[AlzheimerNiagara]

I'm trying to create a report that is like the seating arrangement canned report except I don't like how that one looks. I can recreate that report in crystal using 2 groups - group 1 is section and group 2 is table but then it looks the same with everything in a single column down the left. I'd like to have a report that would show which spaces have been filled and which are available (this is for a curling bonspiel with 2 different start times (the sections) and 8 sheets of ice (the tables) with 8 players on each sheet). I'd like the report to look something like:

Group #1 - grouped by start time

Sheet 1, Sheet 2, Sheet 3

List of 8 players, List of 8 players, Blank list - no one assigned
sorted by team, sorted by team , to this table yet in RE
(2 teams of 4),

^Please imagine the above as 3 columns across the page - columns divided by the commas

Anybody have any idea how to go about something like that? I'm trying to discourage our event people from keeping their own databases and spreadsheets since then we are both doing the same work but I need to show them that the info looks good coming out of RE.

Thanks for any suggestions!

[Don Sabo]

I've always wanted to learn how to curl, but there are no curling alleys where I live. I heard to be really good at curling who must drink lots of beer. Is that before or after the match? I do not drink beer, so I'll probably not be any good.

[DrewAllen]

The type of export determines which records can appear with blank entries, so if you do a constituent export, you can export constituents who have no gifts, but if you do a gift export, you can't export constituents who have no gifts.

I assume that you are doing a participant export. In this case, you can export participants who do not have a seat assigned, but you cannot export seats that do not have a participant assigned, because the participant export requires a participant record.

In order to get what you want, you would need to start from the event record. Here's the bad news. BB's support for events in general is awful. This includes not providing a way to export seating assignments from the event export.

Your only option is to access the data through the back end.

Here's the good news! You can get your report to lay out like you want once you get your data correct. In your report right-click on the Details section and choose the Format Section... option. (It's Section Expert in XI.) Down at the bottom, you'll see "Format with Multiple Columns". When you check that, you'll see another tab appear labelled "Layout". Use that to set the properties for the column. Unfortunately, I haven't had much like with the option "Across the Down", which is probably what you want, but try it and see if you can get it to work.

Drew

[AlzheimerNiagara]

Thanks Drew,

I know I can't export blank seats, but I was hoping to set up the report layout using text fields for the sheet number and seat so they will always be there and then just fill in the seat numbers that do have assigned participants with their name.

For example say I set up this (horizontally):

SHEET 1

1.
2.
3.
4.

5.
6.
7.
8.

SHEET 2

1.
2.
3.
etc.

Then I tried to get the names to fill in beside the numbers....using next record on each line but numbers 1, 3,4 were all the same name and 2 was the next name. But really I want group #1 to fill in the first 8 lines, group #2 to fill in the next 8 lines on sheet 2, etc.

Accessing the data through the back is not really an option because I have no idea how to do that.

Thanks!

FYI - The (implied) rule of curling is that the losing team has to buy drinks for the winning team after the game. So if you're not very good it could ending costing you!

[DrewAllen]

Well, you can, but it's a horrible kludge. You basically need to create 128 formulas: one for each combination of start time, sheet number, and player number. Each formula would be similar to

If {section number} = i 
   And {table number} = j
   And {seat number} = k
then {name field} 

Then you have the problem that it won't update automatically if you add/remove sections, sheets, or player slots.

Are you sure that you want to go that route?

Drew