EZxslt for Word Read Me

Thank you for purchasing EZxslt, the easy way to use XML with FileMaker Pro. EZxslt will allow you to quickly create XSL stylesheets that can be used with FileMaker Pro 6 (and later versions) to merge data into Microsoft Word format.

LICENSE

The use of EZxslt is governed by the license provided with this package. Please note that you are not allowed to distribute the EZxslt application itself outside of your organization, nor on more computers than authorized by your WorkGroup License.

WHAT IS EZxslt?

EZxslt is the first tool on the market that allows both developers and end users to easily use the new XML/XSL Export features in FileMaker Pro 6.

With EZxslt users can

- quickly configure stylesheets that match Microsoft Word documents

- generate new Microsoft Word documents from FileMaker Pro data

- use Microsoft Word for final formatting of FIleMaker Pro based data

Typical uses of EZxslt include:

- Contracts

- Service Orders

- Letters

- Fax cover sheets

- Standard Reports

- Long text documents

- Invitations

- and any document that is hard to format

The quickest way to see what EZxslt can do, is to take a look at the EZxslt Contract Sample. The EZxslt Contract Sample contains

- a full working demo

- in-depth tutorial on how to use EZxslt

- detailed coverage of FileMaker Pro's Export to XML capabilities

The Contract sample is available for download on our web site. Most customers download the Contract sample prior to purchase, so to keep the distribution file size of EZxslt small, this package does not include the Contract sample

After review of the Sample, or if you want to just dive in, you can now open the EZxslt application and take a look at the simple interface. The program is designed to work primarily as a drag & drop application, where you will drop Microsoft Word files onto the Application and obtain XSL Stylesheets automatically.

The online Help and Tutorial walk through the steps you'll take not only to create the stylesheet, but also to integrate that stylesheet with FileMaker Pro.

NEW FEATURES & FIXES in v1.5.3
May 13, 2004

EZxslt 1.5.3 is a maintenance update with minor changes and improvements.

1. Added a HELP tab to organize frequently asked questions, troubleshooting information, and most common problem informatin in one place within the application.

2. Special warning message added for RTF documents that started life as ACT templates.

3. Progress bar redraws more smoothly during intensive parsing.

NEW FEATURES & FIXES in v1.5.2
April 19, 2004

1. First Table Row may now be treated as a lable in multiple line tables.

2. Several additional character encodings added.

3. EZxslt now prompts for removal of custom document variables that are unnecessary.

4. Fixed a problem caused by first headers preceeding headers in RTF.

5. Fixed a problem caused by a leading Table without any highlight groups.

6. Improved processing stage messages.

NEW FEATURES & FIXES in v1.5.1
December 12, 2003

1. Fixed a problem where an extraneous space character would appear before data elements.

2. Fixed a bug where raw RTF codes would sometimes appear before merge data.

3. Documents with OLE_LINK elements in source are now properly handled.

4. The Show Results window now opens and displays the Unicode xslt results properly on OS X systems.

5. Several performance improvements, especially for documents with embedded graphics.

6. Added processing stage messages to progress bar.

7. Fixed the About EZxslt menu to display properly on all platforms.

NEW FEATURES & FIXES in v1.5
September 1, 2003

1. Adds support for Tables including static and dynamic tables.

2. Dynamic tables add rows for each record in the found set and grow to accommodate all exported records.

3. Adds <RECORD> and </RECORD> tag to support finer control over replicated template and merge data on a per-record basis. By implication, a document header and footer, separate from page headers and footers are now supported.

4. Adds support for merge data in Word page headers and footers including First-headers and first-footers.

5. Major engine recoding done to better handle more complex document structures.

6. Added MORE tag to Help system to described advanced features in 1.5

RECORD (or BODY) SECTION

--------------------------------

In FileMaker Pro, one can create reports that contain a leading grand summary, a body section that repeats for each record in the found set, and a training grand summary section. EZxslt v1.5 supports a similar structure where a RECORD section can be created within an EZxslt template document in MS Word so that it repeats for every record in the found set. This is achieved by using the special tag: <RECORD> to start the record section, and the special tag </RECORD> to end the record section.

Example:

Here is some text before the record section

<RECORD> Name: theName</RECORD>

Here is some text after the record.

If your data had three names:

Bob, Susie, Tom then the output would be:

Here is some text before the record section

Name: Bob

Name: Susie

Name: Tom

Here is some text after the record

TABLE SUPPORT

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If a template includes a table, there are two possible cases:

(a) A Table inside a RECORD section will replicate, with as many merge fields as you want within each table cell. Each time the RECORD section is generated, the table will regenerate with data from the current record in the found set.

(b) A Table that is not inside a RECORD section will automatically add new rows to accommodate the data coming from FileMaker Pro. If the table in the template has one row, then each new FMP record will add one row to the table. If the table in the template has four rows, then each new FMP record will add four rows to the table. Note that at this time there is no provision for considering the first row of the table a table-header row; therefore, you might wish to create a one-row table with the header information immediately above the table with the merge fields.

HEADER and FOOTER SUPPORT

-----------------------------------

EZxslt 1.5 now supports an unlimited number of merge fields within a MS Word Header, First Header, Footer, and First Footer sections.

Note that an RTF document only has one instance of a page header per section. Therefore, the value of the merge data in Header, First Header, Footer, and First Footers will come from the first record of the found set.

NEW FEATURES & FIXES in v1.03
February 12, 2003

Adds handling of return characters within export fields, eliminating the need for special calculation fields.

Fixed a problem with MS Word list structures containing merge fields.

Misc. bug fixes, especially for MS Word 2000-generated RTF.

Progress bar added.

EZxslt generated stylesheets source now opens natively in Internet Explorer.

NEW FEATURES & FIXES in v1.02
Not released commercially. (Beta release only).

NEW FEATURES & FIXES in v1.01
November 11, 2002

Added support for multiple character encodings for better Mac/PC support when data in FileMaker Pro includes high-ascii characters.

Multiple record separator options.

Fixed problem where extra space was added between merge fields.

Fixed a problem with processing some Word 2000 files.

Minor documentation updates.

Added help tags and balloon help support.

NEW FEATURES & FIXES in v1.00
October 5, 2002

Revised splash screen.

Removal of beta notices.

What was new in Beta 5

A much more comprehensive sample file is now available that focuses on generating a contract. The example provides both a working demo as well as a detailed description of the entire process including some tips and tricks.

EZxslt no longer defaults to a page break between records. On a drag & drop, the default behavior is to insert a couple of blank lines. If you want to force page breaks between records, open EZxslt first, the check the Page Break Between Records checkbox.

EZxslt now performs text encoding for high-ASCII characters within your Stylesheet templates. This should allow use of fancy quotes, trademark and copyright symbols, as well as many characters with diacritical marks.

EZxslt no longer crashes when opening locked or busy files.

EXxslt now insists that the input file be an RTF file.

The Help menu item has been moved to the Help menu. Help screens are now smaller to fix in 600x800; scroll bars had to be added.

EZxslt version information now displays in the generated Stylesheet

The date & time of stylesheet creation are also displayed in the Stylesheet.

Numerous minor bug fixes and graphical tweaks.

CONTACTS:

Your license grants you a primary contact for technical support. This person should send email to [email protected] regarding technical support issues. Anyone can send email to [email protected] for administrative or other non-technical questions. Other contact information is available on our web site.

Before you write or call, it will generally be helpful to consult the demo and the FAQ in our support page on our site.

Thank you once again for your interest and support,

Russell Kohn
Chaparral Software & Consulting Services, Inc.
www.chapsoft.com