Data Entry

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Screen Shots Data Entry

Data Entry 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 Data Entry program is the “user” component of Badges & More Enterprise.  This is where you do data entry work and print badges.  Before you can use the Data Entry program, you must use the Administration program to define screens and badges (if you intend to print badges, labels, tags, forms, etc), and you must have access to one or more Shared Directories.

Work Flow

The normal use of the Data Entry program is as follows:

Log on to Badges & More Enterprise Data Entry to display the main data screen.  The last Shared Directory you used will automatically be selected unless you override the Shared Directory at the Log On screen.

Edit Data

1. Find a record to edit.  The last Record Selection query you used will be loaded automatically.  To select records, use the Record Selection fields located on the left side of the screen.  You can enter search data by:

Type in the all the strings you want to find in the appropriate fields.

You can find embedded strings (contained anywhere within the field, not just the start) by preceding you search string with a % character.  For example: Entering "am" will only return matches when the database field begins with "am."  If you type "%am" then records will be returned when "am" is found anywhere within the field.

You can also display a "values list" by pressing the F12 key.  This will give you a drop down list of all actual values contained for the field in the database.  Select the entry you want and click ok.  The value will be inserted into the search field automatically.

To run the record selection query press the F2 key, click the Refresh button, or press Enter from the last field prompt.  The program will match the strings you typed with the related fields in the database.  How the data is matched, the sort order used, and the displayed prompts are all defined using the Record Selection build.

Note: The data returned is color coded as follows:

Black: Normal data field that can be edited by typing in a new value.

Red: Field can be edited as a normal field, or you can press the F12 key to display a drop down list of valid entries.  Two additional fields are also coded red, but behave differently.  A special "badge type" field can be set in the Administrative program.  When you click on this field a drop down list is presented.  You can only select entries from this list, you cannot type in new values.  Also, "memo fields" (very large text fields) are displayed on the screen as ". . . Memo Field."  When you click the memo field entry, a special screen is display to edit memo fields.

Blue: Field is read only and cannot be edited.

2. Edit the record.  To edit a field simply type in the new value or use the drop down list (when available for the field) to select an entry.  To update the edit you can press the F9 button, click the "Update" button on the toolbar, or simply move to a new record.

3. Capture ID Photo.  You can capture an ID photo using a TWAIN device (such as a camera or scanner), or by importing a picture from a file.  A "Crop" screen is displayed after the picture is captured to size the photo based on the size listed in the badge design.

4. Delete the record.  To delete a record click the "Delete Record" button on the toolbar.

Print Individual ID Cards

To print an individual card, follow these steps:

1. Select the appropriate Screen for printing.
2. Select the record you want to print.
3. Be sure the correct printer is selected.  If necessary, use the Printer Menu to Select a printer, and set any special Specifications necessary.
4. Click the "Print" button on the toolbar.

Batch Print ID Cards

1. Select the appropriate Screen for printing.
2. Select the records you want to print by building the appropriate query.  A special "Print Quantity" field is recognized by Badges & More as a record selection option, and also to print multiple copies of designated cards.
3. Be sure the correct printer is selected.  If necessary, use the Printer Menu to Select a printer, and set any special Specifications necessary.
4. Click the "BP" button on the toolbar to display the Batch Print criteria screen and the Start Print screen.

Send Badge Data Over the Internet

If you have branch offices that are too small to justify the cost of their own PVC badge printer, you can create a badge print package and send it to a central site for printing using Internet FTP (software is available for batch printing at the server side).  Each package is compressed and encrypted before sending, and the "Send" function is a separate option in case there is a problem sending the data.  Also, sent packages are automatically saved in a special "NetOrdersAlreadySent" folder in case they need to be re-sent because of a problem with the initial transmission.

Printing Variations

You can use the "Badge Override" drop down selection to print all the selected records using the override badge/label/or tag.  This works for both individual and batch printing.

In Batch Print, you can choose to print on forms rather than individual PVC cards.  To print on forms you would normally select an override from the drop down, then click the "Print on Forms" button in the Print Media section of the Batch Print criteria screen to select the form type.

Export Data

The Export Data feature is used to build tab or comma delimited text files of the current record selection query, and you have the option of outputting field names as the first record.

Link to Other Programs

The Program Linking option is a powerful feature that lets you extend the capabilities of Badges & More Enterprise.  Using this feature you can

• Load a program
• Pass Predefined or job specific load (command line) time parameters
• Create a Parameter file
• Create a text query file

Linked programs can be standard programs such as Microsoft Excel, or they can be custom programs like fingerprint scanning, smart card encoding, or even a batch data processing job you write yourself.  This "plug in" logic means you can use existing technology today, and be ready for the next generation of tools when they become available, without scrapping the hard work you have already done.

Transmit Data Using FTP

Another built in feature is Internet FTP packaging and transmission to an FTP server.  This "Transmit" feature is an extension of Linked programs and is similar to "Internet Badging" but the package can be any collection of files.  You can set up any number of FTP server connections.  This feature can be very valuable when you need to send data files to the office for processing.  The office can monitor for data being received and automatically process the data without the need for human intervention.