1.4Titles, special fields & print preview
The essentials in 30 seconds
- Identify: clear title in the Report Header (+ logo/subtitle/period, document properties filled in) — a professional document is first identified.
- Date and paginate: special fields (Special Fields) dragged into the right section — “Page N of M” in the Page Footer, print date in header or footer — automatic updating.
- Think paper: check in Preview width, overflow, page breaks and header repetition; set format, orientation (landscape if wide) and margins — always before distributing.
Running mini-case — Farès delivers a self-contained document
Farès is about to send his sales report to management. He adds “Sales report — July” in the Report Header with the period, drags “Page N of M” into the Page Footer and the print date into the header. In Preview, he discovers his six columns overflow in portrait: he switches to landscape, adjusts margins, and checks that column headings repeat at the top of each page. The document goes out: identified, dated, paginated — each page reads on its own.
End of cases 1.1-1.3 — Farès completes the level: a full, checked report ready to distribute.
1. Title and header information: identify
A clear title in the Report Header (what the report shows), optionally logo, subtitle, period. Also fill in the document properties (Report Title), used by some special fields and on export.
A professional document is first identified: Farès writes “Sales report — July” rather than a vague “Report1”. Each page must then stay readable on its own — hence the special fields.
2. Special fields: automatic dating and pagination
Special fields, provided by Crystal Reports in the explorer, show automatic information: page number, total page count, print date/time, record number, report name. They update automatically.
Drag them into the section matching their frequency: “Page N of M” (number + total combined with fixed text) in the Page Footer; print date in the header or footer; record number in Details (one value per row). Essential for a paginated, dated document.
3. Thinking “paper”: preview, page setup, pagination
A report is often printed or exported to PDF: Preview mode shows the paginated report as it will come out. Check: does it fit the width (A4, portrait/landscape)? do columns overflow? do page breaks fall well? does the page header repeat?
Set the page setup (Printer Setup / Page Setup): size, orientation (landscape for a wide report), margins. Rules: a wide report in portrait overflows onto other pages → landscape; no object must stick out past the right edge; “Keep Together” avoids splitting a row, “New Page Before/After” forces a wanted break. Check before distributing.
🔎 Concrete example — 🔎 Concrete example — A self-contained document
Each page of Farès's report reads on its own.
Report Header: “Sales report — July”.
Page Footer: “Page 1 of 5” + print date.
Page Header: repeated column headings. Landscape: six columns fit.Reading: identified (title + period), dated, paginated — professional.
Lesson: landscape with many columns; check overflow in Preview.
Section vocabulary
- Title & header
- A clear title in the Report Header (+ logo/subtitle/period); document properties (Title) feed special fields and export.
Simple example: Farès's “Sales report — July”, period included.
What it is not: the technical .rpt file name.
Reflex: title = what the report shows + its period.
- Special Fields
- Fields provided by Crystal Reports showing automatic information: page number/total pages, print date/time, record number, report name.
Simple example: Farès's print date, updated at each generation.
What it is not: hand-typed values.
Reflex: anything automatic = special field, never typed.
- Page number “N of M”
- Combination of Page Number + Total Page Count fields with fixed text, placed in the Page Footer.
Simple example: “Page 1 of 5” at the bottom of each page of Farès's report.
What it is not: a hand-typed number.
Reflex: page footer = pagination on each page.
- Page Setup
- Paper size (A4…), ORIENTATION (portrait/landscape), margins — to set according to report width.
Simple example: Farès's switch to landscape for his six columns.
What it is not: font formatting (1.3).
Reflex: wide report = landscape; check the right edge.
In practice — In practice — Finalizing a basic report
- Add a clear TITLE in the Report Header (+ logo/subtitle/period); fill in the document title.
- Drag useful SPECIAL FIELDS: “Page N of M” into the Page Footer, the print date into the header or footer.
- Set PAGE SETUP: A4 size, orientation (landscape with many columns), margins.
- Check in PREVIEW pagination and width overflow; make sure the Page Header (column headings) repeats properly.
Ready-to-say script — finish before sending (30 s)
“I put my title with the period in the Report Header, I drag Page N of M into the Page Footer and the print date into the header. I set A4, landscape given my columns, and I check in Preview: width, page breaks, repeated headers. Only then do I send.”
Say in Preview, scrolling pages one by one; show the fixed overflow.
Copy-paste template — finalization check-list
TITLE: Report Header = “[Report] — [period]” + document title filled in.
PAGINATION: Page Footer = “Page” + N + “of” + M. DATE: header or footer.
PAGE SETUP: A4, orientation by width (landscape if wide), margins, nothing past the right edge.
PREVIEW CHECK: no overflow, clean breaks, repeated headers. → DISTRIBUTE.Farès's monthly report
As above: title + period, “Page N of M”, print date, landscape for six columns — sent to management after Preview check.
Numbered list
Record number dragged into Details: each row numbered (1, 2, 3…) to reference a row in a meeting.
Narrow report
Only three columns: stay in portrait, normal margins — landscape is not systematic, it follows width.
Overflow troubleshooting
Columns on separate pages: shrink widths, drop a superfluous column, check the right edge, adjust margins — then landscape if needed.
✓ Best practices
- Always paginate (“N of M”) and date a distributed document.
- Combine fixed text and fields (“Page” + N + “of” + M).
- Choose orientation by width (landscape = more columns).
✗ Common pitfalls
- A wide report in portrait: columns overflow onto other pages.
- Column headings in the Report Header (they appear only once).
- Distributing without checking pagination in Preview.
Key takeaways
- Clear TITLE in the Report Header (+ document properties): a document is first identified.
- SPECIAL FIELDS (page number/total pages, date/time, record number…) with automatic updating. E.g. “Page N of M” in the Page Footer.
- Think PAPER: check in PREVIEW pagination, width overflow, page breaks, header repetition.
- Set PAGE SETUP (size, ORIENTATION, margins). Landscape for many columns. Check BEFORE distributing.
48h challenge — apply tomorrow
Finalize your 1.3 report: title + period, “Page N of M”, print date, A4 / landscape if wide page setup, then page-by-page Preview check. Print or export to PDF to judge.
- My report is identified (title + period) and its properties filled in.
- It is dated and paginated with automatic special fields.
- I checked it in Preview (width, pagination) before distributing.
Frequently asked questions
Which special fields to add and where to place them?
At minimum: page number + total page count (“Page N of M”) in the PAGE footer, and the print date in the header or footer. As needed: record number in DETAILS, report name in page footer, total record count in Report Footer. Rule: the section follows the wanted frequency. They live in the explorer (“Special Fields” section), combine with fixed text and update automatically.
My report overflows in width or paginates badly: how to fix it?
Overflow: column widths exceed the page. Fixes: switch to LANDSCAPE, shrink/drop columns, reduce font size, check that no object sticks out past the right edge, adjust margins. Pagination: “Keep Together” against splits, “New Page Before/After” for a wanted break, column headings properly in the PAGE header for repetition. Always check in Preview before distributing.
Where should “Page N of M” go to appear on every page?