Precision reports are a way to format report output to instantly populate forms.
This example will show how to automatically fill out some of the fields on this W-4 tax form to give some new employees a head start on their paperwork. The data used in this tutorial comes from the wf_retail_lite sample database included with the product.
Any report can be easily converted into a precision report, but it is also possible to make a precision report from scratch in the Precision Report canvas. The Precision Report canvas provides all of the same options as the standard Report canvas with some additional formatting tools.
In the Report tab, in the Report group, choose Precision Report. Since a precision report uses features unavailable to regular reports, it can’t be converted back once you begin.
First, format the page for the tax form. In the Layout tab, you can change the paper type to the standard 8.5-by-11 letter size.
In order to fill out a form using Pixel Perfect Layout/ a Precision Report, cover the page with the image of the form that you want to fill in. Make sure Page is selected in the Layers tab in the Precision Reports window, then go to the Tools tab and select Add Image. Drag your mouse over the canvas to place the image.
Next, select the image file that you want to use. If you go to the ibi folder in your C drive and open apps, you can save an image of a form for your precision report in a place that will be easily accessible in App Studio.
To coordinate the data to populate the fields on this form, you can create an invisible report sorted by ID number. Before doing so, click the Show/Hide icon to the left of the word page to hide the image of the tax form until you need it. You can bring it back later by clicking the same icon at the top of the page.
Next, select Region under Data Matrix. This layer controls the report component.
Select the Fields tab in the same panel and add the ID_Customer field to the report. This is how you can coordinate the date to fill the tax form fields.
Now select the report and, under the Field tab in the ribbon, turn Page Break on. This will make a new page for every value in the report’s sort field. In this case, that field is ID_Customer.
Next, right-click the report and set the invisible option to On. This will allow you to access the data from the report without the sort fields being visible.
Now you’re ready to tell our precision report how to auto-complete the fields on this form. Bring the image of the form back by selecting Page and clicking the Show/Hide icon at the top again. Now select Page Header from the same window. Using page headers will allow you to add text of your choice to any location on the page.
In the Tools tab of the ribbon, select Add Text and drag a text box over the First Name field of the tax form. To fill it, go to the Fields tab on the right and double-click the First Name field, adding it to the text box. This will automatically update for each person in our database because of how the invisible report was configured.
Now make a text box for Last Name and fill it by double-clicking the last name field. The Add Text tool stays selected until you click Select Object on the ribbon, so you won’t have to re-select it.
Finally, you can auto-complete the address for each person. Under Home Address, create a text box and add the field Customer Address Line 1.
You can also make a text box for city, state, and zip code. To fill this field, double click Customer City, type a comma followed by a space, double-click State,Province Code, type a space, and double-click Postal Code. This will format the address just as it would be written on an envelope.
Following these steps, you can start a form like this one for potentially thousands of people in a matter of minutes. If you run the precision report, you’ll see that the fields are filled with personalized information for each person.
If you want to position the text on the page more precisely, you can use the Properties tab on the Precision Reports window to move each text box, pixel by pixel, to put it in the perfect spot.