Displaying Refreshed Reports on Screen

[ElevDev]

All:

I'm looking for a good way to project a series (3) of continuously refreshing reports onto a screen in a work area.
I've written the scrap of code below to handle the generation and display of the reports, but they do not display refreshed data...

 
Private Sub Form_Load()
 
'Set the initial value of x to sequence thru reports
x=1
 
'Check D:\Test Directory exists or not...if not create it
If Len(Dir("d:\test", vbDirectory)) = 0 Then
     MkDir "d:\test\"
End If
 
' Set timer interval
Me.TimerInterval = 18000
 
End Sub
 
Private Sub Form_Timer()
 
' select the case to sequence through the reports
 
Select Case x
 
Case 1
     DoCmd.RunMacro "macRptFlow"
     x=x+1
 
Case 2
     DoCmd.RunMacro "macRptBuild"
     x=x+1
 
Case3
     DoCmd.RunMacro "macRptSummary"
     ' set count back to 1 to repeat
     x=1
 
End Select
 

The macros called generate the reports in a .snp format.

I'm welcome to any suggestions on how to accomplish this...just need a way to display refreshed reports continuously on an overhead....

TIA for any help!

CJM

[ADezii]

All:

I'm looking for a good way to project a series (3) of continuously refreshing reports onto a screen in a work area.
I've written the scrap of code below to handle the generation and display of the reports, but they do not display refreshed data...

 
Private Sub Form_Load()
 
'Set the initial value of x to sequence thru reports
x=1
 
'Check D:\Test Directory exists or not...if not create it
If Len(Dir("d:\test", vbDirectory)) = 0 Then
     MkDir "d:\test\"
End If
 
' Set timer interval
Me.TimerInterval = 18000
 
End Sub
 
Private Sub Form_Timer()
 
' select the case to sequence through the reports
 
Select Case x
 
Case 1
     DoCmd.RunMacro "macRptFlow"
     x=x+1
 
Case 2
     DoCmd.RunMacro "macRptBuild"
     x=x+1
 
Case3
     DoCmd.RunMacro "macRptSummary"
     ' set count back to 1 to repeat
     x=1
 
End Select
 

The macros called generate the reports in a .snp format.

I'm welcome to any suggestions on how to accomplish this...just need a way to display refreshed reports continuously on an overhead....

TIA for any help!

CJM

I was very pressed for time but here is a rather unprofessional display of code that hopefully will point you in the right direction. It displays a series of 3 Reports, not Snapshots (*.snp), at 10 second Intervals, closing the Report immediately displayed prior to the current one, and ending the entire display after 10 minutes. Please excuse the lack of finesse in this case:

'Preset the Form's Timer Interval to 10000 (10 seconds)

Private Sub Form_Timer()
On Error Resume Next
 
Static Counter As Integer
 
Counter = Counter + 1
 
Select Case Counter Mod 3   'Number of Reports
  Case 1
    DoCmd.Close acReport, "rptTest", acSaveNo
    DoCmd.OpenReport "rptJobs", acViewPreview
  Case 2
    DoCmd.Close acReport, "rptJobs", acSaveNo
    DoCmd.OpenReport "rptEmployee", acViewPreview
  Case 0
    DoCmd.Close acReport, "rptEmployee", acSaveNo
    DoCmd.OpenReport "rptTest", acViewPreview
End Select
 
If Counter = 60 Then        '(60 - 10 second Intervals = 10 minutes)
  Me.TimerInterval = 0
  DoCmd.Close acReport, "rptTest", acSaveNo
  DoCmd.Close acReport, "rptJobs", acSaveNo
  DoCmd.Close acReport, "rptEmployee", acSaveNo
End If
End Sub

[ElevDev]

Thank you...that snippet was a great help in generating and cycling through the reports.

A couple of questions:

1) Will these reports show fresh data each time that they are generated? That is...if an employee creates a new entry in the table that would normally be reported, will it be incorporated into the report results and displayed the very next time that report is called?

2) Do you have any suggestions for displaying the second (or third) page of report results? Right now, the reports will only (without intervention) show the first page of data.

Thanks!

CJM

I was very pressed for time but here is a rather unprofessional display of code that hopefully will point you in the right direction. It displays a series of 3 Reports, not Snapshots (*.snp), at 10 second Intervals, closing the Report immediately displayed prior to the current one, and ending the entire display after 10 minutes. Please excuse the lack of finesse in this case:

[NeoPa]

1) Will these reports show fresh data each time that they are generated? That is...if an employee creates a new entry in the table that would normally be reported, will it be incorporated into the report results and displayed the very next time that report is called?

This code should recreate the report each time.

2) Do you have any suggestions for displaying the second (or third) page of report results? Right now, the reports will only (without intervention) show the first page of data.

You could look at the timer calling a procedure in your reports module at intervals. This procedure would simply go to the next page.

Let us know if this idea is interesting (or even better) you get it working yourself.

[ElevDev]

Again...thanks for the replies...

To your last suggestion, I'm definitely interested in the theory behind having a the timer call a procedure that would change the page, I'm just not experience enough to understand how to approach that.

I looked into sending some sort of argument in the DoCmd.OpenReport statement, but I don't see that there is anyway of specifying a page number.

I suppose I could determine the maximum number of results that typically fits in the report and then filter each report to cause the first "x" number of results to display...then the second set of "x" results, and so on. This, then, would be repeated for each report until no more records were available. That seems a bit inefficient, however.

