Choose and format columns

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Step 3 of an embedded report, Subtable Fields, decides the report's columns: which fields appear, in what order, how each value is shown, and how wide each column is. Each column can also have its own heading text, alignment, fonts, and totals. You can add an item counter that numbers the rows.

Before you get here, save the report once in step 2. See Save before you go on.

The field grid

The grid lists every field of the report's table. It has these columns:

Column

What it does

Selected

Select it to show the field as a column in the report. A field you select is added at the end of the column order. Clear it to remove the column.

Order

The column's position, from left to right. Drag a row by its handle to move it, or edit the number.

FID and Field Name

The field's ID and name in Quickbase.

Type

How the values are shown. See Column types.

Width

The column's width in points (72 points is about one inch). The default is 50. If Automatically resize to fit contents is on in step 5, Word adjusts the widths to the contents.

Column Label Override

The column's heading, if you want something other than the field name. For example, Qty for a field named Quantity Ordered. Enter NULL for an empty heading. Colons, periods, vertical bars (|), and commas are removed from headings, because they separate the parts of the report's settings.

Advanced Settings

Opens more options for that column. See Advanced Settings.

You can filter and sort the grid by any of its columns to find fields in a large table. Order and Width are required for selected fields and must be 1 or more.

When you change the grid, select Save before you go to another step. If you try to leave with unsaved grid changes, the configurator shows Please save changes/cancel changes before navigating. To undo grid changes you haven't saved, select Cancel changes above the grid.

For Summary and Master Summary reports, the columns are the summary report's columns. They're all selected and keep the report's order. You can still change their type, width, heading, and fonts.

Column types

Each column's type is set from the field type, and you can change it:

Type

Shows the value as

Default for

Text

Text as it is

Text and most other fields

Numeric

A whole number with thousands separators. Decimals are rounded off.

Numeric fields

Numeric with Decimal

A number with the field's decimal places

Currency

An amount in the field's currency format

Currency fields

Percent

A percentage

Percent fields

Date

A date in the app's date format

Date fields

Checkbox

A check box

Checkbox fields

Image

The image, sized to the column width

File attachment fields

Rich Text

Formatted text, with the field's HTML turned into Word formatting

Rich text fields

Multi-select Text

The selected choices as a list

Bar Code

A barcode or QR code made from the value

If a numeric field has decimals you want to keep, change its type to Numeric with Decimal. For images in reports, see Including Images. For barcodes, see Add barcodes and QR codes in documents.

Advanced Settings

Select a field first, then select its Advanced Settings button. If the field isn't selected, the configurator shows Please Select the checkbox first. The window is titled with the field's name and has two parts.

Column HEADER Properties

These apply to the column's heading cell:

  • Column Header Alignment: Left, Center, or Right. If you don't choose one, the table's Column Header Alignment from step 5 applies.

  • Font Properties: Attributes (Bold, Italic, Underline, Strikeout), Font Name, and Font Size (3 to 45). If you choose a font name, also choose a size; otherwise the configurator shows Please select Header Font Size.

Column DATA Properties

These apply to the column's value cells:

  • Data Alignment in Column (H): Left (default), Center, or Right, plus Justify for Text columns. Numeric, Currency, and Percent columns are right-aligned unless you change them.

  • Data Alignment In Column (V): Top, Middle, or Bottom. Use it when some rows are taller, for example because of an image or long text.

  • Subtotal and Grandtotal: for Numeric, Numeric with Decimal, Currency, and Percent columns. Select them to add up the column in each group's subtotal row and in the grand total row at the end of the table. You set the rows' labels and colors in step 4. See Subtotals and grand totals.

  • Font Properties: Attributes, Font Name, and Font Size, as for the heading. If you choose a font name, also choose a size; otherwise the configurator shows Please select Font Size. Font properties aren't available for Rich Text columns, which keep the formatting in the field.

Columns without fonts set use the formatting of the ~strid=N~ text in the Word template.

Bar Code Properties

For a Bar Code column, the data part is titled Bar Code Properties:

  • Bar Code Type: QR Code (default), Data Matrix, PDF417, Code 39, Code 39 Extended, Code 11, Codabar, Code 32, Code 93, Code 93 Extended, Code 128, Code 128B, Ean8, or Ean13.

  • Bar Code Width and Bar Code Height: the size of the code. The default is 50 for both.

  • Bar Code Text Location: None (default), Top, or Bottom, to print the value as text above or below the code. Not available for QR Code, Data Matrix, and PDF417.

Apply the changes

Select Apply Field Changes to apply the column's settings to the grid. They're saved to Quickbase when you select Save.

Item counter

An item counter is a column that numbers the rows: 1, 2, 3, and so on. It's available for Detail reports.

  1. Select Include Item Counter.

  2. Under Include As:, choose First Column (selected for you) or Last Column.

  3. Optional: select the counter's Advanced Settings to set its heading alignment and fonts, its Data Alignment In Column (H) and (V), its Field Width (default 5), its Column Label (default #), and its fonts. The column label can't contain a colon. Select Apply Field Changes.

The configurator shows Successfully Saved Configuration Changes when it saves the counter. To remove it, clear Include Item Counter; the configurator shows Successfully Removed Item Counter.

Example

For a purchase order's line items, you select Item, Quantity, Unit Price, and Line Total:

Order

Field Name

Type

Width

Column Label Override

Advanced Settings

1

Item

Text

200

Data font Bold

2

Quantity

Numeric

50

Qty

Data alignment Center

3

Unit Price

Currency

80

4

Line Total

Currency

80

Grandtotal

With Include Item Counter set to First Column, the table starts with a narrow # column that numbers the items.

Next: Sorting, grouping, and totals. If something doesn't work, see Exact Forms Plus Configurator messages and troubleshooting.

Need help? Submit a technical support case.