7.4

Contextual Menu
In any variable properties box, you may use the contextual (right-click) menu to add variables and control characters, as well
as to get data and make data selections. The lower part of the contextual menu is divided into 4 items that provide variable
properties:
l Variables
l System: Contains system variables, also called Standard Variables.
l Job Info: Contains Job Info variables from %1 to %9
l Local Variables: Contains a list of local variables in this process. If no local variables exist, this item is dis-
abled.
l Global Variables:Contains a list of global variables in this configuration. If no global variables exist, this item
is disabled.
l Control Characters:Contains a list of control characters that can be used in printers.
l Get Data Value: Brings up the Data Selector, retrieves the value you select and places it in the variable properties
box. This information becomes static and does not change between each datapage and job file.
l Get Data Location:Brings up the Data Selector and records your selection. The data selection is dynamic, meaning
it will get the data located in the area you choose, every time a new data file passes through it. This is indicated by a
data selection (see Data Selections in PlanetPress Workflow Tools).
l Get Metadata Value:Brings up the Data Selector with only the Metadata tab visible and lets you select the value
(contents)of a Metadata attribute or field. The result is static and does not change between jobs.
l Get Metadata Location:Brings up the Data Selector with only the Metadata tab visible and lets you select the loca-
tion of the data. The result is variable and changes between jobs.
Get Metadata Location and Get Metadata Value, introduced in PlanetPress Suite 7.4, can be of great help if working
with very large data files that take too long to display in the Data Selector, or files that are of a format not recognized by Plan-
etPress Workflow. Because the Data Selector does not show the Data tab, it does not load these files so it does not read them
or attempt to make data selections on them.
You can quickly identify variable information that is already present in your variable properties as such:
l A percentage sign identifies standard variables, as well as standard and custom job info variables — %f, for example.
l A backslash indicates a control character — \004, for example.
l An at sign (@) indicates a data selection for emulations other than database — @(1,1,1,1,17,KeepCase,Trim), for
example.
l Field indicates a data selection for a database emulation — field(1,0,0,'Billing_Email',KeepCase,NoTrim), for example.
Unknown Tasks
An unknown task is a task location that is not linked to any existing known task. Unknown tasks can have multiple causes:
l Cutting an input or output task will replace it with an unknown task. See Cutting, Copying and Pasting Tasks and
Branches
l Creating a new branch will create an unknown output task in that branch. See Adding Branches
l Using Branch From Here... will create an unknown output task below that branch. See Adding Branches
l Opening a configuration that contains additional plug-ins that are not installed on that system will cause these plug-ins
to be replaced by unknown tasks. Installing the additional plug-ins and re-opening the configuration will restore the
plug-ins and their properties.
l Opening a configuration that contains plug-ins only available in PlanetPress Production or Office (such as Create PDF)
from a PlanetPress Watch installation will cause these plug-ins to be replaced by unknown tasks. Opening the