parameters for end user reports

rbuser

Dear Digital,
I bought the upgrade to the Pro version on the basis that I could
copy my existing reports as rtm files and give then to my users to do as
they wished. One of the features is the need to pass parameters at report
run time. The news groups keep mentioning this ability but I cannot see how
to add it to end user reports. There seems no way to get to the report
properties.
Where do I look.

regards

--
John Evans
Managing Director
Clear Advantage Ltd

www.Clear-Advantage.co.uk

digitalmetaphors

Are you using the Server Edition? There should be help files on using
Parameters as well as examples in the installation demos folder for the
RBServer.

If you are using Enterprise, what are you trying to do exactly? Have you
examined the Autosearch feature? This is used to allow the end user to
specify what the query(s) should be filtered on when running a report. Most
likely this is what you need, not Report.Parameters. In RAP, you can access
and set the Report.Parameters.


Cheers,

Jim Bennett
Digital Metaphors

rbuser

Dear Jim,
my mail clearly says I have bought the Pro version. I bought it to
allow users to do end reporting. In the list of features for the pro version
it talks about user-settable runtime parameters, this is what I need to be
able to do.

regards
John

digitalmetaphors

Sorry I misunderstood. I thought you meant that you upgraded from Pro.

In RB Pro, use autosearch to allow the end user to define search parameters
on the data in order to filter the datasets automatically. When you create a
dataview in the Data tab, use the query tools to define a search criteria
and then specify it as an autosearch criteria. In the query designer, there
is a check box for autosearch when you select the criteria in the search tab
of the query designer. You can allow your end user to create dataviews by
adding daIDE to the uses clause.

If you want to send extra data from your app (such as user name, machine
name, some system info etc..) to the report, one way to do this is to give
the end user a JITPipeline that has one record in it that has these values
in different fields. Then you end user can simply connect a dbText to the
JITPipeline when they want to print some info from your app in the report
title or header band for example.


Cheers,

Jim Bennett
Digital Metaphors

rbuser

Dear Jim,
thank-you, thank-you, thank-you.

I strongly recommend you update your help files/user documents for the Pro
version to detail how to do this. It is extremely powerful yet I could find
no reference to it. My customers will be very happy.

regards

John