Laying Out a Report

When creating a report, a good layout is essential to ensure that the information in the report is presented in a clear and effective manner.

Report layout
When you create a report, consider the following structural elements:
The Page Structure View
When you add objects to a report, you usually work in the layout. An alternative view of the report is available.
Copy object formatting
You can quickly copy the formatting of items in your report, such as fonts, colors, borders, and number formats, and apply that formatting to other items.
Add a header or footer to a report or list
Add a header or footer to make a report easier to read. Headers and footers are containers in which you can add objects like text, images, and report expressions such as the current date and page numbers. You can add headers and footers to pages and lists.
Add borders to an object
You can add borders to objects in a report such as a column, a header, or a footer or to the whole report.
Add a Text Item to a Report
You can add text to a report. You can insert text in other objects, such as a block or table cell, or directly in the report page.
Specify the font for a report
You can specify the font for text in a report.
Insert an Image in a Report
You can insert an image in a report. You can insert images in other objects, such as blocks or table cells, directly in the report page or as the background image of another object.
Add background effects
You can add background effects to enhance the appearance of your report. You can enhance objects, such as data containers (lists, crosstabs, and charts), headers, footers, page bodies, and so on with borders, gradient fill effects, drop shadows, and background images. You can also apply background effects as a class style.
Insert a Formatting Object in a Report
In addition to text and images, the Toolbox icon contains other objects that you can add to the report layout.
Box type property
Each report object has a container, or box, which can be set to display the contents (the default) or not.
Adding JavaScript to a report
Add JavaScript to a report to provide your own user interfaces when the report is run in HTML.
Align an Object in a Report
You can specify a horizontal and vertical alignment for an object in a report to determine where they appear.
Using a table to control where objects appear
You can use tables in your report to control where objects appear. Tables can be inserted anywhere in a report, such as a header, a footer, or the page body. After you create a table, insert the objects you want in the cells.
Apply Padding to an Object
Apply padding to an object to add white space between the object and its margin or, if there is a border, between the object and its border.
Set Margins for an Object
Set the margins for objects in a report to add white space around them.
Add multiple items to a single column
You can add multiple items to a single column to condense a report. For example, you have a list report that contains many columns. You can reduce the number of columns in the list by putting related information in a single column.
Reuse a Layout Object
You can save time by reusing layout objects that you add to a report instead of re-creating them. For example, you have a multiple-page report and you want to show the company logo in the page header of each page. Insert the logo once and reuse it on all other pages.
Specify text and container direction
You can specify text and container direction by choosing any of these options.
Specify line spacing and breaking
You can specify text properties by choosing any of these options.
Specify the Height and Width of an Object
You can specify the height and width of objects using various units of measurement. In addition, if the object is a field set, text box prompt, prompt button, hyperlink button, block, or a conditional block, you can specify how to handle content overflow. Specify the height and width by choosing any of these options.
Control how other objects flow around an object
You can control how objects flow around other objects by choosing any of the following options.
Specify report properties
You can change the default report property settings.
Create and modify report and object styles
Create your own classes or modify existing classes in a report to format objects across a report according to your particular needs. In IBM® Cognos® Analytics - Reporting, objects in reports are assigned a Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) class that provides a default style for the object. For example, when you create a new report, the report title has the class property Report title text assigned to it. In addition, objects inherit the classes set on their parent objects.
Add color to an object
You can add background and foreground color to objects in the report. The foreground color applies to the text within objects.