Dynamic data sources form an essential part of working with the Desktop Designer. They enable the use of label and form objects that dynamically change their content with each printed label, if necessary.

Example 23. Example

Typical dynamic content that are automatically updated are counters, serial numbers, date, time, weight, and article images.


To display and print the dynamic object content properly, Desktop Designer uses the following dynamic data types:

  • Variables: display and store dynamic data source values which are defined at print time.

  • Functions: transform the dynamic data source values. Functions define the output format to adapt the input–output conversion to specific requirements.

  • Databases: retrieve and display the database record.

  • Internal Variables: display the values that are automatically retrieved from a running application and system environment.

  • Global Variables: a type of variable that can be shared among multiple labels.

Tip

Read about how to navigate and manage dynamic data sources in topic Dynamic Data Manager.