Custom report basics

This section describes basic operations used in the custom report generator to design a report.

To create a Report design, use a ‘View’ function to bring up a list screen and click the [Report] button in the Buttons Palette. The report editor will be displayed on the screen. If the General Preference ‘Use SuperReport Report Generator’ is switched on, you will need to hold down the <Alt> key while clicking the [Report] button to bring up the standard report editor.

The report editor contains the:

1. Field Selection Box that lists fields in the current file.
2. Sort Box that displays the sort order assigned to the report. It also contains the <> marker that you use to set sort levels. If your report will contain summary calculations from groups of records, you must sort the current selection by one or more columns.
3. Report Layout that is used to design the report by dragging fields, adjusting column widths, and adding or deleting breaks.
4. Report With Frame check box that lets you add a rectangular frame to the report.
5. Summary Calculations check boxes that are used to place calculations in the break and total area of reports. 
6. Column Indicators that indicate the boundaries between columns of the report.
7. Auto column width check box that is used to request the report editor to compute a column width based on the maximum width of the contents of the column. This option can be checked for each column individually. This check box does not refer to the entire report. If Auto column width is not checked, you can modify column widths by dragging the column indicators.
8. Right margin marker that indicates the right margin of the report. The right margin width indicator is meaningful only when no columns have “Auto Column Width” checked. On a 9 inch monitor you must scroll the report layout to the right to see the right margin indicator.
9. Column Header displays the names of fields or formulae added to the report.
10. Row label bar shows the different areas of the report: the Header, Detail, Break and Total rows.
11. Header Row contains information that appears in the printed report above records. The report editor automatically places field names in the Header row but you can modify its contents.
12. Detail Row prints information from individual records and will be repeated in the printed report for each break.
13. Break and Total rows that display summary calculations and any associated labelling. The break row displays summary calculations for each subgroup in the report and the total row displays summary calculations obtained from all records in the current selection.
14. Cells that are the intersection of the row and column.
15. Scroll Bars that let you view parts of the report design that extend beyond the area of the report layout.

You can save a Report design as a file which can be opened from the report editor. The custom report design includes all your specifications but not the data. By saving the report design, you can maintain a library of reports that you can use depending on your needs. To save a report design choose ‘Save’ from the File menu.

When the report editor is open, you can load a saved design and use it to print a new report. The same report design can be used to repeatedly print different selections of records.

To load a report design choose ‘Open’ from the File menu and double click on the file containing your report format, or select the file and click [Open].

When designing a report, you need to select rows, columns and cells in the report layout. A cell is the intersection of the row and column.

To select a row, click on the H, D, B or T marker on the left of the report layout, or click in a row to the right of all columns in the report layout.

To select a column, click above the header row of a column. To select a cell, click the cell.

You can insert a column in a custom report. To insert a column follow these steps:

1. Select a column.
2. Choose ‘Insert Column’ from the Edit menu.

You create columns by dragging field names from the field selection box to the report layout.

To add a column, drag the name of a field to the right of existing columns in the report layout and release the mouse button. The report editor creates a column for the field and places the field name in both the column header and the cell in the header row.

You can add or modify text in the report layout. Text can be used to label parts of the report. For example, if you requested summary calculations, you can also add text to the other cells in the break and total rows to label the summary calculations.

You can: edit the text that is that is automatically added to the header row of the report; insert text in the empty cells of the break and total rows; insert the value of a break field in the break rows; and specify font, font size, justification and style for any text that appears in the report.

To add text, follow these steps:

1. Click twice on an empty cell in the report layout. A text insertion point appears in the cell
2. Type the text into the cell.

You can also replace a column in the report editor by dragging another field over it. You can also replace a field with a formula. To replace a column, drag a field from the field selection box to the column you want to replace or select the column you want to replace and choose ‘Edit A Formula’ from the Other menu. See the section ‘Adding Formulae To the Report’.

You can delete a column from a custom report.

