Formatting reports / Escape sequences / Axiant Quiz
Glenn Baxter
Glenn@baxterit.com.au
Wed, 7 May 2003 10:22:42 +1000
Hello Ole,
I understand that the Windows Printer manager removes and non ascii bytes
from the data stream. Essentially it is expecting PCL style fomatting
controls. What you see would reflect this.
>From my experience with Axiant, in Client mode, that is not Remote Server
Execution, but using Quiz32.exe on the Workstation you get to preview a
report (No Report Device or Terminal as Report Device Page Width say 132),
but if you {File, Print} as you have experienced you get the {base} printer
default with respect to Windows interpretation.
To the best of my knowledge it cannot be changed, which begs the question as
to just how we are expected to use quiz. {Unless of course you create 80
column reports to the same printer each time.
The Cognos solution (Refer articles on Knowledge Base) is to Set Report
Device Disc, then use the Print command at an Os level.
This in turn forces all Quiz reports to be called by a bat file. {I have
implemented a Thin Client solution, with all Quiz being executed on the
server, using this bat file technology}. Thin client parms and prompts are
also a treat!
Cognos appeared to "stop" the print functionality at this point, ie, you get
to preview the report, but that's it.
So, in relation to you initial request, I have generated all reports using a
"use file" providing for Page Width, Length and use an environment variable
for report name. All reports are sent first to disc, then I use the Print
command. {print /d: device filename.txt}
An obvious drawback is the lack of carriage controls or formfeed characters,
as all output is prepared to say 60 lines per page, as a text file.
I {coincidentally} am hoping to re-introduce Top of Forms characters and
escape sequences to support a range of printers as you are eg: set
landscape, 12 pitch for Laser Printers and a TopOf Form for both Laser and
Line/Dot Mattrix style printers.
I too am hoping for success using the "old" embedded page heading style
control characters.
As stated in para 1, it appears to be the only way. One might think that a
report writer within a "Windows IDE" would have been taught to address
printer controls. Maybe the ADT people could steal/beg/borrow a bit if code
from the BI guys!!
All the best, keep in touch, I'll let you know how we go.
Sincerely,
Glenn Baxter
Baxter IT Solutions
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email: glenn@baxterit.com.au <mailto:glenn@baxterit.com.au>
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-----Original Message-----
From: Dennis Hassell [mailto:dennis@dhassell.com]
Sent: Wednesday, 7 May 2003 6:54 am
To: oh@scanconsult.dk; powerh-l@lists.swau.edu
Subject: RE: Formatting reports / Escape sequences / Axiant Quiz
I think you need to modify one of the defs:
Def esc char*1 = char(esc_num)[2:1]
The decimal 27 will sit in the rightmost part of the esc_num integer.
The [1:1] pulls the left part, a null.
Dennis Hassell
Dennis Hassell and Associates
(941) 746-4919
(941) 224-3981 - cell
-----Original Message-----
From: powerh-l-admin@cube.swau.edu [mailto:powerh-l-admin@cube.swau.edu]
On Behalf Of Ole Hansen, ScanConsult
Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2003 12:49 PM
To: powerh-l@lists.swau.edu
Subject: Formatting reports / Escape sequences / Axiant Quiz
Hi,
In order to print a very wide report (165 chars), I am (foolishly?)
trying to embed an escape sequence in my Axiant Quiz report - the good
ol' PowerHouse way :
access tbl_misc
choose f_key "UNIQUERECORD"
def esc_num int*2 = 27
def esc char*1 = char(esc_num)[1:1]
def esc_seq char*20 = esc + "&k2s&l1O"
set report device printer noejectpage
initial heading esc_seq
report "Condensed and Landscape ?"
Windows seems to swallow the escape-character as I get :
<square>&k2s&l1O Condensed and Landscape ?
in 12 pitch and Portrait (the printers' default).
I have verified that I indeed have an escape character as the character
preceeding the first '&' (by specifying 'set rep dev disc name' and
reading the file with a hex editor).
Am I missing something? Or does anyone know of another way to format
odd-sized reports in Axiant - short of generating a RTF-file from Quiz
and printing it automatically via Wordpad?
TIA.
With kind regards
Ole Hansen
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