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@9@Creating Reports@0@                             
                                                   
Reporting is probably the most important and       
powerful feature of MEGA-Check 2.  Without it,     
tracking finances effectively would be             
virtually impossible to track finances             
effectively.                                       
                                                   
Reports are defined solely with the                
@1@Create/Edit Report...@0@ menu option.  Once     
the report is defined, the @1@Print@0@             
function is used to generate the report.           
Despite the difficulty of developing               
multitasking applications on the Atari,            
@8@all@0@ reports in MEGA-Check 2 are              
generated in the background, allowing you to       
enter more records, view other reports,            
balance your checkbook, or even use other          
@4@accessories@0@ under the Desk menu.             
Reports are also generated to a @4@random          
access@0@ file, a file which can be viewed by      
the @1@View Current Report...@0@ panel window      
but does not take up your computers memory         
(only disk space).  If the report looks good,      
you can save it, print it to an ASCII file, or     
send it to your printer.  You can also save        
the report definitions as a Report Model so it     
can be generated later with a single               
keysroke.  These models can even be                
@4@interactive@0@ so you can dynamically           
customize the report by simply answering a few     
questions (see @4@Storing Report Models@0@).       
                                                   
When viewing reports, you can click on a           
transaction in the report and have MEGA-Check      
2 display the transaction you clicked on so        
you can make any desired changes.                  
                                                   
The following sections will explain in detail      
how to perform all of these operations.            
                                                   
@1@Create/Edit Report  [Control+R]@0@              
                                                   
This panel consists of all of the necessary        
tools to create reports.  To define a report,      
you MEGA-Check 2 will need to know two             
things.  It must know @8@which@0@ transactions     
to include on the report (via Selection            
Criteria) and it must know what the report         
should look like (which fields to include and      
where to print them).                              
                                                   
The Create/Edit Report panel consists of a         
@1@Layout@0@ window area (with vertical and        
horizontal scroll bars) and various tool and       
option buttons surrounding it.                     
                                                   
@1@Report Components@0@                            
                                                   
The Layout window contains the actual report       
definition; a "picture" of what the report is      
going to look like when it's printed.  Each        
"box" inside the Layout Window represents a        
@4@report component@0@, which shows @8@what@0@     
will be printed at that location.                  
                                                   
There are two types of report components;          
@4@constants@0@ and @4@fields@0@.  Constants       
are components that print exactly as shown.        
Report titles and headings, for example, will      
contain almost only constants (except perhaps      
for the page #), since they provide labels for     
what goes beneath them (the @4@fields@0@).         
Fields are values that are usually pulled out      
of the @2@Transaction Table@0@, but aretrantbl.hlp
represented in the Report Layout window by a       
four character name of the field enclosed in       
brackets "[abcd]".  These four characters tell     
you what will be printed, but is not a             
representation of what is going to be printed      
exactly.  In other words, a report component       
that is shown as "[DATE]" will not print           
"[DATE]" on the report.  It will print the         
value of the Date field for the transactions       
selected.  However, if a report component is       
represented as "Date" in Layout window, the        
actual word "Date" @8@will@0@ be printed           
because it is not in all capital letters and       
is not surrounded by brackets.                     
                                                   
@1@Characteristics of a Report Component@0@        
                                                   
Each report component, whether a constant or       
field, is made up of several parts.  The gray      
character on the left side is the @4@component     
type@0@ and identifies what the section of the     
report the component belongs to.  A "b" stands     
for beginning, "h" for heading, "d" for            
detail, "s" for subtotal and "e" for end.          
Vertically, each component cannot occur in any     
order other than the order they were just          
described.  In other words, all @4@headings@0@     
must be below each @4@beginning@0@ component       
and @8@above@0@ each detail component.             
Likewise, @4@subtotal@0@ components must be        
placed @8@below@0@ the @4@detail@0@ components     
and above the @4@end@0@ components.  A visual      
representation of the required order of the        
report component types:                            
                                                   
	Beginnings                                        
	Headings                                          
	Detail lines                                      
	Subtotals                                         
	End (totals)                                      
                                                   
MEGA-Check 2 will not allow you to exit the        
@1@Create/Edit Report@0@ panel if any              
component is in the same zone as another           
component of the same type, or if any the          
zones are in the wrong order (like trying to       
put a "h"eading component at the end of the        
report).  In addition, MEGA-Check 2 will now       
allow report components to intersect.              
                                                   
