Hands-On With Ad Handler

by Robert D. White

The Saginaw News in Michigan (evening, 54,508) has developed an innovative way to solve the problem of Mac ad-file tracking, organization and archiving. We have been using the system for over a year, with great success. Here's how it works.

FaceSpan, an interface program, is used to link AppleScripts to accomplish all tasks. Our Ad Handler involves a system of menus and forms that allows users to access, create and modify ads stored on any Mac server. With information gathered from the menus and forms, Ad Handler tracks all ad activity in a FileMaker database.

The system employs electronic ad jackets (folders), meaning every ad has an electronic jacket, and every file necessary to output the ad is contained within the jacket.

Ad Handler also creates electronic tickets that are saved in the ad jackets. The tickets contain customer, size, run date and a running history of the ad including time and date of creation as well as whether it was created from a pickup. If the ad was pi picked up from a spec or template, the template name and location are recorded.

Every transaction on the ad is also recorded in a FileMaker database. The database provides an easy way to look up ads by date or date ranges, customer, number, location, origin, size and publication. It also provides a long-term index to expired ads as they are archived to tape.

Among the benefits:

Reporting Features: Ad Handler can create reports for a variety of uses. It can generate lists of ads by customer, date, point of origin, user, size publication or any combination of the above.
Backup: As ads are saved to the server, a time-stamped, local backup copy of the ad is saved in an "old ads" bin. This becomes an automatic backup copy.
Modularity: Although the database provides very useful information, it is not necessary to have it running to use Ad Handler because it communicates to the database by "mailing" copies of the electronic tickets into a receive bin. If the database is down, the mailed tickets are simply held and read when it comes back up. This allows each Mac terminal to be 100 percent independent of other terminals.
Versatility: Ad Handler tracks and organizes all ads by writing into simple text files, then executing all file control commands through Apple's "finder" program. This means any Mac application program, or combination of programs--Quark, Freehand, Creator, Illustrator, PageMaker, and more--can be used with Ad Handler.
Network efficiency: Ad Handler provides network efficiency by not re-saving unchanged files from the local Macs to the server. This is a bonus when working on ads with large image files, as unchanged image files will not be re-sent.

White is production manager with The Saginaw News. Phone, (517) 776-9757; fax, (517) 752-3115.