[SIMS] Best way to print individual reports???

[ilsley_SIMS]

Hi,

 

I have got the colossal task of printing out all our academic reports. I started churning out our Year 7 ones first, but it seems to take forever using the 'print' function in SIMS. It generates the reports first and then sends them to print... but, to me, it feels like a very drawn-out process.

 

Is there a quicker way to getting the reports printed? It's my first time carrying out this process!

 

Also, does anyone know how to specify which printer you want to print to via SIMS?

 

Thanks in advance!

[LosOjos]

Hi,

 

I have got the colossal task of printing out all our academic reports. I started churning out our Year 7 ones first, but it seems to take forever using the 'print' function in SIMS. It generates the reports first and then sends them to print... but, to me, it feels like a very drawn-out process.

 

Is there a quicker way to getting the reports printed? It's my first time carrying out this process!

 

I export all mine to a folder overnight, then print them in the morning using this script (save with .vbs extension, drag folder containing reports on to script to print them all):

 

'==========================================================================
'
' NAME: WordXMLPrint.vbs
'
' AUTHOR: Jim Williams
' DATE  : 30/04/2007
'
' COMMENT: Batch prints Word XML files.
' HOW TO USE: Drag a folder containing the XML files onto the script.
'==========================================================================
Option Explicit

Dim Arg 			'Script argument
Dim FSO			'File System Object
Dim oFol			'Folder object
Dim oFil			'File object
Dim oFils		'Files
Dim myWord		'Word object
Dim filePath	'Path to file (need for Word to open the file)

'Check arguments
If WScript.Arguments.Length < 1 Then
MsgBox "Drag a folder containing Word XML files onto this script", vbOKOnly, "Error!"
WScript.Quit
End If 

Set FSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Arg = WScript.Arguments(0)
If FSO.FolderExists(Arg) = False Then
  MsgBox "Drag and drop a folder onto this script to print the contents."
  Set FSO = Nothing
  WScript.Quit
End If

Set myWord = CreateObject("Word.Application")
myWord.Visible = True

'Get folder informaton
Set oFol = FSO.GetFolder(Arg)

Set oFils = oFol.Files
  For Each oFil in oFils  '-- enumerate files in the folder using For/Each. Each oFil is a File object.
If FSO.GetFileName(oFil) <> "IndRepBaseTemplate.dot" Then
     filePath = oFil
     myWord.Documents.Open filePath, False, True, False, , , False, , , 8, , True
     myWord.PrintOut False
     myWord.Documents.Close False
End If
  Next 
myWord.Application.Quit False
Set myWord = Nothing
Set oFils = Nothing
Set oFol = Nothing
MsgBox "Complete!", vbOKOnly, "Printing done"

 

 

 

Also, does anyone know how to specify which printer you want to print to via SIMS?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

It'll use whatever printer is currently set as default in Windows, plus the default settings associated with it.

[ilsley_SIMS]

I export all mine to a folder overnight...

 

Is this done via the 'Export' feature on the Individual Report screen?

[LosOjos]

Is this done via the 'Export' feature on the Individual Report screen?

 

Yes that's correct. They take just as long to run, but you can at least leave it unattended then print them quite quickly in the morning using that script.

 

EDIT: for an example, one year group (approx 300 students) of full subject reports (page per subject) takes about 9 hours to run here

 

EDIT2: sorry, lots of edits another way to cut down run time is to minimize the use of graphics in your reports and to make sure that any you do use have been compressed (select image, go to 'Format' toolbar and select 'Compress Pictures')

Edited July 9, 2015 by LosOjos

[ilsley_SIMS]

Yes that's correct. They take just as long to run, but you can at least leave it unattended then print them quite quickly in the morning using that script.

 

 

Thanks. My only problem with that is I can't seem to get the full subject names merged to the reports, so I have had to create a template for every subject, and that means I have to run a set of reports for each subject before I move on to the next one!

[LosOjos]

Thanks. My only problem with that is I can't seem to get the full subject names merged to the reports, so I have had to create a template for every subject, and that means I have to run a set of reports for each subject before I move on to the next one!

 

I'm afraid I don't follow - why can't you use Report Sections to create a page/section for each subject?

[ilsley_SIMS]

I'm afraid I don't follow - why can't you use Report Sections to create a page/section for each subject?

