You can format your report and report elements in order to present the report with a company style.
There are several levels of formatting:
- Report
- Table
- Table Cell
- Free-standing Cell
- Section
- Report Header and Footer
Formatting Reports, Sections, Tables, and Cells
Objectives
After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
- Format a report
- Format a section
- Format a table
- Format a cell
Object Formats in a Document
Format: Report
Select a report and the Report Element Format tab to view formatting settings.
Display Settings
The table below shows the options available in the Display sub-tab:
| Section | Option |
|---|---|
| General | Description |
| Layout | Report header, Report footer |
| Hide | Hide always, Hide when formula is true |
In Design mode, select Build Side Panel → Report Element Format tab → Display sub-tab, you can add a description in the Description text field, with details or comments for your reports. This text is displayed in a tooltip when you hover the mouse over the report’s tab or over its name when it is displayed in any list.
Appearance Settings
The table below shows the options available in the Appearance sub-tab:
| Section | Sub-Section | Option |
|---|---|---|
| Background | N/A | No color, Color |
| Background | Pattern | None, Skin, URL, File, Linear Gradient |
| Hyperlink | N/A | Visited, Unvisited |
| Borders | N/A | Border color, Border styles, Border thickness, All borders, No border, Border top Border left, Border bottom, Border right |
Layout Settings
The table below shows the options available in the Layout sub-tab:
| Section | Sub-Section | Option |
|---|---|---|
| Quick Display Mode | N/A | Rows, Columns |
| Print Layout | N/A | Size, Orientation |
| Print Layout | Margins | Top, Bottom, Left, Right |
| Print Layout | Scaling | Adjust to, Fit to |
Procedure: To Set the Page Margins
Follow these steps to set the page margins:
- Select the report.
- Choose Build Side Panel → Report Element Format tab → Layout sub-tab.
- In the Print Layout section → Margins sub-section, set the different margin sizes.
Procedure: To Set the Page Orientation
Follow these steps to set the page orientation:
- Select the report.
- Choose Build Side Panel → Report Element Format tab → Layout sub-tab.
- In the Print Layout section, open the Orientation list and select the landscape or portrait orientation.
Format: Section
Select a section and the Report Element Format tab to view formatting settings.
Display Settings
The table below shows the options available in the Display sub-tab:
| Section | Option |
|---|---|
| Hide Section Instances | When empty, When the following are empty |
| Hide Entire Section | Always, When following formula is true |
| Navigation Map | Show section in navigation map |
Appearance Settings
The table below shows the options available in the Appearance sub-tab:
| Section | Sub-Section | Option |
|---|---|---|
| Background | N/A | No color, Color |
| Background | Pattern | None, Skin, URL, File, Linear Gradient |
Procedure: To Format Section Background
Follow these steps to format section background:
- Select the section.
- Choose Build Side Panel → Report Element Format tab → Appearance sub-tab.
- In the Background section, open the Color list and select the color.
Layout Settings
The table below shows the options available in the Layout sub-tab:
| Section | Sub-Section | Option |
|---|---|---|
| Section Instances | N/A | Minimum height, Bottom padding |
| Section Instances | Page Break | Start instances on a new page, Repeat section cell on every page, Avoid page break in instances |
| Section Instances | Section Layout | Minimum top offset, Top margin |
Format: Table
The point of formatting in Web Intelligence is to improve the visual appearance and readability of the data presented in the table. By applying formatting options such as font styles, colors, borders, and alignment, users can enhance the overall presentation of the table and make it more appealing to their audience.
Select a table and the Report Element Format tab to view formatting settings.
Display Settings
The table below shows the options available in the Display sub-tab:
| Section | Sub-Section | Option |
|---|---|---|
| Layout | N/A | Header, Footer |
| Hide | N/A | Hide always, Hide when empty, Hide when formula is true |
| Columns and Rows | N/A | Avoid duplicate rows aggregation |
| Columns and Rows | Rows | Show rows with empty measures values, Show rows for which all measure values = 0, Show rows for which the sum of measure value = 0, Show rows with empty dimensions values |
Section: Hide
Sometimes, tables or specific rows and columns either do not display values or they display values insignificant to the report user. However, as a report designer, they are valuable to you in presenting data accurately.
For example, when your organization stops selling a product, the table, rows, or columns for the product will be missing sales revenue data. By default, Web Intelligence displays the empty table, rows, or columns. You can choose to display or hide the table, rows, or columns that contain no data. You can also display or hide a table based on the results of a formula.
You can also show or hide a dimension. For example, the Month object in the eFashion database provides the number of the month, but the report users prefer to view this as the Month name. You can display the Month value to use an ascending sort on the number of the month, and then hide the month because it distracts the report users.
| Option | When selected |
|---|---|
| Hide always | The table is always hidden. |
| Hide when empty | The table is hidden when there's no data. |
| Hide when formula is true | The table is hidden when the formula you create is true. To hide the table when the formula is true, select and type a formula in the box. |
Section: Columns and Rows
Depending on the type of table you are using, you can conditionally hide or show measures or dimensions values in columns or rows.
