Report Creator: Relative File Path for Outputs?

[Anonymous]

Hi there, 

Does anyone know if there is a way to specify an output file location using a relative path to the project's location? I know you can have the output reports stored inside the project, but I'd like to be able to send the output files to a different folder than the one that hosts the project. 

Thanks!

[jabowabo]

I don't know if there's a way to make it relative but that doesn't look necessary by your pic. You can set whatever absolute path you want (and use some variables as shown):

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Thanks for the response! And yeah, that's how I've had the file location set up  when I've previously used the Report Creator, but now I'm trying to optimize it's behavior so it's easy to set up for new projects. 

I wanted to have the files set up as they're shown in my initial post to better match our project file structure, but I've compromised and just created that "Excel Lists" folder within the project file. With it there, it's easy to set up a relative file path that works for every project: 

This way, to configure the reports for new projects I just need to copy the Excel Data folder into the project (instead of changing the absolute file path for all 8 of our reports). Combined with relative file references in Excel, it gets pretty easy to get your project data. 

Have a good one!

[jabowabo · Accepted solution]

Coincidentally, I had a need to use relative paths on a weekly report automation routine I'm working on. I tried a relative path and it actually worked! It even creates the directory if it doesn't exists. Here's the setting I used to put the report one folder up from the project folder and into a new folder named 'Weekly Reports':

[PP]\..\Weekly Reports\MTO_[PN] ([D:YYYY-MM-DD] [T:HH.MM])

[Anonymous]

Oh wow! That works like a charm, and that's pretty clean that it even creates the folder for you if it isn't available. 

[PP]\..\..\Weekly Reports\MTO_[PN] ([D:YYYY-MM-DD] [T:HH.MM])

It also works to go more than one file level up if you duplicate the period section like so - I'd imagine you could get the report to output to anywhere you needed with your method. Very nice!