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Label Layouts and Dynamic Printer Selection

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With 10.0.36 D365FO version, Microsoft completed the new Label layouts for License plate labels and delivered Dynamic printer selection to improve Document routing for License plate labels and Container labels.

Label layouts

New Label layouts are ZPL-based and don’t refer to License plate labels only.

Label layouts support:

  • License plate labels
    in addition to old Document routing layouts, which are also ZPL-based. Learn more >>
  • Container labels
    are used for printing the container- and shipment- related data, typically when creating and packing containers.
    Learn more in Microsoft documentation >>
  • Custom labels
    are used for printing labels for any data configured via Label layout data sources (e.g. product labels, location labels, customer labels) from the forms with the same root data source (the Print <Root Table> button automatically shown in the Options tab > Custom labels).
    Learn more in Microsoft documentation >>

Label layouts provide:

  • Better design capabilities: Label layouts support header, footer, body, repeating rows, configurable date, time and number formats.
  • Data source configuration via Label layout data sources: Add additional data to a Label layout data source by using the built-in Query form (SysQueryForm), which is typically used for configuring dynamic filters. You can add fields and display methods from the tables related (with inner or outer joins) to the data source root table.

    The root table of a Label layout data source:

    • For License plate labels: the License Plate Label table (WHSLicensePlateLabel)
    • For Container labels: the Containers table (WHSContainerTable)
    • For Custom labels, the root table can be any.
  • Use of external services (Label Cloud Printing).

Document routing layouts vs. Label layouts

License plate labels are implemented in D365FO via ZPL-based layouts:

Microsoft introduced Label layouts for License plate labels in addition to Document routing layouts to enable:

(1) More complex label design (repeating blocks, custom date, time and number formats, etc.).

(2) Adding additional data by non-developers via UI query behind a Label layout data source, with License plate label (WHSLicensePlateLabel) as the root table.

(3) Label Cloud Printing by using external services such as Loftware NiceLabel and Seagull Scientific BarTender.

Learn about License plate label layouts in Microsoft documentation >>

In Warehouse management parameters > the General tab > the License plates fast tab, you can turn on or off the Use label layouts for license plate labels option. If the option is turned off, old Document routing layouts are used for License plate labels.

Both old Document routing layouts and new Label layouts used for License plate labels allows Dynamic printer selection in Document routing setup. Dynamic printer selection is supported by Docentric Free Edition.
Regardless of whether you configure Label layouts or Document routing layouts to use for License plate labels, the Document routing improvements apply. These improvements are all part of Docentric Free Edition. Learn more >>

Improved License plate label layouts

Document routing printers (Document routing setup lines) with new Label layouts are improved in the identical way by Docentric Free Edition as old Document routing layouts, by introducing additional matching criteria consisting of multiple Mobile device users and a condition Query, which simplifies configuration in Document routing setup.

Learn how Docentric improves Document routing printers with Document routing layouts >>

The built-in novelty added to the Document routing printers setup in 10.0.36 is the Dynamic printer selection feature, which enables not selecting the exact network printer but using other configurations instead.

Dynamic printer selection

Document routing is a setup that defines which layout (old Document routing layout, new Label layout, Docentric template) will be printed to which network printer for a license plate label and warehouse worker (Mobile device user) under certain conditions. These conditions are configured in Document routing setup headers and lines, each of the line containing the combination of the selected network printer and layout.

Dynamic printer selection is a new feature (shipped in 10.0.36 D365FO version) enabling not to configure a network printer in Document routing setup lines (Document routing printers). When a printer is not configured, the printer is resolved dynamically by using the Dynamic printer selection flow.

In 10.0.41 D365FO version, Microsoft introduced configuration of fallback printer for Dynamic printer selection if no printer is resolved. It is configured via a new column Use specified printer per Document routing printers line and can be set to one of two values: Always or As fallback printer. If the Printer name combobox is left empty or Use specified printer is set to As fallback printer, the printer selection for the current ZPL layout will be dynamic. If Dynamic printer selection doesn't resolve any printer, the license plate label will be printed to the fallback printer - if configured in the matched Document routing printers line.

In 3.4.9 Docentric version, we introduced fallback printer for Dynamic printer selection when using Docentric templates instead of ZPL layouts, which are configured in Docentric Document routing printers. The setup and execution flow are identical as for Document routing printers.

Since it is not quite intuitive that Dynamic printer selection is on, we introduced a calculated column of type boolean called Dynamic printer selection in both Document routing printers and Docentric Document routing printers. Additionally, when testing Document routing setup via the Test setup functionality, the resulting grids Document routing printers result and Docentric Document routing printers result now contain additional columns Is fallback printer, Printer selection mode and Printer stock type, so you can understand if the printer is resolved dynamically and how.

The prerequisite for Dynamics printer selection is having a new field Printer stock type configured on the label layouts.

Dynamic printer selection in Document routing setup is supported for:

  • Document routing printers with Document routing layouts.
  • Document routing printers with Label layouts.
  • Docentric Document routing printers with Docentric templates.

Thus all the above label layouts - Document routing layouts, Label layouts and Docentric templates, allow the configuration of Printer stock type, which typically represents the size and type of paper a label template requires when printed.

The Dynamic printer selection flow uses the Printer stock type field configured on the layout in the Document routing setup line (the Document routing printers line) matching it with the printer selected by the current warehouse user in a mobile app. If there is no such printer override by the warehouse user, the Default label printer that uses the required Print stock type is further considered, matching it against current warehouse user and warehouse. Default label printers configured for the location are only considered when printing Container labels.

 

Learn about Dynamic printer selection in Microsoft documentation >>

Printer stock type and Document routing layouts

Printer stock type can be configured on the Document routing layouts form per layout.

 

Printer stock type and Label layouts used for License plate labels

Printer stock type can be configured on the Label layout form per layout which is of type License plate label and Container label, while Label layouts for Custom labels don’t support Printer stock type.

 

Printer stock type with Docentric templates used for License plate labels

Docentric report templates assigned to a report with the DocWHSLicensePlateLabelDSP class (or a class inheriting from it) are now marked as Warehouse labels that are ZPL-based in D365FO (the Warehouse label type field is set to License plate label), and support configuration of Printer stock type.

 

All Document routing improvements such as Test setup and Reprint label (with or without using setup) take into account Dynamic printer selection if it is used in Document routing setup for all 3 types of the label layouts: Document routing layouts, Label layouts and Docentric templates.

New model for License plate labels

The old model Docentric AX License Plate Labels is replaced with a new model Docentric AX Warehouse Labels, with all artifacts moved to the new model. In the future releases, this model will contain all improvements of ZPL-based Warehouse labels such as Wave labels and Container labels.

For some common fixes to issues that you might have when upgrading the Docentric installation to version 3.4.8+, please refer to this forum post.

See also

Improved License Plate Labels >>
How to Setup and Print License Plate Labels >>
Using Docentric Templates with License Plate Labels >>
How to Add Additional Data to License Plate Labels >>

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