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In this tutorial, we're going to learn
how to set up and.
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Configure text variables and.
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Text frames where the contents of a text
frame are driven from one of our form.
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Fields via a variable.
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We'll start off by creating our variable.
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So within the Invent plugin window
in Adobe InDesign, go to the variables.
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Tab and click on add variable.
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That brings up a few.
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Different variable options
you. Can choose from.
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And in this case, we're going to.
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Go for a text variable.
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Will begin by typing.
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A variable name.
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And then we need to select the variable.
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Mode.
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So we'll save this three options in there.
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So for the text variable,
I also get the option.
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To select if we should have a single.
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Line multi-line or a rich.
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Text mode input.
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Depending on what you select
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here, it will change the form control
that it is going to be.
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Using on the form.
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So a single line will. Show
you a single text.
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Box multi-line will show.
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You a text area input.
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And then a rich.
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Text will show you a. Text area input.
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But with some font.
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Editing controls like.
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Color, font and size that.
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Can be applied to the text
that you input into
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that form element.
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In this case, I'm going to leave it
as a simple single line input.
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And next we see we have.
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The ability to populate some of the data.
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So text.
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Variables allow. A.
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Repopulation of. Data based on.
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The logged in account.
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Of the user that's looking at the product.
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And if you go in that. Dropdown,
you'll see it includes.
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Data.
Such as names, addresses and. Emails.
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So leave the text
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variable blank, so nothing.
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However, you do also have.
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The ability
to put a default value in there.
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So that will be.
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The value shown in that field.
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When the product first floats.
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So let's say, for example,
we're going to do a name field.
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I might say something
like for name surname.
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So over on the right hand side
we have some UI information.
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So user. Interface.
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So first we've got the label.
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That's the label
for this particular variable.
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So I could have. That as.
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The name of the.
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Variable,
I could have it as an. Instruction.
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So let's say enter.
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Name, for example.
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I have the ability.
To put in some help information.
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If you need to provide some additional.
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Information to the user
and some placeholder information.
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Moving a bit further down the screen,
we have some validation.
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Options.
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So for single line and multi line,
we also.
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Provide some.
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Validation so that you can control
to a degree what type of.
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Text you are expecting. The.
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User to input within this variable.
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A good example of this is if you create
a variable to accept an email address,
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you can select our preset email Regex
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down here
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that will ensure that the user inputs
a valid.
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Email address format.
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You were also able to enter validation
for minimum a.
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Maximum character count.
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So for example,
if this is a name, I might say there's.
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A minimum.
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Character count of four characters
just to give it some validation
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and to make sure that it can't be.
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Blank.
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We can see that
for any of those validation.
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Steps, we have the ability to. Customize.
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The message that's shown to our end users.
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With all of those things
configured, we can. Click save.
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Next.
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We need to make
sure that one of our text frames on the.
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Artwork itself, so on the canvas.
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Itself is linked to.
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That variable so that it shows.
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The contents. Of that variable.
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Now the example we've.
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Set up here is to do with the. Name.
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So if I go to this option here, which is
showing me the name on our business.
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Card example.
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And then go over to the. Properties tab.
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You can see that's a text frame.
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And if I click enable.
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That enables that field to be controlled
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dynamically using Invent.
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There's a lot of different things
we can control on here.
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So if I scroll down,
you can. See this things like.
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Text, color.
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Font size and font options.
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In this case
we're going to keep it nice and simple.
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Just with the text options.
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Setting.
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Currently it's unlinked.
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So it's not linked to any of our resources
or. Variables.
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But if I want to link it to the.
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Variable that we just created,
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I say. Variable.
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It will show me
a list of relevant variables
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and that is now linked.
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With another option that we have.
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Here, which is worth.
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Considering is the fit. To box option.
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So this will ensure that the size
of the box itself does not change.
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But whatever
the contents of that box. Are,
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it will try its best to fill that box.
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So it will change the size of the.
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Font to fill the box.
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So if you've got something
like this scenario, so a business card
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you might want it.
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So the name covers as. Much of that area.
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As possible.
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Fit to box.
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Will allow you to do. That
and if needed, you.
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Can also enter some.
Some additional validation.
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In the.
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Forms of a minimum, a.
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Maximum font size that is available.
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From here.
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We're just going to go ahead and.
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Export that Mex file
that we can import into MegaEdit
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So if we look over on the right hand
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side there,
the variable will be shown in the form.
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Within mega.
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Edit one text is entered into the text box
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in the form
the text frame on the product itself.
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If I change the page will be populated.
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With those contents.
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We can also see, for example, that we.
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Have our help. Text available.
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Our UI name has been changed as we.
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Specified and we should.
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Have some.
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Validation on here as well.
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You can couple this functionality with the
application of additional restrictions.
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On the text frame.
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So for example,
we could do this in Invent itself.
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We can.
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Also do it
once the template has been. Imported.
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I could limit the customer's.
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Ability to actually select
this field at all.
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And this ensures that the data
can only be entered via the form.
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Not on the template self.
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So for
example, if I couple that with the do not.
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Select setting.
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Which is already.
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Active in this case,
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if I emulate user mode to.
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See how the actual.
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End users would interact with this,
that is not.
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Selectable.
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So I can only enter data via
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this form.
