EZxslt v1.5.3
Copyright 2002-2007
Chaparral Software & Consulting Services, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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
---------------------------------
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.
(c) EZxslt will only support one Table with
merge fields unless the Tables are within a RECORD section.
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