To delete a column follow these steps:

1. Select a column.
2. Choose ‘Delete Column’ from the Edit menu.

While designing your report, you can specify different fonts, font sizes, justification and styles. You can apply these specifications to rows, columns or cells in the report. These specifications can be applied to text, data and summary calculations.

If you assign specifications to the detail area of the report, you won’t see the results until you print or preview the report.

To specify a font, select the column, row or cell where you want to apply the font. Then choose a font from the Font menu. To specify a font size, style or justification, select the column, row or cell and choose a font size, style or justification from the Style menu.

By default, the report editor automatically calculates the column widths based on the width of the widest field in each column. To re-size a column manually, however, follow these steps:

1. Select the column you want to re-size
2. Switch off the Auto Column Width check box
3. Move the mouse pointer over the column indicator in the column header to change the pointer into a column width cursor, and
4. Drag the column width cursor to the left or right to re-size the column.

You can add a formula to a column in a report. To add a formula, follow these steps:

Insert an empty column and choose ‘Edit A Formula’ from the Other menu

Build the formula by clicking fields, keywords and commands and entering values, and

Click [OK] to assign the formula to the column.

The system adds a new label to the column that identifies it as a formula. You can re-label the column by typing a label into the header cell for that column. Formulae are labelled from “C1” through to “Cn” where n is the number of formulae in the report. The labels are the names of variables that contain the column’s value. You can use these variables in other formulae.

An important feature of the report generator is the ability to sort the records in your report. You sort records for two reasons:

• to view records in a particular order; or
• to create groups of records and break areas in the report for the purpose of reporting summary calculations for groups. See the section ‘Setting Break Levels’ for information on summary calculations.

You can sort records in two ways:

1. using the [Sort] button in the palette before clicking the [Report] button. The report will retain the sort you have just imposed; or
2. using the sorting features built in to the report generator which are described below. If you wish to feature break areas in your report, this option is preferable.

After you specify the columns for your report, you can specify a sort order. You set a sort order by dragging the «Add Sort» marker in the sort box to columns that you want to sort by. You can also sort on a formula. Simply drag the «Add Sort» marker to the column that contains the formula. See ‘Adding Formulae To The Report’ earlier in this appendix for more information on adding formulae to reports.

To specify the sort order, follow these steps:

1. Drag the <> marker from the sort box to the column on the report layout that contains the field or formula that you want to specify as the primary sort level. When you release the mouse button, the name of the field is displayed in the sort box.
2. If desired, drag the «Add Sort» marker to additional fields or formulas to specify additional sort levels. When you specify multiple sort levels, the file will be sorted by the first field in the sort list, then by other fields in the order that they appear on the list.
   

To change a sort field, drag the name of a sort field or formula from the Sort Box to a new column. The new column becomes a sort field. its name appears in the sort box.

You can delete the last field or formula from the sort list. To specify a new sort order, you can delete all the fields from the sort list and build a new list. To delete the last sort field, follow this step:

1. Choose ‘Delete Last Sort’ from the Other menu.

In a custom report, you set break levels to “break” or separate records into groups according to values in one or more sort fields.

At each break level a break area is printed. You can print summary calculations in the break area. The summary calculations — sum, average, minimum, maximum and count — are computed for each group of records.

Break levels are determined by the sort levels and break rows. For example, if you tell the report editor to sort records by customer and create a break row, a break is inserted between each group of records that have the same customer.

After you add a break row to the report, you can request summary calculations on each break. For example you can insert a summary calculation in a break row to display subtotals for sales for each customer. To insert a break row, follow these steps:

1. Select the totals (T) row
2. Choose ‘insert break’ from the edit menu
3. If desired, add additional break rows by selecting existing break rows and choosing ‘Insert Break’ from the Edit menu.

There should be at least as many sort levels as break levels. Using the values of break fields in labels You can improve the appearance and comprehensibility of your report by labelling each break row using the value of the break field.

To request that the value of a break field be printed in a label placed in the Break area, use the number sign (#) in the label. For example, the text “Total For Account #” inserted in the “Code” field of the General Ledger file will cause the appropriate General Ledger Code to be inserted in place of the # character when the report is printed. The # sign does not have to be placed in the break field. It can be inserted in any field in the break row.

