Aligning items in reports
Reports includes various alignment tools so that you can fine tune the report for readability and presentation. For example, when used in conjunction with the standard justification options (i.e., left align, centre, right align and justify) the alignment options enable data to be visually aligned for ideal presentation. It makes sense to insert the required items in the header, detail and footer areas and then to multi--select items that need consistent alignment.
You align items in the Report Designer page. The alignment options appear on the horizontal toolbar.
Some are only active when you have selected more than one item for alignment.
Hold down the [Shift] or [Ctrl] keys to select multiple objects. To select all the objects within a work area, move the cursor to the left of a work area (the cursor changes to an arrow) and click to select all items.
Each of the alignment options displays a tool tip if you place the mouse over an icon while active.
Alignment options include:
- Vertical alignment by side or centre.
- Horizontal alignment by top, centre or bottom.
- Adjust to same height, size or width.
- Adjust space between items.
- Centre vertically or horizontally.
When aligning financial data in a report, it is best to right align the text box and right align its contents.