TABLE OF CONTENTS

Requirements

  • Use a multichannel design with a colorway that contains color names.
  • Use logo with TIFF or PSD extensions.


✅ Tips before and while building layouts:

  • Use XML editors like TextWrangler.

  • All parameters and values must be inside quotation marks " ".

  • Refer to the neoRipEngine attributes and parameters to build the layout in this document. It gives you advanced information about XML layouts.

  • Products support automatic variables which are not equal. 

  • Start from the top of the script and build up the object logically.

  • Use comments <!-- Comments --> to organize and identify the objects easier.

  • Do not mix different layouts samples to not make mistakes in copy/paste issues.

  • Use Firefox Browser to check the format accuracy of the XML file. Drag and drop the XML file into the opened browser window. If the error is detected, it shows you the line and the contents.


Step-by-step

Target 1: XML with real-size image, Level Basic

  1. Create the Job element: <Job></Job>

    <Job>
    </Job>


  2. Inside the Job element create the Sources element <Sources></Sources> and inside the roots of your source images <Source Id/>

    <Job>
    <Sources>
        <Source Id = "0" URL = "${SourceImage@0}"/>
        <Source Id = "1" URL = "${SourceXCM@0}"/>
    </Sources>
    </Job>


  3. After Sources, inside the Job element create the Layout element: <Layout></Layout>

    <Job>
    <Sources>
        <Source Id = "0" URL = "${SourceImage@0}"/>
        <Source Id = "1" URL = "${SourceXCM@0}"/>
    </Sources>
    <Layout>
    </Layout>
    </Job>


  4. Inside the Layout element create the Page element: <Page Id></Page>. You can create multiple Page elements.

    <Job>
    <Sources>
        <Source Id = "0" URL = "${SourceImage@0}"/>
        <Source Id = "1" URL = "${SourceXCM@0}"/>
    </Sources>
    <Layout>
        <Page Id = "0" width = "29.7 cm" height = "42 cm">
        </Page>
    </Layout>
    </Job>


  5. Inside the Page element create the Objects element: <Objects></Objects> and inside the Objects element create Object elements: <Object Id></Object>. You can create multiple Object elements.

    <Job>
    <Sources>
        <Source Id = "0" URL = "${SourceImage@0}"/>
        <Source Id = "1" URL = "${SourceXCM@0}"/>
    </Sources>
    <Layout>
        <Page Id = "0" width = "29.7 cm" height = "42 cm">
            <Objects>
                <Object Id="0" SourceID="0" height="42 cm" left="0 cm" repeat="rapport" rotation="0" top="0 cm" width="29.7 cm">
                </Object>
            </Objects>
        </Page>
    </Layout>
    </Job>


  6. Inside the Object elements create Transformations, RapportInfo, SourceOffset x/y, and SourceSize h/v elements: 

    <Job>
    <Sources>
        <Source Id = "0" URL = "${SourceImage@0}"/>
        <Source Id = "1" URL = "${SourceXCM@0}"/>
    </Sources>
    <Layout>
        <Page Id = "0" width = "29.7 cm" height = "42 cm">
            <Objects>
                <Object Id="0" SourceID="0" height="42 cm" left="0 cm" repeat="rapport" rotation="0" top="0 cm" width="29.7 cm">
                    <Transformations>
                    </Transformations>
                    <RapportInfo direction="${RapportInfoDirection@0}" fraction_high="${RapportInfoFraction_high@0}" fraction_low="${RapportInfoFraction_low@0}"/>
                    <SourceOffset x="${SelectionRect_Origin_X@0}" y="${SelectionRect_Origin_Y@0}"/>
                    <SourceSize h="29.7 cm" v="42 cm"/>
                </Object>
            </Objects>
        </Page>
    </Layout>
    </Job>


  7. Inside the Transformations element create the Coloration element: <Coloration/>, or other Transformations and Advanced Transformations. 

    <Job>
    <Sources>
        <Source Id = "0" URL = "${SourceImage@0}"/>
        <Source Id = "1" URL = "${SourceXCM@0}"/>
    </Sources>
    <Layout>
        <Page Id = "0" width = "29.7 cm" height = "42 cm">
            <Objects>
                <Object Id="0" SourceID="0" height="42 cm" left="0 cm" repeat="rapport" rotation="0" top="0 cm" width="29.7 cm">
                    <Transformations>
                        <Coloration coloID="1" specialcolor="0" index="0"/>                                </Transformations>
                <RapportInfo direction="${RapportInfoDirection@0}" fraction_high="${RapportInfoFraction_high@0}" fraction_low="${RapportInfoFraction_low@0}" />
                <SourceOffset x="${SelectionRect_Origin_X@0}" y="${SelectionRect_Origin_Y@0}"/>
                <SourceSize h="29.7 cm" v="42 cm"/>
                </Object>
            </Objects>
        </Page>
    </Layout>
    </Job>


