July 14,
2008
RUG 2008 Wrap-Up
This year's
RUG Meeting was a great success and we thank all who
attended. As always your feedback was invaluable and we'll be
updating you over the summer as we add more of your suggestions into
ROES. Set your calendars: We expect next year's RUG Meeting to occur
around June 15th!
Template
Tool Update
The
new Template Tool has been deployed for use. Changes and new
features/functions:
New Add Attribute List
The
ROES Template Tool is updated with the new features shown during the RUG as
well as new treatment for the Add Attributes list. As you may have
noticed, the attribute lists for templates and nodes has gotten quite long, and
in some cases may have gone off your screen at the bottom. The updated
Template Tool now has a scrollable list appearing when you click Add
Attribute. In addition, the free entry line is above the list
now, instead of at the bottom. To add an attribute, double-click
on it to add it immediately or click it once from the scrolling list and
click the Add button. All books attributes have been added into the list,
with basic definitions available via clicking Help - Help from the top
menu. A more definitive description of books attributes with screen
shots can be found at http://www.softworksroes.com/ROES/UsersGuides/Bookattributes.html. A sample
templates file with books build examples in it can be pulled from www.softworksroes.com/ROES/Books/Books.zip.
.RO File Import For Template Creation
The
Template Tool can now read in .ro order files to
import templates built in the order via Pager. This will allow a
graphical design for image and text node placement and supports adding strokes to
image nodes. If using your own lab's Pager module to do the template
design, after entering your order file password in Template Tool
under File - Preferences, simply save the .ro files to disk and then drag/drop onto a template
group. For labs who do not have Pager or don't have ROES Pro, we have a
Pro launch that can be used at http://www.softworksroes.com/ROES/labs/ROImport/.
The templates file used by this Client has all standard, large, and square
sizes of prints set as blank templates with a single full size node.
All items are pagereditable and have addenabled set to true on them, so creating empty templates
and adding them to an order will be easy. Orders created using the ROImport launch will not need any order file password
entered in Preferences to be imported into Template Tool. If any
sizes are missing or there are items you would like to see please let us
know. Also remember that once you create/import an item in Template Tool
that you can duplicate it in a different size by choosing Scale
Template in the right-click menu.
Broken Links Displayed
The
new Template Tool will display options set as Links whose link target is no
longer found in the u_id database. This will
help alleviate problems where options set as links fail to display because the
original option's u_id has changed.
Display of duplicate u_id's updated
Alerts
for duplicate u_id's are now cleaner to view and sort
through/resolve. When an option set is copied and pasted, for instance,
the alert for all of the items will show with the parent at the top.
Click the parent in the alerts to expand the list and double click on one of
the u_id's listed to see it in the templates
tree. Right Click on the parent item and select new u_id's
from the list to assign new u_id's to the parent
option and all child options off of it.
Books Update
Books Client Version:
We have a new client release available that has books usage available. If
you would like to have us change your client live or test launches to use this
new version, please let us know via e-mail and we will let you know it has been
done so you can test or offer books in ROES.
Client Usage:
Upon
opening a book, the available templates for use on the front cover will be
shown above the cover area. Click and drag the desired template down to
the cover area. At that point you can add images and/or text to the
page. After clicking the right arrow to open the book, the templates
selection area above will change to display designs available for that
section of the book. Once again, click and drag the desired templates to
be presented as a single page (like for an inside or back cover), or
as opposing pages facing each other. A template must be selected and
dropped into the book page before that page can have
images added to it.
Below
are instructions for creating the 2 common types of books. A
sample templates file with books build examples in it can be pulled from www.softworksroes.com/ROES/Books/Books.zip. A
sample templates file with book styles of each can be found at www.softworksroes.com/ROES/labs/SARDemo/.
To
set up a simple 3 section book (no pictures/page assigned to inside of front nor back covers):
Click
Add and select Template, label it as desired (10x10 Book for this
example), and then set the bounds to 10 x 10.
