Reports reside in the Order Manager program file on each workstation. Therefore any standard reports that are modified by the user must be saved in the Custom Reports database or they will be lost when the program is re-installed on a workstation. Custom reports that are saved in the Custom Reports database can be re-imported into a given workstation's program file after the program has been upgraded or re-installed.
Order Manager does not have any special reporting tools that are independent from the built-in Microsoft Access Report Generator. Below is a brief explanation of how to modify fonts, font sizes, and colors on your reports. Refer to Microsoft Access's help facility for more detailed information, or contact Stone Edge Technologies at (610) 994-3699 to customize a report for you. Other resources are available for the creation of custom reports as well.
Disclaimer: Troubleshooting problems with 3rd party or user modified (custom) reports is not covered under the Stone Edge Technical Support maintenance contract.
This document covers:
Determine Which Report to Modify
Most reports in the Order Manager are named exactly how you see them named throughout the program. A report such as the "Sales Summary" would be named "Sales Summary" in the database. Reports such as invoices or packing slips are named dynamically because there are several of these built-in that you could choose from. If you are modifying a report such as your invoice or packing slip, follow these steps to determine which one you are using:
Go to the Maintenance Menu, click Set System Parameters.
Go to the Reports parameter group.
For a packing slip, select the parameter PackingSlipTemplate.
For an invoice, select the parameter InvoiceTemplate.
Take note of the parameter value, as this is the report format that is currently being used.
Access the Report for Modification
From the Main Menu or Maintenance Menu press "F11" on your keyboard. This will open the database window.
Select "Reports" on the left-hand side of the window (under Objects).
Your reports will now be listed alphabetically in the main database window. Find the report you wish to modify.
Right-click on the report's name and click "Save As". Note: Do not modify the original report just in case a problem occurs.
You are prompted to name the report. We recommend that you use a naming convention which includes your company name or initials, such as "Widget Company Invoice" or "Invoice - Widget Company", to easily distinguish it as a custom report.
Click OK. The Database window will refresh.
Right-click on the new report and click on Design View. You are now ready to modify the report.
Changing Fonts on a Report in Design View
Once you are in the design view of the report, you will see several square or rectangular boxes called "Labels" or "Text Boxes". Clicking inside one of these will select the object and place "Handle Bars" (little black boxes on the corners and sides) around it.
With the field selected, changing the font just as you would in Microsoft Word: on the tool bar, you should see a drop down box displaying the font for that particular box. Change it to the desired font.
Repeat this for every field on the report.
Save the report.
Adding a Graphic to a Report in Design View
The preferable way to add a company logo to Order Manager reports is to use the system parameter, ReportLogoLocation, to identify the location of the image the program should use for standard Order Manager reports. The image should be appropriately sized before setting the parameter (1X1). ReportLogoLocation is available as Special Cart-Based parameter, so if there is more than one shopping cart defined in a store data file, they can each have their own logo.
For the adventurous types that like to do things the hard way:
To add a graphic (such as a company logo) to a report follow the steps below. For this example a logo will be added at the top right-hand corner of the report in place of the company name.
From the design view of the report, click Insert then Picture from the Microsoft Access Menu Bar.
Browse to the desired image. Select it. Click OK. Your image will now appear on the report.
Note: Images must be sized properly before importing them. You cannot re-size an image once imported.
Click and drag the image to the desired location.
If necessary, move or re-size other fields so that they do not overlap the image.
To re-size a text box, such as the address info, select the field, click the appropriate "Handle Bar" and drag the box to the proper size and position. It is not recommended that you delete a field on an existing report. See Hiding a Field in a Report below.
Hiding a Field in the a Report
If you do not want to display a particular field, such as company name, we recommend that you hide the field instead of deleting it.
Right-click on the desired field and click Properties.
In the Properties window, select the ALL tab.
Scroll down until you see the Visible field.
Enter or select NO.
Close the properties window.
Save and Export the Report for Future Preservation
The last step in modifying a report is to export it to your custom reports database.
Click File and Save.
Go to the Custom Report Maintenance screen by clicking the link in the Quick Clicks on the Main Menu or via the Maintenance tab of the Maintenance Menu.
Click the radio buttons labeled Reports and All.
The left-hand pane displays a list of all the reports in the program file of the current workstation.
Locate the newly modified report and select it.
Click the Export button above the left-hand pane to copy the report to the Custom Reports database. The report will then show up in the list of reports in the right-hand pane of the screen. Whenever the report is modified in the future, it will be necessary to repeat this step at the workstation where the report has been changed.
Once the updated copy of the report is placed in the Custom Reports Database, the report can be re-imported into the other workstation's program files. To do so, open the Custom Report Maintenance screen, select the report from the right-hand pane and then click the Import button above the right-hand pane. The program will prompt the user whether to rename or replace a report of the same name if it already exists in the program file.
If the report is not an Invoice or Packing Slip:
o Click Add to Custom Reports Menu.
o Go to the Main Menu, click Print Reports.
o Locate the report, select it and click Print.
If the report is an Invoice or Packing Slip:
o Go to the Maintenance Menu and click Set System Parameters.
o Go to the Reports group and select "InvoiceTemplate" or "PackingSlipTemplate".
o In the drop-down box, enter the name of your new report exactly.
o Click Save.
Here are some 3rd-party companies that might be able to help you:
Altaireon (creator of Communiqué)
Custom-Reports.net: Custom Reports and custom programming for the Stone Edge Order Manager
Custom-Reports.net is a team of VBA programmers specializing in customizations for the Stone Edge Order Manager. Custom report samples are available to download and ultimately for purchase. Custom-Reports.net is ready to help you, answer your needs and create what you wish with the Stone Edge Order Manager. They are working for your business success!
Technology Copilot: Energize, Optimize and Stabilize your order management environment
Technology Copilot helps your business grow by giving your small business access to senior technology expertise in the areas that matter. Because of our wide range of capabilities, we are able to 'connect the dots', giving you more time back to build your business.
TC provides a full line of Stone Edge services including:
Full scale Stone Edge integration
Custom Order Manager development
Custom report creation
Order Manager troubleshooting
Order Management process optimization
Dane Solutions: IT Consulting and Custom Software Development
Dane Solutions provides IT consulting and custom software solutions for Microsoft technologies. They are experts in Microsoft Access and have experience providing code and report customizations for the Stone Edge Order Manager.
Updated 3/2/10