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In this lesson, you will create a new Detail Request. Follow the steps on the right-hand side. You don’t have to save your work until later so if you stop mid-way through, you will have to start over. But really, building an initial report can be done in less than a minute. Ready? Let’s go!

  • From Request Manager, click the New icon on the toolbar. The Select Type of New Request dialog box opens.
  • Choose the Detail tab to specify a Detail Request.
  • Click OK. The Workbench window appears.
  • In the Name box type xxxLESS1 (substitute your initials for xxx) and press ENTER or TAB. Your Request will be named xxxLESS1.
  • In the Title box type Inventory On Hand and press ENTER or TAB.In addition to the Workbench you will see the Design Preview window. You may need to move the Workbench window to see the Design Preview window if it’s hidden underneath it. The Design Preview will show you a sample of what the report will look like while you are building the report. Changes you make in the Workbench will reflect on the Design Preview in real time. You can also make changes directly on the Design Preview window. The Design Preview shows the Request name and title.

    Select the Data items

    1. Click the Select Data Items tab. You will see two lists.
      • The list on the left shows the available data items which you can choose to include in your Request.
      • The list on the right shows the Selected Data Items which have already been selected for your Request.
    2. Note: If you cannot see both lists just stretch the window to make it wider until you can see both the Choose From and the Selected List.
    3. Add these data items to the Selected List by choosing one of the methods shown below:
      • Cars Stock Number
      • Cars Make
      • Cars Model
      • Cars Mileage
      • Cars Color
      • Cars Transmission
      • Cars Purchase Price
    4. Different ways to add data items to your Request:
      • Highlight the item in the Choose From list and click Add.
      • Highlight the item and drag it into the Selected list.
      • Double-click on an item in the Choose From list.
    5. Note: To select multiple items, hold the CTRL or SHIFT key while you select each item.
    6. Remove these data items from the Selected List using one of the methods shown below. (Removing an item is just like adding an item but in reverse.)
      • Cars Purchase Price
      • Cars Color
      • Cars Transmission
    7. Different ways to remove data items from your Request:
      • Highlight the item in the Selected list and click Remove.
      • Highlight the item and drag it back onto the Choose From list.
      • Double-click on an item in the Selected list.
    8. Note: To select multiple items, hold the CTRL or SHIFT key while you select each item.These items disappear and re-appear on the Choose From list. Your Request will only contain these items at the end of the step: Cars Stock Number, Cars Make, Cars Model and Cars Mileage.
    9. Now add the three data items back to the Selected list using the Design Preview window:
      2. Click on Cars Color and drag it to the Design Preview to the right of the Mileage data item in the Detail Band
      3. Click on Cars Transmission and drag it to the Design Preview to the right of the Color data item in the Detail Band
      4. Click on Cars Purchase Price and drag it to the Design Preview to the right of the Cars Transmission data item in the Detail Band.
    10. Here’s what the Design Preview will look like. If the data items are not in the right order do not panic. You can change the order in the next step.
    11. Use the Data Item order buttons (see Workbench figure above) to drag data items up or down in the Selected List until they are in the correct order.What Next? Go to Lesson 1-C: Filter Your Results.

  • Filter Your Results

    Once you have chosen data items to display you may also want to specify a filter to include or exclude certain data.

    To create a filter that shows only unsold cars:

    1. Click the Filter Results tab.To create a new filter you must add conditions to the filter one-by-one. Here are things to remember when creating a filter:
      • The first condition is created using the Add button.
      • Any additional conditions are created using either And or Or.
      • Use And if you want all conditions to be met, use Or if you want any conditions met.
    3. To add the first filter condition, click Add.
    4. Select Cars Date of Sale from the Data Item drop-down box. The Data Item you use in a filter does not have to appear as a selected Data Item in the Request.
    5. Select Empty from the Relationship drop-down box.
    6. Save this filter condition by clicking on the a on the right side of the line.
  • What Next? Go to Lesson 1-D: Sort and Group Your Data

    Sort and Group Your Data

    When you design a report you might want to sort the records in a particular sequence (for example, by last name). To accomplish this you specify a sort order in the Sort and Group Results tab of the Workbench window. Sometimes you might also want the report divided into groups based on one or more of the data items.

    Lesson Goals: You are going to sort the records by Cars Make and then within Cars Make sort by Cars Model. You will then create a group break on Cars Make. Whenever the value for Cars Make changes, the Request will skip a line, print a total for that group, skip another line, and print a group heading for the new group.

    To sort and group your data:

    1. Click the Sort and Group Results tab.You can add and remove fields on the Current Sort/Group list in the same way you added and removed fields in the available items list in the Select Data Items tab.
    2. Add the following items to the Current Sort/Group list:
      • Cars Make
      • Cars Model
    4. Highlight Cars Make in the Current Sort/Group list and click the Group button.Note: You may highlight an item and click Ungroup if you make a mistake in grouping fields.
  • What Next? Go to Lesson 1-E: Specify an Output Type.

    Specify an Output Type

    You have various options for your output type (such as a report, Microsoft Excel chart, text file) and you may choose the destination for your Request. In the tutorials you will always send output to the screen, which is the Foxfire! default for new Requests. You will see different output options in the Advanced Tutorials.

    Lesson Goals: You are going to specify an output type for your Request.

    To specify the Request output:

    1. Click the Specify Output Tab.
    2. Select “Report – Master/Detail w/ Group Headings” from the Type drop-down box.
    3. Click the Save Icon on the Design Preview toolbar.
    4. Click the Close Icon on the Design Preview toolbar.
  • Congratulations, you have just completed your first Request!

  • Preview Your Work

    1. From the Request Manager, click on xxxLESS1 (the one with your initials substituted for xxx).
    2. Click the Preview icon on the toolbar. The report appears on screen in the Request Preview window.
    3. Look over the report. Use the toolbar to go to the pages you want.
    4. When you’re done, click the X on the upper right corner of the Request Preview window to close the window.
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