Converting Access report to html

[Robert Sullivan]

>An exact example of what I want to do is on the following page:
>http://www2.bw.edu/~wwwlib/alphalst.htm#A
>The two columns of text are simply pasted into the body of the html in
><PRE> tags.  Does this cause problems in Lynx?

Looks fine from here, although if you intend to keep this format you might
tweak the word wrapping so you don't end up with anomalies like this

----------------------
AMERICAN NATURALIST                     v. 76-v. 100, v. 102- (1942-1966, 1968-
                                        ) 1986- on microfilm, current issues in
                                        print
----------------------

where your parenthesis shouldn't break like that, and you may want to make the
lines a few characters shorter so you don't get this

----------------------
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY                    v. 20- (1948- ) 1982-1993 on microfiche
,
                                        Chemistry Reading Room - Wilker Hall

ANNALS OF CONGRESS                      See U. S. DEBATES AND PROCEEDINGS ... O
F
                                        CONGRESS
----------------------

>What I need is a way to get an ms access report to a text file with the
>formatting maintained so I can just cut and paste it in with the <PRE>
>tags.  When I import the access report to Word in all the formats I have
>tried, I lose the formatting.  I may be confusing things using the word
>columns.  Any way to do this?

Your mileage may vary, but I have found that producing a report tailored to the
online viewer rather than the print viewer works better.  From the feedback I
have received from my users, I would make these suggestions:

1) Limit your file size to 50-60K.  I am making all my new files smaller and
revising old ones.  You may not have to worry about this if your users are all
in-house on good connections, but many of mine are on low-speed text
connections, and they get cranky at waiting for 150K files.

2) Some users with graphical connections may be using large type sizes,
particularly those who are not competely blind but have macular degeneration or
some other visual disability.  Using <pre> tags makes them do a lot of
horizontal scrolling, and I have abandoned it on all but a few pages (mostly
columns of figures).

I don't use Access, but it's easy enough in FoxPro to generate a file which
uses dictionary list tags for your holdings, such as:

<dt>Worm Runner's Digest
<dd>v. 1- (1950- )
<dd>Biology Library

where your lines will wrap no matter what configuration your users have.

Finally, make life easier for yourself and have your database generate the
entire file from beginning tags to the end rather than cutting and pasting.

Just my opinion.  Hope this helps.

Bob Sullivan                               scp_sulli at sals.edu
Schenectady County Public Library (NY)     http://www.scpl.org