I have a bit of feedback for each of the three method:

>[ESPECIALLY if for whatever reason (mainly the decisions of
>the-powers-that-be), they SPECIFICALLY need the FoxPro Reports,
>which truly comprises only one of the following suggestions.]

Then you probably need to consider the third option, that of creating the Excel charts and embedding them into the general field. Sure, it will take some code, but so will some of the other options here, too <s>. This should work quite nicely, maximizing the design tools of the VFP Report Writer and minimizing the Automation aspects of the Excel graph (though Excel is still required on the system, so it's not TOTALLY VFP, if you're a purist). Having worked for purists, I can understand their rationale for requiring the VFP Report Writer (though I don't have to agree with it).

The second option, Crystal Reports, will likely provide what you need, and the added benefit is that you can apply all the Crystal Reports features to all your reports, not just this one. Alas, I have no experience with Crystal (though I've tried to get the project to adopt it for years, to no avail). However, I think it's safe to say that there's a different (and perhaps quicker) learning curve than the Automation option, which pays off on ALL the reports your system has.

Your first option, creating the whole report in Word and Excel is what I've spent the last five years of my life doing, so I'm a little partial to this one <s>. There's a lot of code to write, and it's not your standard VFP fare. However, with the macro recorder, you can record a macro while using the interactive tools to build the document (complete with shading, borders, and all the other features of Word and Excel that VFP wasn't designed to have). Then you cut and paste the macro code into your VFP code (it requires a just a bit of reformatting), which dramatically cuts the learning and coding curve. If you're comfortable building the document in Word (and the chart in Excel) as a *user*, you'll find that Automation isn't as labor intensive as might appear.

Hope this helps,

- della