Report Generator: Settings

The Settings dialog allows you to specify the formatting of the data that you generate in the Report Generator dialog, including the information in the header and footer. You can define how numeric values are represented, and select the units that are used. You can also rotate and offset the data that is generated, and specify whether it is shown for side A or side B of the board, or for the relevant placement side.

It also allows you to set the formatting that is required when exporting data by clicking Save as. For example, you can ensure that the data exported to a .csv file is formatted correctly. Display this dialog by clicking Settings in the Report Generator dialog. See the following video:

General

The General tab allows you to specify the formatting of the data that you generate in the Report Generator dialog.

Item		Description
End-of-record delimiter		By default, the "\n" value is displayed in this box. This is the line feed command. If you remove this value, then items are shown on the same row for all components. Additionally, you can specify a string before the "\n" value, which is displayed at the end of each component record. For example, if you add the value " End of row \n" and specify Reference Designator and Placement Status in the Output items table, then the generated data is formatted as follows. C20 PLACED End of rowC21 PLACED End of rowC22 PLACED End of rowC23 PLACED End of row.
Item delimiter		Allows you to add a string, which is displayed between each of the items specified in the Output items table, in the Report Generator dialog. For example, if you add the value " * " and specify Reference Designator, Placement Status and Fixed in the Output items table, then the generated data is formatted as follows. C20 * PLACED * NOC21 * PLACED * NOC22 * PLACED * NOC23 * PLACED *** NO. By default, the " " (space) character is used.
Group delimiter		When grouping the generated data in Report Generator, this field allows you to specify the string that is used to separate the values displayed as a single column. By default, the "\|" (vertical bar) character is used. For example, if Part Name and Reference Designator are specified in the Output items table, then the generated data is formatted as follows when grouped by Part Name. GRM0332C1H100GA01D C10\|C11GRM033R61C104KE14D C12\|C14\|C17\|C18\|C19\|C20\|C21\|C25\|C26\|C27\|C28GRM188R60J106ME47D C13\|C15CL05A475MQ5NRNC C16\|C22\|C23\|C24 Note To group the generated data on a particular item in Report Generator, select Grouping in the Format options section and then select Grouping in the Output items table for the relevant item.
Coordinates delimiter		The string that is used as delimiter between the X and Y values of coordinates. By default, the "," (comma) value is used.
Blank value		Allows you to specify the string that is displayed in the Report Generator Preview dialog and Report preview box when no data exists in the design for a specified item. By default, the "-" (hyphen) character is used.
	Specify for each item	For a particular attribute in the Output items table, this field allows you to override the value specified in the Default strings field. If no data exists in the design for the relevant attribute, then the value in this field is displayed, rather than the value in the Default strings box. If selected, then the Default string column is added to the Output items table in the Report Generator dialog. Specify a value in the Default string column and press Return.
Show line numbers	Selected	For the data that is displayed for each section specified in the Section box in Report Generator, a line number is added to the beginning of each line in the Report Generator Preview dialog and Report preview box. A unique integer greater than zero is used, which is incremented for each row of data in each section. If you change the data that is generated, then it is renumbered.
	Not selected	A line number is added to the beginning of each line in the Report Generator Preview dialog and Report preview box.

Unit/Angle

The Unit/Angle tab allows you to define how numeric values are represented in the Report Generator dialog. You can select the units for numeric data, specify the number of decimal places and select whether the decimal point is displayed. You can also specify the formatting of the data relating to angles.

Item		Description
Units		Allows you to select the units that are used for numeric data, specify the number of decimal places and select whether the decimal point is displayed.
	Units	mm: the dimension data that is generated is displayed in millimeters. inch: the dimension data that is generated is displayed in inches. mil: the dimension data that is generated is displayed in mils. micron: the dimension data that is generated is displayed in microns.
	Decimal places	Allows you to specify the number of decimal places for the data generated in the Report Generator dialog. Select a value between 0 and 5. If you select a value other than 0, then you can also specify whether the decimal point is displayed. 0: the data is displayed as a whole number. The Show decimal point check box is made unavailable. 1: the data is displayed to one decimal place. The Show decimal point check box is made available. 2: the data is displayed to two decimal places. The Show decimal point check box is made available. 3: the data is displayed to three decimal places. The Show decimal point check box is made available. 4: the data is displayed to four decimal places. The Show decimal point check box is made available. 5: the data is displayed to five decimal places. The Show decimal point check box is made available. Note If you select Integer in the Angle section, Format field, then values for angles are displayed as whole numbers, regardless of the value specified in the Decimal field.
	Show decimal point	For values that are displayed to greater than zero decimal places, this setting allows you to specify whether the decimal point is displayed. This check box is made available if you select a value other than 0 in the Decimal box. Selected: the decimal point is displayed for values that have greater than zero decimal places. Not selected: the decimal point is not displayed for values that have greater than zero decimal places.
Angle		Allows you to specify the range of values that are used for angles that are displayed in the generated data.
	Range	0 to 360: angles are displayed as greater than or equal to 0 degrees, and less than 360 degrees. -180 to 180: angles are displayed as greater than -180 degrees, and less than or equal to 180 degrees.
	Format	Integer: values for angles are rounded to whole numbers, regardless of the value specified in the Decimal field. Decimal: values for angles are displayed using the number of decimal places that you specify in the Decimal box.

