Formatting Rows and Columns 

Column Formats

You define the format of your report columns using format groups. These format groups tell the Report Painter which format to use in each report column. You can define up to five format groups, allowing you to use five different column formats in your report.

A format group is used to determine the following layout parameters:

You define the layout parameters for the different format groups in the report layout assigned to the report. The report layout also contains information on the report page layout and text formats. For more information on standard layouts, see Standard Layouts and Creating a Standard Layout.

You can display the standard layout assigned to your report with Formatting ® Report layout. In the dialog box displayed, you can make changes to the report layout. The function Use standard layout assigns the new layout to the report as the standard layout.

The Format group row in the report definition displays the format group currently assigned to each report column. Format group 0 is automatically set as the default for all columns. To change the format group assigned to a column, double-click the format group field and select the desired format group. The column is then formatted according to the layout parameters for the specified format group.

You can overwrite the default layout parameters for individual format groups in your report. These changes are only valid for the report that you are currently editing. To do so, position the cursor on the column to which the format group is assigned, and choose Formatting ® Column.

You can overwrite the default parameters of the standard layout using the Column width, Numerical format, and Reverse sign functions. The numerical format controls how values are displayed in your report (scaling factor and number of decimal places).

If you specify one decimal place and a scaling factor of 1000 for the value 1000000, this value will be displayed as 1000.0 in the report.

The formatting functions under Formatting ® Column change the format of all columns that use the same format group. If you want to change the format of a single column, you must assign a different format group to this column.

You establish the alignment of the column headings for all report columns. To change the horizontal alignment of text (left-justified, centered, or right-justified), choose Formatting ® All columns ® Text alignment.

You can also specify which type of text you want to use in all column headings (short, medium, or long text). To do so, choose Formatting ® Row/column texts and select the text type you want to display.

Row Formats

You can use the Over-/Underscore functions to highlight individual report rows. For example, you can have the system display lines above and/or below totals rows. To do so, position the cursor on the row and choose Formatting ® Row. In the subsequent dialog box, activate Underscore and/or Overscore.

You can add color highlighting to individual report rows. To do so, position the cursor on the row and choose Formatting ® Row. In the following dialog box, select a color (for totals, subtotals, inserted rows, or for emphasis). The system assigns a color based on the selection you make here.

You can format more than one row at a time by selecting the rows and then formatting them, as desired. The rows remain selected once you have completed the format changes. You must remove the selections manually using the Deselect all function. Formatting commands that affect all rows or columns are independent of any selections you have made.

You can specify which type of text you want to use in the report lead column (short, medium, or long text). To do so, choose Formatting ® Row/column texts. In the dialog box, select the text type you want to display.

You can only use the Expand to/Collapse functions for report rows that are exploded in the report definition and contain totals rows. You must therefore select a group as the characteristic value for the row and explode that row. The lowest level in a group hierarchy (usually the individual values) are not displayed in the report definition.

If you position the cursor on an exploded row in the report definition and choose Collapse to or Formatting ® Collapse to, you can specify the summation level up to which you want to collapse exploded report rows.

By choosing Formatting ® Expand to, you can specify the summation level up to which you want to expand exploded report rows.

The summation levels you define in the report definition are used when you output the report. You can, however, expand or collapse these rows again in the report output.

The Report Painter does not process exploded report rows as individual row elements. You cannot therefore use all functions on exploded rows, which can be used on other report rows.

For example, if you use the Delete function on an exploded row, the system deletes the entire row element and not just the exploded row.

If you use the Underscore/Overscore and Color settings functions on exploded report rows, any changes you make are valid for all rows at the same characteristic level.

For more information, see Layout and Section Layout