  8. Inside the Job element create the Output element <Output></Output> and inside the roots to Output settings.

    <Job>
    <Sources>
        <Source Id = "0" URL = "${SourceImage@0}"/>
        <Source Id = "1" URL = "${SourceXCM@0}"/>
    </Sources>
    <Layout>
        <Page Id = "0" width = "29.7 cm" height = "42 cm">
            <Objects>
                <Object Id="0" SourceID="0" height="42 cm" left="0 cm" repeat="rapport" rotation="0" top="0 cm" width="29.7 cm">
                    <Transformations>
                        <Coloration coloID="1" specialcolor="0" index="0"/>                                </Transformations>
                <RapportInfo direction="${RapportInfoDirection@0}" fraction_high="${RapportInfoFraction_high@0}" fraction_low="${RapportInfoFraction_low@0}" />
                <SourceOffset x="${SelectionRect_Origin_X@0}" y="${SelectionRect_Origin_Y@0}"/>
                <SourceSize h="29.7 cm" v="42 cm"/>
                </Object>
            </Objects>
        </Page>
    </Layout>
    <Output>
        <Space>LAB</Space>
        <BitsPerComponent>8</BitsPerComponent>
        <OutputEncodingOptions>
        <CompressionType>lzw</CompressionType>
        </OutputEncodingOptions>
    </Output>
    </Job>

Target 2: TJB with color patches and document info, position top-left in XML, Level Basic

  1. Follow the steps above from 1 to 7 as described above.

  2. The Sources should contain files, besides the image and color source, the Logo, and Font:

    <Sources>
        <Source Id="0" URL="${SourceImage}"/>
        <Source Id="1" URL="${SourceXCM}"/>
        <Source Id="2" URL="SohoGothicPro-Regular.otf"/>
        <Source Id="3" URL="Logo.tif"/>
    </Sources>
        


  3. In the Object's element after the Object elements, add <Repetition> and <Conditional> elements, as shown in the script below (full TJB script sample here).

    ...
    <!-- Color patches -->
              <!-- Repetition and position of patches -->
                  <Repetition count="${sourceid@1.Colorations.Coloration@0.ColorationItem.count}" maxSize="${__auto_parentHeight__}" direction="V" height="2.2 cm" item="aColorationItem" left="0 points" list="sourceid@1.Colorations.Coloration@0.ColorationItem" top="3 cm" width="2.2 cm">   

    <!-- Condition to hide/show background color patch -->
            <Conditional condition="${${aColorationItem}.channelNo}" equals="-2" negate="Y">                  
    <!-- Condition to hide disabled channels -->
            <Conditional condition="${${aColorationItem}.method}" equals="Disable" negate="Y">
               <Object Id="0" left="0.2 cm" top="0.1 cm">
                      <Transformations>
                         <Text fontID="2" fontsize="9" maxwidth="85.4 points" value="${${aColorationItem}.channelIndex}"/>
                      </Transformations>
               </Object>       

    <!-- Patch gradient, size and border -->
                        <Object Id="1" left="0.7 cm" top="0.2 cm">
                      <Transformations>
                         <Gradient Space="${${aColorationItem}.filtergradient.space}" UseProfile="Y" Alias="${sourceid@1.Colorations.Coloration@0.ProfileInfo.Alias}" BorderColor="${${aColorationItem}.filterRGB#808080.value}" height="34 points" percentages="100" percentbase="100" width="34 points">${${aColorationItem}.filtergradient.value}</Gradient>
                      </Transformations>
               </Object>       

    <!-- Color name -->
               <Object Id="2" left="0.7 cm" top="1.5 cm">
                      <Transformations>
                             <Text alignment="left" fontID="2" fontsize="9" maxwidth="3 cm" value="${${aColorationItem}.IData.name}"/>
                      </Transformations>
               </Object>
            </Conditional>                  

    <!-- Condition to hide channel order when is disabled -->
             <Conditional condition="${${aColorationItem}.method}" equals="Disable" negate="N">
               <Object Id="0" left="0.2 cm" top="0.1 cm">
                      <Transformations>
                            <Text fontID="2" fontsize="9" maxwidth="85.4 points" value="${${aColorationItem}.channelIndex}"/>
                      </Transformations>
               </Object>
          </Conditional>
             
          </Conditional>
          </Repetition>
    ...


  4. Back in the XML file, add the new source for the TJB.

    <Sources>
        <Source Id = "0" URL = "${SourceImage@0}"/>
        <Source Id = "1" URL = "${SourceXCM@0}"/>
        <Source Id = "2" URL = "$SourceLayoutsFolderFOLDERNAME/LogoNameColorsCT_RS.tjb" autoResolution="disable" SetID = "0"/>
    </Sources>
     
    ⚠️ Bear in mind when working with file sources in neoColorBox it requires adding the full folder path with the source file name: "$SourceLayoutsFolderFOLDERNAME/LogoNameColorsCT_RS.tjb".

Related articles:

Default neoCatalog layouts description

neoCatalog layouts using custom fields variables