Larry, Years ago, Razzak instructed me to build all my required text in a command file in a series of variables which are then put in a temporary table for printing. I still have some paragraphs that I programmatically either hide or reveal directly on the report and which also contain some variables. It works reliably. I do not format varchar on the fly. Have you tried using a report variable to "fetch" your text directly from a table? Perhaps you could also do this for images?
Claudine -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Lawrence Lustig Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2009 8:22 AM To: RBASE-L Mailing List Subject: [RBASE-L] - Mail Merge and Database RTF columns I have a task in which I must build complex documents on the fly using formatted text that must be customized (a la mail merging). Some of the "bits" that go into building each report are going to run more than one page. I note that R:Base's DB RTF field prints lovely, formatted text across multiple pages exactly as expected. I also note that R:Bases standard RTF field has a powerful and simple to use mail merge feature. My problem is how to get _both_ features on the same control. I see two possiblities: 1. Use the standard RTF field and, when the band is formatted, use a variable and a PROPERTY command to move the database column data into the standard control's "text" or "lines" property (although I don't know what property to use, or whether this will correctly maintain the formatting. 2. Use a variable RTF field and perform the substitution using my own code or stored procedure. I can't use the standard control outright because I can't pre-determine what text is going to go into there -- I will be printing one or more "clauses" selected from a table. And I can't use the regular DB field since I need to do some text substitutions. Has anyone tackled this problem? (Oh, and to make it more complex, I will have to include in random places in the assembled document some "clauses" that are actually TIFF images of supporting documents). -- Larry
