Overview of Voyager INI files

VOYAGER HAS MANY .INI FILES, BUT THE THREE MAIN .INI FILES THAT YOU MAY WISH TO MODIFY ARE:

• Voyager main INI: This INI file controls your computer’s connection to the Voyager server.
• Circulation INI: This INI file “contains the templates for all of the different slips and statements that can be printed in the Circulation module.”
• Callslip INI: This INI file controls the formatting of the call slips, route slips, and email & request notification options used through the call slip daemon.

To Find the INI files

No matter what Windows Operating System you have, the .INI files for your computer are located in the C:\ drive (also known as the local or hard drive).

1. With many computers, you can get to the C:\ drive through the My Computer options.
   • You may have an icon on your desktop, or you can get to it through the Start Menu.
2. Open your computer’s the C:\ Drive, and look for the Voyager folder.
3. Double-click to open the Voyager folder. The .INI files are all housed within this main Voyager folder, sometimes within subfolders.

INI FIles are made up of several parts

• A stanza is a set of rules governing a specific slip or report.
  • Stanzas are denoted by text in brackets, for example: [DUE DATE SLIP]
• A variable is one rule governing a slip or report; variables are also sometimes referred to as “lines”.
  • An example of a variable is: HeadingFontName=TimesNewRoman

The .INI files that are a part of Voyager will open up in either Notepad or Wordpad.

When editing .INI files, you may change any information to the right of the equals sign. However, do not change any of the text to the left of the equals sign or delete any lines [variables] or stanzas. This will cause Voyager not to work properly and may cause the system to fail.”

From this example, HeadingFontName=TimesNewRoman, you can change the TimesNewRoman, but not the HeadingFontName.

Voyager.INI

As mentioned above, this INI file controls your computer’s connection to the Voyager server, by designating the ports and servers that the computers use to talk to each other.

The main Voyager.INI file is located directly inside the Voyager folder in the C:\ drive. Double-click to open the file as a Notepad or Wordpad document.

• If your Voyager is working properly, you will probably never change much with this .INI file.
• Each stanza is labeled in brackets, for example [Circulation], so that both the user and the system know which client or client's feature is being controlled.
• Within the Voyager.ini file, you will see a stanza for each of the major Voyager programs, as well as additional stanzas.

Circ.INI

The following is taken from the Circulation User's Guide. That Guide thoroughly documents this INI file and devotes an entire Appendix (Appendix A) to it.

“The Voyager Circulation Module allows you to change the appearance of various slips and reports that are printed in the Circulation Module. The circ.ini contains the stanzas that define these slips and reports.

• You can define custom templates for Due Date Slips, Discharge Slips, Hold Slips, Routing Slips, and Fine/Fee Payment Receipts.
• You can customize some fields for the Patron Fine/Fee Statements, Patron Charged Item Statements, Patron Request Statements, Item Circulation History Listings, Course Reserve Pick Lists, and MARC Records from item maintenance reports.

Each stanza of the circ.ini file defines the print template for a different slip. Certain types of information are common to most stanzas, but each stanza has its own requirements.” 

Note that each stanza, like [Due Date Slip], has its own requirements. These requirements affect the types of features you are allowed to modify and change through the .INI file.

Appendix A of the Guide explains the two major different types of slips & reports, and the differences between what you can edit on them:

• First Type: The slips that print due to an action occurring in the system. For example, Due Date Slips.
• Second Type: The reports that occur due to the operator clicking the Print button. For example, Fine/Fees Statement.

For the first type, you can decide whether to print or not print a field, such as ‘Patron Barcode’ or ‘Item Location’ on the slip, as well as modify how the fonts will look on the slip. You cannot however, add any additional fields to the slip. For the second type, you have to print every field that it wants you to print, but you can often choose what the font will look like on the slip.

Callslip.INI

The Callslip INI file controls the slips, statements, and email & request notification options used through the callslip client.

The Callslip.INI looks quite a bit different than those in the Circulation.ini, including lots of slashes and letters. These are "action codes".

• For example, one variable in the [Routing Slip Print Template] says TO: Library:\T\F600\

The majority of the stanzas in the Callslip.ini cannot be modified. Most of them should not be touched. 

Within the [Print Options] stanza, you can change the value for FontName=(your value here), FontSize=(your value here), or the AlternateFontSize=(your value here).

See the Voyager Call Slip Daemon User's Guide for more information about the Callslip.INI file.

• Article last edited: 03-Sept-2020