As a Bartender integration I am wondering whether I can use either of the reports types ‘bartender labels’ or ‘Outbound EDI’ to create the data file that I then use as an input to a Bartender integration.
Am i wasting my time in trying to make either of these report types to work the way i would like?
Hi Richard. We currently use the “Bartender Labels” report style for lots of Bartender labels/tags. What exactly is your question about them?
Hello Sharla,
I want Epicor to output BT command files and to that end I have trying to work out what Epicor is capable of. So far, I havent found a lot of documentation on either report type mentioned in the subject.
For example is it possible to add a bartender type report style to a BAQ report?
I feel I will just end up just writing some C# on either a form customisation or BPM to write the command file.
Richard.
Mr. Richard: Let me qualify my answer first - Epicor is constantly upgrading and enhancing the software so please consider my answer an opinion.
To my knowledge the Bartender Label report styles can only be used with the Genxxx report styles.
I created a video a while back to show how to setup a bartender label. This was an Epicor User Group meeting in Minneapolis. Here is the YouTube link: MNEUG Epicor How To Setup Bartender To Print MFG STK Label 2016 06 08 21 16 43 - YouTube
I have not tried recently - but I do not think you can do Bartender labels from a BAQ Report. You certainly can do SSRS Labels from a BAQ Report.
You do have the option (and I know a few customers that are doing this) of using a BPM and C# code to output to a text file located in a Bartender “Watch Folder”.
DaveO
I haven’t tried this, but I don’t see why you couldn’t create your Report Data Def with a BAQ as the source (which was made available in a recent version… maybe 10.2.400?). Then point your Bartender Label report style to that data def.
Any chance you’ve developed addit’l intelligence on this topic? I’m hearing from Epicor tech support that Bartender output files cannot be generated from BAQ reports.
I’ve seen some programmatic Jiu Jitsu used to create output files in Bartender format (CSV, basically), but that is quite involved. It would certainly make sense for Epicor to just ‘enable this capability’… especially considering they tout Bartender as the labelling solution of choice.
In the end i wrote some code to generate a btxml file and used bartender integration builder.
Integration builder is really flexible in what you can do. I am using their .btxml command files which contains, printer control, template filename and print data for merging with the template.
in my Epicor PoC i have added UD fields to define printers template paths, other merge data etc.
Thanks all for your responses. I have followed the links and read the other posts and I find my self saying again, geez, why does this have to be so difficult. Printing labels… from an ERP system… Attempting Brain surgery sounds more appealing at this moment.
Edit: That said… Yes, Bartender seems to have created a well thought-out integration program. It does, however, require an input file.
At present, it looks like the only option (for user created labels [BAQ Report]) is to programmatically build the .bt file, as in Write to CSV with button. Used for Bartender - #4 by Chris_Conn from @Chris_Conn
Ah the ‘joys’ of Epicor…
Of course there is nothing to stop you producing a report and printing to it like any other windows printer.
As @hkeric.wci has mentioned in the not too distant past, Bartender has come up with better integration means than a BT script which you can investigate if you plan to do your own integration. Look at Bartenders Integration Builder to see some of the different options they have now.
I agree with @Chris_Conn the Integration Builder in Bartender is super powerful with all sorts of different methods for getting at the data for generating labels so the need for using the specific Epicor output file is greatly diminished.
I too have suffered from the label print scenario and the limitations around the Genx print styles for Autoprint.
The only way I have been able to get non-GenX report styles to populate the /PRN parameter of the Bartender command script generated from Epicor is to add the shared bartender printer to the client PC and then have the user click on the print button in the toolbar of the report dialog, and explicitly click on the desired printer to print to. It does not matter if you you select server or client printer. This works on 10.2.400.16, not sure if it has changed or improved in later releases.
For the Autoprint and GenX report styles having a default label printer setup on the workstation the user is currently using is enough to have the /PRN parameter populated.
Wow, its a shame such a basic function, printing labels, is still so ‘entrepreneurial’ - and from a mature product, no less. Oh well, at least we now have pretty screens.
Thanks for the additional insights - I’m sure I’ll be referring back to these comments (and related links) as I attempt to cobble together a label for the warehouse to use.
If you need help just ask, happy to share were I can.