Creating Report Templates

Report templates contain macros which tell ReportMagic what data to use and how to use it, so that your reports are produced as required. Templates also contain other content, branding and formatting information. You can create report templates:

By saving work you've done in Report Studio
By using a provided template as a starting point
From scratch by writing macros in a Word document

Note that:

Templates can be in .html (web) or .docx (Microsoft Word) format. Either will work, but you should probably choose .html if you intend the content to be displayed on the web or the main body of an email, and .docx if you intend the content to be displayed as a Word document, a PDF file or distributed as an email attachment
You can use CSV and XLXS files to merge data directly into the template from external systems
You can specify a different reporting period to the default in a template
You should store your report templates safely in an appropriate file system.
You can use one report template but have multiple output documents produced from it, using Batch Variables.
You should create a single folder per template, unless you intend running multiple templates as part of a batch.

Optimal Microsoft Word Settings for Template Writing

When writing templates in Microsoft Word, some settings should be off as follows.

From the File menu, click Options and under Proofing:

Click the AutoCorrect Options ... button and on BOTH the AutoFormat and AutoFormat As You Type tabs, clearthe following:

"Straight quotes" with "smart quotes"
Hyphens (- - ) with dash ( -)

For example:

Click OK then still under Proofing, clearthe following checkboxes:

Check spelling as you type
Mark grammar errors as you type

Picture Quality

It is also recommended that you turn off picture compression to improve picture quality, but note that uncompressed pictures can result in large file sizes. To ensure any images in your document retain their original high resolution, do the following:

In Microsoft Word, from the File menu, click Options and under Advanced
Under Image Size and Quality, from the drop down, select All New Documents
Clear the "Do not compress images in file" checkbox

Using a Provided Template

To help you get started, from the Files menu, click Library. Browse, download and edit one of the report templates provided here, then re-upload your modified template elsewhere.

To download any file, right-click the file and from the menu that appears, choose Download or double-click the file.

Adding data from files to the template

You can use CSV or XLSX files as a way to merge data into reports. To do this, ensure you put the file in the same input folder as your report templates. Then use the [File.Csv.Table:] or [File.Xlsx.Table:] macros to insert the entire contents of the file into a table in your report. You can also use an asterisk in the macro as a wildcard at the end of the filename. See the macro help for more details.

Using Report Templates

When you have finished editing your report templates:

Save them in Microsoft Word docx file format
Upload them to a specific folder in an appropriate file system, taking a note of where this is

Now you need to create one or more Schedules pointing at the folder containing the template. The Schedule will run the template and produce a report, either immediately when you click Run Now, or automatically at a time you have chosen.

Creating multiple reports from a single template

There are many circumstances where you will want to have one report template and create multiple reports from it. For example, a service provider with 10 customers might want to list all the devices for each customer. To do this:

Set up batch variables in your schedule.
Create a report template and use {BatchVariable} in the macros, for example, [LogicMonitor.DeviceList:group={BatchVariable},storeAs=DeviceList,hidden=true]

A different output file is created for each batch variable, with the BatchVariable as part of the filename.

Macros in Headers and Footers (Word templates)

The vast majority of macros are supported in headers and footers of the Word document template.

Such macros are always processed last, after the main document. The order of processing is:

Macros in the main document
Macros in each header, in the correct sequence (i.e. macros in a header on page 1 are processed before macros in a header on page 2
Macros in each footer, in the correct sequence (i.e. macros in a header on page 1 are processed before macros in a header on page 2

Note that the processing order of macros in each header or footer is generally in the order that they are encountered in normal text (left to right, top to bottom), however it is not absolutely guaranteed if you have shapes that contain macros as well.

Macros that embed files or XLSX documents cannot be used in headers and footers (or may cause a macro error), such as the [Xlsx.Embed:] and [File.Embed:] macros. Obviously it makes little sense to embed an Excel file into a document header, in any case