Indexing AFP files

AFP Indexer can create page groups, define supplemental pages, and create indexes in AFP files so that the information can be used in RICOH ProcessDirector to navigate to indexed pages in the file, exclude non-customer information from mailpieces, and reprint specified pages.

In this section:

  1. Creating page groups
    You can create page groups in AFP files. Page groups organize AFP files into smaller, uniquely identifiable units. When you create page groups, any existing page groups defined in the AFP file itself are not used.
  2. Defining supplemental pages
    You can define pages in an AFP file as supplemental pages when you do not want to include them in page groups. For example, header and trailer pages, separator pages, and any page that should be excluded from a customer statement can be defined as supplemental pages.
  3. Creating index tags
    You can create index tags in AFP files. When a file contains index tags, you can use the RICOH ProcessDirector viewer to navigate in the file to find specific data. You can also use the index tag values in barcode data, and to assign values to document properties.
  4. Working with page-level indexes
    Page-level index tags are defined on individual pages in a page group rather than within the page group.
  5. Modifying or deleting AFP Indexer definitions
    After you create triggers and index tags for page groups, pages in page groups, and supplemental pages, you can modify or delete any of them.
  6. Using existing page groups and index tags
    If page groups and index tags are defined in the AFP file instead of a Visual Workbench control file, you can choose whether to use the existing page groups in the AFP file and, if the page groups are nested, which level of page groups to use.
  7. Editing text for triggers and index tags
    When you create or modify a trigger or an index tag, you can edit the text value. You can also edit the text value for existing index tags that are defined in the AFP file or the Visual Workbench control file.
  8. Managing comments
    You can manage comments in the AFP Indexer portion of the RICOH Visual Workbench control file.
  9. Adding steps to index AFP files
    After you create page groups and index tags in a sample AFP file using RICOH Visual Workbench, you must add a step to one or more workflows to create page groups and index tags in production AFP files that use the workflows. The step names the Visual Workbench control file that contains definitions for the page groups and index tags.

Related information:

AFP Indexer
IndexAFP
Parent topic: Working with sample AFP files