Lesson 7: Environment Tutorial

Create a new report from an existing one

Now you create a new report from one of the reports on the shared drive. You then make a slight modification to the report.

The modification adds powerful options to the report that you can see when you run the report.

On the H drive, double-click the contactgrid report.

Shown is the Library painter with columns for Name, Modification Date, and Compilation Date. Listed are contact grid, contacts _ by _ job role, d _ d d d w _ states, q _ expenses, and contact _ maintenance. Contact grid is circled.

You go to the Report painter with the contactgrid report open.

Shown is the Report painter with the contact grid report open. The Header band displays the headers I D, Last Name, First Name, Job Role, Street, City, State, and Zip. The Detail band displays the columns i d last _ name, first _ name, title, street, city, state, and zip, and partially visible is phone.

Select File>Save As from the menu bar.

The Save Report dialog box displays. You are going to change the name of the report so that you can keep the old one and create a new one with some changes.

Shown is the Save Report dialog box. At top, the Reports text box displays the name contact grid.

Type the name contactgrid_with_prompting and click OK.

The report name changes. You are now working on a report called contactgrid_with_prompting.

Shown is the Report painter displaying the report named contact grid _ with _ prompting report. The Header band displays the headers I D, Last Name, First Name, Job Role, Street, City, State, and Zip. The Detail band displays the columns i d, last _ name, first _ name, title, street, city, state, and zip, and partially visible is phone.

If the View>Column Specifications view is not already in the lower right corner of the Report painter, select View > Column Specifications from the menu bar.

The Column Specifications view displays, listing all the columns in the report. You can choose one, many, or all columns for prompting. The columns you choose here let you control what rows are selected when you run the report.

For example, if you choose the city column here, you can specify a city when you run the report. Then only rows that include that city are retrieved.

Shown is the Column Specifications view listing all the columns in the report. The headings for the information about the columns are labeled Name, Type, Prompt, and D B Name. Prompt heads a column of check boxes. Each row displays data for one table column and the columns are sorted by column number.

Select all the check boxes.

You are choosing all columns so that you can enter criteria for any column you want when you run the report.

Select Rows>Retrieve from the menu bar.

The Specify Retrieval Criteria dialog box displays. Since you said that you wanted to be prompted for all the columns, the dialog box includes all the columns.

Shown is the Specify Retrieval Criteria dialog box. It is a grid with a row of the selected Column names across the top and two more rows labeled Criteria and Or.

Click in the first cell in the title column.

Use the horizontal scroll bar to move the title column into full view.

A box with an arrow displays to show there is a drop-down list for that column.

Click the arrow to open the list.

Select Customer support.

This puts Customer support in the title column. This means that the report is limited to contacts in Customer support.

Shown is the Specify Retrieval Criteria dialog box with a drop down list box open in the Criteria row under the title column. Of the criteria listed, Customer support is highlighted.

Click OK.

The report displays. It includes only contacts in Customer support.

Shown is the Preview view of the report named contact grid _ with _ prompting. It has columns for I d, Last Name, First Name, Job Role, Address, Phone, and Fax. For every row of data, only Customer Support appears in the Job Role column.

By setting up a report to prompt for criteria, you give yourself a lot of power and flexibility when you run the report. You learn more about this when you create an application in the next tutorial.

Select File>Close from the menu bar.

When prompted to save changes, click Yes.

The Report painter closes and you return to the Library painter.

Now your new report is listed. It is a good idea to add comments to document the report. You can do that now.

Position the pointer on contactgrid_with_prompting.

Press the right mouse button to display the pop-up menu.

Select Properties.

The Properties dialog box displays.

Type This report lets me enter selection criteria when I run the report.

Shown is the General tab page of the Properties dialog box displaying properties for the object named contact grid _ with _ prompting. At bottom is a Comments box with the text, "This report lets me enter selection criteria when I run the report."

The newly added comment displays.

Click OK.

Shown is the Library Painter list view with columns labeled Name, Modification Date, Compilation Date, Size, and Comment. Highlighted is the objects contact grid _ with _ prompting. Its comment column displays the text, "This report lets me enter selection criteria when I run the report."

Now you have become familiar with many of the tasks you can do in the Library painter.

Continue directly to the next tutorial, the Application tutorial.

(Leave the Library painter open.)