Microsoft ACTIVEREPORTS FOR .NET USER MANUAL

ActiveReports for .NET User Guide

ActiveReports for .NET User Guide | 1

ActiveReports for .NET User Guide | 2

Table Of Contents

ActiveReports for .NET User Guide 8

Introducing ActiveReports for .NET 8

ActiveReports Editions 8

Standard Edition Features 8

Professional Edition Features 9 Data Dynamics Copyright Notice 9 ActiveReports for .NET License Agreement and Limited Warranty 10 Frequently Asked Questions 11 Installation and Setup 12

Hardware and Software Requirements 12

Installed Files 13

Troubleshooting Installation 14

Verifying Package Installation 14 Upgrading Reports 14

Changes Between ActiveReports 2.0 and ActiveReports for .NET 14

Converting Microsoft Access Reports 15

Migrating from ActiveReports 2.0 15 Architecture and Concepts 15

Events 16

Hyperlinks 16

Layout Files 17

Localization 17

OutputFormat Strings 17

Parameters 18

Report and Page Settings 19

Report Execution 22

Report Structure 23

Scripting 23 Getting Started 24

ActiveReports Designer 25

Using the ActiveReports WinForm Viewer 25

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Adding a Report to Your Project 26 Design Surface 27 Loading an Existing Report Layout 28 Report Menu 28 Toolbars 29

Toolbox 29 Adding ActiveReports Controls to the Visual Studio Toolbox 30 Adding an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio .NET Project 31 Adding Field Expressions 33 Binding Reports to a Data Source 33

Using a Data Set 33

Using a Data View 34

Using the DataSource Icon 34 Grouping Data 35 Licensing Applications 36 Localizing the Viewer Control 36 Using Metric Units 38 Saving and Loading RDF Files 38 Saving and Loading RPX Files 39 ActiveReports and the Web 40

ActiveX Viewer Control 40

Manually Configuring Web Samples 43 Using Export Filters 46

Getting Assistance 47

Readme File 47 Product Support 48

Product Registration 48 Technical Support 48

Samples and Walkthroughs 49

Samples 49

Standard Edition Samples 49

Annual Report Sample 50

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ASP.NET Standard Edition Web Sample 50

Category Selection Sample 51

Cross-Tab Sample 51

Custom Preview Sample 51

Data Reader Binding Sample 51

Data View Binding Sample 51

DataGrid Printing Sample 52

E-mail Sample 52

Hyperlinks and Drill-Down Sample 52

RDF File Viewer Sample 52

Report Assemblies Sample 52

Unbound From Array Sample 53

Unbound From Text File Sample 53

XML Data Sample 53 Professional Edition Samples 53

ASP.NET Web Sample 53

End-User Report Designer Sample 53

Walkthroughs 54

Standard Edition Walkthroughs 54

Walkthrough: Data Bound Reports 55

Walkthrough: Unbound Reports 57

Grouping Data Walkthroughs 61

Walkthrough: Conditional Show-Hide Detail 61 Walkthrough: Group on Simple Fields 64 Group on Unbound Fields 66 Walkthrough: KeepTogether Options 71

Page Numbering Walkthroughs 73

Walkthrough: Page Numbering in the Group Header 73

Walkthrough: Page Numbering in the Page Footer 76 Walkthrough: Summary Fields 79 Walkthrough: Calculated Fields 81 Bookmarks Walkthroughs 83

Walkthrough: Bookmarks with Grouping 84

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Walkthrough: Bookmarks with Simple Reports 87

Walkthrough: Bookmarks with Subreports 89 Walkthrough: Rich Text and Field Merging 94 Master Detail Reports Walkthroughs 99

Walkthrough: Master Detail Reports with Grouping 100

Walkthrough: Master Detail Reports with Subreports 102

Walkthrough: Master Detail Reports with XML Data 105 Subreports Walkthroughs 107

Walkthrough: Hierarchical Subreports 107

Nested Subreports 110

Walkthrough: Simple Subreports 114 Parameters Walkthroughs 117

Walkthrough: Parameters with Simple Reports 118

Walkthrough: Parameters with Subreports 119 Hyperlinks Walkthroughs 122

Walkthrough: Hyperlinks 123

Walkthrough: Hyperlinks and Bookmarks 125

Walkthrough: Hyperlinks and Simulated Drill-Down Reporting 130 Walkthrough: Conditional Formatting 136 Walkthrough: Using Data Sets Containing Relationships with Subreports 139 Run-Time Reporting Walkthroughs 144

Walkthrough: Creating and Modifying Report Layouts at Run Time 144

Walkthrough: Modifying the Report Data Source at Run Time 153 Walkthrough: Creating Advanced Report Layouts 155 Modifying Report Documents Walkthroughs 157

Walkthrough: Adding Pages 157

Walkthrough: Applying Page Templates 161

Walkthrough: Merging Reports 164 Walkthrough: Style Sheets 167 Scripting Walkthroughs 169

Walkthrough: Scripting and Simple Reports 169

Walkthrough: Scripting and Subreports 172

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Printing Walkthroughs 176

Walkthrough: Duplexing 177

Walkthrough: Multiple Copies 178

Walkthrough: Orientation 179

Walkthrough: Scaling Pages 181 Walkthrough: Customizing the Viewer Control 183 Walkthrough: Using ActiveX Viewer Control on the Web 185 Walkthrough: Exporting Output 188 Walkthrough: Saving and Loading to a Memory Stream 190 Web Custom Exporting Walkthroughs 193

Walkthrough: Custom Exporting with HTML 193

Walkthrough: Custom Exporting with PDF 199

Walkthrough: Custom Exporting with Excel 202

Walkthrough: Custom Exporting with TIFF 205

Walkthrough: Custom Exporting with RTF 208

Custom Exporting with Plain Text 210 Walkthrough: Deploying Compiled Reports 213 Custom Controls and ChartFX 214 Web Services Walkthroughs 216

