Now, let's
add some more of the requested information to our footer through the use of Global
variables and other expression components within the Value property of a
couple of additional Textboxes.
16.
Insert another
Textbox into the Page Footer section of the Layout area,
to the right of the Textbox we added above.
17.
Click the Textbox just
added, to ascertain that it is selected.
18.
Open the Properties
window for the Textbox.
19.
In the Properties
window, ensure that the settings shown in Table 5 are in place.
|
Property
|
Setting
|
|
|
|
|
Font:
|
|
|
FontStyle
|
Normal
|
|
FontFamily
|
Verdana
Ref
|
|
FontSize
|
8pt
|
|
FontWeight
|
Normal
|
|
Can
Grow
|
True
|
|
Can
Shrink
|
True
|
|
Location:
|
|
|
Left
|
3.75in
|
|
Top
|
0.175in
|
|
Size:
|
|
|
Width
|
2in
|
|
Height
|
0.175in
|
|
|
|
Table 5: Textbox Properties Settings
Now we
will add another global variable to the footer, using the Value setting
within the Textbox Properties window whose settings we have modified.
20.
Click within
the Value setting in the Textbox Properties window to select it.
21.
Click the
selector button (the down arrow) that appears.
22.
Select <Expression ...>
from the selector, as we did earlier.
The Edit
Expression dialog appears.
23.
Type the
following after the "=" ("equals") sign in the Expression
area of the dialog:
="Title: " &
24.
Click the "+"
("plus") sign to the immediate left of Globals under Fields
on the left side of the Edit
Expression
dialog, to expand it, as we did before.
25.
Click ReportName
under Globals to highlight it.
26.
Click the
Append button.
The ReportName
expression component appears in the Expression area of the dialog,
just as UserID did earlier. The Edit Expression dialog should
appear as depicted in Illustration 23.
Illustration 23: The
Edit Expression Dialog with Our Additions
We will
add the final variable component to the footer, the page number information, next.
28.
Insert one
more Textbox into the Page Footer section of the Layout
area, to the right of the Textbox we added above to contain the Title
information.
29.
Click the Textbox
just added, to ascertain that it is selected.
30.
Open the Properties
window for the Textbox.
31.
In the Properties
window, ensure that the settings shown in Table 6 are in place.
|
Property
|
Setting
|
|
|
|
|
Font:
|
|
|
FontStyle
|
Normal
|
|
FontFamily
|
Verdana
Ref
|
|
FontSize
|
8pt
|
|
FontWeight
|
Normal
|
|
Can
Grow
|
True
|
|
Can
Shrink
|
False
|
|
Location:
|
|
|
Left
|
7.5in
|
|
Top
|
0.175in
|
|
Size:
|
|
|
Width
|
1in
|
|
Height
|
0.175in
|
|
|
|
Table 6: Textbox Properties Settings
32.
Click within
the Value setting in the Textbox Properties window to select it.
33.
Click the
selector button (the down arrow) that appears.
34.
Select <Expression
...> from the selector, as we did earlier.
The Edit
Expression dialog appears.
35.
Type the
following after the "=" ("equals") sign in the Expression
area of the dialog:
="Page " &
36.
Click the "+"
("plus") sign to the immediate left of Globals under Fields
on the left side of the Edit
Expression
dialog, to expand it, as we did before.
37.
Click PageNumber
under Globals to highlight it.
38.
Click the
Append button.
The PageNumber
expression component appears in the Expression area of the dialog.
We now need to provide for the "total number of pages" portion.
39.
Type the
following, after the Global!PageNumber component we appended above, in
the Expression area of the dialog:
& " of " &
40.
Click TotalPages
under Globals to highlight it.
41.
Click the
Append button.
The TotalPages
component is appended, and the Edit Expression dialog appears as shown
in Illustration 24.
Illustration 24: The
Edit Expression Dialog with Our Additions
Let's check
our work so far, and verify its effectiveness.
43.
Click the Preview
tab atop the Report Designer.
The
preview of our template report appears as depicted in Illustration 25.
Illustration 25: Preview
of Our Template Report (75% Reduction)
All
appears in order, and so we will save the report, and then locate it for use as
a template, in the next section.
Save
the Report Definition as a Template
We have
created an "empty" report, with header and footer sections, that we
wish to reuse in creating new reports going forward. Let's save the report in
its original location, for safekeeping, and then save it again as reusable
template, with the following steps.
1.
Click the Layout
tab.
2.
Select File
--> Save All from the main menu to save all
our work to this point.
3.
Select File
--> Save Template_DatabaseJournal.rdl
As ....
The Save
File As dialog appears.
4.
Navigate to
the following directory (or similar, depending upon your local environment),
where Reporting Services houses the template and wizard files it presents in
the early steps of report creation:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\80\Tools\
Report Designer\ProjectItems\ReportProject
The Save
File As dialog appears similar to the one shown in Illustration 26.
Illustration 26: Saving
the .Rdl File to the Template Directory
5.
Click Save
to save the report file as a template.
6.
Select File
--> Close to close the report.
Our
template report is now positioned for reuse in prospective report creation.
» 
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