Six Quick Crystal Reports Design Tips
page 2 of 9
by Jeff McWherter
Feedback
Average Rating: This article has not yet been rated.
Views (Total / Last 10 Days): 94955/ 78

Using Templates

Using templates helps with one of the most important aspects of delivering quality products, being consistent. Crystal Reports 2008 ships with twelve built in templates, but the power comes from the ability to create your own templates. 

Report templates are existing Crystal Report (.rpt) files which will allow you to "inherit" many design related formatting settings including:

·         Page headers and footers

·         Color formatting

·         Charting settings

·         Lines, Borders and Boxes

·         Logos and images

·         Addition of Standard Functions

·         Addition of Special Fields

·         Field highlighting

Figure 1: A report that does not have a template applied

To apply a template, select the “Template Expert” found on the report menu.  

Figure 2: Crystal Reports Template Expert

 

To apply a custom template, select "Browse" on the Template Expert and navigate to an existing report you would like to use as a template for your new report. In our example we will use the "NorthwindTemplate.rpt" file.

Figure 3: A report with a custom template applied

The Northwind Template report file contained header information with company detail and a logo that our new report has now inherited.    


View Entire Article

User Comments

Title: Can's view the images of the article   
Name: Saif
Date: 2012-06-02 8:53:43 PM
Comment:
Hi,

I can not see the images of the article on below URL
http://aspalliance.com/1593_Six_Quick_Crystal_Reports_Design_Tips.6
for the topic "Showing a Check Box on a Report" Please help
Title: WaterMarks   
Name: Nitish
Date: 2011-12-16 3:34:03 AM
Comment:
On Figure 16, the watermark does not underlay the lines in the detail secion of the report. Is there a way to make this happen?
Title: developer   
Name: Durgesh dixit
Date: 2011-06-08 12:54:39 AM
Comment:
This artical is very helpful for us
Title: IT INCHARGE   
Name: RAJENDRA
Date: 2011-04-28 3:39:42 AM
Comment:
Thanks for the information
------------ Showing a Check Box on a Report
this is very very usefull to me
Title: It Consultant   
Name: Jerry Jesiolowski
Date: 2011-03-14 11:01:13 AM
Comment:
We are using Crystal Reports 2008. My question is can we install this on a Server such as Termial Servier where everyone could access the one copy and use the one copy of the SAP GUI as well. We are trying to keep lower our Total Cost of Ownership. If this can be done is there some features or subfeatures that might not be available. Our goal is to support up to serveral hundred power users. this implies the ability to create Crystal Reports.
Title: Mr   
Name: Todd Gen
Date: 2011-02-23 2:59:07 PM
Comment:
Awesome tips... Found very useful... Some others I find helpful are at http://www.bofocus.com
Title: Other Fonts Too   
Name: Greyhound
Date: 2010-08-18 10:42:36 AM
Comment:
GREAT!!! This opens the door to other symbols just by selecting other fonts. Thanks.
Title: DME Officer   
Name: Waqas
Date: 2010-08-03 8:06:07 AM
Comment:
When i entered above mentioned formula in crystal report 10 this gave me an error of "string missing". Please advice me that how can i get rid from this problem and can use this formula. Thanks a lot...
Title: Tricks   
Name: Crystal report designer
Date: 2010-08-02 2:37:06 AM
Comment:
Thanks a lot for the valuable information
Title: Six Quick Crystal Reports Design Tips   
Name: Vikas rathore
Date: 2010-07-28 8:56:38 AM
Comment:
Nice tips thanx
Title: Copy watermark   
Name: Priya
Date: 2010-05-03 1:28:44 AM
Comment:
Thats a nice article with simple explanation
Title: Watermark   
Name: kevin rogers
Date: 2009-11-25 4:35:03 AM
Comment:
really helped thanks
Title: Getting picture to underlay horizontal lines   
Name: Steve
Date: 2009-10-05 10:04:16 AM
Comment:
In figure 16, the horizontal lines get stuck "behind" the watermark. It seems that lines will do this, but the borders on text boxes do not. If you need a horizontal line, just create an empty text box and give it a top or bottom border, then put it where you need the horizontal line to appear.
Title: How can I change a date to the corresponding number?   
Name: Jay Thompson
Date: 2009-10-02 9:45:41 AM
Comment:
I have this formula:
{RO_ANInvoiceHistHeader.RentEndDate}-40086

It produces this:
01/12/1900

I would like for it to produce this:
13

I get the "13" once I export it to excel and reformat it to a number, but would like to get it to that number while it is in Crystal. How can I do this?
Title: Check Boxes   
Name: Joe
Date: 2009-08-13 4:21:47 PM
Comment:
This method is solid. The only problem I have is that when you are is design mode you see a string of wingdings not the check boxes.

