Report Form Edit Functions
To make an alteration to an individual criteria statement that already exists in the report criteria, you must activate the Edit button at the top of the Report form, to display the buttons for the functions, Change, Cut, Copy, Paste, Clipboard, and Undo. Each is described below.
For this discussion, a distinction should be made between a criteria statement and a criteria line. While we often use these terms interchangeably, there can be a fine difference. For example, the system considers a criteria statement that uses the in the list of comparison and all of the objects that follow part of a single criteria statement. However, each of the objects in that statement appears on a separate criteria line and each of those object lines can be separately edited. This is true for all comparisons that involve multiple objects. It is also the case for a criteria statement that defines a Total: the entire set of lines that together define the Total are part of a single criteria statement and can be edited as a set. Each individual line within a Total statement may also be edited independently.
Clipboard
You may use the Report Form in either Clipboard Edit (multi-select) or Normal Edit (single select) mode. In brief, when the Default Report, Show Clipboard option has been set to Yes on the Options, Default form, the Report Form can be placed in Clipboard Edit mode (it does not have to be). In Clipboard Edit mode, multiple lines of criteria can be Cut or Copied, and then Pasted, all at one time. In addition, one or more lines of criteria can be copied from one report and then pasted into a different report. In Clipboard Edit mode, three Clipboard controls display on the Report Form- the Clear Clipboard button, the Cancel Clipboard button, and the Paste Window. See Clipboard Controls for a description of each of these controls.
When the Show Clipboard option is set to Yes, the Edit button's Clipboard action item is enabled if the Report Form's Criteria Statement Display contains at least one criteria line, or if criteria have been Cut or Copied to the clipboard at any point during your current Millennium session. The Clipboard action item is used to toggle the Report Form's edit mode between Clipboard Edit and Normal Edit.
- If the three Clipboard controls are displayed, then the Report Form is in Clipboard Edit mode. Clicking the Clipboard action item will place the Report Form in Normal Edit mode. The criteria shown in the Paste Window, if any, will remain available for pasting into the current report should you toggle the Edit mode back to Clipboard, and they will remain available for pasting into a different report as well. That is to say, any cutting or copying that you do in the current report, while the Report Form is in Normal Edit mode, will not overwrite the contents of the Paste Window!
- If the three Clipboard controls do not display, then the Report Form is in Normal Edit mode. Clicking the Clipboard action item will place the Report Form in Clipboard Edit mode. If the Paste Window displays criteria, the criteria is now available for pasting into the current report as well as into a different report.
When the Default Report, Show Clipboard option is set to No, the Report Form will remain in Normal Edit mode where only one line of criteria can be Cut or Copied, and then Pasted, at one time, into the current report. The Clipboard action menu item remains disabled and the Clipboard Controls can not be displayed.
See Report Form, Edit Modes for further details on the two Report Form Edit modes.
Change
Regardless of what Edit mode, Clipboard (multi-select) or Normal, only one line of criteria at a time may be highlighted for Change.
When you want to keep a criteria statement that uses a particular field, but you want to alter the comparison and/or the object of that statement, you must highlight that line and then click on the Change action item. When editing a criteria statement in this way, you may highlight any line of the statement, and the entire statement is made available for editing. Therefore, if the statement includes multiple objects, highlighting the first line of the statement or any one of the object lines will access the entire statement for editing.
When you do so, you will be given a form that shows the entire statement, but broken into its components, field, comparison, and object(s). The beginning of the statement is shown as text, such as, "The coreconst from the corebio table must be..." The comparison will be shown in a pull down text box, and the object(s) of the statement will be shown in a text box or list box, depending on the nature of that field. The current object will be highlighted.
Note: You may not edit the column portion of the criteria statement. To edit the column portion of the criteria statement, you must delete the statement and create a new criteria statement that is built on another column.
To alter the comparison, you may use the pull down list box to display the other comparisons that may be used with the field.
The technique for altering the object varies based on the nature of the field that is used in the criteria statement.
- If the object is free text, or a money amount, it will be shown in a text box and you may highlight and delete or add text as you want, within the limits of the field size and data types.