Data Set Web Service 216

Data Set Windows Application 217

ActiveReports Document Web Service 219

ActiveReports Document Windows Application 221 Localization Walkthroughs 223

Localizing the Active Reports Viewer control 223

Localizing the ActiveReports Designer 227

Localizing the ActiveReports Engine 231

Professional Edition Walkthroughs 234

Creating an End-User Report Designer Walkthroughs 234

Walkthrough: Creating the Basic Layout for an End-User Report Designer 235

Walkthrough: Adding Code for the End-User Report Designer 237 Walkthrough: Adding Code for the Main Menu 239 Walkthrough: Adding Code for the Property Grid 241

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Walkthrough: Configuring the ActiveReports Toolbox 242

Walkthrough: Adding Code for the ActiveReports Toolbox 244

Walkthrough: Configuring the Layout Toolbar 245

Walkthrough: Adding Code for the Layout Toolbar 248

Walkthrough: Configuring the Report Toolbar 255

Walkthrough: Adding Code for the Combo Boxes 258 Walkthrough: Adding Code for the Report Toolbar 263

Walkthrough: Adding a Viewer Control for the End-User Report Designer 271 Walkthrough: Deploying ActiveReports Web Applications 273 Configuring the HTTP Handlers 274 Walkthrough: HTTP Handlers 277 Walkthrough: Web Viewer Control 279

ActiveReports leverages the latest technologies including XML, scripting and CSS along with open architecture

includes the same power and flexibility of ActiveReports 2.0 and provides complete integration with the Visual

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ActiveReports for .NET User Guide

ActiveReports for .NET is a fully-integrated product which combines the features of the Visual Studio programming languages with user-friendly controls to provide a powerful report designer.

In the ActiveReports for .NET Documentation

Introducing ActiveReports for .NET

Find out more about ActiveReports for .NET, installation and setup information and the features of the standard and professional editions.

Getting Assistance

Find out the location of the Readme file and how to obtain product support.

Samples and Walkthroughs

Find out how to use different features of ActiveReports in the available samples and walkthroughs.

Introducing ActiveReports for .NET

to provide you with a fully-integrated and user-friendly report designer. This topic contains information about: ActiveReports Editions

Find out about the different features of the Standard and Professional editions.

Data Dynamics Copyright Notice

Find out about Data Dynamics copyright information.

ActiveReports License Agreement

Find out about the terms of the ActiveReports License Agreement and Limited Warranty.

Frequently Asked Questions

Find out about Frequently Asked Questions.

Installation and Setup

Learn the details of ActiveReports installation and setup.

Upgrading Reports

Find out about upgrading reports in previous versions of ActiveReports and other report programs.

Architecture and Concepts

Find out about the structure and concepts of report design.

Getting Started

Learn the basics of using ActiveReports for .NET.

ActiveReports Editions

Standard Edition Features

Find out about the features of ActiveReports for .NET Standard Edition.

Professional Edition Features

Find out about the features of ActiveReports for .NET Professional Edition.

Standard Edition Features

ActiveReports for .NET is a complete rewrite of the popular ActiveReports engine and report viewer. It

Studio .NET Environment. ActiveReports for .NET Standard Edition supports the following features:

Designer

Full integration with the .NET environment

includes the same power and flexibility of ActiveReports 2.0 and provides complete integration with the Visual

HTTP Handler extensions allow report files (RPX) or compiled assemblies containing reports to be dropped

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Familiar user interface

Use with C# and VB.NET

Compilation of reports included as part of the application for speed and security or included separately

Designer hosting of .NET and user controls

Reporting Engine

Managed code

Binding to ADO.NET, XML and custom data sources

l l Easy deployment with the report processing engine as a single assembly dll

All of ActiveReports 2.0 features

Report Viewer

Managed C# code

Very small deployment assembly, suitable for use on the Internet

Table of Contents/Bookmarks

Hyperlinking

Export Filters

ActiveReports includes export filters to generate output into Rich Text Format (RTF) for word-processing, Portable Document Format (PDF), Microsoft Excel worksheets, HTML and DHTML for publishing your reports to the internet, TIFF for optical archiving and faxing and delimited text for spreadsheets and databases.

Professional Edition Features

ActiveReports for .NET is a complete rewrite of the popular ActiveReports engine and report viewer. It

Studio .NET Environment. ActiveReports for .NET Professional Edition includes all of the features of the Standard Edition and supports the following additional features:

End-User Report Designer

The control is a run-time designer that may be distributed royalty free. It allows the ActiveReports designer to be hosted in an application and provides end-user report editing capabilities. The control's methods and properties provide easy access to save and load report layouts, monitor and control the design environment, and customize the look and feel to the needs of end users.

ASP.NET Integration

Web server control provides convenience for running and exporting reports in ASP.NET.

l l

on the server and hyperlinked.

Web Viewer Control

The Web Viewer control allows quick viewing of ActiveReports on the web as well as printing capability

with the ActiveXViewer and AcrobatReader ViewerType properties.

HTTP Handlers

The RPX HTTP Handler allows hyperlinking of an ActiveReport on a web page to return a HTML format or

PDF format of the report for viewing and/or printing. Compiled Report HTTPHandler allows hyperlinking of an ActiveReport compiled in an assembly on a web

page to a HTML format or PDF format of the report for viewing and/or printing.

Data Dynamics Copyright Notice

Information in this document, including URL and other Internet Web site references, is subject to change without notice. Unless otherwise noted, the example companies, organizations, products, domain names, e-

this document may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form

or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without

the case of an authorized transfer, the transferee must agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of this

The product that you produce and/or distribute is NOT a software development product, a product that is sold

ActiveReports for .NET User Guide | 10

mail addresses, logos, people, places and events depicted herein are fictitious, and no association with any real company, organization, product, domain name, e-mail address, logo, person, place or event is intended or should be inferred. Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user. No part of

the express written permission of Data Dynamics, Ltd.

