Hello All,
I am relatively new to GP but have been getting in deep lately. Currently I am working on updating our SOP Blank Packing Slip Form in Report Writer. I have built up several calculated fields and understand much of it but I have run into an issue that I can't seem to make sense of. I am trying to add the email address and phone number associated with a specific company address (shipTo). The standard ones are pulling in the default bill to fields. I have read several documents on the usage of the rw_Table*... functions but I cant seem to make sense of the syntax. Could someone please give me an example of how to build a function to refer to a specific address? An example would be extremely helpful to understand how to use these functions properly. Thanks in advance for the help!
Your only other choice would be using VBA to get data onto a report using ADO.
https://winthropdc.wordpress.com/2008/10/29/using-ado-with-vba-with-report-writer/
Without Dexterity, or GP Power Tools the rw_Table functions don't actually do anything. They are just placeholders for developers to code against.
Another option is using Crystal Reports or SSRS. But then to make those work you would need an addon product as well.
Please watch the Benefits Presentation as you will realize that GP Power Tools is worth getting on your system hosted or not.
https://www.winthropdc.com/ftp/pub/GPPowerTools_Benefits.ppsx
Regards
David
Thanks for the response David. I have in fact read every one of those articles several times as well as many of your other articles. I really appreciate them as I have learned a lot from them. Unfortunately, I can't seem to make any sense of this. Our GP installation is hosted so Power Tools is out of the question as getting the host to install anything is pretty much like pulling teeth. I don't really understand the dexterity thing. From the reading it seems that Dexterity is used on the other side to pass the data to GP RW. This data is already in standard tables that exist. Is there no way to simply add another table to the form/report with a foreign key link? I find it insane that Report Writer has not received any update over the past years. It is so archaic and a disappointing limitation, especially when compared to the flexibility of the rest of GP. Thanks again for your input.
To use the function you either need to use Dexterity or GP Power Tools to create a custom function.
Here is the KB that explains how to use the functions with Dexterity
support.microsoft.com/.../useful-functions-for-developers-to-use-instead-of-creating-alternate-r
winthropdc.wordpress.com/.../
Here are GP Power Tools examples:
Here is a bigger example with custom user defined field being added to window and report
Hope this helps.
Under review
Thank you for your reply! To ensure a great experience for everyone, your content is awaiting approval by our Community Managers. Please check back later.
As AI tools become more common, we’re introducing a Responsible AI Use…
We are honored to recognize Mansi Soni as our August 2025 Community…
These are the community rock stars!
Stay up to date on forum activity by subscribing.
Sohaib Cheema 665 User Group Leader
Martin Dráb 595 Most Valuable Professional
Yng Lih 558