Progress
Report Builder
User’s Guide


Alignment Defaults and Options

A field’s default alignment is assigned when the field is created. When you create fields in Report Builder, Report Builder automatically assigns a default alignment based on the type of field you create. The field type also dictates the available alignment options. Table 4–4 lists each data type, its default alignment, and the alignment options.

Table 4–4: Field Alignment Defaults and Options 
Data Type
Default Alignment
Alignment Options
Text field (text string)
Left
Left, center, or right
NUMERIC
Right
Left, center, or right
CHARACTER
Left
Left, center, right, or word-wrap
DATE
Right
Left, center, or right
LOGICAL
Left
Left, center, or right
MEMO
Word-wrap
Left, center, right, or word-wrap

NOTE: Choose Properties Band Line Justify to specify the position of the field within the margins of the report.

There are four possible field alignment options:

Left-aligned Data

Report Builder starts printing a left-aligned field at the position occupied by the left edge of the field on the layout. For example, if the first letter of a left-aligned character field begins at two inches on the layout, Report Builder starts printing two inches from the left margin. The position of the last character in the field data varies depending on the font applied to the field, the length of the data, and the width of the field. Report Builder might truncate character and memo fields if the field is not wide enough.

Centered Data

Report Builder determines the position of centered data by the position of the middle character of the field value. The position of the first character in the field varies depending on the font applied to the field and the length of the data.

Right-aligned Data

Report Builder starts printing a right-aligned field so that it ends at the position occupied by the right edge of the field on the report layout. For example, if the last letter of a text field is at two inches on the layout, Report Builder adjusts the starting point of the text, depending on the field’s font, so that the field ends two inches from the left margin. The position of the first character in the field varies depending on the font applied to the field and the length of the data.

Word-wrapped Data

Report Builder continues to print the data for a word-wrapped field on subsequent lines after the data fills the field width on the first line.

When you choose the Word Wrap option, you must also specify whether the word-wrapped field will be left, right, or fully justified. Word-wrapped, left-aligned is the default format for memo fields.

The following rules control word-wrap format:


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