Multi Print

Multi Print

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This is a powerful non visual utility that allows you to configure Eclipse to print multiple reports (same or different) to the same or different printers on your network. For example, when you print an invoice that you intend to send to a customer you can have an accounts copy (based on the same or a slightly different report) to pop out of the printer in your Accounts Dept. Or perhaps when you print out a delivery note, you want the prep sheet to print in the warehouse as well.

The programme itself merely needs to reside in your Eclipse folder and all the setting up is down in the Eclipse Configuration Book, using techniques that are fully explained in THIS article. The key thing to remember is that Multi_Print.exe knows nothing about Eclipse or the report that Eclipse will launch; moreover, Multi_Print.exe will run and complete all of its tasks BEFORE the preview of your report in Eclipse appears before you. All that happens is that when you main report is about to run, some instructions in its Configuration Book entry will launch Multi_Printe.exe and pass it one or two pieces of information: a list of other report entries in the Configuration Book that Multi_Printe.exe needs to print, and (optionally) any record selection criteria that need to be applied to the reports that Multi_Printe.exe will run.

Example

Step 1. On the Reporting tab locate the master report that will launch from Eclipse. Click on the Advanced button to bring up the full view of all the fields available. In the screen grab below we see a typical quote report entry and note that the Filter, Operator and Value fields are filled in, telling us that Eclipse will be passing a Record Selection criterion to the report when it runs, effectively saying "print a quote the equipment list who's unique I.D. is stored in the variable wwTable3eql_no". Its this variable wwTable3eql_no that we need to make a note of.

Step 2. In the Run Programme fields we enter the name of the programme that we want Eclipse to run before a report is printed. In this case is going to be Multi_Print.exe

Step 3. In the Command Line Params field we have to enter two values, separated by a space:

i) The Multi_Print programme works by searching the Eclipse reports.db table for all the report entries that have been assigned a specific FORM value (see field 3 in screen shot above) and simply printing everything it finds. It expects its first command line parameter to pass this FORM value so we need to enter this in the Command Line Params field. Of course this FORM value should not be any of the standard form values that are set for standard Eclipse reports (e.g. TJOBBOOK); rather it needs to by any unique identify that you wish to use to single out all the reports that Mulit_Print needs to run. Keep it short and simple, and try to use a system, e.g MP1, MP2, MP3 etc.

ii) If the reports that Multi_Print is going to run need a record selection formula then we need to pass the programme the same value that the master report entry gets passed. One might expect this to take the same format as that used in the master report's configuration, but in fact we only use the first bit before the '.asstring', and we have to enclose it in special brackets e.g. <wwTable3eql_no>

So once we've done the above we should have something like the following in the Command Line Params field:

Step 4. Now you need to create entries for all the reports that you want Multi_Print to run. This is a straightforward process. The Menu Caption is purely for your information since it does not appear in Eclipse. The Filename is the name of the report that you want to print. The Form Name needs to match your first command line parameter that you set up in the master report entry, e.g. MP1. If the report requires a record selection formula (another quote will, just like its master report) then the Filter and Operator fields must be filled in. The Value field can be ignored since this information is what Multi_Print is being passed by its second command line parameter <wwTable3eql_no>. In the example displayed below we have also set the report to print directly, since if this is going to one of a few reports that Multi_Print will manage then it will be tiresome to have to respond to each print preview. Finally, you will want to set what printer the report outputs to.

You have now completed your first report entry that Multi_Print will run when the master report E7KwikListUS.rpt. You can now continue adding more report entries with the Form Name of MP1 and these too will be picked up by the programme and bound to the master report E7KwikListUS.rpt.