Embed Objects In Impromptu

You can embed all or part of the information from another application in your Impromptu reports so that the information appears as part of the report.

You can

Embed Objects By Copying

When you embed information, you make a copy, so that changes in the source do not appear in the report, and changes you make do not appear in the source file.

When you create a new object or edit an object and the application you're embedding supports in-place editing, the application menus and toolbars temporarily replace Impromptu's menus and toolbars. When it does not support in-place editing, Impromptu opens the other application.

Steps

  1. In the source application, select the information you want to embed and then copy it to the Clipboard.

  2. To insert the OLE objects into a frame other than the primary frame, select the appropriate form or list frame in Impromptu.

  3. From the Edit menu, click Paste Special.

  4. In the As box, select the object type that corresponds to the application in which the object was created.

  5. If you want the embedded information to appear as an icon rather than as data, click the Display as Icon check box.

    Note: When you select the Display as Icon check box, Impromptu inserts a shortcut that points to the location of the source file.

  6. Click OK.

    Impromptu inserts an OLE object containing the data from the other application into the frame you selected in Step 2.

Embed Existing Objects in Reports

You can embed entire files, as either data or as an icon, that you created in an OLE-compliant application into an Impromptu report. For example, you have a spreadsheet that outlines major sales campaign expenditures during the past year. You embed the spreadsheet in a sales report so you can correlate sales costs with revenues.

Steps

  1. From the Insert menu, click OLE Object.

  2. Position the pointer where you want the upper-left corner of the new OLE object. Your pointer changes  .

  3. Click the mouse button to show the Insert Object dialog box.

  4. Click the Create From File option button.

  5. In the File box, type the name of the file to embed in your report.

  6. If you want the embedded information to appear as an icon rather than as data, click the Display as Icon check box.

    Note: When you select the Display as Icon check box, Impromptu inserts a shortcut that points to the location of the source file.

  7. Click OK.

    Impromptu embeds the file you specified into the current report.

Create Embedded Objects in Reports

You can create new OLE objects in an Impromptu report. For example, you want to embed a spreadsheet that was created in an OLE compliant application in an Impromptu report. You insert an OLE object, select the type, and then edit the new object--all without leaving Impromptu.

Steps

  1. From the Insert menu, click OLE Object.

  2. Position the pointer where you want the upper-left corner of the new OLE object. Your pointer changes  .

  3. Click the mouse button to show the Insert Object dialog box.

  4. Click the Create New option button.

  5. If you want the embedded information to appear as an icon rather than as data, select the Display as Icon check box.

  6. In the Object Type box, double-click the type of object to insert.

  7. Work within the application as you would normally to create the new object.

  8. Do one of the following:

    • If the embedded object was created in Impromptu, click the mouse button anywhere outside of the embedded object to return control to Impromptu.

    • If the embedded object was created in another application that was launched from Impromptu, click Exit from the File menu. If you are prompted to save the changes you made, click Yes.

Edit Embedded Objects

You can edit an embedded object by editing the object within Impromptu or by launching the source application. Many applications support in-place editing of embedded OLE objects. If an application does not support in-place editing, Impromptu automatically launches the application when you edit the OLE object.

Steps

  1. In Impromptu, select the embedded object that you want to edit.

  2. From the Edit menu, select the embedded object.

  3. Do one of the following:

    • If the source application supports in-place editing, click Edit from the cascading menu.

      Impromptu's menus are replaced by the menus of the application in which the OLE object was created.

    • If the source application does not support in-place editing, click Open from the cascading menu.

    Impromptu launches the application in which the OLE object was created.

  4. Make the changes to the embedded object.

  5. Do one of the following:

    • If the source application supports in-place editing, click the mouse button anywhere outside the embedded object to return control to Impromptu.

    • If the source application does not support in-place editing, click Exit from the File menu.

  6. If you are prompted to save the changes you made, click Yes.

Format Linked or Embedded Objects

Once you have linked or embedded an OLE object in a report, you can change the properties of the object and format it as you would any other report object. A linked or embedded object has many of the same physical properties as frames. For example, you can change the size of an embedded object or add a border to a linked object.

For information about changing the format and properties of a report object, see the Impromptu online Help. In the Index tab, type

  • borders

  • patterns

  • styles, applying

  • resizing parts of a report