Printing Form

[davej]

In my Alpha 5 class, my students are at the point in the course where they need to print a form. When a form is brought up in either design or view mode, and printing is initiated, the background on the form prints, which we do not want. My preference is that only the form objects (labels, data, etc.) print.

I know that forms are not really meant to be printed and that the students should design a report that emulates a form, but I want a single data form for grading purposes.
Does anyone know how to surpress the background from printing, short of deleting the color/image and leaving a plain white background?

Thanks,

Dave

[Doug Page]

RE: Printing Form

Hi Dave,

In the properties of the form object is "use bitmap".
Just turn it off and then back on again. I used a button on the form to print that I attached the following:

In Action Scripting:
1) Object Properties
-" Set properties of object
-" Form object
-" use bitmap = false
2) Reports
-" Print Layout
-" choose your form
3) same as 1) just set to true

HTH
Doug

[davej]

RE: Printing Form

Thanks, Doug, I think that will work.

Dave

[PhilD]

RE: Printing Form

Dave,

I know this is not what you asked, but you can import a form into a blank report and it will look exactaly like the form. This is what I did when I made my pedigree report so it would look the same as the form, but I could control other aspects like printing in landscape without having to select that everytime I wanted to print. It is also an easy quick way to not have to design a report from scratch.

Phil

[davej]

RE: Printing Form

Phil,

Huum, I never thought about about that. I'll give it a try.

Thanks,

Dave

[rtbtat]

RE: Printing Form

Dave:

Why do they have to print a form? What's the point of that lesson?

Robert T

[davej]

RE: Printing Form

Robert,

You don't know how thought provoking your question is!

I went back over the class handout to see exactly what I had told the class to do and, guess what - there is nothing that says to print the form - what I told them was to turn in a disk that includes the upgraded forms ('updated' defined as a number previously created form with the inclusion of buttons to perform certain tasks) on it for grading. One of the students read that as 'print the form' and I reacted without thinking; not an uncommon occurance.

Thanks for asking the question.

Dave

[rtbtat]

RE: Printing Form

Dave:

Thanks for the response.

I've been using Alpha Four/Five since Steve Workings and I established an Alpha User Group in Columbia, MD way back in 1991. During those 13 years, I don't think I ever had a need to print a data entry a form. That's why I asked the question.

Robert T

[Ryan Giggs]

Printing Form with Browses?

Hey guys, I have a similar problem as Dave's initial request. I just want to print the form as is, I have no background on the form, and my form is nothing fancy, but what it does have are 2 browses (embedded browses).

I would like to print the form with these two embedded browses and everytime i print it or even print preview it the browses are not shown and the rest is displayed (rest=all the other fields on the form).

Any advice for this? Someone please help me. Thanks.

The reason, as to why i wana print the form as is, is not for grading. But for the mere fact that using Reports, I cannot have a hard copy(printed out version, for later review) of the data contained in over 20 fields that i have been displayed on the form. The reports only limit the user to work with 11 field objects....

[Tom Cone Jr]

RE: Printing Form with Browses?

Ryan,

I'd use the report. Have never heard of an 11 field limit in a report layout. Does not sound right to me. -- tom

[Ryan Giggs]

RE: Printing Form with Browses?

No, in regards to the report, I cannot display more than 11 fields worth of data, or atleast that is what i understood after reading the tutorials that alpha provides. --" On step 6. of the topic "Using the Quick Report Genie" under Lesson 8: Working with Reports, it explicitly says that you can select upto 11 fields for the Report.

IS there a way around that barrier?

[Ohlen Cartmell]

RE: Printing Form with Browses?

I cannot find your specific reference in the online tutorial. However, I think that may be a limit of the genie but not the limit for the report. After designing with the genie, save the report and then reopen in the design mode. From there you can rearrange your fields, add fields, format fields, etc. There should be no limit to the number of fields you can display in the report.

[Ryan Giggs]

RE: Printing Form with Browses?

Alright, I can try that. Thats weird, you could not find my reference. The "tutorial" i refered to is the "tutorial.pdf" that ships with alpha.

I guess, I cant use browses on a report. Data is only aranged in a "form" like view....

[Ohlen Cartmell]

RE: Printing Form with Browses?

Ryan,
The report designer gives you a lot more control of output than is obtainable in the genie. To display browses on a report, you use a subreport. The subreports display the child data; parent data on the main report, child data on the subreport.

[Jim Chapman]

RE: Printing Form with Browses?

Hello Ryan,

""I guess, I cant use browses on a report""

You are misunderstanding the power and nature of the report generator. In additon to what Ohlen said, basically the detail section of a report is 'like a browse'. Using the detail secion and grouping you can certainly achieve browse like printouts and much more. You are not limited to a certain number of fields or records. You can print 'browse type' data reports until your printer wears out!

There may be a few things that can't be done with Alpha Five's report generator, but I can honestly say that I have not ran into one.

Good luck,
Jim