When printed on a report, most fields you add to a report layout simply display the data values stored by them. However, some fields have special display characteristics you need to be aware of when you use them in a report.
When a boolean is added to a report, the string “Yes” is printed on the report if the field contains the value true. The string “No” is printed on the report if the field contains the value false.
When a check box is added to a report, an X is printed if the check box is marked. Nothing is printed on the report if the check box is not marked.
When a combo box field is added to a report, the text string selected or entered in the field is printed on the report.
When a date field is added to a report, the short version of the date value is printed on the report. The date value is formatted based on the regional settings for the operating system.
When a drop-down list field is added to a report, the static text value corresponding to the field’s value is printed on the report. If the drop-down list field doesn’t have any static text items defined for its data type, no text is displayed on the report. In this case, you must create a calculated field to display a value based on the value of the drop-down list field.
When a list box field is added to a report, the static text value corresponding to the field’s value is printed on the report. If the list box field doesn’t have any static text items defined for its data type, no text is printed on the report. In this case, you must create a calculated field to display a value based on the value of the list box field.
When a multi-select list field is added to a report, the static text values corresponding to the items selected in the field are printed on the report. If the multi-select list box field doesn’t have any static text items defined for its data type, no text is printed on the report.
Picture fields should not be added to the report layout.
When a radio group is added to a report, the integer value of the field is printed on the report. If you want to display some other value in the report, you must create a calculated field to display a value based on the value of the radio group field.
When you add text fields to a report layout, you should be aware that they can display no more than 10K of data, even though text fields can hold up to 32K of data. Text fields should only be placed in the body of a report.
Resizing a text field will have different results, depending on whether the report is a graphics or text report. If you resize a text field in a graphics report, data will be printed to fill the resized area. However, if the text field is larger than the amount of data in that field for a given record, the unused space for that field will still be included in the report. If you resize a text field in a text report, the field width you specify will be used, but the field height will be adjusted automatically to accommodate the text in the text field, up to the 10K limit.
For example, you could resize a text field to be two inches wide and tall enough to include 18 rows of data. If the data in that field for a given record will fill only 12 rows, then only those 12 rows will be included if it’s a text report, while those 12 rows plus 6 blank rows will be included if it’s a graphics report. Similarly, if the data in that same field for a different record contains 20K of data, up to 10K will be included if it’s a text report, while only the first 18 rows will be included if it’s a graphics report.
When a time field is added to a report, the time value is printed on the report. The time value is formatted based on the regional settings for the operating system.
If the visual switch field has static text values defined, the static text value corresponding to the field’s value is printed on the report. If the visual switch field has picture or native picture static values defined, the integer value of the field is printed on the report. If the visual switch field has no static values defined, it can’t be used on the report. Instead, you must create a calculated field to display a value based on the value of the visual switch field.