Document Scripting

Document Scripting

Document Scripting allows you to create custom documents in ZinformAccounts by writing C# code that processes templates and data. This guide covers the core functions and patterns you'll use.

Getting Started

Every document script follows this basic structure:

public class DocumentScripter {

   public static BusinessLayerMain zinBL;
   public static Document document;
   
   public bool Main(BusinessLayerMain bl, object documentTemplate, object? otherPartyDataTable, 
                    ZinParameters parameters, ZinParameters returnParameters, User? user)
   {
       zinBL = bl;
       // Your code here
       return true; // or false if error
   }

}

Important: Your class must be named DocumentScripter and have a Main method with these exact parameters.

Working with ZinWord Documents

Creating and Loading Documents

// Create a new document ZinWord document = new ZinWord(zinBL);

// Load from file document.LoadDocument(documentFileName);

// Load from stream document.LoadStream(memoryStream);

// Clone an existing document (useful when processing multiple records) ZinWord clonedDoc = sourceDocument.Clone(true);

Saving Documents

// Save to file - format determined by extension document.SaveDocument(saveFileName);

// Examples: document.SaveDocument("MyFile.pdf"); // Saves as PDF document.SaveDocument("MyFile.docx"); // Saves as Word document

Checking Document Content

// Check if document has any content (text, tables, or images) bool hasContent = zinBL.DocumentFunctions.DocumentHasContent(document);

Attaching Documents

// Combine multiple documents into one (useful for bulk processing) ZinWord bulkDocument = new ZinWord(zinBL); bulkDocument.AttachDocument(sourceDocument1); bulkDocument.AttachDocument(sourceDocument2); bulkDocument.SaveDocument("Bulk_Output.pdf");

Working with Bookmarks

Bookmarks are placeholders in your Word templates that you replace with actual data.

Setting Bookmark Values

// Set text value document.SetBookmarkString("BookmarkName", "Value");

// Set HTML content (for formatted text, tables, etc.) document.SetBookmarkHtml("BookmarkName", htmlString);

// Set hyperlink document.SetBookmarkHyperLink("BookmarkName", hyperLinkItem);

// Set image from file document.SetBookmarkImageFromFile("BookmarkName", pictureFileName);

// Set image from Picture object document.SetBookmarkImage("BookmarkName", pictureItem);

Deleting Bookmarks

// Remove a bookmark and its content document.DeleteBookmark("BookmarkName");

Getting All Bookmarks

// Retrieve all bookmarks in the document var bookmarks = document.GetBookmarks();

foreach (var bookmark in bookmarks) {

   // Process each bookmark
   string name = bookmark.Name;
   // ... do something with the bookmark

}

Standard Bookmarks

ZinformAccounts provides automatic processing for common bookmarks:

ProcessStandardBookmarks

zinBL.DocumentFunctions.ProcessStandardBookmarks(

   document,           // ZinWord document to process
   otherParty,         // ZOtherParty object (customer/supplier)
   parameters,         // ZinParameters with document settings
   zinBL,             // Business layer instance
   logoWidth,         // Logo width in pixels (e.g., 193)
   logoHeight,        // Logo height in pixels (e.g., 70)
   minAddressLines,   // Minimum address lines (default: 4)
   addresseeFirstLineAddress,  // Use first line as addressee (default: false)
   stateAsCity        // Treat state as city (NZ DB) (default: false)

);

Supported Standard Bookmarks:

• OrganisationLogo - Your company logo
• OrganisationName - Your company name
• OrganisationAddress - Your postal address
• OrganisationPhone - Your phone number
• OrganisationEmail - Your email address
• OrganisationWebsite - Your website URL
• OrganisationBankAccount - Bank account name and number
• OrganisationBankAccountNumber - Bank account number only
• OrganisationBankAccountName - Bank account name only
• DocumentDate - Current date (formatted as "dd MMMM yyyy")
• DocumentId - Document ID from parameters
• GSTNumber - Tax registration number
• OtherPartyId - Customer/Supplier ID
• OtherPartyName - Customer/Supplier name
• OtherPartyAddress - Customer/Supplier postal address
• OtherPartySalutation - Greeting (from Administrator/Manager contact)
• ReferenceId - Reference ID
• OrganisationNameFooter - Company name for footer

ProcessExtraInvoiceBookmarks

For invoice-specific bookmarks (duplicated bookmarks with "2" suffix):

zinBL.DocumentFunctions.ProcessExtraInvoiceBookmarks(

   document, otherParty, parameters, zinBL, 
   logoWidth, logoHeight, minAddressLines, 
   addresseeFirstLineAddress, stateAsCity

);

