Auto Fit

[JSteele94]

Hello I'm currently making a scheduling program and have it pretty much complet except I can't get one part to work or atleast can't think of a good way to go about it. I have a DB that holds customer information (ie: FName, LName, Phone, Address) I have setup a report to display these fields but what I'm having a problem with is some of the fields like the address are longer or shorter then others. If I make it too short it cuts it off which is a huge problem, if I make it too long my report looks very ugly and not professional. I didn't know if there is a way, and I'm thinking there is and hoping there is a way to do like an auto fit or auto size or something where it will adjust depending on what is displayed. If anyone can help I would GREATLY appreciate it!!!

[Hack]

Welcome to the forums.

What reporting software are you using? Crystal has an autofit feature that works for situations like yours (I can't remember if it is actually called autofit, but that is what it does.)

[JSteele94]

Thanks for the reply, I am using VB.NET and CR that is bundled with VB.NET. I have read some books about the auto fit feature in CR but have not found how to use it in my program. If you can offer any help that'd be great!

[Hack]

Thanks for the reply, I am using VB.NET and CR that is bundled with VB.NET. I have read some books about the auto fit feature in CR but have not found how to use it in my program. If you can offer any help that'd be great!

And I can tell you want you can't use it the version you have.

CR has been bundled with VB since VB3 (and perhaps before that). However, the version that shipped with VB was, and doubtless still is, functionally useless. It has just enough features to wet your whistle and make you go out and actually buy the professional, or preferably, the enterprise version of Crystal.

It does not surprise me that the autofit feature of your version either isn't there at all, or doesn't work properly.

Do you have any other reporting software that you could switch to?

[JSteele94]

Hack,

No that is the only software I have but I didn't know I could get anything else. If you have any you would recommend that'd be great.

[Hack]

Hack,

No that is the only software I have but I didn't know I could get anything else. If you have any you would recommend that'd be great.

The answer to this question depends on the budget you have. If you have some software money in the budget, then I'd suggest you look at the Professional (although Enterprise is better, but more expensive) edition of Crystal Reports.

If you have a zero budget, then I'd take a look at using MS Access Reports. I know it is very easy to use MS Access reports with VB6, so I presume that it would also be fairly easy to do with VB.NET.

[JSteele94]

Well I went out and found CR 10 Professional and was excited hoping that would solve my problems. I installed it and started to make my report but I still can't get it to autofit my fields. It has the "Can Grow" function but that only lets it grow vertically but not horizontally which is what I need. Any suggestions? Also you said I could us MS Access reports, I was looking into that awhile ago to see if that would solve my issuse. Does that have an Auto Fit? Thanks again!

[Hack]

Well I went out and found CR 10 Professional and was excited hoping that would solve my problems. I installed it and started to make my report but I still can't get it to autofit my fields. It has the "Can Grow" function but that only lets it grow vertically but not horizontally which is what I need. Any suggestions? Also you said I could us MS Access reports, I was looking into that awhile ago to see if that would solve my issuse. Does that have an Auto Fit? Thanks again!

The professional edition should have this feature, although it may not be called Autofit. One the other hand, you could trick your report form, and make the space for the address very, very, very small and then tag on the "Can Grow". For every address, it would almost have to grow, and should only grow the exact size of the address.

It has been a while since I've used Access Reports, but I think they have that feature. It might be worth your while to investigate both.

[JSteele94]

Hack,

I really do appreciate all your help. I just tried messin arouond with MS Access and it has the funtion to "grow" but yet again not horizontally, I don't understand that! In CR 10 I tried to make my fields small and turn on can grow and they just grow vertically which is not what I need. I don't understand how these programs can make an option to grow horizontally but not vertically!!!

[Hack]

Now, I'm completely confused.

It has the "Can Grow" function but that only lets it grow vertically but not horizontally which is what I need. Any suggestions?

I tried to make my fields small and turn on can grow and they just grow vertically which is not what I need. I don't understand how these programs can make an option to grow horizontally but not vertically!!!

Which way are we going? #7 sounds like you want horiztonal growth and #9 sounds like you want vertical growth.

[JSteele94]

Sorry I miss typed.. I am trying to get it to autofit horizontally.. Do I need like a 3rd party software or anything...

[Hack]

Sorry I miss typed.. I am trying to get it to autofit horizontally.. Do I need like a 3rd party software or anything...

No, no, no. Lets think about this for a second.

How is the address stored? Is it three strings that you are concantinating:

1234 Main St.
Our Town, MI
480000

or is it a continuous string like 1234 Main St. OurTown, MI 480000

What is causing the bulk of the problem? The street address? The City/State?

[JSteele94]

No, no, no. Lets think about this for a second.

How is the address stored? Is it three strings that you are concantinating:

1234 Main St.
Our Town, MI
480000

or is it a continuous string like 1234 Main St. OurTown, MI 480000

What is causing the bulk of the problem? The street address? The City/State?

Well ok let me take a minute and explain my program to you a bit. It is a scheduling program and these are some of the fields I have. FName, LName, Address (Which is the full street address, no city or state or zip) Then I have Year, Make, Model (of the vehicle)

What is happening is some FName, LNames, or Addresses are eaither longer or shorter then others so the spacing is really ugly. Something like this:

Chris Lawson 970-xxx-xxxxx
1234 S Lemay St
1994 Honda Civic

then the next will look like this:

Christopher Lawson 970-xxx-xxxx
1234 N Lemay St
2004 Chevy Freightlin <--- (Would cut the end of this vechile off)


So I'm justing looking for a way to have these fields grow and hopfully shrink depending on the information.

Thanks a ton!

[JSteele94]

Well the forum corrected the spacing errors so you can't see what I was talking about... Hmm makes me wondering how a forum can be smart enough but not damn CR