches. This allows you to change a date field from the default format of MM/DD/YYYY (4/4/2010) to, for example, MMMM dd, yyyy (April 4, 2010). To change the date format in a merge field, open the Word template and follow the directions below:
- First, find the date field that you want to reformat, for example, <<TransactionDate>>.
- To view the field as it will appear when printed, open the Mailings tab, and click the Preview Results button. The default <<TransactionDate>> field appears in the format 4/4/2010.
- After locating and viewing the field you want to edit, click the Preview Results button again to return to the field view.
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Right-click the field you want to edit and select Toggle Field Codes from the edit menu. The merge field data appears:
Date: { MERGEFIELD TransactionDate } -
Add the switch to the end of the merge field:
Date: { MERGEFIELD TransactionDate \@MMMM dd, yyyy } -
Click Preview Results again to view the date field as it will now display on your printed document:
Date: April 4, 2010 -
Click Preview Results once more to return to the field view, and click Save to save the changes to your template.
For further information about format switches, please see the Microsoft Word documentation.
You can also use the Edit Field command to open an edit box and type your switch there if you prefer. You would need to click the Field Codes button to view the merge field data in the edit box. Clicking the Options button allows you to add other general and field-specific switches directly to the merge field.
Hidden Field Codes
There is also hidden code in each label that allows Aeon to change what is displayed based on information in the record. Click File > Options > Advanced, and then under Show document content, clear the Show field codes instead of their values checkbox. The field codes hide the Word Fields that allow the system to change the label based on the information in the record. For example, if your label has an ALLOWPHOTO field, it checks this field in the database to see if the value is No, and if so, DO NOT PHOTOCOPY will appear on the label.
Adding If/Then Statements
To add an IF Statement:
- Choose Rules from the Mailings Menu.
- From that menu choose If... Then... Else.
- When the screen appears to fill out the fields appropriately.
- Click OK to add the If Statement to the document.
- If you cannot see the text within the Word Field, right-click at the cursor and choose Toggle Field Codes.
Once you have finished making changes to the labels, mark the file as read-only so that the users won't be able to accidentally change the file. Usually, the files should be saved to your Aeon share on the server within a print subfolder.
Adding Multiple Templates to a Print Template Customization Key
You can add multiple templates to the print template customization keys, enabling the ability to print more than one document for a given print process.
Separate the template names with a comma, pipe, or semicolon:
- MyPrintTemplate1.docx,MyPrintTemplate2.docx,MyPrintTemplate3.docx
- MyPrintTemplate1.docx|MyPrintTemplate2.docx|MyPrintTemplate3.docx
- MyPrintTemplate1.docx;MyPrintTemplate2.docx;MyPrintTemplate3.docx
Each template in the customization key will be opened during the printing process.