- If the object is lookup table driven, you will be given a listing of the unused table entries on the left and a list of the table entry / entries that is / are part of the criteria statement on the right. The object list may be altered by highlighting an item in either list and using the Add or Remove buttons to move an entry in either direction until the list appears as you want.
- If the object is a date, you will be given a text box showing the date from the criteria statement, and the standard calendar and radio buttons and check box for the date options. You may use these tools or type in the date or time that you want to make part of the criteria statement.
- If the object is <a prompted reply>, you may edit the object by the same means that apply to the data type for the field that is used in the criteria statement. To change an existing object to <a prompted reply>, you may click on the Prompt button on the Report form.
When all edits have been made to the existing criteria statement and each component (field, comparison, and object) appears as you want, you may click on Finished to save the changes you made to the statement, or Cancel to halt the process and leave the criteria statement unchanged. You will be returned to the Report form, with the edited criteria line in the same position where the original was located.
Cut
If you want to remove a criteria statement or a criteria line, or if you want to reposition it within the entire set of criteria, you must use the Cut function. In this situation, there can be a difference in behavior when the statement uses multiple objects or when it defines a Total. In addition, there can be a difference in behavior when the Report Form is in Clipboard Edit mode or Normal Edit mode.
If you want to cut the entire criteria statement, you should highlight the first line of the statement and then click on the Cut item in the action menu bar. If the statement has multiple objects, they will all be cut along with the first line. If the criteria statement defines a Total and you highlight the title line (that labels the Total) and cut it, all lines of the Total will also be cut.
If you want to cut individual criteria lines from the criteria statement, you should highlight the individual line and then click on the Cut function. If the statement has multiple objects and you only highlight one of them, only that line will be cut from the list. If the statement defines a Total and you highlight only one of the lines within that definition, only that line will be cut.
If the Report Form is in Normal Edit mode, only one criteria statement or criteria line can be Cut at one time. If the Report form is in Clipboard Edit mode, you may cut more than one criteria statement or criteria line at a time. Highlight the first line that you want to cut and then highlight the last line that you want to cut, and then click Cut.The two highlighted lines, plus all of the lines in-between, will be cut. In Clipboard Edit mode, statements that define a Total can only be cut one at a time. If your selected criteria includes more than one statement that defines a Total, or if your selected criteria includes a combination of criteria statements and criteria statements that define a Total, then Cut will not execute.
The Cut function executes on Groups of criteria statements differently, depending on the edit mode of the Report Form.
- If the Report Form is in Normal Edit mode and if you cut the Group Header (labeled Group A, Group B, and so forth), then the criteria statements that belong to the Group will merge with the Group directly above. If you cut either an entire criteria statement or an individual line from a criteria statement, then only the statement or line will be cut, following the rules as noted above. See the Report Groups, Editing Groups topic for further details.
- If the Report Form is in Clipboard Edit mode and if you cut the Group Header (labeled Group A, Group B, and so forth), then the entire group, including the Header and all criteria, will be cut. If you cut either an entire criteria statement or an individual line from a criteria statement, then only the statement or line will be cut, following the rules as noted above. Even when the Report Form is in Clipboard Edit mode, Groups can be cut only one Group at a time. If you select criteria that includes more than one Group, then Cut will not execute. And, If you select criteria that includes statements from more than one group, then Cut will not execute.
Criteria that is Cut from the entire set of criteria is held on the "clipboard".
- If the Report Form is in Normal Edit mode, the contents of the clipboard may be pasted into another location in the set of criteria, within the current report only. Once pasted, the clipboard contents will clear. The clipboard contents will also clear when the user saves or runs the current report, opens another report, begins a new set of report criteria or otherwise leaves the current report's Report Form for another Millennium task.
- If the Report Form is in Clipboard Edit mode, then the contents of the "clipboard" may be pasted into either the current report, or into a different report. The contents of the clipboard will be cleared only when the user logs out of Millennium or when the user clicks the Report Form's Clear Clipboard button.
In both Normal and Clipboard Edit modes, the clipboard contents will always be replaced by the next Cut or Copy performed.
