The report options window is displayed every time you click print/export in ContactsLaw. It is the front-end to the reporting system, and allows you to select the format, style and content of the report you want to generate, as well as specifying whether you want to print the report or perform some other action after it is generated.
The dialog box is divided up into the following sections:
Report format - ContactsLaw uses plug-ins to produce reports in different formats, such as Microsoft Excel. Some reports will have several supported formats, others may offer only one choice. The choice of format may influence the remainder of the options on the screen. Output method - In many cases, you will want to simply print the report. However, you have a number of options on what to do with the report once it has been generated:
Print - Prints one or more copies of the report directly to the nominated printer. You will not be able to inspect the report before printing. Print preview - Displays a print preview for the report, which will itself present the option to print or cancel. This method allows the user to inspect the report before printing. This is the default action. Save - Saves the report to a file on your computer. This can be e-mailed, opened for further editing or copied to removable media. The file format will be determined by the report format (i.e. Excel reports will save to XLS or XLSX format). You can optionally convert to PDF as part of this process (where supported). Export - Opens the report in its associated application (e.g. Microsoft Excel). This allows you to make changes and access additional features (such as charts and data analysis). Register - If a controlled document type for 'Report' exists, this action will register the document non-interactively (otherwise, the document registration activity will appear), allowing you to store it in ContactsLaw for future reference (or as evidence of having produced the report). Depending on the document type, you may be prompted to catalogue the report document. Send - Sends the report to the document creation activity and selects the default e-mail template. Note that this does not register a separate copy of the report (unless it is a bill).
Report-specific options - Many reports have options that are specific to their content or style. They also appear on the window.
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