Support News

May 2003 Edition

New Feature Spotlight: Referenced Searching
Q&A with Technical Support: Duplicating Virtual Ticket Records
Smart Tip of the Month: Printing Extended Previews from Macintosh
Third Party Software: Automated File Actions with Photoshop Droplets
Support Bookshelf: Mac OS X Tutorials


New Feature Spotlight

Referenced Searching

When searching for digital resources in Virtual Ticket, users can take their search a step further by searching for digital resources which have been referenced to a particular folder/document type. For example, a single digital resource (image, logo, digital file, etc.) may be referenced on multiple folders/ documents simultaneously (e.g. the same image or logo may appear on multiple jobs, change orders, etc.). Uses for referenced searching include:

  • Finding multiple uses of a digital resource in folder/document types.
  • Find job files ready to be archived by searching on a field value from a job ticket.

A referenced search can be executed by performing the following:

  1. Choose Find Digital Resources>New from the Tools menu.
  2. Click the Using Form expander button to select the form you would like to base the find.
  3. Click the Referenced By expander button and select the folder/document type on which the digital resources will be referenced.
  4. (Optional) Click the Not Referenced By expander button and select the folder/document type the digital resources will not be referenced.
  5. Select the database field you want to have the find use from the database field popup in the referenced/not referenced by sections.
  6. Select the operator you want to apply to the database field from the operator popup in the referenced/not referenced by sections.
  7. Specify the field or value on which the operator will be run.
  8. Click SAVE to save the search criteria and grid listing specifications.

This search can also be created as a global find in Virtual Ticket Administrator. For instructions on making this a global find and for more information on referenced searching, visit:
http://www.meta-comm.com/customers/docs


Q&A with Technical Support

Can Virtual Ticket records be duplicated?

A MetaScript and a SQL stored procedure can be implemented to duplicate Virtual Ticket records in the database. In the example, a MetaScript is executed by a checkbox on a Virtual Ticket form. When the checkbox is checked, information about the record is passed to a SQL stored procedure which creates a new record in the database. The new record will be an exact duplicate of the source record and can be modified to the users needs.

An example which uses the SQL SDK and a SQL stored procedure to duplicate Virtual Ticket records is available at:
http://www.meta-comm.com/support/knowledge_base/article.asp?id=16133


Smart Tip of the Month

Printing Extended Previews from Macintosh computers

The engineering teams at MetaCommunications are currently working to add the functionality of printing extended previews to an upcoming Macintosh version of Virtual Ticket. Until that feature is released, an AppleScript example is available from MetaCommunications which will display a full extended preview in a web browser for the purpose of printing. Printing an extended preview can done by performing the following steps:

  1. Download the AppleScript example from the link below:
  2. Launch the script at a Macintosh workstation.
  3. Enter the Digital Resource ID number of the desired extended preview. An Internet Explorer web browser will open displaying the extended preview of the digital resource.
  4. Print using the web browser’s print functionality.

The example can be downloaded from:
http://www.meta-comm.com/support/knowledge_base/article.asp?id=16129


Third Party Software

Automated File Actions with Photoshop Droplets

Have you ever wanted to automatically modify a file from within Virtual Ticket? Photoshop 7.0 has the ability to create droplets, which are recorded macros, to automate a process in Photoshop. These droplets record the actions performed by user, and once saved, the actions are then available for use by dragging and dropping files to the droplet executable. By opening a file in a Virtual Ticket file collector window with the droplet, the desired actions can be performed on the file without having to manually open, modify and resave files.

For example, suppose you convert TIFF files to PDF so they can be sent to the customer to proof. A droplet can be created in PhotoShop to save files in the PDF file type. When the file is ready to be converted, the Virtual Ticket operator would choose to open the TIFF file with the droplet and the file would be saved as PDF to the location designated when the droplet was created.

For more information about using a Photoshop Droplet with Virtual Ticket, visit:
http://www.meta-comm.com/support/knowledge_base/article.asp?id=16134


Support Bookshelf

OS X Tutorial

With the introduction of Mac OS X came the Terminal window and the ability to control the system outside the Finder. The terminal window gives users with Unix know-how a way to navigate through the system, change permissions, create files, and perform other system tasks. An online tutorial for users wishing to learn more about Unix and how to navigate with the Terminal window is available at:
http://www.osxfaq.com/tutorials/learningcenter/#unixtut

A tutorial available from The Virtual Training Company provides nearly 8 hours of OS X online training presented through QuickTime videos. Unlike the training provided in the first listing, a fee is required to view the full course, however, the first three chapters are free. The first three chapters discuss installation and the elements of the Mac OS X user interface. The course is located at:
http://www.vtc.com/productdetail.php?sku=33359



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support@meta-comm.com

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