Design & Print: Text block with variable length possible?

[akirot]

I'm a D&P user too :-)

Imagine a simple layout (based on a dynamic template):

- Image1
- description1 beneath

- Image2
- description2 beneath

...

The description can have variable length. So theoretically either one or more images with description fit into one page.

Can a suitable template be produced for this use case (or is this not possible because of the container concept - what I assume)?

[Mario]

This is not possible. The number of images per page is controlled by the number of containers.
If you need some sort of dynamic, maybe control which containers are displayed by looking at the image size (variables) and then show/hide different containers based on that.

[sinus]

I'm a D&P user too :-)

Welcome in the club! 

Akirot, you know maybe the variable
{File.MD.XMP::photoshop\Headline\Headline\0|numcomp:gt,25,{File.MD.XMP::photoshop\Headline\Headline\0|substr:0,25}...,{File.MD.XMP::photoshop\Headline\Headline\0},length}

Means in this case, if the headline goes iver 25 characters, a "..." will be printed after 25 signs. If it is not 25 signs long, the whole headline will be printed.
I made some short tests to use this variable in the hidden part of the file container.
It worked fine, as long as I could see it.

But the problem is, that the container is then empty, means the long headline would have more space, but the hidden image does not flow into the next page, because it "consumes" the hidden image also.

And if you take out the consume-check, then we have after this 2 equal images.

But after all, you are right, IF this would be possible, "temporarely" hide some containers, this would be great.
I made in the past also some very encouraging tests with some variables like "if the headline contains "beach", then hide the image, else not".

But also here, it did not work because this "consume-stuff".
Consume is very powerful, and cool.

What your problems (and some of mine too  ) would solve, would be something with an (existing) variable "if a tag contains, then true, if not, false), used in the hidden-line.
But then the image should not be use in THIS container, but jumpt to the next container. Means, only the container should be ignored and the same image should jumpt to the next container.

I guess, this is, what you want. You could then add your metadata-description, and below the next container for the next image, number 2.
And with such a variable this next container would be ignored and the next image 2 would go on the next container in the next page.

This would be very cool and would give a lot more options.
But I guess, this would be very hard to implement (if not impossible, I have no clue), hence I will not ask for this with a FR. 

But I see, we work all with a bit the same "problems".
Indeed D&P is underestimated, because we can do things, what is even not easy with InDesign. 

[Mario]

To shorten this:

Hidden containers should not consume files?

[akirot]

Thank you for your reponses.
Actually I'm using D&P since it was introduced :-)
I hoped I could produce documents with paragraphs of variable length (as with Word).
Obviously D&P is designed differently.
As I don't have the time to circumvent this restriction by extensive tricks I think I'll find another solution.

[Mario]

IMatch is not Word. I can do amazing things. It can handle variable length text of course, but it will not re-arrange your container layout, moving containers to other pages or something if your text overflows. This is something that can easily be handled in normal layouts, and with dynamic layouts there is usually always a way, too.

[sinus]

To shorten this:

Hidden containers should not consume files?

Yes, exactly, you brought it with one sentence on the point, hidden containers should not consume files.

(simply uncheck the consume-check helps here not, because, if the container then is not hidden-depending on the variable-, the image would be printed twice)

[akirot]

Of course D&P is not Word.

Containers always have a fixed size.
As long as text fits into a container it can be of variable length.
As soon as the text is "longer" than the container it is cut off.
If the length of the text is unknown in advance the (fix sized) container cannot shrink (for short text - to give free space) or grow (if the text is long).
Correct or do I miss something?

[Mario]

This is how the system is designed. Just make your containers large enough so they can hold all text.
Note that most users display texts like a headline or a file name for printing purpose. Not novels or 3000 word scientific descriptions (although there are some users who do that, and design their layouts for this purpose).

Design & Print has no page wrapping for containers, no overflow into following containers etc.
DTP software / Word processing companies needed many years to get all that working, and their developer teams are usually bigger than 1 person

[Mario]

Yes, exactly, you brought it with one sentence on the point, hidden containers should not consume files.
(simply uncheck the consume-check helps here not, because, if the container then is not hidden-depending on the variable-, the image would be printed twice)

What if I actually want to use a hidden container to 'skip' a file depending on a variable. I have used that in some of my layouts and I don't know if others have used that too.
We probably would need another option, like a variable-driven "consumes file" option. This could then be used stand-alone or in combination with "hidden" to solve such cases.

