Writing the Report

The Reports library allows pagination, headers, footers, and other features common in reports. Once the report forms have been created, the report is output using the following general guidelines:

Open the report using "OpenReport".

Define general report parameters (if different from the defaults) using "DefineReport".

Define any unique characteristics of the report such as console split screens, headers, footers, etc., using the appropriate procedures.

Write out the report using calls to "WrForm" or any of the other output procedures.

Close the report using "CloseReport".

Reports.WrForm uses three parameters to indicate the forms to use for the header, footer, and body (forms created in THOR). The main form parameter is the primary form to write--usually the body of the report. This form will be written as long as there is space on the page and neither a header or a footer is required. It is up to the application to perform the appropriate searches on the database and/or accumulate the information required for each output of a printed report form. The application, however, need not know when a new page is reached.

If the top form (usually the header) and bottom form (usually the footer) parameters are supplied, "WrForm" will appropriately end a page and begin a new page with those footers and headers. By making the name of the top or bottom form a null string, that form option will not be exercised. To write out a single form, use the name of the form to write as the main form parameter and make the top and bottom form parameters null strings.

Other procedures provide alternate methods of output to the report file. These include "WrString", "WrCard", "OverWrite", "UnderLine", "WrLn", "WrStringPos", "WrCardPos", "DefineHeader", "DefineHeader2", "DefineFooter", "DefineTopForm". When these procedures are used, the report format becomes part of the code of the application. Any changes to the format require recompilation and rebinding of the code. When "WrForm" and form definitions are used, the report may be changed simply by changing the associated forms, necessitating only a recompilation of your SRC. Go Back To Sage-ST TABLE OF CONTENTS