ActiveReports and the ActiveReports logo are registered trademarks of Data Dynamics, Ltd. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

ActiveReports for .NET License Agreement and Limited Warranty

The product in this package (libraries and object code) is proprietary to Data Dynamics, Ltd. and is protected by Federal Copyright Law. Data Dynamics retains the title to and ownership of the Product. You are licensed to use this Product on the following terms and conditions:

LICENSE:

The licensee is defined as the individual software developer utilizing the Product. This license is not for an entire company but for a single developer. Data Dynamics hereby grants the licensee a nonexclusive license authorizing the licensee to use the enclosed Product on one computer at a time for development purposes. Distribution of the application(s) using ActiveReports is royalty-free, requiring no additional license fees. You may incorporate the sample code into your applications. Use of this product by more than one individual or by anyone other than the licensee terminates, without notification, this license and the right to use this product.

YOU MAY NOT:

Distribute, rent, sub-license or otherwise make available to others the software or documentation or copies thereof, except as expressly permitted in this License without prior written consent from Data Dynamics. In

License Agreement.

RESTRICTIONS:

You may use this Product in your business application for sale or distribution as long as:

primarily to software developers or system integrators or a development environment of any kind. Please contact Data Dynamics, Ltd. for special commercial licensing provisions in these circumstances.

The software serial number and user must be registered with Data Dynamics in order to receive support or distribution rights.

You may not remove any proprietary notices, labels, and trademarks on the software or documentation.

You may not modify, de-compile, disassemble, reverse engineer or translate the software.

FILES THAT MAY BE DISTRIBUTED WITH YOUR APPLICATION:

Standard Edition License:

ACTIVEREPORTS.DLL, ACTIVEREPORTS.VIEWER.DLL ACTIVEREPORTS.INTEROP.DLL, ACTIVEREPORTS.XLSEXPORT.DLL, ACTIVEREPORTS.HTMLEXPORT.DLL, ACTIVEREPORTS.PDFEXPORT.DLL, ACTIVEREPORTS.RTFEXPORT.DLL, ACTIVEREPORTS.TEXTEXPORT.DLL, ACTIVEREPORTS.TIFFEXPORT.DLL

Professional Edition License:

ACTIVEREPORTS.DESIGN.DLL and ACTIVEREPORTS.WEB.DLL in addition to the Standard Edition files.

US GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED RIGHTS:

Use, duplication or disclosure by the United States Government is subject to restrictions as set forth under DFARS 252.227-7013 or in FARS 52.227-19 Commercial Computer Software - Restricted Rights.

TERM:

consequential damages, such as, but not limited to, loss of anticipated profits, benefits, use, or data resulting

only works on Web Forms, and the other is DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Viewer, which is a viewer control

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You may terminate your License and this Agreement at anytime by destroying all copies of the Product and Product Documentation. They will also terminate automatically if you fail to comply with any term or condition in this Agreement.

LIMITED WARRANTY:

This software and documentation are sold "as is" without any warranty as to their performance, merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. The licensee assumes the entire risk as to the quality and performance of the software. Data Dynamics warrants that the media on which the Program is furnished will be free from any defects in materials. Exclusive remedy in the event of a defect is expressly limited to the replacement of media. In no event shall Data Dynamics or anyone else who has been involved in the creation, development, production, or delivery of this software be liable for any direct, incidental or

from the use of this software, or arising out of any breach of warranty.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ActiveReports 100% managed? ActiveReports includes the following distributable DLLs: Managed DLLs:

ActiveReports.DLL - This is the reporting engine. Managed and written in C#.

ActiveReports.Design.DLL - This is the run-time end user report designer. Managed and written in C#.

ActiveReports.Viewer.DLL - This is the Windows Forms viewer. Managed and written in C#.

ActiveReports.Web.DLL - This is the Web Forms viewer and RPX handler. Managed and written in C#.

ActiveReports.PdfExport.DLL - This is the PDF export filter. Managed and written in C#.

ActiveReports.HtmlExport.DLL - This is the HTML export filter. Managed and written in C#.

Unmanaged DLLs:

ActiveReports.Interop.DLL - This is the auxiliary COM interop DLL. Unsafe C# code for OLE object hosting

and other COM functions. ARExport*.DLL - These are the export filters. Managed wrappers around unmanaged VC++ code.

Note The export DLLs will be converted to managed C# after the first release. The above are the only distributable DLLs. The core components are all managed and use all of what .NET has to offer.

ActiveReports also includes the following non-distributable DLLs:

ARDBWizard.DLL - This is the design-time Report Wizard. Managed C#.

ARTaskPane.DLL - This is the design-time wizards container. Managed C#.

ARVSPackage.DLL - This is the VS Integration package. Unmanaged VC++ (Since integration with VS

requires COM, this cannot be done any other way).

Why is the viewer icon grayed out? The icon may be grayed out for 2 reasons:

1. The control selected in the components list was for the wrong viewer control. ActiveReports has two separate viewer controls. One is DataDynamics.ActiveReports.WebViewer, which is a viewer control that

that works only on Windows Forms.

2. The correct form is not selected. If a Windows Form or Web Form is not selected in the project, the viewer icon may be grayed out. Verify the correct viewer component is selected for the project:

For the Windows Form Viewer - DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Viewer - ActiveReports.Viewer(x.x.x.xxxx) For the WebForm Viewer - DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Web - ActiveReports.WebViewer(x.x.x.xxx)

The controls overlap: If the controls are overlapping each other this will prevent the controls from moving

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Why am I getting an ambiguous reference error? This error will occur if the report's class file has "Imports System.Windows.Form" or "using

System.Windows.Form;." The reason for the error is the Windows.Forms namespace and the ActiveReports namespace have definitions for Textbox, Label etc. In order to prevent the error, the code will need to use the full System.Windows.Form namespace when referencing Windows.Form objects.

Why are my empty controls not moving up? Stacked controls will not move up under the following conditions:

1. up when the empty controls shrink.

2. The controls are being intersected by another control: if the stacked controls have another control to the left or right that does not line up, it will stop the controls from moving up.

The best solution is to use the Remove Vertical Spacing icon on the .NET layout toolbar. After you place the controls on the report, leaving a little space between each control, select all of the controls in the stack and click the icon to remove the white space between them.

How do I distribute the assemblies for ActiveReports for .NET? There are 2 ways the ActiveReports assemblies can be deployed. Each way depends on your installation

method.

