Display but not print formula help

[paulosinuk]

Hi,

I'm pretty sure the answer to this is 'no' but my client would like to be able to display certain fields within the report but for them to be suppressed in the printout. Is there any way of suppressing fields at the time of printing?

Reason for asking is that we have a lot of hyperlinks for navigation on the report, which the user would like to see suppressed on the printed version.

Thanks

BP

 

[dgillz]

Yes.

Create a parameter called display with valid values of Y and N. Then conditionally suppress the fields based on the value of the parameter.

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"making predictions is tough, especially about the future" - Yogi Berra

 

[paulosinuk]

Thanks Dgillz,

I can see where you're going with this but that would require a refresh of the report and the user having to click a link to goto a printer friendly version of the report.

Sadly, our users wouldn't do this. They expect clicking the print icon in the CR report viewer toolbar to suppress fields in the report in the information sent to the printer.

Thanks

BP

 

[synapsevampire]

Expectations often exceed reality.

You might write your own front end, if that's what's required, but to support your position, which I often have to do with similar clients, liken their request to asking you to change the printer icon in MS Word to filter the documents.

It might be done, but you really won't get any solid suggestions until you take a professional approach, meaning posting the software and the version of it being used, and how these reports are being viewed.

-k

 

[paulosinuk]

Thanks Guys,

I was hoping I might have overlooked something but I can see that the alternatives are to have a printer friendly version or to do some customisation.

In this scenario reports are being delivered via sharepoint 2003 webparts using BOE XI R2 and CR XI R2.

Users are navigating to a specific page within their intranet to launch a dashboard report, from there on in they have the option of using sharepoint controls to govern report filter criteria or a series of report embedded or sharepoint hyperlinks to drill or shift to other reports. Webparts is using the Crystal Reports Viewer control (ASPX) to present the reports.

My issue is that all of the reports include hyperlinks that whilst desirable from a navigation standpoint aren't necessary on the printed page.

My client has an international base and ideally I've been wanted to steer away from a printer friendly version of the report because it would mean additional load on the enterprise servers to generate. Dgillz comment made me think that this doesn't have to be a serperate report but a parameter control of the existing reports.

Any further insight would be appreciated but atleast I know I'm now overlooking a miracle cure.

Thanks

BP

 

[lbass]

You could create an on-demand subreport for the print version within the display version of the report and use a caption "Print Version". They would need to run the subreport->click on print. Although this also entails running the report again essentially, it might be more consistent with how a user would work with the report--review it and then decide whether to print it, instead of deciding up front via parameter.

-LB