This article is relevant to you if:
- You have created an event and designed a ticket (either via Upload Own Design option or via Ticket Generator's Default Design), AND
- You've added variable information 'placeholders', each comprising of a 'header' and 'value'. In both design types, you can add upto 5 such placeholders, AND
- You're required to upload a CSV or MS-Excel file to provide the variable information data, where data in each row corresponds to the data for each ticket
Every ticket design has fixed information (event name, event time, location, etc.) and unique/variable information (seat number, row number, ticket class, ticket price, hall, name of the guest, etc.).
Ticket Generator allows you generate tickets in bulk with each ticket having both fixed and unique/variable information.
Depending on type of design you choose, adding fixed information is straight-forward:
- With 'Upload Own Design', fixed information will already be part of the design
- With 'Ticket Generator's Default Design', you can add fixed information by adding these details directly in the design editor
Adding variable information is slightly tricky.
How to add unique/variable information to tickets
Using Ticket Generator, unique/variable information can be added to tickets via two steps:
- Add placeholders during ticket design stage
- Upload actual ticket data before ticket generation starts
How to add variable information placeholders
A variable information placeholder is a design element that helps you understand where the variable information will go on the ticket. It comprises 'header' and 'value':
- 'header' is a placeholder to describe what the value is. E.g., 'Seat' or 'Name' or 'Hall'
- 'value' is a placeholder for the actual data corresponding to the 'header'. E.g., 'A3' or 'Nick Carlson'
In case of 'Upload Own Design':
- You can add upto 5 such placeholders. Use the '+' button in the variable information option
- You can move the placeholders anywhere on the image as per your design requirements
- You can edit the 'header' and 'value' text to view how actual data will look like on the ticket
- You can increase the font size of the text
- There is no limit on the number of characters in header/value data text
- You can edit the color of the text to maintain contrast with ticket image
- It is recommended that you make clear space for this information in your uploaded ticket design
In case of 'Default Design':
- You can add upto 5 such placeholders. Use the '+' button in the variable information option
- The position of the placeholders will remain constant
- You cannot edit the 'header' and 'value' text
- You cannot edit the font size of the text
- There is a limit on the number of characters in header/value data text
- You cannot edit the color (black by default) of the text as background is fixed to white
How to provide variable information data
How you provide data for variable information will depend on your ticket delivery method—Generate & Download, Generate & Email, or Generate via API:
1. Generate & Download
You will choose this option if you wish to download bulk tickets in PDFs via the account dashboard.
Once ticket design is ready (with variable information placeholders), you only need to provide the variable information data now.
You can do this by uploading a CSV or MS-Excel file. You will need to format the spreadsheet as follows:
- In Row 1, you will add column headers defining the data in the column. Note that these headers will replace the 'header' placeholders in the ticket design
- Row 2 onwards, you will add 'value' for each corresponding header. Note that each row will contain data for 1 ticket
For example, if the data in the MS-Excel is:
the data on the ticket will be printed as follows:
The number of columns you add in the spreadsheet will depend on the number of placeholders you chose to add during ticket design. So if you added two placeholders (header-value combinations), you need to add values in the first two columns only. Extra data columns will be ignored.
Header/Value Number of Characters—Best Practice
If you have designed using 'Upload Own Design' feature, you can add as many characters in header/value data as long as the placeholder fits in your ticket design.
However, if you have designed using 'Default Design', there is a limit on the number of characters you can add in the header/value text.
The number of characters in the header and value depends on the number of columns (1-5) you are planning to add. For best results, keep in the number of characters in the range given below:
- 1 Column: 1-70 characters
- 2 Columns: 1-32
- 3 Columns: 1-19
- 4 Columns: 1-13
- 5 Columns: 1-10
Note that at no point should the total number of characters (sum of all columns text) should be greater than 70 characters. This will ensure that the information on the ticket is clearly printed and visible.
If you're not certain, always check the ticket preview before proceeding to generate the tickets.
2. Generate & Email
You will choose this option if you wish to email the tickets to recipients directly as attachments via the account dashboard.
Once ticket design is ready (with variable information placeholders), you only need to provide the following:
- Email address of each recipient
- Unique/variable information for each ticket
You can do this by uploading a CSV or MS-Excel file. You will need to format the spreadsheet as follows:
- Column A: In this column, specify email addresses of the ticket recipients. One email address in each row. Ensure that Column Header (Cell A1) is "Email ID". Note that this column is mandatory for processing of tickets using the 'Generate & Email' method
- Column B-F: You can use these columns to specify unique information that will go on the ticket of the specified recipient in Column A. In Row 1, you will add column headers defining the data in the column. Note that these headers will replace the 'header' placeholders in the ticket design. Row 2 onwards, you will add 'value' for each corresponding header. Note that each row will contain data for 1 ticket
For example, if the data in the CSV/MS-Excel is:
the data on the ticket that will be sent to [email protected] will be printed as follows:
The 'Header/Value Number of Characters—Best Practice' shared in the previous case will be applicable here as well.
3. Generate via API
You will choose this option if you wish to generate and get tickets programmatically (one ticket per API call).
Once ticket design is ready (with variable information placeholders), you only need to provide the variable information data via API parameters. To view parameters, see API documentation.
The 'Header/Value Number of Characters—Best Practice' shared in the previous case will be applicable here as well.
If you have any further questions related to adding variable information on tickets, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected].