Reports To Word

[1eye1vision]

Right the thing is i can export my reports to word but when they export they don't hold the lines that i placed around the text boxes, this is becoming quite annoying as the reason i put the lines around the boxes,was so when the report is output it looks like the original.

Help please!!

 

[Laurentech]

I have found that the export does not respect the setting for Can Grow = False for text boxes. I had to play around with the width of the text box to get it to look acceptable in both the report window and the exported Word version.

Larry

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Your problem is simple. Access doesn't export to Word (.doc) files. It exports to Wordpad (.rtf) files. (Yeah, I know... it doesn't say that. It lies about other things too.) Access and Word have .RTF as their lowest common denominator. That is the issue in a nutshell. The lowest common denominator is pretty low, isn't it?

There are only two ways I've ever found to avoid this problem.

1. Open Word as an application from Access. Create the document you wanted to create using Automation (formerly known as ActiveX, but that has now taken on a newer meaning.) Put in the data fields, lines, boxes, etc. that way. Egad, what a messy chore. Possible but not for the beginner or the squeamish.

2. Open Access as a data source to Word for a Mail Merge. Create the template Merge document with the boxes, lines, and spaces as needed. Better but still not really good for complex cases.

Access is not a word processor. Do not expect it ever to act like one. If you want a word processor function, launch a word processor.

P.S. - I agree that this treatment of reports sucks. But it is what it is. Only Bill Gates and God (in that order) can change it.

 

[Keith Nichols]

database hero Lebans - Export Report to Word with graphics

Hi 1eye,

IN the sample databases forum I came across a link to lebans.com.

http://www.lebans.com/ReportUtilities.htm

This database hero has created dozens of sample databases solving these sorts of problems. Of interest here is his database utilities package. I haven't attempted to use the export to word yet, I just haven't got the time at the moment, but other stuff from him has been very useful in solving my problems and educating me.

Here is the blurb regarding the utilities package:

******************************************
New October 14, 2001 A2K2 Version of ReportUtilities complete with A2K2 PrintLines Class! A2K2ReportUtilities.zip

New April 1, 2001 A2K Version of ReportUtilities complete with A2K PrintLines Class! A2KReportUtilities.zip

NEW RELEASE Feb. 04/2001- For A97! ReportUtilities.zip is a suite of Report Utilities as outlined below. No restrictions. Open the README file before use! Full Source code included!

ReportUtilities a suite of utilities with 5 Features:

1) Export to MS Word. Output exact duplicate of a Report to RTF, including formatting and all graphics. This file can be loaded into MS Word for limited further editing or inclusion into a larger document.
******************************************

Sincerely hope this helps.

I will be attempting to do the same thing in the near future and this is an Axcess FAQ par excellence, so any experience you gain and post will be of interest, to me at least. Please post your progress.

Regards,

 

[1eye1vision]

Hi all,
I read the post by Keith and although this appears to be an excellent utility, the problem is you have to include the MDE file that comes with it and then reference to it. This i don't really want to do as the DB is something i would like to call my own, not have somebody elses file included with it. Maybe if somebody had the code thats being used by this mde file it might be benificial to all, obviously somebody out there has the know-how on recreating your report exactly how you produce it in Access, maybe it's time they shared it with others

 

[Lightwave]

People - I may be going off on a tangent but if the only reason that you want to export to doc format is so that others can see the report and you want it to be exactly the same as a word doc - why not export to pdf.

Pretty much everyone should be able to read it then..

 

[1eye1vision]

HI LW, i think you might have missed the point on this thread, the reason for exporting to a word Doc is so that not only can the user read the Doc but also on the off chance they need to edit it as well. Not everybody can edit PDF but they can word.

Thanks for the post though!!

 

[Keith Nichols]

People - I may be going off on a tangent but if the only reason that you want to export to doc format is so that others can see the report and you want it to be exactly the same as a word doc - why not export to pdf.

Pretty much everyone should be able to read it then..

Hi Lightwave,

Ther is also the "cut and paste the interesting bit" mentality. I am a little bit savy so I know that this can be done from a .pdf, but most are familiar with Word and it's functionality.

As an example, reports generated by my managers are copied to managers in other departments (our clients). These external managers then want to snip out relevant sections to send to others (mostly thier underlings) without the distraction of the irrelevant details on the report.

Regards,

Keith.