Digital Workshop

Hello there.
I'm trying to program a button to print multiple objects on click. Say I have 70 different image objects and I want the one button to print them all consecutively. Is there a way to do this?
Is there a way to implement .PDF files so I can merely create one .PDF of all the images I want printed, and just print that PDF?

Thank you! I'm using Opus Pro by the way.

Please provide more information. Also, add more details to your profile --- which Windows version; which Opus version.

Printing multiple images should be possible --- but much will depend how you have your Pub structured. And are you creating a Full Opus Pub, or a web-based Pub, or a Flex Pub, or something in SCORM. How does the User view or select the images? Is he only viewing part of the total number of images, or does he see all of them? Are they all in one folder? When printing does the sequence matter? How are you displaying one image to the next -- that is, you might be using different Opus Pages, or maybe different Frames in a Multiframe to contain the image, or other Show/Hide actions?

I cannot help you with so little information given. If you have something started, post an example ( .imp file).

Alright, apologies for the profile information: I had to create a new account because I completely lost the user information of my old account!

The pub will just be a normal Opus Pro standalone pub. The user will basically just click a button(he will not see the image) and it will print about 5 - 30 different images. There are several buttons but they will not print the same number of images. These images are all on one page, and will not be on any other of my pages. The sequence of the printing does not matter as long as all the images are printed.

This page is basically a print library. And the prints I am referring to will not be previewed before printing. There is a small thumbnail but that's about it.

I will attach an (.imp) example.

(Apologies again for the lack of detail. )

Okay, good. More info and better understanding of what you are trying to create.
I do not have my OpusPro ver 8 installed yet -- so some of the other guys here hopefully will download your Pub and make a suggestion.
Do you need control over image size on the printed page? Do you expect one image per page... or what? Are you going to print image only, or have a caption or additional text (how much text)?

As for creating the PDF, I would say 'no' -- not by Opus. However, if your User has a PDF Print utility or driver installed on his system, then he can select (Bullzip_PDF, or EZ_PDF, or other...) the PDF driver as the 'printer' to output to. (( However, we still need to build the actions to print a page, then repeat for a different image, repeat, repeat... still one button click))

Another option that may be possible is to have Opus Pub (User running pub) generate and Save a custom HTML Page that will include image source (path on User's PC) and add a html Page Break. Opus actions could continue to add additional images -- and Saving as one HTML page, which Opus could then Print.
Here is a discussion of a more 'basic' HTML print solution: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3560&hilit=html+print

No, the images are set to print A4 automatically and there is no additional text or anything on them or added. It's a simple "click-and-print" action.

Ah too bad about the PDF.. would have saved a lot of hours of work. I haven't checked out the html much on Opus so I am not familiar with how it works and such. But I will see what I can find out.

Thank you for the reply and tips!

The HTML example here on the forum is pretty easy to follow. Perhaps you can get a buddy who knows some html to help with the solution.

In the Opus side of things, you simply set up a Page variable to store the path and filename of the image to be printed. Since you have a 'library' (what I interpret as sets of images), each small collection can be easily documented in the development stage -- and that data can be used in the html markup (web page).

Unfortunately none of my buds know much about HTML... But isn't there another way(without HTML) to do the same thing?

I maybe over simplifying this, but Opus has a print object and print page button?

If you have, 10 objects or pages containing a Flash Card image, you just add a button and add the print action for each object / page to print. (It would be quicker with scripting but this is the basic section).

Also, might be a daft point, if you need a PDF with 30 flash cards to print, why not just create the PDF separately and include with your program and then just use the print file in Opus to print or load this PDF?

Mack

Mack's suggestions above are practical and quite easy -- assuming you can author everthing up front. If you anticipate you or your client will need to maintain and update the image collections at some future time, you will need to plan for that. (they can generate a new PDF file with updated image_set using the same name, replacing the old pdf).

As briefly mentioned in earlier replies, you can have Opus automate a sequence of printing the 30 separate image files -- assuming you want one image per printed page -- but that is 30 print actions. In a workgroup Printer, other people's print jobs may get mixed into the queue. ??

You might invest a little time on Google to find how to load multiple image files on one html page. You may find it is not difficult to understand. As another option/solution, you could also Search for some Batch Print utilities that you may be able to launch from within Opus (probably would need separate folders for the different image sets).

You will need to consider the tradeoffs of one approach versus another -- and I suggest trying a few different methods before you decide.

As a matter of fact, I have tried doing that by including the pdf in my additional resources, but for some reason Opus wouldnt print it. Perhaps I did something wrong, but I was under the conclusion Opus didn't support PDF what so ever.. I guess I was wrong

All of the images are on one page and there is only 1 or 2 batches that contain more than 20 images. One could of course put a delay between the prints.. or something, but for the prints to get mixed up during the client's printing, can't really be helped can it?

These images stay the same forever, the images that do change every term, are separate and have their own printing setup(the normal, basic way)

My current method is basically: triggers -> programming -> consecutive action group -> print -> print object on page -> image1
print -> print object on page -> image2

.......and so on.
This is the simplest and most straight forward way i know of and I would stick would it, but if there is a faster and more sufficient way to do it, I would love to know!

Thank you everyone for the help so far! Appreciate it

Opus should print any type of file assuming that the correct application is installed.

When you select your PDF for printing, check the 'use associated application' option and the file will print using Acrobat - if that is the application set up for PDFs.

Mack

O.K I will try this and get back to you! Thank you so much Mack!

So I tried it out and it worked! Combined all the images in to one PDF and it prints perfectly! Thank you again for the help and effort!

Regards

Now I have a new dilemma..

I'm using a master page for my other pages to read from, and its much easier to change information/images and so on with scripting on the other page.

So I've assigned a button to print an image from my additional resources(this is on the master page, because on the other pages this button will print this same image object all the time, but the image itself will be changed on the pages that use the master page).... now the problem is, when I go on my other page(the one that uses the master page) and click on the print this image button, it prints the page itself, not the image object as it should. I know i've assigned it correctly because on the master page, it prints correctly when i test it. But it will not print the assigned image of the image object, it only prints the page as if i checked "print current page"...but it isn't!

Any ideas?

Back to the prints.. Should I place my pdf in my resource folder so that when the program is published it saves the PDF in to the exe.. other wise there will be nothing to print on the user's program?