Create Custom Report Template

Modified on Thu, 6 Feb at 6:01 AM

The powerful 'Report Builder' empowers users to design custom report templates, defining both the data to be included and its sequence. These templates, once saved, offer a streamlined approach for generating tailored reports at any time, incorporating the latest and most relevant information. Each report template can be created with the following features:

Custom Branding

Add a custom splash page for enhanced branding.
Configure headers and footers with essential details, such as your logo, page numbers, and other branding elements.

Flexible Report Structure

Incorporate multiple elements, including titles, sections, text blocks, data tables, and page breaks.
Easily add, remove, edit, or reposition individual report components.

Dynamic Data Tables

Select data from specific modules and customize the order of their appearance.
Source data directly from module list views, using filters preset and saved as custom views.

Content Elements and Attachments

Structure reports with titles, subheadings, text blocks, and page breaks.
Leverage the built-in text editor to format content, insert emoticons, and create tables.
Attach images and files to provide additional context or visuals, displayed precisely where they are placed in the template.

Grouped Report Elements

Organize report elements into groups for easier management.
Edit entire groups to add, remove, or reposition components seamlessly.

PDF Attachments

Attach and display PDF files at the bottom of generated reports.

Table of Contents

The PDF generator automatically creates a table of contents featuring report titles and section headings, complete with clickable hyperlinks for effortless navigation.

Prerequisite:
Reports pull data directly from the list views of managed aspects such as schedule items, budget line items, RFIs, submittals, and others within their respective modules. To ensure that reports display data relevant to their purpose, it is recommended to create custom views in the module’s list view screens. These custom views can utilize nested filters to refine the selection of items, such as filtering for items with a status of "In Progress" or "Pending" within a specific date range. Once defined, the custom view can be seamlessly imported into the report, ensuring accurate and focused data representation.

See the following for help in creating custom views:

The Report Builder Screen

Ensure you are on the project admin console. If not:
- Click the app launcherand select 'Project' from the drop-down.
- Click 'Project' on the top
Click 'Report Builder' on the left

The report templates screen opens with a list of pre-created templates with their details:

Report Name- The title of the report template. Click on the name to open it. You can:
- View the template
- Generate the report with up-to-date data from the template
- Edit the template if required
Report Description - A brief description of the report and its purpose
Created By - The user who created the template
Created Date - The day on which the template was first created
Actions - Allows you to delete the template

Use the 'Search' box located at the top left to find a change order using any value from the table as search criteria
Right-click the column header and customize the display and order of the columns as you wish
The options at the top right allow you to filter the entries, create nested groups of entries, and manage personalized and customized views of the table. Use the links below to learn more about these:

Create a report template

Ensure that you are on the report builder screen
Click 'Add Template' at the bottom

Title - Enter a label for the report template. This label will serve as the report's title. All reports generated from this template will use this title as the filename, with the date and time automatically appended for easy identification. (Max. 100 characters)
Description - Enter a short description of the report template.
Click OK to save the template draft.

The blank template sheet opens:

Add elements to the template by dragging and dropping them from the left to the main screen to complete your preferred layout, as explained below.

Use the links below to jump to the section you need help with:

Setup Header and Footer
Add a cover page
Add headings and text blocks
Add Image and File Attachments
Add report tables
Add Element Groups
Add Page Breaks

After adding the necessary elements, the template is automatically saved. You can generate the report from the template immediately or at any later time. See Generate On-Demand Reports to learn more.

Additionally, the template can be edited anytime in the future, allowing you to create on-demand reports with a focus on the data relevant at that moment. This allows you to add new elements, remove existing elements, or rearrange elements. See Edit Report Templates to learn more.

Setup Header and Footer

The header and footer to show on every page can be configured with blocks of text (like your company name, report name, etc.), images (like your company logo), report generation date, page numbers, etc. You can add up to three horizontally arranged blocks to each of the header and footer, by dragging and dropping required elements into respective boxes.

