On top of it all, the data they need to see may change each time they request a report. Also, limiting the number of views within your database is something you should be taking into consideration to keep the database running at top speed, as well as making the user navigation more efficient. This article will walk you through some steps and some code to help you address these issues.

Let's get started
This article assumes a good working understanding of navigators, framesets, embedded views and experience with LotusScript. If your knowledge in these areas is limited, but you still wish to read on, then feel free. Try starting on a small report, working through the steps slowly, and referring to the Lotus Notes help documentation often.

The first step is to create a Notes Page or a Navigator. In my example, I chose to use a Page, which contains an Embedded Outline. The Outline consists of entries that point to different forms for each report type. In this example, I have a "Basic Report" and a "Totals Report." See Figure A to see my Page.

FIGURE A


Here is a sample Page containing the list of Reports. Roll over picture for a larger image.

The user's interface
The second step is to create a Form for each Report button that you created in the outline. Let's talk about the "Basic Report." See Figure B to see a sample "Basic Report" Form.

FIGURE B


Here is my "Basic Report" form in design mode. Roll over picture for a larger image.

At the top of the Form is a table containing the search criteria fields. In this example, the users would like the ability to view data based on the Status, Department, and a date range. The range will be selected as either Monthly, Quarterly, or by specific dates.

Below the criteria table are the user's action buttons. The main button is the "Run Report" button, which will contain an agent that runs the report. Your user should only see this button before your agent has run. You will be creating the agent in a little while. The second row of buttons (Refresh, Export, Print, and any other actions your users will need), will display after your agent has run. I'll talk about the "Run Report" and "Refresh" buttons again shortly.