Using layered controls

Layered controls are elements that you place at the same location of a report band, and then use PrintWhen expressions to conditionally display one or the other at runtime. You can use layered elements to customize the circumstances under which the elements display and enhance a report's ability to communicate important information.

To place an element directly over another element:

1. Place the elements on the band.
2. Specify a PrintWhen expression, display properties, and placement properties for each element using the Properties sheet, as follows:
3. Specify a PrintWhen expression for each element. For example, you might specify the following expression to display one element when shippeddate is later than requireddate (that is, late) and another element when shippeddate is earlier than requireddate:

   First element query.shippeddate LTE query.requireddate

   Second element query.shippeddate GT query.requireddate

4. Specify different display characteristics for each element. For example, if an order is late, display it in red text.
5. Set the Top, Left, Height, and Width properties to the same values for each element.

Tip: When you specify identical placement properties, you access the individual elements through the Layered Controls menu.

To use the Layered Controls menu:

1. Right-click on the top element.
2. Select Layered Controls > elementname from the pop-up menu. The Report Builder identifies each layered element by displaying its PrintWhen expression.
3. Select the element.

   The Properties sheet displays properties for the selected element.

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