ClearTools™ Software User Manual
Important User Information In no event will Rockwell Automation, Inc. be responsible or liable for indirect or consequential damages resulting from the use or application of this equipment. The examples and diagrams in this manual are included solely for illustrative purposes. Because of the many variables and requirements associated with any particular installation, Rockwell Automation, Inc. cannot assume responsibility or liability for actual use based on the examples and diagrams.
Content Introduction 1 About the program ........................................................................................................ 1 About this manual ......................................................................................................... 1 Layout and format ......................................................................................................... 2 Definitions ..................................................................................................
Docking bars view .......................................................................................... 59 Project Explorer........................................................................................................... 60 Shortcut menu ................................................................................................ 61 Property Explorer ........................................................................................................ 63 Marker Properties................
Program start ............................................................................................... 105 File extensions ............................................................................................. 105 Directory ....................................................................................................... 106 Administration .............................................................................................. 107 Color coding .......................................
Adjust printer offset ...................................................................................... 151 Setting up print jobs .................................................................................................. 156 Example: ...................................................................................................... 157 Fast printing .............................................................................................................. 158 Printing directly............
Introduction About the program The program is designed for printing on Marker Cards. The program has to be installed on a local computer. No server version is available. About this manual The manual assumes that you have practical experience of the Microsoft Windows operating system used by the software. If you are not familiar with the basics of Windows, please refer to the Windows user manual.
Layout and format The user manual applies the following conventions: Bold Important elements in the program like buttons, menu items, toolbars, names, etc. are printed in bold. „ “ Names of windows and dialogs and references to other sections are enclosed in double quotes. > This character separates two successive menu items (e.g. View > Zoom) This symbol means that the actions which follow must be carried out in the specified order.
General Operation Introduction This section explains the various ways you can start and exit the program. You will also find general information about the program structure and the layout of the user interface. Starting/exiting the program Starting the program Double-click on the icon on your computer desktop. Exiting the program On the menu bar, select File > Exit. If a project is still open, a dialog appears where you can save the project.
User interface The user interface is where you edit the markers. It is displayed automatically when you start the program. The user interface contains everything you need for editing a marker. Depending on the configuration, the user interface can include different elements: For further information, please refer to the chapter "User interface".
Supported file types The following file types are supported when files are opened: User Manual ClearTools Content File (*.mpc) ClearTools Order File (*.mpo) ClearTools Template (*.mpt) ClearTools Document (*.abp) ClearTools Document (*.mld) ClearTools Document (*.tmf) ClearTools Export File (*.rde) TXX/TXY Files (*.txx; *.txy) Microsoft Excel Worksheet (*.
Commonly used functions This section describes the commonly used functions by way of example. Editing elements You can create elements from the "Insert" menu on the menu bar, or the "Elements" toolbar (see chapter "Toolbars"). Before you can edit one or more elements, you first have to select them. (see chapter "Selecting elements"). See also "Advanced options in Property Explorer". Insert text field Create new text field Click on the icon on the opposite or, on the menu bar, select Insert > Text field.
Inserting a shape Create rectangle/square Click on this icon, or on the menu bar, select Insert > Rectangle. Hold down the left mouse button and drag to create a rectangle. Draw line Click on this toolbar icon, or on the menu bar, select Insert > Line. Keep the left mouse button pressed as you draw the line. Draw circle/ellipse Click on this icon, or on the menu bar, select Insert > Ellipse. Hold down the left mouse button and drag to create the ellipse.
Insert image The program supports the image formats BMP, EMF, GIF ICO, JPG, PNG, WMF and TIFF. Insert image Click on this icon, or on the menu bar, select Insert > Image. Hold down the left mouse button and drag to create a border. A dialog appears, where you can select the image file and open it by clicking on the Open button. The selected image is pasted in the border. You can use the Property Explorer to specify whether to keep the image in its original size, or resize the image to fit the border.
Inserting special characters You can use the Character Map to select fonts, and to see all the characters and special characters that are available with that font. To open the character map, select View > Character Map >Font on the menu bar. Click on the arrow in the first list box to select the font, and the arrow in the second list box to select the language. Position the cursor where you want the character to appear.
Inserting symbols You can select and paste symbols using the Symbol Explorer. To open the character map, select View > Symbols to open the Symbol Explorer. Click on the symbol you want to paste. Move the mouse to the field you want to contain the symbol. Hold down the left mouse button and drag to create a rectangle. The symbol is pasted in the field. You can resize the symbol by clicking on it once and dragging the corners to make the rectangle larger or smaller.
Selecting elements Select element After clicking on this icon, you can click on elements to select them. Select multiple elements If the elements you want to select are next to each other, you can select them all in a single action by drawing a selection box around them. Click on this icon to activate the element selection box. Press and hold down the left mouse button. Draw a box around the elements you want to select.
Rotating elements Click on the element (text, shape, image, barcode) you want to rotate. Select Shape > Rotate…. The following dialog appears: Specify the details of the rotation you want, then confirm by clicking on OK. Make sure that, if necessary, the element fits the dimensions of the marker area when it is rotated. Example: This image shows the element before it is rotated: ...
Copying and pasting elements During copying and pasting, only the document-individual properties can be shared. However, the properties are only pasted to their full extent if it is the same element type (e.g. text on text, image on image). Click on the element (or several elements) you want to rotate. Select Edit > Copy. Click on the element that you want to paste. Select Edit > Paste to paste the content OR Edit > Paste Elements to paste the element.
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Locking elements Text fields, image fields, barcodes and shapes can all be locked. However, you can still change the content and formatting of locked text fields. A.o., the following properties are locked: - Size and Position Border and Fill Field properties Orientation and tab order Select the element you want to lock. Click on this toolbar icon to lock the selected element.
Changing the order of elements If a number of elements are arranged on top of each other, you can use the "Layout" toolbar to change the order of the elements. The following settings apply to the selected element in the current layer. The element is moved one layer forward. The element is moved one layer backward. The element is brought to the front. The element is sent to the back. Select the element you want to move, then click on the relevant icon.
Change barcode type You can select a barcode type in the "Content" category in the Property Explorer (see chapter "Property Explorer - Content"). Select the desired barcode type in the field "Type". Next, in the "Text preview" field, you can enter the numeric or alphanumeric code, depending on the barcode type. Resizing elements Click on the element you want to resize. Drag the corners to make the element larger or smaller.
