Tools & Tips | NRG Software

Add your branding to labels in NRGship Pro for UPS

It’s easy to add branding to your shipping labels with NRGship Pro for UPS. First, make sure your image is black and white, resolution is divisible by 8, and no transparent background. Second, adjust NRGship Pro for UPS settings to enable the logo on label. The video below will walk you thru all the steps!

NRGship Pro for UPS also offers additional options for 4×8 label stock including the shipment label header (tracking and cost info), custom label messaging (great for gift box messaging!) and QR code messages.

AndyKnas2024-04-04T18:56:14+00:00April 4th, 2024|FileMaker Shipping, Mac Shipping, Tools & Tips|

Here are three plugins every WooCommerce Site should have installed

NRGship Pro sports direct integration with WooCommerce for simplified order fulfillment. Orders can be downloaded in batch or on-demand. Upon shipment, tracking and additional information are updated in the order.

By default, WooCommerce does not include entry fields for shipment tracking numbers. When you install the WooCommerce Shipment Tracking plugin, NRGship will add specific tracking data upon shipment.

If you are offering gift boxes, NRGship Pro offers options to print gift box messaging on labels to remove the manual effort required to match messages with boxes. When you install the Gift Message for WooCommerce plugin in “free” mode, fields are added to your checkout for the sender and gift message. These fields will be passed to NRGship and included on your shipping label.

If you offer flat-rate shipping, the Advanced Flat Rate Shipping plugin is a must-have. With this plugin you can setup advanced rules like a fixed cost for X products, or a base shipping cost plus additional fees with added products. You can even offer free shipping once the cart total reaches a certain dollar amount.

What plugins are you must-haves for WooCommerce? Please let us know in the comments below!

Besides WooCommerce intgeration with NRGship, our staff has performed numerous integrations with WooCommerce and Claris FileMaker Pro to sync orders, products, inventory quantities and more. If you’re interested in learning more about our WooCommerce services, please contact our sales department.

AndyKnas2023-10-31T03:06:01+00:00October 31st, 2023|Mac Shipping, Tools & Tips|

What’s the best barcode scanner to use with Claris FileMaker Pro?

We recently saw a posting on a FaceBook group requesting some help with barcode scanning in Claris FileMaker Pro. Handheld barcode scanners provide far greater speed and accuracy with data capture vs using a camera on a mobile device. Barcodes are fantastic for quick entry of invoice numbers, pick slips, skus, inventory location and so much more. Previosuly we’ve talked about data capture with Zebra mobile devices however a USB or bluetooth scanner can also be connected to your desktop or mobile device. While there are a plethora of barcode scanners available, Zebra barcode scanners are very rugged and provide the ability to configure to send pre/post scan data which provides for much more robust integration. We also recommend barcode scanners with 2D capabilities so you can leverage smaller QR or other similar symbologies that can pack larger amounts of data in a small space. By purchasing a scanner with 2D functions can you future-proof your hardware investment.

Zebra DS2200 Series Barcode Scanner

Zebra DS2208 – USB 1D/2D For around $100 this cabled scanner will provide a lifetime of use.

Zebra CS60 – Bluetooth Companion 1D/2D While a little more costly, this scanner can connect to a desktop or mobile device and provides durability and the ability to charge thru QI inductive charging.

Zebra/Motorola Symbols DS6878-SR 1D/2D – Budget Option This discountinued model is available on Amazon at a huge savings and can be used cabled or wireless.

In the video below we walkthru how to implement barcode scanners in Claris FileMaker Pro. By using pre-scan options available on Zebra scanners you can execute a FileMaker script before the scanned data is passed. This allows you to send the cursor to a specific layout/field or display a dialog for data capture so that your users aren’t required to click in specific fields before scanning.

Co ntact us if you’d like to discuss using barcodes with FileMaker Pro!

AndyKnas2023-07-15T22:36:59+00:00May 23rd, 2023|FileMaker Tips, Tools & Tips|

NRGship Pro for UPS offers custom label options

NRGship Pro for UPS recently added support for printing QR codes at the bottom of ship labels. The QR code can be used to provide scannable links for a variety of needs like product information, discounts, or simplified returns.

