Hi,

I have reports that need a couple new fields added to them. The Datasource has been updated and displays the new fields in the Field Explorer. It's the same Datasource that was already in the report, just with a couple new fields.

The existing report fields have several formatting options and suppression code. Rather than recreate all that formatting and code for the new report fields, I would like to simply copy an existing report field, and then point it to the new Datasource field.

Here's a small example for clarification:

(previous)
FIELD EXPLORER:
- SP_Persons
     - FirstName
     - LastName

(new)
FIELD EXPLORER:
- SP_Persons
     - FirstName
     - LastName
     - MiddleName

On the report form, there are 2 fields. FirstName and LastName. I would like to make a copy of the FirstName field, and then point that copy to the MiddleName Datasource field. So the new MiddleName report field retains all the same formatting and code without having to manually drop in the new field from the Field Explorer, and then go change all the formatting and code by hand.

Thanks in advance!

I already did that. The datasources have been updated to bring in the new database fields. That doesn't save me from manually dropping the new database fields onto the report design, and then formatting each of the new fields exactly the same as every other field on the report.

I'm trying to save myself a lot of redundant work on the design of the report. For example, when I view the existing report, the 'FirstName' field might have the following formatting:

Times New Roman
12pt Font
Blue Font Color
Black borders
<suppression code>
etc...

'MiddleName' is a new database field. I don't want to drop it onto the report and set all that formatting and coding manually. I want to copy all that formatting to the new 'MiddleName' field.

My original question assumed there is a way to copy the 'FirstName' field, and just change which datasource field it points to. (maybe that's where the confusion happened)

consider also just using the Format Painter.