Report builder - Footer band reserves space even if only printing on final page.

[steve4king]

On my report, I am printing a return label. (A 3.5" subform displaying address and billing info)
I would like for this label to end up on the bottom of the last page.
the only way I've found to do this is to put it in the "Page Footer" band and set print only when recno() = reccount().

This works fine if it all fits on one page, but where I have multiple pages this causes problems.
Regardless whether I have all of the elements in the footer configured to "remove line if blank", every page will reserve an empty space where the footer would have been.

I'm guessing there isn't a way to get around this reserved space, but is there perhaps another way to add a report footer rather than a page footer?
Using summary band, I can't find a way to force it to the bottom.

Thanks,
-Stephen

 

[Dan Freeman]

Page footers are fixed-height. (VFP actually uses the height of the page header/footer to determine how many detail bands it can print on a page.) Group footers aren't, though, IIRC. You could add an outer data grouping and put your address in the group footer, group on recno()=reccount(), blank when empty, all that.

The rub comes in placing the output at the bottom of the page.

This is where it would be useful to know which report writer you're using. VFP9 has two of them, and this is one place where I suspect the approach will be different.

 

[steve4king]

I know this is coincidentally very similar to Lee's post. However, I do need summed data on this report footer and I can't have a blank page above it. So his solution will not work for me.

Dan, I am using VFP9 sp2.. but I must admit, I'm not sure how to tell which report builder I'm using.
(I was not aware of two distinct report designers)

 

[JRB-Bldr]

I do need summed data on this report footer
I would like for this label to end up on the bottom of the last page.

A Page Footer will appear on EVERY Page in your report, not just the Last Page.
That is why it is typically used to display things like the page counter, etc. on each and every page.

For your summed data to appear on ONLY the Last Page you should use a Summary Band.

The other alternative might be to use the either the Page or Group Footer, but utilize Print When...'s to control its being printed on ONLY the Last Page.

Good Luck,
JRB-Bldr

 

[steve4king]

I see an option under data grouping, where it will "start group on new page when less than __"
Is the remaining space value available to me?
If so I could just add spacers into the summary and print them based on the remaining space.

 

[steve4king]

Exactly what I'm doing JRB. Problem is, that as Dan mentioned, the page footer is a static size.
So even with 'print when..' it eats up space on prior pages. The summary does one part of what I want. (display only on last page, without affecting prior pages), the page footer does the other thing I want.. neither has options to print only at end AND push content to the bottom of the page.
I played with group footers.. but they are relative to the content, not the page.

 

[steve4king]

I never found a way to even evaluate relative position on the page..
So at the end of the week.. I'm thinking this is impossible using the included report designer in VFP9 sp2

Thanks everyone for your input.

-Stephen