Setting the same height Select the elements whose height you want to change, then click on this icon. On the menu bar, select Shape > Same Height to adjust the height. Setting the same width Select the elements whose width you want to change, then click on this icon. On the menu bar, select Shape > Same Width to adjust the width. Edit layers The pages of a marker type are organized into layers: You can use the "Layers" dialog to edit the individual layers.
Click on the arrow in the relevant field to change the frame and fill color. You can select a color from the drop-down list. You can click on the Other... button for advanced color selection options. You can use this dialog to select a standard color or create a custom color. Hiding a layer To disable a layer so that it is no longer visible, click on the eye icon: Layers not showing this icon will not be displayed. You can display the layer by clicking the box again.
Not printing a layer If you do not want to print a layer, click on the printer icon: Layers not showing this icon will not be printed. Adding free layers Unlike the other layers, free layers can be duplicated. Click on this icon in the Layer Explorer to add a new free layer. If you click on the icon again, another free layer is added. Removing free layers In the Layer Explorer, click on the free layer you want to remove.
Moving a free layer to another position If you have created a number of free layers, you can move them under each other, in other words you can change the order of layers on top of each other. The Layer Explorer has the following icons: Moves the layer up one layer. Moves the layer down one layer. Select the free layer you want to move and click on the relevant button.
Predefined Text Sequence Defining predefined text sequences Follow these steps to define a text sequence: Open a marker type and paste the text to be saved (e.g. A 1 to A 10) into a text element. Select the text that you want to save as a text sequence. Select Tools > Predefined Text Sequence…. Give the text sequence a revealing name. Click on Add and then Save. To paste a predefined text sequence, see section "Inserting a predefined text sequence".
Open a marker type and select the element after which the predefined text sequence shall be pasted. Open Tools > Predefined Text Sequence…. Select the required sequence and the number of inserts. Click on Insert.
Consecutive numbering Introduction You can use the "Consecutive Numbering" function to add sequential data to marker types. Only document-individual fields with the autofill function can be inscribed (see chapter "Property Explorer"). Select the field or an area where you want the data to appear. Select Insert > Consecutive Numbering…. The "Consecutive Numbering" dialog opens up.
The dialog contains the following buttons: Click on the OK button to confirm your input. Click on the Cancel button to cancel the process. Click on the Help button to load the Help. Click on the Last sequence button to load the last sequence you used. Click on the Reset to default button to restore the predefined default values. In the "System" group, select the notation you want to use for numbering. Decimal This uses the decimal system, i.e. the ten digits from 0 to 9, then 10, 11, 12, etc.
In the "Input" group, enter the following values: Start Value and End Value Numbering can be in ascending or descending order. The default settings in the Start Value and End Value fields are based on the number of fields selected at the time the dialog opens. Prefix You can prefix one or more alphanumeric characters to the counted value. (e.g. Conductor or C or 2004-) Suffix You can append one or more alphanumeric characters to the counted value (e.g. left or X).
Duplicate sequence This is where you specify the number of times the sequence (the value between start and end) will be needed. Skip tags This is where you specify the number of labeled fields you want to skip. Example: start value = 1, end value = 5, skip = 3 Sequence insert Click on the check box to activate or deactivate this function. If the fields you are labeling already contain text, you can specify where you want the sequential data to appear.
Formatted Sequence The field on the left formats the block, and the field on the right formats the numbering sequence defined by the start value and end value. The following formatting options can be used for the block and the numbering sequence. The block format is only applied if the "Block" field contains an entry. #.00 $#.00 #,###.00 0% The numbers are formatted to two decimal places. For the number sequence 1 to 3, this produces the following formatted numbers: 1.00 then 2.00 then 3.00, etc.
Example 1 We want to label a Marker Card as follows: The start value will be 1 and the end value will be 3. There will be a block in front of the value, counting from the number 0. Each number (block plus start value) will be preceded by a P and concluded by an S. One field will be skipped, i.e. there will be an empty field between the fields containing data. Each field will be printed twice in succession. The values of the block entry will start at 0 and be incremented by 2 i.e. 0, 2, 4, 6.
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Example 2 PLC labeling format We want to mark relays 4, 5 and 6. Each of the relays has five inputs (=I), to be labeled from 0 to 4. Numbering will start with I4.0 to I4.4, then I5.0 to I5.4, and finally I6.0 to I6.4.
Color coding The background and font colors of the numbers 0 to 9 can be set using the Color Coding option. The background and the font colors are set in the Options menu (see chapter "Options - Color coding"). Color coding can only be used in single-lined text! The color coding is applied to complete elements (not to parts of the text). The color coding settings are saved in the project file (e. g. *.mpc). This enables you to create different files with different color codings.
Filter functions Filters in fields Use the filter to view elements with special phrases. Select the menu View > Filter > Filter... to show the filter dialog.
Filter overflow You can show the fields with text overflow by using the menu View > Filter > Filter Overflow. The font size can be narrowed or shortened for these fields.
Multiple insert You can insert multiple text fields, barcodes and images from the clipboard. Select the menu Edit > Multiple Insert... (see chapter "Insert Elements"). Inserting a line break This function allows line breaks to be inserted subsequently in the content of text fields. To do this, select Edit > Insert Line Break... from the menu bar. Excel editing The content of exiting textfields can be edited in Excel. Select the menu Edit > Start Excel editing.
Close Excel or select the menu Edit > Exit Excel editing in the program to paste the content to the application.
Multi-level terminals You can use this function to re-sort selected data with a predefined increment. Select Edit > Multi-level terminal. If no markers were selected, the sorting will be effected using all markers.
User interface Introduction Depending on the configuration, the user interface can include different elements: User Manual 1 Menu bar The menu bar enables you to use the most important program functions. Menu items can be active or inactive. 2 Toolbars You can use the icons of the toolbars to run important menu commands. The toolbars are movable and dockable. 3 Tabs The tabs are arranged below the toolbars. If you click on a tab, the associated marker type moves to the foreground.
5 Project Explorer The default position of the Project Explorer is on the left of the user interface. The Project Explorer has a hierarchical structure, and is used for managing projects (see section "Project Explorer"). 6 Property Explorer You can use the Property Explorer to show or change the properties of different elements (e.g. text fields, images or barcodes (see chapter "Property Explorer"). 7 Workspace The workspace occupies the right of the user interface.
Menu bar This section describes the most important functions of the individual menus. File menu New You can use this menu item to create a new file. Open Opens an existing file. Save Saves a file you have been working on. Save As… Lets you specify a new name when you save a file. Close Closes a file. Import… You can use this menu item to import data from other formats. Batch Import You can import external data via a script. Print… This menu item displays the dialog for printing marker types.
Toggle Plot Mode Changes to plot mode (see section "Plot Mode"). Set Printer Correction… This menu item enables you to perform printer correction (see section "Printer correction"). Set Material-dependent Slip… With this menu item, you can correct the material slip (see section ""). Adjust Marker Type… This menu item enables you to calibrate the marker type (see section "Adjust printer offset"). Send to… This menu item enables you to send your current project by e-mail.
Edit menu Undo This undoes the last editing step. Redo Redoes the steps that have been undone. Redoing relates to the basic functions and cannot be undone again Cut This menu item cuts one or several selected elements. Copy This menu item copies one or several selected elements. Paste This menu item pastes the clipboard content into a selected field.
This menu item pastes a copied element into a selected field (e.g. a symbol). Multiple Insert This menu item enables you to paste a copied element multiple times (see section "Multiple Insert "). Duplicate This menu item duplicates a selected element and places it (slightly offset) on top of the original element. Start Excel editing This menu item starts Excel editing function (see section "Excel editing"). Exit Excel editing This menu item ends Excel editing. Find Calls the search dialogue.
You can use this function to re-sort selected data with a predefined increment (see chapter "Multi-level terminals"). View menu Toolbars This menu item contains the following submenu items. Standard The standard toolbar cannot be disabled. Layout To position elements (e.g. moving, alignment) Format Text Contains text formatting functions like font and font size, color, etc. Borders and Fills Contains the functions for formatting text elements such as line thickness or fill color.
This option shows/hides the caption bar showing the application name and version. Customize... This option shows a dialog in which you can change the way the toolbar icons are displayed on screen, or even create new toolbars. Project Showing or hiding the Project Explorer. Layers Showing or hiding the "Layer Explorer". Properties Showing or hiding the Property Explorer. Character Map Showing or hiding the "Character "Map" dialog. Symbols Showing or hiding the "Symbol" dialog.
The rotated view is possible for all marker types that are NOT "endless". Insert menu Marker type... You can use this context menu item to add a new marker type. The product catalog is shown for selection. New Page Adds a new page for the current marker type. Markers… Adds a selectable number of markers for the marker type. Increment Value The numeric value of a marker/text element is incremented and added to the next marker/text element.
Here, you can insert the field functions (e.g. system date or page number). Text field Inserts a text field. Rounded Text Field Adds a rounded text field Rectangle Adds a rectangle. Line Adds a line. Ellipse Adds an ellipse. Image Adds an image. Barcode This menu item opens another submenu, where you can add a barcode of the type shown (e. g. Code 39, Code 2/5 Industrie, EAN13).
Shape menu You can use this menu to set the layer of the shape, rotate it, move it and change the width and height. Moving a shape Select Shape > Move…. The following dialog appears: User Manual Click on the relevant radio button to indicate the direction you want to move the element. Enter the number of millimeters (inches, m, cm) you want to move the element. The unit of measure displayed depends on the setting in the "Options" dialog. Confirm your input by clicking on OK.
Format menu Font This menu item opens the dialog where you can define the font and font size. Adjust Font size… The font size of text fields with overflow can be adjusted automatically. The optimal font size is determined so there are no longer any overflow fields present.
Tools menu Product Catalog... Open the "Product catalog" dialog, e.g. to add a new marker type to the current project. Predefined Text Sequence… You can use this menu item to define a text sequence which you can then insert by clicking on Paste > Predefined text sequence… (see chapter "Defining predefined text sequences"). Predefined text sequences are only possible for text elements.
Help menu Help Topics This menu item takes you to online help. About … Displays the version number.
The Toolbars This chapter describes the most important elements of the toolbars. Many of the standard icons such as saving, formatting, etc. are not described any further. Standard The standard toolbar is always visible. Symbol description Closing files Closes the open project. A confirmation prompt concerning the saving might appear. Toggle Plot Mode Switches to plot mode. Any elements not plottable (e.g. barcode, rectangle) are not shown in the plot mode.
Showing or hiding the document field selection When you click on an element (e.g. text, image), the associated elements are marked on the other marker (this does not apply to single fields). Show example: Hide example: Locking elements Locks the selected product against format changes. Contents (e.g. text) may still be edited (see chapter "Locking elements"). Sort Markers… Opens the dialogue to sort the markers.
Increase Font size Increase the font size for marked text or text elements. Each click on the symbol increases the font size by one. Decrease Font size Decrease the font size for marked text or text elements. Each click on the symbol decreases the font size by one. Bold Format the marked text or text elements in bold. Italic Format the marked text or text elements in italics. Underline Underline the marked text or the content of text elements.
Set text orientation to 270° Change text color Select the text color of marked text or of the content of text elements. Color coding The set color coding is applied to the selected text element (see chapter "Color coding"). Borders and Fills If you cannot see the toolbar, select View > Toolbars > Format text. You can also use the Property Explorer to change the color and fill pattern (see section "Borders and Fills").
Elements You can show or hide the "Elements" toolbar. On the menu bar, select View > Toolbars > Elements. Symbol description Select Selection tool to select elements. Can also be used in combination with the control key and the shift key. Area selection (see chapter "Selecting elements"). Text field Draw a text field on the marker using the mouse. Rounded Text Field Drag the mouse to create a rounded text field on the marker. Create rectangle/square Draw a rectangle on the marker using the mouse.
You can set the exact size and position of elements in the "Property" explorer. See chapter "Commonly used functions" for further instructions on how to Paste elements.
Docking bars view You can show or hide the "Docking bars view" toolbar. On the menu bar, select View > Toolbars > Docking bars view. Symbol description Showing or hiding the Project Explorer See chapter "Project Explorer". Showing or hiding layers See chapter "Layers". Showing or hiding properties See chapter "Property Explorer". Showing or hiding the character map See chapter "Inserting special characters”.
