7.4

Using the File Viewer
The File Viewer is like a Data Selector without any data related options, such as emulation settings. It is displayed when doing
a data selection from the Generic Splitter Task (see Generic Splitter) with the Use Emulation option unchecked. The only
data formatting codes to which the File Viewer responds are line breaks.
For more information on the selecting data, see The Data Selector.
Choosing a Database Type Sample Data File
The procedure for selecting a sample data file that is in fact a database is the same as doing so in PlanetPress Design. For
more information, please see the relevant page in the PlanetPress Design User Guide.
You can also use the PlanetPress Database Action Task to get data form a database, and output in multiple different
formats such as CSV. See PlanetPress Database.
Data Selections in PlanetPress Workflow Tools
A data selection is simply a reference to a given location within the job file or metadata file, using the current emulation. Data
selections are always evaluated at runtime so they are always dynamic and depend on the job file that is currently being proc-
essed. When you make a data selection, the PlanetPress Suite Workflow Tools Configuration program converts it to text form,
using coordinates to reference the selected location.
There are three types of data selections you can use in the PlanetPress Workflow Tools. The available type of data selection
depends on which emulation you are using and whether or not you have created Metadata.
You can add data selections to variable properties of your tasks either automatically using the data selector (see The Data
Selector) or manually by typing in the data selection.
It is strongly recommended to use the automatic method, as it returns precisely the same selections but is generally
more reliable
Text-Based Data Selections
These selections are used for text data files such as Line Printer, ASCIIand Channel Skip emulations. The selection refers to a
rectangular selection that may contain multiple lines, rows, columns on a given page.
Syntax
@(page number, from line, to line, from column, to column, case option, trim option)
Here is a breakdown of the syntax (all options are mandatory):
l @():Always surrounds a data selection.
l Page Number:The data page number from which you want the data selection to grab the data. If you want to get
data from each page individually, this has to be done after a splitter.
Data in PlanetPress Suite Workflow Tools