Black Box 4/BlackBox.cdr/database/datamage.arj/HELPFILS.ZIP/AM_RPT_T.HLP

Text File | 1991-07-04 | 8.0 KB | 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.