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Report Writer Version 3.0 Service, Designer, and Viewer help

Table of Contents

REPORT WRITER OVERVIEW 1

Contact Information 1

REPORT WRITER DESIGNER 2

Designer Installation 2

Designer tab layout 6 Menu 7

Toolbars 9

Standard toolbar 9

Layout toolbar 9

Formatting toolbar 10

Toolbox toolbar 11

Fields list box 12

Design surface 13

Getting started 17

Report Writer Designer Login 17

Planning a report 17

Report schemas 18

Create a new report 19

Basic navigation through a report 22

Adding items to a report 23

Appearance tab 23

Data tab 24

Behavior tab 24

Layout tab 25

Fields 25

Text 27

Runtime Parameter 28

Picture 30

Bar Code 31

Line 32

Shape 33

Page Number 34

Check Box 35

Circle Box 38

Date/Time 41

Date Calculation 42

Hyperlink 43

Subreport 44 Drill-down subreport 44 Embedded subreport 44 Subreport Properties dialog box 49

Table of Contents

Page Break 51

Rich Text 51

Chart 53

Calculated Field 60

Summary Field 61

Pivot Tables 66 Pivot Field Row 75 Pivot Field Column 76

Formatting a Report 77

Global Design Settings 77

Report Properties 78

Section formatting 80

Object formatting 83

Text formatting 83

Hiding objects 85

Grouping 87

Ordering groups 89

GroupHeader and GroupFooter properties 90 GroupHeader 90 GroupFooter 92

Sorting 93

Bookmark Feature 94

Table of Contents panel 95 Table of Contents tab 95 Thumbnail View tab 95

Drilldowns 95

Preview tab layout 96

Toolbars 97

Menu 97

Preview toolbar 97

Previewing the report 98

Filtering 99

Import and Exporting reports 99

Export a final report 99

Export a Designer file 102

Import a Designer file 104

Steps to Create a Report 106

Create a new report 106

Section setup 108

Insert header and footer information 108

Insert fields 112

Preview the report and make necessary changes 113

Exporting the report 120

REPORT WRITER VIEWER 121

Table of Contents

Viewer Installation 121

Report Writer Viewer Login 124

Viewer Layout 125 Menu 125

Viewer toolbar 126

Viewing a report 127

Table of Contents panel 128

Table of Contents tab 128

Thumbnail View tab 129

Exporting a report 129

Printing a report 131

APPENDIX A 132

Report Writer Service 132

General Settings tab 132

Server Settings tab 133

Event Log tab 133

APPENDIX B 134

Shortcut Keys for Designer 134

Report Writer Overview

Report Writer Overview Report Writer is designed to help you build and distribute customized reports using one or more data sources from the INCODE software. With Report Writer, you can customize how your data is arranged, analyzed, and formatted. As you design a report you can move text and data freely around the screen by dragging and dropping data fields. Arrange the data with a variety of labels, pictures, or other reporting tools. You can create calculations to analyze your data; apply fonts and styles to selected areas of the report; add lines, shapes, and graphic images to improve the presentation quality of your reports; and preview the report on-screen at any time, print it, or export the data in a variety of formats. When you’ve completed the report, you can save the entire report template so that you can rerun and/or modify the report design at any time.

Report Writer is targeted toward the basic Windows user with little or no report writing experience. The largest obstacle to overcome in creating reports is structuring the data. With other programs, you must know the layout and relationships in the database in order to gather usable information to write a report. Tyler Technologies has removed this obstacle with the interface of Report Writer, which uses groups of related fields called schemas for developing and distributing custom-built reports based on data from the INCODE software.

A report written in Report Writer can only be run with the Report Writer Designer or Viewer. However, a report displayed in Designer or Viewer can be distributed easily by exporting it in one of several formats (i.e., Adobe PDF, text file, rich text file, Excel spreadsheet, TIFF image, or HTML). For example, you can easily post reports on internal or external websites by exporting the report as an HTML page.

When you are ready to run your report, an easy-to-use series of filters helps you sort through your data so that your report contains precisely the information you need it to. With a few clicks of the mouse, the report runs and opens on the screen.

These among many other rich features provide Report Writer users a powerful tool for developing and distributing custom-built reports.

The Report Writer system consists of the following three parts:

Report Writer Service – Used to feed data from the INCODE software to the Designer and Viewer. This is set up for you by the INCODE implementation staff.

Report Writer Designer – Used to design the layout and data source for the report.

Report Writer Viewer – Used primarily to view and export reports that have been previously created in Report Writer Designer.

Contact Information

If you need help with Report Writer or have additional application, schema, field, and filter requests, contact the Tyler Technologies Support at www.e-incode.com or by calling 1-800-646-2633.

Report Writer Designer

Report Writer Designer The Report Writer Designer is used to design, build, and preview reports. The reports are then published for general viewing by users with Report Writer Designer and/or Viewer or are ready for export to other formats. The program consists of standard Windows™ controls and functionality.

Designer Installation

INCODE implementation staff installs and completes the initial configuration of the Report Writer Service, which is needed to run Report Writer Designer and Viewer. In most cases, the Designer is installed for you by the INCODE implementation staff when the service is installed and configured. You will most likely need to install the Viewer client yourself. (See Viewer Installation for directions on how to do the installation yourself.)

If the Designer was not installed by INCODE implementation staff when the Report Writer Service was installed and configured, follow the Designer Installation instruction below for each of your licenses.

Use Windows Explorer to navigate to the INCODE share – in most cases this is your I:\ drive. You should see a Report Writer folder that contains the RWClientSetup.msi file. Double-click on the file to start the Designer Client installation.

You see a Welcome page when the Report Writer Designer Setup Wizard starts. Click Next >.

It is best to use the suggested folder location and to install Report Writer Designer for everyone. If you would like to change the folder destination, click the Browse… button to navigate to the desired location. If you want to view the disk space on your drive(s), click Disk Cost... If you do not want everyone who logs into this particular workstation to have the Report Writer Designer application available, then select the “Just me” option. Click Next > to proceed.

Note: If you change the location, you must use a path to the local hard drive of your

workstation.

The confirmation of the installation page opens. Click Next >.

Report Writer Designer begins installing. When the installation is finished, the Next > button is available. Click it to continue.

The Installation Complete page opens. Click Close to finish the installation process. There is now a shortcut on the desktop as well as a shortcut in the Windows Program Files menu (Start > All Programs > Tyler Technologies > Report Writer > Designer).

Designer tab layout

Design surface Toolbox toolbar

Menu Standard toolbar Layout toolbar Formatting toolbar

Fields list box

Login – Opens the Report Writer login screen.

New – Starts the New Report Wizard.

Open – Opens a browser dialog box with previously saved reports.

Close Report – Closes the active report.

Report Properties - Opens the Properties window for the active report.

Save – Saves the active report.

Save As – Saves the current report with a new name.

Save All – Saves all the open reports.

Print Preview – Loads the active report in the Preview tab. You cannot print the Designer view of the report using a physical printer.

Exit – Closes all open documents and exits the program.

Undo – Reverses the most recent change.

Redo – Reapplies the most recent change.

Cut – Cuts the selected object or text.

Copy – Copies the selected object or text.

Paste – Pastes the previously cut or copied object or text.

Delete – Deletes the currently selected object.

Toolbars – Shows/hides the Standard, Layout, Formatting, and Toolbox toolbars.

Reset Toolbars – Returns toolbars to the default positions.

Grid – Shows/hides the grid on the design surface.

Note: Align Controls to Grid option in Global Design Settings still works with the

grid hidden.

Format

Note: When selecting multiple objects, the object with solid handles instead of white handles is the object that the others adjust to. This is the last object selected.

Align – Aligns multiple objects along their centers, lefts, rights, middles, tops, and bottoms or to the grid.

Make Same Size – Matches the width, height, or both of multiple objects.

Vertical Spacing – Equalizes, increases, decreases, or removes the vertical spacing between mutliple objects.

Horizontal Spacing – Equalizes, increases, decreases, or removes the horizontal spacing between mutliple objects.

Center in Section – Centers multiple objects horizontally or vertically in the section.

Order – Alters the order/layer an object is in on the report relative to the other objects. By default, objects are part of the back layer. Your options are “Bring To Front” or “Send To Back”. These options are also on the shortcut menu for all objects.

Snap Controls To Grid – Automatically aligns objects to the grid lines of the report when you move or create objects; helps create a more uniform presentation. This is a report-level setting and does not affect the Align Control To Grid check box on the Global Settings dialog box. (See Global Design Settings for more information.)

Global Design Settings – Opens the Global Settings window. (See Global Design Settings for more information.)

Export Designer File – Exports the Designer File. (See Export a designer file for more information.)

Import Designer File – Imports a Designer File. (See Import a designer file for more information.)

Plug-in Settings – Opens the Plug-in Settings window.

Help – Opens help documentation.

About Report Designer… – Displays information about your version of Report Writer. You can also access system information.

Toolbars

Note: The toolbars for Report Writer Designer help you efficiently modify, save, preview, and adjust objects on the design surface. There are four toolbars. With the Layout and Formatting toolbars you can adjust object attributes for one or more objects at the same time. The easiest way to select more than one object to adjust is to hold down the Ctrl key while you left-click on the objects you want to adjust. Another way is to left-click the mouse and drag over multiple objects while keeping the left mouse button pressed. Once the objects you want to adjust are selected, click the toolbar buttons as needed to make the necessary changes.

Standard toolbar

New Report – Starts the New Report Wizard.

Open – Opens a saved report.

Save – Saves the active report.

Save All Reports – Saves all open reports.

Close Report – Closes the active report.

Cut – Cuts an object from the design surface.

Copy – Copies an object from the design surface.

Paste – Pastes an object on the design surface.

Undo – Reverses the most recent change; click multiple times to undo multiple changes.

Redo – Reapplies the most recent undone change; click multiple times to redo multiple changes.

Print Preview – Opens the report on the Preview tab for previewing.

Layout toolbar

The Layout toolbar has buttons categorized by alignment, spacing, sizing, positioning, and orientation. When selecting multiple objects, the object with solid handles instead of white handles is the object that the others adjust to. This is the last object selected.

Alignment

Align Centers – Horizontally aligns multiple objects along their centers.

Align Lefts – Horizontally aligns multiple objects along their left sides.

Align Rights – Horizontally aligns multiple objects along their right sides.

Align Middles – Vertically aligns multiple objects along their middles.

Align Tops – Vertically aligns multiple objects along their tops.

Align Bottoms – Vertically aligns multiple objects along their bottoms.

Spacing

Equalize Horizontal Spacing – Equalizes horizontal space between multiple objects.

Increase Horizontal Spacing – Increases horizontal space between multiple objects.

Decrease Horizontal Spacing – Decreases horizontal space between multiple objects.

Remove Horizontal Spacing – Removes horizontal space between multiple objects.

Equalize Vertical Spacing – Equalizes vertical space between multiple objects.

Increase Vertical Spacing – Increases vertical space between multiple objects.

Decrease Vertical Spacing – Decreases vertical space between multiple objects.

Remove Vertical Spacing – Removes vertical space between multiple objects.

Sizing

Size Width – Adjusts width to the same as the last object selected.

Size Height – Adjusts height to the same as the last object selected.

Size Both – Adjusts height and width to the same as the last object selected.

Positioning

Center Horizontally – Centers objects horizontally with respect to the report page.

Center Vertically – Centers objects vertically with respect to the report section.

Orientation

Bring To Front – Brings objects to the front layer in front of other objects.

Send To Back – Sends objects to the back layer behind other objects; objects are a part of the back layer by default.

Snap To Grid – Automatically aligns objects to the grid lines of the report; helps create a more uniform presentation.

Formatting toolbar

Bold – Bolds an object’s text.

Italic – Italicizes an object’s text.

Underline – Underlines an object’s text.

Font – Changes an object’s font type.

Fore Color – Changes an object’s font color.

Back Color – Changes an object’s background color.

Align Text Left – Left aligns an object’s text.

Align Text Center – Center aligns an object’s text.

Align Text Right – Right aligns an object’s text.

Justify Text – Justifies an object’s text.

Style formatting – Applies a style to an object; add or edit styles through the Style Manager using the Add/Edit Styles selection.

Properties - Edits the properties for an individual object. You can also access Properties by double-clicking an object.

Toolbox toolbar

Pointer – Selects objects on the design surface.

Text – Creates user-defined static text.

Runtime Parameter – Inserts a field that is filled at runtime with text defined by the user viewing the report. (See Runtime Parameter for more information.)

Picture – Displays an image on the report.

Bar Code – Displays selected data fields in a bar code; for example, a citation number, postal code, or utility account.

Line – Creates a line to enhance the presentation of the report data.

Shape – Creates a shape to enhance the presentation of the report data.

Page Number – Inserts page number information into the report.

Check Box – Inserts a check box to represent a true/false type data field.

Circle Box – Inserts a circle box to represent a true/false type data field.

Date Time – Inserts the current date and time when the report is generated.

Date Calculation – Inserts an object used to build a calculation based on date/time fields on the report.

Hyperlink – Inserts a link to an Internet website from the report.

Subreport – Inserts a report as a subreport to provide detailed information which cannot be reported using a single schema.

Page Break – Forces a new page in the report.

Rich Text – Inserts dynamic text into the report; operates much like the Text button, but can combine multiple fields into one field on the report as well as load and customize rich text files.

Chart – Opens the Chart Wizard which creates and inserts a graphical representation of report data into the report.

Calculated Field – Builds a calculation using existing data and/or other calculated fields in the report.

Summary Field – Performs a summary function (sum, average, count, minimum, maximum, etc.) of items in the report; typically used for group totals or report totals.

Pivot Field Row – Works with the Pivot Field Column feature to create a pivot table that automatically sorts, counts, and totals data from the report.

Pivot Field Column – Works with the Pivot Field Row feature to create a pivot table that automatically sorts, counts, and totals data from the report.

Fields list box

The Fields list box displays all of the available data fields that can be used in your report. You can filter the field choices by using the Filter Fields dropdown, and can sort fields in schema order using the “Sort in schema order” button or in alphabetical order using the “Sort in alpha order” button. Click the pushpin to pin the Fields list box to the window. Pinning the Fields list box to the window collapses the Fields list box to the side of the window when it is not in use. To access a pinned Fields list box, pass your mouse over the collapsed Fields list box and the Fields list box pops out from the side of the window. When your mouse is moved off of the Fields list box, it collapses to the side of the window again. To insert a field into your report, either double-click the desired field while no section in the report is selected and then choose a section to insert the field in from the Placement Selection window, or drag and drop the desired field into a section of the report.

Sort in schema order button

Sort in alpha order button Filter Fields dropdown

Design surface

The design surface is where you create your report. Use the buttons on the toolbars to create, organize, and format objects on the design surface. The design surface has a background grid to help you align your objects. (This grid is for design purposes only and does not print on the generated report. It can be turned on or off in the Global Settings dialog box. See Global Design Settings for more information.) Report Writer is based on the concept of a “banded report model,” where each band of the design surface represents a different section of the report. Each section expands when the report is generated to accommodate the size of the data. Only information visible in the design surface is viewable on the report. If a section is hiding a field or object, that field/object is not shown on the generated report. (See Hiding objects for more information.) A report can consist of the following seven section types:

ReportHeader – Objects in this section appear at the top of the first page of a report. This section is most commonly used for the report title or heading.

PageHeader – Objects in this section appear on the top of every page of the report. It is primarily used to provide group overviews or to display column headings for each group of the Detail section.

GroupHeader – Objects in this section appear on the top of every group detail. It is primarily used to provide column headings for each group of the Detail section.

Detail – This section contains most of the data in the report. Objects in this section represent a single table record. For each record in this table or table grouping, the detail is repeated. When using Group sections in your report, the Detail section acts as a child section to the GroupHeader (parent) section.

GroupFooter – Objects in this section appear after each grouping of the Detail section. It is primarily used for displaying detail-grouping summaries.

PageFooter – Objects in this section appear at the bottom of each page. It is primarily used to display page information such as page count and/or subtotals.

ReportFooter – Objects in this section appear at the end of a report. It is primarily used to display aggregate functions applied over all detail groupings and to display report totals or summary information.

Example of the design surface

Example of the generated report

ReportHeader

PageHeader

Detail

ReportFooter

PageFooter

GroupHeader

GroupFooter

PageHeader

GroupHeader

Detail

GroupFooter

ReportFooter

PageFooter

ReportHeader

The left diagram below shows how the sections behave when there are groupings in the report. The right diagram shows how the sections behave when there are no groupings in the report.

When using groups, information is grouped according to the field you designate in the GroupHeader. The left diagram groups Detail 2 and Detail 3 under GroupHeader B because the field information in GroupHeader B is the same for Details 2 and 3. When you do not use groups, field information normally found in the GroupHeader/Footer is repeated for each detail. Therefore, in the right diagram, Detail B2 and Detail B3 have the same field information (indicated by the letter B) stated in both details.

Using groups can make it easier to understand a report by helping the viewer easily identify repeated information.

Also note that all of the report sections are optional except for the Detail section. This is the only section that is required to build any report. The other sections simply provide you with ways to break down the report into logical units.

If while working you want to hide a section for working purposes but would still like for the section to print on the report, click the collapse button to the left of the section title bar. Click the button again to expand the section. If a section is collapsed when the report is run, it still prints on the report according to the settings/spacing the section has when it is expanded.

Expanded Detail section Collapsed Detail section

Note: Resizing a section to create a less distracting workspace can result in information being left off your report when you run the report. Make sure all the objects you want on the report are showing on the design surface before running the report. (See Hiding objects for more information.)

Getting started

Report Writer Designer Login

When opening Report Writer Designer you are greeted with a login dialog box. Type your user name and password into the appropriate fields. If your user name and password are the same as your Windows Login Credentials, mark the Use Windows Credentials check box. From the Server dropdown, select the appropriate server. If you do not see your server, click Refresh to disconnect and reconnect to available servers. If you still do not see your server, click Custom. The Custom Server Dialog opens. Click Add to add a new server, or select a current server and click Edit. The Add/Edit Custom Server dialog box opens. Fill in the Server Name, Server IP Address, and Server Port Number fields. Click OK to return to the Custom Server Dialog. Click OK again to return to the Report Writer login. The custom server now shows in the Server dropdown. Use the Advanced button to program advanced server settings. Advanced settings allow you to connect to multiple servers or to store custom non-Windows logins. These settings are usually programmed by the implementation staff or during training. Mark the Save Log-In Information check box to save login settings. Click OK to start Report Writer Designer.

Planning a report

Before building a report, you need to think about what data you want to present or analyze with the report. You might consider creating a rough outline of the report you want to build on paper. When designing the report, keep the following questions in mind:

Who is the audience for the report?

The answer to this question dictates the presentation style and overall layout of the report. For example, you would not want to build a report for public viewing with a size 6 font.

What data will be displayed on the report?

Is this a generic listing of employees? Do you want to print the employee number or just the employee name? How about the address – should it include one line, two lines, or just the city and state?

Is all the desired report data available from the data source, or will calculations need to be performed?

Perhaps you want the difference between the amount spent and current budget. Is this data available, or do you need to build a calculated field?

Will the report display detailed information or just summary information?

The answer to this question dictates which sections of the report need to be visible.

Will the report contain grouping of information?

Do you want to see all employees grouped by department or page breaks by department?

Will the report contain any subtotals?

Do you want to see the total of current activity for general ledger accounts in the Finance department?

Will the report contain any grand totals?

Do you want to see the totals of employees presented on the report?

Will any images need to be used in the report or is the report only for data extraction purposes?

If the answer is “yes” for data extraction, then formatting and presentation of the data is not very important, so don’t spend too much time preparing it. If you have images in the report, presentation may be more important and should be carefully planned.

Will this report only be used online, or will it be printed?

If the report will only be used online, then you can use colors to subdivide the report by sections. If it is going to be printed and you do not have a color printer, then you should not spend too much time adding colors.

Building a successful report is much more than just dumping data onto a sheet of paper. You need to analyze the data you will use and consider the presentation style of the report.

Report schemas

Report Writer uses schemas to control what data can be added to a report. A schema is a defined set of fields categorized by INCODE application. Each application can have one or multiple schemas, though not every application has a Report Writer schema.

Generally, there is a master-level schema that contains the basic fields for the application. These fields reference the INCODE software and return data based on what is in your INCODE database. Report Writer does not contain all the fields in the INCODE software; it contains the most commonly used fields. Additional schemas are created on an as-needed basis when more detail is required in a report.

Report Writer defaults to returning all data. Therefore, when creating a report, select a schema that has the right amount of detail for the report and then use filters to limit your report to the desired set of data. (See Filtering for more information.) It is important to know that not every field has a filter, fields must be used in the report to be used as a filter, and fields do not have to be visible on the report to be used as a filter. (See Behavior tab for more information.)

Report Writer, like our other applications, is constantly being updated. Additional application, schema, field, and filter requests should be submitted to the BI Support Team online at www.e-incode.com or by calling 1-800-646-2633.

Create a new report

To create a new report in the Designer, click the New Report button on the Standard toolbar. The New Report Wizard starts. Click Next > to proceed with the New Report Wizard.

On the next page, select how you want to create your report. Selecting the Blank Report option creates a report without any specified text or fields. Selecting the From an Existing Report or Template option takes an existing report and saves a copy with the new name you specify. All objects and text in the existing report are carried to the new report. Choose an option and click Next >.

The “Blank Report” option takes you to a selection window that allows you to choose the system, application, and schema you want to work with. Choosing the “From an Existing Report or Template” option takes you to a selection window that allows you to navigate through existing reports and choose the desired file.

Window when “Blank Report” is chosen

Schema

Application

System

Window when “From an Existing Report or Template” is chosen

Make a selection and click Next >. Both options take you to the window below. Navigate through the folders in the left pane to select a save location. The folders and files you see in this window are the existing folders and files on your Report Writer server. Type the name of the report in the Report Name field. Click Finish to create your new report.

Choose a location

Basic navigation through a report

When working with a report there are a few things to keep in mind:

An asterisk (*) next to the title of your report on the Page Layout tab means that changes have been made to the report since the last save. Saving the document makes the asterisk disappear.

All objects can be moved around a section of the design surface and from section-to-section by dragging and dropping the object.

There are properties for each section of the report and for each object placed on the design surface of the report. You can open the properties settings for an object on the design surface in one of several ways.

Double-click the object or section header.

Right-click on an object or section header and select Properties from the shortcut menu.

Click on the object or section header and then click the Properties button on the Formatting toolbar.

There are also properties for the report itself. Select File > Report Properties from the menu.

You can select multiple objects in the report using one of several methods.

Select an object. Then, with the Shift key or Ctrl key pressed, click on another object.

Left-click on the design surface and with the mouse button pressed, draw a rectangle across the design surface to select any object that the rectangle touches. This method only selects objects within the section of the report you click.

Click and drag your mouse in either of the rulers to select any object within that measurement marking. Using the horizontal ruler selects across all sections of the report; using the vertical ruler selects only objects within the section.

You can only change the properties of one object at a time. If you select multiple objects and open the properties through the shortcut menu, any changes you make only affect the first object selected. This is the object with the solid handles.

Right-clicking your mouse on objects and in the design surface opens a shortcut menu with various commands. In most cases you have the options of Properties, Cut, Copy, Paste, Delete, Bring To Front, Send To Back, and Group. Specialty options are discussed with the objects they pertain to.

Adding items to a report

Once a report has been created, you have many options to use for the design.

The Toolbox toolbar and Fields list box contain all of the objects you can add to a report. In most cases, when you insert an object into a report, the Properties dialog box for that object automatically opens. If this does not happen or you need to access the Properties dialog box later, use one of the several ways discussed in the “Basic Navigation through a report” section. You can find the Appearance, Data, Behavior, and Layout tabs on almost every Properties dialog box. A few objects only have three of the four tabs, and almost every object has a unique Data tab. These differences and any others are discussed in the section about that object.

Appearance tab

For most objects, the Appearance tab gives you the ability to change the font, fore (font) color, back color, horizontal alignment, vertical alignment, text angle, and border. The Text Angle field allows you to rotate the text so that it can better fit in a small area of the design surface or so that it can enhance the design of your report. The Border field is used to place a border on one or more sides of an object. Do not forget that you need to scroll down to see all the border attributes. Each of the four sides has a color and style attribute. All of the options on the Appearance tab, except the border settings, are available on the Formatting toolbar.

Data tab

If an object has a Data tab, then it contains information unique to that type of field. For example, text boxes have a Text field while date/time objects have formatting options for the date and time. These features are discussed in detail below for each object.

Behavior tab

The Behavior tab consists of options to change how the object handles the data. The most common options found on the Behavior tab are Visible and Word Wrap. Marking the check box next to each option activates the option for the object.

Clearing the Visible check box shows the object on the design surface but hides the object on the final report. Word Wrap allows text that is longer than the object’s width to wrap to the next line within the object’s boundaries. Depending on the data being returned for a preview, you may need to adjust the object’s size to make the text more appealing.

Note: You can also control if objects are visible using the section dividers. (See Hiding objects for more information.)

Layout tab

The Layout tab provides properties to resize the object as well as to adjust its location on the design surface. This feature is very helpful when creating exact measurements and locations for multiple objects.

