Help: Reports
Add New Report

Click on Continue... to proceed to the page where you'll create your new report.

To see some sample reports, please visit http://lythgoes.net/genealogy/demo.php, choose the Administrative Demo, and browse the Reports section there.


Existing Reports

This section will allow you to test, edit or delete existing reports. Any reports you have previously created will be listed in this section. Click on the appropriate Action next to the report you want to test, edit or delete. Only those reports listed as active will be visible to regular site visitors. If you choose to test a report, you will see the output for that report as it will be shown to regular site visitors. If your report has not been properly constructed, you will see an error message that may help you correct the problem.


New / Existing Report Information

Report Name: You must give your report a name. This will appear as the title when the report is displayed.

Description: Give your report a short description. This will appear under the title when the report is displayed. It should explain briefly what the report shows using what criteria.

Rank/Priority: Reports will normally sort alphabetically according to name, unless you give each one a ranking or priority. Lower numbers sort first. No rank sorts before any number.

Active: Your new report will not be visible to regular site visitors until you indicate here that it is active. It's a good idea to save and test your report to make sure the output looks as you expected it before making active.

Choose Fields to Display: Indicate which fields to display in your report by copying them from the lefthand box to the empty box on the right. You can do this by selecting a field and then clicking the Add >> button, or by simply double-clicking on the field name (IE only).

You can remove a field from the display list by selecting it in the righthand box and then clicking the << Remove button, or by simply double-clicking on the field name (IE only).

Fields at the top of the display list are displayed at the left of the report when it is displayed. To change the order of the display fields, select a field in the righthand box and move it up or down within the list by clicking on the Move Up and Move Down buttons.

Choose Criteria: Indicate which people to include in your report by choosing criteria. People who do not match the criteria will not be included in the report. Criteria statements are well-formed when they include a field name and a condition. For example, "Last Name = 'Lythgoe' " or "Birth Place contains 'England' ". Multiple criteria must be joined with an AND or an OR statement. Precedence is indicated by using parentheses.

Begin any statement by choosing a field name from the upper lefthand box and adding it to the righthand box. You can do this by selecting a field and then clicking the adjacent Add >> button, or by simply double-clicking on the field name (IE only).

NOTE: All date fields except 'Last Modified Date' are treated as strings and not as true dates UNLESS they are labeled as 'True'. Comparing dates using text or string fields is best done by comparing date components, such as the year only or the day only. To isolate a date component in this manner, first select Month Only From:, Day Only From: or Year Only From:, and then select the date field from which the component will come.

When working with a true date field (like 'Last Modified Date'), you may compare the field directly to other true dates or true date fields. A predefined true date you may use is the Operator 'Today'. You may also use the operator 'Convert to Days' when relating two true dates. For example, find all records in which the Last Modified Date is less than 30 days old, you could choose for your criteria:

Convert to Days
Today (true date)
-
Convert to Days
Last Modified Date
<=
30

After choosing a field name, next choose a comparision operator from the Operators & Special Values box. These include "=, !=, < > <=, >=, contains, starts with, ends with". Copy the operator to the righthand box by selecting it and then clicking the adjacent Add >> button, or by simply double-clicking on the operator name (IE only).

Finally, complete the statement by selecting a field or value to compare to your original field. You may also select one of the following Special Values: Current Month, Current Year or Current Day. To select a constant string value, enter the string without quotes in the Constant String field and click the adjacent Add >> button. To add a blank string, leave the field blank before clicking the button. To select a constant numeric value, enter the number in the Constant Value field and click the adjacent Add >> button.

You can remove any item from the righthand box by selecting it and then clicking the << Remove button, or by simply double-clicking on the item (IE only). To change the order of the items in the list, select the item and move it up or down within the list by clicking on the Move Up and Move Down buttons.

Choose Sort Order: Indicate how the matching records should be sorted by choosing one or more fields to determine a sort order. If the first field in the list can not determine the order of any two matching records, the next field in the list will be used, and so forth. If no sort order is indicated, matching records will be displayed in the order they were added to the database. Select fields to be in the sort order by copying them from the lefthand box to the right. You can do this by selecting a field and then clicking the Add >> button, or by simply double-clicking on the field name (IE only).

By default, all fields sort in ascending order (i.e., A-Z or 0-9). To sort a field in descending order, use the pseudo-field 'Descending (Prev)'. The 'Prev' in parentheses means that this designation must follow the field it modifies. In other words, if you want to sort by Last Name, choose this for your sort order:

Last Name
Descending (Prev)

Miscellaneous: You can remove any field from the righthand box by selecting it and then clicking the << Remove button, or by simply double-clicking on the field name (IE only). To change the order of the fields in the list, select a field and move it up or down within the list by clicking on the Move Up and Move Down buttons.

Custom SQL Query: If you know structured query language (SQL) and you're familiar with TNG's table structure, you may leave the Display, Criteria and Sort areas blank and instead enter your direct SQL SELECT statement in the box at the bottom of the screen.