Dockable Windows

When you first install Crystal Reports, there are three dockable windows displayed in the Report Designer: the Workbench, the Report Explorer, and the Field Explorer. Each window is located along the right side of the designer. If you want to personalize your workspace, you can move them to another location within the designer. You can also close any windows that you don’t use. Here are a few tips for working with the windows.

If you want to move a window to a new location, click on the top bar along the window and hold down the left mouse button. While holding down the mouse button move the mouse to where you want the window to move. You will see a gray outline “jump” around the screen showing you where the window will be. Once you are happy with the location, let go of the mouse and the window will be “dropped” at that location.

If you want to remove the window from the designer, click on the “X” icon in the top right corner. This closes the window. If you later decide that you want the window back (or you clicked the “X” by mistake), go to the menu and select View. Within the submenu is a list of all the windows. Click on the one you want and it will become visible again.

Sometime you can accidentally click on the window while moving the mouse around and “magically” reposition the window to some random place. Now it is free-floating within the designer. When this happens, it might be difficult to get it to lock back into its original position in the Report Designer. To fix this, double-click on the window’s title bar and this returns the window to where it was last docked.

One feature I really like about windows is that they can be hidden but still be visible on the screen. If you look at the top of the window you’ll see a thumbtack icon on the right side. This is the “Auto-Hide” icon – it makes the window visible only when you need it. Clicking on it causes the auto-hide feature to be toggled on or off. When auto-hide is on, the main portion of the toolbar is invisible and only the title bar is shown along the right side of the screen. To make the window visible, simply let the mouse hover above the title bar and it will appear again. When you take the mouse away from the window, it goes back to hiding.