Enhancing Parameter Usability

Select the data type of the parameter field from this list. For example, if you're going to be prompting for a value in a numeric field, select "Number."

If you select Date or DateTime for your parameter's value type, you can alter the default date/time formats by using the Options command from the File menu.

Static: A static prompt is one that always contains the same values. For example, if your parameter prompts for a country value, you could create a static prompt because the country list represents a set of values that doesn't change often.

Dynamic: The values of a dynamic prompt are retrieved from the data source and are not stored within the report. For example, if you're prompting for customer name, you could create a dynamic prompt because the names in your customer database probably change frequently.

Click this list to pick a database field that provides the prompt values for your parameter field.

Click this list to pick a database field that provides the prompt descriptions for the values for your parameter field.

By selecting one of the "Show on (Viewer) Panel" Options, you can choose if the parameter is visible on the Viewer Panel or not. This option is explained in more detail under Parameter Panel Option on one of the following pages.

Enter the text that you want the program to show your users as a prompt. For example, if you're prompting for a state value, you might want to enter a prompt like "Enter the state that you want sales data for." For a Static prompt, the program adds the phrase "Enter <Parameter Name>:" by default.

Choose whether your user should be prompted with only a description (True) or both a value and its description (False). By default, the program sets this field to False.

Set this to true if you want to allow the user to bypass entering a value for this parameter.

Add a value to this field if you want a default value to appear when the program prompts your users to select a value.

By selecting the "Allow multiple values" check box, you can choose more than one default value for your parameter field.

By selecting the "Discrete value(s)" option, you can select only discrete, or singular, values for your parameter field. If you have "Allow multiple values" selected, you'll be able to select more than one discrete value for your parameter field, though those discrete values continue to function singularly as opposed to a range value.

Use the "Allow range values" field to select a range of values for your parameter field. For example, if you've selected a currency field, your parameter field (with range value selected) could equal any number that falls between $10,000 and $100,000. When this field is set to True, the prompt allows range values. The field defaults to False.

Use the "Min length" field to limit the minimum number of characters that can appear in your parameter field. For example, if you choose the number 4 as your minimum length limit, the name of customer Dan couldn't be used because it's fewer than four characters long.

Use the "Max length" field to limit the maximum number of characters that can appear in your parameter field. For example, if you choose the number 5 as your maximum length limit, the name of customer Margaret couldn't be used because it's more than five characters long.

Use the "Edit mask" field to create an Edit Mask for your parameter. The Edit Mask can be any of a set of masking characters used to restrict the values you can enter as parameter values (the edit mask also limits the values your users can enter as prompting values).

The setting "Show Value or Description" will display either the value or the description of a parameter field placed in the report for the selected value.