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Former Member
Aug 02, 2016 at 01:42 AM

Duplicating data fields of a graph

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Continuing my ongoing adventures (or battles) in re-creating a Crystal Report (2016) from a existing report.

I attempted to duplicate a graph from an existing report. The result should look like this

but instead was a straight line.

So to remove the possibility that my new report was completely mucked up I got the bright idea of "hey why don't I try and duplicate the graph in the same original report?!"

So I made a new footer, copied the graph object above it and pasted it in.

That resulted in two graphs that looked like the above picture. Ok so far.

Now I thought - lets just try and figure out these data fields.

So I have a timestamp and a logname in the 'On change of' box. (The logname is a PI tag name.)

Both of them exist in the Report Fields and under the ODBC as Command fields.

I'm not sure what the difference is in respect to the graph, because the PI DB is feeding the Report Field

of the same name right? Well anyways I thought "Which one is the one that was originally used?"

So I clicked on 'Command.TIMESTAMP - A' and left-arrowed it out of the 'On change of' box.

Updated the preview and saw a blank graph now. Ok. Expected that.

Then I selected 'Command.TIMESTAMP' under Report Fields and right-arrowed it into the 'On change of' box.

Updated preview - still no graph.

So repeated the steps but this time selected the ODBC Command-TIMESTAMP for the 'On change of' box.

Still no graph! But I see no other option to try! The graph above it (which this was copied/pasted from) has data fields identical to that picture.

And I only made that change I described. But can't get the graph to "come back".

This is where I think some things (perhaps many things) just can't be tweaked in Crystal Reports and tweaked back.

If that is true then the Crystal Reports application is poorly designed.

One shouldn't have to learn a bucket full of idiosyncrasies to maneuver around in an app.

This last comment I make because of the many posts I've read where CR users describe the motions they use to get things done.

Motions that aren't intuitive in my opinion.

But maybe there is an something obvious that I've missed (wouldn't be the first time - or last).

If so please show me. I don't see a lot of options from that window pictured above.

Mabye there is some XML in some temp file that I could view to provide some hidden clues!

Sorry for the diatribe.

Getting a bit frustrated with Crystal Reports.

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