To configure header/footer

Click and drag the 'Header Footer' tile anywhere in the report area. Irrespective of the location on which the header/footer block is placed in the template, these marginal elements will be placed appropriately in the final document.

Drag and drop the required elements into the respective boxes in the header and footer templates
- Text - Allows you to add a single line of text
- Image - Upload images like your company logo, to appear in the header or footer. Image can be uploaded from your device, project image feeds, or the project's file repository. See the explanation given below for more guidance.
- Page Number- Shows the page number of current page
- Date - Shows the date on which the report was generated

Add a cover page

Note on Cover Page:
The system supports adding a custom splash page to the Report PDF file generated from the template. You can create a personalized cover page as a PDF file and name it as 'cover_page.pdf.' This file should be added as the first attachment to the template ensuring your report is presented with a professional, branded cover.
As a prerequisite, ensure you already have a cover page image with the name 'cover_page.pdf.'

Click and drag the 'Attachment' tile into the report area.
Select whether you are inserting an image file from your device or from the project's file storage, inserting a photo from the project image feeds, or from the project's cloud storage. See the explanation given below for more guidance. The illustration below shows adding a file from the project drive:

Add headings and text blocks

Click and drag the 'Text box' tile into the report area.
Enter your heading or text
Use the format options at the top to apply a text style, font color, background, etc. You can also insert tables and hyperlinks.

Add Image and File Attachments

Click and drag the 'Attachment' tile into the report area.
Select whether you are inserting an image or PDF file from your device or from the project's file storage, or inserting a photo from the project image feeds. or from the project's cloud storage.

Note: The image file is embedded at the designated location within the report, as per your insertion. The PDF files are appended at the end of the report for easy reference.

To upload a local file

Select 'Upload' on the left
Click Browse and navigate to the file
Alternatively, drag and drop the file into the box

To upload a file from the project's file storage

Select the drive type, whether the company drive, project drive or the system drive from which you want to upload the file
Navigate to the folder in the folder tree shown on the right
Select the file
Use the 'Ctrl' or 'Shift' keys on your keyboard to select multiple files at once
Click 'OK'

To upload an image feed

Click 'Feeds'
Select the feed images you want to attach, then click 'OK'
Repeat the process to attach more images and PDF files wherever required in the report

An element group bock gets added with the following elements:

The heading "Attachment"
The attached image or the file

The illustration below shows an image uploaded from the device's local storage:

Add report tables

Reminder: Before proceeding, ensure that a custom view with the appropriate filters applied to the module's list view is already available. This helps focus on the specific data to be reflected from the module in the report. You can select from the custom views you have created or those shared with you.

Open the category of the module from which you want to include the report table, from the 'Report Elements.'
Click and drag the module into the report area.
Select the list type, then the custom view of the list to include in the report

An element group block is inserted at the designated location, containing three key elements:

Section Title: Displays the module name from which the data is sourced.
Report Table: Provides a list view presented as a table, displaying the current data from the module.
Page Break: Automatically inserted below each table to ensure that subsequent content begins on a new page, preserving spacing and enhancing visibility and readability.

You can rearrange or remove elements within the block as needed to suit your layout preferences. An illustration is shown below:

Repeat the process to more report blocks as required.

Add Element Groups

The template offers the flexibility to insert custom element group blocks as needed. These blocks can contain elements of any type, arranged in any order, and positioned anywhere within the report. The block keeps all its elements intact, enabling efficient batch actions. For instance, you can move the entire block to a new location without the hassle of relocating each element individually.

To insert an element group block

Drag the 'Group' option and drop it at the desired location in the template.

A blank group block will be added, visually indicated by a dotted-line border.

Insert individual elements into the group one at a time, following the instructions provided earlier.
To rearrange elements within the block, drag the ellipses at the top-left corner of each element to the desired position.

Add Page Breaks

You can insert page breaks where needed, to maintain an organized and well-structured report. This ensures that tables remain clear and easy to read.

Drag and drop the 'Page Break' element to the desired location within the report area.

The template gets auto-saved at every stage. You can: