New to Studiometry 6 are visual template editor Data Rows. Data columns are great for setting up basic invoices, but they don't allow you to create more advanced layouts. Data rows address this by allowing you to setup a template-within-a-template that will be repeated for each item. You design the entire "row" that will be created for each item, which can include variables, images, graphics objects, and text.
One of the great parts of Data Rows is the ability to have each row stretch vertically to fit all of the data for a specific item. This allows for invoices that can show large amounts of text for each item, which works great with the Extra Info field when editing a Debt/Credit item.
Here is an example setup for a Data Row where the row is set to expand vertically based on the data available for the ItemExtraInfo tag.
This row will be reproduce for all items on an invoice, and we have set the ItemExtraInfo tag to expand vertically based on the available content. Here is what it can produce:
The Data Row feature gives you the power to design exactly how each item will appear on an invoice, including all fonts, sizes, colors, and graphics for the associated item. This feature brings Studiometry up to an entirely new level of flexibility and control over the already powerful Invoice and Report template system.
Setup:
Similar to data columns, if you intend to create multi-page invoices you will have to insert a Data Row Area on each page of your template (initial page and the subsequent "repeating" page). The are will appear as a gray box with the Data Row type in text in the middle of the area.
To edit the content of the data row, select the area and press the Edit button in the properties floating window. This will bring up the data row's template-within-a-template editing area where you can create a miniature template that will be used for each of the items in your data area.
This template gives you the ability to put variables that were restricted to Data Columns directly into variable items. ItemAmount, for example, can be places anywhere on the row and will be located in that position for each item associated with the Invoice or report.
Additional position settings are also allowed for items within the data row. Next to the "Top" setting, which controls how many pixels an item is from the top of the template, there is a popup menu where you can select if the item is locked to the top or the bottom of the data row. Data rows can expand vertically to fit additional data so if you'd like a line, for example, to be at the bottom of every item you would select lock bottom and place it near the bottom of the data row.
Next to the "Height" setting, which controls the height of the item, there is a popup menu where you can select if the item is a constant height or if it expands vertically to fit additional data (flexible). If you have the ItemExtraInfo variable, for example, and you set it to Flexible, Studiometry will automatically expand the item as well as the data row to fit all of the information that is available for that variable. If you have no variables set to flexible then all data rows will maintain a consistent height or your selected Minimum Row Height.
If you select Flexible for an item in a Data Row that isn't a variable, such as a Text or Graphics object, the item will be stretched vertically to appear as many pixels from the top and the bottom as it appears in the editing area.
On a side note, you can only create one Data Area for each type (Debt/Credit, Category, Employee, Tax, or Taxes with Value) on an invoice. This means that your Debt/Credit Data Row area will be uniform throughout your Invoice, and while you can have multiple areas on the same Invoice (on the same page or on multiple pages) editing any of these areas will make the same modifications to all other areas of the same type.