Best way of getting multiple page reports with cover sheet

[James Gill]

I am having a difficult time getting a multiple page report to print out via a script. My goal is to print 3 separate pages; a dynamic fax cover sheet, a second page containing order line items, and a static page containing pre-created text. So far I have got everything that I need working up to 2 pages by fiddling around with the title header, header, body, and footer parts, but I am unable to get filemaker to print a 3rd page. Admittedly I don't even know if this is the right way to create a report like this, but it was working very well up to 2 pages. Any ideas?

[Matthew F]

Is this always going to be the same format, i.e. exactly 3 pages?

I think you ought to be able just to create a layout, in form view, with a very long body that extends over 3 pages. Spread the items out over the three pages to suit your needs.

This will be more of a problem if you're using list view and have a variable number of records, because you won't be able to predict ahead of time how long its going to be.

[bcooney]

Since you're printing, couldn't the static page be first? Then just shuffle the pages. The order line items may run more than one page, and since there is no "last page footer,"* you can't put your static text page last. You didn't mention a Trailing Grand Summary. If you put your static text there, it'll be at the end of the Order Line Items, but afaik, immediately after and not a new page.

However, you could use Save as PDF with append. This allows you to jump all over your system, adding report pages from several tables, and producing one final PDF. Then you could open the final PDF and have the user print it.

*There are some techniques to try to achieve this.

Edited January 14, 2010 by Guest
added trailing grand smry suggestion

[comment]

You didn't mention a Trailing Grand Summary. If you put your static text there, it'll be at the end of the Order Line Items, but afaik, immediately after and not a new page.

Unless you check the "Page break before each occurrence" option.

[bcooney]

I knew you'd chime in, dearest. Thanks. I admit, I was too lazy to see if that option existed.

[James Gill]

Well, I can get it to print 3 complete pages, but the problem is that the only way I can do that is by making the 3rd page my footer, and making the area of my page after the body the Trailing Grand Summary. Obviously this results in the "3rd" page being printed across "2nd" page since it's the footer.

Edit: And if I didn't mention this, I apologize. My goal is to make this completely paperless. I guess "print" is the operative word here. Ideally the user will be able to "print" into an electronic fax program, therefore eliminating the need to ever print a hard copy of the record. One of the limitations of this fax program is that you cannot reorder pages once it is created.

Edited January 14, 2010 by Guest

[bcooney]

I meant, put the static text in the Trailing Grand Summary part, and size the part to be as tall as a page. As comment pointed out, in the Part Setup for the TGS, you can select the "Page break before each occurrence" option.

Your footer should be regular size.

[James Gill]

Ahhh...unfortunately I don't think that it's going to be feasible using this method for me, since there is a signature line that needs to be included as part of this report as well. It prints immediately after the body part and I think that is what's throwing the pages off.

I'm thinking that I'll have to use the save records as pdf and then append script that you spoke of earlier. I've already created the last page of my report but now I'm having issues with the saving records as a pdf and then appending to them. Do you know of a quick walkthrough that I could look at to get familiar with those series of scripts?

Edited January 14, 2010 by Guest

[comment]

I don't think that it's going to be feasible using this method for me, since there is a signature line that needs to be included as part of this report as well.

Why is this a problem? You can put the signature in a trailing sub-summary part, and the closing static page in a grand summary.

[bcooney]

Yes, http://sixfriedrice.com/wp/filemaker-9-tip-6-append-to-pdf/

[James Gill]

Comment, that worked! I don't know what I was doing wrong before but that definitely fixed it :B

[bcooney]

Glad you're all set, James. It's probably worth understanding Save as PDF as well.

[bruceR]

Yet another Filemaker printing process that can be simplified by my virtual list technique. Among other things it can print arbitrarily large documents and control page breaks.