ActiveReports 9 User Guide 1

Table of Contents
Table of Contents 1-14
ActiveReports 9 15

ActiveReports User Guide 15

Welcome to ActiveReports 9 15-16
What's New 16-20
ActiveReports Editions 20-26
Installation 26

Requirements 26-27
Install ActiveReports 27-28
Installed Files 28-30
Side-by-Side Installation 30-31
GrapeCity Copyright Notice 31-32
End User License Agreement 32
.NET Framework Client and Full Profile Versions 32-33
Redistributable Files 33-34

License Your ActiveReports 34-39

Upgrading Reports 39-40
Breaking Changes 40-43
Converting Crystal Reports/MS Access Reports 43-46
Getting Started 46

Adding ActiveReports Controls 46-47

Adding an ActiveReport to a Project 47-50
Adding a Data Source to a Report 50-51
Viewing Reports 51
Using the Viewer 51-60
ActiveReports and the Web 60-61
Getting Started with the Web Viewer 61-62
Using the Flash Viewer 62-65
Using the HTML Viewer 65-67
Working with HTML Viewer using Javascript 67-68
Using the HTML5 Viewer 68-72

Working with HTML5 Viewer using Javascript 72-75

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 2

Viewing Reports using HTML5 Viewer 75-76

Medium Trust Support 76-77

Using the Silverlight Viewer 77-79

Using the WPF Viewer 79-85

Adding an ActiveReports Application 85-86

Concepts 86-87
ActiveReports Designer 87-89
Design View 89-91

Report Menu 91-92

Designer Tabs 92-94

Designer Buttons 94-98
Page Tabs 98-99
Toolbar 99-103
Report Explorer 103-104
Exploring Section Reports 104-105
Exploring RDL Reports 105-107

Exploring Page Reports 107-108

Toolbox 108
Properties Window 108-109
Rulers 109-110
Scroll Bars 110-111
Snap Lines 111-112

Zoom Support 113

Report Types 113-116
Report Definition Language (RDL) Report 116-118
Page Report 118
Code-Based Section Report 119
XML-Based Section Report 119
Page Report/RDL Report Concepts 120
Toolbox 120-122
BandedList 122-125
Barcode 125-136

Bullet 136-138

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 3
Calendar 138-141

Chart 141-149

Chart Data Dialog 149-155

CheckBox 155-157

Container 157-158
FormattedText 158-161
Image 161-163
Line 163

List 163-166

Map 166-175
Matrix 175-180
OverflowPlaceHolder(Page Report) 180-181
Shape 181-183
Sparkline 183-186
Subreport(RDL) 186-187
Table 187-192

TableOfContents 192-194
TextBox 194-198
Data Sources and Datasets 198
Report Data Source Dialog 198-200
DataSet Dialog 200-202
Shared Data Source (RDSX) 202-203

Expressions 203-204
Common Values 204-205
Common Functions 205-210
Layers 210-218
Working with Layers 218-222
View, Export or Print Layers 222-223
Tracing Layers 223-227
Using Script 227-228
Report Dialog 228-230
FixedPage Dialog 231-233
Grouping Data (Page Layout) 233-235

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 4
Add Page Numbering 235-236

Themes 236-237

Master Reports (RDL) 237-239

Data Visualizers 239

Icon Set 239-243

Range Bar 243-246
Range Bar Progress 246-249
Data Bar 249-252

Color Scale 2 252-254

Color Scale 3 254-257

Custom Resource Locator 257-260
Section Report Concepts 260-261
Section Report Toolbox 261-262
Label 262-264
TextBox (Section Report) 264-267
CheckBox (Section Report) 267-268

RichTextBox 268-271
Shape (Section Report) 271-272
Picture 272-273
Line (Section Report) 273-274
PageBreak 274
Barcode (Section Report) 274-286

SubReport (Section Report) 286-287

OleObject 287-288
ChartControl 288-290
Chart Wizard 290-291
Chart Types (Section Reports) 291
Area Chart 291-292
2D Area Charts 292-293
3D Area Charts 293-294
Bar Chart 294
2D Bar Charts 294-297
3D Bar Charts 297-303

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 5
Line Chart 303

2D Line Charts 303-305

3D Line Charts 305-306

Pie and Doughnut Charts 306

2D Pie/Doughnut Charts 306-308

3D Pie/Doughnut Charts 308-312
Financial Chart 312
2D Financial Charts 312-317

3D Financial Charts 317-319

Point and Bubble Charts 319

2D Point/Bubble Charts 319-322
Chart Series 322-323
Chart Appearance 323-324
Chart Effects 324
Colors 324-325
3D Effects 325-326

Alpha Blending 326

Lighting 326-327
Chart Control Items 327
Chart Annotations 327-329
Chart Titles and Footers 329-331
Legends 331-332

Markers 332-333
Label Symbols 333-339
Constant Lines and Stripes 339-341
Chart Axes and Walls 341
Standard Axes 341-343
Custom Axes 344-345
Gridlines and Tick Marks 345-346
ReportInfo 346-347
CrossSection Controls 347-349
Section Report Structure 349-351
Section Report Events 351-354

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 6
Scripting in Section Reports 354-355

Report Settings Dialog 355-357

Grouping Data in Section Reports 357-359

Date, Time, and Number Formatting 359-361

Optimizing Section Reports 361-362

CacheToDisk and Resource Storage 362
Exporting 362-363
Rendering Extensions 363

Rendering to HTML 363-365

Rendering to PDF 365-369

Rendering to Images 369-371
Rendering to XML 371-373
Rendering to Excel 373-375
Rendering to Word 375-376
Export Filters 376-377
HTML Export 377-378

PDF Export 378-381

Text Export 381-382
RTF Export 382
Excel Export 382-383
TIFF Export 383-384
Exporting Reports using Export Filters 384-386

Font Linking 386-387

Custom Font Factory (Pro Edition) 387-390
Visual Query Designer 390-395
Query Building With Visual Query Designer 395-405
Tables And Relations 405-407
Using the Visual Query Designer 407-411
Open and Save Reports from the Server 411-415
Working with Reports Stored in ActiveReports Server 415-418
Interactive Features 418-419
Parameters 419-421
Filtering 421-422

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 7
Drill-Down Reports 422

Linking in Reports 422-423

Document Map 423-424

Sorting 424-426

Annotations 426-427
Text Justification 427-428
Multiline in Report Controls 428
Line Spacing and Character Spacing 428-429

Windows Forms Viewer Customization 429-430

Designer Control (Pro Edition) 430

Shrink Text to Fit in a Control 430-431
Stand-Alone Designer and Viewers 431-432
Localization 432-433
Cultures 433-438
Section 508 Compliance 438-442
How To 442-443

Page Report/RDL Report How To 443-444

Work with Data 444
Connect to a Data Source 444-445
Add a Dataset 445-446
Create and Edit a Shared Data Source 446-447
Bind a Page Report to a Data Source at Run Time 447-455

Work with Report Controls and Data Regions 455

Grouping in a FixedPage 456
Grouping in a Data Region 456-463
Set Detail Grouping In Sparklines 463-464
Setting Filters 464-467
Set FixedSize of a Data Region 467-468
Work with Map 468
Create a Map 468-473
Work with Data 473-476
Work with Layers 476
Use Layers 476-478

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 8
Use a Polygon Layer 478-479

Use a Point Layer 479-480

Use a Line Layer 480-481

Use a Tile Layer 481-483

Add a Custom Tile Provider 483-485

Use Color Rule, Marker Rule and Size Rule 486-489
Add TableOfContents 490-491
Create Common Page Reports 491

Create Top N Report 491-492

Create Red Negatives Report 492-493

Create Green Bar Report 493
Create a Bullet Graph 493-494
Create a Whisker Sparkline 494-495
Add Parameters 495-496
Create an ALL Parameter 496-497
Add a Cascading Parameter 497-499

Set a Hidden Parameter 499-500

Create and Add Themes 500-501
Customize and Apply a Theme 501
Use Constant Expressions in a Theme 501-502
Set Up Collation 502-503
Add Hyperlinks 503

Add Bookmarks 503-505

Create and Use a Master Report (RDL Report) 505-506
Sort Data 506-509
Allow Users to Sort Data in the Viewer 509-510
Create a Drill-Down Report 510-511
Set a Drill-Through Link 511-513
Add Items to the Document Map 513-516
Change Page Size 516-517
Add Page Breaks in RDL (RDL Report) 517-518
Add Totals and Subtotals in a Data Region 518-522
Add Static Rows and Columns to a Matrix 522-523

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 9
Cell Merging In Matrix 523-524

Section Report How To 524-525

Work with Data in Section Reports 525

Bind Reports to a Data Source 525-530

Add Grouping in Section Reports 530-531

Modify Data Sources at Run Time 531-533
Work with Report Controls 533
Add Field Expressions 533-535

Display Page Numbers and Report Dates 535-536

Load a File into a RichTextBox Control 536-539

Use Custom Controls on Reports 539-541
Create Common Section Reports 541
Create Top N Reports 541-542
Create a Summary Report 542-544
Create Green Bar Reports 544-545
Inherit a Report Template 545-546

Change Ruler Measurements 546-547

Print Multiple Copies, Duplex and Landscape 547-549
Conditionally Show or Hide Details 549-550
Add Parameters in a Section Report 550-552
Add and Save Annotations 552-554
Add Bookmarks 554-555

Add Hyperlinks 556-558

Use External Style Sheets 558-559
Insert or Add Pages 559-562
Embed Subreports 562-563
Add Code to Layouts Using Script 563-567
Save and Load RDF Report Files 567-568
Save and Load RPX Report Files 568-570
Customize, Localize, and Deploy 570-571
Localize Reports, TextBoxes, and Chart Controls 571-572
Localize ActiveReports Resources 572-573
Customize the Viewer Control 573-575

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 10
Localize the Viewer Control 575-576

Deploy Windows Applications 576-577

Deploy Web Applications 578-579

Localize the End User Report Designer 579-580

Customize the FlashViewer Toolbar 580-583

Localize the Flash Viewer 583-584
Configure HTTPHandlers in IIS 6 584-585
Configure HTTPHandlers in IIS 7 and IIS 8 585-588

Customize HTML5 Viewer 588-591

Localize and Deploy HTML5 Viewer 591-592

Use Fields in Reports 592-594
Use Advanced Printing Options 594-595
Provide One-Touch Printing in the WebViewer (Pro Edition) 595
Provide PDF Printing in the Silverlight Viewer (Pro Edition) 595-596
Print Methods In ActiveReports 596-599
Samples and Walkthroughs 599

Samples 599
HTML5 Viewer Sample 599-601
Page Reports And RDL Reports 601
API 602
Create Report 602-603
Custom Resource Locator 603-604

DataSet DataSource 604-605

Layer 605-607
Normalized DataSet 607-609
OleDb DataSource 609
Page Unbound Data 609-610
Report Wizard 610-612
Xml Data Source 612
Professional 612-613
Active Reports Web Pro 613-618
ActiveReports with MVC 618-620
Custom Data Provider 620-621

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 11
Custom Tile Provider 622-623

Digital Signature 623-625

End User Designer 625-627

Map 628-629

Silverlight Viewer 629-631

Table of Contents 631-632
ActiveReports with MVC5 and HTML5Viewer 632-634
Report Gallery 634-642

Section Report 642

Data 643
Bound Data 643-644
IList Binding 644-646
LINQ 646-647
Unbound Data 647-648
XML 648-649
Layout 649-650

Annual Report 650-651

Category Selection 651-653
Charting 653-654
Cross Section Controls 654-656
Cross Tab Report 656-658
Inheritance 658-659

Style Sheets 659-660

SubReport 660-664
Preview 664
Custom Annotation 664-665
Custom Preview 665-669
Hyperlinks and DrillThrough 669-671
Print Multiple Pages per Sheet 671-672
RDF Viewer 672-674
Summary 674
Calculated Fields 674-675
Data Field Expressions 675-676

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 12
Standard Edition Web 676-678

WPF Viewer 678-680

Walkthroughs 680
Page Report/RDL Report Walkthroughs 680-681

Data 681
Master Detail Reports 681-684
Reports with Parameterized Queries 684-688
Reports with Stored Procedures 688-690

Reports with XML Data 690-693

Expressions in Reports 693-695

Layout 695-696
BandedList Reports 696-700
Collate Multiple Copies of a Report 700-703
Columnar Layout Reports (RDL) 703-705
Matrix Reports 705-709
Overflow Data in a Single Page(Page Report) 709-713

Overflow Data in Multiple Pages(Page Report) 713-717

Recursive Hierarchy Reports 717-721
Single Layout Reports 721-724
Subreports in RDL Reports 724-731
Chart 731
Charts 731-734

Map 734
Reports with Map 734-738
Export 738
Custom Web Exporting 738-743
Preview 743
Drilldown Reports 743-744
Drill-Through Reports 744-750
Parameterized Reports 750-753
Reports with Bookmarks 753-757
Reports with TableOfContents 757-762
Advanced 762

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 13
Reports with Custom Code 762-766

Custom Resource Locator 766-770

Custom Data Provider 770-802

Section Report Walkthroughs 802

Data 802-803
Basic Data Bound Reports 803-804
Basic XML-Based Reports (RPX) 804-808
Run Time Data Sources 808-811

Layout 811

Address Labels 811-813

Columnar Reports 813-816
Group On Unbound Fields 816-822
Mail Merge with RichText 822-828
Overlaying Reports (Letterhead) 828-833
Run Time Layouts 833-842
Subreports with XML Data 842-846

Subreports with Run-Time Data Sources 846-849

Chart 849-850
Bar Chart 850-851
3D Pie Chart 851-853
Financial Chart 853-855
Unbound Chart 855-858

Export 858
Custom Web Exporting (Std Edition) 858-862
Custom HTML Outputter (Std Edition) 862-868
Script 868-869
Script for Simple Reports 869-875
Script for Subreports 875-883
Parameters 883
Using Parameters in SubReports 883-887
Parameters for Charts 887-892
Web 892
Document Web Service 892

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 14
Document Windows Application 893-894

Common Walkthroughs 894

Professional 894-895
Creating a Basic End User Report Designer (Pro Edition) 895-900

Customizing the Flash Viewer UI 900-906

Customizing the HTML Viewer UI 906-909
Export 909
Basic Spreadsheet with SpreadBuilder 909-911

Web 911

DataSet Web Service 911-912

DataSet Windows Application 912-914
WPF 914
WPF Viewer 914-917
Troubleshooting 917-927
1. Index 928-940

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 15
ActiveReports 9
This is the help file for ActiveReports, reporting software for use in Visual Studio 2010, 2012, 2013 or 2015.

In This Documentation
ActiveReports User Guide
The User Guide has many getting started topics and how-to topics with code samples to copy and paste.

ActiveReports User Guide

ActiveReports provides fully integrated Visual Studio components which combine user-friendly visual controls with
the low-level control of code in Visual Studio .NET programming languages to provide a powerful report designer.

In This Documentation
Welcome to ActiveReports 9
This section provides basic information on installing and using the product, as well as support, licensing, and
what's new.
License Your ActiveReports
This topic walks you through how to license your machine and how to add licensing to any projects created during
your evaluation.
Upgrading Reports
This topic provides information about upgrading reports from ActiveReports 6 and Data Dynamics Reports, and
about converting MS Access Reports and Crystal Reports with the Import Wizard.
Getting Started
This section provides an overview of the interface and where to find everything you need to get started designing
reports.
Concepts
This section provides information on what you can do with ActiveReports.
How To
This section provides step-by-step instructions for many features.
Samples and Walkthroughs
This section provides a description of the samples available with ActiveReports and step-by-step walkthroughs
explaining key features.
Troubleshooting
This section provides troubleshooting symptoms, causes, and solutions to commonly encountered issues.

Welcome to ActiveReports 9
Learn to use and install ActiveReports 9.
This section contains information about
What's New
Learn about the new features in ActiveReports.
ActiveReports Editions
Find out which features can be used with Standard and Professional Edition licenses.
Installation
View requirements for installation of ActiveReports, learn what files are installed and how to verify your
installation, and find installation troubleshooting tips.
GrapeCity Copyright Notice
Explains GrapeCity copyright information.
End User License Agreement
Understand the terms of the ActiveReports License Agreement and Limited Warranty.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 16
.NET Framework Client and Full Profile Versions
Provides details of assemblies that are compliant with .NET Framework 3.5 Client Profile and .NET Framework 4.0
Client Profile.
Redistributable Files
Find out the list of files that may be distributed.

What's New
We have made a number of changes and added new features since the last version of ActiveReports. Following are some of
the major highlights of this release.

Save and Open Reports from the Server

Developers using the Visual Studio Report Designer and End Users using the End User Designer now have the ability to
interact with reports stored on the ActiveReports Server directly from the designer menu. Users can open, modify, save and
also add newly created reports to the server directly from the ActiveReports Designer. As the reports are stored and
published to the server, users can also work with the Report Versions that are stored in the ActiveReports Server. Each
time a report is saved or a new report is added to the server, a revision is created for that report.

Learn More | Working with Save and Open Reports from Server

Layers
The new Layers feature in ActiveReports 9 provides you with the ability to add a named group of controls to your report.
Lock or unlock, add or remove, show or hide these group of controls based on your requirement and also determine which
Layers to view, print or export. Layers makes it easy to design complex reports with complex layouts. This feature is
particularly useful when you want to trace the layout of a pre-printed form or modify a template report without changing
the existing report layout. Layers also make designing complex layouts easy by allowing you to modify one aspect of the
report such as static labels or bound data without modifying the entire report layout.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 17

Learn More | Working with Layers | View, Export or Print Layers| Tracing Layers

Visual Query Designer

Simplify query designing further with the Visual Query Designer from ActiveReports. It is a graphical interface that
improves on the data binding experience by allowing users to interactively build queries and view the results. With the
Visual Query Designer's interactive interface, users who are unfamiliar with SQL can also design, edit and preview queries.

Key features of the Visual Query Designer include:

Selecting fields and table from a database
Filtering data

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 18
Using custom expressions
Grouping and aggregate functions
Setting up relationships between tables
Sorting data and much more
Learn More | Query Building With Visual Query Designer | Using the Visual Query Designer

TableofContents Control
TableofContents (ToC) is a new control used to display an organized hierarchy of report heading levels and labels along with
their page numbers in the body of a report. With this control, you can easily embed a contents structure within your report
and then render and print it. This control is available in both Page and RDL Reports.

Learn More | Add TableOfContents | Reports with TableOfContents

RDL Reports
Continuous Page Layout (CPL) reports have now been renamed to Report Definition Language (RDL) reports. RDL reports
are available as a report template in your Visual Studio project and are also available as a separate item that can be added
in Visual Studio. You also get a separate RDL report template in the Stand-alone designer now.

Report Definition Language (RDL) Report

Excel Rendering Extension

When exporting your files to Microsoft Excel, you now have an option of using Excel Rendering Extensions. This extension
provides improved exporting performance with greater layout accuracy for RDL and Page Reports in Microsoft Excel. It also
supports a number of interactive features like Bookmarks, Drill-down and Hyperlinks.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 19

Learn More | Rendering to Excel

Independent Rounded Corners (Section Reports)

ActiveReports now allows you to interactively set rounded corners for Shape and CrossSectionBox controls in Section
Reports. You simply need to specify the radius for each corner separately using handlers provided in these controls.

Shape | CrossSectionBox

Setting FixedSize Property with Resize Handlers

The FixedSize property of a Page Report can now be set using the resize handlers that appear at the edges of the data
region at design time. Drag the resize handlers to interactively set the exact height or width (or both) that the data region
will occupy at runtime.

Set FixedSize of a Data Region

Design Time Performance Optimization

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 20
Performance of the page report designer has been improved significantly in ActiveReports 9 to enhance the design time
user experience. Common designer operations such as panning, resizing of controls, scrolling have been tested thoroughly
with upto a 1000 controls and the performance of the Page Report Designer is now comparable to that of the Section
Report Designer.

ActiveReports Editions
ActiveReports 9 is an enhancement of the popular ActiveReports engine and report viewers, plus the powerful Data
Dynamics Reports designer.
Available in two editions, Standard and Professional, ActiveReports 9 delivers outstanding reporting capabilities.
Drop down the sections below to see the features packed into each edition.
Standard Edition Features
The Standard Edition provides a report designer that is fully integrated with the Visual Studio IDE, a report viewer
for Windows Forms, and export filters for generating reports in various file formats. The report designer even
includes a barcode control with all of the most popular barcode styles, and its own chart control.

Designer
Full integration with the .NET environment
Familiar user interfaces
Choice of section or page or RDL report types
C# and VB.NET support with code-based section reports
Script support with XML-based section reports
Expression support with page reports and RDL reports
The ability to compile reports into the application for speed and security or to keep them separate for
ease of updating
Designer hosting of .NET and user controls

Report Controls

Section Reports Page Reports/RDL Reports

ReportInfo Table data region
Label Matrix data region
Line Map data region
PageBreak Chart data region
OleObject List data region
Subreport BandedList data region
Shape Calendar data region
Picture Sparkline data region
RichTextBox with HTML tag support FormattedText with mail merge
ChartControl with separate data source capabilities and XHTML + CSS support
Textbox Bullet Graph
Barcode with standard styles plus RSS and BarCode
UPC styles CheckBox
Checkbox TextBox
CrossSectionBox extends from a header TableOfContents
section to the related footer section Line
CrossSectionLine extends from a header Container
section to the related footer section
Shape
Image
Subreport(RDL Reports only)
Overflow Placeholder

Expressions (page reports/RDL reports)

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 21
Aggregates
Data visualization
Data bar
Icon set
Range bar
Color scale

Interactive Features
Document map (table of contents)
Bookmark links, hyperlinks, and drill through links
Parameters
Drill-down (page report/RDL reports)
Copy, pan, and zoom
Jump to previous, next, first, or last group or search result

Reporting Engine
Managed code
Binding to ADO.NET, XML, iList, and custom data sources
Master reports, themes, and styles
All of the features of previous versions of ActiveReports and Data Dynamics Reports

Windows Forms Report Viewer

Managed C# code
Very small deployment assembly, suitable for use on the Internet
Table of contents and bookmarks
Thumbnail view
HyperLinking
Annotations (section reports only)
Configurable scroll bar jump buttons (like those found in Microsoft® Word®)
Parameters
Bookmark links, hyperlinks and drillthrough links
Interactive sorting (page reports/RDL reports)
Touch mode

HTML5 Viewer
A Javascript component
Preview reports hosted on ActiveReports 9 Server or ActiveReports 9 Web Service
Provides multiple UI options
Ability to create a customized viewer
Touch mode support in Mobile UI

WPF Viewer
Managed C# code
Table of contents and bookmarks
Thumbnail view
Parameters
Annotations
Configurable scroll bar jump buttons (like those found in Microsoft® Word®)
Bookmark links, hyperlinks and drillthrough links
Interactive sorting

Export Filters

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 22
ActiveReports includes export filters to generate output into many popular formats.

Export formats Section Page

report report/RDL
report
Html: Export reports to HTML, DHTML, or MHT formats, all of which open in a Web ✓ ✓
browser.
Pdf: Export reports to PDF, a portable document format that opens in the Adobe ✓ ✓
Reader.
Rtf: Export reports to RTF, RichText format that opens in Microsoft Word, and is native ✓ ✓
to WordPad.
Word: Export reports to DOC, a format that opens in Microsoft Word. ✘ ✓
Text: Export reports to TXT, plain text, a format that opens in Notepad or any text ✓ ✓
editor. Export reports to CSV, comma separated values, a format that you can open in
Microsoft Excel.
Image: Export reports to BMP, EMF, GIF, JPEG, or PNG image format. ✘ ✓
Tiff: Export reports to TIFF image format for optical archiving and faxing. ✓ ✓
Excel: Export reports to formats that open in Microsoft Excel, XLS or XLSX. ✓ ✓
Xml: Export reports to XML, a format that opens in a Web browser or delivers data to ✘ ✓
other applications.

Import Filters
Access® Reports
Crystal Reports

Stand-Alone Applications
The Report Viewer application contains all the functionality of the ReportPreview control. It can be
opened from the shortcut provided in the Start menu.
The WPF Viewer application contains all the functionality of the WPF Viewer control.
Professional Edition Features
The 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 for saving and loading report layouts, monitoring and controlling the design environment, and
customizing the look and feel to the needs of end users.

Stand-Alone Applications
The Report Designer application contains all the functionality of the integrated Report Designer. It can
be opened from the shortcut provided in the Start menu.

ASP.NET Integration
The Web server control provides convenience for running and exporting reports in ASP.NET.
HTTP Handler extensions allow report files (RPX or RDLX) or compiled assemblies containing reports to
be dropped on the server and hyperlinked.

Silverlight Viewer Control

The Silverlight viewer control allows you to provide in- or out-of-browser report viewing in your
Silverlight applications.
Like our other viewers, the Silverlight viewer control offers customization and localization.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 23

WebViewer Control
The WebViewer control allows quick viewing of ActiveReports on the web as well as printing capability
with the AcrobatReader ViewerType enumeration.
Flash ViewerType enumeration supports multiple browsers and offers customization and localization
options.

HTTP Handlers
The RPX and RDLX HTTPHandler allows the developer to hyperlink ActiveReports on a web page to
return HTML format or PDF format reports for viewing and/or printing.
The Compiled Report HTTPHandler allows the developer to hyperlink ActiveReports compiled in an
assembly on a web page to return HTML format or PDF format reports for viewing and/or printing.

Table of Contents Control

TableOfContents control is used to display the document map, an organized hierarchy of the
report heading levels and labels along with their page numbers, in the body of a report.
TableOfContents control allows you to quickly understand and navigate the data inside a report in all
viewers that are supported in ActiveReports

Map Control
The Map data region shows your business data against a geographical background.
Create different types of map, depending on the type of information you want to communicate in your
report.

PdfSignature and TimeStamp Features

The PdfSignature class allows you to provide PDF document digital signatures and certification.
The PdfStamp class allows you to draw the digital signatures and certification onto the documents.
The TimeStamp class allows you to add a TSA (Time Stamping Authority) stamp to your digital
signatures.

Font Linking
Font linking helps you resolve the situation when fonts on a deployment machine do not have the glyphs
that were used in a development environment.
By linking fonts, you can resolve the problem with a different PDF output on deployment and
development machines that may occur due to the missing glyphs.

Font Fallback
If missing glyphs are not found in linked fonts, the PDF export filter looks for the glyphs in fonts
declared in the FontFallback property.
A default font is used if you do not declare one, or you can declare an empty string for this property to
leave out missing glyphs from the exported file.

PDF Export
PDF/A support in PDF Export.

Word Export
Export your reports in .docx format, a format that opens in Microsoft Word application.

Bold Font Emulation (PDF Export Filter)

Some fonts (for example, Franklin Gothic Medium, Microsoft Sans Serif, most East Asian fonts, etc.) may lose bold
style for the PDF output. The Professional Edition provides bold style emulation in the PDF export filter to eliminate
this limitation.
Comparison Between Editions

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 24
Professional Edition features are disabled or marked with an evaluation banner if you have purchased a Standard
Edition license.

Features Standard Professional

Visual Studio Controls
Web WebViewer: Use this control to display your reports on the Web. ✘ ✓
Forms Includes viewer types HTML, PDF, and Flash.
Silverlight Viewer: Use this control to display your reports in ✘ ✓
Silverlight 4 or higher, and for out-of-browser viewing.
HTML5 Viewer: Use this Javascript component in web applications to ✓ ✓
preview reports hosted on ActiveReports 9 Server or ActiveReports 9
Web Service.
HTTP Handlers: PDF and HTML (compiled report, RPX file) ✘ ✓
Windows Viewer: Use this control to offer your users report zoom and preview, ✓ ✓
Forms multiple tabs for hyperlinks, split-page and multi-page views, a Table
of Contents pane, a Thumbnails pane, text searches, and annotations.
Designer: Use this control to create a royalty-free, custom designer ✘ ✓
that your end users can use to create and modify their own reports.
ReportExplorer: Use this control along with the Designer control to ✘ ✓
provide functionality to your users.
ToolBox: Use this control along with the Designer control to provide ✘ ✓
report controls for your users.
LayerList: Use this control along with the Designer control to provide ✓ ✓
Layers functionality to your users.
WPF WPF Viewer: Use this control to display your section, page and ✓ ✓
RDL reports. The WPF Viewer offers the Thumbnails pane, the
Parameters pane, the Document map pane, and the Search results
pane.
Web and HtmlExport: Export reports to HTML, DHTML, or MHT formats that ✓ ✓
Windows open in a Web browser.
Forms
PdfExport: Export reports to PDF, a portable document format that ✓ ✓
opens in the Adobe Reader.
RtfExport: Export reports to RTF, RichText format that opens in ✓ ✓
Microsoft Word, and is native to WordPad.
WordExport (.doc): Export reports to DOC (Word HTML), a format ✓ ✓
that opens in Microsoft Word.
WordExport (.docx): Export reports to DOCX (Office Open XML), a ✘ ✓
format that opens in any word processing software.
TextExport: Export reports to TXT, plain text, a format that opens in ✓ ✓
Notepad or any text editor.
This export filter can also export reports to CSV, comma separated
values, a format that you can open in Microsoft Excel.
ImageExport: Export reports to BMP, EMF, GIF, JPEG, TIFF, or PNG ✓ ✓
image format.
Note that you can only export section reports to the TIFF image type.
All other image types are for page reports and RDL reports.
XlsExport: Export reports to formats that open in Microsoft Excel, ✓ ✓
XLS or XLSX.
XmlExport: Export reports to XML, a format that opens in a Web ✓ ✓
browser or delivers data to other applications.
PDF Export Digital signatures ✘ ✓
Advanced
Features Time stamp ✘ ✓

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 25
EUDC ✘ ✓
Select from Japanese embedded fonts or unembedded fonts ✘ *1 ✓
Bold ✘ ✓
Italic ✓ ✓
Multi Language ✓ *2 ✓
PDF/A Support ✘ ✓
Integrated Report Designer
Design Section reports support banded layouts. ✓ ✓
Format Page reports support fixed page layouts.
RDL reports support continuous page layout.

Script and In section reports, you can add C# or VB code to events behind your ✓ ✓
Code code-based reports, or add script to events in the script editor in XML-
based reports.
In page reports/RDL reports, you can use regular expressions in any
property, plus you can add VB.NET methods to the code tab, and call
them in your expressions.
Report File You can save and load page reports/RDL reports in RDLX (extended ✓ ✓
Formats RDL) format.
You can save and load section reports in RPX (report XML) format, and
you can compile section reports in CS or VB code formats.
Report The BarCode control supports all of the following styles: ✓ ✓
Controls
ANSI 3 of 9 ANSI Code 2 of 5 Interleaved
Extended 3 of 2 of 5
9
Code 25 Matrix Code 39 Extended Code 128 A
Code 39
Code 128 B Code 128 C Code 128 Auto Code 93
Extended Code 93 MSI PostNet Codabar
EAN-8 EAN-13 UPC-A UPC-E0
UPC-E1 RoMail UCC/EAN-128 QRCode
RM4SCC
Code 49 Japanese Pdf417 EAN-128
Postal FNC1
RSS-14 RSS-14 RSS-14 MicroPdf417
Truncated Stacked
RSS-14 Stacked RSS RSS Expanded
Omnidirectional Expanded Stacked

The Map control allows you to display data against a geographical ✘ ✓

background on the report.
The TableofContents control allows you to display a document map ✘ ✓
in an organized hierarchy of the report heading levels and labels along
with there page numbers, in the body of a report.

The Chart control supports all of the following styles: ✓ ✓

Common Charts: Area, Bar2D, Bezier, Doughnut/Pie, Line,

Scatter, StackedArea, StackedBar, StackedArea100Pct, and
StackedBar100Pct
3D Charts: Area3D, Bar3D, ClusteredBar, Line3D,
Doughnut3D/Pie, StackedBar3D, and StackedBar3D100Pct
XY Charts: Bubble, BubbleXY, LineXY, and PlotXY

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 26
Financial Charts: Candle, HiLo, and HiLoOpenClose

Other report controls include: ✓ ✓

Label TextBox CheckBox Picture

Line Shape RichText PageBreak
SubReport ReportInfo CrossSectionLine CrossSectionBox

Styles You can control page settings, printer settings, global settings such ✓ ✓
and Report as grid display, grid size, and whether to show a verification dialog
Settings when deleting controls. You can specify row count or column count in
grids, ruler units, and how many pages to display in previews.
External You can reuse report designer styles by saving and loading style ✓ ✓
Style information in external files.
Sheets
Others The designer also offers snaplines, report preview, designer zoom, ✓ ✓
various formatting settings, control and text alignment settings, Z
order settings, unbound fields, and parameters support.
Input and Output
Data Supported data includes: ADO.NET data provider, ADO.NET data class ✓ ✓
(DataSet, DataTable, DataReader, DataView), Oracle data, XML data,
and unbound data
Printing You can control the page size, orientation, and margins, as well as ✓ ✓
specifying bound (double page spread), collating, duplex printing, and
paper feed trays.

*1: Japanese fonts can only be output as embedded fonts. *2: Cannot handle output of multiple language fonts in
a single control. Please refer to Multi-Language PDF for details.

Installation
This section helps you understand the installation process.

In this section:
Requirements
Learn about the hardware and software required to run ActiveReports.
Install ActiveReports
Find out how to install the ActiveReports Setup.
Installed Files
Find out what files are installed with ActiveReports and where to locate them.
Side-by-Side Installation
Learn about working with ActiveReports 9 and ActiveReports 8 on a single machine.

Requirements
To install and use ActiveReports 9, you need the following hardware and software.

Hardware requirements (minimum)

Hard drive space: 200 MB available
CD Drive: For CD package only

Software requirements

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 27
Operating System: Windows® XP, Windows ™ Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 and 8.1, Windows Server
2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2
Microsoft® .NET Framework Version: 3.5 SP1, 4.0, 4.5 or 4.5.1
.NET Framework Client Profile: 3.5, 4.0, 4.5 or 4.5.1
Microsoft Visual Studio: 2010, 2012, 2013 or 2015.
Note:
The Express Editions of Visual Studio do not work with ActiveReports, as they do not
support packages.
ActiveReports supports Visual Studio Community 2015 beginning with ActiveReports
9.3.xxxx.x and above.

For Web deployment: IIS 7.0, 7.5, 8.0, 8.5 and ASP.NET (version to match the .NET Framework
version)
Flash Player: Adobe Flash Player 11, 12 and 13
Browser: Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 or higher, Mozilla Firefox 20 or higher, Google Chrome 30 or
higher and Mobile Safari (iOS 6 and higher)
Note: Microsoft Silverlight 4 Tools is required for the application development with the
ActiveReports Silverlight Viewer.

Install ActiveReports
Follow the steps below to install GrapeCity ActiveReports on your machine.

Note: Your machine setup may require you to be logged in as an Administrator to install new software. If
this is the case and you do not have Administrator privileges, consult your system administrator.

1. Insert the GrapeCity ActiveReports CD into your CD-ROM drive.

OR
If you have the GrapeCity ActiveReports setup on your system, double-click the Setup.exe file or right-click
the file and select Install.
2. In the GrapeCity ActiveReports Setup window that appears, on the Welcome screen, click Next to continue
with installation.

3. On the End-User License Agreement screen that appears, go through the terms in the License
Agreement, select the check-box to accept them and click Next to continue with installation.

4. On the Installation Options screen that appears, optionally select GrapeCity ActiveReports Samples
to install them with the product and click Next to continue with installation.

Note: These samples help you in understanding different usage scenarios that the product offers.

5. On the Licensing Options screen that appears, choose out of the three licensing options and click Install.
Evaluation

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 28
Activate now
Activate later

6. Once the installation finishes, a screen notifying the completion of installation appears. Click Finish to close
the window and complete the installation process.

Installed Files
You can verify your package installation by following the steps below:
1. Open Visual Studio.
2. From the Visual Studio Help menu, select About Microsoft Visual Studio and verify that ActiveReports 9 appears in
the installed products list.
When you install ActiveReports and use all of the default settings, files are installed in the following folders:
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\GrapeCity

File (or Folder) Description

ActiveReports Shortcut to the folder containing Stand-alone applications and Samples folder. See the next dropdown
(folder) for further details.
License Manager Shortcut to the License Manager application.

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9

File (or Folder) Description

ActiveReports 9 Designer Shortcut to the Stand-alone Designer application.
ActiveReports 9 Import Shortcut to the ActiveReports Import wizard application.
ActiveReports 9 Samples (folder) Shortcut to the folder containing sample projects.
ActiveReports 9 Theme Editor Shortcut to the ActiveReports Theme Editor application.
ActiveReports 9 User Guide(CHM) Shortcut to the Compiled HTML help file for ActiveReports.
ActiveReports 9 User Guide(PDF) Shortcut to the PDF help file for ActiveReports.
ActiveReports 9 User Guide(WEB) Shortcut to the Online help file for ActiveReports.
ActiveReports 9 Viewer Shortcut to the Stand-alone ActiveReports Viewer application.

C:\Users\YourUserName\Documents\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9

Folder Description
Data (folder) Includes sample data files.
HTML5 Viewer (folder) Includes HTML5 Viewer sample.
Page Reports And RDL Reports (folder) Includes Page Report samples.
Professional (folder) Includes Professional edition samples.
Reports Gallery (folder) Includes ReportsGallery sample.
Section Reports (folder) Includes Section Report samples.
Standard Edition Web (folder) Includes Standard Edition Web sample.
WPF Viewer (folder) Includes WPF Viewer sample.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 29
C:\Program Files\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9 (C:\Program Files (x86)\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9 on a 64-bit
Windows operating system)

File (or Description

Folder)
Deployment Includes Flash viewer file, Flash viewer themes, Silverlight localization resources and templates for
(folder) redistribution, templates for WPF and JavaScript files for HTML.
Icons Includes associated Icons image files.
(folder)
Localization Includes Resource and DOS batch files for localizing ActiveReports components.
(folder)

C:\Program Files\Common Files\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9 (C:\Program Files (x86)\Common

Files\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9 on a 64-bit Windows operating system)

File (or Folder) Description

Design (folder) Includes
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Silverlight.v9.VisualStudio.Design.4.0.dll
assembly file.
License (folder) Includes License Service assembly file.
redist (folder) Includes native functions assembly for 64-bit machines.
zh-CN (folder) Includes resource files for the Chinese environment.
ActiveReports.ReportService.asmx Web service required for Web Site or Web Applications.
ApplicationLicenseGenerator.exe Application License Generator setup file.
ApplicationLicenseGenerator.exe.config License Manager setup XML configuration file.
DocumentFormat.OpenXml.dll OpenXML assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Designer.exe Stand-alone Designer setup file
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Designer.exe.config Stand-alone Designer setup XML configuration file
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Imports.exe ActiveReports Import application setup file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Imports.exe.config ActiveReports Import application setup XML configuration file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Imports.Win.exe ActiveReports Import wizard setup file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Imports.Win.exe.config ActiveReports Import wizard setup XML configuration file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.ThemeEditor.exe ActiveReports Theme Editor setup file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.ThemeEditor.exe.config ActiveReports Theme Editor setup XML configuration file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.exe Stand-alone ActiveReports Viewer setup file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.exe.config Stand-alone ActiveReports Viewer setup XML configuration file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.WpfViewer.exe Stand-alone ActiveReports WPF Viewer setup file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.WpfViewer.exe.config Stand-alone ActiveReports WPF Viewer setup XML configuration file.
ReportDesigner.Switcher.exe Report Designer Switcher setup file.
ReportDesigner.Switcher.exe.config Web Key Generator setup XML configuration file.
WebKeyGenerator.exe Web Key Generator setup file.
WebKeyGenerator.exe.config Web Key Generator setup XML configuration file.
Grapecity.ActiveReports.config XML configuration file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Calendar.v9.dll Calendar control assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.v9.dll Chart control assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Dashboard.v9.dll ActiveReports Dashboard assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Design.Win.v9.dll Windows Designer assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Diagnostics.v9.dll ActiveReports Diagnostics assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.v9.dll Document assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Document.v9.dll Document Export assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.v9.dll HTML Export assembly file.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 30
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.v9.dll Excel Export assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.Unsafe.v9.dll Image Export assembly file. (Unsafe version)
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.v9.dll Image Export assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.v9.dll PDF Export assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Rdf.v9.dll RDF Export assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.v9.dll Word Export assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xaml.v9.dll XAML Export assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.v9.dll XML Export assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.v9.dll ActiveReports Extensibility assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Imports.Access.v9.dll Microsoft Access Import assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Imports.Crystal.v9.dll Crystal Reports Import assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Interop.v9.dll Native functions assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.OracleClient.v9.dll Oracle Client assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Serializer.v9.dll Serializer assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.v9.dll Run time engine assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Silverlight.v9.dll Silverlight Viewer assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Win.v9.dll Windows Viewer assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.VisualStudio.v9.dll Visual Studio assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Design.v9.dll Web Designer assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.v9.dll Web assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Wpf.v9.dll WPF Viewer assembly file.

C:\Program Files\Common Files\GrapeCity\Components (C:\Program Files (x86)\Common

Files\GrapeCity\Components on a 64-bit Windows operating system)

File (or Folder) Description

GrapeCity.LicenseManager.exe License Manager setup file.
GrapeCity.LicenseManager.exe.config License Manager setup XML configuration file.

Side-by-Side Installation
Once ActiveReports 9 is installed on your system, it becomes the primary report designer. This means that when
Visual Studio opens one of our proprietary file types, RPX or RDLX, it uses the ActiveReports 9 version of the
following Visual Studio integrated features:
Integrated report designer
Report menu
ActiveReports toolbar
Report Explorer
Toolbox tabs
In ActiveReports 9, ReportDesigner.Switcher tool allows you to change packages which are registered in Visual
Studio. You can change between ActiveReports 8 and ActiveReports 9 for the RPX designer and the RDLX designer.

Tip: You can still access some of the integrated features even if they are hidden.
Right-click in the Visual Studio toolbar area to select which toolbars to show.
The Visual Studio View menu, under Other Windows, lets you select Report Explorer versions.
Toolbox tabs are still visible for other versions, but ones that do not work with the current
designer are disabled.

In order to work with ActiveReports 8 RPX reports, you must run the Switcher tool and change the Primary RPX
designer to ActiveReports 8. If you don't, the reports open in the ActiveReports 9 designer, and the toolbar does
not work.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 31

Switching between ActiveReports 8 and ActiveReports 9

1. Close all instances of Visual Studio.
2. In ...\Common Files\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9, double-click ReportDesigner.Switcher.exe to run the
switcher tool.
3. In the dialog that appears, under Primary RPX designer, choose the radio button for the product you want
to use and click OK.
Similarly, in order to work with ActiveReports 8 RDLX reports, you must run the Switcher tool and change the
Primary RDLX designer to ActiveReports 8.

GrapeCity Copyright Notice

Information in this document, including URLs and web site references, is subject to change without notice. Unless
otherwise noted, the example companies, organizations, products, domain names, e-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 this document may be reproduced,
stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic,
mechanical, photo copying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express written permission of
GrapeCity, inc.
The ActiveReports License Agreement constitutes written permission for Professional Edition licensees to copy
documentation content for distribution with their end user designer applications so long as GrapeCity is given
credit within the distributed documentation.
ActiveReports and the ActiveReports logo are registered trademarks of GrapeCity, inc.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

The following open source software is used in ActiveReports.

PDF Export/ Rendering Extensions

iTextSharp v4.1.7.7
Designer
jquery v2.1.0
jQuery-ui v1.10.4
Bootstrap v3.0.1
bootstrap-treeview.js v1.0.0
jQuery.event.drag v2.2
jQuery.livequery v1.3.6
jQuery.nicescroll v3.5.4
Knockout v3.1.0
knockout-handlebars.js v0.0.6
korest.js v0.0.7
Sharp Express
Irony
Web Viewer
jQuery v1.7.2
jquery.layout v1.2.0
JSON2 knockout.js v2.1.0
SWFObject v2.2
jQuery UI v1.8.16
jQuery Timepicker Addon v1.4.5
jsTree v1.0-rc3
QWhale Editor.NET 1.55
HTML5 Viewer
parseUri v1.2.2
bootstrapSwitch v1.3
spin.js v2.3.2

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 32
jquery.spin.js
Modernizr v2.7.1
Samples
jquery.js v1.10.2
knockout.js v2.3.0
bootstrap.js v3.0.0

End User License Agreement

The End-User license agreement is available online at
http://activereports.grapecity.com/Pages/ActiveReportsEULA/.
Please read carefully before installing this software package. Your installation of the package indicates your
acceptance of the terms and conditions of this license agreement. Contact GrapeCity Inc. if you have any
questions about this license.

.NET Framework Client and Full Profile Versions

All ActiveReports assemblies are compliant with .NET Framework 3.5 Full profile and .NET Framework 4.0 Full
profile.
The following assemblies are compliant with .NET Framework 3.5 Client Profile and .NET Framework 4.0 Client
Profile:

File Description
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.v9.dll Run-time engine assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.v9.dll Chart control assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.v9.dll Document assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Interop.v9.dll Native functions assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.v9.dll PDF Export assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.v9.dll RTF Export assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.v9.dll Text Export assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.v9.dll TIFF Export assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Win.v9.dll Viewer assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.v9.dll Microsoft® Excel® Export assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.v9.dll Extensibility assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Document.v9.dll Document assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.Unsafe.v9.dll Image Export assembly file. (Unsafe version)
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Diagnostics.v9.dll ActiveReports Diagnostics assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Rdf.v9.dll RDF Export assembly file.
DocumentFormat.OpenXml.dll OpenXML assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xaml.v9.dll XAML Export assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Wpf.v9.dll WPF Viewer assembly file.
Note: Does not support .NET Framework 3.5 Full
Profile.

The following assemblies are not compliant with .NET Framework 3.5 Client Profile and .NET Framework 4.0 Client
Profile:

File Description

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 33
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Design.Win.v9.dll Designer assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.v9.dll HTML Export assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.v9.dll Web assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.OracleClient.v9.dll Oracle Client assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Calendar.v9.dll Calendar control assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Dashboard.v9.dll ActiveReports Dashboard assembly file.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Interop64.v9.dll Native functions assembly file.（x64）

The End User Report Designer, the WebViewer control, the HTML Export filter, and the WPF Viewer require
the full profile.

Redistributable Files
ActiveReports is developed and published by GrapeCity, Inc. You may use it to develop applications in
conjunction with Microsoft Visual Studio or any other programming environment that enables the user to use and
integrate the control(s). You may also distribute, free of royalties, the following Redistributable Files with any such
application you develop to the extent that they are used separately on a single CPU on the client/workstation side
of the network:

DocumentFormat.OpenXml.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Calendar.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Dashboard.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Design.Win.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Diagnostics.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Document.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.Unsafe.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Rdf.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xaml.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Imports.Access.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Imports.Crystal.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Interop.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.OracleClient.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Serializer.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Silverlight.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Win.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Wpf.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.VisualStudio.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Design.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Interop64.v9.dll
Grapecity.ActiveReports.Flash.v9.swf
Grapecity.ActiveReports.Flash.v9.Resources.swf

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 34
Themes\FluorescentBlue.swf
Themes\Office.swf
Themes\OliveGreen.swf
Themes\Orange.swf
Themes\VistaAero.swf
Themes\WindowsClassic.swf
Themes\XP.swf
DefaultSLViewerTemplates.xaml
DefaultWPFViewerTemplates.xaml
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Html.css
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Html.js
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Html.min.js

Note: See Installed Files for the location of the files listed above.

License Your ActiveReports

You can use the GrapeCity License Manager utility to license ActiveReports during installation or if you already
have a trial version installed. This topic gives an overview of all aspects of licensing in ActiveReports.

License Types
ActiveReports provides three licensing options to choose from.

License Type Description

Evaluation No product key is required. All evaluation banners are displayed. There is an initial 30
day time-limit for product use but it can be extended after contacting the sales
department.
Standard Product key for the standard edition is required. It offers basic report functionality
without any evaluation banners.
Professional Product key for professional edition is required. All reporting functionality and controls
can be accessed with this license without any evaluation banners.

See ActiveReports Editions to understand the difference between Standard and Professional Editions.

License Key Types

Note: If you have purchased ActiveReports, your product key should have been emailed to you at the time
of purchase. If you do not have a product key, you can retrieve it from [email protected].

ActiveReports offers different key types with varying functionality in the way the product works.

License Key Type Description

Trial This key type shows all evaluation banners and the product stops functioning after 30
days from the date of installation. Users can request a new key from the Sales
department to grant them an additional 30 days.
Standard This key type is given to users who purchase ActiveReports Standard Edition or those
who are upgrading from a previous version of ActiveReports Standard Edition.
Professional This key type is given to users who purchase ActiveReports Professional Edition or those
who are upgrading from a previous version of ActiveReports Professional Edition.

To license ActiveReports on installation or license a trial without reinstalling

1. From the Start menu, go to the All Programs > GrapeCity > License Manager.
2. In the GrapeCity License Manager window that appears, under Action click Activate.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 35

3. On the Activate [Active Reports 9] screen that appears, click the Next button.
4. In the Enter a Product Key screen that appears next, enter the following information:
User Name: Enter your name here.
Organization: Enter your company name here.
Email: Enter your e-mail address here.
Product Key: Enter the product key exactly as you received it from GrapeCity, including any
capital letters. When you enter the product key, a green check mark appears next to this field to
indicate a valid key.

5. Click the Next and then the Finish button to complete the licensing process.
To license ActiveReports on a machine without Internet Connection
1. At the time of installation, on the last screen a check box that states Run license manager appears.
Select this checkbox and click the Close button to complete the installation.
2. In the GrapeCity License Manager window that appears, under the Action field, click Activate.

3. On the Activate [Active Reports 9] screen that appears, click the Next button.
4. In the Enter a Product Key screen that appears next, enter the following information:
User Name: Enter your name here.
Organization: Enter your company name here.
Email: Enter your e-mail address here.
Product Key: Enter the product key exactly as you received it from GrapeCity, including any
capital letters. When you enter the product key, a green check mark appears next to this field to
indicate a valid key.

5. Click the Next button to authenticate the license.

6. If your machine does not have an internet connection, select the Use a browser on another machine
with Internet connectivity option from the following screen and click the Next button.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 36
7. From the Activate using the GrapeCity web site screen that appears, copy the Product Key and
Authentication Number.

8. On another machine with an internet connection, go to https://sas.grapecity.com/activation. Remember to

not close the activation dialog on your original machine till the activation process is complete.
9. Enter the Product Key and Authentication Number you copied in step 7 on this website.
10. Click the Send Request button to generate a license key.
11. Copy the license key from the web page that looks like the following image and in the Activate using
GrapeCity web site dialog under step 3, enter the key.

12. Click the Next and then the Finish button to complete the licensing process.
To activate license for ActiveReports in multiple machines
A single developer license key for ActiveReports can only be used on three machines. If all the license activations
have been used and you wish to license a fourth machine, you will need to deactivate the license from any of the
three machines where the license is currently activated. After you have deactivated the license from the machine,
you can use the same license key to activate ActiveReports on another machine. For more information, see How
To: Deactivate an ActiveReports license.
Note: ActiveReports license should be deactivated before formatting a machine to avoid loss of activation.
You can contact our support team for such scenarios.

To license Windows Forms projects made on the trial version

These steps assume that you already have an ActiveReports licensed edition installed on your system.
1. Open the project in Microsoft Visual Studio.
2. Go to the Visual Studio Build menu and select Rebuild Solution. The executable application is now
licensed, and no nag screens or evaluation banners appear when you run it. You can distribute the
application to unlicensed machines and no nag screens or evaluation banners appear.
To license Web Forms projects made on the trial version
These steps assume that you already have an ActiveReports licensed edition installed on your system.
1. Open the project in Microsoft Visual Studio.
2. Open the Visual Studio Build menu and select Rebuild Solution.
Note: For licensing Web Site applications, open the Visual Studio Build menu and select Build
Runtime Licenses to create the App_Licenses.dll file.

3. The web application is now licensed, no evaluation banners appear when you run it. You can distribute the
Web application to unlicensed machines and no evaluation banners appear.
To upgrade or downgrade a license
If you want to change your ActiveReports license type you need to do one of the following:
Upgrade from a Standard to a Professional License:
1. From the Start menu, go to the All Programs > GrapeCity > License Manager.
2. In the GrapeCity License Manager window that appears, under Upgrade/Downgrade click Upgrade to

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 37
Professional License.
3. Follow the activation steps from step 3 of To license an ActiveReports Trial without reinstalling to
upgrade.
Downgrade from a Professional to a Standard License:
1. From the Start menu, go to the All Programs > GrapeCity > License Manager.
2. In the GrapeCity License Manager window that appears, under Upgrade/Downgrade click Downgrade to
Standard License.
3. In the Deactivate the Product Key screen that appears select the Next button.
4. Confirm the Product screen appears. Confirm that the correct product is getting downgraded and click the
Next button.
5. Deactivation Successful screen appears with the Product Name as ActiveReports 9 and the Current
Status as Standard License.
Required references in the licenses.licx file (for Standard and Professional Editions)
The licenses.licx file must contain the following references to the ActiveReports version and the reference to the
Viewer control:
Standard Edition:
Paste INSIDE the licenses.licx file. Replace Version=x.x.xxxx.x
with the actual ActiveReports version.
(Reference to GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport is added only for code-
based section report templates)
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport, GrapeCity.ActiveReports.v9,
Version=x.x.xxxx.x, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport, GrapeCity.ActiveReports.v9,
Version=x.x.xxxx.x, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Win.Viewer,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Win.v9, Version=x.x.xxxx.x, Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Wpf.Viewer,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Wpf.v9, Version=x.x.xxxx.x, Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff

Professional Edition:

Paste INSIDE the licenses.licx file. Replace Version=x.x.xxxx.x

with the actual ActiveReports version.
(Reference to GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport is added only for code-
based section report templates)
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport, GrapeCity.ActiveReports.v9,
Version=x.x.xxxx.x, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport, GrapeCity.ActiveReports.v9,
Version=x.x.xxxx.x, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Win.Viewer,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Win.v9, Version=x.x.xxxx.x, Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Wpf.Viewer,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Wpf.v9, Version=x.x.xxxx.x, Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.WebViewer, GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.v9,

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 38
Version=x.x.xxxx.x, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Design.Designer,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Design.Win.v9, Version=x.x.xxxx.x, Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Section.PdfExport,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.v9, Version=x.x.xxxx.x, Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff

Note: When using the PDF export filter in your project, make sure you check the licenses.licx file for
reference to the PDF Export Assembly.

To create the Web Key with the Web Key Generator utility
For your medium trust and Windows Azure projects with ActiveReports, you may need to generate a Web Key by
using the Web Key Generator utility on a machine with licensed ActiveReports.
1. Run the WebKeyGenerator.exe from the ...\Common Files\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9 folder.
2. In the dialog that appears, copy the Web Key by clicking Copy. We recommend that you use the second
Copy button to copy the Web Key together with the corresponding web.config section.

3. Paste the Web Key into the web.config file of your project between the opening and closing
<configuration> tags to remove the licensing message. The web.config key looks like the following.
XML code. Paste INSIDE the Web.config file
<configuration>
<appSettings>
<add key=" ActiveReports 9 License" value="Generated Web Key" />
</appSettings>
</configuration>

Note: If you see the message "Your computer is not currently licensed" in the Web Key Generator dialog,
please license your machine.

To license a class library project

Follow these steps after you license ActiveReports on your machine.
1. Open the project for the root-level calling application, that is, the executable that calls your class library, in
Visual Studio.
Note: If you do not have access to this project, see "To license ActiveReports when you cannot
compile the calling application."

2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item, and the select an ActiveReports report. (You can delete it
later. This is only to add the references to the project.)
3. Open the Visual Studio Build menu and select Rebuild Solution.
4. Check the licenses.licx file and verify that ActiveReports licensing is added for all of the features used in
your project.

Note: If you use other ActiveReports features in your class library that are still showing an evaluation
banner, for example, features exclusive to the Professional Edition, you can add those references manually
and rebuild the solution.

To license ActiveReports when you cannot compile the calling application or the calling application is
COM

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 39
When you are not able to compile the calling application in .NET, whether because you don't have access to build a
third-party project, or because the calling application is COM, you can still license ActiveReports using the
Application License Generator utility.
Definition: A calling application is the root-level application that the user initiates to eventually access your
compiled assembly. This could be an executable, a web page, a COM executable, etc.

IMPORTANT: This is the ONLY reason you should ever use the Application License Generator.

Follow these steps after you license ActiveReports on your machine.

1. From the ...\Common Files\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9 folder, run the ApplicationLicenseGenerator.exe.
If you are using a Windows 7 or higher machine, right click the executable file and select Run As
Administrator.

2. Click the Browse button and select the compiled dll that requires licensing.
3. In the Assembly description field, enter the description for the assembly that you are licensing. You can
later view this description by right-clicking the licensed assembly.
4. Click the Generate button.
5. Distribute the generated file <AssemblyName>.GrapeCity.Licenses.dll along with the application.
To remove an Invalid license message
If your license key is invalid or corrupt, you may get an invalid license message.
To remove the message, do any one of the following:
Run the setup to re-install and authenticate the license.
Open the GrapeCity License Manager utility by clicking Run the License Manger
(activate/deactivate) link in this error message and click Activate.
Follow the licensing steps from To license an ActiveReports Trial without reinstalling to license your product
and remove the error message.
To deactivate an ActiveReports license
You can deactivate your ActiveReports license and go back to a Trial License.
1. From the Start menu, go to the All Programs > GrapeCity > License Manager.
2. In the GrapeCity License Manager window that appears, under Action click Deactivate.
3. In the Deactivate [ActiveReports 9] screen that appears select the Next button.
4. Confirm the Product screen appears. Confirm that the correct product is getting downgraded and click the
Next button.
5. Deactivation Successful screen appears with the Product Name as ActiveReports 9 and the Current
Status as Trial License (number of days left).

Upgrading Reports
ActiveReports 9 allows you to upgrade from ActiveReports and Data Dynamics reports.

Upgrading ActiveReports and Data Dynamics Reports Projects

You can automatically update reports and corresponding reference assemblies using the ActiveReports 9 Upgrade
tool, and then handle any additional errors in the code.

Important: Be sure to create a backup for your project before starting the upgrade process.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 40
To upgrade project references and reports
1. In Visual Studio, open an existing ActiveReports or Data Dynamics Reports project that you want to
upgrade.
2. From the Visual Studio Tools menu, select Convert to ActiveReports 9.
3. In the ActiveReports 9 Upgrade tool window that appears, you can see a list of report files to be converted.

4. Click OK to upgrade the project.

To handle errors in code
The ActiveReports 9 Upgrade tool upgrade the reports and corresponding reference assemblies, but the updated
namespaces, types and types members may break the code.
1. With the upgraded project open in Visual Studio, from the View menu, select Error List to get the list of
errors to be fixed in code.
2. In the Error List window, double-click each error in turn to jump to the code where you can fix the error.
Examples of code that might break and how to fix it:
Update the Viewer control by replacing DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Viewer.Viewer with
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Win.Viewer.
Replace existing property names with new property names. For example, MultiplePageCols property is
changed to MultiPageCols.

For a list of changes from the previous version, see Breaking Changes.

Breaking Changes
When you upgrade reports from previous versions of ActiveReports or Data Dynamics Reports, there are several breaking changes.

Note: There are no breaking changes from ActiveReports 8 to ActiveReports 9.

Control Changes from Previous ActiveReports Versions to ActiveReports 9

The OleObject control is now hidden by default in the toolbox for Section reports. To show this control in Visual Studio, open the
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.config file and change the EnableOleObject value to true, and include this file with your application. You can find this file in a
path like the following. C:\Program Files (x86)\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9.
To show the OleObject control in the Designer control in your own end users designer applications, select the Designer control and, in the Properties
window, change the EnableOleObject property to True.
The WebViewer control is now AJAX-based, and requires ActiveReports.ReportService.asmx to be in the root of the Web site or Web application.
This is added automatically when you drop a WebViewer control on a Web form, or you can add it from the Add New Item dialog by selecting
ActiveReports 9 Web Service, or manually by copying it from C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9.
ExceptionOccurring, QueuingReport, ReportCreating and ReportDisposing events are no longer available in WebViewer class.
The Viewer control no longer has Annotations turned on by default. To enable Annotations, set the AnnotationToolbarVisible property of the Viewer
control to True. DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Viewer.ReportViewer.MultiplePageMode property is now integrated into ViewType property of
Viewer class. Viewer.ReportViewer.PaperColor property has been removed. Viewer.PageOffset property's type has been changed from Integer
to System.Drawing.Point.
The Toolbar is now a Windows ToolStrip. Please see the MSDN ToolStrip Class for more information.

Other Changes
Rendering Extensions (Image) - ColorDepth is a obsolete property of GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.Page.Settings class.

Classes in Different Namespaces

In ActiveReports 9, some classes have been moved to different namespaces from previous versions of ActiveReports and Data Dynamics Reports. Drop
down the table below to see some of the most commonly used classes that are in new namespaces.
Classes that are in new namespaces

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 41
Class Name New Namespace Former Namespace
Report GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel DataDynamics.Reports.ReportObjectModel
SectionReport GrapeCity.ActiveReports DataDynamics.ActiveReports
(formerly ActiveReport)
PageReport GrapeCity.ActiveReports DataDynamics.Reports
(formerly ReportDefinition)
SectionDocument GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Document
(formerly Document)
SystemPrinter GrapeCity.ActiveReports DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Interop
Printer GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.Printing DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Document
Field GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Data.Field DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Field
FieldCollection GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Data.FieldCollection DataDynamics.ActiveReports.FieldCollection
ReportExplorer GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Design.ReportExplorer.ReportExplorer DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Design.ReportExplore
Images GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Design.Resources.Images DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Design.Images
Exports
HtmlExport GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.Section DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Export.Html
PdfExport GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Section DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf
PdfSignature GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Section.Signing DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Signing
PdfStamp GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Section.Signing DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Signing
RtfExport GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.Section DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Export.Rtf
TextExport GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.Section DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Export.Text
TiffExport GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.Tiff.Section DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Export.Tiff
XlsExport GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Section DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Export.Xls
ImageRenderingExtension GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.Page DataDynamics.Reports.Rendering.Graphics
HtmlRenderingExtension GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.Page DataDynamics.Reports.Rendering.Html
PdfRenderingExtension GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Page DataDynamics.Reports.Rendering.Pdf
XmlRenderingExtension GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.Page DataDynamics.Reports.Rendering.Xml
WordRenderingExtension GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.Page DataDynamics.Reports.Rendering.Word
ExcelTransformationDevice GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Page DataDynamics.Reports.Rendering.Excel
Report Controls
Barcode GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReportModel DataDynamics.ActiveReports
ChartControl
CheckBox
CrossSectionBox
CrossSectionLine
Label
Line
OleObject
PageBreak
Picture
ReportInfo
RichTextBox
Shape
SubReport
TextBox
Chart GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel DataDynamics.Reports.ReportObjectModel
CheckBox
Container
CustomReportItem
Image
Line
List
Matrix
OverflowPlaceHolder
Shape
Table
TextBox

Namespace Changes and Restructuring

Some of the changes that are not picked up by the upgrade tool may cause some issues in your code. The two most frequently encountered changes
are:
DataDynamics.ActiveReports.ActiveReport is now GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport
DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Document.Document is now GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.SectionDocument
These are all of the assemblies and namespaces that have changed, with any major changes noted.
ActiveReports is now GrapeCity.ActiveReports.v9

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 42
ActiveReport class is now called SectionReport.
BarWidth property is now called NarrowBarWidth.

ActiveReports Namespace (previous versions) ActiveReports 9 Namespace

DataDynamics.ActiveReports GrapeCity.ActiveReports
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReportModel
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Data

DataDynamics.ActiveReports.DataSources GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Data
DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Interop GrapeCity.ActiveReports
DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Options GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReportModel

ActiveReports.Chart is now GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.v9

ActiveReports Namespace (previous versions) ActiveReports 9 Namespace

DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Chart GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart
DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Chart.Annotations GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Annotations
DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics

ActiveReports.Design is now GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Design.Win.v9

The Report property is now an Object that gets or sets a GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.SectionDocument or
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument.

ActiveReports Namespace (previous versions) ActiveReports 9 Namespace

DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Design GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Design
DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Design.ReportExplorer GrapeCity.ActiveReports.ReportExplorer
DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Design.Toolbox GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Design.Toolbox

ActiveReports.Document is now GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.v9

The Document class is now called SectionDocument.

ActiveReports Namespace (previous versions) ActiveReports 9 Namespace

DataDynamics.ActiveReports GrapeCity.ActiveReports
DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Document GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.Section
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.Printing(GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.v9)

DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Export GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export
DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Export.Html GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html
DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Document.Annotations GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.Section.Annotations

ActiveReports.HtmlExport is now GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.v9

ActiveReports Namespace (previous versions) ActiveReports 9 Namespace

DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Export.Html GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.Section

ActiveReports.PdfExport is now GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.v9

ActiveReports Namespace (previous versions) ActiveReports 9 Namespace

DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Section
DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Signing GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Section.Signing

ActiveReports.RtfExport is now GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.v9

ActiveReports Namespace (previous versions) ActiveReports 9 Namespace

DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Export.Rtf GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.Section

ActiveReports.Silverlight is now GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Silverlight.v9

ActiveReports Namespace (previous versions) ActiveReports 9 Namespace

DataDynamics.ActiveReports GrapeCity.ActiveReports

ActiveReports.TextExport is now GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.v9

ActiveReports Namespace (previous versions) ActiveReports 9 Namespace

DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Export.Text GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.Section

ActiveReports.TiffExport is now GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.v9

ActiveReports Namespace (previous versions) ActiveReports 9 Namespace

DataDynamics.ActiveReportsExport.Tiff GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.Tiff.Section

ActiveReports.Viewer is now GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Win.v9

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 43
The History class is now an interface, IHistoryApi, that resides in the GrapeCity.Viewer.Common namespace.
The SearchResultsForeColor property now gets applied as the border around the searched text.
The TargetView enumeration now has two enumeration values (Primary and Secondary).
The ToggleVisibility() method is now Visible property that determines whether sidebar is visible or hidden.
The Print ('Print Method' in the on-line documentation) method is implemented as an extension method of the PrintExtension.Print
('Print Method' in the on-line documentation) method, which is present in Grapecity.ActiveReport namespace of
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Win.v9 assembly.

ActiveReports Namespace (previous versions) ActiveReports 9 Namespace

DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Toolbar The viewer now uses Visual Studio ToolStrips. Please see MSDN ToolStrip Class for more
information.
DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Viewer GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Win
GrapeCity.Viewer.Common

Note: GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Win.v9.dll does not get added automatically to the project references when the report layout is added. You
need to either add the Viewer control or manually add the reference to this assembly.

ActiveReports.Web is now GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.v9

The Report property is now an Object that gets or sets a SectionDocument or ReportDocument.

ActiveReports Namespace (previous versions) ActiveReports 9 Namespace

DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Web GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web
DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Web.Controls GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Controls
DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Web.ExportOptions GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.ExportOptions
DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Web.Handlers GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Handlers

ActiveReports.XlsExport is now GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.v9

ActiveReports Namespace (previous versions) ActiveReports 9 Namespace

DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Export.Xls GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Section
DataDynamics.SpreadBuilder GrapeCity.SpreadBuilder
DataDynamics.SpreadBuilder.Cells GrapeCity.SpreadBuilder.Cells
DataDynamics.SpreadBuilder.Imaging GrapeCity.SpreadBuilder.Imaging
DataDynamics.SpreadBuilder.Printing GrapeCity.SpreadBuilder.Printing
DataDynamics.SpreadBuilder.Style GrapeCity.SpreadBuilder.Style

Converting Crystal Reports/MS Access Reports

You can convert a Crystal Reports report or a Microsoft Access report to an ActiveReports format by running the
ActiveReports Import Wizard.
Running the ActiveReports Import Wizard
1. From the Start Menu, go to All Programs > GrapeCity > ActiveReports > ActiveReports Import.
2. In the ActiveReports Import Wizard that appears, click Next to proceed to the conversion process.

3. Choose Microsoft Access (mdb) or Crystal Reports (rpt) as the input format and click Next to convert
the selected report.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 44

4. Browse to the location that contains the Microsoft Access file or Crystal Reports using the ellipsis button.
Once you select the location, a list of available reports appear in the dialog.
5. Select the reports to import and click Next to analyze the selected reports.

6. Use the ellipsis button to select a destination folder to store the converted reports. Also select an output
format (Section Report, Page Report, RDL Report or All) for each report in the Output Format column.

7. Click Next to start the conversion.

8. Once the conversion process is complete, click Finish to close the wizard and go the destination folder to
view the converted reports. You may optionally leave the check on for the Open Log file checkbox to see
the results log.

The import wizard converts reports to the closest possible ActiveReports format, but due to differences between

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 45
products and versions, the extent to which your reports are converted depends on your specific report layout. You
may have to partially redesign the report and add script or code to get the same output as Microsoft Access
Reports or Crystal Reports.
When converting to Page Reports or RDL Reports, whether a report is imported as a Page Report or RDL Report,
depends on the following factors:
If a report has a single detail section it is imported as a Page Report.
If a report has a SubReport control it is imported as a RDL Report.
If a report has a Matrix control and its layout is composed of multiple sections it is imported as a RDL
Report.

Note: Sections in a report appear as BandedList.

Please refer to the additional information below, to understand the conversion process in detail.

Converting Crystal Reports

To convert Crystal Reports into ActiveReports format, you need to install Visual Studio and Crystal Reports for
Visual Studio on your machine. The supported versions of Visual Studio and corresponding Crystal Reports are as
follows:

Visual Editions Crystal Reports Assembly

Studio Version
2008 Professional, Team Crystal Reports for Visual Studio 2008 10.5.3700.0
System
2010 ... SAP Crystal Reports, developer version for Microsoft 13.x.x.x
Visual Studio
2012 ... SAP Crystal Reports, developer version for Microsoft 13.x.x.x
Visual Studio
2013 ... SAP Crystal Reports, developer version for Microsoft 13.x.x.x
Visual Studio

Crystal Report controls are converted in ActiveReports as follows:

Crystal Section Page Note

Report Report Report/RDL
Report
Box Shape Container The LineWidth property and rounded boxes are not imported. If the
Box control extends to multiple sections, the box is imported as line
controls.
CrossTab SubReport BandedList CrossTab control is not imported as it is.
Line Line Line The size of Dot and Dash (the LineStyle property) is not the same as
the original report.
Subreport SubReport Subreport Set the subreport in code after conversion.
TextObject Label Textbox Only page number, total page, page n of m in Special Fields are
imported.
FieldObject TextBox Textbox Only page number, total page, page n of m in Special Fields are
imported.
Picture ... Container Picture object is not converted.

Converting Microsoft Access Reports

To convert Microsoft® Access® reports into ActiveReports format, you must have Access 97, 2000, 2002, 2003 or
2007 installed on your system.
Microsoft Access report controls are converted in ActiveReports as follows:

Microsoft Access Section Page Note

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 46
Report Report Report/RDL
Report
Rectangle Shape Container Controls placed inside the Rectangle control are also imported
along with the parent control.
CheckBox Label Textbox ...
Image ... Image Image control is not converted while converting to a Section
Report.
Label Label Textbox ...
Textbox TextBox Textbox ...
Line Line Line ...
Page Break PageBreak Container In Page Reports and RDL Reports, the PageBreakAtEnd
property is automatically set to True on importing a Page
Break control.
Subform/Subreport SubReport Subreport ...

Limitations in Crystal Report/MS Access conversion

Any controls, functions, and text formats which are not supported by ActiveReports are not converted.
The shadow property of a control is not imported while converting a report.
The OLE object is not in Crystal Reports is not imported as it is treated as PictureObject in the object
structure.
In Microsoft Access reports, VBA code appears in as commented statements in script. You have to
modify the code after importing.

Getting Started
Quickly begin using ActiveReports by reviewing some of the most commonly used features.

This section contains information about

Adding ActiveReports Controls
Learn how to add ActiveReports controls to the toolbox in Visual Studio.
Adding an ActiveReport to a Project
Learn how to add an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio project. Also in this section, learn about the different types of
reports and how to add code or script to each.
Adding a Data Source to a Report
Learn about the different ways that you can add data to each type of report, and where to find more information
on each.
Viewing Reports
Learn how to preview a report at design time or view it in Windows Form, Web or Silverlight Viewers.
Adding an ActiveReports Application
Learn how to add an ActiveReports application to the Visual Studio project and avoid additional implementation
rendering the report in the Viewer.

Adding ActiveReports Controls

You can add an ActiveReport to a project without using the Visual Studio toolbox, but in order to use the Viewer
control, any of the exports, the Designer and related controls, or the WebViewer control, you need to have them in
your toolbox.
The installer generally adds the controls to the Visual Studio toolbox in an ActiveReports 9 tab. However, if they
are removed for any reason, you can re-add them at any time.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 47
To add the controls
1. Right-click the Visual Studio toolbox tab where you want to add ActiveReports controls and select Choose
Items.
2. In the Choose Toolbox Items window that appears, on the .NET Framework Components tab, in the Filter
textbox, enter GrapeCity.ActiveReports.
3. Select the check boxes next to any of the controls that you want to add to your toolbox:

Viewer HtmlExport
WebViewer PdfExport
Designer RtfExport
ReportExplorer TextExport
Toolbox TiffExport
XlsExport

4. For the Silverlight Viewer control, go to the Silverlight Components tab and select Viewer.
5. Click OK to add the controls to the selected toolbox tab.

.NET Framework Version

The following features all require the .NET Framework full profile version.
Designer control
WebViewer control
HTMLExport
Oracle data provider
Calendar control
Sparkline or Bullet control
Native Functions (Interop64)
To ensure that you are using the full profile version in a VB project
1. From the Visual Studio Project menu, select YourProject Properties.
2. On the Compile tab, click the Advanced Compile Options button.
3. In the Advanced Compiler Settings dialog that appears, drop down the Target framework field and select
a version that does not specify Client Profile.
To ensure that you are using the full profile version in a C# project
1. From the Visual Studio Project menu, select YourProject Properties.
2. On the Application tab, drop down the Target framework field and select a version that does not specify
Client Profile.

Caution: ActiveReports controls may not appear in the toolbox unless your project is using .NET 3.5 or
later.

Adding an ActiveReport to a Project

To use ActiveReports in a Visual Studio project, you add one of the included report templates.

To add an ActiveReport to a project

1. From the Visual Studio Project menu (or Website menu in Web projects), select Add New Item.
2. Select the type of report that you want to add (for information on the differences, see Report Types):
Section Report (code-based)
Section Report (xml-based)
Page Report
RDL Report

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 48

3. In the Name box, type a name for the report, and click Add. The selected report type is added to your
project and opens in the report designer.

Note: When you add a report layout the Viewer assembly (GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Win.v9.dll) is not
added automatically to the project references. You may need to manually add it in your project if required.

To add an ActiveReport to a project at runtime

1. In Visual Studio, create a new Windows Forms Application or open an existing one.
2. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag the Viewer control onto your Windows Form.
3. Set the Viewer's Dock property to Fill to show the complete Viewer control on the form.
4. On the Form.cs or Form.vb that opens, double-click the title bar to create the Form_Load event.
5. Add the following code inside the Form_Load event.
Page Report
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.
' Create a new Page report instance
Dim pageReport As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport()
Dim Page As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.Page()
Dim fixedPage As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.FixedPage()

' Add a textbox to your Page report

Dim textbox1 As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.TextBox()
textbox1.Name = "TextBox1"
textbox1.Height = "1cm"
textbox1.Width = "10cm"
textbox1.Left = "2cm"
textbox1.Top = "0.5cm"
textbox1.Value = "Sample Page Report"
Page.ReportItems.Add(textbox1)
fixedPage.Pages.Add(Page)
pageReport.Report.Body.ReportItems.Add(fixedPage)

' Create a Page document and load it in Viewer

Dim pageDocument As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(pageReport)
viewer1.LoadDocument(pageDocument)

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.

// Create a new Page report instance
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport pageReport = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.Page Page = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.Page();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.FixedPage fixedPage = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.FixedPage();

// Add a textbox to your Page report

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.TextBox textbox1 = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.TextBox();
textbox1.Name = "TextBox1";

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 49
textbox1.Height = "1cm";
textbox1.Width = "10cm";
textbox1.Left = "2cm";
textbox1.Top = "0.5cm";
textbox1.Value = "Sample Page Report";
Page.ReportItems.Add(textbox1);
fixedPage.Pages.Add(Page);
pageReport.Report.Body.ReportItems.Add(fixedPage);

// Create a Page document and load it in Viewer

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument pageDocument = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(pageReport);
viewer1.LoadDocument(pageDocument);

RDL Report

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.

' Create a new RDL report instance
Dim rdlReport As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport()

' Add a textbox to your RDL report

Dim textbox1 As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.TextBox()
textbox1.Name = "TextBox1"
textbox1.Height = "1cm"
textbox1.Width = "10cm"
textbox1.Left = "2cm"
textbox1.Top = "0.5cm"
textbox1.Value = "Sample RDL Report"
rdlReport.Report.Body.ReportItems.Add(textbox1)

' Create an RDL document and load it in Viewer

Dim rdlDocument As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(rdlReport)
viewer1.LoadDocument(rdlDocument)

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.

// Create a new RDL report instance
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport rdlReport = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport();

// Add a textbox to your RDL report

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.TextBox textbox1 = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.TextBox();
textbox1.Name = "TextBox1";
textbox1.Height = "1cm";
textbox1.Width = "10cm";
textbox1.Left = "2cm";
textbox1.Top = "0.5cm";
textbox1.Value = "Sample RDL Report";
rdlReport.Report.Body.ReportItems.Add(textbox1);

// Create an RDL document and load it in Viewer

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument rdlDocument = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(rdlReport);
viewer1.LoadDocument(rdlDocument);

Section Report
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.
' Create a new Section report instance
Dim sectionReport As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport()

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 50
' Create a Detail section
sectionReport.Sections.Add(GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.Section.SectionType.Detail,
"Body")

' Add a textbox to your Section report

Dim textbox1 As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReportModel.TextBox()
textbox1.Name = "TextBox1"
textbox1.Height = 1.5F
textbox1.Width = 10.0F
textbox1.Left = 0.5F
textbox1.Top = 0.5F
textbox1.Value = "Sample Section Report"
sectionReport.Sections(0).Controls.Add(textbox1)

' Load the Section report in the Viewer

sectionReport.Run()
viewer1.LoadDocument(sectionReport)

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.

// Create a new Section report instance
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport sectionReport = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport();

// Create a Detail section

sectionReport.Sections.Add(GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.Section.SectionType.Detail,
"Body");

// Add a textbox to your Section report

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReportModel.TextBox textbox1 = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReportModel.TextBox();
textbox1.Name = "TextBox1";
textbox1.Height = 1.5F;
textbox1.Width = 10F;
textbox1.Left = 0.5F;
textbox1.Top = 0.5F;
textbox1.Value = "Sample Section Report";
sectionReport.Sections[0].Controls.Add(textbox1);

// Load the Section report in the Viewer

sectionReport.Run();
viewer1.LoadDocument(sectionReport);

Adding a Data Source to a Report

The first thing you probably want to do when you create a report is to add data. You can accomplish this in a
variety of ways, depending on the type of report you are using.

Page Report/RDL Report Data

With page reports or RDL reports, you basically connect to a data source, and then add a dataset. You can also
create a shared data source if you use the same one for many reports. For information on how to perform these
tasks, see Work with Data in the How To section. For more information on each item in the associated dialogs, see
Data Sources and Datasets in the Concepts section.
For more advanced ways to connect data, see the Walkthroughs section for step by step instructions on using
Reports with Stored Procedures, or creating a Custom Data Provider.

Section Report Data

With section reports, you bind a report to any of a variety of data sources and select the data using a SQL query or

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 51
XPath expression in the Data Source Dialog. You can also use code to create an unbound data source or to change
the data source at run time. For more information on all of these methods of binding reports to data, see Work
with Data in the Section Report How To section.

Viewing Reports
ActiveReports provides a number of ways to view your report output. You have an option of previewing the report
as you create it in a Visual Studio project at design time.

Previewing Reports at Design Time

ActiveReports makes it easy for you to preview your report while you are still creating it. Click the Preview tab at
the bottom of the designer and see the output as it appears in a viewer. See Designer Tabs for further information.

With the in-built Viewers for Windows Forms, Web and Silverlight, you can view your report in any of these
platforms as well in a separate viewer control. The following topics introduce all the available report viewing
options.

In this section
Using the Viewer
This section explains how to view a report in the Windows Forms Viewer and demonstrates the Viewer's features,
touch gestures and shortcut keys.
ActiveReports and the Web
This section introduces the Web Viewer where you can view your report output in various types of viewers and
provides key features of each viewer type.
Using the Silverlight Viewer
This section describes how to view a report in the Silverlight viewer and introduces its toolbar and features.
Using the WPF Viewer
This section describes the WPF Viewer toolbar, its additional features and how to view a report in the WPF viewer.

Using the Viewer

Besides previewing your report at design time, you can also view the reports you design in the Viewer. This viewer
contains a toolbar and a sidebar with Thumbnails, Search results, Document map and Parameters panes.
Viewer Toolbar
The following table lists the actions you can perform through the Viewer toolbar.

