How to display an empty report (Actuate 8) 1

[ChessMess]

In my report, based on a stored procedure, when no data is returned Actuate displays a message box saying "There is nothing to display in this report". What I would like is for the report title, column headers, and all other associated labels and static text to display and the area where the column data would be empty.


How would I achieve this?

 

[DggR]

Try putting the header labels and static text in the before section in the report. I think this should work.

 

[ChessMess]

Doesn't work. Is it me or is it ridiculous that there seems to be no simple way to accomplish this. Every other reporting tool I've seen easily shows an empty report when no data is returned. I have a hard time believing that this tool can't do it in a simple manner... and yet I've spent hours trying to figure out how exactly to do just that.

 

[ChessMess]

Ok, if I add an empty frame in the after and move the column headers to before then I'm almost getting everything... the only part missing is the after for the group.

 

[milton747]

Have you tried placing code in the MakeContents() method of the frames you do not want to see and skip over the call to the Super::Makecontents() ?

 

[Kebabmeister]

On the datastream Fetch method I check for a Null return on the first row and execute the following lines based on the result

Set Fetch = New DataRow
Fetch.SetValue("DummyVal","This report returned no data")
FirstRow = False
Exit Function

"FirstRow" is a Global Boolean variable at the acReport level, which is set to True in the datastream Start method. DummyVal is a string variable on the datarow and is only set at this one place so when a report contains data, this will be null and will not display.

 

[ChessMess]

The best solution would be for actuate to have a report property that says "If no data returned from source then still display all label and text fields?" and you'd set it to Yes.

Course Actuate makes you jump through programatic hoops to do what so many other reporting tools do by default.

<shakes head>

This is obviously not one of actuates strong suits.