ProcessInvoiceBookmarks

Handles delivery address for invoices:

zinBL.DocumentFunctions.ProcessInvoiceBookmarks(

   document, otherParty, parameters, zinBL, transaction,
   minAddressLines, stateAsCity, "DELIVERY"

);

Supported Bookmark:

• DeliverToDetails - Delivery address (deleted if no delivery address exists)

ProcessExtraStatementBookmarks

For statement-specific bookmarks (duplicated bookmarks with "2" suffix):

zinBL.DocumentFunctions.ProcessExtraStatementBookmarks(

   document, otherParty, parameters, zinBL, 
   logoWidth, logoHeight, minAddressLines, 
   addresseeFirstLineAddress, stateAsCity

);

Working with Parameters

Parameters pass data between the UI and your script.

Getting Parameter Values

// Get string value string documentId = parameters.GetItemString("DocumentId");

// Get datetime value DateTime asAtDate = (DateTime)parameters.GetItemDateTime("DateAsAt");

// Get boolean value bool individual = parameters.GetItemBoolean("IndividualDocuments");

// Get output extension string extension = parameters.GetItemString("OutputExtension"); string filter = parameters.GetItemString("OutputExtensionFilter");

Setting Return Parameters

// Return the save location to the caller returnParameters.SetItemString("SaveLocation", saveLocation);

// Return error message if something fails returnParameters.SetItemString("ReturnError", "No File Save Location Chosen!");

File Operations

Save File Dialog

string saveLocation = FileFunctions.OpenSaveFileDialog(

   document.DocumentOutputFolder,           // Default folder
   String.Format("Statement_{0}", DateTime.Now.ToString("yyyyMMdd_hhmmss")), // Default filename
   parameters.GetItemString("OutputExtension"),       // Default extension (e.g., "pdf")
   parameters.GetItemString("OutputExtensionFilter")  // File type filter

);

if (saveLocation != null && saveLocation.Length > 0) {

   // User selected a location

} else {

   // User cancelled - handle error
   returnParameters.SetItemString("ReturnError", "No File Save Location Chosen!");
   return false;

}

Creating Directories

string folderPath = Path.Combine(baseFolderPath, $"OtherParty_{otherPartyId}");

if (!Directory.Exists(folderPath)) {

   Directory.CreateDirectory(folderPath);

}

string saveFileName = Path.Combine(folderPath, "Statement.pdf");

Working with DataTables

When processing multiple records (e.g., statements for multiple customers):

// Validate the DataTable parameter DataTable otherPartyDataTable; if (otherPartyDataTable != null && otherPartyDataTable is DataTable) {

   otherPartyDataTable = (DataTable)otherPartyDataTable;

} else {

   throw new InvalidOperationException("otherPartyDataTable is not a valid DataTable");

}

// Loop through rows foreach (DataRow row in otherPartyDataTable.Rows) {

   // Get values from the row
   string otherPartyId = (string)row["OtherPartyId"];
   
   // Load the full OtherParty object
   var otherParty = zinBL.OtherPartyFunctions.GetOtherPartyById(otherPartyId);
   
   // Process document for this party

}

Progress Bar

Show progress when processing multiple records:

ProgressBarManager.Start("Processing Statements", true, totalCount, progressBar => {

   int currentCount = 1;
   
   foreach (DataRow row in dataTable.Rows)
   {
       // Check for cancellation
       if (progressBar.CancellationPending || ProgressBarManager.IsCancelled())
       {
           break;
       }
       
       // Update progress
       progressBar.ReportProgress(currentCount, $"Processing: {customerName}");
       
       // Do work here...
       
       currentCount++;
   }
   
   // Mark as finished
   ProgressBarManager.Finished();

});

Financial Functions

Statement Data

// Get statement details (aged balances) ZinStatementDetails details = zinBL.DocumentFunctions.GetStatementDetails(

   zinBL, 
   otherParty, 
   statementDate, 
   DocumentTypes.ARStatement  // or DocumentTypes.APRemittance

);

// Access aged balances decimal current = details.CurrentBalance; decimal oneMonth = details.OneMonthOverdue; decimal twoMonths = details.TwoMonthsOverdue; decimal threeMonths = details.ThreeMonthsOverdue; decimal total = details.TotalDue;

Transaction Data

// Get monthly running transactions (preferred method) var (transactions, statementDetails) = zinBL.DocumentFunctions.GetMonthlyRunningTransactions2(

   statementDate, 
   otherPartyId, 
   zinBL

);

// transactions is List<StatementTransaction2> // statementDetails is ZinStatementDetails with aged balances

