Using the Scratchpad in the Report Builder

Overview

The Scratch Pad is a personal library within the report builder where you can store metrics, text, live text, and other content for quick reuse. Instead of rebuilding elements from scratch each time, save them once and drag them into any report or company. The data will update to match whichever company you're working on.

What You Can Save to the Scratch Pad

The Scratch Pad works with nearly any individual object or combination of objects in the report builder, including:

Metrics — charts, KPIs, and other metric types built in the metric builder
Live Text — dynamic sentences that pull real data from your books
Text boxes — styled headers, descriptions, or notes
Shapes and images — logos, dividers, decorative elements
Full pages — entire layouts including multiple elements, statements, or custom designs

Note: Statements cannot be saved directly to the Scratch Pad. If you want to reuse a statement across reports, you'll need to add it as a template instead. See the Statement Templates section of the Using Statements in Reach Reporting article for more information.

Note: When a Scratch Pad element is placed into a new report, it inherits that report's theme colors. If you notice colors appear different than expected, check the theme color settings in the top left of the report builder.

Opening the Scratch Pad

To open the Scratch Pad, open a report and then select the Scratch Pad icon from the toolbar on the left side of the report builder. Any elements you've previously saved will appear here.

Note: The Scratch Pad is user-specific. No matter which client or company you're working in, you'll always see your own saved Scratch Pad elements. Other users in your workspace have their own separate Scratch Pads and will need to save their own elements to access them.

Adding Content to the Scratch Pad

Add one or more elements:

Select the item you want to save on the report page. If you would like to save multiple items at once, hold the Shift key on your keyboard while selecting each item.
Select the Add to Scratch Pad icon from the toolbar in the top right.

Add a full page:

Click the gear icon at the top of the page.
Select Add to Scratch Pad.

As you save items, they will appear in the Scratch Pad panel on the left. Scratch Pad elements appear in the order they are added, with the oldest at the top and the newest at the bottom.

Naming Scratch Pad Elements

Once an element is saved to the Scratch Pad, you can give it a meaningful name:

Double-click the box underneath the element in the Scratch Pad panel.
Type the desired name.
Press Enter to save.

Using Scratch Pad Elements in a Report

To add a Scratch Pad element to a report, simply drag and drop it from the Scratch Pad panel onto the page.

If you're adding a full page from the Scratch Pad, make sure the destination page matches the format (orientation) of the saved page. For example, a landscape Scratch Pad page must be dropped onto a landscape page. You can set the page orientation using the Report Page Settings icon at the top of the page.

When a Scratch Pad element is added to a report, it will automatically match the Theme Color in the Report Builder and update to reflect the company's data. This means any metrics or live text within the element will display the numbers for the company you're currently working in without the need for manual updates.

This makes the Scratch Pad especially powerful for firms managing multiple clients. With the Scratch Pad, you can build a layout once, save it, and reuse it across all your companies. The data will always be current and contextually accurate.

Removing Elements from the Scratch Pad

To delete an element from your Scratch Pad:

Hover over the element in the Scratch Pad panel, and a gear icon will appear in the upper right of the preview.
Select the icon, then select Delete.

This will permanently remove it from your Scratch Pad.

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