Here you define how the batch reports, based on the batch records file, are to print. For each report the parameters you must give include the print style (type of printing), the data items to print, and any sorting sequence for the final report.
The set-up for each report follows a standard pattern as illustrated by the ‘List/Batch Serials’ report.Firstly, it asks for the report title, enter as appropriate, and then the system displays the report set-up parameters.
Up to eight report styles can be defined on your system
through the CONFIG user (see the Configuration
Guide). These control the
length/width of page to print. The
styles available are listed at the bottom right of the screen.
Here you can select up to ten items to print across the page for each report. The data items available for selection are listed to the right of the screen – you can also, however, use the F4-Select key to select items for the report.
Reports are normally printed in batch code order. You may specify a different sorting sequence for a report here by giving the item numbers in the file of the data item on which you wish to sort. The first item chosen is the senior sort item, with each subsequent one being junior.
You have the option to choose an ascending sort sequence (normal choice) or descending value. You might use descending value if sorting on a numeric value.
Selecting the OPTIONS button allows access to the print configuration – page size, margins and fonts.
The layout of this screen differs slightly based on whether
you have set the page size (as above) or not.Before discussing the parameters you should note the buttons available at
the footer of this parameter screen.
This option updates the
individual parameters from your user default when they are set, overwriting
presets where applicable. If no user
defaults are set then this option is ‘greyed’ out and cannot be selected.
This saves your set parameters so they are offered as default next time this report is run
This option abandons any changes made and returns you to the report screen.
The report parameters available are:
Paper Size – select the paper size the report is to be printed to (i.e. A4).You can elect to leave this blank in which case the report is printed as per the last/default page size of the printer, however, if you do this you can only choose fixed pitch fonts – selecting a page size is mandatory to use proportional fonts. If you set a page size then the options screen re-displays with the appropriate parameters. If you leave blank then the options screen remains as above.
Default Printer Font – a font dialog is
display allowing you to select as required, the default font to be used for
this report. If you’ve sent the page
size then all fonts are available, if you haven’t set this then only fixed
pitch fonts can be assigned. You can
also set bold/italic attributes and font size – note that if you haven’t set a
page size then the font size option is not applicable (font is sized as per
previous rules).
Selecting the Font Size
Generally you can’t go far wrong with 10point. However, if you have a lot of data items on your report, and are printing in portrait, 10point may be too big to fit all the required information without overlapping fields.
The positioning of fields across the page is determined by the item size – if you imagine the ‘Purchase Details’ report this shows, by default, the batch code (30 characters), the stock code (16), the supplier code (10), the purchase order number (10), purchase delivery number (6), purchase date (8), and original qty (14) together with spaces between the items this gives a total of 108 characters, or columns required, across the page (think graph paper – you have 108 ‘cells’ across the page).
Those 108 columns are split equally across the available page (page size and
margins taken into account) as starting positions for data items – so the batch
code starts at column 1, the stock code at column 32 (batch code plus 1),
etc. If you select a font size too big
then the stock code may not finish printing before the description starts
causing the description to overlap the end of the stock code. If this occurs then you may need to either
reduce the font size or consider swapping the report to landscape orientation
if the font size would go too small.
Default to Landscape – set to default the printed report to landscape, leave blank for usual portrait orientation. You may want to set reports such as the Sales Ledger Aged Debtors Report or the Cashbook Receipts Analysis Listing to landscape as these reports require a large amount of detail to be printed and otherwise the font size could be too small.
Show Time in Report Headings – set to include the printed time in the report headings in addition to the printed date.
Include Selection Criteria – set to print any selection criteria that were applied to the report.
Email as Text – if send this report via email this option allows you to send as a text file attachment as opposed to, if left blank, PDF.
Omit Full Page Headings – When printing a multi-page report the system repeats the headings for each page. Setting this option reduces the heading details for the second and subsequent pages allowing more record detail to be printed per page.
Default Output to Spooler – Usually, when printing a report, the default printer is the last print device used. Select this option to set the default printer as the spooler for this report. This acts only as a default and doesn’t prevent you electing to print the report instead.