Toolbar Name Description

Element
First page Takes you to the first page of the report. This button
is enabled when a page other than the first page is
open.
Last page Takes you to the last page of the report. This button
is disabled on reaching the last page of the report.
Previous Takes you to the page prior to the current page. This
page button is enabled when a page other than the first
page is open.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 52
Next page Takes you to the page following the current page.
This button is disabled on reaching the last page of
the report.
Current page Opens a specific page in the report. To view a specific
page, type the page number and press the Enter key.
Backward Takes you to the last viewed page. This button is
enabled when you move to any page from the initial
report page. Clicking this button for the first time also
enables the Forward button.
Forward Takes you to last viewed page before you clicked the
Backward button. This button is enabled once you
click the Backward button.
Back to Returns you to the parent report in a drillthrough
parent report report.
Default Allows you to specify a default mouse pointer mode.

Pan mode A hand symbol serves as the cursor that you can use
to navigate.
Selection Allows you to select contents on the report. Click the
mode Copy icon (see image and description below) to copy
the selected content to the clipboard.
Snapshot Allows you to select content on the report that you
mode can paste as an image into any application that
accepts pasted images.
Toggle Displays the sidebar that includes the Thumbnails,
sidebar Parameters, Document map and Search results
panes.
Print Displays the Print dialog where you can specify the
printing options.
Galley mode Provides a viewer mode which removes automatic
page breaks from a Report Definition Language (RDL)
and displays data in a single page. This mode
maintains page breaks you create in the report and
removes only automatic page breaks.
Copy Copies text that you select in the Selection mode to
the clipboard.

Note: In case the

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.v9.dll and
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.v9.dll are
not available in GAC, you might need to add
references to these assembly files to enable the
viewer's Copy button.

Find Displays the Find dialog to find any text in the report.

Zoom out Decreases the magnification of your report.

Current zoom Displays the current zoom percentage which can also
be edited.
Zoom in Increases the magnification of your report.

Fit width Fits the width of the page according to viewer

dimensions.
Fit page Fits the whole page within the current viewer
dimensions.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 53
Single page Shows one page at a time in the viewer.
view
Continuous Shows all preview pages one below the other.
view
Multipage Offers you an option to select how many pages to
view preview in the viewer at one time.
Refresh Refreshes the report.
Caution: Refresh button gets disabled when
you load a section report in the Viewer control
through any of the following:
Document Property (on-line
documentation)
LoadDocument(SectionDocument)
Method ('LoadDocument Method'
in the on-line documentation)
LoadDocument(String) Method
('LoadDocument Method' in the
on-line documentation)

Cancel Cancels the report rendering.

Allows you to select touch mode for the Viewer.

Note: The Touch Mode button only appears on
Touch Mode the toolbar while working on touch enabled
devices.

Viewer Sidebar
The Viewer sidebar appears on the left of the Viewer control when you click the Toggle sidebar button in the
toolbar. By default, this sidebar shows the Thumbnails and Search Results panes. The additional Document map
and Parameters also appear in this sidebar. You can toggle between any of the viewer panes by clicking the
buttons for each pane at the bottom of the sidebar.
Thumbnails pane
The Thumbnails pane appears by default in the sidebar when you click the Toggle sidebar button in the toolbar.
This pane comprises of a thumbnail view of all the pages in a report. Click any thumbnail to navigate directly to
the selected report page. You can also modify the size of the thumbnail when you click (+) or (-) button to zoom
in and zoom out.

Search results pane

The Search pane is the other default pane besides Thumbnails that appears in the sidebar when you click the
Toggle sidebar button. This pane lets you enter a word or phrase from which to search within the report.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 54

To search in a report:
Enter the word or phrase in the search field.
Under Use these additional criteria, you may optionally choose to search for the whole word or match
the case of the search string while searching in the report.
Click the Search button to see the results appear in the Find results list.
Click an item in the list to jump to that item in the report and highlight it.
To start a new search or clear the current search results, click the Clear button under the Find results list.
Document map pane
The Documents map pane is enabled for reports where the Label property or the Document map label is set. This
pane displays each value for the text box, group, or sub report that you label, and you can click them to navigate
to the corresponding area of the report in the Viewer.

If a report does not have the Label property or Document map label set, the Documents map pane does not
appear in the sidebar.
Parameters pane
The Viewer allows you to view reports with parameters. In the toolbar, click the Toggle sidebar button to open
the Viewer sidebar and if your report contains parameters, the Parameters pane shows up automatically.

1. In the Parameters pane, you are prompted to enter a value by which to filter the data to display.
2. Enter a value or set of values and click View report, to filter the report data and display the report.
If a report does not have parameters, the Parameters pane does not appear in the sidebar.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 55
Display report output in the Viewer
The following code examples demonstrate how you can display the report output in the Viewer.
1. In a Visual Studio Windows Forms application, from the Visual Studio toolbox, drag the Viewer control onto
your Windows Form.
2. Set the viewer's Dock property to Fill to show the complete Viewer control on the Form.
3. Double-click the title bar of the Form to create an event-handling method for the Form_Load event.
4. In the Form_Load event, add code like the following to run the report and display it in the viewer. Each of
these code snippets presumes a report in the project of the type indicated with the default name. (If you
have renamed your report, you need to rename it in the code as well)
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
The following example demonstrates how you display a page report in the Viewer control.
Visual Basic. NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.
Dim file_name As String = "..\..\PageReport1.rdlx"
Dim pageReport As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(New
System.IO.FileInfo(file_name))
Dim pageDocument As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(pageReport)
Viewer1.LoadDocument(pageDocument)

The following example demonstrates how you display a RDL Report in the Viewer control.
Visual Basic. NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.
Dim file_name As String = "..\..\RdlReport1.rdlx"
Dim pageReport As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(New
System.IO.FileInfo(file_name))
Dim pageDocument As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(pageReport)
Viewer1.LoadDocument(pageDocument)

The following example demonstrates how you can display a section report (code-based) in the Viewer
control.
Visual Basic. NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.
Dim sectionReport As New SectionReport1()
Viewer1.LoadDocument(sectionReport)

The following example demonstrates how you can display a section report (xml-based) in the Viewer
control.
Visual Basic. NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.
Dim sectionReport As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport()
Dim xtr As New System.Xml.XmlTextReader("..\..\SectionReport1.rpx")
sectionReport.LoadLayout(xtr)
xtr.Close()
Viewer1.LoadDocument(sectionReport)

To write the code in C#

The following example demonstrates how you display a page report in the Viewer control.
C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.
string file_name = @"..\..\PageReport1.rdlx";
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport pageReport = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(new System.IO.FileInfo(file_name));
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument pageDocument = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(pageReport);
viewer1.LoadDocument(pageDocument);

The following example demonstrates how you display a RDL Report in the Viewer control.

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 56
string file_name = @"..\..\RdlReport1.rdlx";
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport pageReport = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(new System.IO.FileInfo(file_name));
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument pageDocument = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(pageReport);
viewer1.LoadDocument(pageDocument);

The following example demonstrates how you can display a section report (code-based) in the Viewer
control.
C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.
SectionReport1 sectionReport = new SectionReport1();
viewer1.LoadDocument(sectionReport);

The following example demonstrates how you can display a section report (xml-based) in the Viewer
control.

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport sectionReport = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport();
System.Xml.XmlTextReader xtr = new
System.Xml.XmlTextReader(@"..\..\SectionReport1.rpx");
sectionReport.LoadLayout(xtr);
xtr.Close();
viewer1.LoadDocument(sectionReport);

Additional Features
Following is an introduction to the additional capabilities of the Viewer to guide you on using it effectively:
Split windows
1. Run your viewer project.
2. Click above the vertical scrollbar to grab the splitter control and drag downward.
3. With the viewer split into two sections, you can easily compare report pages.
Advanced Printing Options
Viewer provides advanced printing options that allow you to control the report page layout and watermark settings
through the Page Setup dialog. In this dialog, you can also preview the report as it would appear with each print
setting. See Use Advanced Printing Options for further details.
You can also set the PrintingSettings ('PrintingSettings Property' in the on-line documentation) property
of the Viewer to directly print without displaying a dialog or to switch from a ActiveReports print dialog to a .NET
Framework standard print dialog (System.Windows.Forms.PrintDialog) on clicking the Print button on the Viewer
toolbar. You can set the PrintingSettings property of the Viewer control from the Properties window.

PrintingSettings property provides the following options:

PrintingSettings Options Description

ShowPrintDialog Displays a dialog in which the user can set the printer options
before printing.

ShowPrintProgressDialog Displays a print progress dialog, in which the user can cancel the printing
job.
UsePrintingThread Specifies whether printing should be performed for individual threads or
not.
UseStandardDialog Specifies whether to use the .NET Framework standard print dialog
(System.Windows.Forms.PrintDialog) while printing the document
(section or page).

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 57

Exporting
Use the Export Filters to export a page or a section report to different formats directly from the Viewer. After you
load the document in the Viewer, you can use a sample code like the following which shows one overload of the
Export ('Export Method' in the on-line documentation) method with a PDF export filter. This code creates an
outputPDF.pdf file in the bin\debug folder of your project.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic. NET code. Paste INSIDE an event like Button_Click event.
Dim PDFEx As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Section.PdfExport
Viewer1.Export(PDFEx, New FileInfo(Application.StartupPath + "\outputPDF.pdf"))

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE an event like Button_Click event.

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Section.PdfExport PDFEx = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Section.PdfExport();
viewer1.Export(PDFEx, new System.IO.FileInfo (Application.StartupPath +
"\\outputPDF.pdf" ));

Note: Make sure that you add a reference to the required export assembly in your project before setting the
export filter in code. See Export Filters further details.

Annotations Toolbar
You can use annotations when working with a report in the Viewer and add notes, special instructions or images
directly to the reports.

Annotations are added via the Viewer's toolbar, which is hidden by default. You can make the Annotations toolbar
available by setting the AnnotationToolbarVisible property to true in the viewer's properties grid.

Annotation Name Description

AnnotationText A rectangular box in which you can enter text.
AnnotationCircle A circle without text. You can change the shape to an
oval.
AnnotationRectangle A rectangular box without text.
AnnotationArrow A 2D arrow in which you can enter text. You can
change the arrow direction.
AnnotationBalloon A balloon caption in which you can enter text. You
can point the balloon's tail in any direction.
AnnotationLine A line with text above or below it. You can add arrow
caps to one or both ends and select different dash
styles.
AnnotationImage A rectangle with a background image and text. You
can select an image and its position, and place text
on the image.

Keyboard Shortcuts
The following shortcuts are available on the Viewer:

Keyboard Shortcut Action

Ctrl + F Shows the find dialog.
Ctrl + P Shows the print dialog.
Esc Closes the find or print dialogs.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 58
Page Down Moves to the next page.
Page Up Moves to the previous page.
Ctrl + T Shows or hides the table of contents.
Ctrl + Home Moves to the first page.
Ctrl + End Moves to the last page.
Ctrl + Right Navigates forward.
Ctrl + Left Navigates backward.
Ctrl + - Zooms out.
Ctrl + + Zooms in.
Left, Right, Up, Down Moves the visible area of the page in the
corresponding direction.
Ctrl + 0 (zero) Sets the zoom level to 100%.
Ctrl + rotate mouse wheel Changes the zoom level up or down.
Ctrl + M Turns on the continuous view.
Ctrl + S Turns off the continuous view.
Ctrl + I Shows multiple pages.
Ctrl + G Focuses on PageNumber area and selects content.
F5 Refreshes the report.
Home Moves to the start of the current page.
End Moves to the end of the current page.

Viewer's Thumbnails pane shortcut keys

You can use the following shortcut keys while using the thumbnails pane in the Viewer.

Keyboard Action
Shortcut
Up Arrow Goes to the previous page.
Down Arrow Goes to the next page.
Right Arrow Goes to right page. If no thumbnail exist on the right, it goes to the next page.
Left Arrow Goes to left page. If no thumbnail exist on the left, it goes to the previous page.
Page Down Scroll to the next thumbnail's view port. It also keep the current selected page
unchanged.
Page Up Scroll to the previous thumbnail's view port. It also keep the current selected page
unchanged.
Home Goes to the first page.
End Goes to last page.

Touch Support
ActiveReports introduces touch support for Windows Viewer. This feature gives you the flexibility to interact with
the Viewer using simple touch gestures. Now you can install ActiveReports on any touch enabled Windows device
and view the reports anywhere you are.
You can switch to the touch mode by just clicking the Touch mode button on the Viewer toolbar.

Note: In touch mode, you can still use the mouse to perform ActiveReports operations.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 59
Touch mode Toolbar
The following table lists the actions you can perform through the Viewer toolbar.

Icon Function Details

Sidebar Displays the sidebar that includes the Thumbnails, Parameters, Document map
and Search results panes.

Print Displays the Print dialog where you can specify the printing options.

Galley Provides a viewer mode which removes automatic page breaks from a Report
mode Definition Language (RDL) and displays data in a single page. This mode
maintains page breaks you create in the report and removes only automatic
page breaks.
For RDL report only.

Copy Copies text that you select in the Selection mode to the clipboard.
Note: In case the GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.v9.dll and
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.v9.dll are not available in GAC, you
might need to add references to these assembly files to enable the
viewer's Copy button.

Find Displays the Find dialog to find any text in the report.

Current Displays the current zoom percentage which can also be edited.
zoom

Single Shows one page at a time in the viewer.

page view

Continuous Shows all preview pages one below the other.

page

Multiple Offers you an option to select how many pages to preview in the viewer at one
page time.

Previous Takes you to the page prior to the current page. This button is enabled when a
page page other than the first page is open.

Current Opens a specific page in the report. To view a specific page, type the page
page number and press the Enter key.

Next page Takes you to the page following the current page. This button is disabled on
reaching the last page of the report.

Back to Returns you to the parent report in a drillthrough report.

parent
report
Refresh Refreshes the Viewer.
Caution: Refresh button gets disabled when you load a section report in
the Viewer control through any of the following:
Document Property (on-line documentation)
LoadDocument(SectionDocument) Method
('LoadDocument Method' in the on-line documentation)
LoadDocument(String) Method ('LoadDocument Method'
in the on-line documentation)

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 60
Cancel Cancels the report rendering.

Touch Allows you to select touch mode for the Viewer.

mode

Context menu
To display the context menu, you must tap and hold in the preview area.

Icon Function Gesture Details

Pan Tap Hand cursor used to move the visible portion of the reports.
mode Drag the hand tool in the direction you want to move the report.
Selection Tap Allows you to select contents on the report. Click the Copy icon
mode (see image and description above) to copy the selected content
to the clipboard.
Snapshot Tap Allows you to select content on the report that you can paste as
mode an image into any application that accepts pasted images.

Preview

Gesture Gesture Preview Area Details

(Image) Element
Single Page View Flick in the vertical or horizontal direction moves to the next or
Flick previous page. A single flick moves single page.
Continuous Page View Performs the page scrolling.

Tap Link Opens links (URL, drill-though links, etc).

Slider Moves the slider.

Border between Moves the border.
Sidebar and Preview
Area Note: The pan gesture does not work in the report area
Pan where ScrollbarEnabled property is set to False.

Selection mode, Pan from selection start point to selection end point.
Snapshot mode

Pinch Preview Area Pinch to zoom out.

Stretch Preview Area Stretch to zoom in.

Double Preview Area Tap twice to change the view mode (from the Single page view
tap to the Multiple page mode).

Selection mode, Displays the context menu where you can select the pan,
Tap and Snapshot mode selection, or snapshot mode.
hold

ActiveReports and the Web

Professional Edition

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 61
With the Professional Edition license, you can use the WebViewer control to quickly display reports in any of four
viewer types: HtmlViewer, RawHtml, AcrobatReader, or FlashViewer. You can also use the Silverlight Viewer
control in Silverlight projects.

Important: Before using the WebViewer control, you must first Configure HTTPHandlers in IIS 7 and IIS 8.

In this section
Getting Started with the Web Viewer
Explore the ways that the WebViewer control can save you time.
Using the HTML5 Viewer
Learn about the features available with the HTML5 Viewer.
Medium Trust Support
Learn about the features and limitations available in Medium Trust Support environment.

Standard Edition
With the Standard Edition license, you can export reports to use on the Web or use Web Services to distribute
reports or data sources. For more information on Web exporting, please see the Custom Web Exporting (Std
Edition) section.

Getting Started with the Web Viewer

The WebViewer control that is licensed with the Professional Edition allows you to quickly display reports in Web applications.
Once you drop the control onto a Web Form, you can look in the Visual Studio Properties grid and select the ViewerType ('ViewerType
Property' in the on-line documentation) that you want to use.
The WebViewer control supports the following types:
HtmlViewer (default): Provides a scrollable view of a single page of the report at a time. Downloads only HTML and javascript to
the client browser. Not recommended for printable output. See the Using the HTML Viewer topic for details.
RawHTML: Shows all pages in the report document as one continuous HTML page. Provides a static view of the entire report
document, and generally printable output, although under some circumstances pagination is not preserved.
AcrobatReader: Returns output as a PDF document viewable in Acrobat Reader.
Client requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader
FlashViewer: Provides an interactive viewing experience and no-touch printing using the widely-adopted Flash Player. See Using
the Flash Viewer for details.
Client requirements: Adobe Flash Player

To use the WebViewer control

1. In a Visual Studio Web Application, add the WebViewer control to the Visual Studio toolbox. See Adding ActiveReports Controls for
more information.
2. While in Design view of an ASPX page, from the toolbox, drag the WebViewer control and drop it on the page.
3. With the WebViewer control selected, in the Properties grid, select the ViewerType you want to use. The viewer displays any
prerequisites for using the selected ViewerType.
4. To bind a report to the WebViewer, do one of the following:
Set the ReportName property to the name of a report within your solution.
Note: Alternatively, you can set the ReportName property programmatically to a new instance of an ActiveReport
class. For example:
VB code: WebViewer.ReportName="YourReport.rpx"
C# code: WebViewer.ReportName="YourReport.rpx";

Set the Report property to a new instance of an ActiveReport class as shown in the examples below.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET (Page report/RDL report)
VB code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event
Dim rpt As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport()
rpt.Load(New System.IO.FileInfo(Server.MapPath("")+"\invoice.rdlx"))
WebViewer1.Report = rpt

To write the code in C# (Page report/RDL report)

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport rpt = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport();
rpt.Load(new System.IO.FileInfo(Server.MapPath("")+"\\invoice.rdlx"));
WebViewer1.Report = rpt;

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 62
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET (Section code-based report)

VB code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event

Dim rpt As New MyInvoiceReport()
WebViewer1.Report = rpt

To write the code in C# (Section code-based report)

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event
MyInvoiceReport rpt = new MyInvoiceReport();
WebViewer1.Report = rpt;

To write the code in Visual Basic.NET (Section xml-based report)

VB code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event

Dim sr As New SectionReport()
sr.LoadLayout(Server.MapPath("") + "\Invoice.RPX")
WebViewer1.Report = sr

To write the code in C# (Section xml-based report)

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event

SectionReport sr = new SectionReport();
sr.LoadLayout(Server.MapPath("") + "\\Invoice.RPX);
WebViewer1.Report = sr;

Note: You can use either the ReportName property or the Report property to bind a report to the WebViewer. If you
use both properties, you will get the error message.

5. You must also Configure HTTPHandlers in IIS 6 on your server so that IIS knows how to associate ActiveReports files in the browser.

Using the Flash Viewer

FlashViewer is one of the viewer types of the WebViewer control. It includes Flash representations of the toolbar as
well as the sidebar that contains Table of Contents and Thumbnail tabs.
To use the Flash Viewer, you must copy the following files into your project folder.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Flash.v9.swf
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Flash.v9.Resources.swf
Note: GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Flash.v9.Resources.swf is used for localization and is necessary
only if you want to use a language resource that is different from the default one. The default
locale is U.S. English (en_US).

These files are located in the ...\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9\Deployment\Flash folder.

In the WebViewer control ViewerType property, when you select FlashViewer, you can customize the viewer using
the FlashViewerOptions properties.
Flash Viewer properties
To access the Flash viewer properties, select the WebViewer on your ASPX page and, in the Properties Window,
expand the FlashViewerOptions node. If you change the ViewerType property to anything other than
FlashViewer, these property settings are ignored.

Property Description
DisplayTransparency Specify whether to print transparent objects.
HyperLinkBackColor Specify the background color of hyperlinks displayed in the viewer.
HyperLinkForeColor Specify the color of hyperlink text.
HyperLinkUnderline Specify whether hyperlink text is underlined.
MultiPageViewColumns Specify the number of columns to show when the ViewType is set to
MultiPage.
MultiPageViewRows Specify the number of rows to show when the ViewType is set to

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 63
MultiPage.
PageNumber Specify the page to display initially.
PrintOptions AdjustPaperOrientation Specify how to handle paper orientation during printing. Select
from:
None (orientation is not checked)
Auto (the Flash viewer checks every page, and changes
orientation if necessary)
AdjustByFirstPage (the Flash viewer checks the first page,
and if the orientation does not match that of the printer,
adjusts the entire report without checking additional
pages)

ScalePages Specify how to handle page scaling during printing. Select from:
None (pages are not scaled)
Auto (pages are scaled down if they do not fit on the
paper)
AllowScaleUp (pages are scaled up or down to best fit the
paper)

StartPrint Specify whether to print the report after loading for one-touch
printing. If you set the WebViewer's Height and Width properties to
0, you can print the report without displaying the Print dialog.
ResourceLocale Specify the Culture for localization. Separate multiple values with
commas.
ResourceUrl Specify a comma-separated list of URLs to SWF files with resource
bundles.
SearchResultsBackColor Specify the background color used to highlight search results text in
report pages.
SearchResultsForeColor Specify the text color for highlighted search results text in report
pages.
ShowSplitter Specify whether to display the splitter, which allows the user to
compare report pages in the viewer.
ThemeUrl Specify the relative URL of a theme to use on the FlashViewer. The
following themes are included, and can be found in
...\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9\Deployment\Flash\Themes. Add them
to your project to use them.
FluorescentBlue.swf
Office.swf
OliveGreen.swf
Orange.swf
VistaAero.swf
WindowsClassic.swf
XP.swf

TocPanelOptions Alignment Specify the alignment of the table of contents pane. Select from Left
or Right.
ShowThumbnails Specify whether to display a pane with thumbnail views of pages.
ShowToc Specify whether to display the table of contents in the FlashViewer.
Visible Specify whether to show the table of contents pane initially, without
requiring the user to click the Toggle Sidebar button.
Width Specify the width of the table of contents pane in pixels.
Url Specify the relative URL of the FlashViewer control. If you leave this
value blank, ActiveReports looks in the main Web folder.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 64
UseClientApi Specify whether to allow the use of the client API (javascript) for the
FlashViewer. If set to False, the Flash viewer ignores any javascript
commands sent to it.
ViewType Specify the page view type. Select from Single, MultiPage, or
Continuous.
WindowMode Specify such display options as transparency, layering, and
positioning of the FlashViewer in the browser. Select from:
Window (displays the Flash viewer in its own rectangular
window on the Web page)
Opaque (displays the viewer with a filled background so
nothing shows through)
Transparent (displays the viewer with a transparent
background so objects in the background show through)
This mode may slow animation performance.

Zoom Specify the zoom level, between 10% and 800%, at which to
display the report.

Flash Viewer shortcut keys

You can use the following shortcut keys with the Flash Viewer.

Keyboard Action Behavior in Internet Explorer

Shortcut
Ctrl + F Displays the find dialog. -
F3 Displays the next find result. Displays the browser's find box.
Esc Closes the find dialog. -
Page Down Moves to the next page. -
Page Up Moves to the previous page. -
Ctrl + P Displays the print dialog. Displays the browser's print dialog.
Ctrl + T Displays the table of contents. Opens a new tab in the browser.
Ctrl + Home Moves to the first page. -
Ctrl + End Moves to the last page. -
Ctrl + Right Moves to the next page. -
Ctrl + Left Moves to the previous page. -
Ctrl + - Zooms out. -
Ctrl + + Zooms in. -
Left, Right, Up, Moves the visible area of the page in the -
Down specified direction.
Home, End Moves to the beginning or end of the current -
page.
Ctrl + 0 (zero) Sets the zoom ratio to 100%. -
Ctrl + mouse Changes the zoom level up or down. -
wheel
Ctrl + M Displays multiple pages. Not applicable for IE9 and IE10.
Ctrl + S Displays a single page. Displays the Save Webpage dialog in IE9
and IE10.

Caution: As with any other Flash application, browser keyboard shortcuts do not work if the Flash Viewer
has focus. Click anywhere outside the Flash Viewer to give focus back to the browser to use browser
keyboard shortcuts. Likewise, to use the Flash Viewer keyboard shortcuts, click the Flash viewer to give
focus back to the Flash Viewer if focus is on the browser.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 65
Also, some shortcut actions are different in Internet Explorer (see Behavior in Internet Explorer in the
table above), therefore it is recommended to use FireFox instead.

Flash Viewer printing

The Flash Viewer toolbar has a Print button and a Page Range button. Note that you cannot set the page range in
the Print dialog, so you must set up a page range prior to printing.

Print
1. On the Flash Viewer toolbar, click the Print button.

2. In the Print dialog that appears, select the printer settings and click Print.

Page Range
1. On the Flash Viewer toolbar, click the Page Range button.

2. In the Page range dialog that appears, select All for all pages, Current Page for the current page, or
Range to specify pages for printing and then click OK.

3. On the Flash Viewer toolbar, click the Print button and then, in the Print dialog that appears, click Print.

Note: With the ViewerType of WebViewer control set to FlashViewer, you can only use hyperlinks and
document map interactive features.

Note: You need to modify the IIS Express setting when loading an RDF file in the Flash Viewer using client-
side scripts. For more details, go to the Flash Viewer Troubleshooting section in Troubleshooting.

Using the HTML Viewer

HtmlViewer is the default viewer type of the WebViewer control, and provides a scrollable view of the report one
page at a time. It includes HTML representations of the toolbar as well as the sidebar that contains Parameters,
Table of Contents and Search panes.
HTML Viewer Properties
These HtmlExportOptions properties on the WebViewer control apply only when you select the HTML
ViewerType. If you change the ViewerType property to another value, these settings are ignored.

Property Description

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 66
BookmarkStyle Specify whether to use HTML bookmarks, or none.
CharacterSet Select from 15 character sets to use for the report.
IncludePageMargins Specify whether to keep page margins on reports in the generated HTML.
OutputType Specify whether to use DHTML or HTML for the output.
RemoveVerticalSpace Specify whether to keep white space, for example at the end of a page not filled with
data before a page break.

The HtmlViewer downloads only HTML and javascript to the client browser.

HTML Viewer Toolbar

The HTML viewer toolbar offers various ways to navigate through reports.

Toolbar Element Name Description

Toggle Sidebar Displays the sidebar that includes the Parameters, Table of
Contents and Search panes.
Find Displays the Search pane of the sidebar.

Go to page Opens a specific page in the report. To view a specific page, type
the page number and press ENTER.
Go to Navigates through a report page by page.
Previous/Next
page
Go to First/Last Jumps to the first or last page of a report.
page

Back to parent Returns to the parent report in a drill-down page report or RDL
report report.

HTML Viewer Parameters

The HTML viewer allows you to view reports with parameters. The Parameters pane shows up automatically. To
show or hide the Parameters pane in the sidebar, click the Toggle Sidebar button in the Toolbar.
In the Parameters pane, you are asked to enter a value by which to filter the data to display.
To filter the report data, enter a value or set of values and click View report.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 67
If a report does not have parameters, the Parameters pane of the sidebar is disabled.

HTML Viewer Table of Contents

To display the Table of Contents pane, in the toolbar, click Toggle Sidebar. Then at the bottom of the sidebar,
click the Table of Contents button.
Note that the Table of Contents pane is only enabled for reports with Bookmarks. The Table of Contents displays
each value for the text box, group, or subreport that you bookmark, and you can click them to navigate to the
corresponding section of the report in the Viewer.
HTML Viewer Search
The Search pane lets you enter a word or phrase for which to search within the report. Under Use these
additional criteria, you may optionally select additional criteria. When you click Search, any results appear in
the Find results list. Click an item in the list to jump to the item you selected and highlight it.
To start a new search, click Clear under the Find results list.

Working with HTML Viewer using Javascript

In order to work with HTML viewer using the Javascript, you need to follow a set of procedures. This involves calling the Loaded event first and then obtaining an
instance of the ViewerViewModel. Once you have access to the ViewerViewModel, use its API methods and properties to work with the HTML Viewer.
Loaded Event
HtmlViewer raises a Loaded event to notify the listeners that the internal initialization is complete. Following is the sample code to raise a Loaded event:
$(document).ready(function () {
$('#' + clientId).bind('loaded', function(){
...
});
});

Note: You can obtain the ClientId from the WebViewer control.

ViewerViewModel
In order to work with the API, obtain an instance of the ViewerViewModel first, using the GetViewModel(clientId) javascript function that searches ViewerViewModel
array through the clientId. This function throws an exception if there is no ViewerViewModel with the requested clientId available.
Use code like the following to call an instance of the ViewerViewModel:
var viewModel = GetViewModel(clientId);

After obtaining the ViewerViewModel, the code can call API methods and properties.

Methods/Properties Example Description

Sidebar this.Sidebar Gets the Sidebar view model instance.
Toolbar this.Toolbar Gets the Toolbar view model instance.
PageLoaded this.PageLoaded(false); Gets the Boolean value indicating whether the page was
loaded or not.
Export this.Export(exportType, callback, saveAsDialog, settings) Exports the loaded page to a specified format. In order to
this.Export(ExportType.Pdf, callback, true, {FileName:"report.pdf"}); export without any errors, the PageLoaded() property
must be True.
exportType: Requested output format.
callback: Function which obtains the URI of the
exported document.
saveAsDialog: Optional request to show save as
dialog after export.
settings: Optional export settings. Here you
can specify the exported file name in the
FileName keyword that is case-sensitive.

Note: ExportType is an Enumeration.

var ExportType = { Pdf, Html, Word, Xls, Xml };

Print this.Print() Prints the report using pdf printing. In order to print without
any errors the PageLoaded() property must be True.

SidebarViewModel
SidebarViewModel allows you access to its various properties and methods to get the current state and show/hide sidebar and sidebar panels.

Methods/Properties Example Description

IsSidebarVisible this.IsSidebarVisible(false); Gets the Boolean value for entire sidebar visibility.
HideShowSidebar this.HideShowSidebar() Toggles Sidebar's visibility.
IsBookmarksPaneVisible this.IsBookmarksPaneVisible(false); Gets the Bookmarks Pane's visibility.
ShowBookmarksPane this.ShowBookmarksPane() Toggles Bookmarks Pane's visibility.

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IsParametersPaneVisible this.IsParametersPaneVisible(false); Gets the Parameters Pane's visibility.
ShowParametersPane this.ShowParametersPane() Toggles Parameters Pane's visibility.
IsSearchPaneVisible this.IsSearchPaneVisible(false); Gets the Search Pane's visibility.
ShowSearchPane this.ShowSearchPane() Toggles Search Pane's visibility.
HideAll this.HideAll() Hides all Sidebar panes.

Using the HTML5 Viewer

The HTML5 Viewer is a Javascript component that can be used in web applications to preview reports hosted on
ActiveReports 9 Server or ActiveReports 9 Web Service. The HTML5 Viewer provides several UI types to target the
wide range of supported devices. The application can switch between these options using the public API methods
and properties.

HTML5 Viewer Mobile UI

HTML5 Viewer Mobile Top Toolbar

Toolbar Name Description

Element
Table of Contents Displays the Table of Contents pane.

Parameters Displays the Parameters pane.

Search Displays the Search pane.

Save As Displays the drop-down list of formats to export the report. The
available options are PDF Document, Word Document, Image
File, MHTML Web Archives, and Excel Workbook. Tapping the
menu item exports the report to the selected format.

HTML5 Viewer Mobile Bottom Toolbar

Toolbar Name Description

Element
Previous Navigates to the previous page of the displayed report.
Page

Next Page Navigates to the next page of the displayed report.

2/124 Current Displays the current page number and page total. Enter the page number to view
Page a specific page.
Back to Returns to the parent report in a drill-through page report.
Parent

HTML5 Viewer Mobile Table of Contents Pane

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 69
The Table of Contents pane appears when you tap the TOC button on the toolbar. Tap any TOC item in the Table
of Contents pane to navigate to the corresponding section of the report in the Viewer.
The Table of Contents pane has a Close (x) button that hides the pane and shows the report display area. If a
report does not have a Table of Contents, the TOC button in the toolbar is disabled.

HTML5 Viewer Mobile Parameters Pane

The Parameters pane appears automatically if your report contains parameters.

In the Parameters pane, click the button to open the Parameters Value editor where you can choose or enter
values depending on the parameter type.

After you select or enter the values, click the Back button to navigate to Parameters Pane. Click the View Report
button to view the report according to the selected parameter values.

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If a report does not have parameters, the Parameters button in the toolbar is disabled. For more information,
see Parameters.
HTML5 Viewer Mobile Search Pane
The Search pane appears when you tap the Search button in the toolbar.
This pane allows you to search for a specific text in the report.

To search in a report:
Enter the word or phrase in the search field.
Under the search field, you may choose to use the Match case and Whole phrase options while
searching in the report.
Click the Search button to see the results appear below the Search button.
Click an item in the list to jump to that item in the report.

HTML5 Viewer Desktop UI

HTML5 Viewer Desktop Toolbar

Toolbar Name Description

Element
Sidebar Displays the sidebar with the Table of Contents and Parameters panes.

Search Displays the Search pane.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 71
First Navigates to the first page of the displayed report.

Prev Navigates to the previous page of the displayed report.

2/124 Current page Displays the current page number and page total. Enter the page
number to view a specific page.
Next Navigates to the next page of the displayed report.

Last Navigates to the last page of the displayed report.

Back to Parent Returns to the parent report in a drill-through page report.

Print Displays the Print dialog to specify printing options.

Save As Displays the drop-down list of formats to export the report. The
available options are PDF Document, Word Document, Image File,
MHTML Web Archives, and Excel Workbook. Tapping the menu item
exports the report to the selected format.

HTML5 Viewer Desktop Table of Contents Pane

The Table of Contents pane appears when you click the Sidebar button in the toolbar. Click any TOC item to
navigate to the corresponding section of the report in the Viewer.

HTML5 Viewer Desktop Parameters Pane

The Parameters pane appears when you click the Sidebar button in the toolbar and then click the Parameters
tab. In the Parameters pane, enter a value to filter the data to be displayed.

Click View Report button to view the report according to the selected parameter values.

Note: Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox browsers do not support the display of DatePicker control in the

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 72
Parameters panel. However, DatePicker control is available in case of Google Chrome browser.

Caution: For a DateTime type parameter in HTML5 Viewer, the FormatString for the DatePicker is
represented with (mm/dd/yyyy) while the TimePicker is represented with dashes (--:--:-- --).

For more information, see Parameters.

HTML5 Viewer Desktop Search Pane
The Search pane appears when you click the Search button on the toolbar. This pane allows you to search for a
specific text in the report.

To search in a report:
Enter the word or phrase in the search field.
Under the search field, you may choose to use the Match case and Whole phrase options while
searching the report.
Click the Search button to see the results appear below the Search button.
Click an item in the search results to jump to that item in the report.

HTML5 Viewer Custom UI

The custom UI option of the HTML5 Viewer provides the ability to create a customized viewer for targeted devices
and to meet the specific application requirements.
You can customize the appearance of the HTML5 Viewer using the public API methods and properties, described
in Working with HTML5 Viewer using Javascript.

Note: When using input tags in the HTML 5 viewer, please note that due to limitations in certain browsers,
the datetime-local type may not appear correctly.

Working with HTML5 Viewer using Javascript

Initialization Options
The following options can be set during initialization or at runtime while working with the HTML5 Viewer.
uiType

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 73
Description: Sets the UI mode of the HTML5 Viewer.
Type: String
Accepted Value: 'Custom', 'Mobile' or 'Desktop'
Example:
viewer.option('uiType', 'Mobile');

element
Description: JQuery selector that specifies the element that hosts the HTML5 Viewer control.

Note: This option is used during initialization only.

Type: String
Example:
var viewer = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer( { element: '#viewerContainer2', reportService: { url: '/ActiveReports.ReportService.asmx' }, });

reportService
Description: The report service that can use ActiveReports Server or ActiveReports Web Report Service.
Type: Object that has the url and optional securityToken properties
Example:
reportService: { url: 'http://remote-ar-server.com', securityToken: '42A9CD80A4F3445A9BB60A221D042FCC', resourceHandler: 'http://remote-ar-server.com/resourceHandler.aspx' };

reportService.url
Description: The url of AR9 Server instance of the AR9 Web service that provides the reportInfo and output.
Type: String
Example:
reportService: { url: 'http://remote-ar-server.com' };

reportService.securityToken
Description: The security key needed to login to the AR9 server.
Type: String
Example:
reportService: { securityToken: '42A9CD80A4F3445A9BB60A221D042FCC' };

reportService.resourceHandler
Description: The url of the AR9 Server resource handler.
Type: String
Example:
reportService: { resourceHandler: 'http://remote-ar-server.com/resourceHandler.aspx' };

report
Description: The report that is displayed in ActiveReports Server or ActiveReports Web Report Service.
Type: An object that has id and parameters properties.
Example:
report: { id: 'CustomersList', parameters: [ { name: 'CustomerID', value: 'ALFKI' }] };

reportID
Description: The id of the report to be shown by the HTML5 Viewer.
Type: String
Example:
Example:
report: { id: 'CustomersList', parameters: [ { name: 'CustomerID', value: 'ALFKI' }] };

reportParameters
Description: The array of the {name, value} pairs that describe the parameters values used to run the report.
Type: Array
Example:
report: { id: 'CustomersList', parameters: [ { name: 'CustomerID', value: 'ALFKI' }] };

reportLoaded
Description: The callback that is invoked when the HTML5 Viewer obtains the information about the requested report. The reportInfo object is passed in the callback including the TOC info, Parameters info and
the link to the rendered report result.
Type: function(reportInfo)
Example:
var reportLoaded = function reportLoaded(reportInfo) { console.log(reportInfo.parameters); } viewer.option('reportLoaded', reportLoaded);

action
Description: The callback that is invoked before the HTML5 Viewer opens the hyperlink, bookmark link, drill down report or toggles the report control visibility.
Type: function(actionType, actionParams)
Example:
function onAction(actionType, actionParams) { if (actionType === 0) { window.open(params.url, "Linked from report", "height=200,width=200"); } } viewer.option('action', onAction);

availableExports
Description: The array of export types available via Export functionality of HTML5 Viewer. Available export formats are 'Pdf', 'Image', 'Word', 'Html' and 'Xls'.
Type: Array
Example:
viewer.option("availableExports", ['Pdf']);

maxSearchResults
Description: The number of search results received for a single search invoke.
Type: Number
Example:
maxSearchResults: 10

error
Description: The callback that is invoked when an error occurs in the process of displaying the report.The error message can be customized.
Type: function(error)

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 74
Example:
var options = {
error: function(error){
error.message = "My error message";
},
// other properties
};
var viewer = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer(options);

documentLoaded
Description: The callback that is invoked when a document is loaded entirely on the server.
Type: function()
Example:
var documentLoaded = function documentLoaded() { setPaginator(); } viewer.option('documentLoaded', documentLoaded);

localeUri
Description: The url of the file containing the localization strings.

Note: This option is used during initialization only.

Type: String
Example:
var viewer = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer( { localeUri: 'Scripts/i18n/ru.txt' });

Public API Methods and Properties

After initializing the HTML5 Viewer, the following API methods and properties can be used.

Methods
option
Description: Gets or sets the option value by name if the value parameter is specified.
Syntax: option(name,[value])Object

Parameters:
name: The option name to get or set.
value: (optional) The option value to set. If this argument is omitted than the method returns the current option value.
Example:
viewer.option('uiType', 'mobile'); viewer.option('report', { id: 'my report' });

Return Value: The current option value.

refresh
Description: Refreshes the report preview.
Syntax: option(name,[value])Object

Example:
viewer.refresh()

Return Value: Void

print
Description: Prints the currently displayed report if any.
Syntax: print()Void

Example:
viewer.print()

Return Value: Void

goToPage
Description: Makes the viewer to display the specific page, scroll to the specific offset (optional) and invokes the callback once it's done.
Syntax: goToPage(number, offset, callback)Void

Parameters:
number: The number of pages to go to.
offset object: The object such as {left:12.2, top:15}.
callback: The function to call after perform action.
Example:
viewer.goToPage(1, { 2, 3 }, function onPageOpened() {});

Return Value: Void

backToParent
Description: Makes the viewer to display the parent report of the drill-down report.
Syntax: backToParent()Void

Example:
viewer.backToParent()

Return Value: Void

destroy
Description: Removes the viewer content from the element.
Syntax: destroy()Void
Example:
viewer.destroy()

Return Value: Void

export
Description: Exports the currently displayed report.
Syntax: export(exportType,callback,saveAsDialog,settings)Void

Parameters:
exportType: Specifies export format. Available export formats are 'Pdf', 'Word', 'Html' and 'Xls'.
callback: Function that is invoked once the export result is available (its Url is passed in the callback).
saveAsDialog: Indicates whether the save as dialog should be shown immediately once the export result is ready.
settings: The export settings are available for RenderingExtensions (Page and RDL reports).
Example:

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 75
function exportToExcel()
{
viewer.export('Xls', downloadReport, true, { FileName: "DefaultName.xls" });
}
// function fetches the report from uri(callback function)
var downloadReport = function (uri) {
var newWin = null;
// open uri in new window
try {
newWin = window.open(uri);
} catch (e) { }
// if browser rejects opening new window, open uri in current window
if (!newWin) {
window.location = uri;
}
};
Return Value: Void
search
Description: Performs the search of a specific term with specific search options (match case, whole word) and invokes the specific callback with the search result passed.
Syntax: search(searchTerm, searchOptions, callback)Void
Parameters:
searchTerm: String to find.
searchOptions: The object optionally defines the search options:
matchCase: Whether the search should respect the case.
wholePhrase: Whether the search should look for a whole phrase.
callback: The function to call after performing search.
Example:
viewer.search('a', { matchCase: true, wholePhrase: false }, function (results) { console.log(results); });

Return Value: Void

getToc
Description: Obtains the part of the report TOC specified by parent(node), startChild(index), count parameters and invokes callback function passing the result as parameter.
Syntax: getToc(callback) Void

Parameters:
callback: The callback to handle TOC tree.
Example:
viewer.getToc(function (toc) { console.log(toc); })

Return Value: Void

Properties
pageCount
Description: Gets the page count of the currently displayed report.
Syntax: viewer.pageCount

Example:
console.log(viewer.pageCount)

Return Value: An integer representing page count.

currentPage
Description: Gets the currently displayed page number.
Syntax: viewer.currentPage
Example:
console.log(viewer.currentPage)

Return Value: An integer representing currently displayed page number.

Toolbar
Description: Returns the HTML element that displays the toolbar in desktop UI mode.
Syntax: viewer.Toolbar

Example:
// Toolbar, MobileToolbarTop, MobileToolbarBottom $(viewer.toolbar).hide(); $(viewer.toolbarTop).hide(); $(viewer.toolbarBottom).hide();

ToolbarTop
Description: Returns the HTML element that displays the top toolbar in mobile UI mode.
Syntax: viewer.ToolbarTop

Example:
// Toolbar, MobileToolbarTop, MobileToolbarBottom $(viewer.toolbar).hide(); $(viewer.toolbarTop).hide(); $(viewer.toolbarBottom).hide();

ToolbarBottom
Description: Returns the HTML element that displays the bottom toolbar in mobile UI mode.
Syntax: viewer.ToolbarBottom

Example:
// Toolbar, MobileToolbarTop, MobileToolbarBottom $(viewer.toolbar).hide(); $(viewer.toolbarTop).hide(); $(viewer.toolbarBottom).hide();

Viewing Reports using HTML5 Viewer

Viewing Reports in HTML5 Viewer

The following steps describe how to view reports in HTML5 Viewer.
1. Create a new Visual Studio Web Application project.
2. Copy and place GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Html.js, GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Html.min.js and GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Html.css files at a suitable location near the target HTML page.

Note: In ActiveReports, these files are located in the C:\Program Files\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9\Deployment\Html

3. In the target HTML page, add the references to the GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Html.css, GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Html.js and its following dependencies:
jQuery 1.9.0 or higher
Bootstrap 3.0
Knockout.js 2.3.0 or higher

Note: You can obtain the dependencies like jQuery from Content Delivery Network (CDN) or copy them locally.

Paste inside the <head></head> tags

<link rel="stylesheet" href="css/GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Html.css" />
<script src="Scripts/GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Html.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script src="//ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.11.2/jquery.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script src="//netdna.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/3.3.1/js/bootstrap.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script src="//cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/knockout/3.2.0/knockout-min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>

4. Add the reference to the bootstrap.min.css in the target HTML page.

Paste inside the <head></head> tags
<link rel="stylesheet" href="//maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/3.3.1/css/bootstrap.min.css" />

5. In the target HTML page, add the DIV element that will contain the HTML5 Viewer.
Paste inside the <body></body> tags
<div id="viewer" style="width:800px;height:600px;"></div>

6. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.

7. Open the licenses.licx file, and add the following references to it.
Paste inside the licenses.licx file
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport, GrapeCity.ActiveReports.v9, Version=9.99.1979.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport, GrapeCity.ActiveReports.v9, Version=9.99.1979.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Section.PdfExport, GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.v9, Version=9.99.1979.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.WebViewer, GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.v9, Version=9.99.1979.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff

8. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Web Service and click Add. The ActiveReports9 Web Service is required for the proper functioning of the HTML5 Viewer.
9. Add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project. See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
10. Add the following code to view your report in the HTML5 Viewer. The code might vary depending on the technology that you use to develop the HTML5 Viewer component.
Paste inside the <script></script> tags
$(function ()
{
var viewer = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer(
{

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 76
element: '#viewer',
report: {
id: "PageReport.rdlx"

},
reportService: {
url: '/ActiveReports.ReportService.asmx'
},
uiType: 'desktop'

});
});

11. Press F5 to run the project.

Viewing reports from different domains using CORS

Cross-Origin Resource Sharing is a technology for the web that provides async web operations to directly access reports from different domains. CORS works by adding a special header to responses from a server to the client. If a response contains the Access-Control-Allow-Origin header, then you can directly access the reports from another domain. If you get error 404 or 500 on the report preview, please make sure that your browser supports CORS.

The following steps describe how to access reports from different domain using CORS.
1. Add Global Application Class file (Global.asax) in your application on the service side.
2. Open the Global.asax.cs file, and add the following code to access reports using cross websites.
Paste inside the Global.asax.cs
protected void Application_BeginRequest(object sender, EventArgs e) { HttpContext.Current.Response.AddHeader("Access-Control-Allow-Origin", "*"); if (HttpContext.Current.Request.HttpMethod == "OPTIONS") { HttpContext.Current.Response.AddHeader("Access-Control-Allow-Methods", "GET, POST, OPTIONS"); HttpContext.Current.Response.AddHeader("Access-Control-Allow-Headers", "Content-Type, Accept"); HttpContext.Current.Response.End(); }

Paste inside the Global.asax.vb

Sub Application_BeginRequest(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs) HttpContext.Current.Response.AddHeader("Access-Control-Allow-Origin", "*") If HttpContext.Current.Request.HttpMethod = "OPTIONS" Then HttpContext.Current.Response.AddHeader("Access-Control-Allow-Methods", "GET, POST, OPTIONS") HttpContext.Current.Response.AddHeader("Access-Control-Allow-Headers", "Content-Type, Accept") HttpContext.Current.Response.End() End If End Sub

Note: In case of Internet Explorer 9, you need to add $.support.cors = true; code on the client side while initializing the HTML5 Viewer to access reports from a different domain.

Medium Trust Support

All features of ActiveReports are available without restrictions in a Full trust environment. You can also use
ActiveReports under Medium trust, but with limitations on some of the features.

Caution: Assemblies placed in the Global Assembly Cache, or GAC (C:\WINDOWS\ASSEMBLY), have Full
trust permissions, so the results on your deployment machine may differ from those on your development
machine.

Note: If you see an evaluation banner when deploying your ActiveReports project, you should use the Web
Key Generator utility to create the Web Key and integrate the license information into your project.

Feature Limitations
1. Exporting
RTF, Text, TIFF and Excel filters are not supported in Medium trust.
Digital signatures cannot be used in case of PDF rendering extension and PDF export.
Chart and Matix control of Page Reports and RDL Reports are not displayed properly in case of
PDF rendering extension and PDF export.
2. The End User Designer and Windows Form Viewer controls require Full trust.
3. The Picture control does not support metafiles, which require Full trust.
4. The ImageType property of the Chart control must be set to PNG.
5. OleObject, FormattedText and Custom controls require Full trust.
6. Scripting requires Full trust, so if you need to use code in reports under Medium trust, use code-based
reports rather than RPX format.
7. WebViewer
Bullet, Sparkline and Calendar control of PageReports and RDLReports are not displayed in all the
Viewer types.
Report containing the Image control of PageReports and RDLReports is not displayed properly in
case of HTML type.

Recommended Development Environment for Medium Trust Tests

To set up a Medium trust environment
Open the Web.config file and paste the following code between the <system.web> and </system.web> tags.
XML code. Paste BETWEEN the system.web tags.
<trust level="Medium"></trust>

To set up the PrintingPermission level

Most hosting providers disable the printing permissions in a partially trusted environment.
1. Open the web_mediumtrust. config file (located in the
\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\Config folder).
2. Set the PrintingPermission level to NoPrinting.
XML code. Paste BETWEEN the system.web tags.
<IPermission class="PrintingPermission"version="1"Level="NoPrinting"/>

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 77
Note: The default set of medium trust permissions is available in the web_mediumtrust.config.default file.

Using the Silverlight Viewer

ActiveReports provides a Silverlight Viewer to where you can load and view your reports. This viewer contains a
toolbar and a sidebar with Search, Table of Contents and Parameters panes. Silverlight Viewer also allows you
to capture Hyperlink click using the HyperLink Event (on-line documentation) in the Viewer.

Note: Microsoft Silverlight 4 Tools are required for application development with the ActiveReports Silverlight
Viewer.

Silverlight Viewer toolbar

Toolbar element Name Description

Toggle Displays the sidebar that includes the Search, TOC (Table of Contents),
Sidebar and Parameters panes.
Print Displays the Print dialog where you can specify the printing options.

Find Displays the Search pane in the sidebar.

Zoom out Decreases the magnification of your report.

Zoom Resets the magnification to default

reset
Zoom Allows you to drag the slider to increase or decrease the magnification of
slider your report.
Zoom in Increases the magnification of your report.

Fit page Fits the width of the page according to viewer dimensions.
width
Fit whole Fits the whole page within the current viewer dimensions.
page
First Takes you to the first page of the report. This button is enabled when a page
page other than the first page is open.
Previous Takes you to the page prior to the current page. This button is enabled when
page a page other than the first page is open.
Current Shows the current page number and opens a specific page in the report. To
page view a specific page, type the page number and press the Enter key.
Next Takes you to the page following the current page. This button is disabled on
page reaching the last page of the report.
Last page Takes you to the last page of the report. This button is disabled on reaching
the last page of the report.
Backward Takes you to the last viewed page. This button is enabled when you move to
any page from the initial report page. Clicking this button for the first time
also enables the Forward button.
Forward Takes you to last viewed page before you clicked the Backward button. This
button is enabled once you click the Backward button.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 78
Back to Returns to the parent report in a drillthrough page or RDL report.
Parent
Report
Export Allows you to specify the export format for a report. You can select from the
Format following options: PDF, Excel, HTML, Word, or XML.
Export Exports a report into the selected format.
Report

Silverlight Viewer Sidebar

Search Pane
The Search pane appears by default in the sidebar when you click the Toggle Sidebar button. This pane lets you
enter a word or phrase to search within the report.
To search in a report:
1. Enter the word or phrase in the search field.
2. Under Use this additional criteria, you may optionally choose to search for the whole word or match the
case of the search string while searching in the report.
3. Click the Search button to see the results appear in the Find results list.
4. Click an item in the list to jump to that item in the report and highlight it.
To start a new search or clear the current search results, click the Clear button under the Find results list.
Table of Contents (TOC) Pane
To display the Table of Contents pane, in the toolbar, click Toggle Sidebar. Then at the bottom of the sidebar,
click the Table of Contents button.
If a report does not have the Label property or Document map label set, the Table of Contents (TOC) pane does
not appear in the sidebar.
Parameters Pane
The Silverlight Viewer allows you to view reports with parameters. In the toolbar, click the Toggle sidebar button
to open the sidebar and if your report contains parameters, the Parameters pane shows up automatically.
1. In the Parameters pane, you are prompted to enter a value by which to filter the data to display.
2. Enter a value or set of values and click View report, to filter the report data and display the report.
If a report does not have parameters, the Parameters pane does not appear in the sidebar.

Display the report in the Viewer

Set up your Silverlight project using the following steps: (see the Silverlight walkthrough for more details)
1. Create a new Silverlight project or open an existing one, ensuring that the Silverlight Version option is set
to Silverlight 4 or higher.
2. In the Visual Studio Solution Explorer, right-click YourProject.Web and select Add, then New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select the Reporting template, then select ActiveReports 9 Web
Service. This adds ActiveReports.ReportService1.asmx to your project.
4. From the Toolbox tab, drag the Viewer control and drop it on the design view of MainPage.xaml.
5. In the Solution Explorer, right-click YourProject.Web and select Add, then Existing Item and select an
existing report to load in the viewer.
6. On MainPage.xaml, with the viewer selected, go to the Properties window and double click the Loaded
event.
7. In the MainPage code view that appears, add code like the following to the viewer1_loaded event to bind
the report to the viewer. This code shows an .rdlx report being loaded but you can use a .rpx report as
well.
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the viewer1_Loaded event in MainPage.xaml.vb.
Viewer1.LoadFromService("YourReportName.rdlx")

C# code. Paste INSIDE the viewer1_Loaded event in MainPage.xaml.cs.

viewer1.LoadFromService("YourReportName.rdlx");

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 79
To avoid evaluation banners appearing at runtime, license your ActiveReports Silverlight project. You can find
information on licensing ActiveReports Silverlight in License Your ActiveReports under To license an ActiveReports
Silverlight project.
Silverlight Viewer printing
1. In the Silverlight viewer toolbar, click the Print button.
2. In the Print dialog that appears, select the printer settings and click Print.
In addition to the standard Silverlight print option, you can setup PDF printing in your Silverlight project and print
a document from Silverlight to the PDF format directly.

Note: PDF printing is not supported in the Silverlight Out-of-Browser applications.

See Provide PDF Printing in the Silverlight Viewer (Pro Edition) to learn how you can set up and print a report from
the Silverlight Viewer to PDF format.
Silverlight feature limitations
Limitations on printing:
ActiveReports Silverlight Viewer does not provide the one-touch printing option.
The maximum value for the print range is 2000 pages.
Vertical text is not supported in the ActiveReports Silverlight Viewer.
Horizontal and vertical text of MS PMincho and some other ideographic characters may render
incorrectly in the ActiveReports Silverlight Viewer.
The use of the Silverlight Viewer control in layout panels has a limitation related to the default size of
the panel.
The multipage mode is not available in the ActiveReports Silverlight Viewer.
To display a report with annotations in the Thumbnails view correctly, hide the Thumbnails view by
clicking the Show TOC/Thumbnails icon in the Toolbar and then open the report in the Silverlight Viewer.
IIS Express setting needs to be done when loading an RDF file in the Viewer. For more details, go to
the Silverlight Viewer Troubleshooting section in Troubleshooting.
Some Silverlight properties and events are not supported in XAML. However, you can still use these
properties by setting them in code as follows:
Visual Basic.NET code. Add this code in an event like Button_Click.
Viewer1.FontStyle = FontStyles.Italic

C# code. Add this code in an event like Button_Click.

viewer1.FontStyle = FontStyles.Italic;

Silverlight properties and events that are not supported

Properties
FontStyle
FontWeight
FontFamily
FontSize
Foreground
FontStretch
Padding
VerticalContentAlignment
HorizontalContentAlignment
IsTabStop
Events
GotFocus
LostFocus

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 80
Using the WPF Viewer
ActiveReports provides the WPF Viewer that you can use to load and view your reports. This viewer contains a
toolbar and a sidebar with Thumbnails, Search results, Document map and Parameters panes.

Warning: The TargetInvocationException occurs on running a WPF browser application in Partial Trust. Refer
to Running WPF Viewer in Partial Trust section given below to run your WPF Browser Application in
Partial Trust. To ensure that you are using Full Trust:
1. From the Visual Studio Project menu, select YourProject Properties.
2. On the Security tab, under Enable ClickOnce security settings, select the This is a full trust
application option.

WPF Viewer Toolbar

The following table lists the actions you can perform through the WPF Viewer toolbar.

Toolbar Element Name Description

Toggle Sidebar Displays the sidebar that includes the
Thumbnails, Parameters, Document map
and Search results panes.
Print Displays the Print dialog where you can
specify the printing options.
Find Displays the Find dialog to find any text in
the report.
Zoom out Decreases the magnification of your
report.
Zoom in Increases the magnification of your
report.
Current zoom Displays the current zoom percentage
which can also be edited.
Fit page width Fits the width of the page according to
viewer dimensions.
Fit whole page Fits the whole page within the current
viewer dimensions.
First page Takes you to the first page of the report.
This button is enabled when a page other
than the first page is open.
Previous page Takes you to the page prior to the current
page. This button is enabled when a page
other than the first page is open.
Current page Opens a specific page in the report. To
view a specific page, type the page
number and press the Enter key.
Next page Takes you to the page following the
current page. This button is disabled on
reaching the last page of the report.
Last page Takes you to the last page of the report.
This button is disabled on reaching the
last page of the report.
Backward Takes you to the last viewed page. This
button is enabled when you move to any
page from the initial report page. Clicking
this button for the first time also enables
the Forward button.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 81
Forward Takes you to last viewed page before you
clicked the Backward button. This button
is enabled once you click the Backward
button.
Back to parent report Returns you to the parent report in a
drillthrough report.
Refresh Refreshes the report.

Cancel Cancels rendering of the report.

WPF Viewer Sidebar

The WPF Viewer sidebar appears on the left of the Viewer control when you click the Toggle sidebar button in the
toolbar. By default, this sidebar shows the Thumbnails and Search Results panes. The additional Document map
and Parameters also appear in this sidebar. You can toggle between any of the viewer panes by clicking the
buttons for each pane at the bottom of the sidebar.
Thumbnails pane
The Thumbnails pane appears by default in the sidebar when you click the Toggle sidebar button in the toolbar.
This pane comprises of a thumbnail view of all the pages in a report. Click any thumbnail to navigate directly to
the selected report page. You can also modify the size of the thumbnail when you click (+) or (-) button to zoom
in and zoom out.

Search results pane

The Search pane is the other default pane besides Thumbnails that appears in the sidebar when you click the
Toggle sidebar button. This pane lets you enter a word or phrase from which to search within the report.

To search in a report:
Enter the word or phrase in the search field.
Under Use these additional criteria, you may optionally choose to search for the whole word or match
the case of the search string while searching in the report.
Click the Search button to see the results appear in the Find results list.
Click an item in the list to jump to that item in the report and highlight it.
To start a new search or clear the current search results, click the Clear button under the Find results list.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 82
Document map pane
The Documents map pane sis enabled for reports where the Label property or the Document map label is set. This
pane displays each value for the text box, group, or sub report that you label, and you can click them to navigate
to the corresponding area of the report in the Viewer.

If a report does not have the Label property or Document map label set, the Documents map panes does not
appear in the sidebar.
Parameters pane
The WPF Viewer allows you to view reports with parameters. In the toolbar, click the Toggle sidebar button to
open the WPF Viewer sidebar and if your report contains parameters, the Parameters pane shows up
automatically.

1. In the Parameters pane, you are prompted to enter a value by which to filter the data to display.
2. Enter a value or set of values and click View report, to filter the report data and display the report.
If a report does not have parameters, the Parameters pane does not appear in the sidebar.

Display the report in the WPF Viewer

Set up your WPF Application project by using the following steps.
1. Create a new WPF Application project or open an existing one.
2. For a new project, in the Visual Studio Solution Explorer, right-click YourProject and select Add, then New
Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select the ActiveReports 9 Page Report, ActiveReports 9
RDL Report, ActiveReports 9 Section Report (code-based) or ActiveReports 9 Section Report
(xml-based). This adds the necessary references to your project.
4. From the Toolbox ActiveReports 9 tab, drag the Viewer control and drop it on the design view of
MainWindow.xaml.
Note: Dragging the Viewer control to the design view of MainWindow.xaml automatically adds the
corresponding reference to the licenses.licx file.

5. In the Properties window, with the report selected, set Copy to Output Directory to Copy Always.
6. On MainWindow.xaml, with the viewer selected, go to the Properties window and double click the Loaded
event.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 83
7. In the MainWindow code view that appears, add code like the following to the viewer1_loaded event to bind
the report to the viewer. Each of these code snippets presumes a report in the project of the type indicated
with the default name. (If you have renamed your report, you need to rename it in the code as well).

Note:
Refer to the LoadDocument ('LoadDocument Method' in the on-line documentation)
method to see other ways to load a report in WPF Viewer.
Microsoft .NET Framework version 4.0 or higher is required to view reports in WPF Viewer.

To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

The following example demonstrates how you display a page report or RDL Report in the WPF Viewer
control.
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the viewer1_Loaded event in MainWindow.xaml.vb.
Viewer1.LoadDocument("YourReportName.rdlx")

The following example demonstrates how you can display a section report (code-based) in the WPF Viewer
control.
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the viewer1_Loaded event in MainWindow.xaml.vb.
viewer1.LoadDocument(new YourReportName())

The following example demonstrates how you can display a section report (xml-based) in the WPF Viewer
control.
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the viewer1_Loaded event in MainWindow.xaml.vb.
Viewer1.LoadDocument("YourReportName.rpx")

To write the code in C#

The following example demonstrates how you display a page report or RDL report in the WPF Viewer
control.
C# code. Paste INSIDE the viewer1_Loaded event in MainWindow.xaml.cs.
viewer1.LoadDocument("YourReportName.rdlx");

The following example demonstrates how you can display a section report (code-based) in the WPF Viewer
control.
C# code. Paste INSIDE the viewer1_Loaded event in MainWindow.xaml.cs.
viewer1.LoadDocument(new YourReportName());

The following example demonstrates how you can display a section report (xml-based) in the WPF Viewer
control.
C# code. Paste INSIDE the viewer1_Loaded event in MainWindow.xaml.cs.
viewer1.LoadDocument("YourReportName.rpx");

Additional Features
Following is an introduction to the additional capabilities of the Viewer to guide you on using it effectively.
Keyboard Shortcuts
The following shortcuts are available on the WPF Viewer.

Keyboard Shortcut Action

Ctrl + F Shows the search pane.
Ctrl + P Shows the print dialog.
Esc Closes the print dialog.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 84
Page Down Moves to the next page.
Page Up Moves to the previous page.
Ctrl + T Shows or hides the table of contents.
Ctrl + Home Moves to the first page.
Ctrl + End Moves to the last page.
Ctrl + Right Navigates forward.
Ctrl + Left Navigates backward.
Ctrl + - Zooms out.
Ctrl + + Zooms in.
Left, Right, Up, Down Moves the visible area of the page in the
corresponding direction.
Ctrl + 0 (zero) Sets the zoom level to 100%.
Ctrl + rotate mouse wheel Changes the zoom level up or down.
Ctrl + G Moves the focus to current page toolbar option.
F5 Refreshes the report.

Advance Printing Options

You can set the PrintingSettings ('PrintingSettings Property' in the on-line documentation) property of
the Viewer to directly print without displaying a dialog or to switch from a ActiveReports print dialog to a .NET
Framework standard print dialog (System.Windows.Forms.PrintDialog) on clicking the Print button on the Viewer
toolbar. You can set the PrintingSettings property of the Viewer control from the Properties window.

PrintingSettings property provides the following options:

PrintingSettings Options Description

ShowPrintDialog Displays a dialog in which the user can set the printer options
before printing.

ShowPrintProgressDialog Displays a print progress dialog, in which the user can cancel the printing
job.
UsePrintingThread Specifies whether printing should be performed for individual threads or
not.
UseStandardDialog Specifies whether to use the .NET Framework standard print dialog
(System.Windows.Forms.PrintDialog) while printing the document
(section or page).

Running WPF Viewer in Partial Trust

You can run a WPF Viewer Browser Application in Partial Trust by customizing the permission set in the
app.mainfest file. While customizing the permission set, some of the permissions are to be set explicitly like
MediaPermission, UIPermission, etc. Follow these steps to learn how to run a WPF Viewer application in partial
trust.

Note: These steps assume that you have already created a WPF Browser Application that contains the WPF
Viewer control.

1. In the Solution Explorer, right-click your WPF Browser Application and select Properties.
2. On the properties page that opens, go to the Security tab.
3. On the Security tab, set Zone your application will be installed from to Custom and click the Edit
Permissions XML button. This opens the app.mainfest file.
4. In the app.manifest file, replace the existing xml code inside the <applicationRequestMinimum>
</applicationRequestMinimum> tags with the following code.
Code

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XML
<defaultAssemblyRequest permissionSetReference="Custom" />
<PermissionSet class="System.Security.PermissionSet" version="1" ID="Custom"
SameSite="site">
<IPermission class="System.Data.SqlClient.SqlClientPermission, System.Data,
Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089" version="1"
Unrestricted="true" />
<IPermission class="System.Data.OleDb.OleDbPermission, System.Data,
Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089" version="1"
Unrestricted="true" />
<IPermission class="System.Security.Permissions.SecurityPermission, mscorlib,
Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089" version="1"
Unrestricted="true" />
<IPermission class="System.Security.Permissions.MediaPermission, WindowsBase,
Version=3.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35" version="1"
Audio="SafeAudio" Video="SafeVideo" Image="SafeImage" />
<IPermission class="System.Security.Permissions.UIPermission, mscorlib,
Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089" version="1"
Unrestricted="true" />
<IPermission class="System.Security.Permissions.EnvironmentPermission, mscorlib,
Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089" version="1"
Unrestricted="true" />
<IPermission class="System.Security.Permissions.FileIOPermission, mscorlib,
Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089" version="1"
Unrestricted="true" />
<IPermission class="System.Security.Permissions.ReflectionPermission, mscorlib,
Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089" version="1"
Unrestricted="true" />>
<IPermission class="System.Security.Permissions.StrongNameIdentityPermission, ,
mscorlib, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089"
version="1" Unrestricted="true" />
</PermissionSet>

5. Press F5 to run your WPF Browser Application.

Note: The Partial Trust Limitations are applicable to the WPF viewer running in Partial Trust. For more
information, see Medium Trust Support.

Adding an ActiveReports Application

ActiveReports provides an in-built sample application that includes a report template along with the Viewer control.
You learnt about creating a report and viewing it in the preceding topics. See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project
and Viewing Reports for further details. With this Windows Forms application you only need to create a report
layout and run the application to view the report, effectively skipping the manual process of adding a Viewer and
template separately and creating an instance of the report.

To add an ActiveReports application to a project

1. From the Visual Studio File menu, select New, then Project.
2. In the New Project dialog that appears, under your desired language (VB.NET or C#), click the Reporting
node.
3. Select the type of report application that you want to add (for information on the differences, see Report
Types):
ActiveReports 9 Page Report Application
ActiveReports 9 RDL Report Application
ActiveReports 9 Section Report Application (xml-based)

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ActiveReports 9 Section Report Application (code-based)

4. In the Name field, enter a name for the report application, and click OK. The selected report type is added
to your project.
5. Go to the Visual Studio Solution Explorer and double-click Form1.cs or Form1.vb. Notice that the Viewer
control already appears on the form.

Note: If you run the application right after the new report project is created, a blank report appears
on the Form.

Concepts
Learn about concepts that help you to understand how best to use ActiveReports.

This section contains information about

ActiveReports Designer
Learn what each of the tools and UI items on the report designer can help you to accomplish.
Report Types
Learn which type of ActiveReport best suits your needs.
Page Report/RDL Report Concepts
Learn basic concepts that apply to Page reports and RDL reports.
Section Report Concepts
Learn basic concepts that apply to Section reports.
Exporting
Learn about rendering extensions and exports, and which formats are available with Page and Section reports.
Visual Query Designer
Learn about Visual Query Designer features and it's SQL capabilities.
Open and Save Reports from the Server
Learn how to open and save reports from ActiveReports Server.
Interactive Features
Learn about various interactive features that affect your report output.
Text Justification
Learn how to use the TextJustify property.
Multiline in Report Controls
Learn how to enter multiline text in a report.
Line Spacing and Character Spacing

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Learn how to control line spacing and character spacing in TextBox and Label report controls.
Windows Forms Viewer Customization
Learn about various interactive features that affect your report output.
Designer Control (Pro Edition)
Learn how you can provide a Windows Forms report designer for your end users.
Shrink Text to Fit in a Control
Learn how to shrink text to fit in a TextBox control.
Stand-Alone Designer and Viewers
Learn about the Stand-alone Designer and Viewer applications that help you create, edit and view a report quickly.
Localization
Learn about the ActiveReports localization model.
Section 508 Compliance
View the 508 Compliance standards for ActiveReports.

ActiveReports Designer
ActiveReports offers an integrated designer that lets you create report layouts in Visual Studio and edit them at
design time, visually, and through code, script, or regular expressions. Like any form in Visual Studio, it includes a
Property Window with extensive properties for each element of the report, and also adds its own Toolbox filled
with report controls, and a Report Explorer with a tree view of report controls.
The designer supports two types of report layouts: section layout and page layout.
Section Report Layout
This layout presents reports in three banded sections by default: page header, detail and page footer. You can
remove the page header and footer, add a report header and footer, and add up to 32 group headers and
footers. Drag controls onto these sections to display your report data. Reports designed in this layout are saved in
RPX format.

Page Report Layout

This layout defines reports in pages where the same page layout can be used throughout the report or separate
layout pages are designed for complex reports. Reports designed in this layout are saved in Rdlx format.

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RDL Report Layout

This layout defines reports where controls grow vertically to accommodate data.Reports designed in this layout are
saved in Rdlx format.

In this section
Design View
Explore the elements of the design tab that appear with both types of reports.
Report Menu
Learn about the options available in the Report menu in Visual Studio.
Designer Tabs
Find general information about the Designer, Script, and Preview tabs of the designer.
Designer Buttons
Learn to control grid settings, drag and drop settings, and mouse modes on the designer.
Page Tabs
Explore the ways that you can use different page layouts in the same report in Page Reports.
Toolbar
Learn about the commands available in the ActiveReports Toolbar.
Report Explorer
Learn how you can use the Report Explorer to manage the report controls, data regions, parameters, and other
items in your reports.
Layers List
Learn how you can use layers for tracing pre-printed layouts, performing target specific printing and exporting in
Page Reports and RDL Reports.
Toolbox

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Find information on controls you can use to design report layouts.
Properties Window
See an overview of how to access properties for report controls, data regions, report sections, and the report
itself.
Rulers
Learn how you can use rulers to align your controls on the report design surface.
Scroll Bars
See an explanation of scroll bars including the new auto scrolling feature.
Snap Lines
Find information about snap lines, and how they work.
Zoom Support
Get the ability to zoom in or zoom out of your report layout.

Design View
The report designer is fully integrated with the Microsoft VisualStudio IDE. In this topic, we introduce the main
parts of the designer in section and page reports to help you select the one to best suit your specific needs.
Report designer in section reports
In a section report, the designer offers the following features that you can use to create, design and edit a report.

Design Surface
The design surface offers a default report structure that contains a page header, a detail section, and a page footer
along with some grey area below these sections. Drag report controls and fields onto these sections to display your
data. Use section grab handles to drag a section's height up or down. Right click the report and select Insert to
add other types of header and footer section pairs.
DataSource Icon
The DataSource icon is located in the band along the top of the detail section. Click this icon to open the Report
Data Source dialog, where you can bind your report to any OLE DB, SQL, or XML data source. See Report Data
Source Dialog for more information.
Section Collapse Icon
A Section Collapse icon (-) appears on each band adjacent to the section header. When you click the collapse icon
the section collapses and an expand icon (+) appears. Please note that section collapse is only available in the
Designer tab. All sections of the report are visible in the Preview tab or when the report is rendered.

Tip: In order to make a section invisible, set the Height property of the section to 0 or the Visible property
to False.

Rulers

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Rulers are located at the top and left of the design view. They help a user visualize the placement of controls in
the report layout and how they appear in print. Please note that you have to add the right and left margin widths
to determine whether your report fits on the selected paper size. The left ruler includes a grab handle for each
section to resize the section height. See Rulers for more information.
Grab Handles
Grab handles on the vertical ruler indicate the height of individual sections. You can drag them up or down to
change section heights, or double-click to automatically resize the section to fit the controls in it.
Designer Tabs
The designer provides three tabs: Designer, Script and Preview. You can create your report layout visually in
the Designer tab, add script to report events in the Script tab to implement .NET functionality, and see the result
in the Preview tab. See Designer Tabs for more information.
Designer Buttons
Designer buttons are located below the design surface next to the designer tabs. Dimension Lines, Hide Grid,
Dots, Lines, Snap to Lines, and Snap to Grid buttons help you to align report controls and data regions. The
Select Mode and Pan Mode buttons determine whether you select controls on the design surface, or move the
visible area of a zoomed-in report. See Designer Buttons for more information.
Zoom Bar
The zoom bar provides a slider that you drag to zoom in and out of the design surface, or you can use the Zoom
in and Zoom out buttons at either end of the slider. See Zoom Support for more information.
Report designer in page reports/RDL reports
In a page report or a RDL report, the designer offers the following features that you can use to create, design and
edit a report.

Design Surface
The design surface of a report appears initially as a blank page and grid lines. You can create your own layout and
drag report controls and fields onto the design surface to display your data.
Rulers
Use the ruler to determine how your report will look on paper. Please note that you have to add the right and left
margin widths to determine whether your report will fit on the selected paper size. See Rulers for more
information.
Designer Tabs
The designer provides three tabs: Designer, Script and Preview. You can create your report layout visually in
the Designer tab, add script to report events in the Script tab to implement .NET functionality, and see the result
in the Preview tab. See Designer Tabs for more information.
Page Tabs(Page Report)
By default, the designer provides two page tabs, Page 1 and New, below the design surface. Each page tab
represents a layout page of the report. Page 1 represents the first page of your report, and you can click New to

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add another page to your report. See Page Tabs for more information.
Designer Buttons
Designer buttons are located below the design surface next to the designer tabs. Dimension Lines, Hide Grid,
Dots, Lines, Snap to Lines, and Snap to Grid buttons help you to align report controls and data regions. The
Select Mode and Pan Mode buttons determine whether you select controls on the design surface, or move the
visible area of a zoomed-in report. See Designer Buttons for more information.
Zoom Bar
The Zoom Bar provides a slider that you drag to zoom in and out of the design surface, or you can use the Zoom
in and Zoom out buttons at either end of the slider. See Zoom Support for more information.

Tip: ActiveReports provides some useful keyboard shortcuts for the controls placed on the design surface.
Arrow Keys: To move control by one grid line.
[Ctrl] + Arrow Keys: To move control by 1/100 inch (around 0.025 cms)
[Shift] + Arrow Keys: To increase or decrease the size of the control by one grid line.

Report Menu
The Report menu provides access to common reporting operations. To show the Report Menu in the Visual Studio
menu bar, select the Design View of the report in the ActiveReports Designer. This menu does not appear in the
menu bar when the report is not selected.
The following drop-down sections describe the Report menu items. Menu items differ based on the type of report
layout in use.
Report menu for section reports

Menu Item Description

Save Layout Opens the Save As dialog to save the newly created report in RPX file format.
Load Layout Opens the Open dialog where you can navigate to any RPX file and open it in the
designer. Note that any changes to the current report are lost, as the layout file replaces
the current report in the designer.
Open from server Opens Open report from server dialog to open reports from the ActiveReports Server.
See Open and Save Reports from the Server for more information.
Save to server Opens Save report to server dialog to save reports to the ActiveReports Server.
See Open and Save Reports from the Server for more information.
Data Source Opens the Report Data Source dialog to bind a data source to the report.
Settings Opens the Report Settings dialog. See Report Settings Dialog for more information.
View: Opens the Designer, Script or Preview tabs respectively. See Designer Tabs for more
details. This menu item appears only with XML based section reports.
Designer
Script
Preview

Report menu for page reports

Menu Item Description

Save Layout Opens the Save As dialog to save the newly created report in RDLX file format.
Load Layout Opens the Open dialog where you can navigate to any RDL, RDLX, RDLX-master file and
open it in the designer. Note that any changes to the current report are lost, as the layout
file replaces the current report in the designer.
Open from server Opens Open report from server dialog to open reports from the ActiveReports Server.
See Open and Save Reports from the Server for more information.
Save to server Opens Save report to server dialog to save reports to the ActiveReports Server.

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See Open and Save Reports from the Server for more information.
Report Opens the Report dialog to the Parameters page where you can manage, add and
Parameters delete parameters.
Embedded Opens the Report dialog to the Images page, where you can select images to embed in
Images a report. Once you add images to the collection, they appear in the Report Explorer under
the Embedded Images node.
Report Properties Opens the Report dialog to the General page where you can set report properties such
as the author, description, page header and footer properties, and grid spacing.
View Opens the Designer, Script or Preview tab. See Designer Tabs for more details.
Designer
Script
Preview

Report menu for RDL reports

Menu Item Description

Save Layout Opens the Save As dialog to save the newly created report in RDLX file format.
Load Layout Opens the Open dialog where you can navigate to any RDL, RDLX, RDLX-master file and
open it in the designer. Note that any changes to the current report are lost, as the layout
file replaces the current report in the designer.
Open from server Opens Open report from server dialog to open reports from the ActiveReports Server.
See Open and Save Reports from the Server for more information.
Save to server Opens Save report to server dialog to save reports to the ActiveReports Server.
See Open and Save Reports from the Server for more information.
Convert to Master Converts a RDL report to a Master Report.
Report
It disappears from the Report menu when a master report is applied to the report
through Set Master Report. See Master Reports (RDL) for more details.

Report Opens the Report dialog to the Parameters page where you can manage, add and
Parameters delete parameters.
Embedded Opens the Report dialog to the Images page, where you can select images to embed in
Images a report. Once you add images to the collection, they appear in the Report Explorer under
the Embedded Images node.
Report Properties Opens the Report dialog to the General page where you can set report properties such
as the author, description, page header and footer properties, and grid spacing.
Set Master Report Opens the Open dialog to select a Master Report (RDLX-master file format) to apply to
the current project.

Generate Excel Creates an Excel template of the report that you or the end user can customize for use
Template with Excel exports to control the way the exported reports appear.

View Opens the Designer, Script or Preview tab. See Designer Tabs for more details.
Designer
Script
Preview

Page Header Toggles the report Page Header on or off.

Page Footer Toggles the report Page Footer on or off.

Designer Tabs
The Designer has three tabs located at the bottom of the report design surface. Create a report layout in the

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Designer tab, write a script in the Script tab to implement .NET functionality and see the result in the Preview tab.

Designer Tab
The Designer tab appears by default on your designer. This tab is used to design your report layout visually. You
can implement most of the design-time features here, drag controls from the toolbox to create a layout, bind data
regions to data, and set properties for the report and controls through the context menu.

Tip: Layout-related features like designer buttons and zoom slider can be used in this tab to help you
manage your report display efficiently.

Script Tab
The Script tab opens the script editor, where you can provide VB.NET or C# functionality to the reports without
compiling the .vb or .cs files. You may use either Visual Basic or C# script in this tab with section reports, or Visual
Basic with page reports and RDL reports.
The generated reports serve as stand-alone reports which you can load, run, and display in the viewer control
without the designer. This feature is useful when distributing reports without recompiling.
In page reports/RDL reports, you can embed code blocks that you can reference in the expressions you use on
report controls. See Using Script for more information about using script.
In section reports, you can add code to object events. The two drop-down boxes in the script editor allow you to
select any section of the ActiveReport and any events associated with that section, or the report itself and related
events. When you select an event, the script editor generates a method stub for the event. See Add Code to
Layouts Using Script for more information about scripting in section reports.

Preview Tab
The Preview tab allows you to view your report without the need to actually run your project. This makes it easy
to quickly see the run-time impact of changes you make in the designer or the code.
This tab does not display data in the following conditions:
Code or script in the report class is incorrect.
Report class constructor has been changed.
Report data source has not been set correctly.
Settings have been implemented outside the report class
.mdb file is being copied in the project
When the report is inherited from a class other than ActiveReports, preview is possible only when the base class is
in the same project. If the base class is not in the same project and is referencing an external class library, you
will not get a preview in the Preview tab.

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When adding a report directly to ASP.NET Web site in Visual Studio 2010／2012, the Preview tab is not visible
and thus you cannot preview.

Designer Buttons
Designer buttons are located to the right of the designer tabs along the bottom of the designer, and are enabled
when you are on the Designer tab. They allow you to control settings for the design surface.

Grid Settings
Dimension Lines
Dimension lines appear during a drag operation, and run from the borders of the report control or data region
being moved or resized to the edges of the report designer surface. Dimension lines let you track the location of
the control as you move it by displaying the distance between the control and the edge of the writable area of the
report.

