Execute a Report Specification with the Report Command
After you have successfully stored the report, you can run Report-Writer using the
report Command--Run a Report on page 486 to create the desired output.
Or, you can choose to run the report without compiling and storing the specification by using the report command with the ‑i parameter, which reads the report specification directly from a text file. Executing a report directly from a text file is useful if you are testing the report for content and appearance and do not want to save the specification until it meets your standards. When you are satisfied with the report, however, you must store the specification in the database using the sreport command.
After a satisfactory specification has been stored in the database, execute the report command each time you want to produce a new report. You need not execute sreport before issuing the report command, unless you modify the report specification.
The report command performs the following tasks:
• Loads the report specification by reading in the report specification created by RBF or stored by an sreport command and performing additional error checking
• Runs the database query to extract the data (if specified)
• Writes the formatted report either to a file, to your screen, or sends the output to a printer
Styles for Default Report
The report command offers the option of producing a default report from a specified table or view name. You can specify one of three available styles as the format for the default report:
Wrap
The wrap style lists the data in columns across the page, with column headings at the tops of the pages. For tables with too many columns to fit across the page, Report-Writer calculates a convenient place to wrap the remaining column headings or entries to the next line, directly beneath the first line of headings or entries. In this style of report, the column entries for a single record (row) can be displayed on consecutive rows of the report, with data in columns from the far right of a table wrapped beneath data in the initial columns.
Tabular (also known as column)
The tabular style, like the wrap style, also lists the data in columns across the page, with column headings at the top of the page. However, depending on your output device, Report-Writer either truncates lines wider than the page or wraps them around to the next line.
Block
The block style lists data without column headings, preceding each data value with the name of the column from which it comes and organizing the columns into blocks of data for each record.
If you do not specify a report style with the table or view name, Report-Writer chooses as the default style either the tabular (column) or block style, whichever is best suited for the report. Additional styles are also available through RBF.
Last modified date: 04/03/2024