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Letter type reports.

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    Letter type reports.

    The Alpha5 report tool seems to focus on only designing list type reports.

    Has anyone created form letter type reports where sections in the letter are populated by specific fields depending on the record being reported? I am trying to replace an excel file and the word file that was used to mail merge with the spreadsheet. I can't find examples of this type of reporting in Alpha5.

    One other aggravating issue is that the report designer won't accept copy and paste from text outside the report designer. For example, I have the report content all written in a word file. I then want to copy and paste the content as I design the Alpha5 report but it won't paste. Not even into and RTF object? What gives? I should not have to type all the content in such a limited editing environment. Is this a bug?

    Thanks for any help and examples.

    Chuck

    #2
    Re: Letter type reports.

    Hi Chuck,

    If you could post a sample of your app and a layout of the report you are trying to produce I'm sure we could help you.
    Regards
    Keith Hubert
    Alpha Guild Member
    London.
    KHDB Management Systems
    Skype = keith.hubert


    For your day-to-day Needs, you Need an Alpha Database!

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Letter type reports.

      The App is a Web App. Before I waste my time designing the app I would like to design the reports making sure that they can be designed. I understand how to use the reports in my Web Apps.

      Attached is a small example if the first page in a Form Letter. You will note that the name of the person that the letter is being exported for is pulled from a data table and should insert into the report at the defined location. In this case it is pulled from an Excel list and merged with this Word Document but needs to move to Alpha. All of the data in the list is now in an Alpha5V9 DBF table and will be updated via a web app in the future but not if I cannot duplicate the reports needed.

      Please imagine several more pages to this letter (report), and that within the letter is embedded references to fields containing the data to be placed into the report in line with the text.

      Another example of an area in the letter might state:

      "Your body fat was {BodyFat value from record in table} and is an indication of your metabolic health."

      But this is a letter not just several lines of statements.

      Hope this makes sense.

      Chuck

      Comment


        #4
        Re: Letter type reports.

        Chuck,

        In addition to what Keith said (a sample would help), if I understand what you are after, I think your excel data would 1st have to be imported into an A5 table--then perhaps into fields in one of your existing tables via an append. Then you should be able to do whatever you want in a letter.

        As for copying and pasting, I think the problem is all the formatting that is inherent in any Word file text. I suppose it would be nice if Alpha could deal with it (maybe a Wish List item?) but it can't. What I do is copy such text and then paste it into my ASCII text editor (I don't use Notepad but I am sure it would work), then copy it again from there and then paste that into wherever I want it in A5.

        Raymond Lyons

        Edit: Goodness, I did not see your second post. What you want to do could not be simpler. In your rtf object in your report just drag and drop fields from the drag and drop list into wherever you want them in the text of the letter. Or use the Insert item in the Text Toolbar (the XY option) and insert fields that way.
        Last edited by Raymond Lyons; 05-21-2009, 07:56 PM.

        Comment


          #5
          Re: Letter type reports.

          Thanks,
          You are correct in your finial statements. It is fairly simple and working. But as usual I run into limitations and need workarounds or I am just not using it correctly in the first place.

          My current problem is that the letter is several pages long and the detail part of the report is limited to only ~22 inches in height. Can't figure out how to overcome this limitation. Have not figured out how to add another detail part or something that will extend the report.

          Chuck

          Comment


            #6
            Re: Letter type reports.

            Forget it! I am an absolute idiot! Maybe I could just use the Letter designer instead of trying to create a letter with the Report designer!

            Man that�s embarrassing!


            Thank You for your patience. :-)

            Comment


              #7
              Re: Letter type reports.

              I doubt that you are any kind of an idiot.

              Yes, use the letter design genie, especially to learn. But be aware that anything you do under the Letter category can also be done as a report. And letters done as reports do have an advantage or two. For example, report layouts allow for report and section events (under the Reports menu item) whereas a letter done as a Letter do not.

              Raymond Lyons

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