I recommend adding a feature request. I'm open to suggestions, as always.

I have not thought about this in detail but I know that the consumes logic is really complex (many special cases) and doing it via a variable may easy to do or very hard...

[sinus]

Yes, exactly, you brought it with one sentence on the point, hidden containers should not consume files.
(simply uncheck the consume-check helps here not, because, if the container then is not hidden-depending on the variable-, the image would be printed twice)

What if I actually want to use a hidden container to 'skip' a file depending on a variable. I have used that in some of my layouts and I don't know if others have used that too.

Yep, that could also be the case.
But to skip (totally) an image, I would say, it is easier to not select such an image, before start D&P.
But ok, if we have large groups, sometimes it is handy to skip an image like you wrote, true.

But from my point of view it is more interesting (if we have to decide, what is better), to hide container, but not the image (container hidden, the image "flows" to the next container and will not be consumed).

We probably would need another option, like a variable-driven "consumes file" option. This could then be used stand-alone or in combination with "hidden" to solve such cases.

I recommend adding a feature request. I'm open to suggestions, as always.

I have not thought about this in detail but I know that the consumes logic is really complex (many special cases) and doing it via a variable may easy to do or very hard...

Thanks, Mario
Since you are writing it, I will think about it and create a feature request.
Of course word and InDesign is something else, but just to say, I think, we can do with D&P things, what InDesign or word cannot do.
Like hide containers based on a variable, and other stuff, this is really cool with IMatch.

As I wrote elsewhere, I am creating a kind of timeline (not the same like the timeline in IMatch) with a lot of options and variable stuff, it is simply outstanding, what we can do with D&P from IMatch.

Just to show a small thing, what would be possible, if we had something, what you wrote about options, above.

In my attachement you can see part of a timeline.
All images are family-stuff. In the red big rectangle this is a "world-history" (moon-landing) from 1969.
I have now integrated it into the family timline, but "marked" it with a special border and big letters "history".

If we could create containers like the smaller red rectangles and add a variable (like if File.Name contains "history", true, false) then all world-histories could to into these red rectangles and would be on one line.
Means in this example, the history timeline is above, the family below and the moon-landing was then, when aunt Anne has been born :-)

For such things it would be cool having something like you mentionend with "other options" (not consume hidden containers).

If you don't mind, I think about it and write later a feature request.

BTW: because D&P is such cool, I created once even a small video for my brother, because he had trouble to understand it (he speaks only German, so the help worked not for him very good).

You made this tool really exceptionally good.

[Mario]

Have you seen the integrated timeline in IMatch WebViewer? It looks very similar, but is of fully dynamic and controlled by the current selection in the Navigator.

[sinus]

Have you seen the integrated timeline in IMatch WebViewer? It looks very similar, but is of fully dynamic and controlled by the current selection in the Navigator.

No, sorry, I have not seen it.
I work not (more) with IMA, because the problems with the security (not IMatch-related). And for make this secure (VPN or whatwever) I have not the knowledge and not the time.
That is why I worked not more with IMA since a long time.

[Mario]

If you want to open IMatch WebServices (or any web server) to the Internet you have to take great care for security. Bad people will find your server and will try to break in.
As you said, this is not related to IMatch or IMatch WebServices. If you run a web server you have to take the same precautions, unless you have a simple, 'hosted' solution where your hosting company takes care for security.
Still, whatever software you use to run your site on (WordPress, Typo 3, ...) if it has security holes the bad guys are in like Flynn and can do all sorts of harm.

We've just had to manage a SPAM attack against this community!
Late December, beginning of January dozens of people were opening accounts and then trying to post advertisements for Po*n web sites, Bingo sites, illegal dark web boards and suchlike.
Thankfully the moderators were alert and I could apply some hacks and improved security measures to make it useless for them - like mandatory post moderation for all new users and stuff like that.
It has pretty much dried out now.