print records from a browse

[Becky McNichols]

I've put a button on several forms with embedded browses to "Print current selection of records". Each was created using the button tool on the toolbox: built in action - print/preview - print a browse - ("salesbrws") - print current selection of records. The script it ends up with is:

print:
:Browse.print("salesbrws")
goto cleanup
cleanup:
end


I want the user to be able to sort & filter the data, then print the records on the screen. This works on all but one form and I don't know why it's not working. I get the printer box but nothing happens when I press OK.

The problem form is based on a set with one one-to-many link and several one-to-one links. Has anyone else experienced this or know off the top of his or her head what's happening?

[Becky McNichols]

RE: print records from a browse

Ant ideas, anyone?

[whanigsberg]

RE: print records from a browse

Becky,

It's hard to respond because it's not quite clear exactly what you're doing.

Is is possible that on the forms where the process works you have embedded a named browse layout and where it doesn't you have the default browse. I don't think you are printing the form itself, along with the embedded browse. My recollection is that the browse won't print under those circumstances.

So my only advice is that you make a detailed comparison of the browse and form properties to find the difference.

However, I wonder why you don't just define a report for the the table in question. Set it to print the current selection of records and be done with it. You get more flexibility in designing the layout this way.

Still, if your process works, it is hard to advise you to change it.

Anyway, if I'm off base with the diagnosis, write back with more details. Is the offending layout based on a set with the others on a table (or vice versa)?

Bill

[Becky McNichols]

RE: print records from a browse

Thanks for your reply, Bill. I know it is vague - I thought maybe there was something obvious I was overlooking ??

I have designed and named 15 browses. Each named browse is inserted onto a separate form (attached to various tables AND sets) and the "Print current selection of records" is one of the buttons at the bottom of each form.

I've reviewed the browse and form layouts and can't find anything that would make them behave differently EXCEPT that the troublesome form is attached to the only set where there is a one-to-many link. Could this be the problem?

I haven't designed a report because there are 45 fields which I need to view in a columnar comparison. A report would probably be 30-40 inches across. I think I'm limited in a report layout to 21-22 inches (?).

If the one-many relationship is the problem, is there any way to modify the print script to get around this? Thanks much for your help.

[whanigsberg]

RE: print records from a browse

Hi Becky,

You've hit on it: the one to many relationship.

I don't see why the number of fields should make a report any wider than a browse. They're the same fields. If the browse omits some, so too can the report. But this is so obvious it can't be what your talking about, can it?

What precisely do you mean by "current selection of records" in your problem case. Do you mean the current selection of parent records? Or do you mean the child records of the current parent?

Do you need to see fields from the parent as well as the child? I would guess not as all you want to do is show the browse which has only child fields, right?

What is the linking field in your set design?

Bill

[Becky McNichols]

RE: print records from a browse

The browse is designed with parent AND child fields (parent fields will repeat when there are multiple children in one parent record). I want to be able to use filtering tools from the toolbar then get a printout (in this browse format) of those filtered records.

The linking field from the parent to child on the one-to-many link is "T19G_No". There are also several one-to-one links from the parent.

When the browse is viewed on the form, I scroll on and on to the right to see all of the fields. Unless I'm missing something on the report layout, I can only get about one third of them across the widest custom page layout.
Thanks for your help.

[whanigsberg]

RE: print records from a browse

Becky,

Unless somebody else has a bright idea I think you are going to have to resort to a report layout. You might give some thought to how you could get creative with the layout. Do you always need all fields do they have to be arrayed horizontally, can records be grouped by parent,etc.

Bill

[Tom Cone Jr]

RE: print records from a browse

Becky, I've been watching this thread with interest. Sounds like your form will have to be patched together after it's printed, right? Only so many columns per page, so the other columns appear on other pages, and then you manually tape them together. If I'm right, it reminds me of many spreadsheet printouts I've dealt with over the years.

I'd recommend you consider several landscape mode reports. A surprising amount of information can be positioned on each sheet by adjusting the font to a smaller size. On the first report include as many fields as will fit. Put the next bunch on the second report. Put the remaining fields on the last report. Arrange each report in the same way, and the rows should line up just fine. You could include the same field on each report just to help get them aligned when you start taping them together. I'll bet you can get by with less pasting and taping in the end.

If you set the report (in its properties) to use current selection of records your user can run the query, and the print the report and only the records meeting the query will appear.

-- tom

[Becky McNichols]

RE: print records from a browse

Tom-
After reading Bill's replies, your suggestion is what I'd about decided to do. I already have a dozen or so reports which sort the set's information in different ways, but sometimes I just need to compare them to the whole ball of wax to double-check data.

But - is it "normal" that a browse built on a set such as this (with the one-many relationship) can't be printed either by the button created with the button genie on the form OR from the print icon on the toolbar when the browse is opened up directly?

Thanks, Bill and Tom, for your help.

[Tom Cone Jr]

RE: print records from a browse

Sorry, I don't know. I don't print my forms. Alpha Five's report engine is so powerful and flexible that I much prefer using it to produce my printed output.

-- tom

[martinwcole]

RE: print records from a browse

Becky, I use this feature often, so I know it works, however, you must manually make the browse that you use, and you must go to properties and for "records" filter so that only what you want is displayed - like for one of mine, that shows only members within an age group, that I capture when the user pushes the button
filter in browse: cage >= var->number1 .and. cage number2

also, the browse is for the child table only, not the set

hope this helps

[whanigsberg]

RE: print records from a browse

Becky and Martin,

If Martin is right (which I assume) I may have misled Becky for which I apologize. But, Martin, could you be clearer about what you mean by "manually adjust." Surely you can't mean every time you print?

I see the variables in the browse filter expression. I assume that is how you change the selection of records from instance to instance, no?

And are you printing the form with the embedded browse or are you printing the browse itself in which case it is probably a named browse.

It is the printing of the form with the browse embedded that I find problematic and worth avoiding.

Thanks,
Bill