Button Type Behavior

Note: With section reports, you can change the number of grid columns and rows in the Report Settings
dialog on the Global Settings tab. With page reports and RDL reports, you can change the grid spacing in the
Report Properties dialog on the General tab.

Hide Grid
By default, grid lines and dots appear on the report design surface. You can click this button to hide the grid and
design your report on a blank page. Lines or dots are also removed from the design surface when you hide the
grid, but Snap to Lines or Snap to Grid settings remain unaffected.

Button Type Behavior

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Show Dots
You can click this button to have dots appear on the design surface in between the grid lines to guide you in the
placement of controls.

Button Type Behavior

Show Lines
You can click this button to have faint grey lines appear on the design surface in between the grid lines to guide
you in the placement of controls.

Button Type Behavior

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Note: Only one option out of Hide Grid, Show Dots and Show Lines can be selected at one time.

Control Drag and Drop Settings

These settings allow you to specify how you want controls to behave when you drag and drop them on the design
surface.

Tip: If you plan to export a report to Excel format, use Snap Lines or Snap to Grid to ensure that your
controls are aligned in columns and rows as it prevents overlapping. This makes the export to excel closer to
how a report looks at run or design time.

Snap Lines
This setting aligns the control you are dragging with other controls on the report design surface. When you drag
the control around, snap lines appear when it is aligned with other controls or with the edges of the report, and
when you drop it, it snaps into place in perfect alignment. See Snap Lines for more information.

Button Type Behavior

Snap to Grid
This setting aligns the control you are dragging with grid lines on the report design surface. When you drop the
control, it snaps into place in alignment with the nearest grid mark. To place your controls freely on the report
design surface, turn this setting off.

Button Type Behavior

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Mouse Modes
These settings allow you to specify how you want the mouse to behave in the designer.
Select Mode
In Select mode, when you click items on the report designer surface, you select them. Use this mode for editing,
data binding and styling in the Designer tab. An arrow cursor appears in the Select mode.

Button Type Behavior

Pan Mode
Use the Pan mode to make navigation easier. A hand cursor appears in Pan mode and you can navigate through
your report by pressing the left mouse button and dragging the report to the desired position.

Tip: To enable Pan mode while you are in Select Mode, hold down the middle mouse button and move to the
desired location with the hand cursor.

Button Type Behavior

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Page Tabs
Page tabs appear in an Excel-like bar below the report design surface. This feature is only available in page
reports, where report layouts are designed on separate pages and you can control the way each page appears.
Using page tabs, you can select which page to view or edit, add new pages, remove existing pages, reorder
pages, and create duplicate pages.
By default, a new report has a Page 1 tab and a New tab.

Page 1: This is the layout for the first page of the report. If no other page layouts exist, the layout on
this page is applied to the entire report.
New: Click to add a new page where you can create a layout for pages displayed after the first page.
Right-click any page tab (except the New tab) to get a context menu that allows you to Insert a new page,
Duplicate the page, or Delete the page.
Adding a new page
To add a new page, click the New tab.
A new page tab with an incremented page number appears to the right of any existing page tabs. This page has
the same page size and margins as the previous page. The New tab moves to the right of the newly added page.
Inserting a page
To insert a page, right-click the page tab and select Insert. A page is inserted to the left of the selected page. It
has the same page size and margins as the selected page.
Deleting a page
To delete a page, right-click the page tab that you want to remove and select Delete. This option is disabled if
there is only one page in the report.
Creating a copy of a page

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To create a copy of a page, right-click on the page tab that you want to copy and select Duplicate. A copy of the
selected page appears to the right of the selected page.

Note: When the duplicate page contains a data region, ActiveReports replaces the data region with an
OverflowPlaceHolder on the new page. Reset the OverflowName ('OverflowName Property' in the on-
line documentation) property for the duplicated page to maintain the overflow data chain between page
tabs.

Reordering pages
To change the order of page tabs, drag a tab and drop it at the desired location. The tab is inserted in the chosen
location and the page number is updated according to its position. The page numbers of other tabs also change
automatically.
You can cancel the move operation by pressing the [Esc] key while dragging the tab.

Toolbar
ActiveReports provides a toolbar integrated with the Visual Studio IDE for quick access to report designing
commands. This toolbar comprises of buttons and dropdown lists which offer functions for a number of commonly
used commands.

To Show or Hide the Toolbar in Visual Studio

1. Create a new project or open an existing project in Visual Studio.
2. Right click on the Visual Studio toolbar and from the context menu that appears, select ActiveReports.
The ActiveReports toolbar appears under the Visual Studio menu bar. The toolbar options may differ based on
whether you have a section report, page report or a RDL report open.
See the description of each toolbar option in the tables below.

Note: Toolbar descriptions are grouped in a logical order for understanding. The buttons and dropdowns may
appear in a different order in the ActiveReports toolbar.

Text Decoration

Command Description
Style Offers a dropdown list of selectable styles for formatting text in controls like Label,
TextBox, CheckBox and ReportInfo. These styles are available in a section report
only.

Font Sets the typeface of all the text in a control.

In a section report, for the RichTextBox control, typeface of only the selected text
changes. In a page report or a RDL report, in a data region like Matrix or Table,
you can change the typeface of the entire data region or only the selected TextBox
within the region.

Font Size Sets the font size of all the text in a control.

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In a section report, for the RichTextBox control, font size of only the selected text
changes. In a page report or a RDL report, for a data region like Matrix or Table,
you can change the font size of the entire data region or only the selected TextBox
within the region.

Fore Color Opens a Choose Color dialog to set the text color of controls.

Back Color Opens a Choose Color dialog to set the background color of controls.

Bold Sets or removes text emphasis from the entire text of the control.
In section report, for the RichTextBox control, bold applies to the selected text
only. In a page report or a RDL report, for a data region like Matrix or Table, you
can change the emphasis of the entire text or only the text of the selected
TextBox within the region.

Italic Sets or removes text slant for the entire text of the control.
In a section report, for the RichTextBox control, italic applies to the selected text
only. In a page report or a RDL report, for a data region like Matrix or Table, you
can italicize the entire text or only the text of the selected TextBox within the
region.

Underline Sets or removes the text underline for the entire text of the control.
In a section report, for the RichTextBox control, underline applies to the selected
text only. In a page report or a RDL report, for a data region like Matrix or Table,
you can also underline the entire text or only the text of the selected TextBox
within the region.

Text Alignment

Command Description
Align Left Aligns the text to the left in the control area.

Center Aligns the text to the center in the control area.

Align Right Aligns the text to the right in the control area.

Align Justify Justifies the text in the control area.

Layout Editing

Command Description

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Zoom Out Reduces the magnification level of the design surface and any elements within it.

Zoom In Increases the magnification level of the design surface and any elements within it.

Zoom Opens a dropdown list to set the magnification level of the design surface between 50% and
400%. Zoom percentage is set to 100% by default.

Control Alignment

Command Description
Align to Snaps the top left of the selected control to the closest gridline.
Grid

Align Aligns the selected controls with their left border coinciding with the left border of the primary
Lefts control. The vertical space separating the controls remains the same.

Align Aligns the selected controls with their right border coinciding with the right border of the primary
Rights control. The vertical space separating the controls remains the same.

Align Aligns the selected controls with their top border coinciding with the top border of the primary
Tops control. The horizontal space separating the controls remains the same.

Align Aligns the selected controls vertically to the middle with respect to the primary control. The
Middles horizontal space separating the controls remains the same.

Align Aligns the selected controls with their bottom border coinciding with bottom border of the primary
Bottoms control. The horizontal space separating the controls remains the same.

Control Resizing

Command Description
Make Same Width Resizes the width of the selected controls to the width of the primary control.

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Make Same Resizes the height of the selected controls to the height of the primary control.
Height

Make Same Size Resizes the size (width and height) of the selected controls to the size of the primary
control.

Size to Grid Snaps the selected control to the closest gridline by resizing the control on all four sides.

Control Spacing

Command Description
Make Horizontal Creates equal space between the selected controls with respect to the primary control,
Spacing Equal using the outermost edges of the controls as end points.

Increase Increases the horizontal spacing by one grid unit with respect to the primary control.
Horizontal
Spacing

Decrease Decreases the horizontal spacing by one grid unit with respect to the primary control.
Horizontal
Spacing

Remove Removes the horizontal space so that the selected controls move to the nearest edge of
Horizontal the top-left control.
Spacing

Make Vertical Creates equal space between the selected controls with respect to the primary control,
Spacing Equal using the top and bottom edges of the control as the end points.

Increase Vertical Increases the vertical spacing by one grid unit with respect to the primary control.
Spacing

Decrease Vertical Decreases the vertical spacing by one grid unit with respect to the primary control.
Spacing

Remove Vertical Removes the vertical spacing so that the selected controls move to the nearest edge of
Spacing the top-left control.

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Z-order Alignment

Command Description
Bring to Front Moves the selected controls to the front of all other controls on the report.

Send to Back Moves the selected controls behind all other controls on the report.

RichTextBox commands

Command Description
Bullets Adds or removes bullets from the selected text inside a RichTextBox control in a section report.

Indent Increases the indent of selected text in the RichTextBox control area in a section report.

Outdent Decreases the indent of selected text in the RichTextBox control area in a section report.

Others

Command Description
View Shows or hides the Report Explorer window. See Report Explorer for further details.
ReportExplorer

Reorder Opens the Group Order dialog, where you can drag and drop groups to rearrange them. This
Groups button is enabled when you have multiple groups in a section report.

Layer List Opens the Layer List window to displays a list of Layers in the report along with their visiblity
and lock options. Layer List Explorer also allows you to add or remove Layers from your
reports. See Working with Layers for further details.

Note: Primary control is the control in a selected group of controls, to which you align all other controls. It is
generally the first control selected in the group and has sizing handles (white boxes) which are different from
the rest of the selected controls.

Report Explorer
The Report Explorer gives you a visual overview of the report elements in the form of a tree view where each
node represents a report element.
Using the Report Explorer with any type of report, you can remove controls, add, edit or remove parameters, add
a data source, and drag fields onto the report. You can also select the report or any element in the report to
display in the Properties Window, where you can modify its properties.
ActiveReports supports three types of reports:
Section reports (in your choice of XML-based RPX or code-based CS or VB files)

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Page reports (in XML-based RDLX files)
RDL reports
Section reports, RDL reports and page reports are composed of different types of report elements, so the Report
Explorer shows different elements in the report tree depending on the type of report you have open. For more
information on how to use the Report Explorer with each, see Exploring Page Reports , Exploring RDL Reports and
Exploring Section Reports .
To show or hide the Report Explorer in Visual Studio
Once you add the Report Explorer in Visual Studio, it appears every time you create a new Windows application.
Use the steps below to hide it when you do not need it.
1. Right-click on the Visual Studio toolbar and select ActiveReports to display the report designer toolbar.
See Toolbar for further details.
2. On the Designer toolbar, click the View ReportExplorer button. The Report Explorer window appears.
3. To hide the Report Explorer, follow the steps above and toggle View ReportExplorer back off.

Tip: Another way to show the Report Explorer window in Visual Studio, is from the View menu,
select Other Windows, then Report Explorer 9.

To change a report using the Report Explorer

More actions specific to each report type can be found in Exploring Page Reports , Exploring RDL Reports and
Exploring Section Reports .
To change control properties
1. In the Report Explorer, select the control for which properties are to be changed. In the Properties Window,
all of the properties for the item appear.
2. Change property values by entering text or selecting values from drop-down lists. With some properties, for
example, OutputFormat or Filters, when you click the property, an ellipsis button appears to the right.
Click the ellipsis button to open a dialog where you can make changes.
To delete a control
1. In the Report Explorer, expand the node that contains the control that you want to remove.
2. Right-click the control and select Delete.
3. In the dialog that appears, click Yes to confirm the deletion.

Exploring Section Reports

By default, when you have a section report open in the ActiveReports Designer, you can see nodes like the
following.
The Report
Each report section, for example:
Detail (default, cannot be removed)
Report Header and Footer (default, can be removed)
Page Header and Footer (can be added)
Group Header and Footer (can be added)
Each control, for example:
TextBox
Picture
PageBreak
SubReport
Fields
Bound (lists fields from the bound data source)
Calculated (right-click to add calculated fields)
Parameters (right-click to add parameters)
Report Settings (opens a dialog for page setup, printer settings, styles and global settings)

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In the Report Explorer, in addition to removing controls, adding, editing or removing parameters, adding a data
source, and dragging fields onto the report, you can also add, edit, or remove calculated fields; drag bound data
fields onto the report as textbox controls; change report settings like margins, printer settings, styles, and ruler
and grid settings. You can also select the report or any element in the report to display in the Properties window,
where you can modify its properties.
To add a DataSource
1. Click the gray report DataSource icon on the Detail section band to open the Report Data Source dialog.
2. On the OLE DB tab, next to Connection String, click the Build button.
3. In the Data Link Properties window that appears, select Microsoft Jet 4.0 OLE DB Provider and click the
Next button. Click the ellipsis (...) button to browse to your database or the sample Northwind database,
nwind.mdb.
4. Once you have selected your *.mdb file, click Open.
5. Click OK to close the window and fill in the Connection String field.
6. In the Query field, enter a SQL query to select the data that you want, for example
Example Query
SELECT * FROM Customers

7. Click OK to save the data source and return to the report design surface. In the Report Explorer, under the
Fields node, the Bound node is populated with fields returned by the query.
To add a calculated field
1. In the Report Explorer, expand the Fields node.
2. Right-click the Calculated node and select Add. The new calculated field is displayed in the Report
Explorer and in the Properties window.
3. In the Properties window, set the Formula property to a calculation, for example: = UnitPrice * 1.07
4. Drag the field from the Report Explorer onto the design surface of your report to create a textbox that is
bound to the field.
To bind a Field to a TextBox control
1. In the Report Explorer, expand the Fields node, then the Bound or Calculated node that you want to use.
2. Click the field that you want to bind to a TextBox control, drag it onto the report surface and drop it into
the section where you want the TextBox to appear.
3. A TextBox control is created and bound to the field with the filed name in the DataField property, and a
related value in the Name and Text properties. For example, if you drag the City field onto the report, the
DataField property of the TextBox becomes City, the Name and Text properties become txtCity1.
To add parameters
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Parameters node and select Add. The new parameter is displayed in
the Report Explorer and in the Properties window.
2. In the Properties window, set the Prompt property to a string value to ask users for data.
3. Leave the PromptUser property set to True. When you run the report, a dialog displays the Prompt to the
user.
4. From the Report Explorer, drag the parameter to the report design area to create a TextBox that is bound
to the parameter. When you run the report, the value that the user supplies in the prompt dialog displays
in the bound TextBox on the report.
To change report settings
1. In the Report Explorer, double-click the Settings node. The Report Settings dialog appears.
2. You can set a number of options on the four tabs in the dialog.
3. When you have finished changing report settings, click OK.

Exploring RDL Reports

When you have a RDL Report open in the ActiveReports Designer, you can see nodes like the following:
Document Outline
Body (default, cannot be removed)

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Page Header and Footer (can be added)
Each control, for example:
TextBox
Picture
PageBreak
SubReport
Data Sources
DataSource (right-click to add a data source; you can have more than one)
DataSet (right-click the DataSource to add a data set)
Fields (drag onto the report or onto a data region)
Another DataSet (you can have more than one)
Parameters (right-click to open a dialog and add a parameter)
EmbeddedImages (right-click to browse for an image to add)
CommonValues (drag onto the report to display the value in a textbox)
In the Report Explorer, in addition to removing controls, adding, editing or removing parameters, adding a data
source, and dragging fields onto the report, you can also share a data source; add datasets; add, edit, or remove
embedded images; and drag common values like page numbers, current date, or report name onto the report as a
textbox. You can also select the report or any element in the report to display in the Properties window, where you
can modify its properties.
To add a DataSource
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Sources node and select Add Data Source. The Report Data
Source dialog appears, open to the General page.
2. On the General page, drop down the Type list and select Microsoft OleDb Provider.
3. Under Connection, on the Connection Properties tab, drop down the OLE DB Provider list and select
Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0.
4. In the Server or file name box, enter the path and file name to your Access database, for example,
C:\Program Files (x86)\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 6\Data\NWIND.MDB.
5. Under Log on to server, select the radio button next to Use Windows NT integrated security.
6. Click the Accept button. The new data source is added to the Data Sources node. To use fields from the
data source, add a data set.
To share a DataSource
1. In the Report Explorer, expand the DataSources node, right-click the node for the data source that you
want to share, and select Share Data Source. The Save Shared Data Source File dialog appears.
2. Navigate to the folder where you want to save the file, enter a name for the file, and click Save.
3. The type of data source as well as the connection string are saved to a file of type RDSX that you can use
in other reports.
To add a DataSet
1. In the Report Explorer, expand the DataSources node, right-click the node for the data source that you
want to use, and select Add DataSet. The DataSet dialog appears.
2. In the list to the left, select Query to show the Query page.
3. In the Query box to the right, enter a SQL query to pull the data you want for your report.
Example Query
SELECT * FROM Customers

4. Click the Accept button to create the data set. The data fields appear in the data set node.
To bind a DataSet field to a TextBox control
1. In the Report Explorer, expand the DataSources node, then the node for the data source, then the DataSet
that you want to use.
2. From the DataSet node, click the DataSet field that you want to bind to a TextBox control, drag it onto the
report surface or onto a data region and drop it.
3. A TextBox control is created and bound to the field with the proper expression in the Value property. For
example, if you drag the City field onto the report, the Value property of the TextBox contains the
expression =Fields!City.Value.

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To add parameters
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Parameters node and select Add Parameter. The Report
Parameters dialog appears.
2. On the General tab of the dialog, enter text for prompting users for a value.
3. On the Available Values tab, you can select values from a DataSet to populate a list from which users can
select a value.
4. On the Default Values tab, you can provide default values to use if the user does not select a value.
5. Click Accept to save the parameter. The new parameter appears in the Report Explorer under the
Parameters node.
6. From the Report Explorer, drag the parameter to report design area to create a TextBox that is bound to
the parameter. When you run the report, the value that the user supplies in the prompt dialog displays in
the bound TextBox on the report.

Exploring Page Reports

When you have a page report open in the ActiveReports Designer, you can see nodes like the following.
Document Outline
Each report page
Each control on the page, for example:
BandedList
Matrix
Table
Data Sources
DataSource (right-click to add a data source; you can have more than one)
DataSet (right-click the DataSource to add a data set)
Fields (drag onto the report or onto a data region)
Another DataSet (you can have more than one)
Parameters (right-click to open a dialog and add a parameter)
EmbeddedImages (right-click to browse for an image to add)
CommonValues (drag onto the report to display the value in a textbox)
In the Report Explorer, in addition to removing controls, adding, editing or removing parameters, adding a data
source, and dragging fields onto the report, you can also share a data source; add datasets; add, edit, or remove
embedded images; and drag common values like page numbers, current date, or report name onto the report as a
textbox. You can also select the report or any element in the report to display in the Properties window, where you
can modify its properties.
To add a DataSource
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Sources node and select Add Data Source. The Report Data
Source dialog appears, open to the General page.
2. On the General page, drop down the Type list and select Microsoft OleDb Provider.
3. Under Connection, on the Connection Properties tab, drop down the OLE DB Provider list and select
Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0.
4. In the Server or file name box, enter the path and file name to your Access database, for example,
C:\Program Files (x86)\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 6\Data\NWIND.MDB.
5. Under Log on to server, select the radio button next to Use Windows NT integrated security.
6. Click the Accept button. The new data source is added to the Data Sources node. To use fields from the
data source, add a data set.
To share a DataSource
1. In the Report Explorer, expand the DataSources node, right-click the node for the data source that you
want to share, and select Share Data Source. The Save Shared Data Source File dialog appears.
2. Navigate to the folder where you want to save the file, enter a name for the file, and click Save.
3. The type of data source as well as the connection string are saved to a file of type RDSX that you can use
in other reports.
To add a DataSet

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1. In the Report Explorer, expand the DataSources node, right-click the node for the data source that you
want to use, and select Add DataSet. The DataSet dialog appears.
2. In the list to the left, select Query to show the Query page.
3. In the Query box to the right, enter a SQL query to pull the data you want for your report.
Example Query
SELECT * FROM Customers

4. Click the Accept button to create the data set. The data fields appear in the data set node.
To bind a DataSet field to a TextBox control
1. In the Report Explorer, expand the DataSources node, then the node for the data source, then the DataSet
that you want to use.
2. From the DataSet node, click the DataSet field that you want to bind to a TextBox control, drag it onto the
report surface or onto a data region and drop it.
3. A TextBox control is created and bound to the field with the proper expression in the Value property. For
example, if you drag the City field onto the report, the Value property of the TextBox contains the
expression =Fields!City.Value.
To add parameters
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Parameters node and select Add Parameter. The Report
Parameters dialog appears.
2. On the General tab of the dialog, enter text for prompting users for a value.
3. On the Available Values tab, you can select values from a DataSet to populate a list from which users can
select a value.
4. On the Default Values tab, you can provide default values to use if the user does not select a value.
5. Click Accept to save the parameter. The new parameter appears in the Report Explorer under the
Parameters node.
6. From the Report Explorer, drag the parameter to report design area to create a TextBox that is bound to
the parameter. When you run the report, the value that the user supplies in the prompt dialog displays in
the bound TextBox on the report.

Toolbox
In ActiveReports, the Visual Studio integrated toolbox tabs display all of the controls specific to the type of report
that has focus, or the ActiveReports controls that you can use on Web Forms or Windows Forms.
When a Section report has focus, the ActiveReports 9 Section Report toolbox becomes available. For
information about the report controls available in this toolbox, please see the Section Report Toolbox topic.
When a Page report has focus, the ActiveReports 9 Page Report toolbox becomes available. For information
about the report controls available in this toolbox, please see the Toolbox topic.
When a RDL report has focus, the ActiveReports 9 RDL Report toolbox becomes available. For information
about the report controls available in this toolbox, please see the Toolbox topic.
When a Windows Form has focus, the ActiveReports 9 toolbox group offers the following Windows Forms controls:
ReportExplorer (requires Professional Edition license)
Toolbox (requires Professional Edition license)
Designer (requires Professional Edition license)
Viewer
When a Web Form has focus, the ActiveReports 9 toolbox group offers one Web control: the WebViewer (requires
Professional Edition license). For more information, see Getting Started with the Web Viewer.

Properties Window
The Visual Studio Properties window is an important tool when you design a report. Select any page, section, data
region, control or the report itself to gain access to its properties in the Properties window. By default, this window
is placed to the right of the report design area, or wherever you may have placed it in Visual Studio. You can show

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 109
the list of properties by category or in alphabetical order by clicking the buttons at the top of the Properties
window.
Select a property to reveal a description at the bottom of the window. Just above the description is a commands
section that contains commands, links to dialogs that give you access to further properties for the item. You can
resize the commands or description sections by dragging the top or bottom edges up or down.

Tip: If the commands or description section is missing in Visual Studio, you can toggle it back on by right-
clicking anywhere in the Properties window and clicking Commands or Description.

In the image below, you can see a chart control selected on the designer surface, revealing its properties in the
Properties window, along with any associated commands, and a description of the selected property.

Rulers
In ActiveReports, rulers appear to the top and left of the Design View to guide you in vertically and horizontally
aligning items in the report. They have large tick marks to indicate half inch points and smaller tick marks to
indicate eighths of an inch.

Note: The numbers indicate the distance in inches from the left margin, not from the edge of the page.

Section Reports
In Section Reports, the white area on the ruler indicates the designable area of the report. The grey area at the
bottom of the vertical ruler and at the right of the horizontal ruler indicate the report margins. Grab handles on the
vertical ruler indicate the height of individual sections. You can drag them up or down to change section heights,
or double-click to automatically resize the section to fit the controls in it.

In a section layout, you can change ruler measurements from inches to centimeters and centimeters to inches.
Use the following instructions to modify ruler measurements at design- time.

To change ruler measurements at design-time in Section Report

At design time, you can change the ruler measurements from the Report Settings Dialog.
1. In the Report Explorer, double-click the Settings node.
2. In the Report Settings dialog that appears, click Global Settings.
3. From the Ruler Units dropdown select Centimeters or Inches.

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In section reports, you can change the units of measure for the rulers. See Change Ruler Measurements for further
details.

Page/RDL Reports
In Page Reports or RDL Reports, margin markers indicate the designable area of the report. The area inside the
margin markers is designable, and the areas outside the markers are the margins. To change the margins, you can
drag the margin markers to the desired locations.

In a page layout, you can change ruler measurements from inches to centimeteres and centimeteres to inches.
Use the following instructions to modify ruler measurements in page reports.

To change ruler measurements at design-time in Page Report

At design time, you can change the ruler measurements from the Report Dialog .
1. In the Report Explorer, select the Report node.
2. In the command section of the Properties Window, click Property dialog.
3. In the dialog that appears, go to the General tab.
4. From the Ruler Units dropdown select Centimeters or Inches.

Scroll Bars
Scroll Bars appear automatically when controls or data regions do not fit the visible area of the report design
surface. A scroll bar consists of a shaded column with a scroll arrow at each end and a scroll box (also called
a thumb) between the arrows. You can scroll up, down, right or left using the scroll arrow buttons, scroll box or
mouse wheel.

Auto Scrolling
When a user drags a control beyond the edge of the design surface and the mouse pointer reaches near the

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 111
surface edge, scrolling starts automatically in the direction of the mouse movement. Auto scrolling works in all four
directions. This feature is useful while designing reports with a magnified design view.

Note: In Section Layout and Report Definition Language (RDL), when the mouse button is released during
auto scrolling at a location outside the design surface, the surface extends to accommodate the control.

Scrolling stops in the following scenarios:

The user stops dragging the mouse (Mouse Up).
The user moves the mouse in the opposite direction.
The [Esc] key is pressed while dragging the mouse.

Tip: To enable auto scrolling for multiple controls, hold down the [Ctrl] or [Shift] key to select the controls.
Drag them together to the edge of the design surface and enable auto scrolling.

Snap Lines
Snap lines assist in accurate positioning of elements on a report design surface while you drag report controls on
it. These dynamic horizontal and vertical layout guidelines are similar to the ones found in Visual Studio. You
can see snap lines on the ActiveReports Designer as well as the Standalone Designer Application.

Snap lines appear on the design surface by default. In order to disable them, click the Snap Lines button below
the design surface, or in section reports, hold down the [Alt] key while dragging a control to temporarily hide the
snap lines.

When you drag a control on the design surface, blue snap lines appear and the control slows down as it aligns with
another control or a section edge. Unless you are also using the Snap to Grid setting, with Snap Lines, the
control can move freely around the report and can be placed anywhere on the design surface.

Tip: If you plan to export a report to Excel format, use snap lines to ensure that your controls are aligned in
columns and rows to avoid empty cells or overlapping of controls in the spreadsheet.

Snap Line Behavior

On dragging with a mouse
When you drag report controls across the design surface, they snap to other controls, report and section edges.
Snap lines appear when the control you are dragging aligns with any edge of any of the following:
Any control inside any section of the report.

Another control inside the same data region.

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Parts of a data region (bands in a BandedList, or columns and rows in a Table).

Report edges and section edges.

Other control edges while resizing with a mouse.

On selecting multiple items where all the items move as a single unit, snap lines appear for all items in
the selection.

With keyboard actions

Use [Ctrl] + [Shift] + Arrow keys to resize the selected control from one snap line to the next.
Use [Ctrl] + Arrow keys to move the selected control to the next snap line.
Use [Ctrl] + Left mouse button to copy the control and see snap lines appear between the edges of the
copied control being dragged and the original control.

Note: Snap lines do not appear when you move a control with arrow keys.

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Zoom Support
ActiveReports allows you to zoom in or out on the report design surface for better control over your report layout.
As you zoom in or out, the size of every item on the design surface changes.
In the designer, you can access the zoom feature from the Zoom bar below the report design surface where the
slider thumb is set to 100% by default. The slider allows you to zoom in and out of the report designer surface.
Using this slider you can magnify the layout from 50% to 400%. You can also use the zoom in (+) and zoom out
(-) buttons at either end of the slider to change the zoom level.
Zoom settings are also available on the ActiveReports toolbar where you can change the zoom percentage or use
the zoom in/zoom out buttons. See Toolbar for further information.

Keyboard Shortcuts
You can hold down the Ctrl key and use the mouse wheel to zoom in and zoom out of the design surface.
You can also use keyboard shortcuts for the following functions:
[Ctrl] + [+] : Zoom in
[Ctrl] + [-] : Zoom out
[Ctrl] + 0 : Return to 100%

Report Types
ActiveReports provides a number of ways to design a report. You can choose a report type based on your layout
requirements. Depending on the type of report you select, you also get various file formats to create your reports.

In this section
Report Definition Language (RDL) Report
Page Report
Code-Based Section Report
XML-Based Section Report

Report Layout Types

You can design reports using different layouts depending on your requirements. This section introduces these
layout types and describes the differences between them to allow you to select the one that suits your report.
Page Layout
In a Page Layout, you design reports at the page level without any banded sections. This lets you place controls
anywhere on the report.
In a Page report, controls do not change in size based on the data, but you can use an OverflowPlaceHolder to
handle any extra data.
RDL Layout
In a RDL report, controls grow vertically to accommodate data.Controls can grow and shrink, you can set up
interactive sorting, you can set up drill-down reports in which detail data is initially hidden, and can be toggled by
other items, and you can add drill-through links to other reports and to bookmark links within reports.
Section Layout
In a Section Layout, you design reports in banded sections. A PageHeader, Detail and PageFooter section appear
by default, and you can remove any but the detail section. Right-click the report and select Insert to add other
section pairs like ReportHeader and ReportFooter, or GroupHeader and GroupFooter.
A report section contains a group of controls that are processed and printed at the same time as a single unit. All
sections except the detail section come in pairs, above and below the detail section. When you use group headers
and footers, the detail section processes for each group, and then the next group processes a group header,
related details, and group footer. See Grouping Data for more information.
You can hide any section that you do not want shown by setting the Visible property of the section to False.

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Report File Format Types

You can create reports in a number of file formats with a varied set of features. This section describes the use of
each of these file formats.
Report Template Formats
To create a report, a user must select one of the following templates containing the report layout. See Adding an
ActiveReport to a Project for details on how to access report templates.
RDLX: This is an XML-based proprietary file format that provides custom extensions to the Report
Definition Language (RDL) files used by SQL Server Reporting Services. These are stand-alone files that
you can process without compiling them into your application. You can customize the report through the
Script Tab by embedding script in the report.
See this msdn page for more on RDL report.
VB or CS: These are code-based reports, and are saved as C# or Visual Basic files that are compiled
into your applications. They have corresponding code views similar to Windows forms and provide a
design and coding experience in line with Visual Studio. This format is ideal for developers who are
comfortable with coding in .NET programming languages and would like to use the extensive event-
based API provided by ActiveReports in the code-behind rather than design view. You may also use the
scripts in the Script Tab instead of the code behind.
RPX: This is an XML-based proprietary file format that the ActiveReports engine can process without
compiling it into an application. Instead of Visual Basic or C# code behind, you can customize the report
with script embedded in the report XML using the Script Tab. You can also use an RPX file with script as
a stand-alone file in a Web project.
Additional File Formats
ActiveReports also provides some additional file formats for reports. Each of these formats is used for a specific
purpose as described below.
RDLX-master: This is a master report file that you can reference from other RDLX report files for a
standard layout, for example, you can add company logo and address sections. This file is loaded each
time the report is executed, so you can change the logo on all of your reports by just changing it on the
master report. See Master Reports (RDL) for further details.
RDLX-theme: This is a theme file that consists of a collection of styles that you can apply to a report.
See Themes for further details.
RDSX: This is a proprietary format that is created when you share a data source, making it available to
multiple reports.
RDF: This is the Report Document Format, in which the data is static. You can save a report in this
format to display the data that is retrieved. Once a report has been saved to an RDF file, it can be
loaded into the viewer control. See Save and Load RDF Report Files for further details.

See the following list of file formats available in each layout.

Format Page Section Layout

Layout/RDL
Layout
RDLX ✓ ✘
VB or CS ✘ ✓
RPX ✘ ✓
RDLX-Master ✓ ✘
RDLX-Theme ✓ ✘
RDSX ✓ ✘
RDF ✘ ✓

Features comparison between report types

In ActiveReports, the features available in a report depend on the type of report you select. See the following
comparison list of features with each report type:

Feature Section Page RDL report

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 115
report report
Viewers & Editors
Visual Studio Integrated Designer ✓ ✓ ✓
Expressions Editor ✘ ✓ ✓
Designer Script Editor ✓ ✓ ✓
Windows Form Viewer ✓ ✓ ✓
WebViewer (Pro Edition). Includes viewer types HTML, RawHTML, PDF ✓ ✓ ✓
and Flash.
HTTP Handlers (Pro Edition) ✓ ✓ ✓
Silverlight Viewer (Pro Edition) ✓ ✓ ✓
Report Controls
BandedList ✘ ✓ ✓
List ✘ ✓ ✓
Matrix ✘ ✓ ✓
Table ✘ ✓ ✓
OverflowPlaceHolder ✘ ✓ ✘
Chart ✓ ✓ ✓
Barcode ✓ ✓ ✓
Bullet ✘ ✓ ✓
Calendar ✘ ✓ ✓
CheckBox ✓ ✓ ✓
Container ✘ ✓ ✓
CrossSectionLine ✓ ✘ ✘
CrossSectionBox ✓ ✘ ✘
FormattedText ✘ ✓ ✓
Image ✘ ✓ ✓
Label ✓ ✘ ✘
Line ✓ ✓ ✓
OleObject ✓ ✘ ✘
Pagebreak ✓ ✘ ✘
Picture ✓ ✘ ✘
ReportInfo ✓ ✘ ✘
RichTextBox ✓ ✘ ✘
Shape ✓ ✓ ✓
Sparkline ✘ ✓ ✓
Subreport ✓ ✘ ✓
TextBox ✓ ✓ ✓
Interactivity
Hyperlinks ✓ ✓ ✓
Parameters ✓ ✓ ✓
Drill through ✘ ✓ ✓

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 116
Drill down ✓ ✘ ✓
Filtering ✘ ✓ ✓
Grouping ✓ ✓ ✓
Sorting ✘ ✓ ✓
Data Connections
Standard Data Sources supported (e.g. SQL, OleDB, XML) ✓ ✓ ✓
Unbound Data Source ✓ ✓ ✓
Shared Data Source ✘ ✓ ✓
Export
Export Filters ✓ ✓ ✓
Rendering Extensions ✘ ✓ ✓
PDF advanced export features: digital signatures, time stamp, bold font ✓ ✓ ✓
emulation (Pro Edition)
Miscellaneous
Master Reports ✓ ✘ ✓
Themes ✘ ✓ ✓
Collation ✘ ✓ ✓
Styles (through Report Settings dialog) ✓ ✘ ✘
Printing ✓ ✓ ✓
Stand-alone Applications
ActiveReports Viewer ✓ ✓ ✓
ActiveReports Theme Editor ✘ ✓ ✓
ActiveReports Designer (stand-alone application) ✓ ✓ ✓

Report Definition Language (RDL) Report

The Report Definition Language (RDL) report is the most interactive type of report that we offer. Controls can grow
and shrink, you can set up interactive sorting, you can set up drill-down reports in which detail data is initially
hidden, and can be toggled by other items, and you can add drill-through links to other reports and to bookmark
links within reports.
When you add a RDL report to a project, the OverflowPlaceholder control disappears from the toolbox, and the
page tabs disappear from below the report design surface.

Master Reports
One way in which RDL reports differ from Page reports is the ability to create and use master reports. A master
report is one that you use to add common report functionality like data, company logos, and page headers or
footers, while using the ContentPlaceHolder control to designate areas where content reports can add data. In this
way, you can quickly change the data source or company address and logo for an entire suite of reports in one
convenient place. For more information, see Master Reports.

Themes
Both Page and RDL reports can use themes to apply standard formatting to a range of report controls. Like using a
master report, this allows you to change the look of a whole suite of reports in one place. You can specify colors
for text and background, hyperlink colors, major and minor fonts, images, and constants, and then specify theme
values in report control properties. When you want to change the look, you can do it all in the *.rdlx-theme file
and it will apply to each report when it runs. For more information, see Create and Add Themes.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 117
Data
RDL reports are ideal when you need to show data from different data sets, and when you do not need to control
where the data appears on the page. Use data regions to display data in the report, and after the controls grow to
accommodate your data, ActiveReports breaks it down into pages. For more information, see Data Sources and
Datasets.

Shared Data Sources

RDL reports allow you to create and use shared data sources, so that you need not enter the same connection
string every time you create a report. For more information, see Shared Data Source (RDSX).

Custom Resource Locators

You can create a custom resource locator for items to use in your reports. In this way, you can locate images for
reports, or even reports to use in subreports or in drill-through links. For more information, see Custom Resource
Locator.

Data Regions and Report Controls

All Rdl reports have controls that can display data differently than in section reports. You can use Sparkline and
Bullet report controls for dashboard reports, plus there is a Calendar report control, and List, Table, and Matrix
data regions to display your data. You can use expressions in many of the properties to determine what to display
and how to display it. For more information on these and other report controls, see Toolbox.

Note: The PageHeader and PageFooter sections of RDL Reports do not display controls bound to dataset
values at runtime. These sections only display controls with static data like labels or, you can also add
parameters using dataset values and use controls bound to parameter value in order to display dataset field
values in these sections.

Data Visualizers
The Image and TextBox report controls have a Data Visualizer feature that allows you to display data in small,
easy-to-comprehend graphs. This is a powerful tool to really make your data pop. For more information, see Data
Visualizers.

Grouping
You can group data within data regions by fields or expressions, control the scope of aggregates, and even create
recursive hierarchies in data with parent-child relationships. The Level function allows you to indent by level to
show these relationships visually. For more information, see Grouping Data (Page Layout).

Interactivity

Interactive Sorting
You can allow users to sort data in List, BandedList, Table, or Matrix data regions using the Interactive Sort
properties of a TextBox report control. For more information, see Allow Users to Sort Data in the Viewer.

Parameters
You can add parameters to reports that allow users to select which values to display in the report. These are also
useful in creating drill-through reports. For more information, see Add Parameters.

Drill Down
You can use the Visibility settings available on report controls, data regions, table rows, and matrix row and
column groups to create drill-down reports. With these settings, you can initially hide items and set a toggle item
that users can click to drill into more detailed data. For more information, see Create a Drill-Down Report.

Drill Through
You can use the Action property in the Navigation settings available on text boxes, images, and chart data values
to create drill-through reports that let users click links to more detailed reports with parameters. Although you can
create drill-through links to reports without parameters, this may leave users searching a huge detailed report for

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 118
relevant information.

Bookmark Links
You can also use the Action property in the Navigation settings to jump to a bookmark or URL.

Pagination
You can control where pages break in RDL reports using PageSize settings, as well as PageBreakBefore and
PageBreakAfter properties on data regions, groups, and rectangles.

Page Report
The new Page report offers you a way to create very specific styles of reports that are very difficult, if not
impossible, in other .NET reporting tools. You design this type of report on a page where none of the report
controls can grow or shrink at run time, making it ideal for duplicating legacy paper forms.
As with all Page reports, instead of report sections where you place report controls, you place data regions and
controls directly on the page. But with Page reports, there is no need to use code or add measurements to make
sure that everything fits. Unlike the RDL Report, the controls remain fixed at run time, so you can drop a table on
the report, set a property to size it exactly how you want it, and have something very close to a WYSIWYG report
at design time.

One row of data per page or one group per page

By default, all of the records are in one group, but you can set page level grouping to render one row of data on
each page. This is ideal for something like a tax form that you want to print for every client or every employee, or
an invoice that you want to print for every customer. For more information, see Grouping in a fixed page.

Where does the rest of the data go?

If there is data that does not fit within the space allocated for the data region at design time, you can assign it to
flow into an OverflowPlaceholder control. This can go on the same page in a different area, for example, in the
form of columns, or it can go on a separate page. For more information, see OverflowPlaceholder and Overflow
Data in a Single Page.

Additional pages
You can run an entire report using the same page layout for every page, which is useful for something like an
invoice, but does not satisfy every reporting need.
For other types of reports, you can add pages and create different layouts for each one, or duplicate a page you
have already created. This can save a lot of time and effort when you have a report with many precisely placed
controls, and you need additional pages that duplicate many of them. For example, when you need to provide
employees with federal, state, and city copies of tax forms that have only one label changed. For more
information, see Overflow Data in Multiple Pages.

You can also insert new pages between existing ones, and drag page tabs to rearrange them. With multiple pages,
you can also choose how to collate the pages at run time. For more information, see how to Set Up Collation and
Collate Multiple Copies of a Report.

Caution: Page Reports do not support nested data regions. A red border indicating overlapping of controls
appears around the nested data region, on placing one data region inside another.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 119
Code-Based Section Report
When you add an ActiveReports 9 Section Report (code-based) to your Visual Studio project, report layouts are
saved as C# or Visual Basic files within the project in which they are created. these files are compiled into the
application when you build it. Each report is composed of three files:
rptYourReportName.vb or .cs
rptYourReportName.Designer.vb or .cs
rptYourReportName.resx
In this way, layout information models the behavior of Windows Forms in the .NET framework.
The design surface of a section report has banded sections that repeat depending on the data and the type of
section. For more information, see Section Report Structure and Section Report Events.

Code
This type of report is the most flexible in terms of what a .NET developer can achieve using code. It has an
extensive API and is event-based, which allows you to control all aspects of the report and how it is generated. If
you like, you can even build a report completely in code. See details about the API in the Class Library (on-line
documentation) section of the help.
The API is also available with XML-based section reports, but you use VB or C# script instead of Windows Forms-
like code. For more information, see XML-Based Section Report .

Data
Code-based section reports connect to data either via settings that you specify in the Report Data Source dialog,
or through code. You can find more information on all of the ways to connect to data in a section report in the
Work with Data in Section Reports topic.

Viewing and Exporting

To display a code-based report in the viewer, you use the LoadDocument method of the viewer. See Viewing
Reports for more information. To export a code-based report, you use the Export method of the export you
choose. For more information, see Export a Section Report (on-line documentation).

XML-Based Section Report

When you add an ActiveReports 9 Section Report (xml-based) report to your Visual Studio project, the layout is
saved as a stand-alone Report XML (RPX) file. Since these files are not compiled into your application, they are a
good option for solutions in which you need to update or add reports frequently.
The RPX format cannot contain Visual Basic.NET or C# code. Instead, you can add VB.NET or C# script in the
Script view of the report.

For more information on using script with a layout file, see Scripting in Section Reports.
XML-based section reports are the same as Code-Based Section Report with regard to data, events, structure, and
exports, but everything is contained in a single, portable RPX file.

End User Report Designer

If you want to allow end users to edit and create section reports in a Windows Forms application you create with
the Designer control, these are XML-based, as there is nowhere to put Visual Studio code and no way to handle
multiple files for a code-based section report. For more information, see Creating a Basic End User Report Designer
(Pro Edition).

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 120
Page Report/RDL Report Concepts
There are a number of concepts that apply to page reports and RDL reports.

In this section
Toolbox
This section provides information on each of the report controls and data regions available in the ActiveReports 9
Page Report and ActiveReports 9 RDL Report group in the Visual Studio toolbox.
Data Sources and Datasets
Find out about the Data Sources you can access through ActiveReports and fetch data through DataSets along
with an overview of the Report DataSource and DataSet dialogs.
Shared Data Source (RDSX)
See the advantages of using the RDSX proprietary file format as a data source in your reports.
Expressions
Learn about setting expressions in reports and creating expression through the Expression Editor.
Layers
Learn about using Layers a in reports and it's advantages.
Using Script
Embed code in the script tab to extend the features in your reports.
Report Dialog
See the various options provided in Report Dialog.
FixedPage Dialog
See the various options provided in FixedPage Dialog.
Grouping Data (Page Layout)
See the various options provided for grouping data in ActiveReports.
Add Page Numbering
Select out of a list of pre-defined formats or create custom formats to display page numbers in reports.
Themes
Create themes to define the appearance of reports, and apply the themes to any number of reports for a
consistent look.
Master Reports (RDL)
Use master reports to create a reusable template of common elements you can apply to other reports.
Data Visualizers
Learn about a number of ways to make your data pop using small graphs in images and background colors.
Custom Resource Locator
Find information about the ResourceLocator class that allows you to find resources on your machine for use in your
RDL reports.

Toolbox
When a Page report or RDL report has focus in Visual Studio, the ActiveReports 9 Page Report and ActiveReports
9 RDL Report toolbox group offers a number of report controls and data regions that you can use when creating a
report. You can drag these from the toolbox and drop them onto your reports. These tools are different than those
in the Section Report Toolbox.

Note: Take care in naming report controls, as they are displayed to end users in the advanced search feature
of the Viewer.

In this section
BandedList
The BandedList is a data region with freeform bands in which you can place report controls. With a detail band
that repeats data for every row in the dataset, this data region resembles the Section report design surface.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 121
Barcode
The BarCode report control renders scannable barcodes in any of 25 popular symbologies. You can bind it to
data, control the bar width, rotation, quiet zones, caption locations, whether check sum is enabled, and many
other properties.
Bullet
The Bullet report control is an easy-to-read linear gauge that is a good alternative to using a dashboard for data
visualization. You can bind it to data and set best, worst, and satisfactory values as well as labels and ranges.
Calendar
The Calendar report control displays date-based data or events in a calendar format in your report. You can
modify the appearance of the calendar and events.
Chart
The Chart is a graphic data region which allows you to display data in a variety of chart styles with 3D effects and
colors, and provides many options for customization. You can choose from numerous chart types.
CheckBox (Page Report)
The CheckBox report control can display Boolean data, or you can set its Checked property. You can also enter
static text to display.
Container
The Container report control is a graphical element that is used as a container for other items. The Container
report control has no data associated with it. As a container, this control serves to keep the report controls it
contains together when they might otherwise grow apart due to the growth of adjacent report controls.
FormattedText
The FormattedText report control displays data, and allows you to format selected areas of text within the control
in different ways. This report control accepts XHTML input, and allows you to set up mail merge.
Image
The Image report control allows you to specify any image file to display from an external source, a database or an
embedded image.
Line
The Line report control, a graphical element that has no data associated with it, visually marks boundaries or
highlights specific areas of a report. You can use lines of various weight, color, and style to highlight regions of
your reports and to add style and polish.
List
The List is a freeform data region in which you can place other report controls. It repeats any report control it
contains for every record in the dataset.
Map
The Map data region shows your business data against a geographical background. You can select different types
of map, depending on the type of information you want to communicate in your report.
Matrix
The Matrix is a data region with dynamic numbers of rows and columns, and is similar in functionality to a cross
tab or pivot table.
OverflowPlaceHolder
The Overflow Placeholder report control is only available with page reports. It is a simple rectangle that you link to
a List, BandedList, Matrix, or Table data region to display data that extends beyond one page.
Shape
The Shape report control, a graphical element that has no data associated with it, allows you to mark visual
boundaries or highlight specific areas of a report with rectangles, rounded rectangles, or elliptical shapes. Unlike
the Container report control, it cannot contain other controls.
Sparkline
The Sparkline report control displays a data trend over time in a graph small enough to be used inline, with a
height similar to the surrounding text. It presents the most recent measurement as the right-most data point and
compares it with earlier measurements to the left. You can select from line, area, stacked bar, column, and
whisker sparkline types.
Subreport(RDL)
The Subreport control displays data from a separate report that you specify. You can pass a parameter to the
subreport from the main report to filter data displayed in a subreport. Please note that each subreport instance is
run as a separate report, which can cause a noticeable difference in performance when processing large reports, in
which case a data region may be more efficient.

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Table
The Table is a data region that shows data in rows. By default, it has three columns and three rows. Once set at
design time, the columns are static, while the rows repeat for each row of data. The default rows are the header,
detail, and footer. The header and footer can be removed, and group headers and footers can be added to suit
your needs. Each cell contains a TextBox by default, but you can replace the TextBox with any report control.
TableOfContents
The TableOfContents (ToC) report control is used to display the document map, an organized hierarchy of the
report bookmarks and labels along with their page numbers, in the body of a report. The TableOfContents control
allows you to quickly understand and navigate the data inside a report in all viewers that are supported in
ActiveReports. Unlike the Document Map that is only available in the Viewers and cannot be rendered or printed,
you can use the TableOfContents control to embed the ToC structure in the report body for printing and rendering
purposes.
TextBox
The TextBox report control displays data, and is the default report control that appears in each cell of a table or
matrix. It is also the report control that is created automatically when you drag a field from the Data Explorer onto
your report. You can use expressions to modify the data that appears in a TextBox.

BandedList
The BandedList data region is a collection of free-form bands. By default, it is composed of three bands: a header,
a footer and a detail band. Bound report controls in the detail band repeat for every row of data. The header and
footer rows render once at the beginning and end of the BandedList, respectively, and are a good place for titles
and grand totals.
Click inside each band to reveal its properties in the Properties window, or click the four-way arrow to select the
entire data region and reveal its properties. Properties for this data region include the following.
Band Properties

Property Description
CanGrow Change to True to allow the data region to grow vertically to accommodate data.
CanShrink Change to True to allow the data region to shrink if there is not enough data to fill it.
KeepTogether Change to True to have ActiveReports attempt to keep all of the data in the band together
on one page.
PageBreakAtEnd Change to True to insert a page break after rendering all of the data in the band.
PageBreakAtStart Change to True to insert a page break before rendering any of the data in the band.
RepeatOnNewPage With header and footer bands, repeats the band on every page when the related details
span multiple pages.

BandedList Properties

Property Description
DataSetName Select the dataset to use in the data region.
KeepTogether Change to True to have ActiveReports attempt to keep all of the data in the data region
together on one page.
NewSection Change to True to render the data region in a new section.
OverflowName Select the name of the OverflowPlaceHolder control in which to render data that exceeds the
allowed space for the data region on the first page of the report.

You can add group header and group footer bands. Report controls in these bands repeat once for each group
instance. You can also nest groups, plus, in RDL reports, you can nest other data regions in any header or footer
band. Grouping in the BandedList is similar to grouping in the Table data region. You can provide a grouping
expression for each group, and also sort the groups.

Caution: You cannot sort the detail data in a BandedList, so any sorting of this type must be done at the
query level.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 123
BandedList Dialog
Properties for the BandedList data region are available in the BandedList dialog. To open it, with the BandedList
selected on the report, under the Properties Window, click the Property dialog link.
The BandedList dialog lets you set properties on the data region with the following pages.

Note: You can click <Expression...> in many of these properties to open the Expression Editor where you
can create an expression to determine the value.

General
Name: Enter a name for the banded list that is unique within the report.
Tooltip: Enter the value or expression you want to appear when a user hovers the cursor over the banded list in
the viewer at run time.
Dataset name: Select a dataset to associate with the banded list. The combo box is populated with all of the
datasets in the report's dataset collection.
Has own page numbering: Select to indicate whether this banded list is in its own section with regards to
pagination.
Page Breaks: Select any of the following options to apply to each instance of the banded list.
Insert a page break before this banded list
Insert a page break after this banded list
Fit banded list on a single page if possible
Header and Footer: Select any of the following options.
Repeat header band on each page
Repeat footer band on each page
Visibility
By default, the banded list is visible when the report runs, but you can hide it, hide it only when certain conditions
are met, or toggle its visibility with another report control.
Initial visibility
Visible: The banded list is visible when the report runs.
Hidden: The banded list is hidden when the report runs.
Expression: Use an expression with a Boolean result to decide whether the BandedList is visible. True
for hidden, False for visible.
Visibility can be toggled by another report control: Select this check box to display a toggle image next to
another report control. This enables the drop-down box below where you can specify the TextBox control that
toggles the visibility of the BandedList. The user can click the toggle item to show or hide this BandedList.
Navigation
Document map label: Enter an expression to use as a label to represent this item in the table of contents
(document map).
Bookmark ID: Enter an expression to use as a locator for this BandedList. You will then be able to provide a
bookmark link to this item from another report control using a Jump to bookmark action.
Groups
Click the plus sign button to add a new group to the BandedList, and delete them using the X button. Once you
add one or more groups, you can reorder them using the arrow buttons, and set up information for each group on
the following tabs.
General
Name: Enter a name for the group that is unique within the report. This property cannot be set until after a Group
on expression is supplied.
Group on: Enter an expression to use for grouping the data.
Document map label: Enter an expression to use as a label to represent this item in the table of contents
(document map).

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 124
Parent group: For use in recursive hierarchies. Enter an expression to use as the parent group.
Filters
You need to provide three values to add a new filter to the collection: Expression, Operator, and Value.
Expression: Enter the expression to use for evaluating whether data should be included in the group.
Operator: Select from the following operators to decide how to compare the expression to the left with the value
to the right.
Equal Only choose data for which the value on the left is equal to the value on the right.
Like Only choose data for which the value on the left is similar to the value on the right.
For more information on using the Like operator, see the MSDN Web site.
NotEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is not equal to the value on the right.
GreaterThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than the value on the right.
GreaterThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than or equal to the
value on the right.
LessThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than the value on the right.
LessThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than or equal to the value on
the right.
TopN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top number specified in the value on
the right.
BottomN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom number specified in the
value on the right.
TopPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top percent specified in the
value on the right.
BottomPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom percent specified in
the value on the right.
In Only choose items from the value on the left which are in the array of values specified on the right.
Selecting this operator enables the Values list at the bottom.
Between Only choose items from the value on the left which fall between the pair of values you specify
on the right. Selecting this operator enables two Value boxes instead of one.
Value: Enter a value to compare with the expression on the left based on the selected operator. For multiple
values used with the Between operator, the lower two value boxes are enabled.
Values: When you choose the In operator, you can enter as many values as you need in this list.
Sorting
Click the plus sign button to enter new sort expressions, and remove them using the X button.
Expression: Enter an expression by which to sort the data in the group.
Direction: Select Ascending or Descending.
Visibility
By default, the group is visible when the report runs, but you can hide a group, hide it when certain conditions are
met, or toggle its visibility with another report control.
Initial visibility
Visible: The group is visible when the report runs.
Hidden: The group is hidden when the report runs.
Expression: Use an expression with a Boolean result to decide whether the group is visible. True for
hidden, False for visible.
Visibility can be toggled by another report control: Select this check box to display a toggle image next to
another report item. The user can click the toggle item to show or hide this band group. This enables the drop-
down list where you can select the report control that users can click to show or hide this group.
Data Output
Element name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for this group.
Collection: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for the collection of all instances of this group.
Output: Choose Yes or No to decide whether to include this group in the XML output.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 125
Layout
Page break at start: Inserts a page break before the group.
Page break at end: Inserts a page break after the group.
Include group header: Adds a group header band (selected by default).
Include group footer: Adds a group footer band (selected by default).
Repeat group header: Repeats the group header band on each page.
Repeat group footer: Repeats the group footer band on each page.
Has own page numbering: Used in conjunction with the "Page Number in Section" and "Total Pages in Section"
properties, tells the report that the group constitutes a new page numbering section.
Filters
You need to provide three values to add a new filter to the collection: Expression, Operator, and Value.
Expression: Enter the expression to use for evaluating whether data should be included in the group.
Operator: Select from the following operators to decide how to compare the expression to the left with the value
to the right.
Equal Only choose data for which the value on the left is equal to the value on the right.
Like Only choose data for which the value on the left is similar to the value on the right.
For more information on using the Like operator, see the MSDN Web site.
NotEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is not equal to the value on the right.
GreaterThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than the value on the right.
GreaterThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than or equal to the
value on the right.
LessThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than the value on the right.
LessThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than or equal to the value on
the right.
TopN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top number specified in the value on
the right.
BottomN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom number specified in the
value on the right.
TopPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top percent specified in the
value on the right.
BottomPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom percent specified in
the value on the right.
In Only choose items from the value on the left which are in the array of values specified on the right.
Selecting this operator enables the Values list at the bottom.
Between Only choose items from the value on the left which fall between the pair of values you specify
on the right. Selecting this operator enables two Value boxes instead of one.
Value: Enter a value to compare with the expression on the left based on the selected operator. For multiple
values used with the Between operator, the lower two value boxes are enabled.
Values: When you choose the In operator, you can enter as many values as you need in this list.
Data Output
The Data Output page of the BandedList dialog allows you to control the following properties when you export to
XML.
Element name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for this BandedList.
Output: Choose Auto, Yes, or No to decide whether to include this BandedList in the XML output.
Choosing Auto exports the contents of the BandedList.

Barcode
The Barcode report control offers 39 different barcode styles to choose from. This saves you the time and
expense of finding and integrating a separate component. As with other data-bound report controls, you can use
an expression to bind the value of a field to the Barcode Value property.

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Apart from the barcode style, you can manage the alignment, direction, color, background color, bar width,
caption position, font, text, and check whether checksum is enabled in the Properties Window. There are more
properties available with the Code49, PDF417, and QRCode barcode styles. Click the Barcode to reveal its
properties in the Properties window. All of the properties specific to this report control are also available in the
Barcode dialog.

Note: This barcode is ported from the Section report Barcode control, so if you create reports
programmatically, the Page report/RDL report barcode is treated as a CustomReportItem.

Barcode Dialog
Properties for the Barcode are available in the Barcode dialog. To open it, with the Barcode selected in the report,
under the Properties Window, click the Property dialog link.
The Barcode dialog lets you set properties on the report control with the following pages.

Note: You can select the <Expression...> option in many of these properties to open the Expression Editor
where you can create an expression to determine the value.

General
Name: Enter a name for the barcode that is unique within the report.
Tooltip: Enter the value or expression you want to appear when a user hovers the cursor over the barcode in the
viewer at run time.
Value: Enter an expression or a static label, or choose a field expression from the drop-down list. You can access
the expression editor by selecting <Expression...> in the list. The value of this expression or text is used to
render the barcode in the report.
Invalid Barcode Text: Enter a message to display if the barcode contains invalid values (content, character,
length).
Caption
Location: Select whether to display the caption above or below the barcode, or select None to display the
barcode without a caption.
Text Alignment: Select the horizontal alignment of the caption. The default value of General centers the
caption.
Barcode Settings
Symbology: Enter the type of barcode to use. ActiveReports supports all of the most popular symbologies:
Table of all included symbologies

Notes: The RSS and QRCode styles have fixed height-to-width ratios. When you resize the width, the height
is automatically calculated.
When you choose a style that offers supplemental options, the additional options appear below.

Symbology Name Example Description

Ansi39 ANSI 3 of 9 (Code 39) uses
upper case, numbers, - , * $ / +
%. This is the default barcode
style.

Ansi39x ANSI Extended 3 of 9 (Extended

Code 39) uses the complete
ASCII character set.

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Codabar Codabar uses A B C D + - : . / $
and numbers.

Code_128_A Code 128 A uses control

characters, numbers,
punctuation, and upper case.

Code_128_B Code 128 B uses punctuation,

numbers, upper case and lower
case.

Code_128_C Code 128 C uses only numbers.

Code_128auto Code 128 Auto uses the complete

ASCII character set.
Automatically selects between
Code 128 A, B and C to give the
smallest barcode.
Code_2_of_5 Code 2 of 5 uses only numbers.

Code_93 Code 93 uses uppercase, % $ * /

, + -, and numbers.

Code25intlv Interleaved 2 of 5 uses only

numbers.

Code39 Code 39 uses numbers, % * $ /.

, - +, and upper case.

Code39x Extended Code 39 uses the

complete ASCII character set.

Code49 Code 49 is a 2D high-density

stacked barcode containing two
to eight rows of eight characters
each. Each row has a start code
and a stop code. Encodes the
complete ASCII character set.

Code93x Extended Code 93 uses the

complete ASCII character set.

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DataMatrix Data Matrix is a high density,
two-dimensional barcode with
square modules arranged in a
square or rectangular matrix
pattern.

EAN_13 EAN-13 uses only numbers (12

numbers and a check
digit). It takes only
12 numbers as a string to
calculate a check digit
(CheckSum) and add it to the
thirteenth position. The check
digit is an additional digit used to
verify that a bar code has been
scanned correctly. The check
digit is added automatically when
the CheckSum property is set to
True.
EAN_13 with the add-on code EAN-13 may include the add-on
code to the right of the main
code. The add-on code may
include up to 5 supplemental
characters.

EAN_8 EAN-8 uses only numbers (7

numbers and a check digit).

EAN128FNC1 EAN-128 is an alphanumeric one-

dimensional representation of
Application Identifier (AI) data
for marking containers in the
shipping industry.
This type of bar code contains
the following sections:
Leading quiet zone
(blank area)
Code 128 start
character
FNC (function) 1
character which allows
scanners to identify
this as an EAN-128
barcode
Data (AI plus data
field)
Symbol check
character (Start code
value plus product of
each character position
plus value of each
character divided by
103. The checksum is
the remainder value.)
Stop character
Trailing quiet zone
(blank area)

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The AI in the Data section sets
the type of the data to follow
(i.e. ID, dates, quantity,
measurements, etc.). There is a
specific data structure for each
type of data. This AI is what
distinguishes the EAN-128 code
from Code 128.
Multiple AIs (along with their
data) can be combined into a
single bar code.
EAN128FNC1 is a UCC/EAN-128
(EAN128) type barcode that
allows you to insert FNC1
character at any place and adjust
the bar size, etc., which is not
available in UCC/EAN-128.
To insert FNC1 character, set
“\n” for C#, or “vbLf” for VB to
Text property at runtime.

IntelligentMail Intelligent Mail, formerly known

as the 4-State Customer
Barcode, is a 65-bar code used
for domestic mail in the U.S.

JapanesePostal This is the barcode used by the

Japanese Postal system. Encodes
alpha and numeric characters
consisting of 18 digits including a
7-digit postal code number,
optionally followed by block and
house number information. The
data to be encoded can include
hyphens.
Matrix_2_of_5 Matrix 2 of 5 is a higher density
barcode consisting of 3 black
bars and 2 white bars.

MicroPDF417 MicroPDF417 is two-dimensional

(2D), multi-row symbology,
derived from PDF417. Micro-
PDF417 is designed for
applications that need to encode
data in a two-dimensional (2D)
symbol (up to 150 bytes, 250
alphanumeric characters, or 366
numeric digits) with the minimal
symbol size.
MicroPDF417 allows you to insert
an FNC1 character as a field
separator for variable length
Application Identifiers (AIs).
To insert FNC1 character, set
“\n” for C#, or “vbLf” for VB to
Text property at runtime.

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MSI MSI Code uses only numbers.

Pdf417 Pdf417 is a popular high-density

2-dimensional symbology that
encodes up to 1108 bytes of
information. This barcode
consists of a stacked set of
smaller barcodes. Encodes the
full ASCII character set. It has
ten error correction levels
and three data compaction
modes: Text, Byte, and Numeric.
This symbology can encode up
to 1,850 alphanumeric characters
or 2,710 numeric characters.
PostNet PostNet uses only numbers with
a check digit.

QRCode QRCode is a 2D symbology that

is capable of handling numeric,
alphanumeric and byte data as
well as Japanese kanji and kana
characters. This symbology can
encode up to 7,366 characters.

RM4SCC Royal Mail RM4SCC uses only

letters and numbers (with a
check digit). This is the barcode
used by the Royal Mail in the
United Kingdom.
RSS14 RSS14 is a 14-digit Reduced
Space Symbology that uses
EAN.UCC item identification for
point-of-sale omnidirectional
scanning.
RSS14Stacked RSS14Stacked uses the EAN.UCC
information with Indicator digits
as in the RSS14Truncated, but
stacked in two rows for a smaller
width.
RSS14Stacked allows you to set
Composite Options, where you
can select the type of the
barcode in the Type drop-down
list and the value of the
composite barcode in the Value
field.
RSS14Stacked CCA RSS14Stacked with Composite
Component - Version A.

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RSS14StackedOmnidirectional RSS14StackedOmnidirectional
uses the EAN.UCC information
with omnidirectional scanning as
in the RSS14, but stacked in two
rows for a smaller width.

RSS14Truncated RSS14Truncated uses the

EAN.UCC information as in the
RSS14, but also includes
Indicator digits of zero or one for
use on small items not scanned
at the point of sale.
RSSExpanded RSSExpanded uses the EAN.UCC
information as in the RSS14, but
also adds AI elements such as
weight and best-before dates.
RSSExpanded allows you to
insert an FNC1 character as a
field separator for variable length
Application Identifiers (AIs).
To insert FNC1 character, set
“\n” for C#, or “vbLf” for VB to
Text property at runtime.

RSSExpandedStacked RSSExpandedStacked uses the

EAN.UCC information with AI
elements as in the RSSExpanded,
but stacked in two rows for a
smaller width.
RSSExpandedStacked allows you
to insert an FNC1 character as a
field separator for variable length
Application Identifiers (AIs).
To insert FNC1 character, set
“\n” for C#, or “vbLf” for VB to
Text property at runtime.

RSSLimited RSS Limited uses the EAN.UCC

information as in the RSS14, but
also includes Indicator digits of
zero or one for use on small
items not scanned at the point of
sale.
RSSLimited allows you to set
Composite Options, where you
can select the type of the
barcode in the Type drop-down
list and the value of the
composite barcode in the Value
field.

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RSSLimited CCA RSS Limited with Composite
Component - Version A.

UCCEAN128 UCC/EAN –128 uses the

complete ASCII character
Set. This is a special version of
Code 128 used in HIBC
applications.
UPC_A UPC-A uses only numbers (11
numbers and a check digit).

UPC_A with the add-on code UPC_A may include the add-on
code to the right of the main
code. The add-on code may
include up to 5 supplemental
characters.

UPC_E0 UPC-E0 uses only numbers.

Used for zero-compression UPC
symbols. For the Caption
property, you may enter either a
six-digit UPC-E code or a
complete 11-digit (includes code
type, which must be zero) UPC-A
code. If an 11-digit code is
entered, the Barcode control will
convert it to a six-digit UPC-E
code, if possible. If it is not
possible to convert from the 11-
digit code to the six-digit code,
nothing is displayed.
UPC_E0 with the add-on code UPC_E0 may include the add-on
code to the right of the main
code. The add-on code may
include up to 5 supplemental
characters.

UPC_E1 UPC-E1 uses only numbers.

Used typically for shelf labeling in
the retail environment. The
length of the input string for
U.P.C. E1 is six numeric
characters.
UPC_E1 with the add-on code UPC_E1 may include the add-on
code to the right of the main
code. The add-on code may
include up to 5 supplemental
characters.

When you choose a symbology which offers supplemental options, the additional options appear below the
Symbology drop-down box.
Bar Height: Enter a value in inches (for example, .25in) for the height of the barcode.
Narrow Bar Width (also known as X dimension): This is a value defining the width of the narrowest part of the
barcode. Before using an extremely small value for this width, ensure that the scanner can read it. This value is
specified in Length units (for example, '10cm', '4mm', '1in').

Tip: For accurate scanning, the quiet zone should be ten times the Narrow Bar Width value.

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Narrow Width Bar Ratio (also known as N dimension): Enter a value to define the multiple of the ratio between
the narrow and wide bars in symbologies that contain bars in only two widths. For example, if it is a 3 to 1 ratio,
this value is 3. Commonly used values are 2, 2.5, 2.75, and 3.

Quiet Zone
A quiet zone is an area of blank space on either side of a barcode that tells the scanner where the
symbology starts and stops.
Left: Enter a size in inches of blank space to leave to the left of the barcode.
Right: Enter a size in inches of blank space to leave to the right of the barcode.
Top: Enter a size in inches of blank space to leave at the top of the barcode.
Bottom: Enter a size in inches of blank space to leave at the bottom of the barcode.

Note: The units of measure listed for all of these properties are the default units of measure used if
you do not specify. You may also specify cm, mm, in, pt, or pc.

Checksum
A checksum provides greater accuracy for many barcode symbologies.
Compute Checksum: Select whether to automatically calculate a checksum for the barcode.

Note: If the symbology you choose requires a checksum, setting this value to False has no effect.

Code49 Options
Code49 Options are available for the Code49 barcode style.
Use Grouping: Indicates whether to use grouping for the Code49 barcode. The possible values are True
or False.
Group Number: Enter a number between 0 and 8 for the barcode grouping.

DataMatrix Options
DataMatrix Options are available for the DataMatrix barcode style.
EccMode: Select the Ecc mode from the drop-down list. The possible values are ECC000, ECC050,
ECC080, ECC100, ECC140 or ECC200.
Ecc200 Symbol Size: Select the size of the ECC200 symbol from the drop-down list. The default value is
SquareAuto.
Ecc200 Encoding Mode: Select the encoding mode for ECC200 from the drop-down list. The possible
values are Auto, ASCII, C40, Text, X12, EDIFACT or Base256.
Ecc000_140 Symbol Size: Select the size of the ECC000_140 barcode symbol from the drop-down list.
Structured Append: Select whether the barcode symbol is part of the structured append symbols. The
possible values are True or False.
Structure Number: Enter the structure number of the barcode symbol within the structured append
symbols.
File Identifier: Enter the file identifier of a related group of the structured append symbols. If you set the
value to 0, the file identifier symbols are calculated automatically.
Encoding: Select the barcode encoding from the drop-down list.

EAN Supplementary Options

EAN Supplementary Options are available for the EAN_13 and EAN_8 barcode styles.
Supplement Value: Enter the expression to set the value of the barcode supplement.

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Caption Location: Select the location for the supplement caption from the drop-down list. The possible
values are None, Above or Below.
Supplement Bar Height: Enter the bar height for the barcode supplement.
Supplement Spacing: Enter the spacing between the main and the supplement barcodes.

EAN128FNC1 Options
EAN128FNC1 Options are available for the EAN128FNC1 barcode style.
DPI: Specify the resolution of the printer as dots per inch to create an optimized barcode image with the
specified Dpi value.
Module Size: Enter the horizontal size of the barcode module.
Bar Adjust: Enter the adjustment size by dot units, which affects the size of the module and not the entire
barcode.

GS1Composite Options
GS1Composite Options are available for the RSS14Stacked and RSSLimited barcode styles.
Type: Select the type of the composite barcode from the drop-down list. The possible values are None or
CCA. CCA (Composite Component - Version A) is the smallest variant of the 2-dimensional composite
component.
Value: Enter the expression to set the value of the composite barcode.

MicroPDF417 Options
MicroPDF417 Options are available for the MicroPDF417 barcode style.
Compaction Mode: Select the type of the compaction mode from the drop-down list. The possible values
are Auto, TextCompactionMode, NumericCompactionMode, or ByteCompactionMode.
Version: Select the version from the drop-down box to set the symbol size.
Segment Index: The segment index of the structured append symbol. The valid value is from 0 to 99998,
and less than the value in Segment Count.
Segment Count: The segment count of the structured append symbol. The valid value is from 0 to 99999.
File ID: The file id of the structured append symbol. The valid value is from 0 to 899.

PDF417 Options
PDF417 Options are available for the Pdf417 barcode style.
Columns: Enter column numbers for the barcode.
Rows: Enter row numbers for the barcode.
Error Correction Level: Enter the error correction level for the barcode.
PDF 417 Barcode Type: Select the PDF417 barcode type form the drop-down list. The possible values are
Normal or Simple.

QRCode Options
QRCode Options are available for the QRCode barcode style.
Model: Select the model for the QRCode barcode style from the drop-down list. The possible values
are Model1 or Model2.
Error Level: Select the error correction level for the barcode from the drop-down list. The possible values
are M, L, H or Q.
Version: Enter the version of the QRCode barcode style.
Mask: Select the pattern for the barcode masking form the drop-down list.
Use Connection: Select whether to use the connection for the barcode. The possible values are True or

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False.
ConnectionNumber: Enter the connection number for the barcode.
Encoding: Select the barcode encoding from the drop-down list.

RssExpandedStacked Options
RssExpandedStacked Options are available for the RSSExpandedStacked barcode style.
Row Count: Enter the number of the barcode stacked rows.

UPC Supplementary Options

UPC Supplementary Options are available for the UPC_A, UPC_E0 and UPC_E1 barcode styles.
Supplement Value: Enter the expression to set the value of the barcode supplement.
Caption Location: Select the location for the supplement caption from the drop-down list. The possible
values are None, Above or Below.
Supplement Bar Height: Enter the bar height for the barcode supplement.
Supplement Spacing: Enter the spacing between the main and supplement barcodes.
Appearance

Font
Family: Select a font family name or a theme font.
Size: Choose the size in points for the font or use a theme.
Style: Choose Normal or Italic or select a theme.
Weight: Choose from Lighter, Thin, ExtraLight, Light, Normal, Medium, SemiBold, Bold, ExtraBold,
Heavy, or Bolder.
Color: Choose a color to use for the text.
Decoration: Choose from None, Underline, Overline, or LineThrough.

Border
Style: Select a style for the border.
Width: Enter a value in points to set the width of the border.
Color: Select a color to use for the border, or select the <Expression...> option to open the Expression
Editor and create an expression that evaluates to a .NET color.

Background
Color: Select a color to use for the background, or select the <Expression...> option to open the
Expression Editor and create an expression that evaluates to a .NET color.
Format
Format code: Select one of the common numeric formats provided or use a custom .NET formatting code to
format dates or numbers. For more information, see MSDN's Formatting Types topic.
Amount of space to leave around report control
Top margin: Set the top padding in points.
Left margin: Set the left padding in points.
Right margin: Set the right padding in points.
Bottom margin: Set the bottom padding in points.
Rotation: Choose None, Rotate90Degrees, Rotate180Degrees, or Rotate270Degrees.
Visibility

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Initial visibility
Visible: The barcode is visible when the report runs.
Hidden: The barcode is hidden when the report runs.
Expression: Use an expression with a Boolean result to decide whether the barcode is visible.
Visibility can be toggled by another report control: Select this check box to display a toggle image next to
another report control. This enables the drop-down box where you can select the TextBox control that users can
click to show or hide this barcode in the viewer.
Navigation
Document map label: Enter an expression to use as a label to represent this item in the table of contents
(document map).
Bookmark ID: Enter an expression to use as a locator for this barcode. You will then be able to provide a
bookmark link to this item from another report control using a Jump to bookmark action.
Data Output
Element Name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for this barcode.
Output: Choose Auto, Yes, or No to decide whether to include this barcode in the XML output. Auto exports the
contents of the barcode only when the value is not a constant.
Render as: Choose Auto, Element, or Attribute to decide whether to render barcodes as Attributes or Elements
in the exported XML file. Auto uses the report's setting for this property.

Bullet
The Bullet report control is an easy-to-read linear gauge that is a good alternative to using a dashboard for data
visualization.
A bullet graph has a pointer that shows a key measure. With this control, you can take a single value, the year-to-
date revenue for example, and compare it to a target value that you define in the control's properties. You can
also define the beginning of the graph as the worst value and the end of the graph as the best value. To make the
data visualization even more intuitive, you can define a qualitative range (bad, satisfactory and good) for
segments on the bullet graph and immediately see the position of the key measure within the bullet graph range.

You can combine multiple Bullets into a data region, a table for example, to show single values side by side. You
can orient Bullets horizontally or vertically, and put them together as a stack to analyze several data dimensions at
once.

Bullet Dialog
Properties for the Bullet are available in the Bullet dialog. To open it, with the Bullet control selected on the report,
under the Properties Window, click the Property dialog link.
The Bullet dialog lets you set properties on the report control with the following pages.

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Note: You can click <Expression...> in many of these properties to open the Expression Editor where you
can create an expression to determine the value. For properties with enumerated values, the values are
listed under Constants in the Fields tree view on the left side of the Expression Editor.

General
Name: Enter a name for the Bullet that is unique within the report.
Data
Value: Enter an expression to use as the bullet value.
Target Value: Enter an expression to use as the target value of the bullet graph.
Appearance

Bullet Graph Orientation

Horizontal: Select to display a horizontal bullet graph.
Vertical: Select to display a vertical bullet graph.

Value Style
Color: Select a color to use for the value marker, or select the <Expression...> option to open the
Expression Editor and create an expression that evaluates to a .NET color. The default value is Black.

Target Style
Target Type: Choose Line, Dot or Square. The default value is Line.
Color: Select a color to use for the target value marker, or select the <Expression...> option to open the
Expression Editor and create an expression that evaluates to a .NET color. The default value is Black.
Width: Enter a value in points to set the width of the target value marker. The default value is 3pt.

Note: The Width setting applies only when the Target Type is set to Line.

Tick Marks
Position: Choose None, Inside or Outside. The default value is Outside.
Color: Select a color to use for the tick marks, or select the <Expression...> option to open the
Expression Editor and create an expression that evaluates to a .NET color. The default value is LightGray.
Width: Enter a value in points to set the width of the tick marks. The default value is 1pt.
Interval between tick marks: Set the interval at which you want to show tick marks.
Ranges
Worst Value: Enter a value or expression to define the lowest value on the graph.
Bad/Satisfactory Boundary: Enter a value or expression to define the boundary between bad and satisfactory
values.
Display 3 Sections: Select this check box to show three separate value ranges (bad, satisfactory, and good)
instead of two (bad and satisfactory). This enables the Satisfactory/Good Boundary.
Satisfactory/Good Boundary: Enter a value or expression to define the boundary between satisfactory and good
values.
Best Value: Enter a value or expression to define the highest value on the graph.
Labels
Display Labels: Select this check box to display axis labels for the bullet graph. Selecting this box enables the
rest of the properties on this page.
Format: Select one of the provided format codes or use a custom .NET formatting code to format dates or
numbers. For more information, see MSDN's Formatting Types topic.

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Font
Family: Choose the font family name. The default value is Arial.
Size: Choose the size in points for the font. The default value is 10pt.
Style: Choose Regular, Bold, Italic, Underline or Strikeout. The default value is Regular.
Color: Select a Web or custom color for the font. The default value is Black.
Navigation
Document map label: Enter an expression to use as a label to represent this item in the table of contents
(document map).
Bookmark ID: Enter an expression to use as a locator for this Bullet. You will then be able to provide a bookmark
link to this item from another report control using a Jump to bookmark action.
Visibility

Initial visibility
Visible: The bullet graph is visible when the report runs.
Hidden: The bullet graph is hidden when the report runs.
Expression: Use an expression with a Boolean result to decide whether the bullet graph is visible. True
for hidden, False for visible.
Visibility can be toggled by another report control: Select this check box to display a toggle image next to
another report control. This enables the drop-down box below where you can specify the TextBox control that
toggles the visibility of the bullet. The user can click the toggle item to show or hide this bullet.
Data Output
Element Name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for this Bullet.
Output: Choose Auto, Yes, No, or Content only to decide whether to include this Bullet in the XML output. Auto
exports the contents of the bullet graph only when the value is not a constant.

Calendar
The Calendar report control is used to display date-based data or events in a calendar format in your report. In
the Properties Window or the Calendar Dialog, you can modify the appearance of the days, months, weekends,
and events in the calendar, and create events for it.

Calendar Dialog
Properties for the Calendar are available in the Calendar dialog. To open it, with the Calendar control selected on
the report, under the Properties Window, click the Property dialog link.
The Calendar dialog lets you set properties on the report control with the following pages.

Note: You can select the <Expression...> option in many of these properties to create an expression to
determine the value. For properties with enumerated values, the values are listed under Constants in the
Fields tree view on the left side of the Expression Editor.

General

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Name: Enter a name for the calendar that is unique within the report.
Data
Dataset Name: Select a dataset to associate with the calendar. The list is populated with all of the datasets in the
report's dataset collection.

Event Settings
Start Date: Enter an expression to use to identify the Start Date value(s) of the events to be displayed.
End Date: Enter an expression to use to identify the End Date value(s) of the events to be displayed.
Value: Enter an expression to use to identify the event text value(s) of the events to be displayed.
Detail Grouping
Name: Enter a name for the detail group that is unique within the report. A name is created automatically if you
do not enter one.
Group on: Enter an expression to use for grouping the data. If you have already assigned a dataset name in the
Dataset Name property, you can select a field from the dataset.
Filters
You need to provide three values to add a new filter to the collection: Expression, Operator, and Value.
Expression: Enter the expression to use for evaluating whether data should be included in the group.
Operator: Select from the following operators to decide how to compare the expression to the left with the value
to the right.
Equal Only choose data for which the value on the left is equal to the value on the right.
Like Only choose data for which the value on the left is similar to the value on the right.
For more information on using the Like operator, see the MSDN Web site.
NotEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is not equal to the value on the right.
GreaterThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than the value on the right.
GreaterThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than or equal to the
value on the right.
LessThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than the value on the right.
LessThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than or equal to the value on
the right.
TopN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top number specified in the value on
the right.
BottomN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom number specified in the
value on the right.
TopPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top percent specified in the
value on the right.
BottomPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom percent specified in
the value on the right.
In Only choose items from the value on the left which are in the array of values specified on the right.
Selecting this operator enables the Values list at the bottom.
Between Only choose items from the value on the left which fall between the pair of values you specify
on the right. Selecting this operator enables two Value boxes instead of one.
Value: Enter a value to compare with the expression on the left based on the selected operator. For multiple
values used with the Between operator, the lower two value boxes are enabled.
Values: When you choose the In operator, you can enter as many values as you need in this list.
Event Appearance
Format: Select one of the common numeric formats provided or use a custom .NET formatting code to format
dates or numbers. For more information, see MSDN's Formatting Types topic.
Alignment: Select the horizontal alignment of the event text.

Font
Family: Choose the font family name.