1. If you are copying your project from the development machine to your server, you should set the ActiveReports references in your project references to CopyLocal = True. This way the ActiveReports DLLs are in the bin folder of the compiled project.

2. If you are making an installer for your software, you will need to include the ActiveReportsDistrib.MSM file included with the installation of ActiveReports for .NET. For example, it may be installed in the C:\Program Files\Data Dynamics\ActiveReports for .NET\Deployment folder.

There is a third way to accomplish this which is not recommended because it is not very easy. There is a command line utility that you can use to install each DLL in the GAC. The format is 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio .NET\FrameworkSDK\Bin>gacutil -i assembly'.

Installation and Setup

This topic will help you find out what is necessary to install ActiveReports and direct you to appropriate help for the installation process.

Requirements

Find out the hardware and software requirements to install ActiveReports for .NET.

Installed Files

Find out what files are installed with ActiveReports for .NET.

Troubleshooting Installation

Find out how to troubleshoot installation issues.

Verifying Package Installation

Find out how to verify successful installation.

Tip Close Visual Studio .NET before running the installation program to allow the help files to be integrated into Visual Studio s common help collection.

•

Hardware and Software Requirements

This topic includes hardware and software requirements for installing and using ActiveReports for .NET.

Hardware requirements (minimum)

Processor: PC with a Pentium II-class processor 450 MHz

Deployment\ActiveReportsDistrib.msm

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Operating System: Windows® 2000, Windows XP or Windows NT 4.0

Software requirements

Microsoft .NET framework

Microsoft Visual Studio .NET

Installed Files

Folder/Files Description

<Common Files>\Data Dynamics\ActiveReports for .NET

ActiveReports.DLL Run-time engine assembly file ActiveReports.Design.DLL Designer assembly file ActiveReports.Interop.DLL Native functions assembly file ActiveReports.Viewer.DLL Viewer assembly file ActiveReports.Web.DLL Web assembly file ActiveReports.Web.Design.DLL Web designer assembly file ARVSPackage.DLL Visual Studio .NET Integration Package ActiveReports.HtmlExport.DLL HTML Export DLL ActiveReports.PdfExport.DLL PDF Export DLL ARExportTIFF.DLL TIFF Export DLL ARExportExcel.DLL Excel Export DLL ARExportRTF.DLL RTF Export DLL ARExportText.DLL Text Export DLL ARCol.Hx* ActiveReports Help Integration Collection ddARRef.HxS ActiveReports Help File--Class Library

ddARUG.HxS ActiveReports Help File--User Guide License.rtf

<Common Files>\Data Dynamics\ActiveReports for .NET\1033

ARVSPackageUI.DLL Visual Studio .NET integration DLL localized UI

<Common Files>\Data Dynamics\ActiveReports for .NET\Wizards

ARAccessWizard.DLL Access to ActiveReports wizard ARDBWizard.DLL New Report Wizard Add-In ARInstallExt.DLL ActiveReports installation auxiliary file arinstallext.InstallState ActiveReports installation auxiliary file DDAccessHelper.dll Access wizard auxiliary file WebKey.exe Web.config key generator ARTaskPane.DLL Report Wizards IDE Task Pane

Data\Nwind.mdb Samples database file Data\streamSample.mdb Streaming sample database file

Deployment\arview2.cab ActiveX viewer cab file Introduction\iddlogo.gif Readme image file Introduction\itopimage1.gif Readme image file Introduction\itopimage2.gif Readme image file

Data Dynamics ActiveReports License Agreement and Limited Warranty

ActiveReports merge module file

The installation for ActiveReports for .NET gives the user the option to install the program for everyone or the

and verify the "Data Dynamics ActiveReports" entry in the installed products

ActiveReports 2.0. Most of the changes are due to class refactoring and renaming of objects and members to

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Introduction\assemblies.gif Readme image file Introduction\readme.html ActiveReports Readme file Samples\samples.txt Samples description text file Samples\CSharp\*.* C# sample projects

Samples\VB\*.* Visual Basic sample projects

Troubleshooting Installation

Why can't other users access or use ActiveReports on my machine?

current user. If it is installed only for the current user, other users on the same machine will not be able to access it or use it.

I just installed ActiveReports for .NET. Why can't I see the help files? If the installation was run while Visual Studio was open, the help files will not be integrated until the user

exits Visual Studio and reopens it.

Why do I get, "The installer was interrupted before Data Dynamics ActiveReports for .NET... could be installed. You need to restart the installer to try again" when I run the ActiveReports Setup?

The most likely cause for this error is a permissions issue. Either the folder the setup is pointing to or the folder containing the setup files does not have the correct permissions. The user needs to verify the system account for the local machine has permissions to the folder containing the setup and verify the user installing the program has the appropriate permissions.

Verifying Package Installation

To verify package installation

1. Open Visual Studio .NET.

2. You should see the ActiveReports logo on the splash screen.

3. Open Help > About Dialog list.

Upgrading Reports

ActiveReports allows you to upgrade your reports from other versions of ActiveReports and other report programs.

Changes Between ActiveReports 2.0 and ActiveReports for .NET

Find out about changes between ActiveReports 2.0 and ActiveReports for .NET.

Converting Microsoft Access Reports

Find out about converting Microsoft Access reports to ActiveReports.

Migrating From ActiveReports 2.0

Find out how to migrate reports from ActiveReports 2.0.

Changes Between ActiveReports 2.0 and ActiveReports for .NET

Report Classes

Data Dynamics attempted to keep to a minimum the number of changes to the report object model from

closely match the .NET Framework naming conventions. Listed below are the significant changes in the object model.

1. ActiveReport.Show removed: ActiveReports class is no longer a Window class. This requires using the viewer control to preview the output of a report.

and a Document class. The new Document class has all the members to save/load RDF files and streams.

ActiveReport to achieve the results you desire. To launch the upsizer, open a project in Visual Studio, click on

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2. Strong-typed Section classes: ActiveReports for .NET includes classes for each of the section types with their own unique properties. The old Section object is still available and the SectionCollection class holds items of the Section type. The new section classes are Detail, GroupHeader, GroupFooter, PageHeader, PageFooter, ReportHeader and ReportFooter.

