The Reports view is where you can view and print configured reports for the selected item. Unlike SystemWeaver Documents, reports do not have any concept of pages, i.e., title page, page headers, page footers, etc., and Sections where the author can add extra text are in the form of a Section tag instead of a Section item type. In terms of structure, reports do not have a definition (item) as part of the report, whereas documents do have one. Typically, reports are predefined by a SystemWeaver Architect for specific item structures. Users then simply select an item structure, select a report type and print to PDF or save it as an RTF file. The view also allows users to configure reports on their own, but the Architect role is required to actually save the configurations. This article describes how to interact with the Reports view for viewing and printing existing report configurations. 

Prerequisites

  • Viewing and printing a report requires that a report definition exists
  • Printing to PDF requires an installation of a PDF printer, such as Microsoft Print to PDF or CutePDF


You'll find the available predefined reports for your selected item structure in the View drop-down under Reports:



They may also be made available on the Items ribbon. When an item is selected, the report options applicable to that item type will be selectable in a configured menu group. In the below example, there are two predefined reports for the selected item type and one that is not applicable to the selected item type ("Report Example") so it is grayed out: 


Viewing a Report

When you select a pre-configured report option, the report will display on the View tab. (The Definition and Description tabs are mainly used by the SystemWeaver Architect of a report definition.)



Parameterized Reports

A report may be parameterized so that you can make specific selections for the report. One possibility is to select among alternative contexts where the item is used. Another option is to choose among "traceability links". This way a report can be based on multiple objects rather than the single selected item and may sometimes make the Report view an alternative to customized views.


If a report has been configured for parameters, the selection drop-down box will appear in the header of the report view.



Missing Content?

When you browse through the report, you may find that content that you expect to be included is not. Missing content is usually caused by one of two reasons. One reason may be that the missing content exists in an item or part type that is not included in the report definition for the item structure you have selected. For example, if you add Design requirements to an item structure and the configured report option you have selected is not configured to include Design requirements, the information will not appear in the report. Another reason may be that you do not have access rights to the items containing the "missing" information. This could explain, for example, why one user can see the content, but another user cannot. Only items to which the current user generating the report has access will be included in the report. Contact your SystemWeaver Architect to inquire about missing content. 

Searching and Selecting Content in a Report

You can search for content in the view by using the shortcuts Ctrl+F or F3 or right-clicking in the view and selecting a Find option in the menu. 


You can also select sections of a report with the usual click and Shift+click, Select All (or Ctrl+A shortcut) commands, and then copy the selected region using the Copy option.

Printing a Report

There are two options for printing - print to PDF and saving the report as an RTF file.


To preview your PDF report, click Print Preview on the toolbar above the displayed report. The Print Preview dialog will display. You can zoom in and out by making a zoom % selection or clicking on the preview.


Then, to print, click the printer icon at the top left of the the Print Preview dialog. 

Select your PDF printer, select a location for your output, enter a file name, and click Save. 


To print without previewing the report first, simply click the Print button. 



Save as RTF

To save the report as an RTF file, right-click anywhere on the report and select Save as RTF. An informational pop-up will display to indicate that some formatting will not transfer to the RTF file. Click OK if you want to continue.

 

The default file name for the RTF will be itemname(version), but you can modify as desired. The file can be opened with applications like MS Word and can be useful if you need to process the report for special purposes.


The RTF will include Styles corresponding to the structure in the report:



Note: It is important to note that although an RTF output of a report can be subsequently modified in MS Word, It is not ideal to modify documents outside of the SystemWeaver system since then you cannot trust or know that a released report in the system is actually what was delivered. By design and to maintain data integrity, there is no way within SystemWeaver to modify a generated PDF. By not manipulating the output, it secures that you know what was generated and what was delivered.

Things to Consider

  • When sending a large (100+ page) report to your PDF printer, note that it may take some time before it finishes printing.  If you try to open the PDF before it is finished, it will appear empty. 
  • You can typically see that a print job is still in progress if you see the printer icon in your Windows session at the bottom right:


You can also see the file size grow. Once it stops, it is done.