 

I didn't think of it like that!!! Of course, that'd work perfectly!

 

Sorry, that was a scatterbrained moment. It's rare.... promise!

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

And thanks once again!

[ilsley_SIMS]

EDIT: Ignore this comment! Edited July 9, 2015 by ilsley_SIMS

[tben2505]

Great - this doesn't seem to work for WORD 2013, though - is this what you use it with?

 

I wonder if anyone knows how to combine all the exported XML files into 1 XML file - this would allow for printing to be done easily, by merely opening the 1 xml file in WORD and then printing - and would make archiving a lot easier, too - say to PDF.

 

Is it possible?

 

Cheers

 

Tom

 

 

I export all mine to a folder overnight, then print them in the morning using this script (save with .vbs extension, drag folder containing reports on to script to print them all):

 

'==========================================================================
'
' NAME: WordXMLPrint.vbs
'
' AUTHOR: Jim Williams
' DATE  : 30/04/2007
'
' COMMENT: Batch prints Word XML files.
' HOW TO USE: Drag a folder containing the XML files onto the script.
'==========================================================================
Option Explicit

Dim Arg 			'Script argument
Dim FSO			'File System Object
Dim oFol			'Folder object
Dim oFil			'File object
Dim oFils		'Files
Dim myWord		'Word object
Dim filePath	'Path to file (need for Word to open the file)

'Check arguments
If WScript.Arguments.Length < 1 Then
MsgBox "Drag a folder containing Word XML files onto this script", vbOKOnly, "Error!"
WScript.Quit
End If 

Set FSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Arg = WScript.Arguments(0)
If FSO.FolderExists(Arg) = False Then
  MsgBox "Drag and drop a folder onto this script to print the contents."
  Set FSO = Nothing
  WScript.Quit
End If

Set myWord = CreateObject("Word.Application")
myWord.Visible = True

'Get folder informaton
Set oFol = FSO.GetFolder(Arg)

Set oFils = oFol.Files
  For Each oFil in oFils  '-- enumerate files in the folder using For/Each. Each oFil is a File object.
If FSO.GetFileName(oFil) <> "IndRepBaseTemplate.dot" Then
     filePath = oFil
     myWord.Documents.Open filePath, False, True, False, , , False, , , 8, , True
     myWord.PrintOut False
     myWord.Documents.Close False
End If
  Next 
myWord.Application.Quit False
Set myWord = Nothing
Set oFils = Nothing
Set oFol = Nothing
MsgBox "Complete!", vbOKOnly, "Printing done"

 

 

 

 

 

It'll use whatever printer is currently set as default in Windows, plus the default settings associated with it.

[tben2505]

The script works if you click OK to the three error messages it displays for each file:

 

[LosOjos]

I've not been upgraded to 2013 yet, but a quick Google suggests the issue is with Reading View. Two options; open Word, go in to Options and look for a checkbox labelled "Open e-mail attachments and other uneditable files in reading view" - uncheck it.

 

Of, try this (untested) version of the script:

 

Option Explicit

Dim Arg 			'Script argument
Dim FSO			'File System Object
Dim oFol			'Folder object
Dim oFil			'File object
Dim oFils		'Files
Dim myWord		'Word object
Dim filePath	'Path to file (need for Word to open the file)

'Check arguments
If WScript.Arguments.Length < 1 Then
MsgBox "Drag a folder containing Word XML files onto this script", vbOKOnly, "Error!"
WScript.Quit
End If 

Set FSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Arg = WScript.Arguments(0)
If FSO.FolderExists(Arg) = False Then
  MsgBox "Drag and drop a folder onto this script to print the contents."
  Set FSO = Nothing
  WScript.Quit
End If

Set myWord = CreateObject("Word.Application")
myWord.Visible = True

'Get folder informaton
Set oFol = FSO.GetFolder(Arg)

Set oFils = oFol.Files
  For Each oFil in oFils  '-- enumerate files in the folder using For/Each. Each oFil is a File object.
If FSO.GetFileName(oFil) <> "IndRepBaseTemplate.dot" Then
     filePath = oFil
     myWord.Documents.Open filePath, False, True, False, , , False, , , 8, , True
     myWord.ActiveWindow.View.ReadingLayout = False
     myWord.PrintOut False
     myWord.Documents.Close False
End If
  Next 
myWord.Application.Quit False
Set myWord = Nothing
Set oFils = Nothing
Set oFol = Nothing
MsgBox "Complete!", vbOKOnly, "Printing done"

[tben2505]

"Open e-mail attachments and other uneditable files in reading view" - uncheck it.