Click
Add Attribute, select containertype and set
to book
Click
Add and select Template, label it as Front Cover
Click
Add Attribute and add the following: containertype
set to section; displaywidth set to 1; itemcountminimum set to 1, itemcountmaximum
set to 1, set bounds to 10 x 10
Add templates
off Front Cover, set clearonaddtoorder to true, add pagereditable true if desired on each
Click
Add and select Template, label it as Pages
Click
Add Attribute and add the following: containertype
set to section; displaywidth set to 2; itemcountminimum set to 4, itemcountmaximum
set to 20, set bounds to 10 x 10
Add templates
off Pages, set clearonaddtoorder to true, add pagereditable true if desired on each
Click
Add and select Template, label it as Back Cover
Click
Add Attribute and add the following: containertype
set to section; displaywidth set to 1; itemcountminimum set to 1, itemcountmaximum
set to 1, set bounds to 10 x 10
Add templates
off Back Cover, set clearonaddtoorder to true,
add pagereditable true if desired on each
To
set up a 5 section book (sections for inside front and back covers):
Click
Add and select Template, label it as desired (10x10 Book for this
example), and then set the bounds to 10 x 10.
Click
Add Attribute, select containertype and set
to book
Click
Add and select Template, label it as Front Cover
Click
Add Attribute and add the following: containertype
set to section; displaywidth set to 1; itemcountminimum set to 1, itemcountmaximum
set to 1, set bounds to 10 x 10
Add templates
off Front Cover, set clearonaddtoorder to true, add pagereditable true if desired on each
Click
Add and select Template, label it as Inside Front Cover
Click
Add Attribute and add the following: containertype
set to section; displaywidth set to 1; itemcountminimum set to 1, itemcountmaximum
set to 1, set bounds to 10 x 10
Add templates
off Inside Front Cover, set clearonaddtoorder to
true, add pagereditable true if desired on each
Click
Add and select Template, label it as Pages
Click
Add Attribute and add the following: containertype
set to section; displaywidth set to 2; itemcountminimum set to 4, itemcountmaximum
set to 20, set bounds to 10 x 10
Add templates
off Pages, set clearonaddtoorder to true, add pagereditable true if desired on each
Click
Add and select Template, label it as Inside Back Cover
Click
Add Attribute and add the following: containertype
set to section; displaywidth set to 1; itemcountminimum set to 1, itemcountmaximum
set to 1, set bounds to 10 x 10
Add templates
off Inside Back Cover, set clearonaddtoorder to
true, add pagereditable true if desired on each
Click
Add and select Template, label it as Back Cover
Click
Add Attribute and add the following: containertype
set to section; displaywidth set to 1; itemcountminimum set to 1, itemcountmaximum
set to 1, set bounds to 10 x 10
Add templates
off Back Cover, set clearonaddtoorder to true,
add pagereditable true if desired on each
It
is recommended to always have a blank Pager editable template in each
section, so that studios who wish to design their own can do so - either using
Pager or using something they create in Photoshop, etc.
ROES
Servers and E-Mail
As
ISP's continue to close off port 25 to ward off spam and hacker attacks, the
generic e-mail function in the ROES Server will stop sending, since it defaults
to port 25. In order to use the new port from your ISP, set the port
value after a colon at the end of the outgoing server URL or IP address,
i.e. smtp.verizon.net:575. Version 1.035 (also listed as 1.035b) of the
ROES DP2 Server and versions of the ROES Stand Alone Server dated later than
10/16/2007 support this. Please remember that version 1.035 requires Java
Run Time installed.
Support
Notes:
Web Site/Videos Update!
Our
Support area has updated FAQ pages and the videos page has a new
Pager video, the Records video and usage videos for the Pro and Retail
Clients. Additional videos for books mode will be added
soon. The main Support page now has links at the bottom for the
most common issues with fixes for them. The News/Press area also has all
of our update messages for your review.
Tilde Usage by Studios
We
should have all DP2 labs' ROES Clients set so that studios cannot use
tildes in folder paths.
