Making a report template

It is helpful to save a report containing your choice of standard formatting which can then be used as a basis for all new reports in your database. Access does let you nominate an existing report as a template which is used as the basis of any new reports (created in design mode) but it will not include any controls or fields - i.e. it is blank. I prefer to use a regular report containing common fields, labels, lines and formatting as a basis for new reports. This is not strictly a template like those created elsewhere in Microsoft Office - it will not prompt you to save new reports with another name and therefore you must be careful not to overwrite the original.

Some text boxes can be added to the report header and footer including items such as todays date and the page number.

You can add a Label to your footer and it can be programmed to display the name of the report. To do this, edit the Label properties and rename it as 'RepNameFooter'. Then edit the Report properties and select the On Open event.

If you prefer your reports to always be displayed in a full window (i.e. maximised) it is simple to include this instruction, either referring to an event procedure or a macro. In the database window, add a new macro containing the single command: 'Maximise'. Save it as 'MyMaximise'. Then edit the Report properties, select the On Activate event and add the macro name.

It is helpful to include an instruction which will prevent a run time error in the event of there being no data to report.

Once you have added any other regular lines, logos and titles, save the report template. When creating a new report, edit the template, Save As another name and edit the properties to add the appropriate record source (i.e. a query or table containing the required data).

Creating a template saves time and gives your database application a consistent appearance.