1.6

l
Padding character: Which character to add if the counter's value is smaller than
the width.
l
Width: The number of digits the counter will have (prefix and suffix not included). If
the width is larger than the current counter value, the padding character will be used
on the left of the counter value, until the width is equal to the set value. For example
for a counter value of "15", a width of "4" and padding character of "0", the value will
become "0015".
l
Prefix: String to add before the counter, for example, adding # to get #00001. The
prefix length is not counted in the width.
l
Suffix: String to add after the counter. The suffix length is not counted in the width.
3.
Click Finish to generate the Counter record set.
Tip
While the Generate Counter script is really useful for things like raffle tickets, it's unusable in
combination with a data file or database, as it cannot complement that data automatically. This can
only be done with a script. A script that adds a counter to data, using the current record index to
calculate the current counter value, can be found in this how-to: Manual counter in designer.
Variable Data
Variable data are data from a database or data file that are used to personalize documents for
each customer. Variable data fields can be inserted in the text directly. For example, if a
person's last name can be found in your data, the field that holds the last name can be used in
the text of a letter or email. Scripts in PrintShop Mail Connect Designer are the basis of
Variable Data Printing.
After loading data from a data file or database (see "Loading data" on page202), you can add
variable data fields to the contents of your template. You can do this via the drag-and-drop
method, or using the Text Script Wizard.
Use the Text Script Wizard when there are empty fields in the data, and the value of a data
field needs to be preceded or followed by a space, line break or text in the template. Otherwise,
empty data fields will cause empty lines and superfluous white spaces to show up in the text.
You should also use this method for blocks of data, such as address blocks, and when you
want to format data differently, for example, when you want a number to be displayed as a
currency.
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