Data Array

[Stephen Schell]

Hi All

On the desktop, I have created a table of data with three values, Client Name, Inventory Item and Number of items. This sub-table is linked to a Client Master list table via set and the Client Name is a the linking field.

I want to show this as an item list below a client record in a report. I can link the records through the linking field and can create a vertical list but I would like to save space and print the records side by side in an array format. How do I do this? Below is a bit of an example of what I would like.

Client Name Address, City, Etc Etc.
Inventory Item A - Quantity 6, Inventory Item B - Quantity 3, Inventory Item C - Quantity 5

The first line would be from the client master list table and the second line would be from the linked inventory table.



Thanks for any ideas.

Steve

[Al Buchholz]

The short answer is to have a calculated field that builds the list from one of the functions that get the record content (like TABLE.EXTERNAL_RECORD_CONTENT_FROM_KEY_GET()
) into a CRLF list (vertical) and then apply crlf_to_comma() to get a horizontal list.

You could then have the report based only on the Client Master table.

[Tom Cone Jr]

Al, once the horizontal list is available, how do you format the list so that there appear to be 3 columns in the report? It sounds like the list will have to be stored in a memo field, and the "formatting" into columns would have to be done there. Is that what you had in mind?

[Al Buchholz]

Al, once the horizontal list is available, how do you format the list so that there appear to be 3 columns in the report? It sounds like the list will have to be stored in a memo field, and the "formatting" into columns would have to be done there. Is that what you had in mind?

I don't think that columns are desired. Just a single horizontal line of the data that is comma separated.

Multiple fields can be extracted and combined with the record_content step.

If Steve provides a sample, we can build it.

[Stephen Schell]

Hi

Thanks for the input guys.
Tom, I am looking to eliminate the columns and just have a comma separated line of info. The client inventory has no more than 3 or 4 items per client but there are several hundred clients and I need to print this report so I want to keep each client records to a manageable length.

I have worked on this for an hour and don't deem to be getting anywhere. I can create the calculated field successfully but when I add it to the report, nothing prints.


Here is more background and I apologize for how long the explanation is.

The report is based on a set where the Client table is the primary table.

Included in the Client table are fields like name and address, etc. as well as many fields that list what type of live tropical plants we have in the location (such as floor plant, table plant, etc.). Most of these fields are zero value and it makes the report hard to read as you have to look at many zero value items. The good part of this is that we can put the item type in the header and it all prints out in just 2 lines per record. Unfortunately, we now want to add several new types of items to the mix and the problem will escalate.

To solve the problem, we are trying to create a subsidiary table which will have one record for each type of plant that we have in a given site.

The subsidiary table has 3 fields, Client name, which is the linking field, Plant Type and unit count.

Here is what I have created:

TABLE.EXTERNAL_RECORD_CONTENT_FROM_KEY_GET("Client_Plants","alltrim(Client_Plants->Plant_Type)+' - '+alltrim(Client_Plants->Plant_Count)+', ' ",Client_Plants->Plant_Type)



If it will help I can create a small set to create and example for you.

Its making me crazy

[Stephen Schell]

I forgot to add that I have yet tried to make the records all print on one line. I have not gotten that far yet.

[Al Buchholz]

If it will help I can create a small set to create and example for you.

Please do provide a sample.