PRB: Report Wizard Shows Surplus Data Sources for Query

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, versions 3.0, 3.0b, 5.0

SYMPTOMS

When using the Query Designer to select a limited number of fields from a limited number of tables, if the Destination is a report and the Report Wizard is invoked, the Step 1 - Select Fields dialog box displays the names of all tables and cursors open in work areas and all of the tables in the currently open database, with the fields of the first table listed the Available Fields list box.

Because the query has already been designed and the selected fields have already been specified, you might expect the Report Wizard to show only those fields in the Select Fields dialog form.

CAUSE

The Wizard can be called from a number of locations (menus, and so forth). When it is called it has no idea that it was called from the Output Destination dialog box of the Query Designer.

To make it easier for the user, the Wizard displays the open Databases to gather information on tables, views, and so forth. It also reads all the tables open in work areas.

When calling the Report Wizard from the Query Designer, unless you actually run the query before you choose the Output Destinations options, there is no way for the Wizard to gather this information. If you do run the query first, the Wizard picks up these fields as well, as the result set is in an active cursor.

For the Report Wizard to display only the fields selected from the queried table, the behavior of the Query Designer has to be changed to run the Query before you specify an output destination.

Another aspect of the issue is that the Report Wizard saves the original table as the data source in the report's data environment if the query hasn't been run. If the query has been run and the cursor that it created is still open, this cursor, normally named "query," is saved in the report's data environment. Usually this isn't a problem. But the best way to set this up is to modify the report after its creation and remove any and all tables or cursors from the data environment. Then when the report is run from the query it will always use the correct data. The report wizard does not add the table or cursor alias to the report expressions for the fields. For instance, it uses CUST_ID for the report expression to print the CUST_ID field rather than CUSTOMER.CUST_ID or QUERY.CUST_ID. This is the best way to setup the report expressions and should not be changed.

STATUS

This behavior is by design.

MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

1. Open the Samples\Data\Testdata database

   the Wizard button, which is at the right end of the Open Report text
   box, and then the Report Wizard. Select the "Report Wizard" from the
   Wizard Selection dialog box.