[FAQ] Printing a list of movies

[RebaD]

Is it possible to do so... if yes, How? If not why not make it so.

[rick.ca]

...because we don't want you killing trees.

But, if you insist, you can export any kind of list you want (as defined by templates) and then print the result with the applicable application (i.e., browser, text editor). Check out the sample templates at Preferences - Plugins - Plain text (Configure).

[nostra]

...because we don't want you killing trees. Wink

lol

[RebaD]

I don't want to kill trees either... but we had a fire that destryed about 1500 movies, & the insurabce needed a paper list to reimburse us... Thanks

[rick.ca]

OIC. So were you able to produce and print a suitable report? We expect you to report back that you got a full reimbursement... thanks to PVD!

[wannytje]

I want to make a list of all my movies for children, but I want the picture of the movie with it, because my children can't read yet.  How can I do that?

[rick.ca]

Welcome, wannytje.

Use svenne's export templates. That topic is a little long, and the templates are still a work in progress, but if you read through it you'll see why I'm recommending it.

In a nutshell, selected movies are exported to HTML using one of these templates, and the result is displayed in a browser. The templates include separate print styles that format the pages for printing. You can preview those using your browser's print preview feature.

As you will be his first real customer, I'm sure svenne will help you get what you need. That will likely be an adaptation of the HTML List template so it includes a poster and less text. Give the latest version a try, and then post your comments/request to the linked topic.

[craigsg]

For those of you that recommended I utilize the Personal Video database for by Blu Ray Library, Thank you! 

Now that I have everything neatly entered and catalogued, can anyone tell me how I can print a list of my movies?  I have sorted them by genre.  I'd like to be able to print my movies by the various Genre Listings.  I looked at a few previous postings about printing a paper list but I am such a novice, I have no idea how to download the applications that will allow me to print the list.

Any ideas?

Thanks for your help, in advance....

[nostra]

Just export the movies to a text file, csv file or html file, open the exported file and print it from the associated application.

If you want to export only movie with a certain genre, then you need to filter them out first.

[rick.ca]

Welcome, Craig.

And my long-winded version of the same answer...

The problem with printing from a database application is number of different types of reports users might want is virtually unlimited. So the requirement to produce output for printing is handled in the same way as outputting data for any purpose—by exporting. The data exported is formatted as specified by the selected template. Note that each of the items appearing in your export menu is a template. These templates are managed at Preferences - Plugins - Plain text export. Don't be confused by the term "plain text." It's appropriate in the sense the plugin is for outputting plain text, but templates can add formatting so the resulting files are in whatever format is required. For example, for printed reports, the result could no formatting (so the result is truly plain text), HTML (for display in a browser), Rich Text Format (for a word processor), etc. The results would then be printed using the application designed for the format used (i.e., text editor, browser or word processor).

So the process of printing reports is as follows:

1. Display the movies to be included in the report using Filters and/or Advanced search (e.g., to select a particular genre).

2. Export the movies displayed using the appropriate template.

3. Most templates are configured to automatically open the exported file in the associated program. So, for example, an HTML report would be opened in your browser. Use that program's print facility to print the report.

As you've probably noticed from the post above, I recommend trying svenne's export templates. They're not yet included in the installation package, so you'll have to download and install them. I believe svenne's topic covers how to do that (it's not difficult). Zacca also has posted a very slick template here. It produces a condensed list (which might be what you want for printing), but on mouse-over (in the browser) each movie expands to include details. Those, along with the templates already installed, will give you some choices. You may need to adjust your expectation of what a "list" is, or modify one of the templates to suit your needs.