What is Click & Drop Desktop?
Click & Drop Desktop is an optional application for Click & Drop that provides two separate features. You can choose to use either one of these options, or both:
- Automatically Import orders into Click & Drop by dropping a spreadsheet into a dedicated folder on a local or networked computer or machine
- Auto Print - Automatically send labels generated by Click & Drop to a configured printer without having to manually print them
If you choose to use both options together, orders imported via the Desktop app can be sent to printers automatically. You must have a Click & Drop Online Business Account (OBA) for this functionality to work.
What is a workstation in Click & Drop?
A 'workstation' is a term meaning a computer or device, and the printers that are connected to it. If you import your orders with Click & Drop Desktop and you wish for your labels to be printed automatically, you will need to set up at least one workstation.
Setting up multiple workstations allows orders and labels to be processed in the same Click & Drop account, but managed from different machines, and sent to different printers.
Initial setup steps
Before you configure workstations, you will need to do the following on each machine you wish to print from:
- Install Click & Drop Desktop: How to import orders with Click & Drop Desktop.
- Ensure Auto print is enabled in the website for relevant user: How to print automatically with Click & Drop Desktop (Auto Print)
- Ensure your printers are installed and available
- Set the Watch folder on each Desktop app. All apps should have the same Watch folder if they access a shared network location to look for files, or separate Watch folders if they will look for files in a local directory.
How to Configure workstations in Click & Drop settings
Star by visiting your Settings page when logged into Click & Drop in a browser, and click 'Integrations'. In the new window that opens, click Click anywhere within your 'Click & Drop Desktop'. integration to expand the line and view additional information.
In order to configure multiple workstations, you must first ensure the 'Print labels automatically after import' button is checked.
Next, click the 'Configure workstations' button.
You will be shown a table that will display each workstation that you have connected to Click & Drop.
To configure a workstation, click the 'Add workstation' button.
From the drop down menus, select the workstation you are currently on, and then select which printer should be used for each type of label/document. You can make more than one machine use the same printers, or different printers.
If you can't see a printer here, check your printers are connected and available, and that the Desktop app is not prevented from seeing them by any security settings.
The options available here are dependent on your label template settings. For information on how to change or review your label settings, please see this guide: Choosing your label template.
'Is Default' setting: Every workstation you add has an 'Is default' checkbox. If you select this, all files dropped into your main 'Watch' folder will be automatically sent to the chosen printer.
Click the 'Save' button when ready.
To configure a different workstation, log into Click & Drop on that particular machine or device, and click the 'Add workstation' button again to repeat the process.
Which folder should I drop my spreadsheets into?
Within your 'Watch' folder, a new subfolder will have been created for each workstation you have configured. These are named after the workstation that has been set up.
The moment you have set up workstations in Click & Drop, you may need to change where you drop spreadsheets. Instead of placing spreadsheets into the main Watch folder, you will need to place spreadsheets into the workstation subfolders instead.
If you drop a spreadsheet into the main Watch folder, the files will still be able to successfully import, but the labels will not print unless you have the Is Default checkbox switched on.
Important notes:
- If you have configured workstations, you must place your spreadsheets into a workstation subfolder and not the main Watch folder. Click & Drop uses the workstation subfolders to know which printer to use per file.
- All Click & Drop Desktop apps should have the main directory set as their 'Watch' folder. This should not be be set to a workstation subfolder.
- If you have configured workstations and you drop a spreadsheet into the main directory and not a workstation subfolder, labels can only be sent to the workstation printer that has the 'Is Default' option ticked.
In the example below, two different workstations have been configured, 'Workstation A' and 'Workstation B'.
If you drop your file into your 'Workstation A' subfolder, your labels will print from the printers configured for 'Workstation A', and your labels, results files, and processed spreadsheets will all be placed into the processed, labels, and results folders within your workstation subfolder.
Recommended setup:
The following setup is suitable for most setups:
You want to print from different printers. Your spreadsheets will be placed in a shared location that all machines can access.
- Follow the Initial Setup Steps from earlier in this guide
- Configure every workstation you wish to use
- In each Click & Drop Desktop app, select the Watch folder where you will be placing files. A subfolder with the same of the workstation will be automatically created inside the main Watch folder. Do not select the workstation subfolder as the Watch folder.
- Repeat for all workstations/machines you wish to use. Please note that different machines can send labels to the same printer this way if you choose.
- When a file is dropped into a workstation subfolder, providing the file has sufficient information for a label to be produced, the label will be automatically sent to the printer associated with that workstation subfolder.
- If you have any system that automates the creation of spreadsheets, you will need to make your system place spreadsheets into the correct workstation subfolders.
Note on common issues with shared network locations: Sometimes, if multiple Click & Drop Desktop apps are reading from a shared networked location, there can be conflicts with printing, as multiple apps can attempt to process files and print simultaneously, as they all see the same files at the same time.
If you experience issues printing, please try the following:
Make sure that only one machine has Auto Print only mode is OFF within the Click& Drop Desktop app settings. For all other machines, set Auto Print only mode to ON. This step ensures that only one app is doing the importing of files, and avoiding conflicts. All other apps will be responsible for printing only.
Each installed Click & Drop Desktop app needs to be able to send labels to its own printer, but only one Click & Drop Desktop app needs to process files when the Watch folder is shared by all machines.
If you encounter any issues - please check our troubleshooting steps.