Overview for Design & Print

[sinus]

Hi Mario
I do not know, if you can remember.
I have a variable from you, to be honest, I do not more know, from where.
But it was once (I am quite sure) a template of you.

I attache the template.
My basic question:

You had a clever idea with a nice variable:
{Group:{Print.Container.ZOrder}.File.FullName}

This variable prints an overview of all images in a group (also if there is only one "group").
You can see this in the attachement. Very nice!

The problem: If in a group are more images then cells are in this group-header, then not all images are printed.
I thought, then a second page would be created.
But no, this variable prints always only one page.

Do you know a variable or a way, that such an overview is possible for all images in the group (by creating more than only 1 page)?
I tried several variables, but without luck.

If it is not possible, ok, than it is not possible. 

(I attached the layout with a .txt-ending)

[Mario]

Group Pages are not repeated or added.
This page type is designed for chapter headers or similar.

Only the pages inside the group are added on-demand for dynamic templates. Maybe utilize that with a nonsonsume container and then add another page which prints the actual files.

[sinus]

Group Pages are not repeated or added.
This page type is designed for chapter headers or similar.

Only the pages inside the group are added on-demand for dynamic templates. Maybe utilize that with a nonsonsume container and then add another page which prints the actual files.

Thanks a lot, Mario
I tried some stuff with not consumed containers without success.
But I have to say, with IMatch (and here D&P) is really a lot possible, but it has also some limits, not as a DAM, but as a "replacement for InDesign (as an example).
It seems, this is not possible, but this is not that important.

I am working on a timeline and it is impressive anyway, what D&P can do, almost a "professional" timeline, really impressive.

And the beauty from dynamic template is: once created (maybe with a lot of work), we can simply add some pics and here we go. Over and over.

Impressive, really. Thanks again for your input, although this time I could not get a success.

But finally I am always positively surprised what IMatch (and here D&P) can do.

[Mario]

Group headers / pages cannot print files from the dynamic collection. You cannot even create a file container for that reason.
Group headers are intended to insert header pages between sections in your document and similar things.

What you have in mind could be done with a standard template of course, by adding separate index pages at the front and adding the files. Like you would do in InDesign, Publisher or Scribus.

To implement what you want, D&P would need some kind of "Reset" feature which resets the file stream back to the start, at the beginning of a group or page. And a way to add multiple groups/sections or multiple page templates which are not printed alternating like now, but for each "run" of files. Or to enhance group headers to a) have access to files and b) add dynamic page management like for the group pages. Both would complicate Design & Print a lot internally and I doubt that more than a handful of users would ever have use for that.

If I would have to do something like this I would use two D & P templates.

1. Dynamic template to print the overview pages,e .g. using a 6 by 10 grid. Print this to individual images.
2. Second D&P template for the real printing. Use the images created in 1 as group header pages.

This is of course not a fully automated process.

Design & Print can do a lot of things and especially the dynamic templates are very powerful. But not everything is possible, or at least not in a fully automated fashion.
If you need such complex things, maybe look into one of the "PDF libraries" which are available for different programming languages and then write some scripts / software to generate PDF files directly.
I have used PDFLib in the past to create such systems with great success. It's not easy and rather expensive but the results are absolute pro-grade and print-ready.

[sinus]

Thanks, Mario

Your ideas are very refreshingly.

Hm, your idea with two templates could indeed solve my "problem".
I will try that.

And yes, I fully agree, specialy the dynamic-section is very interesting and we can do a lot with it. 

[Mario]

I gave this a quick try and it works beautifully. Not 100% automation but very quick to do.
I made a test with about 120 files.

The overview template shows 6 x 10 files per page, without any borders. I could also have added metadata of course, like file names.
I don't use borders because I want to do that in the main template.

After running the first template to produce the overview pages, I opened the second template and added one group page. Then I added a graphics container with a margin of 1 cm all-around.
This page was then cloned 4 times (because I have four overview pages generated in step 1). Then I dragged the overview images from Windows Explorer to the group pages. Took about 10 seconds.
I could add additional group header or footer pages, with headlines, info, descriptions whatever. The new thing is only that a separate template is used to produce the gallery images.
Of course I could add text to each group page, making some room above or below the graphics container. Whatever you need will work.

The rest is a normal dynamic template with 6 files per page in my case.

[sinus]

Your post has streaked my post in the air. 

I have produced two attachement to show finally, what I want do ... and then I saw your post.

Thanks a lot, Mario, I will try this carfully out, and yes, it looks fine, what you have produced and it seems to work nice without a lot of work. 
Cool.

In the attachments you can see the results from two different templates with the same images.
As you can see, I create a "timeline" from left (the newest year) to the right "the oldest date).
Here I want not have a lot of text (only the headline), because the page would be overloaded.

Hence I want at the end of this timeline-pages the same pics again, but this time with more information.
If I see in the timeline an interesting image, I can look at the end in the overview for more text.

As I said, I will read your post again carefully and try to do so. Thanks, very appreciated!!!

Your creative idea was to work with two templates and "merge" them together. Nice!

[Jingo]

Your post has streaked my post in the air. 

I have produced two attachement to show finally, what I want do ... and then I saw your post.

Thanks a lot, Mario, I will try this carfully out, and yes, it looks fine, what you have produced and it seems to work nice without a lot of work. 
Cool.

