We have observed that when a report run with EMPTYREPORT 'ON' and it is indeed "empty", i.e LINES=0, that the HEADERS are displayed but not the FOOTERS.

Is this as designed? Do others observe this behavior, too?

Without the footers, the empty report appears incomplete.

SET EMPTYREPORT = ANSI Should get you a footer.

Chris,

According to the documentation, if no records satisfy the report selection criteria, you can choose to display or print anempty report, that is, the report without data but including column titles, a report heading (if one was specified in the report request), and a page heading (if one was specified).

Which by the way is exactly what it does. My users where constantly asking us to verify that this was correct. So I began using the following routing:

TABLE FILE CAR
PRINT COUNTRY
      CAR
      MODEL
WHERE MODEL EQ 'TUCKER'
ON TABLE HOLD AS FDATA
END
-*
-IF &LINES EQ 0 GOTO NODATA;
-*
TABLE FILE FDATA
PRINT COUNTRY
      CAR
      MODEL
-GOTO STYLER
-*
-EXIT
-*
-NODATA
DEFINE FILE CAR
MESSAGE1/A50 = 'NO RECORDS MET THE CRITERIA OF THIS REPORT';
MESSAGE2/A75 = 'THE REPORT REQUEST ALL RECORDS WHERE MODEL EQUALS TUCKER';
END
-*
TABLE FILE CAR
PRINT MODEL NOPRINT
      MESSAGE1 AS '' OVER
      MESSAGE2 AS ''
WHERE RECORDLIMIT EQ 1
-GOTO STYLER
-*
-STYLER
HEADING CENTER
"TEST CODE"
-*
FOOTING
"Data from"
"Produced by :     Created on :  "
""
ON TABLE SET STYLE *
     UNITS=IN,
     LEFTMARGIN=0.000000,
     RIGHTMARGIN=0.000000,
     TOPMARGIN=0.000000,
     BOTTOMMARGIN=0.000000,
     SQUEEZE=ON,
     ORIENTATION=PORTRAIT,
     PAGECOLOR=RGB(172 192 233),
$
TYPE=REPORT,
     TITLETEXT='TEST CODE',
$
ENDSTYLE
ON TABLE PCHOLD FORMAT EXL2K
END
-EXIT

What we wou't do to please our users.

Prairie,

That works great!

Unfortunately, my users are spoiled. They don't want to have to use their grey matter if they don't have to. So alas, I'll stick to my routine.

Glenda,

So what makes your Users different to "normal" ones then?

T

Tony,

On that statement, I have two comments:

1) How can you use normal and user in the same sentence.

2) Obviously you do not have users who claim to have a degree in "computers" and can not tell you where their "desktop" is.

If you do, please so I don't feel so alone.

OOPS

Please share so I don't feel so alone.

I recently had to attend an ITIL course
Information Technology Infrastructure Library.
Which is a framework of best practices for IT customer service.
In it - we were scolded that there were no Stupid Users or SU - because they are the ones that keep us IT folks employed.
My co-workers and I are still trying to except this.

Reminds me of the old joke (that we still use sometimes) when a user has (what IT would consider) a dumb question/request/problem. We say they've experienced an "ID ten T" error. That would be ID10T.

Prairie,

Oh but I would never call my users stupid (at least not where they can here me ). I simply said they were not normal....or in the words of Igor - "Abby Normal"!

Darin,

I'm going to have to remember the "ID ten T" error.

I must have been hanging around the users too long. I can't seem to spell any more!

Glenda,

I've met a whole raft of users over the years.

When introduced to one chap, by way of identifying his level of expertise, told me he had difficulties with calculators. To be fair on him, he had spent most of his working life "on the tools" and had only recently moved into an area where he required basic IT user skills. An interface of stone and chisel would suit!!

You also get those that consider themselves experts because they have written VB code within MS Abcess. Unfortunately it doesn't take long to comprehend the depths of their talents as you find a level of 10 or more queries. These tend to be the most dangerous because they don't accept suggestions on how to improve their code.

Another type is the "dyed in the wool" eternal user. They use existing applications and have developed a method that suits them. When the old application has outgrown it's life span and is replaced by new, they show great commitment to trying to use the new app but just don't seem to get away from "the way it's always been done" and "why can't the new system be exactly like the old one".