Corrupt Saved Incomplete Orders
We
have found that some corrupt messages received
when opening a saved incomplete order to be caused by the lack of a “label” attribute on an
option. Even when using the “icon” attribute to represent an option
graphically the “label” attribute still needs to be present, not deleted.
A saved incomplete order utilizing an option that does not have a “label”
attribute can result in a corrupt message when it is loaded.
Java Notes
Many
new systems with
Default Java Version in ROES
All
ROES launches default to using Java 1.4 as a minimum installed version and will
look to load 1.4.2 if no Java is found in Windows. We can offer the
ability to default to using Java 1.5 as a minimum with a Java 1.6
install. This will allow for better installs on
Mac OS 10.5 Leopard Issues
The
Leopard OS has caused a number of issues regarding ROES
startup (none in actual use of ROES). As mentioned in the Nov. 1 message, in most cases
starting from the Java Web Start application viewer has worked fine.
However, we have seen cases where the Java Web Start.app
is not even found or fails to start properly, causing a MAC system error report
to generate. In these cases it is best to have the customer re-install
the MAC OS upgrade and run Software Update immediately after to get everything
up to date. For anyone still seeing startup issues from the desktop
icons, be sure to try using Java Web Start.app (open
Finder and go to Applications - Utilities - Java) and look under User, not
System, for the entries.
If
the same major error continues to repeat after reloading the Leopard upgrade,
such as a EXC_BAD_ACCESS (SIGBUS) Exception Codes:
KERN_PROTECTION_FAILURE, then what has worked as a last resort is to create a
new user on the system, logging in as that new user and launching ROES from
your web site link.
Mac OS X Error 'Failed to validate certificate'
The
'Failed to validate certificate' error has shown up on 10.5. Research has
shown these to be occurring on systems upgraded from 10.4. In some
instances early on, going into Java Security and
Certificates and trusting the SoftWorks certificate fixed the issue.
Lately, however, this error seems to be Java update related, particularly
on the Core 2 Duo systems that recently got Java 1.6 into Leopard via Software
Update. Using an alternate launch file has resolved this, in which we
specify Java 1.5 as a minimum instead of the Java 1.4 default we have been
using.
New Client
Features/Attributes
New Feature - nodestyles - Saving and recalling a node style is now available within Pager.
This feature allows a photographer to save embellishments made to a node such
as strokes and drop shadows for later use. Once saved, the style can
then be selected and applied to a node on another template in the order or used
in future orders. This feature needs to be added at the Client startup
configuration, so please contact us to add it to your live and/or test ROES
Clients.
nodeimageopacity - The nodeimageopacity attribute can prevent opacity levels
from affecting nodeimages. It should be
added to image nodes that have nodeimage attributes
present (or added via option) and set to false for opacity changes to only
affect the image added to the node.
textentrywidth - The textentrywidth attribute can be used to define
the width of the animated sliding drawer that drops from text nodes when
the node is selected. The value should be set in pixel width.
Update: clearonaddtoorder - The clearonaddtoorder attribute has been updated so when set to
true will return the product to its default rotation value after having
been added to the order.
Reminders/Tips:
New
.RO File Format
The new .ro ROES Order File format is in use and both ROES Servers,
Stand Alone and DP2 v1.035, can process these. The .ro
format eliminates the 4GB order file limit imposed by using .zip files. If you would like to start using this for your
incoming orders, please let us know to make the change in your ROES Client
(and be sure to be on one of the newer server versions). There is a new
Sealer/Decryptor utility, called ROPack,
available to unpack these new files. This Java application can be
run via www.softworksroes.com/ROES/ROPack/launch.jnlp. Please use this once and set
the shortcut to it on your desktop(s). Note: Once using the .ro
files, the Finished Orders will not be just .zip files that you can open and
view certain parts, you will need to use the ROPack
utility with your order file password (call, IM or e-mail if
needed) to expand the .ro to a folder you can
browse through.