Copy
If you want to copy a criteria statement or a criteria line from one position in a set to another position, you may use the Copy function. In this situation, there can be a difference in behavior when the statement uses multiple objects or when it defines a Total. In addition, there can be a difference in behavior when the Report Form is in Clipboard Edit mode or Normal Edit mode.
To copy the entire criteria statement, highlight the first line of the statement and then click on the Copy item in the action menu bar. If the statement has multiple objects, they will all be copied along with the first line. If the criteria statement defines a Total and you highlight the title line (that labels the Total) and copy it, all lines of the Total will also be copied.
To copy individual criteria lines from the criteria statement, highlight the line and then click on the Copy item in the action menu bar. If the statement has multiple objects and you only highlight one of them, only that line will be copied from the list. If the statement defines a Total and you highlight only one of the lines within that definition, only that line will be copied.
If the Report Form is in Normal Edit mode, only one criteria statement or criteria line can be copied at one time. If the Report form is in Clipboard Edit mode, you may copy more than one criteria statement or criteria line at a time. Highlight the first line that you want to copy and then highlight the last line that you want to copy, and then click on Copy. The two highlighted lines, plus all of the lines in-between, will be copied. When the Report Form is in Clipboard Edit mode, statements that define a Total can only be copied one at a time. If your selected criteria includes more than one statement that defines a Total, or if your selected criteria includes a combination of criteria statements and criteria statements that define a Total, then Copy will not execute.
Copy can be executed on Groups of criteria statements as well. If you want to copy the entire Group, highlight the Group Header (labeled Group A, Group B, and so forth) and then Click Copy. If you want to selected criteria statements or individual criteria lines that belong to one Group, you may do so, following the rules as noted directly above. Copy will not execute if more than one Group of criteria statements is selected, nor will it execute if the select criteria includes statements from more than one Group.
Criteria that is copied from the entire set of criteria is held on the "clipboard".
- If the Report Form is in Normal Edit mode, the contents of the clipboard may be pasted into another location in the set of criteria, within that report only. This behavior would only be reasonable if you were constructing multiple Groups of criteria statements within the report, and wanted the same criteria statement in some, but not all of the groups. (If the statement were applicable to all Groups, it would be more appropriate to place it in a Mandatory Group.)
Once pasted, the clipboard contents will clear. The clipboard contents will also clear when the user saves or runs that report, opens another report, begins a new set of report criteria or otherwise leaves the Report Form for that report for another Millennium task.
- If the Report Form is in Clipboard Edit mode, then the contents of the "clipboard" may be pasted into either that report, or into a different report. The contents of the clipboard will be cleared only when the user logs out of Millennium or when the user clicks the Report Form's Clear Clipboard button.
In both Normal and Clipboard Edit modes, the clipboard contents will always be replaced by the next Cut or Copy performed.
Paste
When the Report Form is in Normal Edit mode, a criteria statement or line that has been either Cut or Copied from its position in a set of criteria statements is being held on the clipboard, and it may be pasted into another location in that same set of report criteria. The Paste item in the action menu bar is only available when the clipboard contains a statement or a line. The clipboard will remember the statement or line until another statement or line is cut or copied to the clipboard replacing it, or until the report is closed.
When the Report Form is in Clipboard Edit mode, criteria statements or lines that have been either Cut or Copied from its position in a set of criteria statements in the current report are being held on the clipboard and are available for pasting into this current set of report criteria or into a different report altogether. In addition, criteria statements or lines cut or copied from a different report, are being held on the clipboard and are available for pasting into this current set of report criteria. The Paste Window will display the clipboard's contents - the criteria that will be pasted when the Paste action is executed. It is important to note that the entire contents displayed in the Paste Window will be pasted; you cannot pick and choose out of the Paste Window what you want to Paste. The Paste item in the action menu bar will be available only when the clipboard contains criteria. The clipboard will remember the criteria it contains until another statement or line is cut or copied, from the current report or from a different report, to the clipboard replacing it, or until the user logs out of Millennium.
