Whether you insert an OLE object into a report or create a new report using the OLE presentation style, you are working with an OLE container object within the report.
Similarities
They have these characteristics in common:
-
Icon or contents
The report can display the OLE object as an icon, or it can display an image of the contents when display of contents is supported by the server.
-
Data from the report
You specify which report columns you want to transfer to the OLE object. The data that is sent to the OLE server replaces the OLE object template specified in the painter.
Differences
The OLE object in a report and the OLE presentation style have these main differences:
-
Associating the object with rows
When the OLE object is added to a report, you can associate it with individual rows, groups of rows, or all rows. In the presentation style, the OLE object is always associated with all rows.
-
Properties view
The Properties view for an OLE object has different pages and some different properties from the OLE report. For example, the Properties view for an OLE object in a report does not contain detailed print specification settings because these are set in the report's own Properties view. However, it does have settings related to the position of the OLE object within the report.
Not all servers are appropriate
The features of the OLE server application determine whether it can provide useful information in a report.
If the server does not support display of contents, it is not useful for objects associated with rows. The user sees only the icon. Some servers support the display of contents, but the view is scaled too small to be readable even when the object is activated.
In this section
This section includes procedures for:
-
Adding an OLE object to a report
-
Using the OLE presentation style
-
Defining the OLE object
-
Previewing the report
-
Specifying report data for the OLE object
To add an OLE object to a report, you begin by specifying where you want the OLE object and opening the Insert Object dialog box so you can define the OLE object.
Adding an ActiveX control
Adding an ActiveX control to a report is similar to adding an OLE object. Both exist within the report with other controls, such as columns, computed fields, and text controls. Use the following procedure whether you want to add an OLE object or an ActiveX control to an existing report.
To place an OLE object in a report:
-
Open the report that will contain the OLE object.
-
Select Insert>Control>OLE Object from the menu bar, or from the toolbar, click the Object drop-down arrow and select the OLE button (not OLE Database Blob).
-
Click where you want to place the OLE object.
InfoMaker displays the Insert Object dialog box.
To use the Insert Object dialog box, see Defining the OLE object.
Use the OLE presentation style to create a report that consists of a single OLE object. The following procedure creates the new report and opens the Insert Object dialog box.
To create a new report using the OLE presentation style:
-
In the New dialog box, select OLE 2.0 from the Object tab and click OK.
-
Select data for the report as you do for any report.
For more information about selecting data, see Defining Reports
-
Specify how the OLE object will use the report's data on the Specify OLE Data page:
You can drag the columns you want the OLE object to use to the Target Data box. You can also control the grouping of data and edit the expression for a column. If necessary, you can change these specifications later.
For more information, see Specifying data for the OLE object.
-
Click Next, and then click Finish.
InfoMaker displays the Insert Object dialog box in which you define the OLE object.
To use the Insert Object dialog box, see Defining the OLE object.
You define the OLE object in the Insert Object dialog box. It has three tab pages:
|
If you want to |
Select this tab page |
|---|---|
|
Embed an OLE server object in the report |
Create New |
|
Link or embed the contents of an existing file as an OLE object so that it can be activated using the application that created it |
Create From File |
|
Insert an ActiveX control in the report |
Insert Control |
This section contains procedures for each of these selections.
Create New
Use the following procedure if you want to embed a new OLE server object.
To embed a new OLE server object using the Create New tab:
-
Select the Create New tab.
-
In the Object Type box, highlight the OLE server you want to use.
You can click Browse to get information about the server from the registry.
-
Optionally display the OLE object as an icon by doing one of the following:
-
Check Display as Icon to display the server application's default icon in the control.
-
Check Display as Icon and then select Change Icon to supply a nondefault icon and icon label.
-
-
Click OK.
The OLE object is inserted in your report and the OLE server is activated. Depending on the OLE server and whether or not you have already specified how the OLE object will use the report's data, the object may be empty or may show an initial presentation of the OLE object. Close the server application and, if you are inserting an OLE object in a report, specify the object's properties (see Specifying properties for OLE objects).
Create From File
Use the following procedure if you want to link or embed the contents of an existing file as an OLE object so that it can be activated using the application that created it. Most of the steps in this procedure are the same as those for embedding a new OLE server object.