ROES DP2 Server
Please
check your ROES DP2 Server version, you should be
on v1.035 or 1.035b now if on DP2 v8 or 9. The server download
can be found at www.softworksroes.com/ROES/Dp2Server/NewServer.zip.
This version now has a fully functional RAW workflow. Studios must
shoot in RAW and JPG formats so that they have the same files of each type
(please contact us to set the RAW ability in the ROES Client). The
1.035 Server version can also send HTML-based
email confirmations. A sample template can be found in www.softworksroes.com/ROES/labs/SARDemo/ReportTemplates.zip.
Updated Attributes/Function: promocode/code/discount - You can now have an
Order Option that prompts for a promotional code to be entered in a needs_text line as either
a percentage of the order or a
whole dollar amount. The u_id
of the option used for entry MUST be promocode
and there are 3 attributes needed: needs_text for the
user entry, code for the value of the promo code(s) that the text entry must
match exactly, and discount for the amount to calculate, i.e. .90 for a
10% discount on the order or -10 for a $10 discount (negative numbers will be looked at as a whole dollar
amount to be taken off). To utilize multiple promotional codes,
simply use comma delimited lists in the code and discount fields, where code
could have value of 1234,2345,3456 and discount could have value of
.9,.75,-20 for 10% off, 25% off and $20 off for the 3 codes
respectively. The number of delimited entries must match between the code
and discount fields (5 in each, 10 in each, etc.).
Updated: newlines Attribute
This
attribute has been updated to define the number of lines that can be created in
a text node using Enter. It can prevent users from creating multiple text lines where
a single line is desired by setting the value to 1 (no changes will be needed, current listings of false will be set to 1).
Adding newlines set to 1 will force just single line entry into the node;
coupled with the characterlimit attribute can allow
you to control the amount of text each node receives for better
rendering. For taller nodes (on a greeting card, for instance), you can
set newlines to 2 or 3 to allow more freedom but still restrict the client from
adding too many lines.
New
Attribute: rotation - The rotation attribute can be used on a text node to alter the
appearance of text in the node, ideally for vertical text
representations. Use 90 and -90 for values to make
horizontal text read down or up in the ROES Client.
New
Attribute: fitallowed - The fitallowed
attribute can be added on a node and set to false to disable the
ability to fit an image instead of cropping.
New Attribute: unlockonaddtoorder - The unlockonaddtoorder
attribute can be set to true on a node to clear image lock on add to order
(i.e. to allow a customer to drop a new image into the background field they
have locked to prevent it from being overwritten in a mass drop of images).
Edit
Item/Delete Item labels in Review - The Edit and Delete functions in the Review
Order window can have labels on them to more formally show their
functions. Please contact us to add these labels.
Dual
Rotation Buttons For Rotate Image/Rotate Layout - The dual buttons for rotating in
different directions can be added to replace the single button for each,
eliminating the need to use the ALT/OPT keys to change
directions for rotation of a template or image. This can be very helpful
for better logo insertion, particularly for Fuji PIC Pro.
New
Attributes/Shipping Weight Calculation Function: uses and 'weight'
Using these
new attributes, the total of weight values can be used to apply a price based
on a tiered format. Each product and option can be given an attribute of
weight with a numeric value as a weight measurement (.5 on a 4x5, 1 on an 8x10,
2 on a 16x20 for instance). On an Order Option such as shipping, add
attribute of uses and list weight as the value. Then set a tiered price
format and add tiertype set to graded, with the break
points for each tier being the sum of the weight values added. For
example basic ground shipping might always be 4.50, then a next tier at weight
value of 30 is 5.95, and weight value of 100 is 9.95, the shipping option for
basic ground would have attribute of uses with weight as its' value and each
product and mounting option would have a weight attribute set to a particular
value for that item. The price attribute of ground shipping would be
1,4.50,30,5.95,100,9.95 and keep going up from
there. If you offer free shipping after a certain order size you set
the price tier to be 0.00 once it gets over that weight amount. If you
calculate shipping charges based on order price you simply use price as the
uses value, and have the tiered pricing reflect the shipping on each order
amount (Item options prices count while Image Options do not).
