Creating Templates In Crystal Reports With Guidelines

Crystal Reports - Using Boxes, Gridlines, Text and Wingdings.

Updated December 28, 2007

Preparatory

Configuration; _Report _Options Gridlines - .025
Create a text box .25 x .25. Type in the number '8' and format it using WingDing3.
This will emphasize the guidelines placement.
Note that guidelines, size and position, the object's size and position, and snap-to-gridline all work in concert to place the object fairly precisely. Guidelines can be double clicked, text objects can be aligned by utilizing the cross-braces (or whatever you might call the orange lines that reach to all margins.)

Overview

Create a formatting section in a report. Because it will be suppressed (or deleted after the report is finalized), it will not display. Use the 'shortcut menu - Size and Position' to set a series of 5 or 10 boxes at .25" intervals (mileage may vary) and then insert a series of text-boxes each with its left side docked to a gridline.
The text-boxes should be shorter and narrower than the boxes. Also note that boxes can be used to bound sections of data, while borders of text will bound one row value.

Environment

Having set the gridlines at .025, note that guidelines will snap more consistently.

Right click a report footer section and choose 'Insert Section Below' leave this footer Section unsuppressed for now.

Use this section to place the text-boxes, boxes, wingdings, and text that will assist with placement of guidelines.

Setting Guidelines

1. Create a box.
This will transition twice. At first, a thin .1 pt border will bound the box. You will want to remove the border when aligning the boxes. Set the border back to .1 pt before placing the text-boxes in the next step.

2. Place the text boxes (see 'Preparatory') on top of the box, with the same left alignment.

3. Set the guidelines using the left side of the text boxes.

4. Lock the size and position of the boxes when they are reasonably straight. Note that this locks them relative to the guidelines. Guidelines can be used to move these boxes more accurately after they have been placed.

4. Copy the series by painting from left top to lower right.

5. Select and Copy. Click on a place that is visibly in alignment with one of the guidelines.

Finalization

Return the environment to where it was prior to starting.
Suppress the report footer section added in the first step.