Data Types for Reports

[UselessBrewing]

From what I have gathered, there are no "Data Types" that will allow all tags. It would be nice if there was a Data Type that encompassed every tag available. Then we truly could make our own reports! The data type I use most, and that I think most users would use most is the "Recipe" Data Type.

Is this a feature upgrade for the next release, or do you think It would be an easy patch and that I could have it tomorrow?     

my 2 cents.

Thanks for the great software!

Preston

[BeerSmith]

Preston,
  Could you please explain this a bit further?  I'm not sure exactly what you mean by data types in this context.

Thanks,
Brad

[UselessBrewing]

Preston,
  Could you please explain this a bit further?  I'm not sure exactly what you mean by data types in this context.

Thanks,
Brad

When I make a report template (like a Recipe template) and add it to my reports, there is a data type field. This is where you choose which data type for the report template you want to use. I made a template that had all the tags that I could find to see what worked and what did not. That’s when I discovered that not all tags work for each data type.

It would be nice to have all tags work with a data type.

Thanks for the great software
Preston

[BeerSmith]

Preston,
  Obviously some data tags don't work for all data types because many would not make much sense for other types (hops have no ABV or OG for example). 

  Most of the common ones are listed in detail in the BeerXML standard at http://www.beerxml.com

  I'm always open to adding more!  For example I've been considering allowing finer control over which columns appear in tables.  I also need to do a tutorial on the whole custom reports feature.  I am working on a video series now or short tutorials that I plan to publish on the web -- hopefully I can finish them soon.

Thanks,
Brad

[UselessBrewing]

Thats great news!
I enjoy flexibility in software, and I agree that there are many tags that have no meaning in some data types if used for their stated purpose.

Please entertain the following thoughts:
Lets say I want to make a Beer Label for one of my kegs. Which Data Type should I use? The Recipe Data type has quite a few tags that would be pertinent for such a template. But it is also missing things that I would like to see on that label. Things like Bitterness Range, Carbonation Range, and Total Price would be missing.
Or Lets say I am going to a club brew day. I want to Modify my water to resemble a specific region for a special beer and add this information to my brew sheet so I have everything in one place on Brew Day.

My suggestion would be to make a Data Type that had all the tags that were currently available. This would allow anyone the flexibility to create templates the way they would like them to be presented.

As always, Thank you for the amount of time and attention you spend on this great software. It is truly appreciated!

Preston