What is the Report Button on my Asset Screen?

On most panels where the user can add, edit or delete information there is a Report button as shown below.

This button allows the user to print a report directly from the screen.  This button has a few special features directly related to the fact that it knows what panel it is on.

1. Clicking on the button will display the default report to the screen in preview mode.  The user can change the default report at any time (see below).
2. The user can change the default report by right clicking on the button and selecting the desired default report.  The list of reports displayed are those specifically designed for the current screen, e.g., only Asset reports will be in the list on the Asset screen report button.  Of course, if there are no reports that apply to the current screen there will be nothing to display in the list.  In this case you will have to create an appropriate report in the Report screen.

Reports are affected by the Range Command.  For example, Ranging 20 assets and then selecting the report “Assets by Location” will print only those 20 assets, and not the entire Asset Table.   Reports can also have filters and any filters would also apply which means that less than 20 assets may be on the report.

Finally, the Report button also knows what the current Record is for the current item being edited.  In other words, it knows the current Asset for the Asset screen, Catalog for the catalog screen, etc.  If the Bar|Scan administrator has created the appropriate report, then the report printed can confine itself specifically to the current item being edited.  This would make it possible, for example, to very easily create a new Work Order then print it with a single click.

To create a report that applies only to the current record you need to create a report with a special filter line added. You need to add filter item

XXX.Record ID = ZL.Record ID-Base Table Initial Value

Where:

XXX is the desired screens report base (e.g. “AS” is for Assets)
ZL is the prefix for Special Functions.

i.e., add a filter in the report as follows:

1. Select “Filter By” tab.
2. Select “Add” a filter item button. The filter item dialog will appear.
3. On the left column select the report base for the current report (i.e., if this is an Asset report select table “Asset”)
4. Select field “Record ID”.
5. In the center select Operator “=” and field type “Field”.
6. On the right select “Special Functions”, then “Record ID-Base Table Initial Value”.
7. Select the “Add” button to send the filter to the filter list.
8. Select “Close”.

After this special report has been created, then the user can selected it as the default for the Report button.