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  • 2025-02-27 at 8:49 pm #20587
    Blanche Brantley
    Member

    Do you offer a Layers Rule?

    Example:

    Database file contains a version column with A, B and C.

    Rule would be if version = A, then use layer name 1, if version = B, then use layer name 2, if version = C, then use layer name 3

    OR

    If version = A, then use layer name 1, if version = B, then use layer name 2, else use layer name 3.

    2025-02-27 at 9:54 pm #20589
    Pat
    Staff

    Hi Blanche

    we don’t.

    But it sounds interesting. Could you clarify more?

    Would this be a usecase for single records per merge? 1 created file = 1 record in the database.

    Then if in this record a condition matches you want to hide layers or toggle a specific one? What if layer one contains a placeholder A and another layer contains another placeholder?

    Regards
    Pat

    Official MyDataMerge Team

    2025-02-27 at 10:10 pm #20591
    Blanche Brantley
    Member

    This is typically used for mailing jobs like postcards, where they are doing three different versions, and each person gets a certain version based on the data.

    We have an InDesign file with the mailing address block with text variables on one layer, then the artwork for the different versions of postcards on three different layers.

    It is a two page file, and we would export it as a press-ready PDF.

    We are currently using HP’s SmartStream Designer for our variable data work, but need to change to a different solution. Here is what an example rule would have looked like in SmartStream Designer:

    IF(FIELD(“version”)=”New”)
    THEN(LAYERS(“Address Block”,”Version A-New Potential Defector”))
    ELSE(
    IF(FIELD(“version”)=”zero”)
    THEN(LAYERS(“Address Block”,”Version B-Zero Visits”))
    ELSE(
    IF(FIELD(“version”)=”Retained”)
    THEN(LAYERS(“Address Block”,”Version C-Retained”))
    ELSE(LAYERS(“Address Block”))))

    If you don’t have this capability now, you might consider it for a future version.

    Otherwise, we could accomplish the same this by exporting the artwork for each layer as an image then using variable images. This just become more complicated on a two-page file, as you have to have separate images and separate datafields with the image names for each page.

    2025-03-11 at 7:27 am #20626
    Pat
    Staff

    Hi Blanche,

    sorry for the delay. This is an interesting usecase. We have put it on the roadmap.

    Regards

    Pat

    Official MyDataMerge Team

    2025-03-11 at 2:39 pm #20630
    Blanche Brantley
    Member

    Thank you.

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