Note: You may find it easier to resize or move an object using the object’s handles rather than using the Layout tab. This is done from the design surface not through the object’s properties. Click once on the object to select it, then resize the object by dragging one of the handles or click and drag the line between handles to move the object on the design surface.

Fields

To add a field from your schema to the design surface, drag a field name from the Fields list box and drop it in the section where you want the field to appear. Click once on the field to select it and drag it around the section to reposition it.

To narrow the selection of fields shown in the Fields list box, click the Filter Fields dropdown and select a field category. The available categories change depending on which schema is chosen during the creation of the report.

Fields have several additional options on the shortcut menu.

Add Label – Opens the Easy Label dialog box, which allows you to create and format a text label for the field. This label can be resized and formatted the same way as a text field created using the Text button.

Set as Group By field – This option is available when a field is in the GroupHeader or GroupFooter section. (See “Grouping” section for more information.)

Subreport Wizard – Opens the Subreport Wizard to help you build a subreport based on the selected field. (See “Subreport” for more information.)

Build Summary Field – Opens the Summary Function Wizard to help you build a summary function based on the selected field. (See “Summary Field” for more information.)

Use the Text button to insert static text on your design surface. Type the text you want to be visible in the text field on the Data tab. On the generated report, this text remains as you create it unlike text for fields, which changes to reflect data from the INCODE software. Click the Text button then draw a text box in the desired section by clicking and dragging the mouse to the desired size. The text Properties dialog box automatically opens. Format the text box as desired using the four tabs in the Properties - Text Box dialog box.

Runtime Parameter

The Runtime Parameter button adds a field to your report that asks a question at the time the report is run. When a user opens the report, a dialog box pops up with the question you specified for the field. The user types in an answer and clicks OK. The place where you drew the Runtime Parameter field is replaced in the report with the answer given by the user. The field is not labeled, however, so if you want for the user-entered information to have a label, be sure to insert a label using the Text or Rich Text buttons.

To set up a runtime parameter, click the Runtime Parameter button. Draw a rectangle on your design surface where you want the answer to be displayed on the report. Make sure to leave an appropriate amount of space for the answer. When the Properties - SelectedInput dialog box opens, select the Data tab. The Name field is a system-maintained field that should not be changed. It does not show on the design surface or report. In the Runtime Question field, type the question you want the user to see when they open the report. Make appearance, behavior, and layout changes as necessary. When you are finished setting up the runtime parameter, click OK.

Picture

The Picture button inserts an image file from your computer. JPG, JPEG, GIF, and BMP file types are supported. Click the Picture button and draw a rectangle the appropriate size on the design surface to encompass the picture. You can resize the image box later if it is too small or too large. The Properties - Picture dialog box opens. Choose the desired formatting on the Appearance tab. The Size Mode field is a field not seen on other property dialog boxes. This field has three options: Clip, Stretch, and Zoom. Selecting the Clip option keeps the image its original size and trims off the sides if necessary when the field box is a different size than the image. If the image is smaller than the drawn box, the background color fills the space around the image. Selecting the Stretch option stretches the image to vertically and horizontally fill the field box distorting the image if necessary. Selecting the Zoom option resizes the image so that it proportionally fills the field box as much as possible. The background color is visible around the sides of the picture if the box is not the size of the picture.

Select the Data tab to choose the image and to enter hyperlink settings. Clicking the Find Image button on the Data tab opens a browse dialog for you to choose the image from its saved location on your hard drive. Use the Clear button to remove the loaded image. In the Hyperlink fields, you can specify a website address or e-mail address that the picture links to on the final report. Finish entering settings for the Behavior and Layout tabs and click OK.

Bar Code

The Bar Code button takes information from a field specified by you and converts it into a bar code. Enter a bar code by clicking the Bar Code button and drawing a field area on the design surface. The Properties - Barcode dialog box opens automatically. Specify settings on the Appearance, Data, Behavior, and Layout tabs and click OK.

The Appearance tab has two fields unique to the Bar Code button. The Direction field specifies the direction of the bar code and the direction of the information being converted. The Caption Position field refers to the placement of text entered in the Text field on the Data tab.

On the Data tab, specify text in the Text field or designate a bound field in the Bound Field dropdown. The text or bound field you enter determines the uniqueness of each bar code. Using the Text field enters the same text and creates the same bar code each time. Using the Bound Field enters the text from the bound field and creates a unique bar code for each value returned in the field. Whether text from the Text field or Bound Field dropdown is shown and its position depends on the settings you specified in the Caption Position field on the Appearance tab. The Bar Code Type field refers to the type of bar code encoding used.

Marking the Check Sum check box ensures that a check sum of the bar code is computed and included in the bar code when applicable.

The Line button allows you to add lines to your report. Click the Line button, draw a line on your report in the desired section, and set the line properties using the Appearance, Behavior, and Layout tabs of the Properties - Line dialog box that pops up after drawing the line.

The Shape button allows you to add shapes to your report. The Shape Type field of the Appearance tab gives you the options of choosing a rectangle, ellipse, or rounded rectangle. The Style field of the Appearance tab controls the pattern of the shape’s line. To insert a shape, click the Shape button and draw a rectangle the desired size on your report. In the Properties - Shape dialog box, configure the properties on the Appearance, Behavior, and Layout tabs.

Page Number

The Page Number button allows you to enter automatic page numbers in your report. Click the Page Number button and draw a field for the page number in the desired section of your report. Format the page number using the Appearance, Data, Behavior, and Layout tabs of the Properties - Page Number dialog box. The Data tab is the only tab with settings unique to the Page Number button. On this tab, you can select the format for the page numbers or even create a custom format. To create a custom format, type the desired date format in the Custom Format field using the pound sign (#) to place automatic page numbers. Use one pound sign (#) to represent the current page number, and use two pound signs (##) to represent the total number of pages.

Check Box

The Check Box feature allows you to create check boxes in your report. These check boxes are only for printed purposes and cannot be used to mark and unmark the boxes in any electronic format. However, you can have some check boxes automatically marked if the criteria you specify on the Data tab is met.

To insert a check box, click the Check Box button and draw a space for the check box and information on the design surface. On the Appearance tab of the Properties - Check Box dialog box, specify the desired font, colors, and alignment. The Check Alignment field designates the position of the check box and check box text. (The check box text is designated in the Text field on the Data tab.) Your alignment options include top, middle, and bottom, which refer to the check box position, and left, right, and center, which refer to the text alignment.

The Data tab controls the text and whether the check box is marked by default. In the Text field, specify the text you want to print next to the check box. If you do not want text, leave the Text field empty. The Checked State frame controls whether the check box is marked. If you want Report Writer to automatically mark check boxes based on criteria you specify in the Checked State frame, select a field from the Pick Data Field list box. The field selected must be used in the report, but does not have to be visible. If you do not want any of the check boxes to be automatically marked when the report is run, do not select a data field. If you selected a data field and want Report Writer to automatically mark some of the check boxes, specify a value for when the check box is to be marked in the Checked When field. This field is case and spelling sensitive. You can mark the Allow Empty Values check box to program the check box to be marked when the selected field is empty. This only works if the value is empty, not if the value in the field is an empty value, such as a zero or a space. The Use Following Values check box allows you to select one or more values from the list box below. These values are limited by the field and show only exact values in the selected field. Mark the check box next to the desired fields. When you run the report, the check box is marked for the selected data field when the value(s) you designate in the Checked When field, Allow Empty Values check box, or Use Following Values check box are matched.

Note: You can only specify a single value in the Checked When field of the Data tab. However, if you specify a value in the Checked When field that appears in the Use Following Values list box, the value disappears from the Checked When field and is

checked in the Use Following Values list box the next time you enter the check box Properties dialog box.

The Behavior tab and Layout tab contain the typical options for Behavior and Layout tabs. Mark the desired settings and click OK.

Check box on the design surface that marks when Fee Code field equals AR

Check box on report that marks when Fee Code field equals AR

Circle Box

The purpose of using a circle box in a report is to catch the viewer’s eye. It is useful in large reports where information can possibly be overlooked. For example, you may have a report that lists fee codes and want to highlight every instance of a specific fee code. To do this, you can use a circle box and set it so that it marks every instance of the specified fee code on the final report.

Note: The circle box is considered marked when it appears on the report. There is not a physical change in the appearance of the circle box other than the fact that it is shown

or hidden on the report.

To add a circle box to your report, click on the Circle Box button and draw a circle over the field you want to draw attention to. The Properties - Circle Box dialog box opens.

The Appearance tab gives you several options on the appearance of the circle box. You have the option of using a Round, Ellipse, or RoundRect shaped circle box. (Choosing RoundRect for the shape of the circle box creates a rectangle with rounded corners.) Use the other dropdowns to select the line color, fill color, line thickness, and line style.

Note: If the selected Fill Color is set to anything other than transparent, the Circle Box must be placed behind the field to be circled. Otherwise the circle box covers the field

and hides the data. (See the Layout toolbar: Orientation for more information.)

Options on the Data tab control how the circle box functions. From the Pick Data Field list box, select the field in your report you want the circle box to act on. Use the Checked When field to specify a specific value for the circle box to appear on. This field is case and spelling sensitive. You can mark the Allow Empty Values check box to program the circle box to appear over the selected field when the field is empty. This only works if the value is empty, not if the value in the field is an empty value, such as a zero or a space. The Use Following Values check box allows you to select one or more values from the list box below. These values are limited by the field and show only exact values in the selected field. Mark the check box next to the desired fields. When you run the report, the circle box appears for the selected data field when the value(s) you designate in the Checked When field, Allow Empty Values check box, or Use Following Values check box are matched.

Note: You can only specify a single value in the Checked When field of the Data tab. However, if you specify a value in the Checked When field that appears in the Use Following Values list box, the value disappears from the Checked When field and is checked in the Use Following Values list box the next time you enter the circle box

Properties dialog box.

The Behavior and Layout tabs contain the typical fields found on each tab. Make the desired selections and click OK.

Circle box over Fee Code field on the design surface

Circle box over Fee Code field appears when Fee Code equals AR

Date/Time

The Date/Time button inserts the current date and time the report is generated. Using the Data tab, you can select from various date and time formats. If you do not want to include either the date or the time, select “Clear” in the appropriate column. Selecting “Clear” in both columns inserts the default date and time format. You can specify your own date and time format in the Custom Format field. In this field, use a combination of the following letters to create the desired format:

M – Month in single-digit format

MM – Month in two-digit format

MMM – Month in abbreviated spelling

MMMM – Month in full spelling

d – Day in single-digit format

dd – Day in two-digit format

y – Year in single-digit format

yy – Year in two-digit format

yyyy – Year in four-digit format

h – Hour in single-digit format

hh – Hour in double-digit format

H – Hour in single-digit military format

HH – Hour in double-digit military format

mm – Minutes

ss – Seconds

tt – Adds AM or PM designation

Date Calculation

The Date Calculation button enters a date based on two parameters specified on the Data tab, which is unique to the Properties - DateCalc dialog box. In the Parameter 1 frame, select the first date reference. You can select the Date Field option and choose a field from the dropdown, or select the Static Date option and use the spinner to select a date. The Parameter 2 frame controls the second date reference. If you choose the Time Span option, the number spinner is available. This spinner works in conjunction with the Year(s), Month(s), Day(s), and Hour(s) options. Specify an amount in the spinner field and select a time option. Also, select if you want the time span to be added to or subtracted from the Parameter 1 date. In Parameter 2 you can also select another Date Field, which calculates the difference between Parameter 1 and the Date Field specified in Parameter 2. Select the Date Field option and a field from the dropdown to use a Date Field as the second date reference. Once the parameters are selected, choose a Result format. If you chose Time Span as the second parameter, you have the option of how to format the time span. Scroll through the Date Formats and Time Formats lists and select an option for each, or create your own format in the Custom Format field. Follow the abbreviation conventions specified in the “Date / Time” section. If you chose Date Field as the second parameter, you have the option of viewing the result in Year(s), Month(s), Day(s), Hour(s), Minute(s), or Second(s).

Hyperlink

You can enter hyperlinks in your report that connect to a website or e-mail address. To insert a hyperlink, click the Hyperlink button and draw a square the appropriate size on the design surface. Use the Appearance, Behavior, and Layout tabs to apply various properties. On the Data tab, enter the website or e-mail address you want to link in the first field. In the second field, enter the text you want to show for the link. If you want the link to be the same as the text, leave the second field blank. The Sample Output displays what the link will look like and allows you to click the sample text to test the validity of the link. Click OK to save changes.

Subreport

There are times when one record from a report has multiple related records with respect to the parent record that need to come from a subreport. For example, in an Employee Payroll Deductions report, the employee number and name are needed. However, there are many deductions associated with each employee for multiple paychecks. Therefore, in this scenario you could use an embedded subreport to display the various deductions for each employee as subsections in the main report.

