Aspect Software

 

Back-office software for Restaurateurs

 
 
 

Customizing Reports

 

(Revised 04-12-2000)


 

Aspect includes a powerful feature that may be used to customize Aspect's pre-defined reports and to create completely new reports that you design yourself.


The Display Options feature can be selected from the Edit menu, the button bar, or by pressing the right mouse button on any record in the current display. After selecting Display Options, double-click on one of the reports listed or highlight a report and press Ok.


To customize an existing report or to create a new one, select Display Options and then press the Custom button at the bottom of the window. If you want to modify an existing report, highlight it in the list before pressing Custom.


The Display Options window consists of three sections:


   

The top section shows the name of the current format and the sort options currently in effect.


The middle section contains additional options that are specific to the active window. The middle section will vary based on the type of window that is open.


The bottom section contains a list of available fields on the left and the list of selected fields on the right.


 

Fields are added and removed from the report using the Add and Remove buttons. To add a field, highlight the field in the list of available fields. Then click on the list of selected fields to indicate where you wish to add the field. Click on the line below the last selected field to add the field to the end of the list. Press Add (or double-click the field to be added) to add the field to the report. To remove a field, click on the field in the list of selected fields and press Remove.


Any modifications you make in the report will be temporary unless you press the Save button to save the changes. If you wish to save the changes as a new report, enter a new name for the display format before saving it. Press the Default button to restore a pre-defined display format to its original state. The Default button only works for pre-defined reports and will have no effect on reports that you create and save with a new name.


The Format button is used to change the way a field is displayed. Highlight a field in the list of selected fields and press Format to see the options available. (You may also double-click the field). Here, you can set the width of the field, how many decimals should be displayed and the alignment of the field - left, right or centered. You may also select options to further define the format of text and number fields. Number fields usually look best when centered. The numbers themselves are right-justified but the column titles are centered.


There is not necessarily a direct correlation between the field width and the number of characters that can be displayed in the field. This is because some letters take more space than others when using proportional fonts.