Maintain Stylesheets (GMNT-14) 

The iComms facility allow users to send formatted letters and documents to persons or entities, like students, personnel members or debtors.  This screen is used to set up letters or documents that are produced by the different iComms options in each subsystem.  The letters or documents may contain tags that is replaced with data related to students or entities.

NOTE : A user may only update their own Stylesheet.

• iComms start with the creation of a Master Group (MST) on the iComms Style sheet block.  This is the stylesheet that will be linked against the specific program in {USERS-1}.  
• Thereafter a Letter (LET) should be created on the iComms Style sheet block.
• Drafts of documents may be created with any word processing software package and should be saved as "Rich Text Format" (rtf). This allows the user to manipulate the contents of the document and do formatting of both page as well as text properties.
• The draft documents may be uploaded to the system with the functionality in the "iComms Style Sheets" tab where System letters are maintained.
• The documents for SMS should be saved as "Plain Text" (txt).
• iComms Style sheet items, like Letter (LET) or SMS are linked to the Master on the "Document Groups" block e.g. When the Master is selected in iComms Style sheet block, the associated letters, SMS, list or log are linked in the Document Groups block.
• Tags (such as <StudentNumber> ) may be used to reference data fields in the ITS System. When the documents are produced, the tags will be replaced by values in the relevant data fields in the System.
  • Tags to be used via the rtf - documents are stored in the "Letter Objects" tab and must be matched with the specified letter from the "Document Groups" tab. Please note that tags are small stylesheet extracts that define the format and XML tag name(s) to be displayed every time the tag is referenced.
  • Tags may combine multiple fields and span multiple records per tag (i.e. all enrolled subjects per specific qualification).
  • Existing tags can be copied to a new letter using the Copy Objects frame

• These merged documents may then be
• printed directly via pcl
• mailed to the relevant student / personnel member and / or
• displayed as pdf documents.
   
• Copies of the final pcl - file, as well as the individual pdf - documents will also be stored in the ITS Document Storage and Retrieval System (DSR) from where it may be retrieved
• Note that 
• It is not possible to view a pcl - file as it is a format specially designed for printing purposes.
• iComms direct printing with the pcl - files will ignore colours, but it will keep the other formatting
  

Records created by System (user ITS), cannot be deleted/updated.

The group block is only used for iComms to set up your group of document outcomes for a specific menu option.  This defines any letters, lists, labels and SMS's that a specific option will generate.  Multiple groups can be set up for a specific menu where different output combination is needed.

Each iComms option will have at least one pre-existing letter containing all the available letter object (tags).  The available tags are generally listed in the help file of the SCOM option that will be used to generate the letter.

Only tags that are linked on this block may be used in the letter.  When creating new letters, the Copy Letter Objects section can be used to copy tags from pre-existing letters to the current letter.

1. Create a letter document in the "Maintain System Letters" tab.
2. Create a paragraph exactly the same way as for a letter in the "Maintain System Letters" tab.  The only differences between the two are:
   
   • Output Type for a paragraph must be linked to 'PINC - iComms Paragraph Include'.
   • Create the paragraph in a word-processing software package and save in Rich Text Format (rtf).
   • Load and convert the paragraph using the "Maintain System Letters" tab.
   • If the paragraph needs to print for all students, link the paragraph tag to the letter in the "Document Groups" tab and print with the relevant iComms program
     
3. If the paragraph should only be included for certain letters 
• Query the valid letter in the "Letter Objects" tab
• Enter a Condition Code and Description in the "Conditional Letter Objects" tab.
• This condition may be linked to a paragraph.
4. Select the test object (tag) on which the condition is based. The List Of Values will only contain tags available for the queried letter.
5. Select "Equal To" or "Not Equal To" and enter the value that the tag will be compared to (e.g. Y, N, 200800145, etc)
6. Select a paragraph to be included in the letter if the test is true from the list of values.  The list will contain all the "PINC - iComms Paragraph Include" objects.
7. When the record is saved, a conditional object will be created and added to the list of "Letter Objects" for the document.
8. The conditional tag may now be appear in the rtf - document in the same way as any other letter object (tag).
9. Load and convert the letter.
10. Print the letter using the relevant iComms program
    

• For documents to be printed, printer escape sequences may be included in iComms documents as follows
1. Ensure that the printer to be used is defined in "Maintain Printers" {GPRT-1}
2. Note that the program "g07ccc" should be included as part of the printer instructions
3. Create a code and description for each escape sequence to be used in the "Printer Escape Sequence Description" - tab of "Maintain Printers" {GPRT-1}.
4. Link the escape sequence code to the printer(s) and enter the escape sequence required by the printer in the "Printer Escape Sequences" - tab of "Maintain Printers" {GPRT-1}..
5. Use the escape sequence code as created in (3) above as a tag in the document. Note that the "Escape sequence" - tags should not exist in the "Letter Objects" - tab.
• The printer escape sequences will only be effective in the "pcl" documents generated when the individual iComms options are executed, that is, the escape sequences will not be effective in any of the stored "pdf" documents.

• Below is an example of how to use printer escape sequences to use different printer trays for different pages of a document
• Note – The individual pdf documents generated and saved in the DSR will not handle tray selection. The system will also generate individual pcl-documents and store these in the DSR. The pcl documents handles the tray selection but is not viewable on the screen.

1. Create printer set-ups and printer escape codes in the system to handle tray printing. Tray selection is handled using “Printer Escape Sequences” as entered in "Maintain Printers" {GPRT-1}
    
   
   • If the same physical printer is to be used to print normal documents as well as iComms documents that does tray selection, create 2 printer definitions in the "Printer Definitions" - tab of "Maintain Printers" {GPRT-1}  - one for “normal” printing and one for “tray selection”
     

     Printer Code	Printer Descriptiongmnt-14.html
     ICF1	iComms Printer - First Floor Printer
     NF1	Normal Printing - First Floor Printer

   • Note that the set-up for the printer for “Tray Selection”, should use g07ccc, as in the example of the second block of the  "Printer Definitions" - tab of "Maintain Printers" {GPRT-1} below.

     Printer Code	Seq	Instruction
     ICF1	10	sh $W/g05uni $Wg07ccc $B $B.x1 itslaser
     ICF1	20	lp -dc250f1 $B.x1

2. Create printer escape sequence codes for the tags to be used in the iComms documents and enter it in the "Printer Escape Sequence Description" tab of "Maintain Printers" {GPRT-1}

   Escape Code	Description
   Tray1	Print on tray 1
   Tray2	Print on tray 2

3. Enter the escape sequences for the relevant printers in the "Printer Escape Sequences" tab of "Maintain Printers" {GPRT-1}

   Printer Code	Escape Code	Description	Escape Sequence
   ICF1	Tray1	Print on tray 1	\027&I4H
   ICF1	Tray2	Print on tray 2	\027&I1H

4. Specify the printer tray to be used with a tag in the rtf - document. The tag name should be the escape code, for example <Tray1>.  Everything after the tag will print on paper from the specified tray.
5. Load the document in the standard way through "Maintain Stylesheets" {GMNT-5}.
   Note that the "tray" tags should not exist in "Maintain Stylesheets" {GMNT-5}.

• Procedures:
• Operational Manual iComms