Each report page and report element has display properties similar to the layout of content on a web page. These properties define the layout of the elements in relation to the page they are displayed in and in relation to other report elements. You can add scripts that dynamically change these properties such as the width and height of a chart to match the width of the web browser used to view the chart.
Choosing layout preferences
The layout preference for report pages is auto or fixed and is located in the general properties of the BIRT design.
Auto layout resizes the document to 100% of the screen width, for each page. Report items that support a width in percentages can also take advantage of the auto layout. For example a table with a width of 100% expands to the width of the web browser when the auto layout is used.
Using an auto layout display can also cause pages to display in different sizes. For example, when a table is set to create a page break for every 40 rows of data and the content includes dynamic group labels or resizing cells, the additional content causes page sizes to change. When you export the content of a BIRT document to a PDF you also will see a difference in the page numbers shown in the PDF and the page numbers shown in the mobile device.
Use fixed layout if you want the PDF page count and page layout to display the same on both mobile and desktop devices. Using a fixed layout also sets a fixed size to rows in a grid. For example, if a grid has rows of a height set to 1 inch, if the content size exceeds the row height, the content will be clipped. Auto layout ignores the row height value if the content size exceeds the row height.
Typically, the auto layout is good for content that you want to expand or contract with the size of the web browser window. Fixed layout is useful for content that has report elements of a fixed size in a specific layout or when you want the report viewed in a browser to match up with the printed PDF version of the same report.
Using the master page
If your reports are only meant for mobile devices you can change the master page to a smaller size that matches the smaller screen of the device. You can also set the master page to 100% width and height to fill the browser window instead of using a fixed height and width.
Figure 43‑1 shows the result of changing the master page from letter size to 100% height and width and setting the page layout set to auto.
Figure 43‑1 Viewing a chart in a letter sized and a 100% sized master page
