Loftware Spectrum®

Version APP.CM.1.0

Coding & Marking Applications User Guide

© December 2022 by Loftware, Inc. All rights reserved. Version APP.CM.1.0

Loftware, Loftware Spectrum, LLM, Loftware Label Design, Loftware Print Server, LPS, Loftware
Connector, Global Marking Solutions, I-Push, and I-Pull are all registered trademarks of Loftware,
Inc. Loftware WebAccess, LWA, and Loftware Web Services are trademarks of Loftware, Inc. SAP is
a registered trademark of SAP AG in Germany and in several other countries. Oracle and Java are
registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their
respective owners. Loftware Spectrum contains barcode components licensed from
IDAutomation.com, Inc. These products may only be used as part of and in connection with Loftware
Spectrum.

Loftware, Inc., 249 Corporate Drive, Portsmouth, NH 03801

Phone: 603.766.3630
[email protected]
www.loftware.com
Contents

Coding & Marking Applications 4

Prerequisites 5
Setting up the Applications 6
Import the Applications 6
Create Remote Sites 6
Install the Loftware Print Agent 6
Download and Install Printer Drivers 7
Configure Devices in Spectrum 7
Before Using the Applications 7
Using the Applications 8
Configuration Dashboard 8
Line Configuration 9
Add a Line 10
Modify a Line 11
Template Configuration 12
Add a New Template Group 13
Modify a Template Group 14
Product Configuration 15
Add a Product 16
Modify a Product 17
Diagnostics Dashboard 17
Print Diagnostics 18
Device Status 19
Supervisor Dashboard 21
Operator Dashboard 22
Line Control 22
Job Selection 25
Job Submit 26

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 Print Preview 27
Job Execution 28
Cross Reference Tables 29
MCLineConfig 29
MCTemplates 29
MCProducts 30
MCProdSave 30

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Coding & Marking Applications

The Loftware Spectrum Coding & Marking Applications package is intended to be used in
environments where facility supervisors, quality engineers, and operators need to
configure, control, visualize, and troubleshoot production operations.

The package includes the following applications:

l Configuration Dashboard: For supervisors and quality engineers to configure and

view details for the lines, templates, and products.
l Diagnostics Dashboard: For all users to view print diagnostics and device status,
as well as test devices to ensure they are working as expected.
l Supervisor Dashboard: For supervisors to view all devices configured at a facility
and view details for the product lines at a facility.
l Operator Dashboard: For operators to view and control the operations of a line on
the facility floor.

This guide provides the following information:

l Prerequisites for using the applications

l Steps that an administrator should take to import, customize, and configure the
applications for your environment
l Information on using the applications

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Prerequisites

This guide assumes the following:

l Loftware Spectrum APP.CM.1.0 or later is installed, licensed, and running.

l You have a working knowledge of Spectrum.
l You have a list of devices and associated IP addresses that are to be used for each
line.
l You have product information for each line if you are going to be using the cross
reference table for product information.

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Setting up the Applications

Perform the tasks in this section to set up the Coding & Marking Applications package for
use.

Import the Applications

To import the applications to your Spectrum environment, place the

Coding&MarkingApplicationsVx.lcp file in the
C:\Loftware\Spectrum\Spectrum\product\SolutionPacks folder on the Spectrum
Application Server and then restart the Loftware Spectrum service. It may take a few
minutes to install. When complete, the Coding & Marking folder is displayed in Spectrum
under your root folder.

If you have previously imported the Coding & Marking Applications package and want to
import the most recent applications, contact Loftware for assistance.

Create Remote Sites

Create a Remote Site in Spectrum and specify the number of devices you will be
connecting to via this remote site. For more information, see Configure a Remote Site in
the Spectrum User Guide (Help).

Install the Loftware Print Agent

From the newly created Remote Site, download the Loftware Print Agent (LPA) onto a
separate server and then install the LPA. For more information, see Install the Loftware
Print Agent in the Spectrum User Guide (Help). When finished, use the Status > Remote
Sites page in Spectrum to check that the connection status is good and that Spectrum is
communicating with the remote site.

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Download and Install Printer Drivers

On the same server as the LPA, download and install all the Loftware NiceLabel drivers
from https://www.nicelabel.com/downloads/printer-drivers for each device to be used for
your production operations.

To ensure that your device settings are applied when printing and that all users have the
same device settings, you must define the settings for the device on the Windows Server
where the Loftware NiceLabel driver is installed. For more information, see Define
Default Printer Settings in the Spectrum User Guide (Help).

