Report editor (window)

Last updated: 7 April 2026

Settings > Reports > Display Editor

Settings > Messages > for a message in the list

In this article

The report editor can be opened from the Messages and Reports windows, as well as from the preview in all places where reports can be previewed.

When editing reports of types Text and HTML, only the menu option Save. For reports of type Normal, the following menu options are available.

Function

Description

Save

Saves the report. If you make changes whilst previewing a report, you must save it to see the changes in the preview.

Insert image

Inserts an image that is available on the computer. Place the cursor where you want to insert the image and click Insert image. The image is encoded as Base64 and added as a imagedata tag at the top of the report (line 4), and is referenced by the image’s name where it is inserted (line 12).

XML

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<template>
    <imagedata name="Image2" data="base64 string here"/>

  <dataset x="19" y="117" width="184" height="42">

    <header x="17" y="5" source="object">
      <item name="CMR" x="86.5" y="0" width="20" font="Arial" bold="true" size="12" />
      <item name="DK-" x="111" y="0" width="20" font="Arial" bold="true" size="12" />
      <image name="Image1" x="0" y="0"/>
      <image name="Image2" x="0" y="0"/>

Import from file/Export to file

You can export the report to an XML file and then import it again, for example if you want to edit it in another tool or use it as an XML file in other ways.

Check syntax

Checks the XML code in the report. If it is incorrect, an error message will appear at the top. The XML code is also checked automatically every time you save the report.

Line numbers

Tabs

Spaces

End of line

Shows/hides line numbers and formatting symbols in the text editor.

Search bar

Search in the report, in both the XML code and the text content.

Next search result. You don’t need to click on the icon to search. The search is performed as soon as you type something into the search bar.

17 March

Previous/next search result and the number of search results.

Match lower case/UPPER CASE

The search is case sensitive.

Replace

Displays a text field in which you can enter text to replace what is being searched for.

Copy

Cut

Copies/cuts the selected text.

Paste

Paste copied or cut text. shows the most recently copied strings.

You can copy several blocks in a report in one go, and then paste them wherever you want, without having to scroll back and forth through the report.

Convert selected rows into comments

Converts text to a comment in the XML code. Text marked as a comment will not appear in the generated printout or message.

When you’re experimenting with different layouts in a report, you can comment out different blocks instead of deleting them. If you want to use them later, simply remove the comment markers (<!-- and -->).

Reconvert selected rows into normal text

Converts comments to text in the XML code. The entire comment must be selected, including <!-- and -->, for it to be restored.

Indent

Inserts indents for each level in the XML code.

You cannot undo the command using Ctrl + Z, but you can close the report editor without saving the changes.

Outdent

Removes all indents and sets the text with a straight right margin.

You cannot undo the command using Ctrl + Z, but you can close the report editor without saving the changes.

Text editor

The appearance of the text field differs slightly depending on the type of report being edited.

  • Normal: a field with colour marking in accordance with XML syntax.

  • Text: a free text field for the entire message.

  • HTML: divided into subject line and body text.

In the text field, type what will be displayed when the report is generated. In addition to plain text, you can add tags that retrieve information from Opter, such as times and names.

Information about the report is available at the bottom of the window.

Function

Description

Length

Total number of characters in the report, including spaces.

Lines

Total number of rows in the report, including blank rows.

Line

The row the cursor is on.

Column

The position of the cursor on the row.

Makes the text larger or smaller.