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Size: Choose the size in points for the font.
Style: Choose Normal or Italic.
Weight: Choose from Lighter, Thin, ExtraLight, Light, Normal, Medium, SemiBold, Bold, ExtraBold, Heavy,
and Bolder.
Color: Select a Web or custom color for the font.
Decoration: Choose from None, Underline, Overline, and LineThrough.

Background
Fill Color: Select a color to use for the background of the calendar event.
Border Color: Select a color to use for the border, or select the <Expression...> option to open the
Expression Editor and create an expression that evaluates to a .NET color.

Image
You can display an image on all calendar events using the following options to define the image.
Source: Choose from External, Embedded, or Database.
MIME Type: Select the MIME type of the image chosen.
Value: Enter the name of the image to display.
Calendar Appearance
The Calendar Appearance page has the following tabs: Month Appearance, Day, Day Headers, Weekend, and Filler
Day.
All but Day Headers have the same properties. (There is no Formatting section on the Day Headers tab.)

Font
Family: Choose the font family name.
Size: Choose the size in points for the font.
Style: Choose Normal or Italic.
Weight: Choose from Lighter, Thin, ExtraLight, Light, Normal, Medium, SemiBold, Bold, ExtraBold, Heavy,
and Bolder.
Color: Select a Web or custom color for the font.
Decoration: Choose from None, Underline, Overline, and LineThrough.

Border
Style: Select a style for the border.
Width: Enter a value in points to set the width of the border.
Color: Select a color to use for the border, or select the <Expression...> option to open the Expression
Editor and create an expression that evaluates to a .NET color.
Background Fill Color: Select a color to use for the background of the calendar's month section.

Formatting
Alignment: Select the horizontal alignment of the calendar month text.
Format: Select one of the common numeric formats provided or use a custom .NET formatting code to
format dates or numbers. For more information, see MSDN's Formatting Types topic.
Navigation

Action
Select one of the following actions to perform when a user clicks on an event in the calendar.

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None: The default behavior is to do nothing when a user clicks the textbox at run time.
Jump to report: For drill-through reporting, select this option and provide the name of a local report, the
relative path of a report in another folder, or the full path of a report on another server.
Parameters: Supply parameters to the targeted report by entering the Name of each parameter, the
Value to send to the targeted report, or whether to Omit the parameter. Note that parameter names
you supply must exactly match parameters in the target report.

Tip: You can remove or change the order of parameters using the X and arrow buttons.

Jump to bookmark: Select this option and provide a valid Bookmark ID to allow the user to jump to the
report control with that Bookmark ID.
Jump to URL: Select this option and provide a valid URL to create a hyperlink to a Web page.
Document map label: Enter an expression to use as a label to represent this item in the table of contents
(document map).
Bookmark ID: Enter an expression to use as a locator for this calendar. You will then be able to provide a
bookmark link to this item from another report control using a Jump to bookmark action.
Data Output
Element Name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for this calendar.
Output: Choose Auto, Yes, No, or Content only to decide whether to include this calendar in the XML output.
Auto exports the contents of the calendar only when the value is not a constant.

Chart
The Chart data region shows your data in a graphical representation that often makes it easier for users to
comprehend large amounts of data quickly. Different types of charts are more efficient for different types of
information, so we offer a wide variety of chart types. This makes it easy and cost effective to add charting to your
reports, as there is no need to purchase and integrate a separate charting tool.
To hone in on your needs, when you first drag the Chart report control onto a page report/RDL report, you can
select the broad category of chart type to use: Bar, Column, Scatter, Line, or Dot Plot.
Once you select a chart category, there are a number of dialogs to help you to customize your chart.

Note: You can select <Expression...> within many of these properties to create an expression to determine
the value, or you can select a theme value to keep reports consistent.

Chart Appearance
To open the Chart Appearance dialog, select the Chart on the report, and below the Properties window, click the
Chart appearance command. This dialog has the following pages.

Tip: To go directly to the Plot Area page, click in the middle of the chart to select the Plot Area, then under
the Properties Window, click Property dialog.

Gallery
The Gallery page of the Chart dialog, in basic mode, displays each of the broad categories of chart types, plus
subtypes so that you can refine your choice. For even more chart types, click the Advanced button.

Basic Chart Types

Bar Charts
Bar charts present each series as a horizontal bar, and group the bars by category. The x-axis values determine
the lengths of the bars, while the y-axis displays the category labels. With a bar chart, you can select from the
following subtypes.
Plain: Compares values of items across categories.

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Stacked: A bar chart with two or more data series stacked one on top of the other that shows how each
value contributes to the total.
Percent Stacked: A bar chart with two or more data series stacked one on top of the other to sum up
to 100% that shows how each value contributes to the total with the relative size of each series
representing its contribution to the total.

Column Charts
Column charts present each series as a vertical column, and group the columns by category. The y-axis values
determine the heights of the columns, while the x-axis displays the category labels. With a column chart, you can
select from the following subtypes.
Plain: Compares values of items across categories.
Stacked: A column chart with two or more data series stacked one on top of the other that shows how
each value contributes to the total.
Percent Stacked: A column chart with two or more data series stacked one on top of the other to sum
up to 100% that shows how each value contributes to a total with the relative size of each series
representing its contribution to the total.

Scatter Charts
Scatter charts present each series as a point or bubble. The y-axis values determine the heights of the points,
while the x-axis displays the category labels. With a scatter chart, you can select from the following subtypes.
Plain: Shows the relationships between numeric values in two or more series sets of XY values.
Connected: Plots points on the X and Y axes as one series and uses a line to connect points to each
other.
Smoothly Connected: Plots points on the X and Y axes as one series and uses a line with the angles
smoothed out to connect points to each other.
Bubble: Shows each series as a bubble. The y-axis values determine the height of the bubble, while the
x-axis displays the category labels. This chart type is only accessible in Advanced chart types.

Line Charts
Line charts present each series as a point, and connect the points with a line. The y-axis values determine the
heights of the points, while the x-axis displays the category labels. With a line chart, you can select from the
following subtypes.
Plain: Compares trends over a period of time or in certain categories.
Smooth: Plots curves rather than angled lines through the data points in a series to compare trends
over a period of time or in certain categories. Also known as a Bezier chart.

Dot Plot Charts

A Dot Plot chart is a statistical chart containing group of data points plotted on a simple scale. Dot Plot chart are
used for continuous, quantitative, univariate data. The dot plot chart has one subtype.
Plain: Displays simple statistical plots. It is ideal for small to moderate sized data sets. You can
also highlight clusters and gaps, as well as outliers, while conserving numerical information.

Advanced Chart Types

Area Charts
Area charts present each series as a point, connect the points with a line, and fill the area below the line. The y-
axis values determine the heights of the points, while the x-axis displays the category labels. With an area chart,
you can select from the following subtypes.
Plain: Compare trends over a period of time or in specific categories.
Stacked: An area chart with two or more data series stacked one on top of the other, shows how each
value contributes to the total.
Percent Stacked: An area chart with two or more data series stacked one on top of the other to sum
up to 100%, shows how each value contributes to the total with the relative size of each series
representing its contribution to the total.

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Pie Charts
Pie charts present each category as a slice of pie or doughnut, sized according to value. Series groups are not
represented in pie charts. With a pie chart, you can select from the following subtypes.
Pie: Shows how the percentage of each data item contributes to the total.
Exploded: Shows how the percentage of each data item contributes to the total, with the pie slices
pulled out from the center to show detail.
Doughnut: Shows how the percentage of each data item contributes to a total percentage.
Exploded Doughnut: Shows how the percentage of each data item contributes to the total, with the
pie slices pulled out from the center to show detail.

Financial Charts
Stock charts present each series as a line with markers showing some combination of high, low, open, and close
values. The y-axis values determine the heights of the lines, while the x-axis displays the category labels. With
a financial chart, you can select from the following subtypes.
High Low Close: Displays stock information using High, Low, and Close values. High and low values are
displayed using vertical lines, while tick marks on the right indicate closing values.
Open High Low Close: Displays stock information using Open, High, Low, and Close values. Opening
values are displayed using lines to the left, while lines to the right indicate closing values. The high and
low values determine the top and bottom points of the vertical lines.
Candlestick: Displays stock information using High, Low, Open and Close values. The height of the wick
line is determined by the High and Low values, while the height of the bar is determined by the Open
and Close values. The bar is displayed using different colors, depending on whether the price of the
stock has gone up or down.
Renko: Bricks of uniform size chart price movement. When a price moves to a greater or lesser value
than the preset BoxSize value required to draw a new brick, a new brick is drawn in the succeeding
column. A change in box color and direction signifies a trend reversal.
Kagi: Displays supply and demand trends using a sequence of linked vertical lines. The thickness and
direction of the lines vary depending on the price movement. If closing prices go in the direction of the
previous Kagi line, then that Kagi line is extended. However, if the closing price reverses by the preset
reversal amount, a new Kagi line is charted in the next column in the opposite direction. Thin lines
indicate that the price breaks the previous low (supply) while thick lines indicate that the price breaks
the previous high (demand).
Point and Figure: Stacked columns of Xs indicate that demand exceeds supply and columns of Os
indicate that supply exceeds demand to define pricing trends. A new X or O is added to the chart if the
price moves higher or lower than the BoxSize value you set. A new column is added when the price
reverses to the level of the BoxSize value multiplied by the ReversalAmount you set. This calculation
of pricing trends is best suited for long-term financial analysis.
Three Line Break: Vertical boxes or lines illustrate price changes of an asset or market. The price in a
three line break graph must break the prior high or low set in the NewLineBreak property in order to
reverse the direction of the graph.

Other Charts
Other chart types may be used for special functions like charting the progress of individual tasks. You can select
from the following subtypes.
Funnel: Shows how the percentage of each data item contributes to the whole, with the largest value at
the top and the smallest at the bottom. This chart type works best with relatively few data items.
Pyramid: Shows how the percentage of each data item contributes to the whole, with the smallest
value at the top and the largest at the bottom. This chart type works best with relatively few data items.
Gantt: This project management tool charts the progress of individual project tasks. The chart
compares project task completion to the task schedule.
Title
Chart title: Enter an expression or text to use for the title.

Font
Family: Choose the font family name.
Size: Choose the size in points for the font.

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Style: Choose Normal or Italic.
Weight: Choose from Lighter, Thin, ExtraLight, Light, Normal, Medium, SemiBold, Bold, ExtraBold, Heavy, and
Bolder.
Color: Select a Web or custom color for the font.
Decoration: Choose from None, Underline, Overline, and LineThrough.
Palette
Default: The same as Subdued below, the recommended palette for charts.
EarthTones: A palette of autumnal browns, oranges, and greens.
Excel: A palette of muted plums, blues, and creams.
GrayScale: A palette of patterns suitable for printing to a black and white printer.
Light: A palette of pale pinks and peaches.
Pastel: A palette of blues, greens, and purples.
SemiTransparent: A palette of primary and tertiary colors that allows the backdrop to show through.
Subdued: A palette of muted tones of browns, greens, blues, and grays.
Vivid: The same as Subdued, but with richer tones.
Custom: A palette of colors that you define. When you select Custom, you can list colors that are used in the
order you specify.
Area

Border
Style: Choose an enumerated style for the border.
Width: Set a width value in points between 0.25pt and 20pt.
Color: Select a Web or Custom color.

Background Fill Color

Fill Color: Select a Web or Custom color.
Gradient: Choose from one of the following gradient styles.
None: No gradient is used. The Fill Color is used to fill the area and the Gradient End Color property is
ignored.
LeftRight: A gradient is used. The Fill Color property defines the color at the left, and the Gradient End
Color property defines the color at the right. The two colors are gradually blended in between these
areas.
TopBottom: A gradient is used. The Fill Color property defines the color at the top, and the Gradient
End Color property defines the color at the bottom. The two colors are gradually blended in between
these areas.
Center: A gradient is used. The Fill Color property defines the color at the center, and the Gradient End
Color property defines the color at the edges. The two colors are gradually blended in between these
areas.
DiagonalLeft: A gradient is used. The Fill Color property defines the color at the top left, and the
Gradient End Color property defines the color at the bottom right. The two colors are gradually blended
in between these areas.
DiagonalRight: A gradient is used. The Fill Color property defines the color at the top right, and the
Gradient End Color property defines the color at the bottom left. The two colors are gradually blended in
between these areas.
HorizontalCenter: A gradient is used. The Gradient End Color property defines the horizontal band
of color across the center, and the Fill Color property defines the color at the top and bottom. The two
colors are gradually blended in between these areas.
VerticalCenter: A gradient is used. The Gradient End Color property defines the vertical band of color
across the center, and the Fill Color property defines the color at the left and right. The two colors are
gradually blended in between these areas.

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Gradient End Color: When you choose any gradient style other than None, this property becomes available.
Choose a Web or Custom color.
Plot Area

Border
Style: Choose an enumerated style for the border.
Width: Choose a width value between 0.25pt and 20pt.
Color: Select a Web or Custom color.

Background Fill Color

Fill Color: Select a Web or Custom color.
Gradient: Choose from one of the following gradient styles.
None: No gradient is used. The Fill Color is used to fill the area and the Gradient End Color property is
ignored.
LeftRight: A gradient is used. The Fill Color property defines the color at the left, and the Gradient End
Color property defines the color at the right. The two colors are gradually blended in between these
areas.
TopBottom: A gradient is used. The Fill Color property defines the color at the top, and the Gradient
End Color property defines the color at the bottom. The two colors are gradually blended in between
these areas.
Center: A gradient is used. The Fill Color property defines the color at the center, and the Gradient End
Color property defines the color at the edges. The two colors are gradually blended in between these
areas.
DiagonalLeft: A gradient is used. The Fill Color property defines the color at the top left, and the
Gradient End Color property defines the color at the bottom right. The two colors are gradually blended
in between these areas.
DiagonalRight: A gradient is used. The Fill Color property defines the color at the top right, and the
Gradient End Color property defines the color at the bottom left. The two colors are gradually blended in
between these areas.
HorizontalCenter: A gradient is used. The Gradient End Color property defines the horizontal band
of color across the center, and the Fill Color property defines the color at the top and bottom. The two
colors are gradually blended in between these areas.
VerticalCenter: A gradient is used. The Gradient End Color property defines the vertical band of color
across the center, and the Fill Color property defines the color at the left and right. The two colors are
gradually blended in between these areas.
Gradient End Color: When you choose any gradient style other than None, this property becomes available.
Choose a Web or Custom color.
3D Effects
These properties are enabled when you select the 3D checkbox on the Gallery page.
Display the chart with 3D visual effects: Select this check box to enable all of the following properties.
Horizontal rotation: Move the slider to rotate the chart to left and right. All the way to the left (-90°) shows the
chart from the left side, while all the way to the right (90°) shows it from the right side. The default value is 20°.
Vertical rotation: Move the slider to rotate the chart up and down. All the way to the left (-90°) shows the chart
from the bottom, while all the way to the right (90°) shows it from the top. The default value is 20°.
Wall thickness: Move the slider to change the thickness of the walls at the axes. The default value is 0% and the
range of values is 0% (left) to 100% (right). If the chart type is pie or doughnut, this property is ignored.
Perspective: Move the slider to change the perspective from which the chart is displayed. The default value is 0%
and the range of values is 0% (left) to 100% (right). If you select Orthographic Projection, this property is
ignored.
Shading: Select the type of shading to apply to the chart. The default value is Real.
None: Colors are uniform.
Simple: Colors are darkened in areas where the light source does not hit them.

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Real: Colors are darkened in areas where the light source does not hit them, and lightened in areas
where the light source is strongest.
Orthographic Projection: Select this check box to use orthographic or "true drawing" projection. This type of
projection is ignored with pie and doughnut chart types.
Clustered: With chart types of bar and column, select this check box to cluster series groups. Other chart types
ignore this setting.
Display bars as cylinders: With chart types of bar and column, select this check box to display cylinders instead
of bars or columns.
Defaults (button): Click this button when you want to set all of the 3D effect properties back to their default
values.

Chart Data
See the Chart Data Dialog topic for all of the pages and tabs available for customizing your chart data.

Chart Legend
To open the Chart Legend dialog, select the Chart on the report, and below the Properties window, click the
Chart legend command. This dialog has the following pages.
General
Show chart legend: Clear this check box to disable the legend. This also disables all of the other properties on
this page.
Use Smart Settings: Check this option to apply smart settings or clear this checkbox to activate the properties
given below.
Layout: Choose the layout style for the legend.
Column: This option displays legend items in a single vertical column.
Row: This option displays legend items in a single horizontal row.
Table: This option displays legend items in a table of vertical columns, and is best when you have a
large number of values.
Position: Select an enumerated value to determine the position of the legend relative to the chart area. The
default value is RightCenter.
Display legend inside plot area: Select this check box to display the legend inside the plot area along with your
data elements.
Style
The Style page of the Chart Legend dialog allows you to control the Font, Border, and Fill properties for the legend.

Font
Family: Choose the font family name.
Size: Choose the size in points for the font.
Style: Choose Normal or Italic.
Weight: Choose from Lighter, Thin, ExtraLight, Light, Normal, Medium, SemiBold, Bold, ExtraBold, Heavy, and
Bolder.
Color: Select a Web or custom color for the font.
Decoration: Choose from None, Underline, Overline, and LineThrough.

Border
Style: Choose an enumerated style for the border.
Width: Enter a width value between 0.25pt and 20pt.
Color: Select a Web or Custom color.

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Background Fill Color
Fill Color: Select a Web or Custom color.
Gradient: Choose from one of the following gradient styles.
None: No gradient is used. The Fill Color is used to fill the area and the Gradient End Color property is
ignored.
LeftRight: A gradient is used. The Fill Color property defines the color at the left, and the Gradient End
Color property defines the color at the right. The two colors are gradually blended in between these
areas.
TopBottom: A gradient is used. The Fill Color property defines the color at the top, and the Gradient
End Color property defines the color at the bottom. The two colors are gradually blended in between
these areas.
Center: A gradient is used. The Fill Color property defines the color at the center, and the Gradient End
Color property defines the color at the edges. The two colors are gradually blended in between these
areas.
DiagonalLeft: A gradient is used. The Fill Color property defines the color at the top left, and the
Gradient End Color property defines the color at the bottom right. The two colors are gradually blended
in between these areas.
DiagonalRight: A gradient is used. The Fill Color property defines the color at the top right, and the
Gradient End Color property defines the color at the bottom left. The two colors are gradually blended in
between these areas.
HorizontalCenter: A gradient is used. The Gradient End Color property defines the horizontal band
of color across the center, and the Fill Color property defines the color at the top and bottom. The two
colors are gradually blended in between these areas.
VerticalCenter: A gradient is used. The Gradient End Color property defines the vertical band of color
across the center, and the Fill Color property defines the color at the left and right. The two colors are
gradually blended in between these areas.
Gradient End Color: When you choose any gradient style other than None, this property becomes available.
Choose a Web or Custom color.

Chart Axis
Click the Axis X or Axis Y line of the chart to select AxisXLine or AxisYLine, then under the Properties Window,
click Property dialog. The Chart Axis dialogs let you set axis properties on the data region with the following
pages.

Note: The X and Y Axis dialogs are disabled if your chart type is doughnut or pie.

Title

Axis X or Axis Y
X- or Y-Axis title: Enter text to display near the X or Y axis of the chart.
Text alignment: Choose Center, Near, or Far.

Font
Family: Choose the font family name.
Size: Choose the size in points for the font.
Style: Choose Normal or Italic.
Weight: Choose from Lighter, Thin, ExtraLight, Light, Normal, Medium, SemiBold, Bold, ExtraBold, Heavy, and
Bolder.
Color: Select a Web or custom color for the font.
Decoration: Choose from None, Underline, Overline, and LineThrough.
Line Style

Axis Line Appearance

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Style: Choose from an enumerated style for the axis line.
Color: Select a Web or Custom color.
End Cap: Choose either None or Arrow as the End Cap style, or enter an expression using Expression Editor
dialog.
Labels
Show x- or y-axis labels: Select this check box to show labels along the axis and to enable the rest of the
properties on this page.
Format code: Select a format code from the list or use a custom .NET formatting code to format dates or
numbers. For more information, see MSDN's Formatting Types topic.

Font
Family: Choose the font family name.
Size: Choose the size in points for the font.
Style: Choose Normal or Italic.
Weight: Choose from Lighter, Thin, ExtraLight, Light, Normal, Medium, SemiBold, Bold, ExtraBold, Heavy, and
Bolder.
Color: Select a Web or custom color for the font.
Decoration: Choose from None, Underline, Overline, and LineThrough.
Major Grid Lines
Show major grid lines: Select this check box to show grid lines for the axis.
Interval: Set the interval at which you want to show major grid lines or tick marks or both.

Border
Style: Choose one from the enumerated styles for the border.
Width: Enter a width value between 0.25pt and 20pt.
Color: Select a color for the border.
Tick mark: Choose one of the following values to determine whether and where to display major tick marks. The
style and interval of the tick marks are set with the above properties.
None: No tick mark is displayed.
Inside: Tick marks are displayed inside the axis.
Outside: Tick marks are displayed outside the axis.
Cross: Tick marks are displayed crossing the axis.
Minor Grid Lines
Show minor grid lines: Select this check box to show minor grid lines for the axis.
Interval: Set the interval at which you want to show minor grid lines or tick marks or both.

Border
Style: Choose one from the enumerated styles for the border.
Width: Enter a width value between 0.25pt and 20pt.
Color: Select a color for the border.
Tick mark: Choose one of the following values to determine whether and where to display minor tick marks. The
style and interval of the tick marks are set with the above properties.
None: No tick mark is displayed.
Inside: Tick marks are displayed inside the axis.
Outside: Tick marks are displayed outside the axis.

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Cross: Tick marks are displayed crossing the axis.
Scale
Minimum: Leave this value blank to allow the data to determine the minimum value to use.
Maximum: Leave this value blank to allow the data to determine the maximum value to use.
Logarithmic scale: Select this check box to display axis data as a percentage of change instead of as absolute
arithmetic values.
Numeric or time scale values: Select this check box to indicate that the data on the X axis is scalar so that the
chart fills in missing numbers or dates between data values. This property is only available on the X axis.
Other
Cross at: Leave this value blank to allow the chart type to determine where the axis should cross the other axis,
or you can enter a custom value.
Side margins: Select this check box to add padding between the data and the edges of the chart.
Interlaced strips: Select this check box to display alternating light and dark strips between major intervals
specified on the Major Grid Lines page. If none are specified, a default value of 1 is used.
Reversed: Select this check box to reverse the direction of the chart. This will have different effects depending on
chart type.

Reference Line (Y Axis only)

Value: Enter a value.
Line/Border
Style: Choose one from the enumerated styles.
Width: Set a width of the axis line.
Color: Select a color for the axis line.
Legend Label: Enter a label for the legend to display in the viewer.

Chart Data Dialog

When you first open the Chart Data dialog, you can select a Dataset name to associate with the chart. The list is
populated with all of the datasets in the report's dataset collection.
This dialog also gives you access to the following related pages.

General Page
Name: Enter a name for the chart that is unique within the report. This name is displayed in the Document
Outline and in XML exports.
Tooltip: Enter the value or expression you want to appear when a user hovers the cursor over the chart in the
viewer at run time.
Dataset Name: Select a dataset to associate with the chart. The combo box is populated with all of the datasets
in the report's dataset collection.

Series Values Page

Add at least one Value series to determine the size of the chart element. Click the plus sign button to enable the
General tab. Once you have one or more value series in place, you can use the arrow buttons to change the order
or the X button to delete them.
Another way to add Chart Series Values is to drag fields from the Report Explorer onto the tray along the top edge
of the chart that reads Drop data fields here.
If you have already added values, you can right-click any value displayed in the UI along the top of the chart and
choose Edit to open this dialog.

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The Series Values page has the following tabs.
General
The General tab of the Series Values page allows you to control different items depending on the Chart Type you
have chosen.

All Chart Types

Series label: Enter an expression to use as a series label to display in the legend.

Scatter or Bubble Chart Types

X: Enter an expression to use as an X value.
Y: Enter an expression to use as a Y value.
Size: If the chart type is bubble, enter an expression to use as the bubble size value.

Stock Chart Type

High: Enter an expression to use as the high value.
Low: Enter an expression to use as the low value.
Open: Enter an expression to use as the open value.
Close: Enter an expression to use as the close value.

Column, Bar, Line, Pie, Area, or Doughnut Chart Types

Value: Enter an expression to use as a series value.
Styles

Line/Border
These properties control the appearance of the border of bars or columns, or the lines, depending on the
type of chart.
Style: Choose one of the enumerated styles for the lines.
Width: Choose a width value between 0.25pt and 20pt for the thickness of the lines.
Color: Choose a Web or Custom color to use for the lines.

Background Fill Color

These properties control the appearance of the background of the series values.
Fill Color: Choose a Web or Custom color to fill the background.
Gradient: Choose from one of the following gradient styles.
None: No gradient is used. A single color (defined by the Fill Color property above) is used to
fill the area and the Gradient End Color property remains disabled.
LeftRight: A gradient is used. The Fill Color property defines the color at the left, and the
Gradient End Color property defines the color at the right. The two colors are gradually blended
in between these areas.
TopBottom: A gradient is used. The Fill Color property defines the color at the top, and the
Gradient End Color property defines the color at the bottom. The two colors are gradually
blended in between these areas.
Center: A gradient is used. The Fill Color property defines the color at the center, and the
Gradient End Color property defines the color at the edges. The two colors are gradually
blended in between these areas.
DiagonalLeft: A gradient is used. The Fill Color property defines the color at the top left, and
the Gradient End Color property defines the color at the bottom right. The two colors are
gradually blended in between these areas.
DiagonalRight: A gradient is used. The Fill Color property defines the color at the top right,
and the Gradient End Color property defines the color at the bottom left. The two colors are

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 151
gradually blended in between these areas.
HorizontalCenter: A gradient is used. The Gradient End Color property defines the horizontal
band of color across the center, and the Fill Color property defines the color at the top and
bottom. The two colors are gradually blended in between these areas.
VerticalCenter: A gradient is used. The Gradient End Color property defines the vertical band
of color across the center, and the Fill Color property defines the color at the left and right. The
two colors are gradually blended in between these areas.
Gradient End Color: When you choose any gradient style other than None, this property becomes
available. Choose a Web or Custom color to blend with the Fill Color in the background of the series.
Markers
Marker type: Choose one of the following values to determine the shape of the marker or whether one is
displayed.
None - Markers are not used. (Default)
Square - Markers are square.
Circle - Markers are circular.
Diamond - Markers are diamond shaped.
Triangle - Markers are triangular.
Cross - Markers are cross shaped.
Auto - A shape is chosen automatically.
Marker size: Enter a value between 2pt and 10pt to determine the size of the plotting area of the markers.
Plot data as secondary: If the chart type is column, you can select this check box and select whether to use a
Line or Points to show the data.
Labels
Show point labels: Select this check box to display a label for each chart value. Selecting this box enables the
disabled properties on this page.
Data label: Enter a value to use as the label, or select <Expression...> to open the Expression Editor.
Format code: Select one of the provided format codes or use a custom .NET formatting code to format dates or
numbers. For more information, see MSDN's Formatting Types topic.
Position: Leave Auto selected to use the default point label position for the chart type, or select an enumerated
value to position the labels.
Angle: Enter the value in tenths of degrees to use for the angle of the point label text. The default (0°) position
denotes no angle and renders regular horizontal text.

Font
Family: Choose the font family name.
Size: Choose the size in points for the font.
Style: Choose Normal or Italic.
Weight: Choose from Lighter, Thin, ExtraLight, Light, Normal, Medium, SemiBold, Bold, ExtraBold, Heavy,
and Bolder.
Color: Select a Web or custom color for the font.
Decoration: Choose from None, Underline, Overline, and LineThrough.
Action
Choose from the following actions to perform when the user clicks on the chart element.
None: The default behavior is to do nothing when a user clicks the chart element at run time.
Jump to report: For drill-through reporting, select this option and provide the name of a local report, the relative
path of a report in another folder, or the full path of a report on another server.
Parameters
Name: Supply the exact names of any parameters required for the targeted report. Note that parameter
names you supply in this must match parameters in the target report.

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Important: The Parameter Name must exactly match the name of the parameter in the detail
report. If any parameter is spelled differently, capitalized differently, or if an expected parameter is
not supplied, the drill-through report will fail.

Value: Enter a Parameter Value to pass to the detail report. This value must evaluate to a valid value
for the parameter.
Omit: Select this check box to omit this parameter from the report.
Jump to bookmark: Select this option and provide a valid Bookmark ID to allow the user to jump to the report
control with that Bookmark ID.
Jump to URL: Select this option and provide a valid URL to create a hyperlink to a Web page.
Data Output
Element name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for this chart element.
Output: Choose Yes or No to decide whether to include this chart element in the XML output.

Category Groups Page

Add Category Groups to group data and provide labels for the chart elements. Click the Add button to enable the
General tab. Once you have one or more category groups in place, you can use the arrow buttons to change the
order or the X button to delete them.
Another way to add Category Groups is to drag fields from the Report Explorer onto the tray along the bottom
edge of the chart that reads Drop category fields here.
If you have already added values, you can right-click the value displayed in the UI along the bottom of the chart
and choose Edit to open this dialog.
The Category Groups page has the following tabs.
General
Name: Enter a name for the group that is unique within the report. This name can be called in code.
Group on: Enter an expression to use for grouping the data.
Label: Enter an expression to use as a label for the group. You can select <Expression...> to open the
Expression Editor.
Parent group: For use in recursive hierarchies. Enter an expression to use as the parent group.
Filters
The Filters tab of Category Groups page allows you to control the Filter grid collection for the group. Use the arrow
and X buttons to move or delete filters. You need to provide three values to add a new filter to the collection.
Expression: Enter the expression to use for evaluating whether data should be included in the group.
Operator: Select from the following operators to decide how to compare the expression to the left with the value
to the right:
Equal Only choose data for which the value on the left is equal to the value on the right.
Like Only choose data for which the value on the left is similar to the value on the right.
For more information on using the Like operator, see the MSDN Web site.
NotEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is not equal to the value on the right.
GreaterThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than the value on the right.
GreaterThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than or equal to the
value on the right.
LessThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than the value on the right.
LessThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than or equal to the value on
the right.
TopN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top number specified in the value on
the right.
BottomN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom number specified in the
value on the right.
TopPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top percent specified in the
value on the right.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 153
BottomPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom percent specified in
the value on the right.
In Only choose items from the value on the left which are in the array of values specified on the right.
Selecting this operator enables the Values list at the bottom.
Between Only choose items from the value on the left which fall between the pair of values you specify
on the right. Selecting this operator enables two Value boxes instead of one.
Value: Enter a value to compare with the expression on the left based on the selected operator. For multiple
values used with the Between operator, the lower two value boxes are enabled.
Values: When you choose the In operator, you can enter as many values as you need in this list.
Sorting
The Sorting tab of Category Groups page allows you to enter new sort expressions and remove or change the
order of them using the X or arrow buttons. For each sort expression in this list, you can also choose the direction.
Expression: Enter an expression by which to sort the data in the group.
Direction: Select whether you want to sort the data in an Ascending or Descending direction.
Data Output
Element name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for this group.
Collection: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for the collection of all instances of this group.
Output: Choose Yes or No to decide whether to include this group in the XML output.

Series Groups Page

Optionally add Series Groups for extra levels of data (for example, Orders by Country can be broken down by year
as well). Labels for the series are displayed in the chart legend. Click the Add button to open the General page.
Once you have one or more series groups in place, you can use the arrow buttons to change the order or the X
button to delete them.
Another way to add Series Groups is to drag fields from the Report Explorer onto the tray along the right edge of
the chart that reads Optionally drop series fields here.
If you have already added values, you can right-click the value displayed in the UI along the right edge of the
chart and choose Edit to open this dialog.
The Series Groups page has the following tabs.
General
Name: Enter a name for the group that is unique within the report. This name can be called in code.
Group on: Enter an expression to use for grouping the data.
Label: Enter an expression to use as a label for the group. You can select <Expression...> to open the
Expression Editor.
Parent group: For use in recursive hierarchies. Enter an expression to use as the parent group.
Filters
The Filters tab of Series Groups page allows you to control the Filter grid collection for the group. Use the arrow
and X buttons to move or delete filters. You need to provide three values to add a new filter to the collection.
Expression: Enter the expression to use for evaluating whether data should be included in the group.
Operator: Select from the following operators to decide how to compare the expression to the left with the value
to the right:
Equal Only choose data for which the value on the left is equal to the value on the right.
Like Only choose data for which the value on the left is similar to the value on the right.
For more information on using the Like operator, see the MSDN Web site.
NotEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is not equal to the value on the right.
GreaterThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than the value on the right.
GreaterThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than or equal to the
value on the right.
LessThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than the value on the right.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 154
LessThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than or equal to the value on
the right.
TopN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top number specified in the value on
the right.
BottomN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom number specified in the
value on the right.
TopPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top percent specified in the
value on the right.
BottomPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom percent specified in
the value on the right.
In Only choose items from the value on the left which are in the array of values specified on the right.
Selecting this operator enables the Values list at the bottom.
Between Only choose items from the value on the left which fall between the pair of values you specify
on the right. Selecting this operator enables two Value boxes instead of one.
Value: Enter a value to compare with the expression on the left based on the selected operator. For multiple
values used with the Between operator, the lower two value boxes are enabled.
Values: When you choose the In operator, you can enter as many values as you need in this list.
Sorting
The Sorting tab of Series Groups page allows you to enter new sort expressions and remove or change the order of
them using the X or arrow buttons. For each sort expression in this list, you can also choose the direction.
Expression: Enter an expression by which to sort the data in the group.
Direction: Select whether you want to sort the data in an Ascending or Descending direction.
Data Output
Element name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for this group.
Collection: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for the collection of all instances of this group.
Output: Choose Yes or No to decide whether to include this group in the XML output.

Filters Page
Chart Data Filters Page
The Filters page of the Chart Data dialog allows you to filter the data that is included in the chart. Use the plus
sign button to add a filter, and the arrow and X buttons to move or delete filters. You need to provide three values
to add a new filter to the collection.
Expression: Enter the expression to use for evaluating whether data should be included in the chart.
Operator: Select from the following operators to decide how to compare the expression to the left with the value
to the right:
Equal Only choose data for which the value on the left is equal to the value on the right.
Like Only choose data for which the value on the left is similar to the value on the right.
For more information on using the Like operator, see the MSDN Web site.
NotEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is not equal to the value on the right.
GreaterThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than the value on the right.
GreaterThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than or equal to the
value on the right.
LessThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than the value on the right.
LessThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than or equal to the value on
the right.
TopN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top number specified in the value on
the right.
BottomN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom number specified in the
value on the right.
TopPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top percent specified in the
value on the right.
BottomPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom percent specified in

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 155
the value on the right.
In Only choose items from the value on the left which are in the array of values specified on the right.
Selecting this operator enables the Values list at the bottom.
Between Only choose items from the value on the left which fall between the pair of values you specify
on the right. Selecting this operator enables two Value boxes instead of one.
Value: Enter a value to compare with the expression on the left based on the selected operator. For multiple
values used with the Between operator, the lower two value boxes are enabled.
Values: When you choose the In operator, you can enter as many values as you need in this list.
Value: Enter a value to compare with the expression on the left based on the selected operator. For multiple
values (used with the In and Between operators) separate values using commas.

Data Output Page

Chart Data Output Page
Element name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for the chart.
Output: Choose one between Auto, Yes, No or Contents Only to decide whether to include this group in the XML
output.

CheckBox (Page Report)

In ActiveReports, you can use the CheckBox control to represent a Boolean value in a report. By default, it appears
as a small box with text to the right. If the value evaluates to True, the small box appears with a check mark; if
False, the box is empty. By default, the checkbox is empty.

Checkbox Dialog
Properties for the CheckBox are available in the Checkbox dialog. To open it, with the CheckBox control selected
on the report, under the Properties Window, click the Property dialog link.
The Checkbox dialog lets you set properties on the report control with the following pages.

Note: You can select the <Expression...> option in many of these properties to create an expression to
determine the value. For properties with enumerated values, the values are listed under Constants in the
Fields tree view on the left side of the Expression Editor.

General
Name: Enter a name for the checkbox that is unique within the report. This name is displayed in the Document
Outline and in XML exports.
Tooltip: Enter the value or expression you want to appear when a user hovers the cursor over the checkbox in the
viewer at run time.
Value: Enter an expression or a static label, or choose a field expression from the drop-down list. You can access
the expression editor by selecting <Expression...> in the list. The value of this expression or text is displayed in
the report to the right of the checkbox.
Visibility
Initial visibility
Visible - The checkbox is visible when the report runs.
Hidden - The checkbox is hidden when the report runs.
Expression - Use an expression with a Boolean result to decide whether the checkbox is visible. For
example, on a "Free Shipping" checkbox, you could use the expression to see whether the
ShippingCountry is international. A value of true hides the checkbox, false shows it.
Visibility can be toggled by another report control: Select this checkbox to specify a report control to use as
a toggle to show or hide the checkbox. Then specify the TextBox control to display with a toggle image button.
When the user clicks the TextBox control, the checkbox changes between visible and hidden.
Appearance

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 156
Border
Style: Select a style for the border.
Width: Enter a value in points to set the width of the border.
Color: Select a color to use for the border, or select the <Expression...> option to open the Expression Editor
and create an expression that evaluates to a .NET color.

Background
Color: Select a color to use for the background of the checkbox.
Image: Enter an image to use for the background of the checkbox.
Font
Family: Select a font family name or a theme font.
Size: Choose the size in points for the font or use a theme.
Style: Choose Normal or Italic or select a theme.
Weight: Choose an enumerated weight value or select a theme.
Color: Choose a color to use for the text.
Decoration: Choose from None, Underline, Overline, or LineThrough.
Format
Format code: Select one of the common numeric formats provided or use a custom .NET formatting code to
format dates or numbers. For more information, see MSDN's Formatting Types topic.
Line Spacing: This property sets the space between lines of text.
Line height: This property sets the height of each line of text.

Note: This property only affects HTML output.

Character Spacing: This property sets the space between characters of text.

Text direction and writing mode

Direction: Choose LTR for left to right, or RTL for right to left.
Mode: Choose lr-tb for left right top bottom (normal horizontal text) or tb-rl for top bottom right left
(vertical text on its side).
Alignment

Alignment
Vertical alignment: Choose Top, Middle, Bottom, or the <Expression...> option.
Horizontal alignment: Choose General, Left, Center, Right, Justify, or the <Expression...> option.
Justification method: Choose Auto, Distribute, DistributAllLines, or the <Expression...> option.
Wrap mode: Choose NoWrap, WordWrap, or CharWrap.

Note: You must select Justify in the Horizontal alignment property to enable the Justification method
property options.

Amount of space to leave around report control

Top padding: Set the top padding in points.
Left padding: Set the left padding in points.
Right padding: Set the right padding in points.
Bottom padding: Set the bottom padding in points.

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Data Output
Element Name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for this checkbox.
Output: Choose Auto, Yes, or No to decide whether to include this checkbox in the XML output. Auto exports the
contents of the checkbox only when the value is not a constant.
Render as: Choose Auto, Element, or Attribute to decide whether to render checkboxes as Attributes or
Elements in the exported XML file. Auto uses the report's setting for this property.
Attribute example: <table1 checkbox3="Report created on: 7/26/2005 1:13:00 PM">
Element example: <table1> <checkbox3>Report created on: 7/26/2005 1:13:28 PM</checkbox3>

Container
The Container report control is a container for other items. There are a number of ways in which you can use it to
enhance your reports.

Visual Groupings
You can place report controls within the Container to group them visually, and to make it easier at design time to
move a group of report controls.

Note: Drawing a container around existing items does not contain them. Instead you must drag the items
into the container.

You can use a container as a border for your report pages, and set border properties to create purely visual effects
within your report, and even display an image behind a group of report controls by setting the
BackgroundImage property of the Container.

Anchoring Items
Probably the best usage of the Container report control is to anchor report controls which may otherwise be
pushed down by a vertically expanding data region. For example, if you have a group of textboxes below a table
with some of them to the left or right, any of them directly below the table are pushed down below the expanded
table at run time, while the upper textboxes remain where you placed them at design time. To prevent this from
happening, place the group of textboxes within a container.

Container Dialog
Properties for the Container are available in the Container dialog. To open it, with the Container control selected on
the report, under the Properties Window, click the Property dialog link.
The Container dialog lets you set properties on the report control with the following pages.

Note: You can select the <Expression...> option in many of these properties to create an expression to
determine the value. For properties with enumerated values, the values are listed under Constants in the
Fields tree view on the left side of the Expression Editor.

General
Name: Enter a name for the container that is unique within the report. This name can be called in code.
Page breaks:
Insert a page break before this container: Insert a page break before the container.
Insert a page break after this container: Insert a page break after the container.
Appearance
Background
Color: Select a color to use for the background of the container.
Image: Enter an image to use for the background of the container.
Border

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 158
Style: Select a style for the border.
Width: Enter a value in points to set the width of the border.
Color: Select a color to use for the border, or select the <Expression...> option to open the Expression Editor
and create an expression that evaluates to a .NET color.
Rounded Rectangle: Specify the radius for each corner of the shape independently. Drag the handlers
available at each corner of the shape to set the value of the radius at each corner.

Note: To enable specific corners, check the CheckBox available near each corner of the Container control.

Visibility
Initial visibility
Visible: The container is visible when the report runs.
Hidden: The container is hidden when the report runs.
Expression: Use an expression with a Boolean result to decide whether the container is visible. True for
hidden, False for visible.
Visibility can be toggled by another report control: Select this check box to display a toggle image next to
another report control. This enables the drop-down box below where you can specify the TextBox control that
toggles the visibility of the container. The user can click the toggle item to show or hide this container.
Navigation
Document map label: Enter an expression to use as a label to represent this item in the table of contents
(document map).
Bookmark ID: Enter an expression to use as a locator for this container. You will then be able to provide a
bookmark link to this item from another report control using a Jump to bookmark action.
Data Output
The Data Output page of the Container dialog allows you to control the following properties when you export to
XML:
Element name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for this container.
Output: Choose Auto, Yes, No, or Contents only to decide whether to include the contents of
this container in the XML output. Choosing Auto exports the contents of the container only when the
value is not a constant.

FormattedText
The FormattedText report control can perform mail merge operations, plus it displays richly formatted text in
XHTML. To format text in the FormattedText report control, enter XHTML code into the Html property.
Supported XHTML Tags
If you use valid HTML tags that are not in this list, ActiveReports ignores them.

Important: All text used in the Html property must be enclosed in <body></body> tags.

Tag Description
<%MergeFieldName%> Inserts a mail merge field.
<!-- -- > Defines a comment
<!DOCTYPE> Defines the document type
<a> Defines an anchor
<abbr> Defines an abbreviation
<acronym> Defines an acronym
<address> Defines an address element

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<b> Defines bold text
<base /> Defines a base URL for all the links in a page
<bdo> Defines the direction of text display
<big> Defines big text
<blockquote> Defines a long quotation
<body> Defines the body element (Required)
<br /> Inserts a single line break
<caption> Defines a table caption
<center> Defines centered text
<cite> Defines a citation
<code> Defines computer code text
<col> Defines attributes for table columns
<dd> Defines a definition description
<del> Defines deleted text
<dir> Defines a directory list
<div> Defines a section in a document
<dfn> Defines a definition term
<dl> Defines a definition list
<dt> Defines a definition term
<em> Defines emphasized text
<h1> to <h6> Defines header 1 to header 6
<head> Defines information about the document
<hr /> Defines a horizontal rule
<html> Defines an html document
<i> Defines italic text
<img /> Defines an image
<ins> Defines inserted text
<kbd> Defines keyboard text
<li> Defines a list item
<map> Defines an image map
<menu> Defines a menu list
<ol> Defines an ordered list
<p> Defines a paragraph
<pre> Defines preformatted text
<q> Defines a short quotation
<s> Defines strikethrough text
<samp> Defines sample computer code
<small> Defines small text
<span> Defines a section in a document
<strike> Defines strikethrough text
<strong> Defines strong text

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<style> Defines a style definition
<sub> Defines subscripted text
<sup> Defines superscripted text
<table> Defines a table
<tbody> Defines a table body
<td> Defines a table cell
<tfoot> Defines a table footer
<th> Defines a table header
<thead> Defines a table header
<tr> Defines a table row
<tt> Defines teletype text
<u> Defines underlined text
<ul> Defines an unordered list

Caution: To enter & in the HTML property, you need to use &amp;.

Formatted Text Dialog

Properties for the FormattedText report control are available in the Formatted Text dialog. To open it, with the
control selected on the report, under the Properties Window, click the Property dialog link.
The Formatted Text dialog lets you set properties on the report control with the following page.
General
Name: Enter a name for the FormattedText that is unique within the report. This name can be called in code.
Tooltip: Enter the value or expression you want to appear when a user hovers the cursor over the FormattedText
in the viewer at run time.
Visibility
Initial visibility
Visible: The FormattedText is visible when the report runs.
Hidden: The FormattedText is hidden when the report runs.
Expression: Use an expression with a Boolean result to decide whether the FormattedText is visible.
True for hidden, false for visible.
Visibility can be toggled by another report control: Select this check box to display a toggle image next to
another report control. This enables the drop-down box below where you can specify the TextBox control that
toggles the visibility of the FormattedText. The user can click the toggle item to show or hide this FormattedText.
Navigation
Document map label: Enter an expression to use as a label to represent this item in the table of contents
(document map).
Bookmark ID: Enter an expression to use as a locator for this FormattedText. You will then be able to provide a
bookmark link to this item from another report control using a Jump to bookmark action.
Appearance

Background
Color: Select a color to use for the background of the FormattedText.
Image: Enter an image to use for the background of the FormattedText.

Border

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 161
Style: Select a style for the border.
Width: Enter a value in points to set the width of the border.
Color: Select a color to use for the border, or select the <Expression...> option to open the Expression Editor
and create an expression that evaluates to a .NET color.
Data Output
Element name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for this FormattedText report control.
Output: Choose Auto, Yes, No, Contents Only to decide whether to include this FormattedText in the XML
output. Choosing Auto exports the contents of the FormattedText report control.
Mail Merge
Click the plus sign button to add a new mail merge field to the FormattedText, and delete them using the X
button. Once you add one or more fields, you can reorder them using the arrow buttons.
Field: Enter a name for the field that is unique within the report. This is used in the Html property inside
<%FieldName%> tags to display the field in the formatted text.
Value: Enter an expression to pull data into the control for mail merge operations.
Here is a very simple example of HTML code that you can use to add mail merge fields to formatted text. This
example assumes that you have added two mail merge fields named Field1 and Field2.
Paste this code in the Html property of the FormattedText control.
<body><p>This is <%Field1/%> and this is <%Field2/%>.</p></body>

Image
The Image report control displays an image that you embed in the report, add to the project, store in a database,
or access through a URL. You can choose the Image Source in the Properties Window after you place the Image
report control on the report.
Embedded Images
The benefit of using an embedded image is that there is no separate image file to locate or to keep track of when
you move the report between projects. The drawback is that the larger the file size of the image you embed, the
more inflated your report file size becomes.
To embed an image in your report
1. In the Report menu, select Embedded Images.
2. Click under the Image column to reveal an ellipsis button (...) and select an image file from your local
files. The Name and MimeType columns are filled in automatically and the image file's data is stored in
the report definition.
3. Click to select the Image report control, and in the Properties grid, set the Source property to Embedded.
4. Drop down the Value property and select the image from the list of embedded images.
Data Visualizer Images
You can use a data visualizer to display data in small graphs that are easy to comprehend.
To add a data visualizer image to your report
1. Click to select the Image report control, and in the Properties grid, drop down the Value property and
select <Data Visualizer...>.
2. In the Data Visualizers dialog that appears, select the Visualizer Type that you want to use, Icon Set,
Range Bar, or Data Bar.
3. Use expressions related to your data to set the rest of the values in the dialog.
Project Images
You may have an image that you want to use in multiple reports, for example a logo. In such cases, you can store
it as a project image. This not only allows you to quickly locate the correct image for new reports in the project,
but also makes it easier when you update your logo, as you will not need to search through every report to replace
embedded images. Another benefit is that the images are distributed with your application.

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To store an image in your Visual Studio project
1. Right-click the project in the Solution Explorer and select Add, then Add Existing Item and navigate to
the image.
2. Click to select the Image report control, and in the Properties grid, set the Source property to External.
3. Drop down the Value property and select the image from the list of project images.
Database Images
Product catalogues are probably the most common scenario in which images stored in a database are used in
reports. Place the Image report control in a data region to use database images that repeat for every row of data.
Keep in mind that you cannot use database images in Page Headers and Page Footers because these sections
cannot have value expressions that refer to fields.
To use a database image in an Image report control
1. Click to select the Image report control, and in the Properties grid, set the Source property to Database.
2. Drop down the Value property and select the field containing the image.

Note: Microsoft Access database images are generally stored as OLE objects which the Image report control
cannot read.

Web Images
You can also use any image to which you can navigate via a URL. The benefit of this is that images stored in this
way add nothing to the file size of the project or of the report, but the drawback is that if the web based image is
moved, it will no longer show up in your report.
To use a Web image
1. Click to select the Image report control, and in the Properties grid, set the Source property to External.
2. In the Value property, enter the URL for the image.

Image Dialog
Properties for the Image are available in the Image dialog. To open it, with the Image control selected on the
report, under the Properties Window, click the Property dialog link.
The Image dialog lets you set properties on the report control with the following pages.

Note: You can select <Expression...> within many of these properties to open the Expression Editor.

General
Name: Enter a name for the image that is unique within the report. This name can be called in code.
Tooltip: Enter a string or expression that you want to appear when a user hovers the cursor over the image in the
viewer at run time.
Image Value: Enter the name of the image to display. Depending on the Image Source chosen below, you can
give a path to the image, select an image to embed, or pull images from a database. This property also allows you
to choose the <Data Visualizer...> option to launch a dialog that will let you build a data visualization
expression.
Image Source: Select whether the image comes from a source that is External, Embedded, or Database.
MIME Type: Select the MIME type of the image chosen.
Visibility
Initial visibility
Visible: The image is visible when the report runs.
Hidden: The image is hidden when the report runs.
Expression: Use an expression with a Boolean result to decide whether the image is visible. True for
hidden, False for visible.
Visibility can be toggled by another report control: Select this check box to display a toggle image next to
another report control. This enables the drop-down box below where you can specify the TextBox control that
toggles the visibility of the image. The user can click the toggle item to show or hide this image.

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Navigation

Action
Select one of the following actions to perform when a user clicks on this image.
None: The default behavior is to do nothing when a user clicks the image at run time.
Jump to report: For drill-through reporting, select this option and provide the name of a local report, the
relative path of a report in another folder, or the full path of a report on another server.
Parameters: Supply parameters to the targeted report by entering the Name of each parameter, the
Value to send to the targeted report, or whether to Omit the parameter. Note that parameter names you
supply must exactly match parameters in the target report.

Tip: You can remove or change the order of parameters using the X and arrow buttons.

Jump to bookmark: Select this option and provide a valid Bookmark ID to allow the user to jump to the
report control with that Bookmark ID.
Jump to URL: Select this option and provide a valid URL to create a hyperlink to a Web page.
Document map label: Enter an expression to use as a label to represent this item in the table of contents
(document map).
Bookmark ID: Enter an expression to use as a locator for this image. You will then be able to provide a bookmark
link to this item from another report control using a Jump to bookmark action.

Line
The Line report control can be used to visually separate data regions in a report layout. You can set properties in
the Properties grid or the Line Dialog to control the appearance of the line, and to control when the line is
rendered.

Line Dialog
Properties for the Line are available in the Line dialog. To open it, with the Line control selected on the report,
under the Properties Window, click the Property dialog link.
The Line dialog lets you set properties on the report control with the following pages.
General
Name: Enter a name for the line that is unique within the report. This name can be called in code.
Visibility
The Visibility page of the Line dialog allows you to control the following items:
Initial visibility
Visible: The line is visible when the report runs.
Hidden: The line is hidden when the report runs.
Expression: Use an expression with a Boolean result to decide whether the line is visible. True for
hidden, False for visible.
Visibility can be toggled by another report control: Select this check box to display a toggle image next to
another report control. This enables the drop-down box below where you can specify the TextBox control that
toggles the visibility of the line. The user can click the toggle item to show or hide this line.
Navigation
Document map label: Enter an expression to use as a label to represent this item in the table of contents
(document map).
Bookmark ID: Enter an expression to use as a locator for this line. You will then be able to provide a bookmark
link to this item from another report control using a Jump to bookmark action.

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List
The List data region repeats any report controls it contains for every record in the dataset. Unlike other data
regions, the List is free-form, so you can arrange report controls in any configuration you like.
Grouping in the list is done on the details group.

List Dialog
Properties for the List are available in the List dialog. To open it, with the List control selected on the report, under
the Properties Window, click the Property dialog link.
The List dialog lets you set properties on the report control with the following pages.

Note: You can select <Expression...> within these properties to create an expression to determine the
value.

General
Name: Enter a name for the list that is unique within the report. This name can be called in code.
Tooltip: Enter the value or expression you want to appear when a user hovers the cursor over the list in the
viewer at run time.
Dataset name: Select a dataset to associate with the list. The drop-down list is populated with all of the datasets
in the report's dataset collection.
Has own page numbering: Select to indicate whether this List is in its own section with regards to pagination.
Page Breaks: Select any of the following options to apply to each instance of the list.
Insert a page break before this list
Insert a page break after this list
Fit list on a single page if possible
Detail Grouping
Detail grouping is useful when you do not want to repeat values within the details. When a detail grouping is set,
the value repeats for each distinct result of the grouping expression instead of for each row of data. For example,
if you use the Customers table of the NorthWind database to create a list of countries without setting the details
grouping, each country is listed as many times as there are customers in that country. If you set the details
grouping to =Fields!Country.Value each country is listed only once.

Note: If the detail grouping expression you use results in a value that is distinct for every row of data, a
customer number for example, you will see no difference in the results.

The Detail Grouping page of the List dialog has the following tabs.
General
Name: Enter a name for the group that is unique within the report. This property cannot be set until after a
Group on expression is supplied.
Group on: Enter an expression to use for grouping the data.
Document map label: Enter an expression to use as a label to represent this item in the table of contents
(document map).
Parent group: For use in recursive hierarchies. Enter an expression to use as the parent group.
Filters
You need to provide three values to add a new filter to the collection: Expression, Operator, and Value.
Expression: Enter the expression to use for evaluating whether data should be included in the group.
Operator: Select from the following operators to decide how to compare the expression to the left with the value
to the right.
Equal Only choose data for which the value on the left is equal to the value on the right.
Like Only choose data for which the value on the left is similar to the value on the right.
For more information on using the Like operator, see the MSDN Web site.

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NotEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is not equal to the value on the right.
GreaterThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than the value on the right.
GreaterThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than or equal to the
value on the right.
LessThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than the value on the right.
LessThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than or equal to the value on
the right.
TopN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top number specified in the value on
the right.
BottomN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom number specified in the
value on the right.
TopPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top percent specified in the
value on the right.
BottomPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom percent specified in
the value on the right.
In Only choose items from the value on the left which are in the array of values specified on the right.
Selecting this operator enables the Values list at the bottom.
Between Only choose items from the value on the left which fall between the pair of values you specify
on the right. Selecting this operator enables two Value boxes instead of one.
Value: Enter a value to compare with the expression on the left based on the selected operator. For multiple
values used with the Between operator, the lower two value boxes are enabled.
Values: When you choose the In operator, you can enter as many values as you need in this list.
Sorting
Click the plus sign button to enter new sort expressions, and remove them using the X button.
In the Expression box, enter an expression by which to sort the data in the group, and under Direction, select
Ascending or Descending for the selected sort expression.
Data Output
Element name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for this group.
Collection: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for the collection of all instances of this group.
Output: Choose Yes or No to decide whether to include this group in the XML output.
Layout
Page break at start: Inserts a page break before the group.
Page break at end: Inserts a page break after the group.
Has own page numbering: Used in conjunction with the "Page Number in Section" and "Total Pages in Section"
properties, tells the report that the group constitutes a new page numbering section.
Visibility
Initial visibility
Visible: The list is visible when the report runs.
Hidden: The list is hidden when the report runs.
Expression: Use an expression with a Boolean result to decide whether the list is visible. True for
hidden, false for visible.
Visibility can be toggled by another report control: Select this check box to display a toggle image next to
another report control. This enables the drop-down box below where you can specify the TextBox control that
toggles the visibility of the list. The user can click the toggle item to show or hide this list.
Navigation
Document map label: Enter an expression to use as a label to represent this item in the table of contents
(document map).
Bookmark ID: Enter an expression to use as a locator for this list. You will then be able to provide a bookmark
link to this item from another report control using a Jump to bookmark action.
Filters

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The Filters page of the List dialog allows you to control the Filter collection for the list. You can also access the
Filters collection by clicking the ellipsis (...) button next to the Filters property in the property grid. Use the plus
sign button to add a filter, and the arrow and X buttons to move or delete filters. You need to provide three values
to add a new filter to the collection: Expression, Operator, and Value.
Expression: Enter the expression to use for evaluating whether data should be included in the group.
Operator: Select from the following operators to decide how to compare the expression to the left with the value
to the right.
Equal Only choose data for which the value on the left is equal to the value on the right.
Like Only choose data for which the value on the left is similar to the value on the right.
For more information on using the Like operator, see the MSDN Web site.
NotEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is not equal to the value on the right.
GreaterThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than the value on the right.
GreaterThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than or equal to the
value on the right.
LessThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than the value on the right.
LessThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than or equal to the value on
the right.
TopN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top number specified in the value on
the right.
BottomN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom number specified in the
value on the right.
TopPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top percent specified in the
value on the right.
BottomPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom percent specified in
the value on the right.
In Only choose items from the value on the left which are in the array of values specified on the right.
Selecting this operator enables the Values list at the bottom.
Between Only choose items from the value on the left which fall between the pair of values you specify
on the right. Selecting this operator enables two Value boxes instead of one.
Value: Enter a value to compare with the expression on the left based on the selected operator. For multiple
values used with the Between operator, the lower two value boxes are enabled.
Values: When you choose the In operator, you can enter as many values as you need in this list.
Sorting
Click the plus sign button to enter new sort expressions, and remove them using the X button.
In the Expression box, enter an expression by which to sort the data in the group, and under Direction, select
Ascending or Descending for the selected sort expression.
Data Output
Element name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for this list.
Output: Choose Auto, Yes, or No to decide whether to include this List in the XML output. Choosing Auto
exports the contents of the list.
Instance element name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for the data element for instances of the
list. This name is ignored if you have specified a detail grouping.
Instance element output: Choose Yes or No to decide whether to include the instances of the list in the XML
output. This is ignored if you have specified a detail grouping.

Map
The Map data region is a professional edition feature that shows your business data against a geographical
background. You can create different types of map, depending on the type of information you want to
communicate in your report.
The Map data region consists of the following basic elements:

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Title
Map Title describes the theme or subject of the map. The purpose of map title is to tell the viewer of what he is
looking at. You can add multiple titles to the Map using the MapTitleDesigner Collection Editor.
For more information, see Create a Map.
Viewport
Viewport refers to the area on the map where data is displayed against a geographical background. It specifies the
coordinates, projection system, parallels and meridians, center point, and scale of the map. In other words, it is
a map element that actually displays geographical data and occupies most area of the map control depending on
the location and dock position of other map elements. For more information, see Create a Map.
The Map Viewport dialog lets you set properties with the following pages.
General
Coordinate system: Specify the coordinate system of the viewport. Select from Planar, Geographic, or select the
<Expression...> option to open the Expression Editor and create an expression.
Projection: Specify the projection of the map. Tile layers must use the Mercator projection.
Minimum X: Specify the minimum X coordinate of the map in degrees.
Maximum X: Specify the maximum X coordinate of the map in degrees.
Minimum Y: Specify the minimum Y coordinate of the map in degrees.
Maximum Y: Specify the maximum Y coordinate of the map in degrees.
Projection Center X: Specify the X coordinate of the projection center in degrees.
Projection Center Y: Specify the Y coordinate of the projection center in degrees.
Minimum zoom: Specify the minimum zoom value.
Maximum zoom: Specify the maximum zoom value.
Map resolution: Enables the viewport to simplify vector data for polygon and line layers.
Show grid lines below the map: Specify whether to show the grid lines above or below the content of the map.
Meridians
Hide meridians: Specify whether to hide meridians.
Interval: Specify the spacing between the grid lines in degrees.
Line
Style: Choose from None, Dotted, Dashed, Solid, Double, Groove, Ridge, Inset, WindowInset,
Outset, or select the <Expression...> option to open the Expression Editor and create an
expression.
Width: Specify the width of the line.
Color: Select a Web or custom color for the line.
Show labels: Specify whether to show labels for meridians on the map.
Format: Specify the format string to display numeric labels.

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Position: Specify the position of the meridians on the map.
Font
Family: Choose the font family name.
Size: Choose the size in points for the font.
Style: Choose Normal or Italic.
Weight: Choose from Lighter, Thin, ExtraLight, Light, Normal, Medium, SemiBold, Bold, ExtraBold,
Heavy, and Bolder.
Color: Select a Web or custom color for the font.
Decoration: Choose from None, Underline, Overline, LineThrough, or select the <Expression...>
option to open the Expression Editor and create an expression.
Parallels
Hide parallels: Specify whether to hide parallels.
Interval: Specify the spacing between the grid lines in degrees.
Line
Style: Choose from None, Dotted, Dashed, Solid, Double, Groove, Ridge, Inset, WindowInset,
Outset, or select the <Expression...> option to open the Expression Editor and create an
expression.
Width: Specify the width of the line.
Color: Select a Web or custom color for the line.
Show labels: Specify whether to show labels for parallels on the map.
Format: Specify the format string to display numeric labels.
Position: Specify the position of the parallels on the map.
Font
Family: Choose the font family name.
Size: Choose the size in points for the font.
Style: Choose Normal or Italic.
Weight: Choose from Lighter, Thin, ExtraLight, Light, Normal, Medium, SemiBold, Bold, ExtraBold,
Heavy, and Bolder.
Color: Select a Web or custom color for the font.
Decoration: Choose from None, Underline, Overline, LineThrough, or select the <Expression...>
option to open the Expression Editor and create an expression.
View
Center and zoom: Specify how the map viewport zooms and centers during the report processing.
Custom
Center map to show a map element
Center map to show a map layer
Center map to show all map elements
View Center X: Specify the X coordinate of the current view center.
View Center Y: Specify the Y coordinate of the current view center.
Zoom level: Specify the zoom level of the map view.
Appearance
Border
Style: Choose an enumerated style for the border.
Width: Set a width value in points between 0.25pt and 20pt.
Color: Select a Web or custom color for the border.
Background
Color: Select a color to use for the background of the Viewport.
Gradient: Select a color to use for the border, or select the <Expression...> option to open the

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Expression Editor and create an expression that evaluates to a .NET color.
Gradient End Color: Select a color to use for the end color of the background gradient.
Pattern: Select the hatching pattern of a report control.
Shadow offset: Specify the size of the shadow. Shadow offsets are drawn to the right and below an element.
Legend
A legend on a map provides valuable information to users for interpreting the map data visualization rules such as
color, size, and marker type differences for map elements on a layer. By default, a single Legend item already
exists in the legends collection which can be used by all layers to display items. You can also create additional
legends to use them individually with layers that have associated rules to display items in the legend.
Legends are added in the LegendDesigner Collection Editor. For more information, see Create a Map.
Distance Scale
A distance scale helps a user to understand the scale of the map. Distance on a map is not the same as the actual
real-world distance, so a distance scale shows that a certain distance on the map equals a certain distance in a
real-world. In distance scale, the distance is displayed in both miles and kilometers. The scale range and values
are automatically calculated using the viewport boundaries, projection type, and zoom level. For more information,
see Create a Map.
The Map Distance Scale dialog lets you set properties with the following pages.

Note: You can select <Expression...> within these properties to create an expression to determine the
value.

General
Location
Position: Specify the docking position of the distance scale panel. Choose from TopCenter, TopLeft,
TopRight, LeftTop, LeftCenter, LeftBottom, RightTop, RightCenter, RightBottom, BottomRight, or
select the <Expression...> option to open the Expression Editor and create an expression.
Show distance scale outside the viewport: Specify whether the panel is docked inside or outside
of the map viewport.
Scale
Color: Select the fill color for the distance scale bar.
Border color: Select the border color for the distance scale bar.
Appearance
Border
Style: Choose from None, Dotted, Dashed, Solid, Double, Groove, Ridge, Inset, WindowInset, or
Outset.
Width: Choose the width of the border line.
Color: Select a color for the border.
Background
Color: Select a color to use for the background of the distance scale.
Gradient: Select a color to use for the border, or select the <Expression...> option to open the
Expression Editor and create an expression that evaluates to a .NET color.
Gradient End Color: Select a color to use for the end color of the background gradient.
Pattern: Select the hatching pattern of the distance scale panel from the list of patterns, or select
the <Expression...> option to open the Expression Editor and create an expression.
Shadow offset: Specify the size of the shadow of the distance scale panel. Shadow offsets are drawn to the right
and below an element.
Font
Family: Choose the font family name.
Size: Choose the size in points for the font.
Style: Choose Normal or Italic, or select the <Expression...> option to open the Expression Editor and create an
expression.

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Weight: Choose from Lighter, Thin, ExtraLight, Light, Normal, Medium, SemiBold, Bold, ExtraBold, Heavy, and
Bolder.
Color: Select a Web or custom color for the font.
Decoration: Choose from None, Underline, Overline and LineThrough, or select the <Expression...> option to
open the Expression Editor and create an expression.
Visibility
Initial visibility
Visible: The distance scale is visible when the report runs.
Hidden: The distance scale is hidden when the report runs.
Expression: Use an expression with a Boolean result to decide whether the distance scale is visible.
True for hidden, false for visible.
Navigation
Action
Select one of the following actions to perform when a user clicks on the distance scale element.
None: The default behavior is to do nothing when a user clicks the distance scale element at run
time.
Jump to URL: Select this option and provide a valid URL to create a hyperlink to a Web page.
Jump to bookmark: Select this option and provide a valid Bookmark ID to allow the user to jump
to the report control with that Bookmark ID.
Jump to report: For drill-through reporting, select this option and provide the name of a local
report, the relative path of a report in another folder, or the full path of a report on another server.
Color Scale
A color scale helps a user to understand the range of colors that are used for data visualization on a layer. A map
has just one color scale and multiple layers can provide data for it. For more information, see Create a Map.
The Map Color Scale dialog lets you set properties with the following pages.

Note: You can select <Expression...> within these properties to create an expression to determine the
value.

General
Location
Position: Specify the docking position of the color scale panel. Choose from TopCenter, TopLeft,
TopRight, LeftTop, LeftCenter, LeftBottom, RightTop, RightCenter, RightBottom, BottomRight, or select
the <Expression...> option to open the Expression Editor and create an expression.
Show color scale outside the viewport: Specify whether the panel is docked inside or outside of the
map viewport.
Color bar
Border color: Specify the outline color for color scale divisions.
Range gap color: Specify color to fill color divisions for undefined range values.
Labels
Display: Specify whether to display color scale labels on the color scale panel. Select from Auto,
ShowMiddleValue, ShowBorderValue, or select the <Expression...> option to open the Expression Editor and
create an expression.
Hide end labels: Specify whether to display first and last labels on the color scale panel.
Format: Specify the format string to display numeric labels.
Placement: Speciy the position of the color scale labels on the color scale panel. Select from Alternate, Top,
Bottom, or select the <Expression...> option to open the Expression Editor and create an expression.
Interval: Specify the frequency of the labels on the color scale panel. A value of 0 means no labels are displayed.
Tick mark length: Specify the length of the tick marks on the color scale panel.

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Title
Text: Specify the text of the color scale panel.
Font
Family: Choose the font family name.
Size: Choose the size in points for the font.
Style: Choose Normal, Italic or select the <Expression...> option to open the Expression Editor
and create an expression.
Weight: Choose from Lighter, Thin, ExtraLight, Light, Normal, Medium, SemiBold, Bold, ExtraBold,
Heavy, and Bolder.
Color: Select a Web or custom color for the font.
Decoration: Choose from None, Underline, Overline, LineThrough, or select the <Expression...>
option to open the Expression Editor and create an expression.
Appearance
Border
Style: Choose from None, Dotted, Dashed, Solid, Double, Groove, Ridge, Inset, WindowInset, or
Outset.
Width: Specify the width of the border.
Color: Specify a color for the border.
Background
Color: Select a color to use for the background of the distance scale.
Gradient: Specify whether and how to use color gradients in the color scale background. Select
from None, LeftRight, TopBottom, Center, DiagonalLeft, DiagonalRight, HorizontalCenter,
VerticalCenter, or select the <Expression...> option to open the Expression Editor and create an
expression.
Gradient End Color: Select a color to use for the end color of the background gradient.
Pattern: Select the hatching pattern of the color scale panel from the list of patterns, or select the
<Expression...> option to open the Expression Editor and create an expression.
Shadow offset: Specify the size of the shadow of the color scale panel. Shadow offsets are drawn to the right and
below an element.
Font
Family: Choose the font family name.
Size: Choose the size in points for the font.
Style: Choose Normal, Italic or select the <Expression...> option to open the Expression Editor and create an
expression.
Weight: Choose from Lighter, Thin, ExtraLight, Light, Normal, Medium, SemiBold, Bold, ExtraBold, Heavy, and
Bolder.
Color: Select a Web or custom color for the font.
Decoration: Choose from None, Underline, Overline, LineThrough, or select the <Expression...> option to open
the Expression Editor and create an expression.
Visibility
Initial visibility
Visible: The color scale is visible when the report runs.
Hidden: The color scale is hidden when the report runs.
Expression: Use an expression with a Boolean result to decide whether the color scale is visible.
True for hidden, false for visible.
Navigation

Action
Select one of the following actions to perform when a user clicks on the color scale element.

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None: The default behavior is to do nothing when a user clicks the color scale element at run time.
Jump to URL: Select this option and provide a valid URL to create a hyperlink to a Web page.
Jump to bookmark: Select this option and provide a valid Bookmark ID to allow the user to jump
to the report control with that Bookmark ID.
Jump to report: For drill-through reporting, select this option and provide the name of a local
report, the relative path of a report in another folder, or the full path of a report on another server.

Map Dialog

Properties for the Map are available in the Map dialog. To open it, with the Map control selected on the report,
under the Properties Window, click the Property dialog link.
The Map dialog lets you set properties on the report control with the following pages.

Note: You can select <Expression...> within these properties to create an expression to determine the
value.

General
Name: Enter a name for the map that is unique within the report. This name is called in code.
Tooltip: Enter the value or expression you want to display when a user hovers the cursor over the map in the
viewer at run time.
Antialiasing: Select the smoothing mode to apply to all map control elements. Choose All, None, Text, Graphic,
or select the <Expression...> option to open the Expression Editor and create an expression.
Antialiasing quality: Select the quality for antialiasing. Choose High, Normal, SystemDefault, or select the
<Expression...> option to open the Expression Editor and create an expression.
Visibility
Initial visibility
Visible: The map is visible when the report runs.
Hidden: The map is hidden when the report runs.
Expression: Use an expression with a Boolean result to decide whether the map is visible. True for
hidden, false for visible.
Visibility can be toggled by another report control: Select this check box to display a toggle image next to
another report control. This enables the drop-down box below where you can specify the TextBox control that
toggles the visibility of the map. The user can click the toggle item to show or hide this map.
Appearance
Border
Style: Choose from None, Dotted, Dashed, Solid, Double, Groove, Ridge, Inset, WindowInset, or
Outset.
Width: Specify the width of the border.
Color: Select a Web or custom color for the font.
Background
Color: Select a color to use for the background of the map.

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Gradient: Specify whether and how to use color gradients in the color scale background. Select
from None, LeftRight, TopBottom, Center, DiagonalLeft, DiagonalRight, HorizontalCenter,
VerticalCenter, or select the <Expression...> option to open the Expression Editor and create an
expression.
Gradient End Color: Select a color to use for the end color of the background gradient.
Pattern: Select the hatching pattern of a report control.
Data Output
Element name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for this map.
Output: Choose Auto, Yes, or No to decide whether to include this map in the XML output. Choosing Auto
exports the contents of the map.

Layers
A map is a collection of layers that display data on the map control.

Polygon layer: Display outlines of areas or markers for the polygon center point. See, Use a Polygon
Layer for more information.
Point layer: Display markers for point locations. See, Use a Point Layer for more information.
Line layer: Display lines for paths or routes. See, Use a Line Layer for more information.
Tile layer: Adds a Bing map tiles background. See, Use a Tile Layer for more information.
A map can have one or more layers. You can load these layers on top of each other to create a more detailed map.
For example, a polygon layer can represent the borders of a country, a line can represent transportation routes, a
point can represent the locations and a tile can add a virtual earth background on the map. See, Use Layers for
more information.
Map layer element appearance:
Properties that you set on a polygon layer, line layer and a point layer apply to all map elements on that
layer, whether or not the map elements are embedded in the report definition.
Properties that you set for rules apply to all map elements on a layer. All data visualization options apply
only to map elements that are associated with spatial data.

Map Layer Data Dialog

The Map layer Data dialog is used to set up spatial and analytical data for the map control. For more information
on spatial and analytical data, see Work with Data.

To access Map Layer Data Properties dialog

1. Click the map until the map panes appears.
2. Right click the layers pane and select Add <layerName> Layer. This adds a new layer to the map and
opens the Map Layer Data Properties dialog
Or, in case you already have a layer added to the map control, then follow these steps:
1. Click the map until the map panes appears.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 174
2. In the layer pane, right-click the existing layer and select Layer Data to open Map Layer Data
Properties dialog.
General
Spatial data source: Select one of the spatial data source connection types:
Embedded: The map layer data is loaded from the .shp data source that you embed into the map
layer by indicating the .shp file in the Import spatial data from file: field. This field appears below
when you select this option.
Spatial fields: Use the plus sign button to add a field, and the X button to delete a field. For each
newly added spatial field, you must specify the name and type in the corresponding fields below.
Field name: Enter a name of a spatial field.
Field type: Select the type of a spatial field from the list.
Linked: The map layer data is linked to the .shp file and is uploaded at report rendering. You select
this type of data source by indicating the .shp file in the File Name field that appears.
Dataset: The map layer data is loaded from the data source of the report. In the Dataset field and
in the Field name field that appear below, select a dataset from the bound data source and a
dataset field.
Caution: In Field name, simply type the name of the dataset field that contains spatial data.
For example, enter the dataset field name as StateName, not as =[StateName].

Analytical data: The map layer data is loaded from the the analytical dataset of the bound report
data source. In the Field name field that appears below, you must set the name of the data
field that contains spatial data in the Analytical dataset.
Caution: In Field name, enter the data field name as =[StateName], not as StateName.

Analytical Data
Dataset: Select the dataset for the analytical data to be displayed on the map layer.
Match: Use the plus sign button to add a relationship between a spatial data field and an analytical data field.
Spatial field: A field with spatial data that specifies an element on the map surface, for example, boundaries of a
country.
Analytical field: A field with analytical data that displays information on the related map element, for example,
the country population.
Filters
The Filters page of the Map Layer Data Properties dialog allows you to filter the data that is included in the
map. Use the plus sign button to add a filter, and the arrow and X buttons to move or delete filters. You need to
provide three values to add a new filter to the collection.
Expression: Enter the expression to use for evaluating whether data should be included in the map.
Operator: Select from the following operators to decide how to compare the expression to the left with the value
to the right:
Equal Only choose data for which the value on the left is equal to the value on the right.
Like Only choose data for which the value on the left is similar to the value on the right.
For more information on using the Like operator, see the MSDN Web site.
NotEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is not equal to the value on the right.
GreaterThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than the value on the right.
GreaterThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than or equal to
the value on the right.
LessThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than the value on the right.
LessThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than or equal to the
value on the right.
TopN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top number specified in the value
on the right.
BottomN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom number specified in
the value on the right.

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TopPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top percent specified in the
value on the right.
BottomPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom percent
specified in the value on the right.
In Only choose items from the value on the left which are in the array of values specified on the
right.
Selecting this operator enables the Values list at the bottom.
Between Only choose items from the value on the left which fall between the pair of values you
specify on the right. Selecting this operator enables two Value boxes instead of one.
Value: Enter a value to compare with the expression on the left based on the selected operator. For multiple
values used with the Between operator, the lower two value boxes are enabled.
Values: When you choose the In operator, you can enter as many values as you need in this list.
Value: Enter a value to compare with the expression on the left based on the selected operator. For multiple
values (used with the In and Between operators) separate values using commas.

Matrix
The Matrix data region contains columns and rows in which the data is inserted and arranged. Columns and rows
in a matrix can be dynamic or static. Each cell in a matrix contains a textbox by default, but as with the other data
regions, the textbox can be replaced with any other report control. Also like other data regions, the matrix also
repeats each report control it contains for each row in the dataset, but unlike the others, it also repeats
horizontally for dynamic columns.
Cells
When you drop a matrix data region onto your report, it is initially composed of four cells.

The top left cell is the corner or label cell. You can leave this cell blank or use it to display a label for the matrix.
The top right cell is a column header and the bottom left cell is a row header. You can drag fields into these cells
or use expressions to group the data.
The bottom right cell is used to aggregate the detail data. At run time, detail cells display aggregates of the
intersections of columns and rows.
Data
The matrix data region is associated with a dataset. You can make this association in the DataSetName property
in the Properties grid.
Groups
You can group the columns and rows in the matrix by opening the Property dialog, and on the Row Groups or
Column Groups page, editing the Group on expression, or by dragging a field into the header cell.
You can nest column and row groups by right-clicking the UI above a column or to the left of row and choosing
Add Column Group or Add Row Group, or simply by dragging another field onto the column or row into which
you want to insert it.
To determine where new groups are displayed, when you drag a field into an existing group you can move the
mouse up or down (for columns) or left or right (for rows) to nest the new group within the existing group, or to
nest the existing group within the new group.
At run time, the nested group repeats within the original group. For instance, when you drag the City field from
your dataset onto a header already grouped by Country, the report displays the first country with all of its cities,
then the next country with all of its cities, and so on until all of the countries in the dataset are displayed with all
of their cities.
Static Rows and Columns
To insert a static row or column, right-click the detail cell and choose Add Column or Add Row. This displays a

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 176
column next to or a row above or below the existing one and adds another detail cell.
Aggregates
Groups in a matrix do not subtotal data by default. To add this functionality, right-click the group header and
choose Subtotal. This adds a cell to the right of the column, or below the row. Subtotal cells have a green triangle
in the upper right corner which allows you to select the subtotal and set its properties in the property grid. .
Placement of Data
You can control where data is placed in several ways. You can change the Direction property of the matrix to RTL
to cause dynamic column headers to expand left instead of right.
You can also move row headers to the right of the detail cells by changing the GroupsBeforeRowHeaders
property of the matrix. The integer value you supply for this property equals the number of instances of the
outermost column group that displays to the left of the row headers (or to the left if the Direction property is set
to RTL).

Matrix Dialog
Properties for the Matrix are available in the Matrix dialog. To open it, with the Matrix control selected on the
report, under the Properties Window, click the Property dialog link.
The Matrix dialog lets you set properties on the report control with the following pages.

Note: You can select <Expression...> within many of these properties to create an expression to determine
the value.

