How to Preview Reports in Agilent OpenLab CDS 2.4 and higher

Answer

This Information Applies To: Agilent OpenLab CDS versions 2.4 or higher.

Issue

How to preview result files using various Report Templates in OpenLab CDS versions 2.4 or higher. 

Requirements

The user has the result set loaded in OpenLab CDS Data Analysis.

Steps to Follow

1. In an OpenLab CDS Data Analysis session, click Reporting in the bottom-left corner then click the Report Templates drop-down. See Figure 1.
2. Load the desired report template from the Report Template drop-down (or select New Template):
   

   
   
   Figure 1. Where to select a Report Template from in Data Analysis.
   
   

   The report will load, and if the Report Editor and Report Preview menu items are selected, you will see open both the Report Editor and the Report Preview Screens. You can toggle these on and off; Figure 2 shows an example with the menu items toggled off, while Figure 3 shows an example with them toggled on.
   

   
   
   Figure 2. View obtained when Report Editor and Report Preview menu items are not selected, 
   
   

   
   
   Figure 3. View obtained when Report Editor and Report Preview menu items are selected, 
   
   

   Tips: If you do not have any of the two windows open then even with the Report Template loaded it might look like no template is loaded (See Figure 2). To avoid getting stuck in a loop of loading templates and not seeing them, open at least one of the windows (Report Editor or Report Preview). Either of those will show the name of the loaded template.

    

3. Click the Preview or the Editor menu item.
   

   
   
   Figure 4. Viewing the Report Template in the Preview mode. Editor mode not shown.
   
   

   Tips: In terms of the report preview itself, whether you view it from the Preview or Editor screen does not matter. The two views look the same. The only difference is that if you want to edit the report, you will only be able to edit it from the Editor screen. There are more details on how to view those edits below.

4. Inspect the Report Preview document to assess whether it meets your needs.
   

   
   
   Figure 5. Report Preview window.
   1. Hyperlinks used to navigate to subsections of the report, 2. Document zoom percentage selection, 3. Document sliders (left-right and up-down) used for browsing the document
   
   

5. Add report items (Chromatograms, tables, method/sample/sequence information, etc.) if desired, from the Report Items section.
   

   
   
   Figure 6. Report Items list location.
   
   

6. Click Refresh Preview to apply changes from step 4 to the preview.
   

   
   
   Figure 7. Refresh Preview menu item location.
   
   

7. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you reach the report format that meets your requirements.
   
   
8. Save the Report Template if you want to keep any modifications, so you have it available for future use.
   
   

   
   Figure 8. Saving the Report Template.

   Confirmation: You should now have a report template that meets your analytical needs.

Learn how to effectively operate your Agilent OpenLab CDS:  Agilent 7890 Series GC with OpenLab CDS Agilent 1260 Infinity LC Systems with OpenLab CDS e-learning paths available from Agilent education