Use report settings after the report structure is mostly stable. This is where you control the defaults for the whole report, PDF behavior, and the finishing details that make the report ready to share.
Start with the report defaults
Use Settings in the top toolbar for settings that apply to the whole report, such as:
- report name and description
- palette
- default period and end period
- default period columns
- default source type
- default forecast version when the report uses forecast data
- entity scope
- default hide-zero behavior
Set these before you fine-tune individual widgets. It is easier to override one widget later than to fix inconsistent defaults after the report is built.
Control the parts that repeat across pages
Use the settings panel for the parts of the report that should repeat across pages:
- page headers
- page footers
- cover page
- table of contents
Use the header and footer editors for repeated report details, attribution, dates, and other text that should appear across pages. Keep page-specific commentary in normal widgets instead.
Tune PDF layout after the content is mostly done
Once the report content is close to final, adjust the PDF layout:
- orientation
- font scale
- margins
- cover template
- prepared-on and attribution settings
- TOC title
These controls are best used late in the process. If you change them too early, you may end up reworking page layout twice.
Resolve report-level warnings before export
If the toolbar shows unresolved bindings, stop there first. Those warnings mean the report still has content that needs attention before you export it.
Export only after one full read-through
Use Export PDF after you have checked the report the way someone else will read it.
Before export, scan for:
- the correct period and source
- missing or stale commentary
- section order that still makes sense
- cover page and TOC behavior
- page breaks or density issues that make the PDF hard to read
Save a report as a template
Save as template (report kebab menu) turns the current report's structure into a reusable starting point. A template captures the report's design — layout, sections, pages, widgets, and settings. It does not copy the underlying numbers. Creating a report from a template (the Templates button on the Reports list) re-anchors periods to the new entity's current actuals and re-resolves bindings, so you keep the design and start against fresh data.
Templates come in three scopes:
- System templates ship with ClearBox FPA.
- Workspace templates are saved in and visible to this workspace.
- Firm templates are shared by a linked accounting firm across its clients. Saving one requires firm-management access, and a firm template drops its live data bindings so each client resolves its own.
You can rename or delete your own Workspace templates from the template picker. System templates can't be deleted, and reports already created from a template are unaffected when you rename or remove it.
Insert an external PDF
Insert PDF (editor toolbar) embeds an externally produced PDF — a signed cover letter, an engagement letter, an appendix — into the report. Each page of the PDF becomes one report page in a new appendix section, which you can then reorder or trim like any other section.
- The file must be a PDF under 25 MB; password-protected PDFs are unsupported.
- Replace PDF (from the widget settings or the canvas) swaps the file while keeping the embedded pages in place. A shorter replacement drops the trailing pages that no longer exist; a longer one leaves the extra pages unused until you add them.
- The Show report header, footer, and section chrome toggle changes the exported PDF only; the on-canvas preview always shows the raw page.
Watch out for
- Tune PDF margins and font scale late; changing them before the content is mostly complete usually means reworking page layout twice. If the PDF feels cramped, simplify the page content or orientation before you keep shrinking font size.
- Resolve every unresolved binding in the toolbar before export, and keep page-specific commentary in widgets rather than report-level settings.