September 5, 2007
This
week we have updates for the ROES Client, Template Tool, ROES DP2
Server and Stand Alone Server that adds a number of new attributes
and features, detailed below. The Stand Alone Server update went out
as a separate message, please advise if you didn't receive it.
Books
Update
The
Books mode for the ROES Client is still in process. We expect to be
offering Books as a beta on your test client launches within a few weeks.
New
.ro ROES Order File
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 viawww.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.
Java
Notes
As
Java 1.6 has become more prevalent in Windows systems, please be advised that
there are new ways to access the application cache viewer: 1)
Via Windows Control Panel, select Java Control Panel and then View.. at
the lower right of the General tab; 2) Select Start - Run, type in javaws -viewer
and press Enter/Click OK. MAC OS X 10.4 still uses Java 1.5 or
1.4.2, the next release of OS X will contain Java 1.6.
ROES
DP2 Server Update
The
ROES DP2 Server is now a final for 1.035 and can be downloaded via www.softworkssystems.com/Downloads.htm.
There are now download links for version 1.034 and 1.035, as 1.035 has
several functions for DP2 version 9. Please also check your DP2 Server
version, 9.076 is the latest. The new ROES DP2 Server version requires
Java Runtime to be installed on the local system, as we have ported
several functions to Java (mail, ready order file searches) from the
DP2 workspace. There is also a new ExportImages script for DP2 v9,
please visit the Downloads page for the links.
RAW
Image Files From ROES to DP2
The
ROES Client and DP2 Server 1.035 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.
HTML
E-Mail Supported
The
1.035 Server version can send HTML-based email confirmations. A sample
template can be found inwww.softworksroes.com/ROES/labs/SARDemo/ReportTemplates.zip.
Template
Tool Update - Wednesday, 9/5/07
Cancel
on Distribute Attribute/cancel add via closing X - In Distribute Attribute
dialog, a new Cancel button was added and clicking on the X to close the
dialog will abort any changes as well.
Selected
Node Highlighting -
Selecting a node in a product will cause it to be highlighted in blue in
the Preview area.
DP2
Layoutfile Import Update - DP2 layouts dropped into the Template Tool will now
import the following values for use in the Client: Tfont, Tstyle,
Justification, Text, Tcolor, and Translucenttext.
The
Template Tool has the new attributes listed below in the selection
lists as well as the Help - Help window displaying definitions.
Client
New/Updated Attributes and Features - Thursday, 9/5/07
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.
Reminders/Tips:
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 USA ePay (usaepay.com).
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.