A server application must be available
You (and the user) must have an application that can act as a server for the type of object you link or embed. For example, if you insert a BMP file, it displays because an application that can handle bitmaps is installed with Windows. If you insert a GIF or JPEG file, it displays only if you have a third-party graphics application installed.
To link or embed an existing object using the Create From File tab:
-
Select the Create From File tab.
-
Specify the file name in the File Name box. If you do not know the name of the file, click the Browse button and select a file in the dialog box.
-
To create a link to the file, rather than embed a copy of the object in the control, select the Link check box.
-
Click OK.
The OLE object is inserted in your report and the OLE server is activated. Depending on the OLE server and whether or not you have already specified how the OLE object will use the report's data, the object might be empty or might show an initial presentation of the OLE object. Close the server application and, if you are inserting an OLE object in a report, specify the object's properties (see Specifying properties for OLE objects).
Insert Control
Use the following procedure if you want to insert an ActiveX control (OLE custom control) in the report.
To insert an ActiveX control using the Insert Control tab:
-
Select the Insert Control tab.
-
In the Control Type box, highlight the ActiveX control you want to use, or, if the ActiveX control you want has not been registered, click Register New.
If you select an existing ActiveX control, you can click Browse to get more information about it. ActiveX controls are self documenting. InfoMaker gets the property, event, and function information from the ActiveX control itself from the registry.
If you click Register New, you are prompted for the file that contains the registration information for the ActiveX control.
-
Click OK.
-
If you did not specify how the OLE object will use the report's data when you created the report, do so on the Data property page.
If you have inserted an ActiveX control that does not display data, such as the Clock control, you do not need to transfer data to it.
For more information, see Specifying data for the OLE object.
Specifying properties for OLE objects
For OLE objects, you need to specify how the OLE object will use the report's data. If you used the OLE presentation style, you did this when you created the report.
If you are inserting an OLE object in an existing report, you can also associate the object with the current row. If you are using the OLE presentation style, the OLE object is always associated with all rows.
To specify properties for an OLE object:
-
Select the Data property page in the Properties view.
-
Specify how the OLE object will use the report's data.
For more information, see Specifying data for the OLE object.
-
(Optional) To associate the object with the current row, select the Position property page and change the value in the Layer box to Band.
-
Click OK when you have finished.
You set data specifications for an OLE object in a report on the Data property page in the Properties view. You can also use the Data property page to modify the data specifications you made in the wizard for a report using the OLE presentation style.
What the data is for
When an OLE object is part of a report, you can specify that some or all of the data the report retrieves be transferred to the OLE object too. You can specify expressions instead of the actual columns so that the data is grouped, aggregated, or processed in some way before being transferred.
The way the OLE object uses the data depends on the server. For example, data transferred to Microsoft Excel is displayed as a spreadsheet. Data transferred to Microsoft Graph populates its datasheet, which becomes the data being graphed.
Some ActiveX controls do not display data, so you would not transfer any data to them.
Group By and Target Data boxes
Two boxes on the Data property page list data columns or expressions:
-
Group By
Specifies how InfoMaker groups the data it transfers to the OLE object. Aggregation functions in the target data expressions use the groupings specified here.
-
Target Data
Specifies the data that you want to transfer to the OLE object.
Populating the Group By and Target Data boxes
If you are using the OLE presentation style, you populated the Group By and Target Data boxes when you created the report. If you placed an OLE object in an existing report, the boxes are empty. You use the browse buttons next to the Group By and Target Data boxes to open dialog boxes where you can select the data you want to use or modify your selections.
Modifying source data
You cannot modify the source data for the report on the Data property page. Select Design>Data Source from the menu bar if you need to modify the data source.
To select or modify how data will be grouped in the OLE object:
-
Click the Browse button next to the Group By box.
-
In the Modify Group By dialog box, drag one or more columns from the Source Data box to the Group By box.
You can rearrange columns and specify an expression instead of the column name if you need to. For more information, see the next procedure.
To select or modify which data columns display in the OLE object:
-
Click the Browse button next to the Target Data box.
