Before compiling and executing the program to create the report, you need to decide which forms of print output you intend
to use. In the generated
.rpt COPY file, AcuBench creates paragraphs that you can call to start the report process. These include:
- Acu-report-PRINT-TOFILE starts the report process and creates an output file on disk. If you are creating a graphical report, you can use this routine,
then display the report on a graphical screen using the Web browser control. This can be significantly faster than using the
preview function.
- The
Acu-report-PREVIEW paragraph executes the code to create the report, then opens a preview window to display the report. Using this option requires
you to have Internet Explorer, version 4.0 or later, installed on the machine running the report. Because of the overhead
involved in communicating with Internet Explorer, this option is significantly slower than other options.
- The
Acu-report-DO-PRINT paragraph uses the created report, then sends the report to the default printer. You can use this paragraph as a template
if you want to send the report to a different printer device.
Note: Both the PREVIEW and the DO-PRINT paragraphs require a DLL (
AcuBenchPrint.dll) that is automatically added to your AcuBench project when you create a report. If you are deploying in a thin client environment
and using either of these routines to create and either preview or print the report, this DLL must be copied to the display
host (client). For more information, see
Deploying in a Thin Client Environment.
To create your report, then, you need one line of code:
PERFORM Acu-report-PRINT-TOFILE.
Or:
PERFORM Acu-report-Preview.
Or:
PERFORM Acu-report-DO-PRINT.
Where you add this code depends on how you are invoking the report. If your program does nothing but create the report, add
the PERFORM statement after the
PERFORM Acu-Initial-Routine statement in the
.cbl source file. If the report is created in response to a push button click or menu selection, add the PERFORM statement to
the appropriate exception or link-to paragraph.