How Do I Troubleshoot an Out Tag?

Here are some common problems that may occur while using Out Tags, their causes, and solutions.

HTML Tags Aren't Correctly Translated into Word Formatting

This is usually because the type property in the Tag isn't set to TEMPLATE. Ensure the type property is set correctly.

Date Formatting Is Not Applied to Text in Report Template Output

There are two possible causes here. 

First, the Out Tag type property must be set to DATE to interpret date formats correctly.

Second, Report Designer may not recognize the format of dates in your data source. If that is the case you must use the input property to define a format pattern to specify the format of dates in your data source.

Images Aren't Displayed in Report Template Output

This may be due to whether your image itself, or its location (URL or filename), is stored in your data source. You may need to use an Import Tag rather than an Out Tag. Refer to When Do I Use an Out Tag or an Import Tag? to determine whether an Import Tag should be used.

Variable Values Aren't Appearing in Report Template Output

The Tag Select property may not be correctly set to Value.

The Out Tag Equation Isn't Correctly Calculated in Report Template Output

The Tag Select property may not be correctly set to Evaluate.

Out Tags in Excel Templates Don't Display Data As Expected

Excel's native formatting may conflict with settings in your Out Tag and give you unexpected results. Remember that Excel formatting determines what appears in the cell. The Out Tag doesn't change that, and whenever possible we defer to Excel's format and settings.

An Example

Suppose you have an Excel cell containing an Out Tag with a Number format with zero decimal places: 

But the cell's native Excel format is set to a Number with two decimal places:

Then the Excel cell format will override the Out Tag format and the output will display two decimal places: