Personalized Rendering

Request Payload

These controllers take the same product definitions as in the IFrame API, substitute personalized data, and return URLs that link to rendered products. You can render a single product or a product group all at once. You can pass the following common data params in the POST request:

• itemsData sets the content and properties of design elements.
• productTheme binds color themes using IProductThemeConfig.
• productThemeName binds color themes using a theme name.
• productDefinitions defines an array of products based on IProductDefinition or state files.
• userId sets the user ID.

Also, the Preview controller accepts previewOptions specifying the configuration of proof images, whereas the HiRes controller accepts hiResOptions specifying the rendering configuration.

PreviewOptions

The previewOptions object defines the size, resizing mode, and rendering configuration of proof images through the following properties.

You can define these parameters as follows:

var inputData = {
    previewOptions: {
        width: 504,
        height: 360,
        resizeMode: "Fill",
        proofImageRendering: {
            fileFormat: "jpg",
            showStubContent: true
        }
    },
    ...
};

HiResOptions

The hiResOptions object allows you to configure the rendering of hi-res outputs, enable the output to separate files, and define whether the controller generates URLs that link to proof images through the following properties.

You can define these parameters as follows:

var inputData = {
    hiResOptions: {
        RenderProofImages: true,
        renderingConfig:{
            hiResOutputToSeparateFiles: true,
            defaultHiResOuputRendering: {
                fileFormat: "pdf",
                dpi: 400
            }
        }
    },
    ...
};

ItemsData

The itemsData object allows you to apply properties to all product pages at once and separately on a per-page basis. Also, the itemsData object personalizes in-string and interpolation placeholders through the placeholders property. This object complies with the following specification.

itemsData: {
    surfaces: {
        [surfaceName: string]: {
            [itemName: string]: itemData
        }
    },
    [itemName: string]: itemData,
    placeholders: {
        [placeholderName: string]: string;
    }
}

Here, itemsData may contain the following properties.

itemData: {
  image?: string;        // The path to images.
  contentResizeMode?: string;    // The image insertion mode.
  contentTransform?: Transforms; // Applied transformations.
  opacity?: number;      // The opacity of design elements.
  text?: string;         // The content of text elements.
  leading?: number;      // The text leading.
  tracking?: number;     // The text tracking.
  font?: {
    postScriptName?: string; // The postScript name.
    size?: number;           // The font size, in points.
    fauxBold?: boolean;      // Whether the faux bold is applied.
    fauxItalic?: boolean;    // Whether the faux italic is applied.
  };
  textAlignment?: TextAlignment;
  textVerticalAlignment?: TextVerticalAlignment;
  isVertical?: boolean;  // Whether the text is vertical.
  underline?: boolean;   // Whether the text is underlined.
  location?: PointF;
  size?: ItemSize;       // The width and height.
  color?: string;        // The color in a CSS-compatible format.
  borderColor?: string;  // The border color of design elements.
  borderWidth?: number;  // The border width of design elements.
  fillColor?: string;    // The fill color for shapes.
  altColor?: string;     // The alternate color for dashed lines.
  dashWidth?: number;    // The dash width.
  altDashWidth?: number; // The width of alternate dash lines.
  width?: number;        // The width of lines.
  sourcePoint0?: PointF; // The start point of lines.
  sourcePoint1?: PointF; // The end point of lines.
  barcodeData?: IBarcodeData; // The data encoded into barcodes.
}

You can define text properties by using the IFontSettings interface. TextAlignment and TextVerticalAlignment allow you to align text elements. Using PointF, you can define item coordinates.

When populating image placeholders, you can specify the image insertion mode and transforms, which should be applied to the placeholder's content. The contentResizeMode property can be either "fit", "fill", or "original". You can apply the following Transforms:

Transforms: {
  angle?: number;      // The rotation angle, in degrees.
  scaleX?: number;     // The X-coordinate scaling factor.
  scaleY?: number;     // The Y-coordinate scaling factor.
  translateX?: number; // The X-coordinate movement, in points.
  translateY?: number; // The Y-coordinate movement, in points.
}

You can specify the content of barcode placeholders by using the IBarcodeData interface. For an example, refer to the following section.

