A report consists of horizontal areas, the bands. Each control lies in exactly one band, and the band determines how often it is printed: once in the whole report, on every page, per group or per data row. So if you want to see a figure per skill, put it in the header or footer of a group; if you want to see each conversation individually, put it in the Detail band.
On the design surface, the bands carry their technical names, for example “ReportHeader [one band per report]”; the Insert Band menu uses the same names.
| Band | Printed | Typical content |
|---|---|---|
| TopMargin, BottomMargin | on every page, in the page margin | in the templates, the header with the period |
| ReportHeader | once at the start | title, logo, period |
| PageHeader | at the top of every page | column headings |
| GroupHeader | before each group | name of the group, for example the skill, and its totals |
| Detail | per data row — that is, per conversation, phase, agent action or alarm | individual values; the only band every report has |
| GroupFooter | after each group | totals of the group |
| ReportFooter | once at the end | grand totals, chart |
| PageFooter | at the bottom of every page | page number, creation time |
The base types under New Report only include the margins and Detail; you add everything else yourself. The supplied templates mostly show only totals: their Detail band has a height of 0, and the figures are in the group header.
Inserting and removing bands
- Inserting: Right-click the design surface › Insert Band › the band. Group headers and footers are better created via Group and Sort; there they get their group field right away.
- Removing: Select the band — click its header bar — and press Delete. All controls in it are removed as well; the designer asks first.
- Sub-band: Right-click a band › Insert Sub-Band adds a second version of the band below it, for example for a row that should only appear under a certain condition.
Height, expanding and collapsing
- You drag the height at the bottom edge of the band or set it under Properties. A band with a height of 0 is not printed but is kept — this is how the templates hide the individual rows.
- The arrow in the header bar collapses a band in the design; View › Bands has Expand All and Collapse All. This does not affect printing.
- You change the order of the group levels in Group and Sort, and the order of the other bands in the Report Explorer.
Band settings
Under Properties, when the band is selected:
| Setting | Effect |
|---|---|
| Page Break | starts a new page before or after the band, for example one page per skill |
| Repeat Every Page | prints a group header again on every page if a group spans several pages |
| Keep Together | keeps the content of a band on one page |
| Group Union | keeps a group together: entirely on one page or at least the header with the first row |
| Print at Bottom | prints a group footer at the bottom of the page |