 

 

works!! Thanks

[Schoolcomms]

If you are printing them all out to send them home, the other option is to just email them all to parents from Schoolcomms. It takes minutes to do the whole school. We do a 30day free trial so you can do it for real before you even buy it.

[bobsmith]

@LosOjos I've got this working with your latest revised script, thanks!

 

2 further questions if you could:

 

1. can i specify the print order somehow? Ideally alphabetically by form group

 

2. can we run the original export with command reporter? rather than tying up our office PCs for hours (and having to avoid the automatic shutdown of client pcs at 5pm!)

[tben2505]

If you are printing them all out to send them home, the other option is to just email them all to parents from Schoolcomms. It takes minutes to do the whole school. We do a 30day free trial so you can do it for real before you even buy it.

 

We have InTouch so can so the same in SIMS

 

Cheers

 

Tom

[LosOjos]

@LosOjos I've got this working with your latest revised script, thanks!

 

2 further questions if you could:

 

1. can i specify the print order somehow? Ideally alphabetically by form group

 

2. can we run the original export with command reporter? rather than tying up our office PCs for hours (and having to avoid the automatic shutdown of client pcs at 5pm!)

 

1. The easiest way to achieve this (well, the way I do it at least!) is to export them already sorted like this from SIMS, then if you sort by 'Date Created' in explorer, you'll be able to see where each group starts/ends. Sort them in to folders, then run each folder through the script - it automatically does them alphabetically. An alternative is to use this version of the script, which should print by date created (untested, try a small subset first). Will still need you to order them in SIMS first, but cuts out the folder moving step:

 

Option Explicit

'folder properties
Const adDate = 7
Const adVarChar = 200 

Dim Arg 			'Script argument
Dim FSO			'File System Object
Dim oFol			'Folder object
Dim oFil			'File object
Dim oFils		'Files
Dim myWord		'Word object
Dim filePath	'Path to file (need for Word to open the file)

'Check arguments
If WScript.Arguments.Length < 1 Then
MsgBox "Drag a folder containing Word XML files onto this script", vbOKOnly, "Error!"
WScript.Quit
End If 

Set FSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Arg = WScript.Arguments(0)
If FSO.FolderExists(Arg) = False Then
  MsgBox "Drag and drop a folder onto this script to print the contents."
  Set FSO = Nothing
  WScript.Quit
End If

'Get folder information
Set oFol = FSO.GetFolder(Arg)
Set rsFolder = CreateObject("ADODB.Recordset")

With rsFolder.Fields
.Append "Path", adVarChar, 200
.Append "Name", adVarChar, 200
.Append "DateLastModified", adDate
End With
rsFolder.Open()

Set oFils = oFol.Files
For Each oFil in oFils
rsFolder.AddNew
rsFolder("Path") = oFil
rsFolder("Name") = oFil.Name
rsFolder("DateCreated") = oFil.DateCreated
Next
rsFolder.Sort = "DateCreated ASC"

Set myWord = CreateObject("Word.Application")
myWord.Visible = True

rsFolder.MoveFirst()
While Not rsFolder.EOF
If rsFolder("Name").Value <> "IndRepBaseTemplate.dot" Then
  filePath = rsFolder("Path").Value
  myWord.Documents.Open filePath, False, True, False, , , False, , , 8, , True
  myWord.ActiveWindow.View.ReadingLayout = False
  myWord.PrintOut False
  myWord.Documents.Close False
End If
Wend
myWord.Application.Quit False
Set myWord = Nothing
Set oFils = Nothing
Set oFol = Nothing
MsgBox "Complete!", vbOKOnly, "Printing done"

 

The interesting bit here is the 'rsFolder' part, which creates a sortable recordset of the file details - that's what you'll want to play with to alter the sorting used (assuming it works of course!)

 

2. unfortunately not - I had to ask our IT team to exclude my PC from the automatic shutdown for this reason (I run them overnight)