Hi Tom, Sorry it's taken a while to reply - but I've been busy with some lovely variables <g>.
That's a good idea to write code for the headers and footers. I considered that in a slightly different way by writing a header report and a footer report and then run the real report sandwiched between the two of them. My problem with that was that of the 20 or so text variables in each section there were 3 in the header and 1 in the footer that varied between reports - only by a few words but enough to make it more complicated. Although it's caused me a few headaches the results that I'm getting are impressive. By editing the table that contains the common and the specific report variables as text I can change all the reports in one go without having to go to the report writer at all. New reports are going to be a comparative doddle from the template report which I'll create later from one of the converted ones. I've even got to the point of thinking that I can build in some slack and add a few extra, currently unused, variables on the reports so that additions can be made later. There might be a problem with line spacing (in the header, anyhow) but where there's a will there's a way. Once I've got them all working I'll go back and tidy up anything that needs it anyhow and see if some slack helps. I haven't done it but even break variables should work with a little twist: you need to concatenate the data with the text. I've already used that technique in the footer quite happily. Thanks for the idea, though, it may well come in helpful for something else! Regards, Alastair. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tom Grimshaw" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, April 11, 2002 2:04 AM Subject: Re: Copying sections between reports > G'day Alastair, > > Wish I'd seen this post or understood your plans earlier. > > Over Easter I rewrote the reporting I constructed for > a hire firm. > > They wanted 20 reports based on different selection > criteria and breakpoints. Having been down the road > you are travelling I bit the bullet and created the > first report as a template. > > Knowing that each variable in the report is evaluated > for each row of data (and having quite a few in the > report footer) I set all those variables in a block of > code that is called immediately prior to the report > printing. > > As yours are in the report header and footer you could > set all the variables once in a block of code then call > that block prior to printing the report and therefore > only have to type the variables once. > > All you have to do then is position each variable on > each of your reports. > > Obviously break footer and detail variables are a > different story. > > At 16:22 09/04/02 +0100, you wrote: > >I wanted to put 20 variables in the report header and another 20 in the > >report footer of a dozen reports. Sounds easy and it is - for the first one. > >Then it becomes an interminable bore: > > Warmest regards, > > > Tom Grimshaw > coy: Just For You Software > tel: 612 9552 3311 > fax: 612 9566 2164 > mobile: 0414 675 903 > > post: PO Box 470 Glebe NSW 2037 Australia > street: 3/66 Wentworth Park Rd Glebe NSW 2037 > > email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > web: www.just4usoftware.com.au > > This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential to the > intended recipient and may be privileged. If you have received this email > inadvertently or you are not the intended recipient, you may not > disseminate, distribute, copy or in any way rely on it. Further, you should > notify the sender immediately and delete the email from your computer. > Whilst we have taken precautions to alert us to the presence of computer > viruses, we cannot guarantee that this email and any files transmitted with > it are free from such viruses. > > ================================================ > TO SEE MESSAGE POSTING GUIDELINES: > Send a plain text email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > In the message body, put just two words: INTRO rbase-l > ================================================ > TO UNSUBSCRIBE: send a plain text email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > In the message body, put just two words: UNSUBSCRIBE rbase-l > ================================================ > TO SEARCH ARCHIVES: > http://www.mail-archive.com/rbase-l%40sonetmail.com/ ================================================ TO SEE MESSAGE POSTING GUIDELINES: Send a plain text email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the message body, put just two words: INTRO rbase-l ================================================ TO UNSUBSCRIBE: send a plain text email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the message body, put just two words: UNSUBSCRIBE rbase-l ================================================ TO SEARCH ARCHIVES: http://www.mail-archive.com/rbase-l%40sonetmail.com/
