Quote from: DCurry on January 15, 2025, 11:36:55 AMKinda hard to type all this out on my phone - you have my number if you want to call me (after 3:30) to talk it through

OK, I'm outta here for the day, so now it's a Tomorrow Problem! 

Ohhhhh, huh. They're coming out as:

Variable PDF_Data Set 1.pdf
Variable PDF_Data Set 2.pdf
Variable PDF_Data Set 3.pdf
Variable PDF_Data Set 4.pdf
Variable PDF_Data Set 5.pdf
Variable PDF_Data Set 6.pdf
Variable PDF_Data Set 7.pdf
Variable PDF_Data Set 8.pdf
Variable PDF_Data Set 9.pdf
Variable PDF_Data Set 10.pdf

I'm thinking I need to correct my data set.

Right now it's got those file names in Column 1 (no header) and no extensions.
Column 2 has the First Names copied directly from the Orig data, and that's what the script generates – JUST those first names. No enumeration to indicate how they should marry back to the data so they'll sync to the mailing for the same person.

Quote from: Tracy on January 15, 2025, 08:10:03 AMNice Instructions!
I know these are for Slappy but I'm going to try it when I can.

Yeah, I'll work on a step-by-step from merging the Variable in Illustrator forward. I'll be testing it several more times before I commit to the project anyway!

Well, that was pretty nifty! However, my resulting PDFs didn't have the "_Part 1", "_Part 2" etc. maybe because I've generated the initial files individually from the Illustrator process.

Guess I can do (another) intermediate step to append those to the PDFs out of Illy, so when your script takes over they're intact.
Lemme see...

Quote from: DCurry on January 14, 2025, 09:09:56 AMSuper easy way to clip to the name. Your top layer is the image, layer right below is the type. Hold the option key and on the layers panel you click on the line between those 2 layers to create the clip. (Edit - I just re-read your issue and this is not what you were referring to!)

The renaming thing uses an AppleScript and a csv with 2 columns for the current file name and desired file name. Very simple but you might not need it with the photoshop method since photoshop will append the file name with the data from the list.

Buuuuut, I'm not going to use Photoshop. 

Ah, I got it now! Had the wrong Image Rule active. Sooo......

I can generate Illy PDF's (Transparent, I'll need to find a way to Clip them to just the resulting Text area) and they link back to the FP file, scaling is dubious since the names are all wildly varying lengths, but that kind of is what it is.

What was your file renaming trick? I found a few demo tools I might try out, if they can link to the CSV field corresponding to the image names.

Eh, since I can't even get any linked Images/Folders of a sample set to preview in a test PDF, I'm swimming upstream at this point.

Quote from: DCurry on January 13, 2025, 03:51:12 PMOk, this can definitely work. Just tested at home (on a very old version of Photoshop - CS 5.1).

This blows, the interface, the steps - everything. Gonna look for a YouTube walkthrough 'cause right now I can't even preview the data set. 

OK, I'm guessing once I have a real de-duped list to work from, that would be the final order.

Yeah, I've finagled a way to do it in Illustrator too, although renaming 800 files so they're identifiable in the data needed for FP is the next step.

Waiting to hear from the FP Forums if there's a way in Expressions. I'm not optimistic, the last post there before mine was in like 2021...

Yup, I made an account & posted there too - will see what they say...

Yeah, I'm testing the Variables Options in Illustrator itself, but like you said - at some point the text has to be made into Outlines/Compound Paths etc. to achieve the effect. And I don't believe that's able to be automated.

Seems like the exact reason Expressions exists. I know @DCurry has done some extensive work with FP, hoping this rings a bell with him.

New to this, I don't think anybody at this place has even used Expressions yet, although we have a license.

Customer wants to have an individual's first name masked out of a base image, the image will be common to all of the names & I'd assume the resulting masked images will then be incorporated into a full job - postcard for example.

I've looked through the FP Expressions samples but don't see this kind of effect - anybody done something like this in the FP software?

Half-assed sample image attached for reference.

Quote from: Joe on December 18, 2024, 08:07:14 AMNot sure what version of MacOS you are on but on mine if you go to System Settings and then click on Displays you should see something like this:



Option+Click on one of those icons and it should change to this:



Select the lowest resolution with that window open and then go back to your normal resolution and see if that does anything to that window.

Lol, it just makes the Connect window HUGE or TINY.

Heh, I don't eve SEE an option for that on the iMac.

Meh, I'm outta here after today - nmfp now!