(Windows) Customize your Reports

This function existed prior to Custom Reports included since Heredis 2019. See also the new custom reports article.

All documents you view and print with Heredis are open in your word processing. This way of operating puts you in a familiar environment, facilitates the manipulations you want to perform, allows you to completely reshape the presentation of the data and to record, if you wish, the documents displayed as independent files.
If no word processing is up and running on your computer, you can download free word processing, such as LibreOffice.

Create a custom report

You can compose several types of custom reports: Persons, Ancestors or Descendants.

Click on the Reports menu to access the various editions offered by Heredis. Choose the type of list (Ancestors, Descendants, Persons) and then click Custom Report…
All selected settings will be memorized and offered by default when you’ll next open the same type of report.

All Ancestors or Descendants custom reports will be built from the primary person displayed.

• Choose list settings for Contents and Layout in tabs of the same name.

Contents tab

Layout tab

• Click the Modify button to change the default report or create your own report.

To build a custom report, you have the following:

• Columns: You can build your report with as many columns as you like, assign them a width, a title, and include the fields you want in each column. It is possible to insert or remove columns.
• Fields: Most of the fields in the Data> Personal Data screen are usable, as well as certain calculated fields (age at death, number of children, etc.).
• The layout of the columns: Each of the fields you put on the report can be shaped (attributes, alignment, etc.).
  You can also assign a suffix and a prefix to each selected field.

When you first open a custom report, Heredis displays a default report that you can use as is or change.

Custom reports as you have drawn them can be saved and recalled for future use. For example, you can create several themes for each type of reports (persons, ancestors, descendants).
The custom report offered by clicking on the New Report button is fully composed by you.

Columns

Add columns

The lower area of the window allows the columns to be displayed. It represents the useful width of the page. The columns are divided between the two margins in the same proportions as on the screen regardless of the print format chosen (portrait or landscape).
You can create up to 32 columns within the space available for printing.

• Click the Add button in the Column area to create the number of columns you need for the report to build.

Swap columns

• Click in the column to move.
• Click the Left arrow or Right arrow button until the column has reached the desired location.

Delete a column

• Click in the column to select it.
• Click the Delete button in the Column area.

Give a column a title

• Click in the column to select it.
• Type in the title chosen for the selected column in the Title input area.
• Include the alignment chosen for the column title by checking the Left, Centered or Right boxes.
• Also indicate the alignment chosen for the contents that will be contained in this column.

Change the width of the columns

Position the mouse on the right edge of the column you want to enlarge or reduce.

• The cursor then turns into a double arrow.
• Hold the left button on the mouse.
• Move the right edge of the column to reach the desired width.

Fields

Position the fields in the columns

Depending on the type of information to be placed in the column, click on one of the tabs containing the data for the person, his/her father, his/her mother, his/her unions, or the calculated data.

• Choose on the list of fields on the one you want to set up and click on it.
• Click the Add button in the Field area to fit into the selected column.
  or Double-click on the name of the field in the list to fit into the selected column.
• Include for the added field any formatting attributes to apply to it by checking the Bold, Italic or Underline boxes.

The fields will be presented side by side in the edited document unless you have inserted a line break.
To spread the fields across different lines in the same column:

• Select the field.
• Click the Line Skip button.

The total number of fields and line breaks is limited to 32 per column. For delete and move options, line breaks should be treated as fields.
To switch the order of fields on the same line or within a column:

• Select the field to move.
• Click the Up or Down Arrow button until the field has reached its new location.

Delete a field in a column

• Select the field to remove.
• Click the Delete button in the Field area.

Add a suffix or prefix to a field

• Select the field to edit in the column.
• Click in the Prefix area and then type in the prefix to be applied to this field.
• Position yourself in the Suffix area and then type the suffix to apply to this field.

For example, to indicate the age at death of a person:

• Select Ageat Death in the column.
• Click in the Prefixbox, type “at the age of”.
• Click in the Suffix box, type the word “years.”

You will thus get the mention: at the age of < age at the death > years.

Create a Custom Persons Report from Smart Search.

It is also possible to edit the result of a selection obtained with Smart Search as a personalized list.

Search for one or more criteria from the Search > Smart Search Tab. Check out Smart Search article for more details.

• Click the Edit button in the results processing area.
• Select Custom Persons Report.

Save a Custom Report layout

Change an existing report

Each time the same custom report (persons, ancestors or descendants) changes to the construction of the reports, it is memorized.
To create a custom report theme with the layout you’ve set:

• Click the Save button.
• Name the custom list theme you’re creating. He’ll wear a .hp18 extension.
• Heredis records this theme in the Documents folder – BSD Concept – Heredis – Heredis Custom Reports.

This theme can then be called and used in any type of custom report.

Create a new custom report

To create a new blank list theme:

• Click the New Report button to access a new blank list, to be completed with the desired fields and columns. The number of columns proposed by default is 4.

Open a custom report theme already registered

To recall all the custom report themes you’ve created:

• Click the Open button.
• Select the existing theme to reuse. Custom report themes have a .hp18 extension.

This theme will appear on the screen for use or modification and will be the list theme that will open by default when the next request of the same type of list is set.

Launch the edition of the custom report

• Click the OK button to validate the layout of the built list.
• Click the Cancel button to return to the setting screen without changing the custom report theme used.
• Click the OK button on the setting screen to launch the text processor that will display the custom report.

Export the contents of a custom report

• Click the Export button in the setting screen to export the data in the custom report to Plain Text Files (.txt).

This data can then be used in a database, spreadsheet or word processor.

Exporting documents

The various documents, lists or sheets, are exportable in text format (.txt).
Click the Export button to create a .txt document or click on OK to create a .rtf document. Give the new document a name and specify its location before registering it.

Then open this document in any type of adapted software: word processing, spreadsheet…

Then once open with your word processing software or text reader software you can save, modify … the document becomes independant of Heredis.

Note: Heredis is optimized for Microsoft Office (paid) or LibreOffice (free) word processing available for download. Heredis is compatible with Microsoft Office for Windows as from Office 2016 and for Mac as from Office 2019. As for LibreOffice, it is important that you have the latest version installed and not an older one.