HP Intelligent Management Center Standard Software Platform - Manual (Page 294)

Formatting concepts
This section explains how to format a report. Formatting refers to changes
you can make to the layout and design of a report, as well as the appearance
of text, objects, or entire report sections.
You can use formatting to do many things, including:
• Dividing sections of a report.
• Calling attention to certain data.
• Changing the presentation of dates, numbers, Boolean values, currency
values, and text strings.
• Hiding unwanted sections.
• Giving the report a professional appearance.
The following topics describe the types of formatting you can do with Crystal
Reports, giving step-by-step instructions for performing a variety of formatting
tasks.
Note:
There are many date formats you can choose to use on an English report,
but if you send the report to a Japanese system, there may be some
formatting irregularities. Not all English date formats are viewable on a
Japanese system, and the same is true going from Japanese to English. For
instance, abbreviated English months do not appear on a Japanese system
and Japanese eras in short format do not appear on an English system.
Using a template
A template is an existing report file whose formatting can be added to a new
report. At the same time, the formatting of the template report's fields and
report objects are applied to the new report. Use templates to give any
number of reports a consistent look without having to format each one
individually.
For additional information about templates, see Template considerations .
294 Crystal Reports 2008 SP3 User's Guide
Formatting 13
Formatting concepts