In management reports that may not be to large of an issue. But if you are designing legal documents for example, you have 7 check boxes that are independently data driven. In design mode the layout would be confusing b/c you are not seeing the boxes, the layout takes longer, and maintining the doc long term may not be as easy.

This is how I do it. I too use the wingdings mentioned. I create a text field. I go the character map tool and select check box, then click select and copy. Now go back to CR, copy the clipboard into the text box. Do the same for the blank box to. So now have 2 new text boxes with box/chkbox. Position the blank box first. Once it is where you want it, right click and select Size and Position, note the X / Y coordinates and cancel. Now right click on the chkbox, and select X / Y coordinates. Enter the X / Y coordinates noted from the blank box. The last thing to do is add suppression logic to turn on/off the check box text fied. You don't have to add suppression logic to the blank box. It sits right under the chkbox, the size is controld by the Font sizer.

Also make it a little wider the the chkbox text box so that you will be able to select if you need to.

Hopes this helps.

Joe Cigno is a Crystal Reports developer with 15 years experience. He is availabe for contract work and support
jcigno@avalonsi.com
Title: Shared Variables   
Name: Pieter
Date: 2009-07-20 4:20:51 AM
Comment:
Hi, we would like to put a sub report into a sub report, but that's OK- the problem is putting Shared Variables in the report to read from sub reports into sub reports.
Title: Cygnet   
Name: .net development
Date: 2009-07-04 2:55:59 AM
Comment:
Great Post! Really very useful information is given. Thanks for sharing.
Title: A new Crystal Report Learner   
Name: kim
Date: 2009-04-29 5:19:58 AM
Comment:
Jeff,

I am a new to Crystal Report. I dont know how to create and design a report (.rpt)file for I dont know wich software or tools to create and design a Crystal Report. I am using Visual Studio6 for programming interface.

Please help me out with these things.

Thank you
Title: problem in gorup, afnd formulla in crystal report   
Name: subrat
Date: 2009-04-28 2:04:42 AM
Comment:
i've problem in Group field, formulla fiels of crystal report.
How to create and set group in crystal report
How to create and set formulla field in crystal report.
i've make a project using vb.net,sqlserver and maked connection between frontend and backend and also maked a connection to crystal report but i dont know how to set gorup field , how to set formulla field, how to calculate total field, average,sum....etc.

so i need your help to solve my problem
Thanks
Regards
Subrat kumar sar
United Arab Emirates
subrat_sar@yahoo.com
Title: Display String   
Name: Imran
Date: 2009-04-22 3:46:58 AM
Comment:
Hi

I'm similar problem, but I need to see one text field only in some cases for example.
if {abc}= 5 then
{def}.visible = true
else
{def}.visible = false

Imran,
Title: Crystal reports   
Name: Gopal
Date: 2009-02-28 6:06:44 AM
Comment:
nice to learn
Title: dotnet Devoloper   
Name: haneefa
Date: 2009-02-07 12:15:00 AM
Comment:
it is nice idea
thanks
Title: Make Crystal Reports   
Name: Uday
Date: 2008-12-23 4:57:17 AM
Comment:
This artical is very helpful for us.
Title: The Putxi Project   
Name: Putxi
Date: 2008-11-22 7:17:45 PM
Comment:
Very good article

http://putxiproject.co.cc
Title: crystal reports   
Name: Vishal
Date: 2008-11-19 12:55:45 AM
Comment:
good article
Title: Good article   
Name: RamkumarM
Date: 2008-11-03 5:47:46 AM
Comment:
Very nice
Title: VP/CFO, CIO   
Name: Lee Pavis
Date: 2008-10-31 4:32:24 PM
Comment:
New to Crystal and would like to see a demo with sample reports.
Title: Good Article   
Name: RD
Date: 2008-10-10 4:16:23 PM
Comment:
Informative article, with easy to understand examples. Great job.
Title: Thanks for the info   
Name: KA
Date: 2008-09-20 10:50:50 AM
Comment:
Thanks
For all of the tips these will be very usful,and defenitly ones I didn't know about. Its always nice to learn something new, keep up the good work!
Title: Thank for sharing youe EXP   
Name: thanan
Date: 2008-09-17 4:16:47 AM
Comment:
Great tips
Title: Watermark   
Name: gavin
Date: 2008-08-11 1:19:01 AM
Comment:
On Figure 16, the watermark does not underlay the lines in the detail secion of the report. Is there a way to make this happen?
Title: Crystal Report through click on gridview button   
Name: Saqib
Date: 2008-08-08 12:30:25 AM
Comment:
Hello,

I am using VS-2005 for creating my website.

My records display in gridview, and I created a link button name "PreviewQuotation" on gridview row for each record . On the other side I created a page to use crystal report viewer to show the selected record of the Gridview Row.