I've found that most companies have people closely fitting these types and of course there are many, many others. It just helps make the rich tapestry of the user base sooooooo interesting

Darin,

Love the error type, that ones going to be used many times I think

T

Tony,
You missed your chance, if you had a "raft" of users you should have set them adrift perferably far out to sea.

Darin, good one. I usually ask the 'users' to verify if they are testing with the 'more' feature 'on' or 'off', and thinking they know everything they reply 'more on' of course.

Oh no! I'm slipping into user mode.........what is the "more" feature...or was that the point you were trying to make.

Some great one liners there I like the thought of setting some of them adrift, oh were it possible!

Glenda, the user is meant to say "moron".

In the words of my children - Duh!

TGIF and I have tickets to Clay Walker tonight!

One of my coworkers heard me discussing the "moron" issue and reminded me of the EBCAK error.

The number one compter error is an EBCAK error - Error Between Chair And Keyboard.

LOL. I love the MORE ON line.

A friend sent me this link:

http://www.javameblog.com/2007/08/10-things-your-it-guy-wants-you-to-know.html

I'm sure that there are many things in there that you've wanted to say to your users. I got the biggest kick out of it.

Enjoy!

Glenda,

Below is my much simpler single-pass test code.
It autoprompts you for the 3 key parameters and you enter whatever combination you want. OLAP is included because my initial issue was with OLAP reports, but it turns out OLAP is not involved.

I post the code only so that 'newbies' can see example of using DM when you have to easily try different parameter values in different combinations.


Prarie:

Thanks for the hint about 'ANSI'. It solves the problem perfectly, as everyone can see by experimenting with my code and entering ANSI instead of ON or OFF.

Chris


-OLAP &OLAP_ON_OFF
SET EMPTYREPORT = &EmptyReport_ON_OFF
OLAP DIMENSIONS
DIMENSIONS FILE CAR
COUNTRY: COUNTRY, CAR, MODEL, BODYTYPE;
END
TABLE FILE CAR
SUM
'CAR.BODY.DEALER_COST'
'CAR.BODY.RETAIL_COST'
BY 'CAR.ORIGIN.COUNTRY'
BY 'CAR.COMP.CAR'
BY 'CAR.CARREC.MODEL'
BY 'CAR.BODY.BODYTYPE'
HEADING
"Costs of Cars"
"EmptyReport_ON_OFF: '&EmptyReport_ON_OFF' "
"OLAP: '&OLAP_ON_OFF' "
"MODEL contains: '&MODEL_Contains' "
" "
FOOTING
"This is the footer."
WHERE CAR.CARREC.MODEL CONTAINS '&MODEL_Contains';
ON TABLE SET PAGE-NUM OFF
ON TABLE NOTOTAL
ON TABLE PCHOLD FORMAT HTML
ON TABLE SET HTMLCSS ON
ON TABLE SET AUTODRILL ON
ON TABLE SET OLAPPANE CONTROL
ON TABLE SET STYLE *
UNITS=IN,
SQUEEZE=ON,
ORIENTATION=PORTRAIT,
$
TYPE=REPORT,
GRID=OFF,
FONT='ARIAL',
SIZE=9,
$
TYPE=TITLE,
STYLE=BOLD,
$
TYPE=TABHEADING,
SIZE=12,
STYLE=BOLD,
$
TYPE=TABFOOTING,
SIZE=12,
STYLE=BOLD,
$
TYPE=HEADING,
SIZE=12,
STYLE=BOLD,
$
TYPE=FOOTING,
SIZE=12,
STYLE=BOLD,
$
TYPE=SUBHEAD,
SIZE=10,
STYLE=BOLD,
$
TYPE=SUBFOOT,
SIZE=10,
STYLE=BOLD,
$
TYPE=SUBTOTAL,
BACKCOLOR=RGB(210 210 210),
$
TYPE=ACROSSVALUE,
SIZE=9,
$
TYPE=ACROSSTITLE,
STYLE=BOLD,
$
TYPE=GRANDTOTAL,
BACKCOLOR=RGB(210 210 210),
STYLE=BOLD,
$
ENDSTYLE
END

quote:

SET EMPTYREPORT = ANSI Should get you a footer.

oh man! that is TIP OF THE YEAR, Prarie.