-
In the Modify Target Data dialog box, drag one or more columns from the Source Data box to the Target Data box.
The same source column can appear in both the Group By and Target Data box.
-
If necessary, change the order of columns by dragging them up or down within the Target Data box.
The order of the columns and expressions is important to the OLE server. You need to know how the server will use the data to choose the order.
-
Double-click an item in the Target Data box to specify an expression instead of a column.
In the Modify Expression dialog box, you can edit the expression or use the Functions or Columns boxes and the operator buttons to select elements of the expression. For example, you may want to specify an aggregation function for a column. Use the range for object if you use an aggregation function; for example, sum (salary for object).
For more information about using operators, expressions, and functions, see Part 6, "Reference".
Example of a completed Data property page
This example of the Data property page specifies two columns to transfer to Microsoft Graph: city and salary. Graph expects the first column to be the categories and the second column to be the data values. The second column is an aggregate so that the graph will show the sum of all salaries in each city:
Specifying a value for Rows
The last setting on the Data property page specifies how the OLE object is associated with rows in the report. The selection (all rows, current row, or page) usually corresponds with the band where you placed the OLE object, as explained in this table. If you used the OLE presentation style to create the report, this setting does not display on the property page: the OLE object is always associated with all the rows in the report.
|
Range of rows |
When to use it |
|---|---|
|
All |
When the OLE object is in the summary, header, or footer band, or the foreground or background layer. Rows must be All and Layer must be Foreground or Background if you want the user to be able to activate the object. Target data for all rows is transferred to the object. |
|
Current Row |
When the OLE object is in the detail band. There is an instance of the OLE object for every row. Target data for a single row is transferred to each object. Because ActiveX controls must be in the foreground or background layer, they cannot be associated with individual rows in the detail band. |
|
Page |
When the OLE object is in the group header or trailer, foreground, or background. Target data for the rows on the current page is transferred to the OLE object. |
Range of rows and activating the object
When the range of rows is Current Row or Page, the user cannot activate the OLE object. The user can see contents of the object in the form of an image presented by the server but cannot activate it.
If you want the user to activate the object, Rows must be set to All and Layer on the Position property page must be Foreground or Background.
Additional settings in the Properties view
The Options property page in the OLE object's Properties view has some additional settings. These settings display on the General property page for OLE reports. The following table describes the settings you can make.
|
Property |
Effect |
|---|---|
|
Client Name |
A name for the OLE object that some server applications use in the title bar of their window. Corresponds to the ClientName report property. |
|
Activation |
How the OLE object is activated
Activation is possible only when the report that contains the OLE object is embedded in a form. |
|
Contents |
Whether the object in the OLE container is linked or embedded. The default is Any, which allows either method. |
|
Display Type |
What the OLE container displays. You can choose:
|
|
Link Update |
When the object in the OLE container is linked, the method for updating link information. Choices are:
|
Previewing the report lets you see how the OLE object displays the data from the report. You can preview in the Preview view or in preview mode
To preview the report with the OLE object in preview mode:
-
Select File>Run/Preview from the menu bar, or click the Run/Preview button on the PowerBar.
-
Select Rows>Retrieve from the menu bar.
The report retrieves rows from the database and replaces the initial presentation of the OLE object with an image of the data that the OLE server provides.
In the Design view
InfoMaker stores an initial presentation of the OLE object that it displays before data is retrieved and in newly inserted rows. When you activate the OLE object in the Design view, you are editing the initial presentation of the OLE object. Any changes you make and save affect only this initial presentation. After rows are retrieved and data transferred to the OLE object, an object built using the data replaces the initial presentation.
In preview
InfoMaker displays the initial presentation of the OLE object while it is retrieving rows and then replaces it with the retrieved data.
You cannot activate the OLE object when you preview the report. If you add the report to a form, you can activate the OLE object when you run the form.
For more information, see Activating OLE objects.
Saving as a PSR
You can save the object with its data by saving the report as a Powersoft report (PSR). Select File>Save As File or File>Save Rows As from the menu bar.
In the Report painter, you can change or remove the OLE object in the OLE container object.
The container object is now empty and cannot be activated.