Format

The Format tab allows you to rotate and offset the data that is generated. You can also specify whether it is shown for either side A or side B of the board, or for the relevant placement side.

Item		Description
Rotation		Allows you to specify the angle and reference point that all coordinate values in Report Generator are rotated by.
	Angle	Allows you to rotate all coordinate values that are displayed in Report Generator by a specified angle in the counterclockwise direction. Items are rotated relative to the reference point of the board that is specified in the Reference point X: and Reference point Y: fields. Specify a real number that is greater than or equal to "0", and less than "360". Alternatively, select a value from the following options. 0: coordinate values are not rotated. 90: all coordinate values are rotated by 90 degrees in the counterclockwise direction. 180: all coordinate values are rotated by 180 degrees in the counterclockwise direction. 270: all coordinate values are rotated by 270 degrees in the counterclockwise direction.
	Reference point X:	Allows you to specify the X coordinate of the rotation reference point, in millimeters. Specify a real number between -5000.0 and 5000.0. When you rotate the coordinates of the board by specifying a value in the Angle box, all coordinate values that are displayed in Report Generator are rotated relative to the specified reference point.
	Reference point Y:	Allows you to specify the Y coordinate of the rotation reference point, in millimeters. Specify a real number between -5000.0 and 5000.0. When you rotate the coordinates of the board by specifying a value in the Angle box, all coordinate values that are displayed in Report Generator are rotated relative to the specified reference point.
Offset		Allows you to offset the coordinate values that are displayed in Report Generator by a specified value in the X or Y direction. Specify a real number in millimeters.
	X:	For coordinate values that are displayed in Report Generator, specify a value to offset them in the X direction. Specify a real number in millimeters.
	Y:	For coordinate values that are displayed in Report Generator, specify a value to offset them in the Y direction. Specify a real number in millimeters.
Mirror		Allows you to specify whether coordinates and component angles are viewed form either Side A or Side B of the board, or from the placement side of each object. You can also specify the direction in which objects are flipped, and the coordinate reference point for side B.
	Coordinates	Allows you to specify whether coordinate values are displayed as viewed from side A, side B or from the placement side of each object on the board. Side A: all coordinate values are displayed as viewed from side A of the board. Side B: all coordinate values are displayed as viewed from side B of the board. If selected, then the Direction and Base point fields are made available. If X-axis is selected in the Direction field, then the sign of the X coordinate is changed compared to this value for side A. If Y-axis is selected in the Direction field, then the sign of the Y coordinate is changed, compared to this value for side A. Placement side: coordinate values are displayed as viewed from the placement side of each object. For example, if an object is placed on side A, then the relevant coordinate values are displayed as viewed from side A of the board. If an object is placed on side B, then the relevant coordinate values are displayed as viewed from side B of the board. If selected, then the Direction and Base point fields are made available. If X-axis is selected in the Direction field, then the sign of the X coordinate is changed, compared to this value for side A. If Y-axis is selected in the Direction field, then the sign of the Y coordinate is changed, compared to this value for side A.
	Direction	Allows you to specify whether objects are flipped in either the X or Y direction when the board is viewed form side B. This field is made available when Side B or Placement side is selected in the Coordinates field. X-axis: specifies that all objects are flipped in the X direction when the board is viewed form side B. The sign of the X coordinate is changed, compared to this value for side A. Y-axis: specifies that all objects are flipped in the Y direction when the board is viewed form side B. The sign of the Y coordinate is changed, compared to this value for side A.
	Base point X:	If Side B or Placement side is selected in the Coordinates box, then specify the reference point for the X coordinate, in millimeters. Specify a real number between -5000.0 and 5000.0.
	Base point Y:	If Side B or Placement side is selected in the Coordinates box, then specify the reference point for the Y coordinate, in millimeters. Specify a real number between -5000.0 and 5000.0.
	Component angle	Allows you to specify whether placement angles are displayed as viewed from either side A or side B of the board, or from the placement side of each object. Side A: all placement angles are displayed as viewed from side A of the board. Side B: all placement angles are displayed as viewed from side B of the board. Placement side: placement angles are displayed as viewed from the placement side of each object. For example, if an object is placed on side A, then the relevant placement angle is displayed as viewed from side A of the board. If an object is placed on side B, then the relevant placement angle is displayed as viewed from side B of the board.