Just to the right of the gray Type code            
character is the actual contents of the report     
component.  Again, this will be either a           
@4@constant@0@ or a @4@field@0@.  In either        
case, the contents are represented with all of     
the bold, underline and italicizing that you       
specify.                                           
                                                   
Note that because the component type code          
takes up the first position in the component       
the rightmost character of its contents is         
truncated (cut off) in the Layout window           
because MEGA-Check 2 gives you a true              
representation of the size of the field.           
Adding the extra character to the beginning        
(the type code) requires the last character on     
the right to be pushed off if the true size of     
the field is to be represented.  Of course,        
this will not occur on the final printed           
report.                                            
                                                   
@1@Moving and Sizing Report components@0@          
                                                   
Report components can be easily moved and          
sized with the mouse, much like GEM windows        
are moved and sized.                               
                                                   
Sizing a report component is accomplished by       
clicking and dragging the @8@rightmost@0@          
character of the report component.  A @4@sizer     
ruler@0@ will appear showing the maximum           
length the component can be sized and the          
information line will read "Sizing                 
component..."  In addition, the mouse pointer      
will assume the shape of a pointing hand.          
                                                   
When report components are shortened, they are     
cut off from the right side.  They can be          
shortened down to a single character.  If you      
want to delete a component, select it and          
click on the @4@Delete...@0@ button.               
                                                   
To move a component to a new location, simply      
drag the component(s) to be moved from any         
point other than the last character in the         
component (because that is used to resize the      
component).  More than one component can be        
moved at a time by selecting them ahead of         
time (by left clicking on them) and MEGA-Check     
2 will always show how many are being moved in     
the @4@information line@0@ of the Layout           
window.  To deselect a component just left         
click on it again.  Left clicking on any blank     
spot in the Layout window will deselect all        
report components.                                 
                                                   
Only components that are currently visible on      
the Layout window can be moved, even if you        
have others selected that are not visible.  In     
addition, components cannot be moved out of        
the Layout window.  If you want to move a          
component not currently visible in the Layout      
window, you must drag it to the edge of the        
window, scroll the window using the scroll         
bars, and then move it again until you reach       
the place you want to move it to.                  
                                                   
Layout Window Tools                                
                                                   
The @1@X,Y@0@ box tells what @8@print              
position@0@ the mouse pointer is currently         
positioned at (except when moving or sizing a      
component).  When the mouse pointer is moved       
outside of the Layout window, the coordinates      
will not register (and will read "---,---").       
                                                   
The @1@Zoom In@0@ and @1@Zoom Out@0@ buttons       
allow you to see more or less of the report at     
a time.  In the report can be zoomed to three      
different levels (two in medium resolution).       
The farther you zoom out, the smaller the          
report components get and the more you can         
see.  This might be useful if you have a           
report with a lot of components that you need      
to see all at one time.                            
                                                   
The Grid On/Off/Auto controls if/when a grid       
showing each horizontal and vertical print         
position should display.  @1@On@0@ turns the       
grid on, @1@Off@0@ turns it off.  @1@Auto@0@       
leaves it off until you drag report components     
to a new location.  At that time it is             
displayed only while the mouse button is           
pressed.                                           
                                                   
A report component can be removed from the         
layout by selecting it (left-clicking on it)       
and then clicking on the @1@Delete...@0@           
button.  The following alert box appears.          
                                                   
Clicking on @1@Selected@0@ deletes only the        
report components you've selected, clicking on     
@1@All@0@ clears the entire report so you can      
start fresh.                                       
                                                   
The @1@Select Transactions@0@ panel can be         
accessed directly from the @1@Create/Edit          
Report@0@ panel by clicking on the                 
@1@Where...@0@ button.  Note that it is the        
same Select Transactions panel that is             
accessed from the @1@Tables Select                 
Transactions...@0@ menu option.                    
                                                   
MEGA-Check 2 @8@does@0@ allow you to create        
reports from both the Account and Associate        
tables.  For more information, see the             
sections Creating Account Table and Associate      
Table reports.                                     
                                                   
@9@Related topics@0@:                              
                                                   
  @2@Storing Report Models@0@29.hlp               
  @2@Report Options@0@21.hlp                      
  @2@Printing reports@0@print.hlp                 
  @2@Monitoring the status of a print job@0@25.hlp
                                                   
                                                   