Updated
Function: Edit/Sort in Review Order
The ability
to double click on the thumbnail of an order item in Review has been
restored. Drag and Drop to re-sort items still works as well, however the
drag must start to the right of the order item thumbnail image.
New
Attribute: disableu_idonorder
Using this
attribute on a product and adding that product to an order you can disable
another product or number of products. Simply list the u_id's of the products to be disabled in the attribute's
value and they will be disabled in the Sizes palette and menu upon adding the
first product to the order. This is useful in forcing customers to only
order a single proof or print size per order or a single album cover page
per order.
New
Attribute: clearonaddtoorder
When added
to a product, this attribute will clear the image(s) from the item when it is
added to the order.
New
Attribute: taxable
For use on
Order Options, if set to true or false will determine whether or not the option
should be subject to sales tax calculations.
New Feature: Local Fonts in Pager
Pager now
offers a new font option! If activated,
Pager will show a Font button using
local system fonts at the studio and render these as images,
including the ability to shadow the text after selecting one of the
available fonts for use. The node will be transferred back as an image
node and rendered in the ROES Stand Alone Server or updated version of the ROES
DP2 Server, available at http://www.softworksroes.com/ROES/DP2_Server/SWROESServerSetup(v1.0.35b).zip (this
is not a formal server release but will be shortly). Please contact
us to activate the new Pager Font button in your ROES Client.
Credit
Card Authorization in ROES
Customer
credit cards can be authorized in ROES prior to order completion and
transmission. We have integrations with several authorizers in use
already: PayFlow Pro (PayPal.com, system
formerly owned by Verisign); PayFuse
XML (FirstNationalMerchants.com); Authorize.net; GoEMerchant
XML (goemerchant.com); and
Credit
Card Window Configurability
The newer
credit card window can be configured to alter field names, have an additional
field added if needed for extra security codes, and/or remove the shipping
address area along with the 'Use billing as shipping' checkbox.
New
Attribute: pricemultiplier and priceminimum - pricemultiplier can be set on an option with a value of
true along with a price attribute whose values can be used to add a percentage
to the product it is being applied to (i.e., 1.20 in price to add a 20%
increase for printing an item on metallic paper). This allow you to only
alter the prices of the products themselves and not additional options the totalpricemultiplier takes into account, like retouching
services, mounting, or sprays. The priceminimum
attribute can be added onto options with pricemultiplier
to set a mandatory minimum charge for the selected option and override the
percentage calculation if greater. Using the previous example, this would
work as pricemultiplier set to true, price set to
1.20 for a 20% add-on to the product and priceminimum
of 1.00 so that it will always add at least $1.00 to the item price if the
option is selected and the 20% value is less than 1.00.
New Attribute: hidden - For use on an Option, this can be
used to hide an option you have set to mandatory for the purpose of disabling
another option. For example, you offer an option set on an entire group
to convert the image color, but one one template in
the group you wish for there to be no color options. On the one item, add
an option set with mandatory and hidden attributes set to true on the
parent, and disableu_id added on the sub or
child option. Add the u_id of the image color
as the value, and when the one item is selected the image color option will be
disabled without the new option showing as selected by default.
Drop
Shadows of pre-existing nodes - Pager can now add drop shadows to pre-existing
image nodes that are part of your templates in addition to Pager-added
image nodes. Please advise if you would
like this feature turned on as it is optional. You should also be running the latest version of the
ROES DP2 Server, 1.034, or the newer March 2007 version of the Stand
Alone Server, to properly process these.
Updated Attribute: totalpricemultiplier changes - The totalpricemultiplier
attribute is added directly on an overridesadd off
an Order Option. This calculation will now be pre-tax and also can
be before any shipping amount, if the u_id of the
Shipping option being selected starts with shipping (i.e. u_id's
of shipping_usps, shipping_ground,
shipping_2ndday, etc.) .