Embedded subreport

The second type of subreport is the embedded subreport. In this type of subreport, the data returned for the subreport is embedded into the main report, thus creating a seamless flow of data. Unlike the drill-down subreport, you do not click on a drilldown on the main report to see the data of the subreport.

When creating an embedded subreport, it is easier to have both reports open in the Designer. In the main report, click the Subreport button on the Toolbox toolbar. The Sub Report Wizard starts.

From the Type of Sub Report page of the wizard, select the Embedded Sub Report option and click Next >.

On this page, we need to select the section of the report we want to embed the subreport in. Choose the section and click Next >.

Now, select the report you want to embed. Navigate in the left pane to the folder that contains the report. Select the report in the right pane and click Next >.

Select the field to use as the subreport parameter. This field is a data field on the main report that acts as a key or index to the data being returned on the subreport. Scroll down until you see the desired field and mark the check box for that field. You can select more than one field. The Associated Field dropdown is a field from the subreport that acts as a key or index to the data on the main report. When finished, click Next >.

Note: The parameter and associated fields must be used in the report though they do not have to be visible on the report.

The last page of the wizard tells you the subreport wizard is complete. Click Finish.

On the design surface there is now an empty, gray rectangle in the section of the design surface you designated in the Sub Report Wizard. This gray box is where the embedded subreport shows up on the generated report. If necessary, resize the embedded subreport area so that the embedded subreport fits on the design surface when the report is generated. It is not as important for the embedded subreport area to be vertically tall enough because the area automatically enlarges or shrinks if the appropriate check boxes are marked on the Behavior tab of the embedded subreport’s Properties dialog box. (See Behavior tab for more information.) However, it is extremely important for the embedded subreport area to be wide enough to encompass the entire subreport.

Click the Print Preview button to view the report. The embedded subreport displays in the designated section of the report. Notice that the two reports flow together as if they are one piece. If you want to change this, use tools from the Toolbox toolbar to organize the report so that it is apparent that there is a subsection to the main report.

To delete the embedded subreport from the report, click once on the embedded subreport to select it and then press Delete.

Embedded subreport

Main report

Subreport Properties dialog box

After you create a subreport, you can change a setting in the Properties dialog box. To access the Properties dialog box for an embedded subreport, right-click on the gray embedded subreport rectangle and select Properties from the shortcut menu. The Properties - Sub Report dialog box opens.

The Data tab has all of the information about the embedded subreport. Click the browse button to navigate through existing reports and make a selection. The Parameters list box shows all fields in the schema. Select a parameter to be used as a key or index for returning data on the subreport. You can select more than one field, but the fields must be on the design surface. However, the fields do not have to be visible. The Associated Field dropdown is a field from the subreport that acts as a key or index to the data on the main report. If you do not specify an Associated Field, all records from the subreport are shown in the report as opposed to the records directly relevant to the portion of the report being shown. Click Remove Sub Report to remove the subreport link from the design surface. When you return to the design surface, delete the gray subreport rectangle.

The Behavior tab has the typical Visible, Can Grow, and Can Shrink check boxes.

The Layout tab has size and location frames that control the size and location of the embedded subreport on the design surface of the main report.

To access the Properties dialog box for a drill-down subreport, right-click on the field associated with the drill-down subreport and select Properties from the shortcut menu. The Properties - Data Field dialog box opens. Click on the Data tab and scroll down to the Sub Report frame. This frame has the settings associated with the settings for the drill-down subreport and looks exactly the same as those on the Data tab of the Properties dialog box for an embedded subreport. Other settings found for the embedded subreport, such as those on the Behavior and Layout tabs of the Properties - Sub Report dialog box, are not relevant to a drill-down subreport since the drill-down subreport opens in its own tab as a separate report.

Click the browse button for the Sub Report field to navigate through existing reports and make a selection. The Parameters list box shows all fields in the schema. Select a parameter to be used as a key or index for returning data on the subreport. This field is most likely the field you are using as the drilldown for the subreport. You can select more than one field, but the fields must be on the design surface. However, the fields do not have to be visible. The Associated Field dropdown is a field from the subreport that acts as a key or index to the data on the main report. If you do not specify an Associated Field, all records from the subreport are shown in the report as opposed to the records directly relevant to the portion of the report being shown. Click Remove Sub Report to remove the drill-down subreport link from the selected field.

Page Break

Click the Page Break button. Drag a line on the design surface where you want to enter a page break. The page break is entered into the report and is visible on the design surface as a solid black line. You can click once on the page break line to select it and reposition it or delete it if desired.

Rich Text

The Rich Text button has all the features of the Text button plus a few extra abilities. In addition to creating static text, you can create bulleted text, load text from a rich text format (.rtf) file, combine multiple fields into one text field, and grow or shrink text as if it’s an object. A benefit to using the Rich Text button over the Text button is that you can have multiple lines of text or multiple words of text, each formatted with its own style and color.

The Appearance tab controls only the background color and border of the text box. The appearance of the text is controlled on the Data tab. On the Data tab, you can type text directly in the Text field or you can click Edit to open the Rich Text Editor window. In the Rich Text Editor window, type the desired text. Highlight text and use the formatting toolbar to change the font type, size, style, color, alignment, and bulleting. To combine fields with text or to combine multiple fields, find the desired field in the Fields list box on the right side of the window and double-click the field. The field is inserted at the location of your cursor. When you are finished making changes, click OK.

From the Data tab of the Properties - Rich Text Box dialog box you can load a rich text format (.rtf) file by clicking the Load File button. Navigate to the location of the file, click once on the file, and click the Open button. The text in the Text field is replaced with the loaded file formatted as it was in the original file. If necessary, you can click Edit and change the text of the loaded file. This only changes the text in Report Writer. It does not change the text in the original file.

The Behavior tab has two options unique to the Rich Text button. These two options are Can Grow and Can Shrink. Marking the Can Grow check box allows the object to increase vertically in size when there is more data being returned than expected at the time the report is generated. Marking the Can Shrink check box allows the object to shrink vertically in size when there is little or no data being returned at the time the report is generated.

Make the desired changes on the Layout tab and click OK.

Formatting toolbar

Fields list box

You can create many different types of charts with Report Writer using the Chart button.

Click the Chart button to start the Chart Wizard. Click Next >.

The Type of Chart page opens. Scroll through the chart options in the frame on the left and select the type of chart you want to create. If you create a chart and later decide the type of chart you have chosen does not fit your needs, you can modify the type of chart through the chart’s properties settings. The Filter Options frame on the right side of the page can help you filter through the chart type options and select a chart that fits your needs. Mark or unmark the 2D and 3D check boxes to include or exclude 2D and 3D charts from the type of charts list. The Group dropdown contains categories for the chart types. Each group contains charts that are usually used for that purpose. Once you have made your selection, click Next >.

The Appearance page allows you to select a color scheme for the chart. Once again, if after you create your chart, you decide the color scheme you have chosen does not fit your needs, you can modify the color scheme of the series through the chart’s properties settings. You also have the option of customizing the colors of the series. To do this, mark the Customized Colors check box. (You choose the customized colors on the Series page of the Chart Wizard two pages later.) If you chose a 3D chart on the previous page, the Viewpoint button is available. Click this button to open the Viewpoint window. On this window, you can select the angle the 3D chart is viewed from. To change the angle,

either move the Horizontal Rotation and Vertical Rotation slider controls left and right or click in the example frame on the left side of the window and move your mouse around until the half cube is at the desired angle. When you are finished altering the appearance of the chart, click Next >.

Next, select the data field you want to graph. The fields are listed by schema groups. In the Operation frame, choose the type of operation you want to perform on the data field. Your options are Count, Average, and Sum. After making your selections, click Next >.

The Series page is used to set up sections or segments for the y-axis of a chart. Creating series helps you categorize your data to create a visually pleasing chart. For example, the chart below shows police response to various types of emergency calls. The Data field is Call Type and twelve series have been set up, one for each month, to show how many calls for each type of emergency happened each month.

The Chart Wizard requires at least one series, but you can add multiple series if desired. If the field you have chosen is a grouped field, then you only need to add one series. To add a series, click the “Add new item” button. With the series selected, edit the Series Properties on the right side of the dialog box. What you enter in the Name field shows up in the legend of the chart. If you marked the Customized Colors check box two pages ago on the Appearance page, click the browse button to open the Color dialog box. The Color dialog box gives you the options of a Solid, Gradient, or Pattern style. If you choose “Gradient” or “Pattern” for the style, the Type dropdown is enabled. Use the dropdown to select one of the many options. A preview of your selected option is shown below the Properties and Color frames. In the Properties frame you can also alter the transparency of the series. In the Color frame, click the browse button to select the desired color for the series. When you have made your color selections, click OK.

In the Series Properties frame you can also add filters for the selected series to make the data in your chart portray specific information. If you have multiple series you must create filters for each series. To add a filter, click Add under the Filters field. The Add Filter dialog box opens. You have the options to filter by data field or by report field. Choosing “Data Field” gives you the option to create a specific filter that stays the same each time the report is run. Selecting “Report Field” allows you to select a field in the report. The filtering options used on the selected field when the report is run are used for the graph. Depending on which option you choose, one or more dropdowns are enabled. Select the desired option and click each of the available dropdowns to make a selection. When you are finished setting up the filter, click OK.

If you have multiple series or multiple filters, you can reorder the series and filters using the Move Up and Move Down arrows in each frame. Click once on a series or filter to select it, and then click the Move Up or Move Down arrow.

To delete a series, click once on the series to select it and click Delete. To delete a filter, click once on the filter to select it and click Remove.

When you finish making changes to the Series page, click Next >.

You have two title areas for the chart. One is the header and the other is the footer. You can make changes to either one by selecting the title in the Titles frame and specifying the options in the Title Properties section. You can change the name, text, position, and alignment of the title. You can also add additional titles to the chart. Click the “Add new item” button, click once on the new item to select it, and change the title properties for that item. Repeat this process as many times as you need. The titles show up on the chart in the order they are arranged in the Titles frame. To reorder the titles, select a title and use the Move Up and Move Down arrows to alter its position. You can also delete unnecessary titles by clicking once on the title to select it and then clicking Delete. When you finish creating and editing titles, click Next >.

On the Axes page, specify properties for the axes of the chart. Settings specified in the Axis frame pertain to the axis selected in the Axis field dropdown. Type the title you want to appear for the selected axis in the Title field. The Visible check box controls whether the selected axis shows on the graph. Marking the Tick Marks check box adds short lines to the selected axis to indicate units of measurement. Marking the Axis Inside check box places the axis and labels inside the graph area as opposed to outside the graph area. Marking the Grid Lines check box adds grid lines to the graph. Grid lines are only added for the selected axis. If you want grid lines for just one axis, mark the Grid Lines check box for the desired axis and leave the Grid Lines check box for the other axis unmarked. If you want a grid, mark the Grid Lines check box for both axes. Features that do not pertain to the selected graph or axis are disabled.

The Axis Labels frame also pertains to the axis selected in the Axis field dropdown. Mark the Use Labels check box to include labels for the graph. You can select the type of font used for each axis. Click the browse button at the end of the Font field to specify font type, style, size, effects, and color. The Format field allows you to choose whether the axis label includes decimal places or not. Select {0} to have whole number labels; select {0:#.00} to have numbers with decimal places. The Angle spinner allows you to select the degree angle of the text. You can place the text at an angle between zero and 180 degrees. Once you have designated all of your settings, click Next >.

On the next page you can designate the settings for the chart’s legend. You can change the title, footer, position, layout, visibility, and placement of the legend. In the Title and Footer fields, type the text you want to show up above and below the chart. From the Position dropdown, select the placement of the legend relative to the chart. From the Layout dropdown, designate if the legend is arranged in rows, in columns, or in a table. You must have multiple series to notice this change. Marking the Visible check box shows or hides the chart on the generated report. Marking the Legend Inside check box places the legend inside of the chart area and in some cases on top of the chart. Click Next > to move to the next page of the wizard.

The next page displays all of the available sections in your report. The section selection can change for each report depending on if you have added or removed sections from the report. Click the section to place the chart in and click Next >.

The final page is the Chart Wizard Complete page. Use the < Back button to makes changes to a previous page or click Finish to view the sample chart on the design surface. To view the chart with field information, preview the report.

Note: You can make adjustments to the chart by reopening the Chart Wizard. To do

this, right-click on the chart and select Chart Wizard from the shortcut menu.

If you want to make changes to the chart without going through the whole wizard, you can access the chart’s properties by double-clicking the chart. All settings you made in the wizard are available under one of the four tabs of the Properties - Chart dialog box.

