Report Preview

The Report Preview dialog

Summary

The Report Preview dialog allows you to preview a generated report before exporting it to one of various supported formats or printing it directly.

Access

The dialog can be accessed wherever the software generates a report that offers an intermediate preview rather than a directly generated report. Some examples include:

• Right-click in a region of the PCB panel and select the Report command from the context menu when, for example, browsing loaded nets and components.
• Use the Report button (or Report command on the right-click menu) when browsing design rules in the PCB Rules and Constraints Editor dialog.
• Right-click in a region of the PCB Rules and Violations panel then select the Report command from the context menu.

Options/Controls

• Preview Window - the main region of this dialog presents the preview of the generated report. The report can be manipulated using the various controls below the window and on the right-click menu.

• Page x of x - the first x is the current page being viewed; the second x is the total number of pages in the report.
• All - click this button to have the page sized to fit within the available preview window. As you resize the dialog (and therefore the preview window), the page will resize to stay fully visible.
• Width - click this button to have the page sized to fit within the horizontal extents of the available preview window. As you resize the dialog (and therefore the preview window), the page will resize to stay fully visible across its entire width.
• 100% - click this button to have the page set to full size (100%).
• % - use this field to zoom in or out. Full size is 100%. Enter a smaller value to see a reduced-scale report. Enter a larger value to see an enlarged-scale report.

• Page Navigation Controls - this cluster of controls collectively provide another means of navigating the pages of the report. The controls allow you to jump to the first, previous, next and last pages in the document respectively. Alternatively, you can enter the page number directly in the text box and press Enter.
• Export - click this button to access the Export Report From Project dialog where you can save the report with a specific location, name and export format. The following formats are supported:
  • Microsoft Excel Worksheet (*.xls)
  • Adobe PDF (*.pdf)
  • Rich Text Format (RTF) (*.rtf)
  • Web Page (*.htm, *.html)
  • Web Layer (CSS) (*.htm, *.html)
  • JPEG Image File (*.jpg)
  • Window Bitmap File (*.bmp)
  • TIFF Image File (*.tif)
• Print - click this button to print the report. The standard Print dialog will appear from where you can specify page range and number of copies.
• Open Report - click this button to open a generated report in the application you specified in Export. This button is available only after clicking the Export button.
• Stop - click this button to forcibly stop export of the report. This button is available only after using the Export button.

Right-Click Commands

Some of the above commands are also available on the right-click menu, accessed by right-clicking anywhere within the dialog:

• Print - use this button to print the report. The standard Print dialog will appear from where you can specify page range and number of copies.
• Export - click this button to access the Export Report From Project dialog where you can save the report with a specific location, name and export format. The following formats are supported:
  • Microsoft Excel Worksheet (*.xls)
  • Adobe PDF (*.pdf)
  • Rich Text Format (RTF) (*.rtf)
  • Web Page (*.htm, *.html)
  • Web Layer (CSS) (*.htm, *.html)
  • JPEG Image File (*.jpg)
  • Window Bitmap File (*.bmp)
  • TIFF Image File (*.tif)
• Copy - use this button to copy the active page to the Windows Clipboard from where it can be pasted into an external application as required.
• Page Width - click this button to have the page sized to fit within the horizontal extents of the available preview window. As you resize the dialog (and therefore the preview window), the page will resize to stay fully visible across its entire width.
• Whole Page - use this command to have the page sized to fit within the available preview window.
• Zoom In - use this command to incrementally zoom in on the report.
• Zoom Out - use this command to incrementally zoom out on the report.