Output to an RTF, PDF, TXT, or the Default Printer

In the Output Configuration dialog box (File | Printing | Report Window Print Setup), the Report tab defines whether to:

Report output - If selected, PC-DMIS sends the output to a file. It can be saved in either a text file (.txt), Rich Text Format (.rtf) or Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. This .pdf file can be a standard PDF file or a 3D PDF file.

The file name is initially generated and formatted to have the same name as the measurement routine plus an appended numerical index before the extension. Although PC-DMIS generates this initial file name, the name does not need to follow the default format and can be changed.

You can also type a variable name in the Report output box. As long as there's not a pathway already in the box, PC-DMIS interprets that variable's value for the filename.

Append - PC-DMIS adds the current data from the inspection report to the selected file. Note that the complete path must be specified; otherwise, PC-DMIS assumes the same directory as the measurement routine. Also, if the file does not exist, it is created when you generate the report.

Append Limitations:
For an RTF file, due to a limitation with how the RTF driver works with the PC-DMIS template approach to reporting, when appending to an RTF file, PC-DMIS only sends the contents of the TextReporting object, regardless of any other objects that may exist in your current report template.

Additionally, if you choose to append to an RTF file, it must be to a file that you have always used with the Append option. You cannot append to an RTF file that you first used with Overwrite or Auto.

For a 3D PDF file, PC-DMIS does not support the append functionality with that file format.

Overwrite - PC-DMIS overwrites the selected file with the current inspection report data. Note that the complete path must be specified; otherwise, PC-DMIS will assume the same directory as the measurement routine. Also, if the file does not exist, it is created when you generate the report.

Prompt - PC-DMIS displays the Save As dialog box through which you can choose the destination file for the report.

Auto - PC-DMIS generates the report file name automatically using the number in the Index box. The name of the generated file name will have the same name as the measurement routine appended by the numerical index and extension. Also, the generated file will be located in the same directory as the measurement routine. If a file exists with the same name as the generated file name, the Auto option increments the index value until a unique file name is found.

After the report prints, PC-DMIS internally updates the value in Index to the next number. It also changes the file name in the Print Options dialog box so that it shows the newly-incremented file name.

Rich Text Format (RTF) - PC-DMIS generates the report using the Microsoft Rich Text Format (.rtf file) for interchanging documents. Images in RTF reports have a light border around them. By default, PC-DMIS generates RTF reports using an Amyuni RTF converter. This essentially orders information inside several text boxes inside the RTF file. This is needed for accurate positioning of report template elements inside the RTF report. To properly view the report, you should use Microsoft Word and set the document's view to Print Layout. If you find editing the report in this format difficult to work with, you may want to generate an old-style RTF report.

PC-DMIS provides a way to generate an old-style RTF report, such as used in version 3.7 and earlier. To do this, follow this procedure:

1. Close down PC-DMIS.
2. Launch the PC-DMIS Settings Editor, and click Connect.
3. Inside the Settings Editor, expand the USER_Printing section, and find the DoNotUseAmyuniRTF registry entry.
4. Set the Current Value to 1, click Save Setting, and click OK.

This setting only works if the RTF output is done using the File | Printing | Report Window Print Setup menu option. If you have inserted a PRINT/REPORT command (Insert | Report Command | Print Command) and you want that command to generate your RTF output, set the value to 2.

1. Restart PC-DMIS.
2. Ensure that the Report window is set to print the report in a text-only format. To do this, right-click on the white-space at the end of the Report window and select the Use Text Mode Dimension Reporting check box. For more information, see "Changing the Report Window's Contents" in the "Reporting Measurement Results" chapter.

If the DoNotUseAmyUniRTF registry entry is set to 1 or 2, you can change the default margin and page sizes used for the RTF output by modifying these registry entries in the Printing section of the PC-DMIS Settings Editor:

PcdmisRTFLeftMargin

PcdmisRTFRightMargin

PcdmisRTFTopMargin

PcdmisRTFBottomMargin

PcdmisRTFPaperHeight

PcdmisRTFPaperWidth

As the RTF file type implies, an RTF report is primarily intended as a file format for interchange of text-based reports as shown below:

Sample text-based report using the default.rtp report template

RTF files containing graphical elements, such as those based off of the CADonly.rtp, TextOnly.rtp, and other similar templates, will take an extended amount of time to create, the files may become quite large, and the graphics may not look as good as with other file formats. For these reasons, the PDF format is recommended over the RTF format for graphical reports.

