Previewing Label Files

You can preview your label files directly in the Documents without opening your labels in Desktop Designer.

To see your label preview:

1. Right-click your label file and click Preview in the context menu.

   Note

   You can't preview solutions (.nsln files).

   

2. The preview opens in an embedded window.

   

   1. By clicking this icon you can edit, print, or download your label file.

   2. You can browse for the sample text file containing variable data (name:value pairs).

   3. Label preview zoom options with a full-screen button.

   Note

   If you enter the Initial value data in your label variable properties, Variables values fields shows Initial value content.

Control Center can also preview images and PDF files. Right-click the file, and click Preview. You can preview files with extensions .bmp, .png, .jpeg, .gif, .tif, .wmf, .emf, and .pdf.

If you work with file revisions, you can preview files of any revision from the Revision history for the selected file.

Applying Values From Data Files to Variables

You usually design your label templates with variables that don't have any default value defined. This ensures that no hard-coded values would be used during printing. On the other hand, it makes the label preview and comparison more difficult because you have to provide the values for variables before Control Center generates the label preview. When generating the label preview, you can enter values manually.

You can also provide Control Center with the external data file (a list of variables and their values). Control Center applies the data file for the generating label previews. The data file must provide the name:value pairs. If the variable of the same name is not defined in the label, the name:value pair is discarded.

Data file structure

You can create your variable data file in XML or delimited structure.

XML structure

You provide your variables within <Variables /> root element in your XML file. Provided variable names with attribute names and variable values with the element value.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
    <Variables>
    <variable name="customer">Pizzeria Manhattan</variable>
    <variable name="country">Belgium</variable>
    <variable name="Lot_nr">478887566</variable>
</Variables>

Delimited structure

Create every name:value pair in a newline. Variable name is to the left of the equals character (=), variable value is to the right.

customer=Pizzeria Manhattan
country=Belgium
Lot_nr=478887566

Data file naming convention

The name of the data file can be the same as the name of the label, but using the extension .values. This private data file allows you to provide different data file for each label.

If you have a label named label.nlbl, name your data file label.values.

The other option is to use the same generic data file for all labels. In this case, name the data file default.values. The name:value pairs within will be used for all labels.

Data file location

You can store your data file in any location in the Documents storage.

Control Center searches for your data file in the following order.

1. The private data file in same folder as the label file.

   Example:

   /food labels/pasta.values

2. The private data file in the subfolder SampleValues.

   Example:

   /food labelsfolder1/SampleValues/pasta.values

3. The generic data file in the same folder as the label file.

   Example:

   /food labels/default.values

4. The generic data file in the subfolder SampleValues.

   Example:

   /food labels/SampleValues/default.values

When Control Center finds first available .values file, the search stops and the contents of the data file is used for the label preview.