To set up the size of design elements, use ItemSize. For text elements, this object defines the bounding rectangle.

ItemSize: {
  width: number;
  height: number;
}

All properties of itemsData are optional. Through different variations, you can define any design element supported in Customer's Canvas. The following table details the design elements and their properties that you can pass to the Preview and HiRes controllers.

All the numeric values are measured in points. If you do not pass any property that is appropriate to a design element, say text for bounded text, then the corresponding value from the design template remains unchanged.

The Personalization Sample

The following sample illustrates how you can generate personalized proof images without loading the editor. Replace example.com in baseURL with the domain name of your site.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>
    <title>Proof Images API Sample</title>
    <script type="text/javascript" src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-2.2.0.js">
    </script>
    <script language="javascript">
    // Set a link to the Preview controller.
    var baseURL = "https://example.com/api/Preview/GeneratePreview";
    // Set a unique key for using the Web API.
    var apiKey = "UniqueSecurityKey";

    // Define a function for obtaining links to proof images.
    var getProofImages = function() {
        // Set up the inputData to personalize the Name layer of the template.
        var inputData = {
            itemsData: {
                "Name": {
                    text: "John Wood",
                    location: { x: 30, y: 30 },
                    font: {
                        postScriptName: "ArialMT",
                        size: 40.5,
                        fauxItalic: true
                    },
                    color: "rgb(255, 0, 100)",
                    textAlignment: "center"
                }
            },
            productDefinitions: [{
                surfaces: ["businesscard_front", "businesscard_back"]
            }],
            userId: "default"
        };

        // Make the request.
        $.ajax({
            url: baseURL,
            type: "POST",
            headers: { "X-CustomersCanvasAPIKey": apiKey },
            dataType: "json",
            contentType: "application/json; charset=utf-8",
            data: JSON.stringify(inputData)
        }).
        fail(function (d) { console.log(d.statusText); }).
        done(function (d) {
            // List the URLs of the proof images.
            d.forEach(function (products) {
                products.forEach(function (surfaces) {
                    surfaces.forEach(function (links) {
                        console.log(links);
                    })
                })
            });
        });
    }
    </script>
</head>

<body>
    <h3>Get Proof Images</h3>
    <input type="button" value="Get" onclick="getProofImages()" />
</body>
</html>

Examples of Input Data

productDefinitions allows you to specify one or more products through IProductDefinition, which, in turn, allows for setting up the design location, mockups, spines, folding lines, crop marks, and safety lines. Here are several snippets illustrating possible use-cases and input data for these requests. You can copy and paste them into the previous personalization example.

A proof image of an 8.5x11 inches flyer

var inputData = {
    previewOptions: {
        width: 504,
        height: 360
    },
    productDefinitions: [{
        surfaces: [{
            designFile: "flyer",
            safetyLines: [{
                margin: 10,
                color: "green",
                altColor: "rgba(255,255,255,0)",
                stepPx: 5,
                widthPx: 1
            }],
            cropMarks: [{
                margin: 10,
                color: "red"
            }]
        }]
    }],
    userId: "default"
};

Personalization of in-string placeholders

The following example personalizes the [#Name] and [#Phone] in-string placeholders, the specially formatted strings.

var inputData = {
    itemsData: {
        placeholders: {
            "Name": "John Wood",
            "Phone": "555-123-1234"
        }
    },
    productDefinitions: [{
        surfaces: ["businesscard_front", "businesscard_back"]
    }],
    userId: "default"
};

Personalization of color themes and images

For images, you can specify URLs starting from http:// or https:// and links to your public and user images through the public: and user: prefixes, correspondingly. For example, public:company_logos/aurigma.png applies the aurigma.png logo from the \company_logos\ subfolder of the public gallery folder.

