Automated Page Assignment Editor

[Slappy]

I know we've got this module for Prinergy, I can start it up within Workflow but I have NO idea how to get layouts imported to incorporate them into RBA sets. Anybody have a clue? E-Central as always is useless.

[Joe]

Prinergy APA I assume? I'm not sure what you mean really but I really don't use APA with RBA. I use it where a customer uploads pages through Insite and my APA rule auto-assigns the pages to the pageset already created. I would think through RBA you would need to have the APA rule created in advance then assign that rule to a job through RBA.

[Slappy]

Yeah, Prinergy's APA. I get that it's mostly intended for use with InSite (which I may try at some point) but for now I've gotten a few Rules from other Prinergy people for things like mixed lots of business cards and it appears that they use APA at some stage to fill the impo out.

I use it where a customer uploads pages through Insite and my APA rule auto-assigns the pages to the pageset already created.

Did you create the pagesets, and if so - how? Somebody here thinks that UpFront can do it, but even though the CSRs have access I've never used it. I'd hope I can Import Preps Templates instead, but I bet that's a pipe dream huh?

[Joe]

We don't have Storefront or Upfront so I will be useless with that.

What version of Prinergy? I'm on 5.1.2.2 so if you have something like 4.x this stuff may not apply. I never used 4.x so I don't know.

With RBA you can create the pagesets and impositions. The big drawback is that you have to know the number of pages when you create the RBA rule an dif this number changes your RBA won't work. You would need to create an RBA rule for every possible configuration for it to work all of the time. It's the biggest drawback I've found with RBA. Not sure how much you know APA so if anything below is something you are already familiar with just disregard. In a nutshell, the way I use it, and maybe you can adapt it to your workflow...

I have a weekly customer that either runs 32 or 48 pages ever week. It can range anywhere from 3 different zones to 10 zones each week. I created two jobs in Prinergy to use as process templates. One is setup with the APA rule, pagesets and impositions for 32 pages. The other is setup the exact same except for the pagesets and impositions are for 48 pages. Each job is setup for the max amount of zones, which is 10 so there is a pageset and an imposition made for each zone. In Insite I have assigned these two process templates to that customer and when they create their job they select either the process template for 32 pages or the one for 48 pages. Prinergy copies the APA rule and the pagesets and impositions from the process template to the new job the customer just created. When the customer uploads their pdf files prinergy automatically refines them and assigns them to the proper pageset as defined in the APA file. When they are finished uploading I have completed pagesets and impositions for the zones they are using for that week. Any zones not being used I can go ahead and delete. Once they have uploaded everything I can go ahead and make my VPS files. PDF proofs for the press, and send the plate files to the CTP. The downside is that customer has to name the files perfectly. One wrong character with throw a wrench into the whole thing.

The entire APA files is just:

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!APA 1.0
ASSIGN= "[$]_[#]_CH_[#PgPo].p1.pdf" "*" [#PgPo] 1
ASSIGN= "[$]_[#]_[%Zone]_[#PgPo].p1.pdf" "[%Zone]" [#PgPo] 1
The [$] means everything before the first underscore can be any combination of text and/or numbers of any amount of characters. (Job Name)

The

Code Select Expand

[#] between the first and second underscore means that value has to be a number of any amount of characters. (Issue number)

The CH between the second and third character means any file with CH here goes in this route. (CH is the common version between all zones so these files are placed into every pageset)

The one with [%Zone] between the second and third character means any file with text (% means it has to be text) here goes in this route. (Zone is the variable assigned for the Zone code)

The [#PgPo] after the 3rd underscore has to be a number and is assigned the variable PgPo. (This is the page number).

The .p1.pdf is just what Prinergy sticks at the name of the refined files.

The * in the first line means to assign those pages to every page set.

The second [%Zone] in the second line means to take the variable assigned earlier, the zone code, and place it into the pageset that matches the Zone variable name. For example I have a North version and Zone code is NO. APA assigns the variable NO from the file name and knows to place the pages with NO in the name into the pageset named NO. And so on for all of the different zones.

The the [#PgPo] basically does the same only it is a number signifying what page position in the pageset to assign that page to. For example if that number in the PDF is 23 it is assigned it to the 23rd position in the pageset.

So you should be able to accomplish the same thing using RBA as long as you know the parameters of the job in advance.

Oh, and yes you can just pick Preps templates for the imposition through RBA.

[Slappy]

Yeah sooooooo, maybe I'll just stick to doing things the "slow" way. 

[Joe]

It's not as complicated as I make it sound.

[Slappy]

I've been messing with it for a few hours now & I'm not any closer to getting an APA than when I started. So it's either more complicated, or I'm just a fucking idiot. Meh.

[Joe]

I've been messing with it for a few hours now & I'm not any closer to getting an APA than when I started. So it's either more complicated, or I'm just a fucking idiot. Meh.

What is the file name you are trying to have APA read?

[Rabid]

I was under the impression that APA was used in conjunction with Rule Based Automation.
I used it to create a rule that auto-imposes a job based on the parameters in the file name
when we first got our Kodak system. Haven't used it since.

[Joe]

I was under the impression that APA was used in conjunction with Rule Based Automation.
I used it to create a rule that auto-imposes a job based on the parameters in the file name
when we first got our Kodak system. Haven't used it since.

Yes, it can be but doesn't have to be. The problem with using it in RBA is that you have to know the job parameters when you create the RBA. The parameters of most of our jobs are never the same and even if the page counts stayed the same our press room manger will change which press it runs on which means the impo for that RBA would not work. We would literally need to create hundreds of RBA rules to cover all of our possibilities. What RBA really needs is a way to accept variable information for number of pages, which press, etc...

[Slappy]

Okay, I managed to get a basic Template into the Job in Workshop. I'd like my end result to be this:

- Client places order in StoreFront (in this case, for business cards)
- Once Approved & moved to Production by the CSR, the card(s) are imposed to the 24-up Template & Copied to a folder
- I'll either manually move the imposed sheets to the Indigo, or create a Watched Folder that moves then to a Hot Folder on Press

So, I guess I have to start back with RBA and make a Rule that incorporates this 24-up Impo.

[Joe]

Yes, and make your trigger "Moved to Production" or whatever the wording is. Then create pageset and assign pages. That is the tricky part if you are trying to assign them by the naming convention. Then create imposition. Then whatever you need after that.