Report - Section OnRecord Event

[enstorms]

Hopefully I can explain this clearly.
Report based on Set One-to-Many based on only records from parents that have children. Have two breaks, the first/top Most is based on a field in parent table. Then next is based on field in child table. Have a variable I want to print for each parent record read/printed. The value of this variable is taken from a record in the parent table using the "lookup" function (It's from a record in the parent table that may or may not print, i.e. end of year value.). The variable is getting assigned correctly at the proper time. (using msgbox and debug.) I have my code in the Top Most break header section OnRecord event. This is the sequence of events as they fire.
1. Detail OnRecord event fires for each record read.
2. Then the second break.
3. Then the first/top most break. Variable has the correct value here, but it gets reset, of course, when it reads the next breaks detail section. How can I save this value so it prints the proper value for that Break Group?

[enstorms]

Re: Report - Section OnRecord Event

Well, hopefully this will help. Don't know if this can be done or not, which I doubt that it can't be done.

The report is invtotals_by_class based on a Set.
Table Inventory is parent, invent_details is child linked by invent_id from parent.
Only parent records that have child records will print from the set.
Inventory is made up of classes which is the main break.
Each class has 12 records in inventory making up the 12 months of the year.

I am cycling thru picking up only detail records to print. However, I need to know/print the end of year count and value for each class that is printed in the report. I have 2 variables, one to hold the end of year count (Endcnt_act) and the other to hold the end of year value (Totval_act). My code to get these values is in the Report->Section Events->Stkclassid although it seems to make no difference where I put my code. Nothing gets saved/put on paper until the whole page is built. Therefore what shows up is the value from the last record read on that page. I've also created a calc field to do the same thing to see if that would work to no avail. I am thinking this should work like a total field where it totals groups then resets to total the next group. This is just reading a value from the current class/group of records and printing that value with the current group, then getting the next, etc.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Ernie

[enstorms]

Re: Report - Section OnRecord Event

I am assuming this can't be done or the answer is so obvious that nobody wants to embarrass me.
Ernie

[MikeC]

Re: Report - Section OnRecord Event

Ernie,
I haven't checked out the sample you attached..yet--can you give a specific example of what a total would be for what group etc. so that I or someone else will know if what experimenting we do brings up the correct amount(s)?

Once I have this I will see what I can do--unless someone else comes up with what you want first---just so much easier when I know what should be seen is all.

[enstorms]

Re: Report - Section OnRecord Event

Mike,
Thanks for your reply. There is a parent table, Inventory, and a child table, Invent_Details. I only want to print detail records by reading using only parent records that have child records. That is the way the set is setup. There will be only 12 Parent records for each stock class representing 12 months of a year. The parent table is queried by Stkclassid and ap_year and ordered by ap_month. In details is where I keep data that affects numbers in the parent record, such as beginning of year count, values, sales, adjustments to inventory, etc. throughout the year. I need to be able to print the end of year value and count for each Stock Class, represented by StkclassId. Therefore, as I read the detail record, which is related to the parent record by the Stkclassid field, then for that Stkclassid, I read the last record in the query, December, and get the end of year value and count for that class of stock. I can get the numbers, but haven't figured out how to save them so they can be printed along with the other records in that group. I created a Shared variable, but it gets reset after every read of the Group Header, Stkclassid, in the OnRecord event. I don't know how alpha5's inner-workings handle calculated total fields that you place in footers, but you're using the same variable for every group and it gets saved somehow so it prints totals for the proper group. Seems the OnRecord events don't allow much leeway, other that changing values in records that are read. Help file is very sparse in this area. Would really like to understand if there is a way to manipulate variables in reports, other than calc fields, to hold data.
Thanks for any help.
Ernie

[MikeC]

Re: Report - Section OnRecord Event

Ernie,
I admit I am still confused and perhaps this is why others have not responded...but there may be a way out of this. Take a look at the screenshot of the report from your sample--the only mods I have made are for being able to see a bit more clearly what is what and where on the report--nothing else. From this tell me what I should be seeing and what you want--sounds like you just want the December values...

