Select Records Dialog

The Select Records dialog displays database records in a table format. You can use this dialog to search, sort, and filter on the available records and subsequently select the records that you want to print. You can access the dialog by clicking Select Records on the Quantity tab of the Print dialog.

By default, the Select Records dialog displays columns for each database field that is linked to an object on the template.

When you add a Record Picker control to a data entry form, the control appears as an embedded Select Records dialog that displays columns for each database field (unless you configure it to do otherwise on the control's Columns property page). At print time, the print operator can customize the record set, as described in the following Customizing the Dialog and Record Set section.

The default view of the dialog includes the following components.

ClosedSearch Panel

The search panel is located at the top of the dialog. You can filter the record set to a subset of records by entering characters into the input box. To remove the filter, click at the right side of the input box.

ClosedRecord Number Column

This column displays the record number for each record in the record set.

ClosedCheck Box Column

This column specifies which records are selected for printing. Click the check box that is adjacent to a record to select that record for printing; click the check box again to cancel the selection. Alternatively, you can select or clear all records in the record set by clicking the check box at the top of the column. This column is not available if the Quantity column is being used.

ClosedDatabase Field Columns

By default, the dialog displays columns that match the database fields that are connected to a template object. You can sort the record set based on any database field column by clicking the column header. If no database fields from the connected database are linked to a template object, all database fields are displayed in the columns of the dialog.

ClosedRecord Navigator

The record navigator is located just below the record set rows. It shows the record number for the database record that is currently selected and the total number of records that are included in the record set. You can quickly navigate through the record set to a specific record by using the navigation arrows.

ClosedSelected Records

This field displays the record numbers for the records that you selected for printing.

You can also manually specify the records that you want to be printed by entering the records in the Selected records field, as follows:

If the Quantity column is being used, you can additionally specify the print quantity for selected records in this field.

Customizing the Dialog and Record Set

The dialog is customizable so that you can configure its appearance and function to best fit the needs of the data and items that are being printed. The following customization methods are available.

ClosedHiding and Showing the Search Panel

To hide or show the search panel, right-click anywhere in the dialog, and then click Hide Search Panel or Show Search Panel.

ClosedUsing the Quantity Column

Use the Quantity column to specify the number of copies to print for a selected record. The Quantity column is visible in the Select Records dialog only after you make it available.

ClosedTo make the Quantity column available

  1. On the Quantity mini-tab of the Print dialog, click next to the Copies field to open the Print Quantity Options dialog.

  2. Click to select Specify quantity in print dialog.

  3. Click to select the Allow record selection dialog to override copies check box, and then click OK.

When you click a row to select the record for printing, the default quantity that is indicated is determined by the value that is specified in the Copies field on the Quantity mini-tab of the Print dialog. You can override the default quantity by specifying a new value. To do this, use one of the following methods:

ClosedFiltering the Record Set

The Select Records dialog supports several methods for filtering the displayed database records. You can use the method that best suits your needs, from a simple field filter or conditional statement to a more complex expression that involves one or more conditional statements and one or more columns. For more information about how to filter the record set, refer to Filtering Data Using the Select Records Dialog.

ClosedSorting the Record Set

You can sort the records that are displayed in the dialog by using one of the following methods:

You can clear all sorting at any time by right-clicking anywhere in the dialog and then clicking Clear All Sorting.

ClosedGrouping the Record Set

When you use grouping, the record set is collapsed into nodes for each unique entry in the group-by column. To expand individual nodes to see the records within that node, click next to the node that you want. To collapse expanded nodes, click next to the node that you want.

When you want to group records, the following options are available on the context menu:

To clear all groupings that you specified, click Show Group By Box on the context menu, right-click in the Group By Box area, and then click Clear Grouping. To clear only a specific grouping, in the Group By Box area, right-click the grouping that you want to clear, and then click UnGroup.

ClosedCustomizing the Columns Display

To quickly customize column order and width, use the following methods:

The following additional customizations are available on the context menu: