Documentation

The ArcheoBase user guide, step by step, with its videos.

PDF export

PDF export

The PDF export generates one PDF per record from a Word template (.docx) containing merge fields. The template is filled with each record's data and converted to PDF; when several records are exported, the PDFs are delivered in a ZIP archive.

Managing templates

Click the PDF icon of the form in the data table, then Manage templates (form editor right required). Upload a .docx file with a name and an optional description — the merge fields detected in the template are displayed after the upload. The available fields window lists every merge field usable with that form, with its label.

Writing a template in Word

Insert merge fields in Word via Insert > Quick Parts > Field > MergeField (or Ctrl+F9 and type MERGEFIELD field_name). The main field families:

  • el_identification, el_date, el_state, el_munsell, el_datation… — base fields of the record.
  • f_<field> — value of a form field; f_<field>_with_label — "Label : value" (empty when the value is empty); f_<field>_choices — the options of a choice field as a ticked checkbox list. A table (datagrid) field renders as a real table.
  • ch_identification, ch_site, ch_address… — data of the intervention; chf_<field> — fields of the intervention form.
  • rel_<form id> — identification numbers of the related records of another form (e.g. rel_12); rel_-4 — related photos; rel_-5 — related drawings; stratigraphic_relationships — table of the stratigraphic relations.
  • img_<code> — a form drawing, either as a merge field (image fitted to the page width) or as the Alt-Text title of a placeholder picture to control its exact size and position.

The exact field names for your form — including the numeric ids of the related forms — are listed in the available fields window of the template manager.

Filtering related records (__where__)

The related-record fields can be filtered on a field of the related form:

rel_<form id>__where__<field key>__<value>

Example: rel_-4__where__photoType__surface inserts only the identification numbers of the related photos whose "photoType" field equals "surface". The comparison ignores upper/lower case; write spaces as underscores (en_cours for "en cours"). For multiple-choice fields, the record matches as soon as one of the selected options equals the value. When no related record matches, the field stays empty.

<field key> and <value> are found in the configuration panel of the related form: edit the field and use its API key (API tab) as <field key>, and the value key of the wanted option (Data tab, "Values" list — the value, not the displayed label) as <value>.

Fields of related records (__field__)

Beyond the identification numbers, the value of a field of the related records can be inserted:

rel_<form id>__field__<field key>

Example: rel_12__field__materialType inserts the "Type of material" of all the "Inventory" records related to the current record. When several related records exist, the values are joined with ", " in the order of the relations; a value present in several records is repeated. When no related record has a value, the field stays empty. Photos (rel_-4) and drawings (rel_-5) are not supported. These fields are listed, ready to copy, in the available fields window ("Related form fields" section); a combination with __where__ is not possible.

Running the export

In the data table, select the records to export (without a selection, all the records matching the current filter are exported), click the PDF icon and choose a template. The generation runs in the background: a progress panel shows the status, and the result — one PDF per record, in a ZIP archive when there are several — can be downloaded from this panel or later from the list of recent exports.