While it is true that multiple criteria statements and lines can be cut or copied to the clipboard when the Report Form is in Clipboard Edit mode, keep in mind that only one Total at a time can be cut or copied to the clipboard at one time, or only one Group of criteria statements can be cut or copied to the clipboard at one time. If it is your intention to copy multiple areas of an existing report and paste them into a new report, we strongly suggest that you instead save the existing report as a new instance of the report (see File Functions, Save As), and then manipulate this new instance of the report.
In both Normal and Clipboard Edit modes, it is possible to 'paste' in a set of criteria statements or a Total definition that has been saved from a different report by using the Add Functions, Saved Criteria action item.
Paste Rules
If none of the existing criteria statements or lines is highlighted at the time that you execute the Paste action, the system will position the pasted line at the end of the existing set of statements.
If a criteria statement or one of its lines is highlighted at the time that you execute the Paste action, the system will position the pasted line above the first line of the criteria statement that was highlighted.
Undo
For each individual report criteria editing session, every new line of criteria that you add (via Add New, or Paste), every line of criteria that you change, and every line of criteria that you cut, is will be held in an Undo buffer, and will be ordered from the first criteria line building or editing step (change) that you perform, to the last. This will allow for a single line of criteria to be undone, one step at a time, from the very last criteria line 'change', all the way back to the first.
Important! There is no Redo function.
Undo is one way only and once 'Undone' is applied, it cannot be redone - once Undo is clicked, the step that is undone is cleared from the Undo buffer.
The entire Undo buffer contents will be cleared when the current report is saved (via Save, Save As, or Run) or when the current report is no longer displayed for editing.
In order to undo the last criteria line 'change', and return the criteria to the state in which it existed before the criteria line 'change', click the Undo item. It is not necessary to highlight the criteria line that you want to undo. In fact, highlighting a line of criteria will have no effect on Undo whatsoever.
In order to understand the Undo functionality, it is important to keep in mind the aforementioned distinction between a criteria statement and a single line of criteria. The system considers a criteria that uses the comparisons, in the list of, never in the list of, not in the list of, and all of the objects that follow, part of a single criteria statement. But, each of the multiple objects in that statement is considered a separate criteria line. Undo operates on separate criteria lines only.
Your report has two Groups. Included in Group A is the existing criteria statement:
Select all Attribute where the Type from the Attribute Page is in the list of
'Baseball',
'Football',
'Golf'
In error, you add this same criteria statement to Group B by using Copy/Paste. To correct your error, you decide use the Undo Edit function. Click Undo once, and the Group B criteria now reads:
Select all Attribute where the Type from the Attribute Page is in the list of
'Baseball'
'Football'
Notice that only one line of criteria was 'undone'. In order to remove the entire criteria statement from Group B, you must click Undo three more times, for a total of four. Perhaps a better way of correcting your error would have been to use Cut instead of Undo).
Your report includes the following criteria statement:
Select All Corebio where the Const Type from the Basic Data page is in the list of
'Alumni'
'Alumni Non-Grad'
In error, you Cut this entire criteria statement and decide to use the Undo Edit function to correct this. Click Undo once, and the criteria now reads:
'Alumni Non-Grad'
Only one criteria line Cut was 'undone'. In order to restore the entire criteria statement, you must click Undo two more times, for a total of three.
Note: Even when the Report Form's edit mode is set to Clipboard Edit (multi-select) mode, Undo will still operate on criteria lines separately.
You have copied the following lines of criteria from a different existing report:
Select All Corebio where the Const. Type from the Basic data page is in the list of
'Alumni'
'Alumni Non-Grad'
and where the locator from the Address page is equal to 'Good'
and where the Type from the Address page is equal to 'Home'
and where the Corresp. name from the Correspondence page is never equal to 'Annual Fund Appeal'.
In error, you paste these lines into your current report. To correct your error, you Undo. Click Undo once, and only the "and where the Corresp. name from the Correspondence page is never equal to 'Annual Fund Appeal'". criteria line is removed. You must click Undo five more times for a total of six, to remove the entire block of criteria lines that were Pasted in error.