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Blank Fields in a Report

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    #1

    Blank Fields in a Report

    I am designing a report for a chorale group so members can verify or update their information at the upcoming first rehearsal of the new season.

    For most members, not all of the fields in the table are populated. i.e. Most do not have a second e-mail, and that field will be blank on the report.

    I want a border around each field, whether blank or not, so the member knows where to put in data. For example, they want to list a cell phone that wasn't previously provided.

    If I insert a field in the report and format it with a border, only populated fields show up on the report. In other words, a blank field does not show up as an empty box. (Attached "Member Update0.pdf")


    To work around this I reformatted all the fields with no border. I then inserted a frame with a border for each field position and put the field inside the frame. As you can see in the attached file (Member Update 1.pdf) the results weren't any better. The populated fields show up properly, while blank fields so not. For all fields except "Email (Secondary)" the frame is only slightly taller than the field. (Frame = .2" field = .187") "Email (Secondary)" frame = .3" and the field is positioned at the top of the frame and slightly to the right of the left frame.

    So the question is: How do I get a bordered box for each position of the report, whether the corresponding field is populated?

    TIA
    "There comes a point in every project where it becomes necessary to shoot the engineers and begin production."
    Tags: None
    #2
    Re: Blank Fields in a Report

    Adding a frame here shows up when no data....so something else is going on....a sample is the only way for me! :)

    A conditional object may work as well if a frame turns out to not...
    Mike
    __________________________________________
    It is only when we forget all our learning that we begin to know.
    It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.
    Henry David Thoreau
    __________________________________________



    Comment

      #3
      Re: Blank Fields in a Report

      Thanks for the reply Mike.

      I went back and played with it a bit and found I could get the bordered frame to show up as long as the field borders were completely inside the frame. However, the size of the displayed frame changed depending on whether the field is populated or not. See the e-mail fields on the attached file. (Members Update 2.pdf)

      Having said that....

      This was on kind of a short deadline, so I tried something else. I got the results I wanted by doing this as a Letter rather than a Report, and it came out as I wanted. (Members Update.pdf)

      When I get more time I will play with the conditional object as you suggest.

      I am confused as to why the report module and the letter module would work so differently.

      --------
      "There comes a point in every project where it becomes necessary to shoot the engineers and begin production."
      "There comes a point in every project where it becomes necessary to shoot the engineers and begin production."

      Comment

        #4
        Re: Blank Fields in a Report

        Nice that you have figured out a solution (and posted it here!). You will find the availability of various ways to do pretty much the same thing to be present in most of Alpha, but this can also confuse a developer at the same time as to which way it should be tackled.

        I believe the letter module is basically a RTF field and so it doesn't surprise me that they may act a bit different....I don't use it as a rule as the report writer can do most/all that it can do and more.

        Your differences in frame size....check your frame properties and uncheck both the can shrink and allow growth checkboxes and see if that prevents the size change.
        Mike
        __________________________________________
        It is only when we forget all our learning that we begin to know.
        It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.
        Henry David Thoreau
        __________________________________________



        Comment

          #5
          Re: Blank Fields in a Report

          The confusion continues, but the problem seems to be solved. In Frame Properties, "Allow to Grow" is checked by default. I assumed (Yea, yea, I know...:) ) that was what I wanted so I left it. As you suggested, I unchecked it and the formatting is just as I wanted (and consistent) for both the populated and empty fields. I even moved the fields to the upper left corner of the frame so it is touching both the top and left border and it is still o.k. In the attached file, "Members Update 3.pdf," you can see the results. All the frames are the sizes I formatted.

          The confusion comes from, "Why does 'Allow to grow' cause the frame to shrink?"

          I realize these formatting quirks (and other fine tuning) of reports, letters, etc aren't the core of the program, but most of these tweaks are poorly documented. I guess I am so spoiled by the ease of just about everything in A5 I forget that every now and then I actually have to think.

          But it is still beats the "good ol' days" of A4 V 1.1 when you had to enter printer codes into the report for each formatting element you wanted. (And that was still easier than Paradox!)

          Anyway, thanks for your help, Mike.
          "There comes a point in every project where it becomes necessary to shoot the engineers and begin production."

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