Table

A table object has the ability to display data in columns and rows.

When you drag a table onto a report, it creates a table with a default of two rows and three columns. Of the two rows, one is a header row (Any Page Header) and one is a body row (Body). You can add and remove rows and columns, size the table or its components, merge columns, define its borders and padding and much more.

Table Structure

In the Report Structure, you can view the table structure.

Table element shown in the Report Structure view. Described in the paragraph that follows.

Figure 1. Table Object as viewed in the Report Structure

The top-level element is the Table element. It contains three child elements, which make up the parts of the table. These elements are the column definitions, the head, and the body.

The column definitions (or coldefs) define the basic properties for the columns in this table object. These properties include settings for padding, width, and alignment.

The head section contains the heading rows.

The body section contains the body rows.

Table Properties

Properties specific to the table involve rules, borders, and padding.

A rule refers to a line that separates two rows or two columns. Rule-related properties include Rule, Rule Color, Horizontal Rule, and Vertical Rule.

The border refers to the border around the table. Border-related properties include Border, Border Color, Top Border, Left Border, Bottom Border, and Right Border.

Padding refers to the space between a cell boundary and the value contained within. Padding-related properties include Padding, Horizontal Padding, and Vertical Padding.

Column Properties

Column properties are specific to the column selected. Any column property set overrides the same property set for the table.

You can set the padding for the cells of a column. Padding-related properties include Padding, Horizontal Padding, and Vertical Padding.

You can set the width of a column using Proportional Width or Fix Width.

You can set the alignment of a value within the cells of a column with the Horizontal Alignment and Vertical Alignment properties.

Cell Properties

Cell properties are specific to the cell selected. Any cell property set overrides the same property set for the table or the column.

You can set the padding for the cells of a column. Padding-related properties include Padding, Horizontal Padding, and Vertical Padding.

You can set the alignment of a value within the cells of a column with the Horizontal Alignment and Vertical Alignment properties.

You can merge cells by setting the Column Span property.

Demos

The Reports demo project includes two report design documents showing reports that include a table object.

The TableDemo.4rp shows a report design document with a simple table containing five columns and two rows. One row is the Any Page Header row, while the other row is the Body row.
The GroupedTableDemo.4rp shows a report design document where the table is more complex, with several header and body rows. For each header row, the section property specifies whether it is the First Page Header, Any Page Header, and so on. Each body row is created with a purpose - to show a row of data, to show the sum of a group of rows, and so on. Some of the cells in the summary rows span columns. Triggers are used to determine when each of the body rows is output to the table in the report.