Before a database can be defined you must have designed at least 1 badge template. If there are no templates available you will not be able to proceed with the database definition.
The database can have any number of different templates assigned to it. There does not have to be any similarity between the templates, they can even be different sizes. However, using templates of different sizes has some printing implications which you should be aware of. For more information see Printing Multiple Badges of Different Sizes in the Operation chapter.
The multiple template capability is very powerful. Perhaps you want basically the same badge layout for all personnel except that a different background color is used to signify the person’s department. A template can be designed and saved with a red background (for Sales Dept, say) and then the background color changed and saved under a different name for Engineering and so on. Using meaningful names for each template will help you to know their purpose later.
When building the database, one template file is chosen as the main template. This is the template which will be automatically assigned to a person’s badge unless you change it. You might use a template with a background indicating no particular department affiliation. Then all the other templates are included as Additional Templates. When a person’s badge data is being entered later on, you will be able to override the automatically selected Main Template with one from the Additional Template list. Just as for any other data, you can change the template assignment for a particular badge, should someone’s department change later.
It is not essential that you include all the additional templates now. If you find you need to add or change a template available in the database, this can be done via the Change Database Templates menu item. For more information see Reassigning A Badge Template.
Click on the down arrow in the Main Badge Template box and select the main or default template you wish to use. If you wish to have additional templates available, click on the name to highlight each one you want from the Additional Templates list. You can highlight as many as you wish. To deselect a name, click on the template name again to remove the highlight. You will notice that the template selected in the Main Badge Template box does not appear in the Additional Templates list. If you change the selection in the Main Badge Template, you will have to reselect names from the Additional Templates list.