Overview
A Printing Method defines how the collected label data leaves Business Central, and Printer Relations decide which physical printer a label is sent to. Together they let the same label definition print through different channels and on different printers depending on who prints it and where.
Printing Methods
A printing method is maintained on the Labels Mobile Printing Methods page. Its Integration Type determines the delivery channel:
| Integration Type | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| None | Downloads the payload as a test file. Useful while designing and testing a label. |
| Web Service | Posts the payload to the configured Integration URL, using the integration user name and password. |
| FTP | Transfers the payload file to the configured folder path. |
| Report | Runs the Word label report specified by the label's Label Report Layout Code. |
The Data Transfer Format controls the payload format: JSON (the default) or Delimited. For delimited transfers you set the Delimiter and can enable Column Headers. For JSON transfers, the casing of the field names follows the Use Camel Case (JSON) option in Labels Mobile Setup.
Setting up a printing method
- Search for Labels Mobile Printing Methods and choose New.
- Enter a unique Code and Description (for example WEBSERVICE / Label print engine, or WORD / Word report printing).
- Set the Integration Type and fill in the fields it requires:
- Web Service — Integration URL, Integration User, and Integration Password.
- FTP — Folder Path.
- Report — no URL is needed; the label's report layout is used.
- None — no configuration; the payload is downloaded as a test file.
- Set the Data Transfer Format and, for delimited transfers, the Delimiter and Column Headers.
Printers
Physical printers are registered in the Labels Mobile Printers catalogue, where each record holds the printer Name as known by the label software. A printer cannot be deleted from the catalogue while any printer relation still references it.
Printer Relations and Routing
A Printer Relation links a Label Code to a printer name, optionally scoped by:
- Relation Type — User or Location.
- Relation Code — the User ID or Location code the rule applies to.
- Resource No. — the mobile resource the rule applies to.
When a label is printed, the printer is resolved in the following priority order:
- If only one unscoped relation exists for the label, that printer is used.
- A relation for the current User ID overrules all other settings.
- A relation with a blank User ID is used next.
- Otherwise the user's mobile resource and its location are resolved, and a relation matching both the location and the resource is used.
- Finally, a relation matching the location alone is used.
Setting up printer routing
- Register the physical printers in Labels Mobile Printers.
- Open the Labels Mobile Document and go to its printer relations.
- Add a line per routing rule: set the Relation Type to User or Location, fill in the Relation Code and optionally a Resource No., and select the Printer Name.
- Leave the Relation Code blank on a User-type line to define the fallback printer for all users.