Summary calculations on the contents of fields and formulae can be added to each break row and to the Totals row. The check boxes at the bottom of the report editor identify the summary calculation options available for reports. They are the

• Sum which is the total of the values in the report or break;
• Min which is the lowest value in the report or break;
• Max which is the highest value in the report or break;
• Average which is the mean of the values in the report or break; and
• Count which is the number of records in the report or break.

When a summary calculation is placed in the Totals row, the calculation is done for all the records in the report. If the summary calculation is placed in the break row, the calculation is done for the records in each break.

To add a summary calculation, follow these steps:

1. Select a cell in a break row or a totals row where you want to insert the summary calculation. The Sum, Average, Maximum and Minimum calculations work only on a numeric field or formula.
2. Click as many summary calculation check boxes as you like. A calculation icon will be displayed in the cell for each type of summary calculation you request. If you added summary calculation to a break row, the calculation will be performed on each group of records specified by the break fields. If you added the summary calculation to the Totals row, the calculations will be performed on all the records in the report.

You can specify formats for columns that contain numeric data. For example, if you are displaying prices in a column, you can add a format to the detail area of the Amount Ex VAT field.

The following format places a Pound sign to the left of the number, allows up to 9 places to the left of the decimal and 2 places to the right: £###,###,##0.00 If you have specified summary calculations for that column, the format specified in the detail cell will automatically be applied to the summary calculations. The count is always displayed as an integer and ignores formatting symbols such as the Pound sign.

 

The Report Editor lets you hide rows when printing a report. This feature is useful, for example, when you want the report to include only summary calculations. Hide the detail row if you want to display only summary calculations that appear in the Totals and Break rows. You can also use this feature to hide the Totals or Break rows.

To hide a row, follow these steps:

1. Select the row you want to hide.
2. Choose ‘Hide line’ from the edit menu. An icon is placed in the selected row label bar to remind you that the row won’t appear when you print or preview the report.

Before printing a report, you can add page headers and footers. You specify page headers and footers in the Format dialogue box. Use this dialogue box to:

• add page header and footer text;
• specify the size of the page header and footer areas;
• specify fonts, sizes and styles;
• insert codes that add page numbers, date and time.

Page headers can only be specified when printing to a normal or direct ASCII printer. See the section ‘Selecting an Output Device’ later in this chapter for more information about output devices.

To add page headers and footers follow these steps:

1. Choose ‘Page Setup’ from the File menu. If you have chosen Normal Printer in the Print To dialogue box (see ‘Selecting an Output Device’ below), the standard page setup dialogue box is displayed. If you have chosen ‘Direct ASCII’ the serial printer driver dialogue box is displayed.
2. Select any printing options you want and click [OK]. The report editor format dialogue box is displayed as shown below.
3. Enter header and footer height in the provided entry areas. As you enter header and footer height, the dotted lines on the page preview area will change to indicate the size of the header and footer as they will appear on the printed report.
4. Select one of the six header and footer entry areas and type the header or footer text.

Add page numbers, time or date to the report by entering the codes shown below in the header or footer areas. The following codes are available:

• #P adds a sequential page number;
• #H adds the time of printing; and
• #D adds the date of printing.

You can also embed these codes within the header or footer text. For example, you can enter the label “Page #P” in the header or footer area.

When you are satisfied with your report page setup, click [OK] to accept the setup and return to the report editor. The headers and footers will remain in effect until you return to the Page Setup and modify the settings.

The process of producing a report can be complex, so you can save your design as a template. Before printing, select ‘Save’ from the File Menu and enter an appropriate name to the subsequent standard file-saving dialogue. These templates can later be reloaded using ‘Open’ on the File Menu.

