DesignCreate a Formula Data Source

Create and Verify a Formula Data Source

To create a Formula data source, a DesignerClosed Person who creates and designs label templates, forms, and applications for use by Data Providers. can use the following procedure.

  1. In Label Design Label Design or Application Design , open an existing label template or form, or create a new label template or form.
  2. In the View tab, click Data Sources.
  3. Click Formula, and click Add Data Source. The Formula Data Source dialog box is displayed.
  4. For Data Source Name, enter a name for the label data source.

    Note: The name of a label data source can include letters and numbers. Additionally, the following characters are permitted but cannot begin or end the name: double quotation marks, single quotation marks, grave accents, hyphens, underscores, and periods.

  5. Create the formula in the Formula section using the available Formula Data Source Operations and Functions.
  6. For Formula Evaluation, select whether to use Loftware or the Device to resolve the formula. This option only applies if you are using a Loftware device. For more information, see Using a Loftware NiceLabel Driver.

Verify the Formula Syntax

Click Verify Formula to check the syntax of your formula. The results of the check appear in the Verify Results field.

Note: The Verify Formula function only checks the syntax of your formula. It does not check the validity of references or data.

Clear the Formula

Click the Clear Formula button to remove the text from the Formula field.

Use a Formula with a Variable Text or Barcode Field

You can create a Formula data source to manipulate data obtained via a Prompt in the Form view and then display the result of the formula in a Variable Text field or a Barcode field in the Label view. When creating the Formula data source, you select the Data Entry data source associated with the Prompt as a data ref that you incorporate into the formula. After you have created the Formula data source, you drag it onto the Variable Text field or Barcode field so that the Formula data source serves as the data ref for that field. You can use the same Formula data source as the data ref for multiple fields, such as a barcode and human readable text.

Tip: If you use the Barcode Wizard, it will automatically create supporting Formula data sources for barcodes. For more information, see Use the Barcode Wizard to Add a Barcode.

Best Practice

Giving your fields meaningful names makes it easier to work with formulas.