Priority Developer Portal

Introduction

The purpose of a user report generator is to enable users to build their own reports. There are many predefined user report generators in the system, such as the Customer Data Report Generator and the Customer Invoices Report Generator.

If you have created a customized module in Priority, you may find it useful to design a new report generator. Moreover, if you have added columns to a form that already has a user report generator (e.g., Sales Invoices), you may want to add the new columns to the existing generator. In both cases, as you cannot revise a standard report generator, you have to make copies of all the component entities.

Components of the Report Generator

Whether you are creating your own report generator or modifying a standard one, you have to create three new Priority entities:

A base report, whose columns form the basis of the user report (defined in the Report Generator).
A form with which the report is constructed (defined in the Form Generator); this form retrieves the records from the generator's base report.
A procedure that runs the user-defined report (defined in the Procedure Generator).

Creating Your Own Report Generator

Constructing the Base Report

For your own report generator, you need to construct a new report in the usual way. However, in order for it to serve as a base report, the following rules must be maintained as well:

Any column that the user can choose to include in the generated report must have a revised title.
Any column that will be used for grouping must have a value in the Group by column and an R in the Group Func. column.
For any column that might be used for input, flag the Input column.

Note: Remember to check all joins, as well as report optimization.

Constructing the Form

To create the form, you first copy the standard ASSETREP form and then make certain adjustments to the copy.

Warning! This is the only circumstance in which it is permissible to copy a standard Priority form. Copying a form for any other purpose will have adverse effects.

To copy the standard ASSETREP form to a new form, from the Tools top menu in the Windows interface or the Run menu in the web interface, select Run Entity (Advanced…) and write the command: WINPROC -P COPYFORM

This will open a new input parameter window, where you need to record the internal name of the form you want to copy (ASSETREP), as well as the name and title to be assigned to the new form.

Note: If you wish to create a customized user report generator from a standard report generator form other than ASSETREP, make sure to choose one in which the expression defined for the TYPE column is r (in the Form Column Extension sub-level of the Form Generator). While different values in the TYPE column were once used to distinguish between different types of user generated reports, newer report generators all use the same TYPE (r), and assign each report name a different prefix instead.

The PRE-FORM trigger in the copied form should look like this:
```
:REPEXEC = 0;
SELECT EXEC INTO :REPEXEC FROM EXEC 
WHERE ENAME = ' ASSETREP' AND TYPE = 'R';
:PREFIX = 'AST';
:KEYSTROKES = '%{Exit}'; 
```
Make the following changes:
1. Change ASSETREP to the name of the base report you created earlier.
2. Change the value of :PREFIX to another three-letter string (e.g., :PREFIX = 'PST';).
3. In the Form Columns sub-level form, move to the ENAME column. Then enter the Form Column Extension sub-level form and change the expression from LIKE 'AST%' to match the string you used in the previous step (LIKE 'PST%').
4. Fix the POST-FIELD triggers for the TITLE and ENAME columns in the same manner. That is, where ENAME LIKE 'AST%' appears, revise this to ENAME LIKE 'PST%'.
5. Link the GREPCLMNS form as a sub-level of your new form.

Constructing the Procedure That Runs the Report

Copy the standard RUNCUSTREP procedure to a new procedure.
In your new procedure, revise the SQLI query in step 10:
1. Change the value of the :TYPE variable from g to r.
2. Change the value of the :PAT variable to match the prefix in your new form (e.g., :PAT = 'PST';).
If the base report you constructed is to receive input parameters from the procedure (e.g., a date range, a flag to display open orders only), define these parameters in an input step and in the runreport step. (See, e.g., the FDT and TDT parameters in the RUNPROJREP procedure.)
Change the name of the report in the last procedure step to match the new base report you created.

Allowing User Access to the Report Generator

Link the new form and procedure to the relevant menu.

Adding New Columns to a Standard Report Generator

Any revision to a standard report generator – even if all you want to do is to add new columns – requires you to create copies of all component entities and make revisions to the copies.

The difference between modifying a report generator in this way and creating a completely new generator lies in the standard entities that you copy from. Rather than using a new base report, the ASSETREP form and the RUNCUSTREP procedure as your sources, you should copy from the standard base report that you are revising and its accompany form and procedure.

Copy the standard base report to which you want to add columns, creating your own report in which you will make all needed customizations (e.g., copy INVOICEREP to XXXX_INVOICEREP).
Copy the standard form which shares the same name as the standard base report (e.g., copy INVOICEREP to XXXX_INVOICEREP). Revise the new form as described above with respect to the ASSETREP form.
Copy the relevant RUN*REP procedure of the report you copied (e.g., copy RUNINVOICEREP to XXXX_RUNINVOICEREP), revising the appropriate SQLI query line to :TYPE = 'r'; :PAT = 'XXX'; (where XXX is the prefix you assigned in the form) and changing the name of the report in the last procedure step. This is similar to the case when you construct a new report generator.
Link the new form and procedure to the relevant menu.

Creating and Modifying User Report Generators