Configure Devices in Spectrum

In Spectrum, create or identify a folder to save the new devices to, and then create the
new devices using the Server Family and Loftware Model with the LPA Connection Type
for each device. For more information, see Create an LPA Device Connection in the
Spectrum User Guide (Help).

Before Using the Applications

1. Before using the Line Configuration page of the Configuration Dashboard

application, determine which label templates are needed and map out the lines with
devices and line locations.

2. Before creating label templates in Spectrum, determine the following:

a. Which Spectrum folder the label templates will be stored in.

b. Whether that folder will be versioned.

c. Whether the customer would like to use Workflow approvals to manage label
modifications.

3. Create your label templates and save them to the designated folder.

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Using the Applications

To use the Coding & Marking Applications, in Spectrum go to the Applications page and
navigate to the Coding & Marking folder.

Configuration Dashboard

The Configuration Dashboard consists of three areas that need to be configured to

supply data to the Operator Dashboard and the Supervisor Dashboard, if desired.

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Line Configuration

Use this page to add a new production line, modify an existing line, or delete a line. The
first page is preloaded with sample values which can be deleted once you have
configured real lines.

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Add a Line

Field Description

Plant Name of the plant or facility the product line is in. Make sure this value is
consistent across all lines in the same plant. This value cannot be changed on
the Modify page once set.

Line Name of the production line. This value cannot be changed on the Modify
Name page once set.

Product This check box controls whether the user is presented with a table to select
Lookup from or a field to enter a product ID when selecting the next job. When
selected, the user will need to scan or enter a unique product ID when
selecting a job. This value will be the same for all devices on the line.

Device Once a device is added to the line, it will be displayed in this table.
Table

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Field Description

Add a Use the device selector to add a device to the line. A device can only be
Device configured to one line. You will see an error if the device is already configured
on a different line.

Line The physical area on a line where the printer will reside. This value needs to
Location match what is used when configuring Template Groups.

Display If set to true, this device will be used to populate the Device Information panel
in the Operator Dashboard. Only one device per line can be set to true.

Recall Set this value to true if the device is a Recall-only device.

Modify a Line

This page can be used to modify existing devices on the line or add additional devices to
the line. Select a row in the table to modify or delete an existing device. To add a row,
click the Clear Selection button to clear any selected values and enable the Add Row
button.

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Template Configuration

Use this application to add a new label template group or to modify or delete an existing
template group. A label group consists of all the labels printed to all the devices on a
particular line.

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Add a New Template Group

Field Description

Template Group Name of the template group.

Name

Template Table When a template is added, it will be displayed in this table.

Line Location Select from a list of existing Line Locations (from the Line
Configuration application).

Template FQN Use the label selector to select an existing label.

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Modify a Template Group

Select a template group row in the table and click the Modify Group button. To make
changes to an existing row, select the row, make any modifications, then click Update
Row. To delete a template, select the template row and then click the Delete Row button.
To add a new template to the group, click Clear Selected Row to clear any selected
values, and then click the Add Row button. Select a line location and template, and then
click Add Row.

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Product Configuration

Use this application to add new products that can be run on Coding & Marking lines, or
modify or delete an existing product. Customers may link to their own sources of data for
this information, but the queries will need to be updated to work with their tables. This
table is populated with sample products which can be deleted when configured.

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Add a Product

Field Description

Product Name of the product.

Name

Active This check box must be selected for this product to be available for
selection in the Operator Dashboard.

Product Id A unique product identification value.

Product A brief description of the product.

Desc

UPC UPC if desired.

Ingredients List of ingredients. There is a 500-character limit.

Template Select a template group for this product.

Group

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Modify a Product

Select a product row and click Modify Selected Product. Make any modifications, and
then click Update.

Diagnostics Dashboard

The Diagnostics Dashboard application should be used to diagnose any issues when
printing labels or connecting to a particular Coding & Marking device.

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Print Diagnostics

Use this application to test print to a Coding & Marking device. You cannot use the
standard Print page to print to a Coding & Marking device; you must use this application.

Field Description

Device Select a device to print to.

Overall Status A color-coded indicator of the overall status of the selected device.

Label Select a label to print.

Job Name Give the job a name, which will be visible on the device’s control
panel.

Print Qty, Unlimited The print quantity should be unlimited when printing to a Coding &
Marking device.

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Field Description

Store and Recall, Store and Recall is the default. Only select Recall if the device is
Recall recall only.

Print Submits the job to the selected device.

Device Status Gets a detailed status from the selected device.

Device Status

Use this application to see all the status details returned by the device in grid form.
Because different devices return different status messages, this application is useful
when determining exactly what is returned from the selected printers.

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Field Description

Device Select a device to get a status from.

