Step 3: Choose/Edit Template – Advanced
Overview
The Template tab is where you select and edit a template for your medications. Templates are like patterns, or layout designs, that you use over and over for many different medications. Changes to a template will affect all medications that use that template.
Stated another way: the items you see on the template are place-holders for information about a medication. They keep the location, size, font, color, etc. for the item. For text items, the text content would change for each drug, but the formatting would remain consistent.
A consistent format makes it easier for people to quickly find the important information they need when they read your labels. Most facilities never need to edit a template because the defaults are based on our experience working with facilities of all sizes. Some may need to make minor changes, like shrinking a font for longer names, or adding their facility name to each template. Some will copy the default template as a new one and make formatting changes to call attention to dangerous or special medications.
If you are going to need several templates, we recommend you edit one of the default one to suit your needs for most drugs. Then copy that template and make edits to the copy you created to suit your needs.
Selecting a Template
Each type of label has its own list of templates. Most facilities will have one default template for a label type that they use for most drugs. Some will copy that default template to make a special template for specific drugs. For example, you may want a “Long Name” template for drugs with a really long name where you use a smaller font size. By creating this as a different template, only the drugs with the long names will use that template and will have that smaller font.
The following pages describe how to edit the templates and change the settings for the items they contain.
The Design Area
In the design area you can move and arrange items on the Dose and Log labels. The log labels are typically used for your paper log book so users do not have to write the information by hand.
When you click on an item in the Design Area it will be highlighted with square dots on the corners as shown with the “Aspirin” item at the top of the image above.
You can do several things to a selected item:
- Resize that item by grabbing and dragging the dots.
- Move the item by grabbing and dragging the center of the item.
- Press the Delete key on your keyboard, or click the Delete Button to delete that item from the template.
- Use the arrow keys on your keyboard (ñ up, ò down, ï left or ð right) to move the selected item one pixel at a time.
- Use the Selected Item section to the left of the template to change the settings for the selected item.
Selected Item Settings
When you select an item in the design area you can change its settings here. The available settings are different for each type of item (Text, Bar Codes, Images and Shapes.)
Item (All) – The type of item selected
Order (All) – Send to Back or Bring to Front
Align (All) – Left, Center or Right Align the Item
Rotate (Bar Code and Image) – 0, 90, 180 or 270 Degree Rotation
Font (Text and Bar Code) – Select a Font (Arial, Time New Roman, Etc.)
Size (Text and Bar Code) – Select a Font Size
Format (Text) – Bold, Italic or Underlined
Color (Text) – Font Color
Line Color (Shape) – Outline Color
Fill Color (Shape) – Inside Fill Color
Selected Item - Text
There are three types of Text Items: Data Fields, fX (Functions) and Fixed Text
Text - Data Field
In addition to the properties listed under Selected Item Settings, a selected Data Field has a special property called Field. This property allows you to change the Data Field that is linked to this item on the template. So if you change the Field in the image above from “Generic” to “Brand”, that item would now have all the same settings as before, but the text would now be linked to the “Brand” field.
Text – Function
In addition to the properties listed under Selected Item Settings, a selected Function item has a special property called fX. This property allows you to change the function that is linked to this item on the template. So if you change the fX in the image above from “fxPID” to “fxRND”, that item would now have all the same settings as before, but the function would calculate a random number at print time instead of a print ID. More information about Functions can be found in the Settings-Function section below.
Text – Fixed Text
In addition to the properties listed under Selected Item Settings, a selected Fixed Text item has a special property called Text. This property allows you to change the text that appears in this item on the template. So if you change the Text in the image above from “Pkgd:” to “BYD:” that item would now have all the same settings as before, but the text would always read “BYD:”.
Selected Item - Bar Code
In addition to the properties listed under Selected Item Settings, a selected Bar Code item has a special property called Type. This property allows you to change the type of bar code that is link to this item on the template. So if you change the Type in the image above from “1-D” to “2-D”, that item would now have all the same settings as before, but the type of bar code would change from 1-D to 2-D.
The Font and Size are used to display the encoded text below the bar code. This is commonly done so the number can be manually entered if a bar code fails to scan. The scanning systems in most facilities allow manual entry, but they track that it entered manually as a precaution. Changing the Size to 0 (zero) will turn off the text below the bar code.
More information about Bar Code settings and option can be found in the Settings-Bar Codes section below.