Header/Footer

The Header/Footer tab allow you to specify the contents of the header and footer that is shown at the top and bottom of the report, respectively, in Report Generator. You can add the following variables as placeholders, which are populated with data when you generate the report. For example, if you add the TIME variable to the Header section, then the time that the report was generated is displayed at the top of the report. To use a variable in a report, add the "$" character to the start and end of the variable. For example, the variable name LOGIN would be added to the header or footer box as $LOGIN$. You can also add text, which is displayed with the variables when the report is generated. Variables must be added in upper case.

Value	Description
DATE	Displays the date that the report was generated. The format of the date is taken from the system setting on your computer.
DATE_YEAR	Displays the year in numeric format that the report was generated. The format of the date is taken from the system setting on your computer.
DATE_MONTH	Displays the month in numeric format that the report was generated. The format of the date is taken from the system setting on your computer.
DATE_DAY	Displays the day in numeric format that the report was generated. The format of the date is taken from the system setting on your computer.
DATE_WDAY	Displays the day that the report was generated, in textual format. For example, "Monday".
TIME	Displays the time that the report was generated. The format of the time is taken from the system setting on your computer.
TIME_HOUR	For the time that the report was generated, the "hour" component is displayed.
TIME_MIN	For the time that the report was generated, the "minutes" component is displayed.
TIME_SEC	For the time that the report was generated, the "seconds" component is displayed.
LOGIN	Displays the user name of the user who is currently logged on to the computer running eCADSTAR.
HOST	Displays the name of the computer on which eCADSTAR is currently running.
DESIGN_FILE_PATH	Displays the path to the currently-open design. If you create a report for a newly-created design, then just the name of the design file is displayed, followed by an asterisk. For example, "Design1*".
DESIGN_FILE_NAME	Displays the name of the currently-open design. If you create a report for a newly-created design, then just the name of the design file is displayed, followed by an asterisk. For example, "Design1*".
PRM_FILE	Shows the path to the .prgx parameter file that you specify in the Parameter file section of the Report Generator dialog. If you create a new parameter file and have not yet saved it, then "<new parameter file>" is displayed.
PRM_FILE_NAME	Shows the .prgx parameter file that you specify in the Parameter file section of the Report Generator dialog. If you create a new parameter file and have not yet saved it, then "<new parameter file>" is displayed.
PRM_COMMENT	Displays the value that you specify in the Description box in the Report Generator dialog.
VARIANT	If the current design has variants, then the variant label is displayed for the variant selected in the Report Generator dialog, Variant field. If the current design does not have variants, then "Master" is displayed.
UNIT	Displays the units that you specify in the Number tab, Unit field, in this dialog.
PRECISION	Displays the units that you specify in the Number tab, Decimal field, in this dialog.
COORDINATE_DELIMITER	Displays the delimiter that is currently used for coordinates in the Report Generator dialog. This is specified in the Coordinate tab, Item delimiterdelimiters field, in this dialog.
RECORD_DELIMITER	Displays the string that is currently used to specify the end of the record for each component. This is specified in the Text tab, End-of-record delimiter field, in this dialog.
SEGMENT_DELIMITER	Displays the string that is currently displayed between each item in the Output items table, in the Report Generator dialog. This is specified in the Text tab, Item delimiter field, in this dialog.
ITEM_DELIMITER	Displays the string that is used to separate the values displayed as a single column when grouping the generated data in Report Generator. By default, the "\|" (vertical bar) character is used.

Note

eCADSTAR uses both the "Short date" and "Long date" system settings on your computer, when formatting dates. If you change the date settings on your computer, then eCADSTAR must be restarted in order for dates to be shown in the new format.
You can separate the items that you enter in the Header/Footer tab using the Tab key. This creates a space of 80 pixels between them. As this space is defined using pixels, it could be displayed differently depending on the resolution of your monitor. If you output the generated data by clicking Save as in the Report Generator dialog, then you can change the value associated with the "Tab" item in the report. However, this will depend on the application used to open the report.

Value	Description
Header	The Header box allows you to specify the contents of the header that is displayed at the top of the report in Report Generator. You can specify text, as well as the variables shown here. For example, if you add the following content to the Header box, then the header is created as shown.
Footer	The Footer box allows you to specify the contents of the footer that is displayed at the bottom of the report in Report Generator. You can specify text, as well as the variables shown here. For example, if you add the following content to the Footer box, then the footer is created as shown.