3. New Stylesheet class: Provides access to the styles defined in the report and allows you to change the individual style item properties.

4. Image control renamed to Picture.

5. Field control renamed to Textbox.

6. Supported justified text alignment option for textboxes and labels.

7. Indirect support of ActiveX controls through .NET wrappers and the new CustomControl class.

8. Three added data source classes which replace the data controls: OleDbDataSource, XmlDataSource and SqlClientDataSource.

9. Split Pages collection: the Pages class from ActiveReports 2.0 is refactored into a PagesCollection class

10. Changed measurements from twips to inches.

11. Frame control has been removed.

Printing

1. Added PrintController and PrintControllerWithStatus classes to make the printing model similar to the .NET Framework.

2. Use of the .NET Framework Printer and PrinterSettings classes by the viewer control. An optional unsafe printer class is also included for advanced printing and print job control similar to the ActiveReports 2.0 class.

Viewer

1. A rewritten report viewer control to take full advantage of the .NET framework classes.

2. Complete revision of the Toolbar and Tools classes.

3. Separation of the Table of Contents tree control from the TOC collection (renamed to BookmarksCollection).

4. No binding of the viewer control to an ActiveReport object. Instead, it binds to a Document object.

Converting Microsoft Access Reports

Access reports can be easily converted to ActiveReports format by running the Access upsizer wizard. Due to differences between products, the extent to which your reports will be converted will depend on your specific report layout. However, since Data Dynamics provides source code, you can modify the resulting

Tools > ActiveReports Wizard, then click on Access Import. This launches the Access to ActiveReports Wizard.

Migrating from ActiveReports 2.0

ActiveReports for .NET can use existing ActiveReports 2.0 report layout files (RPX) after some modifications to the scripting code. ActiveReports 2.0 designer files (DSR/DSX) must be saved as RPX files in the ActiveReports 2.0 Designer before they can be imported into ActiveReports. Since ActiveReports does not import any Visual Basic or scripting code into .NET, the code will need to be rewritten using the appropriate language in the new .NET environment.

Architecture and Concepts

This topic will introduce you to the basic structure and concepts of ActiveReports for .NET to enable efficient report creation.

Events

Out of the three events, the Format event generally is used the most often, followed by the BeforePrint event

Since all controls and section growth have already taken place by the time this event fires, this event may be

Learn how events work in ActiveReports.

Hyperlinks

Learn how hyperlinks can be used in ActiveReports.

Layout Files

Learn about layout files.

OutputFormat Strings

Learn about OutputFormat strings.

Parameters

Learn how parameters function for simple reports and subreports.

Report and Page Settings

Learn how to access report and page settings in ActiveReports.

Report Execution

Learn about report execution in ActiveReports.

Report Structure

Learn about the structure of ActiveReports.

Scripting

Learn how to use scripting with ActiveReports.

Events

ActiveReports for .NET User Guide | 16

In a report, regardless of the type or content of the various sections, there are three events for each section: Format, BeforePrint and AfterPrint.

Because there are many possible report designs, the event-firing sequence must be dynamic in order to accommodate individual report demands.

and, in rare circumstances, the AfterPrint event.

Format event

This event fires after the data is loaded and bound to the controls contained in a section, but before the section is rendered to a page.

The format event is the only event where the section's height may be changed. This section may be used to set or change the properties of any controls or load subreport controls with subreports.

If the CanGrow or CanShrink property of any control contained with a section, or the section itself, is set to true, all of the growing and shrinking of controls contained in this section, and the section itself, takes place in the Format event. Because of this, information about a control or a section's height cannot be obtained in this event.

BeforePrint event

This event fires before the section is rendered to the page. The growing and shrinking of the section and all controls contained in a section have already taken place by

the time this event fires. Use this section to resize any controls if needed.

used to get an accurate height of the section, or, if needed, any controls contained in it. Any controls in the BeforePrint event may be resized but not the height of the section itself.

AfterPrint event

This event fires after the section is rendered to the page. Although AfterPrint was an important event prior to ActiveReports Version 1 Service Pack 3, it is rarely used

in any of the newer builds of ActiveReports. When you place code in the section events, you likely will place your code in either the Format event or the BeforePrint event. This event is still useful for drawing on the page after text has already been rendered to the page.

Hyperlinks

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ActiveReports for .NET allows you to add hyperlinks to reports to perform a variety of functions. The hyperlink property can be set to any HTML-style link, items in the Bookmarks collection (TOC) or used to simulate drill-down reporting. By using the Hyperlink property, reports can have "clickable" controls which can be used for many purposes, including the ability to run and display other reports.

Layout Files

Report layouts in ActiveReports are automatically saved as RPX files. This is an XML-formatted file which contains the layout information and can contain the scripts of the report. RPX files using scripting allow distributed reports to be changed and modified without having to recompile the project. They also make it possible to use a database of report file names to set up a collection of reports to run. An RPX file using scripting also can be used as a stand-alone file in a web project or a stand -alone file for the HTTP handler.

Localization

The .NET Framework has made it easy for developers to localize their applications and controls. The ActiveReports for .NET Viewer Control uses the Hub and Spoke model for localizing resources. The hub is the main executing assembly. In our case it's the application that hosts the Viewer Control. The spokes are satellite dlls that contain localized resources for the application.

The satellite dlls are place in subdirectories under the main executing assembly. When the main executing assembly needs a resource, a ResourceManager object is used to load the required resource. The ResourceManager uses the thread's CurrentUICulture Property. This property is set by the common language runtime or it can be set in your code to force a certain UI Culture.

Forcing a certain locale is helpful when you want to test if your satellite dll is loading properly. The ResourceManager class uses the CurrentUICulture Property to locate subdirectories that should contain a satellite dll for the current culture. If no subdirectory exists the ResourceManager will use the resource that was embedded in the assembly.

The Viewer Control is built using the default culture of US English. This is the fallback culture for the Viewer Control. For more detailed information about how the framework locates satellite dlls, please reference the help system in Visual Studio .NET or the book Developing International Software, 2nd edition by MS Press that contains information on localizing applications using the .NET Framework.