[enstorms]

Re: Report - Section OnRecord Event

Mike,
Sorry this is so confusing. You are correct. Am after December count and value for each stock class that is read. My formatting and layout is just thrown together right now, trying to figure out how to retain the values I am getting in the Stkclassid header OnRecord event. You'll notice from the screen shot, the end of year values printed are for the last record read: Bulls. You can go into the Inventory table and look at the Actual Total Value and Actual End Count fields for December to see the values I'm wanting to capture/print for each details record read/printed. It actually only needs to be queried once and printed once somewhere in the group. Haven't completed the design as of yet. Just trying to figure out how I can make it work.
The Adj_reasons is what I use to group/adjust Inventory: Adjust Count (Up/Down), Sales, Purchases, Births, etc. This is coded into the details form and selected via a drop combo box. Then in posting rules, it updates the Inventory table based on what was selected / entered.
Thanks again for your help. I've come from a Clarion background where you could load up local variables before or after the detail record was read or before or after the header was printed, then reset it to zero to get values for the next group. In alpha, it seems a whole page of data is gathered and then it prints. So I would need a variable for each stock class. But since the number of stock classes varies depending on the user, am trying to use only one variable for multiple classes. Hope that makes sense.
Ernie

[Tom Cone Jr]

Re: Report - Section OnRecord Event

Ernie, for what it's worth, I've never had much luck using the OnRecord event in the report writer. Have much better success pre-processing complicated reports and dumping the processed values to a temp table, and then base the report layout on the temp table.

I suggest you discover whether what you need to do can be done using a much simplified example, before struggling with your final report layout.

-- tom

[enstorms]

Re: Report - Section OnRecord Event

Tom,
Thanks for your input. Was hoping the report writer would be more flexible, but probably not. I have started to just copy the data I need for a report into a temp table with xBasic. Actually, relatively simple. What I do is create a table with field rules and all, then at the beginning of build, Zap it and cycle thru all the tables I need to collect the data. Is this standard practice?
Ernie

[Tom Cone Jr]

Re: Report - Section OnRecord Event

Ernie, I don't use any field rules at all in my temp tables. They're just shells used for reports. Fill them with preprocessed data, print report, empty them. Otherwise, what you're saying is pretty common.

[MikeC]

Re: Report - Section OnRecord Event

Ernie,
As I cannot even get ANY value to show up for the totals, I think what Tom said should be taken to heart--simplify and get one thing working, then add complexity. Also, I don't use the OnRecord events much either--the OnPrintInit I have used a lot as well as the detail filter. On complex filters I usually try to prefilter before calling up the report...or create the complex filter prior to the report and then pass it to the report in the OnPrintInit event.

Just some more alternatives really as each report is a bit different and requires different tactics many times.

[G Gabriel]

Re: Report - Section OnRecord Event

[ATTACH]19441[/ATTACH]

[Tom Cone Jr]

Re: Report - Section OnRecord Event

G, that's very interesting! Care to share the technique? Inquiring minds want to know!

Thanks.

-- tom

[enstorms]

Re: Report - Section OnRecord Event

I second that!
Ernie

[G Gabriel]

Re: Report - Section OnRecord Event

G, that's very interesting! Care to share the technique? Inquiring minds want to know!

Thanks.

-- tom

Nothing you don't already know or have done probably a hundred times.

The OnRecord event has a script that assigns a value to a variable based on a lookup() that uses a filter. The value, obviously, comes from a field in the table. Ernie put that variable in the detail section.

Hmmm!

First off, there is a major flaw with this concept. I will leave that out for now and most likely if you think about it for a second you will figure it out.

But, WHY the OnRecord event to begin with? WHY go look for these values and assign them to a variable?

Isn't that what alpha does?

In essence, Ernie is trying (unwittingly) to do alpha's work, and needless to say, it didn't work.

I did away with the OnRecord event. I simply placed the field itself in the footer and placed the filter as a base filter for the report.