Project Explorer To show or hide, select View > Project on the menu bar. If you have opened a project, it appears in the Project Explorer, with its subprojects. The individual marker types are displayed for each subproject and the associated pages appear under the marker types.
Shortcut menu Click on an object in the Project Explorer, then click the right mouse button. This opens the shortcut menu. The shortcut menu contains functions that are relevant to the particular object. In other words, only the functions in dark type are available. Copy You can use this context menu item to copy a selected marker type or subproject. Paste Select the project or subproject to which you want to paste the copied marker type or subproject.
Print This menu item displays the dialogue window for printing marker types. Delete this Page Mark the page you wish to delete. Delete page A selection dialogue enables you to select the pages to be deleted. Delete Marker type This shortcut menu item deletes the currently selected marker type. The deleted marker type no longer appears in the Project Explorer. Delete Subproject This item removes the currently selected subproject. The deleted subproject no longer appears in the Project Explorer.
Property Explorer The Property Explorer displays the properties of a text field, an image or a barcode. To show or hide the layers, select View > Properties on the menu bar. The view of the Property Explorer can be selected on the icon buttons. Show properties sorted by categories. Show properties sorted alphabetically. The set properties are saved as a default for the selected object. The properties of "locked" fields cannot be set as a default. Please unlock them first (see section "Behavior").
Marker Properties If you click on the marker name in the Project Explorer, the marker properties are displayed. Maker type title - Title of marker type - You can change the name. Marker type The selected marker type. If you selected another marker, the program tries to paste the contents of the other marker (see "Edit Menu"). Printer The printer allocated to the marker type (see "Print"). Correction The locked printer corrections.
Showing Properties To view the Property Explorer, select View > Properties. Click on the element with the properties you want to change. The Property Explorer shows different properties, depending on the selected element. Locked (grayed-out) properties are either not available or locked for the selected element. To unlock them, set the property "Locked" on "No" (see section "Important Properties").
Adjusting Properties The Property Explorer is subdivided into the following categories, which are described in more detail below. General Size and Position Border and Fill Behavior Field Content General Name 66 User interface - Designation of the marked element. - You can change the name. - This name is also used for assigning columns when data is imported (see chapter "Import - Field mappings"). - This name also appears as a column heading in the data grid.
Size and Position You can use this category to specify the size and position of the element. Distances are measured from the origin, which is located in the top left corner of the Marker Card The unit of the measures is set in the options dialogue (see chapter "Options"). The "Moving elements" section describes alternative methods for moving an element.
Border and Fill You can use this category to specify the line thickness, color, pattern and line type of the selected object. A color value can be entered directly for the color settings. The color value is created as follows: RRGGBB (red, green, blue) Use hexadecimal values.
Behavior User Manual Orientation - Element orientation in steps of 90°. - only for text field, image and barcode - document-individual property Locked - Element lock - Locked elements cannot be modified. - Exception: The contents of text fields can still be modified. - The properties of locked elements cannot be set as default.
Tab order - Order by which the field is selected with the tab/enter key. - Values from 1 to x are admitted - Fields with the same tab order are selected in the order of their creation. Example: Barcode Adjust size: Yes The barcode field is compressed horizontally. The numbers thus close ranks. Adjust size: No The original distance between the numbers remains, but not all contents are shown. Image Adjust size: Without The original size is shown.
Field You can use the "Field" category to specify the type of the field. You can choose from these field types: Single field - A single field has no association with any other field. - Single fields each have their own separate formatting and content. - If you make changes to a single field, the changes only apply to that particular field. - The opposite of a single field is a document field. Identical document - Exists on every marker area.
Example: Single field Identical document field Individual document field 72 User interface User Manual
Content The contents of single elements. User Manual Text preview - The text content of the element. - Only for text field and barcode Data source - The name of the element that is used as data source for synchronization (see chapter "Synchronize content"). - Only for text field and barcode Color coding - The saved color coding is applied to numbers entered (see "Color coding"). - Only for text field. Type - For images: the way the image is pasted.
Selecting elements Click on this symbol in the "Property Explorer" to specifically select elements. This displays all layers and the elements in the layers in a tree structure. Example: The figure above shows Page 01 with the project layer and eight project areas. You can also see the marker layer with one marker area containing a barcode and a text field. Clicking on the barcode, for example, activates it in the marker area on the workspace, ready for editing.
Workspace The workspace shows the start page as a default when the application is started (Menu View > Show start page). When you open a project/marker type, it is displayed in the workspace. Shortcut menu in the workspace Right-click inside the workspace. This shortcut menu appears: Insert New Page A new page is added to the active marker type in the workspace. Insert Marker type You can use this context menu item to add a new marker.
The layers The pages of a marker type are organized into the following layers: - Locked layer Free layer Marker layer Project layer Background layer In principle, a page consists of either four or five layers. A Marker Cardpage has all five layers. All other marker types have all the layers except the project layer. Background layer The purpose of the background layer is to provide visual support for the user. You can change the color of the background layer and add elements to it (text and images).
The Layer Explorer has the following toolbar: You can only use the icon buttons on the free layers. Click on this icon to add a new free layer. Click on this icon to delete the selected free layer. Click on this icon to move the selected free layer up one layer. Click on this icon to move the selected free layer down one layer. Click on this icon to reduce all free layers to a single layer. You cannot undo this action. Click on the layer you want to change, then click on the relevant icon.
You can use the dialog to change the name, frame color and fill color of the selected layer. You can also specify whether you want the layer to be visible or not, and whether you want to print it or not. The dialog also has an option to lock the layer. After changing the settings, confirm by clicking on OK. 78 User interface If you click on the Set as Default button, you can save your settings and use them as the default settings the next time you open a new marker type.
Data Grid Explorer To show or hide the layers, select View > Data Grid on the menu bar. The data grid shows the contents of text and barcode fields and allows the editing of the contents (paste, edit, copy/paste).
Shortcut menu of the data grid The shortcut menu of the data grid allows you to call up different general program functionalities. To show and mark a field of the data grid in the workspace, right-click into the field and select Show element in layout in the shortcut menu. Line height and column width of the data grid The line height and column widths can be fitted to the optimal width or height of the table content.
