Report Designer

Note: TAM's Report Designer is an integration with Windows FoxPro Report Builder. Some elements of FoxPro are not relevant to TAM based on the differing data structures and functionalities of the two products. Therefore, some fields/options that display on the screen are not implemented in or do not apply to TAM. All of these items are identified throughout this topic and the topics linked below.

The Report Designer screen is made up of the following components:

Menubar

File

Edit

Format

Report

Toolbar/Report Controls

The toolbar at the top of the Report Layout window provides easy access to object functions. The Report Controls box at the bottom of the screen allows easy access to object tools. 

Note:  You can make this control box available as a toolbar by clicking in the center of the box and dragging the box onto the tool bar menu. Use the Report Control tools to place text, fields, objects, and bands on your report.

The following table describes the main object functions. Click a link in the Function column to jump to that section.

Report Layout Window

Function

Description

Data Grouping

Add, modify, or delete data groups.

Data Environment

Click this icon to pull up the Data Environment window.
Note: Applied Systems does not recommend using Data Environment.

Report Page Setup

Define columns/margins and select printing options.

Report Controls Toolbar

Display Report Controls icons.

Color Palette

Displays colors to change the background and foreground of the report. 
On the Color Palette window, click the Foreground Color or Background Color icon and then select a color. To change the colors displayed on the palette or to define custom colors, click the Other Colors icon in the bottom left corner of the window.

Layout Toolbar

Displays tools for editing the layout of the report.
Note: The first nine tools listed only apply if multiple elements on the layout are selected. To select multiple elements, press [Shift] while clicking them.

 Align Left Sides

Align Right Sides

Align Top Edges

Align Bottom Edges

Align Vertical Centers

Align Horizontal Centers

Same Width

Same Height

Same Size

Center Horizontally

Center Vertically

Bring to Front

Send to Back

Font Properties

The Font window displays. Select the Font, Font style, Font size, Effects, Color, and Script for the selected text and click OK.

Report Controls Tool Bar

Select Object

 Click an item to select it, or press [Shift] while clicking to select multiple items. You can click and drag the selected item to move it, or click and drag the item's borders to resize it.

Edit Text

 Make additions or changes to an item on the layout that contains text.

Draw Line

 Click and drag to draw a line on the canvas. For more information, see Format Lines and Shapes.

Define Field and Expression

 Add fields/expressions to the report via the options on the Report Expression window.

Draw Rectangle

 Click where you would like to place the upper left corner of the rectangle and drag until the rectangle reaches the desired dimensions. For more information, see Format Lines and Shapes.

Draw Rounded Rectangle

 Click where you would like to place the upper left corner of the rounded rectangle and drag until the rectangle reaches the desired dimensions. For more information, see Format Lines and Shapes.

Picture/OLE Bound Control

 Click where you would like to place the upper left corner of the picture and drag until the rectangle reaches the desired dimensions. The Report Picture window displays.

Button Lock

 Lock the current report control so that it can be used repeatedly. For example, if you wished to draw multiple successive lines, you could click the Draw Line icon and then click Button Lock. Every time you clicked on the canvas (until you unlocked the button by selecting one of the other report control icons) you would automatically be able to use the Draw Line tool, without having to click the Draw Line icon between each line.

Bands

The Report Designer canvas contains several bands. A band is a distinct region of the work surface bounded by a unique marker bar that extends across the screen. The band marker bar identifies a band and represents its level of organization in the report structure. The band's name displays on the left side of the marker bar. Initially, the screen displays bands entitled Page Header, Detail, and Page Footer. Additional bands are added when groups are added to a report. (See Data Grouping for information on how to add a group band.) Lines in the various bands can be added or removed by clicking and dragging the button on the left of a band marker.

For information on modifying the band layout, see Optional Bands and Edit Bands.

Additional bands are added when groups are added to a report. See Data Grouping for information on how to add a group band.

Descriptions for each type of band are given below.

Optional Bands

To add or remove Title, Summary, or Detail bands, on the menubar, click Report, Optional Bands.

  1. In the Report Title frame, select Title band if you would like to include a title band in your report. To have the title band information print on its own page, click New page.
  2. In the Report Summary frame, select Summary band if you would like to include a summary band in your report. Select New Page if you would like the summary band information to print on its own page.
    1. To include the page header on the summary band page, select Page header.
    2. To include the page footer on the summary band page, select Page footer.
  3. In the Details frame, adjust the number of detail bands included in the layout. Headers and footers can be added to the detail bands on the Edit Bands screen.

Edit Bands

  1. On the menubar, click Report, Edit Bands.
  2. Highlight the band you wish to edit and click OK.
  3. Make any necessary modifications to the following fields:
  4. When you have finished editing band information, click OK.