• The Document System
  • Basic Configuration
  • Configuration of the Document Job
  • Document Ports
    • FileNameFormat
  • The XML Port
  • Jasper Report Port
  • PDF Printer Port
  • Label Printer Port
  • Groovy Port
    • Example on creating a special designed ZPL label from a document using a Groovy Script
  • Document Receivers
    • Folder Receiver
  • FTP Receiver
  • Email Receiver
  • Printer Receiver
  • Scripting Receiver
  • Label Printer Receiver

The Document System is used to export Documents created by SHARK as for example:

• Transaction acknowledgement. A confirmation of a pick or store operation.
• Stock reports.
• Delivery Notes.
• Shipment Documents.

There is a Document Browser in Shark under the “Maintenance” menu, for viewing generated documents.

The SHARK Link Document Exporter supports printing of paper or electronic documents like delivery notes, reports, transport documents, etc. The source of the generated document is always an XML document in the table “Document” in the database.

The basic components in the Document System

Basic Configuration

Configuration of the Document Job

The Document Exporter must be configured as a Shark Scheduler job.

Registry: Scheduler -> Jobs -> DocumentExport

Leave other parameters at default.

Typical setup of the Document Exporter

Document Ports

A outbound port in Shark is a way to export various data to external systems. Shark generates the data as XML and send the data to the requested port. The port is responsible for formatting the data to the required format. For each port a receiver is also specified, the receiver handles the actually transport of the formatted data, this could be for example be as a file, FTP or email.

The following default ports are used, more can be assigned if needed:

• OrderAck: General port used for confirmation of orders picked and stored as well as stock adjustments.
• DeliveryNote: An XML structure keeping information for the creation of a delivery note.
• StockReport: Automatic, typical nightly generated stock report.
• ASN: Advanced Shipping Notification, shipment information from the consolidation process.
• ParcelList: Shipment information from the consolidation process.

’

Standard setup for the Port handling order acknowledge.

FileNameFormat

The field FileNameFormat defines the file name of a generated file. It has some place holders for variables:

The XML Port

Port that just forward the native XML, forward with an envelope and/or transform the XML using an XSLT transformation.

Registry: Scheduler.Jobs.DocumentExport.Parameters .Ports.<name>

Jasper Report Port

The Jasper Report Port converts the standard XML document from Shark to a PDF print file. It requires a Jasper Report design file, that defines the layout of the generated document. This file with the extension .jasper is generated by JasperSoft Studie from a design file (.jrxml file).

JasperSoft Studio is a free tool and available from here. It allows design of advanced reports including logos etc. Usefull for generating picking lists, delivery notes, etc.

The overall concept of the JasperReport Port.

Registry: Scheduler à Jobs à DocumentExport à Parameters à Ports à <name>

PDF Printer Port

Registry: Scheduler à Jobs à DocumentExport à Parameters à Ports à <name>

Label Printer Port

Used for printer labels to label printers already with printer formattet content.

Groovy Port

The Groovy script port can be used for various more specialized purposes. Is for example useful for integrating to REST or SOAP web services.

Example on creating a special designed ZPL label from a document using a Groovy Script

import dk.logiware.util.printing.PrinterZPLPreview
import dk.logiware.util.printing.ZPLFormatter
import dk.logiware.util.string.StrUtil

/* 
* Documentation: ZPL II Programming Guide Volume One
* 
* Create a ZPL label using the SHARK ZPLFormatter class.
* If running in development, the label will be previewed in a window and not
* actually printed.
*/

def xml = ""
       
// The development flag is set when running from the Script Editor
      
if (development) {
    xml = dk.logiware.shark.model.DocumentHandler.getDocument(331975).getXMLData();
    tmpFolder = "/users/sos/tmp"
} else {
    xml = document.getXMLData()
}
def outFile = new File(tmpFolder, "labelprint.prn")

// Delete the file, if it already exists
outFile.delete()

// Parse the XML document
def deliveryNote = new XmlParser().parseText(xml)
       
def labelLength = 0             
labelLength = 1100 + deliveryNote.OrderLine.size() * 60
                         
// Create the label
ZPLFormatter label = new ZPLFormatter(200, 80, 200);
label.addCode("MNN")
label.setZero(0, 20);
label.addCode("LL" + labelLength.toString())
label.addBarcode(7,9, "2000" + deliveryNote.OrderNumber.text())
label.addSpace(1)

