including reports in build 1

[BlackDice]

Should reports be excluded from a project when building? Or do they actually need to be part of the build? If so, why?

BlackDice

http://www.stillwaterexpress.com

 

[alvechurchdata]

do they actually need to be part of the build?

Your choice.

If you exclude the reports from the build then you have to distribute the report files as well as the Exe. The advantage is that you (or the users themselves) can modify the reports to meet their own particular and peculiar requirements. The disadvantage is that you (or the users) can make a mess of report and turn it into a report that won't run at all.

If the reports are included in the build then you'll have to rebuild and redistribute the exe for every trivial change in any single report. The advantage is that none of the users can meddle with the reports and break them.

Geoff Franklin

http://www.alvechurchdata.co.uk

 

[BlackDice]

COOL! Thanks

BlackDice

http://www.stillwaterexpress.com

 

[alvechurchdata]

Glad to help. If only all my customers were so easy to please ...

And so polite<g>.

Geoff Franklin

http://www.alvechurchdata.co.uk

 

[crewchiefpro5]

I never include the report files, we make so many changes that I have found the updates to be easier. Either they change them in my exe or I change them and send small files to them. This also makes the exe file smaller.

Of course you have to tell installshield that they need to be copied over....

 

[Nifrabar]

I always include the reportfiles in the exe.
In copy them out of the exe on the fly.
That copy I do hack regular to also create (custom) top or left margins.
Also a simple report holding groups can be easily hacked to have each group on a separate page.
-Bart