Church Directory with larger font and pictures

[bradkrupp]

Just starting to use power church to create a church directory. We like the format of the detail report, but it is limited on the fields that can be selected and displayed. The font used is also quite small for our older users. I have purchased and reviewed the training videos for custom reports and poked around in the forum for tips and tricks. Haven't been successful in getting everything to work. I can make the font bigger, include notes, mobile phone, e-mail, etc. However, I can't get the picture to line up like it does in the detail report. The picture is in the group header and needs to be larger. This causes the detail to move down. How do I make everything line up so that it looks like they are in columns like the canned report. Hopefully, this is making some sense. Any examples of reports used would be helpful. Thanks in advance for your assistance!

[NeilZ]

Just starting to use power church to create a church directory. We like the format of the detail report, but it is limited on the fields that can be selected and displayed. The font used is also quite small for our older users. I have purchased and reviewed the training videos for custom reports and poked around in the forum for tips and tricks. Haven't been successful in getting everything to work. I can make the font bigger, include notes, mobile phone, e-mail, etc. However, I can't get the picture to line up like it does in the detail report. The picture is in the group header and needs to be larger. This causes the detail to move down. How do I make everything line up so that it looks like they are in columns like the canned report. Hopefully, this is making some sense. Any examples of reports used would be helpful. Thanks in advance for your assistance!

Just wondering, what version of Powerchurch are you using?

Did you follow the directions in the tutorial? https://www.powerchurch.com/support/231 ... -directory ?

Custom reports are not my forte, so you may have to wait until Monday for a tech to assist, but keep all the discussion in this one topic.

[bradkrupp]

We are using power church online version 14. Yes, I've been through the examples. Pictures are the thing giving me fits. I can get them to stay when the grouping breaks every page but not otherwise. Probably a setting I haven't got correct. Thanks

[Zorak]

What I have to do when creating custom pictorial directories is to print everything in the group footer. This means all of the information from family members - name, phone, email, etc. all have to be assembled in variables and the variable is what is printed in the group footer. It's very labor intensive, with lots of code in lots of variables. The last pictorial directory I created was quoted at $300 and probably took 15 hours or more for me to create.

[Zorak]

As an example, this is the expression in a variable called m.printname that assembles the names for the top line of each family:

Code: Select all

iif(pers_no<3,iif(pers_no==1 OR (pers_no==2 AND EMPTY(m.printname)), m.lastname + ", " + m.firstname, m.printname + " & " + m.firstname + iif(UPPER(lastname_a) <> m.mainlastname, " " + allt(lastname_a), "")),m.printname)

You can see it's referencing a bunch of other variables that have already been populated with formatted names and has conditional code to print the second person's last name if it doesn't match the first person's last name. If the person has Directory Sequence ("pers_no" in the data) 3 or higher, the value of m.printname stays the same.

As the report loops through the Detail records in each group, being the Personal Profiles in each family, the variables are built up and at the end of the family group, all of the variables are printed in the group footer and then reset their values and move on to the next group.

[bradkrupp]

Thanks, I'll have to digest and think about that. Too bad we can't get the report format for the "canned" reports. Would be much simpler, from my perspective and skill level anyhow, to modify or tweak something the already exists.

So, if I understand your post correctly, you (PowerChurch) will create a custom report for a user for a fee? Being a small church that's ($300) a lot of money. Thanks again!

[Zorak]

So, if I understand your post correctly, you (PowerChurch) will create a custom report for a user for a fee? Being a small church that's ($300) a lot of money. Thanks again!

We do offer that service. It is quoted on a case by case basis. $300 is on the high side and was because of a lot of complex requirements for that particular report for that particular customer.

The way the quote process normally works is we have you mock something up, like taking a page from the existing directory layout that you like and then marking it up with your desired changes, then scan and email it to customreports@powerchurch.com asking for a quote.

[bradkrupp]

Ok, thanks. Would the "code" for the custom report be available to me to learn from, copy as another report and then modify as I see fit?

[Zorak]

Unfortunately, it is something I can just post or send to you.

[bradkrupp]

Unfortunately, it is something I can just post or send to you.

Did you mean is not something you can just post or send? Is there a better way to discuss this like over the phone? Thanks for your patience.

[Zorak]

Sorry my response was vague. The report in question was written specifically for use in someone else's data, so it would take a lot of work to just get it to the point where you could even run it to make modifications.

If you have specific questions while you are creating your own, we'll be happy to try and help. Beyond that, we have the paid service to create the report for you.