In the following example, state files specify the product.

var inputData = {
    itemsData: {
        "photo": {
            image: "https://example.com/centralview.jpg",
            opacity: 0.8,
            borderWidth: 1
        },
        "cornerImage": {
            image: "user:tower.jpg",
            size: {
                width: 100,
                height: 100
            }
        }
    },
    productTheme: {
        "mainColor": "rgb(32, 83, 69)",
        "altColor": "rgb(26, 47, 41)",
        "texts": "rgb(176, 143, 37)"
    },
    productDefinitions: [
        "044abd5e-da18-46ff-9053-b019b62baa77",
        "d6c67467-6a3a-466a-9945-288c94b698a3"
    ],
    userId: "default"
};

Personalization of image placeholders with transforms

For image placeholders, you can specify how their content should be resized. Also, you can scale, translate, and rotate the content.

var inputData = {
    itemsData: {
        "logo": {
            image: "public:brand.svg",
            contentResizeMode: "original",
            contentTransform: {
                angle: -90
            }
        },
        "photo": {
            image: "https://example.com/castle.jpg",
            contentResizeMode: "fill",
            contentTransform: {
                angle: 0,
                scaleX: 0.5,
                scaleY: 0.5,
                translateX: 100,
                translateY: 100
            }
        }
    },
    productDefinitions: [{
        surfaces: ["postcard"]
    }],
    userId: "default"
};

Proof images of an envelope with preview mockups

In this example, we personalize only the Front page of the two-page product.

var inputData = {
    itemsData: {
        surfaces: {
            "Front": {
                "name": { text: "John Wood" },
                "address": { text: "4414 Hill Road, Perth, IL" },
                "zip": { text: "61701" }
            }
        }
    },
    productDefinitions: [{
        surfaces: [{
            name: "Front",
            previewMockups: [{ up: "envelope" }],
            printAreas: [{
                designFile: "envelopeDesign",
                designLocation: { X: 4.1, Y: 4.1 } 
            }]
        },
        {
            name: "Back",
            printAreas: [{
                designFile: "envelopeBack"
            }]
        }]
    }],
    userId: "default"
};

Personalization of barcode placeholders with validation

This example illustrates how you can set up barcodes in the EAN-8 and EAN-13 formats and QR codes for URLs and phone numbers.

var inputData = {
    itemsData: {
        "Ean 8": {
            "BarcodeFormat": "EAN_8",
            "BarcodeValue": "1234567"
        },
        "Ean 13": {
            "BarcodeFormat": "EAN_13",
            "BarcodeValue": "123456789012"
        },
        "URL": {
            "BarcodeFormat": "QR_CODE",
            "BarcodeSubType": "Url",
            "Url": "https://example.com"
        },
        "Phone": {
            "BarcodeFormat": "QR_CODE",
            "BarcodeSubType": "Phone",
            "Phone": "5551234567"
        }
    },
    productDefinitions: [{
        surfaces: ["sticker"]
    }],
    userId: "default"
};

Before the personalization, you can validate the data to be pasted into barcode placeholders by using the following method.

$.ajax({
    url: "https://example.com/api/Barcode/ValidateBarcodeContent",
    type: "POST",
    headers: { "X-CustomersCanvasAPIKey": apiKey },
    dataType: "json",
    contentType: "application/json; charset=utf-8",
    data: JSON.stringify(
        {
            barcodeFormat: "EAN_13",
            barcodeValue: "1234567890123"
        }
    ).
    done(function (e) { console.log(e); });
});

This method returns an object implementing IValidationResult.

