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Allows you to enter the name of the report.
Allows you to specify the series the report will be associated with. Series assignments group related reports in an application using categories like Sales, Financial and Inventory. To ensure the consistent use of series in the application, it's a good idea to select the series of the primary table as the report series. You can view the series that a table is associated with in the Table Definition window.
This list displays the name of each table in the current dictionary. Select the table you want to use as the main table for the report. The main table is typically the table that contains the most information used by the report.
If you want to link additional tables to the report, click the Tables button to open the Report Table Relationships window, and then click New.
Once you've selected a main table, the name of its first key will automatically appear in this field. This is the key that will be used to determine the sorting order of the report, unless an alternate sorting order is specified using the Sorting Definition window. To sort the report based upon the sorting criteria defined in one of the main table's other keys, select that key's name from the Using Key drop-down list.
To specify an alternate sorting method, click the Sort button. This opens the Sorting Definition window, which you can use to define a sorting order that includes fields from any of the tables associated with this report.
Allows you to restrict the number of records that will be printed on the report. The default value is 0, which indicates that all records will be printed.
If you enter the number 10 in the Max Records field, for example, only the first 10 records in the report will be printed. Any limit set using a restriction overrides the limit set using the Max Records field.
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You may wish to enter a relatively small number while you're creating the report, so that test reports will be generated more quickly. Be sure to change the number to 0 or another appropriate number when you are finished testing. |
If you want to print the top 10 records on a report, be sure that you're sorting in descending order. If you're sorting the report by one of the main table's keys, you can view the sorting order in the Keys window; if you've created a sorting method, you can specify the sorting order in the Sorting Definition window.
The highest number you can enter in the Max Records field is 32,767.
You can specify the following format options to be applied to the report.
Check this option if you want to create a text report. Text reports do not allow you to specify fonts or use graphical objects in your report, such as lines and pictures. However, text reports print faster and are less likely to be adversely affected by different printer configurations.
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We suggest you create graphics reports only when you can be sure of the type of printer the report will be printed to. If you create graphics reports for general distribution, be sure to test the reports with a wide variety of printers. |
Checking the Text Report option activates the Text Report Options portion of the Report Definition window. It also changes the appearance of the Layout window, adding vertical guides at the 80 and 132 character marks. These marks allow you to count characters and more precisely place your field if you are using a fixed text pitch.
Includes only records for which there is corresponding data in the main and related tables. For example, you might want to select this option if your report uses the Account Master table as the main table, with the Year-to-Date table related to it using the account number field. If Skip Blank Records is checked, accounts for which there is no data in the Year-to-Date table will be excluded from the report. If this option isn't selected, each account in the Account Master table will be included in the report, regardless of whether there is any corresponding data in the Year-to-Date table.
Rounds currency values to the nearest whole currency unit. This option is primarily used for international versions of applications where inflation makes the fractional portions of currency amounts insignificant.
If you marked the Text Report option, you can specify the following text report options.
Prints the report using the largest printer font that will allow all of the information to be printed on the paper size and paper orientation specified for the printer to which the report will be sent.
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If you're creating a report in a dictionary that will be distributed to multiple locations, selecting Best Text Fit will help ensure that the report will print properly on the widest variety of printers. |
Prints the report in compressed text, even if the report is wide enough to be printed completely in uncompressed text.
Prints the report in uncompressed text, even if the report is too wide to fit completely on the paper.
Allows you to specify the character pitch (characters per inch) on a line-by-line basis, using the Drawing Options window.
Ensures that six lines of the report will print in each vertical inch on the report, regardless of which other text option is selected.
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This option is most useful when Best Text Fit is selected. It will prevent the font from becoming too small when the text is compressed. The font will shrink in width so that the entire report can be printed on the chosen page size, but no more than six lines of text will be printed per vertical inch. |
You can specify which of the following printing options will be applied to the report.
Prints the page header on the first page of the report. If you don't want to print page headers on any page of the report, use the Report Section Options window to inactivate page headers. If page headers have been inactivated, the First Page Header check box will appear dimmed.
Prints the page footer on the last page of the report. If you don't want to print page footers on any page of the report, use the Report Section Options window to inactivate page footers. If page footers have been inactivated, the Last Page Footer check box will appear dimmed.
Select this option to remove the built-in margin from the layout area when designing a text report. With this option selected, you can place fields anywhere in the layout area. However, if you place fields outside of the printer's predefined margins, data outside of the margin will not print.
If Preprinted Form is not selected, a margin will appear in the report layout area; the margin is drawn to show the default printer margins of the printer you are currently connected to. The Report Writer will not allow you to place fields outside of this margin.
If Preprinted Form is not selected and you lay out a report while connected to one printer, then save the report layout, connect to a different printer and reopen the report layout, the margins may shift, depending upon the default margins of the new printer. If the margins shift, fields in the layout area will shift with the left and top margins. This shift may force fields outside of the area bounded by the right margin.
For text reports, the Preprinted Form selection is available only if the Best Text Fit option isn't selected. The use of preprinted forms isn't an option when Best Text Fit is selected because the size and spacing of the font used for Best Text Fit reports varies based upon the data in the report. Therefore, you can never be certain that text will appear in the appropriate position on a preprinted form.
Replaces the last page footer on the report with the report footer. The report footer will be printed in the area designated for the page footer. If you mark this selection, the page footer and report footer must be the same size, and both sections must be active.
Mark this selection if the report will contain totals in the report footer. For instance, an invoice report containing invoice numbers, invoice items and an additional footer could have a Sum field in the additional footer (which breaks on the invoice number field) to display the sum of the invoice items. If you wish to display an overall sum at the bottom of the report as well, you must place it in the report footer, then select Use RF For Last PF, as well as Suppress Last Record's Footer in the Header/Footer Options window for the additional footer.
Marking this option prevents the Report Writer from generating a SQL query when it gathers data for the report. In rare cases, the Report Writer may not be able to generate a valid query for a complex report. Marking this option can reduce the report's performance, but may be necessary for the report to print properly.
You can specify the page orientation that will be used for the report.
Choose this option to use the page orientation as specified for the printer currently selected.
Choose this option to have the report printed in portrait mode, regardless of the current printer setting.
Choose this option to have the report printed in landscape mode, regardless of the current printer setting.