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Administration |
Administration Program(Note: Click the text hyperlinks to view screen shots. To view all screens, select the Screen Shots option from the menu bar on the left. Text in red is the menu button to use.) The Administration Program is the “Programming” part of Badges & More Enterprise. This is where you supply the technical information needed to make your badging system work. An Administrative User Log On screen is displayed when the Administration program is started. This controls who can access the program, and also allows the user to override which Shared Directory to open. If no Shared Directory is selected, the program will default to the last accessed Shared Directory All functions are initiated from the Administration Menu. Just click the appropriate button to start a task. Work FlowCreating a typical badging application from scratch would entail the following steps performed within the Administration program:
For more detailed information about each screen, use the topics listed in the menu bar on the left side of this screen. Database DefinitionsBefore you can work with any database, you must first define it to Badges & More by using the “Create a New Database Definition” task. The database definition contains the information needed by Badges & More to open the database, and specifies which table or view to use. The database definition also stores badging defaults and other needed values to make your badging system work. Once a database is defined, you can edit the definition by using the “Edit an Existing Database Definition” task. If you no longer need a database definition, you can remove it by using the “Delete a Database Definition”. The available fields on the Database Definition screen will change depending on the type of database. Badges & More Enterprise uses Microsoft ADO connections for Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL Server, and Oracle databases. You can also use ODBC connections but you must setup DSN definitions on client computers.
NOTE: Making a Portable SystemIf you need to setup a portable system to distribute to different locations that are not connected to a central server, you should use a Microsoft Access database. For a program to connect to a database, it must know where the database is located (for example, the drive, path, and file name). If you distribute a Shared Directory package, it may or may not get installed where you expect, so the connection might not work. To overcome this problem, Badges & More Enterprise has embedded code to alter paths from a fixed location to use the Shared Directory path instead. To use this feature:
Screen DefinitionsOnce a database is defined, you can set up any number of Screen Definitions to work with the database definition. A screen definition is the “user” interface for working with a database and printing badges, and stores badging defaults and other needed values to make your badging system work. To create a new screen definition use the “Create a New Screen Definition” button. To edit an existing screen definition use the “Edit an Existing Screen Definition” button. If you no longer need a screen definition, you can remove it with the “Delete a Screen Definition” button. Two definition screens are used to setup a screen. The first is the Parameters screen which is used to link the screen to a database definition and collect other values needed for the screen to function. The second screen is the Layout screen. This is where you select the fields to display in the Data Entry program, define the order that you want fields displayed in, mark them as updateable or read-only, and override the data field size if necessary. By default, the user data prompt is the field name, which you can change to something more meaningful to appear on the Data Entry screen. You can also link fields to a validation table if you want to insure that a field entry is contained in an existing table. Also, the user can display the validation table on the Data Entry screen to make a selection from a list instead of typing in the value by pressing the F12 key. Badge DefinitionsOnce a database is defined, you can set up any number of badges to work with the database definition. A badge design contains all the data needed to print a badge, including magnetic stripe and barcode information. To create a new badge, click the “Create a New Badge Design” button. To edit an existing badge design, click the “Edit an Existing Badge Design” button. If you no longer need a badge design, you remove it by clicking the “Delete a Badge Design” button. When you create a new badge, tag, label, etc. you chose its "Type" to define its width and height, select an orientation, and chose the database definition using the Badge Specifications screen.DesignThe Badge Design screen is used to add and position objects on your design. You set the text you want displayed in the Properties window, along with color, size, print angle and other characteristics of the object (Note: the contents of the Properties window will change depending on the selected object). To position the object, you can drag it to where you want it on the design itself, or you can use the Properties window to enter exact placement coordinates. Database Field: To add a database field to the design, simply drag the field you want from the Database Field window onto the design. Text Button: Adds a text object to the design. ID Pic Button: Adds an ID Photo object. Graphic Button: Displays a file browse to adds a picture, logo, or other graphic to the design. Graphics are automatically copied to the Shared Directory to avoid path and portability issues. Current Data: Adds a current date object. Box: Adds a rectangular box to the design. Line: Add a line object to the design. Concatenation: Adds a Concatenation object to the design. This lets you combine text and database fields to create a single object to work with. For example, you can "concatenate" city, state, and zip code into a single "field" instead of working with each part independently. Barcode: Adds a barcode to the design. When you add or select a barcode object, the Barcode Edit screen is displayed. This lets you build the content of the barcode from database fields and/or literal text. To add a database field, simply drag the field you want from the Database Fields window onto the grid. You can also add formatting, fill characters, and so on. You set the barcode style (such as 3 of 9), direction, and size in the Properties window. Mag Stripe Checkbox: Displays the Magnetic Stripe Content screen. Use this screen to define the contents of a magnetic stripe on a PVC card. To add a database field, simply drag the field you want from the Database Fields window onto the grid. You can also add text, and "Field Marks" to the encoding, and format the data using a format string. Save: Saves the design to disk and gives you the option to "Save As" a different name if you need to make variations of a design.SecurityTo create or edit users for a Shared Directory, click the “Security Setup” button. Notes: You must be a security administrator (level 9) before the Security options are visible. Also, y The Security screen is used to add, edit, or delete users from the Badges & More Enterprise Shared Directory. This security is independent from any network security that may be in place. Security Level: To change the user’s security level, type in the new level. The general security levels are as follows:
The security level entered on this screen is matched to the security level of a Data Entry program user. If the user’s security is equal to or higher than the screen security level, then the screen is made available to the user. If the user’s security is lower, the user will not even see the screen definition. Logged On: To clear or set a user’s logged on status, click the Logged On checkbox. When a user logs on to the Data Entry program, the Logged on flag is examined. If the flag is clear (not checked), then the Logged On flag is set to true and the user is logged on. If the flag is already set, a message is displayed informing the user they are already flagged as on line. If the user’s security level is 3 or less, the program ends and the user must contact a security administrator to use this screen to clear the flag. If the user’s security is 4 or higher, they are given the option to continue with the log on, but should only do so if they are sure no one else is using their User ID. The flag is automatically cleared through a normal exit from the Data Entry program. If a system problem prevents that from happening, then the flag will be “stuck” as on, even though no one else is using that User ID, and it must be manually cleared for user’s with a security level of 3 or less. Data DictionaryAn integrated feature of Badges & More is the automatic maintenance of a data dictionary (table name BamDictionary in the BamBadge.mdb database). The table is updated when a database definition is saved, and when a screen layout is edited. The table contains the following fields:
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