An important part of the report design process is to format the report for optimum efficiency and completeness. To format an element, first select and right-click the element. Then, select the formatting action. You cannot select a single row of data in a table, nor can you select a single data value, unless the value is an aggregate calculation or a column header. To highlight a particular row or value, use conditional formatting.
If you already designed a report but now need to edit it, do the following:
Add a report title
Use a text element to add a title or subtitle to a report. The text editor enables you to specify the following:
- Font
- Bold, italic, or underline attributes
- Font size
- Color of text and background
- Left, center, or right alignment
- Hyperlinks
- Numbered and bulleted lists
- HTML code
To add a report title
- Drag a text element from Visualization and drop it in the layout pane.
- In the Text Editor, type the title.
- Assign attributes to the title by selecting the text and using the buttons in the Text Editor toolbar.
- Click OK
Add a hyperlink to a report
- Drag a text element from the Visualization tab and drop it in the layout pane.
- In the Text Editor, select Hyperlink.
- Enter the URL and click OK.
- In the Text Editor, click OK.
Use HTML code in a report
- Drag a text element from the Visualization tab and drop it in the layout pane.
- In the Text Editor, select Toggle source editing mode.
- Type or copy and paste the HTML code, for example
- <h1>Report title</h1><p>Report subtitle</p>
- Click OK. The text appears in the layout pane.
Change font properties and alignment
You can change the font properties of labels, column headers, and data in a column to specify the font type, size and color, and the background color. You can also make the text bold, italic, or underlined. Additionally, you can change the alignment of text in a label or a column.
When you change the font properties or text alignment for a label or a column of data, the changes you make override the formats in the theme. To revert an element to its default font formats, select the element, select Font and set the properties to Auto.
To change font properties and alignment:
- Select the label, column header, or column. A box appears around the selected element.
- Right-click the element and select Format> Font
. The Font dialog box opens, displaying the current font property values. A value of Auto means that the property uses a default value, which is specified by a theme. - Use the drop-down lists to specify the font, size, and size unit for the selected element.
- In the Color and Background Color drop-down lists, do one of the following:
- Select a color from Basic Colors
- Click Custom Colors, and use the spectrum bar to specify a color group. Then, select a shade in the gradient square, and click Pick Color. The selected options appear in the Preview field. The RGB value of the selected color appears in Color.
- When finished click OK
To change text alignment in labels, column headers, and columns, select and right-click the element, then select an alignment option
Use standard formats
A number of common formats are available to change how numbers appear. You can, for example, display numbers with or without decimal values, in scientific notation, as a percentage, or as currency with the appropriate symbol. Sometimes, even though a column displays numbers, the data can have a string data type. Postal codes or telephone numbers, for example, are frequently stored as string data. Numeric formats do not apply to numbers of string type.
When you work with merged columns, select each column from the drop-down list of columns in the merged column, and define a new format each time, based on the column’s data type.
Apply a standard number format
The following table shows the supported standard number formats. The examples in the table reflect the English (United States) locale. If you work in a different locale, the data appears differently. For example, a number that appears as 1352.45 in the English (United States) locale appears as 1352,45 in the French (France) locale.
| Format | Example of data to display |
|---|---|
| General number | 6066.45 or 6066.5 or 6067, depending on the original value. This format displays up to two decimal places. Whole numbers and numbers with one or two decimal places appear in their original format. |
| Currency | $6,067.45 or ¥6067 or 6067€, depending on the symbol, symbol position, decimal place, and thousands separator values that you set. |
| Fixed | 6067 or 6067.5 or 6,067.45, depending on the decimal place and thousands separator values that you set. |
| Percent | 45% or 45.8% or %45, depending on the symbol position and decimal place values that you set. This format multiplies the original value by 100 and adds the percent (%) symbol. |
| Scientific | 2E04 or 2.67E04, depending on the decimal place value you set. The number after the E represents the exponent of 10. For example, 2.67E04 means 2.67 multiplied by 10 raised to the fourth power. |
To apply a standard number format:
- Select and right-click a column that contains numeric data. Select Format> Format Data.
- In the Number column format glance (also known as a contextual callout) Provides information and actions in a dialog box for an item on the screen when the user right-clicks or taps the item.:
- In the Format Number as drop-down list, select a format. For example, you can format the Out-Punch column as h:mm or yyy.mmm.dd.
- Select the appropriate options from the remaining drop-down lists.
- Click Tap OK
Apply a standard date-and-time format
The following table shows the supported standard date and time formats. The examples in the table reflect the English (United States) locale. If you work in a different locale, the date appears differently. For example, a date that appears as March 5, 2008 in the English (United States) locale appears as 5 mars 2008 in the French (France) locale.
| Format | Example of data display |
|---|---|
| General Date | March 5, 2008 4:42:00 PM PDT |
| Long Date | March 5, 2008 |
| Medium Date | Mar 5, 2008 |
| Short Date | 3/5/08 |
| Long Time | 4:42:00 PM PDT |
| Medium Time | 4:42:00 PM |
To apply a standard date-and-time format:
- Select and right-click a column that contains numeric data. Select Format> Format Data. The number column format appears.
- Select a format in Number column format > Format Number. For example, you can format the Mondy Amount column as currency in dollars ($).
- Select the appropriate options from the remaining drop-down lists on Number column format.
- Click Tap OK.
Apply a standard Boolean format
A Boolean expression evaluates to true or false. For example, consider a calculated column displaying values for the following expression:
HoursWorked <= HoursScheduled
If the hours worked is lower or equal to the hours scheduled, the expression evaluates to True. If the hours worked is higher than the hours scheduled, the expression evaluates to False. If you do not format a column of Boolean data type, the column displays the values True and False.
To specify different labels, select the column, and from the context menu, select Format > Format Data. Enter the new labels on Boolean column format.
Apply a standard string format
The following table describes the string formats that you can choose and illustrates how the formatted data appears.
| Format | Description |
|---|---|
| Lowercase |
The string appears in all lowercase, for example: john smith |
| Uppercase |
The string appears in all uppercase, for example: JOHN SMITH |
To apply a standard string format
- Select and right-click a column that contains string data. Select Format > Format Data.
- In String column format, select one of the formats from the list.
- Click Tap OK.
Note: After you apply a number, date-and-time, or string format to a column of data, you can restore the original format that the data source specifies. To do so, select the column, select Format Data, and the select Unformatted.