FastTips for FoxPro for Windows: Report Writer Q&A

ID: Q96173


The information in this article applies to:


======================================================================
       Microsoft(R) Technical Support Application Note (Text File)
              FW0932: REPORT WRITER QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
======================================================================
                                                  Revision Date: 10/93
                                                      No Disk Included

The following information applies to Microsoft FoxPro(R) version 2.5
for Windows(TM).

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| Copyright (C) 1993 Microsoft Corporation.  All Rights Reserved.     |
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1.  Q. Should I convert all my FoxPro 2.0 reports to FoxPro for
       Windows?

    A. You may not need to. Your existing character reports will run,
       preview, and print unchanged in FoxPro for Windows. The engine
       for printing character reports is included with FoxPro for
       Windows. If you want to include graphical elements (fonts,
       pictures, and so on) in a report, then you can convert the
       reports, or create new graphical reports from scratch.

2.  Q. I used the Quick Report command to create my initial report.
       Now I want to add another field. In FoxPro for MS-DOS, the
       Report menu contained Field command that allowed me to add a
       single field. How do I do this in FoxPro for Windows?

    A. New fields may be added using the field tool located in the
       toolbox on the left side of the Report Layout window. For
       additional information on the Report Writer toolbox, see the
       FoxPro for Windows "User's Guide."

3.  Q. I have included a memo-type field in my report, but only the
       first line prints. How can I fix this?

    A. To display the entire contents of the memo field, you need to
       make the field stretch vertically to fit its contents. Double-
       click the report field and select the Top - Field Can Stretch
       option from the Position Relative To item. The field can grow
       in size depending on the length of the memo field. Select the
       Page Preview option to view the results.

4.  Q. When I place a "stretched" memo field in the Detail band, I
       find that the fields that display below the memo field are
       being overwritten by some of the longer memo fields. How do I
       avoid this?

    A. Fields or objects positioned below the memo field are still
       being displayed in a fixed position, even though the memo field
       is now stretchable. To avoid being overwritten, all objects
       below the memo field should be positioned relative to the
       bottom of the Detail band. To accomplish this, double-click
       each of the fields and select the Bottom option from the
       Position Relative To item. Select the Page Preview option to
       view the result. If your report contains side-by-side memo
       fields, fields with the Bottom option specified will be
       displayed below the longer of the two memo fields.

        NOTE: The above procedure applies to nonstretching fields and
        other objects, such as lines and text. If you have stretching
        fields placed below other stretching fields, you do not want
        to position them relative to the bottom. Stretching fields
        automatically float below other stretching fields.

5.  Q. I have placed boxes around several fields in my report. One of
       these fields is a memo field. How do I make the box stretch
       just like the memo field?

    A. Double-click the box and select the Stretch With Band option
       from the Position Relative To item. Rectangles (boxes) and
       vertical lines have the option to stretch according to the
       length of the Detail band.

        NOTE: You will not be able to place a stretching box around a
        field if the field will not be positioned relative to the top
        or the bottom of the band.

6.  Q. When I attempt to move a text object to a specific location in
       the Report Layout window, the field keeps aligning itself with
       the nearest grid line. Why is this happening?

    A. By default, objects are automatically aligned to the nearest
       invisible grid lines in the Report Layout window. This feature
       is called Snap To Grid and can be disabled by choosing Snap To
       Grid from the Report menu.

7.  Q. How do I design and print multicolumn reports in FoxPro 2.5 for
       Windows?

    A. Choose Page Layout from the Report menu and use the Columns
       spinner to select the number of columns desired. Clicking the
       up arrow increments the counter, whereas clicking the down
       arrow decrements the counter. The size of the Report Layout
       window will be modified to reflect the new column width.
       Existing field positioning may need to be modified.

        HINT: When you are creating a new report that you know you
        want set up in columns, set the layout before you add any
        fields.

8.  Q. When I enlarge the font of an object in my report and print it,
       some of the information in the fields is cut off. How can I fix
       this?

    A. The information may be cut off because the Detail band or the
       object itself isn't large enough to display the larger font.
       You may need to stretch the Detail band and/or the object
       itself to accommodate the larger font. 

Additional query words: FoxWin 2.50 ivrfax fasttips


Keywords          : FxprintFont 
Version           : 2.50
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : 

Last Reviewed: August 5, 1999