Not quite eliminating blank spaces

[RexesOperator]

I have attached a copy of one of the reports generated by my database. As you can see there are 20 fields in the "Design element" detail section. Not all clients request the same values so I've used conditional formatting to indicate which ones apply to the current transaction. What I would like to be able to do is have ONLY those ones show up, without the elements that aren't needed. In this case only 13 fields would show. So this isn't a traditional eliminating blank spaces issue. At least I don't think it is.

I could use the visible/invisible conditional formatting, but that still leaves blank lines in between the used ones. I could rewrite the query for each transaction or design a report for every possible combination, but with 20 elements that isn't practical.

What would be a little more elegant (and less time consuming) is to be able to do this programatically. Can it be done?

 

[RexesOperator]

I should add the grey lines also have to be eliminated.

 

[ansentry]

Try putting Is Not Null in all the fields in the query that is the source for the report.

 

[uncle-lai]

I think this will do:

Under the On Format event of the Detail section put in the codes:
If DesignValue is null then Detail.Visible = false, else Detail.visible = true.

 

[RexesOperator]

Thanks - I will have a look at both of those. The Is Not Null is more intuitive for me because I want the detail section to be visible when there is data in it, not for the whole thing to disappear (unless I've misunderstood you). I have tried variations on that theme.

Re IsNotNull - can I tie the line to this as well? For example, if IsNotNull(designvalue) then linename.visible = true, else linename.visible = false.

 

[RexesOperator]

Thanks Pat - I've sort of figured something like that was happening. I know the output isn't traditional output, but my manager wants to have the display look the same as in the old dBaseIV (written in 1988) version of this program. This was as close as I know how to get to it.

I've already told him he can't have everything - his response was why not? I said for two reasons - I'm not a programmer, and he's getting this for free. "You get what you pay for". Everything else seems to be working fine. Right now I'm fine tuning the details.