Getting started Introduction This section is for users with a sound knowledge of Windows. The following step-by-step explanation shows the main things you need to do to effortlessly add data to marker types. Step 1: Starting the program Double-click on the program icon on the desktop. or Call up the program via Start – Programs – Rockwell Automation- Clear Tools.
In the left pane under "Catalog", click on the marker type you want to use. In the right pane, select the variant by clicking on it, then click on the Select product button. The marker type is opened. Step 3: Add data to the marker Click with the left mouse button to select the marker you want to add text to. To move to the next marker, press the Enter key or click on the marker you want to move to.
Step 5: Print the marker type On the menu bar, select File > Print.... Select a printer from the printer list and click on Map. In the next dialog, select the printer type (printer/plotter). Select a marker type from the list and click on the Print button (also see the "Printing" chapter). If no printer has been mapped to any or all of the marker types to be printed, pressing the Print button sends the data to the default printer.
Managing projects Project structure A project (1) can be made up of a number of subprojects (2). These subprojects can contain any number of Marker Cards. A marker type can consist of several pages (4) and can include a range of elements, such as text, barcodes, images and shapes like lines, rectangles, etc. All images and barcodes are stored in dedicated folders.
The currently open file or the most recently opened file appears at the top of the list under the Open option on the start page.
Changing the project name When you open a new marker type, a new project category is created automatically, with the default name "New Project". If the Project Explorer does not appear, see "General Operation". Follow these steps if you want to use a different name: Click on the "New Project" category. Click on this icon on the toolbar. If the toolbar "Properties" does not appear, see "General Operation". The "Property Explorer" appears.
Adding a marker type to a project You can assign additional marker types to a project. Right-click inside the Project Explorer. The following shortcut menu appears: Select Add New Marker Type on the shortcut menu. Follow the steps as instructed, and the marker type is pasted in the Project Explorer.
User Manual Managing projects 89
Adding a subproject To make it easier for you to manage the marker types in a project, you can organize them in subprojects. Follow these steps to add a subproject: Click on the main project at the top of the hierarchy, then right-click on it. The following shortcut menu appears: Select Insert New Subproject on the shortcut menu. The subproject is placed in the hierarchy below the main project.
Adding a marker type to the subproject Click on the subproject and use the shortcut menu to add a new marker type (see also "Adding a marker type to a project"). Follow these steps if you want to add an existing marker type to the subproject: Left-click on the marker type you want to move and hold down the mouse button. Keeping the mouse button pressed, drag the marker type to the subproject. The marker type now appears in the hierarchy under the subproject.
Removing a marker type Click on the marker type you want to remove, then click the right mouse button. Select Delete Marker Type on the shortcut menu.
Removing a subproject Click on the subproject you want to remove, then click the right mouse button. Select "Delete Subproject" on the shortcut menu. User Manual The subproject is removed along with all its associated marker types.
Closing the project Right-click inside the Project Explorer. Select "Close File" on the shortcut menu. If the file has not been saved, a message box appears asking whether you want to save the file or not.
Product Catalog Introduction The product catalog contains all the products, with variants, that are available for you to use in the application. The "Product Catalog" dialog opens automatically when you start the program: You can select a marker type open the project edited lately. open a particular project. The "Product Catalog" dialog can also be used to organize products. For example, you can keep products in a special product category if you use them regularly.
You can double-click on the photograph to open a new window with a magnified view of the product. If you click on Product Website, a product data sheet appears via the Internet. The link only appears if there is a data sheet for the product. This dialog includes the following buttons: Click on this button to open the last project you worked on. This button is only available after the program start. Open an existing project (see chapter "Managing projects").
Click on the category to which you want to add a product. Select Marker > Add. The following dialog appears: The dialog contains all the products that are available for you to use in the application and that have been saved in a dedicated folder. Select the product you want to add and click on the Open button. The selected product is added to the category. Exit the product catalog by clicking on the Close Catalog button. The catalog is saved automatically.
Removing a product Select the product you want to remove by clicking on it. In the menu bar of the “Product catalogue” window, click on Marker type >Remove. The product is removed from the catalog after a confirmation prompt. The product has ONLY been removed from the catalog. It is not deleted from the application folder and can be re-added at any time. Removing all products from a category Click on the category from which you want to remove all products. Select Category > Empty.
User Manual Enter the product name in the "Variant" field or the relevant product number in the "Material No." field. As soon as you enter the first character, all products starting with that character are displayed. Click on the product you are looking for to select it, then confirm your choice with OK.
Renaming a product To give the products in the catalog another name (e.g. a company-internal name), you can rename the title and/or the variant name of a product. The changed variant names are, for example, displayed: - In the properties (see chapter "Properties - General"). - in the printing dialog (see chapter "Calling up the printing menu"). Follow these steps to rename a variant: Open the product catalog by clicking on Tools > Product Catalog. Select the marker type.
Options dialog Introduction This section explains the basic settings that can be set via the options dialog. To open the options dialog, call the menu Tools > Options…. Environment The environmental settings define the view and the general basic settings. General History list of last files The list of the most recently opened project files is displayed in the menu File and on the start page. Dimension Unit The unit of measure used in the entire program (inch, mm, cm, µm) is assigned here.
An automatic file saving is effected in the selected intervals Use Project Mode as default The project mode can only be used for marker types with a project layer. In the project mode, only the first project markers of identically labeled project markers are labeled. Project mode: NO Project mode: YES If you inserted (e.g. via the data grid) a different project marker labeling (e. g. „P1a“), a new project marker would be created from this marker on.
Close project when the last marker type was closed If the box was checked, the project is closed once the last register (see "User interface") was closed. Otherwise, you can reopen the register cards via the project tree view. Show overflow detection (Import, Printing) If the box was checked, the program automatically checks whether all characters of a field are shown after an import or before printing.
View Grid settings The settings for the grid (see chapter "Menu view"). Duplicate The offset measures of the duplicated object (see chapter "Edit menu"). Only show the first project marker of a project Only shows the first project marker if the project marker contents are the same: Show data view when starting The data view is shown when the program is started.
Program start Control the behavior after the program start. File extensions Here, you can link different file extensions to a script file. If the program opens the file (e.g. via the command line), the script file is automatically run.
Directory Directories The displayed areas are preset and browsed through in the saved directories. Program settings Modified program settings can be saved (exported) and/or loaded (imported). Company-internal settings may, for example, be set once and be installed on other workplaces. Program settings that can be stored are, e.g.
Administration Share print settings see descriptive text in the dialog. Protect print settings You can retain a password to protect the measured print settings against modifications. Before any modification in the printer values, a password query is effected. After the installation, there is NO password. Color coding Determining the color codings for the numbers 0 to 9 (see also "Color coding").
Standards Font: Here you select a font to be used as the preferred font when new marker types are inserted in a project. This means that the fonts stored in the configuration files are not used. This setting is only applied when the program has been restarted. Use Config Font Resets the font that was selected via "Font".
Afterwards the respective fonts of the added marker types are used. This setting is only applied when the program has been restarted. Plotter Settings for connected plotters. General General settings for the plot mode and the plotter speed.
Marker Card Fixture Plotter settings for Marker Cards. PLOTPLTA Fixture Plotter settings for PLOTPLTA fixtures to fix sizes 4 to 6.
Pen Priming Prime options for the plotter pen.
ClearMark General Setting the print options for the ClearMark Cleaning Introducing the cleaning process for the ClearMark.
Note that the head-flushing consumes more ink than print-head cleaning. Current configuration Display of the current printer configuration.
Cleaning Introducing the cleaning process for the .
Opening other file types Opening other file types This section explains how to open a file that was not created using the program. Select File > Open. The "Open" dialog appears, listing all existing files: Select one of the following file types: *.abp *.mld *.mpc *.mpo *.mpt *.rde *.tmf *.txx *.txy *.xls Document Document Content File Order File Template Export file Document Microsoft Excel worksheet All the available files of this file type are listed.
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If the marker type could not be found in the catalog, a message box appears: Select the marker type and confirm by clicking on OK. The data is added to the markers.
Calling up command lines Introduction The program can also be started via the command line (prompt). You will get the call-up parameters by entering the path to the program file, followed by the callup parameter „/?“. Call-up parameter exe Open or print a file ClearTools.exe [-p] "datei (*.abp|*.mld|*.mpc|*.mpo|*.mpt|*.rde|*.tmf|*.txx|*.txy)" Import ClearTools.exe "file name" [-p] [-ImportFilter:"script file name (*.mis)"] [-MatNo:material number] [-Fallback:material number] ClearTools.
Call-up parameter converter The converter for the import can be controlled via the command line (see chapter "Import converter").
Importing files Introduction This section explains how you can import files in other formats (e.g. Microsoft Excel) into the program and paste the data into the marker areas. The import can be effected into the marker types in the catalog or into template files (*.mpt) set up by you. There are various ways to import a file: 1. Manual Import (with the possibility to create a script file of the import) (see chapter "Manual Import") 2. Automated import via a script file see chapter "Automated Import". 3.
Step 1: Start page The start page of the import wizard can be masked out. Select "Do not show again" to start directly with step 2 when you call up the wizard the next time. You can show the start page again using the options dialog (see chapter "Options"). Step 2: Filter and import type In step 2, you select the source file you want to import. The filter type, the saved import routine or a converter can also be selected.
Selecting the source file Click on the Find... button. A dialog appears, where you can select the file you want to import. Select the file you want to import and click on the Open button. The "Select the source file:" field now contains the path and the file you are importing. Source file type The next step is to select the import type: User Manual Filter: the import is effected manually via a filter file. Select the filter type in the drop-down field (e. g. *.txt, *.WEI).
Step 3: Selecting Project and Variant This step serves to select the project or the marker type used to effect the import. There are different options at choice depending on the initial situation: Selected element Existing marker type in current project New marker type in current project New Project Selected element For this option, a marker type must be opened and a marker must be selected.
For this option, a marker type must be opened. The import is effected starting with the first marker of the selected marker type. New marker type in current project Click on "Catalog" to select a marker type from the catalog or from the saved templates (*.mpt). A new marker type is added to the current project during the import. New Project Click on "Catalog" to select a marker type from the catalog or from the saved templates (*.mpt).
Source file using delimiters Select the option "With delimiters..." if the source file is a file with columns that are delimited by characters, such as semicolons, tabs, etc.
The examples are a two-column file in Excel, with the semicolon defined as the delimiter as shown on the right. Because there is no data before the semicolon on row two, for example, the first column is empty. The file on the right was saved from within Excel in CSV format (fields separated by characters). Click on Next to go to the next step. The program suggests the characters to delimit the columns.
Example of a fixed-width file opened in a text editor Click on Next to switch to the next step. Fix the column widths. To do this, click on the ruler at the position where you want a new column to start. The columns are separated by an arrow.
You can remove the column break by clicking on the arrow again. Importing an Excel file When importing an Excel file (*.xls) you can select the worksheet and import range in this step.
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Step 7: Field mappings Use this step to determine the field mappings. Mapping type Field mapping Field format Mapping type Column by column Column by column refers to the columns of the data grid. Select Column by column if you want to assign the contents to special columns (markers/elements). Line by line Line by line refers to the lines of the data grid.
Select Line by line if you want to add the imported contents line by line (as shown in the data grid). Field mappings The field mappings enable you to import data into existing elements (on the marker type).The field names, e.g. PROJECT, MARKER or TEXTBOX1, are determined by the properties of the elements (see chapter "Adjust element names"). The columns to be imported can be combined as you wish. Combination possibilities are, e.g.
User Manual To delete ALL formats, click on Importing files 133
Importing project text onto markers The texts of the project layer (project markers) can automatically be pasted on the marker areas (markers) during the import. Click on the button to import the project texts onto the markers. The view of the button changes .
The import WITHOUT the function results in the following: The import WITH the function results in the following: User Manual Importing files 135
Step 8: Saving and finishing The last step serves to complete the import. You have the following options to complete the import: Setting the number of iterations of data import Saving The fixed import steps are saved as a script file (see chapter "Automated Import" or "Batch Import"). Finishing Imports the source file with the settings made.
