V11 A5 Reports - can two reports be merged into one PDF at runtime?

[Melissa Smith]

I have two reports. The first is a Purchase Order, which has specific order details that a web user will create from a dialog2 component. The second is a Terms and Conditions report that must be included with each PO that is issued to a supplier.

The reason for having two separate reports is that the language of the Terms and Conditions is occasionally updated from the corporate office, and I don't want to have to update the body of the report every time that happens. Instead I have a grid built for editing the Terms & Conditions (which is currently 18 paragraphs), and a dialog2 for creating Purchase Orders.

I want the user to be able to open a specific PO report, and have the current Terms appended automattically into one PDF document that can be emailed, and I can't figure out how to do that. Is there a way to build an onClick event or some other procedure that will do this? I realize that the two reports could be combined with PDF software, but I'd like to save the user from having to do that.

I'm using MSSQL as the back-end. I've tried creating a View with the PO details and the Terms & Conditions, but the two don't have any common linking fields, so the result is a mess.

[Keith Hubert]

Re: V11 A5 Reports - can two reports be merged into one PDF at runtime?

Hi Melissa,

You can create a link field in each table with a value of "XXXX", without the quotes. The link would be 1:1.

[Al Buchholz]

Re: V11 A5 Reports - can two reports be merged into one PDF at runtime?

http://wiki.alphasoftware.com/PDF_MERGE+Function

take 2 pdfs and merge them into a new 3rd pdf.

[WindForce]

Re: V11 A5 Reports - can two reports be merged into one PDF at runtime?

Alan
In that wiki page they state it's limited to desktop applications only...

Jaime

[Al Buchholz]

Re: V11 A5 Reports - can two reports be merged into one PDF at runtime?

Alan
In that wiki page they state it's limited to desktop applications only...

Jaime

Ok, but did you try it?

Or for those that have a hybrid system (web and desktop) this is an option.. Potentially with a file watch that will do the work from a desktop edition running on the server.

[Mike Reed]

Re: V11 A5 Reports - can two reports be merged into one PDF at runtime?

Yes you can merge pdf files in the web app. I do this routinely, here is some code, this appends a report to a fax cover sheet so that it can faxed (via email).

save your 2 reports similar to this, giving them different filenames

filename = session.session_folder + "tempreport.pdf"
filename1 = session.session_folder + "faxcover.pdf"

filename = report.saveas("Invoice_Logo@[PathAlias.ADB_Path]\invoice.set","pdf",filter,order,filename,.f.)
filename1 = report.saveas("Fax Cover@[PathAlias.ADB_Path]\FaxCover.set","pdf",filter,order,filename,.f.)


'combine pdf files into one
pdf_append(filename1,filename)

'delete the unused file
if file.exists(filename) then
file.remove(filename)
end if
sleep(1)
'If you want to rename the file for readability for the customer, then do that here. Be sure to add the "sleep(1)" command. That gives the computer doing the work time to actually close the file before the rename process begins
file.rename(filename1,session.session_folder + alltrim(v_comid) + ".pdf")
sleep(1)

'now you can email or print the report. I put the sleep command in again, just to slow the process a little so the web app server can keep up. ( at least I had to that on the server I was working on)
email_send(............)

Hope that helps.

mike

[Melissa Smith]

Re: V11 A5 Reports - can two reports be merged into one PDF at runtime?

Thanks Keith, Al, and Mike for your suggestions. I do have a web only application, which I failed to clarify in my original post. I should also state that I'm using a button within a Dialog2 component to open the PO report using the OnClick Javascript event once the user has saved the Purchase Order data.

Keith - I created a link field as suggested, but because both reports have their own headers, footers, grouping and detail sections, I still can't quite make that route work for me.

Al -I did take a look at the wiki, but it is completely confusing to me.

Mike - Looks like you expanded on Al's suggestion (maybe?). Would you provide where you enter this code? I'm still in the very early stages of learning A5.

Regards,
Melissa

[Mike Reed]

Re: V11 A5 Reports - can two reports be merged into one PDF at runtime?

My code runs in a dialog2 component and is in the afterDialogValidate Event for Server-Side Events.
If you are using a grid, then I suppose it could be in the Server-Side Events, On Page Redirect. Then you can redirect to the newly created file. ( I think, but not sure as I haven't tried it).

just a note, I like Keith's idea, but for me I'm just too simple. I would just use the filename stuff I mentioned earlier. Filename would be the "standard" terms and conditions report which sounds like it is pretty much cut and dried. Using this would also give the most current rendition of the report and its content. Then create the real report and then append the terms report to it and finally display it.
mike