I’m not convinced that approach leads to a simple general solution. It requires very specific code for each user request / use case. As a result as it evolves the interface would become progressively less intuitive, requiring more and more knowledge of prior work arounds. And to be honest that is the problem with custom reports, finding the data you want requires understanding the underlying data structure Manager has evolved to use.
In my opinion a cleaner more general solution would be spreadsheet style interface where clicking on a spreadsheet cell shows a “formula bar” panel with fields to
- Name the cell
- Define the cell contents (database lookup information similar to the immediately prior localisation “Figures” interface) or
- Arithmetic function of other cells (by name) in the report transformation
- Format the displayed value (rounding options)
Described in more detail here Localisation Rounding support , however I can’t see that happening now.
Similar considerations apply to custom reports. Most people can’t use the current interface, so adding more independent options will just decrease the number of users actively using them and increase the programming cost of maintaining the functionality.