How to automatically print an additional specific report when the Packing List is printed

I’m needing to automatically print a report when the Packing List report is printed. This is a report to be included with the shipping documents when shipping to a customer. It is related to the items being shipped and will need to use the PackID, from the Packing List report as the main parameter for this additional report. I’ve looked at a few similar posts out here but none that I see answers my issue. So … I apologize if I’m missing a solution that is right in front of my face. If I am, please direct me to the post you think would be my solution.

Ultimately, I’d like to give the user the option of when it’s printed so, if for some reason they don’t want to print this additional report, they can make that determination. I would prefer that this operation be available when the Packing List has been selected to be printed. I’d like to put a checkbox on Print Packing Slip/Labels Options screen that appears after the print icon is clicked. This is where the Packing List, Shipping Labels, or Both options can be selected. It would be perfect to include an option for my new report here. Would this be possible?

If the previous option isn’t possible, then I think this could be done by putting a checkbox on the Customer Shipment Entry screen, and as long as that checkbox is true … print the report using data directive. If I understand how the data directive works, this can only be done when the Customer Shipment Entry screen is saved and not when the packing list is printed.

I’m curious to know what other suggestions might be out there concerning the best way to do this and how to pass the PackID to my additional report that’s to also print?

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The easiest way would be to just leverage the auto print checkbox (or something similar) in Customer Shipment Entry and tie an auto-printing data directive to it when the record is saved. All the data is available that that time and easily created.

However, you can tie a data directive to monitor the SysTask table and filter the task description on your report running. Tie a checkbox on the report front end to an unused parameter field (or BPM context field if that can work) and run the report that way. You will need to get your PackNum from the SysTaskParam table to get your PackNum with a custom code widget. This can all be passed to an auto-print data directive at that point.

I am sure there is another way but this is an option.

Ross

Add a new separate report style - “with terms”
Where the terms are embedded at the end of the Packing Slip report.
Users can manually select the preferred style as needed.

I think that would be a lot easier than trying to add a separate checkbox, custom code.

Ross & Bruce,

Thank you for your reply’s. Very much appreciated. I’ll look these over and figure out the direction I need to take. The best thing I heard (or didn’t hear) from your reply’s was, “You can’t do that.”

Thanks again. I’ll be back in touch as this progresses.

The Advanced Print Routing module (BPM-based printing rules/flows and additional documents) may help you do what you need, and if you also have DocStar ECM, you gain a bit more control with the added workflow capabilities.

Thanks Mike,

I’ll check that out to!

Hi Kent,

We include a Certificate of Compliance report which is “automatically” printed based on the part.

Our parts are customer specific so we have added a tab to the Part maintenance screen for this. We have a series of checkboxes with the most important one being, “Print a Certificate of Compliance Report with the following options” checkbox. If this is checked, then every time we ship these parts, a Certificate of Compliance is printed with the options that were selected (ie. material, lot numbers, manufacture date, testing reports, etc.).

We did this so our Shipping Department doesn’t need to guess whether a Certificate of Compliance report is needed or not for that shipment. If checked, it automatically prints directly after the pack slip and has the pack slip number on it.

Hey Beth!

You’re doing almost exactly need to do. I’m needing to print a Certificate of Conformance report which is all of the testing results associated to the material that went into producing the finished item being shipped.

Did you modify the Packing List report or create a new one?

Where did you put this “Print a Certificate of Compliance” checkbox and are you using a data directive to print it … based on the value of the checkbox?