How to: Add General Fields to Reports

  • Article

You can add contents in General fields to the report or label page layout. For example, you can add a Microsoft Excel document that is stored in a General field to a sales report. You can add General fields to reports using the Picture/OLE Bound control.

Tip

Storing images in General fields make it possible for you to display a different picture depending on the record or a group of records. When you add the image to the layout, specify the name of the General field that contains the image instead of the file name. For more information, see General Field Type and How to: Add Pictures to Reports.

To add a General field to the page layout

  1. Open the report or label in the appropriate designer.

  2. On the Report menu, point to Insert Control, and click Picture/OLE Bound.

    The Picture/OLE Bound Properties dialog box opens.

    Note

    If the _REPORTBUILDER system variable is not set to the default Report Builder or is set to a third-party builder, the Report Picture dialog box displays or a different dialog box might display. For more information, see _REPORTBUILDER System Variable and Report Picture Dialog Box.

  3. In the Picture/OLE Bound Properties dialog box, click the General tab if it is not selected.

  4. In the Control source area on the General tab, click General field name. In the Control source box, type the name of the General field.

    Tip

    To browse for and select a field, click the ellipsis (…) button to open the Expression Builder dialog box. The Expression Builder dialog box displays available fields when the report's data environment contains a table or view.

  5. When you are finished in the Picture/OLE Bound Properties dialog box, click OK.

    The Picture/OLE Bound report control appears in the Page Header band by default. After you add the control, you can move it by dragging it to the position you want.

    Tip

    You can add Picture/OLE Bound controls at the position you want by selecting them on the Report Controls toolbar and drawing them.

    If the General field in the table contains data other than an image file, such as a Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Word document, an icon representing that data appears on the report or label when you generate output for it. When you add General fields, their contents retain their original size by default. For more information, see How to: Resize Report Controls.

For more information, see General Tab, Report Control Properties Dialog Box (Report Builder).

See Also

Other Resources

Managing Report Controls
Configuring Report Controls
Adding Report Controls
Working with Report Controls