With NiceLabel PowerForms Suite you can design labels, design data entry forms for workstations, set up database and device triggers to automate printing, and print labels.
PowerForms Suite includes Automation Easy. It's a great way to integrate label printing with your process devices and business systems without any coding.
NiceLabel Automation
NiceLabel Automation is a rapid application development tool for building simple and complex solutions.
This video is a part of webinar. It outlines how NiceLabel Automation works and the differences between the Easy, Pro and Enterprise editions.
Put simply Automation Easy is suitable for most companies operating at one location. Automation Pro supports multi-line and multi-site operations while Automation Enterprise meets the needs of corporations running ERP systems like SAP and Oracle.
Automation Easy is part of PowerForms Suite, Automation Pro is part of LMS Pro and Automation Enterprise is part of LMS Enterprise. NiceLabel Automation increases productivity at very location.
LMS Label Management Systems manage all label templates and monitor all printers in the organisation. NiceLabel LMS improves labelling workflows and performance across the organisation.
Automation Easy
Printing labels from a drop file is the most popular use of Automation Easy.
Use Automation Easy to configure:
- Connectors: triggers - detect events, e.g. a new despatch record
- Data extraction and transformations: filters get data, e.g. data from the despatch record.
- Business rules and workflows: actions based on the data, e.g. select a carrier and print a tracking label.
Triggers
Triggers accept data from any business application or hardware device: Android, iOS, PLC and many more ...
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File Trigger. Monitors the change in the file or set of files in the folder. Contents of the file can be parsed in filters and used in actions.
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Serial Port Trigger. Monitors the inbound communication on the serial RS232 port. Contents of the input stream can be parsed in filters and used in actions. The data can be also polled from the external device in defined time intervals.
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Database Trigger. Monitors the record changes in the SQL database tables. Contents of the returned data set can be parsed and used in actions. The database is monitored in defined time intervals. The trigger can also update the database after the actions execute using INSERT, UPDATE and INSERT SQL statements.
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TCP/IP Server Trigger. Monitors the inbound raw data stream arriving on the defined socket. Contents of the input stream can be parsed in filters and used in actions. Can be bidirectional, providing feedback.
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HTTP Server Trigger. Monitors the inbound HTTP-formatted data stream arriving on the defined socket. Contents of the input stream can be parsed in filters and used in actions. User authentication can be enabled. Is bidirectional, providing feedback.
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Web Service Trigger. Monitors the inbound data stream arriving on the defined Web Service method. Contents of the input stream can be parsed in filters and used in actions. Is bidirectional, providing feedback.
Filters
NiceLabel automation and integration extracts data from any format. The data mapping tool helps you map data from XML, CSV and fixed-width text files as well as unstructured formats such as legacy reports and even binary printer commands.
Actions
Print requests apply business logic to inbound dynamic data. The rules engine selects the applicable workflow to run and execute the task: requesting data from additional sources, selecting label templates, targeting specific printers. Everything happens within the system. No need to customise existing business applications.
