Formatting Labels with Markup Text in Finished Reports

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Learn how to format text in Finished Reports using HTML-style tags by enabling the Allow Markup Text option on labels in VDM.

What Is “Allow Markup Text”?

The Allow Markup Text feature in Finished Reports lets you apply formatting to label content using simplified HTML tags. This makes it easy to bold, underline, color, size, or even hyperlink text without using complex scripting or design tools.

Tip: This feature is ideal for displaying dynamic data with custom formatting — like emphasizing key values, styling report headers, or highlighting alerts directly inside your reports.

Why Use Markup Text?

• Apply rich formatting with simple tags

• Combine expression logic with styled output

• Save time creating polished, readable reports

• Add emphasis or visual hierarchy to labels dynamically

Use Case: You want to display a customer status message with bold red text and a line break if certain conditions are met.

Download Sample

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Where Do You Enable Markup Text?

Markup Text is enabled in the Behavior section of a label's properties inside the Finished Reports Designer. Once turned on, you can write expressions using supported markup tags to control the visual appearance of the text.

Video Tutorial:

Supported Markup Tags and Examples

Text Formatting Tags

• Bold: <b>Text</b> → Text

• Italic: <i>Text</i> → Text

• Underline: <u>Text</u> → <u>Text</u>

• Strikethrough: <s>Text</s> → Text

• Combination: <b><u>Bold & Underlined</u></b>

• Reset Formatting: <r> resets all formatting from that point forward

Miscellaneous Formatting

• Font Size: <size=12>Text</size>

• Font Color: <color=red>Text</color>

• Background Color: <backcolor=yellow>Text</backcolor>

• Font Name: <font=Arial>Text</font>

• Line Break: <br> → Breaks line

• Hyperlink: <href='https://example.com'>Link</href>

• Sub/Superscript: <sub>Sub</sub> / <sup>Sup</sup>

• Non-breaking Space: <nbsp> → Adds space

Tip: When building expressions with multiple parts, use a + to concatenate strings and logic (e.g., "Hello " + '<b>' + [Field] + '</b>').

Steps to Enable and Use Markup Text

Step 1: Open the Finished Reports Designer

Launch your View and navigate to the Finished Reports tab.

Step 2: Select the Label

Click on the label where you want to apply formatted text.

Step 3: Enable Markup Text

In the Behavior section of the label’s properties, check the box for Allow Markup Text.

Step 4: Enter Expression Logic

Click into the Text property’s expression editor.

Write your expression using a combination of fields and markup tags.

Example:

'<b> Order Date: </b> ' + [OrderDate] + 
'<b> Freight: </b> ' + [Freight] + 
'<b> OrderID: </b> ' + [OrderID]

Step 5: Save Your Changes

Once formatting is complete, save the Finished Report and preview the layout.

Article Summary

The Allow Markup Text feature in Finished Reports allows VDM users to embed lightweight HTML-style tags into label expressions for quick and powerful visual formatting. Whether you're highlighting balances, customizing headers, or improving layout readability, these tags let you control style directly within your expressions. By enabling this option in a label’s Behavior settings and crafting expressions with tags like <b>, <color>, or <br>, you can significantly enhance the look and clarity of your exported reports—without requiring external tools or manual design work.

Use Case: You need to dynamically display a warning message for overdue invoices with bold red text and a line break before showing the balance. Markup Text makes this easy with one dynamic expression.