Choose the right container

Select the right containers to easily manage and organize your reports.

The template for new reports starts with a Page Root in the report structure, which is a Mini Page container expanded to its maximum width and length. Other containers are dropped within the Page Root. Although you could drop all the elements directly on the Page Root, building up the report in blocks of containers allows you to group elements, move the groups, and align the children elements within a parent container.

• A Mini Page is used for the main container of a report page. The default name is PageRoot. The default Layout Direction when you add elements to a Mini Page is top to bottom, down the length of the page. This container propagates: when a report is printed, if a Mini Page fills, a copy is made and the leftover material flows to the copy or copies as needed.
• Use a Layout Node for page headers and footers. A Vertical Box (Layout Node) defines a rectangular area in which the elements are laid out top-to-bottom by default. A Layout Node does not propagate; the contents of headers or footers can not spill into another page. Within the header or footer Layout Node, use Stripe (Mini Page) containers for elements that should be laid out left-to-right across the page. Adding a Stripe to a Layout Node automatically extends the Layout Node across the page.
• Use a Stripe (Mini Page) container for table rows. A Stripe (Mini Page) container is a Mini Page with the Y-Size set to max, so it stretches across the report page. Items added to a Stripe are laid out left-to-right. If the elements within a Stripe exceed the page width, the row is broken into the next line.
• Use a Mini Page for a report page with a different layout, such as a different first page.