Export Customization
Report Forge can export report outputs to PDF, Excel, and Word. Each format has format-specific settings available in the export settings panel and directly in the export dialog.
Accessing export settings
For the template (design time)
- Open the blueprint in the Output Designer.
- Click Blueprint settings in the header → Export.
- Configure default format settings.
- Save.
These settings are applied every time the output is generated from this template.
At export time (per export)
When you click Export in the report viewer or output designer:
- A dialog shows the available formats.
- Each format has an Options section to override the template defaults for this export only.
PDF options
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Paper size | A4 (default), A3, Letter, Legal, or custom width × height in mm. |
| Orientation | Portrait or Landscape. Can be set per page. |
| Margins | Top, bottom, left, right in mm (default: 15mm all sides). |
| Page header | Static text, field-bound value, or logo image. Left, centre, right zones. |
| Page footer | Page number (Page N of M), generation date, custom text. |
| Page numbers | Auto-increment; choose start page and format (numeric, roman numerals). |
| Colour mode | Full colour (default) or Greyscale. |
| Compression | Standard quality (default) or High compression for smaller file sizes. |
| Hyperlinks | Include clickable hyperlinks from URL fields (on/off). |
| Watermark | Optional diagonal text watermark (e.g. "DRAFT", "CONFIDENTIAL"). |
| Security | Optional password protection for the PDF (view password, edit password). |
| Cover page | Exclude header/footer from page 1 (cover page design). |
Excel options
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Sheet name | Custom name for each output sheet. Defaults to the component label. |
| Include charts | Embed chart images in the workbook beside their data tables (on/off). |
| Include column headers | Export column header rows above table data (on/off). |
| Row grouping | Preserve Excel row grouping for hierarchical tables (on/off). |
| Number formats | Apply locale-specific number, currency, and date formats (on/off). |
| Freeze header row | Freeze the first row of each table sheet in Excel (on/off). |
| Conditional formatting | Export cell background colours from RAG / conditional colour rules (on/off). |
| Sheet per page | Export each report page as a separate Excel sheet (on/off). |
Word options
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Page size | A4, Letter, A3, or custom. |
| Orientation | Portrait or Landscape. |
| Margins | Top, bottom, left, right in mm. |
| Heading styles | Map section headers to Word heading styles (H1–H4). |
| Table styles | Apply a built-in or custom Word table style to all exported tables. |
| Embed charts | Embed chart images in the Word document (on/off). |
| Include cover page | Include the cover page design in the Word export (on/off). |
Adding a cover page
- Add a new page to the output — position it as the first page.
- Design the cover using: text blocks, an image component (for logo), and an info grid (for project metadata).
- In Page settings for the cover page, set:
- Separate margins (e.g. no top margin for a full-bleed design).
- No header/footer (cover pages typically exclude the standard running header).
- In Export settings, enable Skip header/footer on page 1.
Conditional page breaks
Force a page break before a component:
- Select the component on the canvas.
- In the Format panel → Layout → enable Page break before.
This inserts a page break before the component in PDF and Word exports. Useful for starting each WBS section or risk category on a new page.
Controlling what is included per format
You can mark individual components as PDF only, Excel only, Screen only, or All formats:
- Select the component.
- Format panel → Visibility → Include in export: choose the applicable formats.
Use this to:
- Include interactive controls (slicers, buttons) in the screen viewer but exclude them from PDF.
- Include a raw data table in Excel but not in PDF.
- Include a cover page image in PDF but suppress it in Excel.
Scheduled exports
If your plan includes scheduled exports:
- In the blueprint output settings → Scheduled exports → + New schedule.
- Configure:
- Format (PDF / Excel / Word).
- Delivery frequency (on edition approval, on a fixed schedule, or manually triggered).
- Recipients (email addresses or distribution list).
- Export options (same options as above).
Scheduled exports fire automatically when the trigger condition is met.