The Toolbox

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.

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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 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.

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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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