Using the Column Header Band in Report Designer

Using the Column Header Band in Report Designer

The articles in this section of the Knowledge Base involve working with Columns for display in multi-column reports. To learn more about Columns and how to access the Report Designer, see Creating Multi-Column Reports in Report Designer. This article explains the function of a Column Header Band.


Fig. 01 – Column Header Band

Generally, Header Bands are used for displaying Data Headers, but there is a Column Header Band for use with Reports that have multiple columns. Like the standard Header band, The Column Header band is output only once, but the components in the band are repeated above every column. It applies only to the columns positioned in the Data band. Note how the red lines that denote the location of columns and column gaps, in Figure 02, are in both the Data Band AND the Column Header Band.


Fig. 02 – Report Template – Column Header Band – Example

When this report is rendered, it has three columns along with three column headers (Subassembly Name). See Figure 03.


Fig. 03 – Automatic Column Header Insertion

Print if Empty Property

If there is not enough data to fill all of the columns, the column header above the empty column is not displayed.


Fig. 04 – Two Data Items in a Three Column Report

If you would like all of the column headers, even headers for empty columns, to be displayed, use the Print if Empty property of the Column Header band.


Fig. 05 – Print if Empty Property

With the Print if Empty property set to true, the report is rendered with the Column Header above the empty column.


Fig. 06 – Report with Print if Empty set to True

When the Min Rows in Column property of Down then Across mode is used, Report Designer cannot indicate the exact number of rows. When using the Min Rows in Column property, set the  Print if Empty property to true.

    • Related Articles

    • Using the Column Footer Band in Report Designer

      The articles in this section of the Knowledge Base involve working with Columns for display in multi-column reports. To learn more about Columns and how to access the Report Designer, see Creating Multi-Column Reports in Report Designer. This article ...

    • Creating Multi-Column Reports in Report Designer

      The articles in this section of the Knowledge Base involve working with Columns for display in your reports. To access the Report Designer, select Toolbox Setup > Design Reports > Design (Report Type) Report. Select New Report to design a report from ...

    • Using the Column Direction Property for Multi-Column Lists in Report Designer

      The articles in this section of the Knowledge Base involve working with Columns for display in multi-column reports. To learn more about Columns and how to access the Report Designer, see Creating Multi-Column Reports in Report Designer. This article ...

    • Adding a Header to a Table in Report Designer

      The articles in this section of the Knowledge Base involve working with Lists for display in your reports. To learn more about Lists and how to access the Report Designer, see Creating Lists in Report Designer. This article provides information on ...

    • Report Band Properties in Report Designer

      The articles in this section of the Knowledge Base involve working with Report Bands for display in your reports. To learn more about Report Bands, and how to access this section within the Report Designer, see Understanding Report Bands in Report ...

    • Recent Articles

    • Toolbox Release Notes | Build 25.1.0114.641

      The following release notes apply to Toolbox build 25.1.0114.641. UI Fixes Several issues were reported and discovered within the OEM 2025 user interface. The following issues have been resolved: Fig. 1: Excess commands on the tool strip being ...

    • Toolbox Release Notes | Build 25.1.102.641

      The following release notes apply to Toolbox build 25.1.102.641 Toolbox OEM 2025 Work smarter, and faster with Toolbox 2025 (OEM). With an OEM Subscription, you’ll gain access to the latest toolsets and innovative features of Toolbox 2025. ...

    • What’s New in Toolbox 2025 (OEM)

      Work smarter, faster with Toolbox 2025 (OEM). With an OEM Subscription, you’ll gain access to the latest toolsets and innovative features of Toolbox 2025. Improvements Toolbox UI Overhaul OEM 2025 introduces several updates to the appearance and ...

    • Toolbox Release Notes | Build 24.1.1206.641

      The following release notes apply to Toolbox build 24.1.1206.641 MV Server Nesting Fix There was a reported issue occurring when users attempted to remotely process work orders using a nesting station on MV Server. When attempting to process the work ...

    • Microvellum Foundation Library Release Notes | Build 24.1127

      The following release notes apply to Microvellum Foundation Library build 24.1127. Additions Added a new Soffit product to the Upper Cabinet Accessories category. Added the Top Filler (Ceiling Scribe) option to Upper and Tall cabinets. (Corner ...