Clicking the “New File” option opens a new instance of the report writer. Select this option to create a new report definition. We will discuss creating new report definitions in the Advanced Topics chapter.

Use the “Open File” option to open a report definition stored on your local or network drive. Reports may be stored on local or network drives for backup or editing purposes. If you want to open a report stored in your xTuple Database, use the EDIT button found on the report definitions master list. For details on editing existing reports, see the Getting Started chapter.

The “Save File” option enables you to save report definitions to your local or network drive, where they may be stored for backup or editing purposes. This option will not save report definitions to a database. To learn more about saving reports to a database, see the Section 4.4, “Saving to a Database” section. Report definitions are saved using the Extensible Markup Language (XML) format.

The “Cut” option enables you to click on an object in a report definition, remove it, and then, using the “Paste” option, insert it to another part of the report.

The “Copy” option enables you to click on an object in a report, copy it (leaving the original in place), and then, using the “Paste” option, insert it into another part of the report.

The “Paste” option enables you to insert into the report definition an object that has been cut or copied using the “Cut” option or the “Copy” option.

The “Show Grid” option enables you to turn grid lines on for visual reference when aligning objects in a report definition. This option is a toggle, meaning grid lines may be turned on or off using this option.

Clicking the “Show Grid” option turns grid lines on. The following screenshot shows a report definition with grid lines turned on:

Grid Lines On

Clicking the “Show Grid” option a second time turns grid lines off, as shown in the following screenshot:

Grid Lines Off

If you want to change the properties of your grid lines, the report writer gives you the ability to do so. To change your grid line settings, select the “Preferences” option from the Edit menu. The following screen will appear:

Report Preferences

When establishing your report definition preferences, you are presented with the following options:

To the far right of the screen, the following buttons are available:

The “Snap to Grid” option forces objects to align to the grid when grid lines are turned on. This option is a toggle, meaning snap to grid functionality may be turned on or off using this option.

The “Label” option enables you to create new Label objects. Label objects are used to display descriptive information on a report definition, such as titles, headings, etc.

To create a new Label object, first select the "Label" option. Then click in the section of the report definition where you want the Label to be located. Doing so will create the Label object in that section.

Once the Label object has been created, you may then define the Label object’s properties. To define a Label object’s properties, double-click on the Label object. The following screen will appear:

Label Properties

When defining the properties of a Label object, you are presented with the following options:

To the far right of the screen, the following buttons are available:

The “Field” option enables you to create new Field objects. Field objects are used for pulling dynamically generated data into a report from the database the report writer is connected to. For example, a Field object may be used to include running totals in a report. By definition, Field objects are designed to handle a single line of data. For multiple lines of data, use a Text Area object.

To create a new Field object, first select the "Field" option. Then click in the section of the report definition where you want the Field to be located. Doing so will create the Field object in that section.

Once the Field object has been created, you may then define the Field object’s properties. To define a Field object’s properties, double-click on the Field object. The following screen will appear:

Field Properties

When defining the properties of a Field object, you are presented with the following options:

To the far right of the screen, the following buttons are available:

The “Text Area” option enables you to create new Text Area objects. Text Area objects are used for pulling dynamically generated, multi-line data into a report from the database the report writer is connected to. By definition, Text Area objects are designed to handle multiple lines of data.

To create a new Text Area object, first select the "Text Area" option. Then click in the section of the report definition where you want the Text Area to be located. Doing so will create the Text Area object in that section.

Once the Text Area object has been created, you may then define the Text Area object’s properties. To define a Text Area object’s properties, double-click on the Text Area object. The following screen will appear:

Text Area Properties

When defining the properties of a Text Area object, you are presented with the following options:

To the far right of the screen, the following buttons are available:

The “Line” option enables you to create new Line objects. Line objects are used for drawing vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines.

To create a new Line object, first select the "Line" option. Then click in the section of the report definition where you want the Line to be located. Doing so will create the Line object in that section. Once the Line object has been created, click on the object and drag it with your mouse. As you will see, dragging the Line object draws the Line in any direction and to any length you wish.

After you have inserted a Line object into a report definition, you may then define the width of the Line object. To define the width of a Line object, double-click on the Line object. The following screen will appear:

Line Width

When defining the width of a Line object, you are presented with the following options:

At the bottom of the screen, the following buttons are available:

The “Bar Code” option enables you to create new bar code objects. Bar code objects are used to represent dynamic information stored in a database in bar code format.

To create a new bar code object, first select the "Bar Code" option. Then click in the section of the report definition where you want the bar code to be located. Doing so will create the bar code object in that section.

Once the bar code object has been created, you may then define the bar code object’s properties. To define a bar code object’s properties, double-click on the bar code object. The following screen will appear:

Bar Code Properties

When defining the properties of a bar code object, you are presented with the following options:

To the far right of the screen, the following buttons are available:

The “Image” option enables you to create new Image objects. Image objects are used to insert either static or dynamic Images into a report definition. Static Images—a company logo displayed in the Report Header, for example—are embedded within the report definition. Dynamic Images—pictures of products, for example—are pulled from the database the report writer is connected to.

To create a new Image object, first select the "Image" option. Then click in the section of the report definition where you want the Image to be located. Doing so will create the Image object in that section.

Once the Image object has been created, you may then edit the Image object’s properties. To edit an Image object’s properties, double-click on the Image object. The following screen will appear:

Image Editor

When editing the properties of an Image object, you are presented with the following options:

At the bottom of the screen, the following buttons are available:

The “Graph” option enables you to create new Graph objects. Graph objects are used to insert Graphs into a report definition using dynamic data stored in a database the report writer is connected to.

To create a new Graph object, first select the "Graph" option. Then click in the section of the report definition where you want the Graph to be located. Doing so will create the Graph object in that section.

Once the Graph object has been created, you may then edit the Graph object’s properties. To edit a Graph object’s properties, double-click on the Graph object. The following screen will appear:

Graph Editor

When editing the general properties of a Graph object, you are presented with the following options:

At the bottom of the screen, the following buttons are available:

To define the properties of the Graph object’s data axis—that is, the horizontal axis running along the bottom of the Graph—select the “Data Axis” tab at the top of the “Graph Editor” screen. The following screen will appear:

Graph Editor Data Axis

When editing the data axis properties of a Graph object, you are presented with the following options:

At the bottom of the screen, the following buttons are available:

To define the properties of the Graph object’s value axis—that is, the vertical axis running along the left-hand side of the Graph—select the “Value Axis” tab at the top of the “Graph Editor” screen. The following screen will appear:

Graph Editor Value Axis

When editing the value axis properties of a Graph object, you are presented with the following options:

At the bottom of the screen, the following buttons are available:

To define the properties of Graph object series, select the “Series” tab at the top of the “Graph Editor” screen. The following screen will appear:

Graph Editor Series

When editing the properties of a Graph object series, you are presented with the following options:

At the bottom of the screen, the following buttons are available: