Report Builder for Printing

Creating A New Report - Five Steps

1. Start Report Builder by choosing Report, Report Builder, Reports for Printing, and selecting the Report Builder type. Report Builder starts up ready to create a new report. Note: If you are currently working with a report, click the New Report Icon or choose File, New.
2.   Unless the report uses the default page setup, use the Page Setup command from the File menu to control the size of the page and the area, which may contain printed information.  This command can be used to specify multiple records, (e.g. students).
3.   Place text and field items on the body, header, and footer of the report.
4.   Save the report using the Save command under the File menu. Use the Browse button to save the report to any location.
5. Print the report using the Print Report command under the File menu.

1. Creating a New Report

Select the New command from the File menu, or click the icon from the menu bar.  This is not necessary if you have just started Report Builder, and you have not opened an  existing report.

2. Setting Up The Page

Setting Up the Printer

Note: Always select the printer before formatting the report.  The choice of fonts depends on the selected printer. The printer settings, which you can alter, include the paper size and source, and orientation (portrait or landscape).

To customize the set-up of a page choose the Page Setup option from the File menu.  Specify the Page size, Margins, Header and Footer size, number of Records and Grid size. 

Dimensions can be in either inches or centimetres.  Once you have changed the settings, click OK to display the report page size. The Width and Height of the page are specified here.  Normally the size is 8.5 (width) by 11 (height) inches.  You can enter different sizes for special forms or labels. Note:  If the printer is set up to print using the landscape orientation, then the width should be changed to 11 inches and the height should be changed to 8.5 inches.

Header and Footer Heights

• entering a different header/footer height.
• using the blue line on the main screen.

Grid

Margins

Records

The Number of Records Across and Down control the number of records (e.g., students) that the report will contain.  The defaults for these settings are 1 student record across, and 1 student down.  This would allow a single record to be reported on each page, since the whole page is available to design a report.

Included on this screen are vertical and horizontal record setting lines.  These lines provide a fast way to set record numbers without having to go back to the Page Setup option.  To change the number of records per page, simply click on the blue line, drag the line and then release the mouse when you have the location you want.

When using multiple records, the text and fields are placed in the first record only.  The information for the other records is automatically repeated. The gray area of the Report Builder screen shows how the report will look overall.

3. Placing Boxes and Specifying Information

There are two main types of boxes: Data Fields (cyan) and Text Fields (grey).  To build a report simply insert, arrange and specify the size of the boxes on the page the way you want the report to print. Place Text, Field Picture or Barcode boxes in the body and in the header and/or footer of a report.  Then customize the height, width, font and font size. 

Hints:  When placing boxes on a page that is longer or wider than your screen, click the mouse where you want and place a box.  Otherwise, you will have to scroll to the beginning of the page to find the placed box.

Placing Report Body Text

To place Text in the body of a report, click the icon from the menu bar, use Place Body Text from the Text/Field menu, or press ctrl + t.

When a box displays pull handles it is in "size mode". To size a box, move the mouse pointer to a handle and drag/resize. The pointer will change to an arrow. To move a box, click and drag the box.

To enter/specify information in a box, you must "toggle" (switch) between "size mode" and "data specification/entry mode". To do this, right-click your mouse once. You will notice that the pull handles disappear.  Depending on the type of box (Text or Field), you will either begin to type in the text entry or double-click normally (left) to specify the information.

Note: If your mouse is set for left-hand use you will use the left mouse button to toggle.

Placing Report Body Field

To place a Field in the body of a report, click the icon from the menu bar, use Place Body Field from the Text/Field menu, or press ctrl + f. Specify a Field by using criteria from the Selection Tree:  Use the following method to place a Field:

1. Be sure that the Field box is in Edit mode.
2. Double-click the box or choose Edit from the Text/Field menu and the Select Field screen will appear.
3. A field followed by three dots can be opened by double-clicking on the item.  The field will display the next level of fields.  When you see the field that you want, click to select.  It will appear in the field box in the body of  your report.
4. Click OK when you have finished.

Placing Report Body Pictures

To place a Picture in the body of a report, choose Place Body Picture from the Text/Field menu (or press ctrl + f).  (There is no icon button for this command).

To specify a Picture:

1. First be sure that the Picture box is in Edit mode. Double-click the box or choose Edit from the Text/Field menu.  A Set Picture Type box will appear.  
2. Click Student or File.  Student will print student photos automatically for the students that you select to print.  File will call up a Select Graphic File box.
3. For Files, select the drive, directory and graphic file name.
4. Click OK.

Notes:  The file name will appear in the box, not the picture.  To see the picture, access the Print Preview screen.  If you have to resize the picture, return to the main report body.

To preview the picture,

Click the printer icon from the menu bar or choose Print Report from the File menu.  A class list of students will appear.  Click the View button on this screen to access the Print Preview screen.  This shows the picture as it will be printed.  To edit, resize or relocate the Picture box return to the main Report Builder screen.

Note:  Since you cannot directly resize on the Print Preview screen, this may take a few times before you have the correct size.

Placing Report Body Barcodes

To place a barcode in the body of a report, choose Place Body Barcode from the Field/Text menu.  You can place a barcode, link it to one of the fields in the Selection Tree.  Then, when you scan the barcode, it will read the correct information for you.

1. Be sure that the Field box is in Edit mode.
2. Double-click the barcode or choose Edit from the Text/Field menu and the Select Field screen will appear.
3. Make your selection from the Selection Tree.
4. Click OK when you have finished.

