Blocks Command: counter

Modified on Thu, Dec 9, 2021 at 12:53 PM

Counter can is used to create different records of the same document based on values entered. As an example, it can be used to print cheque numbers. To the user, this command will display two text boxes, one labeled ‘from’ the other ‘to’. There is another option to enter a third text box for ‘step’, by default, the value of step is 1. Total number of records for step=1 is equal to the absolute value of from subtracted from to plus 1.

As an example: from=1 to to=10 will generate 10 - 1 + 1=10 records (assuming step=1)

Command Name: counter

Command Value:

Properties (default)	Description
from=1	Default from field value
to=1	Default to field value
min=0	Minimum value applies to both from and to fields
max=0	Maximum value applies to both from and to fields
minfrom=0	Minimum value applies to from field
maxfrom=0	Maximum value applies to from field
minto=0	Minimum value applies to to field
maxto=0	Maximum value applies to to field
step=1	Counter step value, defaults to 1
showstep=false	Show or Hide step control (default false)
format=""	Format of the generated number. # will be replaced by a number if exists otherwise empty, 0 will also be replaced by a number otherwise 0 will appear. Examples: format=00000 value of 25 will be displayed as 00025 format=##### value of 25 will be displayed as 25 All other characters will display as is.
records=10 or maxrecords=10	Maximum proof records regardless of the from and to values (default=10)
layout=0	0 for showing from, to and step on separate lines (default) 1 for showing from, to and step on the same line 2 for showing labels on top of fields all in one row new
fromlabel="From"	Optional label for from field
tolabel="To"	Optional label for to field
steplabel="Step"	Optional label for step field
order=0	Important when more than one counter is on the page, this will decide the sequence of numbering.

Note:

Using double quotes (") is optional unless the value contains spaces. For example:

format=00000 is valid format="00000" is also valid

format="00 00 0" is valid, format=00 00 0 is not valid

From value can be greater than to value to print records in reverse order, the step will be adjusted internally to a negative number.
When more than one counter block exists on the page then the number of records will be the multiplication of all.

Number of records when there are more than one counter

Counter1 from=1 to=10 order=1 format=0000

Counter2 from=10 to=15 order=2 format=000

Total number of records = (10-1)+1 * (15-10)+1

= 10 * 6

= 60

Order values will generate records as such

Record Counter 1 Counter 2

1 0001 010

2 0001 011

3 0001 012

4 0001 013

5 0001 014

6 0001 015

7 0002 010

…

If order is reversed, that is order=2 for counter1 and order=1 for counter2 then

Record Counter 1 Counter 2

1 0001 010

2 0002 010

3 0003 010

4 0004 010

5 0005 010

6 0006 010

7 0007 010

8 0008 010

9 0009 010

10 0010 010

11 0001 011

…

Note:

To use Serialization set the from parameter to auto and the to parameter to the suggested number of records.