When you open the Report Layout window, the name of the report’s main table will appear under the layout tools in a drop-down list, and the name of each field in that table will appear in the fields list. You can change which fields appear in the fields list by selecting a different entry from the list. The choices in the drop-down list are Globals, Calculated Fields, Legends, and the name of each table associated with the report.
The arrow tool is selected by default when you open the window. Use it to select each desired field from the fields list and drag it to the report layout area. If you inadvertently drag the wrong field to the layout area, select the field using the arrow key, then press DELETE or BACKSPACE. This will remove the field from the layout area without affecting the field in the table.
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Refer to Gathering Data, for information about finding the data you want to include in your report. |
If you add an array field to the layout, the Report Field Options window will appear, allowing you to specify the element of the field being placed on the report. In the Array Index field, enter the number of the array element, and then click OK. If necessary, you can use the Report Field Options window to change the array index to a different element of the array.
Fields placed in the layout area will automatically appear sized according to the maximum keyable length of the field. You can resize each field as you wish; however, if you shorten a field, the information in that field may not be displayed in its entirety when the report is printed. If you resize a field by vertically enlarging it, the field’s text will be centered. If you reduce a field’s height, it will not display properly.
You can click and drag with the Arrow tool to select multiple fields in the layout. By default, the selection rectangle will be limited to the current group. Hold down the CTRL key to allow the selection rectangle to expand beyond the current group.
In general, fields placed in the body of the report should be placed at the very top of the body section, since any white space between the top of the body and the field below it will be repeated for every record that’s printed. Similarly, once you’ve finished placing fields in the report body, you should resize the body section so that excess space is removed from the bottom of the section.