Changing the terminology Configuring the menu

407 Figure 27.9: Analyzing task by project in tree view Figure 27.10: Analyzing task by project in graph view Configuring the dashboards A dashboard is a selection of reports previously defined in Open ERP. You can choose from hundreds of predefined reports and, for each report, indicate its position on the dashboard. Just like fields on reports, the Sequence field determines the order in which views appear in the dashboard. Figure 27.11: Definition of a new dashboard Once the dashboard has been defined through the menu Administration → Customization → Reporting → Dashboard Definition you can use the Create Menu button to create a menu entry for your dashboard anywhere in the menu system.

27.7.2 Managing document templates with OpenOffice.org

To configure your printable documents in Open ERP, use the module base_report_designer. To install this module use the Reconfigure wizard and ensuring that Advanced Reporting is installed, configure OpenOffice Report Designer for installation. Tip: The OpenOffice.org Writer plug-in You can create your own reports in just a few minutes using the OpenOffice.org Writer plug-in. This tool can give your team a big productivity improvement. Using it, you can create templates for all of your company’s documents, reducing the work of creating and laying out data and customer documents. 408 The system is both simple and powerful, because it gives you the benefits of all of the layout facilities offered by OpenOffice.org Writer as well as all of the data and calculation provided by Open ERP. You could create or modify reports directly from OpenOffice.org and then use them in Open ERP. Note: Independence from OpenOffice.org OpenOffice.org is only used to generate new document templates. The system administrator is the only person who has to install it. Once the document templates have been defined the users do not need it to carry out their normal work. They can use either Microsoft Office or OpenOffice.org as they choose. The OpenOffice.org plug-in enables you to search for fields in Open ERP and integrate them into your document templates. You can use data loops in tables or sections, enabling you to attach several lines to an order, for example. Once the new report has been defined it appears directly in the Open ERP client for the system users. There are two modes of using reports: • make the report produce a PDF document with data in it reflecting the selected record for example, an invoice. • make the report open a document for modification in OpenOffice.org, with data in it reflecting the selected record. This enables you to modify the document in OpenOffice.org before sending it to the customer such as with a Quotation. The personalized reports are stored in the Open ERP database and are accessible to everyone who has rights to use your database without any need for the installation of OpenOffice.org on their own computers. The document modifications are applied to a single database. Installing the OpenOffice.org module You should install two components before using the report editor: • the module base_report_designer – first in your Open ERP installation if it is not already there, and then in the Open ERP database, you want to use it in. • the OpenOffice.org Report Designer in the OpenOffice.org installation on your system administrator’s computer. You start by installing the module base_report_designer just like all the other Open ERP modules. To install the OpenOffice.org extension, save the file openerp_report_designer.zip supplied during the OpenERP Report Designer Configuration. Check that OpenOffice.org is properly installed on your computer and that you have administration rights for installation. Figure 27.12: Menu Open ERP Report in OpenOffice.org Writer Start OpenOffice.org Writer, select Tools → Extension Manager... to open the Extension Manager dialog box and then search for the openerp_report_designer.zip file to install it. Then close the application and restart Writer: a new menu appears in the top menu bar – OpenERP Report Designer. 409 Connecting OpenOffice.org to Open ERP Select OpenERP Report Designer → Server parameters in the top menu of OpenOffice.org Writer. You can then enter your connection parameters to the Open ERP server. You must select a database in which you have already installed the module purchase. A message appears if you have made a successful connection. Modifying a report The report editor lets you: • modify existing reports which will then replace the originals in your Open ERP database, • create new reports for the selected object. To modify an existing report, select OpenERP Report Designer → Modify Existing Report. Choose the report Purchase Order - Request for Quotation in the Modify Existing Report dialog box and then click Open Report. Figure 27.13: Modifying a document template OpenOffice.org then opens the report in edit mode for you. You can modify it using the standard word processing functions of OpenOffice.org Writer. The document is modified in its English version. It will be translated as usual by Open ERP’s translation system when you use it through the client interface, if you have configured your own setup to translate to another language for you. So you only need to modify the template once, even if your system uses other languages – but you will need to add translations as described earlier in this chapter if you add fields or change the content of the existing ones. Tip: Older reports The older reports may not all have been converted into the new form supported by Open ERP. Data expressions in the old format are shown within double brackets and not in OpenOffice.org fields. You can transform an old report format to the new format from the OpenOffice.org menu OpenERP Report De- signer → Convert Brackets - Fields. From the Open ERP toolbar in OpenOffice.org it is possible to: • connect to the Open ERP server: by supplying the connection parameters. • add a loop: select a related field amongst the available fields from the proposed object, for example Order lines . When it is printed this loop will execute for each line of the order. The loop can be put into a table the lines will then repeat or into an OpenOffice.org section. • add a field: you can then go through the whole Open ERP database from the selected object and then a particular field. • add an expression: enter an expression in the Python language to calculate values from any fields in the selected object.