OutputFormat Strings

ActiveReports allows you to set formatting strings for date, time, currency, and other numeric values using the OutputFormat property on the textbox control. The OutputFormat dialog also allows you to select international currency values and select from various built-in string expressions.

Times:

l hh:mm tt = 09:00 AM

HH:mm = 21:00 (twenty-four hour clock)

HH = hours in 24 hour clock

hh = hours in 12 hour clock

mm = minutes

ss = seconds

tt = AM or PM

Dates:

dddd, MMMM d, yyyy = Saturday, December 25, 1999

dd/MM/yyyy = 25/12/1999

d or dd = day in number format

l l ddd = day in short string format (Ex. Sat for Saturday)

dddd = day in string format (Ex. Saturday)

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MM = month in number format

MMM = month in short string format (Ex. Dec for December)

MMMM = month in string format (Ex. December)

y or yy = year in two digit format (Ex. 99 for 1999)

yyy or yyy = year in four digit format (Ex. 1999)

Currency and numbers:

$00.00 = $25.50

$#,##0.00 = $06.25

0 = digit or zero

# = digit or nothing

% = percent-multiplies the string expression by 100

Parameters

Parameters and Simple Reports

The Parameters dialog can be used to prompt the user for input when reports are generated. If you add <% FieldName | PromptString | DefaultValue | Type%> to the report s SQL string, it will cause the Parameters dialog to be displayed.

The Field name is the name of the field you wish to request (e.g. CustomerID or LastName). The Prompt string is a string value indicating text that will appear in the dialog next to the control (e.g. Enter Customer ID: ). Setting the default value will automatically set a default value. For example, if you have a report that generates based on a date, you can have the default for the field set to the current date so users can just hit "Enter", unless they want to generate a report based on a new date. Type indicates what type of data will be requested.

The values can be: nothing(string), S for string, D for date, B for Boolean. A string type will give a textbox for input, a D type will give a calendar drop-down control for input and a B type will give a checkbox for input.

Note For Strings: If you specify a default value that is enclosed in single or double quotes, it will be recognized and will output the same quotes to SQL when replacing. For Booleans : if you specify true/false for DefaultValue it will generate true/false for SQL output. If you specify 0,1, it will output 0 or 1.

•

Note The FieldName is the only required parameter; the rest are optional.

Stored procedures can be used the same way as parameters in ActiveReports. The Sql statement would need to have the stored procedure call and placeholders for the parameters: "CustOrderHist '<%ID|Enter Customer ID:|AFLKI%>'". ActiveReports will then replace the parameter text "<%...%>" with whatever the user types into the dialog to create a call like this: CustOrderHist 'AFLKI'.

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Parameters and Subreports

Parameters can be used with subreports to connect the subreport to the parent report. By setting a parameter for the field that links the parent report to the child subreport, the parent report can pass the information to the child through the parameters. The main differences when working with subreports and parameters are:

The subreport s ShowParametersUI should be set to False.

The subreport s SQL query should be set to use the parameter syntax = <%fieldname%>.

Note Both report queries must contain the same field (so the main report must have a categoryID field and the subreport also must have a categoryID field.

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Report and Page Settings

The Page (Report) Setup Dialog

With ActiveReports, page setup in your report can be modified at design time, as well as at run time. The Page Setup dialog can be accessed by selecting Report > Settings... from the toolbar menu.

From the Page Setup dialog, changes can be made to the report margins (left, right, top and bottom), a

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gutter can be specified and the Mirror margins option can be selected. By setting a gutter and selecting Mirror margins, reports can be set up easily for publishing purposes. When

Mirror margins is selected, the inner margins in the report are set for opposite pages to be the same width and the outside margins for opposite pages to be the same width. Specifying a gutter gives extra space between the edge of the page and the margins. This allows reports to be bound together.

The Printer Settings Dialog

With ActiveReports, printer settings can be modified at design time, as well as run time. The Print Settings dialog (shown below) can be accessed by selecting Report > Settings... from the toolbar menu and then selecting the Printer Settings option button from the Report Settings dialog box.

From the Printer Settings dialog, changes can be made to the printer paper size and orientation. A custom paper size can be set by selecting Custom paper size from the Paper size drop down box. Once this option has been selected, the width and height options will allow a specific height and width to be set.

The Printer Settings dialog also lets the user choose the type of collation to use, whether or not the report should be duplexed and the location of the paper source.

The Styles Dialog

With ActiveReports, style sheet settings can be created and/or applied. The Styles dialog (shown below) can be accessed by selecting Report > Settings... from the toolbar menu and then selecting the Styles option button from the Report Settings dialog box.

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From the Styles dialog, changes can be made to the appearance of text associated with controls, either by applying an existing style sheet, creating and applying a new style sheet or by modifying and applying an existing style.

The Global Settings Dialog

With ActiveReports, global report settings can be modified at design time. The Global Settings dialog (shown below) can be accessed by selecting Report > Settings... from the toolbar menu and then selecting the Global Settings option button from the Report Settings dialog box.

properties might cause DataInitialize to fire. The report validates any changes made to the report structure in

threaded,

The KeepTogether property determines whether a section should print in its entirety on the same page. When

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From the Global Settings dialog, changes can be made to the design surface, including showing or hiding the grid, setting the controls to align to the grid, setting the number of column or rows on the grid and changing the ruler units to inches or centimeters.

Report Execution

ActiveReports report execution begins by raising the ReportStart event. At this point, accessing data source

ReportStart. Printer settings are applied next. If DataInitialize is not fired during the ReportStart event, it will be fired. The data source will be opened. If

there are any parameters in the data source with unset values and "ShowParameterUI" is set to True, ActiveReports displays a parameters dialog and fires "ParameterUIClosed" when the dialog is closed. If the report is a subreport and requires parameters, ActiveReports binds the subreport parameters to any fields in the parent report.

Next, the FetchData event fires. If there is no data, the NoData event is raised. Group sections are bound and sections begin rendering on pages. Events are then fired for processing the report header, followed by page header, groups, detail and page

footer for each page in the report. The cancel flag is checked after each event. The speed in processing and output generation of ActiveReports is attributed to its intelligent, multi-

single-pass processing. ActiveReports will process and render each page as soon as the page is ready. If ActiveReports is not able to fully render a page because of unknown data elements or because the layout is not final, it places the page in cache until the data is available.

