Process DesignCreate a Simple Process

In Loftware Enterprise™ SP, you can configure a simple process to override job properties and change the handling of a job by incorporating a business rule. You can use a simple process and a business rule to handle incoming jobs differently depending on conditions, enforce required settings, perform data retrieval from a database, substitute different printing and formatting attributes, change paths, or repeat execution by using loops.

Note: If you want business logic to be implemented when the process is run, you should first create a business rule that the process can run. For more information, see Create a Business Rule in XML.

To create a simple process that has the potential to run a business rule and to alter print requests, do the following.

  1. In Process Design Process Design, click New > Process to create a new process.
  2. In the Properties pane, enter a Description for the process.
  3. In the General panel, for Process Type select Simple.
  4. In the Process Parameters panel, specify the path to the business rule, the path to the label template, and the path to the device to be used with this process. For any of these properties for which you do not want to override the value specified in the job, accept the default value.

    Important! If you override the path to the label template in the Document field, it is typically recommended that you enter the same path in the Data Entry field. Also, in the Layout field you should either enter #{!LAYOUT_URL} to use the layout associated with the label template specified in the Document field or else explicitly specify the path to a layout.

    Tip: You can use the Relative Path check box to control whether the path is represented as an absolute path or a relative path. Using a relative path may be helpful if an object is likely to be transferred to a different Loftware Enterprise SP instanceClosed A Loftware Application Server and a Loftware Database Server that are associated with each other by a Loftware Enterprise - SP License.. The check box is available to select after the object has been saved for the first time. For more information, see Relative Paths.

  5. Click File > Save or click the Save Save button in the toolbar.
  6. In the left pane of the Save dialog box, click the folder in which you want to save the process. You can click a folder to display subfolders.
    1. Enter a name for the process in the Name box.

      The following characters are permitted in the name: letters, numbers, parentheses, square brackets, ampersands, plus signs, commas, semi-colons, and tildes. Additionally, the following characters are permitted but cannot begin or end the name: spaces, double quotation marks, single quotation marks, hyphens, underscores, periods, and grave accents. For letters, the case that you specify is displayed, but case is ignored when Loftware Enterprise SP interprets a name. If you will be installing the Loftware Enterprise SP application on a computer running Windows Server, and transferring data between Loftware Enterprise SP instances, see the "Transferring Data in a Compressed File" section of the Loftware Enterprise SP Data Transfer Guide.

      Note: If users who print labels are expected to select the process, use a name that will have meaning for them. The description is not displayed to a Data ProviderClosed Person or process that enters data into a form or other data entry view for a label that was configured by a Designer. A user acting as a Data Provider requires the DOCUMENT_PRINTER role or equivalent permissions. in Print Print, only to administrators who have access to Process Design Process Design or Access Control Access Control.

    2. Click OK to save the process.

Note: The first time you save a process to a version-controlled folder, the process is automatically checked out. When you are finished editing it, be sure to click File > Check In to save and check in your version, and make it available for others to check out.

Tip: For information about the default values in processes, see User Interface: Simple Process.

Note: Any overrides that you specify in the process may in turn be overridden by the business rule.

Next Steps

A process can be run automatically whenever a particular integration is used to submit a print job created in another application, or a process can be manually selected by a Data Provider when printing on-demand in Loftware Enterprise SP. To configure an integration to run this process, see Integrating with Other Applications.