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Reports > Getting Started with Answers (Custom Reports) > Changing the Appearance of Reports

Changing the Appearance of Reports

When setting up or updating reports, you can change the visual appearance of reports, known as cosmetic formatting. You can apply cosmetic formatting, copy and paste cosmetic formatting attributes, and save a formatted report to use as a style template.

Depending on the item you are formatting, the dialog box displays different options, such as font, cell, and border controls, background color, additional formatting options such as cell padding, and custom CSS style options for HTML.

You can change the appearance of:

• Columns and sections, such as background color and borders
• Columns in tables
• Size of titles

You can copy the range of cosmetic formatting attributes that you apply to an item, such as a column in a table, and paste them to an item of the same type, such as another column in the table or a column in a different table. You can also restore the default appearance. To do this, use the icons at the top right of the dialog boxes.

Views that support copying and pasting include the table, pivot table, and chart views.

About Saving Reports as Style Templates

After you have customized the cosmetic appearance of a report and saved it, you can use it as a template. This allows you to apply the formatting from the saved report to new or existing reports.

Views that support the use of a saved report as a template include the table, pivot table, and chart views.

This topic contains information about performing the following tasks:

• Formatting the visual appearance of a report
• Copying and pasting a formatting attribute
• Restoring the default appearance of an attribute
• Using a saved report as a template

To format the visual appearance of a report

1. In Oracle CRM On Demand, click the Reports tab.
2. On the Reports Homepage, in the Custom Reports and Analyses section, click Design Analyses to open Oracle CRM On Demand Answers.
3. In Oracle CRM On Demand Answers, click Open Analysis.
4. Select the report that you want to work with, then click OK.
5. In the Build and View Analyses page, open the cosmetic format dialog box by doing one of the following:
   • In Step 1, click the Column Properties button, and then click the Style tab in the Column Properties dialog box.
   • In Step 2, open the Edit Format dialog box by doing one of the following:
     • For Title or Table, click the Format View button.
     • In the pivot table view, click the Pivot Table View Properties button and then the Set alternate format button.

       NOTE: In the table view, you can also click the format column button and use the Value Format tab. In the pivot table view, you can also click the section properties button and use the Section Properties tab.

       The cosmetic format dialog box appears.

6. In the Font area, make your selections for the font family, size, color, style (such as bold), and any effects that you want to apply (such as underlining).

   NOTE: For some items, this option is not available.

7. In the Cell area, set up the alignment and background color.

   NOTE: For horizontal alignment, the most common justification for text data is left. For numeric data, the most common justification is right.
   
   Vertical alignment does not have any impact unless the column spans multiple rows of other columns.

8. In the Border area, make your selections for the border position, color, and style of the cell.

   TIP: You can select or deselect custom borders by clicking the top, bottom, left, and right borders near the Position drop-down list.

9. To format spacing within the cell, click Additional Formatting Options and specify values for the width and height of the cell contents, and the space above, below, left and right of the contents.

   Values are specified in pixels.

10. To override the style and class elements specified in Oracle CRM On Demand style sheets, make your selections in the Custom CSS Style Options area:
    1. Click the settings that you want to use.
    2. Provide the location of the class, style, or style sheet.

       NOTE: The advanced style formatting options are for users who know how to work with cascading style sheets.

11. Click OK.

To copy and paste a formatting attribute

1. In the Build and View Analysis page, go to the item whose formatting you want to copy, such as a row, column, or table cell.
2. Open the Cosmetic Formatting dialog box, click the Copy Formatting button, then click Cancel to close the Cosmetic Formatting dialog box.
3. Go to the item to which you want to paste the formatting.
4. Open the cosmetic formatting dialog box, click the paste formatting button, then click OK to apply your changes.

To restore the default appearance

• Open the Cosmetic Formatting dialog box for the item, and then click the Clear Formatting button.

For some types of views, when you add the view, you can use a saved report as a template, as described in the following procedure.

To use a saved report as a template

1. In the Build and View Analysis page, go to Step 2 Create Layout.
2. Click Add View, and select the view that you want.
3. Click the Import View Formatting From Another Analysis button, which is near the top of the workspace:

   

   Note: You can import formatting from reports that have formats from Step 2 (Creating Layouts). Formatting from Step 1 (Defining Criteria) cannot be imported.

4. In the Import Saved Format dialog box, navigate to the saved report, and click OK.
5. Click either the Saved Results link or the Preview Analyses button.