Where do I set the output tray?

OL Connect Professional General
1

I see the Media settings in the Output Creation Settings file, but those are for input trays… where do I set the output tray?

2

Printer Definition file

  1. Open a support ticket and send your PPD file to request and obtain a printer definition file which includes output tray selection.
  2. Opening the definition file in a text editor shows how the PostScript code has been inserted in the printerdef file. Below is an example:

  1. So you have probably noticed that each tray name\number is matched to the metadata field document.metadata.bin. So based on the above example, each output tray can be matched to its corresponding document.metadata.bin. Ex:

Data Mapper Considerations

The idea is that a metadata field at the document level namely document.metadata.bin must be created in order to establish a link between the tray names in the PPD and their insertion into the PostScript file. As such, it is imperative that the data mapper includes a field for the needed output tray number. This data mapper field, representing the output tray number for each record, will then be used to create the required document.metadata.bin field in the Job Preset (*.OL-jobpreset).

  1. Therefore, in order to configure output trays, the printer definition file expects a metadata field named bin at the Document (Document Tags tab of the Meta data Options page of the Job Preset wizard) level in the Job Preset. Thus, we can then add a field holding the Output tray number in the Data Mapper. The field can come directly from the data source, can be set manually\conditionally using JavaScript or can originate from the Workflow. There is no specific requirement with regards to the extracted field name in the Data Mapper. So for instance, the field can be named Bin, OutputBin, outputTrayNumber…etc; but the field value must be a number (1, 2, 3…etc) and not the actual output tray name as found in the PPD file since the document.metadata.bin in the Job Preset expects a number which it will automatically match to the correct output tray name

To be continued below…

3

Creating the Job Preset

  1. Once the data mapper has been created, the document.metadata.bin field can now be created in the Job Preset. Please note, since we are working in JavaScript, this metadata field is case sensitive and must therefore be created in lower cases in the Job Preset at the Document level

Creating the Output Preset

  1. The only requirement in the output preset is for the corresponding printer definition file to be loaded. The printerdef file contains all the necessary PostScript code for mapping each document.metadata.bin to the corresponding output tray name.

So for instance, base on the above example

If document.metadata.bin == 1, the “Copy Tray” will be used as output tray

If document.metadata.bin == 7, the “Mailbox Tray 9” will be used as output tray

To Recap

In the Printer Definition file, each output tray is given an index number. This index is then subsequently used to select the actual output tray name as set in the Printer’s PPD.

The index number, which indicates which output tray number must be used for the current document, must be part of the data mapper extracted either from the data source, set using a JavaScript code or set and returned as part of a workflow variable.

Next, the document.metadata.bin field must then be created in the Job Preset. This enables the Output preset to match a tray index number to the actual tray name which the physical PostScript printer can interpret.

Finally, the Job Preset, containing the metadata field “bin” at the Document level, and the Output Preset, using the printer definition file, are then used to generate output with the desired output tray calls.

4

How to configure output trays

5

Thank you so much for this… I understand the step-by-step, but this is certainly daunting and not intuitive. I’d hope that a much simpler system is being planned!

6

I believe a GUI option is in the Road Map. It sounds more difficult than it really is in practice. All you have to do is:

  1. Request printer definition file including output trays
  2. Add a field in data mapper for the output tray selection (must be a number which corresponds to the tray name or number. You may ask Support to provide the list of output trays and their corresponding index numbers in the printer definition file)
  3. Create the bin metadata field at Document level in job preset whose value is the data mapper field in step 2
  4. Create output preset using above job preset.

I just wanted to explain how it all works in the background.

7

Oh, your answer is excellent! This level of detail should be the standard. My “complaint” is that there is no simple “right-click the Print Section, go to Finishing, select the PDC/Printer-specific options”…

This method seems to violate the principles of “separating data from design from output” of Connect. Specifying an output tray shouldn’t require any work at all within the data mapper; it isn’t a data mapping operation.

8

Hi Rod,

This would be a good addition to the How To section of the site.

Regards,

S

9

If you require a dynamic value in the output, you most likely have to include the Data Mapper. However, if you are outputting to a single static output tray, you could try adding the bin metadata field as a "Text " metadata type (instead of Field type) with a static value (1, 2, 3…etc). There are existing enhancement requests to simplify finishing options in the Output module.