Showing records only if populated

rbuser

This is a repost from a couple of days ago, so i guess it got lost
somewhere.
If not then i apologise.
The question has to do with only printing certain fields if they contain
data.
I have been trying to create a Master/Detail report that
displays the current master record along with the details for this record.
I want most of the details to be displayed in a subreport (which works
fine), but i also want one field from the detail dataset to be displayed
after all the detail records have been printed. I have put this extra field
in a second sub report in the summary section of the first subreport (if you
see what i mean).
Now all this works OK, except that i only want this field to be displayed if
there is actually data in the field.
The field is called 'Terms'.
Now i have written procedures for trying to make the second detail band
invisible if there is no data but i can't get it to work.
I can't event get the compiler to stop on these procedures so i can test it.

I have put together a zipped demo app which i can send you, that uses the
DBDemos tables and if you could need take a look at what i am talking
about.

Thankyou for any help

John

digitalmetaphors

I've downloaded your attachment from the news server from a couple days ago.
I'll try changing the timing of your events a little, to see if I can get
this approach to work in your example.


Cheers,

Jim Bennett
Digital Metaphors

digitalmetaphors

The problem with your demo project is that the subreport1 needs to be set to
invisible before the detail records have been traversed by the report.

The best approach is to create a lookup query. The lookup query should
create a caclulated field for each master record, in order to determine when
the detail records have at least one non-emtpy Notes field. The lookup
should only return one record for each master record.

Another approach, you may be able to get away with moving the detail record
pointer. Create a method that traverses through the detail records to check
the value of the notes fields in the detailband's BeforePrint so that you
can set the visibility of the subreport1, if they are all empty. You'll have
to check the key linking field value to make sure that you stop on the last
record of the detail data for the master record. Then move the current
record poiner back to the record you started with.

Yet, another similar approach, would be to create the report in two passes.
Report.PassSetting := psTwoPass. In the first pass, create a list of master
records that have all empty Notes fields. In the second pass, use this list
to set the visibility of the subreport1 in its DetailBand.BeforePrint event.


Cheers,

Jim Bennett
Digital Metaphors

rbuser

Thanks for all your help on this Jim.
I've done it at last. Your Lookup query gave me the idea, that all i needed
to do (as i am using Clientdatasets, and cannot use queries when offline),
was to populate another Dbisam InMemory dataset with the Item Notes and
display them (if any) in another subreport.

Whole hearted thanks again and have a good break
John