Positioning report objects involves placing objects in the desired positions in the Report Designer workspace. For example, you can position a text box on the top left of the report, and position a grid in the center of the report. How you position objects affects the online report and the printed page. You position report objects by specifying position property values or using rulers to position objects manually.
It is important for the appearance of your report to be able to position objects because report objects can change size depending on the amount of data they contain. You can set the position of a report object relative to other report objects above it and to its left. For example, if report objects above the given report object increase or decrease in size, the given report object moves as necessary to maintain the same distance between it and the other report objects.
If you do not position a report object, the report object is printed at its current location regardless of whether report objects above it or to its left increase or decrease in size.
You can also overlap objects, which enables you to organize them however you choose when laying out a report. Objects that can be overlapped include text boxes, grids, charts, and images. When overlapping objects, you can send a report object to the back (behind another object) or bring it to the front (ahead of another object).
The ability to overlap objects is a design convenience only. When printing reports containing overlapping objects, objects may not print as displayed in the designer, requiring you to rearrange the objects in your report. |
When working with multiple overlapped objects in the Report Designer, you can print the report regardless of your object layout. For example, a portion of a text box overlaps a chart, or layers of charts are placed on top of one another. Regardless of how you place the objects in your report, you can print the report.
To position a report object:
Position the report objects by performing one or more of the following actions:
To position a grid, select a grid, then select the Position category in the Grid Properties sheet. In the Horizontal and Vertical drop-down lists, select the grid’s horizontal and vertical position on the report.
To position a chart, select a chart, then in the Chart Properties sheet’s Horizontal and Vertical drop-down lists, select the chart’s horizontal and vertical position on the report.
To position a text box, select a text object, then in the Text Properties sheet’s Horizontal and Vertical drop-down lists, select the text box’s horizontal and vertical position on the report.
To position an image, select an image, then in the Image Properties sheet’s Horizontal and Vertical drop-down lists, select the horizontal and vertical position on the report.
To place the selected object ahead of other objects that it overlaps, select an object, right-mouse click, and select Bring to front.
To place the selected object behind other objects that it overlaps, select an object, right-mouse click, and select Send to back.
To position grid and chart objects manually, click inside the header area and drag to the desired position. To position text and image objects manually, click the object and drag to the desired position.
Note:
When clicking on a text object, it may move slightly, which may cause some position settings, such as Center, to change. To correct this, reapply the text object position.