Updated Attribute - needs_text - You can now
require an entry in this field by leaving the value in Template Tool
blank. For template & item options, the Add to Order button will be
disabled, just like when an image node isn't filled on a product. For an
Order Option, the user is blocked with a dialog telling them to fill in some
text.
Updated Attribute - needs_file - When an option with
needs file is selected, the Client will not allow the order to complete unless
a file has been attached to the order. A dialog box informing the studio
that a file is needed will pop up.
New
Preference: Remember last folder between launches - This preference (selected by
default), if unchecked, will clear the last used thumbnails folder for
Presenter, Records, and main client. This is ideal for large proofing environments.
Wider
pane dividers - The pane dividers in the main client area and Presenter are wider
now, allowing easier access to the collapse/expand arrows.
New
Credit Card Window Report Macros - The ROES Pro and Retail Clients
have a new credit card entry window across the board (for standard card data
collection and immediate e-payments), with all fields required. Selection
of the Use Bill To Address for Shipping Address will
collapse the shipping address areas, so no entry will be required.
This new
window also has new report macros to be used:
[PAYMENT_CREDIT_CARD_NAME]
[PAYMENT_CREDIT_CARD_ADDRESS]
[PAYMENT_CREDIT_CARD_CITY]
[PAYMENT_CREDIT_CARD_STATE]
[PAYMENT_CREDIT_CARD_ZIP]
[PAYMENT_EMAIL]
[PAYMENT_PHONE]
[PAYMENT_SHIP_TO_NAME]
[PAYMENT_SHIP_TO_ADDRESS]
[PAYMENT_SHIP_TO_CITY]
[PAYMENT_SHIP_TO_STATE]
[PAYMENT_SHIP_TO_ZIP]
rotationallowed Attribute
This
attribute can be added on a template and set to false to disable the
Rotate Layout button.
Change to autorotate Attribute
The
autorotate attribute in Template Tool, when set to true, will activate the Autorotate button on the pro toolbar. After being
turned on, the button will remain selected until it is manually
de-selected or a product with a false flag is chosen.
addenabled Attribute
Be
sure to add the addenabled attribute on
multi-image proof sheets (set to true) and informational/advertisement products
used as the first template in a group (set to false). For the proof
sheets it will allow customers to add the item to an order with empty
nodes (whereas before they had to hold the ALT or OPT
key to Add with Empty). For the informational items it will prevent the
item from being added and causing an error upon receipt at the lab.
Use tooltips on products
If
you want to be able to convey additional information about a
product to studios, try adding an attribute of tooltip to the
item and enter text you want them to see pop-up when they mouse over the
product in the Sizes palette. This could be used to add reminders
to look at mounting, sprays and other upsell
options, to inform customers if an item is Pager editable, or available
quantity discounts.
Image Names Can Be Linked Into Text Nodes
You can use
Linknodes in a composite product to create a text
entry of an image name into a text node upon adding the image to the matching
image node. For example, a 6 up proof sheet starting with node id/u_id of 10000 for the first image node and node id/u_id of 10006 as the first text node you would add Linknodes to the product for each pair of nodes to connect
and enter the u_id's as 10000,10006 in the field
provided. If the nodes do not have u_id's,
simply highlight all of the nodes in the product, then right-click and select
Copy node id to u_id. Remember when using Linknodes that
all nodes in the product must have u_id's assigned
Attribute with Linknodes: stripextension
When
used on a text node that has been linked to an image node node
via Linknodes, the file name appearing in the
image node will be listed without the file extension. Remember when
using Linknodes that all nodes in the product must
have u_id's assigned
Linknodes update: Linking text nodes
You can
use Linknodes to duplicate text entered in one node
to another text node(s). This can be handy for trader cards where a
player name, team or year may be entered more than once, especially when
displaying the front and back of the card as one item via a DP2 Package. Remember
when using Linknodes that all nodes in the product
must have u_id's assigned.
SoftWorks
Systems Team