Get Status Submit the request for status from the device.

Clear Data Clear all the data in the grid.

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Supervisor Dashboard

The Supervisor Dashboard application is used to mimic the Operator Dashboard by

reporting all the states returned by all the printers on a particular line. This allows
administrators to see if the line is ready for production runs. You can check the status of
an individual device or of an entire line.

Field Description

Device Select a device to get status from.

Add Device Add a device to the table and query for status.

Line Select a line from the drop-down list.

Add Devices From Add all devices configured on the selected line to the table and
Line query for status.

Remove Device Remove the selected device from the table.

Update Status Refresh the status of all listed devices. Automatically refreshed
every 30 seconds.

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Operator Dashboard

The Operator Dashboard application sends print requests to a production line and
monitors status.

Line Control

The first page that is displayed is the Line Control page. The header displays the last job
selected by the operator and then polls the devices for status.

Area Field Description

Title Logo This logo can be replaced with a customer’s logo if desired.

Application The version of the Operator Dashboard application.

Version

Page Name Name of the page being displayed.

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Area Field Description

Header Plant Determined by the line selected upon loading.

Line Determined by a parameter passed by the URL from a desktop

shortcut. The default line can be set in the business rule VJ_
ProductionBR [lineTest] for administrative users.

Product Id Unique product identifier. Reflects the last value submitted by the
operator in the Print Preview page.

Product Name of the last product name value submitted by the operator
Name in the Print Preview page.

Device Device The device specified as the display device for the line in the
Stats MCLineConfig table.
Pane Start When the job was submitted to the line.

Duration How long the job has been running.

This Job How many times the job has executed.

Device Display Indicates whether this device is the display device.

Table Stats

Device Device on the line.

Model The model reported back from the device.

Line The physical area on a line that the device is in.

Location

Comm Whether Spectrum can communicate with the device via the
Status LPA.

Printing Whether the device is reporting online or offline.

State

Device Summary of the states reported by the printer.

State

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Area Field Description

Device Job State Whether the job running on the device matches the job in the
Table header.

Template The template configured to print to the device on the line.

Buttons Refresh Triggers the polling of devices on the line for status.
Screen

Select Job Transitions the operator to the next page to select a new job.

Print Previews the label for the selected device.

Preview

Check Returns detailed device status message from the selected

Status device.

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Job Selection

This page can be used by an operator to select the next job to be sent to the production
line. The Product table displays all active products from the MCProducts cross reference
table. The operator selects a product and then clicks Next to transition to the next page.

Area Field Description

Product Table Product ID Unique product identifier from the MCProducts table.

Product Name Product name from the MCProducts table.

Buttons Back Reloads the Line Control page.

Next Transition to the next page after selecting a product.

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Job Submit

This page is for validation purposes. It displays the devices, model, line location, and
template for the selected product and line. No action is needed by the operator other than
transitioning to the next page.

Area Field Description

Device Device Device on the line.

Table Model The model reported from the MCLineConfig table.

Line The physical area on a line that the device is in.

Location

Template The template configured to be printed by the device on the

line.

Buttons Back Reload the Job Select page.

Next Transition to the next page.

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Print Preview

This page forces the operator to preview the labels for the selected product on the line.
They must preview all the templates before the Send Job button is enabled.

Area Field Description

Preview Preview count Shows the preview count and total templates to be viewed.
Area Previous/Next Allows the operator to go back to the previously viewed
template or forward to the next template to be viewed.

Template The representation of the label to be printed.

preview

Device Name The device the label will be printed on.

Template The template that is being previewed.

Name

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Area Field Description

Buttons Back Reload the Job Submit page.

Send Job Sends the job to all the devices on line then transitions to the
next page.

Job Execution

This is the final page of the Operator Dashboard application. It displays the status of the
job that was just submitted.

Area Field Description

Device Table Device Device on the line.

Model The model reported from the MCLineConfig table.

Line Location The physical area on a line that the device is in.

Template The template that was sent to the device.

Job Status The status of the job that was sent to the device.

Buttons Check Status Returns detailed device status for the selected device.

Home Transitions the operator back to the Line Control page.

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Cross Reference Tables

The four tables that supply data to the applications are named MCLineConfig,
MCTemplates, MCProducts, and MCProdSave.

MCLineConfig

This table contains all the data specific to product line configuration.

MCTemplates

This table contains the label – line location – device mapping information.

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MCProducts

This table holds all the product information.

MCProdSave

This table stores the last product ID and product selected for a particular plant/line. The
number of rows should always match the number of lines. This table is populated when
the operator clicks the Send Job button from the Print Preview page.

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