Editing Boxes

In Report Builder, you work with a single box at a time.  Before you can edit a Text, Field, Picture or Barcode box, it must have the focus. To place focus on a box, click inside it, or select either the Next or Previous command from the Text/Field menu until the box that you want is active.  You can also use the tab key. If a Text box has focus, use the right mouse button to toggle to Edit mode.  When you see a flashing cursor you can enter text.  When you see handles around the box you can size and locate the box.

When you see a flashing cursor, double-click the box to choose fields from the Select Field window, or choose Edit from the Text/Field menu.  When you see handles around the box you can size and locate the box.

Keyboard Hints

4. Saving A Report

  When you have finished working with a report, you may want to save it for future reference or printing.  If you are saving a newly created report, click the icon or choose Save from the File menu. 

Type the name of the report in the box and, if you want a location other than the one defaulted, click Browse and navigate to a folder. Click OK to save the report.  If you are saving an existing report in which you have made changes, click the save icon or choose Save from the File menu.  Your report will automatically save, overwriting the existing report file. 

If you want to save the report under a new name, choose Save As from the File menu.  The Save File As window (see previous page illustration) will appear.  Type a name for the report and choose OK to save the report.

Emailing Reports

  New to Report Builder is the ability to email PDF files to students, parents and/or guardians. To accomplish this, there are two main steps: The email template (message), and compiling the Student Information to email. The email addresses are derived from the new field within the student record on the Family tab.

5. Printing Reports

To print a report, click the print icon or choose Print Report from the File menu.  Then choose the Print Order from the screen.  The report can be printed for all students  or selected students only.  And the reports can be printed for males or females, or males and females.

Setting Up the Printer

The Report Builder feature uses the default printer setup in Windows.  If this printer’s settings need to be altered or if another printer is required, choose Printer Setup from the File menu.  The printer selected will be used for all standard reports in the Report Builder feature, and is set as the default printer for Report Builder reports.

Always select the printer before formatting the report.  The choice of fonts depends on the selected printer. The printer settings, which you can alter, include the paper size and source, and orientation (portrait or landscape).

Defining The Print Order

Choose File, Print Report.  The Print Orders box will appear with these options:  Alphabetically, Grade, Homeroom, Class, Defined Characters, Inquiry List, Sorted List, Excursion List, Individually Bus List.

Each print order a box has specific printing instructions.  All Print Parameters boxes operate in basically the same manner.

Alphabetical

This is the Print Parameters box that will appear. 

Click the First Student in School check box to start printing with the first alphabetically listed student.  Otherwise, enter as many letters as you know for the student and the list will be displayed.  Select a student from the list as a starting point for printing. 

Click the Last Student in School check box to end printing for the last alphabetically listed student.  Otherwise, enter as many letters as you know for the student and the list will be displayed.  Select a student from the list as an ending point for printing.

Click the check boxes to indicate the status of students to be included.

Note: To print all "active" students, select This Year and Next Year and This Year Only Status.

Click the check boxes to print sibling information for the selected students.  Choose from All Students, Youngest Sibling or Oldest Sibling.

Note: Only Children are included with any/all sibling lists.

Click the View button to access the Print Preview screen.  Here you can see the way a report will look when it is printed.  Print Preview is useful to check the report for errors.  If this is the case, return to the main Report Builder screen and edit the appropriate boxes.

To move through the pages for printing, use the First Page, Previous Page, Next Page and Last Page buttons.

Click the Zoom button or click the drop-down menu to use the pre-sets.

Click the Search icon and enter the text, or click the drop-down menu to use the pre-sets.

Click the Print icon to print the report.

Click the Close icon to close the print preview screen.

Report Builder for Printing Options

Cross-Hair Grid

When you place a Text or Field box, an automatic cross hair grid will appear for easy alignment with other boxes.  Simply right click to remove the cross-hair grid.  If you want to move the box again later, the cross-hair grid will reappear automatically.

Changing Fonts

Choose Font from the Options menu, or choose the font icon button from the menu bar and a font selection box will appear. Select Font from the first box.  If you don’t see the font that you want, click the up or down arrows, or cursor through the list.

Next, select Font Type. If you don’t see the font style that you want, click the up or down arrows, or cursor through the list. Finally, select the Size of font.  

The Sample area displays the font exactly as it will appear on the screen and in print.  Click OK when you have finished.

Note:  You cannot use more than one font, or font style size per box. 

Placing Borders

 If you want to outline a box, select the box and toggle to the cursor.  Select the box to outline and click the border icon or choose Border from the Options menu.

Aligning Information with the box

Use these icon buttons to centre, left and right-align information within a box.

•  To centre, place the focus on the text or field item and click the centre icon. Tip: if you want to centre information on the page, size the box to be the entire width of the page.
•  To left align place the focus on the text or field item and click this icon.
•  To right align text places the focus on the text or field item and click this icon.

Adjusting Title/Text Alignment

Information or pictures that will print can be aligned within the area’s box.  To adjust the alignment you can use an automatic feature called Snap To Grid.  Choose Snap To Grid from the Options menu.  A check mark (ü) will appear beside Grid.  The box will automatically move to the nearest grid definition.  To remove the grid, select the command again.

Deleting a Box

To delete a text, field, picture or barcode box, be sure that it is in edit mode (handles around the box), and then choose the Delete command from the Text/Field menu or ctrl+d.

Displaying Rulers

Optional rulers are provided for exact measuring and aid with the creation of reports.  Choose the Horizontal Ruler and/ or the Vertical command from the Options menu.  A check mark will appear beside the selected command.  The ruler will appear at the top or the left side of the page.  You can re-position the ruler by dragging and dropping.

To remove the ruler, re-select the command.

Status Bar

You have the option of working with the Status Bar on or off.  To activate this option, choose Status Bar from the Option menu.  On your Report Builder screen, the Status Bar at the bottom provides the name of the field, which is currently active.