Copyright: Copyright © 2002, Pixel Translations Inc.


Contents

The following Help Topics are available:

Overview

Schema Formats

Examples

Visual Help


Overview

The File Naming Schema dialog allows you to specify how batches of files are named and organized by the application. You can choose from a list of common naming schemes or you can create your own to meet specific needs. As you select or type a schema, the bottom portion of the dialog will display a sample of what files will be named and what sub-directories will be created. If your application allows it, you can also create new schema and add them to the list of available schema.


Schema Formats

The File Naming Schema dialog allows naming methods to be entered in one of two different formats. These are called PixName format or Printf format. The PixName format is a high level, easy to understand format. Whenever you select or type a schema, the dialog is actually converting this high level format into the Printf format. For most naming schemes, the PixName format will be able to represent your naming requirements.

General Schema Format

format[,varlist][;format[,varlist]]

Format can be either a PixName format string or a Printf format string. If format is a PixName format, then you do not need to enter a varlist string. If the naming scheme needs to be different for front and back sides of sheets, use the ";" (semicolon) to separate the front side format from the back side format. The string can contain any legal file name characters. The characters "$", "#", and "%" have special meaning (see below) and must be escaped with "%" character in order to be treated as literal characters in the file name.

Varlist is an optional list of expressions that will be evaluated for every file name generated and plugged into the format string. Each expression in a varlist is separated from the next expression by a "," (comma). Up to four expressions can be entered within a single varlist. An expression is either a text expression or a numerical expression. Text expressions are limited to the variable "r" that represents the root file name. Numerical expressions can contain multiple occurrences of the variables "b" and "p" that represent the current batch number and current page number respectively. Numerical expressions can also contain numbers and mathematical operators. The operators "+", "-", "/", and "*" (addition, subtraction, division and multiplication) are supported. All numerical expressions are evaluated left to right without regard to operator precedence.

PixName Format Strings

This format uses sequences of two special characters, "$" and "#", to represent place holders for root file name, batch number and page number.

"$"	This character is the place holder for root file name. Unlike "#", the number of consecutive dollar signs has no bearing on the size of the field the root file name will fill. PixName will automatically truncated the root file name as needed to fit the file name. Internally, a sequence of these characters is translated into the Printf format "%s" with the variable expression ",r".

"#"	This character is the place holder for one digit in either the batch number or page number. A sequence of three number-signs means that a zero-padded number, three characters (or more) long, will be plugged into the file name in place of the number-signs. For example, if the format string "pix####,p" was entered, and the page number was 17, then the file name "pix0017" would be generated.

The first sequence of number-signs will always be a place holder for a page number expression involving the variable "p" unless a second sequence is entered. If this is detected, then the first sequence becomes a place holder for the batch number (variable "b") and the second becomes the page number expression.

If only one PixName format string is entered and is not followed by a varlist, then the dialog assumes a double sided document is being created. This implies that front sides of sheets have odd page numbers and back sides of sheets have even page numbers. The variable expression that creates this series for input page numbers "1, 2, 3, etc." is ",p*2-1" for front side page numbers and ",p*2" for back side page numbers. If both front side and back side format strings are entered (and are different), then the dialog assumes simple page numbering uses the simple expression ",p" for both the front and the back.

Printf Format Strings

The Printf format allows a subset of the output formatting allowed with the C language printf function call. The format string can contain any characters, symbols, or digits permitted by the file system in file names. Portions of the string that begin with "%" (percent) have special meanings that usually represent a place holder for an evaluated expression to be substituted. The general form for a "%" specification is:

%[0width]type

These characters and fields have the following meaning:

Field	Meaning

0	Pads the output number with zeros. The number is right justified within the specified width characters. Any characters to the left of width spaces not used by the number are filled with zeros.

width	Specifies the minimum number of spaces a number will occupy.  Numbers larger than width characters are not truncated. A number is right aligned within the width field.

type	Determines the type of value to be substituted into the string. The following types are supported.

Type	Meaning

c	Insert a single character having an ASCII value determined by the corresponding expression in varlist.

d, i	Insert a signed decimal integer argument.

ld, li	Insert a long signed decimal integer argument.

u	Insert an unsigned decimal integer.

x	Insert an unsigned hexadecimal integer argument in lowercase.

X	Insert an unsigned hexadecimal integer argument in uppercase.

lx, lX	Insert an unsigned long hexadecimal integer argument in the appropriate case,

s	Insert a character string.

Some Schema Entry Rules

1.	Don't mix formats. Either use PixName format for printf format.

2.	If you use PixName format, varlist is generated automatically even though it is not visible. You can type in your own if necessary.

3.	Don't enter full path names as part of the format. The application will provide a "prefix" portion of the file name that is not displayed in the samples of the dialog. Entering drive letters will cause an "illegal path" error.

See also Examples


PixName
PixName format

This is the high-level schema format that uses "$" and "#" as place holders for root file name, batch number and page number.


Printf formats
Printf format

This is the low level "native" schema format. It is identical to format strings one would use with the C language function printf. This format can be recognized by looking for strings like "%s", "%03d" and "%03X" as well as lists of variables like ",r,p*2+1,b".


 Visual Help


default_list
Default List Button

Press this button to discard the existing schema in the schema list and load the default set.

Note: this button is not visible if the application does not support saving the schema list to a file.


schema
Schema Edit Listbox

Select or edit a file naming schema. Click in this box and use the up and down cursor keys to view different defined naming schema. Begin typing to modify or create a new schema. Feedback is immediately given in the "Sample File Generated" display.


Description Text

Default schema also include descriptions that will appear in this box. Schema other than default will contain the text "User defined schema."


Sample Files Generated

An example of the names of files created is displayed here. Hypothetical sheet numbers 1, 2, and 187 are used for samples in each of the three columns respectively. Two different batch numbers, 0 and 17, are shown with front and back file names in each of the rows. The root file name is supplied by the application. The directory prefix, which may include the driver letter (like "C:") is temporally changed to "./" in order to leave more room to see the file names.


Add Schema Button

Press this button to add the schema you have created or edited (visible in the Schema Edit Listbox) to the list of schema. These will be saved when you press OK.

Note: this button is not visible if the application does not support saving the schema list to a file.


Delete Schema Button

Press this button to remove the schema currently selected from the schema list.

Note: this button is not visible if the application does not support saving the schema list to a file.


Examples

The following table gives several examples of both PixName Format and Printf Format strings.

PixName Format	Printf Format

HELLO	HELLO

$	%s,r

##	%02d,p*2-1;%02d,p*2

HELLO##	HELLO%02d,p*2-1;HELLO%02d,p*2

$$$-###	%s-%03d,r,p*2-1;%s-%03d,p*2

####\SCAN####	%04d\SCAN%04d,b,p*2-1;%04d\SCAN%04d,b,p*2

SCAN###A;SCAN###B	SCAN%03dA,p;SCAN%03dB,p

$##\$.###	%s%02d\%s.%03d,r,b,r,p*2-1;%s%02d\%s.%03d,r,b,r,p*2

See also Schema Formats


Dialog Control Menu

Use this menu move, close, or get version and copyright information. The version information is given for PIXDFLT.DLL, PIXTIFF.DLL, and PIXNAME.DLL. All three are required to use the dialog.