S-Tags for adding Conditionals to PDF Receipts

Ali Burke

Is it possible to use S-tags to add conditionals to pdf receipts?

 

Thanks,

Ali

Kent Gilliam

Absolutely. We have a kit that will help you on our Kits page. Take a look at that and let me know if you have any questions.

 

Kent

Ali Burke

Kent Gilliam:

Absolutely. We have a kit that will help you on our Kits page. Take a look at that and let me know if you have any questions.

 

Kent

Hi Kent,

 

I was able to create a really nice receipt but I still can't figure out how to add conditionals to it.  We send receipts to individuals and business acknowledgments to Organizations, since you are only allowed to have one receipt for a campaign, I was hoping I could handle it in the same way that Sphere handles pdf receipting where I was able to say via conditionals...

 

if fieldx is blank

   show fielda

   show fieldb

   show fieldc

   ...

 

I'm wondering if this is something I will have to handle with embedded javascript in the pdf?  Or am I overthinking this?  

 

 

Kent Gilliam

Ali Burke:

Hi Kent,

 

I was able to create a really nice receipt but I still can't figure out how to add conditionals to it.  We send receipts to individuals and business acknowledgments to Organizations, since you are only allowed to have one receipt for a campaign, I was hoping I could handle it in the same way that Sphere handles pdf receipting where I was able to say via conditionals...

 

if fieldx is blank

   show fielda

   show fieldb

   show fieldc

   ...

 

I'm wondering if this is something I will have to handle with embedded javascript in the pdf?  Or am I overthinking this?  

 

 

You can still use conditionals, you just have to enter the conditional syntax into a field in PDFEscape (or whatever PDF builder you're using). The problem though is that it won't really collapse the way a conditional does in Luminate email or Pagebuilder when nothing is in the content. I'd have to play around with it but I know it can be done as long as you add the conditional to a PDF builder field and not the Word doc.

 

Kent

Ali Burke

Kent Gilliam:

You can still use conditionals, you just have to enter the conditional syntax into a field in PDFEscape (or whatever PDF builder you're using). The problem though is that it won't really collapse the way a conditional does in Luminate email or Pagebuilder when nothing is in the content. I'd have to play around with it but I know it can be done as long as you add the conditional to a PDF builder field and not the Word doc.

 

Kent

Got it! I'll test that and update asap! Thanks @Kent. As usual, I was turning everything into RocketSurgery.

Ali Burke

Kent Gilliam:

You can still use conditionals, you just have to enter the conditional syntax into a field in PDFEscape (or whatever PDF builder you're using). The problem though is that it won't really collapse the way a conditional does in Luminate email or Pagebuilder when nothing is in the content. I'd have to play around with it but I know it can be done as long as you add the conditional to a PDF builder field and not the Word doc.

 

Kent

Hi Kent,

 

I've tried it and it doesn't seem to be working  

 

I opened the pdf receipt in Adobe Pro, went to Forms and started editing the fields.  I tried adding the conditional to both the name field (where I would normally put the field name that I would want displayed there) and to theOptions field (where I would normally put text.  Neither worked.

 

I thought that the issue could be with my conditional so I also tried just using an stag in the same way [[S1:first_name]] in both of those fields as well, and that didn't work either.

 

Any thoughts on where I'm going wrong?  Do you have a sample you can share?

Kent Gilliam

Ali Burke:

Hi Kent,

 

I've tried it and it doesn't seem to be working  

 

I opened the pdf receipt in Adobe Pro, went to Forms and started editing the fields.  I tried adding the conditional to both the name field (where I would normally put the field name that I would want displayed there) and to theOptions field (where I would normally put text.  Neither worked.

 

I thought that the issue could be with my conditional so I also tried just using an stag in the same way [[S1:first_name]] in both of those fields as well, and that didn't work either.

 

Any thoughts on where I'm going wrong?  Do you have a sample you can share?

So I know it won't work in the field labels because those get converted to a locked text value as a PDF. It's only the data fields where you can add a conditional, like in the PDF Kit we have. In there, the data fields that are populated all use S-tag syntax to generate the content. Even the name fields of the PFD Kit use the standard [[s1:FIRST_NAME]] [[s1:LAST_NAME]] syntax and it works fine. You might try that PDFEscape tool that we use in the kit. With it, you can add blocks that are more than one row of data. 

Ali Burke

Kent Gilliam:

So I know it won't work in the field labels because those get converted to a locked text value as a PDF. It's only the data fields where you can add a conditional, like in the PDF Kit we have. In there, the data fields that are populated all use S-tag syntax to generate the content. Even the name fields of the PFD Kit use the standard [[s1:FIRST_NAME]] [[s1:LAST_NAME]] syntax and it works fine. You might try that PDFEscape tool that we use in the kit. With it, you can add blocks that are more than one row of data. 

Still no dice.

 

I made a quick pdf as per the instructions and used the PDFescape tool to add the form fields.

 

When I enter first_name in the field forms it works, when I enter [[S1:first_name]] it does not.

 

I also tried adding the following conditionals, each to their own field, and neither worked

 

 [[?[[S1:first_name]]::Ali::hello Ali::not ali]

 [[?[[first_name]]::Ali::hello Ali::not ali]

 

I think I'm missing something.  I'll sit through both tutorials again and see if I can catch whatever it is that s eluding me.  I really want to make this work.

Ali Burke

Kent Gilliam:

So I know it won't work in the field labels because those get converted to a locked text value as a PDF. It's only the data fields where you can add a conditional, like in the PDF Kit we have. In there, the data fields that are populated all use S-tag syntax to generate the content. Even the name fields of the PFD Kit use the standard [[s1:FIRST_NAME]] [[s1:LAST_NAME]] syntax and it works fine. You might try that PDFEscape tool that we use in the kit. With it, you can add blocks that are more than one row of data. 