Calculated Field

With the Calculated Field button, you can enter an expression into your report that calculates basic algebraic equations using fields from the schema and mathematic expressions. Calculated fields must be placed in the same section as the field(s) used in the calculation. In the Name field, enter a name for the calculated field. This name shows up on the design surface only. In the Expression box, type the expression you want to calculate. Use the Field button of the on-screen calculator to choose a field to add to the expression. The Del button erases values to the right of your cursor; the <-- button erases values to the left of your cursor. The Calculation button is enabled if there is a summary field or another calculated field in your report and allows you to select the summary or calculated field for inclusion in the calculation. In the Format frame, use the various options to specify how you want the calculation to look. You can specify up to nine decimal places. Click Remove Format to clear all format settings.

Note: Calculated fields have an additional option on the right-click shortcut menu. This option is the Add Label option. Selecting this option opens the Easy Label dialog box, which allows you to create and format a text label for the field. This label can be resized and formatted the same way as a text field that was created using the Text button.

Summary Field

Clicking the Summary Field button opens the Summary Function Wizard. Click Next >.

Note: You can also right-click the field in your report on which the summary field is based and choose the Build Summary Field option from the shortcut menu. This launches the Summary Function Wizard.

In addition to the Summary Field option, the shortcut menu for Summary Fields has the Add Label option. This option opens the Easy Label dialog box, which allows you to create and format a text label for the field. This label can be resized and formatted the

same way as a text field that was created using the Text button.

Select the type of summary you want to perform. The operations are calculated based on the type of summary you select later in the wizard (i.e., Grand Total, Sub Total). Your options are:

Sum – Adds all of the values of a selected field.

Avg – Averages all of the values of a selected field.

Count – Counts all of the values of a selected field.

Min – Displays the smallest value of a selected field.

Max – Displays the largest value of a selected field.

Var – Estimates the variance based on a sample of all the values of a selected field.

VarP – Calculates the population variance based on all of the values of a selected field.

StdDev – Estimates the standard deviation based on a sample of all the values of a selected field.

StdDevP – Calculates the population standard deviation based on all of the values of a selected field.

DSum – Adds all of the distinct values of a selected field.

DAvg – Averages all of the distinct values of a selected field.

DCount – Counts all of the distinct values of a selected field.

DVar – Estimates the variance based on a sample of the distinct values of the field

DVarP – Calculates population variance based on the distinct values of the field.

DStdDev – Estimates the standard deviation based on a sample of the distinct values of the field.

DStdDevP – Calculates the population standard deviation based on the distinct values of the field.

Click Next >.

Next, the wizard prompts you for the field to run the count function on. Navigate through the report sections and click on the field you want to summarize. Click Next >.

Select the section to place the field in. Click Next >.

Select the summary type. “Grand Total” creates a summary of the fields in the entire report. “Sub Total” creates a summary for each section or group in the report. If you do not have groups in your report, the “Sub Total” option is disabled. When you have made your selection, click Next >.

Note: Choosing “Sub Total” skips the Summary Running page and takes you to the Subtotal Group page.

On the Summary Running page, select how your data is calculated. This step depends on whether you have groupings of data. If you do not have any groupings, it does not matter which option you select; however, it is better to select the “All” option in case you decide to add a grouping later. Click Next >.

If you choose the “Sub Total” option on the Summary Type page or the “Group” option on the Summary Running page, you are taken to the Subtotal Group page. Selecting a group for the subtotal to reset on keeps extra information out of the summary calculation by starting the total at zero each time the group by changes based on the group heading you specify. Select the group you want the subtotal to reset on and click Next >.

The Summary Function Wizard is Complete page lets you know the wizard has finished gathering the required information to create your calculation field. Click Finish. If you want the calculation field to have a label, create one using the Text button or Rich Text button.

If you need to make changes to a summary function after it has been created, double-click the summary function field to open the Properties - Summary Field dialog box. The Data tab has fields unique to the Summary Field function. Most of these fields are found in the Summary Function Wizard. However, a few fields have extra options than are not offered in the wizard.

Use the Name field to change the name of the summary field on the design surface. This change makes it easier to distinguish between and to identify summary fields without altering their look in the report.

The Summary Type dropdown has three extra choices: None, PageTotal, and PageCount. Selecting “None” does not calculate a total. The number displayed is the last number found in that field on the report. The “PageTotal” option performs the selected summary function on the specified field for each page. To get the most out of this option, place the summary function field in the PageFooter section. The “PageCount” option is an automatic page-numbering field. When it is selected, all dropdowns except the Summary Type and Summary Running dropdowns are disregarded. Select “PageCount” as the Summary Type and “All” in the Summary Running field to calculate the page number for each page.

Change the Summary Running field to “None” or “Group” to display the total number of pages in the report.

You can format the summary function field in the Format frame of the Properties - Summary Field dialog box.

Pivot Tables

You can create pivot tables in Report Writer using both the Pivot Field Column and Pivot Field Row buttons from the Toolbox toolbar. A pivot table automatically sorts, counts, totals, and averages multiple rows of information from a field in a report into a single row or column. Unlike some other programs, Report Writer divides the pivot row and pivot column into two separate features though they must be used together to create a table. It is convenient to have the row and column features separate because it follows suit with how you add fields to a report and gives you control over the size, placement, formatting, and information in each column or row. With the rows and columns separate, you can highlight specific information by using just one or two fields and/or by using filters on individual columns to narrow the returned information.

Note: As with other controls in Report Writer, such as summary fields or charts, the

fields included in the pivot table must also be included elsewhere in the report.

Unlike pivot tables in other programs, Report Writer pivot tables are not created at the end of a report. Instead, the pivot table is divided between the corresponding information within a report. If you want to create a pivot table that groups all pivot information together and is separate from other report information, create a separate report solely for the pivot table and hide the report information. Then, you can either have multiple reports, one for report information and another for the pivot table summarizing the report information, or enter the pivot table report as a subreport in the main report. (See Subreport for more information on entering subreports into a report and the end of this section for information on how to make portions of a report visible and not visible.)

The report below shows a typical table. This type of table is considered flat because it consists of columns and rows that merely list information.

The report below depicts a pivot table that is considered tabular. This type of table uses the same information in the flat table, but totals and displays information in a way so that you can look at the table and quickly develop an overview of the information. For this example, the Violation Code is the pivot row, various filtering combinations of the Age at Violation Indicator are the pivot columns, and the count is the number of the filtered violations that occur with each violation code.

To create a pivot table in Report Writer, you need to insert the fields in a GroupHeader and GroupFooter section. For more information on how to create and format a group, see the “Grouping” section. Place the field that is to be used as the reference for the pivot row in the GroupHeader section and set it as the Group By field. In this example, the pivot row reference field is the Violation Code field and is the Group By field for the GroupHeader.

Note: The field that is used as the reference field for the pivot row must be located in the GroupHeader section and be designated as the Group By field. If the field is not located in the GroupHeader or not designated as the Group By field, records with the same entry for that field will repeat rather than acting as a heading for all records that have that field in common and grouping subsequent information for that field together. If there is not a GroupHeader/Group By field designated, records will not be grouped

together and, thus, the pivot table will not tabulate correctly.

Next, click the Pivot Field Row button in the Toolbox toolbar and draw a rectangle in the GroupFooter for the pivot row. In this example, the pivot row is drawn in the GF_Violation_Code section. The Properties - Pivot Row dialog box opens. Select each tab of the Properties - Pivot Row dialog box and set the desired properties.

Note: The pivot table must be in the GroupFooter section for the pivot table to work properly.

On the Data tab, make sure to label the pivot row and select the pivot row from the Data Field dropdown.

Next, create the pivot columns. Click the Pivot Field Column button in the Toolbox toolbar and draw a rectangle for the pivot column next to the pivot row field in the GroupFooter section. The Properties - Pivot Column dialog box opens. Select each tab and set the desired properties.

On the Data tab, create a label for the pivot column, select the summary operation from the dropdown, and specify the pivot row by marking the appropriate check box. You also need to apply a column filter if you want to specifically show numbers for specific information from the selected column. Otherwise, the pivot table uses the summary operation on all the information and returns a total number. For example, this particular pivot table totals the count of the number of violations for each code, the number of violations committed by minors for each code, and the number of violations committed by adults for each code. Not specifying a filter returns a total that includes minors and adults for each violation code; this is the number returned in the first column. In order to separate this out, a column field needs to be created with a filter for “*Minor*” and another column field with a filter for “*Adult*”; the second and third column depict pivot columns with filters.

Note: To create a text label for a pivot column or pivot row that is visible on the final report, use the Text button or Rich Text button in the Toolbox toolbar to add a text box

and position it as a label relative to the field.

To create a filter, open the Properties dialog box for the selected pivot column. On the Data tab, scroll down to the Column Filters field. Click Add to open the Add Filter dialog box. Using the Data Field dropdown, specify a field to use as a filter. This field can be any field from the schema and does not have to be used in the report or be a part of the pivot table. Select an operation from the dropdown. Your options are equal to (=), less than (<), greater than (>), and not equal to (!=). Once you have selected an operation, type a value in the Value field or, if available, use the dropdown to select a value. Continue adding as many filters as desired for the pivot column by using the Add button.

To remove a filter, click once on the desired filter and click Remove. The filter is removed.

Note: To edit a filter, you must remove the incorrect filter using the Remove button and add a new filter with the corrected information.

You also have the option on the Data tab of the Properties - Pivot Column dialog box to format the number.

Note: If you select “Sum” or “Avg” from the Summary Operation dropdown, the Operate on Field dropdown becomes available. Use this dropdown to select the field you want to operate on. The dropdown lists all fields that can have the selected operation applied. Like other dropdowns pertaining to pivot tables, only fields used in the report will work.

Below is the example of the Violation Overview for the filtered conviction date.

Report when viewed from the Designer tab

Report when viewed from the Viewer tab

This report shows the needed information; however, it is a bit cumbersome with the repeated headings. To better organize your report, use the Visible check box on the Behavior tab of the Properties dialog box for the objects/sections of the report. You can hide individual fields/objects or entire sections. (See the “Basic navigation through a report” and “Behavior tab” sections for more information on how to do this.)

The report below has another group section added to act as a header for the group section. In order for the report below to look like it does, the PageHeader, GH_Violation_Code, and Detail sections are not visible.

Visible

Not Visible

Visible

Not Visible

Visible

Not Visible

Points to remember in creating pivot tables:

The field the pivot row is built on must be in a group header and assigned as the Group By field. However, it does not have to be visible on the final report.

For the pivot table to work, the pivot table (pivot row and each pivot column) must be in the group footer for the associated Group By field.

The fields referenced by the Pivot Field Column or Pivot Field Row must be used, but not necessarily visible, somewhere in the report for the pivot table to work properly.

The labels for the pivot table can go in any section of the report.

Use the Visible check box on the Behavior tab of the Properties dialog boxes for objects/sections to show/hide portions of the report.

Pivot Field Row

The Properties - Pivot Row dialog box for the Pivot Field Row button is similar to the standard Properties dialog box. The Data tab is unique to the Properties dialog box and allows you to control the Label and which data field is selected for the pivot row.

Pivot Field Column

The Properties - Pivot Column dialog box for the Pivot Field Column button is also similar to the standard Properties dialog box. The Data tab is unique to the Properties dialog box and allows you to control the Label, the Summary Operation, Operate on Field, Pivot Row selection, Column Filters, and formatting for the pivot column value. See the “Pivot tables” section above for more information on formatting pivot columns.

Formatting a Report

Global Design Settings

Global Design Settings are properties for the Designer that affect how the Designer behaves for all reports you design and preview. In some cases, a setting in the Global Settings dialog box is ignored because a report-level setting overrides it. To open the Global Settings dialog box, choose Tools > Global Design Settings from the Menu.

Global Settings dialog options:

Show Grid – Shows/hides background grid of the Designer.

Align Controls To Grid – Aligns objects to the lines on the grid automatically when you draw them.

Grid Columns – Changes the number of columns of the background grid to increase or decrease the grid size. Maximum number of grid columns is 100.

Grid Rows – Changes the number of rows of the background grid to increase or decrease the grid size. Maximum number of grid rows is 100.

Measurement Units – Changes the unit of measurement to either “Inches, US” or “Centimeters, Metric”.

Backup Interval (Minutes) – Sets how often Report Writer automatically backs up your open projects. The default setting is 30 minutes.

Timeout Interval (Minutes) – Sets how much times passes before Report Writer closes due to inactivity. The default setting is 0 minutes, which means the program will never close due to inactivity.

Refresh on Preview – Refreshes the report every time you select the Preview tab or click the Preview button by updating the report design. Not marking the Refresh on Preview check box allows you to toggle between the Design tab and Preview tab without generating the report each time you click the Preview tab. Use Always Refresh Data to get the most up-to-date information from your database.

