Hi all,
As announced earlier, we have set up a beta of LiveDocx 2.0. The URL, of course, is:
https://api.livedocx.com/2.0/mailmerge.asmx
If you are accessing LiveDocx using PHP, you probably need the link to the WSDL:
https://api.livedocx.com/2.0/mailmerge.asmx?WSDL
The new feature in this beta version is image merging. What this means is that you can have merge fields in your template replaced with image files during the merge process. Please read the following section for a detailed description.
Image merging
Prior to merging, make sure you have uploaded the image(s) you
want to merge to the LiveDocx server. The following, new methods
allow for image handling. They work just like their counterparts
for template handling.
Please note that GetImageExportFormats() replaces GetImageFormats():
public void DeleteImage(string filename)
public string DownloadImage(string filename)
public string[] GetImageExportFormats()
public string[] GetImageImportFormats()
public bool ImageExists(string filename)
public string[][] ListImages()
public void UploadImage(string image, string filename)
Image merging works with standard merge fields. The only thing
special about them is their name. It must start with the prefix image: followed by an arbitrary identifier. Here's an example to
demonstrate this:
{ MERGEFIELD image:ImageID \* MERGEFORMAT }
In the merge data, finally, you use this identifier to assign the
image's filename to the field:
string[][] mergeData = new string[][] {
new string[] { "image:ImageID" },
new string[] { "mypicture.png" } };
Like usually, the actual merging is done by calling CreateDocument(). No suprises here.
If you assign an empty string or the name of a file that is not on the server, the merge field is removed from the template and nothing is merged. This comes in handy, e.g., when the template you are using contains image fields for merging company logos and you want to produce a document that will be printed on pre-printed stationery.
Updates via Twitter
Since the beta is under development, it is bound to change frequently. In case we have some short-term updates, we will inform you via Twitter. The ID to follow is @livedocx, and for tweets concerning the 2.0 beta we will use the hashtag #v2beta. Of course, you can use this to send us your feedback as well. So, please feel free to play around with the beta and let us know what you think.