home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Shareware Overload
/
ShartewareOverload.cdr
/
database
/
datamage.zip
/
HELPFILS.ZIP
/
AM_RPT_T.HLP
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1991-07-04
|
8KB
|
157 lines
APPLICATIONS MAKER - HELP FOR REPORT TYPES
The items that can be initialized from the REPORT screen are: DATA,
HEADING, IF, LABEL, GOTO, PRINT CONTROL and BREAK
DATA TYPES:
DATA items on the INPUT screen can be moved to the REPORT screen by
locating your cursor on any space highlighted by the targeted item
and pressing return, then opting to print the item. The screen will
toggle to the REPORT. Position your cursor where you wish the item
to appear and press return. This will place the content of the INPUT
item on the report as it is when the APPLICATION executes it. The
INPUT item may be changed by subsequent formulas, etc.
Any item appearing on the REPORT screen may be moved or deleted from
the REPORT screen. Only items initiated on the REPORT screen may be
edited from the REPORT screen. Data items from the INPUT screen
must be edited from there.
When an item on the INPUT screen is edited all of it's placements on
the REPORT screen are lost and you will need to re-position the item
on the REPORT screen wherever you desire it to be printed.
Within the DATA TYPES are DISK DATA, elements of the USER NUMERIC
ARRAY, elements of the USER STRING ARRAY and COUNTER FIELDS.
DISK DATA: With the DISK DATA items you can place data in any of the
eight possible datafiles onto the report screen. When you opt to
initialize a DATA item the program will first proffer a window filled
with the currently loaded datafiles. Then, according to your choice,
it will offer a menu of the fields in the datafile from which you may
select the data you wish to place on your report.
USER NUMERIC ARRAY: With the USER ARRAY items you select the element
of the USER ARRAY to print, it's size and formatting. The USER ARRAY
is provided to store transient numeric data. For a more complete
explanation of the USER ARRAY see the docs for APPLICATIONS MAKER.
USER STRING ARRAY: With the USER STRING items you select the element
of the USER STRING ARRAY to print, it's size and justification. The
USER STRING ARRAY is provided to combine and process STRING data.
For a more complete explanation of the USER STRING ARRAY see the docs
for APPLICATIONS MAKER.
COUNTER FIELDS: With the COUNTER items you can place one of the two
COUNTERS in the currently loaded record in any of the eight possible
datafiles onto the REPORT screen. You select the length and
formatting for the printing of the COUNTER. The COUNTERS are
recorded in MARKER FILES written by the BASE program. To use the
COUNTER items you must load a MARKER FILE for the target datafile
with a LOAD MARKER item on the INPUT SCREEN.
HEADING TYPES: With the HEADING type you enter your heading.
IF TYPES: With the IF items on the REPORT SCREEN you have the same
large range of data that you may test offered by the IF items on the
INPUT SCREEN. The REPORT screen IF items have only one argument, and
it must be a FORWARD GOTO. More complex conditional processing must
be accomplished from the INPUT screen.
LABEL TYPES: With the LABEL types you establish a label on the
REPORT SCREEN to which you may go, or BRANCH. Control may be
diverted to the label via a GOTO item or an IF item.
GOTO ITEMS: With the GOTO items you can direct the report to stop at
the GOTO item, and begin again at the target LABEL.
PRINT CONTROL ITEMS: With the PRINT CONTROL items you can send
control codes to your printer, or select the active printer on
systems having multiple printers attached to them.
To switch printers use a PRINT CONTROL item, and enter S as the first
character in the control string, followed by a space and a number,
one through four. Use of multiple printers comes in REAL handy in
situations where, for example, you wish to print checks. This allows
you to keep plain paper on your default printer, and the checks on
another. You don't have to change the paper to the checks.
CONTROL CODES FOR YOUR PRINTER - LET'S GET FANCY:
The manufacturers of printing hardware are, perhaps, the least
standard-oriented of those involved in the production of PC
peripherals. Other than the fact that it will hook up to a standard
parallel/serial port and commence operations in the standard 10
c.p.i. mode, little is guaranteed.
Some software houses distribute "printer libraries" whose purpose it
is to supply their software with the correct code to cause a given
response on a given printer.
Those who have printers that have not gained sufficient popularity to
be included in the drivers offered are out of luck and, when you
realize that the same manufacturer is as likely as not to completely
change his control code assignments between models the true
intractability of the situation becomes apparent.
I don't care if you have a color laser printer or a typewriter with a
printer port on the side, and neither does APPLICATIONS MAKER.
The capabilities of your hardware are all neatly listed in the
booklet that came with it.
If you wish to do fancy things with your printer and also to your
report all you need do is to look up the fancy thing in question in
your booklet and from it ascertain the CONTROL CODES that cause it to
happen, and to cease to happen (unless you wish the affect to be
present for the entire report, such as font selection) and then
decide where in your report you wish to select/deselect the fancy
feature.
Perhaps the simplest printer directive is pagination and it is,
thankfully, standard on almost all printers you'll find connected to
PC hardware. In order to inform the printer that you desire a new
page all you need do is to send it an ascii code twelve.
So, when we come to the place in our report where we desire to begin
a new page we need to send the printer a CONTROL CODE twelve. To
accomplish this, position your cursor in the REPORT screen at the
place you wish pagination to occur and press return.
Opt to enter a control code. You will be prompted for the code(s) to
send. APPLICATIONS MAKER accepts control codes in their DECIMAL
format. So, to select pagination simply enter 12. You will then
be prompted for an explanation of your control code, enter NEW PAGE.
Printer codes, no matter how long, occupy one space on the report
screen. They are represented by a character that looks like a tall P
with a very small t beside it. If you have an older monitor you
probably won't be able to see what it is, but you will be able to
identify it.
You can place your cursor on this space at any time and press return
to get the status of the item. Both the codes and your description
will be displayed. Though not actually printed, the entry of a
printer control code will increment the count of report items.
Most control codes require delimiters. Usually, the "signal" to the
printer that the following data is to be considered control
information is the escape character which is invisible on your screen
and represented by ascii code twenty-seven.
In most cases the terminating "signal" is the carriage return which,
if printed to your screen, would cause the cursor to return to the
first space in the current line and is represented by ascii code
thirteen.
So, your control codes are quite likely to end up "sandwiched"
between a code 27 and a code 13. Don't feel badly if you need two or
three tries to get the code to take effect, it happens to us all.
BREAK ITEMS: With the BREAK ITEMS you specify the end of a segment
of your report. These items give you the ability to divide your
reports into parts. To execute a part of the report you use a DO
PRINT item on the INPUT SCREEN, giving the label associated with the
section of the report you wish to print at that time. When the
segment of the report you wish to print is finished you place a BREAK
item on your report to return control back to the INPUT screen.