// Defining font type used for the label
// See "ZPL II Programming Guide Volume One", page 13 "^A" command   
label.setFontType("0")

// Font size (height, width in dots) for the header
label.setFontSize(80,40)

label.addTextLine(13, "DELIVERY NOTE")
label.addTextLine(18,deliveryNote.OrderNumber.text()) 
label.addSpace(2)
label.setTabs(0,8,33,44)
label.setTabLimits(20,20,20,20)
             
// Setting font size for following
label.setFontSize(33,16)
            
label.addTextLine("Date:", StrUtil.strFixedLength(deliveryNote.ExpDate.text(),10), "Cust.nr.: " + deliveryNote.CustomerNumber.text())
label.addTextLine("REf:", "  " + deliveryNote.Misc1.text(), "")
label.addSpace(5)
label.addTextLine("Invoice.adr","", "Del.Adr", "")
label.addTextMultiLine(deliveryNote.CustomerName.text(), "", deliveryNote.DeliveryAddress1.text())
label.addTextMultiLine(deliveryNote.CustomerStreet.text(), "", deliveryNote.DeliveryAddress2.text())
label.addTextMultiLine(deliveryNote.CustomerZipCode.text(), "", deliveryNote.DeliveryAddress4.text())
label.addTextMultiLine(deliveryNote.CustomerCity.text(), "", deliveryNote.DeliveryAddress3.text())
label.addSpace(5)

// Define the column positions
label.setTabs(0,4,33,43,50)
             
label.setTabLimits(5,25,6,6,6)
label.addTextLine("Qty", "Name", "Price", "Discount", "Price")
label.addCode("GB", "600", "0", "1")
deliveryNote.OrderLine.each {            
    label.addTextLine("")                           
    label.addTextMultiLine(
        it.DeliveredQty.text(), 
        StrUtil.strFixedLength(it.ItemName.text(),15), 
        it.Misc2.text(), 
        it.Misc1.text(), 
        it.Misc3.text())
    label.addTextLine("", it.ArticleNumber.text())
}
label.addSpace(10)

label.close();

try{
    outFile.write(label.toString())
}
catch (Exception e) {
    e.printStackTrace()
}

if (development){         
        println "Development mode" 
        println label.toString()        
        new PrinterZPLPreview(200,80,200, label.toString()).show() 
} else { 
        try {      
            if (receiver==null) println "Receiver is null"
            println "Send label to receiver: " + receiver.toString() + " in file " + outFile.toString()
            receiver.sendFile(outFile)  
        }
        catch (Exception e) {                  
          println "Error: " + e.getMessage()
        }
        finally { 
            outFile.delete()
        }
}

Document Receivers

The Receiver defines the transport of Documents to the final destination (the receiver).

The default receiver is a folder in the file system with the name “Host”.

Folder Receiver

This will send the document to a network folder.

Registry: Scheduler -> Jobs -> DocumentExport -> Parameters ->Receivers -> <name>

FTP Receiver

The FTP receiver will send the file to an FTP server. 

Registry: Scheduler -> Jobs -> DocumentExport -> Parameters ->Receivers -> <name>

Email Receiver

Send the document to an email address This can for example be used to send error reports to specific users. 

To make use of the Email Receiver, an SMTP Server is required. In general there are a lot of security issues with sending emails. If available, one possibility is to use an internal SMTP server, another alternative is to setup a GMAIL (Google Email) account that can be used. Please note that Google has some limitations to the number of emails that can be send each day.

Printer Receiver

Sends the document as formatted by the Port to a Windows printer. A typical example is printing of a PDF report generated by a JasperReport port.

It is designed to use the pdf command line printing util from FoxIt, but any other command line utility can be used. The program foxit.exe must be in the “bin” folder of the SHARK installation.

Scripting Receiver

Scripting is supported using Groovy. Using scripting, it is possible to generate general ASCII and other files, but more complicated interfaces like web service clients and similar can be implemented as well.

The Groovy script will receive the XML document and must interpret the XML using the Groovy XML tools.

Variables defined to the script when started

Label Printer Receiver

This will print a formattet label directly to the specified label printer, using the standard SHARK label print system. The name of the receiver must be <workstation>/<printer name>