Software Platform User guide

Using the Report Design Environment
This section describes several things to keep in mind when designing reports
that are distributed to different environments.
Section characteristics
A report consists of several sections, including the Report Header, Page
Header, Group Header, Details, Group Footer, Page Footer, and Report
Footer.
Each report section is made up of a series of lines. When a text-based object
is placed in a section, it is placed on a line in such a way that the text is
aligned to the baseline. The line's height is then adjusted by the printer driver
so that it is high enough to accommodate the object.
• If you place another text-based object on the same line with a font size
larger than that of the first object, the line's height extends to
accommodate the second object.
• If you place another text-based object on the same line with a font size
even larger than the previous two objects, the line's height extends to
accommodate the third object.
A line's height is determined by the text-based object with the largest font
size on the line.
As you add text-based objects to a report, either in the same section or other
sections, the line height adjusts to accommodate the various fonts. Since
this vertical spacing is set up by the printer driver, it is difficult to create reports
designed for pre-printed forms when they are printed in various environments.
When designing reports, you should do the following:
• Always print a test page.
• Keep all font sizes the same.
• Be sure to print pre-printed forms on the same machine.
302 Crystal Reports 2008 SP3 User's Guide
Formatting
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Using the Report Design Environment