Techniques for combining static text with dynamic data fields using simple text templates, HTML templates, and complex content arrays.

When you create a new Label or Letter layout, the editor automatically inserts a Rich Text object. To use this Rich Text Object, you add the fields and text you want to appear when the Labels are printed. Rich Text Objects make it easy to seamlessly mix text and fields; they let you suppress blank spaces, and they make it easy to change the fonts, point size, color, alignment, and other text attributes. If you unsure whether you have a rich text object, hold the cursor above the object until Alpha Anywhere displays its name.

You can use memo fields and rich text memo fields for:

A comparison of Document Templates versus the Report Writer, highlighting specific limitations (e.g., snaking columns) and advantages (speed and DOCX support).

Syntax for creating Rich Text Field controls in an Xdialog.

The Search > Fieldsand Detail View > Fields menus are similar to the Grid > Fields menus in function. The page for manipulating fields in Search and Detail are almost identical in their properties list and selection of tools.

Adding rich text fields to a layout, using an RTF field, changing text properties, inserting date and time stamps, and more.

Adding calculated and system fields to reports, such as page numbers and running totals.

Open Document Template is an Action Javascript action. The Open a Document Template action can be used to render a Document Template in either PDF or Microsoft .docx format. In the case of the PDF option you can display the PDF on screen in a window, DIV or TabbedUI pane, or you can email the document. In the case of a .docx file, you can email the document or call an Xbasic function to process the file after it is created.

The following script shows how to search the text fields of a record to see if they contain a match to a character search value. This illustration uses the Customer table of the AlphaSports sample database. A new form named New_Customer contains a tabbed control with two pages. The first page contains a text field that sets the value of a global variable named var->search_word.