Always Refresh Data – Refreshes the data and report layout every time you preview the report regardless of the method chosen. Refreshing the data gathers the data from your database on every report generation.

Once you specify the desired settings, click OK to save the settings for all your reports.

Report Properties

Open the report properties by selecting File > Report Properties from the menu. The Properties - Report dialog box opens.

The Properties - Report dialog box has three tabs: Page, Printer, and Watermark.

The Page tab allows you to adjust the page margins as needed. Mark the Mirror Margins check box if you need to set the report so that it can be printed double-sided with an allowance for a center binding.

The Printer tab is used to set printing defaults for the report, such as paper size, width, height, and orientation. In addition, there are options for collating, duplexing, and selecting the paper source for the report.

The Watermark tab is used to set a watermark to print on specific pages. The watermark is placed within the document’s margins in its original color. Therefore, if you want the watermark to be faded you must insert the original image as a faded image.

Select the image from your computer by clicking the Find Image button. A browse dialog opens. Navigate to the desired image, click once to select the image, and click Open. A miniature image of the watermark appears in the Watermark frame. The Size Mode dropdown allows you to change the way the image is rendered. The three options are “Clip”, “Stretch”, and “Zoom”.

Clip – Clips the image, if needed, so that it fits as is on the page. Otherwise, the image is placed proportionally on the page.

Stretch – Stretches the image so that it fills the page. If the image is larger than the page, selecting Stretch compresses the image to fit on the page.

Zoom – Proportionally fits the image so that it fills the page. If the image is larger than the page, Zoom proportionally sizes the image down.

If you need the image to be a different size, change the image outside of Report Writer and then import it into your report again.

Use the Alignment dropdown to set the watermark image to TopLeft, TopRight, Center, BottomLeft, or BottomRight alignment.

The Print on Pages field allows you to designate which pages the watermark appears on. Separate a range of pages with a hyphen and individual pages with a comma. Leaving the field blank places the watermark image on every page by default. Only numeric values are recognized in this field. Therefore, typing “last” or “5-end” is not recognized by the program. The field is ignored if non-numeric values are entered in the field.

Section formatting

Each section of the report has a set of properties. Right-click the section title and select Properties from the shortcut menu to open them.

With the exception of the Detail and Group Header/Footer sections, most section property options have three tabs: Appearance, Behavior, and Layout. The Behavior tab has a dropdown for you to select the background color of the section. The Behavior tab has several of the following options: Visible, Can Grow, Can Shrink, Keep Together, New Page, and Print at Bottom. Clear the Visible check box to hide the selected section on the generated report. The Can Grow option allows the report section to increase in size to fit the information in the report. The Can Shrink option allows the report section to shrink in size to fit the information in the report. Marking the Keep Together check box ensures that, whenever possible, all records for each field in the selected section are on the same page. The New Page dropdown gives you the option to insert a new page before, after, or before and after the selected section. Marking the Print at Bottom check box prints the information in the selected section as close to the bottom page margin as possible. The order of the report sections is not affected. On the Layout tab you can select a specific height for the selected section using the Height spinner.

The Detail and GroupHeader/Footer sections have property settings different than what is found for other sections of the report. See GroupHeader and GroupFooter properties for more information on section properties for the GroupHeader and GroupFooter sections. The Detail section has three tabs: Appearance, Behavior, and Layout. The Appearance tab has two fields which control the background

colors of the report. You can specify two colors. The Back color is the default color for the Detail section of the report. The Alt. Back Color is the color that shows up behind every other record line in the report.

White back color with silver alternate back color

The Behavior tab has a few extra settings than the standard Behavior tab. Marking the Keep Together check box ensures that, whenever possible, all fields in the Detail section are on the same page. Using the Column Count spinner, you can specify up to 25 columns in your report. When you change the number of columns, the design surface changes to reflect the size of the column. Fields in the grayed area of the Detail section do not show up on the report.

The Column Spacing spinner controls how much space is between columns. You can use the spinner to change the distance or you can type a number in the field. The Column Direction dropdown controls the orientation of the data. Choose DownAcross from the dropdown to read the data vertically and AcrossDown to read the data horizontally.

DownAcross column direction

Width of column Non-printed area Fee Balance field will not print

AcrossDown column direction

The New Page dropdown controls when a new page is started. Selecting “Before”, “After”, or “BeforeAfter” inserts a page break before, after, or before and after the Detail section. The Layout tab allows you to specify a height for the Detail section. Use the spinner to select a height or type a number in the field.

Object formatting

To format an object after you have added it to the report, use an object’s Properties dialog box. Open an object’s Properties dialog box by double-clicking an object, right-clicking on an object and selecting Properties from the shortcut menu, or clicking on the object in the design surface and then clicking the Properties button on the Formatting toolbar. Use the tabs at the top of the Properties dialog box to toggle between formatting options and alter the fields on the tabs to make changes. Click OK when you finish making changes.

Text formatting

With the exception of text created using the Rich Text button, objects that have text must have text formatted as a whole. This means all text in the object must be the same as far as style, color, alignment, and font type. To change an object’s formatting, click once on the object to select it. Next, make the desired formatting changes using the Formatting toolbar.

Note: If you have multiple objects selected, you can change the formatting for those objects all at once. See Basic navigation through a report for information on how to select multiple objects.

In general, the settings on the Formatting toolbar are similar and work the same as formatting settings in other text editing software. However, instead of highlighting text to change formatting, you click once on the object and change formatting for the object as a whole. Handles appear around the object when it is selected.

Report Writer also has the convenient feature of styles. Setting up and applying styles to objects with text is an easy way to quickly and easily make the look of your report uniform. Text aspects, such as font type, fore color, back color, font size, font effects, and alignment can be saved as a style. When a

style is changed, the object with the edited style does not update on the design surface until you click once on the object. However, all objects with the altered style do update when you preview the report whether you clicked on the object to update the style or not. If you have manually changed an aspect of one object that has a style such as fore color, applied the other aspects of a style that are changed are applied to the object leaving the manually applied aspect as is.

Note: Formatting of rich text, bar codes, and charts cannot be controlled using styles.

Hiding objects

Sometimes you may want to ‘hide’ a certain field or object on a report. Hiding an object allows you to filter the field information without showing the field on the report, or allows you to set up one report and easily switch out fields by moving them up and down to easily generate another report with the same layout, but different information.

You can make individual objects invisible by clearing the Visible check box on the Behavior tab of the Properties dialog box. (See Behavior tab for more information.) Or you can cover an object with a section divider. To do this, add a field to a section. Increase the section’s size, and place the object below all visible objects in the section. Resize the section back to its original size, covering up the field you just added. When you run the report, the field has a tab on the Select Report Filters dialog box, but is not visible on the report.

Design surface with expanded sections

Resize sections to hide Fee Balance field and label

Both fields show up on Select Report Filters dialog box

Only the Fee Code field shows on the report

Hiding an object by resizing a section can be confusing because it is not visible when looking at the design surface. It is easy to include unnecessary fields in the report and, depending on your filter settings, could take more time to generate the report. When a field is hidden using the Properties dialog box, it is visible on the design surface but not on the report, making it less likely you will forget about and unnecessarily include it.

Note: If a section has the Can Grow check box marked in its Properties dialog box, the fields covered in the design surface by the section are still shown on the report. Clear the Can Grow check box so that you can hide objects by resizing the section.

Grouping

The Grouping function is used to group certain data together in order to format your report for easy and understandable viewing. Grouping helps to ensure that data is not repeated.

The left diagram below shows how the sections behave when there are groupings in the report. The right diagram shows how the sections behave when there are no groupings in the report.

When using groups, information is grouped according to the field you designate in the GroupHeader. The left diagram groups Detail 2 and Detail 3 under GroupHeader B because the field information in GroupHeader B is the same for Details 2 and 3. When you do not use groups, field information normally found in the GroupHeader/Footer is repeated for each detail. Therefore, in the right diagram, Detail B2 and Detail B3 have the same field information (indicated by the letter B) stated in both details.

To create or insert a group, right-click anywhere on the design surface and select Group >Insert > Group Header/Footer from the menu.

The GroupHeader and GroupFooter sections now appear on the design surface.

Now, place the field you want to use for grouping the detail information by dragging and dropping the desired field from the Fields list box to the GroupHeader section. A message pops up asking if you would like to assign this field as the group by field for the section. Click Yes.

If you want more than one field in the grouped section of the report, it is important to assign a group by field so that there is no conflicting data in the results.

Note: Without assigning a group by field, the GroupHeader section acts as a header to the Detail section. If the Section Group By dialog box does not appear, you can specify the group by field using the Group By dropdown on the Data tab of the Properties dialog box of the selected GroupHeader.

After assigning a group by field, the GroupHeader and GroupFooter sections change to GH_<fieldname> and GF_<fieldname>. GH stands for GroupHeader, GF stands for GroupFooter, and all spaces in the field name are replaced with an underscore.

Ordering groups

You can have multiple Group Header and Footer sections in your report. Insert additional GroupHeader/Footer sections by repeating the grouping instructions above.

When there are multiple group sections detected in the report, you are given the ability to reorder the sections. To reorder the grouped sections in your report, right-click on one of the grouped sections and select Group > Reorder Group from the shortcut menu.

Reorder the groups using the Move Up and Move Down buttons. When you are finished reordering the groups, click OK to save your changes. Your grouped sections are now in the order you designated.

GroupHeader and GroupFooter properties

Double-click on a GroupHeader or GroupFooter to open the section’s Properties dialog box.

GroupHeader

In the Properties - Group Header dialog box you can specify settings for the group section. The Appearance tab has a dropdown for back color, which allows you to change the color of the background for the selected section. Select a group by field from the dropdown on the Data tab. Only fields that are located in the GroupHeader section that can act as a group by field are listed in this dropdown.

The Behavior tab has several frames that control the properties for the section. Marking the Keep Together check box ensures that, whenever possible, all records for the grouped field are on the same page. The Underlay Next check box controls if the information in the selection GroupHeader is printed underneath the text in the next section.

The Repeat Style dropdown controls how often the selected section is repeated for the Detail section below. Selecting “None” repeats the group header section as often as needed, which means only when the data changes. It does not repeat for a new column or page. You can select “OnPage” to repeat the group header section at the top of each new page. Select the “OnColumn” option to repeat the group header section at the top of each new column. Selecting “All” prints the group header section on every page or column, and selecting “OnPageIncludeNoDetail” repeats the group header section for each page that has information from the Detail or GroupFooter section on it. Choosing one of these options repeats the group header in addition to the normal placement of the header. For example, if you choose “OnColumn” and have a Detail section that starts halfway down the first column and continues through two more columns, the group header is displayed at the beginning of the Detail section halfway down the first column and repeated at the top of the second and third column.

Note: The Repeat Style selections deal with the Detail section and only perform the designated repeating option when the Detail section is broken by a column or page. Repeating options are not performed for sections between the selected GroupHeader section and Detail section.

Use the Group Keep Together dropdown to control if the GroupHeader section stays with the Detail section information. Selecting the “FirstDetail” option keeps the group header information with the first line of data returned in the Detail section, and selecting the “All” option keeps as much of the detail section with the selected GroupHeader section as possible.

The New Page dropdown controls when a new page is started. Selecting “Before”, “After”, or “BeforeAfter” inserts a page break before, after, or before and after the selected GroupHeader section.

Marking the Column Group Together check box keeps all columns of values in a group on one page of the report whenever possible. This check box only groups columns when “All” or “FirstDetail” is chosen from the Group Keep Together dropdown.

The Column Layout check box determines if the selected group header uses the column number designation from the Detail section. If you have multiple columns specified for the Detail section and want the selected GroupHeader section to use the same number of columns, mark the Column Layout check box. Clearing the Column Layout check box makes the GroupHeader section span the entire width of the report. If the Column Layout check box is marked, you can insert a blank column before, after, or before and after the GroupHeader section in the report. Select “Before”, “After”, or “BeforeAfter” from the New Column dropdown to make this change.

The Layout tab allows you to specify a specific height for the selected GroupHeader section. Use the spinner to select a height or type a number in the field.

GroupFooter

Like the Properties - GroupHeader dialog box, the Properties - GroupFooter dialog box has unique fields on the Behavior tab. Marking the Print at Bottom check box prints information in the footer as close to the bottom margin of the page as possible. If you have information in a section below the GroupFooter, such as the PageFooter or ReportFooter, the information is printed above the other footers, but still as close to the bottom of the page as possible. Marking the Keep Together check box ensures that, whenever possible, all fields in the grouped section are on the same page/column. The New Page dropdown allows you to designate a page break before, after, or before and after the selected GroupFooter section. If the Column Layout check box is marked, the GroupFooter section uses the same column designations as the Detail section. (See Section formatting for more information.) When the Column Layout check box is marked, you have the option of designating a new column before, after, or before and after the first GroupFooter column. Selecting one of these options from the New Column dropdown inserts a blank column in the chosen spot.

