The default First Article templates shipped with QC-CALC do not display the Characteristic Source value. This White Paper will give step-by-step instructions for adding a Characteristic Source column to the standard First Article template.

Steps

The directions shown here will walk you through adding a column for Characteristic Source in the report and shrinking the remaining columns to make enough room on the page for an additional column. This is a lengthy process, but relatively simple to accomplish.

1. From QC-CALC Real-Time choose the Report > Design Template menu.

2. Choose the OnePiece.FST template from the list of files that appears and click Open.

3. The Report Designer now appears on the screen.

Making more Space

1. Double click on the table (the large pink rectangle) and the Table Contents window will appear.
2. Choose the Data Line tab then use the CTRL key to click and highlight the lines for the specification values and the Actual and Deviation values in the Line Definition 1 area and set the Width under Layout for all 5 lines to “0.65.” Be sure to skip the blank line in the middle.

3. Scroll down into the Line Definition Bonus area. Use the CTRL key to highlight the matching lines from the previous step and set the Width under Layout for all 5 lines to “0.65.” These are mostly blank, so match the pattern below.

4. Now that we have made room in the Data area for the additional column, we need to do the same thing in the Header area.

5. Choose the Header Line tab then hold the CTRL key and click to highlight the specification titles and the Actual and Deviation lines in the Line Definition 1 area and set the Width under Layout for all 5 lines to “0.65.” Be sure to skip the blank line in the middle.

6. Click the OK button then choose File - Save, to save these changes.

Adding a Column

1. Double click on the table and the Table Contents window will appear again.
2. Choose the Data Line tab, highlight the 3rd to last line in the Line Definition 1 area, then click the Append column button.

3. In the Edit Table window that appears, choose “Char_Source” in the Fields list, then click the Insert button.

4. Click OK on the Edit Table window, then, with the “Char_Source” line highlighted on the left, change the Width to “0.650” and the Background to “Transparent.”

5. Next, the same changes need to be made to the Bonus line. Highlight the 3rd to last line in the Line Definition Bonus area and click the Append column button.

6. In the Edit Table window that appears, enter “ ” (two quotation marks with a space between them) in the box at the bottom.

7. Click OK on the Edit Table window, then in the Table Contents window highlight the “ ” line on the left, navigate to Layout on the right and change the Width to “0.650”, then scroll to Appearance and change the Background to “Transparent.”

New Column Header

1. In the Table Contents window choose the Header Line tab.
2. Highlight the “ ” line after “Deviation”, then click the Append column button.

3. In the Edit Table window that appears, enter “Source” (including quotation marks) in the bottom box and click OK.

4. Back in the Table Contents window, highlight the “Source” line on the left and change the Width to “0.650”.

Final Steps

1. Click OK on the Table Contents screen and save your changes (File > Save).
2. Exit from the Report Designer and run your report.
3. You should see the contents of the Characteristic Source field appearing in your report now.