HandiSoft Advanced Features Guide

Chapter 4. Reports and filters

This chapter describes filter settings that can be used to generate reports in all the HandiSoft programs. It also describes previewing and saving reports.

For specific information on HandiSoft program reports, please refer to the user manual for the program.

Operating filter expressions

Use filter expressions to restrict the information printed in reports. Filter expressions are used in the following areas:

 Generation of reports.

 Generation of mailing labels.

 Generation of documents.

 Generation of statements.

Creating a filter expression

The HandiSoft programs are supplied with a number of default filter expressions. Examine the expressions available to you when you generate reports, documents, statements, and mailing labels. Perhaps the filter that you require already exists.

If the exact filter does not exist, there is generally a filter that performs a similar function. The easiest way to create your own filter is to make a copy of a similar filter, and then modify it to create your own.

For information on creating and managing filters, please refer to the user manuals for the individual HandiSoft programs.

Filter rules

Although it is not always necessary, form the habit of surrounding your filter with brackets ().

A filter will always evaluate to TRUE or FALSE. If, for a record, a filter evaluates to TRUE then this record has matched your condition. Records that evaluate to FALSE are filtered out, and will not be processed.

Values, dates, text and Yes/No variables, and operators are the components of a filter.

Examples of components are:

Value Data Numbers and decimal point

Date

Text

Yes/No

Yes/No

Operator

'02/06/2015'

"HELLO"

Flag0@Clients

Not Flag0@Clients

=

Surrounded by single quotes.

Surrounded by double quotes.

Meaning Flag0 is selected.

Meaning Flag0 is deselected.

Mathematical operators.

1. Operands must be the same type. For example, the binary operator = (equal) takes two components on either side of the equals. These components are known as operands and

© HandiSoft Software Pty Ltd

37

Chapter 4. Reports and filters Advanced Features 2015

must be the same type (that is, both values, or both dates, etc).

For example, (1 = 1) is valid

For example, (1 = "YES") or (1 = '01/07/2015') is invalid

2. Normal mathematical rules of precedence are obeyed: For example, (15 – 3 * 4 + 3) will calculate the value as 6. The multiplication occurs first. If you are unsure of precedence rules, use nested filters that is, (15 – (3 * 4) +3).

3. The following symbols and phrases may be used:

Symbol Meaning Evaluates as

-

*

/

NOT

AND

OR

=

<>

<

<=

>

>=

+

Equals

Not equals

Less than

Less than or equal to

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Greater than Yes/No

Greater than or equal to Yes/No

Plus Calculates value

Minus

Multiply

Divide

Not

Logical AND

Logical OR

Calculates value

Calculates value

Calculates value

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Fields and functions

The filter expressions can contain fields and functions. Both return a value that can be evaluated against another value.

A field is written as 'field@table', where field is a field in a database table. This will return the value contained in that field in that database table. For example, in a Client type filter,

‘Current@Client' will return either a Y or N depending on whether that client is current or not.

A function is written as 'function(arg1,arg2…)'. An example of a function is

'GetPhoneNumber(Ref@Client,"B")', which returns the client's business phone number.

 To display the list of functions: from the

Help menu, point to the program name and click

Functions.

 To display the list of fields: from the Help menu, point to the program name and click

Fields.

The Field syntax list will be displayed in the "Report Preview" window.

The Fields report displays the information in the following columns.

 The Field column lists all the names of the fields that you can use.

 The Method of Use column shows how the fields are used in a filter expression.

 The Current Value column shows the field value for the currently selected client and tax form. This can be very useful if you want to see the type of information stored in a field.

The Functions report displays the information in the following columns.

 The Function column lists all the functions that you can use.

 The Return column shows the type of value that the functions will return.

 The Description column provides descriptions of the functions.

Some of the field values have to be obtained via a function. These include the client address and phone numbers that are in the 'Clients' table.

38

© HandiSoft Software Pty Ltd

Advanced Features 2015 Operating the “Report Preview” window

Address values

The Client address is stored in four lines, as shown in the following table:

Line Component Example

1

2

3

4

Street 1

Street 2

Suburb, State and

Code

Country

Park Manor Court

21 Maple Lane

Treeville, WA, 6121

Australia

The syntax for finding an address value is as follows:

GetClientAddress(Ref@Clients, "n", m)

Where m is the address line number required, and n is the type of address (A = All, S =

Street, P = Postal and O = Other).

Telephone numbers

Telephone numbers are entered in the 'Clients' table with a code in the T field. This code indicates the type of number:

T field Type of number

A

B

F

H

M

O

All use

Business

FAX

Home

Mobile

Other

The syntax for finding a phone number is as follows:

GetPhoneNumber(Ref@Clients, "n")

Where n is the T field code.