Summary fields and KeepTogether constraints are two reasons that a page might not be rendered completely. The summary field is not complete until all the data needed for calculation is read from the data source. When a summary field such as a grand total is placed ahead of its completion level, such as in the report header, the report header and all following sections will be delayed until all of the data is read.

this property is set to True, the section will print on the same page without any page breaks. A False setting

block on the same page. The property defaults to None which allows the group block to be split across pages.

at run time.

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allows the section to be split across two or more pages. If the KeepTogether property is set to True, but the section is too large for the current page, or to fit fully on the next page, the KeepTogether property will be ignored.

The GroupKeepTogether property determines whether group header and footer sections will print as a single

When you set this property to All, ActiveReports attempts to print the complete block on the same page without any page breaks. When a complete block does not fit on a single page, it will be split across two or more pages. The third option, FirstDetail, prevents any widowed group header sections. The group header will always print with at least one Detail section.

Report Structure

A report section contains a group of controls that are processed and printed at the same time as a single unit. ActiveReports defines the following section types:

Report Header

A report can have one report header section that prints at the beginning of the report. This section generally is used to print a report title, a summary table, a chart or any information that needs only to appear once at the report's start.

Report Footer

A report can have one report footer section that prints at the end of the report. This section is used to print a summary of the report, grand totals or any information that needs to print once at the report's end.

Page Header

A report can have one page header section that prints at the top of each page. It is the first section that prints on the page except when the page contains a report header section. The page header section is used to print column headers, page numbers, a page title or any information that needs to appear at the top of each page in the report.

Note It is not recommended to bind controls to a page header as results may be unpredictable.

Page Footer

A report can have one page footer section that prints at the bottom of each page. It is used to print page totals, page numbers or any other information that needs to appear at the bottom of each page.

Group Header/Footer

A report can consist of single or multiple nested groups, with each group having its own header and footer sections. The header section is inserted and printed immediately before the Detail section. The footer section is inserted and printed immediately after the Detail section.

Detail

A report has one Detail section. The detail section is the body of the report and one instance of the section is created for each record in the report.

Scripting

ActiveReports allows you to use scripting to provide ease in reporting functionality. Scripting permits reports saved to an RPX file to contain code. This characteristic allows the options of stand-alone reporting and web reporting without requiring .vb or .cs files. By including scripting when the report is saved as an RPX file, it can later by loaded, run and displayed directly to the viewer control without using the designer. Scripting can also be used in conjunction with RPX files to allow distributed reports to be updated without recompiling.

Scripting can be used by adding C# code to the script editor at design time or by using rpt.Script The script is then saved to the RPX file.

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The AddNamedItem and AddCode methods are used to add items to the report s script. By using AddNamedItem or AddCode , code elements from inside the .NET project can be used inside the scripts. By using AddNamedItem, scripts can become aware of functions in a class contained in the .NET project. By using AddCode, actual code segments can be added to the script at run time. Since the RPX file can be read with any text editor, AddCode or AddNamedItem can be used to add secure information to a project, such as a connection string.

AddScriptReference can be used to add an assembly reference to the script. This will allow users to add a reference in the script to access assemblies in their projects. AddScriptReference is only needed if the script accesses assemblies that are not already initialized in the project. For example, to access "System.Data.DataSet" inside the script, you would need to add a reference by calling "rpt.AddScriptReference("System.Data.Dll")".

Scripting Concepts to Remember:

Controls referenced inside the script must be public

If the RPX file does not have an associated codebehind file, you will need to refer to the controls and

sections by calling "rpt.Sections[<sectionname>]" or "rpt.Sections[<sectionname>].Controls [<controlname>]"

The report instance is referred to in the report as "rpt." This is similar to "me" and "this" in the

codebehind files. You must use "rpt" to gain access to the report and its controls The report class has to be public for scripting to access public methods and/or functions (this is done by

default)

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Getting Started

This topic will show you how to begin using ActiveReports by explaining different aspects of ActiveReports and showing you how to include it in your Visual Studio .NET IDE (Integrated Development Environment).

ActiveReports Designer

Learn how to use the ActiveReports designer.

Adding ActiveReports Controls to the Visual Studio Toolbox

Learn how to add ActiveReports controls to the toolbox in Visual Studio.

Adding an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio .NET Project

Learn how to add an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio project.

Adding Field Expressions

Learn how to add field expressions to a text box data field.

Binding Reports to a Data Source

Learn how to bind reports to various data sources.

Grouping Data

Learn how to use the GroupHeader to group data in a report.

Licensing Applications

Learn how to license your ActiveReports Applications.

Localizing the Viewer Control

Learn how to localize settings for the ActiveReports Viewer control.

Metric Units

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Learn how to use metric units with ActiveReports for .NET.

Saving and Loading RDF Files

Learn how to save and load reports as RDF files at run time.

Saving and Loading RPX Files

Learn how to save and load reports as RPX files at run time.

ActiveReports and the Web

Learn about using ActiveReports with the Web.

Using Export Filters

Learn about using the ActiveReports export filters.

Related Sections

Samples

ActiveReports includes many samples which demonstrate applications the developers created for ActiveReports. These samples show the use of a combination of controls and code to produce various reports.

Walkthroughs

Learn how to create various types of applications in C# and Visual Basic .NET--one step at a time.

Technical Support

Technical support is available for ActiveReports for .NET in a variety of media.

ActiveReports Designer

With its various tools and qualities, ActiveReports for .NET offers great flexibility in constructing report projects. In this section, you will learn how to use the different features of the ActiveReports Designer.

ActiveReports WinForm Viewer

Learn how to use the WinForm Viewer to preview a report.

Adding a Report to your Project

Learn how to add a report to a new or existing .NET project.

Design Surface

Learn more about the features of the design surface.

Loading an Existing Report Layout

Learn how to load an existing report layout at design time in ActiveReports.

Report Menu

Learn about the different aspects of the report menu.

Toolbars

Learn how to use the ActiveReports toolbars.

Toolbox

Learn about the functions of the controls on the ActiveReports toolbox.

Using the ActiveReports WinForm Viewer

To use the ActiveReports WinForm Viewer to preview report output

1. Add an ActiveReport to your Visual Studio project and rename it rptMain.

2. Add a new "Windows Form" to your project.

3. Click on the ActiveReports viewer control in the appropriate toolbox and drag it onto Form1.

4. Set the viewer control's Dock property to Fill.

To write the code for the viewer in Visual Basic

Right-click on Form1, and click on View Code to display the code view for the form. At the top left of the

code view for Form1, click the drop-down arrow and select (Base Class Events). At the top right of the

Private Sub Form1_Load(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load

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code window, click the drop-down arrow and select Load. This creates an event-handling method for the Form1_Load event. Add code to the handler to:

Format the viewer to show the report when it is run

To write the code for the viewer in C#

Click on the blue section at the top of Form1 to select the form. Click on the events icon in the

Properties window to display available events for Form1. Double-click Load . This creates an event- handling method for the Form1_Load event. Add code to the handler to:

Format the viewer to show the report when it is run

The following example shows what the code for the method looks like:

[Visual Basic]

Dim rpt As New rptMain() Viewer1.Document = rpt.Document rpt.Run() End Sub

[C#] private void Form1_Load(object sender, System.EventArgs e) { rptMain rpt = new rptMain(); this.viewer1.Document = rpt.Document; rpt.Run(); }

Adding a Report to Your Project

To add a report to your project

1. Open a new or existing project.

2. Click on Project > Add New Item (Ctrl+Shft+A)

3. Select ActiveReports File and rename the file.

The ActiveReports design surface leverages your current knowledge of Visual Studio .NET's designer interface

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4. Click Open to add the report to your project.

Design Surface

and provides full integration within the Visual Studio environment.

To access the ActiveReports design surface

This section can be used to print column headers, page numbers, page titles, or any

This control can be used to connect the report's data source settings to an existing data

This section can be used to print page totals, page numbers or any other information

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1. Open a Visual Studio project.

2. Add an ActiveReport to your project.

3. Once the report is added, you will see the report design surface.

The default ActiveReports design surface is made up of the following base components:

PageHeader section--

information that needs to be printed once at the top of each page. Detail section--This section is the body of the report that prints once for each record in the data source.

DataSource icon--

source PageFooter section--

that needs to be printed once at the bottom of each page.

Loading an Existing Report Layout

To load an existing Report Layout

1. Open a Visual Studio project.

2. Click on File > Open > File...

3. Select the RPX report layout from from the appropriate location.

4. Click Open to load the report layout.

-or-

5. While in an ActiveReport, click Report > Load Layout.

6. Select the RPX file from the appropriate location.

7. Click Open to load the selected report layout.

Report Menu

The report menu allows access to load report layouts, modify the report data source or modify report settings.

To access the report menu

1. Open a new or existing ActiveReport.

2. Click on any section in the report to select it.

3. Click on Report from the main toolbar.

The Report Menu allows the following options:

Load Layout

The Load Layout option allows access to load an existing report layout into the open ActiveReport. Data Source

The Data Source option allows access to add Data Source parameters or modify existing Data Source settings.

The toolbars in ActiveReports can be easily customized. ActiveReports' toolbars allow developers to rearrange

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Settings

The Settings option allows access to change printer or page settings, stylesheets or global settings.

Toolbars

buttons and menu options, as well as hide, display, dock or float toolbars. To access a toolbar's context menu

Right-click anywhere in the toolbar area

The context menu allows you to show or hide toolbars by selecting the toolbar name from the menu. In addition, you can customize the toolbars or create a new toolbar from the customize option on the menu.

The ActiveReports toolbar is made up of the following components:

Report Explorer--Shows or hides the report explorer tree and the fields list

Style Sheets--Sets the style sheet for a control

Font--Sets the typeface of the selected label, checkbox or textbox control

Size--Sets the font size of the selected label, checkbox or textbox control

View Grid--Turns the grid display on or off

Reorder Groups--Displays the groups order dialog

Edit Script--Starts ActiveReports Script Editor

Bold--Sets the bold typeface on or off

Italic--Sets the italic typeface on or off

Underline--Sets the underline typeface on or off

Align Left--Aligns the text left in the control area

Align Center--Aligns the text centered in the control area

Align Right--Aligns the text right in the control area

Justify--Justifies the text in the control area

Bullets--Adds bullets to the text in the RichText control area

Decrease Indent--Decreases the indent of the text in the RichText control area

Increase Indent--Increases the indent of the text in the RichText control area

Toolbox

The ActiveReports toolbox displays a variety of controls available for use in ActiveReports. The items available from the toolbox change depending on the designer currently in use.

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To access the ActiveReports toolbox

1. Open a Visual Studio project.

2. Add an ActiveReport to the project.

3. Click on View > Toolbox.

4. Click on the ActiveReports tab.

The ActiveReports toolbox is made up of the following components:

Pointer--Allows you to select controls or sections of the report

Label--Allows you to insert a new static label control

Textbox--Allows you to insert a textbox, bound to a database field or unbound

Checkbox--Allows you to insert a checkbox, bound to a database field or unbound

Picture--Allows you to insert an image, loaded from a file

Line--Allows you to insert a line control

Shape--Allows you to insert a rectangle, circle or square shape

RichText--Allows you to insert an ActiveReports RichText control

Subreport--Allows you to insert a Subreport control to link to another report

l l PageBreak--Allows you to insert a page break within a selection

Barcode--Allows you to insert an ActiveReports Barcode control

Ole object--Allows you to insert an OLE object, bound to a database field, or unbound

WebViewer--Allows you to insert a control to view an ActiveReport on the web

Viewer--Allows you to insert an ActiveReports Viewer control

Designer--Allows you to insert an ActiveReports Designer control

ReportExplorer--Allows you to insert an ActiveReports ReportExplorer control

Adding ActiveReports Controls to the Visual Studio Toolbox

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