Allow Change of Printer Alias – when these options are configured then it is assumed you are printing as ‘direct windows print’ and this is the alias set by default. Setting this option allows you to change the default alias at run-time to one of the list of Datafile configured printers. If you change the alias to a ‘DOS’ style alias then the page size (length/width) and font are again picked up from the Print Style Profile, although other settings such as ‘include time’ etc. remain from the OPTIONS display.
Print Negatives in Red – on selected reports, assuming you have a colour printer; it may be useful to print negative values in red. This option allows this.
The next set of parameters allows you to specify formatting and margin settings. This section is different if you set the page size earlier.If you have set the page size then you set the margins in millimetres. If you haven’t set the page size then you set margin in ‘columns’ for both portrait and landscape - the appropriate settings being used based on the orientation of the output selected at run-time.
Paper Size Set
Characters Per Line – the system displays the width of the report items on the right. If you leave this value at 0 (recommended) then the report width used in determining the start column positions of data items (as discussed above with regards to font size) is the larger of either the report print items or 80 columns. You can manually set a report width – from 64 to 255 columns. You may want to increase the number of columns on (say) a landscape report with few print items to bring the fields closer together to aid in reading.
Lines Per Page – if left at 0 (recommended) then the number of lines per page is determined by the font and page size. Alternatively you can set a number of lines per page, perhaps to give a greater gap between rows of data items.
Left Margin (mm) – set the size of the left hand margin (relative to page orientation in millimetres.
Right Margin (mm) – set the size of the right hand margin.
Top Margin (mm) – set the size of the top margin.
Bottom Margin (mm) – set the size of the bottom margin.
Paper Size Not Set
Minimum Characters Per Line – the system displays the width of the report items to the right. If you leave this value as 0 then the report width is the larger of either the report print items or 80 characters. You can manually set a report width – from 64 to 255 characters wide – but if you set a width less than the items actually printed then this is overridden by the report width at run-time.
Maximum Lines Per Page – if left at 0 then when printing a report the system will determine the number of lines per page based on the report width and the printable area of the page up to a maximum of 72 lines per page in portrait mode or 50 lines per page in landscape mode. Alternatively you can set the number of lines per page, from 16 to 255, and this is then taken into account when deciding font size to ensure that number of lines is printed. If left at 0 then when sending to the spooler the lines per page is assumed to be 72 in portrait mode and 50 in landscape. If you require an identical print from the printer and the spooler then a maximum number of lines should be set.
Left Margin – set the number of characters to be used as a margin from 1 to 64.If you require a margin then when entering the value you need to take into account the report print width – a margin of 4 characters on an 80-character report will be bigger than a margin of 4 characters on a 132-character report. If left at 0 no left margin is applied.
Right Margin – if you require a margin to be applied on the right of the report set the number of characters accordingly (again 1-64), if leave as 0 then no right margin is applied.
Top Margin – set the number of lines to leave as a margin at the top of the page (1-32 lines). If left at 0 then no top margin is applied.
Bottom Margin – set the number of lines to leave as a margin at the bottom of the page (1-32 lines). If left at 0 then no bottom margin is applied.
Finally, you can set default options that are used when you send the report to print or e-mail.
Print Device – if using a stand-alone Datafile system then you can set a default printer to output to. This option only applies when sending to a print device; if last printer was spooler or fax then this remains the default. If using a networked Datafile system then you can still set this where you are printing to a networked printer – provided all terminals have a consistent device path. If the print device isn’t valid then the normal printer is offered instead.
E-mail Address – if the report is sent to email then here you can enter an email address that is to be used by default for this report – though it can be amended at run-time.
Once you’ve set the desired parameters select the SAVE option to apply for future prints of this report.
Article ID: 572
Created On: Wed, Jun 20, 2012 at 11:25 AM
Last Updated On: Thu, Jun 22, 2023 at 10:35 PM
Online URL: https://kb.datafile.co.uk/article/batch-reports-batch-tracking-572.html