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About the Formats Editor

Accountants Enterprise in Australia only

The Format Editor is displayed on the right-hand side of Report Designer and is where you create, edit and preview a Format.

The Format Editor window has two views, just like the Report Editor window. The editing is done in the Design view, where the window looks like a spreadsheet. When you select a Format for editing or create a new one, the Format Editor window opens in the Design view. When you preview a Format, the window changes to the Preview view, showing you what the Format will look like when it is printed.

There are various ways to open the Format Editor window:

  • Double-click a Format in the tree list within the Formats tab.

  • Click either the New Format

    or Edit Format
     button on the toolbar.

  • Select a Format and press the [Enter] key.

  • Select Edit or New from the right–click menu.

The name of the new or selected Format will be displayed in the title bar of the window. You can have multiple Format Editor windows open at once. Each instance of the window has its own toolbar.

Drag and drop
When inserting Chart Map items and Database Map items into Formats, you can simply click on either the Chart Map tab or Database Map tab while the Format Editor window is open, then drag the required item from the Explorer list and drop it into a cell in the Format Editor window.
Right-click Formats Editor menu

In addition to the toolbars, there is a right click menu available in the Design view of the Format Editor window on the row numbers or column headings.

 

Option

Description

Apply Column Template

Select this option to access the Apply Column Template window, ready for existing column templates to be selected for the format or for a column template already applied to the format to be altered.

Bookmark

Select this option to access the Bookmarking (Note reference) window, where you can apply settings to bookmark a row for note referencing or cross-referencing purposes.

This option only appears when you right-click on a row label.

Clear Contents

Select this option to remove the contents of the selected cell(s), row or column. You can achieve the same effect by pressing the [Delete] key on the keyboard.

Conditioning Formatting

Select this option to access the Conditional Formatting window to vary the formatting of the cell under specific conditions.

Delete

Select this option to delete the selected row or column.

Format Cells

Select this option to access the Format Cells window to change the current formatting of the cell selection.

This option is not available if the blue Print Condition column is selected.

Insert

Select this option to add a blank row or column above the currently selected row or column.

Insert Picture

Select this option to insert a picture into your format. When you have chosen the picture, select the alignment and whether you want to share it with other users.

Keep Section Together

This option is only available when multiple rows have been selected and none have already had the Keep Section Together option applied.

Page Break

Select this option to insert a page break before the line it is used on.

Repeat

Select this option to access the Repeat Settings window where you can determine the settings for repeating the selected cells for a Chart Map folder or a Database Map table.

This option only appears when you right-click on a row label.

Row Height / Column Width

Select this option to access the Row Height or Column Width windows, depending on whether you have selected a row or a column. You can then change the measurements for the selected item.

Space Filler

Select this option to place a marker in the Format header column, which is then used to resize the Format with respect to the page size and the amount of information shown on the page.

The items on the right–click menu differ depending on whether you right–click on a grid, a row label or a column label.

The Format Editor window can be resized, minimised, maximised and moved around within the Report Designer window.

Navigating in the Formats Editor work area

Once you become familiar with the Design area of the Format Editor window you will find quick and easy ways of moving around within it. Below are a number of key and mouse combinations which you may find helpful.

You can move the cell selection by either clicking with the mouse or using the arrow keys on the keyboard. Click and drag to select a cell range. Click in a column’s label, e.g. B, to select that column. Click in a row’s label, e.g. 4, to select that row. To select multiple adjacent rows or columns, click in a row or column label and drag across the rows or columns you want to select.

 

Keyboard Action

Description

[Ctrl] + [End]

Moves the cursor to the cell at the bottom right of the grid area in which data has been entered.

[Ctrl] + [Home}

Moves the cursor to cell A1.

[End]

Moves the cursor to the cell at the bottom right of the grid area in which data has been entered.

[Home]

Moves the cursor to the first column in the currently selected row.

Page Down

This jumps the current cell selection down one page.

Page Up

This jumps the current cell selection up one page.

[Shift] + arrow keys

To select a cell range, move the selection to the top left corner of the intended selection area. Hold down [Shift] and use the arrow keys to select a cell range.

[F2] + [Shift] + arrow keys

To select text within a cell, one character at a time, select the cell and press [F2], then hold down the [Shift] key and use the arrow keys to select the text.

[F2]+ [Shift] + [Ctrl] + arrow keys

To select text within a cell, one word at a time, select the cell and press [F2], then hold down [Shift] and [Ctrl] and use the arrow keys to select the text.

Format properties

The Format Properties window is where you can add, view or edit the notes that have been added to the selected Format. The Format Properties window is accessed by selecting the Format in the tree list of the Explorer pane, then the Properties options from the right–click menu.

To add or edit notes, simply type into the Description field and then click the Apply button to save your entry.

If Report Designer is not open at the required hierarchy level to edit the properties, then the window will open as read–only.

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