MS Access reports: creating a FM7 equivalent?

[dlazenby]

In MS Access, the user enters data into a "form" (FM7="layout"); when you go to print the data/record it is typically done with the use of a "report". I know the FM7 equivalent is still a layout but I need advice on the nuts and bolts of that second layout.

My example: layout 1A would be the "form" that the user enters the data. There might be many label fields that may just be instructional, like: "please don't forget to do this" or "these fields should be entered in this circumstance". Also layout 1A would be setup so that it would flow for data entry.

Layout 1B would be the "report" for printing. For my situation I would just want to print one record at a time (patient/medical DB) and not a compilation/distillation of records. Obviously, it would be setup so that only certain fields would be printed. The fonts, format, etc may also be different for layout 1B as opposed to layout 1A. I have found that when printing a 12 pt Arial font from FM7 it is to big on the printed page but reading a 10 pt font or smaller (in the layout on the monitor) is less desirable than reading a 12 pt font (with a 15 inch tablet pc set at 1024 by 768).

I would guess that I would have a button on layout 1A that would be "print record" which would execute a script to populate the data from layout 1A into layout 1B and then go to preview/print mode.

Q1. How do you set it up so that the data (e.g., record 1) from layout 1A populates layout 1B?

Q2. Is there a simpler way?

Q3. Are there other nuances that I might be overlooking with this technique?

Please advise. Thanks,

Doug Lazenby

[Kurt Knippel]

A "layout" is just a way to look at/format data. In you case you would have a data entry layout which has stuff on it to help the user enter the data and a report layout which would be made to look good when printed out. They both use the same underlying database for all thier data.

[Oldsneekers]

Q1: Layout called "Data": has the fields you need for the user to populate. Has the color and the lables at the appropriate size for easy viewing on the screen.

Layout called "Print": created by being in the layout above and using the Duplicate layout command in the menu bar. Then reduce the size of the label fonts to 7 or 8 . Reduce the size of the field fonts to 9 or 10. Reduce the size of the fields to accomodate the smaller font. Remove all the color from the layout (unless you want to print in color). Use the layout setup to adjust the margin size for you printer. (You don't want to set fields on the part of the margin that will not show in the printed paper.).

The script for printing, via a button on layout Data, would (roughly) be

Go to layout "print"

Print set up

Print

Go to layout original.

Since the two layouts (one for viewing and one for printing) contain the Same Fields, you don't have to populate the second since it's fields are populated when the same fields are populated in the first layout.

Use the pint preview mode to see what the Print Layout whould look like on paper.

Q2: If you want to print just one record out of several listed, make sure your records each have a unique record number (make field "Record" and auto enter for numbering, set for "unique"). Now before the print script step above, a script that will isolate your single desire record.

Set field(gAny textA: RecordAe)

To find mode

Set field(recordAe::gAny textA

Perform find

Now do the print step above.

gAny text A is a global and used as an intermideary. You could use copy without the need for Set field or global intermedialry field but then you always need to be sure the field is on the layout. With "set field" the field does not need to be on the layouts at all.

Good Luck

Greg.