Working with Objects in the Layout

Several options are available to help you design the report layout. As you work with the report layout, you can select and edit multiple objects across multiple sections.

To select multiple objects, press the [Shift] key and click the desired objects.
To select all the objects in one section, click in the section and select Edit, then Select All.

When you select multiple objects, you can define properties that apply to all the objects. For example, you could select all the objects in the Page Header section and change the font color to red.

To work with the objects in your report layout:

Use the buttons on the Layout toolbar.
Use the keys on your keyboard.
Use the options on the Layout menu.
The keystrokes that correspond to each menu option are displayed to the right of the menu option. For example, to align objects to the left, you can select the objects and press [Ctrl+Left Arrow].

Table 9. Layout Options

Option	Description
Align	Aligns objects in the report layout.
Space Evenly	Places objects an even distance apart from each other in the report layout.
Make Same Size	Makes an object the same size as another object.
Stretch/Shrink	Stretches or shrinks the edge of an object so that it is aligned with the edge of another object.
Move	Moves an object left, right, up, or down.
Center on Page	Centers an object on the page.
Fit to Page	Resizes an object so that the edges of the object stretch to the edges of the page.
Bring to Front and Send to Back	Moves an object in front of another object.
Bring to Front and Send to Back	Moves an object behind another object.
Configure Default Layout	Rebuilds or configures the default report layout. Rebuilding the layout overwrites any changes you have made.

Tip:

When you align objects or make objects the same size, select the object you want to align to or the object with the desired size last. For example, to align object 1 with object 2, select object 1 and then select object 2. Similarly, to make object 1 the same size as object 2, select object 1 and then select object 2.

Tip:

When you display both the horizontal and vertical rulers in the Layout window, a measure indicator is displayed. Click the measure indicator to select whether to display the rulers in inches, centimeters, or points.