Sorting

You can sort the records in a report to make it easy for a user to locate a particular record. To do this, right-click on a field and select Properties. Click on the Data tab at the top of the dialog box. Under the Sort Type field, click the dropdown and select “None”, “Ascending”, or “Descending” as the method of sorting. Click OK to save your changes. It does not matter which type of section the data field is in. Report Writer handles the sequence of sorting from left to right as it processes the fields and records for the report preview.

Bookmark Feature

The bookmark feature is available only for data fields that are located in a GroupHeader section. To designate a field as a bookmark, right-click the field that is designated as your group by field in your GroupHeader section. Select Properties from the shortcut menu and select the Data tab in the Properties - Data Field dialog box. Mark the Bookmark check box and click OK to save your changes.

Now, when you preview your report there is a table of contents on the left of the window that contains the bookmarked field. You can select multiple fields to be bookmarked, but remember the group by field for the section is always the first bookmark for the section. The group by field (Employee Number in the example below) creates an expandable menu containing the other bookmarked fields. If there are no other fields being bookmarked, the expandable item is not available.

The example below shows the table of contents of a report that has two bookmarked fields: Employee Number and Employee Name.

Table of Contents panel

Use the Table of Contents panel to link to bookmarked points or other pages in the report.

Table of Contents tab

The Table of Contents tab shows bookmarks that exist in the report. Click on a bookmark link to view the starting point for that bookmark’s information. Some sections have multiple bookmarks and are indicated by an expandable item. Click the expandable item, and then select the desired bookmark to link to that place in the document.

Thumbnail View tab

The Thumbnail View tab shows thumbnail views of each page of the report. Use this tab to quickly navigate from page-to-page in the report. Click on the desired page number to view that page.

Drilldowns

The drill-down feature works in the same way as a hyperlink, but instead of linking to a website, the drill-down links to the INCODE software. When previewing the report, click on a field that has the drill-down feature activated to bring up the detailed data in the INCODE software. To program a field to use the drilldown feature, right-click on a field and select Properties. Click the Data tab and mark the Launch Program check box. Click OK to save your changes.

Now, preview the report. Navigate to the field that the drilldown was added to and rest your mouse on top of the field. Notice that the cursor changes from an open hand to a pointing hand. Right-clicking on the field links to the data in the INCODE software.

Preview tab layout

The Preview tab in Report Writer has the same features as Report Writer Viewer. When creating a report, using the previewer to test and preview a report is much easier and quicker than using Report Writer Viewer.

Report surface

Preview toolbar

Toolbars

Print – Opens print dialog where you can select the printer, which pages to print, and number of copies. You can also control printer properties for printing the report.

Export – Opens the Export Report Wizard so you can save the report in other formats.

Exit – Closes the Report Writer Designer program. A prompt opens asking if you would like to save changes before exiting.

Global Design Settings – Opens the Global Settings window.

Export Designer File – Opens a browser page to save the report as a Report Designer file.

Import Designer File – Opens a browser page to load a Report Designer file.

About Report Designer… – Displays information about your version of Report Writer. You can also access System Information from this window.

Preview toolbar

Toggle Table of Contents – Shows/hides the Table of Contents panel.

Print – Opens the print dialog where you can select the printer, which pages to print, and number of copies. You can also control printer properties for printing the report.

Export Wizard – Opens the Export Report Wizard.

Stop Report – Stops rendering the preview of the report and displays what was loaded up to the point of when the button was clicked.

Close Report – Closes the current report. This is only available if you have a report and one or more drill-down subreports open.

First Page – Takes you to the first page of the report.

Previous Page – Takes you to the page before the one you are on.

Next Page – Takes you to the page after the one you are on.

Last Page – Takes you to the last page of the report.

Continuous Scroll – Toggles between the continuous scroll mode and print preview mode of previewing the report. Continuous scroll allows you to scroll between pages without stopping at the bottom of each page. Print preview mode forces you to stop at the end of each page. You must use the page arrows on the Preview toolbar to move between pages; the page arrows are still available, but not required when viewing the report in continuous scroll mode.

Search – Opens the Find page for you to search for words in the report.

Zoom In – Zooms in on the report.

Zoom Out – Zooms out from the report.

View Percentage – Shows the zoom setting. You can also use the dropdown to specify a zoom setting.

Page Number – Shows which page you are viewing. You can also type a page number in the field to navigate to a specific page.

Previewing the report

There are three ways to preview a report:

Click the Print Preview icon on the Standard toolbar.

Select File > Print Preview from the menu.

Select the Preview tab. If the Refresh on Preview check box is marked in Global Settings, the report preview automatically updates. If it is not marked, then you must use one of the first two steps to refresh the preview of the report.

When you are in the preview mode, navigate through the different pages of the report using the First Page, Previous Page, Next Page, and Last Page buttons on the Preview toolbar. When you are finished previewing your report, click the Designer tab to go back to the designer view.

Note: The preview of your report stays open on the Preview tab until you close the report or refresh the preview in one of the three ways above. You can toggle between the Designer and Preview tabs without updating the report preview as long as the Refresh on Preview check box is not marked in the Global Settings dialog.

Filtering

Depending on the schema and data fields you selected for your report, various filtering options appear when previewing the report in the Report Writer Designer and/or Viewer. Each tab is a filtering option dependent on a field in your report. You can specify as many or as few criteria for each filter as you want. Also, on each tab is an “Allow run-time selection” check box. Marking this check box allows Report Writer Viewer users to specify their own filters when they view the report. Clearing the check box locks in the specified filter so that the filter option does not show at runtime and therefore keeps Report Writer Viewer users from changing that filter criteria. Because each filter behaves independently, you can select which filters Viewer clients can change. Filter settings are saved every time you run the report, and previous filter settings are loaded when the report preview is refreshed.

Import and Exporting reports

Note: Before exporting your report, make sure to save the design of the report so you

can run it again in the future.

Export a final report

Once you are satisfied with the presentation, design, filters, and properties of the report, you can export the report for general consumption. Make sure to preview your report with the filters set as you want it exported. Remember the “Allow run-time selection” check box and the options marking or unmarking this check box provides. (See Filtering for more information on filter settings.)

Note: The following process exports the generated report. To export the file used to create the report, see the “Export a Designer file” section.

Preview the report on the Preview tab. From the menu, select File > Export. The Export Report Wizard starts. Click Next >.

You are prompted to choose the type of export. The default option is “Report Viewer File”. Selecting this option saves the report so that it can be opened by users with Report Writer Viewer. This data can be saved as static or refreshable depending on which option you choose later in the exporting process.

Selecting the “Local Data Copy” option allows you to export the report so that it can be opened by users who do not have Report Writer Viewer. This option saves a static set of data. Depending on the type of file you save the data as, the information can be manipulated outside of Report Writer (e.g., Excel spreadsheet and all of its capabilities). Click Next > to continue.

Follow the instructions below depending on which option you chose above:

Report Viewer File Local Data Copy

Selecting the “Read Only” option produces a report with a static set of data. This option nullifies the “Allow run-time selection” check box. Selecting the “Refreshable Always Current Data” option refreshes the data each time the report is opened. In addition to the data being refreshed, if the “Allow run-time selection” check box is marked on one of the filter tabs, you can modify the filters as needed. Click Next >.

Each option here is a common file format that most users are able to open. Select the most appropriate option for your users and click Next >.

The Viewer File Path dialog opens. In this dialog, you determine the folder and report name. Unlike a standard Windows File Save dialog, the Viewer File Path dialog saves the report in a Microsoft SQL database repository. This means that reports are accessible from a central location on your server.

Click the browse button to select a location to save the file. Click Next > to continue to the last page.

After selecting the file path, the Password Protect dialog gives you the opportunity to password protect the report. Mark the check box and type the password in the two fields. Leave the check box unmarked and the fields blank if you do not want to password protect the report. Click Next >.

The last page of the Export Report Wizard is a confirmation page. Click Finish to complete exporting your report.

Export a Designer file

You can save a copy of your report as it is on the Designer tab using the Export Designer File feature.

Note: To export the final report, see the “Export a final report” section.

Using the Export Designer File feature is slightly different than saving a copy of the file. Saving the report in this manner allows you to specify where to save it on your hard drive. Using the Save As feature through the File menu saves the report with the other Report Writer reports on the server. The Export Designer File is useful for transferring a report to another computer that is on a different server or for transferring reports between different servers. Files exported using the Export Designer File

feature are saved with an .rwd file extension and only open with Report Writer Designer. This extension helps you recognize exported files.

Note: You can save a generated report as a PDF, TIFF, Excel Spreadsheet, text file, rich text file, or HTML using the Export feature from the File menu when viewing the report

from the Preview tab in Report Writer Designer.

From the menu, select Tools > Export Designer File. A Save As dialog box opens asking where you want to save the report. Notice the series of numbers behind the original report name in the “File name:” field. When you export a report, Report Writer automatically puts a date/time stamp on the exported file. This ensures that there is no confusion with the original and copies of the report. You can change the name to anything you want. Navigate to a destination, enter a file name, and click Save.

Import a Designer file

The Import Designer File feature imports a saved .rwd file to your server. This is useful if you are transferring a report from a different server to your collection of reports. From the menu, select Tools > Import Designer File. The Open dialog box opens. Navigate to the saved .rwd file and select it. Click Open.

The Save Report As dialog box opens. Select the folder on the server you want the report saved to and specify a name in the Report Name field. Click OK.

Note: Right-click in the left pane to add, delete, and rename folders.

The report is saved in the folder you specified, but does not open automatically. To open the imported report, click Open. Navigate to the saved location, click on the report, and click OK. The imported report opens in Report Writer Designer and is saved on your Report Writer server.

Steps to Create a Report

Below is an example of how to create a report from scratch. Follow these steps with your own fields and customizations to practice creating reports. Remember, you can place any field in any section of the report. The method below is just one way of creating a report. Be sure to save your changes frequently.

Create a new report

Click the New Report button on the Standard toolbar. The New Report Wizard starts. Click Next > to proceed with the New Report Wizard.

On the next page, select the “Blank Report” option. Click Next >.

Expand the system folder and choose an application and schema. Click Next >.

Schema

Application

System

Navigate through the existing Report Writer folders and files in the left pane to select a save location. Type the name of the report in the Report Name field. Click Finish to create your new report.

Note: Right-click in the left pane to bring up a shortcut menu that allows you to add,

rename, and delete folders.

Section setup

When Report Writer opens your new report, you see a blank design surface. By default, ReportHeader, PageHeader, Detail, PageFooter, and ReportFooter are the sections included in a new report. You can add and remove sections, such as GroupHeader and GroupFooter sections, if desired. (See Grouping.)

Insert header and footer information

Using the Text button or Rich Text button, draw a text box in the ReportHeader section to create a title for your report. Resize the section to fit the whole text box if necessary by dragging the bottom border of the section down when your cursor changes to a double-ended arrow.

Resize the section if needed

Draw a text box

Choose a location

The Properties - Text Box dialog box opens. Make changes on the Appearance, Data, Behavior, and Layout tabs to format your report title. If you need help selecting options, refer to the “Adding items to a report” section or the specific section for the button such as “Text button” or “Rich Text button”. Be sure to specify your title in the Text field on the Data tab. When you finish making changes, click OK.

Now, enter the report date and time into the report. It is important in some cases to have this information so that you can keep up with the accuracy of the information of the report in relation to the time it is generated. To place the date and time on every page, draw the field in the PageHeader or PageFooter section of the report. To have the date and time only on the first page or last page of the report, draw the field in either the ReportHeader or ReportFooter section. For this example, the date and time is going to be placed in the PageHeader section of the report. In order to fit the Date/Time field, the section needs to be enlarged. Resize the section as you did the ReportHeader section. Click the Date Time button and draw a rectangle the estimated size of the field in the PageHeader section. The Properties - Date/Time dialog box opens. Adjust the settings as desired and click OK. (See “Date/Time” section for instructions on formatting date and time properties.)

Next, place page numbers in the bottom right corner of the report. These also need to be on every page, so draw the field in the PageFooter section. If necessary, resize the PageFooter section. Click the Page Number button and draw a square field for the page number. The Properties - Page Number dialog box opens. Make the desired changes on each of the tabs and click OK. (See “Page Number” section for instructions on formatting page number.)

Your report should now look similar to this example.