By switching to longer UPS 4×8 label stock, you can now choose to print a shipment label header, custom label messaging (perfect for gift boxes!), 4×2 logo or the new QR code messaging.

AndyKnas2023-05-20T03:01:01+00:00May 20th, 2023|FileMaker Shipping, Mac Shipping, Tools & Tips|

NRG Provides PromoStandards Integration Services

For the past few years, NRG has been doing custom development for the promotional products industry using PromoStandards. As a Service Provider/Integrator Member, NRG has a deep understanding of PromoStandards. Companies that use PromoStandards enter a movement that’s bringing integration, automation, and efficiency to the supply chain.

Recently we participated in the PromoStandards Hack-A-Thon and worked with our group to write PHP code which reached out to PromoStandards Product and Configuration/Pricing endpoints to determine if contract pricing was correct. NRG staff is also excited to attend the 1st Annual PromoStandards Tech Summit in Tampa this February.

Another recent project that we completed is a web-based tool which syncs supplier inventory information against SKUs in an Airtable database. The sync process occurs nightly without user intervention. Optionally, staff can update on-demand and drill down to view specific supplier information.

By integrating PromoStandards with Claris FileMaker Pro solutions, businesses can take advantage of endpoints that simplify workflow like product pricing, order creation, order status and order shipment.

Product Detail and Inventory using PromoStandards in Claris FileMaker Pro

Order shipment information along with tracking can even be utilized for production scheduling so that you know when materials are delayed in transportation.

Inbound tracking using PromoStandards in Claris FileMaker Pro

Co ntact us if you’d like to discuss PromoStandards integration!

AndyKnas2023-10-31T16:26:08+00:00February 5th, 2023|Case Studies, General, Tools & Tips|

Upgrading to FileMaker v19?

If you’re using an older version of NRGship FM for UPS, NRGship FM for FedEx, or NRG Ship Connect, it’s likely a good opportunity to upgrade NRG to the latest version before updating to FileMaker Pro v19. For single carrier products, you can easily update on your own by following the UPS or FedEx upgrade instructions. Upgrading multi-carrier Ship Connect is best done by NRG Support following our upgrade best practices.

There are many reasons to upgrade!

New functionality in NRGship
- Interface improvements
- Access the latest carrier option and services
- More easily select connected thermal printers
NRG solutions utilize third-party FileMaker plugins
- Plugins often should be updated for newer FileMaker versions for better performance and compatibility
- Plugins get auto-updated when new NRG solutions are launched for the first time

Note that NRG solutions are built and tested to run on the latest versions of Claris FileMaker Pro. Versions of FileMaker Pro before v19 have been End Of Life since mid-2021 and earlier. Often when replacing your Mac or Windows PC, you’ll find that older FileMaker versions just don’t run properly and you will need to upgrade.

Contact us any time if you have questions or need help with your NRG update!

AndyKnas2023-02-24T21:38:08+00:00February 4th, 2023|FileMaker Shipping, General, Tools & Tips|

Connect WordPress Ninja Forms to Claris FileMaker Pro

We recently saw a posting on a FaceBook group requesting some help with sending WordPress form data from Ninja Forms to Claris FileMaker Pro thru the Data API without the need for the paid add-on Ninja Forms Webhook plugin. Even with the Ninja Forms Webhook plugin, you’d still need server-side code that would take the form data and convert it into a format that could be used with the Data API.

Soliant Consulting has an article with code for FileMaker 17 but the poster had issue getting it to work with FileMaker 19.

FileMaker Webhooks

We’ve built FileMaker webhooks for a varity of needs in the past and have found that creating a generic table to accept data is an easy way to add future functionality without having to change a lot of PHP code. Processing of the data is then handled inside of FileMaker with common scripting.

We created a github project for this free Ninja Forms plugin in hopes that it will benefit other FileMaker Pro users.

This project consists of two parts – the first is a WordPress plugin that you modify for your FileMaker Server host, and then upload to your web server. The second part is a FileMaker database that accepts the submitted form data. Please consult the readme file that is included with the download for a walkthru of configuring the plugin.

Our Approach

In order to simplify submission of multiple forms, we take an approach where we use a simple table that has two basic fields – the form name, and the form data as JSON.

There is then a script, Process Webhook, that gets invoked and that can be used to parse out the data for other needs. For example, if the form_title value is “Contact Me” then the script could create an entry in a “To Do” database for a salesperson so that they make contact with the person who submitted the form. Using a common table also allows for business logic in the processing script – for example, you don’t want create duplicate records in your CRM or you may want to add some filtering for invalid data.

If you’re interested in hearing more about how NRG can help connect your FileMaker database with WordPress, please contact our sales department.

AndyKnas2023-03-07T22:55:21+00:00September 20th, 2021|FileMaker Tips, Tools & Tips|

Ship from QuickBooks Online with NRGship for UPS

NRGship has found ways to make it a snap for you to create UPS labels from your invoices or contacts with QuickBooks Online.

NRGship for UPS offers several methods with macOS data detection capability. Learn how you can ship from your QuickBooks Online invoices below or visit NRGship for more helpful tips. NRGship Pro for UPS provides direct intgeration to QuickBooks Online invoices for even quicker shipping.

Quickly ship QuickBooks Online invoices with NRGship for UPS

AndyKnas2023-02-24T21:38:08+00:00August 23rd, 2021|Mac Shipping, Tools & Tips|

Ship from QuickBooks for Mac with NRGship

While there are no directly integrated shipping options from QuickBooks for Mac, NRGship has found ways to make it a snap for you to create UPS labels from your invoices or contacts.

NRGship for UPS offers several methods with macOS data detection capability. Learn how you can ship from your QuickBooks invoices below or visit NRGship for more helpful tips. NRGship Pro for UPS provides direct intgeration to QuickBooks Online invoices for even quicker shipping.

Quickly ship from a QuickBooks invoice

Sync your QuickBooks customers to the macOS Address Book

AndyKnas2023-02-24T21:38:08+00:00August 23rd, 2021|Mac Shipping, Tools & Tips|

Updating FileMaker data with Zebra mobile devices

We were recently working on a project where we needed to verify order fulfillment and staging prior to pickup by the shipping carriers.

In most instances, we’d use FileMaker Go on an iPod Touch or iPad for mobile users, but this project required that we scan barcodes quickly for optimum performance.

As a proof of concept, we created a simple FileMaker Web Direct interface so that staff could scan boxes as they were packed, and before they were put onto a pallet. The Zebra TC20 is an Android 8.1 device that accesses Web Direct with it’s Chrome browser thru a wireless connection. The TC20 is ruggedized and features a built-in barode scanner which is perfect for use in a warehouse environment.

In the video below, you can see how this streamlined interface works. The user can choose from two scanning modes – one to verify packing and the other to mark which pallet the package is on awaiting pickup. We used just a single field for barcode scanning to reduce the overall complexity.

One option we considered was using FileMaker Go on an iPod Touch or iPad. We decided not to go this route for a variety of reasons:

Scanning with a Zebra handheld is significantly faster than using a handheld barcode scanner or iOS camera
Scanning barcodes is trickier with multiple appearing on the package. We wanted to reduce the chance of false-scans using the camera on the mobile device
External barcode scanners on iOS can be clunky to use. With the Zebra it’s one device to manage.
Using the the iPod Touch or iPad would require a ruggedized case
There’s greater chance of loss of device with an iPod Touch or iPad with seasonal staff
Using a iPod Touch sled like the Linea Pro adds considerable cost and requires the use of custom plugins along with the iOS App SDK.

Another alternative to using Web Direct is building a native web app that communicates with the FileMaker backend using the Data API to update order status.

Please contact our Sales Department for further information if you’d like help creating a mobile warehouse solution.

AndyKnas2023-12-11T21:24:01+00:00July 27th, 2021|FileMaker Shipping, FileMaker Tips, General, Tools & Tips|