Crystal Reports 11 - How to print different data on multiple pages

Question

I have a shipping label that needs to print on a Dymo Label printer with slightly different data on each of 3 pages. Can this be done with just one .rpt so the users only need to print one report, rather than three?

Solution

It's been a while since I've used Crystal Reports, but you can setup your .RPT to have three detail sections (A/B/C) and have B and C "print new page before". That way each detail will be on three separate sections.

You shouldn't need to do anything crazy with custom formulas. All you need to do is display each piece of data three times, one on each page, with each page being slightly different.

(Of course you could use a header and just put the changing data in the details section... but that will take more time to get right then just repeating the required data in each data section.)

Confirmed

1. Open your report
2. Right-Click on the Details secton
3. Select "Insert Section Below"
4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 twice
5. Confirm that you see three Detail Sections
6. Use "Section Expert" (or Visual Studio Properties) for sections A & B and select "New Page After". (If using Section Expert, be sure you are on the Paging tab.)
7. Create the desired content in each Detail Section.
8. You probably want to Suppress all other sections, including Report/Page Headers & Footers.

.RPT Detail Section Setup

Section Expert

Comments

[tlascek]

Thanks Mark. When you say "...when it changes" do you mean the data change? Just so we are clear, all three labels would need to print all at once every time.

[Mark SQLDev]

For instance, if you set up a column named Grouper and put in the values a, b, and c in the right records, then you could make the report start a new page when the value of Grouper changes.

[beach]

Unless I misunderstood the requirements, I don't see why not. The OP wanted three labels printed for each .RPT run. Each page is a label. So there should be 3 labels printed each time the .RPT executes. (This is assuming that CR will successfully tell the printer to page feed after each page.)

[Dog Ears]

I asumed dymo labels were similar to Avery labels, I'm not sure if that was correct - hopefully my solution will be useful in that Avery label scenario.

[beach]

If they are just like Avery labels, then there is no need to use the "New Page After" options. All you need to do is create the extra detail sections and align them to the actual die-cut labels.

[Dog Ears]

If, as an example, you had avery labels with five rows and two colums, but you wanted to print 3 different labels, would my approch be apropriate? :o)

[tlascek]

You're correct, Dymo labels do not require the "New Page After" option enabled. Simply creating additional Detail sections did the trick! I knew it had to be something quick and easy; seemed like a routine sort of operation to have not been addressed in some way by the software.