// Process transactions foreach (var tran in transactions) {

   DateTime date = tran.Date;
   int type = tran.Type;
   string reference = tran.Reference;
   decimal value = tran.Value;
   decimal runningBalance = tran.RunningBalance;
   decimal subTotal = tran.SubTotal;

}

Combining Transaction Lists

// Combine and sort multiple transaction lists by date var combined = zinBL.DocumentFunctions.CombineTransactions(listOne, listTwo);

Date Utilities

// Get last day of month DateTime monthEnd = DocumentFunctions.GetEndOfMonth(someDate); // Example: 15/03/2024 returns 31/03/2024

Building HTML Tables

For inserting formatted tables into bookmarks:

var htmlTable = new StringBuilder();

htmlTable.AppendLine("

"); htmlTable.AppendLine("<thead>"); htmlTable.AppendLine(""); htmlTable.AppendLine(""); htmlTable.AppendLine(""); htmlTable.AppendLine(""); htmlTable.AppendLine(""); htmlTable.AppendLine("</thead>"); htmlTable.AppendLine("<tbody>"); foreach (var item in dataList) { htmlTable.AppendLine(""); htmlTable.AppendLine($""); htmlTable.AppendLine($""); htmlTable.AppendLine($""); htmlTable.AppendLine(""); } htmlTable.AppendLine("</tbody>"); htmlTable.AppendLine("

Date	Reference	Amount
{item.Date:dd/MM/yyyy}	{item.Reference}	{item.Amount:$#,##0.00}

");

// Insert into document document.SetBookmarkHtml("TableBookmark", htmlTable.ToString());

Tips for HTML Tables:

• Use inline styles (external CSS won't work)
• Specify font-family: "Aptos", sans-serif; for consistency
• Use text-align: right for numbers
• Add padding for readability: padding: 5px;
• Format currency: {value:$#,##0.00}

Email Integration

Sending Documents via Email

// Get email addresses for specific contacts var emailAddresses = otherParty.GetEmailContactsAsEmailCompatibleStringById(document.EmailContactIds);

if (emailAddresses.Length > 0) {

   // Replace placeholders in email body
   string emailBody = document.EmailBody.Replace("[OtherPartyName]", otherParty.Name);
   
   // Send email with attachment
   var result = zinBL.Emailing.SendEmailWithImage(
       emailAddresses,              // To addresses
       "",                          // CC addresses
       "",                          // BCC addresses
       document.EmailSubject,       // Subject
       emailBody,                   // HTML body
       zinBL,                       // Business layer
       attachmentFilePath,          // Path to attachment
       false,                       // Is HTML
       70L,                         // Image quality
       444,                         // Max image width
       "unsubscribe@yourdomain.com" // Unsubscribe email
   );
   
   if (!result.success)
   {
       MessageBox.Show(result.errorMessage);
   }

}

Best Practices

Error Handling

try {

   // Your code here
   
   if (somethingWentWrong)
   {
       returnParameters.SetItemString("ReturnError", "Clear error message here");
       return false;
   }

} catch (Exception ex) {

   MessageBox.Show($"An error occurred: {ex.Message}\n{ex.StackTrace}", "Error");
   returnParameters.SetItemString("ReturnError", ex.Message);
   return false;

}

return true; // Success

Memory Management

When processing many documents, clean up:

foreach (DataRow row in dataTable.Rows) {

   var clonedDoc = sourceDoc.Clone(true);
   
   // Process document...
   
   // If not saving this document, explicitly dispose
   clonedDoc = null;

}

Conditional Processing

// Only add to bulk document if not emailed bool wasEmailed = false;

if (document.EmailIfPossible && emailAddresses.Length > 0) {

   // Send email
   wasEmailed = true;

}

if (!wasEmailed) {

   bulkDocument.AttachDocument(processedDoc);

}

Common Patterns

Pattern: Individual vs Bulk Documents

bool individual = parameters.GetItemBoolean("IndividualDocuments"); ZinWord bulkDoc = new ZinWord(zinBL);

foreach (var otherParty in otherParties) {

   var doc = ProcessDocument(otherParty);
   
   if (individual)
   {
       // Save individual file
       string fileName = $"{folderPath}/Document_{otherParty.OtherPartyId}.pdf";
       doc.SaveDocument(fileName);
   }
   else
   {
       // Add to bulk document
       bulkDoc.AttachDocument(doc);
   }

}

// Save bulk document if not individual if (!individual && zinBL.DocumentFunctions.DocumentHasContent(bulkDoc)) {

   bulkDoc.SaveDocument(saveLocation);

