Report Fields
Report Fields
Fields are text boxes that accept input via the keyboard or can be set to report dynamically computed information or by a Measurement Plan. The types of fields are as follows:
-
Input Fields. Fields intended for input from the user. They dis- play a yellow background (red until filled in, if a required field). The navigation tool at the top of an SA report guides a user
-
Output Fields. Fields intended to display output, either using the selected field value directly or using a custom defined Tag value set through a MP script. These fields have gray back- grounds.
-
Dynamic Fields. Dynamic fields are defined by a user selected Attribute. Attributes include GR-feature values, GD&T results, vector groups statistics, or dimensional values.
-
Equation Fields. Equations provide a means to compute values directly within a report using variables that can be manually entered or based upon attribute references.
To add a field to a report, right-click on the canvas and select Add New Field.
To add an input field, choose the Input radio button. If it is a required field, check the Required option. A required field will have a red back- ground until it is filled in, and any attempts to print the report or send it to PDF will display a warning dialog.
To add an output field, choose the Output radio button. The value dis- played in output fields can be set from a specific value, or from a tag.
Using Tags
Every field (both input and output fields) can be assigned a tag. There are two types of tags: system tags and user-defined tags.
-
System tags include << Date/Time >> and << Filename >> and automatically populate the field with the current date/ time or filename (additional system tags will be added in the future). System tags can only be assigned to output fields. To create a system tag, select one of the system tags from the dropdown list in the Tag field
-
User-defined tags are tags that you have created yourself (such as “MyTag” that allow you to reference the field from measure- ment plans so that a script can fill out the field automatically. To create a user-defined tag, just type a unique tag name into the Tag field. You can also assign an existing tag to a field in order to populate multiple fields with the same value.
Dynamic Attributes in Fields
Dynamic Attributes can be selected using GR-feature criteria and re- porting values, GD&T settings and results, vector groups statistics, or dimensional values. These can be selected in advance and will dy- namically update as measurements are made and values are updated.
An attribute is defined using a string format such as the following which will appear in the Field View line:
“A::BoltHole Pattern4::Relationship$Magnitude XYZ#6*1.000”
-
A::BoltHole Pattern4::Relationship. The relationship to reference.
-
$Magnitude XYZ. Defines the criteria to reference (in this case the XYZ deviation between the nominal and measured)
-
#6. Defines the numeric resolution of the result
-
*1.000. Provides a means to scale the attribute by a fixed multiplier. This can be helpful in reporting diametric deviation as an example.
Equation Fields
-
Variables such as X, Y, Z, TEMP, STRESS, STRAIN etc.
-
Functions such as SIN(X), MIN(A,B), MYFUNC(D)
-
Constants such as 2, 3, 50
-
Scientific notation like: 3E+10
-
Arithmetic operators: +,-,*,/,%(modulus),^(power) Logical operators : =,<,>,<>,>=,<=,!(not),&(and),|(or) Table cell locations like: cell(2, 1) or cell(0, 3)
When more complex computational results are needed an equation field can be added. Equations are self-contained computational elements that use a set of variables is inputs for an equation. Variables are defined as manually entered values, attributes or references to other cells in a table.
These expressions may contain:
Example expressions include:
-
X+Y/2 SIN(X)+AVG(A,B,C)
-
SUM(X,Y,Z,K,L)/5
-
IF(1, 2, 3) is 2,
IF (condition, val1, val2) means that if “condition” is not zero, then re- sult is “val1”, otherwise the result is “val2”.
Additional predefined functions are available under the Help button in the Equation Editor.
Field Value
A field value is used to populate the field. Field values are always displayed in the field itself, and are changed when a script or a user modifies the field.
Field Display options
A basic field will appear in the report as a rectangular box in the re- port. It can be moved and sized as needed by click dragging either on the center of the field or on the middle of an edge respectively. Typically the length of the field should be set large enough to ensure that any text expected will fit within the field.
Fields can also be displayed as a Check Box or as a Combo Box which allows selection from a pre-populated lists.