Selected Item - Image
In addition to the properties listed under Selected Item Settings, a selected Shape item also has a Rotate property that will allow you to rotate the image.
Selected Item - Shape
In addition to the properties listed under Select Item Settings, a selected Shape item has a special properties called Fill and Line. These settings allow you to change the fill color and line color of the shape.
Adding Items
You can add Text Items, Bar Codes, Images and Shapes to your templates. The added item will appear in the top left corner of the Design Area. Where you can drag and resize the item, and use the Selected Item Settings to adjust the settings to suit your needs.
Adding Item - Text
There are three types of Text Items you can add to your template: a Data Field, a Function, or a Fixed Text item.
Adding Item – Text - Data Field
If you select Data Field in 1. Type, you can then select the Data Field you want to link to this item in 2. Text. In addition to the visible Data Fields from the first tab, you can also select Packaged Qty, Packaged By or Packaged On to dynamically include this information on your Dose or Log labels.
Adding Item – Text - Function
If you select Function for 1. Type, then 2. Function will display a list of Functions you can select. Each of these functions will dynamically change information that is printed for this item by the rules created in Settings-Functions.
For example, the fxDOW selected above will print MON on the first dose, TUE on the second, and so on.
Adding Item – Text – Fixed Text
Fixed Text items allow you to add a text item that is not linked to a Data Field, and therefore will always be the same. Commonly, this is used to label items (EXP: next to the expiration date) or constant information like your facility name.
Adding Item - Bar Code
The rules for the type of bar code and where the data comes from are managed in Settings-Bar Codes. From the Add Bar Code menu, your staff can only select one of the bar code types you have created. This separation allows you to protect the management decisions you have made about these rules, yet still allows your staff to add bar codes to templates.
Adding Item - Image
MILT includes an extensive collection of auxiliary images that can be added to your templates. They sort alphabetically, and are organized in this manner:
While color should not be used as the only indicator of important information (~ 8% of population has some form of color blindness,) whenever possible, the colors selected for the included images are intended to allude to the following information: Red = No, Green = Yes and Yellow = Caution.
You can also click the Import Button to add your own images of the type BMP, JPG, GIF, PNG or TIFF. Imported images will be added to the list for any user to add to templates. NOTE - Imported images will appear on the list by their file name – you should make your file name meaningful before you import (i.e. change 234234.jpg to HospitalLogo.jpg) so users can easily find the needed image on the list.
Adding Item - Shape
There are three shapes you can add to your templates: a Circle, a Rectangle and a Rounded Rectangle. Shapes are most often used to highlight information on a template by placing it on top of a text item and then choosing “Send to Back” in the order property.
Adding Item - Shape
There are three shapes you can add to your templates: a Circle, a Rectangle and a Rounded Rectangle. Shapes are most often used to highlight information on a template by placing it on top of a text item and then choosing “Send to Back” in the order property.
Zoom Button
Zoom makes it easier to select items and make fine adjustments to your templates. We recommend that you return to 100% when you are done editing.
NOTE – Zoom exposes one of the weird little quirks in Windows. Technically, there is no such thing as a 7 point font. Windows will approximate it as half way between a 6 and an 8 point font. This works great, until you zoom the display and Windows has to round one way or the other. Sometimes when you zoom and add or edit text items the font will appear to get a little larger or smaller. On some computers, depending on the screen resolution, 150% works better than 200% in this regard. On others, it might be 300% that is most consistent. Whichever zoom you chose, when you save the template and go back to 100%, the fonts will be the right size.
Delete Button
With the Delete Button you can delete a selected item from your template, or the entire template.
If you mistakenly delete an item from a template, re-select that template before you save the changes to return all edits.
If you mistakenly delete a template, the template is gone forever. If you want it back, you will have to recreate it. Use caution. The right to delete templates can be blocked in Settings – Roles.
If a drug is assigned to a template you delete, that drug will now pull up the favorite template for that type of label until you assign it to another one.
Save Button
When you are done editing a template you can save it as a new template, or overwrite the existing one. Remember that a template is going to be used for many medications. What you are saving is the layout of items and their formatting options, not the specific information for the medication you have open now.
If you select the “Favorite” option, this will be the default template for this type of label. When you create a new drug, or if a drug does not have a specific template assigned to it, this template will be selected by MILT.