General
Name: Enter a name for the matrix that is unique within the report. This name can be called in code.
Tooltip: Enter the value or expression you want to appear when a user hovers the cursor over the matrix in the
viewer at run time.
Dataset name: Select a dataset to associate with the matrix. The combo box is populated with all of the datasets
in the report's dataset collection.
Has own page numbering: Select to indicate whether this Matrix is in its own section with regards to pagination.
Page breaks: Select any of the following options to apply to each instance of the matrix.
Insert a page break before this matrix
Insert a page break after this matrix
Fit matrix on a single page if possible
Matrix column expand: Select the direction in which columns expand.
Left to right
Right to left
Groups before row headers: Select the number of columns to show before the row header columns begin. The
default value of 0 displays the row header column to the left.
Visibility
Initial visibility
Visible: The matrix is visible when the report runs.
Hidden: The matrix is hidden when the report runs.
Expression: Use an expression with a Boolean result to decide whether the matrix is visible. True for
hidden, false for visible.
Visibility can be toggled by another report control: Select this check box to display a toggle image next to
another report control. This enables the drop-down list where you can select the TextBox control that users can
click to show or hide this matrix.
Navigation
Document map label: Enter an expression to use as a label to represent this item in the table of contents
(document map).
Bookmark ID: Enter an expression to use as a locator for this matrix. You will then be able to provide a

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 177
bookmark link to this item from another report control using a Jump to bookmark action.
Filters
Click the plus sign button to add a filter to the matrix. Use the arrow and X buttons to move or delete filters. You
need to provide three values to add a new filter to the collection: Expression, Operator, and Value.
Expression: Enter the expression to use for evaluating whether data should be included in the matrix.
Operator: Select from the following operators to decide how to compare the expression to the left with the value
to the right.
Equal Only choose data for which the value on the left is equal to the value on the right.
Like Only choose data for which the value on the left is similar to the value on the right.
For more information on using the Like operator, see the MSDN Web site.
NotEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is not equal to the value on the right.
GreaterThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than the value on the right.
GreaterThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than or equal to
the value on the right.
LessThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than the value on the right.
LessThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than or equal to the
value on the right.
TopN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top number specified in the value
on the right.
BottomN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom number specified in
the value on the right.
TopPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top percent specified in the
value on the right.
BottomPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom percent
specified in the value on the right.
In Only choose items from the value on the left which are in the array of values specified on the
right.
Selecting this operator enables the Values list at the bottom.
Between Only choose items from the value on the left which fall between the pair of values you
specify on the right. Selecting this operator enables two Value boxes instead of one.
Value: Enter a value to compare with the expression on the left based on the selected operator. For multiple
values used with the Between operator, the lower two value boxes are enabled.
Values: When you choose the In operator, you can enter as many values as you need in this list.
Row Groups
The Row Groups page of the Matrix dialog allows you to add, remove, or change the order of row groups using the
plus sign, X and arrow buttons.
Click the Add button to add a new row group to the list and set up information for each group on the following
tabs.
General
Name: Enter a name for the group that is unique within the report. This property cannot be set until after a Group
on expression is supplied.
Group on: Enter an expression to use for grouping the data.
Label: Enter an expression to identify an instance of the group for document map and search functions.
Parent group: For use in recursive hierarchies. Enter an expression to use as the parent group.
Filters
You need to provide three values to add a new filter to the collection: Expression, Operator, and Value.
Expression: Enter the expression to use for evaluating whether data should be included in the group.
Operator: Select from the following operators to decide how to compare the expression to the left with the value
to the right.
Equal Only choose data for which the value on the left is equal to the value on the right.
Like Only choose data for which the value on the left is similar to the value on the right.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 178
For more information on using the Like operator, see the MSDN Web site.
NotEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is not equal to the value on the right.
GreaterThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than the value on the right.
GreaterThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than or equal to the
value on the right.
LessThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than the value on the right.
LessThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than or equal to the value on
the right.
TopN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top number specified in the value on
the right.
BottomN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom number specified in the
value on the right.
TopPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top percent specified in the
value on the right.
BottomPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom percent specified in
the value on the right.
In Only choose items from the value on the left which are in the array of values specified on the right.
Selecting this operator enables the Values list at the bottom.
Between Only choose items from the value on the left which fall between the pair of values you specify
on the right. Selecting this operator enables two Value boxes instead of one.
Value: Enter a value to compare with the expression on the left based on the selected operator. For multiple
values used with the Between operator, the lower two value boxes are enabled.
Values: When you choose the In operator, you can enter as many values as you need in this list.
Sorting
Click the plus sign button to enter new sort expressions, and remove them using the X button.
In the Expression box, enter an expression by which to sort the data in the group, and under Direction, select
Ascending or Descending for the selected sort expression.
Visibility
Initial visibility
Visible: The group is visible when the report runs.
Hidden: The group is hidden when the report runs.
Expression: Use an expression with a Boolean result to decide whether the group is visible. True for
hidden, False for visible.
Visibility can be toggled by another report control: Select this check box to display a toggle image next to
another report control. This enables the drop-down list where you can select the report control that users can click
to show or hide this group.
Data Output
Element name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for this group.
Collection: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for the collection of all instances of this group.
Output: Choose Yes or No to decide whether to include this group in the XML output.
Layout
Page break at start: Inserts a page break before the group.
Page break at end: Inserts a page break after the group.
Has own page numbering: Used in conjunction with the "Page Number in Section" and "Total Pages in Section"
properties, tells the report that the group constitutes a new page numbering section.
Column Groups
The Column Groups page of the Matrix dialog allows you to add, remove, or change the order of row groups using
the plus sign, X and arrow buttons.
Click the Add button to add a new column group to the list, and set up information for each group on the following
tabs.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 179
General
Name: Enter a name for the group that is unique within the report. This property cannot be set until after a Group
on expression is supplied.
Group on: Enter an expression to use for grouping the data.
Label: Enter an expression to identify an instance of the group for document map and search functions.
Parent group: For use in recursive hierarchies. Enter an expression to use as the parent group.
Filters
You need to provide three values to add a new filter to the collection: Expression, Operator, and Value.
Expression: Enter the expression to use for evaluating whether data should be included in the group.
Operator: Select from the following operators to decide how to compare the expression to the left with the value
to the right.
Equal Only choose data for which the value on the left is equal to the value on the right.
Like Only choose data for which the value on the left is similar to the value on the right.
For more information on using the Like operator, see the MSDN Web site.
NotEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is not equal to the value on the right.
GreaterThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than the value on the right.
GreaterThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than or equal to the
value on the right.
LessThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than the value on the right.
LessThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than or equal to the value on
the right.
TopN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top number specified in the value on
the right.
BottomN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom number specified in the
value on the right.
TopPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top percent specified in the
value on the right.
BottomPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom percent specified in
the value on the right.
In Only choose items from the value on the left which are in the array of values specified on the right.
Selecting this operator enables the Values list at the bottom.
Between Only choose items from the value on the left which fall between the pair of values you specify
on the right. Selecting this operator enables two Value boxes instead of one.
Value: Enter a value to compare with the expression on the left based on the selected operator. For multiple
values used with the Between operator, the lower two value boxes are enabled.
Values: When you choose the In operator, you can enter as many values as you need in this list.
Sorting
Click the plus sign button to enter new sort expressions, and remove them using the X button.
In the Expression box, enter an expression by which to sort the data in the group, and under Direction, select
Ascending or Descending for the selected sort expression.
Visibility
Initial visibility
Visible: The group is visible when the report runs.
Hidden: The group is hidden when the report runs.
Expression: Use an expression with a Boolean result to decide whether the group is visible. True for
hidden, False for visible.
Visibility can be toggled by another report control: Select this check box to display a toggle image next to
another report control. The user can click the toggle item to show or hide this band group. This enables the drop-
down list where you can select the report control that users can click to show or hide this group.
Data Output
Element name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for this group.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 180
Collection: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for the collection of all instances of this group.
Output: Choose Yes or No to decide whether to include this group in the XML output.
Data Output
Element name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for this matrix.
Output: Choose Auto, Yes, or No to decide whether to include this matrix in the XML output. Choosing Auto
exports the contents of the matrix.
Cell element name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for the data element for the cell.
Cell element output: Choose Yes or No to decide whether to include the cell contents in the XML output.

OverflowPlaceHolder
In a Page report, the OverflowPlaceHolder control is a rectangular placeholder for data that does not fit inside the
fixed size of a List, BandedList, Matrix or Table data region. When you link a data region to an
OverflowPlaceHolder, this control gets its Size property values from the FixedSize of the data region it is linked
with.
You can also place multiple OverflowPlaceHolder controls in a report to create different looks for your data output.
Link a data region to an OverflowPlaceHolder control and then link that OverflowPlaceHolder control to another
OverflowPlaceHolder control. Two common layouts that you can create through this process are:
Multiple Page Layout: Place the data region on the first page of the report and OverflowPlaceHolder
controls on subsequent pages to create a layout with overflow data on multiple pages.
Columnar Report Layout: Place the data region and the OverflowPlaceHolder on the same page of the
report to create a layout that displays data in a columnar format ('Overflow Data in a Single Page'
in the on-line documentation) like the one in the following image.

Data overflow to an OverflowPlaceHolder

You can bind overflow data from a data region to an OverflowPlaceHolder control or from an OverflowPlaceHolder
control to another OverflowPlaceHolder control in a report. The following steps take you through the process:
These steps assume that you have already added a Page Report template to your project, connected it to a data
source and added a DataSet. See Connect to a Data Source and Add a Dataset for more information.
To link a data region to an OverflowPlaceHolder control
When your data goes beyond the fixed size of a data region, you can create a link from the data region to enable
flow of data into the OverflowPlaceHolder.
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, on the Page1 tab of the report, drag and drop a data region like List onto
the design surface and set its FixedSize property.
2. If the data goes beyond the fixed size of the data region, from the Visual Studio toolbox, on Page2 tab of
the report, drag and drop an OverflowPlaceHolder control (OverflowPlaceHolder1 by default) onto the
design surface.
3. On the Page1 design surface, select the data region placed above and go to the Properties Window.
4. In the Properties Window, go to the OverflowName Property (on-line documentation) and from the

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 181
dropdown list, select the name of the OverflowPlaceHolder control you added earlier.

The following image shows the Properties Window of a List data region (List1) where OverflowPlaceHolder1
is set in the OverflowName property.

Tip: Depending on your layout requirements, you can place the OverflowPlaceHolder control on the
same page tab as the data region or a different page tab.

To link an OverflowPlaceHolder control to another OverflowPlaceHolder control

You can place additional OverflowPlaceHolder controls, to display data that flows beyond the first
OverflowPlaceHolder control.
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop another OverflowPlaceHolder control like
OverflowPlaceHolder2 onto the design surface.
2. In the Designer, select the OverflowPlaceHolder1 control that contains overflow data and go to the
properties window.
3. In the Properties Window, go to the OverflowName Property (on-line documentation) and select the
name of the new OverflowPlaceHolder control you placed above. For e.g., in OverflowPlaceHolder1, set the
OverflowName property to OverflowPlaceHolder2.

The following image shows the Properties Window of OverflowPlaceHolder1 where the OverflowPlaceHolder2
is set in the OverflowName property.

Caution: In a report with multiple OverflowPlaceHolder controls, link the OverflowPlaceHolder controls to
their respective data regions and other OverflowPlaceHolder controls such that the overflow chain does not
break.

Shape
The Shape report control is used to display one of the available shape types on a report. You can add a shape
report control to a report by dragging it from the toolbox and dropping it onto the report design surface.
In the ShapeStyle property of the Shape report control, you can select Rectangle, RoundRect or Ellipse, or
you can use an expression to assign fields, datasets, parameters, constants, operations or common values to

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 182
it. You can highlight different sections or parts of a report using a shape report control. For example, you can use
a Rectangle as border around different report controls or the entire page or you can use an Ellipse to highlight a
note on your report.

Shape Dialog
Properties for the Shape are available in the Shape dialog. To open it, with the Shape control selected on the
report, under the Properties Window, click the Property dialog link.
The Shape dialog lets you set properties on the report control with the following pages.

Note: You can select <Expression...> within many of these properties to open the Expression Editor.

General
Name: Enter a name for the image that is unique within the report. This name can be called in code.
Shape Style: Choose Rectangle, RoundRect or Ellipse from the dropdown list.

Rounded Rectangle: When the Shape type is set to RoundRect, you can specify the radius for each corner of
the shape independently. Drag the handlers available at each corner of the shape to set the value of the radius
at each corner.

Note: To enable specific corners, check the CheckBox available near each corner of the Shape control.

Appearance

Background
Color: Select a color to use for the background of the Shape.
Image: Enter an image to use for the background of the Shape.

Border
Style: Select a style for the border.
Width: Enter a value in points to set the width of the border.
Color: Select a color to use for the border, or select the <Expression...> option to open the Expression Editor
and create an expression that evaluates to a .NET color.
Visibility
Initial visibility
Visible: The shape is visible when the report runs.
Hidden: The shape is hidden when the report runs.
Expression: Use an expression with a Boolean result to decide whether the shape is visible. True for
hidden, false for visible.
Visibility can be toggled by another report control: Select this check box to display a toggle shape next to
another report control. This enables the drop-down box where you can specify the TextBox control which, if
clicked, toggles the visibility of the shape.
Navigation
Document map label: Enter an expression to use as a label to represent this item in the table of contents
(document map).
Bookmark ID: Enter an expression to use as a locator for this shape. You will then be able to provide a bookmark
link to this item from another report control using a Jump to bookmark action.
Data Output
Element name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for this shape report control.
Output: Choose Auto, Yes, No, Contents Only to decide whether to include this Shape in the XML output.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 183
Choosing Auto exports the contents of the Shape report control.

Sparkline
You can use the Sparkline report control as a simple means of displaying the trend of data in a small graph. The
Sparkline displays the most recent value as the rightmost data point and compares it with earlier values on a
scale, allowing you to view general changes in data over time. With the height similar to the surrounding text
and the width not more than 14 letters wide, the sparkline fits well in dashboards, reports, and other documents.
Customize the Sparkline control with the following types.

Type Description
Line The Line sparkline is widely used in financial and economic data analysis and is based on a
continuous flow of data. The currency exchange rates, changes in price are the examples of
application of this type of sparklines.
Columns The Column sparkline is used for sports scores, cash register receipts, and other cases where
previous values and the current value do not closely influence one another. In this case you are
dealing with discrete data points, and not a continuous flow of data as in the Line sparkline.
Whiskers The Whisker sparkline is typically used in win/loss/tie or true/false scenarios. This type is similar to
the Column sparkline, but it renders a tie (0 value) in a different manner. The bars in a whisker
sparkline render below the baseline for a negative value, above the baseline for a positive value,
and on the baseline for a zero value.
Area The Area sparkline is similar to the Line sparkline but visually you see the space under the line as
shaded.
StackedBar The Stacked Bar sparkline is presented as a horizontal bar with different segment lengths marked
by distinct color hues. The Stacked bar illustrates how the various segments of a part-to-whole
relationship correspond to one another - the largest segment represents the highest value and the
change in brightness indicates a new value on a scale.

Sparkline Dialog
Properties for the Sparkline are available in the Sparkline dialog. To open it, with the Sparkline control selected on
the report, under the Properties Window, click the Property dialog link.
The Sparkline dialog lets you set properties on the report control with the following pages.
General
Name: Enter a name for the sparkline that is unique within the report. This name can be called in code.
Data
Value: Enter an expression to use as the sparkline value.
Name: Enter a name for the sparkline that is unique within the report. This name can be called in code. A name is
created automatically if you do not enter one.
Group on: Enter an expression to use for grouping the data. If you open the expression editor, you can select a
field from the dataset.
Detail Grouping: Enter an expression to use if you do not want to repeat values within the details. If you open
the expression editor, you can select a field from the dataset.
Parent Group: For use in recursive hierarchies. Enter an expression to use as the parent group.
Appearance
Sparkline Type: Choose Line, Columns, Whiskers, Area or StackedBar. Each of these types has its own set of
Appearance properties that appears when you select the type.
Line Type Appearance Properties
Last point marker is visible: Select to display a marker at the last point on the sparkline.
Marker Color: Select a color to use for the last point marker, or select the <Expression...> option to open the
Expression Editor and create an expression that evaluates to a .NET color.

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Line Style
Color: Select a color to use for the line, or select the <Expression...> option to open the Expression Editor and
create an expression that evaluates to a .NET color.
Width: Enter a value in points to set the width of the line.
Enable Wall Range: Select this check box to display a wall range for the sparkline. Selecting this box enables the
rest of the properties in this section.
Lower Bound: Select a value or enter an expression that defines the lower bound of the wall range.
Upper Bound: Select a value or enter an expression that defines the upper bound of the wall range.

Wall Range Backdrop

Fill Color: Select a color to use for the wall range, or select the <Expression...> option to open the Expression
Editor and create an expression that evaluates to a .NET color.
Gradient: Choose the type of gradient to use for the backdrop: None, LeftRight, TopBottom, Center,
DiagonalLeft, DiagonalRight, HorizontalCenter or VerticalCenter.
Gradient End Color: Select a color to use for the end of the wall range gradient, or select the <Expression...>
option to open the Expression Editor and create an expression that evaluates to a .NET color.
Columns Type Appearance Properties
Fill Color: Select a color to use for the fill of the sparkline, or select the <Expression...> option to open the
Expression Editor and create an expression that evaluates to a .NET color.
Maximum Column Width: Select the maximum width of columns in the sparkline. If blank, all columns are sized
to fit.
Enable Wall Range: Select this check box to display a wall range for the sparkline. Selecting this box enables the
rest of the properties in this section.
Lower Bound: Select a value or enter an expression that defines the lower bound of the wall range.
Upper Bound: Select a value or enter an expression that defines the upper bound of the wall range.

Wall Range Backdrop

Fill Color: Select a color to use for the wall range, or select the <Expression...> option to open the Expression
Editor and create an expression that evaluates to a .NET color.
Gradient: Choose the type of gradient from these choices: None, LeftRight, TopBottom, Center,
DiagonalLeft, DiagonalRight, HorizontalCenter or VerticalCenter.
Gradient End Color: Select a color to use for the end of the wall range gradient, or select the <Expression...>
option to open the Expression Editor and create an expression that evaluates to a .NET color.
Whiskers Type Appearance Properties
Fill Color: Select a color to use for the fill of the sparkline, or select the <Expression...> option to open the
Expression Editor and create an expression that evaluates to a .NET color.
Maximum Column Width: Select the maximum width of columns in the sparkline. If blank, all columns are sized
to fit.
Enable Wall Range: Select this check box to display a wall range for the sparkline. Selecting this box enables the
rest of the properties in this section.
Lower Bound: Select a value or enter an expression that defines the lower bound of the wall range.
Upper Bound: Select a value or enter an expression that defines the upper bound of the wall range.

Wall Range Backdrop

Fill Color: Select a color to use for the wall range, or select the <Expression...> option to open the Expression
Editor and create an expression that evaluates to a .NET color.
Gradient: Choose the type of gradient from these choices: None, LeftRight, TopBottom, Center,
DiagonalLeft, DiagonalRight, HorizontalCenter or VerticalCenter.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 185
Gradient End Color: Select a color to use for the end of the wall range gradient, or select the <Expression...>
option to open the Expression Editor and create an expression that evaluates to a .NET color.
Area Type Appearance Properties
Fill Color: Select a color to use for the fill of the sparkline, or select the <Expression...> option to open the
Expression Editor and create an expression that evaluates to a .NET color.
Enable Wall Range: Select this check box to display a wall range for the sparkline. Selecting this box enables the
rest of the properties in this section.
Lower Bound: Select a value or enter an expression that defines the lower bound of the wall range.
Upper Bound: Select a value or enter an expression that defines the upper bound of the wall range.

Wall Range Backdrop

Fill Color: Select a color to use for the wall range, or select the <Expression...> option to open the Expression
Editor and create an expression that evaluates to a .NET color.
Gradient: Choose the type of gradient from these choices: None, LeftRight, TopBottom, Center,
DiagonalLeft, DiagonalRight, HorizontalCenter or VerticalCenter.
Gradient End Color: Select a color to use for the end of the wall range gradient, or select the <Expression...>
option to open the Expression Editor and create an expression that evaluates to a .NET color.
StackedBar Type Appearance Properties
Fill Color: Select a color to use for the base color of the stacked bars, or select the <Expression...> option to
open the Expression Editor and create an expression that evaluates to a .NET color. The other colors of the stacked
bars are calculated using this based color.
Visibility
Initial visibility
Visible: The sparkline is visible when the report runs.
Hidden: The sparkline is hidden when the report runs.
Expression: Use an expression with a Boolean result to decide whether the sparkline is visible. True for
hidden, False for visible.
Visibility can be toggled by another report control: Select this check box to display a toggle image next to
another report item. This enables the drop-down box below where you can specify the TextBox control which, if
clicked, toggles the visibility of the sparkline in the Viewer.
Navigation
Document map label: Enter an expression to use as a label to represent this item in the table of contents
(document map).
Bookmark ID: Enter an expression to use as a locator for this sparkline. You will then be able to provide a
bookmark link to this item from another report item using a Jump to bookmark action.
Filters
The Filters page of the Sparkline dialog allows you to control the Filter grid collection for the sparkline. Use the
plus sign button to add a filter, and the arrow and X buttons to move or delete filters. You need to provide three
values to add a new filter to the collection: Expression, Operator, and Value.
Expression: Enter the expression to use for evaluating whether data should be included in the group.
Operator: Select from the following operators to decide how to compare the expression to the left with the value
to the right.
Equal Only choose data for which the value on the left is equal to the value on the right.
Like Only choose data for which the value on the left is similar to the value on the right.
For more information on using the Like operator, see the MSDN Web site.
NotEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is not equal to the value on the right.
GreaterThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than the value on the right.
GreaterThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than or equal to the
value on the right.
LessThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than the value on the right.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 186
LessThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than or equal to the value on
the right.
TopN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top number specified in the value on
the right.
BottomN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom number specified in the
value on the right.
TopPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top percent specified in the
value on the right.
BottomPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom percent specified in
the value on the right.
In Only choose items from the value on the left which are in the array of values specified on the right.
Selecting this operator enables the Values list at the bottom.
Between Only choose items from the value on the left which fall between the pair of values you specify
on the right. Selecting this operator enables two Value boxes instead of one.
Value: Enter a value to compare with the expression on the left based on the selected operator. For multiple
values used with the Between operator, the lower two value boxes are enabled.
Values: When you choose the In operator, you can enter as many values as you need in this list.
Sorting
Click the plus sign button to enter new sort expressions, and remove them using the X button.
In the Expression box, enter an expression by which to sort the data in the group, and under Direction,
select Ascending or Descending for the selected sort expression.

Data Output
Element name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for this sparkline report control.
Output: Choose Auto, Yes, No, Contents Only to decide whether to include this Sparkline in the XML output.
Choosing Auto exports the contents of the Sparkline report control.

Subreport(RDL)
The Subreport control is a placeholder for data from a separate report. In ActiveReports, we recommend that you
use data regions instead of Subreport controls wherever possible for better performance. The reason is that the
report server must process every instance of each subreport, which can become burdensome in very large reports
with a large number of subreports processed many times per report. Using data regions to display separate groups
of data can be much more efficient in such reports. For more information, see Work with Report Controls and Data
Regions.

Note: The Subreport control is not supported in Page reports, only RDL. Also, you cannot use a Section
report as the target of a Subreport in a RDL report, and vice versa. But you can export any type of report to
RDF and use that as the target of a Subreport in a section report.

Subreports make sense when you need to nest groups of data from different data sources within a single data
region, or when you can reuse a subreport in a number of reports. Here are some things to keep in mind while
designing subreports.
If you make changes to the subreport without changing the main report, click Refresh to re-run the
subreport in the Preview tab.
If you design the parent report in a stand-alone Report Designer application, save the parent report to
the same directory as the subreport to render it in the Preview tab.
If you set borders on the Subreport control and the body of the report hosted in it, ActiveReports does
not merge the two borders.
If the report hosted in the Subreport control cannot be found or contains no rows, only the border of the
Subreport control is rendered.
If the hosted report is found and does contain rows, the border of the hosted report body is rendered.

Parameters

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 187
You can use parameters supplied by the parent report to filter data displayed in a subreport. You can also pass
parameters to a repeating subreport nested in a data region to filter each instance.

Subreport Dialog
Properties for the Subreport are available in the Subreport dialog. To open it, with the Subreport control selected
on the report, under the Properties Window, click the Property dialog link.
The Subreport dialog lets you set properties on the report control with the following pages.

Note: You can select <Expression...> within any of these properties to open the Expression Editor.

General
Name: Enter a name for the subreport that is unique within the report. This name can be called in code.
Tooltip: Enter the value or expression you want to appear when a user hovers the cursor over the subreport in
the viewer at run time.
Subreport: Select the report to display within the subreport control. The combo box is populated with all of the
reports in the local folder. Alternatively, you can drag a report from the Solution Explorer and drop it onto the
report surface to create a new subreport.
Use this report’s theme when rendering subreport: Select this check box to have the subreport automatically
use the same theme as the hosting report.
Visibility
Initial visibility
Visible: The subreport is visible when the report runs.
Hidden: The subreport is hidden when the report runs.
Expression: Use an expression with a Boolean result to decide whether the subreport is visible. True for
hidden, false for visible.
Visibility can be toggled by another report control: Select this check box to display a toggle image next to
another report control. This enables the drop-down box where you can specify the TextBox control which, if
clicked, toggles the visibility of the subreport.
Navigation
Document map label: Enter an expression to use as a label to represent this item in the table of contents
(document map).
Bookmark ID: Enter an expression to use as a locator for this subreport. You will then be able to provide a
bookmark link to this item from another report control using a Jump to bookmark action.
Parameters
The Parameters page of the Subreport dialog allows you to enter new parameters and remove or change the order
of parameters using the X and arrow buttons. For each parameter in this list, there is a Parameter Name and a
Parameter Value.
Each Parameter Name must exactly match the name of a parameter in the target report.
For the Parameter Value, enter an expression to use to send information from the summary or main report to
the subreport target.
Data Output
Element name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for this subreport.
Output: Choose Auto, Yes, or No to decide whether to include this subreport in the XML output. Choosing Auto
exports the contents of the subreport.

Table
The Table data region consists of columns and rows that organize data. A Table has three columns and three rows
by default, a total of nine cells, each of which is filled with a text box. At design time, you can add or remove
columns, rows and groupings to suit your needs. In RDL reports, you can embed other data regions in table cells.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 188
Adding Data
Once you place the Table data region on a report, you can add data to its cells. As with any data region, you can
drag fields from your Fields list onto cells in the table. Although the default report control within each cell of the
table is a text box, you can replace it with any other report control, and on RDL reports, you can even add a data
region. When you drag a field into a cell in the detail row, ActiveReports automatically provides a label in the table
header. As with all report controls, you can use expressions to further manipulate the data within the cells of the
table. For more information, see Expressions.
Grouping
One of the types of rows you can add to the table is the group header or group footer. This is useful when you
need to create, for example, a report which is grouped by country. You just add a group, and in the Group On
expression, choose the Country field from your dataset.
You can also group the data in your detail section, and you can add multiple rows to any group in the table. You
can use aggregate functions in group footer rows to provide subtotals. For more information, see Grouping in a
Data Region.
Appearance
There are many ways in which you can control the appearance of the table data region. You can merge cells,
control visibility, text color, background color. You can use graphical elements within the cells and borders on the
cells themselves.

Table Dialog
Properties for the Table are available in the Table dialog. To open it, with the Table data region selected on the
report, under the Properties Window, click the Property dialog link.
The Table dialog lets you set properties on the report control with the following pages.

Note: You can select <Expression...> within these properties to create an expression to determine the
value.

General
Name: Enter a name for the table that is unique within the report. This name can be called in code.
Tooltip: Enter the value or expression you want to appear when a user hovers the cursor over the table in the
viewer at run time.
Dataset name: Select a dataset to associate with the table. The combo box is populated with all of the datasets
in the report's dataset collection.
Header and Footer: Select any of the following options.
Repeat header row on each page
Repeat footer row on each page
Prevent orphaned footer on next page
Visibility
Initial visibility
Visible: The table is visible when the report runs.
Hidden: The table is hidden when the report runs.
Expression: Use an expression with a Boolean result to decide whether the table is visible. True for
hidden, false for visible.
Visibility can be toggled by another report control: Select this check box to display a toggle image next to
another report control. This enables the drop-down box where you can specify the report control which, if clicked,
toggles the visibility of the table.
Navigation
Document map label: Enter an expression to use as a label to represent this item in the table of contents
(document map).
Bookmark ID: Enter an expression to use as a locator for this table. You will then be able to provide a bookmark
link to this item from another report control using a Jump to bookmark action.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 189
Sorting
Click the plus sign button to enter new sort expressions, and remove them using the X button.
In the Expression box, enter an expression by which to sort the data in the group, and under Direction, select
Ascending or Descending for the selected sort expression.
Groups
The Groups page of the Table dialog allows you to remove or change the order of items in the Group list using the
X and arrow buttons. Click the Add button to add a new group to the table and set up information for each group
on the following tabs.
General
Name: Enter a name for the group that is unique within the report. This property cannot be set until after a Group
on expression is supplied.
Group on: Enter an expression to use for grouping the data.
Document map label: Enter an expression to use as a label to represent this item in the table of contents
(document map).
Parent group: For use in recursive hierarchies. Enter an expression to use as the parent group.
Filters
You need to provide three values to add a new filter to the collection: Expression, Operator, and Value.
Expression: Enter the expression to use for evaluating whether data should be included in the group.
Operator: Select from the following operators to decide how to compare the expression to the left with the value
to the right.
Equal Only choose data for which the value on the left is equal to the value on the right.
Like Only choose data for which the value on the left is similar to the value on the right.
For more information on using the Like operator, see the MSDN Web site.
NotEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is not equal to the value on the right.
GreaterThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than the value on the right.
GreaterThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than or equal to the
value on the right.
LessThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than the value on the right.
LessThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than or equal to the value on
the right.
TopN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top number specified in the value on
the right.
BottomN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom number specified in the
value on the right.
TopPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top percent specified in the
value on the right.
BottomPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom percent specified in
the value on the right.
In Only choose items from the value on the left which are in the array of values specified on the right.
Selecting this operator enables the Values list at the bottom.
Between Only choose items from the value on the left which fall between the pair of values you specify
on the right. Selecting this operator enables two Value boxes instead of one.
Value: Enter a value to compare with the expression on the left based on the selected operator. For multiple
values used with the Between operator, the lower two value boxes are enabled.
Values: When you choose the In operator, you can enter as many values as you need in this list.
Sorting
Click the plus sign button to enter new sort expressions, and remove them using the X button.
In the Expression box, enter an expression by which to sort the data in the group, and under Direction, select
Ascending or Descending for the selected sort expression.
Visibility

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 190
Initial visibility
Visible: The group is visible when the report runs.
Hidden: The group is hidden when the report runs.
Expression: Use an expression with a Boolean result to decide whether the group is visible. True for
hidden, False for visible.
Visibility can be toggled by another report control: Select this check box to display a toggle image next to
another report control. The user can click the toggle item to show or hide this band group. This enables the drop-
down list where you can select the TextBox control that users can click to show or hide this group.
Data Output
Element name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for this group.
Collection: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for the collection of all instances of this group.
Output: Choose Yes or No to decide whether to include this group in the XML output.
Layout
Page break at start: Inserts a page break before the group.
Page break at end: Inserts a page break after the group.
Include group header: Adds a group header band (selected by default).
Include group footer: Adds a group footer band (selected by default).
Repeat group header: Repeats the group header band on each page.
Repeat group footer: Repeats the group footer band on each page.
Prevent orphaned footer: Prints the last detailed row with the footer in order to prevent orphaned footer on the
next page.
Detail Grouping
Detail grouping is useful when you do not want to repeat values within the details. When a detail grouping is set,
the value repeats for each distinct result of the grouping expression instead of for each row of data. For example,
if you use the Customers table of the NorthWind database to create a list of countries without setting the details
grouping, each country is listed as many times as there are customers in that country. If you set the details
grouping to =Fields!Country.Value each country is listed only once.

Note: If the detail grouping expression you use results in a value that is distinct for every row of data, a
customer number for example, you will see no difference in the results.

Go to the Detail Grouping page has the following tabs.

General
Name: Enter a name for the group that is unique within the report. This property cannot be set until after a Group
on expression is supplied.
Group on: Enter an expression to use for grouping the data.
Document map label: Enter an expression to use as a label to represent this item in the table of contents
(document map).
Parent group: For use in recursive hierarchies. Enter an expression to use as the parent group.
Filters
You need to provide three values to add a new filter to the collection: Expression, Operator, and Value.
Expression: Enter the expression to use for evaluating whether data should be included in the group.
Operator: Select from the following operators to decide how to compare the expression to the left with the value
to the right.
Equal Only choose data for which the value on the left is equal to the value on the right.
Like Only choose data for which the value on the left is similar to the value on the right.
For more information on using the Like operator, see the MSDN Web site.
NotEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is not equal to the value on the right.
GreaterThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than the value on the right.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 191
GreaterThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than or equal to the
value on the right.
LessThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than the value on the right.
LessThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than or equal to the value on
the right.
TopN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top number specified in the value on
the right.
BottomN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom number specified in the
value on the right.
TopPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top percent specified in the
value on the right.
BottomPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom percent specified in
the value on the right.
In Only choose items from the value on the left which are in the array of values specified on the right.
Selecting this operator enables the Values list at the bottom.
Between Only choose items from the value on the left which fall between the pair of values you specify
on the right. Selecting this operator enables two Value boxes instead of one.
Value: Enter a value to compare with the expression on the left based on the selected operator. For multiple
values used with the Between operator, the lower two value boxes are enabled.
Values: When you choose the In operator, you can enter as many values as you need in this list.
Visibility
Initial visibility
Visible: The group is visible when the report runs.
Hidden: The group is hidden when the report runs.
Expression: Use an expression with a Boolean result to decide whether the group is visible. True for
hidden, False for visible.
Visibility can be toggled by another report control: Select this check box to display a toggle image next to
another report control. The user can click the toggle item to show or hide this band group. This enables the drop-
down list where you can select the report control that users can click to show or hide this group.
Data Output
Element name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for this group.
Collection: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for the collection of all instances of this group.
Output: Choose Yes or No to decide whether to include this group in the XML output.
Layout
Page break at start: Inserts a page break before the group.
Page break at end: Inserts a page break after the group.
Has own page numbering: Used in conjunction with the "Page Number in Section" and "Total Pages in Section"
properties, tells the report that the group constitutes a new page numbering section.
Filters
The Filters page of the Table dialog allows you to control the Filter grid collection for the table. Use the arrow and
X buttons to move or delete filters. You need to provide three values to add a new filter to the collection:
Expression, Operator, and Value.
Expression: Enter the expression to use for evaluating whether data should be included in the table.
Operator: Select from the following operators to decide how to compare the expression to the left with the value
to the right:
Equal Only choose data for which the value on the left is equal to the value on the right.
Like Only choose data for which the value on the left is similar to the value on the right.
For more information on using the Like operator, see the MSDN Web site.
NotEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is not equal to the value on the right.
GreaterThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than the value on the right.
GreaterThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than or equal to the

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 192
value on the right.
LessThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than the value on the right.
LessThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than or equal to the value on
the right.
TopN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top number specified in the value on
the right.
BottomN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom number specified in the
value on the right.
TopPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top percent specified in the
value on the right.
BottomPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom percent specified in
the value on the right.
In Only choose items from the value on the left which are in the array of values specified on the right.
Selecting this operator enables the Values list at the bottom.
Between Only choose items from the value on the left which fall between the pair of values you specify
on the right. Selecting this operator enables two Value boxes instead of one.
Value: Enter a value to compare with the expression on the left based on the selected operator. For multiple
values used with the Between operator, the lower two value boxes are enabled.
Values: When you choose the In operator, you can enter as many values as you need in this list.
Data Output
Element name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for this table.
Output: Choose Auto, Yes, or No to decide whether to include this table in the XML output. Choosing Auto
exports the contents of the table.
Detail element name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for the data element for instances of the table.
This name is ignored if you have specified a details grouping.
Detail collection name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for the data element for the collection of all
instances of the detail grouping.
Data element output: Choose Yes or No to decide whether to include the details in the XML output.

TableOfContents
The TableOfContents (ToC) report control is used to display the document map, an organized hierarchy of the
report heading levels and labels along with their page numbers, in the body of a report. The TableOfContents
control allows you to quickly understand and navigate the data inside a report in all viewers that are supported in
ActiveReports. Unlike the Document Map that is only available in the Viewers and cannot be rendered or printed,
you can use the TableOfContents control to embed the ToC structure in the report body for printing and rendering
purposes. You can add a TableOfContents report control to a report by dragging it from the toolbox and dropping it
onto the report design surface.
In the Properties Window, there are a number of properties that you can use to control the appearance and
behavior of the TableOfContents (ToC) report control. For example, in case of Page Report you can use the
OverflowName property to specify the OverflowPlaceHolder control name to link it with the ToC control. The
FixedHeight property allows you to set the maximum height of the ToC control on each page, similar to the
FixedSize property that is available with other report controls.
The Levels property contains the collection of ToC levels and allows you to access the LevelDesigner Collection
Editor dialog, where you can set up the report ToC levels and their properties. The MaxLevel property restricts
the maximum number of levels in the document map.
Any customization made to the Document Map like setting Numbering Style for document map levels using the
Report dialog or using the DocumentMap property gets directly applied to the ToC control. For more information,
see Add Items to the Document Map.

ToC properties Dialog

Properties for the TableOfContents are available in the ToC dialog. To open it, with the TableOfContents control
selected on the report, under the Properties Window, click the Property dialog link.
The ToC Properties dialog lets you set properties on the report control with the following pages.

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Note: You can click <Expression...> in many of these properties to open the Expression Editor where you
can create an expression to determine the value.

General
Name: Enter a name for the table of contents that is unique within the report. This name can be called in code.
Tooltip: Enter the value or expression you want to display when a user hovers the cursor over the ToC in the
viewer at run time.
Visibility
By default, the ToC is visible when the report runs, but you can hide it, hide it only when certain conditions are
met, or toggle its visibility with another report control.
Initial visibility
Visible: The ToC is visible when the report runs.
Hidden: The ToC is hidden when the report runs.
Expression: Use an expression with a Boolean result to decide whether the ToC is visible. True for hidden,
false for visible.
Visibility can be toggled by another report control: Select this check box to display a toggle ToC next to
another report control. This enables the drop-down box where you can specify the TextBox control which, if
clicked, toggles the visibility of the TOC.
Appearance

Border
Style: Select a style for the border.
Width: Enter a value in points to set the width of the border.
Color: Select a color to use for the border, or select the <Expression...> option to open the Expression
Editor and create an expression that evaluates to a .NET color.

Background
Color: Select a color to use for the background.
Data Output
Element name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for the TableOfContents report control.
Output: Choose Auto, Yes, No to decide whether to include this ToC in the XML output. Choosing Auto exports
the contents of the ToC report control.

LevelDesigner Collection Editor

The LevelDesigner Collection Editor is used to set up the report ToC levels and their properties. To access the
LevelDesigner Collection Editor dialog, go to the Properties Window and in the Levels property, click
(Collection).
You can set the ToC level properties from the following locations:
The Properties grid of the LevelDesigner Collection Editor.
The Level properties dialog that gets displayed if you click the Property Pages button above the
LevelDesigner Collection Editor Properties grid.
The LevelDesigner Collection Editor lets you set the properties of a ToC level as follows.

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Appearance
BackgoundColor: Select a color to use for the background of the ToC level.
Color: Select the color of the text.
Font: Select the font to render the ToC level text.
Style: Choose Normal, Italic or select the <Expression...> option to open the Expression Editor and create
an expression.
Family: Choose the font family name.
Size: Choose the size in points for the font.
Weight: Choose from Lighter, Thin, ExtraLight, Light, Normal, Medium, SemiBold, Bold, ExtraBold, Heavy,
and Bolder, or select the <Expression...> option to open the Expression Editor and create an expression.
Padding: Specify left, right, top and bottom values for the padding to apply to a ToC level.
TextAlign: Specify the horizontal alignment of the text.
TextDecoration: Choose from None, Underline, Overline, and LineThrough, or select the <Expression...> option
to open the Expression Editor and create an expression.
Data
DataElementName: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for this ToC level.
General
DisplayFillCharacters: Specifies whether to display a leading character. The Default value is True.
DisplayPageNumber: Specifies whether to display a page number. The Default value is True.
FillCharacter: Use the expression to specify a fill character for a leading character.
Layout
TextIndent: Specify the text indent.
Misc
Name: Specify a name for the ToC level.

TextBox
The Textbox is the most commonly used report control that displays data. By default, the TextBox appears in each
cell of a Table or Matrix data region. Also, the TextBox is what is created when you drag a field from the Data
Explorer onto the report.
In the Value property of the TextBox, you can enter static text or an expression. An expression can display fields
from a database, calculate a value, or visually display data.

Tip: You can enter text directly into the TextBox on the design surface of the report by double-clicking inside
it.

In the Properties Window are a number of properties that you can use to control the appearance and behavior
of the TextBox. For example, you can set the Action property to have the viewer jump to a bookmark within the
report, another report, or a URL when a user clicks the TextBox at run time. The DataElement properties allow
you to control how and whether the TextBox displays in XML exports.
By default, in RDL Reports, the TextBox can grow vertically to accommodate the data it displays, and
it cannot shrink smaller than it appears at design time. To change this behavior, set the CanShrink and CanGrow
properties in the Properties grid. (These properties are not available in Page Reports.)

Data Fields
When you drag a field from a dataset in the Data Explorer and drop it onto the report surface, a TextBox report
control with an expression is automatically created. The type of expression that is created depends upon the
context where you drop the field. The following table describes the various contexts and expressions created if you
drag a field named SalesAmount onto the report.

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Expressions created for fields in different contexts

Note: The expression created is different for a field with a string or unknown data type. In these cases, the
First aggregate is used in place of the Sum aggregate in the expressions below. At run time, the first value
found within the scope is displayed instead of a summary.

Context Expression Run-Time Behavior

Directly on the report surface =Sum(Fields!SalesAmount.Value) Displays a summary of the sales amount
for the entire dataset.
List data region =Fields!SalesAmount.Value Displays a value for each row of data, in
a list running down the page.
BandedList data region, header =Sum(Fields!SalesAmount.Value) Displays a summary of the sales amount
or footer band for the dataset associated with the
BandedList.
BandedList data region, detail =Fields!SalesAmount.Value Displays a value for each row of data, in
band a list running down the page.
BandedList data region, group =Sum(Fields!SalesAmount.Value) Displays a summary of the sales amount
header or footer band for the grouping.
Table data region, header or =Sum(Fields!SalesAmount.Value) Displays a summary of the sales amount
footer row for the dataset associated with the Table.
Table data region, detail row =Fields!SalesAmount.Value Displays a value for each row of data, in
a list running down the page.
Table data region, group header =Sum(Fields!SalesAmount.Value) Displays a summary of the sales amount
or footer row for the grouping.
Matrix data region, corner cell =Sum(Fields!SalesAmount.Value) Displays a summary of the sales amount
for the dataset associated with the
Matrix.
Matrix data region, column =Fields!SalesAmount.Value Displays the value at the top of a new
header cell column for each row of data running to
the right.
Matrix data region, row =Fields!SalesAmount.Value Displays the value to the left of a new
header cell row for each row of data running down
the page.
Matrix data region, detail cell =Sum(Fields!SalesAmount.Value) Displays a summary of the sales amount
for the intersection of the column and
row.

Textbox Dialog
Properties for the Textbox are available in the Textbox dialog. To open it, with the Textbox control selected on the
report, under the Properties Window, click the Property dialog link.
The Textbox dialog lets you set properties on the report control with the following pages.

Note: You can select <Expression...> within many of these properties to open the Expression Editor.

General
Name: Enter a name for the textbox that is unique within the report. This name is displayed in the Document
Outline and in XML exports.
Tooltip: Enter the value or expression you want to appear when a user hovers the cursor over the textbox in the
viewer at run time.
Note: You must select Print Preview mode in order to see this property working in the viewer.
Value: Enter an expression or a static label, or choose a field expression from the drop-down list.

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Note: When the group or dataset breaks to a new page, the first instance of the repeated value is printed.

Visibility
Initial visibility allows you to select from the following options:
Visible: The textbox is visible when the report runs.
Hidden: The textbox is hidden when the report runs.
Expression: Use an expression with a Boolean result to decide whether the textbox is visible. For
example, on a "Free Shipping" textbox, you could use the expression to see whether the
ShippingCountry is international. A value of True hides the textbox, False shows it.
Visibility can be toggled by another report control: If you select this check box, it enables the drop-down box
where you can specify the TextBox control that users can click to toggle the visibility of the textbox.
Initial appearance of the toggle image: allows you to select from the following options:
Expanded: The toggle image shows as a minus sign, and all instances of this textbox are visible.
Collapsed: The toggle image shows as a plus sign, and all instances of this textbox are hidden.
Expression: Use an expression with a Boolean result to decide whether the toggle image is expanded.
A value of True expands the toggle image, False collapses it.
Navigation

Action
Select one of the following actions to perform when a user clicks on the textbox.
None: The default behavior is to do nothing when a user clicks the textbox at run time.
Jump to report: For drill-through reporting, select this option and provide the name of a local report, the
relative path of a report in another folder, or the full path of a report on another server.
Parameters: Supply parameters to the targeted report by entering the Name of each parameter,
the Value to send to the targeted report, or whether to Omit the parameter. Note that parameter
names you supply must exactly match parameters in the target report. You can remove or change
the order of parameters using the X and arrow buttons.
Jump to bookmark: Select this option and provide a valid Bookmark ID to allow the user to jump to the
report control with that Bookmark ID.
Jump to URL: Select this option and provide a valid URL to create a hyperlink to a Web page.
Document map label: Enter an expression to use as a label to represent this item in the table of contents
(document map).
Bookmark ID: Enter an expression to use as a locator for this textbox. You will then be able to provide a
bookmark link to this item from another report control using a Jump to bookmark action.
Appearance

Border
Style: Select a style for the border.
Width: Enter a value in points to set the width of the border.
Color: Select a color to use for the border, or select the <Expression...> option to open the Expression Editor
and create an expression that evaluates to a .NET color.

Background
Color: Select a color to use for the background of the textbox.
Image: Enter an image to use for the background of the textbox.

Note: The Background Color and Background Image properties allow you to choose the <Data
Visualizer...> option as well to launch the dialog that let you build a data visualization expression.

Font

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Family: Select a font family name or a theme font.
Size: Choose the size in points for the font or use a theme.
Style: Choose Normal or Italic or select a theme.
Weight: Choose from Lighter, Thin, ExtraLight, Light, Normal, Medium, SemiBold, Bold, ExtraBold,
Heavy, or Bolder.
Color: Choose a color to use for the text.
Decoration: Choose from None, Underline, Overline, or LineThrough.
Format
Format code: Select one of the common numeric formats provided or use a custom .NET formatting code to
format dates or numbers. For more information, see MSDN's Formatting Types topic.
Line Spacing: This property sets the space between lines of text.
Line Height: This property sets the height of lines of text with leading and ascending space.

Note: This property only affects HTML output.

Character Spacing: This property sets the space between characters.

Textbox height
Can increase to accommodate contents: Select this check box to set CanGrow to True.
Can decrease to accommodate contents: Select this check box to set CanShrink to True.
Can shrink text to fit fixed size control: Select this check box to set ShrinkToFit to True.

Text direction and writing mode

Direction: Choose LTR for left to right, or RTL for right to left.
Mode: Choose lr-tb for left right top bottom (normal horizontal text) or tb-rl for top bottom right left (vertical
text on its side).
Angle: Enter the number of degrees to rotate the text in a counter-clockwise direction. Enter a negative number
to rotate the text in a clockwise direction.
Alignment
Vertical alignment: Choose Top, Middle, Bottom, or the <Expression...> option.
Horizontal alignment: Choose General, Left, Center, Right, Justify, or the <Expression...> option.
Justify method: Set Horizontal alignment to Justify to enable this property. Choose Auto, Distribute,
DistributeAllLines, or the <Expression...> option.
Wrap mode: Choose NoWrap, WordWrap, or CharWrap.
Amount of space to leave around report control
Top padding: Set the top padding in points.
Left padding: Set the left padding in points.
Right padding: Set the right padding in points.
Bottom padding: Set the bottom padding in points.
Interactive Sort
Select the checkbox next to Add an interactive sort action to this textbox to enable the following controls
which allow end users to sort the report data in the viewer.
Sort expression: Enter an expression to use for determining the data to sort.
Data region or group to sort: Select the grouping level or data region within the report to sort. The default
value is Current scope, but you may also elect to choose an alternate data region or grouping.
Evaluate sort expression in this scope: Select the grouping level within the report on which to evaluate an
aggregate sorting expression. The default value is Current scope, but you may also elect to choose an alternate

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data region or grouping.
Data Output
Element Name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for this textbox.
Output: Choose Auto, Yes, or No to decide whether to include this textbox in the XML output. Auto exports the
contents of the textbox only when the value is not a constant.
Render as: Choose Auto, Element, or Attribute to decide whether to render textboxes as Attributes or
Elements in the exported XML file. Auto uses the report's setting for this property.
Attribute example: <table1 textbox3="Report created on: 7/26/2005 1:13:00 PM">
Element example: <table1> <textbox3>Report created on: 7/26/2005 1:13:28 PM</textbox3>

Data Sources and Datasets

Setting up a connection to the data source is the first step in binding data to the report. Once a connection is
established, a data set is required to get the data you want to show on the report.

Data Sources
In ActiveReports, you can set the data source information in the Report Data Source Dialog.
The Report Data Source dialog is where you select the type of data to use, provide a connection string, and choose
other options for your data source. You can also decide to use a shared data source, use a single transaction, and
select a method for handling credentials. Once you add a data source, it appears in the Report Explorer under the
Data Sources node. You can also add multiple data sources in a single report.

Datasets
A dataset fetches data from the data source to display in a report. The DataSet Dialog is where you provide a
command type and query string and choose other options for your dataset.
You can also control the timeout period and other data options, and add fields, parameters, and filters to fetch the
data you need. With the XML data type, you have to add fields manually with XPath expressions. Once you have
added a dataset, its fields appear under the Data Source node in the Report Explorer. You can add multiple
datasets for a data source.

Report Data Source Dialog

You can access the Report Data Source dialog from the Report Explorer by doing one of the following:
Click the Add icon on the top left and select Data Source.
Right-click the Data Sources node and select Add Data Source.

The Report Data Source dialog provides the following pages where you can set data source properties:
General
The General page of the Report Data Source dialog is where you can set the Name, Type and Connection string of

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a new data source, or choose to use a shared data source reference.
In the Name field, you can enter a name for the data source. This name must be unique within the
report. By default, the name is set to DataSource1.
In the Shared Reference checkbox, you can select a shared data source reference. See Connect to a
Data Source for further information. Once you have chosen the Shared Reference option, the
Reference field to select a Shared Data Source becomes available.
If the Shared Reference checkbox is clear, you can select a data source type from the Type dropdown
field. ActiveReports supports the following providers:
Microsoft SQL Client Provider
DataSet Provider
Microsoft ODBC Provider
Microsoft OleDB Provider
Object Provider
Oracle Client Provider
XML Provider
You can also select to execute datasets that use this data source in a single transaction by checking the
Use Single Transaction checkbox.
If you select SQL, OleDB, or Oracle as the data source Type value, the Connection Properties,
Connection String and Advanced Settings pages appear under the Connection section. In other
data source types, only the Connection String page appears.
Connection Properties
The Connection Properties page gives access to properties specific to the following data types.
SQL
Server name: This field requires you to enter a server name.
Log on to server: Through this field, you can select whether to use Windows authentication
or server authentication which requires a user name and password
Connect to a database: Through this field, you can select whether to enter a database name
or attach a database file.
Below this field you can also check the Save My Password option for future reference.
OleDB
OLE DB Provider: This field requires you to select one among the list of OLE DB Providers
provided in the drop down list.
Enter a server or file name: This field requires you to enter a server or a file name along
with its location.
Log on to server: Through this field you can select whether to use Windows NT integrated
security or use a specific user name and password.
Oracle
Server name: This field requires you to enter a server name.
Log on to server: This field requires you to enter a user name and a password for server
authentication.
Below this field you can also check the Save My Password option for future reference.
Connection String
Enter a connection string in the provided text box, or use the Connection Properties page to create one
for SQL, OleDB, or Oracle data types.
Following is the sample connection string to access the Northwind database in the C directory:
Sample connection string
provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;data source=c:\nwind.mdb;

Credentials
The Credentials page gives you the following four options for the level of security you need for the data in your
report.
Use Windows Authentication

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Select this option when you know that any users with a valid Windows account are cleared for access to the data,
and you do not want to prompt them for a user name and password.
Use a specific user name and password
Select this option when you want to allow only a single user name and password to access the data in the report.
Prompt for credentials
Select this option when there is a subset of users who can access the data. The Prompt string textbox allows you
to customize the text requesting a user name and password from users.
No credentials
Select this option only if the data in the report is for general public consumption.

DataSet Dialog
You can access the DataSet dialog from the Report Explorer by doing one of the following:
With the Data Source node (like DataSource1) selected, click the Add icon on the top left and select
Data Set.
Right-click an existing data source and select Add Data Set.

The DataSet dialog provides the following pages where you can set dataset properties:
General
The General page of the DataSet dialog is where you can set the Name of the dataset.
Name: In the Name field, you can enter a name for the dataset. By default, the name is set to DataSet1. The
name of the dataset appears in the tree view of the Report Explorer. It is also used to call the dataset in code so it
should be unique within the report.
Query
The Query page of the DataSet dialog is where you set the SQL query, stored procedure or table to define the data
you want to fetch in the dataset of your report.
Command type: You can choose from the three enumerated command types.

Type Description
Text Choose Text if you want to write a SQL query to retrieve data.
StoredProcedure Choose StoredProcedure if you want to use a stored procedure.
TableDirect Choose TableDirect if you want to return all rows and columns from one or more tables.

Query: Based on the command type you select above, you can set the query string in this field.

Note: If you select the TableDirect command type, you may need to use escape characters or qualifying
characters in case any of the table names include special characters.

Timeout: You can set the number of seconds that you want the report server to wait for the query to return the

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data before it stops trying.
Options
The Options page is where you select one of the various options available to the dataset.
CaseSensitivity: Set this value to Auto, True, or False to indicate whether to make distinctions between upper
and lower case letters. Auto, the default value, causes the report server to get the value from the data provider. If
the data provider does not set the value, the report runs without case sensitivity.
Collation: Choose from Default or a country from the list to indicate which collation sequence to use to sort data.
The Default value causes the report server to get the value from the data provider. If the data provider does not
set the value, the report uses the server locale. This is important with international data, as the sort order for
different languages can be different from the machine sort.
KanaTypeSensitivity: Set this value to Auto, True, or False with Japanese data to indicate whether distinctions
are made between Hiragana and Katakana kana types. Auto, the default value, causes the report server to get the
value from the data provider. If the data provider does not set the value, the report runs without kana type
sensitivity.
WidthSensitivity: Set this value to Auto, True, or False with Japanese data to indicate whether distinctions are
made between single-byte (half-width) characters and double-byte (full-width) characters. Auto, the default value,
causes the report server to get the value from the data provider. If the data provider does not set the value, the
report runs without width sensitivity.
AccentSensitivity: Set this value to Auto, True, or False to indicate whether distinctions are made between
accented and unaccented letters. Auto, the default value, causes the report server to get the value from the data
provider. If the data provider does not set the value, the report runs without accent sensitivity.
Fields
The Fields page of the Dataset dialog populates automatically for OleDb, ODBC, SQL and Oracle data providers.
To see list of fields in the Name and Value columns of the Fields page, enter a valid query, table name, or stored
procedure on the Query page.
You can edit the populated fields, delete them by using the Remove (X) icon, or add new ones by using the Add
(+) icon above the Fields list. Any fields you add in this list show up in the Report Explorer tree view and you can
drag and drop them onto the design surface. The field name must be unique within the dataset.
When working with Fields, the meaning of the value varies depending on the data source type. In most cases this
is simply the name of the field. The following table describes the meaning of the field value and gives some
examples of how to use the value.

Data Description Example

Provider
SQL, Oracle, The field value is the name of a field returned by the OrderQuantity
OleDb query. FirstName
Dataset The field value can be the name of a field in the Quantity
DataTable specified by the query. You can also use OrdersToOrderDetails.CustomerID
DataRelations in a DataSet, specify the name of the
relation followed by a period and then the name of a
field in the related DataTable.
XML The field value is an XPath expression that returns a ./OrderQuantity
value when evaluated with the query. ../OrderInfo/OrderDate
Object The field value can be the name of a property of the Quantity
object contained in the collection returned by the data Order.Customer.FirstName
provider. You may also use properties available for the
object returned from a property.

Parameters
The Parameters page of the Dataset dialog is where you can pass a Report Parameter into the parameter you
enter in the Query page. Enter a Name that matches the name of the Report Parameter and a Value for each
parameter in this page.
You can edit the parameters by selecting a parameter in the list and editing its Name and Value.
You can delete the parameters by using the Remove (X) icon above the Parameters list.
You can add new parameters by using the Add (+) icon above the Parameters list. The parameter name

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must be unique within the dataset.
The Value of a parameter can be a static value or an expression referring to an object within the report. The Value
cannot refer to a report control or field.
Filters
The Filters page of the Dataset dialog allows you to filter data after it is returned from the data source. This is
useful when you have a data source (such as XML) that does not support query parameters.
A filter comprises of three fields:
Expression: Type or use the expression editor to provide the expression on which to filter data.
Operator: Select from the following operators to decide how to compare the expression to the left with the value
to the right:
Equal Only choose data for which the value on the left is equal to the value on the right.
Like Only choose data for which the value on the left is similar to the value on the right. For more
information on using the Like operator, see the MSDN Web site.
NotEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is not equal to the value on the right.
GreaterThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than the value on the right.
GreaterThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than or equal to the
value on the right.
LessThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than the value on the right.
LessThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than or equal to the value on
the right.
TopN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top number specified in the value on
the right.
BottomN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom number specified in the
value on the right.
TopPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top percent specified in the
value on the right.
BottomPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom percent specified in
the value on the right.
In Only choose items from the value on the left which are in the array of values specified on the right.
Selecting this operator enables the Values list at the bottom.
Between Only choose items from the value on the left which fall between the pair of values you specify
on the right. Selecting this operator enables two Value boxes instead of one.
Value: Enter a value to compare with the expression on the left based on the selected operator. For multiple
values used with the Between operator, the lower two value boxes are enabled.
Values: When you choose the In operator, you can enter as many values as you need in this list.

Shared Data Source (RDSX)

In ActiveReports, a shared data source refers to a file in RDSX format that contains data connection information.
RDSX (Report Data Source XML) is a proprietary file format that functions as a data source for a single report or
multiple reports.
You can use this data source in page report and RDL report. See Create and Edit a Shared Data Source for
information on how to create a new shared data source or modify an existing one.

Advantages of a Shared Data Source

It is a reusable data connection that you can use in a single report or multiple reports.
It is a separate file in RDSX format that you can access from any report, move to different folders, and
rename.
It sets the data connection in a report so you need only add a SQL query to create a data set.
It lets you update the connection string in one place for all reports referencing the Shared Data Source.
You can use it with any data connection type.

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Caution: An RDSX file contains the connection string, but you cannot define a data set in it. See Add a
Dataset for information on creating a data set.

Expressions
In ActiveReports, you can use an expression to set the value of a control in the report, or set conditions under
which certain styles apply. You can set Microsoft Visual Basic® .NET in expressions through,
Properties in the properties window
Expression Editor Dialog
All expressions begin with an equal sign (=). Even the expression for a field value for a TextBox is set as follows:
=Fields!LastName.Value

Expression Editor Dialog

You can build expressions quickly using the Expression Editor dialog. This dialog allows you to choose from a
number of fields available to the report as well as to a particular property. You can access the Expression Editor by
selecting nearly any property of a control and choosing <Expression...> from the drop-down list.

There are seven types of fields available in the Expression Editor:

Constants
Constants available for properties which have enumerated values such as TextDecoration or BorderStyle.
Common Values
Run time values available to every property in every report. There are two variables in this list which
come from the User collection: User ID and User Language. See Common Values for further information.
Parameters
Parameters fields available in reports which contain report parameters. If available, you can choose a
parameter from this field to retrieve the current value of the parameter.
Fields (DataSet name)
All fields from a dataset which is linked to the report control.
Datasets
All fields in each dataset associated with the report. However, the report retrieves only the sum or the
first value of any field that is not within the current dataset scope.
Operations
Arithmetic, comparison, concatenation, logical/bitwise, bit shift operators for creating custom
expressions.
Common Functions
Predefined Visual Basic .NET functions for which ActiveReports provides intrinsic support. See Common
Functions for more information.
To create an Expression in the Expression Editor
The Expression Editor dialog comprises of two panes, Fields and Expression.
From the Fields pane, select a field you want to use in your expression.
Click the Replace, Insert or Append button to add the field to the Expression pane. The expression pane
shows the fields in a valid expression format.
Click OK to close the dialog.
The expression appears as the property value in the properties grid.

Tip: While building an expression, you can directly add the entire expression or part of it in the Expression
pane of the Expression Editor. Then use the Insert or Append buttons to create a complete expression.

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Using Expressions in Reports
In the raw form, your data may not be ideally suited for display in a report. You can customize it and bring it into
shape using expressions. Following are some examples of how expressions are set in different scenarios.
Concatenating Fields and Strings
You can concatenate fields with strings and with other fields. For e.g., use the following expression to get a result
like Customer Name: Bossert, Lewis.
="Customer Name: " & Fields!LastName.Value & "," & Fields!FirstName.Value
Conditional Formatting
You can use expressions in properties like Color, Font, Border etc. on specific field values based on a condition, to
highlight a part of data. The formula for conditional formatting is:
=iif( Fields!YourFieldName.Value operator "Value to compare", "If condition is met, use this value.", "If not, use
this one."
For e.g., if you enter the following expression in the Font > FontWeight property of a textbox that displays
names of people, you get the name "Denise" in bold.
=iif(Fields!FirstName.Value = "Denise", "Bold", "Normal")
Functions
You can use a number of aggregate and other functions in your expressions. ActiveReports includes a range of
functions, including running value, population standard variance, standard deviation, count, minimum and
maximum. For e.g., use the following expression to get a count of employees.
=Count(Fields!EmployeeID.Value, Nothing)

Displaying Expressions at Design Time

As you design the report, the full text of an expression can get very long. ActiveReports makes expressions easier
to read by shortening them.
When an expression is in the form:
=Fields!<FieldName>.Value
On the design surface, you see this text inside that TextBox:
=[<FieldName>]
Double-click the TextBox to view the full expression in edit mode.
For aggregates too, when the Expression value is:
=<Aggregate>(Fields!<FieldName>.Value)
On the design surface, you see this text inside the TextBox:
=<Aggregate>([<FieldName>])
This shortened expression value is only a visual change to allow you to see the field name easily. It shows up in
both the TextBox on the design surface as well as any dropdown boxes inside the dialogs.

Note: You can type the format as listed above for either field name values or aggregates on field names. This
evaluates the full expression when the report is viewed.

Besides the shorthand for field names, you can also type shorthand like [@Param] for parameters and [&Value] for
Globals such as [&PageNumber] on the design surface. Please note that you cannot use shorthand in the
Expression Editor.

Common Values
Common Values are run time values available to every property in every report. You can directly drag and drop
these common values from the Report Explorer onto the design surface or add and modify the values from the
Expression Editor. Following is a list of the values that you can see under the Common Values node in the Report
Explorer and the Expression Editor.

Value Description Expression

Page N of M Gets both the current ="Page " & Globals!PageNumber & "

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 205
page and the total of" & Globals!TotalPages
number of pages in the
report.
Page N of M (Section) Gets both the current ="Page " &
page and the total Globals!PageNumberInSection & " of
number of pages in the " & Globals!TotalPagesInSection
report section.
Page N of M Gets both the current ="Page " &
(Cumulative) page and the total Globals!CumulativePageNumber & "
number of cumulative of " & Globals!CumulativeTotalPages
pages in a report.
Current Date and Gets the date and time =Globals!ExecutionTime
Time when the report began
to run.
User ID Gets the machine =User!UserID
name/user name of the
current user.
Page Number Gets the current page =Globals!PageNumber
number in the report.
Page Number Gets the current page =Globals!PageNumberInSection
(Section) number in the report
section.
Total Pages Gets the total number of =Globals!TotalPages
pages in the report.
Total Pages (Section) Gets the total number of =Globals!TotalPagesInSection
pages in the report
section.
Cumulative Page Gets the current =Globals!CumulativePageNumber
Number cumulative page
number.
Cumulative Total Gets the total number of =Globals!CumulativeTotalPages
Pages cumulative pages in the
report.
Report Folder Gets the name of the =Globals!ReportFolder
folder containing the
report.
Report Name Gets the name of the =Globals!ReportName
report.
User Language Gets the language =User!Language
settings of the current
user.

Note: Page N of M (Section), Page Number (Section) or Total Pages (Section) is applied to page numbering
when you set grouping in a report. Each section represents a group, not to be confused with sections in a
section report.

Common Functions
You can use a function in an expression to perform actions on data in data regions, groups and datasets. You can
access these functions in the Expression Editor dialog. In any property that accepts expressions, you can drop down
the property and select <Expression...> to open the dialog.
Within the Expression Editor dialog, there is a tree view of Fields. Expand the Common Functions node to view the
available functions. The following tables contain details about each of the functions included in ActiveReports for use
in property expressions.
Date & Time

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These are all methods from the DateAndTime class in Visual Basic. Please see the msdn DateAndTime Class topic for
information on overloads for each method.

DateAdd Month
DateDiff MonthName
DatePart Second
DateSerial TimeSerial
DateString TimeValue
DateValue TimeOfDay
Now Timer
Today TimeString
Day Weekday
Hour WeekdayName
Minute Year

Math
These are all methods and fields from the System.Math class. Please see the msdn Math Class topic for information
on overloads for each method.

Abs E PI
Acos Exp Pow
Asin Fix Round
Atan Floor Sign
Atan2 IEEERemainder Sin
BigMul Log Sinh
Ceiling Log10 Sqrt
Cos Max Tan
Cosh Min Tanh

Inspection
These are all methods from the Information class in Visual Basic. Please see the msdn Information Class topic for
more information.

IsArray IsError
IsDate IsNothing
IsDBNull IsNumeric

Program Flow
These are all methods from the Interaction class in Visual Basic. Please see the msdn Interaction Class topic for more
information.

Choose Switch
IIf Partition

Aggregate
You can use aggregate functions within report control value expressions to accrue data. ActiveReports supports
aggregate functions from RDL 2005, plus some proprietary extended set of functions. For all of the functions, you can
add an optional <Scope> parameter.
These are all the available aggregate functions:

Function Description Example

AggregateIf Decides =AggregateIf(Fields!Discontinued.Value=True, Sum, Fields!InStock.Value)
whether to
calculate a
custom
aggregate
from the

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 207
data
provider of
the values
returned by
the
expression
based on a
Boolean
expression.
Avg Calculates =Avg(Fields!Cost.Value, Nothing)
the average
of the non-
null values
returned by
the
expression.
Count Calculates =Count(Fields!EmployeeID.Value, Nothing)
the number
of non-null
values
returned by
the
expression.
CountDistinct Calculates =CountDistinct(Fields!ManagerID.Value, "Department")
the number
of non-
repeated
values
returned by
the
expression.
CountRows Calculates =CountRows("Department")
the number
of rows in
the scope
returned by
the
expression.
CumulativeTotal Calculates =CumulativeTotal(Fields!OrderID.Value, Count)
the sum of
page-level
aggregates
returned by
the
expression
for current
and
previous
pages.
DistinctSum Calculates =DistinctSum(Fields!OrderID.Value, Fields!OrderFreight.Value, "Order")
the sum of
the values
returned by
an
expression
using only
the rows
when the
value of
another
expression
is not
repeated.

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First Shows the =First(Fields!ProductNumber.Value, "Category")
first value
returned by
the
expression.
Last Shows the =Last(Fields!ProductNumber.Value, "Category")
last value
returned by
the
expression.
Max Shows the =Max(Fields!OrderTotal.Value, "Year")
largest non-
null value
returned by
the
expression.
Median Shows the =Median(Fields!OrderTotal.Value)
value that is
the mid-
point of the
values
returned by
the
expression.
Half of the
values
returned will
be above
this value
and half will
be below it.
Min Shows the =Min(Fields!OrderTotal.Value)
smallest
non-null
value
returned by
the
expression
Mode Shows the =Mode(Fields!OrderTotal.Value)
value that
appears
most
frequently in
the values
returned by
the
expression.
RunningValue Shows a =RunningValue(Fields!Cost.Value, Sum, Nothing)
running
aggregate of
values
returned by
the
expression
(Takes one
of the other
aggregate
functions as
a
parameter),
StDev Calculates =StDev(Fields!LineTotal.Value, "Order")
the
dispersion

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 209
(standard
deviation) of
all non-null
values
returned by
the
expression.
StDevP Calculates =StDevP(Fields!LineTotal.Value, "Order")
the
population
dispersion
(population
standard
deviation) of
all non-null
values
returned by
the
expression.
Sum Calculates =Sum(Fields!LineTotal.Value, "Order")
the sum of
the values
returned by
the
expression.
Var Calculates =Var(Fields!LineTotal.Value, "Order")
the variance
(standard
deviation
squared) of
all non-null
values
returned by
the
expression.
VarP Calculates =VarP(Fields!LineTotal.Value, "Order")
the
population
variance
(population
standard
deviation
squared) of
all non-null
values
returned by
the
expression.

Conversion
These are all methods from the Convert class in the .NET Framework. Please see the msdn Convert Class topic for
more information.

ToBoolean ToInt64
ToByte ToSingle
ToDateTime ToUInt16
ToDouble ToUInt32
ToInt16 ToUInt64
ToInt32

Miscellaneous
ActiveReports also offers several functions which do not aggregate data, but which you can use with an IIf function to
help determine which data to display or how to display it.

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The first four are miscellaneous functions from the RDL 2005 specifications. Please see the msdn Built-in Functions for
ReportViewer Reports topic for more information. GetFields is a proprietary function to extend RDL specifications.

Function Description Syntax and Example

InScope Determines whether the current value is in the indicated =InScope(<Scope>)
=InScope("Order")
scope.
Level Returns the level of the current value in a recursive =Level(optional <Scope>)
=Level()
hierarchy.
Previous Returns the previous value within the indicated scope. =Previous(<Expression>)
=Previous(Fields!OrderID.Value)

RowNumber Shows a running count of all the rows in the scope returned =RowNumber(optional <Scope>)
=RowNumber()
by the expression.
GetFields Returns an IDictionary<string,Field> object that contains =GetFields()
=Code.DisplayAccountID(GetFields())
the current contents of the Fields collection. Only valid
when used within a data region. This function makes it
Custom function. Paste in the
easier to write code that deals with complex conditionals.
Code tab.
To write the equivalent function without GetFields() would
require passing each of the queried field values into the 'Within the Code tab, add
method which could be prohibitive when dealing with many this function.
fields. Public Function
DisplayAccountID( flds as
Object) as Object
If flds("FieldType").Value
= "ParentAccount" Then
Return
flds("AccountID").Value
Else
Return
flds("ParentAccountID").Value
End If
End Function

Scope
All functions have a Scope parameter which determines the grouping, data region, or dataset to be considered when
calculating the aggregate or other function. Within a data region, the Scope parameter's default value is the
innermost grouping to which the report control belongs. Alternately, you can specify the name of another grouping,
dataset, or data region, or you can specify Nothing, which sets it to the outermost data region to which the report
control belongs.
The Scope parameter must be a data region, grouping, or dataset that directly or indirectly contains the report control
using the function in its expression. If the report control is outside of a data region, the Scope parameter refers to a
dataset. If there is only one dataset in the report, you can omit the Scope parameter. If there are multiple datasets,
you must specify which one to use to avoid ambiguity.

Note: You cannot set the Scope parameter to Nothing outside of a data region.

Layers
What are Layers?
Why Use Layers?
Other Advantages

What are Layers?

Layers can be understood as a named group of controls. You can lock or unlock, add or remove, show or hide these groups
of controls. When you create a new report, a Default Layer is automatically added to it.
Layers are supported in the following types of reports:

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Page Report
Rdl Report

Why Use Layers?

You can trace the layout of a pre-printed form accurately using Layers. This feature is useful where you use the scanned
copy of the form to trace that you can place on one Layer and you want use it to print.
Let us understand this concept with an example of a school diploma certificate. The requirement is to print the name of
graduating students on a pre-printed school diploma certificates. We already have a set format for this certificate and a list
of names in our data base that need to be printed at the correct location on the certification in the correct style.

Step1: Scan a copy of the school diploma certificate.

The scanned image is placed on a Layer and acts as the base image to identify the location where the name is to be placed.
As a best practice, avoid placing images of pre-printed forms on the Default Layer because this Layer cannot be
deleted. Instead, create a new Layer to place the scanned image so that you can delete the Layer if you want to remove
the scanned image from the background.
The Layer with the image of a pre-printed form is now ready for tracing.

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Step 2: Trace a field that contains the names of graduating students.

On the Default Layer, place a TextBox control that is bound to a list of graduating students on the report designer. Placing
the StudentName field at the accurate location becomes easy with the scanned image Layer displayed in the background.

Step 3: Printing the names of graduating students on the school diploma certificate.
Now, that the field has been placed at the correct location and bound to a list of student names, the last step is to print the

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 213
names on the actual certificates.
Assuming that pre-printed certificates are already placed in the printer, the image Layer that contains the scanned
certificate image need not be printed. This can be done using the TargetDevice property in Layers.
The TargetDevice property applies to each layer separately and you can choose from screen, paper, export, all or none
options. See View, Export or Print Layers for further details. For this example, set the TargetDevice property of Default
Layer to Paper for printing the name field on pre-printed certificates.

In this scenario, Layers are used to trace the layout of a field on a pre-printed certificate.
However, Layers are useful in some other scenarios as well.

Other Advantages

Creating Template Reports

Leverage the advantage of Layers in scenarios where you do not want to make changes to an existing report but want to
perform minor modifications to the layout.
With Layers, it is possible to make modifications to the same report without changing the original report layout. Let's take
an example of a sales receipt to see how Layers can help in this scenario.
Illustrative Example
The requirement is that a hard copy of the report is printed with a Customer Copy watermark and the soft copy of the
same report is exported in a PDF format with a Merchant Copy watermark.

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Lock the Default Layer to use the original sales receipt report as a template. This step is necessary to make sure that the
existing layout of the template report is not modified while making changes or adding controls to the layout. Please
see Working with Layers for details on how to lock a Layer.
Add two Layers on the existing report template, one for the Customer Copy watermark image and the other for the
Merchant Copy watermark image. Set the TargetDevice property of Customer Layer to Paper for printing a hard copy of the
sales receipt and Merchant Layer to Export for exporting it to a PDF format. Please see View, Export or Print Layers for
details on how to export Layers.

In this scenario an existing report is used as a template to output two different versions of the same report without having
to create and save two copies separately.

Replicating a Layout
Layers can be used to replicate the layout of a pre-printed form. This is particularly useful when you want to replicate a
layout of a pre-printed form which is either uneditable or unavailable in soft copy.
Let us take an example of an order summary letter sent to the customers to see how Layers can help replicate the Layout
of the scanned image easily.
Illustrative Example
Place the scanned image of the letter that needs to be replicated on Layer1 and set the DesignerLock property of this
Layer to True to make sure the image being traced is not modified or changed by mistake. Please see Working with
Layers for details on how to lock a Layer.

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While designing any report, it is advisable to separate the layout, data and logic of your report. In this example, we have
placed all the static labels like the logo, header, footer on Layer2 and data bound fields on the Default Layer. This is
particularly useful when designing complex report layouts such as tax forms, regulatory notices or bill of lading
forms. Working on different Layers makes report designing easier as you can modify one aspect of the report, such as static
labels or bound data fields without modifying the entire report layout.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 216

On the Default Layer, place the data bound fields like Order ID, Order Date and Amount. Notice the
DesignerTransparency of Layer2 above and the Default Layer below is set to 0.5 to display the scanned image placed
on Layer1 in the background.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 217

Once the layout being used to copy the layout (scanned image in Layer1) is no longer required, set the DesignerVisible
property of Layer1 to False to hide the Layer or you can also delete this Layer. DesignerVisible property helps in checking
the accuracy of the layout by quickly showing or hiding the controls on the selected layer. In this case we have hidden the
visibility of Layer1 to verify the layout of the final output.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 218

In this scenario, Layers are used to replicate the layout of a scanned image and also separate the layout and the data to
help organize our report better.

Working with Layers

When you begin working with Layers, access the Layers List window to handle basic functions like adding or
removing a Layer from a report at design time. You may also change the settings for each Layer at design time
through a set of in-built properties.

Using the Layers List

The Layers List window displays a list of Layers in the report along with their visibility and lock options. You can
also add or remove Layers and even send the Layer back or bring it to the front in the Layers List.

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In the Layers List window,

A Default Layer is automatically added when you create a new page report. This Layer cannot be
deleted or renamed.
Any Layer can be set as an Active Layer in the report by selecting it in the Layers List 9 window. There
is only one Active Layer at any given time in a report.
Note: Modifications can only be made to the Active Layer in the report. No modifications are
possible on the inactive Layers.

Show or Hide the Layers List

When ActiveReports is installed on your system, a Layers List button is automatically added to the Visual Studio
toolbar and it appears every time you create a new application.
1. Right-click the Visual Studio toolbar and select ActiveReports 9 to display the report designer toolbar. See
Toolbar for further details.
2. On the report designer toolbar, click the View Layers List button. The Layers List 9 window appears.
3. Click the View Layers List button again to hide the Layers List 9 window.

Note:
In case the Layers List window does not appear automatically in your application, select View >
Other Windows > Layers List 9 in Visual Studio.
A LayerList control is also available in the Visual Studio toolbar and can be used to add the Layers
feature in the End User Designer application. See how to add the Layer List control in the
walkthrough on Creating a Basic End User Report Designer (Pro Edition).
The Stand-alone Designer application (GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Designer.exe) also contains a
Layers List window. See Stand-alone Designer and Viewer for more information.

Add a Layer
Once a report is created, a Default Layer is automatically added in the Layers List.

1. In the report, select the page on which the Layer is to be added.

2. On the Layers List toolbar, click the New button.
3. A new Layer with the name 'Layer1' gets added to the report and the Layers List.

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Remove a Layer
All Layers, except the Default Layer, can be removed.

1. In the Layers List, select the Layer to be removed.

2. On the Layers List toolbar, click the Remove button to remove the selected Layer.
This removes the selected Layer along with the controls placed on it from the report and the Layers List.

Send to Back/Bring to Front

Use the Send to Back or Bring to Front buttons to send a group of controls placed on a selected Layer to the
front or to the back of the controls on other layers.

1. In the Layers List, select the Layer for which the order is to be set.
2. In the Layers List toolbar, click the Bring to Front or Send to Back button to send the controls placed on
a Layer to the front or the back.

Using the Layers Properties

Select a Layer from the Layers List to access the following properties in the property grid.

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Property Value Description

DesignerLock True/False
Locks or unlocks controls placed on a Layer.
You cannot move or resize the controls placed on the design
surface of a locked Layer through a keyboard or a mouse. Other
editing functions like cut, copy or paste and addition or deletion
of controls are possible.
This property can also be set using the check-box for Lock in the
Layers List.

DesignerTransparency 0 to 1 Sets the transparency of the controls on a Layer at design time

to a value between 0 and 1. A Layer with transparency set to 1 is
not visible on the designer.
DesignerVisible True/False Determines if the controls placed on a Layer are visible on the
designer or not.
This property can also be set using the check-box for Visibility
in the Layers List.

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Property Value Description
Name Layer Name Sets the name of a Layer (except the Default Layer).
(string)
TargetDevice None, Screen, Specifies or limits the visibility of controls placed on a Layer
Paper, Export, based on the selected target.
All
None: Layer is not visible on any target device
Screen: Layer is visible on the viewers
Paper: Layer is visible on printing
Export: Layer is visible on export
All: Layer is visible on all targets i.e. Screen, Paper
and Export
See View, Export or Print Layers for information on TargetDevice
specific outputs.

View, Export or Print Layers

The TargetDevice ('TargetDevices Enumeration' in the on-line documentation) property determines
whether you can view, export or print the controls placed on a Layer. It allows you to show or hide the
controls that belong to a Layer on a specific target device. For example, if you want to display controls placed on
Layer1 in the WinViewer and export the output to PDF, you can select the Screen and Export options of the
TargetDevice property simultaneously.

Note: TargetDevice property only determines the target (i.e. Screen, Export or Print) where the group of
controls placed on a Layer appear. In order to get the output on a viewer or export or print the controls, you
need to add code for exporting or printing or adding a viewer to the application.

TargetDevice property allows you to select from the following options:

None
Screen
Paper
Export
All

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Setting the TargetDevice Property

Use the following steps to set or change the TargetDevice property of a Layer:
1. Select a Layer from the Layers List window. This becomes the Active Layer of the control.
2. In the Properties window, select the TargetDevice property.
3. From the dropdown, select out of the options: None, Screen, Paper, Export or All.
You can also select more than one option out of Screen, Paper and Export at the same time.

TargetDevice Output Type Description

None - Controls placed on a Layer cannot be viewed,
exported or printed.
Screen WinViewer Controls placed on a Layer can be viewed on
any of the supported viewers.
WebViewer
HTML5Viewer
SilverLight Viewer
WPF Viewer
Paper Physical/ Virtual Printer Controls placed on a Layer are can be printed
to physical or virtual printers.
Export RenderingExtensions - HTML, PDF, Controls placed on a Layer are exported to
Word, Image, Xml, Excel any of the supported file formats.
Export Filters - HTML, PDF, Tiff,
Text, Rft, Excel
All All Outputs Controls placed on a Layer can be viewed,
exported and printed.

Tracing Layers
In Page Reports and Rdl reports, you can trace the layout of a pre-printed form to a pixel perfect accuracy using
Layers.
This walkthrough illustrates how you can trace data fields accurately from a scanned image of a boarding pass.
These steps show the results on a Page Report but are applicable to Rdl Reports also.

Note: Right-click and save the image below in your project folder before starting the walkthrough.

The walkthrough is split up into the following activities:

In this Topic
Adding an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio project
Connecting the report to an XML data source
Adding a dataset
Creating a report layout on different layers

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 224
Viewing the report
When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at
runtime.

Design Time Layout

Runtime Layout

Adding an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio project

1. In Visual Studio, create a new Windows Forms Application project.
2. In the Solution Explorer window, right-click Form1, and rename it to MainForm.
3. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
4. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Page Report and in the Name field,
rename the file to Boarding.
5. Click the Add button to open a new Page Report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.

Connecting the report to an XML data source

1. From the Solution Explorer, open Boarding.rdlx created earlier.
2. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Sources node and select Add Data Source or select Data
Source from the Add button dropdown.

