Custom invoice/label system

OMINS brings you all new, feature-loaded report / invoice and label system (odt invoice-report system).

This new odt invoice/lable system is based upon documents having odt format (libre office writer native format).

What is  this  odt format

We all are familiar with MS word and word files it creates (.doc and .docx).  Libre office is a free document creation program similar to MS office and it creates documents in .dot format.

This new OMINS reporting system needs documents to be in .odt (libreoffice) format.

You have to create your invoice/label templates in odt format (libreoffice writer native format).  Although you can use word to create your basic invoice/label in MS word but then you will have to load that document (.doc or .docx) in libreoffice and then “save as” odt file. You may need formatting finishes in libreoffice because sometimes formatting might not correctly translate from MS office to libreoffice. You can download libreoffice for free from http://www.libreoffice.org

Features:

  1. You can customize your invoices/labels/receipts in whatever way you want and whatever format you want. Any font style, any font size.
  2. You can insert static pictures in your invoices/labels; different pictures for different report type.
  3. You can insert dynamic images in your invoices/labels of both barcodes and your product pictures in your invoices/labels.
  4. Availability of a long list of merge tags, which provides maximum flexibility in invoice/label customization.
  5. Option of printing invoices/labels in pdf and/or in original (odt format).  Although printing in pdf is easy, fast and recommended.
  6. Availability of google cloudprint (silent print), which allows you to print not only on the local printer but also on remote printer (any printer connected to internet).

List of default odt invoices/labels

51      odt packing

50      odt packing w/ pic

49      odt purchase report

48      odt dymo 99012

47      odt stick 8

46      odt invoice pic

45      odt invoice

44      odt stick8 wilines

How it works:

Go to menu  settings — > reports.  Here you see all of your invoices, packing slips, labels templates etc.

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You can see default odt invoices/labels.  List has been provide above.

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Now you have two options;

  • You can use default format
  • You can make your own customized invoice/label (see  below)

If you want to use default invoices

Basically this is what we recommend; using a default invoice/label and copying it then modifying it, unless you need major changes in your printed report or you need an entirely new and different invoice/label format.

You cannot make changes in the default entries, although you can download and view, and copy the invoice/label template file.

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The default reports are not changeable, to change anything in default or to customize it, you will have to make a copy of default invoice, which is explained in detailed later in this article.

Step by step procedure of basic invoice printing procedure.

For single order (from within order “save & print)  (pics 4, 5 and 6 below)

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For multiple orders  (pics 7 and 8 below)

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Attributes

You can set attributes to each invoice report, from the attribute section on the right side of page.

attributes

1-    You can make this invoice active or inactive.

2-    You can enable email attachment here and this invoice will be available in invoice email setup, to be sent as email attachment.  See invoice email help

3-    You can check this box if you wish to change the status to “printed” automatically when this invoice is used.

How to make changes in the default invoice

You cannot make changes to default invoice, so you will have to make a copy of the invoice you want to make changes to. 

Step by step process to edit a default invoice

When in report section  (settings–>reports)  select the report you want to make changes to

Select default invoice and click make copy.

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On next screen you can given this copy the name of your own choice.  (in the example in the image, I named it “my main odt invoice”  and click save.

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From reports list, open this newly saved invoice and download file (odt text document) open it (this will open in libre office).

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If it opens as read-only document, save this document and give an appropriate name.

Make changes and save this odt document again.  (see pics below)

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Now go to  “my main odt invoice” page (or whatever you named it) and click browse in upload section.

Browse the saved odt document and click save.

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How to make your own new custom invoice

Once you are on the reports page, click “new” and give this report a name of your own choice and click save (as you did in previous section)

Now open this newly made and named report and upload here your own custom invoice, either made in liber office (odt format) or made in MS office and later converted to odt format by liber office. (browse and save).

Merge tags

While creating your own new report, you will need merge tags, which you can access from within the invoice page.  There is a long list of available mergetages.

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How to add merge tags

When adding merge tags copy them from reports page copy and paste them straight in, then select the whole tag and change the format/size etc if require

This serves 2 purposes:

1. Prevents typos.

2. Ensures the whole merge tag is the same size/format etc,

If the merge tag is not all the same size/format it will not be recognized correctly and will not work.  Changing part of a tag, may result in its dysfunction.  Even though it might look like it is all the same format, there could be subtle differences that will cause the merge tag to not work.

The best way to avoid this is to always paste in the merge tags in their entirety never type them in or change them; ONLY paste them in toto then select the whole tag change its size/format.

