Use the Toolbox to place the fields and other
items in the report layout area. The Toolbox window’s Layout and
Arrange tabs let you toggle between two different sets of tools.
Tools in the Layout tab help you place information in the layout
area, while tools in the Arrange tab are used to arrange selected
items in the layout area.
To activate the Toolbox window,
simply move the pointer from the Layout window to the Toolbox
window. Each of the Layout and Arrange tools, as well as the Pos
and Size fields, are described in the following sections.
The layout tools
To use a layout tool, click the tool’s icon, then
click in the layout area.
Tool
Name
Description
Arrow tool
Use the arrow tool to select objects in the
layout area. When you select an object, handles will appear;
dragging a handle allows you to resize the object. To select more
than one object at once, hold down the shift key as you select the
object, or drag the arrow tool to draw a rectangle around the set
of objects you want to select. You can also use the arrow tool to
drag objects to a new position in the layout area.
Divider tool
Use the divider tool to divide the report into
columns, such as for printing labels. To mark a division on the
report, click the divider tool, then click in the body of the
report where you want to place the division. You must add the
division to the right of any existing fields; the division won’t
appear if there are fields or other objects to the right of where
you’ve clicked. Once you’ve placed a division on the report, you
can’t add any objects to the right of the division. You can
reposition a division by dragging it with the arrow tool.
Text tool
Use the text tool to place text in the layout
area, such as a report title or column headings. You can enter up
to 79 characters in a text field. You can’t use the enter key to
make the text wrap; this can only be accomplished by resizing the
text field.
Date tool
Use the date tool to add fields that display
the current date. The date is determined by the operating system
setting.
Time tool
Use the time tool to add fields that display
the current time. The time is determined by the operating system
setting.
Page number tool
Use the page number tool to add fields that
display the current page number.
Picture tool
The picture tool is available for use only
with graphics reports. It allows you to add pictures from your
application’s picture library to a report. To add a picture to the
report, click the position in the layout area where the picture’s
upper left corner should appear. The Pictures window will appear.
Select a picture and click OK; the picture will appear in the
layout area, where it can be moved or resized like any other
object. Refer to Pictures and Native
Pictures for more information about the picture
library.
To add a picture to your application’s picture
library, select Pictures from the Resources menu. Click New in the
Pictures window, and paste the desired picture in the Picture field
of the Picture Definition window. Name the picture and click OK to
save it.
Line tool
The line tool is available for use only with
graphics reports. Use it to draw lines in the report layout.
Circle tool
The circle tool is available for use only with
graphics reports. Use it to draw circles in the report layout.
Rounded rectangle tool
The rounded rectangle tool is available for
use only with graphics reports. Use it to draw rounded rectangles
in the report layout.
Rectangle tool
The rectangle tool is available for use only
with graphics reports. Use it to draw rectangles in the report
layout.
The arrange tools
Clicking the Arrange tab in the Toolbox displays
an additional set of tools used to align, resize or tile fields in
the window. These tools are described in the following table.
Category
Tool
Name
Description
Align
Align to Top
Aligns the selected objects with the top
object in the group.
Align to Left
Aligns the selected objects with the leftmost
object in the group.
Align to Right
Aligns the selected objects with the rightmost
object in the group.
Align to Bottom
Aligns the selected objects with the bottom
object in the group.
Size
Size to Shortest
Shrinks the selected objects to the height of
the shortest object in the group.
Size to Narrowest
Shrinks the selected objects to the width of
the narrowest object in the group.
Size to Widest
Enlarges the selected objects to the width of
the widest object in the group.
Size to Tallest
Enlarges the selected objects to the height of
the tallest object in the group.
Size to Default
Resizes the selected text object or field. If
the layout grid is active, resizes the object to the nearest
horizontal and vertical grid lines. If the grid isn’t active,
resizes the object to its default size based on the drawing options
for the item.
Tile
Tile Horizontally
Tiles the selected objects horizontally. The
value in the Space field specifies the space between objects.
Tile Vertically
Tiles the selected objects vertically. The
value in the Space field specifies the space between objects.
Arranging objects can’t be undone. Be sure to
save your report layout before arranging objects. If you aren’t
satisfied with the result of an arrangement, you can close the
window without saving the changes.
The Pos and Size fields
These fields appear at the bottom of the Toolbox
when a field is selected in the layout area. The Pos field
displays, in pixels, the coordinates of the selected field’s upper
left and lower right corners. The Size field displays the total
width and height, in pixels, of the selected field. These fields
are automatically updated as you resize the selected field in the
layout area, allowing you to use the information displayed to
exactly size a field.
If a table field is selected, the name of the
table from which the field was selected will appear below the Size
field. If the selected field is a global variable, calculated field
or legend, the resource type (Global, Calculated Field or Legend)
will appear below the Size field.
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