ColumnFlex command

Fitting a columns a page using ColumnFlex command

Some pages have a variable number of columns. In this situation, it is common to want the rightmost column on each page of the accounts to line up. In the past this has been done by inserting formulae that count how many numeric columns are going to print and then increasing the width of an earlier description column by the width of the suppressed columns. Changing the column width of the description column was complicated. It required using one WC command for each number of numeric columns that could be printed. The ColumnFlex command is designed to simplify this.

Suppose we have the following columns:

Col1 | Col2 | ColumnFlex(1.2) | Col4 | Col5 | Col6 | Col7 | Col8

where some of columns 4 to 8 will be suppressed using a CS command if they contain no figures. When some of these columns are suppressed, we wish to add their column widths to the width of column 3 so that the right edge of the last printed column remains the same as on other accounts pages. All that is required is the following command in column 3:

=ColumnFlex(1.2)

This command tells the system to adjust the width of column 3 so that the rightmost column lines up with right margin of the page and to ensure that column 3 is at least 1.2 inches wide.

Note:

• The command does not use the =AP("...") syntax.
• If too many columns are printed to allow the ColumnFlex command's minimum column width in portrait mode and the page Orientation in Page Setup is set to Autodetect, then the page automatically switches to landscape.
• It is possible to use the ColumnFlex command to distribute the width of suppressed columns across more than one column. For instance with the following columns:

Col1 | Col2 | ColumnFlex(1.2) | Col4 | Col5 | ColumnFlex(0.5) | Col7 | Col8

the width saved by the suppressed columns is distributed to columns 3 and 6, ensuring that column 3 is at least 1.2 inches wide and column 6 is at least 0.5 inches wide. The width is distributed proportionately, i.e. in the ratio 1.2 : 0.5 between columns 3 and 6.

• The ColumnFlex command was introduced in version 2017.4 and an example can be seen in the FRS102 Statement of changes in Equity (SOCIE).  Subsequent release have increased the use of this command.