If you can see a red triangle in text fields on the workspace, the imported data does not fit in the field. Not all of the text is displayed or printed. You will need to shorten the text or reduce the font size! (see also "Adjust font size") Automated Import If you have previously imported a file and saved the import routine, (see "Step 8: Saving and finishing “), you can reuse the routine. Start the import process as described in the section "Starting the import".
The "Select the source file:" field now contains the path and the file you are importing. Selecting the import script Select Import script as source file type and click on Find…. Open the script file (*.mis). Click on the Finish button or if you want to make changes, click on the Next > button. The import routine is started and the data is added to the marker type. Batch Import The batch import is an automated import.
The asterisk in the list entries in the "marker type" column indicates that the import object is a template (*.mpt). Creating/adding a batch If you want to add a new import process to the batch, the fields "Source file", "Script file" and "Marker type" must be completed. For each case, select the button . In the target you can also choose whether you want to import the data into a new marker type or into a marker type from the project that is open.
Change the batch entry by clicking on Adjust. Moving the batch entry Use the arrow buttons to adjust the order of the batch processing. Deleting batch entries Deletes the selected list entry. Deletes ALL list entries. The entries are deleted without confirmation prompt! Converter The converter supports prefiltering of the source file. It can be executed either via the Import Wizard (see "Settings in the Import Wizard" or via the command line (see section " Call-up parameter converter").
Settings of the import wizard Select the source file "vksample.txt". Check "Use converter" and click on "More..." The dialog for setting the converter details opens. User Manual Click on the selection buttons to select the converter file "XXXConverter.exe" and the output file.
The rest of the import process is carried out with the output file. To execute the converter file „XXXConverter.exe“ with other parameters, it must be controlled via the command line (see section "Call parameters for the converter").
Print Introduction This chapter describes how to set up and calibrate printers, how to map them to Marker Cards and the printing options. 5. Call up the printing menu via the standard print dialog (see section "Calling up the printing menu"). 6. Via the fast printing mode (see the "Fast printing" section). Calling up the printing menu Select File > Print…. This opens the print dialog where you can print and define all printer settings.
1 2 3 4 5 6 144 Print Settings Show the printer setting dialog, if available. The ClearMark is set in the Options menu (see chapter "Options – ClearMark”). Mapping Map a printer to the selected marker type. The mapping is saved. To change the mapping, see chapter "Mapping the printer and marker type". Calibration Adjusting the printer to the selected marker type (see chapter "Adjust printer offset").
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Single Pages Selection of specific pages of different marker types to be printed. Selected markers Select whether the project markers are also printed or whether the markers remain at their position or are combined. Offset The Print dialog shows an "Offset" box, provided only one marker type has been selected for printing. The offset shifts the start position for the printout from the first marker to a different one.
Printer correction The printer may vary from its standard calibration in both the horizontal and vertical directions as a result of environmental conditions or maker-specific issues. To adjust the printer's feed rate, select File > Set Printer Correction.... The following dialog appears: Print a test page with a rectangle whose size you have to specify.. 146 Print In the Specified Width (X) and Specified Height (Y) fields enter the size of the rectangle and click the Print Rectangle button..
The printer correction is not admitted for plotters! All printers that are declared as plotters (see "Options - Plotter") are not shown in the printer selection field. The printer correction only has to be effected once for every printer. It does not depend on the markers.
Set Material-dependent Slip To adjust the Marker Card margin and Marker Card feed, select File > Set Material-dependent slip... . Print a test page with a rectangle whose size you have to specify.. 148 Print In the Specified Width (X) and Specified Height (Y) fields enter the size of the rectangle and click the Print Rectangle button. .
Adjusting the printer to the marker type If the printout is at the wrong position on the print medium (Marker Card mat etc.), then you can adjust the printer to the medium in question. The settings are defined on the one hand at the printer when selecting the print medium (see section "Adjusting the printer to the print medium ") and on the other hand in the program when setting the margins, feed rate etc. (see section "„Adjusting the printer offset").
Adjusting the printer to a printing medium When printing labels, the printer has to be set to the right print medium. Open the print dialog using the menu items File > Print… This opens the print dialog. Select the printer to be adjusted and click on the Settings... button. The Printer Setup window opens. In the Paper field, select the appropriate print medium and click on OK. If the right paper is not available, you can click on the Properties button to define the settings for the printer.
To make sure that these settings are also available when the program is launched again, you should set these properties directly in the printer driver (see also the printer's manual/short guide). Click on the Windows Start button, then select Control panel > Printer. Right-click on the required printer and select Properties from the context menu.. Set the right paper. Adjust printer offset To calibrate a mapped printer, click on the Calibration... button. The following dialog appears.
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Adjusting the left and top margins Settings for markers To adjust the left and top margins of a Marker Card mat, you must print a coordinate plane on a Marker Card mat and measure its position. The coordinate plane should be in the following position: To print a test coordinate plane click on the Print Coordinate Plane... button. The "Print Coordinate Plane" window opens during printing.
If necessary, repeat these steps to check the position of the coordinate plane. Adjusting the size of the marker type Marker types may not be their normal size, for example as a result of the ambient temperature. Click on the Adjust Marker Type... button, or select Adjust Marker Type... from the File menu. The following dialog appears. 154 Print In the Options area select the printers for which these settings shall be set.
Adjustment Aid You have the option of creating a trial printout with an adjustment aid. The adjustment aid consists in printing rectangles in marker size and centered dots. In the options select the printer on which you want to output the adjustment aid. Click on the button. The adjustment aid is output on the printer.
Setting up print jobs On the menu bar, select File > Print.... The print dialog opens and you can select the jobs. If no printer has been mapped to any or all of the marker types to be printed, confirming the message shown sends the data to the default printer. In the printout the individual markers can be reproduced any number of times. Select the settings as follows: The printout is in the order or markers as arranged in the marker type.
Existing projects are retained in the course of duplication.
Fast printing To print just the current page, click on the following icon in the toolbar. A message is output if the marker type to be printed has not been mapped to a printer. If you specify Yes, the page is output on the default printer. If you specify No, the Print menu opens so that you can map a printer (see section "Mapping the printer and marker type"). Printing directly You can print all supported file formats directly by using the command line. Syntax: 158 Print "c:\program\ClearTools.
