Creating Customized Print Templates

To edit Print Templates, you must be assigned the following permissions:

284 (Import/export print templates)
285 (Delete print templates)

See Permissions Used by Sierra for more information.

You can customize print templates by exporting and editing an existing print template. The template you export can be either a default template, supplied by Innovative, or an existing custom template. You import and export print templates using Sierra. However, template editing is done with a third-party application (such as Jaspersoft Studio).

Creating a customized print template involves the following tasks:

Exporting a template
Editing the template
Importing the template

Exporting Print Templates

To export a print template from the Print Template settings tab:

Choose the Print Templates tab from Admin | Settings.
Select the template you want to edit, and then choose Export. If you export a circulation notice or receipt template, the system prompts you to select a template to export from the template family. Choose a template, and then select OK to export the template, or Cancel to exit. The system displays the Choose a directory dialog box. Note that the File Name box only displays the path to the current directory on your workstation. It cannot be used to rename the file during export.
Navigate to the appropriate directory.
To export the template, choose the Choose a Directory button.

File Names on your Workstation

The file name on your workstation might be different than the name that appears in Sierra. If you export a default template, Sierra uses the same file name, but strips out the leading underscore. If you export a custom template, the file name remains the same was when the template was last imported.

Editing Print Templates

After you export a template, you can use a third-party application to edit and save the template on your workstation. Please refer to the documentation for your third-party application for instructions on editing print templates.

General Considerations

To successfully edit templates, you must observe the following:

You can customize templates using a third-party product, Jaspersoft Studio. Innovative does not provide end-user support for the Jaspersoft Studio application or support for any library-created customized print templates.
Do not remove any Java expressions embedded in barcode-related data elements. The Sierra client might become unstable if you preview or print a template that does not contain the required Java expressions.

Images in Templates to Be Printed

To use images in print templates that are to be printed, keep in mind the following:

All image files used in the template must reside in the same local workstation directory as the template created with the template editing application (the jrxml file).
Enter only the image's filename in the template. Do not include the full path (e.g., enter "StateSeal.jpg" rather than "C:\iReport\work\StateSeal.jpg").
You must import the image files along with the template.

Images in Templates for Circulation Notices and Receipts to Be Emailed

To use images in print templates for circulation notices, due slips, and receipts that are to be emailed, keep in mind the following:

Place image files on a Web server accessible to the public.
Include the image's full path and filename in the template. For example, you must enter "http://north.lib.edu/pt/StateSeal.jpg", not just "StateSeal.jpg". For more information, see Sierra Print Templates in the Sierra Training and Learning Center.
You do not need to import image files for email templates.

For more information about the Sierra data you can add to your customized template, see Print Template Data Libraries.

Importing Print Templates

Once you have finished editing a template, you can import it from your workstation into the Sierra system. Print templates are imported from the Print Template settings tab. To import a print template:

Choose the Print Templates tab from Admin | Settings.
Choose Import and navigate to the appropriate folder in the resulting dialog box.
Select the template you want to import. If your template includes an image, make sure to select the image file at the same time. You can select multiple files by using the Shift and Ctrl keys.
Choose Open.
- If you are importing a template that is not for a circulation notice (e.g., a hold slip template, serials claims template, etc.), Sierra displays the Print Template Name/Description dialog box. Enter the following information for the template you are importing:
  Name
  The name of the customized template. This name is used only in Sierra and can be different from the file name on your workstation. The name is limited to 10 characters. Only letter and numbers are allowed; special characters and spaces are not permitted.
  Description
  The description displays next to the name of the customized template in the Preferred Templates and Other Templates lists. The description is limited to 25 characters. Letters, numbers, and spaces are allowed. Special characters are not allowed.
- If you are importing a template for a circulation notice or receipt (e.g., an overdue notice template, due slip, etc.), Sierra displays the New Print Template Attributes dialog box. Enter the following information for the template you are importing:
  Template family name
  The name for this template family (e.g., holdpickup or pickupeast). To create a new template family for the template you are importing, choose New template family from the drop-down list and enter a new template family name. The template family name is limited to 10 characters. Only letter and numbers are allowed; special characters and spaces are not permitted. To import the template into an existing template family, select the family's name from the drop-down list.
  Description
  The description applies to all templates within this template family. The description displays next to the template family name in the Preferred Templates and Other Templates lists (e.g., hold & pickup notice or East Branch pickup notice). The description is limited to 25 characters. Special characters and spaces are allowed. If you choose to import a template into an existing family, the Description field is inactive.
  Template files
  To add a template and its related images:
  1. Choose Browse. Sierra displays the Open dialog box.
  2. Select the template you want to import as well as any related image files.
  3. Choose Open. Sierra adds the template file and any selected image files to the Template files box.
  Language
  The language used in the template (e.g., eng). When a notice or receipt in this template family (e.g., a hold pickup notice) is prepared for a patron who has this language specified in the LANG PREF field of the patron record, the system uses this template. The Language drop-down list includes the general value "NONE" as well as the languages listed in your library's Language Preference table.
  Delivery Method
  The delivery mechanism for which the template is designed (e.g., email). For circulation notices, the system uses this template when sending a notice by the specified delivery method. (For information about how Sierra determines a notice's delivery method, see How the System Uses Delivery Preferences to Send Notices.) For due slips, Sierra Express Lane uses this template when sending a receipt to a patron who selected this delivery method when starting a session. The Delivery Method drop-down list includes the general value ANY as well as printer and email.

Specifying a General Template

To ensure successful printing of all notices and receipts you send using Print Templates, be sure to add a general template entry for each template family you are using at your library. For example, if you have created a template family name of holdpickup for your library's Hold Pickup notice templates, add a template file (and any associated image files) with the following attributes:

Language: NONE
Delivery Method: ANY

The system uses the general template to send notices and receipts when the system cannot find a matching template.

For more information about how the system chooses the appropriate print template for each patron, see How the System Chooses a Notice Template and How Sierra Express Lane Selects a Template.

Choose OK to import the template to Sierra or Cancel to cancel the import process.

See also:: Printing With Print Templates; Print Templates Settings; Printing Circulation Notices with Print Templates; Print Templates Settings for Circulation Notices; Print Template Data Libraries