Report Designer
I have had many requests to add very specific reports. Some of these reports would be useful to most of the users of RCL Music Ministry but others may not be. To get around the problem of designing and coding so many different reports I have added a Report Designer. Using this tool there are very few, if any, reports that can not be designed based on your own needs. To add to this the query engine has been added to make sure you get the output you need for every report.
The first window to display when the Report Designer is opened lists all the current reports. On the left is the user defined report name. In the middle the buttons allow tremendous flexibility. You can start a new report. Copy an existing report to another name. Now modify the new report with different fields, by either adding or deleting field name.
On the right the contents of the report are displayed as well as the sort order.
When a new report is started the first step is to give it a name. Make is as descriptive as you can.
Click the OK button to continue designing your new report.
This window is used to select the fields you want on your report. First find the field you want to select from the Available Fields list. Once selected either click the Add button. You can also use drag and drop to add to the report definition.
Once the fields are adding the order can be changed by using the Up or Down buttons at the bottom of the list box. To remove a field first select it then click the Remove button.
Here are the fields needed to design a report to list the selected information for the song titles in the database.
Here you define the sort order of the report. There are some predefined sorts but you can add your own if the report need it.
This window allows you to manipulate what the report will look when complete. Our advice is the try a setting and review the results. If you don't like it modify the report to remove or change the setting.
This window allows you to select portrait or landscape, and to use different font style and size. By default all numbers will have the total option will have a check mark for every numeric field. Remove the check if it is not appropriate, like phone numbers.
The default page orientation is Automatic. This selection allows the Report Designer to select the page orientation based on the total width of the selected fields. There are two other default actions you need to be aware of when designing a report.
The first is the Report Designer will determine the width of a column by comparing the width of the column header text and the width of the data field. The column width will be equal to the longer of the two values. To get around this waste of space all that needs to be done is to change the column header text.
You are now back at the first screen. You can run the report you just completed, or modify it or close the window.
If the total width of the fields you have selected is greater than the maximum report width of the paper a warning message will be displayed. There is a way to get around this problem.
There are two other default actions you need to be aware of when designing a report.
The first is the Report Designer will determine the width of a column by comparing the width of the column header text and the width of the data field. The column width will be equal to the longer of the two values. To get around this waste of space all that needs to be done is to change the column header text.
Click the Advanced button on the Column Layout window. For example the default length of a song's title is 50 characters. Most titles will be much shorter. To change the length for this report select the field and click the Modify button.
Change the column width. Then save by clicking the OK button and run the report again. If necessary decrease the value until the warning message does not display.
The best way to understand how to use the Report Designer is to look at the default reports included with default installation and the upgrade installation.