If you want, you can go ahead and preview the report to see how the static items will display on the generated report. Click the Preview button. On this example, notice the time and page number fields wrap to a second line. This is because the field was not drawn wide enough. Click on the Designer tab and resize the Date/Time field and the Page Number field. Click the Preview button again to refresh the preview and double check that the fields are now wide enough. When you finish making adjustments, return to the Designer tab and continue with your report by inserting fields and customizing the layout.

Insert fields

The next step in creating a report is to insert fields. These fields are found on the right side of the window. See the “Fields list box” section for more information on using the Fields list box. Find the desired field in the Field menu and drag it to the desired section. Keep in mind that any field in the ReportHeader and ReportFooter sections show up only at the beginning and end of the document. Any fields in the PageHeader and PageFooter sections show up at the top and bottom of each page of the report, and fields in the Detail section only show up in the body of the report.

This example shows a report that specifies the date a fee was filed, the citation number associated with that fee, the type of fee indicated by the Fee Code, and the balance remaining for that fee on the specified citation.

Preview the report and make necessary changes

When the report is previewed, a Select Report Filters dialog box opens. Respond to the desired filters as discussed in the “Filtering” section and click OK. When previewed, this is what the first page of the above report looks like:

You can go back to the design surface by clicking the Designer tab and make additional changes to the report. For this report, we want a total of all fees remaining for the citations in the report at the end of the report. The best place for this is the ReportFooter section and the best tool for this is the Summary Field button. Click the Summary Field button to start the Summary Function Wizard. (If you need more information on the Summary Function Wizard, refer to the “Summary Field” section.)

On the Type of Summary page, select “Sum”. Click Next >. Select the Fee Balance field on the Operation Field page and click Next >. Click the ReportFooter option to place the Summary Function field in the ReportFooter. Click Next >. Select “Grand Total” as the Summary Type and click Next >. The summary needs to be calculated once, so select the “None” option and click Next >. The Summary

Function Wizard is complete. Click Finish to insert the Summary Function field and return to the report. The field is inserted on the left side of the report page. You can move and resize the field anywhere in that section of the report. Update the preview of the report to see the summary field.

The summary field is inserted into the report, but is not formatted as currency. To change the settings for the field, return to the Designer tab and double-click the SumFeeBalance field. The Properties - Summary Field dialog box opens. Click the Data tab and scroll to the Format frame of the dialog box. Mark the Currency ($) check box and click OK.

Preview the report again and notice the summary field is now formatted as currency.

The report looks great except the user cannot tell what each column and the summary field represent. Add labels to each field by right-clicking on the field and selecting Add Label from the shortcut menu. The Easy Label dialog box opens. Change the settings as desired and click OK.

The label is inserted in the report; however, it overlaps with the field. Click and drag the fields to rearrange them so they no longer overlap and are placed relative to one another as you desire. You may also need to resize the label to include all of the text.

Fields overlapping Fields after rearranging

Add labels to other fields if desired. The example now looks like this:

There are several citations on the report that have multiple fees. If you want, you can change the report to have groups so that the information is grouped by citation number with the fees and fee balances associated with that citation listed together. To do this, add a group to the design surface. See Grouping for more information on adding groups.

The GroupHeader is inserted between the PageHeader and Detail section, and the GroupFooter is inserted between the Detail and PageFooter section. Move the Citation Number field to the

GroupHeader by cutting it from the Detail section and pasting it into the GroupHeader section. Now, you must select a field for the header to be grouped by, otherwise the GroupHeader acts as a heading instead of a grouping field. To select the group by field, right-click on the GroupHeader and select Properties from the shortcut menu. On the Data tab of the Properties - GroupHeader dialog box, select a field from the Group By dropdown. Click OK. Rearrange the field labels and other fields on the design surface if necessary. The example now looks like this:

The Date still repeats, so you can either add another group to the design surface so that the report first groups by citation number, then by date filed or just add the Date Filed field to the GroupHeader. When using the second option, the report now looks like this:

Now, the only issue with the report is that the Fee Code and Fee Balance headers are a good distance from the first entry in their respective columns. To change this, cut and paste the two fields into the GroupHeader section. The field labels repeat, but overall it is much easier for someone to quickly read the report and see what information they are looking at.

Now, the report is arranged in an informative and easy-to-read manner. You can make other changes to the report, such as adding charts, pivot tables, other calculations, or any number of other fields and information tools, using the fields from the Fields list box or features from the Toolbox toolbar.

Exporting the report

One final step in making the report useful to others is saving the report in a format usable by all those who need to see it. This is easily accomplished using the Export feature found from the File menu when viewing the report on the Preview tab. For those viewing the report that have Report Writer Viewer or who need to refresh the data/filters, save the file as a Report Viewer file. For those who do not have Report Writer Viewer to view the report, use the “Local Data Copy” option to create a file type viewable with another program.

Refer to the “Export a final report” section for details on how to export a report and all the options you have.

Report Writer Viewer

Report Writer Viewer Report Writer Viewer is used to view, export, and print reports built by the Report Writer Designer. It is much like the Preview tab in Report Writer Designer with a few differences on the toolbars and menu.

Viewer Installation

INCODE implementation staff installs and completes the initial configuration of the Report Writer Service. Once this is done, it is up to you to install Viewer on the desired computers. You can run the Viewer installation wizard from your INCODE share.

Use Windows Explorer to navigate to the INCODE share – in most cases this is your I:\ drive. You should see a Report Writer folder that contains the RVClientSetup.msi file. Double-click on the file to start the Viewer Client installation.

When the Report Writer Viewer Setup Wizard starts, you see a Welcome page. Click Next >.

We recommend that you use the suggested folder location and install Report Writer Viewer for everyone. If you want to change the folder destination, click Browse… to navigate to the desired location. If you want to view the disk space on your drive(s), click Disk Cost... If you do not want everyone who logs into this particular workstation to have the Report Writer Viewer application available, then select the “Just me” option. Click Next > to proceed.

Note: If you change the location, it must be a path on the local hard drive of your workstation.

The confirmation page opens. Click Next >.

The Installation page opens and installation begins. When the installation is finished, the Next > button is available. Click it to continue.

The Installation Complete page opens. Click Close to finish the installation process. There is now a shortcut on your desktop as well as a shortcut in the Windows Program Files menu (Start > Program Files > Tyler Technologies > Report Writer > Viewer).

Report Writer Viewer Login

When opening Report Writer Viewer you are greeted with a log-in screen. Type your user name and password into the appropriate fields. If your user name and password are the same as your Windows Login Credentials, mark the Use Windows Credentials check box. From the Server dropdown, select the appropriate server. If you do not see your server, click Refresh to disconnect and reconnect to available servers. If you still do not see your server, click Custom. The Custom Server Dialog opens. Click Add to add a new server, or select a current server and click Edit. The Add/Edit Custom Server dialog box opens. Fill in the Server Name, Server IP Address, and Server Port Number fields. Click OK to return to the Custom Server Dialog. Click OK again to return to the Report Writer login. The custom server now shows in the Server dropdown. Use the Advanced button to define advanced server settings. Advanced settings allow you to connect to multiple servers or to store custom non-Windows logins. These settings are usually defined by the implementation staff or during training. Mark the Save Log-In Information check box to save log-in settings. Click OK to start Report Writer Viewer.

Viewer Layout

Login – Opens the Report Writer log-in screen.

Open – Opens the browser dialog box with previously saved reports.

Close All Reports – Closes all open reports. This is only available if you have a report and one or more drill-down subreports open.

Export – Opens the Export Report Wizard so you can save the report in other formats.

Print – Opens the print dialog where you can select the printer, which pages to print, and the number of copies. You can also control printer properties for printing the report.

Exit – Closes the Report Writer Viewer program. A prompt opens asking if you want to save changes before exiting.

Viewer toolbar

Report surface

About… – Displays information about your version of Report Viewer. You can also access System Information from this window.

Viewer toolbar

Toggle Table of Contents – Shows/hides the Table of Contents panel.

Open Report – Opens browse dialog box with previously saved reports.

Export Wizard – Opens the Export Report Wizard so you can save the report in other formats.

Refresh Report – Displays the Select Report Filters dialog box so that you can designate new filters and rerun the report.

Print – Opens print dialog where you can select the printer, which pages to print, and number of copies; can also control printer properties for printing the report.

Stop Report – Stops rendering the preview of the report and displays what was loaded up to the point of when the Stop Report button was pressed.

Close Report – Closes the current report. This is only available if you have a report and one or more drill-down subreports open.

First Page – Takes you to the first page of the report.

Previous Page – Takes you to the page before the one you are on.

Next Page – Takes you to the page after the one you are on.

Last Page – Takes you to the last page of the report.

Continuous Scroll – Toggles between the continuous scroll mode and print preview mode of previewing the report. Continuous scroll allows you to scroll between pages without stopping at the bottom of each page. Print preview mode forces you to stop at the end of each page. You must use the page arrows on the Preview toolbar to move between pages; the page arrows are still available but not required when viewing the report in continuous scroll mode.

Search – Opens the Find dialog box; searches for words in the report.

Zoom In – Zooms in on the report.

Zoom Out – Zooms out from the report.

View Percentage – Shows zoom setting. You can also use the dropdown to specify a zoom setting.

Page Number – Shows the page you are viewing. You can also type a page number in the field to navigate to a specific page.

Viewing a report

To open a report using the Viewer, click the Open icon on the Viewer toolbar. Navigate to the appropriate folder and select the Report Viewer file to open. Click OK.

If necessary, step though the filters that may appear on the Select Report Filters dialog box selecting the information you want in the report. Click OK. The report loads in the report surface.

Note: Whether the Select Report Filters dialog box opens depends on if the report you are opening had the Allow Runtime Selection check box marked during its creation.

Use the Viewer toolbar to navigate through the report. If the report showed the Select Report Filters dialog box, the Refresh button is enabled. Click the Refresh button to open the Select Report Filters dialog box so you can select new filters and/or update the report data.

Use the Table of Contents panel to link to bookmarked points or other pages in the report. If the Table of Contents panel is not showing, click the Toggle Table of Contents button.

Table of Contents tab

The Table of Contents tab shows bookmarks if they exist in the report. Click on a bookmark link to view the starting point of that bookmark’s information. Some sections have multiple bookmarks and are indicated by an expandable menu. Click the expandable menu to view and use bookmarks in the document.

Thumbnail View tab

The Thumbnail View tab shows thumbnail views of each page of the report. Use this tab to quickly navigate from page-to-page in the report. Click on the desired page number to view that page.

Exporting a report

The Viewer can export report data in other formats (i.e., Adobe PDF, text file, rich text file, Excel spreadsheet, TIFF image, or HTML). Exporting the file is helpful when someone who does not have Report Writer Viewer needs to see a report. Unlike a report opened in Report Writer Viewer, exported reports do not have the option of refreshing data or using report filters when the report is opened.

From the menu, select File > Export. The Export Report Wizard starts. Click Next >.

You are prompted to choose the type of export. The “Report Viewer File” option is disabled. This feature is only available in Report Writer Designer. The “Local Data Copy” option is selected. Click Next > to continue.

Each option here is a common file format that most users are able to open. Select the most appropriate option for your users and click Next >.

Click the browse button to select a location to save the file. Click Next > to continue to the last page.

The last page of the Export Report Wizard is a confirmation page. Click Finish to complete exporting your report.

Printing a report

Click the Print button to print your report. The Print dialog box opens. This dialog is a standard print dialog. Select the desired options, such as the printer, print page range, and copies. Click OK to print.

Appendix A

Appendix A Report Writer Service

The Report Writer Service is used as the conduit between the Report Writer Designer and/or Viewer clients and the INCODE software. This service is also used for licensing and report schemas. INCODE implementation staff installs and configures the Report Writer Service. A system administrator performs the necessary duties to maintain the service.

The Report Writer Server Administration Console allows you to stop and start the service, set up and maintain settings, and view service events. The Report Writer Service is a Windows service that runs on the server. The service also maintains schema security and event information used by the system. Report Writer Service utilizes the INCODE software security model. Therefore, there is nothing special to configure in Report Writer v2.0. If you have reporting privileges in INCODE for a specific application, you inherit those rights in Report Writer.

General Settings tab

The General Settings tab is primarily for information purposes. The service automatically fills in most of the required elements for you. The only field not automatically entered is the Update Location field. To enter an update location, click Update. The Update Wizard starts. Follow the on-screen instructions to update your location.

Appendix A

Server Settings tab

Server connections are set up and maintained on the Server Settings tab. The Report Writer Service can be configured to process data for multiple data sets if necessary.

Stop, restart, (General settings), maybe change IP address or change ports on server settings.

Event Log tab

The Event Log tab logs server events such as connection errors. This tab is used primarily for troubleshooting if the need arises. By default, the logging mode is set to “Basic” on the General Settings tab, but can be changed to “More” or “Verbose” if desired. The setting you select determines how detailed the information is that is logged.

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