After you start Report Designer, you can either create a new report from scratch or open an existing report.


Opening an Existing Report

select the Open command from the File menu. A standard Windows file selector will appear, allowing you to select a report from your hard drive.


Creating a New Report

Select New from Report Designer’s File menu. An empty report containing a single blank page will be created. What you do next depends on the type of report you're attempting to create. Below are the general steps for creating a new report from scratch:


1. Begin by using the Report Properties screen to select a default printer and optionally connect to a database. The database connection is optional, but will make designing your report much easier as it will allow you to quickly select tables and fields and preview your report. (Note: The Report Properties screen will appear automatically when you select the File menu's New command.)


2. Select Page Properties from the Page menu and select the paper size, orientation and margins for your report. The settings you select here depend on the type of report you're trying to create.


3. You're now ready to add objects to your report. The type and number of objects you add depends heavily on the type of report you wish to create. You may find it helpful to review the Tool Palette topic before continuing. Below are some common report types and their requirements:


List Report

This is a very basic report that simply prints data from a table in rows down the page. To create a list report, add a Data Body Partition to the page and set its Table property to the desired table. Then place one or more Text/Field objects on top of the Partition. The Text/Field objects should include fields from the same table assigned to the Data Body Partition. For example:



Important: The Text/Field objects must be placed on top of the Partition so that Report Designer knows that the objects are linked.


When printed, the report will look like this:



Master-Detail/Multi-Table Report

This type of report can be used to show data drawn from multiple related tables. This is easily the most complex type of report. To create a master-detail report, add a Data Body Partition to the page and set its Table property to the desired master table. Place one or more Text/Field objects on top of the Partition. The Text/Field objects should include fields from the master table assigned to the Data Body Partition. Then add a Sub-Report object to the Data Body Partition. When you add a Sub-Report a special linked sub-report page is created automatically. Use the page tabs at the bottom of the Report Designer screen to switch to the sub-report page and add the desired Partitions, Text/Field and Formula objects. See the Sub-Report Tool topic for limitations of sub-reports.


Multi-Column Report

To create a multi-column report, simply select Page Properties from the Page menu and enter the desired number of columns. Then restrict the placement of objects so that they fit into a single column. For example, the following report is designed to print mailing labels three across:



Note: The dotted red lines indicate the position of the columns. Objects should be placed within the non-shaded portion of the partition so that the columns will print correctly.


Multi-Page Report

Most types of database reports can be created using a single page, but multi-page reports can be useful in some circumstances. To create a report with multiple pages, select the Add Page command from Report Designer's Page menu.


Grouped Data Report

To create this type of report, add a Group header Partition and a Data Body Partition to the page. Set the Group Header's "Field to  Group by" property to the name of a field that you want to use to group the records. Set the Data Body's Table property to the same table used for the Group Header. Then place one or more Text/Field objects on top of the Data Body Partition. You may optionally place Text/Entry objects onto the Group Partition if you wish. For example:



When generating the report, a new Data Body section will be created each time the Group Header's field changes. For this reason, it's also usually necessary for the table containing the data to be sorted on the Group Header field prior to printing. When printed, the report will look like this:



Free Form Report

If you want to print data from a single record, you can simply place Text/Field, Formula, Picture, Line, Rectangle and Ellipse objects directly onto the page without using and Partition. Everything placed on the page will be printed as it appears on-screen. This can be useful for creating invoices, sales receipts and many other types of single record reports. You can even include regular VisualNEO for Windows variables in the report.