ericbr@microsoft.UUCP (Eric Brown) (10/24/89)
I'm looking for a database or forms package that runs under MS-DOS that can produce proportionally spaced output with multiple columns. In particular, some columns in the output will spread across multiple lines, and these items need to be word-wrapped within a column. Some example lines are below: | 10/81 | $5000 | Purchased gizmo from Gizmo Corp. | bla bla bla | 11/81 | $10000 | took out loan from US Gizmo Bank | bla bla bla | | | for gizmo refurbisher machine | Note that the columns are fixed width, but the text should be proportionally spaced and may occupy more than one line. Also, I need to generate subtotals on each page, and a grand total on a separate page. Is this doable with any current DBMS package? -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Eric Brown ...!{sun, uunet, uw-beaver}!microsof!ericbr These are my opinions. If they were Microsoft's, you would pay $500 for them. ----------------------- Long Live the New Flesh! ----------------------------
billb@stech.UUCP (Bill Burton) (10/25/89)
In article <8171@microsoft.UUCP> ericbr@microsoft.UUCP (Eric Brown) writes: >I'm looking for a database or forms package that runs under MS-DOS that >can produce proportionally spaced output with multiple columns. In >particular, some columns in the output will spread across multiple lines, >and these items need to be word-wrapped within a column. Some example >lines are below: > >| 10/81 | $5000 | Purchased gizmo from Gizmo Corp. | bla bla bla >| 11/81 | $10000 | took out loan from US Gizmo Bank | bla bla bla >| | | for gizmo refurbisher machine | > >Note that the columns are fixed width, but the text should be >proportionally spaced and may occupy more than one line. Also, I need >to generate subtotals on each page, and a grand total on a separate >page. > >Is this doable with any current DBMS package? >-- Microsoft Works supports PostScript which presumably means that it can handle a few proportional typefaces and sizes. Don't know if it will do word wrap within a column (either in the file manager or word processor). The latest version of PFS First Choice, another low-end integrated package now supports PostScript. Another way is to output from the database program in a format that can be read by a word processor or text formatter that has the smarts to output proportional typefaces. This I've done by using either PC-File:dB or Progress databases (neither of which support proportion printing) and output my report to an ASCII file which was then formatted by Ventura Publisher 2.0 and printed on our PostScript printer. In order for this to work, the report or procedure was written specially to output the information with Ventura Style tag names so this file could be read into Ventura. Each tag was then assigned the appropriate formatting to create columns and the specified typefaces. You can also do this with any database or file manager that has a very flexible method of reporting and any word processor that can read a formatted ASCII file. The database or file manager should support output with data intermingled with literal text. It must also allow the removal of trailing spaces and allow all formatting such as pagination to be disabled. The ability to output control characters may be required if the word processor or text formatter requires them. The word processor or text formatter should support the ability to read a _formatted ASCII_ file. Some examples: o Ventura Publisher - All commands can be done in ascii. This one is probably the simplest to output by the database since most of the formatting is stored in a separate file -- the style sheet. o Microsoft Word 5.0 (assuming this version now supports Rich Text Format) o Borland Sprint - All commands can be done in ascii with "@" commands based on the Scribe formatting language. The print formatter can be run from the command line which is ideal for this type of application. o XyWrite III Plus supports a pseudo-ascii file format. The database program must have the ability to output control characters. o PC-Write should also work (haven't used this recently) o Troff for the PC. Elan sells one that supports PostScript. I have heard that MKS also sells troff. o TeX for the PC. There are at least a couple of versions available. >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- >Eric Brown ...!{sun, uunet, uw-beaver}!microsof!ericbr >These are my opinions. If they were Microsoft's, you would pay $500 for them. >----------------------- Long Live the New Flesh! ---------------------------- Hope this helps, -Bill -- William D. Burton, Jr. @ American Academy of Arts and Sciences Cambridge, Mass. Voice: +1-617-576-5023 UUCP: ...!{husc6|allegra}!stech!billb Internet: billb%stech.uucp@husc6.harvard.edu
bsa@telotech.UUCP (Brandon S. Allbery) (10/27/89)
I believe Unify 3.2 will do this in RPT with "print field using 'j'".
++Brandon
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