}

Pattern: Processing with Progress

ProgressBarManager.Start("Processing Documents", true, dataTable.Rows.Count, progressBar => {

   int currentCount = 1;
   
   foreach (DataRow row in dataTable.Rows)
   {
       if (progressBar.CancellationPending || ProgressBarManager.IsCancelled())
       {
           break;
       }
       
       progressBar.ReportProgress(currentCount, $"Processing: {currentItem}");
       
       // Do work...
       
       currentCount++;
   }
   
   ProgressBarManager.Finished();

});

Pattern: Empty Row Padding

int minLines = 13; int currentLines = dataList.Count; int emptyLines = Math.Max(0, minLines - currentLines);

for (int i = 0; i < emptyLines; i++) {

htmlTable.AppendLine(""); htmlTable.AppendLine(""); htmlTable.AppendLine(""); }

Debugging

// Add this using statement at top of your script: using ZinformAccounts.Debugger;

// Launch debugger at any point DebuggerExtensions.LaunchNow("Starting Main method");

// Show debug information MessageBox.Show($"Debug: {variableName}");

Complete Example

Here's a simplified but complete statement script:

using System; using System.Text; using System.Windows; using System.Data; using ZinBusinessLayer; using ZinBusinessLayer.HelperClasses; using ZinBusinessLayer.Enums; using ZinBusinessLayer.Word;

public class DocumentScripter {

   public static BusinessLayerMain zinBL;
   public static Document document;

   public bool Main(BusinessLayerMain bl, object documentTemplate, object? otherPartyDataTable, 
                    ZinParameters parameters, ZinParameters returnParameters, User? user)
   {
       zinBL = bl;
       
       if (!(documentTemplate is ZinWord sourceDoc))
       {
           returnParameters.SetItemString("ReturnError", "Invalid document template");
           return false;
       }
       
       document = zinBL.DocumentFunctions.GetDocument(parameters.GetItemString("DocumentId"));
       DateTime statementDate = (DateTime)parameters.GetItemDateTime("DateAsAt");
       
       string saveLocation = FileFunctions.OpenSaveFileDialog(
           document.DocumentOutputFolder,
           $"Statement_{DateTime.Now:yyyyMMdd_hhmmss}",
           parameters.GetItemString("OutputExtension"),
           parameters.GetItemString("OutputExtensionFilter")
       );
       
       if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(saveLocation))
       {
           returnParameters.SetItemString("ReturnError", "No save location chosen");
           return false;
       }
       
       DataTable dataTable = (DataTable)otherPartyDataTable;
       ZinWord bulkDoc = new ZinWord(zinBL);
       
       ProgressBarManager.Start("Processing Statements", true, dataTable.Rows.Count, progressBar =>
       {
           int count = 1;
           
           foreach (DataRow row in dataTable.Rows)
           {
               if (progressBar.CancellationPending) break;
               
               string otherPartyId = (string)row["OtherPartyId"];
               var otherParty = zinBL.OtherPartyFunctions.GetOtherPartyById(otherPartyId);
               
               progressBar.ReportProgress(count, $"Processing: {otherParty.Name}");
               
               var doc = sourceDoc.Clone(true);
               
               // Process bookmarks
               zinBL.DocumentFunctions.ProcessStandardBookmarks(
                   doc, otherParty, parameters, zinBL, 193, 70, 5
               );
               
               // Get statement data
               var (transactions, details) = zinBL.DocumentFunctions.GetMonthlyRunningTransactions2(
                   statementDate, otherPartyId, zinBL
               );
               
               // Build transaction table
               var html = new StringBuilder();

html.AppendLine("

"); foreach (var tran in transactions) { html.AppendLine(""); html.AppendLine($""); html.AppendLine($""); html.AppendLine($""); html.AppendLine(""); } html.AppendLine("

{tran.Date:dd/MM/yyyy}

{tran.Reference}

{tran.Value:$#,##0.00}

");

               doc.SetBookmarkHtml("Transactions", html.ToString());
               doc.SetBookmarkString("TotalDue", details.TotalDue.ToString("#,##0.00"));
               
               bulkDoc.AttachDocument(doc);
               count++;
           }
           
           ProgressBarManager.Finished();
       });
       
       if (zinBL.DocumentFunctions.DocumentHasContent(bulkDoc))
       {
           bulkDoc.SaveDocument(saveLocation);
       }
       
       returnParameters.SetItemString("SaveLocation", saveLocation);
       return true;
   }

}

Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
Bookmark not found error	Check spelling - bookmarks are case-sensitive
HTML not rendering properly	Use inline styles only, no external CSS
Progress bar not showing	Ensure you call ProgressBarManager.Finished()
Document won't save	Check file path and ensure extension matches format
Changes not appearing	Make sure you're modifying the correct document instance (not the template)