Creating a Vertical Text Watermark

Another visually pleasing feature is the capability to rotate text. This can be very effective when used in conjunction with the Underlay Section property for sections. Follow these steps to make a sample watermark:

1.	Start by using Chap9_2.rpt in Design mode. Choose Insert, Text Object to add a text field in the Report Header. Enter DRAFT for the text.
2.	Right-click on the Text field and choose Format Text. Select the Common tab. Change the Text Rotation to 90 degrees and click OK. Go to the Font tab, where you can change the font size to 48pts. Because you want this watermark to be semi-transparent, choose the More item from the Color drop-down, where you can specify a custom color. Choose a light gray (or silver). Increase the Character font spacing by specifying 70 pts in the dialog, then exit the dialog by clicking OK twice. Note This color section, common to all objects within Crystal Reports 10, enables you to specify colors using RGB or Hue, Saturation, and Luminance. By choosing corporate colors and adding them to the custom colors, you can extend corporate branding into report presentation.
3.	Resize the field. Because the field needs to go down the page, it needs to be resized to be narrow and long. Select the field and choose the rightmost square on the field. Resize the object by holding down the left mouse button. Now choose the bottom square on the field and stretch the height to 5". Figure 9.6 shows how this should look. Figure 9.6. Design tab with text rotation applied to text field.
4.	Refresh the report to see your progress by pressing F5. It shows the text rotated, although it is not running down beside the records as shown in Figure 9.7 Figure 9.7. Preview of the report with text rotation.
5.	Set the Report Header to Underlay. Because the text does not yet flow to the record level, it must be underlayed. This is a section property. Right-click in the Report Header section located on the left side of the report design area, choose Section Expert, and click the Insert button near the top left. Be sure to select Report Header B in the Sections window and put a check in the box to the left of Underlay Following Sections, and click OK. Drag your text box into Report Header B. The desired results should appear similar to Figure 9.8. Figure 9.8. Preview of the report with rotated text flowing behind the detail records. Caution Realize that when rotating text, the justification rules might be opposite of what would normally be expected. In the case of 90 degrees, the text must be right-justified to have the company name appear to be top-justified, as shown in Figure 9.9. Figure 9.9. Conditional highlighting based on another field.
6.	Save as Chap9_3.rpt