ActiveDoc is a brochure generation tool for your Actinic website. It uses a MS Word template to layout your sections and products in a clear tabular format along with all the component / attribute / choice and price information. After you have downloaded the setup file, run it to install ActiveDoc and then follow the instructions below. Please contact us using the Support Page if you have any queries.

Prerequisites: .NET Framework 3.5 (standard on all Windows XP or later operating systems). Microsoft Word 2007 (a version for Word 2003 is also available - please contact us for details).

1. Use the Browse buttons to locate the folder that acts as the top level for the images listed in your Actinic store (this is normally the 'Site1' folder) and also the ActinicCatalog.mdb database file (again, usually in the 'Site1' folder)


2. In the 'Layout' section, you can choose how your images and text will appear in the Word document.  The defaults are set to provide a standard layout on an A4 page in Word. The majority of the layout modifications should be conducted in Word, using the styles functionality. Page numbering, a table of contents and a front cover can also be added in Word. If you are not familiar with these topics, please visit an online resource such as http://www.baycongroup.com/wlesson0.htm

3. Under 'Product and Sections', you can choose what to include in your Word brochure. If, for example, your website uses the common Single Product per Page layout and has section pages listing multiple duplicate products, then you will probably tick the 'Include duplicate products?' box, but leave the 'Include single product sections?' box unticked.


4. In the 'Price display' section, you should choose how your prices are entered in Actinic and how you want them displayed in the brochure. If you are entering Tax Inclusive prices into Actinic, then tick the 'Do prices entered in Actinic already include tax?' box. You can then choose whether you wish to include tax in the brochure and ActiveDoc will do the calculations for you. You may also wish to include a short piece of text after each price, such as '(inc. VAT)'.

5. Next, use the'Missing images' section to handle products where images cannot be found or are not available. You can choose to show a simple text message, like the default provided, or alternatively browse for a suitable image file. ActiveDoc also provides the function to check through your Actinic database and report any missing files from your file system - see below.

6. When you are happy with your setup, click on 'Go'. The 'Progress' section will keep you updated as ActiveDoc processes your Actinic database. For large sites, this can take some time, so please be patient!

The 'Check Images' function is provided in a separate dialogue window where you can choose what to include in the search. When you click 'Go' a report will be written into the text box showing products or sections that do not have images listed in Actinic and also any images that are listed in Actinic but could not be found under the file path provided in Step 1 above. When complete, the report is also saved into the log file 'C:\Program Files\ActiveDoc\images.log'. If necessary, you should take action to fix any problems that are reported before returning to the main window to start the ActiveDoc brochure generation.