Report Layout Preparation
You can design your report to display your data in a variety of ways on the printed page. Using the Report Designer or report wizards, you can design comprehensive lists, summaries, or special subsets of data, like an invoice. Designing a report has four main steps:
- Determining what type of report to create.
- Creating the report layout file.
- Modifying and customizing the layout file.
- Previewing and printing the report.
Determining the General Layout
Before creating a report, decide the general format you want your report to have. Your report might be as simple as a telephone list based on a single table or as complex as an invoice based on multiple tables. You can also create special types of reports. For example, a mailing label is a special report with a layout designed to fit a special type of paper.
To help you choose a layout, here are some descriptions of general layouts, their common uses, and examples.
| Layout Type | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Column | One record per row with fields placed horizontally across the page | Group/Total report1 Financial reports Inventory Sales summary |
| Row | One column of records with fields placed vertically down the side | Lists |
| One-to-many1 | One record or one-to-many relationship | Invoices Account statements |
| Multi-column | More than one column of records with fields placed vertically down the left margin | Telephone directory Business cards |
| Label | More than one column of records with fields placed vertically down the left margin; printed on special paper | Mailing labels1 Name tags |
1 Layouts that have an associated report wizard
After you select the general report layout that meets your needs, you can create the report layout file with the Report Designer.
Understanding Report Layout Files
A report layout file, which has an .frx file extension, stores the specifications for the report. Each report file also has an associated file with an .frt file extension. The report file specifies the fields you want, the text to print, and the placement of the information on a page. To get the information from your database to the printed page, you process it by printing the report file. The file does not store the values for each of the data fields, only placement and format information for that particular report. The values can change each time you run the report, depending on the changes that have occurred in the fields of the data source used by the report file.
See Also
Report Designer | Creating Reports and Labels | Integrating Queries and Reports | Creating a Report Layout