The Label Designer feature in Rock offers a straightforward interface for creating custom labels tailored to different check-in scenarios. In the past, you may have needed to code labels using ZPL, which required significant technical expertise. Now, the Label Designer eliminates the need for complex coding, allowing you to add elements like text, icons, and security codes to your labels with just a few clicks. This feature is an incredible improvement, whether you're designing labels for children, volunteers, or attendees. When designing a label, there are two main steps to the process: giving the label a name and filling out essential details, and then designing the actual label. You can access the first step by navigating to Admin Tools > Settings > Check-in > Next-gen Labels. Let’s walk through these steps to understand what’s involved. Label Setup Label Type - Rock offers five label types to choose from, each suited to different scenarios.Family: Prints once per check-in, regardless of how many individuals are checked in.Person: Prints for each individual.Attendance: Prints for every attendance record, such as when checking a person into multiple services.Person Location: Prints for every person at each location, meaning if the person checked into two different rooms for two two services they would get two labels, but if they checked into the same room for two services they will get one label.Checkout: Prints for each person during check-out. Label Format - You can opt to use the Label Designer or revert to ZPL coding for compatibility with older label formats. While you generally can’t directly copy your legacy ZPL code, you can get close. The Lava merge fields are different but should provide the same data.Conditional Print Criteria - In certain cases, you may want the label to print under specific conditions. This section lets you define those conditions so that the label only prints when appropriate. With the basic setup complete, you can now start designing the label itself. After creating a new label, click on the Label Designer button to begin customizing your label’s layout. Creating Custom Labels The Label Designer provides a blank canvas and a panel of controls on the left, which you can drag and drop onto the label. Adding images, security codes, or text is as simple as selecting the desired control and positioning it on the label. Let’s explore a few key features to help you get the most out of this design tool. Controls - The Controls panel on the left side of the screen is where you’ll find various elements, such as text, images, and icons. Simply drag the control from the panel onto your label to include it. Each control offers unique customization options, like font size and alignment, so you can fine-tune the label to your needs.Undo and Redo - Mistakes are easy to correct. You can undo any action with [CTRL+Z], and if you change your mind, redo it with [CTRL+Y]. These familiar keyboard shortcuts work within the Label Designer, making the design process more flexible.Label Designer Canvas - The canvas is the area where you’ll arrange your controls. It offers a blank space for creativity, with options to add and modify various elements.Label Dimensions - Most labels are typically 4x2 inches, but you can adjust the dimensions to whatever size you need. Since there’s no predetermined list of sizes, you have complete flexibility here.Show Grid - If you want to align your label elements more precisely, you can enable a grid overlay. This helps ensure that text, icons, and other components are positioned neatly and consistently.Snap to Grid - Enabling the Snap to Grid feature forces all elements to align with the grid, further enhancing the professional appearance of your label.Preview - Before finalizing your label, use the Preview feature to test how it looks with real data. You can even preview labels for different check-ins by providing an Attendance ID. Previewing is essential to catch potential layout issues before finalizing your design. Customizing Controls Every control you place on the label comes with its own customization options. For example, the Attendee Info control lets you display attendee-specific details such as name, birth date, or custom attributes. As you design your label, it’s a good idea to review these settings to ensure the final product looks exactly how you want. Field - This option determines what data is shown on the label. You can choose from a variety of person properties like name or graduation year, or even attributes like allergies.Placeholder Text - Placeholder text provides a preview of what will be displayed on the label. For instance, you might want to replace the default placeholder with specific names like "Noah" and "Decker" to see how the final label will appear.Font Size - Adjust the font size to fit the available space. Use the Preview feature to make sure your font size works for names of different lengths.Alignment - You can align text to the left, right, or center of the label. For example, you might align items on the right side of the label differently than those on the left.Adaptive Font Size - To ensure longer names fit on the label without cutting off or overlapping, the Adaptive Font Size feature will adjust the font size based on the length of the text according to the configuration you add here.Options - You can bold the text, invert the colors, or enable condensed text. These customization options are helpful when trying to fit more information onto a label or create a visually striking design.Max Length - This feature limits the length of the text, adding an ellipsis when the text exceeds a certain number of characters. For instance, setting a max length of 10 for a name like "Christabella" would display "Christa…" instead.Include on Preview - If certain controls overlap but shouldn’t appear at the same time (e.g., birthday icons for today vs. this week), this option lets you hide specific controls in Preview to avoid confusion.Conditionals - The conditional feature allows you to show or hide a control based on certain criteria, such as a person’s birthday or check-in location. Finally, you can right-click on any control to manage its layering. This enables creative designs by allowing elements to overlap and appear in front of or behind other elements, like the cake and star icons in the example shown above.