Report Type

The Report Type component tells Articles how to handle a report when it runs. It controls whether the report opens in the preview window, sends pages by email as it prints, emails the whole report directly, or prints directly to a printer without preview. It also controls which export formats the user is allowed to choose from and which format is pre-selected.

Every report should have one Report Type component. Without it, Articles uses default behaviour which may not match what you intend for the report.

Adding Report Type to Your Report

Find the Report Type component in the report designer component panel
Drag it onto the designer surface — placement does not matter
It appears as a small orange label showing the current kind and default export format. It is only visible in the designer — it does not print
Set the ReportKind property to match how the report should run
Set AllowedExports and DefaultExport to control the export options

Only one Report Type component per report is needed and supported.

ReportKind

The ReportKind property is the most important setting. It tells Articles what to do when the report is run.

rtNormal (default)
The report opens in the Articles preview window. The user can view, export, print, or email from the preview. Use this for most reports where the user needs to review the output before doing anything with it.

rtPageByPage
The report sends each page by email as it prints using the Page by Page Email component. The preview window is not shown. Use this for reports that email individual pages to different recipients — for example remittance advices sent to each vendor, or statements sent to each customer. Requires a Page by Page Email component on the appropriate band.

rtDirectEmail
The entire report is emailed directly when it runs. The preview window is not shown. Use this for reports that always go to a fixed email address — for example a daily summary sent to management. Set DirectEmailAddress and DirectEmailName to specify the recipient.

rtDirectPrint
The report prints directly to a printer when it runs without showing the preview window. Use this for reports that always print to the same printer — for example labels or checks that go to a dedicated printer. Set DirectPrinterName to specify the printer. If DirectPrinterName is empty Articles uses the default printer.

Properties

ReportKind
How the report runs. See ReportKind above for the full description of each option.

DirectEmailAddress
The email address to send the report to when ReportKind is rtDirectEmail. For example management@yourcompany.com.

DirectEmailName
The display name of the recipient when ReportKind is rtDirectEmail. For example Management Team.

DefaultEmailSubject
The default subject line when ReportKind is rtDirectEmail. Articles uses this as the email subject when sending the report directly.

DefaultEmailBody
The default body text when ReportKind is rtDirectEmail. Articles uses this as the email body when sending the report directly.

DirectPrinterName
The name of the printer to use when ReportKind is rtDirectPrint. Must match the printer name exactly as it appears in Windows. If left blank, Articles uses the Windows default printer.

AllowedExports
The set of export formats the user is allowed to choose from when exporting from the preview window. Leave empty to allow all formats. Restrict this when a report should only be exported in specific formats — for example a report that must always be exported as PDF should have AllowedExports set to just PDF so the user cannot accidentally export it as CSV or Excel.

Available export formats are:

efPDF — Adobe PDF
efXLS — Excel 97-2003
efXLSX — Excel 2007 and later
efDOCX — Word 2007 and later
efODS — OpenDocument Spreadsheet
efODT — OpenDocument Text
efRTF — Rich Text Format
efHTML — HTML
efHTML5 — HTML5
efPPTX — PowerPoint
efXML — XML
efCSV — Comma Separated Values
efTXT — Plain Text
efZPL — Zebra Printer Language

DefaultExport
The export format that is pre-selected when the export dialog opens. Default is efPDF. Change this when a report is most commonly exported in a different format — for example a data export report where users always want CSV.

ExportSettings
Advanced export configuration stored as a string. Used internally by Articles to persist export option settings between sessions. You do not normally need to set this manually.

The Designer Label

In the report designer, the Report Type component shows as a small orange rectangle. The label inside it shows the current ReportKind and DefaultExport so you can see at a glance how the report is configured without opening the Object Inspector. For example:

Normal [PDF] — normal preview, default export is PDF
Page by Page [PDF] — page by page email mode
Direct Email [PDF] — direct email mode
Direct Print [PDF] — direct print mode

Typical Configurations

Standard report with preview
Most reports use this configuration. The user runs the report, reviews it in the preview window, and exports or prints from there.

ReportKind: rtNormal
DefaultExport: efPDF (or whichever format is most common for this report)
AllowedExports: empty (all formats allowed)

Remittance advice emailed to each vendor
Each page is emailed to the vendor it belongs to as the report runs. Requires a Page by Page Email component on the MasterData band.

ReportKind: rtPageByPage
AllowedExports: empty

Daily summary emailed to management
The report emails itself automatically when run — no preview, no user interaction needed.

ReportKind: rtDirectEmail
DirectEmailAddress: management@yourcompany.com
DirectEmailName: Management Team
DefaultEmailSubject: Daily Sales Summary
DefaultEmailBody: Please find today's sales summary attached.

Check printing to a dedicated printer
Checks print directly to the check printer with no preview window.

ReportKind: rtDirectPrint
DirectPrinterName: HP LaserJet Check Printer

PDF-only export report
A compliance report that must always be exported as PDF. The user cannot choose a different format.

ReportKind: rtNormal
AllowedExports: [efPDF]
DefaultExport: efPDF

Common Problems

The report opens in the preview window even though ReportKind is rtDirectPrint
Check that DirectPrinterName matches the printer name exactly as it appears in Windows — including any spaces or punctuation. If the printer name does not match a known printer, Articles may fall back to preview mode.

rtDirectEmail sends but the recipient name or subject is wrong
Check DirectEmailAddress, DirectEmailName, DefaultEmailSubject, and DefaultEmailBody are all set correctly. These are plain text properties — they do not support field references like the Page by Page Email component does.

The export format dropdown shows formats that should be restricted
AllowedExports must be set to a non-empty set of formats to restrict the choices. An empty AllowedExports means all formats are allowed. Make sure at least one format is included in the set.

The report has no Report Type component — what happens?
Articles uses rtNormal behaviour by default. The report opens in the preview window with all export formats available and PDF pre-selected. Adding a Report Type component and setting its properties explicitly is always recommended so the behaviour is intentional and visible in the designer.

Articles Report Writer