Adding index to a report Creating an ASCII character-mode report Preparing a multiplatform report

How To... 4-15

4.5.7 Adding a table of contents to a report

To create a table of contents TOC for a report, you can use the Format Order property or the SRW.SET_FORMAT_ORDER built-in procedure to format the Main section of the report first and use report triggers to build a table containing the TOC entries. When the first element for the TOC is formatted, a trigger fires and creates a row in the TOC table containing the TOC entry and the page number. After the Main section has completed formatting, the format order setting can define that the Header section is formatted next. The Header section can contain a report block based on the TOC table. After formatting, you can output your report with a TOC the Header section, followed by the report body the Main section, followed by the Trailer section. For two step-by-step examples, see Chapter 35, Building a Paper Report with a Simple Table of Contents and Index and Chapter 36, Building a Paper Report with a Multilevel Table of Contents . See also Section 2.8.1, About format order

4.5.8 Adding index to a report

To create an index for a report, you can use report triggers to build a table containing the index entries as you format the Main section of your report. When the first element for the index is formatted, a trigger fires and creates a row in the index table containing the index entry and the page number. After the Main section has completed formatting, the Trailer section is formatted next by default. The Trailer section can contain a report block based on the index table. After formatting, you can output your report with the report body the Main section, followed by an index the Trailer section. For a step-by-step example, see Chapter 35, Building a Paper Report with a Simple Table of Contents and Index .

4.5.9 Creating an ASCII character-mode report

To create an ASCII character-mode report: 1. First, create and save a report using the Report Wizard.

2. In the Object Navigator, under the Reports node, click the report you want to

convert to character mode.

3. Choose Tools File Conversion.

4. In the Convert dialog box, on the Conversion tab page:

■ set Document Type to Report. ■ set Source to the name of the existing bit-mapped report. ■ set Destination Type to Report Binary File RDF. ■ set Destination to the name of the new character-mode report. 5. On the Options tab page, set Destination Unit to Character. 6. Click OK. 7. Set properties for your new character-mode report. 4-16 Oracle Reports Users Guide to Building Reports See also Section 2.8.15, About creating an ASCII character-mode report Section 4.2.5, Setting properties for an ASCII character-mode report

4.5.10 Preparing a multiplatform report

To prepare a report to run on multiple platforms, consider the following GUI differences: Fonts: A font type, style, or size might not be available in the target GUI. You can handle this in one of two ways: ■ Use a font that you know exists on the target GUI or one that maps well to the default font of the target GUI. ■ Modify the font mapping file, uifont.ali, to ensure that the fonts map correctly. Colors: A color might not be available in the target GUI. If possible, use a color that you know exists on the target GUI; otherwise, use one that maps well to the default color of the target GUI. The following colors are typically available on many platforms: blue, magenta, red, cyan, green, yellow. DPI: The dots-per-inch DPI that your monitor uses may not be the same as the DPI used by the person who runs the report. The DPI only affects how alpha-numeric characters word-wrap on the screen. If you design a report that may be displayed in the Paper Design view, try to use the same DPI as the people who will run it. Also avoid giving layout objects fixed sizing.

4.5.11 Preparing a report for translation into other languages