3. In the Report Data Source Dialog that appears, select the General page and in the Name field, enter a
name like CustomDS.
4. In the Type drop down to select a data provider, choose Xml Provider.
5. In the connection string section, add the following custom data to your project.
Xml
XmlData =

<Flight ID="31">
<Passengers>
<Passenger>

<PassengerName>Maria Anders</PassengerName>

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 225
<Seat>23A</Seat>
<Tracking>2322- 030-0074321</Tracking>
</Passenger>

<Passenger>
<PassengerName>Ana Trujillo</PassengerName>
<Seat>18E</Seat>
<Tracking>2322- 030-0074343</Tracking>
</Passenger>

<Passenger>
<PassengerName>Antonio Moreno</PassengerName>
<Seat>25A</Seat>
<Tracking>6722- 034-6784349</Tracking>
</Passenger>

<Passenger>
<PassengerName>Christina Berglund</PassengerName>
<Seat>14B</Seat>
<Tracking>5678- 543-6784349</Tracking>
</Passenger>
<Passenger>
<PassengerName>Thomas Hardy</PassengerName>
<Seat>28F</Seat>
<Tracking>9834- 413-6784569</Tracking>
</Passenger>
</Passengers>
</Flight>

6. Click OK to close the dialog box.

Adding a dataset
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source created in the previous step and select Add Data Set or
select Data Set option from the Add button dropdown.
2. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the dataset as
BoardingData.
3. On the Query page, select Text under Command Type and enter the following XML path into the Query
text box to access the data of each passenger.
//Passenger
4. On the Fields page, enter the values from the table below to create fields for your report. Values for XML
data fields must be a valid XPath expression.

Field Name Type Value

Tracking Database Field Tracking
PassengerName Database Field PassengerName
Seat Database Field Seat

5. Click OK to close the dialog. Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report Explorer.
See Adding a DataSet for more information on adding dataset to a data source.

Creating a report layout on different layers

1. In the LayerList window, click the icon to add a new Layer to the report. Notice that a default Layer is
already added in the Layer List.
2. Select Layer1 to make it the Active Layer, and from the Properties window, change the Layer Name
to ImgLayer.
3. In the Layer List window, check the Lock check-box to lock ImgLayer to make sure the image being
traced is not modified or changed by mistake.
4. In the Layer List window,click the Send To Back button to move ImgLayer behind the Default Layer.

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5. In the LayerList window, select Default to make it the Active Layer.
6. From the Properties window, set the DesignerTransparency of the Default Layer to 0.5 to display the
scanned image to be placed on ImgLayer in the background.
7. From the toolbox, drag a List data region onto the design surface of the report.
8. In the Properties window of the List data region set the following values.

Property Name Values

DataSetName BoardingData
FixedSize Width: 6.27in
Height: 3in
Location Left: 0in
Top: 0.125in
Size Width: 6.27in
Height: 2.87in

9. In the Report Explorer window, right-click the Embedded Images node and select Add Embedded
Image.
10. In the Open dialog box that appears, browse to the project folder location and select the BoardingPass.jpg
image you saved earlier.
11. Click Open to embed the image in your project.
12. From the Report Explorer, drag the embedded BoardingPass image onto the List data region and set the
properties as described in the following table.

Property Name Property Value

LayerName ImgLayer
Location 0in, 0.125in
Size 6.27in, 2.875in

13. From the Report Explorer, drag the following fields onto the List data region and set the following
properties.

Field Name Property Values

PassengerName LayerName: Default
Location: 2.91in, 0.35in
Size: 1.375in, 0.25in

PassengerName LayerName: Default

Location: 0.15in, 0.9in
Size: 1.37in, 0.25in

PassengerName LayerName: Default

Location: 4.5in, 0.9in
Size: 1.25in, 0.25in

Tracking LayerName: Default

Location: 0.15in, 2.19in
Size: 1.5in, 0.25in

Seat LayerName: Default

Location: 4.5in, 1.45in
Size: 1in, 0.375in
Font > FontSize: 22pt

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 227

14. In the Layer List window, select the Default Layer and then the ImgLayer and change their TargetDevice
property to Screen from the Properties window. See View, Export or Print Layers for more information.

Viewing the report

Click the preview tab to view the report.
OR
See Using the Viewer to display report in the Viewer at runtime.
Go to Top

Using Script
In a page report or a RDL report, you can use custom code in your expressions to extend the capabilities of your
report. However, for complex functions, or functions you plan to use many times in the report, you also have the
facility to embed the code within the report. You can also create and maintain a custom assembly for code that
you want to use in multiple reports and refer to its methods in expressions.

Embed Code in the Report

Add a page report/RDL report template to your project and in the ActiveReports Designer that appears, add code
like the following in the Script tab.

To call a function from the control's property

This is a simple example of a single method code block:
Public Function GetDueDate() as Date
Return DateTime.Now.AddDays(30)
End Function
This is an expression used to call the method in the code block from the control's property. For example, you can
call this function in the Value property of the Textbox control:
=Code.GetDueDate()
To use the custom constant and variable from the control's property
This is a simple example of how to define custom constants and variables in your code block:
Public Dim MyVersion As String = "123.456"
Public Dim MyDoubleVersion As Double = 123.456
Public Const MyConst As String = "444"
This is an expression to use the custom constant and variable in the code block from the control's property. For
example, you can get the value of a variable or a constant in the Value property of the Textbox control:
=Code.MyVersion
=Code.MyDoubleVersion
=Code.MyConst
To call a global collection from the control's property
This is a simple example of a global collection code block where the code block references the report object to
access the report parameter value:
Public Function ReturnParam() As String
Return "param value = " + Report.Parameters!ReportParameter1.value.ToString()
End Function
This is an expression used to call a global collection in the code block from the control's property. For example,
you can call the global collection in the Value property of the Textbox control:
=Code.ReturnParam()
Use instance-based Visual Basic .NET code in the form of a code block. You can include multiple methods in your
code block, and access those methods from expressions in the control properties.

Note: In a page report or a RDL report, you can use Visual Basic.NET as the script language. However, you
can use both Visual Basic.Net and C# in your script for a section report.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 228

Create custom assemblies

You can create custom assemblies in C# or Visual Basic .NET to make code available to multiple reports:
1. Create or find the assembly you wish to use.
2. Make the assembly available to the report engine.
If you are embedding the designer or viewer controls in your own application, copy the assembly
to the same location as your executable.
If you are using the included designer or viewer, copy the assembly into the ActiveReports
assembly folder located at ...\Common Files\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9 by default.
Note: To make the assembly available for use in your own application and for use in
designing reports for your application, copy it to both locations listed above. Alternatively,
you can place the assembly in the Global Assembly Cache (C:\Windows\assembly).

3. Add an assembly reference to the report.

From the Report Menu, choose Report Properties.
In the Report dialog that appears, select the References and click the Open icon above the
assembly name list to add your own assembly.
Go to the Class list below the assembly names and under Class name, enter the namespace and
class name. Similarly, under Instance name, enter the name you want to use in your
expressions.

4. Access the assembly through expressions.

To access static members (member denoted as public static in C# assemblies, or as
Public Shared in Visual Basic assemblies):
=Namespace.Class.Member
To access class instances:
=Code.InstanceName

Report Dialog
In a page report or a RDL report, you can set the basic report properties in the Report dialog. You can access this
dialog by doing one of the following:
Go to the Visual Studio Report menu and select Report Properties.
In the Report Explorer, right-click the Report node and from the context menu that appears, select
Report Properties.
In the Report Explorer, select the Report node and in the Commands section at the bottom of the
Properties Window, click the Property dialog command.
Right-click the gray area outside the design surface to select the Report and in the Commands section at
the bottom of the Properties Window, click the Property dialog command.
The Report dialog provides the following pages where you can set report properties:

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General
The General page of the Report dialog allows you to control the following items:
Author: Enter the name of the report author here.
Description: Enter a description of the report here.
Draw grid: Clear this check box to remove the grid lines from the report design surface.
Snap to grid: Clear this check box to allow free placement of report items on the report design surface
instead of the automatic alignment of report items with grid lines.
Grid spacing: Enter the spacing between grid lines in inches. The default value is 0.125 inches.
Page headers: These options are enabled when you set a Page Header in a Report Definition Language
(RDL) report.
Print on first page - Select this check box to set the page header on the first page of the
report.
Print on last page - Select this check box to set the page header on the last page of the
report.
Page footers: These options are enabled when you set a Page Footer in a RDL report.
Print on first page - Select this check box to set the page footer on the first page of the
report.
Print on last page - Select this check box to set the page footer on the last page of the
report.
Auto refresh: Select this check box to automatically refresh the pages of the report at regular
intervals. When this check box is selected, you can supply the interval in seconds.
Ruler Units: Set the ruler units in Inches or Centimeters.
Preview Pages: Set the number of pages to display in the Preview tab. Minimum values is 0 and
maximum is 10000 pages. If the value is set to 0, the Preview tab displays all the pages. By default, the
Preview tab displays all the pages.
Appearance
The Appearance page of the Report dialog allows you to control the page layout for your report.

Columns
Number of columns: Enter the number of columns you want to use in your report.
Spacing: Enter the number of inches of space to use between columns.

Page Layout
Paper Size: Select one among the standard paper sizes from the dropdown.
Width: Specify the width of the layout.
Height: Specify the height of the layout.
Left margin: Specify the Left margin for the layout.
Right margin: Specify the Right margin for the layout.
Top margin: Specify the Top margin for the layout.
Bottom margin: Specify the Bottom margin for the layout.
Orientation: Select one among Portrait and Landscape as your page orientation.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 230
Design
Output background only at design-time: Select the checkbox to display background (for example,
background image or background color) in the design tab only.
Parameters
The Parameters page of the Report dialog allows you to control how a user interface is presented to your users for
each parameter. See Parameters for further information.
Images
The Images page of the Report dialog allows you to add and modify images for your report. Click the Open button
located at the top left of the page to display the Open file dialog, where you can navigate to an image. Once you
select an image file and click the Open button, a thumbnail of the image is displayed in the Image column, and
the Name and MIME Type values are automatically populated in their respective columns.
You can use the images you add here in the Image control. The MIME Type column provides a combo-box with a
list of image file extensions, where you can change default file filter of the added image.
You can also use the Remove button located at the top right of the page to remove any added image.
References
The References page of the Report dialog allows you to add references to assemblies and classes so that you can
call methods from them in expressions throughout your report. You can also access the References dialog from the
Properties Window by selecting the Classes (Collection) or References (Collection) property of a report and
clicking the ellipsis button that appears.

Caution: If you are using the ActiveReports Stand-alone Report designer application, make sure the
assembly you load is created using .NET 3.5 framework or below as the Stand-alone Report designer is a
.NET 3.5 application.

Assembly Name
This is a list of the assemblies available for use in your report. You can delete assemblies using the Remove
button, or add them using the Open button which presents the Open file dialog.

Note: Any assemblies you reference must be copied to the ActiveReports 9 folder (...Common
Files\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9) on your development machine as well as on any server to which you deploy
your reports.

Classes
This is a list of instance-based classes you can create for use in your report.
Class name: Enter the namespace and name of the class here. (i.e. Invoicing.GetDueDate)
Instance name: Enter a name for the instance of the class here. (i.e. m_myGetDueDate)
Data Output
The Data Output page of the Report dialog allows you to control how the report's data is rendered in XML exports.
Element name: Enter the name you want to appear as the top level data element in your exported XML
file.
Data transform (.xsl file): Enter the name of the XSL file you want to use as a style sheet for the
exported XML file.
Data schema: Enter the schema or namespace to use for validating data types in the exported XML file.
Render textboxes as: Choose whether to render textboxes as Attributes or Elements in the exported
XML file.
Attributes example: <table1 textbox3="Report created on: 7/26/2005 1:13:00 PM">
Elements example:
<table1> <textbox3>Report created on: 7/26/2005 1:13:28 PM</textbox3>
Themes
The Themes page of the Report dialog displays the report's themes. This dialog allows you to create a new theme,
add, modify or remove an existing one, as well as rearrange the order of themes if a report has many themes.
When you select to create or modify a theme, the Theme Editor is opened. See Themes for further information.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 231
FixedPage Dialog
In a Page Report, you can set the basic properties for your page from the FixedPage dialog. You can access the
FixedPage dialog by doing one of the following:
Right-click the gray area outside the design surface and from the context menu that appears, select
Fixed Layout Settings.
Click the gray area outside the design surface to select the Report and in the commands section at the
bottom of the Properties Window, click the Fixed Layout Settings command.
Click the design surface to select the Page and in the Commands section at the bottom of the Properties
Window, click the Property dialog command.
In the Report Explorer, select the Report node or the page node and in the commands section at the
bottom of the Properties Window, click the Fixed Layout Settings or Property dialog command
respectively.

The FixedPage dialog provides the following pages where you can set the page properties:
General
The General page of the FixedPage dialog allows you to control the following properties:
Name: Enter a name for the Page report. This name is used to call the page in code so it should be
unique within the report.
Dataset name: Select a dataset to associate with the page report. The dropdown list is automatically
populated with all the datasets in the report's dataset collection.
Grouping
The Grouping page is useful when you want to show data grouped on a field or an expression on report's pages.
See Grouping in a FixedPage for more information.
The Grouping page contains following tabs which provide access to various grouping properties:
General
Name: Enter a name for the Fixed Layout group that is unique within the report. This property cannot
be set until after a Group on expression is supplied. A name is created automatically if you do not enter
one.
Group On: Enter an expression to use for grouping the data.
Document map label: Enter an expression to use as a label to represent this item in the table of
contents (document map).
Filters
The Filters tab allows you to add and control the Filter collection for the Fixed Layout Group. Use the + button to
add a filter and the X button to delete a filter. You need to provide three values to add a new filter to the
collection:
Expression: Enter the expression to use for evaluating whether data should be included in the group.
Operator: Select from the following operators to decide how to compare the expression to the left with
the value to the right:
Equal Only choose data for which the value on the left is equal to the value on the right.
Like Only choose data for which the value on the left is similar to the value on the right. For
more information on using the Like operator, see the MSDN Web site.
NotEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is not equal to the value on the

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 232
right.
GreaterThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than the value on
the right.
GreaterThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than or
equal to the value on the right.
LessThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than the value on the right.
LessThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than or equal to
the value on the right.
TopN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top number specified in the
value on the right.
BottomN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom number
specified in the value on the right.
TopPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top percent specified
in the value on the right.
BottomPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom percent
specified in the value on the right.
In Only choose items from the value on the left which are in the array of values specified on
the right. Selecting this operator enables the Values list at the bottom.
Between Only choose items from the value on the left which fall between the pair of values
you specify on the right. Selecting this operator enables two Value boxes instead of one.
Value: Enter a value to compare with the expression on the left based on the selected operator. For
multiple values used with the Between operator, the lower two value boxes are enabled.
Values: When you choose the In operator, you can enter as many values as you need in this list.
Data Output
The Data Output tab allows you to control the following properties when you export to XML:
Element name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for this group.
Collection: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for the collection of all instances of this group.
Output: Choose Yes or No to decide whether to include this group in the XML output.
Layout
Has own page numbering: Check this box to enable section page numbering like Page N of M
(Section). See Add Page Numbering for further information on setting page numbering in Page Report.
Sorting
The Sorting page of the FixedPage dialog allows you to enter sort expressions for sorting data alphabetically or
numerically.
Expression: Enter an expression by which to sort the data.
Direction: Select whether you want to sort the data in an Ascending or Descending order.
Filters
The Filters page of the FixedPage dialog allows you to control the Filter collection for the Fixed Layout. Use the +
button to add filters and X buttons to delete them. You need to provide three values to add a new filter to the
collection:
Expression: Enter the expression to use for evaluating whether data should be included in the Fixed
Layout.
Operator: Select from the following operators to decide how to compare the expression to the left with
the value to the right:
Equal Only choose data for which the value on the left is equal to the value on the right.
Like Only choose data for which the value on the left is similar to the value on the right. For
more information on using the Like operator, see the MSDN Web site.
NotEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is not equal to the value on the
right.
GreaterThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than the value on
the right.
GreaterThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is greater than or
equal to the value on the right.
LessThan Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than the value on the right.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 233
LessThanOrEqual Only choose data for which the value on the left is less than or equal to
the value on the right.
TopN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top number specified in the
value on the right.
BottomN Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom number
specified in the value on the right.
TopPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the top percent specified
in the value on the right.
BottomPercent Only choose items from the value on the left which are the bottom percent
specified in the value on the right.
In Only choose items from the value on the left which are in the array of values specified on
the right. Selecting this operator enables the Values list at the bottom.
Between Only choose items from the value on the left which fall between the pair of values
you specify on the right. Selecting this operator enables two Value boxes instead of one.
Value: Enter a value to compare with the expression on the left based on the selected operator. For
multiple values used with the Between operator, the lower two value boxes are enabled.
Values: When you choose the In operator, you can enter as many values as you need in this list.
Data Output
The Data Output page of the FixedPage dialog allows you to control the following properties when you export to
XML:
Element name: Enter a name to be used in the XML output for the Page report.
Output: Choose Auto, Yes, or No to decide whether to include the fixed page layout in the XML output.
Choosing Auto exports the contents of the fixed layout.

Grouping Data (Page Layout)

In a page report and RDL report, you can set grouping to organize data in your reports. The most common
grouping scenario is to create groups by fields or expressions in a data region.
Depending on the data region you select, you can group data in one of the following ways:
In a Table or BandedList, you can add group header and footer rows. You can also set detail grouping in
the Table data region.
In a List, you can set detail grouping.
In a Matrix, you can add columns and rows either dynamically or manually to group data.
In a Chart , you can group data by categories or series.
See Grouping in a Data Region for further information.

Note: In this topic, the data displayed in the screenshots is from the Movie table available in the Reels
database. By default, the Reels.mdb file is located in the [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity
Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data folder.

In a Page Report, you can also group data on a report page. See Grouping in a FixedPage for further information.

Detail Grouping
Detail grouping is available in the List and Table data regions. It is useful when you do not want to repeat values

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 234
within the details. When you set detail grouping, the value repeats for each distinct result of the grouping
expression instead of each row of data.
For example, if you use the Movie table of the Reels database to display movie titles by year without setting detail
grouping, you see each year as many times as there are movies from that year.
If you set detail grouping to =Fields!YearReleased.Value, each year appears only once.

Note: If the detail grouping expression you use results in a value that is distinct for every row of data,
MovieID for example, you will see no difference in the results.

Recursive Hierarchies
If you want to display parent-child relationships in your data, you can create a recursive hierarchy. To do this, you
need a unique ID field for the child group and an ID field for the parent group.
For example, if you have pulled data from the Reels database using the following SQL query:
SQL Query
SELECT EmployeePosition.*, Employee.*, Employee_1.PositionID AS
ManagerPosition FROM Employee AS Employee_1 RIGHT JOIN (EmployeePosition
INNER JOIN Employee ON EmployeePosition.PositionID = Employee.PositionID)
ON Employee_1.EmployeeID = Employee.ManagementID;

You can set Detail Grouping in a Table data region using the
=Fields.Item("EmployeePosition.PositionID").Value field, and the =Fields!ManagerPosition.Value field as
the parent group to display parent-child relationships in your data.

Note: You can use only one group expression when you set a parent group.

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Level Function
To better visualize data in a recursive hierarchy, you can use the Level function. This function indents text and
further clarifies the relationships between parent and child data. To do this, you set an expression in the Padding -
Left property of the text box you want to indent.
For example, in a Table data region, for the recursive hierarchy example above, you can set the following
expression in the Padding - Left property of the text box that contains the Title to indent values according to
levels:
=Convert.ToString(2 + (Level()*10)) & "pt"

Add Page Numbering

You can choose the page numbering format for your Page reports/RDL reports by selecting from a list of pre-
defined formats or by creating a custom page numbering expression.

Adding page numbers to a report

There are two ways to add page numbering to a report.
From the Report Explorer, under the Common Values node, drag a pre-defined page numbering format
and drop it directly onto the report design surface.
Or add a TextBox control to the report design surface and in the Value property of the control, use the
Expression Editor Dialog to select a page numbering expression from the Common Values node.
Usually a page number is added to a report header or footer, but you can add it anywhere on the layout page.

Pre-defined page numbering formats

You can find the pre-defined page numbering formats listed in the Report Explorer under the Common Values
node, and in the Expression Editor under the Common Values field.
Predefined Format Descriptions

Numbering Description
Format
Page N of M This format displays the current page out of the total number of pages in the report. Here N
signifies the current page of a report and M the total number of report pages. Use the following
expression to set this page numbering format:
="Page " & Globals!PageNumber & " of " & Globals!TotalPages
Page N of M This format displays the current page out of the total number of pages of a grouped report
(Section) section. Here N signifies the current page of a grouped report section and M signifies the total
number of pages in a grouped report section. Use the following expression to set this page
numbering format:
="Page " & Globals!PageNumberInSection & " of " & Globals!TotalPagesInSection
Page N of M This format displays the current page out of the total number of cumulative pages in a report.
(Cumulative) Here N signifies the current page of the report and M signifies the total number of cumulative
pages in a report. Use the following expression to set this page numbering format:
="Page " & Globals!CumulativePageNumber & " of " & Globals!CumulativeTotalPages
Page This format displays only the current page number of a report. Use the following expression to

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 236
Number set this page numbering format: =Globals!PageNumber

Page This format displays only the current page number of a specific grouped report section. Use the
Number following expression to set this page numbering format: =Globals!PageNumberInSection
(Section)
Total Pages This format displays only the total number of pages in the report. Use the following expression to
set this page numbering format: =Globals!TotalPages

Total Pages This format displays only the total number of pages in specific grouped report section. Use the
(Section) following expression to set this page numbering format: =Globals!TotalPagesInSection
Cumulative This format displays only the current cumulative page number of the report. Use the following
Page expression to set this page numbering format: =Globals!CumulativePageNumber
Number
Cumulative This format displays only the total number of cumulative pages in a report. Use the following
Total Pages expression to set this page numbering format: =Globals!CumulativeTotalPages

Tip: In addition to modifying the page numbering expression in the Expression Editor, you can also modify
the pre-defined formats directly in the control on the design surface.

Custom page numbering formats

Use the following steps to create your own page numbering format.
To create a custom page numbering format
1. From the toolbox, drag and drop a Textbox control onto the report design surface.
2. With the Textbox selected on the report, under the Properties window, click the Property dialog link. This is
a command to open the TextBox dialog. See Properties Window for more on how to access commands.
3. In the TextBox - General dialog that appears, in the Value field, enter a page numbering expression like
the following: =Globals!PageNumber & "/" & Globals!TotalPages
4. Click OK to close the dialog.
5. Select the Preview tab. Page numbers appear in the expression format you set in the Value field above, in
this case, for a one-page report, "1/1."

Themes
A theme is a collection of properties that defines the appearance of a report. A theme includes colors, fonts,
images, and constant expressions that you can apply to report elements once you add a theme to a report.
You can add one or many themes to a report. If a report has multiple themes, you can use the report's CollateBy
Enumeration (on-line documentation) to control the page order in a report. See Set Up Collation for more
information.
The Theme Editor and the Report - Themes dialog allow you to manage themes in a report.
In the Theme Editor, you can create a new theme by setting colors, fonts, images, and Use Constant Expressions
in a Theme and then saving a new theme as an .rdlx-theme file on your local machine. Then you can add this
theme to your report in the Report – Themes dialog. Also, in the File menu, select Open to open and modify an
existing theme and select Save or Save As to save the changes on your local machine.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 237
To access the Theme Editor
From the Start menu, go to All Programs > GrapeCity > ActiveReports and select ActiveReports Theme
Editor.
The Report – Themes dialog displays the report's themes. This dialog allows you to create a new theme, add,
modify or remove an existing one, as well as rearrange the order of themes if a report has many themes. When
you select to create or modify a theme, the Theme Editor is opened.

To access the Theme - Report dialog

1. In the Designer, click the gray area around the report page to select a report.
2. Do one of the following:
In the Properties window, select the Themes property and click the ellipsis (…) button to open
the Report - Themes dialog.
With the report selected, in the Properties window under properties where the commands are
displayed, click the Property dialog link. In the Report dialog that appears, go to Themes. See
Properties Window for further information on commands.
On the Report menu, select Report Properties and go to Themes in the Report dialog that
appears.

Master Reports (RDL)

Master Reports are like dynamic templates you can design for use with content reports. This assists users in
creating reports that share common elements such as a logo in the page header or a web site link in the page
footer. You design the master report with controls, code, data sources, and layout properties that cannot be
modified from content reports.
Master Reports differ from templates in that they are loaded each time the report is executed. Therefore, you can
modify a master report and the changes to the master report automatically appear in any reports that reference it.

Advantages of a Master Report

Implement common report functionality such as adding consistent page headers and footers within
master reports.
Apply company-wide changes (such as address change) in information to a single master instead of
modifying each report individually.
Apply widespread data related changes (such as change in a data source) to a master report and apply it
on content report.
Create code, data sources, themes and page layouts shared across the application or enterprise.
Hide report complexity from end users who can use the Standalone Designer Application to create
content reports.

Designing Master Reports

When designing a master report, you use controls, code, data sources, and layout properties in the same way like
you do in a normal report. A master report is valid on its own, and can be run without a content report. To prevent
end users from modifying a master report, you can set permissions on the file to Read Only for that user or
group.
In a RDL report, you can create a master report where the master report is converted to the RDLX-master file
format that you can apply like a template to content reports.
A ContentPlaceHolder control appears in the toolbox when you convert a RDL report to a Master Report. This
control provides the region to use for creating or designing a content report after applying a master report
template.

Note: In a section report (code-based report), you have a concept similar to Master Reports. However, here
you create a base report class in a standard report that other reports inherit. See Inherit a Report
Template for further information.

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Creating Content Reports

The reports on which you apply the master report are content reports. A content report is not valid on its own, and
cannot be run without its specified master report.
When the user creates a new report and sets a master report on it, the design view is effectively the opposite of
the design view of the master report. Any report controls overlaid by ContentPlaceHolder controls are not visible in
the content report at design time, but are visible at run time. These are the only areas where users can add report
controls.
While designing the content report the user can
Add elements that do not exist in the master report.
Add new data sources that do not exist in the master report.
Add new datasets from a data source in the master report.
Add images to the EmbeddedImages collection.
Add parameters to the ReportParameter collection.
Add any number of report controls into placeholder rectangles designated by the master report.
Modify the report name and description.
Add new custom code that does not exist in the master report.
While designing the content report the user cannot
Modify or remove elements that exist in the master report (disabled grey area).
Remove a master report data source.
Remove a master report dataset or modify its query.
Modify the sort or filter on a master report dataset.
Remove images from the EmbeddedImages collection.
Remove parameters from the ReportParameter collection.
Modify the margins or page settings of the master report.

Note: Code in the master report is hidden in the content report, so in order to allow content report
users to access code, the master report developer must provide information.

Run-Time Sequence of Events

This is what happens behind the scenes when you run a content report.
1. ActiveReports loads the content report.
2. The loader parses the master report tag on the content report and requests the master report from the
resource resolver.
3. The master report is loaded into the definition.
4. As each ContentPlaceHolder in the content report is parsed, it finds the corresponding placeholder in the
master report and loads the content from the content report into it.
5. Data sources, datasets, and fields are merged. The master report has higher priority if there is a conflict.
6. Themes are merged. The master report has higher priority if there is a conflict.
7. Report properties from the content report are added to those of the master report. In the case of the
following properties, the content report has a higher priority in case of conflict:
Report Description
Report Author
Report AutoRefresh
Report Custom
Report Language
Report DataTransform
Report DataSchema
Report ElementName
Report DataElementStyle
Dataset filters
Report Theme
Report Code

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 239
All content inside the ContentPlaceHolder controls

Modifying an Aggregated Report Definition

When you run a content report, the content report and its master combine to form an aggregated report definition.
Using the ReportDefinition API, you can save this aggregate at run time as a third report definition which has no
master or content report. Once this aggregate is saved as a normal report definition (*.rdlx file) you can edit it as
any other report definition.

Data Visualizers
The Image and TextBox report controls support a type of expression called Data Visualizers that allow you to
create small graphs to make your data easier to understand. For example, you can red flag an overdue account
using the Flags Icon Set as a background image. There are several types of Data Visualizers available through a
dialog linked to properties on the Image and TextBox report controls.

Image Data Visualizers

These Data Visualizers are supported in the Image report control Value property, and also in the TextBox report
control BackgroundImage Value property. See the topics below to learn more.

Caution: In the following topics, the terms "argument" and "parameter" may seem interchangeable, but
within an expression, an argument refers to the returned value of a parameter, while a parameter may be a
variable.

Icon Set
Learn about the included image strips from which you can select using arguments. These include traffic lights,
arrows, flags, ratings, symbols, and more, plus you can create your own custom image strips.
Range Bar
Learn how you can provide minimum, maximum, and length arguments to render a 96 by 96 dpi bar image in line
with your text to show a quick visual representation of your data values.
Range Bar Progress
Learn about using a second bar to show progress along with the data range.
Data Bar
Learn about data bars, which are similar to range bars with a few different arguments.

Background Color Data Visualizer

These Data Visualizers are available in the TextBox report control BackgroundColor property. See the topics
below to learn more.
Color Scale 2
Learn about displaying TextBoxes with a range of background colors that are keyed to the value of the data.
Color Scale 3
Learn about color scales with an additional middle color value.

Icon Set
The Icon Set data visualization allows you to use arguments to select an image from an image strip and display it
either as a TextBox BackgroundImage, or as an Image Value. You can use the standard image strips included with
ActiveReports, or create custom image strips.
Standard Image Strips

Name Image
Checkbox

3TrafficLights

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 240
Arrows

Blank

Flags

GrayArrows

Quarters

Ratings

RedToBlack

Signs

Symbols1

Symbols2

TrafficLights

To use these image strips, place code like the following in the BackgroundImage property of a TextBox report
control, or in the Value property of an Image report control.

Note: When using icon sets, you must set the Source property to Database.

Parameters
Icon Set. This designates the name of the icon set to use.
Icon 1 Value. A Boolean expression that, if it evaluates to True, renders this icon from the strip.
Icon 2 Value. A Boolean expression that, if it evaluates to True, renders this icon from the strip.
Icon 3 Value. A Boolean expression that, if it evaluates to True, renders this icon from the strip.
Icon 4 Value. A Boolean expression that, if it evaluates to True, renders this icon from the strip.
Icon 5 Value. A Boolean expression that, if it evaluates to True, renders this icon from the strip.
You can use static values or any expression that evaluates to a Boolean value. For icon sets with fewer than five
icons, set the unused values to False.

Syntax
=IconSet("Flags", False, True, False, False, False)

Usage
Following the Icon Set argument, there are five Boolean arguments. The first argument to evaluate to True
displays the corresponding image. Use data expressions that evaluate to a Boolean value to replace the literal
values in the code above.
Example
This expression displays the first symbol (the green flag) on each row in which the Difference exceeds 10, displays
the second symbol (the yellow flag) on each row in which the quantity is greater than 0, and displays the third
symbol (the red flag) on each row in which the quantity is equal to or below 0. Notice that we provide literal False
values in the fourth and fifth arguments, which have no images in this strip.
Paste in the BackgroundImage Value property of a Textbox
=IconSet("Flags",Fields!Difference.Value > 10,Fields!Difference.Value >

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 241
0,Fields!Difference.Value <= 0,False,False)

In several of the included image strips, the last spots are empty. When using the Checkbox, 3TrafficLights, Flags,
RedToBlack, Signs, Symbols1, Symbols2, or TrafficLights image strip, it generally makes sense to set the Boolean
values for all of the unused icon spaces to False.

Custom Image Strips

The Blank image strip is included so that you can customize it. Drop down the section below for details.
Custom image strips
Custom image strips must conform to the following rules.
1. The format must be of a type that is handled by the .NET framework.
2. The size of the strip must be 120 x 24 pixels.
3. Each image must be 24 x 24 pixels in size.
4. There must be no more than five images in the strip.
5. If there are fewer than five images in the strip, there must be blank spaces in the image to fill in.

Types of Custom Images

Here is the syntax for various types of custom images, followed by examples of each.

External image syntax

=IconSet(location of image strip, condition#1, condition#2, condition#3, condition#4, condition#5)

External image path example

=IconSet("C:\Images\customstrip.bmp", 4 > 9, 5 > 9, 10 > 9, False, False)

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External image URL example

=IconSet("http://mysite.com/images/customstrip.gif", 4 > 9, 5 > 9, 10 > 9, False,
False)

Image from an assembly resource syntax

=IconSet("res:[Assembly Name]/Resource name", condition#1, condition#2, condition#3, condition#4, condition#5)

Assembly resource image example

=IconSet("res:ReportAssembly,
Version=1.1.1.1./ReportAssembly.Resources.Images.CustomImage.png", 4 > 9, 5 > 9, 10 >
9, False, False)

Embedded image syntax

=IconSet("embeddedImage:ImageName", condition#1, condition#2, condition#3, condition#4, condition#5)

Embedded image example

=IconSet("embeddedImage:Grades", Fields!Score.Value >=90, Fields!Score.Value >=80,
Fields!Score.Value >=70, Fields!Score.Value >=60, True)

Theme image syntax

=IconSet("theme:ThemeImageName", condition#1, condition#2, condition#3, condition#4, condition#5)

Theme image example

=IconSet("theme:Grades", Fields!Score.Value >=90, Fields!Score.Value >=80,
Fields!Score.Value >=70, Fields!Score.Value >=60, True)

Data Visualizers Dialog

To open the dialog, drop down the BackgroundImage property of a TextBox report control, or the Value
property of an Image report control, and select <Data Visualizer...>. To build the data visualizer expression,
select the appropriate values for each of the options in the dialog.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 243

Range Bar
The Range Bar data visualization displays a 96 by 96 dpi bar image. The colored bar renders as half the height of
the image, centered vertically. The amount of colored bar to render to the right of the Start argument (or to the
left in the case of a negative value) is based on the Length argument. If the Length argument is zero, a diamond
renders.

The Minimum and Maximum arguments determine the range of data. The area between the Length argument and
the Maximum argument is transparent (or between the Length and the Minimum in the case of a negative value).

Parameters
Minimum. The lowest value in the range of data. This value corresponds to the leftmost edge of the
image. If this argument is greater than the Start argument, Start becomes equal to Minimum. The data
type is Single.
Maximum. The highest value in the range of data. This value corresponds to the rightmost edge of the
image. If this argument is less than the Start argument, Start becomes equal to Maximum. The data
type is Single.
Color. The HTML color string to use in rendering the Length in the bar image.
Start. The point from which the Range Bar begins to be rendered. The data type is Single.
Length. The width of the bar to render within the control. Setting this value to 0 renders a diamond
shape instead of a bar. The data type is Single.
You can use static values or aggregate functions (e.g. Min or Max) to set the parameters. For more information on
these and other aggregate functions, see the Common Functions topic.

Syntax

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 244
=RangeBar(Minimum, Maximum, Color, Start, Length)

Usage
Use an expression with this syntax in the BackgroundImage Value property of a TextBox or the Value property
of an Image. This renders a bar in the color specified, the length of which changes depending on the number
returned by the Length parameter, in the case of the simple example, GrossProfit. If your data contains only
positive values, Start corresponds with Minimum at the left edge of the DataBar. The area between the Length and
the Maximum is transparent.
Simple Example
Set the Length parameter to the value of a field in your dataset to display the field values visually.
Paste into a TextBox BackgroundImage property
=RangeBar(0,15000,"BlueViolet",0,Fields!GrossProfit.Value)

Example Using Negative Values

When your data contains negative as well as positive values, you can use an Immediate If expression for the Color
parameter. In this example, if the Projected Stock value is negative, it renders in Crimson, while positive values
render in BlueViolet. You can also see that negative values render to the left of Zero and positive values render to
the right. A Length value of exactly zero renders as a diamond.
Paste into a TextBox BackgroundImage property
=RangeBar(-5,20,IIf((Fields!InStock.Value - 5) < 0, "Crimson",
"BlueViolet"),0,Fields!InStock.Value-5)

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Default Behavior
The function returns null (i.e. no image is rendered) in the following cases:
1. The Maximum is less than or equal to the Minimum.
2. The expression is placed in a property which does not take an image.
3. The Source property of the image is not set to Database.
The Start value changes in the following cases:
1. If the Start value is less than the Minimum value, Start is the same as Minimum.
2. If the Start value is greater than the Maximum value, Start is the same as Maximum.
The Length value changes in the following cases:
1. If the Start value plus the Length value is less than the Minimum value, Length becomes Minimum
minus Start.
2. If the Start value plus the Length value is greater than the Maximum value, Length becomes Maximum
minus Start.
If the argument for any of the parameters cannot be converted to the required data type, the default value is used
instead.

Parameter Default Value

Minimum 0
Maximum 0
Color Green
Start 0
Length 0

Dialog
When you select a TextBox control on your report, in the Properties window or Properties dialog, you can drop
down the BackGroundImage Value property and select <Data Visualizer...> to launch the dialog. The same is
true if you select an Image control and drop down the Value property. To build the data visualizer expression,

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 246
select the appropriate values for each of the options in the dialog.

Range Bar Progress

The Range Bar Progress data visualization displays a 96 by 96 dpi double bar image. The first colored bar renders as half the
height of the image, centered vertically. The amount of colored bar to render to the right of the Start argument (or to the
left in the case of a negative value) is based on the Length argument. If the Length argument is zero, a diamond renders.
The second colored bar renders using the ProgressColor as one fourth of the height of the image, centered vertically over the
Length bar. The amount of colored bar to render to the right of the Start argument (or to the left in the case of a negative
value) is based on the Progress argument. If the Progress argument is zero, a smaller diamond renders.

The Minimum and Maximum arguments determine the range of data. The area between the Length and Progress arguments
and the Maximum argument is transparent (or between the Length and Progress and the Minimum in the case of a negative
value).

Parameters
Minimum. The lowest value in the range of data. This value corresponds to the leftmost edge of the image.
If this argument is greater than the Start argument, Start becomes equal to Minimum. The data type is Single.
Maximum. The highest value in the range of data. This value corresponds to the rightmost edge of the image.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 247
If this argument is less than the Start argument, Start becomes equal to Maximum. The data type is Single.
Color. The HTML color string to use in rendering the Length, the thicker bar in the bar image.
Start. The point from which the Range Bar Progress begins to be rendered. The data type is Single.
Length. The length of the thicker bar to render within the control. Setting this value to 0 renders a diamond shape
instead of a bar. The data type is Single.
ProgressColor. The HTML color string to use in rendering the Progress, the thinner bar in the bar image.
Progress. The length of the thinner bar to render within the control. Setting this value to 0 renders a diamond
shape instead of a bar. The data type is Single.
You can use static values or aggregate functions (e.g. Min or Max) to set the parameters. For more information on these and
other aggregate functions, see the Common Functions topic.

Syntax
=RangeBarProgress(Minimum, Maximum, Color, Start, Length, ProgressColor, Progress)

Usage
Use an expression with this syntax in the BackgroundImage property of a TextBox or the Value property of an Image.
This renders a double bar in the colors specified, the length of which changes depending on the number returned by the
Length parameter for the thick bar, in the case of the simple example, GrossSales. The thin bar length is based on the value
returned by the Progress parameter, in this case, GrossProfit. If your data contains only positive values, Start corresponds
with Minimum at the left edge of the Range Bar. The area between the Length or Progress and the Maximum is transparent.
Simple Example
Set the Length and Progress parameters to the values of fields in your dataset to display the field values visually.

Paste into a TextBox BackgroundImage property

=RangeBarProgress(0,30000,"BlueViolet",0,Fields!GrossSales.Value,"Gold",Fields!GrossProfit.Value)

Example Using Negative Values

When your data contains negative as well as positive values, you can use an Immediate If expression for the Color
parameter. In the example below, if the Difference value is negative, it is rendered in red, while positive values are rendered
in gold. You can also see that negative values are rendered to the left of Zero and positive values are rendered to the right.
A Length value of exactly zero is rendered as a diamond. The thicker blue violet bar represents the InStock value.
Paste into a TextBox BackgroundImage property
=RangeBarProgress(-10,20,"BlueViolet",0,Fields!InStock.Value,IIf(Fields!Difference.Value < 0,
"Red", "Gold"),Fields!Difference.Value)

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 248

Default Behavior
The function returns null (i.e. no image is rendered) in any of the following cases:
1. The Maximum is less than or equal to the Minimum.
2. The expression is placed in a property which does not take an image.
3. The Source property of the image is not set to Database.
The Start value changes in the following cases:
1. If the Start value is less than the Minimum value, Start is the same as Minimum.
2. If the Start value is greater than the Maximum value, Start is the same as Maximum.
The Length value changes in the following cases:
1. If the Start value plus the Length value is less than the Minimum value, Length becomes Minimum minus Start.
2. If the Start value plus the Length value is greater than the Maximum value, Length becomes Maximum minus
Start.
The Progress value changes in the following cases:
1. If the Start value plus the Progress value is less than the Minimum value, Progress becomes Minimum minus
Start.
2. If the Start value plus the Progress value is greater than the Maximum value, Progress becomes Maximum
minus Start.
If the argument for any of the parameters cannot be converted to the required data type, the default value is used instead.

Parameter Default Value

Minimum 0
Maximum 0
Color Green
Start 0
Length 0
ProgressColor Red
Progress 0

Dialog
When you select a TextBox control on your report, in the Properties window or Properties dialog, you can drop down the
BackgroundImage Value property and select <Data Visualizer...> to launch the dialog. To build the data visualizer
expression, select the appropriate values for each of the options on the dialog.
For a Range Bar Progress expression, be sure to select the Display a progress indicator check box. This enables the
progress options.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 249

Data Bar
The Data Bar data visualization displays a 96 by 96 dpi bar image. The colored bar fills the Image top to bottom,
while the Value argument determines the amount of colored bar to render to the right of the Zero argument (or to
the left in the case of a negative value).

The Minimum and Maximum arguments determine the range of data. The area between the Value argument and
the Maximum argument is transparent (or between the Value and the Minimum in the case of a negative value).

Parameters
Value. This is the field value in the report to be evaluated. The data type is Single.
Minimum. The lowest value in the range of data against which the Value argument is compared. This
value corresponds to the leftmost edge of the image. If this argument is greater than the Zero
argument, Zero becomes equal to Minimum. The data type is Single.
Maximum. The highest value in the range of data against which the Value argument is compared. This
value corresponds to the rightmost edge of the image. If this argument is less than the Zero argument,
Zero becomes equal to Maximum. The data type is Single.
Zero. This value determines the zero point to the left of which negative data is rendered, and to the
right of which positive data is rendered. The data type is Single.
Color. The HTML color string to use in rendering the Value in the bar image.
Alternate Color. The HTML color string to use when the Value is less than the Zero value (optional).

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 250
Select the Use Alternate Color when Value is less than Zero Value check box to enable the Alternate Color
parameter. You can use static values or aggregate functions (e.g. Min or Max) to set parameters. For more
information on these and other aggregate functions, see the Common Functions topic.

Syntax
=DataBar(Value, Minimum, Maximum, Zero, Color)

=DataBar(Value, Minimum, Maximum, Zero, Color, Alternate Color)

Usage
Use an expression with this syntax in either the BackgroundImage Value property of a TextBox or the Value
property of an Image. This renders a bar in the color specified, the length of which changes depending on the
number returned by the Value parameter, in the case of the simple example, InStock. If your data contains only
positive values, Zero corresponds with Minimum at the left edge of the Data Bar. The area between the Value and
the Maximum is transparent.
Simple Example
Set the Value parameter to the value of a field in your dataset to display the field values visually.
Paste into the BackgroundImage Value property of a TextBox
=DataBar(Fields!InStock.Value,0,20,0,"BlueViolet")

Example Using Negative Values

When your data contains negative as well as positive values, you can select the Use Alternate Color when
Value is less than Zero Value check box, and then select an Alternate Color. In this example, if the Difference
value is negative, it is rendered in Crimson, while positive values are rendered in BlueViolet. You can also see that
negative values are rendered to the left of Zero and positive values are rendered to the right.
Paste in the BackgroundImage Value property of a TextBox
=DataBar(Fields!Difference.Value,-10,20,0,"BlueViolet","Crimson")

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Default Behavior
The function returns null (i.e. no image is rendered) in any of the following cases:
1. The Maximum is less than or equal to the Minimum.
2. The expression is placed in a property which does not take an image.
3. The Source property of the image is not set to Database.
If the argument for any of the parameters cannot be converted to the required data type, the default value is used
instead.

Parameter Default Value

Value 0
Minimum 0
Maximum 0
Zero 0
Color Green
Alternate Color null

Dialog
When you select a TextBox control on your report, in the Properties window or Properties dialog, you can drop
down the BackGroundImage Value property and select <Data Visualizer...> to launch the dialog. The same is
true if you select an Image control and drop down the Value property. To build the data visualizer expression,
select the appropriate values for each of the options in the dialog.

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Color Scale 2
The ColorScale2 data visualization displays a background color in a range of colors to indicate minimum and
maximum values, and all shades in between.

Parameters
Value. This is the field value in the report to evaluate. The data type is Single.
Minimum. If the Value evaluates to this number, the StartColor renders.
Maximum. If the Value evaluates to this number, the EndColor renders.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 253
StartColor. The HTML color string to use if the Value evaluates to the Minimum value.
EndColor. The HTML color string to use if the Value evaluates to the Maximum value.
You can use static values or aggregate functions (e.g. Min or Max) to set the Minimum and Maximum parameters.
For more information on these and other aggregate functions, see the Common Functions topic.

Syntax
=ColorScale2(Value, Minimum, Maximum, StartColor, EndColor)

Usage
Use an expression with this syntax in the BackgroundColor property of a Textbox control. This causes the
background color to change depending on the value of the field you specified in the Value parameter, in the case
of the example, InStock. Any values falling between the Minimum value and the Maximum render with a color
between the StartColor and EndColor.
Example
Set the Value parameter to the value of a field in your dataset to display the field values visually.
Paste into the BackgroundColor property of a TextBox
=ColorScale2(Fields!InStock.Value,0,20,"Crimson","MidnightBlue")

Default Behavior
The function returns Transparent in any of the following cases:
1. The Value is out of range (i.e. does not fall between the Minimum and Maximum values).
2. The Maximum is less than the Minimum.
If the argument for any of the parameters cannot be converted to the required data type, the default value is used
instead.

Parameter Default Value

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 254
Value 0
Minimum 0
Maximum 0
StartColor Silver
EndColor WhiteSmoke

Dialog
When you select a TextBox control on your report, in the Properties window or Properties dialog, you can drop
down the BackGroundColor property and select <Data Visualizer...> to launch the dialog. To build the data
visualizer expression, select the appropriate values for each of the options in the dialog.

Note: If you select the Use a middle color check box, the expression used in the BackgroundColor
property changes to ColorScale3. For more information, see ColorScale3.

Color Scale 3
The ColorScale3 data visualization displays a TextBox background color in a range of colors to indicate minimum,

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 255
middle, and maximum values, and all shades in between.

Parameters
Value. This is the field value in the report to be evaluated. The data type is Single.
Minimum. If the Value evaluates to this number, the StartColor is rendered.
Middle. If the Value evaluates to this number, the MiddleColor is rendered.
Maximum. If the Value evaluates to this number, the EndColor is rendered.
StartColor. The HTML color string to use if the Value evaluates to the Minimum value.
MiddleColor. The HTML color string to use if the Value evaluates to the Middlevalue.
EndColor. The HTML color string to use if the Value evaluates to the Maximum value.
You can use static values or aggregate functions (e.g. Min, Avg, or Max) to set the Minimum, Middle, and
Maximum parameters. For more information on these and other aggregate functions, see the Common Functions
topic.

Syntax
=ColorScale3(Value, Minimum, Middle, Maximum, StartColor, MiddleColor, EndColor)

Usage
Use an expression with this syntax in the BackgroundColor property of a Textbox control. This causes the
background color to change depending on the value of the field you specified in the Value parameter, in the case
of the example, InStock. Any values falling between the Minimum value and the Middle value render with a
gradient scale color between the StartColor and MiddleColor. The closer the value is to the Minimum, the closer
to Crimson the color renders. In the same way, values falling between the Middle and Maximum render with a
color between the MiddleColor and EndColor, in this case, varying shades of yellow-green.
Example
Set the Value parameter to the value of a field in your dataset to display the field values visually.
Paste into the BackgroundColor property of a TextBox
=ColorScale3(Fields!InStock.Value,0,10,20,"Crimson","Yellow","MidnightBlue")

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Default Behavior
The function returns Transparent in any of the following cases:
1. The Value is out of range (i.e. does not fall between the Minimum and Maximum values).
2. The Maximum is less than the Minimum.
3. The Middle is not between the Minimum and the Maximum.
If the argument for any of the parameters cannot be converted to the required data type, the default value is used
instead.

Parameter Default Value

Value 0
Minimum 0
Middle 0
Maximum 0
StartColor Silver
MiddleColor Gainsboro
EndColor WhiteSmoke

Dialog
When you select a TextBox control on your report, in the Properties window or Properties dialog, you can drop
down the BackGroundColor property and select <Data Visualizer...> to launch the dialog. To build the data
visualizer expression, select the appropriate values for each of the options in the dialog.

Note: If you clear the Use a middle color check box, the expression used in the BackgroundColor
property changes to ColorScale2. For more information, see ColorScale2.

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Custom Resource Locator

Page reports and RDL reports can resolve resources from your file system using file paths, but sometimes
resources are preserved in very specific sources, such as a database. With RDL report, you can create a custom
resource locator to read any resources that might be required by your reports from any type of location. You can
use it for resources such as images and theme files, or for reports to use in drillthrough links, subreports, or
master reports.

API
You can implement a custom resource locator by deriving from the ResourceLocator Class (on-line
documentation) and overriding the GetResource method.
The GetResource method returns ParentUri and Value properties. The Value property contains the located
resource as a memory stream. The ParentUri property contains the string URI of the parent of the resource within
the resource hierarchy.
Here is the GetResource method used in the sample.
C# MyPicturesLocator.cs code showing usage of the GetResource Method from the Sample
C# code. Paste inside a class.

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using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Globalization;
using System.IO;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
using System.Text;
using GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility;
using GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Samples.CustomResourceLocator.Properties;
namespace GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Samples.CustomResourceLocator
{
/// Implementation of ResourceLocator which looks for resources in the My Pictures
folder.
internal sealed class MyPicturesLocator : ResourceLocator
{
private const string UriSchemeMyImages = "MyPictures:";
/// Obtains and returns the resource, or returns null if it is not found.
public override Resource GetResource(ResourceInfo resourceInfo)
{

Resource resource;
string name = resourceInfo.Name;
if (name == null || name.Length == 0)
{
throw new ArgumentException(Resources.ResourceNameIsNull, "name");
}
Uri uri = new Uri(name);
if (uri.GetLeftPart(UriPartial.Scheme).StartsWith(UriSchemeMyImages, true,
CultureInfo.InvariantCulture))
{
Stream stream = GetPictureFromSpecialFolder(uri);
if (stream == null)
{
stream = new MemoryStream();
Resources.NoImage.Save(stream, Resources.NoImage.RawFormat);
}
resource = new Resource(stream, uri);
}
else
{
throw new
InvalidOperationException(Resources.ResourceSchemeIsNotSupported);
}
return resource;
}
/// Returns a stream containing the specified image from the My Pictures
folder, or null if the picture is not found.
/// The path parameter is the URI of the image located in My Pictures,
e.g. MyImages:logo.gif
private static Stream GetPictureFromSpecialFolder(Uri path)
{
int startPathPos = UriSchemeMyImages.Length;
if (startPathPos >= path.ToString().Length)
{
return null;
}
string pictureName = path.ToString().Substring(startPathPos);
string myPicturesPath =
Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.MyPictures);
if (!myPicturesPath.EndsWith("\\")) myPicturesPath += "\\";
string picturePath = Path.Combine(myPicturesPath, pictureName);

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 259
if (!File.Exists(picturePath)) return null;
MemoryStream stream = new MemoryStream();
try
{
Image picture = Image.FromFile(picturePath);
picture.Save(stream, picture.RawFormat);
stream.Position = 0;
}
catch(OutOfMemoryException)
/// The file is not a valid image, or GDI+ doesn't support the
image type.
{
return null;
}
catch(ExternalException)
/// The image can't be saved.
{
return null;
}
return stream;
}
}
}

Visual Basic MyPicturesLocator.vb code showing usage of the GetResource Method from the Sample
Visual Basic code. Paste inside a class.
Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility
Imports System.Globalization
Imports System.IO
Imports System.Runtime.InteropServices

Public Class MyPicturesLocator

Inherits ResourceLocator

Const UriSchemeMyImages As String = "MyPictures:"

' Obtains and returns the resource, or null if it is not found.

' The resourceInfo parameter contains the information about the resource to
obtain.

Public Overrides Function GetResource(ByVal resourceInfo As ResourceInfo) As

Resource
Dim resource As Resource
Dim name As String = resourceInfo.Name

If (String.IsNullOrEmpty(name)) Then

Throw New ArgumentException(My.Resources.ResourceNameIsNull, "name")

End If

Dim uri As New Uri(name)

If (Uri.GetLeftPart(UriPartial.Scheme).StartsWith(UriSchemeMyImages, True,
CultureInfo.InvariantCulture)) Then

Dim stream As Stream = GetPictureFromSpecialFolder(uri)

If (stream Is Nothing) Then
stream = New MemoryStream()
My.Resources.NoImage.Save(stream, My.Resources.NoImage.RawFormat)
End If

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 260
resource = New Resource(stream, uri)

Else
Throw New
InvalidOperationException(My.Resources.ResourceSchemeIsNotSupported)
End If
Return resource
End Function

Function GetPictureFromSpecialFolder(ByVal path As Uri) As Stream

Dim startPathPos As Integer = UriSchemeMyImages.Length

If (startPathPos >= path.ToString().Length) Then

Return Nothing
End If

Dim pictureName As String = path.ToString().Substring(startPathPos)

Dim myPicturesPath As String =
Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.MyPictures)

If (Not myPicturesPath.EndsWith("\\")) Then

myPicturesPath += "\\"
End If

Dim picturePath As String = System.IO.Path.Combine(myPicturesPath, pictureName)

If (Not File.Exists(picturePath)) Then

Return Nothing
End If

Dim stream As New MemoryStream()

Try
Dim picture As Image = Image.FromFile(picturePath)
picture.Save(stream, picture.RawFormat)
stream.Position = 0
Catch ex As OutOfMemoryException
' The file is not a valid image, or GDI+ doesn't support the image
type.
Return Nothing
Catch ex As ExternalException
' The image can't be saved.
Return Nothing
End Try

Return stream
End Function

End Class

Sample
In the Samples folder installed with the product, there is a Custom Resource Locator sample in a path like:
C:\Users\MyUserName\Documents\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Page
Reports\RDL\API\C#\CustomResourceLocator
This sample contains a custom resource locator that looks for files in the current user’s My Pictures folder. It does
this by looking for special MyPictures protocol.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 261
Section Report Concepts
There are a number of concepts that only apply to section reports.

In this section
Section Report Toolbox
This section provides information on each of the report controls available in the ActiveReports 9 Section
Report group of the Visual Studio toolbox.
Section Report Structure
Learn about the report structure in a section layout.
Section Report Events
Learn about events that you can use to customize section reports.
Scripting in Section Reports
Learn how to use scripts in a section layout.
Report Settings Dialog
See the various options provided in Report Settings dialog.
Grouping Data in Section Reports
Learn about grouping data in section layout.
Date, Time, and Number Formatting
Learn how you can customize formatting with .NET strings.
Optimizing Section Reports
Learn about ways to optimize section reports to reduce memory consumption and increase speed.
CacheToDisk and Resource Storage
Learn about IsolatedStorage and other considerations when you use CacheToDisk to reduce memory consumption.

Section Report Toolbox

When a Section report has focus in Visual Studio, the ActiveReports 9 Section Report toolbox group offers a
number of report controls that you can use when creating a section report. You can drag these from the toolbox
and drop them onto your section reports. These tools are different than those in the Toolbox.

Note: Take care in naming report controls, as they are displayed to end users in the advanced search feature
of the Viewer.

In this section
Label
The label is used to display descriptive text for a control and helps the user to describe the data displayed in a
report.
TextBox (Section Report)
The text box is a basic reporting control that allows direct display and editing of unformatted text.
CheckBox (Section Report)
The checkbox gives the user an option of yes or no and true or false.
RichTextBox
The rich text box control allows the user to enter rich text in the form of formatted text, tables, hyperlinks,
images, etc.
Shape (Section Report)
The shape is a user interface element that allows to draw shapes on the screen.
Picture
This control displays images files on the screen and also performs functions like resizing and cropping of images
being used.
Line (Section Report)
The line visually draws boundaries or highlights specific areas of a report.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 262
PageBreak
The PageBreak control is used when you need to stop printing a report inside the selected section and resume it
on a new page.
Barcode (Section Report)
The BarCode control allows you to choose from over 30 barcode styles and bind it to data.
SubReport (Section Report)
Use the subreport control as a placeholder for data from a separate report. Use code to connect the separate
report to the subreport control.
OleObject
You can add an OLE object, bound to a database or unbound, directly to your report.
Note: The OleObject control is not displayed in the toolbox by default, because it is obsolete, and is only
available for backward compatibility.

ChartControl
You can use the ChartControl for a graphical presentation of data in a report. There are numerous chart types that
you can use to easily design and render data.
ReportInfo
The ReportInfo control allows you to quickly display page numbers, page counts and report dates.
Cross Section Controls
The CrossSectionLine and CrossSectionBox controls provide visual boundaries and highlight specific areas of your
report that span multiple report sections. This CrossSectionLine control is a vertical line that starts in the header
section and spans the intervening sections until it ends in the footer. (For a horizontal or diagonal line, use the
Line control.) The CrossSectionBox control starts in the header section and spans any intervening sections to end
in the related footer section.

Label
The Label control for Section reports is very similar to the standard Visual Studio Label control. Since, by inheriting
from the ARControl object, it can bind to data with the DataField property, and since you can enter static text in
the TextBox control, the main difference between the two controls is the Angle property of the Label control, and
the following properties of the TextBox control: CanGrow, CanShrink, CountNullValues, Culture, DistinctField,
OutputFormat, SummaryFunc, SummaryGroup, SummaryRunning, and SummaryType.
This control may become obsolete if the Angle property is added to the TextBox, and then will be kept only for
compatibility with previous versions.
Important Properties

Property Description
Angle Gets or sets the angle (slope) of the text within the control area. Set the Angle property to
900 to display text vertically.
CharacterSpacing Gets or sets the space between characters in points.
DataField Gets or sets the field name from the data source to bind to the control.
HyperLink Gets or sets a URL to which the viewer navigates when the user clicks the label at run time.
The URL becomes an anchor tag or a hyperlink in HTML and PDF exports.
LineSpacing Gets or sets the space between lines in points.
MultiLine Gets or sets a value indicating whether to allow text to break to multiple lines within the
control.
ShrinkToFit Gets or sets a value indicating whether to decrease the font size so that all of the text shows
within the boundaries of the control.
Style Gets or sets a style string for the label.
Text Gets or sets the text to show on the report.
TextJustify Specifies how to distribute text when the Alignment property is set to Justify. With any other
Alignment setting, this property is ignored.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 263
VerticalAlignment Gets or sets the vertical position of the label's text within the bounds of the control.
VerticalText Indicates whether to render the label's text vertically.
WrapMode Indicates whether a multi-line label control wraps words or characters to the beginning of
the next line when necessary.

You can double-click in the Label control to enter edit mode and enter text directly in the control, or you can enter
text in the Properties window or in code through the Text property.
You can format text in the Label control in edit mode using the ActiveReports toolbar, or you can modify properties
in the Properties window. Formats apply to all of the text in the control. Text formatting changes in the Properties
window immediately appear in the control, and changes made in the toolbar are immediately reflected in the
Properties window.

Note: In edit mode for a Label with the Alignment property set to Justify, the Alignment value temporarily
changes to the default value, Left. Once you leave edit mode, it automatically changes back to Justify.

Keyboard Shortcuts
In edit mode, you can use the following keyboard shortcuts.

Key Combination Action

Enter New line.
Alt + Enter Saves modifications and exits edit mode.
Esc Cancels modifications and exits edit mode.

In the End User Designer, you can disable this feature in the EditModeEntering ('EditModeEntering Event' in
the on-line documentation) and EditModeExit ('EditModeExit Event' in the on-line documentation)
events.

Label Dialog
With the control selected on the report, in the Commands section at the bottom of the Properties window, you can
click the Property dialog command to open the dialog.
General
Name: Enter a name for the label that is unique within the report. This name is displayed in the Document Outline
and in XML exports.
Tag: Enter a string that you want to persist with the control. If you access this property in code, it is an object,
but in the Properties window or Property dialog, it is a string.
Visible: Clear this check box to hide the control.
DataField: Select a field from the data source to bind to the control.
Text: Enter static text to show in the label.
HyperLink: Enter a URL to use in the Viewer HyperLink event. The URL automatically converts to an anchor tag or
hyperlink in PDF and HTML exports.
Appearance
Background Color: Select a color to use for the background of the label.
Angle: Use the slider to set the degree of slope for the text within the control area.
Font
Name: Select a font family name or a theme font.
Size: Choose the size in points for the font.
Style: Choose Normal or Italic.
Weight: Choose from Normal or Bold.
Color: Choose a color to use for the text.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 264
Decoration: Select check boxes for Underline and Strikeout.
GDI Charset: Enter a value to indicate the GDI character set to use. For a list of valid values, see MSDN
Font.GDICharSet Property.
GDI Vertical: Select this checkbox to indicate that the font is derived from a GDI vertical font.
Format
Line spacing: Enter a value in points to use for the amount of space between lines.
Character spacing: Enter a value in points to use for the amount of space between characters.
Multiline: Select this check box to allow text to render on multiple lines within the control.

Text direction
RightToLeft: Select this check box to reverse the text direction.
Vertical text: Select this check box for top to bottom text.
Alignment
Vertical alignment: Choose Top, Middle, or Bottom.
Horizontal alignment: Choose Left, Center, Right, or Justify.
Justify method: Choose Auto, Distribute, or DistributeAllLines.

Note: You must select Justify in the Horizontal alignment property to enable the Justification method
property options.

Wrap mode: Choose NoWrap, WordWrap, or CharWrap to determine whether and how text breaks to the next
line.

Padding
Enter values in points to set the amount of space to leave around the label.
Top
Left
Right
Bottom

TextBox (Section Report)

The TextBox control is the basis of reporting as it is used to display text in section reports. You can bind it to
data or set it at run time. It is the same control that forms when you drag a field onto a report from the Report
Explorer.
Important Properties

Property Description
CharacterSpacing Gets or sets a character spacing in points.
LineSpacing Gets or sets a line spacing in points.
OutputFormat Gets or sets the mask string used to format the Value property before placing it in the Text
property.
Style Gets or sets a style string for the textbox.
TextJustify Specifies text justification with TextAlign set to Justify.
VerticalAlignment Gets or sets the position of the textbox's text vertically within the bounds of the control.
VerticalText Gets or sets whether to render text according to vertical layout rules.
CanGrow Determines whether ActiveReports should increase the height of the control based on its

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 265
content.
CanShrink Determines whether ActiveReports should decrease the height of the control based on its
value.
MultiLine Gets or sets a value indicating whether this is a multi-line textbox control.

ShrinkToFit Determines whether ActiveReports decreases the font size when text values exceed
available space.
WrapMode Indicates whether a multi-line textbox control automatically wraps words or characters to
the beginning of the next line when necessary.
CountNullValues Boolean which determines whether DBNull values should be included as zeroes in summary
fields.
Culture Gets or sets CultureInfo used for value output formatting.
DataField Gets or sets the field name from the data source to bind to the control.
HyperLink Gets or sets the hyperlink for the text control.
Text Gets or sets the formatted text value to be rendered in the control.

DistinctField Gets or sets the name of the data field used in a distinct summary function.
SummaryFunc Gets or sets the summary function type used to process the DataField Values.
SummaryGroup Gets or sets the name of the group header section that is used to reset the summary value
when calculating subtotals.
SummaryRunning Gets or sets a value that determines whether that data field summary value will be
accumulated or reset for each level (detail, group or page).
SummaryType Gets or sets a value that determines the summary type to be performed.

You can double-click in the TextBox control to enter edit mode and enter text directly in the control, or you can
enter text in the Properties window or in code through the Text property.
You can format text in the TextBox control in edit mode using the ActiveReports toolbar, or you can modify
properties in the Properties window. Formats apply to all of the text in the control. Text formatting changes in the
Properties window immediately appear in the control, and changes made in the toolbar are immediately reflected
in the Properties window.

Note: In edit mode for a TextBox with the Alignment property set to Justify, the Alignment value temporarily
changes to the default value, Left. Once you leave edit mode, it automatically changes back to Justify.

Keyboard Shortcuts
In edit mode, you can use the following keyboard shortcuts.

Key Combination Action

Enter New line.
Alt + Enter Saves modifications and exits edit mode.
Esc Cancels modifications and exits edit mode.

In the End User Designer, you can disable this feature in the EditModeEntering ('EditModeEntering Event' in
the on-line documentation) and EditModeExit ('EditModeExit Event' in the on-line documentation)
events.

TextBox Dialog
With the control selected on the report, in the Commands section at the bottom of the Properties window, you can
click the Property dialog command to open the dialog.
General
Name: Enter a name for the textbox that is unique within the report. This name is displayed in the Document

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 266
Outline and in XML exports.
Tag: Enter a string that you want to persist with the control. If you access this property in code, it is an object,
but in the Properties window or Property dialog, it is a string.
Visible: Clear this check box to hide the control.
DataField: Select a field from the data source to bind to the control.
Text: Enter static text to show in the textbox. If you specify a DataField value, this property is ignored.
HyperLink: Enter a URL to use in the Viewer HyperLink event. The URL automatically converts to an anchor tag or
hyperlink in PDF and HTML exports.
Appearance
Background Color: Select a color to use for the background of the textbox.
Font
Name: Select a font family name or a theme font.
Size: Choose the size in points for the font.
Style: Choose Normal or Italic.
Weight: Choose from Normal or Bold.
Color: Choose a color to use for the text.
Decoration: Select check boxes for Underline and Strikeout.
GDI Charset: Enter a value to indicate the GDI character set to use. For a list of valid values, see MSDN
Font.GDICharSet Property.
GDI Vertical: Select this checkbox to indicate that the font is derived from a GDI vertical font.
Format
Line spacing: Enter a value in points to use for the amount of space between lines.
Character spacing: Enter a value in points to use for the amount of space between characters.
Multiline: Select this check box to allow text to render on multiple lines within the control.

Textbox height
Can increase to accommodate contents: Select this check box to set CanGrow to True.
Can decrease to accommodate contents: Select this check box to set CanShrink to True.
Can shrink text to fit fixed size control: Select this check box to set ShrinkToFit to True.

Text direction
RightToLeft: Select this check box to reverse the text direction.
Vertical text: Select this check box for top to bottom text.
Alignment
Vertical alignment: Choose Top, Middle, or Bottom.
Horizontal alignment: Choose Left, Center, Right, or Justify.
Justify method: Choose Auto, Distribute, or DistributeAllLines.
Wrap mode: Choose NoWrap, WordWrap, or CharWrap to select whether to wrap words or characters to the next
line.

Note: You must select Justify in the Horizontal alignment property to enable the Justification method
property options.

Wrap mode: Choose NoWrap, WordWrap, or CharWrap to determine whether and how text breaks to the next
line.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 267
Padding
Enter values in points to set the amount of space to leave around the label.
Top
Left
Right
Bottom
Summary
SummaryFunc: Select a type of summary function to use if you set the SummaryRunning and SummaryType
properties to a value other than None. For descriptions of the available functions, see the SummaryFunc
Enumeration (on-line documentation).
SummaryGroup: Select a section group that you have added to the report. If you also set the SummaryRunning
property to Group, the textbox summarizes only the values for that group.
SummaryRunning: Select None, Group, or All. If None, the textbox shows the value for each record. If Group,
the textbox summarizes the value for the selected SummaryGroup. If All, the textbox summarizes the value for
the entire report.
SummaryType: Select the type of summary to use. For descriptions of the available types, see
the SummaryType Enumeration (on-line documentation).
Distinct Field: Select a field to use with one of the SummaryFunc distinct enumerated values.
Count null values: Select this check box to include null values as zeroes in summary fields.

CheckBox (Section Report)

In ActiveReports, you can use the CheckBox control to represent a Boolean value in a report. By default, it appears
as a small box with text to the right. If the DataField value evaluates to True, the small box appears with a check
mark; if False, the box is empty. By default, the checkbox is empty.
Important Properties

Property Description
CheckAlignment Gets or sets the alignment of the check box text within the control drawing area.
Checked Gets or sets a value indicating whether the check box is in the checked state. You can also set
the Checked property of the check box in code or bind it to a Boolean database value.
DataField Gets or sets the field from the data source to bind to the control.
Text Gets or sets the printed caption of the check box.

You can double-click in the CheckBox control to enter edit mode and enter text directly in the control, or you can
enter text in the Properties window or you can assign data to display in code through the Text property.
You can format text in the CheckBox control in edit mode using the ActiveReports toolbar, or you can modify
properties in the Properties window. Formats apply to all of the text in the control. Text formatting changes in the
Properties window immediately appear in the control, and changes made in the toolbar are immediately reflected
in the Properties window.

Note: In edit mode for a CheckBox with the Alignment property set to Justify, the Alignment value
temporarily changes to the default value, Left. Once you leave edit mode, it automatically changes back to
Justify.

Keyboard Shortcuts
In edit mode, you can use the following keyboard shortcuts.

Key Combination Action

Enter New line.
Alt + Enter Saves modifications and exits edit mode.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 268
Esc Cancels modifications and exits edit mode.

In the End User Designer, you can disable this feature in the EditModeEntering ('EditModeEntering Event' in
the on-line documentation) and EditModeExit ('EditModeExit Event' in the on-line documentation)
events.

CheckBox Dialog
With the control selected on the report, in the Commands section at the bottom of the Properties window, you can
click the Property dialog command to open the dialog.
General
Name: Enter a name for the CheckBox that is unique within the report. This name is displayed in the Document
Outline and in XML exports.
Tag: Enter a string that you want to persist with the control. If you access this property in code, it is an object,
but in the Properties window or Property dialog, it is a string.
Visible: Clear this check box to hide the control.
DataField: Select a field that returns a Boolean value from the data source to bind to the control. The value of
this field determines how to set the Checked property at run time.
Text: Enter static text to show in the textbox. If you specify a DataField value, this property is ignored.
Check Alignment: Drop down the visual selector to choose the vertical and horizontal position for the check box
within the control.
Checked: Select this check box to have the CheckBox control appear with a check mark in the box.
Appearance
Background Color: Select a color to use for the background of the textbox.
Font
Name: Select a font family name or a theme font.
Size: Choose the size in points for the font.
Style: Choose Normal or Italic.
Weight: Choose from Normal or Bold.
Color: Choose a color to use for the text.
Decoration: Select check boxes for Underline and Strikeout.
GDI Charset: Enter a value to indicate the GDI character set to use. For a list of valid values, see MSDN
Font.GDICharSet Property.
GDI Vertical: Select this checkbox to indicate that the font is derived from a GDI vertical font.
Alignment
Wrap mode: Choose NoWrap, WordWrap, or CharWrap to select whether to wrap words or characters to the
next line.

Padding
Enter values in points to set the amount of space to leave around the check box.
Top
Left
Right
Bottom

RichTextBox
In ActiveReports, the RichTextBox control is used to display, insert and manipulate formatted text. It is different

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 269
from the TextBox control in a number of ways. The most obvious is that it allows you to apply different formatting
to different parts of its content.
You can also load an RTF file or an HTML file into the RichTextBox control at design time or at run time, and you
can use it to create field merged reports with field placeholders that you replace with values at run time. You can
add fields to the text you enter directly in the control by right-clicking and choosing Insert Fields and providing a
field name.
For more information, see Load a File into a RichTextBox Control and Mail Merge with RichTextBox.
Important Properties

Property Description
AutoReplaceFields If True, any fields in the RTF control are replaced with fields from the data source.
CanGrow Determines whether ActiveReports should increase the height of the control based on its
content.
CanShrink Determines whether ActiveReports should decrease the height of the field based on its
value.
MultiLine Gets or sets a value that determines whether the RichTextBox prints multiple lines or a
single line.
DataField Gets or sets the field name from the data source to bind to the control.

Keyboard Shortcuts
In edit mode, you can use the following keyboard shortcuts.

Key Combination Action

Enter New line.
Alt + Enter Saves modifications and exits edit mode.
Esc Cancels modifications and exits edit mode.

In the End User Designer, you can disable this feature in the EditModeEntering ('EditModeEntering Event' in
the on-line documentation) and EditModeExit ('EditModeExit Event' in the on-line documentation)
events.

Load File Dialog

With the control selected on the report, in the Commands section at the bottom of the Properties window, you can
click the Load file command to open the dialog. This allows you to select a file to load into the control at design
time. Supported file types are as follows.
Text (*.txt)
RichText (*.rtf)
HTML (*.htm, *.html)
To load a file into the report at run time, use the Load method. For more information, see Load Method (on-line
documentation).

Supported Tags
HTML Tags
The following HTML tags are supported in the RichTextBox control.

Tip: In order to show special characters in an HTML file loaded into the control, use the character entity
reference (for example, &egrave; for è or &amp; for &).

Tag Description Attributes

<B> Bold none
<I> Italic none
<P> Paragraph align, style

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 270
<STRONG> Strong (looks like bold) none
<BIG> Big none
<SMALL> Small none
<PRE> Preformatted none
<FONT> Font face, size, color, style (see notes for style attributes)
<BODY> The body tag background, text, leftmargin
<H1> - Heading levels one through none
<H6> six
<BR> Line break none
<EM> Emphasized (looks like none
Italics)
<U> Underlined none
<IMG> Image align, height, src, width
<SUP> Superscript none
<SUB> Subscript none
<CENTER> Center alignment none
<TABLE> Table align, border, cellpadding, cellspacing, height, style, width
<TR> Table row align
<TH> Table head none
<TD> Table datum align, border, colspan, rowspan, width
<LI> List item none (nested levels automatically use disc, then circle, then square
bullets)
<OL> Ordered list type
<UL> Unordered list type
<STRIKE> Strike through none

Style Attribute Properties

The style attribute of <FONT>, <P>, and <TABLE> tags supports the following properties.

border-bottom border-top-width margin-top

border-bottom-width border-width padding-bottom
border-color font-family padding-left
border-left font-size padding-right
border-left-width height padding-top
border-right line-height table-layout
border-right-width margin-bottom text-align
border-style margin-left text-indent
border-top margin-right width

RichTextBox Dialog
With the control selected on the report, in the Commands section at the bottom of the Properties window, you can
click the Property dialog command to open the dialog.
General
Name: Enter a name for the RichTextBox that is unique within the report. This name is displayed in the Document
Outline and in XML exports.
Tag: Enter a string that you want to persist with the control. If you access this property in code, it is an object,

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 271
but in the Properties window or Property dialog, it is a string.
Visible: Clear this check box to hide the control.
DataField: Select a field from the data source to bind to the control.
Max length: Enter the maximum number of characters to display in the control. If you do not specify a value, it
displays an unlimited number of characters.
AutoReplaceFields: Select this check box to have ActiveReports replace any fields in the control with values from
the data source.
Appearance
Background Color: Select a color to use for the background of the control.
Format

RichTextBox height
Can increase to accommodate contents: Select this check box to set CanGrow to True.
Can decrease to accommodate contents: Select this check box to set CanShrink to True.
Multiline: Select this check box to allow the control to display multiple lines of text.

Shape (Section Report)

In ActiveReports, the Shape control is used to add simple shapes to a report.
Important Properties

Property Description
LineColor Gets or sets the color of the shape lines.
LineStyle Gets or sets the pen style used to draw the line.
LineWeight Gets or sets the pen width used to draw the shape in pixels.
Style Gets or sets the shape type to draw. You can select from Rectangle, Ellipse and a
RoundedRect.
RoundingRadius Sets the radius of each corner for the RoundRect shape type. You can select Default, TopLeft,
TopRight, BottomLeft or BottomRight. Selecting Default sets the radius of all the corners of
the Shape control to a specified percentage. Default value = 10 (percent).

Shape Dialog
With the control selected on the report, in the Commands section at the bottom of the Properties window, you can
click the Property dialog command to open the dialog.
General
Name: Enter a name for the shape that is unique within the report. This name is displayed in the Document
Outline and in XML exports.
Tag: Enter a string that you want to persist with the control. If you access this property in code, it is an object,
but in the Properties window or Property dialog, it is a string.
Visible: Clear this check box to hide the control.
Appearance
Shape type: Select the type of shape to display. You can choose from Rectangle, Ellipse, or RoundRect. For a
circle, set the control width and height properties to the same value, and choose Ellipse, or choose RoundRect and
set the Rounding radius to 100%.
Rounded Rectangle: When the Shape type is set to RoundRect, you can specify the radius for each corner of
the shape independently. Drag the handlers available at each corner of the shape to set the value of the radius
at each corner.

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Note: To enable specific corners, check the CheckBox available near each corner of the Shape control.

Use the same radius on specified corners: Select this option to apply the same radius to all selected
corners of the shape.
Use different radius on specified corners: Select this option to apply a different radius to each
selected corner of the shape.
Line style: Select a line style to use for the shape line. You can set it to Transparent, Solid, Dash, Dot, DashDot,
or DashDotDot.
Line weight: Enter the width in pixels for the shape line.
Line color: Select a color to use for the shape line.
Background color: Select a color to use for the background of the shape.

Picture
In section reports, the Picture control is used to print an image on the report. In the Image property of the Picture
control, you can select any image file to display on your report.

Note: Use the PictureAlignment and SizeMode properties to control cropping and alignment.

Important Properties

Property Description
LineColor Gets or sets the border line color around the Picture control.
LineStyle Gets or sets the pen style used to paint the border around the Picture control.
LineWeight Gets or sets the pen width of the border line in pixels.
PictureAlignment Gets or sets the position of the image within the control area.
Description Gets or sets the alternate description for the picture. Used in the Html Export for the "alt"
img tag property.
HyperLink Gets or sets a URL address that can be used in the viewer's Hyperlink event to navigate to
the specified location. The URL is automatically converted into an anchor tag or a hyperlink in
HTML and PDF exports.
Image Gets or sets the image to print.
SizeMode Gets or sets a value that determines how the image is sized to fit the Picture control area.

Picture Dialog
With the control selected on the report, in the Commands section at the bottom of the Properties window, you can
click the Property dialog command to open the dialog.
General
Name: Enter a name for the picture control that is unique within the report. This name is displayed in the
Document Outline and in XML exports.
Tag: Enter a string that you want to persist with the control. If you access this property in code, it is an object,
but in the Properties window or Property dialog, it is a string.
Visible: Clear this check box to hide the control.
DataField: Select a field from the data source to bind to the control.
Choose image: Click this button open a dialog where you can navigate to a folder from which to select an image
file to display.
HyperLink: Enter a URL to use in the Viewer HyperLink event. The URL automatically converts to an anchor tag or
hyperlink in PDF and HTML exports.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 273
Title: Enter static text for the picture.
Description: Enter text to describe the image for those who cannot see it. This is used in the HTML export for the
"alt" attribute of the img tag.
Appearance
Line style: Select a line style to use for the border line. You can set it to Transparent, Solid, Dash, Dot, DashDot,
or DashDotDot.
Line weight: Enter the width in pixels for the border line.
Line color: Select a color to use for the border line.
Background color: Select a color to use for the background of the picture control.
Picture alignment: Select how to align the image within the control. You can select from TopLeft, TopRight,
Center, BottomLeft, or BottomRight.
Size mode: Select how to size the image within the control. You can select from Clip, Stretch, or Zoom. Clip uses
the original image size and clips off any excess, Stretch fits the image to the size and shape of the control, and
Zoom fits the image into the control while maintaining the aspect ratio of the original image.

Line (Section Report)

In ActiveReports, the Line control allows you to draw vertical, horizontal or diagonal lines that visually separate or
highlight areas within a section on a report.

Note: If you need lines to span across report sections, please see the CrossSectionLine control.

You can use your mouse to visually move and resize the Line, or you can use the Properties window to change its
X1, X2, Y1, and Y2 properties to specify the coordinates for its starting and ending points.
Important Properties

Property Description
AnchorBottom Anchors the line to the bottom of the containing section so that the line grows along with the
section.
LineColor Gets or sets the color of the line.
LineStyle Gets or sets the pen style used to draw the line.
LineWeight Gets or sets the pen width of the line in pixels.
X1 Gets or sets the horizontal coordinate of the line's starting point.
X2 Gets or sets the horizontal coordinate of the line's end point.
Y1 Gets or sets the vertical coordinate of the line's starting point.
Y2 Gets or sets the vertical coordinate of the line's end point.

