Report Procedure Tool Tutorial

The followiung is a brief tutorial to familiarize you with the Report Procedure Tool.

1. Start Reporter and load a report from the database or import one from a file.

2. To test most of the new features, you should use a report with at least two different image trims and have at least one of each kind: database-resident and disk-resident.

3. Copy disk-resident images to a directory that is different from the one defined in the report. All runtime disk-based images should reside in the same directory.

4. Compile or print the report in Reporter. After it is run or compiled, you may close the report document.

When the Procedure Tool starts, depending on the settings, it may load:

If the Procedure Tool is run more than once in the same session, the global Image Server may already be initialized. If auto load is set for the Image Server, you will be given the opportunity to retain the in-cache version of the frame and not reload from disk.

When the Procedure Tool Frame appears, all Report procedures created in the current session by successfully compiling or printing reports are listed as Session Reports. The reports do not need to be open. The title of the frame will include the working directory.

When report components are saved to disk the use of files is controlled by two options (Options, Files):

If selected, overwrite without prompting if file already exists; otherwise prompt for confirmation.

If selected, derive names from component names; otherwise display a file popup.

Any report procedures or dialog frames already exported during this session will be marked with "Y" in the Procedure Savedor Frame Saved column.

To Export a report or its associated components (frame and image server), click File/Save Session Report. The current procedure or its components (see Reports, Options, Include) will be exported to files as described previously.

A dynamic procedure may be run directly from here. The default mode for running the dynamic procedure is "runtime," using an image server or directory if image trim support is required. To run a procedure as if from Print in the main window, unselect Images, Options, Use Image Server and Images, Options, Use Image Directory.

To rerun a report that you are designing, if the report has not changed since the last run, or you want to run the previously printed version before regenerating a new version from a changed design, it is quicker to use Reports, Run than the main window’s File, Print.

Note: For a target application to use report procedures, it must include repcomp.img and repopen.img.

1. Select the target database, if necessary, by entering a valid 'node_name::database_name' into the Database entry field.

2. If the Application list is not loaded or is out of date, click View, Refresh Applications. If the Applications option field displays "Load Applications," then selecting this option will also load the application list.

4. If the Application Report List is not loaded or is out of date, click View, Refresh Reports, or if the Application Reports List displays "Load Reports," click this row to load reports.

5. Click Reports, Import to Application or Reports, Write Install Script—only one of these options is available at a given time and is controlled by Reports, Options, Immediate.

If the selected report or any of its specified components (Reports, Options, Include) has not been saved during the current session, you will be prompted to:

• Save Now: Export the required components and continue. If some requested component cannot be saved you will be allowed to cancel the installation.

If Reports, Options, Immediate is selected, the exported report components will be imported into the target application; otherwise an import script will be written and can be run using Reports, Batch Install.

• If selected, applies the '-m –nreplace' flag to the import without prompting for confirmation.

• If unselected and name conflicts are detected, you will be given the option to Skip, Cancel Install, or Replace. Name conflicts can only be detected if the current application report list is up to date.

As described previously, reports that use image trim in their definitions may require additional support when imported to target applications. If this support is not provided, the report can still be run:

• With image-trim if database or disk resident images are available on the target machine/database and stored as on the design machine/database.

Disk-resident image trim must exist in the original directory from which it was defined or in a single directory anywhere on the local machine if the environment variable II_REPIMAGE_DIR is set to point to that directory or the parameter PM_ ImgDir is passed to the report or its dialog frame. For a given report, all disk-resident image trim must be stored in the same way.

In the Procedure Tool a report can be run in either mode determined by the setting of Images, Options, Use Image Dir. The image directory can be set by Options, Files, Image Directory, and this overrides II_REPIMAGE_DIR if it is also set.

Image trim that was database-resident at design time may exist in the Reporter images catalogs that must be a copy of the design database Reporter images catalogs, or the image bitmaps may be copied into an Image Server Frame.

An Image Server is an OpenROAD frame managed by a Reporter-defined userclass. The Image Server Frame becomes part of the target application for report procedures and may be constructed by the Procedure Tool. An appropriate Imager Server frame must be created or loaded from disk. Options, Files, Image Server may set a default name and it is expected to reside in the working directory.

Note: In either case, if an Image Server is already initialized you will be prompted to keep or replace it.

Loads an image server frame from disk and initialize the Global Image Server object

Determines which database-resident images are required by the specified report or reports and adds them to the image server frame. Each image has a unique ID that corresponds to the ID in the design database. Multiple documents can share the same image.

Note: A single image server frame can support multiple reports, but all of them must come from the same design database.

(Currently, always unselected) Specifies that any attempts to add an image trim that is already present will be ignored.

Note: Each report can add an association for an existing image to the server frame—these associations are held in a viewable TableField (View, Image Server)

Adds images from the current procedure or all procedures listed as Session Reports.

Exports the image server to disk. This option is available only if the server has been modified.