But I have no idea how to pass my Primary Key field value to Crystal Report page to preview the particular row recod when click on "PreviewQuotation" button on gridview.

Regards,
Saqib Malick
Title: Helpful Article   
Name: Dulce Bautista
Date: 2008-08-01 10:28:58 AM
Comment:
Great tips!
Title: using templates/background images for reports   
Name: sixela
Date: 2008-06-25 4:32:07 AM
Comment:
hi all, will it be possible to use templates/background images in previewing a report, but excluding it from printing? can i ask for references in suppressing sections through code? since watermarking images in reports might be one way to solve this problem...thanks!
Title: Working in Crystal report 8.0   
Name: JP
Date: 2008-06-23 8:36:38 AM
Comment:
I am using crystal report ver 8.0
I tried this but 'FORMAT EDITOR DISPLAY STRING" is not available. Could anyone suggest how it is possible???
Title: Crystal report 8,8.5,10 version   
Name: JP
Date: 2008-06-23 8:31:18 AM
Comment:
Does it work in crystal report 8.5 version? I didn't get
Title: ASP.net   
Name: Din
Date: 2008-06-12 10:37:08 AM
Comment:
jeff,
The solution is working in the design time of crystal reports, but when I viewed it CrystalReportViewer control in aps.net it shows the strange symbol perhapes it is not applying the wingding font in aps.net.
Any solution for that?
thanks,
Din
Title: Its Good article   
Name: Mukunda
Date: 2008-06-04 5:36:10 AM
Comment:
It's really a good article, add some more examples

Thanks
Mukunda
Title: Its very nice one   
Name: Jyotsna
Date: 2008-05-29 7:23:08 AM
Comment:
feeling good abt this article..very helpful
Title: Crystal report   
Name: Velika
Date: 2008-05-25 4:07:08 PM
Comment:
Thanks for this very helpful article.
Can you tell me how to count the record number(or groupnumber) for any group like this:
1.
1.1
1.2.1
1.3.2
Please help.
karno8400@yahoo.fr
Title: Good   
Name: Rajani
Date: 2008-05-22 6:53:02 AM
Comment:
It was good for desinging crystal reports in different way
Title: Good one   
Name: sneha
Date: 2008-05-15 8:34:19 AM
Comment:
Good one for the beginners....
Thanks it helped me too.
Title: Super   
Name: saima
Date: 2008-05-11 6:57:38 AM
Comment:
Its really super jeff. very helpful
Title: Six Quick Crystal Reports Design Tips   
Name: Shohagh
Date: 2008-04-24 1:04:15 AM
Comment:
ThankS for such an important post. It will help me designing a Crystal Report... ... ...
Title: Mr.   
Name: allanamk
Date: 2008-04-18 4:44:42 PM
Comment:
Hi

I tried that check box from the Windings in the Boolean format field -string formula from common tab...But still shows me 0 in the preview screen


Thanks
Title: Mr.   
Name: allanamk
Date: 2008-04-18 2:17:43 PM
Comment:
This is really nice support to novice and vatirans.

Thanks
Title: Six Quick Crystal Reports Design Tips   
Name: saaden
Date: 2008-04-17 6:28:14 AM
Comment:
I need to start,so
It's really a good starting step.
Title: Tips on Crystal Reports   
Name: John
Date: 2008-04-16 10:39:38 AM
Comment:
Great tips thanks.
Title: Thanks   
Name: Mukunda
Date: 2008-04-15 11:21:18 PM
Comment:
Its good article,it's helps me.
Title: Thanks   
Name: Narendra
Date: 2008-04-02 9:13:27 PM
Comment:
It's really a good article,it's helps both beginers and develeopers
Title: Thank you   
Name: Ajeet
Date: 2008-03-28 11:07:08 AM
Comment:
Thanks Jeff, that was helpful.
Title: Crystal Report   
Name: Janu
Date: 2008-03-25 7:08:22 AM
Comment:
Excellent
Title: Crystal Report   
Name: Seema
Date: 2008-03-24 6:14:46 AM
Comment:
Hi,
It is really excellent.
Title: version of CR?   
Name: Eric Moreau
Date: 2008-03-11 8:04:22 PM
Comment:
Which version of Crystal Reports your article is focusing on? The one provided with VS2008?

Product Spotlight
Product Spotlight 



Community Advice: ASP | SQL | XML | Regular Expressions | Windows


©Copyright 1998-2024 ASPAlliance.com  |  Page Processed at 2024-03-18 11:59:33 PM  AspAlliance Recent Articles RSS Feed
About ASPAlliance | Newsgroups | Advertise | Authors | Email Lists | Feedback | Link To Us | Privacy | Search