Manage

This tab allows you to locate existing reports, then edit, delete or test them.

Search for
Enter a keyword (or part of a word) matching all or part of any of the following fields: Report Name, Report Description. A cookie will store the value entered here for future searches. Click the Search button to execute the search. Click the Reset button to blank out the field. If the Search button is clicked with no search criteria, all report records will be returned.

Edit/Delete/Test
Click on the appropriate icon in the Action column to edit, delete or test the report record listed on that row.

Add New / Modify Existing Reports

To add a new report, click on the Add New tab, then fill out the form. To edit an existing report, click on the Manage tab, then locate the report using the Search utility and click the Edit icon next to that language. To see how the report will look when run, click on the Test icon. NOTE: For your convenience, the SQL behind the report will be displayed on the test page. This will not be displayed when the report is run from the public area.

Fields available on both the Add New Report and Modify Existing Report screens include:

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.

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

Delete Reports

To delete a report, click on the Delete icon next to that report on the Manage tab.

What's New

Any text entered on this tab will be displayed at the top of the What's New page in the public area. Use this feature if you would like to provide your visitors with a general site update or other timely information. Click on the Test link to display the What's New page with your message at the top.