{"id":1763,"date":"2017-06-07T10:07:26","date_gmt":"2017-06-07T09:07:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.threesl.com\/blog\/?p=1763"},"modified":"2019-02-04T10:34:37","modified_gmt":"2019-02-04T10:34:37","slug":"item-lists-document-publisher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.threesl.com\/blog\/item-lists-document-publisher\/","title":{"rendered":"Item Lists in Document Publisher"},"content":{"rendered":"

Named Item Lists in Document Publisher<\/h2>\n

When working with large datasets it is sometimes convenient to cache the returned items for re-use in multiple tags. Document Publisher<\/a> makes this possible using named items lists. These are created from the User Variables<\/a> dialog.<\/p>\n

\"User
User Variables Dialog<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Creating an Item List<\/h3>\n

To create an item list you need to:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. From an open template select Tools<\/strong> > User Variables<\/strong><\/li>\n
  2. This produces the Variables<\/strong> dialog. Locate the predefined $ItemList<\/strong> entry<\/li>\n
  3. Add a new entry in the Value<\/strong> column. This is a comma separated list of all the named item lists in your template<\/li>\n
  4. Press OK<\/strong> to save the variable and your item list is now ready to use in a tag<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Populating an Item List<\/h3>\n

    Once you have generated a suitably named list you must create a Paragraph Group<\/strong> tag to populate the list.\u00a0 For further information on how to create a Paragraph Group<\/em> tag please click here<\/a>. No output is to be generated from this tag, its sole purpose is to fill the item list for subsequent tags to use.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Create the Paragraph Group<\/em> tag at an appropriate place in the document, this must appear before the tags which are to use the item list<\/li>\n
    2. Within Tag Properties<\/strong> find the Hierarchy<\/strong> property and click … to create a new hierarchy<\/li>\n
    3. Edit the hierarchy and set the appropriate item selection(s)<\/li>\n
    4. For each node set the Document Section<\/strong> property to <None><\/strong> so that no output will be generated<\/li>\n
    5. Select your newly created item list in the Item List<\/strong> property<\/li>\n
    6. If the same list is being filled multiple times then set the Clear Cache<\/strong> property depending on if you want to refill the list from scratch or append to the existing list<\/li>\n
    7. Press OK<\/strong> to save the hierarchy<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \"Hierarchy
      Hierarchy Dialog<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      Please note that duplicate items are automatically removed from item lists as they are filled.<\/p>\n

      Using an Item List<\/h3>\n

      Once a Paragraph Group<\/em> tag has been setup to fill your item list, it can be used by any tag<\/em> appearing after it in the template document.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Create a Paragraph Group<\/em> or Table tag<\/em> at an appropriate location in your template<\/li>\n
      2. Set the tag<\/em>‘s item selection to match what information is stored in the item list<\/li>\n
      3. Optionally, create a hierarchy to follow from the items stored in the list<\/li>\n
      4. Optionally, override the Sort By<\/strong> property if it needs to be different from the item list sorting order<\/li>\n
      5. Expand the item selection and set the Identity property<\/em> as shown below, using the special value $ItemList<\/strong> followed by a colon and then the name of the list to use it<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
        \"Tag
        Tag Properties<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

        Referencing an Item List in a Filter<\/h3>\n

        There are two special filter properties that can be used to check for the existence of items stored in an item list. These are available in the Filter<\/strong> dialog as Link Attributes<\/strong>:<\/p>\n