Ad Hoc Report Generator

Question

Thanks for taking the time to read my question.

Can anyone suggest some sites where I can find some ideas on how best to design an ad hoc report generator form? I'm assuming that Dynamic SQL statements will be required which is ok. 

Thanks

Answer 1

some ideas on how best to design an ad hoc report generator form?

Hi mbrad,

What is the ad hoc report generator supposed to do?

In my applications I do not use reports, but I generate directly an output file with html- or rtf-code. This is done by a number of building blocks in a code library. Internally (any) recordsets can be used to supply the data.

A new report would be just the combination of the wanted building blocks, specified in a VBA-routine.

Or are you thinking of something quite different?

Imb.

Answer 2

Thank you so much for your reply.

My thought was some sort of form that the user can select fields, sort, order, filter... then click run and it makes the report. It would be nice to save it too per user. Maybe that's way too fancy... just dreaming at this point. Not sure if anyone has attempted this.

How do you make your HTML reports? Do you create a .html file with inline CSS or CSS in the header?

Answer 3

My thought was some sort of form that the user can select fields, sort, order, filter... then click run and it makes the report.

... 

How do you make your HTML reports? Do you create a .html file with inline CSS or CSS in the header?

Hi mbrad,

On any continuous form the user can click on an output button. This opens a dynamical form that shows the underlying fields and the widths on the underlying form. The user can select the fields and adjust the width to display.

Filtering is already done before display of the continuous form, using the same dynamical form, but now tuned for selection. Ordering is done by clicking on the column header.

The forms are generated using code code working on one generalized form.

I did not extend the HTML-code in the last 10 years, because focus was on RTF. I used plain HTML, though a lot a the CSS functionality was build in in the building blocks. It is just generating code, so there should be no fundamental limitation.

Because all is "just code", you can manipulate almost all things that come up in your dreams.

Imb.

Answer 4

Thank you so much for the examples! I will see how I can implement something like this.

have a great day,

mbrad

Answer 5

The Access reports wizard is just such a Report Generator. Do you really want to reinvent the wheel?

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-Tom. Microsoft Access MVP

Answer 6

The Access reports wizard is just such a Report Generator. Do you really want to reinvent the wheel?

Hi Tom,

It can happen that you want an other wheel with different properties than the one in stock.

Imb.