Mail Merge Specification: Layout Requirements
WORK IN PROGRESS
THIS PAGE IS WORK IN PROGRESS!
Formatting Options - Text
Various formatting options need to be available.
We will specify them at a later stage in detail, but they will include the following as a minimum:
- change of font sizes;
- change of font;
- change of font style (normal, bold, italic, underline);
- change of font colour.
– all of those at any position in the document and not just per paragraph!
TODO
- paragraphs;
- text alignment of paragraphs (left, centre, right, justify);
- indentation of paragraphs (from the left page margin).
TODO: We still need to establish whether Tab Stops (per paragraph) will be needed (not very likely).
TODO
- insertion of 1..n images (i.e. logo, scanned signature) at any place within the documents text flow;
- alignment of images within a paragraph (left, centre, right);
- precise positioning of images on a specified page using x and y co-ordinates (measurement preferably in cm, inch, pixels).
TODO
- insertion of single empty lines (i.e. CR+LF);
- insertion of page breaks.
TODO
Overall
- It must be possible to change the formatting immediately before or after a Placeholder!
- It would be nice if formatting options for paragraphs could include some options for controlling the pagination (see MS Word’s Paragraph Dialog->Line and Page Breaks Tab). The most important option would be what is called Widow/Orphan Control in MS Word.
TODO: We still need to determine whether there will be a need for changing the formatting within a Placeholder.
TODO: We still need to determine whether there will be a need for changing the formatting based on the parameterisation of Parameterised Placeholders...
- for the whole text that is put into the document instead of the Placeholder, and/or
- for the text that follows after Placeholders [e.g. to allow Placeholders that only change aspects of formatting but don't insert text]).
TODO
Formatting Options - Page
Various formatting options need to be available. We will specify them at a later stage in detail, but they will include the following as a minimum:
- page size (specification by name [e.g. 'Letter', 'A4', 'A5'] or through measurements [measurement preferably in cm, inch, pixels];
- page margins (top, bottom, left, right);
- page orientation [Portrait or Landscape]
TODO: We still need to determine whether there will be a need for having an option that would make the 'first page different' in terms of page margins and perhaps also page orientation. That option might be useful if a multi-page document is printed and the first page should be printed on paper that has items already pre-printed on it (e.g. a 'letterhead' or logo, or a footer line) and hence other margins should be applied than on all following pages, which will be printed on plain printer paper.
TODO