Shoot keys in IOS

Applies to: IOS


Timestone Software's Internet Ordering System (IOS) gives a customer access into the system through the use of Shoot Keys. The Shoot Keys are automatically created by the application software, are eight characters in length and are created randomly from several trillion possible combinations of numbers and letters.

There are four types of Shoot Key:

  1. Subject Key - created for every subject
  2. Folder Key - created for every folder
  3. Family Key - created for every family
  4. Job Key - created for every job

It is not possible to manually create a key. They are automatically created the moment the respective object (subject, folder, family, job) is created and can NOT be modified. This ensures keys remain unique throught your entire database.

The subject key

Use of a subject key as the shoot key is well documented elsewhere and is required for subject specific online ordering. Since a subject key is unique to a single subject, IOS is able to make use of all the subject's images and data meaning all products available through the "Neo" applications can also be made available online.

A subject key displays only that subject's images.

  • Allows subject specific ordering
  • Displays images only for the specific subject
  • Orders may be either processed in Fulfill or downloaded into Orders Mode

Subject keys are displayed in many areas of the production software but most notably in Details Mode.

The folder key

A folder key will display all images for all subjects in the folder. When used with an OutPost job (where there are no subjects) a folder key displays all images in the folder.

It is important to understand when using a folder key all subject specific data is ignored - a folder key simply displays images. Since folder key ordering is not subject specific, any subject specific data on templates such as names is ignored. Likewise orders can only be printed in Fulfill - they cannot be downloaded into Orders Mode.

  • Displays all images for all subjects in a folder (NeoPackProfessional) or all images in a folder (OutPost)
  • Ordering is not subject specific
  • Orders must be processed through Fulfill

The folder's key is displayed in Details Mode. Select a folder to view its key in the lower left window pane where any folder fields are also displayed.

The family key

Using a family key in IOS displays images matched to a family. As with folder key ordering, the orders are not subject specific and must be processed through Fulfill.

  • Displays images matched to a family
  • Ordering is not subject specific
  • Orders must be processed through Fulfill

The family's key is displayed in Details Mode. Select a family to view its key in the lower left window pane.

The job key

In a similar vein to a folder key, a job key will display all images for all subjects in the job. When used with OutPost (where there are no subjects) a job key will display all images in the job.

However job keys can also be used in combination with Identify Ordering (with or without the Broadcast job option) and thus subject specific ordering can be achieved provided the orders are downloaded into Orders Mode where they are 'Identified' and matched to a subject.

Job key ordering can therefore be used in two methods

  1. With images where all the job's images are displayed, ordering is not subject specific and orders must be processed in Fulfill
  2. With Identify Ordering

The job's key is displayed in Details Mode. Select the All folder to view the job's key in the lower left window pane where any file/job fields are also displayed.

More information on job key ordering with the Identify and Broadcast options is available in the following document

Broadcast jobs and job key ordering

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