The report editor supports four types of output device. To select a print option, choose ‘Print To’ from the File menu. The Print To dialogue box is displayed. The following options are available in the Print To dialogue box:

• Normal Printer uses the printer you choose with the Chooser.
• Direct ASCII sends your report to a driver that prints the report on a high speed serial printer or to another device. If you click Direct ASCII, You also need to click the name of a driver in the list of available drivers. A serial driver for the Apple ImageWriter is included with the system.
• If you selected Direct ASCII and the ImageWriter driver, the ImageWriter serial driver dialogue box is displayed when you choose Page Setup.
• Select the options that are appropriate for your report design and paper and click [OK].
• Disk File sends your report to a disk file that you can open and modify with other applications, including text editors and spreadsheets. This is, in essence, an export of the records in the report.
• Graph directs the report to the Graph Editor. The Graph Editor uses the data in the break row. You can use this option to graph the contents of the report in any of eight graph types. Your graph can be printed through the graph editor.

When you choose the Graph option in the Print To dialogue box, your report is graphed rather than presented in tabular form. The Graph Editor uses only the summary calculations and labels in the break row. It uses the left-most non-numeric column for the x-axis. To use this feature, your report should:

• Include from one to five numeric fields or formulae. These columns will be assigned to the Y-axis on the graph.
• Use one type of summary calculation per field.

After you have completed your report design, you can print the report. If you are printing to a normal printer, you can preview the report before printing it.

To print to a normal printer follow these steps:

1. Choose ‘Print’ from the File menu.
2. Click [OK] and follow the standard procedure for printing previewing and printing your report.

To print to a direct ASCII printer, follow these steps:

1. Choose ‘Print’ from the File menu. The serial driver dialogue box for the printer you chose in the Print To dialogue box will be displayed.
2. Choose the settings that are appropriate for your report and click [OK].

The graph editor is used to design and print a wide variety of business graphs. Using the graph editor, you can plot your data without having to export the data to a graphics package. You can print your graphs or copy them to the clipboard and paste them into another application. The Graph Editor produces

• Column Graphs which represent values as columns.
• Proportional Column Graphs which represent values as columns and stacks the columns to represent percentages of a total.
• Stacked Column Graphs which represent values as stacked columns.
• Line Graphs which represents values as points and connects the points as a line.
• Area Graphs which shade the area below a line.
• Scatter Graphs which display values as points on an X-Y grid.
• Pie Charts which display data in a circular chart where each value is represented by a slice of a pie.
• Picture Graphs which represent each value as a picture. You can specify the picture to be used.

You can modify the graph’s scale and change the pattern and colour of each element of the graph.

The Graph Editor produces two-dimensional graphs. The horizontal axis is referred to as the x-axis and the vertical axis is referred to as the y-axis. A graph is created by assigning a field to the x-axis and one or more numeric fields to the y-axis . The field assigned to the x-axis can be alphanumeric, numeric date or time. Like x-axis values are automatically grouped.

For example, in one of the files, you could assign the Customer or Supplier field to the x-axis. The y-axis values would then be automatically summed for each customer or supplier. This feature is known as “Grouping on the x-axis” and can be disabled when necessary. When “Grouping On the x-axis” is disabled, each record is treated as a separate group. Up to 100 groups can be plotted on the x-axis. There is no limit to the number of records that can be graphed.

In all graph types, the fields assigned to the y-axis must be numeric. Up to five fields can be assigned to the y-axis. For example, if you are graphing data in the Sales Ledger Sales Items file, the x-axis field could be “Item” and the y-axis field could be “Turnover”, “QTY Sold” and so on.

Data for a graph can be directed from a custom report. When you use this option, you use the custom report editor to do preliminary data processing prior to graphing data. If you direct a custom report to the graph editor, the columns in the custom report are treated as fields in the graph editor. For more information on designing a report for the graph editor, see the Appendix on the custom report generator.

The graph editor graphs the records in the current selection when you are viewing a file using a View function. Once you have made your selection, click the [Graph] button in the palette.