Other thoughts?

Tangentially related, how difficult would it be to push these to a web page? Can it be done without a webserver?

[ADezii]

This code should recreate the report each time.

You could look at the timer calling a procedure in your reports module at intervals. This procedure would simply go to the next page.

Let us know if this idea is interesting (or even better) you get it working yourself.

NeoPa:
Please tell me if it is me, but this is a little more complicated than initially envisioned, especially since the GoToPage Method is only applicable to Forms. This strange looking code will, however, work. With the Timer Interval preset, the code will open rptJobs, rptEmployee (Page 1), rptEmployee (Page 2), rptEmployee (Page 3), and then rptTest. I'm curious to hear what you think, since there do not seem to be many alternatives to solving this problem and I do not want to throw this out there if a better solution exists. Thanks.

Private Sub Form_Timer()
On Error Resume Next
 
Static Counter As Integer
 
Counter = Counter + 1
 
Select Case Counter
  Case 1
    DoCmd.Close acReport, "rptTest", acSaveNo
    DoCmd.OpenReport "rptJobs", acViewPreview
  Case 2
    DoCmd.Close acReport, "rptJobs", acSaveNo
    DoCmd.OpenReport "rptEmployee", acViewPreview
  Case 3
    'rptEmployee is already Open - go to Page 2
    SendKeys "{F5}"
    SendKeys "2{ENTER}"
  Case 4
    'rptEmployee is already Open - go to Page 3
    SendKeys "{F5}"
    SendKeys "3{ENTER}"
  Case 5
    DoCmd.Close acReport, "rptEmployee", acSaveNo
    DoCmd.OpenReport "rptTest", acViewPreview
End Select
 
If Counter = 5 Then Counter = 0
End Sub

[NeoPa]

Again...thanks for the replies...

To your last suggestion, I'm definitely interested in the theory behind having a the timer call a procedure that would change the page, I'm just not experience enough to understand how to approach that.

I checked that last point and unfortunately, there is no Timer facility in the Report object (unusually, this is different from the Form object). Sorry to mislead you.

I looked into sending some sort of argument in the DoCmd.OpenReport statement, but I don't see that there is anyway of specifying a page number.

The OpenArgs parameter could be used here, but you'd have to include code in the OnOpen event to handle selecting the page depending on the OpenArgs value.

I suppose I could determine the maximum number of results that typically fits in the report and then filter each report to cause the first "x" number of results to display...then the second set of "x" results, and so on. This, then, would be repeated for each report until no more records were available. That seems a bit inefficient, however.

Good luck ;) Sooner you than me.

Other thoughts?

Tangentially related, how difficult would it be to push these to a web page? Can it be done without a webserver?

Can't help there I'm afraid. You could ask in one of the web forums.

[NeoPa]

NeoPa:
Please tell me if it is me, but this is a little more complicated than initially envisioned, especially since the GoToPage Method is only applicable to Forms. This strange looking code will, however, work. With the Timer Interval preset, the code will open rptJobs, rptEmployee (Page 1), rptEmployee (Page 2), rptEmployee (Page 3), and then rptTest. I'm curious to hear what you think, since there do not seem to be many alternatives to solving this problem and I do not want to throw this out there if a better solution exists. Thanks.

Private Sub Form_Timer()
On Error Resume Next
 
Static Counter As Integer
 
Counter = Counter + 1
 
Select Case Counter
  Case 1
    DoCmd.Close acReport, "rptTest", acSaveNo
    DoCmd.OpenReport "rptJobs", acViewPreview
  Case 2
    DoCmd.Close acReport, "rptJobs", acSaveNo
    DoCmd.OpenReport "rptEmployee", acViewPreview
  Case 3
    'rptEmployee is already Open - go to Page 2
    SendKeys "{F5}"
    SendKeys "2{ENTER}"
  Case 4
    'rptEmployee is already Open - go to Page 3
    SendKeys "{F5}"
    SendKeys "3{ENTER}"
  Case 5
    DoCmd.Close acReport, "rptEmployee", acSaveNo
    DoCmd.OpenReport "rptTest", acViewPreview
End Select
 
If Counter = 5 Then Counter = 0
End Sub

ADezii,
I have to say this isn't an area of great experience for me (as you may have guessed from my posts to date). Your solution seems to be workable and quite ingenious. I prefer to avoid using SendKeys myself where possible (It relies on the context remaining unchanged by the operator) but I can't think of a better method off the top of my head. It would be nice if there is a {Go to Page} procedure from within (or even without) the Report object itself, but I haven't needed it so I don't know.

[ADezii]

ADezii,
I have to say this isn't an area of great experience for me (as you may have guessed from my posts to date). Your solution seems to be workable and quite ingenious. I prefer to avoid using SendKeys myself where possible (It relies on the context remaining unchanged by the operator) but I can't think of a better method off the top of my head. It would be nice if there is a {Go to Page} procedure from within (or even without) the Report object itself, but I haven't needed it so I don't know.

Thanks for the response.

[ElevDev]

Thanks, to both of you, for the response! The code snippets have worked well, and I'm trying to do some additional work on them to suit the requirement.

Bottom line: I'm just not sure that Access is designed to provide the type of display that I'm being asked to create. Nevertheless, I sincerely appreciate the expert help!

Clint

[NeoPa]

You're welcome.
There may be other ways but I'm not aware of them - they'd take a bit of digging to find if they're there I would think.
Good luck.