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FIG. 18.19
Margin window of
Layout Editor.
To change the positioning of a field, click and drag the field to where you want it. However, remember that any database, formula, or summary columns that belong to a group in the query must remain inside the repeating frame for that group. The only way to reference a column outside its group is if you are doing a summary or another function using the Summary Column tool in the Data Model. To help keep objects in their correct placements, make sure you keep Confine turned on.
Formatting fields means giving number fields format masks. Open their property sheets and select the mask you want. You can justify the fields differently by using the Format menu, Alignment option. You can also align the fields by selecting the fields you want to align then selecting the Arrange menu Align Objects option. You can resize objects by using the Size Objects option from the Arrange menu.
You can design header or trailer pages for your report by selecting the Header or Trailer icons from the toolbar. You can then design the pages however you want. They work exactly the same as the body of the report; you can put the same objects as in the body in the header and trailer.
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There are other things that you can do to make a report look better. You can add graphics, or images, or use the drawing objects to illustrate a part of the report. To do any of these things, you should either first create a frame to hold the objects, or place the drawing objects in an exisitng frame depending on how or when you want the new object to print. Then use the tool palette to select the tool you want and then use the mouse to place the object on the layout.
After doing some or all of these things you should have a pretty decent looking report.
You always need to have a query defined in the Data Model editor before you start this process. I also suggest that you create a default layout as a starting point, as mentioned in the section prior to this one. This is important until you really understand frames and how they work. I am going to describe how to create a layout from scratch, although I highly suggest that you don't do it. The reason I will describe it is in hopes that it helps you to understand how the objects relate to each other.
FIG. 18.20
What the frame looks like in the layout.
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FIG. 18.21
The layout with a frame
and a repeating frame
with vertical variable
sizing, shown by the
diamonds on the
frames.
Repeat Steps 1 and 2 for all groups in the query. Make sure that the frames and repeating frames of subsequent groups are added inside the repeating frame of the group above it in the data model. In other words, as you build you should be working down the data model and inside of previous repeating frames.
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FIG. 18.22
Notice that the field for
department is in the
department repeating
frame and the employee
fields are in the
employee repeating
frame.