PowerForms Suite · Features
| GENERAL | |
|---|---|
| Single user workstation: unlimited printers | |
| Multi-user: 3 · 5 · 10 printer licences | |
| 20 User interface Languages | |
| Accepts and prints data in any language - Unicode data support | |
| Installs side-by-side with previous NiceLabel editions for controlled migration | |
| Certified and compatible systems: Vista/Windows 7/Windows 8/Windows 8.1/Windows 10 |
New |
| Extensive contextual help with inline tips to empower business users | New |
| Free phone and e-mail technical support for software evaluation and registered users | New |
| Intuitive Office 2016 style user interface | New |
| Single straightforward installer for 32 and 64 bit environments | New |
| TEMPLATE DESIGN | |
|---|---|
| Automatic check digit calculation | |
| Customizable "human readable" character template | |
| More than 70 linear and 2D barcode symbologies with support for printer-based barcodes | |
| Place "human readable" text anywhere in relation to barcodes | |
| Print objects in reverse/negative: white on black | |
| Text, barcodes, lines, boxes, circles, clip art, images and PDF files | |
| Windows system and built-in printer fonts support | |
| Intuitive GS1 Application Identifier Data Source Wizard | New |
| Label setup wizard for quick start with best printing quality and performance | New |
| Object alignment tools with snap-to-objects and arbitrary rotation of all objects | New |
| Unlimited undo and redo commands | New |
| DESIGNER PRO adds: | |
| Fit-text-to-box (dynamic point size) | |
| Relative object positioning and variable label length | |
| Security: lock label design with a password | |
| Text on ellipse | |
| Wrap-text-to-shape (word-wrapping and text justification to non-rectangular shapes) | |
| Extensive RFID support | New |
| Library of ready-to-use international standards compliance label templates | New |
| Object printing based on dynamic data (business rules) | New |
| Rich text object including powerful editor with support for tables and more | New |
| DYNAMIC DATA | |
|---|---|
| Date and Time fields sourced from PC or Printer | |
| Decimal counters | |
| Keyboard or scanner input at print time | |
| Print data from Excel and text files | |
| Edit database connected documents without accessible database (offline mode) | New |
| DESIGNER PRO adds: | |
| 10+ prebuilt functions for efficient data concatenation and processing | |
| Custom SQL database queries | |
| Full database connectivity to almost any existing database | |
| Full serialization including support for printer-based serial numbers | |
| Variable graphic fields including graphics sourced from database | |
| VBScript and Python scripting for custom data processing | |
| Import and Export Dynamic data definitions | New |
| Reusable connections to multiple databases and tables within the label or solution | New |
| Single screen for straightforward management of dynamic data (Dynamic Data Manager) | New |
| ON-DEMAND PRINTING AND PRINT PRODUCTIVITY | |
|---|---|
| Customizable data-entry filters and error checking | |
| Auto-built, all-in-one printing form with data entry controls and dynamic print job preview | New |
| Print time database record selection on a single screen | New |
| Secure operator environment for efficient document selection and printing (NiceLabel Print) | New |
| Single click creation of shortcuts for printing | New |
| DESIGNER PRO adds: | |
| Adaptable print form for improved control and efficiency (recommended for touch screens) | New |
| Responsive form design to fit different screen resolutions | New |
| POWERFORMS adds: | |
| Interface and control peripheral devices, weight scales, PLCs… | |
| Support for multi-lingual user environment | |
| Automatic serial port monitoring for Weight Scale Integration | New |
| Fully configurable user experience with 15+ prebuilt user interface controls and support for multiple forms | New |
| Integrated no-programming graphical application builder for building efficient labelling solutions for controlled printing | New |
| Integrated PDF engine for optimized PDF document creation without 3rd party tools | New |
| Solution document type can contain multiple labels and forms for improved dynamic data management and portability | New |
| Spellchecking for manual data entry | New |
| Workflow and business rules editor including 40+ actions for printing labels, database queries, integrations with scales, PLCs… | New |
| INTEGRATED PRINTING | |
|---|---|
| POWERFORMS SUITE adds: | |
| 4 prebuilt connectors (File drop, Serial port, Database and TCP/IP socket) for integration with wide variety of systems and devices | |
| Dedicated integration manager with extensive logging | |
| Dynamic print job preview during configuration | |
| Graphical integration builder for no-programing integration configuration | |
| Native 32 and 64-bit Windows service for printing integration (Automation Easy) | |
| NiceLabel JOB and NiceLabel XML format data processing | |
| Structured text data (CSV and fixed-width columns) processing | |
| Unstructured text and binary data processing | |
| Workflow and business rules editor including 15+ actions for printing labels, data processing and network communication | |
| .NET API for programing integration | New |
| PRINTING | |
|---|---|
| Local and network printer support | |
| Native support for 4000+ label and marking devices | |
| Session print - combines multiple labels in a single print job for performance | |
| Speed optimization reuses repeating data instead of resending it | |
| Support for all laser/inkjet printers with a Windows driver | |
| DESIGNER PRO adds: | |
| Advanced printer cutter control | |
| Batch printing: header and tail labels | |
| Color separation (for GHS labelling) |