Consecutive Numbering
The DesignMerge software provides a Consecutive Numbering feature to facilitate merging a consecutive number. You can use the Consecutive Number Utility to create a data file that contains consecutive numbers when the only variable data that you wish to merge is a consecutive number. You can also use this feature to set up a Consecutive Number Variable Link to merge a consecutive number along with other variable data that is in a data file.
Use the Consecutive Number Utility
If you have a job that requires merging only a consecutive number, this utility will assist you in creating a single-field data file that contains a sequence of consecutive numbers. To use this utility, open the DesignMerge menu and choose Utilities > Consecutive Numbering. This opens the Consecutive Numbering dialog, as shown below:
You must enter a Start number and an End number. Optionally, you may also enter a Prefix and/or Suffix for the consecutive numbers. Additionally, you may choose to Pad the consecutive numbers by entering the number of places for the consecutive numbers and the single character that will be added as many times as necessary to the beginning of each consecutive number requiring padding. If you prefer no padding, then enter "0" for the number of places, as shown in the picture above.
For example, if your starting number is "1", your ending number is "100", and you pad the numbers to "3" places with a "0", your database will contain the following series of numbers: 001, 002, 003, ... 098, 099, 100. For example, if your starting number is "1", your ending number is "100", and you pad the numbers to "0" places, your database will contain the following series of numbers: 1, 2, 3, ... 98, 99, 100.
When you have completed providing your specifications for the Consecutive Number data file, DesignMerge will prompt you to enter a name for the file and to select a destination folder where it will be placed. You may then use this Consecutive Number data file as you would any other data file for DesignMerge.
For example, open the DesignMerge menu and choose Setup > Data Source Definitions. This opens the Data Source Definitions (DDF) dialog where you can click Setup. Follow the prompts to set up a Data Source Definition for your Consecutive Number data file. You will then have a Data Source Definition that contains one variable link that is pointing to the Consecutive Number field in the data file. You can now place this new Variable Link wherever you wish it to appear in the document, just as you would any other type of Text Variable Link, and then merge the document as you normally would.
Use a Consecutive Number Variable Link
When you wish to merge a consecutive number along with other variable data that is in a data file, you can add a Variable Link that uses the Consecutive Number function. To do this, open the DesignMerge menu and choose Setup > Variable Links. Click the Add button that is available on the bottom right side of the Variable Links dialog, as shown below:
Give your new Variable Link a unique Name, ignore the Field selection, and click OK. An example is shown below:
You can now select the new Variable Link name in the list on the left to display its settings on the right side of the dialog. One of the settings you can can select for a Text Variable Link is a Function. Open the Function dropdown menu and select Consecutive Number. Note you will then see an 'F' character next to the Variable Link name in the list, indicating that a function has been assigned to this link. Notice also that the Field dropdown menu has been dimmed, indicating that data will be calculated automatically by the function rather than being read from a specific data field. An example is shown below:
When ready, click OK to close the Variable Links dialog. You can now place this new Variable Link wherever you wish it to appear in the document, just as you would any other type of Text Variable Link. When a Variable Link utilizing this function is placed in the document, DesignMerge will prompt you to enter various consecutive number parameters at the start of the merge (starting number, pad amount, etc.).
If you would like to learn about the other Variable Link Functions that are available, please see the following article:
