Format Text and Data

You can format text and data in a report to give it the look you want.

For example, you can change the font and font color, as well as specify effects, such as strikethrough. You can format the following:

  • titles and subtitles
  • filter text
  • sections
  • column headings
  • data
  • group, section, and overall summary titles and values

You can also format data using conditional styles. In addition, you can format a report by applying a template.

For information about changing the data itself, see Working with Data.

Procedure

  1. Open a report in IBM® Cognos® Query Studio.
  2. If you want to format text for a particular object, such as a specific column or a column heading, click the object.
    Tip: Press Ctrl+click or Shift+click to select multiple objects.
  3. From the Change Layout menu, click Change Font Styles Change font styles icon.
    Tip: You can also use the style toolbar to quickly format an object. For example, you can use the toolbar to change the font, the font size, the font color, or the background color.
  4. Specify the options you want to apply.
  5. If you want to specify the font color, click the font color button, Font color icon and choose how you want to select the color:
    • To select a color from a small set of named colors, click Named colors and click the color.
    • To select from 216 available Web safe colors, click Web safe colors and click the color.
    • To specify a color based on hexadecimal values that you type for red, green, and blue, click Custom color and type the hexadecimal values for the colors that you want to combine.
  6. If you want to specify the background color, click the background color button Background color icon, and choose how you want to select the color:
    • To select a color from a small set of named colors, click Named colors and click the color.
    • To select from 216 available Web safe colors, click Web safe colors and click the color.
    • To specify a color based on hexadecimal values that you type for red, green, and blue, click Custom color and type the hexadecimal values for the colors that you want to combine.
  7. Click Advanced options and click the objects that you want to format.

    You can apply styles to the current selection or to specific objects, such as titles and the filter text.

    Tip: To reset values, click Reset to default values.
  8. Click OK.

Results

The formatting is applied to new columns that you add. When inserting a new column in a list, the column inherits the formatting of the column to its left. If you insert the new column to the left of the first column, it inherits the formatting of the first column. When inserting a new column in a crosstab, the column inherits the formatting of the column above it. If you insert a new column above the topmost column, it inherits the formatting of the column under it.

Tip: If you want to reset your changes to their default values after you apply the formatting, from the Change Layout menu, click Reset Font and Border Styles. This removes all settings defined in the current report.