Background information
Report templates Report templates are a kind of report file in which you determine what your future re- ports are to look like. Each report you create using report generator is based on a report template.
Component parts of a report template
A report template consists of page templates and object templates. These are gen- erated within a particular report template and are not available for use in other report templates. You cannot import page or object templates from other report templates. You can, of course, modify existing report templates and save them under a different name. This way you can use all previously-defined templates for your ‘new’ report template.
What are report templates for?
Report templates determine what the reports based on them look like. Defining report templates is thus of quintessential importance as far as creating your own reports is concerned. The work you invest initially creating a well-thought-out report template will pay off. You’ll save time when you get down to actually creating reports with that template.
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Altering existing re- port templates
If you alter a report template, these alterations only affect reports you create subse- quently. Existing reports based on the (now altered) template cannot be automatical- ly updated.
Altering templates within reports
You can also alter or redefine page and object templates within a report. These tem- plates are then, however, only available within that report and not for other reports that you create based on the unaltered report template.
The report template (left) contains three dif- ferent page layouts in the example. The report (right) consists of four successive pages. The "1ImagePage" is the only page template that was used of those avail- able within the template.
The following sheet lists the differences between the reports and the report tem- plates:
Report template button bar
The Report Template button bar is a part of the report window. It differentiates itself in some functions from the button bar used for creating reports. Please keep in mind that these buttons’ functions are not available as menu functions. This is why this but- ton bar should remain visible. If you like, you can use the Special > Edit Button Bars...
command to show or hide the button bar or to add other frequently-used buttons.
Reports Report templates
Structure A report consists of multiple successive pages. All report pages can be - but don’t have to be - based on a single page layout. The "1ImagePage" page template defines what all report pages look like in the exam- ple shown.
A report template consists of multiple pages with different appearances and functions: e. g., a cover page and a page for 1, 2 or 4 images. Besides these page layouts, report templates can also have object templates for record and field objects.
Document window's background
white gray
Status bar The first field of the status bar indicates the current page number/total number of exis- tent report pages.
The first field of the status bar is blank.
Header The header of the report window shows the name of the report. If the report has not been saved yet, it will have a standard name (which is "Report" + consecutive number).
The header of the template window shows the name of the report template along with the name of the active page template. File format Report container (*.src)
Report (*.srd)
Template container (*.stc) Report template (*.srt)
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Background objects
Page templates can include background objects. Background objects that have been defined for a page template will appear on each report page created based on that page template.
Background objects cannot be edited on a report page. This is why you cannot select them on a report page.
Text objects and all graphic objects are automatically inserted as a background ob- ject in a template. Image objects, sheet objects, diagram objects and graph objects, by default, are not background objects.
Definition Select one or more objects on a template page. Open the dialog box on object prop- erties. Objects you have selected can be changed to background objects in the Se- lect and Move tab.
Background image objects
If you do use an image object as a background object then you should always insert the image as a link. Otherwise the image will be resaved for each newly created re- port.
Altering background objects within a report
Use the Edit Page Template button to alter page templates within a report. Any changes made to background objects will immediately affect all currently existing re- port pages. Any changes you make to objects that are not background objects will only affect newly-created report pages.
Page templates
The separate pages of a report template are called "page templates". They’re used to define page layouts that you can use later on in a report. Each page layout is saved under a separate name in the report template. When you subsequently create a re- port based on that report template, you can select a page template from the list for each report page.
The "empty" page template is a standard component of every report template. Please note that it is not possible to define objects on this "empty" page template. After sav- ing the report template, your image analysis program will delete this page template. You can, however, make good use of this page for editing record objects because there are no other report objects that could interfere with your editing.
When you are creating an object template or a page layout, begin by inserting the elements that are to appear in the background, e. g., a frame. Every object you sub- sequently insert will thus automatically be in the foreground.
Altering page tem- plates
Any and all alterations you make to a page layout have to be re-conducted on each individual page of a report template. Make use of the Select Page Template button in the Report Template button bar to edit individual template pages.
Determining the first page of a report
Open the report template and click the Select Page Template button. Then select one of the page templates listed for use as a cover page, or first page of your report. Now save your report and close the report window once the cover page has been activat-
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ed.
When you then create a new report based on this report template, the first page of the report to be opened will be this one.
Inserting new page templates
There are two ways to insert new page templates within a report template.
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Click the New Page Template button to insert a blank page template into the re- port template. A blank page template will be automatically created and given a standard name: "page template + consecutive number". Click the Save Page Template button to alter the standard name.•
Base your new page template on an existing one. To do this, you first click theSelect Page Template button and save the page template - via the Save Page Template button - under a different name.
Deleting page tem- plates
In order to delete a page template from a report template, open the report template and have the list of current page templates displayed. The Delete button is located in the Select Page Template dialog box.
Editing page tem- plates within a report
Page templates are defined within report templates. You can, however, also create new page templates within a report, or, alter existing ones. To do this, simply click the buttons of the Report button bar shown on the left.
Please note that any changes you make to a page template within a report only apply to that report. The report template that the report is based on remains unaffected. The next time you create a report using this report template you’ll have the same, un- changed page templates.
Step-by-step
Creating a new report template
You can only create a new report template based on an existing report template. If you haven’t created any of your own report templates yet then go to the General tab where you’ll find predefined report templates that are included in the installation and which you can modify for your own purposes.
1) Select the File > Report > New... command.
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The New Report dialog box offers you all report templates that are located in the current report, user template and workgroup template directories.2) Select the report template in the New Report dialog box you wish to base your new report template on.
4) Confirm via OK to create the new report template.
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You can always edit only one report or report template at a time. This means that if you still have a report or report template that is open, you’ll be asked whether you’d like to save any changes made or not."
The report currently open will be closed and the first page of the report tem- plate will be loaded into the Report window."
The Graphical User Interface (GUI) for editing report templates is some- what different than the one used for creating and editing reports. You’ll know that you are editing a report template and not a report because the background is gray.Warning 3) Select the Template option in the Create new group.
Only via this step, can you decide that you want to create a report template and