This chapter contains the following topics:
You can modify the design workspace in RDA to accommodate your personal work style. You can maximize the workspace by displaying many of the elements only when they are needed. You can modify the tightness of the grid to enable you to easily align fields. You can display rulers to help you size the report template to properly fit on a page.
RDA offers a variety of ways to configure the design workspace:
Set user options.
Enables you to display or hide elements of the design workspace and set the number of rows to appear in Preview.
Set grid alignment.
Enables you to tighten up, or loosen up, the grid for aligning fields.
Show and hide the display tree.
Enables you to view the sections and fields of the report template in a hierarchical tree structure.
Show and hide the Business View Columns Browser.
Enables you to view and select business view columns from the business view that is attached to the selected detail section. The Business View Columns Browser is a window that you can either dock or float over the design workspace.
Show and hide the Data Dictionary Browser.
Enables you to search for and select data dictionary items to include in the layout of the selected section. A window is available that you can either dock or float over the design workspace.
This section provides overviews of user options, grid alignment, and the display tree, lists the prerequisites, and discusses how to:
Set user options.
Set the grid alignment.
Show and hide the display tree.
Show and hide the Business View Columns Browser.
Show and hide the Data Dictionary Browser.
You can set user options to show or hide the elements of the user interface. You can also control the number of rows to appear on the Preview tab. User options are also referred to as report view options. Three categories of user options are available:
General
Rulers
Preview
General user options affect the appearance of elements in the design workspace. General user options include:
Show Invisible Sections at Startup.
Displays sections that are defined as invisible when you open the report template. You must have sections of the report defined as invisible for this option to affect the RDA view.
Show Section Titles.
Displays the section title and related icons in the tile to the left of each section.
Show Right Margin.
Places diagonal lines outside the right margin in the design workspace. The lines indicate that fields reside outside of the right-page margin. This feature is helpful when you change the orientation of the report, such as changing from landscape to portrait.
Show Tabs.
Displays the Report, Preview, Attachments, and other section-specific tabs at the top of the design workspace.
Displays the Navigation Assistant in companionship with the Director. Hiding the Navigation Assistant in User Options hides it for all future design sessions.
Show Data Dictionary Text Overrides.
Displays a small green triangle in the bottom-right corner of column headings when the name appears differently on the report than in the data dictionary. The indicator appears in the design workspace only; it does not print on the report.
Allow Smart Field Template Selection.
Enables you to select smart field templates from the General tab of the appropriate section properties form.
Enable System Language Font Override and Reposition.
Dynamically repositions fields based on font changes that affect the field size. This option is beneficial for global reporting when you must present data in different languages with fonts of different widths and heights. This option is disabled by default.
Displays the CSV Tip dialog box, which indicates the spacing recommendation for exporting reports to comma separated value (CSV) files.
Show Object Count Warning after Row Generation.
Displays a warning message that indicates when the report has exceeded the recommended size. This is typically an issue with reports that use the automatic row generation feature.
The grid alignment feature enables you to tighten or loosen the design grid for flexibility in positioning fields in a group section. The closer the dots, the tighter the grid. A tighter grid enables you to move fields in smaller increments for more precise positioning.
The vertical spacing value represents pixels on the workstation that are used for designing the report. The value is converted to a workstation-independent measurement when it is saved. Set this option to ensure that the report maintains the same proportions when it is viewed on a different workstation.
The following options are available for grid alignment:
Horizontal spacing.
Adjusts the horizontal grid spacing for the entire report template. If you designed the report to be exported to a CSV file, set the horizontal spacing to 52. This value corresponds to the default column width in Microsoft Excel.
Vertical spacing.
Adjusts the vertical grid spacing for the entire report template.
Display the grid.
Displays a grid of dots to assist in positioning fields. When this option is cleared, no grid appears in the design workspace.
Snap to grid.
Aligns fields with the nearest grid line intersection even if the grid is not displayed. When this option is cleared, you can position fields that do not line up with the grid. If you designed the report to be exported to a CSV file, the Snap to Grid option should be selected.
The display tree presents the sections and fields of the report in a hierarchical tree structure. You can show the display tree and then either dock it or float it over the design workspace. The display tree presents the sections that are included in the report, as well as the objects that are associated with each section, including invisible fields. The highest component of the tree indicates the name of the report. Under the report name, the system displays the sections of the report in the order in which they were created.
When you expand a section, the system displays a Fields folder. Expand this folder to view a list of objects that are included in the section. Tabular rows and cells do not appear in the display tree. If you expand the Fields folder of a detail section, two entries appear for each field; one entry represents the constant (header portion of the field) and the other represents the variable (data portion of the field).
Note:
The display tree presents the structure of the report only; it does not represent the processing flow of the report. Use the Preview tab to view the format of the report.Before you can configure the design workspace, you must:
Create a batch application object.
Ensure that a business view is attached to the detail section of the report template.
Open a report in RDA.
From the View menu, select User Options.
On the User Options form, select from the available options under the General heading, and click Apply.
Apply enables you to view modifications without quitting the form.
Select the Show Rulers option, and then select from these options in the Ruler Units field:
Inches
Centimeters
Points
Select the Prompt Before Running Preview option to present a prompt before running the preview.
Enter the number of rows to process in the Rows to Preview field, and click OK.
Enter a number that provides enough records to enable you to verify the format of the report and review totaling or other logic, while keeping the number of rows that are processed to a minimum.
Open a report in RDA.
From the View menu, select Report Tree View.
Click the + or – sign to expand (+) and collapse (–) the display tree.
Double-click an object in the tree structure to view or change object properties.
Open a report in RDA.
Click a detail section in the report.
From the View menu, select Business View Columns Browser.
Note:
Because only detail sections of a report have business views attached, the Business View Columns Browser is populated only when you select a detail section with an attached business view. Selecting other sections results in an empty browser window.Drag fields from the Business View Columns Browser to the selected detail section.
Open a report in RDA.
Click a section in the report.
Note:
Data dictionary items can be placed into any section type; therefore, you do not need to select a detail section.From the View menu, select Data Dictionary Browser.
Use the QBE (query by example) line to search for an appropriate data item.
Drag the data item from the Data Dictionary Browser to the report section.