Line Dialog
With the control selected on the report, in the Commands section at the bottom of the Properties window, you can
click the Property dialog command to open the dialog.
General
Name: Enter a name for the line that is unique within the report. This name is displayed in the Document Outline
and in XML exports.
Tag: Enter a string that you want to persist with the control. If you access this property in code, it is an object,
but in the Properties window or Property dialog, it is a string.
Visible: Clear this check box to hide the control.
Appearance
Line style: Select a line style to use for the line. You can set it to Transparent, Solid, Dash, Dot, DashDot, or

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 274
DashDotDot.
Line weight: Enter the width in pixels for the line.
Line color: Select a color to use for the line.
Anchor at bottom: Select this check box to automatically change the Y2 value to the value of the bottom edge of
the containing section after it has grown to accommodate data at run time.

PageBreak
You can cause ActiveReports to break to a new page at any point within any section using the PageBreak control.
All controls placed below the PageBreak in the section render to a new page.

Tip: Another way to cause ActiveReports to break to a new page is by setting the NewPage property of a
section to Before, After, or BeforeAfter. This property is available on any section except for PageHeader and
PageFooter.

Important Properties

Property Description
Enabled Determines whether to enable the PageBreak.
Location - X Gets or sets the horizontal location of an object.
Location - Y Gets or sets the vertical location of an object.

PageBreak Dialog
With the control selected on the report, in the Commands section at the bottom of the Properties window, you can
click the Property dialog command to open the dialog.
General
Name: Enter a name for the PageBreak that is unique within the report. This name is displayed in the Document
Outline and in XML exports.
Tag: Enter a string that you want to persist with the control. If you access this property in code, it is an object,
but in the Properties window or Property dialog, it is a string.
Enabled: Select a field from the data source to bind to the control.

Barcode (Section Report)

The Barcode report control offers 39 different barcode styles to choose from. This saves you the time and
expense of finding and integrating a separate component. As with other data-bound report controls, you can
bind a barcode to data using the DataField property.
Apart from the barcode style, you can manage the alignment, color, background color, caption position, font, text,
and check whether checksum is enabled in the Properties Window. There are more properties available with the
Code49, PDF417, and QRCode barcode styles. Click the Barcode to reveal its properties in the Properties window.
All of the properties specific to this report control are also available in the Barcode dialog.
Important Properties
The following properties help you to customize the specific barcode you need for your application:

Property Description
Alignment The horizontal alignment of the caption in the control. Select from Near, Center, or Far.
See CaptionPosition for vertical alignment.
AutoSize When set to True, the barcode automatically stretches to fit the control.
BackColor Select a background fill color for the barcode.

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BarHeight Set the height, in inches, of the barcode's bars. If the bar height exceeds the height of
the control, this property is ignored.
CaptionGrouping Gets or sets a value indicating whether to add spaces between groups of characters in
the caption to make long numbers easier to read. This property is only available with
certain styles of barcode, and is ignored with other styles.
CaptionPosition The vertical alignment of the caption in the control. Select from None, Above, or Below.
See Alignment for horizontal alignment. None is selected by default, and no caption is
displayed.
CheckSumEnabled Some barcode styles require a checksum and some have an optional checksum.
CheckSumEnabled has no effect if the style already requires a check digit or if the style
does not offer a checksum option.
Code128 Code128 has three settings that work in conjunction: Dpi, BarAdjust, and ModuleSize.
This property only applies to the barcode style EANFNC1. You can improve the
readability of the barcode by setting all three properties.
Dpi sets the printer resolution. Specify the resolution of the printer as dots per
inch to create an optimized barcode image with the specified Dpi value.
BarAdjust sets the adjustment size by dot units, which affects the size of the
module and not the entire barcode.
ModuleSize sets the horizontal size of the barcode module.

Code49 Code49 options include Grouping and Group. If Grouping is set to True, any value not
expressed by a single barcode is expressed by splitting it into several barcodes, and the
Group property may be set to a number between 0 and 8. The default values are False
and 0, respectively. When the Group property is set to 2, the grouped barcode's second
symbol is created. When invalid group numbers are set, the BarCodeDataException is
thrown.
DataMatrix DataMatrix options include EccMode, Ecc200SymbolSize, Ecc200EncodingMode,
Ecc000_140SymbolSize, StructuredAppend, StructureNumber, and FileIdentifier. Select
from supplied values, or enter a number for the StructureNumber and FileIdentifier.
Font Set the font for the caption. Only takes effect if you set the CaptionPosition property to a
value other than None.
ForeColor Select a color for the barcode and caption.
GS1Composite GS1Composite Options only apply to the barcode styles RSS14Stacked and RSSLimited.
Type sets the composite symbol type.
Value sets the CCA character data.

MicroPDF417 MicroPDF417 Options only apply to the MicroPDF417 barcode style.

CompactionMode sets the type of the compaction mode. The possible values
are Auto (default), TextCompactionMode, NumericCompactionMode, or
ByteCompactionMode.
FileID sets the file id of the structured append symbol. The valid value is from
0 to 899.
SegmentCount sets the segment count of the structured append symbol. The
valid value is from 0 to 99999.
SegmentIndex sets the segment index of the structured append symbol. The
valid value is from 0 to 99998, and less than the value in Segment Count.
Version sets the symbol size.

NarrowBarWidth Also known as the X dimension, this is a value defining the width of the narrowest part
of the barcode. Before using an extremely small value for this width, ensure that the
scanner can read it. This value is specified in pixels (for example, 10 pixels).

NWRatio Also known as the N dimension, this is a value defining the multiple of the ratio between
the narrow and wide bars in symbologies that contain bars in only two widths. For
example, if it is a 3 to 1 ratio, this value is 3.
PDF417 PDF417 Options only apply to the barcode style PDF417.
Column sets column numbers for the barcode. Values for this property range
from 1 to 30. The default value is -1 which automatically determines row

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 276
numbers.
ErrorLevel sets the error correction level for the barcode. Values range
between 0 and 8. The error correction capability increases as the value
increases. With each increase in the ErrorLevel value, the size of the barcode
increases. The default value is -1 for automatic configuration.
Row sets row numbers for the barcode. Values range between 3 and 90. The
default value is -1 which automatically determine row numbers.
Type sets the barcode type to Normal or Simple. Simple is the compact type in
which the right indicator is neither displayed nor printed.

QRCode QRCode Options only apply to the barcode style QRCode.

Connection allows any value which cannot be expressed by a single barcode to
split into several barcodes. This property is used in conjunction with the
ConnectionNumber property.
ConnectionNumber Use this property with the Connection property to set the
number of barcodes it can split into. Values between 0 and 15 are valid. An
invalid number raises the BarCodeData Exception.
ErrorLevel values are L (7% restorable), M (15% restorable), Q (25%
restorable), and H (30% restorable). The higher the percentage, the larger the
barcode becomes.
Mask is used to balance brightness and offers 8 patterns in the QRCodeMask
enumeration. The default value is Auto, which sets the masking pattern
automatically, and is recommended for most uses.
Mask000 (i+j) mod 2 = 0
Mask001 i mod 2 = 0
Mask010 j mod 3 = 0
Mask011 (i+j) mod 3 = 0
Mask100 (( i div 2)+(j div 3)) mod 2 = 0
Mask101 (ij) mod 2 + (ij) mod 3 = 0
Mask110 ((ij) mod 2 +(ij) mod 3) mod 2 = 0
Mask111 ((ij)mod 3 + (i+j) mod 2) mod 2 = 0
Model sets Model1, the original model, or Model2, the extended model.
Version indicates the size of the barcode. As the value increases, the barcode's
size increases, enabling more information to be stored. Specify any value
between 1 and 14 when the Model property is set to Model1 and 1 to 40 for
Model2. The default value is -1, which automatically determines the version
most suited to the value.

QuietZone Sets an area of blank space on each side of a barcode that tells the scanner where the
symbology starts and stops. You can set separate values for the Left, Right, Top, and
Bottom.
Rotation Sets the amount of rotation to use for the barcode. You can select from None,
Rotate90Degrees, Rotate180Degrees,or Rotate270Degrees.
RssExpandedStacked Sets the number of stacked rows to use.
Style Sets the symbology used to render the barcode. See the table below for details about
each style.
SupplementOptions Sets the 2/5-digit add-ons for EAN/UPC symbologies. You can specify Text, DataField,
BarHeight, CaptionPosition, and Spacing for the supplement.
Text Sets the value to print as a barcode symbol and caption.ActiveReports fills this value
from the bound data field if the control is bound to the data source.

Limitations
Some barcode types may render incorrectly and contain white lines in the Html and RawHtml views. However, this
limitation does not affect printing and scanning. The list of barcode types that may render with white lines in the
Html and RawHtml views:
Code49
QRCode

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Pdf417
RSSExpandedStacked
RSS14Stacked
RSS14StackedOmnidirectional

Barcode Dialog
With the control selected on the report, in the Commands section at the bottom of the Properties window, you can
click the Property dialog command to open the dialog.
General
Name: Enter a name for the control that is unique within the report. This name is displayed in the Document
Outline and in XML exports.
Tag: Enter a string that you want to persist with the control. If you access this property in code, it is an object,
but in the Properties window or Property dialog, it is a string.
Visible: Clear this check box to hide the control.
DataField: Select a field from the data source to bind to the control.
Text: Enter static text to show in the textbox. If you specify a DataField value, this property is ignored.
Autosize: Clear this check box to prevent the barcode from automatically resizing to fit the control.

Caption
Location: Select a value to indicate whether and where to display a caption for the barcode. You can select from
Above, Below, or None.
Text alignment: Select a value to indicate how to align the caption text. You can select from Center, Near, or
Far.
Barcode Settings
Style: Enter the type of barcode to use. ActiveReports supports all of the most popular symbologies:
Table of all included symbologies

Notes: The RSS and QRCode styles have fixed height-to-width ratios. When you resize the width, the height
is automatically calculated.
When you choose a style that offers supplemental options, the additional options appear below.

Symbology Name Example Description

Ansi39 ANSI 3 of 9 (Code 39) uses
upper case, numbers, - , * $ / +
%. This is the default barcode
style.

Ansi39x ANSI Extended 3 of 9 (Extended

Code 39) uses the complete
ASCII character set.

Codabar Codabar uses A B C D + - : . / $

and numbers.

Code_128_A Code 128 A uses control

characters, numbers,
punctuation, and upper case.

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Code_128_B Code 128 B uses punctuation,
numbers, upper case and lower
case.

Code_128_C Code 128 C uses only numbers.

Code_128auto Code 128 Auto uses the complete

ASCII character set.
Automatically selects between
Code 128 A, B and C to give the
smallest barcode.
Code_2_of_5 Code 2 of 5 uses only numbers.

Code_93 Code 93 uses uppercase, % $ * /

, + -, and numbers.

Code25intlv Interleaved 2 of 5 uses only

numbers.

Code39 Code 39 uses numbers, % * $ /.

, - +, and upper case.

Code39x Extended Code 39 uses the

complete ASCII character set.

Code49 Code 49 is a 2D high-density

stacked barcode containing two
to eight rows of eight characters
each. Each row has a start code
and a stop code. Encodes the
complete ASCII character set.

Code93x Extended Code 93 uses the

complete ASCII character set.

DataMatrix Data Matrix is a high density,

two-dimensional barcode with
square modules arranged in a
square or rectangular matrix
pattern.

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EAN_13 EAN-13 uses only numbers (12
numbers and a check
digit). It takes only
12 numbers as a string to
calculate a check digit
(CheckSum) and add it to the
thirteenth position. The check
digit is an additional digit used to
verify that a bar code has been
scanned correctly. The check
digit is added automatically when
the CheckSumEnabled property
is set to True.
EAN_13 with the add-on code EAN-13 may include the add-on
code to the right of the main
code. The add-on code may
include up to 5 supplemental
characters.

EAN_8 EAN-8 uses only numbers (7

numbers and a check digit).

EAN128FNC1 EAN-128 is an alphanumeric one-

dimensional representation of
Application Identifier (AI) data
for marking containers in the
shipping industry.
This type of bar code contains
the following sections:
Leading quiet zone
(blank area)
Code 128 start
character
FNC (function) 1
character which allows
scanners to identify
this as an EAN-128
barcode
Data (AI plus data
field)
Symbol check
character (Start code
value plus product of
each character position
plus value of each
character divided by
103. The checksum is
the remainder value.)
Stop character
Trailing quiet zone
(blank area)
The AI in the Data section sets
the type of the data to follow
(i.e. ID, dates, quantity,
measurements, etc.). There is a
specific data structure for each
type of data. This AI is what
distinguishes the EAN-128 code
from Code 128.
Multiple AIs (along with their

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 280
data) can be combined into a
single bar code.
EAN128FNC1 is a UCC/EAN-128
(EAN128) type barcode that
allows you to insert FNC1
character at any place and adjust
the bar size, etc., which is not
available in UCC/EAN-128.
To insert FNC1 character, set
“\n” for C#, or “vbLf” for VB to
Text property at runtime.

IntelligentMail Intelligent Mail, formerly known

as the 4-State Customer
Barcode, is a 65-bar code used
for domestic mail in the U.S.

JapanesePostal This is the barcode used by the

Japanese Postal system. Encodes
alpha and numeric characters
consisting of 18 digits including a
7-digit postal code number,
optionally followed by block and
house number information. The
data to be encoded can include
hyphens.
Matrix_2_of_5 Matrix 2 of 5 is a higher density
barcode consisting of 3 black
bars and 2 white bars.

MicroPDF417 MicroPDF417 is two-dimensional

(2D), multi-row symbology,
derived from PDF417. Micro-
PDF417 is designed for
applications that need to encode
data in a two-dimensional (2D)
symbol (up to 150 bytes, 250
alphanumeric characters, or 366
numeric digits) with the minimal
symbol size.
MicroPDF417 allows you to insert
an FNC1 character as a field
separator for variable length
Application Identifiers (AIs).
To insert FNC1 character, set
“\n” for C#, or “vbLf” for VB to
Text property at runtime.

MSI MSI Code uses only numbers.

Pdf417 Pdf417 is a popular high-density

2-dimensional symbology that
encodes up to 1108 bytes of
information. This barcode
consists of a stacked set of
smaller barcodes. Encodes the
full ASCII character set. It has
ten error correction levels

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and three data compaction
modes: Text, Byte, and Numeric.
This symbology can encode up
to 1,850 alphanumeric characters
or 2,710 numeric characters.
PostNet PostNet uses only numbers with
a check digit.

QRCode QRCode is a 2D symbology that

is capable of handling numeric,
alphanumeric and byte data as
well as Japanese kanji and kana
characters. This symbology can
encode up to 7,366 characters.

RM4SCC Royal Mail RM4SCC uses only

letters and numbers (with a
check digit). This is the barcode
used by the Royal Mail in the
United Kingdom.
RSS14 RSS14 is a 14-digit Reduced
Space Symbology that uses
EAN.UCC item identification for
point-of-sale omnidirectional
scanning.
RSS14Stacked RSS14Stacked uses the EAN.UCC
information with Indicator digits
as in the RSS14Truncated, but
stacked in two rows for a smaller
width.
RSS14Stacked allows you to set
Composite Options, where you
can select the type of the
barcode in the Type drop-down
list and the value of the
composite barcode in the Value
field.
RSS14Stacked CCA RSS14Stacked with Composite
Component - Version A.

RSS14StackedOmnidirectional RSS14StackedOmnidirectional
uses the EAN.UCC information
with omnidirectional scanning as
in the RSS14, but stacked in two
rows for a smaller width.

RSS14Truncated RSS14Truncated uses the

EAN.UCC information as in the
RSS14, but also includes

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 282
Indicator digits of zero or one for
use on small items not scanned
at the point of sale.
RSSExpanded RSSExpanded uses the EAN.UCC
information as in the RSS14, but
also adds AI elements such as
weight and best-before dates.
RSSExpanded allows you to
insert an FNC1 character as a
field separator for variable length
Application Identifiers (AIs).
To insert FNC1 character, set
“\n” for C#, or “vbLf” for VB to
Text property at runtime.

RSSExpandedStacked RSSExpandedStacked uses the

EAN.UCC information with AI
elements as in the RSSExpanded,
but stacked in two rows for a
smaller width.
RSSExpandedStacked allows you
to insert an FNC1 character as a
field separator for variable length
Application Identifiers (AIs).
To insert FNC1 character, set
“\n” for C#, or “vbLf” for VB to
Text property at runtime.

RSSLimited RSS Limited uses the EAN.UCC

information as in the RSS14, but
also includes Indicator digits of
zero or one for use on small
items not scanned at the point of
sale.
RSSLimited allows you to set
Composite Options, where you
can select the type of the
barcode in the Type drop-down
list and the value of the
composite barcode in the Value
field.
RSSLimited CCA RSS Limited with Composite
Component - Version A.

UCCEAN128 UCC/EAN –128 uses the

complete ASCII character
Set. This is a special version of
Code 128 used in HIBC
applications.
UPC_A UPC-A uses only numbers (11
numbers and a check digit).

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UPC_A with the add-on code UPC_A may include the add-on
code to the right of the main
code. The add-on code may
include up to 5 supplemental
characters.

UPC_E0 UPC-E0 uses only numbers.

Used for zero-compression UPC
symbols. For the Caption
property, you may enter either a
six-digit UPC-E code or a
complete 11-digit (includes code
type, which must be zero) UPC-A
code. If an 11-digit code is
entered, the Barcode control will
convert it to a six-digit UPC-E
code, if possible. If it is not
possible to convert from the 11-
digit code to the six-digit code,
nothing is displayed.
UPC_E0 with the add-on code UPC_E0 may include the add-on
code to the right of the main
code. The add-on code may
include up to 5 supplemental
characters.

UPC_E1 UPC-E1 uses only numbers.

Used typically for shelf labeling in
the retail environment. The
length of the input string for
U.P.C. E1 is six numeric
characters.
UPC_E1 with the add-on code UPC_E1 may include the add-on
code to the right of the main
code. The add-on code may
include up to 5 supplemental
characters.

Bar Height: Enter a value in inches (for example, .25in) for the height of the barcode.
Narrow Bar Width (also known as X dimension): Enter a value in points (for example, 0.8pt) for the width of the
narrowest part of the barcode. Before using an extremely small value for this width, ensure that the scanner can
read it.

Tip: For accurate scanning, the quiet zone should be ten times the Narrow Bar Width value.

Narrow Width Bar Ratio: Enter a value to define the multiple of the ratio between the narrow and wide bars in
symbologies that contain bars in only two widths. For example, if it is a 3 to 1 ratio, this value is 3. Commonly
used values are 2, 2.5, 2.75, and 3.

Quiet Zone
A quiet zone is an area of blank space on either side of a barcode that tells the scanner where the
symbology starts and stops.
Left: Enter a size in inches of blank space to leave to the left of the barcode.
Right: Enter a size in inches of blank space to leave to the right of the barcode.
Top: Enter a size in inches of blank space to leave at the top of the barcode.
Bottom: Enter a size in inches of blank space to leave at the bottom of the barcode.

Note: The units of measure listed for all of these properties are the default units of measure used if
you do not specify. You may also specify cm, mm, in, pt, or pc.

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Checksum
A checksum provides greater accuracy for many barcode symbologies.
Compute Checksum: Select whether to automatically calculate a checksum for the barcode.

Note: If the symbology you choose requires a checksum, setting this value to False has no effect.

Code49 Options
Code49 Options are available for the Code49 barcode style.
Use Grouping: Indicates whether to use grouping for the Code49 barcode. The possible values are True
or False.
Group Number: Enter a number between 0 and 8 for the barcode grouping.

DataMatrix Options
DataMatrix Options are available for the DataMatrix barcode style.
EccMode: Select the Ecc mode from the drop-down list. The possible values are ECC000, ECC050,
ECC080, ECC100, ECC140 or ECC200.
Ecc200 Symbol Size: Select the size of the ECC200 symbol from the drop-down list. The default value is
SquareAuto.
Ecc200 Encoding Mode: Select the encoding mode for ECC200 from the drop-down list. The possible
values are Auto, ASCII, C40, Text, X12, EDIFACT or Base256.
Ecc000_140 Symbol Size: Select the size of the ECC000_140 barcode symbol from the drop-down list.
Structured Append: Select whether the barcode symbol is part of the structured append symbols. The
possible values are True or False.
Structure Number: Enter the structure number of the barcode symbol within the structured append
symbols.
File Identifier: Enter the file identifier of a related group of the structured append symbols. If you set the
value to 0, the file identifier symbols are calculated automatically.\
Encoding: Select the barcode encoding from the drop-down list.

EAN Supplementary Options

EAN Supplementary Options are available for the EAN_13 and EAN_8 barcode styles.
Supplement DataField: Select the data field for the barcode supplement.
Supplement Value: Enter the expression to set the value of the barcode supplement.
Caption Location: Select the location for the supplement caption from the drop-down list. The possible
values are None, Above or Below.
Supplement Bar Height: Enter the bar height for the barcode supplement.
Supplement Spacing: Enter the spacing between the main and the supplement barcodes.

EAN128FNC1 Options
EAN128FNC1 Options are available for the EAN128FNC1 barcode style.
DPI: Specify the printer resolution.
Module Size: Enter the horizontal size of the barcode module.
Bar Adjust: Enter the adjustment size by dot units, which affects the size of the module and not the entire
barcode.

GS1Composite Options

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GS1Composite Options are available for the RSS14Stacked and RSSLimited barcode styles.
Type: Select the type of the composite barcode from the drop-down list. The possible values are None or
CCA. CCA (Composite Component - Version A) is the smallest variant of the 2-dimensional composite
component.
Value: Enter the expression to set the value of the composite barcode.

MicroPDF417 Options
MicroPDF417 Options are available for the MicroPDF417 barcode style.
Compaction Mode: Select the type of the compaction mode from the drop-down list. The possible values
are Auto, TextCompactionMode, NumericCompactionMode, or ByteCompactionMode.
Version: Select the version from the drop-down box to set the symbol size.
Segment Index: The segment index of the structured append symbol. The valid value is from 0 to 99998,
and less than the value in Segment Count.
Segment Count: The segment count of the structured append symbol. The valid value is from 0 to 99999.
File ID: The file id of the structured append symbol. The valid value is from 0 to 899.

PDF417 Options
PDF417 Options are available for the Pdf417 barcode style.
Columns: Enter column numbers for the barcode.
Rows: Enter row numbers for the barcode.
Error Correction Level: Enter the error correction level for the barcode.
PDF 417 Barcode Type: Select the PDF417 barcode type form the drop-down list. The possible values are
Normal or Simple.

QRCode Options
QRCode Options are available for the QRCode barcode style.
Model: Select the model for the QRCode barcode style from the drop-down list. The possible values
are Model1 or Model2.
ErrorLevel: Select the error correction level for the barcode from the drop-down list. The possible values
are M, L, H or Q.
Version: Enter the version of the QRCode barcode style.
Mask: Select the pattern for the barcode masking form the drop-down list.
Use Connection: Select whether to use the connection for the barcode. The possible values are True or
False.
ConnectionNumber: Enter the connection number for the barcode.
Encoding: Select the barcode encoding from the drop-down list.

RssExpandedStacked Options
RssExpandedStacked Options are available for the RSSExpandedStacked barcode style.
Row Count: Enter the number of the barcode stacked rows.

UPC Supplementary Options

UPC Supplementary Options are available for the UPC_A, UPC_E0 and UPC_E1 barcode styles.
Supplement DataField: Select the data field for the barcode supplement.
Supplement Value: Enter the expression to set the value of the barcode supplement.
Caption Location: Select the location for the supplement caption from the drop-down list. The possible

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 286
values are None, Above or Below.
Supplement Bar Height: Enter the bar height for the barcode supplement.
Supplement Spacing: Enter the spacing between the main and supplement barcodes.
Appearance
Fore color: Select a color to use for the bars in the barcode.
Background color: Select a color to use for the background of the control.
Rotation: Select a value indicating the degree of rotation to apply to the barcode. You can select from None,
Rotate90Degrees, Rotate180Degrees, or Rotate270Degrees.
Font
Name: Select a font family name to use for the caption.
Size: Choose the size in points for the font.
Style: Choose from Normal or Italic.
Weight: Choose from Normal or Bold.
Decoration: Select check boxes for Underline and Strikeout.
GDI Charset: Enter a value to indicate the GDI character set to use. For a list of valid values, see MSDN
Font.GDICharSet Property.
GDI Vertical: Select this checkbox to indicate that the font is derived from a GDI vertical font.

SubReport (Section Report)

In section reports, you can use the SubReport control to embed a report into another report. Once you place the
Subreport control on a report, use code to create an instance of the report you want to load in it, and to attach the
report object to the SubReport.
You can also pass parameters to the subreport from the main report so that data related to the main report
displays in each instance of the subreport.

When to use a subreport

Due to the high overhead of running a second report and embedding it in the first, it is generally best to consider
whether you need to use subreports. Some good reasons to use subreports include:
Multiple data sources
Multiple detail sections
Side-by-side charts or tables

Remove page-dependent features from reports to be used as subreports

Subreports are disconnected from any concept of a printed page because they render inside the main report. For
this reason, page-dependent features are not supported for use in subreports. Keep any such logic in the main
report. Page-related concepts that are not supported in subreports include:
Page numbers
Page header and footer sections (delete these sections to save processing time)
KeepTogether properties
GroupKeepTogether properties
NewPage properties

Coding best practices

Use the ReportStart event of the main report to create an instance of the report for your SubReport control,
and then dispose of it in the ReportEnd event. This way, you are creating only one subreport instance when you
run the main report.
In the Format event of the containing section, use the Report property of the SubReport control to attach a

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report object to the SubReport control.

Caution: It is not a recommended practice to initialize the subreport in the Format event. Doing so creates
a new instance of the subreport each time the section processes. This consumes a lot of memory and
processing time, especially in a report that processes a large amount of data.

Important Properties

Property Description
CanGrow Determines whether ActiveReports increases the height of the control based on its content.
CanShrink Determines whether ActiveReports decreases the height of the control based on its value.

CloseBorder By default, the bottom border of the control does not render until the end of the subreport. Set
this property to True to have it render at the bottom of each page. (Only available in code.)
Report Attaches a report object to the control. (Only available in code.)

SubReport Dialog
With the control selected on the report, in the Commands section at the bottom of the Properties window, you can
click the Property dialog command to open the dialog.
General
Name: Enter a name for the SubReport that is unique within the report. This name is displayed in the Document
Outline and in XML exports.
Tag: Enter a string that you want to persist with the control. If you access this property in code, it is an object,
but in the Properties window or Property dialog, it is a string.
Visible: Clear this check box to hide the control.
ReportName: This property is not used by ActiveReports, but you can use it to store the path or relative path
to an RPX report file that you want to load into a generic report instance in code.
Format

SubReport Height
Can increase to accommodate contents: Clear this check box to set CanGrow to False.
Can decrease to accommodate contents: Clear this check box to set CanShrink to False.

OleObject
The OleObject control is hidden from the toolbox by default, and is only retained for backward compatibility. You
can enable the OleObject control in the Visual Studio toolbox only.
To enable the control in the Visual Studio toolbox, you must change the EnableOleObject property to true. This
property can be found here: C:\Program Files\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9\Grapecity.ActiveReports.config
Once enabled, you can add the OleObject control to reports. When you drop the control onto your report, the
Insert Object dialog appears. This dialog allows you to create a new object or select one from an existing file.

Note: When you deploy reports that use the OleObject, you must also deploy the
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Interop.v9.dll, or for 64-bit machines, the GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Interop64.v9.dll.

Caution: The WPF Viewer does not support the OLE object. If you preview a report containing the OLE
object in the WPF Viewer, the OLE object will not be displayed.

Important Properties
Property Description

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PictureAlignment Gets or sets the position of the object's content within the control area.
Class Specifies the class name of the Ole object.
SizeMode Gets or sets a value that determines how the object is sized to fit the OleObject control area.

Insert Object Dialog

The Insert Object dialog provides the following two options:
Create New lets you select from a list of object types that you can insert into your report.
Object Types

Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Equation 3.0 Presentation
Microsoft Excel 97-2003 Worksheet Microsoft PowerPoint Slide
Microsoft excel Binary Worksheet Microsoft Word 97-2003
Document
Microsoft Excel Chart
Microsoft Word Document
Microsoft Excel Macro-Enabled Worksheet
Microsoft Macro-Enabled
Microsoft Excel Worksheet
Document
Microsoft Graph Chart
OpenDocument Presentation
Microsoft PowerPoint 97-2003 Presentation
OpenDocument Spreadsheet
Microsoft PowerPoint 97-2003 Slide
OpenDocument Text
Microsoft PowerPoint Macro-Enabled
Package
Presentation
Paintbrush Picture
Microsoft PowerPoint Macro-Enabled Slide
Wordpad Document

Create from File allows you to insert the contents of the file as an object into your document so that
you can display it while printing.

ChartControl
In ActiveReports, you can use the ChartControl to present data graphically in a report. The chart offers you 17
core chart types along with all of their variations, plus access to properties that control every aspect of your chart's
appearance.
The ChartControl presents a series of points in different ways depending upon the chart type you choose. Some
chart types display multiple series of data points in a single chart. Add more information to your chart by
configuring data points, axes, titles, and labels. You can modify all of these elements in the Properties Window.
When you first drop a ChartControl onto a report, the Chart Wizard appears, and you can set up your chart type,
appearance, series, titles, axes, and legend on the pages of the wizard. You can specify a data source on
the Series page.
Important Properties

Property Description
BlackAndWhiteMode Gets or sets a value indicating whether the chart is drawn in black and white using hatch
patterns and line dashing to designate colors.
AutoRefresh Gets or sets a value indicating whether the chart is automatically refreshed (redrawn)
after every property change.
Backdrop Gets or sets the chart's background style.
ChartAreas Opens the ChartArea Collection Editor where you can set properties such as axes and wall
ranges, and you can add more chart areas.
ChartBorder Gets or sets the chart's border style.
ColorPalette Gets or sets the chart's color palette.
DataSource Gets or sets the data source for the chart.

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GridLayout Gets or sets the layout of the chart's areas in columns and rows.
Legends Opens the Legend Collection Editor where you can set up the chart's legends.
Series Opens the Series Collection Editor where you can set up the series collection for the chart.
Titles Opens the Titles Collection Editor where you can set up titles in the header and footer of
the chart.
UIOptions Gets or sets user interface features for the chart. Choose from None, ContextCustomize,
UseCustomTooltips, or ForceHitTesting.
Culture Gets or sets the chart's culture used for value output formatting.
ImageType Sets or returns the image generated by the chart. Choose from Metafile or PNG.

Chart Commands and Dialogs

With the control selected on the report, in the Commands section at the bottom of the Properties window, you can
click any of the commands to open a dialog. Commands in this section include:
Clear Chart clears all of the property settings from the chart so that you can begin with a clean slate.
You are given an opportunity to cancel this action.
Load allows you to load a saved XML file containing a chart that you created using the ChartControl.
Save As allows you to save the current chart to an XML file that you can load into a ChartControl on any
section report.
Customize opens the main Chart Designer dialog where you can access Chart Areas, Titles, Series,
Legends, and Appearance tabs. This dialog has access to more of the customizable areas than the
wizard, but all of the properties in this dialog are also available in the Properties window.
Wizard reopens the Chart Wizard that appears by default when you first drop a ChartControl onto a
report.
Data Source opens the Chart Data Source dialog where you can build a connection string and create a
query.

Chart Elements
The ActiveReports ChartControl elements help you to easily analyze the visual information and interpret numerical
and relational data. The following image illustrates the elements that make up the ActiveReports ChartControl.

Axis Label
A label along an axis that lets you label the units being shown.
Axis Title
The axis title allows you to provide a title for the information being shown on the axis.
Chart Backdrop
The chart backdrop is the background for the whole chart that is created. You can create your own backdrop using
the different styles and colors available or you can use an image as a backdrop for your chart.
Chart Title
The chart title serves as the title for the chart control.
Footer Title
The footer title allows you to add a secondar title for the chart control along the bottom.
Grid Line

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Grid lines can occur on horizontal and vertical axes and normally correlate to the major or minor tick marks for the
axes.
Legend
The legend serves as a key to the specific colors or patterns being used to show series values in the chart.
Marker
The marker is used to annotate a specific plotted point in a data series.
Marker Label
The marker label allows you to display the value of a specific plotted point in a data series.
Major Tick
Major tick marks can occur on horizontal and vertical axes and normally correlate to the major gridlines for the
axes.
Minor Tick
Minor tick marks can occur on horizontal and vertical axes and normally correlate to the minor gridlines for the
axes.
Series
The series is a related group of data values that are plotted on the chart. Each plotted point is a data point that
reflects the specific values charted. Most charts, such as the above bar chart, can contain more than one series,
while others, such as a pie chart, can contain only one.
Wall Backdrop
The wall is the back section of the chart on which data is plotted.

Chart Wizard
The ChartControl features a Chart Wizard which takes you through the basic steps of creating a chart. The Chart
Wizard automatically appears when you first add a chart control to a report. If you prefer not to have the
wizard appear automatically, clear the Auto Run Wizard checkbox at the bottom of the wizard.
The Chart Wizard has the following pages:
Chart Type
In the Chart Wizard that appears, the Chart Type page displays all available 2D and 3D chart types, along with a
preview of the selected chart to the right. You can select the type of chart that you want to create and change the
axes by selecting the Swap Axes checkbox. If you are using a 3D chart, you can also change the projection and
light settings.

Note: See ChartType ('ChartType Enumeration' in the on-line documentation) for more information.

Appearance
The Appearance page has two tabs. The Palette tab allows you to select a color scheme. The Appearance
tab allows you to select individual elements in the chart preview, such as its title, footer, legend, legend title,
backdrop, and the chart itself and select appearance settings for them.
Series
The Series page has two tabs. The Series Settings tab allows you to set the data source for the chart and bind
data fields to X and Y values for each series in the chart, and to add and remove chart series. You can even set
different chart types for each series. The Data Points tab allows you to set static data values when you choose
not to bind the X and Y values to data fields.
Title
The Title Page helps you to set properties for the header and footer titles. You can change the title text, font size
and color, border settings, background color and visibility.
Axes
The Axes page has two tabs, one for Axis X and the other for Axis Y. On these tabs, you can enter titles for the
axes and set the font size and other font properties. This page also allows you to add and format labels, add tick
marks and grid lines, and select whether to show the axis inside or outside the chart area.

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Legend
The Legend page allows you to set up the appearance of the legend. You can change its visibility, label
appearance, header and footer text and appearance, layout, and location within the chart. You can also place the
legend inside the chart by checking the Legend inside check box in the Position section.

Chart Types (Section Reports)

These topics introduce you to the different Chart Types you can create with the Chart control.

Area Chart
Area2D, StackedArea, StackedArea100Pct, and Area3D
Bar Chart
Bar2D and Bar3D
Line Chart
Bezier, Line, LineXY and Line3D
Pie and Doughnut Charts
Doughnut/Pie and Doughnut3D/Pie
Financial Chart
Candle, HiLo, Renko, Point and Figure, Kagi, Stock, StockOpenClose, and Three Line Break
Point and Bubble Charts
Bubble, BubbleXY, Scatter, and PlotXY

Area Chart
The Area Chart displays quantitive data and is based on the Line chart. In Area charts, the space between axis
and line are commonly emphasized with colors, textures and hatchings.

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2D Area Charts
This section describes 2D charts that fall under the Area Chart category.
3D Area Charts
This section describes 3D charts that fall under the Area Chart category.

2D Area Charts
Given below is the list of 2D charts that fall under the Area Chart category:
Area Chart
An area chart is used to compare trends over a period of time or across categories.

Chart Information

ChartType Area2D
Number of Y values per data 1
point
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point
Custom Properties None

Stacked Area Chart

A stacked area chart is an area chart with two or more data series stacked one on top of the other. Use this chart
to show how each value contributes to a total.

Chart Information

ChartType Area2D
Number of Y values per data 1
point
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point
Custom Properties None

Stacked Area 100% Chart

A stacked area chart (100%) is an 100% area chart with two or more data series stacked one on top of the other.
Use this chart to show how each value contributes to a total.

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Chart Information

ChartType Area2D
Number of Y values per data 1
point
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point
Custom Properties None

3D Area Charts
Given below is the list of 3D charts that fall under the Area Chart category:
Area Chart
Use a 3D area chart to compare trends in two or more data series over a period of time or in specific categories, so
that data can be viewed side by side.

Note: To view a chart in 3D, in the ChartAreas property open the ChartArea Collection Editor and set
the ProjectionType property to Orthogonal.

Chart Information
ChartType Area3D
Number of Y values 1
per data point
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point
Custom Properties The LineBackdrop property gets or sets the
backdrop information for the 3D line.
The Thickness property gets or sets the thickness of
the 3D line.
The Width property gets or sets the width of the 3D
line.

Below is an example of how to set the custom chart properties at run time for a 3D area chart as shown for the
first series in the image above.
Visual Basic

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Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("LineBackdrop") = New
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Backdrop(Color.Red, CType(150, Byte))
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("Thickness") = 5.0F
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("Width") = 30.0F

C#
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["LineBackdrop"] = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Backdrop(System.Drawing.Color.Red,
((System.Byte)(150)));
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["Thickness"] = 5f;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["Width"] = 30f;

Stacked Area Chart

3D stacked area chart displays stacked area chart in 3D.

Chart Information

ChartType Area3D
Number of Y values per data 1
point
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point
Custom Properties The Width property gets or sets the width of the 3D stacked area.

Stacked Area 100%

3D stacked area chart (100%) displays stacked area chart in 3D (100%).

Chart Information
ChartType Area3D
Number of Y values per data 1
point
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support 3
Custom Properties The Width property gets or sets the width of the 3D stacked area.

Bar Chart
The Bar Chart is a chart with rectangular bars where the lengths of bars are proportional to the values they
represent. The bars can be plotted vertically or horizontally.
2D Bar Charts
This section describes 2D charts that fall under the Bar Chart category.
3D Bar Charts
This section describes 3D charts that fall under the Bar Chart category.

2D Bar Charts
Given below is the list of 2D charts that falls under the Bar Chart category.
Bar Chart
In a Bar Chart, values are represented by the height of the bar shaped marker as measured by the y-axis.
Category labels are displayed on the x-axis. Use a bar chart to compare values of items across categories.

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Chart Information

ChartType Bar2D
Number of Y values per data 1
point
Number of series 1 or more
Marker support Series or Data Point
Custom Properties The Gap property gets or sets the space between the bars of each X axis
value.

Below is an example of how to set the custom chart properties at run time for a bar chart.
Visual Basic
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("Gap") = 50.0F

C#
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["Gap"] = 50f;

Gantt Chart
The Gantt chart is a project management tool used to chart the progress of individual project tasks. The chart
compares project task completion to the task schedule.

Caution: In a Gantt chart, the X and Y axes are reversed. AxisX is vertical and AxisY is horizontal.

Chart Information

ChartType Bar2D
Number of Y values per data 2
point
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point
Custom Properties The Gap property gets or sets the space between the bars of each X axis
value.

Below is an example of how to set the custom chart properties at run time for a Gantt chart.
Visual Basic

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Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("Gap") = 50.0F

C#
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["Gap"] = 50f;

Horizontal Bar Chart

In a Horizontal Bar Chart, both the axes are swapped and therefore the bars appears horizontally. Although,
values are represented by the height of the bar shaped marker as measured by the y-axis and the Category labels
are displayed on the x-axis. Use a horizontal bar chart to compare values of items across categories.

Chart Information
ChartType Bar2D
Number of Y values per data 1
point
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point
Custom Properties The Gap property gets or sets the space between the bars of each X axis
value.

Below is an example of how to set the custom chart properties at run time for a horizontal bar chart.
Visual Basic
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties（"Gap") = 65.0F

C#
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["Gap"] = 65f；

Stacked Bar Chart

A stacked bar chart is a bar chart with two or more data series stacked one on top of the other. Use this chart to
show how each value contributes to a total.

Chart Information
ChartType Bar2D
Number of Y values per data 1
point
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point

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Custom Properties The Gap property gets or sets the space between the bars of each X axis
value.

Below is an example of how to set the custom chart properties at run time for a StackedBar chart.

Visual Basic
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("Gap") = 100.0F

C#
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["Gap"] = 100f;

Stacked Bar Chart 100%

A StackedBar100Pct chart is a bar chart with two or more data series stacked one on top of the other to sum up to
100%. Use this chart to show how each value contributes to a total with the relative size of each series
representing its contribution to the total.

Chart Information
ChartType Bar2D
Number of Y values per data 1
point
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point
Custom Properties The Gap property gets or sets the space between the bars of each X axis
value

Below is an example of how to set the custom chart properties at run time for a StackedBar100Pct chart.
Visual Basic
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("Gap") = 100.0F

C#
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["Gap"] = 100f;

3D Bar Charts
Given below is the list of 3D charts that fall under the Bar Chart category.

Caution: To view a chart in 3D, open the ChartArea Collection Editor in the ChartAreas property and set
the ProjectionType property to Orthogonal.

Bar Chart
In a Bar Chart, values are represented by the height of the bar shaped marker as measured by the y-axis. Category
labels are displayed on the x-axis. Use a 3D bar chart to compare values of items across categories, allowing the data
to be viewed in a convenient 3D format.

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Chart Information
ChartType Bar3D
Number of Y values per data 1
point
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point
Custom Properties The BarTopPercent property gets or sets the percentage of the top of the bar
that is shown for Cone or Custom BarTypes.
The BarType property gets or sets the type of bars that is displayed.Use
BarType enumeration value.
The Gap property gets or sets the space between the bars of each X axis value.
The RotationAngle propertygets or sets the starting horizontal angle for
custom 3D bar shapes. Can only be used with the Custom BarType.
The VertexNumber property gets or sets the number of vertices for the data
point, used to create custom 3D bar shapes. Can only be used with the Custom
BarType. Bars must contain 3 or more vertices.

Gantt Chart
The 3D gantt chart displays a gantt chart in 3D.

Caution: In a 3D Gantt chart the X and Y axes are reversed. AxisX is vertical and AxisY is horizontal.

Chart Information

ChartType Bar3D
Number of Y values per data 2
point
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point
Custom Properties The BarTopPercent property gets or sets the percentage of the top of the bar
that is shown for Cone or Custom BarTypes.
The BarType property gets or sets the type of bars that are displayed. Use
BarType enumeration value.
The Gap property gets or sets the space between the bars of each X axis value.
The VertexNumber property gets or sets the number of vertices for the data
point, used to create custom 3D bar shapes. Can only be used with the Custom
BarType. Bars must contain 3 or more vertices.

Horizontal Bar Chart

In a Horizontal Bar Chart, both the axes are swapped and therefore the bars appears horizontally. Although, values
are represented by the height of the bar shaped marker as measured by the y-axis and the Category labels are
displayed on the x-axis. Use a horizontal 3D bar chart to compare values of items across categories, allowing the data
to be viewed in a convenient 3D format.

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Chart Information

ChartType Bar3D
Number of Y values per data 1
point
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point
Custom Properties The BarTopPercent property gets or sets the percentage of the top of the bar
that is shown for Cone or Custom BarTypes.
The BarType propertygets or sets the type of bars that is displayed. Use
BarType enumeration value.
The Gap property gets or sets the space between the bars of each X axis value.
The RotationAngle property gets or sets the starting horizontal angle for
custom 3D bar shapes. Can only be used with the Custom BarType.
The VertexNumber property gets or sets the number of vertices for the data
point, used to create custom 3D bar shapes. Can only be used with the Custom
BarType. Bars must contain 3 or more vertices.

Below is an example of how to set the custom chart properties at run time for a horizontal 3D bar chart as shown
above.
Visual Basic
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("BarTopPercent") = 80.0F
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("BarType") =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.BarType.Custom
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("Gap") = 65.0F
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("PointBarDepth") = 100.0F
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("RotationAngle") = 0.0F
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("VertexNumber") = 6

C#
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["BarTopPercent"] = 80f;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["BarType"] =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.BarType.Custom;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["Gap"] = 65f;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["PointBarDepth"] = 100.0f;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["RotationAngle"] = 0f;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["VertexNumber"] = 6;

Stacked Bar Chart

Use a 3D bar graph to compare values of items across categories, allowing the data to be viewed conveniently in a
3D format. A stacked bar graph is a bar graph with two or more data series stacked on top of each other. Use this
graph to show how each value contributes to a total.

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Chart Information
ChartType Bar3D
Number of Y values per data 1
point
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point
Custom Properties The BarTopPercent property gets or sets the percentage of the top of the bar
that is shown for Cone or Custom BarTypes.
The BarType property gets or sets the type of bars that are displayed. Use
BarType enumeration value.
The Gap property gets or sets the space between the bars of each X axis value.
The VertexNumber property gets or sets the number of vertices for the data
point, used to create custom 3D bar shapes. Can only be used with the Custom
BarType. Bars must contain 3 or more vertices.

Below is an example of how to set the custom chart properties at run time for a StackedBar3D chart.
Visual Basic
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("BarTopPercent") = 80.0F
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("BarType") =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.BarType.Custom
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("Gap") = 65.0F
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("VertexNumber") = 6

C#
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["BarTopPercent"] = 100f;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["BarType"] =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.BarType.Custom;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["Gap"] = 65f;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["VertexNumber"] = 6

Stacked Bar Chart 100%

A Stacked Bar 3D 100% chart is a bar chart with two or more data series in 3D stacked one on top of the other to
sum up to 100%. Use this chart to show how each value contributes to a total with the relative size of each series
representing its contribution to the total.

Chart Information
ChartType Bar3D
Number of Y values per data 1
point

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 301
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point
Custom Properties The BarTopPercent property gets or sets the percentage of the top of the bar
that is shown for Cone or Custom BarTypes.
The BarType property gets or sets the type of bars that are displayed. Use
BarType enumeration value.
The Gap property gets or sets the space between the bars of each X axis value.
The VertexNumber property gets or sets the number of vertices for the data
point, used to create custom 3D bar shapes. Can only be used with the Custom
BarType. Bars must contain 3 or more vertices.

Below is an example of how to set the custom chart properties at run time for a StackedBar3D100Pct chart.

Visual Basic
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("BarTopPercent") = 80.0F
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("BarType") =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.BarType.Custom
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("Gap") = 65.0F
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("VertexNumber") = 6

C#
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["BarTopPercent"] = 100f;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["BarType"] =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.BarType.Custom;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["Gap"] = 65f;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["VertexNumber"] = 6

Bar/Cylinder Chart
It is almost similar to a bar chart and values are represented by the height of the bar shaped marker as measured by
the y-axis. Category labels are displayed on the x-axis. The only difference is that in a Bar/Cylinder Chart the data is
represented through cylindrical shaped markers.

Chart Information

ChartType Bar3D
Number of Y values per data 1
point
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point
Custom Properties The BarTopPercent property gets or sets the percentage of the top of the bar
that is shown for Cone or Custom BarTypes.
The BarType property gets or sets the type of bars that is displayed. Use
BarType enumeration value.
The Gap property gets or sets the space between the bars of each X axis value.
The RotationAngle property gets or sets the starting horizontal angle for
custom 3D bar shapes. Can only be used with the Custom BarType.
The VertexNumber property gets or sets the number of vertices for the data
point, used to create custom 3D bar shapes. Can only be used with the Custom
BarType. Bars must contain 3 or more vertices.

Bar/Pyramid Chart
In a Bar/Pyramid Chart the data is represented through pyramid shaped bars and values are represented by the
height of the bars as measured by the y-axis. Category labels are displayed on the x-axis.

Chart Information

ChartType Bar3D

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 302
Number of Y values per data 1
point
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point
Custom Properties The BarTopPercent property gets or sets the percentage of the top of the bar
that is shown for Cone or Custom BarTypes.
The BarType property gets or sets the type of bars that is displayed. Use
BarType enumeration value.
The Gap property gets or sets the space between the bars of each X axis value.
The RotationAngle property gets or sets the starting horizontal angle for
custom 3D bar shapes. Can only be used with the Custom BarType.
The VertexNumber property gets or sets the number of vertices for the data
point, used to create custom 3D bar shapes. Can only be used with the Custom
BarType. Bars must contain 3 or more vertices.

Clustered Bar chart

Use a 3D clustered bar chart to compare values of items across categories, allowing the data to be viewed in a
convenient 3D format.

Chart Information
ChartType Bar3D
Number of Y values per data 1
point
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point
Custom Properties The BarTopPercent property gets or sets the percentage of the top of the bar
that is shown for Cone or Custom BarTypes.
The BarType property gets or sets the type of bars that are displayed. Use
BarType enumeration value.
The Gap property gets or sets the space between the bars of each X axis value.
The RotationAngle property gets or sets the starting horizontal angle for
custom 3D bar shapes. Can only be used with the Custom BarType.
The VertexNumber property gets or sets the number of vertices for the data
point, used to create custom 3D bar shapes. Can only be used with the Custom
BarType. Bars must contain 3 or more vertices.

Below is an example of how to set the custom chart properties at run time for a 3D clustered bar chart as shown
above.
Visual Basic
' set the custom properties for series 1.
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("BarTopPercent") = 50.0F
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("BarType") =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.BarType.Custom
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("Gap") = 300.0F
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("RotationAngle") = 0.0F
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("VertexNumber") = 6

' set the custom properties for series 2.

Me.ChartControl1.Series(1).Properties("BarTopPercent") = 20.0F
Me.ChartControl1.Series(1).Properties("BarType") =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.BarType.Custom

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 303
Me.ChartControl1.Series(1).Properties("Gap") = 300.0F
Me.ChartControl1.Series(1).Properties("RotationAngle") = 90.0F
Me.ChartControl1.Series(1).Properties("VertexNumber") = 3

C#
// set the custom properties for series 1.
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["BarTopPercent"] = 50f;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["BarType"] =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.BarType.Custom;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["RotationAngle"] = 0f;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["VertexNumber"] = 6;

// set the custom properties for series 2.

this.ChartControl1.Series[1].Properties["BarTopPercent"] = 20f;
this.ChartControl1.Series[1].Properties["BarType"] =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.BarType.Custom;
this.ChartControl1.Series[1].Properties["Gap"] = 300f;
this.ChartControl1.Series[1].Properties["RotationAngle"] = 90f;
this.ChartControl1.Series[1].Properties["VertexNumber"] = 3;

Line Chart
The Line Chart is a type of chart that displays information as a series of data points, connected by straight line
segments.
2D Line Charts
This section describes 2D charts that fall under the Line Chart category.
3D Line Charts
This section describes 3D charts that fall under the Line Chart category.

2D Line Charts
Given below is the list of 2D charts that fall under the Line Chart category.
Bezier Chart
Use a Bezier or spline chart to compare trends over a period of time or across categories. It is a line chart that
plots curves through the data points in a series.

Chart Information
ChartType Line2D
Number of Y values per data 1
point
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point
Custom Properties The Line property gets or sets the line element. Used to set color, thickness
and shape of a line.
The Tension property gets or sets the tension of the curved lines.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 304
Bezier XY Chart
A Bezier XY chart connects DataPoints on X and Y with curved lines.

Chart Information
ChartType Line2D

Number of Y values per 1

data point

Number of Series 1 or more

Marker Support Series or Data Point

Custom Properties The Line property gets or sets the line element. Used to set color, thickness
and shape of a line.
The Tension property gets or sets the tension of the curved lines.

Line Chart
Use a 2D line chart to compare trends over a period of time or in certain categories in a 2D format.

Chart Information
ChartType Line2D
Number of Y values per data 1
point
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point
Custom Properties The Line property gets or sets the line element. Used to set color, thickness
and shape of a line.
The LineJoin property sets the type of join to draw when two lines connect.

Line XY Chart
A line XY chart plots points on the X and Y axes as one series and uses a line to connect points to each other.

Chart Information
ChartType Line2D

Number of Y values per 1

data point

Number of Series 1 or more

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 305
Marker Support Series or Data Point

Custom Properties The Line property gets or sets line elements. Used for setting color, thickness
and shape of a line.
The LineJoin property gets or sets the type of join to draw when two lines
connect.

3D Line Charts
Given below is the list of 3D charts that fall under the Line Chart category.
Bezier Chart
Render a Bezier or Spline chart in 3D format.

Chart Information
ChartType Line3D
Number of Y values per data 1
point
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point
Custom Properties The LineBackdrop property gets or sets the backdrop information for the 3D
curved line.
The Tension property gets or sets the tension of the curved lines.
The Width property gets or sets the width of the 3D curved line.

Line Chart
Use a 3D line chart to compare trends over a period of time or in certain categories in a 3D format.

Caution: To view a chart in 3D, open the ChartArea Collection Editor in the ChartAreas property and set
the ProjectionType property to Orthogonal.

Chart Information
ChartType Line3D
Number of Y values per data 1
point
Number of Series 1or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point
Custom Properties The LineBackdrop property gets or sets the backdrop information for the 3D
line.
The Thickness property gets or sets the thickness of the 3D line.
The Width property gets or sets the width of the 3D line.

Below is an example of how to set the custom chart properties at run time for a horizontal 3D bar chart as shown
above.
Visual Basic

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 306
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("LineBackdrop") = New Backdrop(Color.GreenYellow)
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("Thickness") = 8.0F
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("Width") = 40.0F

C#
this.chartControl1.Series[0].Properties["LineBackdrop"] = new
Backdrop(Color.GreenYellow);
this.chartControl1.Series[0].Properties["Thickness"] = 8f;
this.chartControl1.Series[0].Properties["Width"] = 40f;

Pie and Doughnut Charts

A Pie Chart is a circular chart divided into sectors to illustrate proportion.
A Doughnut Chart is functionally identical to a Pie Charts. It also has single-series and multi-series versions,
with the only difference that it has a hole in the middle.
2D Pie/Doughnut Charts
This section describes 2D charts that fall under the Pie/Doughnut Chart category.
3D Pie/Doughnut Charts
This section describes 3D charts that fall under the Pie/Doughnut Chart category.

2D Pie/Doughnut Charts
Given below is the list of 2D charts that fall under the Pie/Doughnut Chart category.
Doughnut Chart
A doughnut chart shows how the percentage of each data item contributes to the total.

In order to show each section of the pie in a different color, set the Background property for each data
point.

Chart Information
ChartType Pie/Doughnut 2D
Number of Y values per data 1
point
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point
Custom Properties The Clockwise property gets or sets a value indicating whether to display
the data in clockwise order.
The ExplodeFactor property gets or sets the amount of separation between
data point values.
The HoleSize property gets or sets the inner radius of the chart.
The OutsideLabels property gets or sets a value indicating whether the data
point labels appear outside the chart.
The StartAngle property gets or sets the horizontal start angle for the
series.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 307
Below is an example of how to set custom chart properties at run time for a doughnut chart.

Visual Basic
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("ExplodeFactor") = 0.0F
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("HoleSize") = 0.25F
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("OutsideLabels") = False
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("Radius") = 2.0F
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("StartAngle") = 0.0F

C#
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["ExplodeFactor"] = 0f;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["HoleSize"] = 0.25f;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["OutsideLabels"] = false;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["Radius"] = 2.0f;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["StartAngle"] = 0f;

Funnel Chart
A funnel chart shows how the percentage of each data item contributes as a whole.

Chart Information

ChartType Pie/Doughnut 2D
Number of Y 1
values per
data points
Number of 1 or more
Series
Marker Series or Data Point
Support
Custom The CalloutLine property gets or sets the style for a line connecting the marker label to its
Properties corresponding funnel section. The default value is a black one-point line.
The FunnelStyle property gets or sets the Y value for the series points to the width or
height of the funnel. The default value is YIsHeight.
The MinPointHeight property gets or sets the minimum height allowed for a data point in
the funnel chart. The height is measured in relative coordinates.
The NeckHeight property gets or sets the neck height for the funnel chart. This property
can only be used with the FunnelStyle property set to YIsHeight. The default value is 5.
The NeckWidth property gets or sets the neck width for the funnel chart. This property can
only be used with the FunnelStyle property set to YIsHeight. The default value is 5.
The OutsideLabels property gets or sets a value indicating whether the labels are placed
outside of the funnel chart. The default value is True.
The OutsideLabelsPlacement property gets or sets a value indicating whether the data
point labels appear on the left or right side of the funnel. This property can only be used
with the OutsideLabels property set to True.
The PointGapPct property gets or sets the amount of space between the data points of the
funnel chart. The PointGapPct is measured in relative coordinates. The default value is 0,
and valid values range from 0 to 100.

Pyramid Chart
A Pyramid chart shows how the percentage of each data item contributes as a whole.

Chart Information

ChartType Pie/Doughnut 2D
Number of Y 1
values per
data point

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 308
Number of 1 or more
Series
Marker Series or Data Points
Support
Custom The CalloutLine property gets or sets the style for a line connecting the marker label to its
Properties corresponding pyramid section. The default value is a black one-point line.
The MinPointHeight property gets or sets the minimum height allowed for a data point in the
pyramid chart. The height is measured in relative coordinates.
The OutsideLabels property gets or sets a value indicating whether the labels are placed
outside of the pyramid chart. The default value is True.
The OutsideLabelsPlacement property gets or sets a value indicating whether the data point
labels appear on the left or right side of the pyramid. This property can only be used with the
OutsideLabels property set to True.
The PointGapPct property gets or sets the amount of space between the data points of the
pyramid chart. The PointGapPct is measured in relative coordinates. The default value is 0, and
valid values range from 0 to 100.

3D Pie/Doughnut Charts
Given below is the list of 3D charts that fall under the Pie/Doughnut Chart category.

Caution: To view a chart in 3D, open the ChartArea Collection Editor in the ChartAreas property and set the
ProjectionType property to Orthogonal.

Doughnut Chart
A 3D doughnut chart shows how the percentage of each data item contributes to a total percentage, allowing the data to
be viewed in a 3D format.

Chart Information

ChartType Pie/Doughnut 3D
Number of Y values per data 1
point
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point
Custom Properties The Clockwise property gets or sets a value indicating whether to display the
data in clockwise order.
The ExplodeFactor property gets or sets the amount of separation between data
point values. The value must be less than or equal to 1. To explode one section of
the doughnut chart, set ExplodeFactor to the data point instead of the series.
The HoleSize property gets or sets the inner radius of the chart. If set to 0, the
chart looks like a pie chart. The value must be less than or equal to 1.
The OutsideLabels property gets or sets a value indicating whether the data
point labels appear outside the chart.
The Radius property gets or sets the size of the doughnut within the chart area.
The StartAngle property gets or sets the horizontal start angle for the series data
points.

Below is an example of how to set the custom chart properties at run time for a 3D doughnut chart as shown in the
image above.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("ExplodeFactor") = 0.0F

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 309
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("HoleSize") = 0.33F
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("OutsideLabels") = False
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("Radius") = 2.0F
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("StartAngle") = 50.0F

To write the code in C#

C#
this.chartControl1.Series[0].Properties["ExplodeFactor"] = 0f;
this.chartControl1.Series[0].Properties["HoleSize"] = .33f;
this.chartControl1.Series[0].Properties["OutsideLabels"] = false;
this.chartControl1.Series[0].Properties["StartAngle"] = 50f;

Funnel Chart
A 3D funnel chart shows how the percentage of each data item contributes to the whole, allowing the data to be viewed
in a 3D format.

Chart Information
ChartType Pie/Doughnut 3D
Number of Y 1
values per
data points
Number of 1 or more
Series
Marker Series or Data Point
Support
Custom The BaseStyle property gets or sets a circular or square base drawing style for the 3D funnel chart.
Properties The CalloutLine property gets or sets the style for a line connecting the marker label to its
corresponding funnel section. The default value is a black one-point line.
The FunnelStyle property gets or sets the Y value for the series points to the width or height of the
funnel. The default value is YIsHeight.
The MinPointHeight property gets or sets the minimum height allowed for a data point in the
funnel chart. The height is measured in relative coordinates.
The NeckHeight property gets or sets the neck height for the funnel chart. This property can only
be used with the FunnelStyle property set to YIsHeight. The default value is 5.
The NeckWidth property gets or sets the neck width for the funnel chart. This property can only be
used with the FunnelStyle property set to YIsHeight. The default value is 5.
The OutsideLabels property gets or sets a value indicating whether the labels are placed outside of
the funnel chart. The default value is True.
The OutsideLabelsPlacement property gets or sets a value indicating whether the data point
labels appear on the left or right side of the funnel. This property can only be used with the
OutsideLabels property set to True.
The PointGapPct property gets or sets the amount of space between the data points of the funnel
chart. The PointGapPct is measured in relative coordinates. The default value is 0, and valid values
range from 0 to 100.
The RotationAngle property gets or sets the left-to-right rotation angle of the funnel. The valid
values range from -180 to 180 degrees. This property is only effective with the Projection property
set to Orthogonal and the BaseStyle property set to SquareBase.

Below is an example of how to set the custom chart properties at run time for a 3D funnel chart.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 310
Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart
Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics

Visual Basic
With Me.ChartControl1.Series(0)
.Properties("BaseStyle") = BaseStyle.SquareBase
.Properties("CalloutLine") = New Line(Color.Black, 2, LineStyle.Dot)
.Properties("FunnelStyle") = FunnelStyle.YIsWidth
.Properties("MinPointHeight") = 10.0F
.Properties("NeckWidth") = 20.0F
.Properties("NeckHeight") = 5.0F
.Properties("OutsideLabels") = True
.Properties("OutsideLabelsPlacement") = LabelsPlacement.Right
.Properties("PointGapPct") = 3.0F
.Properties("RotationAngle") = 3.0F
End With

To write the code in C#

C#
using GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart;
using GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics;

C#
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["BaseStyle"] = BaseStyle.SquareBase;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["CalloutLine"] = new Line(Color.Black, 2,
LineStyle.Dot);
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["FunnelStyle"] = FunnelStyle.YIsWidth;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["MinPointHeight"] = 10f;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["NeckWidth"] = 20f;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["NeckHeight"] = 5f;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["OutsideLabels"] = true;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["OutsideLabelsPlacement"] = LabelsPlacement.Right;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["PointGapPct"] = 3f;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["RotationAngle"] = 3f;

Pyramid Chart
A 3D Pyramid chart shows how the percentage of each data item contributes to the whole, allowing the data to be viewed
in a 3D format.

Chart Information
ChartType Pie/Doughnut 3D
Number of 1
Y values per
data point
Number of 1 or more
Series
Marker Series or Data Points
Support
Custom The BaseStyle property gets or sets a circular or square base drawing style for the 3D pyramid chart.
Properties The CalloutLine property gets or sets the style for a line connecting the marker label to its
corresponding pyramid section. The default value is a black one-point line.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 311
The MinPointHeight property gets or sets the minimum height allowed for a data point in the
pyramid chart. The height is measured in relative coordinates.
The OutsideLabels property gets or sets a value indicating whether the labels are placed outside of
the pyramid chart. The default value is True.
The OutsideLabelsPlacement property gets or sets a value indicating whether the data point labels
appear on the left or right side of the pyramid. This property can only be used with the OutsideLabels
property set to True.
The PointGapPct property gets or sets the amount of space between the data points of the pyramid
chart. The PointGapPct is measured in relative coordinates. The default value is 0, and valid values
range from 0 to 100.
The RotationAngle property gets or sets the left-to-right rotation angle of the pyramid. The valid
values range from -180 to 180 degrees. This property is only effective with the Projection property set
to Orthogonal and the BaseStyle property set to SquareBase.

Below is an example of how to set the custom chart properties at run time for a Pyramid chart.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic
Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart
Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics

Visual Basic
With Me.ChartControl1.Series(0)
.Properties("BaseStyle") = BaseStyle.SquareBase
.Properties("MinPointHeight") = 10.0F
.Properties("OutsideLabels") = True
.Properties("OutsideLabelsPlacement") = LabelsPlacement.Right
.Properties("PointGapPct") = 3.0F
.Properties("RotationAngle") = 3.0F
End With

To write the code in C#

C#
using GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart;
using GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics;

C#
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["BaseStyle"] = BaseStyle.SquareBase;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["MinPointHeight"] = 10f;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["OutsideLabels"] = true;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["OutsideLabelsPlacement"] = LabelsPlacement.Right;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["PointGapPct"] = 3f;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["RotationAngle"] = 3f;

Pie Chart
This type of chart displays the contribution of each value to a total.

Chart Information

ChartType Pie/Doughnut 3D
Number of Y values per data 1
point
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 312
Custom Properties

Ring Chart
This chart type uses rings (inner and outer) to represent data.

Chart Information

ChartType Pie/Doughnut 3D
Number of Y values per data 1
point
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point
Custom Properties

Financial Chart
Financial charts are those which are specific to representing data related to financial activities. The ActiveReports
Chart control can draw a number of financial chart types:
Candle, High Low, High Low Open Close
Kagi, Renko
Point and Figure, Three Line Break
2D Financial Charts
This section describes 2D charts that fall under the Financial Chart category.
3D Financial Charts
This section describes 3D charts that fall under the Financial Chart category.

2D Financial Charts
Given below is the list of 2D charts that fall under the Financial Chart category.
Candle Stick Chart
A candle chart displays stock information, using High, Low, Open and Close values. The size of the wick line is determined by the High and Low values,
while the size of the bar is determined by the Open and Close values. The bar is displayed using different colors, depending on whether the price of the
stock has gone up or down.

Chart Information
ChartType Financial2D
Number of Y values 4 (The first value is the high figure, the second is the low figure, the third is the opening figure, and the fourth is the
per data point closing figure.)
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point. Marker labels use the first Y value as the default value.
Custom Properties The BodyDownswingBackdrop property gets or sets the backdrop information used to fill the rectangle for data points
in which the closing figure is lower than the opening figure.
The BodyUpswingBackdrop property gets or sets the backdrop information used to fill the rectangle for data points in
which the closing figure is higher than the opening figure.
The BodyWidth property gets or sets the width of the rectangle used to show upswing or downswing.
The WickLine property gets or sets the line information for the wick line.

Below is an example of how to set the custom chart properties at run time for a candle chart as shown in the image above.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 313
Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics

Visual Basic
With Me.ChartControl1.Series(0)
.Properties("BodyDownswingBackdrop") = New Chart.Graphics.Backdrop(Color.FromArgb(255, 192, 255))
.Properties("BodyUpswingBackdrop") = New Chart.Graphics.Backdrop(Color.FromArgb(192, 192, 255))
.Properties("WickLine") = New Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.Indigo)
.Properties("BodyWidth") = 7.0F
End With

To write the code in C#

C# code
Using GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics

C# Code
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["BodyDownswingBackdrop"]= new Chart.Graphics.Backdrop
(Color.FromArgb(255, 192, 255));
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["BodyUpswingBackdrop"] = new Chart.Graphics.Backdrop
(Color.FromArgb(192, 192, 255));
this.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("WickLine") = new Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.Indigo);
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["BodyWidth"] = 7f;

HiLo Chart
A HiLo chart displays stock information using High and Low, or Open and Close, values. The length of the HiLo line is determined by the High and Low
values, or the Open and Close values.

Chart Information

ChartType Financial2D

Number of Y values per data point 2

Number of Series 1 or more

Marker Support Series or Data Point. Marker labels use the first Y value as the default value.

Custom Properties The HiloLine property gets or sets the line information for the HiLo line.

Below is an example of how to set the custom chart properties at run time for a HiLo chart as shown in the image above.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("HiloLine") = New
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.DeepSkyBlue, 4)

To write the code in C#

C#
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["HiloLine"] = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.DeepSkyBlue, 4);

Point and Figure Chart

The point and figure chart uses stacked columns of X's to indicate that demand exceeds supply and columns of O's to indicate that supply exceeds
demand to define pricing trends. A new X or O is added to the chart if the price moves higher or lower than the BoxSize value. A new column is added
when the price reverses to the level of the BoxSize value multiplied by the ReversalAmount. The use of these values in the point and figure chart to
calculate pricing trends makes this chart best suited for long-term financial analysis.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 314

Chart Information
ChartType Financial2D
Number of Y values per data 2
point
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Points
Custom Properties The BoxSize property gets or sets the amount a price must change in order to create another X or O.
The DownswingLine property gets or sets the style and color settings for the downswing O's.
The ReversalAmount property gets or sets the amount that a price must shift in order for a new column to be
added.
The UpswingLine property gets or sets the style and color settings for the upswing X's.

Below is an example of how to set the custom chart properties at run time for a Point and Figure chart.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic
Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics

Visual Basic
With Me.ChartControl1.Series(0)
.Properties("DownswingLine") = New Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.Red)
.Properties("UpswingLine") = New Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.Blue)
.Properties("BoxSize") = 3.0F
End With

To write the code in C#

C#
using GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics;

C#
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["DownswingLine"] = new Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.Red);
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["UpswingLine"] = new Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.Blue);
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["BoxSize"] = 3f;

Renko Chart
The Renko chart uses bricks of uniform size to chart price movement. When a price moves to a greater or lesser value than the preset BoxSize value
required to draw a new brick, a new brick is drawn in the succeeding column. The change in box color and direction signifies a trend reversal.

Chart Information
ChartType Financial2D
Number of Y values per data 1
point
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Points
Custom Properties The BodyDownswingBackdrop property gets or sets the style and color settings for the downswing bricks.
The BodyUpswingBackdrop property gets or sets the style and color settings for the upswing bricks.
The BoxSize property gets or sets the amount a price must change in order to create another brick.

Below is an example of how to set the custom chart properties at run time for a Renko chart.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 315
Visual Basic
Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics

Visual Basic
With Me.ChartControl1.Series(0)
.Properties("BodyDownswingBackdrop") = New Backdrop(Color.BlueViolet)
.Properties("BodyUpswingBackdrop") = New Backdrop(Color.Navy)
.Properties("BoxSize") = 3.0F
End With

To write the code in C#

CS
using GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics;

CS
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["BodyDownswingBackdrop"] = new Backdrop(Color.BlueViolet);
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["BodyUpswingBackdrop"] = new Backdrop(Color.Navy);
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["BoxSize"] = 3f;

Kagi Chart
A Kagi chart displays supply and demand trends using a sequence of linked vertical lines. The thickness and direction of the lines vary depending on
the price movement. If closing prices go in the direction of the previous Kagi line, then that Kagi line is extended. However, if the closing price
reverses by the preset reversal amount, a new Kagi line is charted in the next column in the opposite direction. Thin lines indicate that the price breaks
the previous low (supply) while thick lines indicate that the price breaks the previous high (demand).

Chart Information
ChartType Financial2D
Number of Y values per data point 1
Number of Series 1
Marker Support Series or Data Points
Custom Properties The DownswingLine property gets or sets the style and color settings to
use for a Kagi line which charts a price decrease.
The ReversalAmount property gets or sets the amount that a price must
shift in order for the Kagi line to change direction.
The UpswingLine property gets or sets the style and color settings to use
for a Kagi line which charts a price increase.

Below is an example of how to set the custom chart properties at run time for a Kagi chart.
To write code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic
Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics

Visual Basic
With Me.ChartControl1.Series(0)
.Properties("BodyDownswingBackdrop") = New Backdrop(Color.Red)
.Properties("BodyUpswingBackdrop") = New Backdrop(Color.Blue)
.Properties("DownswingLine") = New Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.DarkRed)
.Properties("ReversalAmount") = "25"
.Properties("UpswingLine") = New Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.DarkBlue)
.Properties("Width") = 50.0F
End With

To write code in C#
C#
using GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics;

C#
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["BodyDownswingBackdrop"] = new Backdrop(Color.Red);
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["BodyUpswingBackdrop"] = new Backdrop(Color.Blue);
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["DownswingLine"] = new Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.DarkRed);
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["ReversalAmount"] = "25";
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["UpswingLine"] = new Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.DarkBlue);

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 316
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["Width"] = 50f;

Stock Chart
In a stock chart, series are displayed as a set of lines with markers for high, low, close, and open values. Values are represented by the height of the
marker as measured by the y-axis. Category labels are displayed on the x-axis.
Stock chart is a visual representation of data related to the stock market. It may be used to represent data like stock prices and stock activities.

Chart Information
ChartType Financial2D
Number of Y values per data point 4
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point
Custom Properties The CloseLine property gets or sets the information for the close value line.
The HiLoLine property gets or sets the line information for the HiLo line.
The OpenLine property property gets or sets the information for the open value line.
The TickLen property property gets or sets the tick length for the close value and open value lines.

Stock Close Only Chart

A Stock chart is a visual representation of data related to the stock market. This type of chart requires four series of values in the correct order (open,
high, low, and then close).

Chart Information
ChartType Financial2D
Number of Y values per data point 4
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point
Custom Properties The CloseLine property gets or sets the information for the close value line.
The HiLoLine property gets or sets the line information for the HiLo line.
The OpenLine property property gets or sets the information for the open value line.
The TickLen property property gets or sets the tick length for the close value and open value lines.

Stock Open Only Chart

A Stock chart is a visual representation of data related to the stock market. This type of chart requires four series of values in the correct order (open,
high, low, and then close), low, and then close).

Chart Information
ChartType Financial2D
Number of Y values per data point 4
Number of Series 3
Marker Support Series or Data Point
Custom Properties The CloseLine property gets or sets the information for the close value line.
The HiLoLine property gets or sets the line information for the HiLo line.
The OpenLine property property gets or sets the information for the open value line.
The TickLen property property gets or sets the tick length for the close value and open value lines.

Three Line Break Chart

A Three Line Break chart uses vertical boxes or lines to illustrate price changes of an asset or market. Movements are depicted with box colors and
styles; movements that continue the trend of the previous box paint similarly while movements that trend oppositely are indicated with a different
color and/or style. The opposite trend is only drawn if its value exceeds the extreme value of the previous three boxes or lines. The below Three Line
Break depicts upward pricing movement with black boxes and downward pricing movement with red boxes.

Chart Information
ChartType Financial2D
Number of Y values per 1
data point
Number of Series 1
Marker Support Series or Data Points
Chart-Specific Properties The BodyDownswingBackdrop property gets or sets the style and color settings for the downswing boxes.
The BodyUpswingBackdrop property gets or sets the style and color settings for the upswing boxes.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 317
The NewLineBreak property gets or sets the number of previous boxes/lines that must be compared before a new
box/line is drawn. The default value is 3.

Below is an example of how to set the custom chart properties at run time for a Three Line Break chart.
To write code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic
Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics

Visual Basic
With Me.ChartControl1.Series(0)
.Properties("BodyDownswingBackdrop") = New Backdrop(Color.Red)
.Properties("BodyUpswingBackdrop") = New Backdrop(Color.Black)
.Properties("NewLineBreak") = 3
End With

To write code in C#
C#
using GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics;

C#
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["BodyDownswingBackdrop"] = new Backdrop(Color.Red);
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["BodyUpswingBackdrop"] = new Backdrop(Color.Black);
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["NewLineBreak"] = 3;

3D Financial Charts
Given below is the list of 3D charts that fall under the Financial Chart category.
Kagi Chart
A Kagi chart displays supply and demand trends using a sequence of linked vertical lines. The thickness and
direction of the lines vary depending on the price movement. If closing prices go in the direction of the previous
Kagi line, then that Kagi line is extended. However, if the closing price reverses by the preset reversal amount, a
new Kagi line is charted in the next column in the opposite direction. Thin lines indicate that the price breaks the
previous low (supply) while thick lines indicate that the price breaks the previous high (demand).

Chart Information
ChartType Financial3D

Number of 1
Y values
per data
point

Number of 1
Series

Marker Series or Data Points

Support

Custom The BodyDownswingBackdrop property gets or sets the style and color settings for the
Properties three-dimensional side view of downswing Kagi lines. This property is only available with the
Kagi 3D chart type, and is only effective when the Width property is set to a value higher than
25.
The BodyUpswingBackdrop property gets or sets the style and color settings for the three-
dimensional side view of upswing Kagi lines. This property is only available with the Kagi 3D
chart type, and is only effective when the Width property is set to a value higher than 25.
The DownswingLine property gets or sets the style and color settings to use for a Kagi line
which charts a price decrease.
The ReversalAmount property gets or sets the amount that a price must shift in order for the
Kagi line to change direction.
The UpswingLine property gets or sets the style and color settings to use for a Kagi line which
charts a price increase.
The Width property gets or sets the width of the three-dimensional side view of the Kagi

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 318
lines.This property is only available with the Kagi 3D chart type, and must be set higher than its
default value of 1 in order to display body downswing and upswing backdrops.

Below is an example of how to set the custom chart properties at run time for a Kagi chart.
To write code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic
Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics

Visual Basic
With Me.ChartControl1.Series(0)
.Properties("BodyDownswingBackdrop") = New Backdrop(Color.Red)
.Properties("BodyUpswingBackdrop") = New Backdrop(Color.Blue)
.Properties("DownswingLine") = New Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.DarkRed)
.Properties("ReversalAmount") = "25"
.Properties("UpswingLine") = New Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.DarkBlue)
.Properties("Width") = 50.0F
End With

To write code in C#
C#
using GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics;

C#
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["BodyDownswingBackdrop"] = new
Backdrop(Color.Red);
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["BodyUpswingBackdrop"] = new
Backdrop(Color.Blue);
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["DownswingLine"] = new
Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.DarkRed);
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["ReversalAmount"] = "25";
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["UpswingLine"] = new
Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.DarkBlue);
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["Width"] = 50f;

Renko Chart
The Renko chart uses bricks of uniform size to chart price movement. When a price moves to a greater or lesser
value than the preset BoxSize value required to draw a new brick, a new brick is drawn in the succeeding column.
The change in box color and direction signifies a trend reversal.

Chart Information
ChartType Financial3D

Number of Y values per 1

data point

Number of Series 1 or more

Marker Support Series or Data Points

Custom Properties The BodyUpswingBackdrop property gets or sets the style and color settings
for the upswing bricks.
BodyDownswingBackdrop Gets or sets the style and color settings for the
downswing bricks.
The BoxSize property gets or sets the amount a price must change in order to
create another brick.

Below is an example of how to set the custom chart properties at run time for a Renko chart.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 319
To write code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic
Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics

Visual Basic
With Me.ChartControl1.Series(0)
.Properties("BodyDownswingBackdrop") = New Backdrop(Color.Red)
.Properties("BodyUpswingBackdrop") = New Backdrop(Color.Blue)
.Properties("BoxSize") = 3.0F
End With

To write code in C#

CS
using GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics;

C#
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["BodyDownswingBackdrop"] = new
Backdrop(Color.Red);
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["BodyUpswingBackdrop"] = new
Backdrop(Color.Blue);
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["BoxSize"] = 3f;

Three Line Break Chart

Three line break 3D chart is a chart rendered in 3D.

Chart Information
ChartType Financial3D

Number of Y 1
values per data
point

Number of Series 1

Marker Support Series or Data Points

Custom The BodyDownswingBackdrop property gets or sets the style and color settings for
Properties the downswing boxes.
The BodyUpswingBackdrop property gets or sets the style and color settings for the
upswing boxes.
The NewLineBreak property gets or sets the number of previous boxes/lines that
must be compared before a new box/line is drawn. The default value is 3.

Point and Bubble Charts

Point or Bubble charts represent data by means of points and bubbles.
The ActiveReports Chart control can draw a number of point/bubble chart types:
Bubble, BubbleXY, PlotXY and Scatter.
2D Point/Bubble Charts
This section describes 2D charts that fall under the Point/Bubble Chart category.

2D Point/Bubble Charts

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 320
Given below is the list of 2D charts that fall under the Point/Bubble Chart category.
Bubble Chart
The Bubble chart is an XY chart in which bubbles represent data points. The first Y value is used to plot the bubble along
the Y axis, and the second Y value is used to set the size of the bubble. The bubble shape can be changed using the
series Shape property.

Chart Information
ChartType Point/Bubble2D
Number of Y values per data 2
point
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point. Marker labels use the second Y value as the default value.
Custom Properties The MaxSizeFactor property gets or sets the maximum size of the bubble radius.
Values must be less than or equal to 1. Default is .25.
The MaxValue property gets or sets the bubble size that is used as the
maximum.
The MinValue property gets or sets the bubble size that is used as the minimum.
The Shape property gets or sets the shape of the bubbles. Uses or returns a valid
MarkerStyle enumeration value.

Below is an example of setting the custom chart properties at run time for a bubble chart as shown in the image above.
To write code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("MaxSizeFactor") = 0.25F
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("MaxValue") = 55.0R
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("MinValue") = 5.0R
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("Shape") =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.MarkerStyle.Circle

To write code in C#
C#
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["MaxSizeFactor"] = .25f;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["MaxValue"] = 55D;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["MinValue"] = 5D;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["Shape"] =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.MarkerStyle.Circle;

Bubble XY Chart
The Bubble XY chart is an XY chart in which bubbles represent data points. The BubbleXY uses a numerical X axis and
plots the x values and first set of Y values on the chart. The second Y value is used to set the size of the bubble.

Chart Information
ChartType Point/Bubble2D

Number of Y values 2
per data point
Number of Series 1 or more

Marker Support Series or Data Point. Marker labels use the second Y value as the default value.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 321
Custom Properties The MaxSizeFactor gets or sets the maximum size of the bubble radius. Values must
be less than or equal to 1. Default is .25.
The MaxValue property gets or sets the bubble size that is used as the maximum.
The MinValue property gets or sets the bubble size that is used as the minimum.
The Shape property gets or sets the shape of the bubbles. Uses or returns a valid
MarkerStyle enumeration value.

Below is an example of setting the custom chart properties at run time for a bubble XY chart as shown in the image
above.
To write code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("MaxSizeFactor") = 0.25F
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("MaxValue") = 50.0R
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("MinValue") = 0.0R
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("Shape") =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.MarkerStyle.InvTriangle

To write code in C#
C#
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["MaxSizeFactor"] = .25f;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["MinValue"] = 0D;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["MaxValue"] = 50D;
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["Shape"] =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.MarkerStyle.InvTriangle;

Plot XY Chart
A plot XY chart shows the relationships between numeric values in two or more series sets of XY values.

