From WebIntelligence it is no problem with the new formatting enhancements that they have provided.
When using the refresh function with CLIENT reports is where the problems start. We can format the report correctly within the client but once it has been moved to the repository and users are refreshing the formatting takes on a mind of its own. The fonts used with the report are not the ones displayed and the titles end up everywhere but where they were placed.
I have taken a look at the HTML and they are using a Arial font. So we tried changing the reports to use that font is the correct sizes that make the report look somewhat professional, move and it gets trashed.
I don’t want to maintain 2 sets of reports from the client!! This is why we bought WebIntelligence so we can shart both client and WEBI reports via the WEB.
Sincerely,
Thomas Nather
Penske Logistics
email: Tom.Nather@Penske.com
Ph: 216-765-5787
Fax: 216-765-5666
When you say “fonts are not displayed” do you mean style or size? My experience with 4.1.3 is that is uses the right font style and size. You must remember your browser may be impacting this. Further you must realize that HTML is NOT as exact as a windows app. Some of this is just limitations in what you can do in HTML.
You also say the titles end up anywhere but where they are placed. Once again our titles usually come out in the right spot. In some cases with multiple free floating cells (outside a table structure, multiple titles and tables for example) the positioning will get a little out of whack. However generally it is pretty easy to fix it and by saving it as HTML and then opening it in the browser you can immediately see how it will look in WebIntelligence.
For the most part my experience is that BusinessObjects does a fair job of duplicating the windows appearance in HTML. We have just not seen this crazy behavior you are describing. The more complex your reports the more difficult this is however. I guess I would just have to see the behavior you are describing in order to suggest a solution.
(1) Leave plenty of white space around any text (i.e. size the cell 20-30% larger than the widest data item). This minimizes the chance that text will wrap to another line – the fonts and sizes used depend a lot on the browser, unfortunately.
(2) Make sure that no cells overlap – HTML doesn’t support this, so it can cause titles to move to a radically new place in the report. (3) Use the snap mode to have the cells aligned – if you have two cells that are horizontally next to each other, but one is a few pixels higher than another, they may turn into two separate rows in the HTML table, instead of one.
(4) Save the report as HTML and view it on your PC to see how it will look, and make changes before sending it off (if you do 1-3 above, you won’t usually have to do this).