For form, cross, and vertical tables:
| Option | When selected | When deselected |
|---|---|---|
| Show rows with empty measure values | Rows are displayed in the table, even if they don't contain values. | Rows are hidden if they don't contain values. |
| Show rows with empty dimension values | Rows are displayed in the table, even if they don't contain values. | Rows are hidden if they don't contain any values. |
| Shows rows for which all measure values = 0 | Even if the measure value is 0 in all cells of the row, the row still appears in the table. | If the measure value is 0 in all cells, the row doesn't appear in the table. |
| Shows rows for which the sum of measure values = 0 | Even if the sum of measure value is 0 in the row, the row still appears in the table. | If the sum of the measure value is 0 in all cells, the row doesn't appear in the table. |
Appearance Settings
The table below shows the options available in the Appearance sub-tab:
| Section | Sub-Section | Option |
|---|---|---|
| Background | N/A | No color, Color |
| Background | Alternate Color | Color, Frequency |
| Background | Pattern | None, Skin, URL, File, Linear Gradient |
| Borders | N/A | Border color, Border styles, Border thickness, All borders, No border, Border top Border left, Border bottom, Border right |
| Spacing and Padding | N/A | Horizontal, Vertical |
Procedure: To Define Alternate Row and Column Colors for a Table
Follow these steps to define alternate row and column colors for a table:
- Select the table.
- Choose Build Side Panel → Report Element Format tab → Appearance sub-tab.
- In the Background section → Alternate Color sub-section, open the Color list and select the color.
- In the Background section → Alternate Color sub-section, set the frequency in the Frequency field.
Text Settings
The table below shows the options available in the Text sub-tab:
| Section | Option |
|---|---|
| Text | Font, Font size, Color, Bold, Italic, Underline, Strikethrough, Align left, Center, Align Right, Justify, Align top, Center, Align Bottom, Wrap text |
Layout Settings
The table below shows the options available in the Layout sub-tab:
| Section | Sub-Section | Option |
|---|---|---|
| Layout | N/A | Repeat vertical header on every page, Repeat vertical footer on every page |
| Relative Position | N/A | Place left of the table, Place top of the table |
| Page Break | Vertical | Avoid page breaks, Start on a new page, Repeat on every page |
| Page Break | Horizontal | Avoid page breaks, Start on a new page, Repeat on every page |
Format: Table Cell
Select a table cell and the Report Element Format tab to view formatting settings.
Display Settings
The table below shows the options available in the Display sub-tab:
| Section | Option |
|---|---|
| Hide | Hide always, Hide when empty, Hide when formula is true |
In Design mode, right-click a column of a vertical table or a row of a horizontal table to open the context menu. The possible options under the Hide menu are:
- Hide Column/Row: To always hide the column or the row. This option is static and can only be changed by the report designer.
- Hide Column/Row When Empty: To hide the column/row if the corresponding object contains no data.
- Hide Column/Row When…: To hide the column/row depending on a formula. If you select this option, the Build Side Panel → Format tab → Display sub-tab opens. Enter the formula in the Hide when formula is true text field.
Appearance Settings
The table below shows the options available in the Appearance sub-tab:
| Section | Sub-Section | Option |
|---|---|---|
| Display | N/A | Read content as |
| Display | Padding | Top, Bottom, Left, Right |
| Background | N/A | No color |
| Background | Pattern | None, Skin, URL, File, Linear Gradient |
| Borders | N/A | Border color, Border styles, Border thickness, All borders, No border, Border top Border left, Border bottom, Border right |
You can add a gradient color effect in your report or any report element (header, footer, chart, cell…) background.
In the Build Side Panel → Format tab → Appearance sub-tab select the Linear Gradient option in the Background, Pattern section, and use the drop-down menus to choose:
- Two colors, including their transparency.
- The gradient direction: Horizontal, Vertical, Diagonal, …
Procedure: To Format a Number as a Currency in a Table Cell
Follow these steps to format a number as a currency in a table cell:
- Select a cell in the column to which you want to format the number and right-click it.
- In the contextual menu, select Format Display.
- Choose Currency.
- Select a number format from the list.
- Choose OK.
Text Settings
The table below shows the options available in the Text sub-tab:
| Section | Option |
|---|---|
| Text | Font, Font size, Color, Bold, Italic, Underline, Strikethrough, Align left, Center, Align Right, Justify, Align top, Center, Align Bottom, Wrap text |
Layout Settings
The table below shows the options available in the Layout sub-tab:
| Section | Option |
|---|---|
| Size | Width autofit, Height autofit |
Procedure: To Set Cell Width
Follow these steps to set cell width:
- Select the cells you want to change.
- Choose Build Side Panel → Report Element Format tab → Layout sub-tab.
- In the Size section, select the Minimum width Autofit radio button.
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