Progress
Report Builder
User’s Guide
Specifying Band Line Height
You can specify a band line’s height to be automatic or freeform. By default, Report Builder creates all band lines with an Automatic height setting, but if you insert an image on a line, the line height changes to Freeform.
For automatic lines, Report Builder automatically adjusts line height to accommodate the largest font on the line. Because Report Builder by default adds interline spacing (also called leading) to provide a small amount of “white space” between lines, the Automatic line height option provides appropriate line spacing in most cases. Because of the interline spacing, the actual height of a line with a height setting of Automatic is slightly more than that of the largest font on the line.
Freeform lines allow you to specify a fixed size for the line. Because the line height of freeform lines automatically expands to accommodate any image you insert on them, they are useful for areas of a report where you plan to insert images. Also, if you increase the height of an inserted image, Report Builder adjusts the line height to accommodate the increased size of the image. When Snap To Grid is enabled, you must specify a line height that is a multiple of the distance between grid lines. You cannot set a line height smaller than the smallest font used on the line.
However, a freeform line does not automatically adjust the line height if you decrease the image height. You must manually adjust the line height to match the decreased image size.
Also, freeform lines do not expand to accommodate a word-wrapped field placed on it. You must specify a height for the freeform line that is sufficient for the maximum number of lines that the word-wrapped field occupies in the report output.
Report Builder indicates a freeform line in the report layout by placing up and down arrows in the line status area (the narrow channel at the right edge of the band area).
Follow these steps to specify a band line’s height:
- Select one or more band lines for which you want to change the height.
- If you select a single band line, double-click or choose Properties
Band Line Properties. If you select multiple band lines, choose Properties
Band Line Properties. The Band Line Properties dialog box appears:
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- Choose the Automatic or Freeform radio buttons to control the line height. The default is Automatic.
- If you chose the Freeform radio button in Step 3, choose the Inches (Centimeters) or Points radio button to specify the line height in inches or points.
- If you chose the Freeform radio button in Step 3, specify the line height in the measurement system you chose in Step 4 (inches or points).
- Choose OK.
Follow these steps to use the format bar to switch line height settings:
- Select the lines for which you want to change the band line height.
- Choose the Auto/Freeform Line button on the format bar. If you select only one line or if all the lines are the same line type, the Auto/Freeform Line button acts as a toggle—a freeform line becomes automatic, and vice versa. If the selected lines are a mixture of automatic and freeform, they all become automatic.
Sizing a Freeform Line in the Report Layout
Follow these steps to size a freeform line on the layout:
Eliminating Interline Spacing for Automatic Lines
If you do not want Report Builder to add interline spacing to all lines with an Automatic line height setting, follow these steps:
- Choose Properties
Page Layout. The Page Layout dialog box appears:
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- Deactivate Interline Spacing. See "Printing," for more information about the Page Layout dialog box settings.
- Choose OK to return to the report layout.
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