 

To make new pages for each entry

To make new pages for each entry add this to the top of the page [m;block=tbs:page]   (you can make its size 1 as it will be removed when OMINS merges the data):

You need to also ensure you set this text to have a page before it in the paragraph properties (YOU HAVE TO DO THIS FOR ANY tbs:page entry) where you want the each new entry to start on a new page:

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Tags for iterable data

If you require some “iterable data” such as products inside your invoice/label you need to include the “header” as in the print record setup in OMINS.

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This header needs to be included in the “block” tag
[m;block=tbs:page;sub1=(rel_products)]

so that the iterable fields will be available as e.g m_sub1.quantity

How to insert Images:

You can put any image anywhere in the document and it will print the original image

Dynamic (changing) images:

1) Barcode images:

You can put a placeholder image and that will be converted to a barcode of the specified field.  You need to add to the description of the image which you can access by right clicking on an image in libreoffice .  You can drag in/insert any image just make sure it is the right size, if you ad the mergetag to the description it will be replaced by a barcode

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Then add this tag:

[m.id#;ope=changepic;from='{|barcode|}/barcode_[val].png’;tagpos=inside;adjust=100%]

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m.id# in this case is the merge tag for the id typically on an invoice, however any core merge tag (any tag starting with ‘m.’ can be used here and will be automatically be converted to a barcode of that data)

2)  Special product images:

There is a special case of image that is product images when using sub1=(rel_products) on invoice reports you can add the product image, simply add a placeholder with this description

[m_sub1.product_id;ope=changepic;from='{|picture_file_37x37|}/product_[val].jpeg’;tagpos=inside]

In picture_file_37x37, 37×37 represents the pixel size of the image, you can adjust this to give the correct size product picture you wish to have.

Creating label templates for new OMINS odt system.

Creating a label template for a label printer (roll of labels)

1)    First. Ensure your label printer is set to the correct label size.  Right click properties of the printer under “devices and printers” (windows 7), “printers and faxes” in windows xp.  You will have to refer to your printer’s documentation to ensure this is done correctly, as it is different for each printer.

2)     Create a new writer document in libreoffice.

3)     Go to menu format –> page, set the width and height of your labels (e.g large dymo address labels 99012 are 89×36.

4)    Set the minimum print margins for the printer (you may have to google this for this, or libreoffice, or ms word might do this automatically adjust to these depending on the printer and driver) under file –> print settings (dialog is different for each).

5)    Add real data and take a test print.

6)    Change the address to the appropriate merge tags.

7)    For multi pages you will need a block tag at the top [m;block=tbs:page].  You can make this size 1 text if you want, as this will be removed when OMINS generates the address labels.

8)    Save this document (as odt) and upload to OMINS.

9)    Test you report by printing a single invoice, and also test your mutli page setup by selecting more than one order and use the print button (specifically select your new report).

Creating a label template for A4 Label sheets:

1) If you have MS Word, use it as MS word creates tables, which OMINS uses.  Go to mailings –> lables, select the appropriate brand/size/type of label click new document and save

If you don’t have MS word, instead use libreoffice and create a table using the size of your labels as a guide for sizes; make sure your page prints correctly on your labels.

2) Open your working lables in libreoffice remove all but the top row in the table

the first thing on the first label (far left) needs to be this:

[m;block=tbs:row;serial] (you can make this size one it will be removed when OMINS generates the labels)

Instead of using m. for your merge tags, you will use m_1.(in tagname) for the leftmost column and m_2.(tagname) for the next etc until you it the right of the page. Merge tag in each label you use must include “;block=tbs:cell“ within it, for instance if the first mergetag is name the it would look like this: [m_1.name;block=tbs:cell]

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You can include the barcode image in each of your labels however you must remember to use:  m_1.(tagname), m_2.(tagname) each time, also you must include “default='{|blank|}’” at the end of the imagetag inside the description else the default image will be left on empty lables

e.g here is what you put in the description of the image as the top left 1st entry entry  [m_1.id#;ope=changepic;from='{|barcode|}/barcode_[val].png’;tagpos=inside;adjust=100%;default={|blank|}]

NOTE: you only ever need to fill the first row for label sheets once you have filled the first row (left to right) then new rows will automatically be created and continue down the page depending on the number of orders printed.

What about old report (legay or html type)

Although old report system types (legacy or html), are still usable, but we strongly recommend OMINS users to shift over to new odt system of invoice reports because snipesoft (OMINS) is no longer supporting old type invoices and moreover old style invoices will be removed from the systems, once users are well-acquainted with the new system.

 

Best of luck with the new odt system and we are here to help you shift over to new odt system at    support@snipesoft.net.nz

 

 

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