[WebMacro-user] Re: [lajug] printing mailing labels

[Lane S. <la...@op...>]

Hi Stephane,

I understand what you are up against. You are looking almost for an 
avery datafile of metrics in Java.

Here is what I would do. Create a file of bean specs and then evaluate 
the file at run time:
## file of predefined avery specs
##8999 defined:
#bean $MailingSpecs = "java.util.HashMap"
#bean $MailingLabel = "com.waytooeasy.MailingLabel" onNew  {
   #set $MailingLabel.ID = "8999"
   #set $MailingLabel.Manufacturer="Avery"
   #set $MailingLabel.Across= 3
   #set $MailingLabel.Down= 10
   #set $MailingLabel.TopMargin= .8
   #set $MailingLabel.LeftMargin= .8
   #set $MailingLabel.Height= 1.75
   #set $MailingLabel.Width= 2.80
}
#set $tmp = $MailingSpecs.put($MailingLabel.ID, $MailingLabel)
## more specs

When this file is evaluated at run time, you will have in your WM 
"context", a HashMap which has all your specs:

HashMap specs = (HashMap) context.get("MailingSpecs");
MailingLabel label = (MailingLabel) specs.get("8999");

see http://webmacro.org/BeanDirective for more insight on this.

I have been doing this for years in all my applications. You can get 
more creative and store the original spec in a database and allow the 
user to create a spec using your Swing GUI.

In short, you work directly with a Java object in your text file of your 
own making. This idiom is accepted in the WebMacro community. It is 
definitely worth giving it a try if I understand what you are trying to 
accomplish.

-Lane



Stephane Grenier wrote:

>Thank you both for your replies, it is appreciated.
>Let me get a little more precise to see if anyone can
>come up with other alternative options.
>
>One requirement is that it is embedded 100% in the
>java code. That is, either it references a jar or
>class files, not an external application (our product
>is a standalong java swing application). Therefore I
>cannot assume that the end user will have MS Word or
>any other program because this creates a dependency
>between our application and having the printing
>application available (for example MS Word).
>
>In regards to using frameworks to print it, we already
>use a tool called JFreeReport that can do all the work
>for us. What I'm trying to avoid doing is finding and
>implementing all the measurements of the different
>Avery stationary label packages (for example avery
>xxxx means labels are x by y for 30 labels per sheet,
>etc.). There are many different avery packages that
>you can buy and I don't want to have to create a
>different report for each one (hence why we don't mind
>paying for a company that provides runtime libraries).
>Otherwise it looks like we'll have to manually pick a
>few packages and create reports for those.
>
>Thank you again,
>Stephane
>
>
>
>--- Lane Sharman <la...@op...> wrote:
>  
>
>>just use a template engine like WebMacro or
>>Velocity.
>>
>>these are swiss-army knives for precise merging of
>>records into a text 
>>output document such as a 10 up.
>>
>>-Lane
>>
>>Stephane Grenier wrote:
>>
>>    
>>
>>>Hello,
>>>
>>>Does anyone know of a good framework (preferably
>>>      
>>>
>>open
>>    
>>
>>>source) for printing mailing labels, such as Avery
>>>mailing labels?
>>>
>>>Regards,
>>>Stephane
>>>
>>>
>>>		
>>>__________________________________ 
>>>Do you Yahoo!? 
>>>Yahoo! Small Business - Try our new resources site!
>>>http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/resources/
>>>
>>>      
>>>
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>>    
>>
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>>>      
>>>
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>>    
>>
>>> 
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>-- 
>>Lane Sharman
>>Providing Private and SPAM-Free Email
>>http://www.opendoors.com
>>858-755-2868
>>
>>
>>
>>    
>>
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>  
>
>>To unsubscribe, e-mail: laj...@la...
>>For additional commands, e-mail:
>>laj...@la...
>>
>>
>>    
>>
>
>
>		
>__________________________________ 
>Do you Yahoo!? 
>Yahoo! Small Business - Try our new resources site!
>http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/resources/
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------
>To unsubscribe, e-mail: laj...@la...
>For additional commands, e-mail: laj...@la...
>
>
>  
>

-- 
Lane Sharman
Providing Private and SPAM-Free Email
http://www.opendoors.com
858-755-2868