Activating the plotter Introduction This chapter describes the setup, activation and allocation of the plotter to the printed Marker Cards etc. and the plotting options. The plotter can be connected to the computer with the USB cable. For details of the general printing functions, please refer to the chapter "Printing". Plot Mode In Plot Mode, only the functions and elements relevant to the plotter are shown on the user interface. The following elements are permitted in Plot Mode: 1.
Activate the "Start in Plot Mode" checkbox if Plot Mode is to be launched in the program after a restart, when opening an Document file or when creating a new project. Printing/Plotting Plotting is carried out in the same way as printing (see "Printing"). A marker type must be allocated to a plotter beforehand (see "Allocating the plotter to a marker type"). Afterwards, the marker type can be calibrated (see "Adapting marker type to printer") and the plotter set up (see "Adapting marker type to plotter “).
Pen selection Select the pen that is to be used in the plotter. The pen settings are carried out in the Calibration dialog (see "Calibration dialog"). If "No Pen" is selected, an external pen can be used that is not returned to the pen holder. Step settings for inlay The step settings for the inlay are shown when printing on a Marker Card. Place the inlay on the step shown (1 to 5). Please note that an inlay is not required with some Marker Cards.
Changing the marker type When printing several pages or marker types in a project, a dialog indicates which frame with which marker type is to be printed next. Click on "Continue Plotting" to send the configuration as shown to the plotter. If several pages or marker types are present, the next configuration is shown. After plotting, the plotter waits until the user clicks on the button again. Click on "Skip" if the configuration shown is not to be printed.
Adjusting the pen test position The default pen test position of the plotter is set to two blocks adjacent to the pen holder, which, not surprisingly, very quickly become dirty. To adjust the pen test position, select Tools > Options... > Plotter The pen test position of the plotter can be set on the "Pen Priming" page. The adjusted pen test position is only valid for Marker Cards. The default plotter position is still used for labels.
Allocating the plotter to a marker type Every marker type must be allocated a printer or a plotter. If no printer has been mapped to any or all of the marker types to be printed, confirming the message shown sends the data to the default printer. Open the print dialog by selecting File > Print… Mark the marker type to which you wish to allocate a printer in the panel at the bottom of the window, select a printer from the "Printer" drop-down list and click on Map to confirm your selection.
Adjusting the marker type to the plotter In order to adapt a plotter allocation to the marker type, click on File > Print > Calibration… In the window that now appears, you can choose whether you wish to calibrate the marker type (see "Adapting marker type to printer") or calibrate the zero points of the plotter.
Setting the zero points The following dialog appears. (The actual image depends on the marker type.) Select the pen you wish to use for plotting (see "Selecting pen and inlay"). To calibrate the zero point, enter the coordinates in the X and/or Y boxes and then click on "Plot Zero Point". For a fine adjustment, click in the X and/or Y boxes and move the zero point using the and keys (for X coordinates) and/or the and keys (for Y coordinates).
Adapting the printer allocation Select Tools > Options... > Plotter You will find the current printer allocation on the "General" page of the plotter. You can choose from three allocations: 1. As Printer The device is always allocated as a printer when "Map" is selected in the printer dialog. 2. As Plotter The device is always allocated as a plotter when "Map" is selected in the printer dialog. 3. Ask User The "Map printer" dialog appears every time when allocating this device.
Symbol Explorer/Plotter Symbol Editor The plotter symbols (*.mps) and a selection box for symbol subdirectories have been added to the Symbol Explorer. Selection box for symbol directory The selection box for symbol subdirectories shows on the highest level "\symbols\" all the symbols of the symbol directory set and its subdirectories (default setting is "Symbols").
Editing/Creating plotter symbols Creating new plotter symbols In the Symbol Explorer, right-click with the mouse on an empty symbol box and then select Plotter Symbol Editor... Editing plotter symbols Click with the right mouse button on a plotter symbol and then select Edit with Plotter Symbol Editor... Calibration dialog There are three different frames that can be used with the plotter depending on the marker type selected. These frames can be set in the Calibration dialog (zero point, pen, etc.
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Index A Adding a subproject 90 Adding free layers 20 Adding layers 20 Adjust Fontsize 50 Adjusting the marker type to the plotter 167 Aligning text 16 Allocation 169 B Background layer 76 Barcode 48 change type 17 inserting 8 Batch Import 140 Behavior 69 Block 26 Block Step 26 Border 68 C Calibration 151 Calibration dialog 171 Marker Card fixture 171 PLOTPLTA fixture 171 Calling up command lines converter 122 exe 121 Calling up command lines 121 Changing the project name 87 Character string 25 Close 84 Co
aligning 10 H Header line 45 I Identical document field 71 Image inserting 8 Import 123 converter 142 create a script file 138 manual 123 save 138 selecting the import script 140 start 123 Import routine 139 Importing an Excel file 131 Individual document field 71 Inserting barcode 8 ellipse 7 image 8 line 7 rectangle 7 shape 7 special character 9 symbols 10 text 6 Inserting a line break 36 Installation note 2 L Layers 18, 76 adding free layers 20 advanced options 18 changing the color 18 changing the na
P Pages delete 62 Paste marker 75 Paste New Page 75 Pen test point 165 Pen test position pen test point 165 Plot Mode 161 Plotter startup options 161 Plotter symbol creating symbols 171 plotter 171 Plotter Symbol Explorer 170 Plotting 162 changing marker type 164 inlay 162 mapping a marker type 166 offset 147 selecting pens 162 setting pen 167 setting zero points 167, 168 Position 67 Predefined Text Sequence 22 defining 22 pasting 22 Prefix 26 Print 84, 145 adjust printer offset 153 adjusting the margin 155
insert 27 Set printer feed rate 148 Setting zero points 168 Shape inserting 7 Shortcut menu project explorer 61 workspace 75 Single field 71 Size 67 Source file delimiters 128 Excel 131 fixed column width 130 Special character inserting 9 SPS 25 Start page showing 46 Start value 26 Starting position for printout 147 Starting the program 3, 81 Status bar 40, 46 Step 26 Subproject delete 62 paste 61 remove 93 Suffix 26 Symbol Explorer 170 Symbols inserting 10 Synchronize 33 data grid 79 menu bar 41 project e
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