is this possible?

[gabster]

Hello all!

I have a rather complicated project and I would really appreciate your imput.

I need to develop a Visual basic application that has to do this (at runtime):

1. When it is called, should read some values from an xml file and store them in variables.
2. Then would automatically pass these values to a report that ultimately will be displayed with the cr viewer.

All fine up to here - I was able to access programmatically the cr viewer's objects, etc., and pass those values (using formulas, the selection formula, etc.)

Now the HARD PART:

I would like to be able in the mean time to modify the format of that report. I mean only to surpress different fields or to move them around, etc. Nothing strategically.

I thought of doing this with the embeddable CR Designer. Something like the embeddable example CR has included in the VB samples that has a preview and a design tab.
It is almost as starting up a CR program but with a pre-defined report that shows up defaultly in the preview pane with its programatically received values from the variables.

The problem: it seems that I am stuck with a strategy issue. I have under control reading and passing the values and then previewing that report in the cr viewer.
But I don't know how to integrate the embeddable CR Designer in it.

Please be patient with me as my englush is not too good.

Any hints or help is MORE than welcome!

thanks a lot,
gabi

 

[synapsevampire]

Depending upon the requirements of the report customiztion, you may be able to forego the RDC.

One way I do this is to create a report based on formulas, and pass the rows accordingly (and suppress accordingly).

If the needs are even simpler, you might even create multiple bands and place explicit fields across them as required, and suppress the bands that aren't applicable.

Then there's the RDC:

http://support.crystaldecisions.com/communityCS/TechnicalPapers/apps_vb_rdc.pdf

I'm on CE 8.5 using straight out of the box RAS server.

Life is simple.

-k

http://www.informeddatadecisions.com

kai@informeddatadecisions.com

 

[gabster]

thank for the reply...

but that would not solve my problem about letting the user moving things around (in the designer) with the already generated report (all this at runtime).

I use the rdc in my vb project. Once for viewing the report and then the embeddable designer to let the user edit the already opened report.

I would like to generate reports on the fly (well, I am pre-building each .rpt) but I just use certain values from the variables to alter the selection formula.

I know this sounds confusing but I try my best explaning it.

But the main thing is that everything happens at runtime - The report preview and and also editing it. It is almost like having CR Itself open - the only difference is that it opens with a predefined report and with predefined parameters, sent via variables thru VB in the preview pane.

thanks again for taking your time to understand my issue...

gabi.