In the attachments you can see the results from two different templates with the same images.
As you can see, I create a "timeline" from left (the newest year) to the right "the oldest date).
Here I want not have a lot of text (only the headline), because the page would be overloaded.

Hence I want at the end of this timeline-pages the same pics again, but this time with more information.
If I see in the timeline an interesting image, I can look at the end in the overview for more text.

As I said, I will read your post again carefully and try to do so. Thanks, very appreciated!!!

Your creative idea was to work with two templates and "merge" them together. Nice!

Markus - I admire your ability to try and get the most of the IMatch Design & Print Module.... I tend to go directly to Indesign when I need to build something like this timeline book... but you ability to create such in Imatch is very inspiring... and Mario's ability to create such a detailed and complex addition to the software doesn't get the credit it deserves. 

Many moons ago, I used to use a program called Fotoslate to build such templates - it was a great program that AcdSee let fall to the nether.... IM has that program beat by a mile! 

Just thought I would add my 2cents.... Andy.

[sinus]

Markus - I admire your ability to try and get the most of the IMatch Design & Print Module.... I tend to go directly to Indesign when I need to build something like this timeline book... but you ability to create such in Imatch is very inspiring... and Mario's ability to create such a detailed and complex addition to the software doesn't get the credit it deserves. 

Many moons ago, I used to use a program called Fotoslate to build such templates - it was a great program that AcdSee let fall to the nether.... IM has that program beat by a mile! 

Just thought I would add my 2cents.... Andy.

Andy, thanks a lot for your input and your flowers! 

To be honest, I do not know other programs for creating a timeline.
But I am shure, they do a good job. What I do not know, if they can pull out such a lot of informations (headline, gps ...) from the images.

I like the dynamic templates. Because once created, you can every time select 5 images or 500 images and D&P works simply fine.

Of course D&P has some limitations or some small things, what could be better. But they are not that big, that I would create a feature request.

And yes, Mario works also a lot for D&P and gives a super support.
His suggestion above (work with 2 templates) I tried out.

It works perfect ... but if I work with different groups and several hundrets of images, it is simply (for me) too complicated. I have to create with one template first several dozens of image.
And then, in the second template I have to create pages like he wrotes. But I have to put the correct single images into this containers and above all I have to look, that such a page is only printed once for one group.
We have a variable for this, {Print.Group.Index|is:1,0,1} (what prints only the first page of this group) but it is really not convenient for a lot of pictures. (with only 100 images or so, this is very nice)

Hence I will think again about this timeline and I will have to find a better solution. (Mario, thanks again, your solution is really fine, but not in this case).

BTW: I tried this timeline with different pics, I can have a timline from one single day, in this case with different times (e.g. a shooting with a "star" or so).
Or a timeline with my best pics and see the different monthes and years.

And not at least, it is nice to see the personal timeline, starting (maybe) at the own birth, childhood, job, wedding, events and so on). And I can produce also the same for some family members, all what I need are images. 

[Mario]

Design & Print is indeed underrated. I'm not quite sure why.
I think that 'home' users don't print that much these days or are satisfied with the vanilla templates the various online print services offer.

In corporate/institutional environments (at least the ones I know of) Design & Print is used more often. One user digs into it and prepares templates and then he/she and other users can just run them, with any number of files.

Design & Print does not aim to replace InDesign, Microsoft Publisher (which is quite good and comes as part of the 70$ per year Office Subscription!), Scribus or similar.
But it has unique features when it comes to using metadata, controlling page flow dynamically etc. And it can output PDF files and images which then can be used in other applications - or, as in the case above, in Design & Print to create complex composite results.

I have a "Do a Design & Print tutorial video" on my to-do list, but that list is very long...

[sinus]

Design & Print is indeed underrated. I'm not quite sure why.
I think that 'home' users don't print that much these days or are satisfied with the vanilla templates the various online print services offer.

In corporate/institutional environments (at least the ones I know of) Design & Print is used more often. One user digs into it and prepares templates and then he/she and other users can just run them, with any number of files.

Design & Print does not aim to replace InDesign, Microsoft Publisher (which is quite good and comes as part of the 70$ per year Office Subscription!), Scribus or similar.
But it has unique features when it comes to using metadata, controlling page flow dynamically etc. And it can output PDF files and images which then can be used in other applications - or, as in the case above, in Design & Print to create complex composite results.

I have a "Do a Design & Print tutorial video" on my to-do list, but that list is very long...

Interesting. And a video, cool. I will be very cool for sure.

[bonsai]

I have a "Do a Design & Print tutorial video" on my to-do list, but that list is very long...

Maybe you could push this a little bit to the top of that queue 

[Mario]

Maybe you could push this a little bit to the top of that queue 

There should also be video tutorials on categories, filter panel, general workflow topics, good import practices, metadata templates, the Map Panel, ...
Problem is, there is only one Mario and creating a video tutorial can take several hours.

I will look into video tutorials again after IMatch Anywhere 2018 is out. It has a number of cool new features which need to be covered in the video tutorial series for IMatch Anywhere - which is complete and covers everything. Much easier for IMA than for IMatch.

[sinus]

I changed a bit my design for a timeline and now it is (for me) nearly perfect.
Mario, thanks a lot for a great program and for a great D&P!