Operating the “Report Preview” window

Reports that you generate are displayed in the “Report Preview” window. From this window, you can perform a number of tasks, including:

 Save the report to a file.

 Export the report to Microsoft Word™, Microsoft Excel™ or PDF (Portable Document

Format).

 Email the report.

 Print the report in either a text or an ASCII format.

 Perform a Find and Replace of text.

 View the report in graphical, ASCII or HTML formats.

 If you have the Document Manager, installed and enabled, you can add the report to a collated document.

Tip: For information on the "Report Preview" window, press F1 to display the online help.

Editing reports

The "Report Preview" window has some limited edit features, which allow you to 'touch up' the report before printing it. This does not change the data; so any editing you do in the "Report

Preview" window will be lost when you run the report again.

© HandiSoft Software Pty Ltd

39

Chapter 4. Reports and filters Advanced Features 2015

To edit a report in the “Report Preview” window:

1. In the "Report Preview" window, double-click on the text you want to change. Alternatively, right click on it and click Edit on the shortcut menu that appears.

The "Edit the text in this cell" window will appear, displaying the text in the selected cell.

Figure 12: The "Edit the text in this cell" window

2. Edit the text as required and click

OK. You can also change the font style and effects in the selected cell.

3. If you want the selected style to use the assigned font in future reports run from this

HandiSoft program, click Yes on the “Attention” window.

Saving a report and its data

Once you have viewed a report in the “Report Preview” window, you can save it for later use.

Note: You are not able to save reports generated from the Document Manager and Jobflow

Manager in this manner. You can, however, export and save them as Word, Excel, PDF and

HTML files.

Caution: The information in the saved report is not updated to reflect changes made to the HandiSoft database.

Save a report

1. Preview the required report in the “Report Preview” window.

2. Click Save.

3. On the "Save Report" window, specify the name under which the report is to be saved.

40

© HandiSoft Software Pty Ltd

Advanced Features 2015 Saving a report and its data

4. Select the Save to Document Manager check box if you want the report saved to either the selected client folder or your import folder in the Document Manager.

Clear the Save to Document Manager check box if you do not want to save the report to the Document Manager. You can then retrieve the report via the

Saved Reports command in the Reports menu.

Tip: If the Save to Document Manager check box is not visible on the "Save

Report" window, it means that the Document Manager has not been enabled . For

information on enabling the Document Manager, refer to Chapter 7, "Documents and

Mailing Labels".

5. Click OK to save the report.

Retrieve a report

If a report has been saved to the Document Manager, you can retrieve it by opening it in the

Document Manager. If the report was not saved to the Document manager, you can retrieve it as follows:

1. From the Reports menu, click Saved Reports. The "Saved Reports" window will open, listing all the saved reports.

2. Highlight the required report and click Preview.

The program will display the report in the “Report Preview” window.

Finding reports

You can search for a saved report as follows:

1. From the

Reports menu, click Saved Reports to open the "Saved Reports" window:

2. On the "Saved Reports" window, click Find. The "Find" window will open.

3. In the Find field, type in the name of the required report. You need only type the initial characters to find the first name on the list that matches.

4. Click OK to start the search.

Exporting reports to Word and Excel

You can export your reports as Microsoft Word and Excel files, which you can choose to save to the Document Manager or any other location.

Note: If you want to save reports to the Document Manager, it must be installed and enabled.

To export a report to Word or Excel

This procedure outlines how you would export a report as a Microsoft Word or Excel file. If you have the Document Manager installed and enabled, you can also save the exported Word or

Excel file to either the selected client folder or your import folder.

1. Generate the required report.

© HandiSoft Software Pty Ltd

41

Chapter 4. Reports and filters Advanced Features 2015

2. On the “Report Preview” window, from the File menu, click Export to Word or Export to

Excel. The "Export to Word Document" or "Export to Excel Document" window will open.

Figure 13: The "Export to Excel Document" window

3. Complete the fields in the "Export to Excel Document" or “Export to Word” window. For more information, press F1 to display the online help.

Tip: If you only want to view the Word or Excel document without saving it, you can select the Open with Word or Open with Excel check box and clear the Save check box.

4. Click Generate.

The HandiSoft program will create the Word or Excel file. If you selected the Open with Word or

Open with Excel check box, it will open the document in Word or Excel.

Saving reports as PDF files

A useful feature of all HandiSoft programs is that you can save a report as a PDF (Portable

Document Format) file.

