L2 - Standard Report Listing

The standard report definition is completed over several screens of parameters.

Screen 1 – General Report Settings

Report Heading Title

Type in the heading for the printed report (it defaults to the menu title you gave the report). You may use up to forty characters including spaces.

ASCII Printer Control

This asks you to select one of the eight print styles configured via the CONFIG sign-on that the report is to print against. Typically you’d select ‘1’ for an 80 column report or ‘2’ for a 132-column report.

Lines Printed Per Page

Set the number of lines down the page available on the paper (typically 64 or 66 for A4) – the value entered here should match the number of lines down the page of the ASCII printer control above.

Maximum Width of Any Line

Set the number of characters allowed across the page (max 255). Again the value entered here should match the number of characters across the page as set within the ASCII printer control selected above.

Report on Continuous Stationery

Leaving blank instructs the printer to stop at the end of each page to allow the operator to insert another sheet. This option is usually set so that the report sheet feeds automatically and continues on the next page.

Omit Full Headings on Each Page

The report heading includes the title, report date, item names, etc. and can take several lines.Setting this option prints a smaller heading on second and subsequent pages allowing more room for report data to print.

Print Record Entries in Lines From / To

Usually set to be from ‘1’ to a couple of lines less than the page length you can amend these as required. You might change the starting position so that it doesn’t overlay headings on pre-printed stationery perhaps.

How Many Lines Printed Per Record

Usually you print one line per record but you can configure the print of the record detail over (up to) 9 lines on the report. Set the number of lines required.

Omit Line Column Headings

The report heading includes column titles based on the data item name (although this can be overridden).Set this option to omit these column headings.

Print Records from a Detail File

Which Detail File Number

If the report is based on the master file then these options are available to allow you to print the detail records associated with the master. Set if you wish to print the details, if set then select the database to print details from.

Underline Between Each Record

Set if you wish a line to be printed between each record on the report (if set this will increase the length of the report and the time taken to print it).

How Many Blank Lines between Records

On some reports you may wish to leave blank lines between records in order to improve appearance or legibility. Key in the number of blank lines required.

Specify Selection Criteria

Allow Changes / Easy Mode

Save Changes

Set if you wish to apply selection criteria to this report. When set a pop-up allows you to enter pre-defined criteria. Criteria is entered as normal, note however that in addition to checking data items against pre-set values, or against other items within the database record, you can also compare against the constant database (if configured) by using F5 on the value input.

Once the criteria is defined, set whether you wish to allow changes and if so whether those changes are to be made via ‘easy mode’ which allows the operator to change the values but not the items or the condition type.

Finally set whether any changes made are to be saved back to the report definition to be offered for default on the next run.

Allow a List of Records

As an alternative to using selection criteria, this option allows you to enter a list of records for print (up to 256).

Sel Master Records?

Allow Changes

Save Changes

Allow List

If the report is based on a detail file then these options allow you to perform selection criteria against the master file.

Screen 2 – Items to be Printed

This parameter screen allows you to specify the items to be printed and the order in which they are to be printed.

DB

The system offers by default the primary database selected for this report (in the initial menu parameters). You may also print from databases linked to this database – the master file, for example, or a lookup file. Select the database number required, <F4-Select> is available if needed.

Dataname

Enter the data item name/number required for printing; <F4-Select> is available to list the data items if required.

In addition to the items listed are two special items $RECNO (161) and *CALC. $RECNO allows print of the record number within the report configuration. *CALC allows you to create a report calculation based on the data items within the selected database.

When you enter a ‘*CALC’ item you are asked whether you wish to show the calculation on each report line.

Set to show the calculation on each line of report – this allows you to refer to data items.Alternatively you can show the calculation on the report total lines only, however, this type of calculation only allows you to total on previous report entry lines.

If calculating on each line you can specify the calculation as above prefixing the data item number or constant value number with the operand required – the calculation is performed in the order entered. <F4-Select> is available to list the data items.

If calculating on the totals you specify the calculation based on the line numbers you wish to be included. Note that you can only include report entries higher in the list – i.e. if this calculation is on entry 5 you can only add up entries 1-4. You also have the option to calculate an average across all records.

Start Position

This always displays as ‘1’ – press <Enter> to start printing from the first character. If you wish to start printing from another character – perhaps for a date you wish to start printing from the month position – then specify accordingly. In the date example this would be starting at position 4. As another example an L-type field is 14 characters long – 9999999999.99-, if you know the value in this item is never going to exceed (say) 1000 then setting the start position as 7 will print matching the format 9999.99-.

Size

This defaults to the maximum size of the data item selected (less an adjustment for a size starting position other than 1). As per amending the start position you may not wish the full value to print so reducing the size cuts off characters from the right of the item on the print.Using the L-type field as an example reducing the size by 4 omits the decimal places (omitting the decimal point, the decimal values and the potential minus sign).

Line

For most reports this will default to ‘1’ and can only be ‘1’. If, however, within the initial parameters you selected to print over more than one line then this option allows you to set on which line the selected data item is to print.

Column

This relates to the column on the page where the printing of this data item will start. You should leave one space between data items – the system will, if not set for more than 1 line, default this value for you although you can amend if required. If printing over more than one line then this value must be entered manually. The column number entered cannot be greater than the width of the report set within the initial parameters.

Heading

The heading defaults to the name of the data item selected although you can overtype if required to improve reader understanding.

Col-Total?

Set if you require column totals for this item – numeric items only.

Screen 3 – Report Totals

The data items for which totals are required were specified in the previous parameter screen. This screen allows you to specify when to print these totals.

Start a New Page for the Final Report Totals

Set to begin a new page before printing the final overall totals, leave blank to print after the final report details.

Sub-Totals (1/2/3) on Change of Dataname

Start Pos.

Size

When printing a report you may want totals for various groups of records – say a category or analysis code. Up to three-levels of total are required for you to set. When selected the start position and size are set for you based on the data item size but, as with the print, you may not want to include the whole value on the sub-total. For example, if want a total of transactions for the month you could sub-total on change of the transaction date but set the start position to 4 so that you only get a total on change of month and not day.

Generally speaking if you set sub-totals you will also want to set a report sequence to be the same items.

Start a New Page on Change of Item

Start Pos.

Size

Set here, if required, the data item which on change of value you wish to start a new page – for example start a new page on change of analysis or category code. As with sub-totals you can set the start position and size to restrict the parts of the data item you wish to check.

Only Show Sub Total (1/2/3) / Start New Item on Change of Page

These options control whether the data item specified for sub-total/start new page is only to be printed on change of page and is not to be printed on every line of the report (when set as one of the list items). Set as required.

Report Usually Run as Totals-Only Format?

If configured for sub-totals then at run-time a prompt allows you to print the report but only the totals – excluding the individual record detail. Set this option to default to running the report in totals only mode.

Slots (0-10): Store Highest Record Printed

Report From

Slots are counters held in the database header which can be used to speed the printing of reports where records are only to be printed once – for example a day book style listing.Up to 10 slots are available per database; though note that application databases have several slots reserved for their own use. Set the slot number you wish to store the highest record number that the report prints in, and, if required set the report from slot (these would usually be the same slot).

Flag Input Records as being processed (Y) – Item Name

Lock Records as Required, Otherwise Lock File

You can use this option to update a data item (?-type) on the database to show that the record has been printed. Select if required. If updating the database then the file would be exclusively locked during the report print unless you set to lock records as required (though note that the report will take longer to run if this set).

Screen 4 – Report Sequence

This option screen controls the sequence in which records are printed. This is the final screen of the report definition unless you have configured the report to allow print from detail files.

Which Sequence Type

Select the order in which the report records are to be printed. Options available include:

1. Record Number Order – items are printed in the order they were entered.
2. Prime-Index Sequence – if the database has a prime-index you can select to print in this order.
3. User Defined Sequence – select to enter your own sequence

User Defined Sequence Options – Item / Size / Ascending

If you have selected to define your own sequence then these options allow you to select the data items to sort the records upon. It is usual, if you have defined sub-total items, to define the report sequence using the same items.

Screen 5 – Detail File Printing Options

Only applicable if report based on file 1 of the ProFiler application and the Screen 1 General Parameters set to allow printing of detail records.

Start New Page for each Master Record?

Set to start a new page after the detail records for each master have been printed.

Omit Print of Master if no Details?

Set to omit the print of the master record were it has no detail records to print.

Number of Blank Lines before Details

Set the number of blank lines to leave after print of the master record before print of the detail records. Up to nine blank lines can be left.

Omit Detail Item Headings

As with the main report items the system will print column headings, usually based on the data item name, for the detail report items. Set if you wish to omit these headings.

Print Details in Last-in-First-Out?

Details are normally printed in the order they were added, select to reverse this. Note however the Master/Detail relationship must be defined to use the ‘Previous Pointer’ if this is required.

Maximum Number of Details Printed

Set if you wish to restrict the number of detail records printed for each master – 0 means that all detail records are printed.

Specify Search Criteria

Allow Changes

Save Changes

These options allow you to define the criteria for detail records you wish to include on the report.In addition you can set whether the operator can change the selection criteria at run-time and also whether these changes are to be saved as the default for next time.

Screen 6 – Detail Items to Print

This parameter screen allows you to specify the detail items that are to be printed on the report.

This procedure is similar to that of the master items discussed earlier – selecting the database to print from (which defaults to the detail file but you can print master or lookup items also), the data item to print. You also can set the start/size of the item printed for when you do not wish to print the item in full, and the column on the report at which it is to print.Finally you can set the column heading to be shown. Note that the special calculation items are not available for detail items and nor are the options for totalling value items.

Completing the Report Definition

After the final screen of parameters (Screen 4 if not printing detail records, otherwise Screen 6) you are asked whether you wish to go back and make any changes.

Respond ‘No’ to update changes and exit from the definition, ‘Yes’ takes you back to screen 1 of the report definition and you can use <ESC> to abandon any changes made and return to the menu.