Personalization of interpolation placeholders at runtime

This example illustrates how you can get a list of variable items including in-string and interpolation placeholders and prepare a payload for these controllers at runtime. To make this example work, add the following text to the canvas:

Here, we define two interpolation placeholders: Name and Order. In this example, they take values from the content array.

var baseURL = "https://example.com/api/Preview/GeneratePreview";
var content = [
    { "Name": "John Wood", "Order": "555" },
    { "Name": "Cristopher Bennett", "Order": "123" }
];
// Save the product to get stateId at runtime. 
editor.saveProduct().then(function (result) {
    var stateId = result.stateId;
    editor.getProduct()
        .then(function (product) {
            // Get a list of variable items.
            return product.getVariableItems();
        }).then(function (items) {
            for (var i = 0; i < content.length; i++) {
                var placeholders = {};
                var itemsData = {};
                // Fill in the placeholders.
                items.forEach(function (item) {
                    placeholders[item.name] = (item.name in content[i]) ? content[i][item.name] : "";
                });

                itemsData.placeholders = placeholders;

                // Define inputData to personalize a copy of your product.
                var inputData = {
                    itemsData: itemsData,
                    productDefinitions: [stateId]
                };
                $.ajax({
                    url: baseURL,
                    type: "POST",
                    headers: { "X-CustomersCanvasAPIKey": "UniqueSecurityKey" },
                    dataType: "json",
                    contentType: "application/json; charset=utf-8",
                    data: JSON.stringify(inputData)
                }).
                    fail(function (d) { console.log(d.statusText); }).
                    done(function (d) {
                        d.forEach(function (surfaces) {
                            surfaces.forEach(function (surface) {
                                console.log(surface);
                            });
                        });
                    });
            }
        });
});

Responses

Success Response

The following list shows examples of URLs generated by the Preview and HiRes controllers. As a successful result, this API can return the following URLs:

• The preview URL of a one-page product.

  Status Code: 200 OK
  Content: [[["https://example.com/api/rendering/GetProofImage/default/preview_5603922333D0F6CB246F6AC20DC45552/0_0%5b504x360%5d.png"]]]	
  

• The hi-res URLs of two products.

  Status Code: 200 OK
  Content: [{"StateId":"408693E1872EC277EA28E90E481B2F72",
             "HiResUrls":["https://example.com/api/rendering/GetHiResOutput/default/408693E1872EC277EA28E90E481B2F72/-1_-1.pdf"]},
            {"StateId":"4C042925C4A39E45F886D67B0DE5B4E5",
             "HiResUrls":["https://example.com/api/rendering/GetHiResOutput/default/4C042925C4A39E45F886D67B0DE5B4E5/-1_-1.pdf"]}]
  

• The URLs of proof images and hi-res outputs for the previous two products.

  Status Code: 200 OK
  Content: [{"ProofImageUrls":[["https://example.com/api/rendering/GetProofImage/default/408693E1872EC277EA28E90E481B2F72/0_0.png"],
                               ["https://example.com/api/rendering/GetProofImage/default/408693E1872EC277EA28E90E481B2F72/1_0.png"]],
             "StateId":"408693E1872EC277EA28E90E481B2F72",
             "HiResUrls":["https://example.com/api/rendering/GetHiResOutput/default/408693E1872EC277EA28E90E481B2F72/-1_-1.pdf"]},
            {"ProofImageUrls":[["https://example.com/api/rendering/GetProofImage/default/4C042925C4A39E45F886D67B0DE5B4E5/0_0.png"],
                               ["https://example.com/api/rendering/GetProofImage/default/4C042925C4A39E45F886D67B0DE5B4E5/1_0.png"],
                               ["https://example.com/api/rendering/GetProofImage/default/4C042925C4A39E45F886D67B0DE5B4E5/2_0.png"]],
             "StateId":"4C042925C4A39E45F886D67B0DE5B4E5",
             "HiResUrls":["https://example.com/api/rendering/GetHiResOutput/default/4C042925C4A39E45F886D67B0DE5B4E5/-1_-1.pdf"]}]
  

Error Response

You can obtain the following error responses:

• Status Code: 400 Bad Request
  Content: ProductDefinitions is required.
  

• Status Code: 400 Bad Request
  Content: Image not found: https://example.com/centralview.jpg
  

• Status Code: 403 Forbidden
  Content: Invalid Security Key
  

See Also

Manual

• Web API
• Product Themes
• In-String Placeholders and Text Validation