To create a graph, follow these steps:

1. Click the [Graph] button. The graph editor is displayed.
2. Select a graph from the eight templates.
3. Assign a field to the x-axis by clicking in the field list. For pie charts, the x-axis field is used to label slices in the pie. If you want the graph to display values from low to high (or high to low) on the x-axis, sort the current selection by the x-axis field before using the graph editor, or use the proportional x-axis option. For information on the proportional x-axis option, see the section ‘Viewing The Graph’ later in this appendix. When you assign a field to the x-axis, the non-numeric fields become dimmed.
4. Assign one or more numeric fields to the y-axis by clicking on a field or fields. The field names are displayed in the y-axis listing. For all graph types except pie charts, you can assign up to five numeric fields to the y-axis. The figure below shows the graph Editor after the fields have been assigned to the x and y axes.

After you have assigned the fields to the x-axis and y-axis and selected a graph type, you can view the graph. When a graph is displayed, you can also change graph types, assign colours or patterns to elements of the graph, add pictures and choose scaling options.

To display the graph, click the [Graph] button.

When you display a graph, the Graph Editor menus will replace the standard menu bar. Use these menus to change Pictures in a picture graph, change the graph type, or scale the graph.

To Choose another graph type use the Graph Type menu. If you switched to a pie chart from a type of graph that displayed more than one y-axis field, only the first field assigned to the y-axis will be graphed.

Each element in a graph that is represented in the legend can be assigned a pattern and a colour. The colour option is available only on monitors that support grey scale or colour. All options are available for column, proportional column, stacked column, area and pie graphs. The line plots and scattergraphs use foreground colour only.

To change the colour or pattern of an element of a graph, follow these steps:

1. Click on the square in the graph legend that corresponds to the element to be assigned a pattern or colour. The dialogue box shown below is displayed.
2. Select a pattern from the scrollable list of patterns. If you have a colour or grey scale monitor, you can select a foreground and background colours or grey scales. Colours and patterns set for one graph type affect all graph types. These specifications are saved with the database. Note: In multi-user mode, you can’t change these specifications.

If you choose pictures as a graph type, you can substitute a custom picture that you have placed on the Clipboard.

To include a custom picture, follow these steps:

1. With a picture graph displayed, copy the custom picture to the clipboard.
2. Choose the y-axis field from the pictures menu that you want to represent with the picture on the Clipboard. The graph is redrawn, with a proportionally scaled picture for each x-axis value in the graph. The same picture is used for all values in the x-axis field. The height of the picture represents the value of the y-axis field, not the area of the picture.

To specify scaling, follow these steps:

1. Choose Scale from the Options menu.
2. Click in the dialog to confirm
   
• Group On x-axis to request that records with the same value on the x-axis field be grouped together to form one category. If Group on x-axis is not used, records with the same value on the x-axis will be treated as separate categories in the graph.
• Proportional x-axis to draw the x-axis in proportion to the values of the field assigned to the x-axis. This option is only available when the field assigned to the x-axis is numeric, date, time and the type of graph is either scatter or line.
• Automatic x-scale to turn off the automatic scaling of the x-axis, then enter the minimum and maximum values you want to use in the graph. This option is only available when Proportional x-axis is switched on.
• Automatic y-scale to turn of the automatic scaling of the y-axis, then enter the minimum and maximum values you want to use in the graph.
• Grid on x-axis to add vertical lines to the graph. The x-axis gridlines appear only when Proportional x-axis is switched on.
• Grid on y-axis to add horizontal lines to the graph. This option is always available.
3. Click [OK] to apply the scaling options to the graph. Unavailable options are disabled in the graph options dialogue box.

After you are satisfied with your graph design, you can print it. The procedure for printing a graph is the same as the procedure for printing Custom reports and labels.

To print a graph, follow these steps:

1. While the graph is displayed, choose ‘Print’ from the File menu. The standard Print Quality dialogue box for your selected printer is displayed. Click Preview On Screen if you want to preview the graph before printing.
2. Choose any desired options and click [OK]. If you clicked Preview On Screen, you can print the report when you preview it by clicking the Print button.

You can copy the graph to the clipboard and copy the graph to another application by choosing ‘Copy’ from the Edit menu when the graph is displayed.