Portable Document Format (PDF) - PC-DMIS generates the report using the Adobe Portable Document Format (.pdf file) or electronic file sharing. Dimensions in PDF format do not have the default blue background color or display the dimension symbol.

If not already installed on your computer, you need to install the free Adobe® Acrobat® Reader™ in order to view .pdf files. You can download it from Adobe's website at: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html

3D Portable Document Format (PDF3D) - This also generates a .pdf file, but the main difference is that it also includes an embedded CAD object that you can manipulate within the .pdf file. For information and known limitations, see "Working with PDF 3D Files" in the "Reporting Measurement Results" chapter.

Textual Document (TXT) - PC-DMIS generates the report in a plain text format. You can view this type of report with any text editor. During report generation, PC-DMIS uses the default.rtp template, regardless of the actual template selected in the Report window. This textual report ignores any objects, such as images. For information on the default.rtp template, see "Viewing a Legacy Text Report" in the "Reporting Measurement Results" chapter. If you save your measurement routine to a version that doesn't support the .txt output, PC-DMIS uses the PDF output instead.

Use Global Print Settings - This check box becomes available if you first select a marked set from the Marked Sets window and then access this dialog box. The Use Global Print Settings check box determines whether or not PC-DMIS uses global output file parameters for the marked set. Selecting this check box overrides the very specific default printing options used for marked sets, with the measurement routine's global settings, that gives you greater control over the output. Select this check box to give you more control over the print-to-file naming schemes used with marked sets.

Print background colors - Determines whether the report prints background colors.

By default, PC-DMIS marks this check box and prints the background colors. If you clear this check box, PC-DMIS does not print any background colors. If you want to clear or display the background color from a report already in the Report window, make sure you click the Redraw the Report button from the Reporting toolbar.

To change the default state of this check box, click the Edit menu, point to Preferences, and then click Setup. Then on the General tab, in the list of check boxes, mark or clear the Print Background Colors check box.

Sample Report with Background Colors

Sample Report without Background Colors

In certain cases, you may continue to see some background colors in your report even if you've turned off the display of background colors here. This is due to a special background color setting that exists inside certain report template objects and is not controlled by this check box. By default, the TextReportObject and the Report object that exist in PC-DMIS report templates have a faint light-green background color in their color scheme. For the TextReportObject, this exists to help show the limits of the object inside the template. If this background color poses a problem, access the Color property for these objects inside the report template, and change these objects' background colors to white. For more information on how to do this, see "Changing the Report's Text Colors" in the "Reporting Measurement Results" chapter.

Print Black and White - Determines whether text, lines, and the tolerance zone graphs print in black and white or use the defined colors.

This does not make every report a completely black and white report. Some elements are not affected by this check box (for example, the Graphic Display window, images, and elements in some OCXs are not affected).

Sample Report in Black and White

Sample Report in Color

Show Report - Determines whether to open the report that was sent to a .pdf or an .rtf file. If you select this option, the report opens in whatever application you have associated with the .rtf or .pdf file types after you generate the report.

Copies - Determines how many copies to send to your printer. This option is only enabled if you mark the Printer option.

If your report contains images of your part model, PC-DMIS, by default, prints these images at your printer's highest resolution capacity. This means reports showing part models and sent to a file may have a larger file size than expected.

You can control the resolution, and in turn control the report's file size, by changing the value of the MaxPrintResoution registry entry in the USER_Printing section of the PC-DMIS Settings Editor. For information on how to change registry entries, see "Modifying Registry Entries".

The MaxPrintResolution registry entry defines the dots per inch (dpi) that your printing device generates when printing CAD images. You can change this value to define the proper balance between file size and image quality to suit your needs. The default value is 1,000,000 dpi, thereby effectively using any printer's maximum print resolution capacity. If you define a value less than your printer's maximum print resolution, you will see a decrease in file size. For example, if your printer can print up to 500 dpi but you change the entry to a smaller value, like 70 dpi, you can notice a decrease in file size.