Configuring Design Aides

Chapter 15 - Configuring Your Design Environment
Mastering Crystal Reports 9
by Cate McCoy and Gord Maric
Sybex 2003

Do you always turn the grid off because it annoys you? Or always use the guidelines? You can customize your layout area so that it defaults to your favorite settings.

When I start Crystal, I always need to make the Preview area show in a bigger screen. Is there a global setting for this? Choose File > Options, Layout tab, Preview area, and click a radio button to have the page start with full size (100%), shrink your report to the width of the margins, or shrink/expand your report to the size of the page.

For the current report only, choose File > Report Options, Preview Pages Start With area, and choose a size option from the drop-down list.

How do I turn the design grid on or off for all reports in Design mode? Preview mode? Choose File > Options, Layout tab, Design View area, and enable/disable the Grid option.

Choose File > Options, Layout tab, Preview area, and enable/disable the Grid option.

Can I control the size of the grid? Choose File > Options, Layout tab, Grid options area, and type the inch measurement for the grid box size.

How can I force objects to line up on the design grid? Choose File > Options, Layout tab, Grid options area, and enable/disable the Snap To Grid option.

Will objects always need to be on the grid or can they be dragged to a position not aligned with the grid? Choose File > Options, Layout tab, Grid options area, and enable/disable the Free-Form placement option.

Can I decide to show the horizontal and vertical rulers on or off as a global setting in Design mode? How about Preview mode? Choose File > Options, Layout tab, Design View area, and enable/disable the Rulers check box.

Choose File > Options, Layout tab, Preview area, and enable/disable the Rulers check box.

Can the hints that appear when I roll my mouse over a button icon below the menu be turned off or reenabled in Design mode? Preview mode? Choose File > Options, Layout tab, Design View area, and enable/disable the Tool Tips option.

Choose File > Options, Layout tab, Preview area, and enable/disable the Tool Tips option.

Can I set the zoom percentage to always be 150%? Choose Zoom from the menu and set the percentage of magnification desired.

Can I use keyboard shortcuts in Crystal Reports? Yes, all the menu items can be accessed using keyboard shortcuts. For instance, to toggle the Field Explorer on or off, use press ALT+V then F. The keyboard shortcut keys are noted in the menu with an underline character.

Another example is to use CTRL+D or ALT+V then N to switch to Design mode.

How can I move, align, and size my fields? Choose File > Move, File > Align, and File > Size from the menu.

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