From the ‘View’ menu, several windows and panels that are available in DataFlex Reports can be opened.
The ’Design’ and ‘Preview Report’ options switch between the design window and the preview window.
If a window is opened, the active window can be closed using the ‘Close Current View’ option. You can achieve the same result by clicking the 'X' in the report design or preview tab-page.
The options for ‘Field Explorer’, ‘Report Explorer’, ‘Repository Explorer’ and ‘Arrange Objects’ are explained in paragraphs below.
Clicking the option for the ‘Status Bar’ switches the status bar in the bottom of the window to show, or not. The check-mark in front of the option indicates that the status bar is activated.
The ‘Zoom’ option will represent the content of an active window in a larger or smaller size.
6.1 Field explorer
The Field Explorer is launched from the ‘View’ menu or the button from the button bar. The Field Explorer is used for adding fields to a report.
The tree view shows five top-level branches: ‘Database Fields’, 'Parameter Fields', ‘Function Fields’, ‘Group Name Fields’ and ‘Special Fields’.
Clicking the ‘+’ symbol for ‘Database Fields’ will expand the tree and show the tables that are available for the report. Clicking on the ‘+’
symbol for a table will show the fields of that table. You can drag a field from the tree to the report.
Clicking the ‘+’ symbol for ‘Parameter Fields’ will expand the tree and show all the parameter fields for the report. After selecting ‘Parameter Fields’ in the tree view, the button ‘Create new’ in the button bar at the top of the panel is enabled. The ‘Delete’, ‘Edit’ and ‘Rename’ buttons are enabled when a parameter field is selected. The same options are available in the context menu, which can be activated by clicking the right mouse button while a parameter field is selected. Parameter fields are detailed more fully in chapter 14 (Parameters).
Clicking the ‘+’ symbol for ‘Function Fields’ will expand the tree, and show all the function fields for the report. After selecting ‘Function Fields’ in the tree view, the button ‘Create new’ in the button bar at the top of the panel is enabled. The ‘Delete’, ‘Edit’ and ‘Rename’ buttons are enabled when a function field is selected. The same options are available in the context menu, which can be activated by clicking the right mouse button while a function field is selected. See more about function fields in section 7.4 (Function field) and chapter 12 (Functions).
In the section named ‘Group Name Fields’, a field is listed for each group in the report. See more about groups in section 10.6.
The section ‘Special Fields’ pertains to fields like report title, page number and print-date and -time. An explanation of the special fields is listed in chapter 15 (Special Fields).
Add a field to a report as follows: activate the design window of the report and select the field to add. Drag the field from the Field Explorer above the design window where the field needs to be placed, to drop it.
Remove a field from a report by selecting the field in the design window and pressing the Del key, or use the context menu activated by a right mouse click, followed by choosing ‘Delete’.
6.2 Report explorer
The Report Explorer is launched from the ‘View’ menu or by clicking the button from the button bar. In a tree view it shows the several sections of the report and provides opportunities to modify, reorder or remove objects, or to add sections to a report.
Filters for showing or hiding data fields, functions, parameters, graphical objects and sub-reports can be toggled by their buttons in the top of the panel.
If a node is selected, a right mouse click presents a context menu, offering several options. There are different context menus for different nodes.
The floating menus for 'Report Header', 'Page Header', 'Details', 'Report Footer' and 'Page Footer' offer the same options. The floating menus for 'Group Header' and 'Group Footer' also contain the same options.
The next paragraphs show what is available with a right-click on a couple of tree nodes.
6.2.1 Report explorer floating menu
Right-clicking on the node with the report name as the label produces a floating menu containing the general report functions available.
The following table explains all the options of the floating menu for the report node.
Function Description
Refresh Report Data The datasource behind the report is requested to deliver the data again. You need to confirm the action.
Performance Information Opens the report performance dialog, see 10.10 (Performance information).
Report Options Opens the report options dialog, see 10.12 (Report options).
Report Document Properties Opens the report document properties dialog, see 10.11 (Report document properties).
6.2.2 Group header/footer floating menu
Right clicking on a node labeled 'Group Header' or 'Group Footer' produces a floating menu as shown on the right.
The following table explains all the options of the floating menu for the details section.
Function Description
Group Expert Opens the group expert dialog, see 10.6 (Group expert).
Delete Group Delete this group from the report.
Hide Section Toggling the option to hide or show a section.
Section Expert Start the Section Expert, see 10.4 (Section expert).
Fit Section Changing the size of a section, automatically removing white-space in the bottom of a section.
Insert Section Below Insert a new section and place it below an existing section.
Select All Section Objects Select all objects in a section. (For example to move, or Delete all at once).
6.2.3 Details section floating menu
Right-clicking on the node labeled "Details" (or at 'Report Header', 'Page Header', 'Details', 'Report Footer' and 'Page Footer') produces a floating menu as shown on the right.
The following table explains all the options of the floating menu for the details section.
Function Description
Hide Section Toggling the option to hide or show a section.
Section Expert Start the Section Expert, see 10.4 (Section expert).
Fit Section Changing the size of a section, automatically removing white-space in the bottom of a section.
Insert Section Below Insert a new section and place it below an existing section.
Select All Section Objects Select all objects in a section. (For example to move, or Delete all at once).
6.2.4 Database field floating menu
Right-clicking on the database field node (such as a node labeled
"OrderHea.Customer_Number") produces a floating menu with database field specific options as shown on the right.
The available options of the menu are explained in the following table.
Function Description
Field Properties Setting the Field Properties, see 8.4 (Field properties).
Browse Field Data Opens a panel that shows the content of the database field.
Insert Sum Add a sum of a field Summary.
Lock Size/Position Toggle the switch that enables or disabled movement and resizing of objects.
Suppress Toggle the switch to show or hide the object in a report.
Forward Switch the position of the current field in the report layout with the next field. This way the current field will be used/executed after the next field has been processed.
To Front In case objects overlap, an object can be made visible by moving it to the front. For example: Place text to the front, and a picture in the background.
Backward Switch the position of the current field in the report layout with the previous field. This way the current field will be used/executed after the previous field has been processed.
To Back In case objects overlap, an object can be moved to the back.
Size to Font Resizes the object to fit the size of the used font
6.3 Repository explorer
The repository explorer shows information about the datasource location. A tree view shows the stored repositories.
Existing repositories can be renamed, viewed or removed from the system.
The screenshot below shows the information you get when you click the properties button in the Repository Explorer’s toolbar. You can see the name
of the repository, the tables used, the database name, connection string, if applicable the schema name and number of relationships.
You can create a new report based on a stored repository. Repository records are created during report construction via the standard report wizard, or via the Database expert.
6.4 Arrange Objects
The Arrange Objects panel is used to manipulate the size or position of multiple objects in the Report relative to each other.
6.4.1 Resizing objects
Select one or more objects in the Report that you wish to change, select the number of points that you wish to change in the width (X) and/or height (Y)
change the object(s) sizes accordingly. If you do not enter a value into one of the X or Y dimensions then that dimension is left unchanged.
6.4.2 Moving objects
Select two or more objects in the Report that you wish to change, select the number of points that you wish to change in the left/right (X) and/or top/bottom (Y) dimensions. Select the Distance button and click on the apply button to change the object distances relative to each other. If you do not enter a value into one of the X or Y dimensions then that dimension is left unchanged.
Note when you use the lasso to select multiple objects, the base object is the first selected object in the report explorer.