WAIT!  One more thing.  I think I'm getting there...

 

Ali Burke

Kent Gilliam:

So I know it won't work in the field labels because those get converted to a locked text value as a PDF. It's only the data fields where you can add a conditional, like in the PDF Kit we have. In there, the data fields that are populated all use S-tag syntax to generate the content. Even the name fields of the PFD Kit use the standard [[s1:FIRST_NAME]] [[s1:LAST_NAME]] syntax and it works fine. You might try that PDFEscape tool that we use in the kit. With it, you can add blocks that are more than one row of data. 

I think I need these tags prefixed with tpt_  I'll try this tonight and let you know.

 

 

https://www.blackbaud.com/files/support/helpfiles/luminate-online/help/luminateonline.html#Concepts/Admin_Receipt_Manager_Preparing_PDF_Upload_as_Receipt_Template_STag.html%3FTocPath%3DSetup%7CCreating%2520and%2520Managing%2520PDF%2520Receipts%7CPreparing%2520a%2520PDF%2520File%2520to%2520Upload%2520as%2520a%2520Receipt%2520Template%7C_____2

Ali Burke

Ali Burke:

I think I need these tags prefixed with tpt_  I'll try this tonight and let you know.

 

 

https://www.blackbaud.com/files/support/helpfiles/luminate-online/help/luminateonline.html#Concepts/Admin_Receipt_Manager_Preparing_PDF_Upload_as_Receipt_Template_STag.html%3FTocPath%3DSetup%7CCreating%2520and%2520Managing%2520PDF%2520Receipts%7CPreparing%2520a%2520PDF%2520File%2520to%2520Upload%2520as%2520a%2520Receipt%2520Template%7C_____2

It didn't work  I'm not sure what I am doing wrong here.  I've attached my test pdf file, would you be able to take a peek and tell me where I went wrong?  I tried several formats of the s120 tag, and none of them worked.  The documentation said I had to prefix the stag with tpt_, so I tried with and without the prefix, with and without the square brackets, and any other combinations I could think of.

 

Here is the list of combinations that I entered.  I used pdf escape.

 

first_name (the one I know works)

 S120:dc:firstName

Tpt_S120:dc:firstName

[[S120:dc:firstName]]

[[tpt_S120:dc:firstName]]

Tpt_[[ S120:dc:firstName]]

Tpt_firstName

[[Tpt_firstName]]

firstName

 

Would it be possible for someone to upload an example where the S120:dc:firstName stag works?  I'm getting frustrated  Is there a site setting I need to allow the use of stags in my pdf receipts?

 

Thanks

Kent Gilliam

Ali Burke:

It didn't work  I'm not sure what I am doing wrong here.  I've attached my test pdf file, would you be able to take a peek and tell me where I went wrong?  I tried several formats of the s120 tag, and none of them worked.  The documentation said I had to prefix the stag with tpt_, so I tried with and without the prefix, with and without the square brackets, and any other combinations I could think of.

 

Here is the list of combinations that I entered.  I used pdf escape.

 

first_name (the one I know works)

 S120:dc:firstName

Tpt_S120:dc:firstName

[[S120:dc:firstName]]

[[tpt_S120:dc:firstName]]

Tpt_[[ S120:dc:firstName]]

Tpt_firstName

[[Tpt_firstName]]

firstName

 

Would it be possible for someone to upload an example where the S120:dc:firstName stag works?  I'm getting frustrated  Is there a site setting I need to allow the use of stags in my pdf receipts?

 

Thanks

Ali,

 

Sorry for the delay. It's crazy around here. I went back through the kit since it has been a while since I built it and realized that you can't use S-tags. The fields are actually populated by simply using the field labels. I did look back at an older question like this one and the only workaround was to put in "Yes/No" field on a donation form that says, "is this a personal or organization gift" and then you could populate that captured info on a "Organization Information" section in the PDF receipt. This section would have org info and such and then you could have the question on the form: "Is this an organization gift?" and then you could populate a field with "Yes" or "No."

 

That's really the only way I think you can accomplish the distinction you're trying to achieve.

 

Kent

Ali Burke

Kent Gilliam:

Ali,

 

Sorry for the delay. It's crazy around here. I went back through the kit since it has been a while since I built it and realized that you can't use S-tags. The fields are actually populated by simply using the field labels. I did look back at an older question like this one and the only workaround was to put in "Yes/No" field on a donation form that says, "is this a personal or organization gift" and then you could populate that captured info on a "Organization Information" section in the PDF receipt. This section would have org info and such and then you could have the question on the form: "Is this an organization gift?" and then you could populate a field with "Yes" or "No."

 

That's really the only way I think you can accomplish the distinction you're trying to achieve.

 

Kent

Dang!

 

Thanks for your help!  I've got a few other work arounds to try.  There has too be some way to do this.  I'll update if I find it!

 

Will Hull

I know that this post is a somewhat older one, but I wanted to add to it, to let you know that you can use a few select S120 S-Tags in your custom PDF receipt.

When looking at this documentation at

you can name your field anything you like as long as it starts with “tpt_” and all spaces are underscores, e.g. “tpt_title” or “tpt_first_name”. Then, you need to double click on the field as you're preparing the PDF form in Adobe Reader Pro and go to the “Options” tab and then look for the field that is the “Default Value”. This is where the S120 S-Tag goes. Don't forget to go to the “Apprearance” tab and make sure that your font family and font size are matching the Word document that you used to create the PDF, so that it maintains a consistent look and feel.

Here is a screenshot of the “Options” tab while editing a field on a PDF receipt template:

“Options” tab while editing a PDF form using Adobe Acrobat Pro

I hope you find this information helpful.