PDF has become a de facto standard for the secure and reliable distribution and exchange of electronic documents and forms

,

for the following reasons:

 PDF documents are compressed, so they are small and, hence, often able to be sent as email attachments.

 PDF is a universal file format that preserves the fonts, images, graphics, and layout of any source document, regardless of the application and platform used to create it. This means that clients will be able to view and print PDF documents you send to them in the correct format.

 PDF documents can be opened on almost any computer that has the PDF Reader installed.

The PDF reader is available on the HandiSoft installation CD, or you can download it free of charge from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

.

You are also able to send a report in PDF format as an email attachment directly from the

"Report Preview" window.

To save a report as PDF

This procedure outlines how you would save a report as a PDF file to a specified directory. If you have the Document Manager installed and enabled, you can also save the report PDF file to either the selected client folder or your import folder.

1. Generate the required report.

2. On the “Report Preview” window, from the File menu, click Export to PDF. The "Export to

PDF Document" window will open.

42

© HandiSoft Software Pty Ltd

Advanced Features 2015 Saving a report and its data

Figure 14: The "Export to PDF Document" window

3. Complete the fields in the "Export to PDF Document" window. For more information, press

F1 to display the online help.

Note: You can password protect the PDF file by selecting Password protected and typing in a suitable password. This will encrypt the PDF file so that you are required to enter the password before the document can be read in a PDF reader. You can also make the PDF read-only, and specify a password to allow editing.

Tip: If you only want to view the PDF document without saving it, you can select the

Open with PDF reader check box and clear the Save check box. Alternatively, you can choose the Open as PDF option on the File menu.

4. If you want to add a watermark to the PDF file, select the Use watermark check box and select whether it is be diagonally or horizontally across the pages. In the Text field, type the watermark text.

5. Click

Generate.

The HandiSoft program will create the PDF file. If you selected the

Open with PDF reader check box, it will open the document in the PDF Reader.

© HandiSoft Software Pty Ltd

43

Chapter 4. Reports and filters Advanced Features 2015

Collating reports

If you have the optional Document Manager installed and enabled , you can add the report

displayed in the “Report Preview” window to a list of documents that the Document Manager can collate into a single PDF document.

Adding a report to the collated document

This procedure describes how you would add a report to a document to be collated in the

Document Manager.

1. Ensure that you have the Document Manager installed and enabled .

For information on enabling the Document Manager, please see Chapter 7, “Documents and mailing labels”.

2. Run the required report, and view it in the “Report Preview” window.

3. Click the

Document.

button or, from the “Report Preview” window File menu, click Collate

Note: This option will not be available if you do not have the Document Manager installed and enabled.

4. On the “Report description” window, type the name of the report as it will appear on the collation list.

5. Click

OK to add the report to the collation list.

6. To produce the collated document, open the Document Manager .

44

© HandiSoft Software Pty Ltd

Advanced Features 2015

Emailing reports

Emailing reports

Emailing reports as a PDF attachment

This procedure outlines how you would email a report as a PDF attachment. You are also able to save the PDF file to a specified directory or to the Document Manager.

1. Generate the required report.

2. On the "Report Preview" window, click the Email button or, from the File menu, click Email

as PDF. The "Email as PDF Document" window will open.

Figure 15: The "Email as PDF Document" window

3. Complete the fields in the "Email as PDF Document" window. For more information, press

F1 to display the online help.

Note: You can password protect the PDF file by selecting Password protected and typing in a suitable password. This will encrypt the PDF file so that the recipient is required to enter the password before the document can be read in a PDF reader. You can also make the

PDF read-only, and specify a password to allow editing.

Tip: If you want to email the PDF file without saving it, clear the Save check box.

4. If you want to add a watermark to the PDF file, select the Use watermark check box and select whether it is be diagonally or horizontally across the pages. In the Text field, type the watermark text.

5. Click Generate.

An email message window will open with the PDF file attached.

© HandiSoft Software Pty Ltd

45

Chapter 4. Reports and filters Advanced Features 2015

Emailing reports as HTML

You can attach the report in HTML format to email messages.

1. Run the report as already described.

2. On the "Report Preview" window, from the File menu, click Email as HTML. The "HTML

Document Setup" window will open.

Figure 16: The "HTML Document Setup" window

3. Complete the fields in the "HTML Document Setup" window and click

Generate.

The HandiSoft program will create a file containing the report in HTML format and save it to the specified directory. An email message window will open with the HTML file attached.

4. Enter the email recipients' addresses, and send the email.

46

© HandiSoft Software Pty Ltd