Report Design¶
Design is where you arrange bands and elements into a printable layout.
Goal¶
Understand the Design workspace and how layout pieces fit together.
Prerequisites¶
- A report project is open
- Ideally a query and fields are already defined on the Data tab
Design workflow¶
- Switch to the Design tab.
- Select a band in the Design explorer.
- Choose a tool from the Design toolbar (Pointer, Label, Text Field, Table, Chart, Map, and others).
- Click or draw on the canvas to place the element.
- Adjust size, position, and properties.
- Use Validate / the validation panel to catch issues, then open Preview.
[ Screenshot: Design workspace overview ]
Bands and elements¶
| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
| Report Bands | Title, headers, detail, groups, footers, summary |
| Report Elements | Labels, fields, shapes, tables, charts, maps, barcodes |
Common Design toolbar tools¶
| Tool | Use |
|---|---|
| Pointer | Select and move elements |
| Label | Static text |
| Text Field | Dynamic field or expression |
| Image | Pictures and logos |
| Table / List / Crosstab | Tabular layouts |
| Chart | Charts |
| Map | Map frames |
| Barcode / QR Code | Scannable codes |
| Shapes | Line, Rectangle, Rounded Rectangle, Ellipse, Frame |
| Subreport | Nested report reference |
Tips¶
Tip
Align multiple selected elements with the alignment buttons on the Design toolbar.
Note
Use Report → Theme… (or the Theme toolbar action) to apply a consistent look before fine-tuning individual elements.