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I am wondering what is best approach in handling multiple merges on one page. Something like such an official avery address label template:

Avery address template

My goal is to create a docx template for address labels and than process it with openTBS so that every db address row ends up in a new label field but not necessarily a new page.

I have quite some problems understanding how to achieve that.

Can this be done inside a template by something similar to a pagebreak and therefore without extra php attention?

Or does it need more php attention and by that I mean designing the template with a separate block for each label on one page and then a pagebreak. Then in the php side I would need to know how many blocks there are in the template and assign for each of those a merge block.

If only the latter way works is there a simple way to parse the template and figure out how many blocks exist in it?

pauel
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  • I would expect you could simply make one label template and use a TBS block to replicate it for every data item. This would handle page breaks for you... Why don't you try it and post back if you run into problems? – Sarah Kemp Mar 11 '14 at 17:43

1 Answers1

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I can suggest 3 solutions (the first one is the better) :

1) Design your page to have 2 columns. Then use a table for the labels and define a TBS block in that table. At the PHP side, simply merge records on the TBS block, they will fill the page in the two columns automatically and then continue on more pages if needed.

2) Design a table with 2 columns and one row. Then at the PHP side, merge the record using the TBS serial display mode (parameter serial).

3) Design a table with 2 columns and one row. Then at the PHP side, rebuild your recordset in order to have two original record for one record on the new build.

Skrol29
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  • The serial display pointed me to the correct direction, thx. I was successful with: [a;block=tbs:row;serial][a_1.name;block=tbs:cell] [a_2.name;block=tbs:cell] So in the template I add the a_(number) tag to as many records I want per row. was pretty easy in the end :) – pauel Mar 27 '14 at 16:29