Chart Information
ChartType Point/Bubble2D

Number of Y values per data point 1

Number of Series 1 or more

Marker Support Series or Data Point

Custom Properties None

Scatter Chart
Use a scatter chart to compare values across categories.

Chart Information

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 322
ChartType Point/Bubble2D
Number of Y values per data 1
point
Number of Series 1 or more
Marker Support Series or Data Point
Custom Properties None

Chart Series
A chart series is the key to showing data in a chart. All data is plotted in a chart as a series and all charts contain
at least one series. The bars in the image below depict two series in a simple bar chart.

Each series is made up of a set of data points consisting of an X value that determines where on the X axis the
data is plotted, and one or more Y values. Most charts use one Y value but a few charts such as the Bubble,
BubbleXY, and the financial charts take multiple Y values.
When you bind data to a series, the X value is bound using the ValueMembersX property on the Series object, and
the Y value is bound using the ValueMembersY property.
The Series object also contains properties for each individual series, including chart type, custom chart properties,
annotations, containing chart area, and more. Each chart type in the ActiveReports Chart control contains series-
specific properties that apply to it. You can set the chart type and these series-specific properties in the Series
Collection Editor dialog, which opens when you click the ellipsis button next to the Series (Collection) property in
the Visual Studio Properties window.

You can manipulate each data point in the DataPoint Collection dialog box. You can access the dialog from the
Series Collection Editor by clicking the ellipsis button next to the Points (Collection) property.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 323

When you set a property on the Series object, it is applied to all data point objects in the series unless a different
value for the property is set on a specific data point. In that case, the data point property setting overrides the
series property setting for that particular data point. Note that for charts bound to a data source, you do not have
access to the DataPoint collection in the dialog.
If you specify the value for any of the custom properties, this value is not cleared when you change the ChartType.
Although this will show properties that do not apply to certain ChartTypes, it has the advantage of keeping
your settings in case you accidentally change the ChartType.

Setting chart and series-specific properties at run time

To set custom properties for a chart on the series programmatically, reference the series by name or index and
use the string Properties attribute name you wish to set.
The following code samples set the shape for bubbles on a bubble chart to diamond.
To write code in Visual Basic.Net

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the section Format event.

Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("Shape") = Chart.MarkerStyle.Diamond

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the section Format event.
this.chartControl1.Series[0].Properties["Shape"] =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.MarkerStyle.Diamond;

To set custom properties for a chart on the data points object programmatically, reference the series by name or
index, reference the data point by index, and use the string Properties attribute name you wish to set.
The following code samples set the explode factor on a doughnut chart for the second point in the series.
To write code in Visual Basic.Net

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the section Format event.

Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Points(1).Properties("ExplodeFactor") = 0.5F

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the section Format event.
this.chartControl1.Series[0].Points[1].Properties["ExplodeFactor"] = .5f;

Chart Appearance
The following section explains in what ways you can modify the chart appearance.
Chart Effects
This section describes the visual effects that are available for the ChartControl.
Chart Control Items
This section describes the chart elements that you can use to customize the ChartControl.
Chart Axes and Walls

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 324
This section provides basic information about the ChartControl axes and walls.

Chart Effects
These topics introduce some basic information on the visual effects of the ChartControl.
Colors
Learn about the different ways you can change the color and gradients to enhance the visual appearance of a
chart.
3D Effect
This section describes 3D effects that you can use to customize the chart.
Alpha Blending
This section explains about alpha blending property of the chart.
Lightning
Learn about directional light ratio, line type and line source of the chart.

Colors
In the ChartControl, colors can be used in different ways to enhance the chart's appearance, distinguish different
series, point out or draw attention to data information such as averages, and more.

Color Palettes
The ChartControl includes several pre-defined color palettes that can be used to automatically set the colors for
data values in a series. The pre-defined palettes are as follows.
Default The default palette.
Cascade A cascade of eight cool colors ranging from deep teal down through pale orchid.
Springtime The colors of spring, in deep green, two vivid colors and five pastels.
Iceberg A range of the soft blues and greys found in an iceberg.
Confetti A sprinkling of bright and pastel colors.
Greens A palette of greens.
Berries The colors of berries.
Autumn A quiet palette of autumn colors.
Murphy A range of the soft blues and greens.
These enumerated values are accessed through the Series class with code like the following.
To write code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).ColorPalette = Chart.ColorPalette.Iceberg

To write code in C#
C#
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].ColorPalette =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.ColorPalette.Iceberg;

Gradients
Gradients can be used in object backdrops to enhance the visual appearance of various chart items. Gradients can
be used in the following chart sections:
Chart
Chart area
Wall
Title

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 325
Legend
Legend item (for custom legend items)
WallRange
Series
Data point
Marker
Marker Label
Annotation TextBar
You can set gradients for a backdrop at run time by creating a BackdropItem, setting its Style property to
Gradient, setting the GradientType, and setting the two colors to use for the gradient as shown in the following
example.
To write code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic
Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics

Visual Basic
Dim bItem As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.BackdropItem
bItem.Style = Chart.Graphics.BackdropStyle.Gradient
bItem.Gradient = Chart.Graphics.GradientType.Vertical
bItem.Color = Color.Purple
bItem.Color2 = Color.White
Me.ChartControl1.Backdrop = bItem

To write code in C#
C#
using GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics;

C#
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.BackdropItem bItem = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.BackdropItem();
bItem.Style = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.BackdropStyle.Gradient;
bItem.Gradient = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.GradientType.Vertical;
bItem.Color = System.Drawing.Color.Purple;
bItem.Color2 = System.Drawing.Color.White;
this.ChartControl1.Backdrop = bItem;

3D Effects
Using the projection and viewpoint settings, you can display your 3D chart at any angle to provide the desired
view or call attention to a specific chart section.
Projection
Determine the projection for a 3D chart using the following properties.

Property Name Description

ZDepthRatio The Z depth ratio is the level of depth the Z axis has in the chart. The ratio of the length
specified in the X-axis of Z-axis Values range from 0 (for a 2D chart) to 1.0. This
property is useful in adjusting the size of 3D chart.
ProjectionDX The origin position of the Z axis in relation to the X axis. This property is valid only when
the ProjectionType is Orthogonal.
ProjectionDY The origin position of the Z axis in relation to the Y axis. This property is valid only when
the ProjectionType is Orthogonal.
ProjectionType The type of projection used for the chart. In order to show charts three dimensionally,

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 326
the ProjectionType in the ChartArea Collection editor must be set to Orthogonal. To
access this dialog box, click the ellipsis button next to the ChartAreas (Collection)
property in the Properties Window.
HorizontalRotation The HorizontalRotation property allows you to set the degree (-90° to 90°) of horizontal
rotation from which the chart is seen.
VerticalRotation The VerticalRotation property allows you to set the degree (-90° to 90°) of vertical
rotation from which the chart is seen.

Alpha Blending
The Backdrop class in the Chart control has an Alpha property which employs GDI+, and is used to set the
transparency level of each object's backdrop. GDI+ uses 32 bits overall and 8 bits per alpha, red, green, and blue
channels respectively to indicate the transparency and color of an object. Like a color channel's levels of color, the
alpha channel represents 256 levels of transparency.
The default value of the Alpha property is 255, which represents a fully opaque color. For a fully transparent color,
set this value to 0. To blend the color of the object's backdrop with the background color, use a setting between 0
and 255.
In the Chart control, you can use the Color.FromArgb method provided by standard Color constructor of .NET
Framework class library to set the alpha and color levels for a particular chart element.
The following example shows how you can use the method to set the alpha and color values for the chart
backdrop.
To write code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic
Me.ChartControl1.Backdrop = New
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.BackdropItem(Color.FromArgb(100, 0, 11, 220))

To write code in C#
C#
this.ChartControl1.Backdrop = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.BackdropItem(System.Drawing.Color.FromArgb(100, 0, 11,
220));

Changing the alpha level of a chart element reveals other items that are beneath the object. Because you can set
the alpha level for any chart element that supports color, you can also create custom effects for any chart. For
example, you can use alpha blending to combine background images with a semi-transparent chart backdrop to
create a watermark look.

Lighting
The Chart control allows you to completely customize lighting options for 3D charts.

Directional Light Ratio

Using the DirectionalLightRatio property, you can control the directional or ambient intensity ratio.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 327
Light Type
By setting the Type property to one of the enumerated LightType values, you can control the type of lighting used
in the chart. The settings are as follows:
Ambient：An ambient light source is used. It is equal to DirectionalLightRatio = 0.
Directional：：An infinite directional light source (like the sun, the light source having the same angle of
incidence from each side) is used.
Point：：A point light source (light is generated from one point and light source having different angle of
incidence according to the sides) is used.

Light Source
You can also set the Source property to a Point3d object, which controls the location of the light source.

Chart Control Items

The following topics review the chart control items that you can use to customize your chart.
Chart Annotation
This topic explains how you can add annotations to your chart.
Chart Titles and Footers
This topic explains how you can add a title or a footer to your chart.
Legends
This topic explains how you can add legends to your chart.
Markers
This topic explains how to create markers for showing specific data series values.
Label Symbols
This topic describes how to set format strings to display data in a legend, a marker or a symbol to be used as
placeholders.
Constant Lines and Stripes
This topic explains how to add constant lines and stripes to your chart.

Chart Annotations
The Chart control offers a built-in annotation tool to allow you to include floating text bars or images in your charts
or call attention to specific items or values in your charts using the line and text bar controls included in the
Annotations Collection Editor. You can find the Annotations Collection Editor under the Series properties of the
Chart Designer.

The following properties are important while setting up annotations for your chart:
StartPoint Sets the starting point (X and Y axis values) for an annotation line.
EndPoint Sets the end point (X and Y axis values) for an annotation line.
AnchorPlacement Sets the position of the anchor point for the text bar on the chart surface.
AnchorPoint Sets the point (X and Y axis values) where the text bar will be anchored based on the
anchor placement selected.
The following code demonstrates creating annotation lines and annotation text, setting their properties, and adding

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 328
them to the series annotations collection at run time.
To write code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic
' create the annotation lines and text bar.
Dim aLine1 As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Annotations.AnnotationLine
Dim aLine2 As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Annotations.AnnotationLine
Dim aText1 As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Annotations.AnnotationTextBar
Dim aText2 As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Annotations.AnnotationTextBar

' set the properties for each line and text bar.
With aLine1
.EndPoint = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Point2d(1.5F, 30.0F)
.Line = New
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line(System.Drawing.Color.Red, 2)
.StartPoint = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Point2d(1.5F, 15.0F)
End With
With aLine2
.EndPoint = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Point2d(4.6F, 47.0F)
.Line = New
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line(System.Drawing.Color.Red, 2)
.StartPoint = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Point2d(3.6F, 45.0F)
End With
With aText1
.AnchorPlacement =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Annotations.AnchorPlacementType.Bottom
.AnchorPoint = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Point2d(1.5F, 31.0F)
.Height = 25.0F
.Line = New
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line(System.Drawing.Color.Red, 2)
.Text = "Min Value"
.Width = 100.0F
End With
With aText2
.AnchorPlacement =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Annotations.AnchorPlacementType.Left
.AnchorPoint = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Point2d(4.7F, 47.0F)
.Height = 25.0F
.Line = New
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line(System.Drawing.Color.Red, 2)
.Text = "Max Value"
.Width = 100.0F
End With

' add the annotation lines and text bars to the annotations collection for the series
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Annotations.AddRange(New
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Annotations.Annotation() {aLine1, aLine2, aText1,
aText2})

To write code in C#
C#
// create the annotation lines and text bar.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Annotations.AnnotationLine aLine1 = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Annotations.AnnotationLine();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Annotations.AnnotationLine aLine2 = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Annotations.AnnotationLine();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Annotations.AnnotationTextBar aText1 = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Annotations.AnnotationTextBar();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Annotations.AnnotationTextBar aText2 = new

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 329
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Annotations.AnnotationTextBar();

// set the properties for each line and text bar.

aLine1.EndPoint = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Point2d(1.5F, 30F);
aLine1.Line = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line(System.Drawing.Color.Red,
2);
aLine1.StartPoint = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Point2d(1.5F, 15F);
aLine2.EndPoint = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Point2d(4.6F, 47F);
aLine2.Line = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line(System.Drawing.Color.Red,
2);
aLine2.StartPoint = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Point2d(3.6F, 45F);
aText1.AnchorPlacement =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Annotations.AnchorPlacementType.Bottom;
aText1.AnchorPoint = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Point2d(1.5F, 31F);
aText1.Height = 25F;
aText1.Line = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line(System.Drawing.Color.Red,
2);
aText1.Text = "Min Value";
aText1.Width = 100F;
aText2.AnchorPlacement =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Annotations.AnchorPlacementType.Left;
aText2.AnchorPoint = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Point2d(4.7F, 47F);
aText2.Height = 25F;
aText2.Line = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line(System.Drawing.Color.Red,
2);
aText2.Text = "Max Value";
aText2.Width = 100F;

// add the annotation lines and text bars to the annotations collection for the series
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Annotations.AddRange(
new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Annotations.Annotation[] {aLine1, aLine2, aText1,
aText2});

Chart Titles and Footers

The Chart control allows you to add custom titles to your charts. The Titles collection is accessible from the Chart
object. With the ability to add as many titles as needed, dock them to any side of a chart area, change all of the
font properties, add borders and shadows, make the background look the way you want it, and change the
location of the text, you can easily make your titles look the way you want them to look.

The following code demonstrates creating header and footer titles, setting their properties, and adding them to the
titles collection at run time.
1. In design view of the report, double-click the section where you placed your chart. This creates a Format
event handling method for the section.
2. Add code to the handler to create header and footer titles.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the section Format event.
' create the header and footer titles
Dim tHeader As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Title
Dim tFooter As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Title

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 330
' set the properties for the header
tHeader.Alignment = Chart.Alignment.Center
tHeader.Backdrop = New
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Backdrop(System.Drawing.Color.Thistle)
tHeader.Border = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Border(New
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line(System.Drawing.Color.DimGray), 3)
tHeader.DockArea = Me.ChartControl1.ChartAreas(0)
tHeader.Docking = Chart.DockType.Top
tHeader.Font = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.FontInfo(System.Drawing.Color.White,
New System.Drawing.Font("Arial", 25.0F))
tHeader.Text = "Chart Title"
tHeader.Visible = True

' set the properties for the footer

tFooter.Alignment = Chart.Alignment.Center
tFooter.Backdrop = New
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Backdrop(System.Drawing.Color.Thistle)
tFooter.Border = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Border(New
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line(System.Drawing.Color.Indigo), 0,
System.Drawing.Color.Black)
tFooter.DockArea = Me.ChartControl1.ChartAreas(0)
tFooter.Docking = Chart.DockType.Bottom
tFooter.Font = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.FontInfo(System.Drawing.Color.DimGray,
New System.Drawing.Font("Arial", 12.0F, System.Drawing.FontStyle.Bold))
tFooter.Text = "Chart Footer"
tFooter.Visible = True

' add the header and footer titles to the titles collection
Me.ChartControl1.Titles.AddRange(New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Title() {tHeader,
tFooter})

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the section Format event.
// create the header and footer titles
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Title tHeader = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Title();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Title tFooter = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Title();

// set the properties for the header

tHeader.Alignment = Chart.Alignment.Center;
tHeader.Backdrop = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Backdrop(System.Drawing.Color.Thistle);
tHeader.Border = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Border(new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line(System.Drawing.Color.DimGray), 3);
tHeader.DockArea = this.ChartControl1.ChartAreas[0];
tHeader.Docking = Chart.DockType.Top;
tHeader.Font = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.FontInfo(System.Drawing.Color.White,
new System.Drawing.Font("Arial", 25F));
tHeader.Text = "Chart Title";
tHeader.Visible = true;

// set the properties for the footer

tFooter.Alignment = Chart.Alignment.Center;
tFooter.Backdrop = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Backdrop(System.Drawing.Color.Thistle);
tFooter.Border = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Border(new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line(System.Drawing.Color.Indigo), 0,
System.Drawing.Color.Black);
tFooter.DockArea = this.ChartControl1.ChartAreas[0];

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 331
tFooter.Docking = Chart.DockType.Bottom;
tFooter.Font = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.FontInfo(System.Drawing.Color.DimGray,
new System.Drawing.Font("Arial", 12F, System.Drawing.FontStyle.Bold));
tFooter.Text = "Chart Footer";
tFooter.Visible = true;

// add the header and footer titles to the titles collection

this.ChartControl1.Titles.AddRange(new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Title[]
{tHeader,tFooter});

Legends
The Chart control automatically creates a legend item for each series added to a chart at design time and sets the Legend property for each series by default. However, the legend's Visible property must be set to
True for getting it displayed with the chart. The text for legend caption is taken from the Name property on the series.

Note: Each Series displayed in the Legend must have a Name. If the Name property is not set, the Series does not show up in the Legend.

The following code demonstrates how to create a legend at run time, add it to the Legends collection of the Chart object and set the legend property of the series to the new legend, resulting in the legend shown
above.
To write code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic code. Paste INSIDE the section Format event

' create the legend and title for the legend
Dim legend1 As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Legend
Dim lHeader As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Title

' set the properties for the legend title

lHeader.Backdrop = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Backdrop(Chart.Graphics.BackdropStyle.Transparent, _Color.White, Color.White,
Chart.Graphics.GradientType.Vertical, Drawing2D.HatchStyle.DottedGrid, Nothing, _Chart.Graphics.PicturePutStyle.Stretched)
lHeader.Border = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Border(New Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.White, 2, _Chart.Graphics.LineStyle.None), 0, Color.Black)
lHeader.Font = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.FontInfo(Color.White, New System.Drawing.Font("Arial", 10.0F, _FontStyle.Bold))
lHeader.Text = "Series:"

' set the properties for the legend and add it to the legends collection
legend1.Alignment = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Alignment.TopRight
legend1.Backdrop = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.BackdropItem(Chart.Graphics.BackdropStyle.Transparent, _Color.Gray, Color.White,
Chart.Graphics.GradientType.Vertical, Drawing2D.HatchStyle.DottedGrid, Nothing, _Chart.Graphics.PicturePutStyle.Stretched)
legend1.Border = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Border(New Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.Navy, 2), _0, Color.Black)
legend1.DockArea = Me.ChartControl1.ChartAreas(0)
legend1.LabelsFont = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.FontInfo(Color.White, New System.Drawing.Font("Arial", 9.0F))
legend1.Header = lHeader
legend1.MarginX = 5
legend1.MarginY = 5
Me.ChartControl1.Legends.Add(legend1)

' Generate legend items

Dim legenditem As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.LegendItem
Dim legenditem2 As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.LegendItem

' Set properties of legend item

legenditem.Text = "High Range"
legenditem2.Text = "Low Range"
legenditem.Marker.Style = Chart.MarkerStyle.None
legenditem2.Marker.Style = Chart.MarkerStyle.None
legenditem.Border.Line.Style = Chart.Graphics.LineStyle.None
legenditem2.Border.Line.Style = Chart.Graphics.LineStyle.None
legenditem.Backdrop = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.BackdropItem(System.Drawing.Color.LightSteelBlue, Chart.Graphics.AntiAliasMode.Auto)
legenditem2.Backdrop = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.BackdropItem(System.Drawing.Color.LightGray, Chart.Graphics.AntiAliasMode.Auto)

' Add to legend collection

legend1.LegendItems.Add(legenditem)
legend1.LegendItems.Add(legenditem2)

' Set the legend property of the series to the legend you created
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Legend = legend1
Me.ChartControl1.Series(1).Legend = legend1
Me.ChartControl1.Series(2).Legend = legend1

To write code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the section Format event

// create the legend and title for the legend
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Legend legend1 = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Legend();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Title lHeader = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Title();

// set the properties for the legend title

lHeader.Backdrop = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Backdrop(GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.BackdropStyle.Transparent,System.Drawing.Color.White,System.Drawing.Color.White,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.GradientType.Vertical,
System.Drawing.Drawing2D.HatchStyle.DottedGrid, null, GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.PicturePutStyle.Stretched);

lHeader.Border = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Border(new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line(System.Drawing.Color.White, 2,

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.LineStyle.None), 0, System.Drawing.Color.Black);

lHeader.Font = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.FontInfo(System.Drawing.Color.White,

new System.Drawing.Font("Arial", 10.0F, System.Drawing.FontStyle.Bold));
lHeader.Text = "Series:";

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 332
// set the properties for the legend and add it to the legends collection.
legend1.Alignment = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Alignment.TopRight;
legend1.Backdrop = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.BackdropItem(GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.BackdropStyle.Transparent, System.Drawing.Color.Gray,
System.Drawing.Color.White, GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.GradientType.Vertical,
System.Drawing.Drawing2D.HatchStyle.DottedGrid, null, GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.PicturePutStyle.Stretched);

legend1.Border = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Border(new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line(System.Drawing.Color.Navy, 2),0, System.Drawing.Color.Black);

legend1.DockArea = this.ChartControl1.ChartAreas[0];
legend1.LabelsFont = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.FontInfo(System.Drawing.Color.White, new System.Drawing.Font("Arial", 9F));
legend1.Header = lHeader;
legend1.MarginX = 5;
legend1.MarginY = 5;
this.ChartControl1.Legends.Add(legend1);

// Generate legend items

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.LegendItem legenditem = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.LegendItem();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.LegendItem legenditem2 = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.LegendItem();

// Set properties of legend item

legenditem.Text = "High Range";
legenditem2.Text = "Low Range";
legenditem.Marker.Style = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.MarkerStyle.None;
legenditem2.Marker.Style = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.MarkerStyle.None;
legenditem.Border.Line.Style = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.LineStyle.None;
legenditem2.Border.Line.Style = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.LineStyle.None;
legenditem.Backdrop = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.BackdropItem(System.Drawing.Color.LightSteelBlue, GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.AntiAliasMode.Auto);
legenditem2.Backdrop = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.BackdropItem(System.Drawing.Color.LightGray, GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.AntiAliasMode.Auto);

// Add to legend collection

legend1.LegendItems.Add(legenditem);
legend1.LegendItems.Add(legenditem2);

// set the legend property of the series to the legend you created.
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Legend = legend1;
this.ChartControl1.Series[1].Legend = legend1;
this.ChartControl1.Series[2].Legend = legend1;

Markers
Use markers to show specific data series values in a chart. Markers are created by setting the Marker property of the series.

The following code demonstrates how to create a marker object at run time and assign it to the Marker property of the Series object. The results
are shown in the image above.
To write code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic code. Paste INSIDE the section Format event
' create the marker object
Dim marker1 As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Marker

' set the marker properties.

marker1.Backdrop = New Chart.Graphics.Backdrop(Chart.Graphics.GradientType.Horizontal, Color.Navy, Color.Black)
marker1.Line = New Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.White)
marker1.Label = New Chart.LabelInfo(New Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.Transparent, 0,
Chart.Graphics.LineStyle.None), New Chart.Graphics.Backdrop(Chart.Graphics.BackdropStyle.Transparent,
Color.White, Color.White, _ Chart.Graphics.GradientType.Vertical,
System.Drawing.Drawing2D.HatchStyle.DottedGrid, Nothing, _Chart.Graphics.PicturePutStyle.Stretched), New
Chart.FontInfo(Color.White, New Font("Arial", 8.0F)), "{Value}", Chart.Alignment.Center)
marker1.Size = 24
marker1.Style = Chart.MarkerStyle.Diamond

' assign the marker to the series Marker property

Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Marker = marker1

To write code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the section Format event

// create the marker object
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Marker marker1 = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Marker();

// set the marker properties

marker1.Backdrop = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Backdrop(GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.GradientType.Horizontal,
System.Drawing.Color.Navy, System.Drawing.Color.Black);
marker1.Line = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line(System.Drawing.Color.White);
marker1.Label = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.LabelInfo(new

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 333
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line(System.Drawing.Color.Transparent, 0,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.LineStyle.None),
new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Backdrop(GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.BackdropStyle.Transparent,
System.Drawing.Color.White, System.Drawing.Color.White,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.GradientType.Vertical,
System.Drawing.Drawing2D.HatchStyle.DottedGrid, null,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.PicturePutStyle.Stretched), new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.FontInfo(System.Drawing.Color.White, new System.Drawing.Font("Arial", 8F)), "
{Value}",
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Alignment.Center); marker1.Size = 24; marker1.Style =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.MarkerStyle.Diamond;

// assign the marker to the series Marker property

this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Marker = marker1;

Label Symbols
You can use Labels in Chart markers or legends.
By default, marker labels display Y value of data points, whereas legend labels display series name or data name.

Setting Strings
You can change a string (format string) displayed in a marker or legend label.
To change a string in a marker label
1. Display the Series collection editor of properties window.
2. Select the series that sets marker. (By default the first series (Series1) gets selected.
3. Expand the Properties property.
4. Expand the Marker property.
5. Expand the Label property.
6. Set the string to display in the Format property.
To change a string in a legend label
Display the Series collection editor of properties window.
1. Set the string you want to set in legend label using the LegendText property.
When the LegendItemMode property of Series is set to Series, series are displayed in legend. Data point will be
displayed when set to Point. By default, in each graph the common setting will get displayed. For example, in case
of bar chart it is series and in case of pie chart it is data point that gets displayed in legends.

Symbols
It is possible to easily display constant strings by simply performing the above mentioned settings. To display
data, you need to embed the section (placeholder) that displays the value within format string at runtime.
A placeholder is a particular symbol enclosed within brackets {}.
The following symbols can be used. The sections enclosed within {} are changed by values.
Value
Data Value（Y value）
Pct
Percentage within series
PPct
Percentage having 100% as sum of multiple series for data points.
Name
X value of data

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 334
Index
Index of data point
Total
Total number of series
PTotal
Total number of multiple series for data points
When displaying numeric value, it is possible to set format specifying string similar to System.String.Format
method used when displaying numeric values. For example, when format string is {Value}, numeric value is
displayed in default format but when ":" (colon) format specifying string is added after Value, it is possible to
insert comma or specify decimal place digits.
For example, the format string for "inserting comma in numeric value and displaying 2 digits after decimal place"
would be as follows.
{Value:#,##0.00}
Please refer to the technical information posted on Microsoft site for details on format specifying string after
continued numeric value after comma.
[Format Function]
[User defined numeric value format (Format function)]

Sample Image
The following image displays a bar chart with the following values.

X Value abc def ghi

Y value of series 1（Red） 1 2 3
Y value of series 2（green） 4 3 2

String displayed below the image is a string set in Label.Format property of marker.

Value={Value}

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 335

Pct={Pct:0.0}

PPct={PPct:0.0}

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 336

Name={Name}

Total={Total}

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 337

PTotal={PTotal}

{Name}:{Value}

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 338

In case you wish to add a line break in between, as it is not possible to add a line break from Series collection
editor, the following format string needs to be set at runtime.
To write code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic
Private Sub rptLabelSymbol4_ReportStart(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As
System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.ReportStart

Dim m As GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Marker
m = CType(Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).Properties("Marker"),
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Marker)
m.Label.Format = "{Name}" & vbCrLf & "{Value}"
End Sub

To write code in C#
C#
private void NewActiveReport1_ReportStart(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Marker m;
m = (GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Marker)
this.ChartControl1.Series[0].Properties["Marker"];
m.Label.Format = "{Name}\n{Value}";
}

Specific symbols
The specific symbols that are used according to the chart type.

Bubble Charts
Value
Y2 value
Value0
Y value

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 339
Value1
Y2value

Bubble XY Chart
Value0
X value
Value1
Y value
Value2
Y2 value

Candle or Hilo Chart

For a Candle chart or HiLo chart, symbols are not enabled for legend or marker labels.

Constant Lines and Stripes

The Chart control supports constant lines and stripes through the use of the WallRanges collection. It allows you
to display horizontal or vertical lines or stripes in a chart to highlight certain areas. For example, you could draw a
stripe in a chart to draw attention to a high level in the data or draw a line to show the average value of the data
presented.

Note: The Chart control does not aggregate average values. Please aggregate the average values
beforehand and then render the line.

Important properties
StartValue Sets the start value on the primary axis for the wall range.
EndValue Sets the end value on the primary axis for the wall range.
PrimaryAxis Sets the axis on which the wall range appears.
The following code demonstrates how to create wall ranges, set their properties, and assign them to a chart area
at run time. The results are shown in the image above.
To write code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic code. Paste INSIDE the section Format event
' Create the WallRange objects
Dim wallRange1 As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.WallRange
Dim wallRange2 As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.WallRange
Dim wallRange3 As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.WallRange

' Set WallRange property

With wallRange1
.Backdrop = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Backdrop(Color.White)
.Border = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Border(New
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.Transparent, 0,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.LineStyle.None), 0, Color.Black)

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 340
.EndValue = 40
.PrimaryAxis = ((CType(Me.ChartControl1.ChartAreas(0).Axes("AxisY"),
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Axis)))
.StartValue = 30
End With
With wallRange2
.Backdrop = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Backdrop(Color.Lime)
.Border = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Border(New
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.Transparent, 0,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.LineStyle.None), 0, Color.Black)
.EndValue = 34
.PrimaryAxis = ((CType(Me.ChartControl1.ChartAreas(0).Axes("AxisY"),
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Axis)))
.StartValue = 33
End With
With wallRange3
.Backdrop = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Backdrop(Color.DarkGreen,
CType(150, Byte))
.Border = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Border(New
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.Transparent, 0,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.LineStyle.None), 0, Color.Black)
.EndValue = 40
.PrimaryAxis = ((CType(Me.ChartControl1.ChartAreas(0).Axes("AxisZ"),
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Axis)))
.StartValue = 20
End With

' Add the WallRange to the chart area and set wall and Z axis properties to show lines.
With ChartControl1.ChartAreas(0)
.WallRanges.AddRange(New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.WallRange() {wallRange1,
wallRange2, wallRange3})
.WallXY.Backdrop.Alpha = 100
.WallXZ.Backdrop.Alpha = 100
.WallYZ.Backdrop.Alpha = 100
.Axes(4).MajorTick.Step = 20
.Axes(4).Max = 60
.Axes(4).Min = 0
.Axes(4).Visible = True
End With

To write code in C#
C# code. Paste INSIDE the section Format event
// Create the WallRange objects
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.WallRange wallRange1 = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.WallRange();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.WallRange wallRange2 = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.WallRange();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.WallRange wallRange3 = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.WallRange();

// Set WallRange property

wallRange1.Backdrop = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Backdrop(System.Drawing.Color.White);
wallRange1.Border = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Border(new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line
(System.Drawing.Color.Transparent, 0,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.LineStyle.None),
0, System.Drawing.Color.Black);
wallRange1.EndValue = 40;
wallRange1.PrimaryAxis =

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 341
(GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Axis)this.ChartControl1.ChartAreas[0].Axes["AxisY"];
wallRange1.StartValue = 30;
wallRange2.Backdrop = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Backdrop(System.Drawing.Color.Lime);
wallRange2.Border = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Border(new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line
(System.Drawing.Color.Transparent, 0,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.LineStyle.None),
0, System.Drawing.Color.Black);
wallRange2.EndValue = 34;
wallRange2.PrimaryAxis =
(GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Axis)this.ChartControl1.ChartAreas[0].Axes["AxisY"];
wallRange2.StartValue = 33;
wallRange3.Backdrop = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Backdrop(System.Drawing.Color.DarkGreen);
wallRange3.Border = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Border(new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line
(System.Drawing.Color.Transparent, 0,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.LineStyle.None),
0, System.Drawing.Color.Black);
wallRange3.EndValue = 40;
wallRange3.PrimaryAxis =
(GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Axis)this.ChartControl1.ChartAreas[0].Axes["AxisZ"];
wallRange3.StartValue = 20;

// Add the WallRange to the chart area and set wall and Z axis properties to show
lines.
this.ChartControl1.ChartAreas[0].WallRanges.AddRange(
new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.WallRange[] {wallRange1,wallRange2,wallRange3});
this.ChartControl1.ChartAreas[0].WallXY.Backdrop.Alpha = 100;
this.ChartControl1.ChartAreas[0].WallXZ.Backdrop.Alpha = 100;
this.ChartControl1.ChartAreas[0].WallYZ.Backdrop.Alpha = 100;
this.ChartControl1.ChartAreas[0].Axes[4].MajorTick.Step = 20;
this.ChartControl1.ChartAreas[0].Axes[4].Max = 60;
this.ChartControl1.ChartAreas[0].Axes[4].Min = 0;
this.ChartControl1.ChartAreas[0].Axes[4].Visible = true;

Chart Axes and Walls

This section explains about the axis and walls of the ChartControl.
Standard Axes
This section explains about standard axis properties or special characteristics.
Custom Axes
This section explains about the method to create custom axis.
Gridlines and Tick Marks
This section explains about the usage of grid lines and ticks.

Standard Axes
The Chart control provides the means to change axis settings at design time or at run time. Chart axes make it
possible to view and understand the data plotted in a graph.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 342

Axis Types
Most 2D charts contain a numerical axis (AxisY) and a categorical axis (AxisX). 3D charts include another
numerical axis (AxisZ). These axes are accessible at run time from the ChartArea object and allow you to control
the settings for each, including scaling, labels, and various formatting properties. For any of the scaling or labeling
properties you set to show up at run time, you will need to set the Visible property of the axis to True.

Changing Axis Settings

Axis settings can be changed at design time by clicking on a Chart control and using the Properties Window or at
run time in code from the chart's ChartArea object.
Scaling
For normal linear scaling on a numeric axis, set the Max and Min properties for the axis, which correspond to the
numerical values in the chart's data series. Also, set the Step property of the MajorTick to show the major
numerical unit values. The Step property controls where labels and tick marks are shown on the numerical axis.
To write code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic code. Paste INSIDE the section Format event
With Me.ChartControl1.ChartAreas(0).Axes("AxisY")
.Max = 100
.Min = 0
.MajorTick.Step = 10
End With

To write code in C#
C# code. Paste INSIDE the section Format event
this.ChartControl1.ChartAreas[0].Axes["AxisY"].Max = 100;
this.ChartControl1.ChartAreas[0].Axes["AxisY"].Min = 0;
this.ChartControl1.ChartAreas[0].Axes["AxisY"].MajorTick.Step = 10;

The Chart control also supports logarithmic scaling which allows you to show the vertical spacing between two
points that corresponds to the percentage of change between those numbers. You can set your numeric axis to
scale logarithmically by setting the IsLogarithmic property on the axis to True and setting the Max and Min
properties of the axis.

Labeling
To show labels on an axis, you will need to specify the value for the LabelsGap property, set your LabelsFont
properties, and set LabelsVisible to True. These properties can be set in the AxisBase Collection editor, which is
accessed at design time by clicking the ellipsis button next to the ChartAreas (Collection) property, then the
Axes (Collection) property of the ChartArea.

Tip: Labels render first, and then the chart fills in the remaining area, so be sure to make the chart large
enough if you use angled labels.

You can specify strings to be used for the labels instead of numerical values on an axis by using the Labels
collection property at design time or assigning a string array to the Labels property at run time. You can also
specify whether you want your axis labels to appear on the outside or inside of the axis line using the
LabelsInside property. By default, labels appear outside the axis line.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 343
Format for numeric value axis label
You can use the LabelFormat property to set the label format of numeric value axis. The LabelFormat property
can be referenced from the AxisBase collection editor.
For example, if you want to display a digit separator as shown in the image above, you should specify "{0:c}" in
the LabelFormat property to output the "\1,213" value. When "{0:#,###円}" is specified, the output value is
"1,213円". The LabelFormat property uses the same format as the ListControl.DataFormatString property of .NET
Framework standard control.

Tip: To set a specific tick interval using the LabelFormat property, the SmartLabels property should be set
to False.

Secondary Axes
By default, a Chart object includes secondary X and Y axes (AxisX2 and AxisY2). At design time or run time, you
can specify a secondary axis to plot data against by setting all of the appropriate properties for AxisX2 or AxisY2,
including the Visible property.For example, if you want to use two axes to show the same data as it appears on
two different scales, you can set the primary axis to show the actual data value scale, for example, and set the
secondary axis to show a logarithmic scale.
To write code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic code. Paste INSIDE the section Format event
' set properties for AxisY (primary axis)
With Me.ChartControl1.ChartAreas(0).Axes("AxisY")
.Max = 25
.Min = 0
.MajorTick.Step = 5
End With

' set properties for AxisY2 (secondary Y axis)

With Me.ChartControl1.ChartAreas(0).Axes("AxisY2")
.Max = 1000
.Min = 0
.MajorTick.Step = 200
' set the scaling for the secondary axis to logarithmic
.AxisType = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.AxisType.Logarithmic
.Visible = True
End With

To write code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the section Format event

// set properties for AxisY (primary axis)
this.ChartControl1.ChartAreas[0].Axes["AxisY"].Max = 25;
this.ChartControl1.ChartAreas[0].Axes["AxisY"].Min = 0;
this.ChartControl1.ChartAreas[0].Axes["AxisY"].MajorTick.Step = 5;

// set properties for AxisY2 (secondary Y axis)

this.ChartControl1.ChartAreas[0].Axes["AxisY2"].Max = 1000;
this.ChartControl1.ChartAreas[0].Axes["AxisY2"].Min = 0;
this.ChartControl1.ChartAreas[0].Axes["AxisY2"].MajorTick.Step = 200;

// set the scaling for the secondary axis to logarithmic

this.ChartControl1.ChartAreas[0].Axes["AxisY2"].AxisType =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.AxisType.Logarithmic;
this.ChartControl1.ChartAreas[0].Axes["AxisY2"].Visible = true;

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 344
Custom Axes
The Chart control supports the creation of additional custom axes through the use of the chart's CustomAxes
collection. Once a custom axis has been added to the collection, in addition to setting the normal axis properties,
you will need to set the following properties:
Parent - The Parent property allows you to choose the primary or secondary axis on which your custom
axis resides.
PlacementLength - The PlacementLength property allows you to set the length of the custom axis in
proportion to the Min and Max property values you have already set for the parent axis.
PlacementLocation - The PlacementLocation property allows you to set the starting location value for
the custom axis to appear in relation to the parent axis.

The following code sample demonstrates creating a custom axis, adding it to the Axes collection for the ChartArea,
and setting its properties.
To write code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic code. Paste INSIDE the section Format event
' create the custom axis and add it to the ChartArea's Axes collection
Dim customAxisY As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.CustomAxis
Me.ChartControl1.ChartAreas(0).Axes.Add(customAxisY)

' set the basic axis properties for customAxisY

customAxisY.LabelFont = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.FontInfo(Color.Red, New
Font("Arial", 7.0!))
customAxisY.LabelsGap = 1
customAxisY.LabelsVisible = True
customAxisY.Line = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.Red, 1,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.LineStyle.Solid)
customAxisY.Max = 100
customAxisY.Min = 0
customAxisY.MaxDerived = False
customAxisY.Visible = True

' set major tick

customAxisY.MajorTick = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Tick(New
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.Red, 1), New
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.Red, 1), 20, 5, True)
customAxisY.MajorTick.Visible = True

' set minor tick

customAxisY.MinorTick.Visible = False
customAxisY.MinorTick.GridLine.Style = Chart.Graphics.LineStyle.None

' set custom axis property

customAxisY.Parent = ((CType(Me.ChartControl1.ChartAreas(0).Axes("AxisY"),
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Axis)))
customAxisY.PlacementLength = 20
customAxisY.PlacementLocation = 45

To write code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the section Format event

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 345
// create the custom axis and add it to the ChartArea's Axes collection
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.CustomAxis customAxisY = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.CustomAxis();
this.ChartControl1.ChartAreas[0].Axes.Add(customAxisY);

// set the basic axis properties for customAxisY

customAxisY.LabelFont = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.FontInfo(Color.Red, new
Font("Arial", 7F, FontStyle.Regular, GraphicsUnit.Point, ((System.Byte)(0))));
customAxisY.LabelsGap = 1;
customAxisY.LabelsVisible = true;
customAxisY.Line = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.Red);
customAxisY.MajorTick = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Tick(new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.Red, 1), new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.Red, 1), 1, 2F, true);
customAxisY.MajorTick.GridLine = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.Line(Color.Red, 1,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Graphics.LineStyle.Solid);
customAxisY.MajorTick.Visible = true;
customAxisY.Max = 5;
customAxisY.MaxDerived = false;
customAxisY.Min = 0;
customAxisY.Visible = true;

// set the special custom axis properties

customAxisY.Parent =
(GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Axis)this.ChartControl1.ChartAreas[0].Axes["AxisY"];
customAxisY.PlacementLength = 20;
customAxisY.PlacementLocation = 30;

Gridlines and Tick Marks

Gridlines and tick marks are generally used to help increase the readability of a chart.

Types
There are two kinds of gridlines and tick marks in the Chart control: major and minor. The properties for the major
gridlines and tick marks are set on the MajorTick object of the particular axis and the properties for minor gridlines
and ticks are set on the MinorTick object of the axis. The location for any labels shown for the axis are determined
by the Step property of the MajorTick object.

Step and TickLength

For either the MajorTick or MinorTick objects, you can define where the tick marks and gridlines will appear by
setting the Step property. The TickLength property allows you to set the region the tick mark will extend outside
of the axis line.

Tip: To set a specific tick interval using the Step property, you should set the SmartLabels property to
False.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 346
Visible
To make any defined major or minor tick marks to show up at design time or run time, the Visible property of the
MajorTick or MinorTick object must be set to True. To show major or minor gridlines at design time or run time,
the Visible property of the WallXY object as well as that of the MajorTick or MinorTick object must be set to True.

ReportInfo
In ActiveReports, the ReportInfo control allows you to quickly display page numbers, page counts, and report
dates. The ReportInfo control is a text box with a selection of preset FormatString options. You can set page
counts to count the pages for the entire report, or for a specified group.
You can customize the preset values by editing the string after you select it. For example, if you want to display
the total number of pages in the ReportHeader section, you can enter a value like:
Total of {PageCount} pages.

Caution: With large reports using the CacheToDisk property, placing page counts in header sections may
have an adverse effect on memory as well as rendering speed. Since the rendering of the header is delayed
until ActiveReports determines the page count of the following sections, CacheToDisk is unable to perform
any optimization. For more information on this concept, see Optimizing Section Reports.

For more information on creating formatting strings, see the Date, Time, and Number Formatting topic.
Important Properties

Property Description
FormatString Gets or sets the string used to display formatted page numbering or report date and time
values in the control.
Style Gets or sets the style string for the control. This property reflects any settings you choose in
the Font and ForeColor properties.
SummaryGroup Gets or sets the name of the GroupHeader section that is used to reset the number of pages
when displaying group page numbering.

Displaying page numbers and report dates

1. From the toolbox, drag the ReportInfo control to the desired location on the report.
2. With the ReportInfo control selected in the Properties window, drop down the FormatString property and
select the preset value that best suits your needs.
Displaying group level page counts
1. From the toolbox, add the ReportInfo control to the GroupHeader or GroupFooter section of a report and
set the FormatString property to a value that includes PageCount.
2. With the ReportInfo control still selected, in the Properties window, drop down the SummaryGroup
property and select the group for which you want to display a page count.

ReportInfo Dialog
With the control selected on the report, in the Commands section at the bottom of the Properties window, you can
click the Property dialog command to open the dialog.
General
Name: Enter a name for the control that is unique within the report. This name is displayed in the Document
Outline and in XML exports.
Tag: Enter a string that you want to persist with the control. If you access this property in code, it is an object,
but in the Properties window or Property dialog, it is a string.
Visible: Clear this check box to hide the control.
DataField: Select a field name from the data source to which to bind the control.
Appearance
Background Color: Select a color to use for the background of the control.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 347
Font
Name: Select a font family name or a theme font.
Size: Choose the size in points for the font.
Style: Choose Normal or Italic.
Weight: Choose from Normal or Bold.
Color: Choose a color to use for the text.
Decoration: Select check boxes for Underline and Strikeout.
GDI Charset: Enter a value to indicate the GDI character set to use. For a list of valid values, see MSDN
Font.GDICharSet Property.
GDI Vertical: Select this checkbox to indicate that the font is derived from a GDI vertical font.
Format
Format string: Select a formatted page numbering or report date and time value to display in the control. You
may also type in this box to change or add text to display along with the formatted date and page number values.
Multiline: Select this check box to allow text to render on multiple lines within the control.

ReportInfo height
Can increase to accommodate contents: Select this check box to set CanGrow to True.
Can decrease to accommodate contents: Select this check box to set CanShrink to True.

Text direction
RightToLeft: Select this check box to reverse the text direction.
Alignment
Vertical alignment: Choose Top, Middle, or Bottom.
Horizontal alignment: Choose Left, Center, Right, or Justify.
Wrap mode: Choose NoWrap, WordWrap, or CharWrap to select whether to wrap words or characters to the
next line.
Summary
SummaryGroup: Select a GroupHeader section in the report to display the number of pages in each group when
using the PageCount.
SummaryRunning: Select None, Group, or All to display a summarized value.

Cross Section Controls

In section reports, you can use the CrossSectionLine and CrossSectionBox report controls to display a frame,
borders, and vertical lines that run from a header section through its related footer section, spanning all details
that come between. You can specify line appearance using properties on the report controls, and even round the
corners of the CrossSectionBox.
You can only place the cross section controls in header sections in the designer. They automatically span
intervening sections to end in the related footer section. (You can also place them in footer sections, but they
automatically associate themselves with the related header section in the Report Explorer.)
CrossSectionLine

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 348

The CrossSectionLine control draws a vertical line from a header section to the corresponding footer section. At
runtime, this vertical line stretches through any intervening sections. You can change the appearance of
CrossSectionLine by changing the following properties.

Property Description
LineColor Allows you to get or set color of the line.
LineStyle Allows you to select the line style from solid, dash or dotted.
LineWeight Allows you to specify the thickness of the line in pixel units.

CrossSectionBox

The CrossSectionBox control draws a rectangle from a header section to its corresponding footer section. To
change the appearance of the rectangle, you can use the following properties in addition to the ones mentioned
above.

Property Description
Radius Sets the radius of each corner for the RoundRect shape type. You can select Default, TopLeft,
TopRight, BottomLeft or BottomRight. Selecting Default sets the radius of all the corners of the
CrossSectionBox control to a specified percentage. Default value = 0 (point).
BackColor Sets the back color.

Note: At run time, the BackColor property renders first and the LineColor property renders last.

Caution: The CrossSectionBox and CrossSectionLine controls do not render properly in multi-column
reports, that is, those in which a GroupHeader section has the ColumnLayout property set to True.

CrossSectionLine Dialog
With the control selected on the report, in the Commands section at the bottom of the Properties window, you can
click the Property dialog command to open the dialog.
General
Name: Enter a name for the control that is unique within the report. This name is displayed in the Document
Outline and in XML exports.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 349
Tag: Enter a string that you want to persist with the control. If you access this property in code, it is an object,
but in the Properties window or Property dialog, it is a string.
Visible: Clear this check box to hide the control.
Appearance
Line style: Select a line style to use for the control. You can set it to Transparent, Solid, Dash, Dot, DashDot, or
DashDotDot.
Line weight: Enter the width in pixels for the line.
Line color: Select a color to use for the line.

CrossSectionBox Dialog
With the control selected on the report, in the Commands section at the bottom of the Properties window, you can
click the Property dialog command to open the dialog.
General
Name: Enter a name for the control that is unique within the report. This name is displayed in the Document
Outline and in XML exports.
Tag: Enter a string that you want to persist with the control. If you access this property in code, it is an object,
but in the Properties window or Property dialog, it is a string.
Visible: Clear this check box to hide the control.
Appearance
Line style: Select a line style to use for the border line. You can set it to Transparent, Solid, Dash, Dot, DashDot,
or DashDotDot.
Line weight: Enter the width in pixels for the border line.
Line color: Select a color to use for the border line.
Background color: Select a color to use for the background of the picture control.
Rounded Rectangle: Specify the radius for each corner of the CrossSectionBox individually. Drag the handlers
available at each corner of the CrossSectionBox to set the value of the radius at each corner.

Note: To enable specific corners, check the CheckBox available near each corner of the CrossSectionBox
control.

Use the same radius on specified corners: Select this option to apply the same radius to all selected
corners of the CorssSectionBox.
Use different radius on specified corners: Select this option to apply a different radius to each
selected corner of the CorssSectionBox.

Section Report Structure

By default, a section report comprises of three banded sections: a PageHeader, a Detail section, and a PageFooter.
You can right-click the report and select Insert and choose other section pairs to add: ReportHeader and Footer,
or GroupHeader and Footer.
All sections except the detail section come in pairs, above and below the detail section. You can hide any section
that you are not using by setting the Visible property of the section to False.
ActiveReports defines the following section types:

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 350

Report Header
A report can have one report header section that prints at the beginning of the report. You generally use this
section to print a report title, a summary table, a chart or any information that only needs to appear once at the
report's start. This section has a NewPage ('NewPage Property' in the on-line documentation) property that
you can use to add a new page before or after it renders.
The Report Header does not appear on a section report by default. In order to add this section, right-click the
report and select Insert > Report Header/Footer to add a Report Header and Footer pair.
Page Header
A report can have one page header section that prints at the top of each page. Unless the page contains a report
header section, the page header is the first section that prints on the page. You can use the page header to print
column headers, page numbers, a page title, or any information that needs to appear at the top of each page.
Group Header
A report can include single or nested groups, with each group having its own header and footer sections. You can
insert and print the header section immediately before the detail section. For more information on grouping, see
Grouping Data in Section Reports.
In Columnar Reports, you can use ColumnGroupKeepTogether, and select whether to start a NewColumn before or
after a group.
You can also specify whether to print a NewPage before or after the section, and have the section print on every
page until the group details complete with the RepeatStyle property. The UnderlayNext property allows you to
show group header information inside the group details, so long as you keep the BackColor property of the Detail
section set to Transparent.
See GroupHeader ('GroupHeader Class' in the on-line documentation) for further information on properties.
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. You can set the CanShrink property to True to eliminate white space after
controls, and you can set up Columnar Reports using ColumnCount, ColumnDirection, ColumnSpacing and
NewColumn properties.
The KeepTogether property attempts to keep the section together on a single page, and the RepeatToFill
('RepeatToFill Property' in the on-line documentation) property allows you to fill each page with the same
number of formatted rows, regardless of whether there is enough data to fill them. This is especially useful for
reports such as invoices in which you want consistent formatting like lines or green bars or back colors to fill each
page down to the Footer section at the bottom.
See Detail ('Detail Class' in the on-line documentation) for further information on properties.

Note: You cannot use the RepeatToFill property if you are using the PageBreak or SubReport control in the
Detail section, or if you have set the NewPage or NewColumn property to any value other than None. When
you use this property in a report where two groups are present, the ReportFooter section prints on the next
page. This property processes correctly only with single grouping.

Group Footer
A report can include single or nested groups, with each group having its own header and footer sections. You can
insert and print the footer section immediately after the detail section. For more information on grouping, see
Grouping Data in Section Reports.
Page Footer

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 351
A report can have one page footer section that prints at the bottom of each page. You can use the page footer to
print page totals, page numbers, or any other information that needs to appear at the bottom of each page.
Report Footer
A report can have one report footer section that prints at the end of the report. Use this section to print a
summary of the report, grand totals, or any information that needs to print once at the end of the report.
The Report Footer does not appear on a section report by default. In order to add this section, right-click the
report and select Insert > Report Header/Footer to add a Report Header and Footer pair.

Note: If the report contains a Page Footer on the last page, the Report Footer appears above the Page
Footer.

Section Report Events

Section reports use events to allow you to control report behavior.

Single-Occurrence Events
The following events are all of the events that are raised only once during a Section report's processing. These
events are raised at the beginning or at the end of the report processing cycle.
Events raised once

ReportStart
Use this event to initialize any objects or variables needed while running a report. This event is also used to set
any Subreport control objects to a new instance of the report assigned to the Subreport control.

Caution: Be sure to add dynamic items to the report before this event finishes.

DataInitialize
This event is raised after ReportStart. Use it to add custom fields to the report's Fields collection. Custom fields can
be added to a bound report (one that uses a Data Control to connect and retrieve records) or an unbound report
(one that does not depend on a data control to get its records). In a bound report the dataset is opened and the
dataset fields are added to the custom fields collection, then the DataInitialize event is raised so new custom fields
can be added. The DataInitialize event can also be used to make adjustments to the DataSource or to set up
database connectivity.

ReportEnd
This event is raised after the report finishes processing. Use this event to close or free any objects that you were
using while running a report in unbound mode, or to display information or messages to the end user. This event
can also be used to export reports.

Multiple-Occurrence Events
The following events are raised multiple times during a Section report's processing.
Events raised more than once

FetchData
This event is raised every time a new record is processed. The FetchData has an EOF parameter indicating whether
the FetchData event should be raised. This parameter is not the same as the Recordset's EOF property and is
defaulted to True. When working with bound reports (reports using a DataControl), the EOF parameter is
automatically set by the report; however, when working with unbound reports this parameter needs to be
controlled manually.
Use the FetchData event with unbound reports to set the values of custom fields that were added in the
DataInitialize event or with bound reports to perform special functions, such as combining fields together or
performing calculations. The FetchData event should not have any references to controls on the report.
If you need to use a value from a Dataset with a control in the Detail section, set a variable in the FetchData event

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 352
and use the variable in the section's Format event to set the value for the control. Please note that this method of
setting a variable in the FetchData event and using it to set a control's value is only supported in the
Detail_Format event.
Also use the FetchData event to increment counters when working with arrays or collections.

PageStart
This event fires before a page is rendered. Use this event to initialize any variables needed for each page when
running an unbound report.

PageEnd
This event is raised after each page in the report is rendered. Use this event to update any variables needed for
each page when running an unbound report.

When Bound and Unbound Data Values Are Set

1. The Fields collection is populated from the dataset that is bound to the report after the DataInitialize event
is raised. (In an unbound report, the Fields collection values are not set to anything at this point.)
2. The FetchData event is raised, giving the user a chance to modify the Fields collection.
3. Any fields that are bound have the values transferred over.
4. The Format event is raised.

Events that Occur for Each Instance of Each Section

In a Section report, regardless of the type or content of the various sections, there are three events for each
section: Format, BeforePrint and AfterPrint.
Section Events
Because there are many possible report designs, the event-raising sequence is dynamic in order to accommodate
individual report demands. The only guaranteed sequence is that a section's Format event is raised before the
BeforePrint event, which in turn occurs before the AfterPrint event but not necessarily all together. Reports should
not be designed to rely on these events being raised in immediate succession.

Important: Never reference the report's Fields collection in these section events. Only reference the Fields
collection in theDataInitialize and FetchData events.

Format
ActiveReports raises this event 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 in which you can change the section's height. Use this section to set or change
the properties of any controls or the section itself.
Also use the Format event to pass information, such as an SQL String, to a Subreport.
If the CanGrow or CanShrink property is True for the section or any control within the section, all of the growing
and shrinking takes place in the Format event. Because of this, you cannot obtain information about a control or
section's height in this event.
Because a section's height is unknown until the Format event finishes, it is possible for a section's Format event to
be raised while the report is on a page to which the section is not rendered. For example, the Detail Format event
is raised but the section is too large to fit on the page. This causes the PageFooter events and the PageEnd event
to be raised on the current page, and the PageStart, any other Header events, and possibly the FetchData event to
be raised before the section is rendered to the canvas on the next page.

BeforePrint
ActiveReports raises this event before the section is rendered to the page.
The growing and shrinking of the section and its controls have already taken place. Therefore, you can use this
event to get an accurate height of the section and its controls. You can modify values and resize controls in the
BeforePrint event, but you cannot modify the height of the section itself.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 353
Also use this event to do page-specific formatting since the report knows which page the section will be rendered
to when this event is raised. Once this event has finished, the section cannot be changed in any way because the
section is rendered to the canvas immediately after this event.

Note: If a section contains the SubReport control that occupies more than one page, the SubReport gets split
into smaller parts at rendering. In this case, you can use the BeforePrint event - it will fire multiple times to
get the height of each part of the rendered SubReport.

AfterPrint
ActiveReports raises this event 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. This event is still useful, however, if you want to draw on the page after text
has already been rendered to it.

Event Sequence
Multi-threaded, single-pass processing enables Section reports to surpass other reports in processing and output
generation speed. ActiveReports processes and renders each page as soon as the page is ready. If a page has
unknown data elements or its layout is not final, it places the page in cache until the data is available.
Sequence of Events
Summary fields and KeepTogether constraints are two reasons why a page might not render immediately. 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 are delayed until all of the data is read.
There are ten report events in the code behind a Section report, or seven in a ActiveReport script.

Because there are so many ways in which you can customize your reports, not all reports execute in the same
way. However, when you run a report, this is generally what happens:
1. ActiveReports raises the ReportStart event. The report validates any changes made to the report structure
in ReportStart. In some cases, data source properties raise the DataInitialize event.
2. Printer settings are applied. If none are specified, the local machine's default printer settings are used.
3. If the DataInitialize event was not already raised, ActiveReports raises it and opens the data source.
4. If the data source contains Parameters with unset values and the ShowParameterUI property is set
to True, ActiveReports displays a parameters dialog to request values from the user.
5. Closing the dialog raises the ParameterUIClosed event. If the report is a subreport that requires
parameters, ActiveReports binds the subreport parameters to any fields in the parent report.
6. ActiveReports raises the FetchData event.
7. If there is no data, the NoData event is raised.
8. The PageStart event raises, and then raises again after each PageEnd event until the final page.
9. Group sections are bound and sections begin rendering on pages.
10. ActiveReports raises Section Events to process sections in (roughly) the following order:

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Report header
Page header
Group header
Detail
Group footer
Page footer
Report footer
11. After each event, ActiveReports checks the Cancel flag to ensure that it should continue.
12. Other events may raise, depending on the report logic.
13. The PageEnd event raises after each page becomes full, and the PageStart raises if the report has not
finished.
14. Finally, ActiveReports raises the ReportEnd event.

Events that May Occur

These events occur in response to user actions, or when there is no data for a report.
Other Events

DataSourceChanged
This event occurs if the report's data source is changed. This is mainly useful with the end-user designer control.

NoData
This event occurs if the report's data source returns no records.

ParameterUIClosed
This event occurs when the user closes the parameter dialog.

PrintAborted
This event occurs when the user cancels a print job.

PrintProgress
This event occurs once for each page while the report document is printing.

Scripting in Section Reports

In a section report, ActiveReports allows you to use VB.NET or C# script to port your custom logic to report layouts. This permits layouts saved to report XML (RPX) files to serve as stand-alone
reports. By including scripting before you save the report layout as an RPX file, you can later load, run, and display the report directly to the viewer control without using the designer. In conjunction
with report files, scripting allows you to update distributed reports without recompiling your project.

Script Editor
To access the script editor, click the script tab below the report design surface. The script tab contains two drop-downs (Object and Event).
Object: Drop down the list and select one of the report sections, or the report itself.
Event: Drop down the list and select from the list of events generated based on your selection in the Object drop down. If you select a report section as the Object, there are three events:
Format, BeforePrint, and AfterPrint. If you select ActiveReport as the Object, there are seven events. See Section Report Events for further information.
Add script to the events in the same way that you add code to events in the code view of the report. When you select an event, the script editor generates a method stub for the event.
Using the ScriptLanguage ('ScriptLanguage Property' in the on-line documentation) property of the report, you can set the script language that you want to use.

Select the scripting language to use

In design view of the report, click in the grey area below the report to select it.
In the Properties window, drop down the ScriptLanguage property and select C# or VB.NET.
You can also add scripts at runtime using the Script ('Script Property' in the on-line documentation) property.

Caution: Since the RPX file can be read with any text editor, use the AddCode ('AddCode Method' in the on-line documentation) or AddNamedItem ('AddNamedItem Method' in the
on-line documentation) method to add secure information such as a connection string.

Tips for Using Script

Keep the section report class public: If the Section Report class is private, the script cannot recognize the items in your report. The Section Report class is public by default.
Set the Modifiers property of any control referenced in script to Public: If the control's Modifiers property is not set to Public, the control cannot be referenced in script and an error
occurs when the report is run. The Modifiers property has a default value of Private, so you must set this property in the designer.
Use "this" (as in C# code-behind) or "Me" (as in VB code-behind) to reference the report. Using "rpt" to reference the report is also possible but it is recommended to use the "this" and
"Me" keywords.

Note: The basic approach of using the "this/Me" and "rpt" keywords is as follows - use "this/Me" to access the properties and controls added to the sections of the report, whereas use
"rpt" within the instance of the ActiveReports class only to access its public properties, public events and public methods.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 355
Use Intellisense support: The script tab supports IntelliSense that helps in inserting the language elements and provides other helpful options when adding script to a report.

Use Run-time error handling: When run-time errors occur, a corresponding error message is displayed in the Preview tab stating the problem.

Note: A declared variable is not static by default. Use the static keyword to declare static variables.

Difference in script and code-behind event handler

Code-behind and the script tab require a different syntax for the event handler method definition. Use the Private modifier in code-behind and the Public modifier in the script editor.
See the following examples of the ReportStart event handler definition in Visual Basic and C#:
Script and code-behind examples in Visual Basic
The ReportStart event handler definition in the script editor:
Visual Basic.NET
Sub ActiveReport_ReportStart End Sub

The ReportStart event handler definition in code-behind:

Visual Basic.NET
Private Sub SectionReport1_ReportStart(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.ReportStart End Sub

Script and code-behind examples in C#

The ReportStart event handler definition in the script editor:
CS
public void ActiveReport_ReportStart() { }

The ReportStart event handler definition in code-behind:

CS
private void SectionReport1_ReportStart(object sender, EventArgs e) { }

Report Settings Dialog

With ActiveReports, you can modify facets of your report, such as the page setup, printer settings, styles, and
global settings at design time, as well as at run time. To make changes at design time, access the Report Settings
dialog through any of the following:
With the report selected, go to the Visual Studio toolbar select Report menu > Settings.
In the Report Explorer, right-click the Settings node and select Show or double-click the Settings node.
Click the gray area outside the design surface to select the report and in the Commands section at the
bottom of the Properties Window, click the Property dialog command.
The Report Settings dialog provides the following pages where you can set or modify various settings of your
report.

Page Setup
On the Page Setup page, you can make changes to the report margins (left, right, top, and bottom), specify a
gutter, and select the Mirror margins option. This page also shows a preview of how each setting appears on the
report page.
Top margin: Set the Top margin for report pages.
Bottom margin: Set the Bottom margin for report pages.
Left margin: Set the Left margin for report pages.
Right margin: Set the Right margin for report pages.
Gutter: Set Gutter to give extra space between the edge of the page and the margins. This allows

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 356
reports to be bound.
Mirror Margins: Select this option to set same inner and outside margins for opposite pages in the
report.
By setting a gutter and selecting Mirror margins, you can easily set up reports for publishing.
Printer Settings
On the Printer Settings page, you can make changes to the printer paper size and orientation.
Paper Size: Select a paper size from the list of pre-defined paper sizes or choose Custom paper from
the list to enable the Width and Height options for defining your own custom paper size.
Width: Set the width of your custom paper size.
Height: Set the height of your custom paper size.
Orientation: Select one among Default, Portrait or Landscape as your paper orientation.
Collate: Select whether to use collation or not.
Duplex: Select whether the report should be printed in Simplex, Horizontal or Vertical duplex.
Paper Source: Set the location of the paper source from the dropdown list.

Important: For items set to Printer Default, default printer settings are used from the printer installed on
the environment where the report is being created. The paper size might also change based on the runtime
environment so in case the paper size of your report is fixed, please specify it beforehand.

Styles
On the Styles page, you can change the appearance of text associated with controls, either by creating a new style
sheet, or by modifying and applying an existing style.
New: Use this button to create a new style.
Delete: Use this button to delete an existing style.
Export styles to file: Use this button to export an existing style to an external XML *.reportstyle file.
Import styles from file: Use this button to import styles a *.reportstyle file.
Font name: Set or modify the font in your new or existing style.
Font size: Set or modify the font size in your new or existing style.
Bold: Enable or disable Bold text for your new or existing style.
Italic: Enable or disable Italic text in your new or existing style.
Underline: Enable or disable Underlined text in your new or existing style.
Strikethrough: Enable or disable Strikethrough text in your new or existing style.
BackColor: Set the Backcolor to use in your new or existing style.
ForeColor: Set the Forecolor to use in your new or existing style.
Horizontal Alignment: Set the horizontal alignment to Left, Center, Right, Justify for your new or
existing style.
Vertical Alignment: Set the vertical alignment to Top, Middle, Bottom for your new or existing style.
Script: Select the script to use in your new or existing style.
Global Settings
On the Global Settings page, you can change the design layout of your report.
Snap Lines: Select whether to use snap lines at design time or not.
Snap to Grid: Select whether the control moves from one snap line to another at design time.
Show Grid: Select whether to show or hide the grid at design time.
Grid Columns: Set the count of columns in a grid.
Grid Rows: Set the count of rows in a grid.
Dimension Lines: Set whether to use dimension lines at design time or not.
Grid Mode: Select whether to show gridlines as Dots or Lines.
Show Delete Prompt: Select this option to get a warning when you try to delete a parameter or
calculated field from the Report Explorer.
Ruler Units: Set the ruler units in Inches or Centimeters.
Preview Pages: Set the number of pages to display in the Preview tab. Minimum values is 1 and
maximum is 10000 pages. By default, the Preview tab displays 10 pages.

Note: This property allows you to set number of pages to display in the Preview tab only. To set

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 357
the number of pages for viewer/export, you can use MaxPages ('MaxPages Property' in the
on-line documentation) property.

Grouping Data in Section Reports

In a section report, you can group data by adding a pair of group header and group footer sections to the report. These
sections appear immediately above and below the detail section. See Add Grouping in Section Reports for further
information on how to group data.

Caution: You cannot add a header section without a corresponding footer section. If you try to do so in code, the
results are unstable.

You can set the properties for the GroupHeader and GroupFooter sections in their corresponding dialogs. Following is a
list of properties you can set through the options in these dialogs. Each option in the GroupHeader dialog corresponds to
a property in the properties window. To access the properties directly, select the section and open the properties window.
See the associated property names in parenthesis with each dialog option below.

GroupHeader Dialog

To access the GroupHeader dialog, right click the group header and in the Properties window under the properties list
where the commands are displayed, click the Property dialog link. See Properties Window for further information on
commands.
General
Name (Name): Indicates the name of the GroupHeader in code. It is unique for a report.
Tag (Tag): Indicates the user-defined information persisted with the GroupHeader section.
Visible (Visible): Checkbox to specify the visibility of the GroupHeader section.
DataField (DataField): Field or expression on which you group the data.
Appearance
Background color (BackColor): Dropdown list to set the background color of the GroupHeader section.
Layout
Insert new page (NewPage): Dropdown list to determine whether a new page is inserted before and/or after
displaying the GroupHeader section.
Insert new column (NewColumn): Dropdown list to determine whether a new column (in a multi-column
report) appears before and/or after displaying the GroupHeader section.
Repeat section (RepeatStyle): Dropdown list to specify whether the GroupHeader section appears with every
column or page that the Detail section or associated footer appears on.
Keep section and its footer on a single page (GroupKeepTogether): Dropdown list to specify whether the
GroupHeader section and its footer appear as a single block on the same page or not.
Keep section on a single page (KeepTogether): Checkbox to specify whether the GroupHeader
section appears on a single page.
Keep section and its footer in a single column (ColumnGroupKeepTogether): Checkbox to specify whether
the GroupHeader section and its footer appear as a single block in the same column.
Keep section underneath the following section (UnderlayNext): Checkbox to specify whether the
GroupHeader section appears in the following section or not. It allows you to show group header information
inside the group details, so long as you keep the BackColor property of the Detail section set to Transparent.
Use column layout (ColumnLayout): Checkbox to determine whether the GroupHeader section uses the same

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 358
column layout as the Detail section.
Can increase to accommodate contents (CanGrow): Checkbox to specify whether the height of the
GroupHeader section can grow when its controls extend beyond its original height.
Can decrease to accommodate contents (CanShrink): Checkbox to specify whether the height of the
GroupHeader section can adjust to the total height of controls placed in it.

GroupFooter Dialog

To access the GroupFooter dialog, right click the group footer and in the Properties window under the properties
list where the commands are displayed, click the Property dialog link. See Properties Window for further information on
commands.
General
Name (Name): Indicates the name of the GroupFooter in code. It is unique for a report.
Tag (Tag): Indicates the user-defined information persisted with the GroupFooter section.
Visible (Visible): Checkbox to specify the visibility of the GroupFooter section.
Appearance
Background color (BackColor): Dropdown list to set the background color of the GroupFooter section.
Layout
Insert new page (NewPage): Dropdown list to determine whether a new page is inserted before and/or after
displaying the GroupFooter section.
Insert new column (NewColumn): Dropdown list to determine whether a new column (in a multi-column
report) appears before and/or after displaying the GroupFooter section.
Keep section on a single page (KeepTogether): Checkbox to determine whether the GroupFooter
section appears on a single page.
Use column layout (ColumnLayout): Checkbox to specify whether the GroupFooter section uses the same
column layout as the Detail section.
Print at the bottom of page (PrintAtBottom): Checkbox to specify whether the GroupFooter section is
printed at the bottom of the page immediately before the PageFooter section.
Can increase to accommodate contents (CanGrow): Checkbox to specify whether the height of the
GroupFooter section can grow when its controls extend beyond its original height.
Can decrease to accommodate contents (CanShrink): Checkbox to specify whether the height of the
GroupFooter section can adjust to the total height of controls placed in it.
When you run the report, it renders the group header, followed by all related instances of the detail section, and then the
group footer. It renders a new group header section for each instance of the grouping field.
Controls in the group header render once for each instance of the group, so you can place the column header labels to
describe the data in the detail fields here.

Multiple Grouping
In a section report, you can nest group header and footer pairs and group each on a different field. You can add up to 32
groupings in one report.

Note: As with any group header and footer pair, group your data on the fields that you specify in the DataField
('DataField Property' in the on-line documentation) property of the group header, but in the order of your
groups. For example:
SELECT * FROM Customers ORDER BY GroupHeader1DataField, GroupHeader2DataField, GroupHeader3DataField

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 359
See the image below for the order in which report sections appear on the report. GroupHeader1 in the image was added
first and appears above the other two group headers, while its pair GroupFooter1, appears below the other two group
footers.

When you run a report with multiple groupings like the one above, the sections print in the following order:
1. ReportHeader1 prints once and does not repeat.
2. PageHeader1 prints once at the top of each page.
3. GroupHeader1 prints once for the first value its DataField returns.
4. GroupHeader2 prints once for the first value its DataField returns within the context of GroupHeader1's
DataField value.
5. GroupHeader3 prints once for the first value its DataField returns within the context of GroupHeader2's
DataField value.
6. Detail1 prints once for each record that falls within the context of GroupHeader3's DataField value.
7. GroupFooter3 prints once at the end of the records that fall within the context of GroupHeader3's DataField
value.
8. GroupHeader3 may print again, if more values return within the context of GroupHeader2's DataField value.
9. Each time GroupHeader3 prints again, it is followed by Detail1 (once for each related record) and GroupFooter3.
10. GroupFooter2 prints once after GroupFooter3.
11. GroupHeader2 may print again, if more values return within the context of GroupHeader1's DataField value.
12. Each time GroupHeader2 prints again, it is followed by Detail1 (once for each related record) and GroupFooter2.
13. GroupFooter1 prints once after GroupFooter2.
14. GroupHeader1 prints once for the second value its DataField returns, followed by GroupHeader2, and so on in a
pattern similar to the one above.
15. ReportFooter1 prints once on the last page where the data displayed in the report ends.
16. PageFooter1 prints once at the bottom of each page. Also, its position within groups varies.
Note: At design time, although the PageFooter section is located above the ReportFooter section, at
runtime it appears after the ReportFooter section on the last page.

With many groupings, you might find the need to rearrange the order of your groups. If your report has more than one
group, you can right-click the report surface, and select Reorder Groups. This opens the Group Order dialog, where
you can drag the groups and set them in any order you want.

Alternatively, you can also click the Reorder Groups button in the ActiveReports toolbar, to open the Group Order
dialog. See Toolbar for further information.

Date, Time, and Number Formatting

In Section Reports, you can 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

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 360
currency values and select from various built-in string expressions. In addition to the built-in string expressions,
you may use any .NET standard formatting strings. You can find information about these strings
(Numerics and Date/Time formats) on MSDN.

Note: The ReportInfo control has many preformatted options in the FormatString property for
RunDateTime and Page Numbers. For more information, see Display Page Numbers and Report Dates.

Caution:
The format from the OutputFormat property is applied to the value set in the DataField property of
the Value property. It is not applied when a string is set in the Text property.
OutputFormat property settings are valid only for Double or DateTime type values. In case of a
String or when no data type is set, the format is automatically applied to only those values that
can be converted to Double or DateTime, otherwise no format is applied.

The OutputFormat property allows four sections delimited by a semicolon. Each section contains the format
specifications for a different type of number:
The first section provides the format for positive numbers.
The second section provides the format for negative numbers.
The third section provides the format for Zero values.
The fourth section provides the format for Null or System.DBNull values.
For example: $#,#00.00; ($#,#00.00_); $0.00; #

Dates:
dddd, MMMM d, yyyy = Saturday, December 25, 2012
dd/MM/yyyy = 25/12/2012
d or dd = day in number format
ddd = day in short string format (for example, Sat for Saturday)
dddd = day in string format (for example, Saturday)
MM = month in number format
MMM = month in short string format (for example, Dec for December)
MMMM = month in string format (for example, December)
y or yy = year in two digit format (for example, 12 for 2012)
yyyy or yyyy = year in four digit format (for example, 2012)

Times:
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

Currency and numbers:

$0.00 = $6.25
$#,#00.00 = $06.25
0 = digit or zero
# = digit or nothing
% = percent-multiplies the string expression by 100

Note: Underscore (_) keycode can be used in OutputFormat property to skip the width of the next
character. This code is commonly used as _) to leave space for a closing parenthesis in a positive number
format when the negative number format includes parentheses. This allows both positive and negative values
to line up at the decimal point.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 361

Optimizing Section Reports

Optimization can be crucial for large reports (i.e. over 100 pages). Here is some information which will help you to
achieve the best possible results for such reports. To optimize ActiveReports for the web, please refer to the
memory considerations section.
Memory Considerations
Images: Limit the use of large images when exporting to RTF and TIFF formats. Note that even one
image uses a lot of memory if it's repeated on every page of a very long report exported to TIFF or RTF.
If you are not exporting, or if you are exporting to Excel, PDF, or HTML, repeated images are stored only
once to save memory, but the comparison necessary to detect duplicate images slows the processing
time for the report.
SubReports: Limit the use of subreports in repeating sections because each subreport instance
consumes memory. For example, consider that a subreport in the Detail section of a report in which the
Detail section is repeated 2,000 times will have 2,000 instances of the subreport. Nested subreports will
compound the number of instances. If you need to use subreports in repeating sections, instantiate
them in the ReportStart event instead of the Format event of the repeating section so that they will be
instantiated only once and use less memory.
CacheToDisk: Set the CacheToDisk property of the Document object to True. Although it slows down
the processing time, this allows the document to be cached to disk instead of loading the whole report in
memory. The PDF export also detects this setting and exports the cached report. Please note that only
the PDF export is affected by the CacheToDisk property; other exports may run out of memory with very
large reports. By default, CacheToDisk uses IsolatedStorage, which
requires IsolatedStorageFilePermission.
It is recommended that you use the CacheToDiskLocation property to specify the physical path instead
of using isolated storage so that you do not run into the size limit.
Summary: Placing summaries (primarily page count and report totals) in header sections will have an
adverse effect on memory as well as rendering speed with large reports using the CacheToDisk property.
Since the rendering of the header is delayed until ActiveReports determines the total or page count of
the following sections, CacheToDisk is unable to perform any optimization. The greater the number of
affected sections, the longer rendering is delayed and the less optimization CacheToDisk will offer.
Therefore, a group total in a group header section does not affect performance and memory as much as
a report total in the report header.
Releasing Reports To properly release a report instance from memory, take these steps in the
following order:
1. Call the Dispose() method of the Document object
2. Call the Dispose() method of the Report object
3. Set the Report object to null
The code for properly releasing a report is as follows.
To release a report in Visual Basic
C# code.
rpt.Document.Dispose()
rpt.Dispose()
rpt = Nothing

To release a report in C#
C# code.
rpt.Document.Dispose();
rpt.Dispose();
rpt = null;

Speed Considerations
Image: An image repeated on every page of a very long report is stored only once to improve memory,
but the comparison necessary to detect duplicate images slows performance. This is not only the case
with the report document itself, but also with the Excel, PDF, and HTML exports as they perform their
own comparisons.
Summaries: Placing summaries (primarily page count and report totals) in header sections will slow

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 362
report processing. ActiveReports must determine the total or page count of the following sections before
it can render the header section. The greater the number of affected sections, the longer rendering is
delayed. Therefore, a group total in a group header section does not affect performance and memory as
much as a report total in the report header.
CacheToDisk: Be sure that the CacheToDisk property of the Document object is not set to True. Setting
it to True increases the amount of time the report takes to load, and should only be used with very large
reports that use a lot of memory. If this is used with smaller reports of less than 100 pages, it may
actually cause more memory to be used.
SELECT *：Using the SELECT * statement is only recommended when you actually want to use all of the
data returned by this statement. Contact your database administrator for other methods to speed up
your queries.
Printing Considerations
Virtual Printer：We recommend use of virtual printer in case report generate environment differs from
the environment in which the report is viewed or printed like in the case of Web applications.
Line：Please be careful as Line control has been used to draw borders within a report. An issue has been
observed that spool size is increased (when comparing with Solid) during printing in case LineStyle
property is set to an any value e.g. Dash or Dot etc. other than Solid that is the default value. As a
result, time is taken for spooling by the report thus hindering the performance while printing. Same
issue is observed when rendering a line using GDI+ in PrintDocument of .NET Framework.

CacheToDisk and Resource Storage

The CacheToDisk property of the SectionDocument object tells ActiveReports whether to hold resources in
memory, or cache them somewhere on your disk. Caching resources slows processing time, but can save you from
running out of memory with very large reports.

Isolated Storage
If you use the CacheToDisk property without setting a CacheToDiskLocation, the default location in which it caches
resources is IsolatedStorage, so you must have IsolatedStorageFilePermission in order to use it. The cache
capacity for IsolatedStorage may depend on your configuration, but does not exceed 3 GB.

Important: Temporary files and folders created in IsolatedStorage are not deleted automatically.

Cache to Disk Location

To avoid using IsolatedStorage, you can specify a folder in the CacheToDiskLocation property. The cache capacity
for a disk location is 3 GB.
For an example of the code used to turn on CacheToDisk and specify a folder, see the CacheToDiskLocation
('CacheToDiskLocation Property' in the on-line documentation) property in the Class
Library documentation.

Exporting
ActiveReports provides three independent ways to export a report to different formats:
Rendering Extensions: You can use the Render method in Rendering Extensions of the PageDocument
class to render a page report and RDL Report to Image, Html, Pdf, Xml, Word and Excel formats.
Export Filters: You can use the Export method of the corresponding ExportFilter class to export a section
report, page report and RDL Reports. Exporting in Section Report is only possible through Export Filters.
Transformation Device: You can use the Render method in Rendering Extensions of Page Document
class using ExcelTransformationDevice to render an RDL report to Excel format.
The following table illustrates the supported export formats for section, page and an RDL report.
Click the ✓ mark to see the implementation of the corresponding Export format.

Export formats Section Page RDL

report report report

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 363
HTML: Export reports to HTML or MHT Rendering Extension ✘ ✓ ✓
formats, all of which open in a Web
browser. Export Filter ✓ ✓ ✓

Pdf: Export reports to PDF, a portable Rendering Extension ✘ ✓ ✓

document format that opens in the
Adobe Reader. Export Filter ✓ ✓ ✓

Rtf: Export reports to RTF, RichText Format that opens in Microsoft Word, and is ✓ ✓ ✓
native to WordPad.
Word: Export reports to DOC, a Word HTML (.doc) ✘ ✓ ✓
format that opens in Microsoft Word.
Text: Export reports to TXT, plain text format that opens in Notepad or any text ✓ ✓ ✓
editor. Export reports to CSV, comma separated values, a format that you can open
in Microsoft Excel.
Image: Export reports to BMP, EMF, GIF, JPEG, TIFF, and PNG image formats ✘ ✓ ✓
Tiff: Export reports to TIFF image format for optical archiving and faxing. ✓ ✓ ✓

Excel Export Filter(XLS, XLSX) ✓ ✓ ✓

Transformation Device - Data(XLS) ✘ ✘ ✓
Rendering Extension - Layout(XLS, XLSX) ✘ ✓ ✓
Xml: Export reports to XML, a format that opens in a Web browser or delivers data ✘ ✓ ✓
to other applications.

Note: When exporting to Excel, use Rendering Extensions when the purpose of export is to get greater
layout accuracy and use Transformation Device when the focus is on exporting data.

Rendering Extensions
In ActiveReports, you can use the Render method in Rendering Extensions of the PageDocument class to render in
any one of the following formats. Each exporting format provides it's own set of properties to control how the
report is rendered.
Rendering to HTML
Rendering to PDF
Rendering to Image
Rendering to XML
Rendering to Excel
Rendering to Word

Rendering to HTML
HTML, or hypertext markup language, is a format that opens in a Web browser. You can export your reports to
HTML or MHT formats. It is a good format for delivering content because virtually all users have an HTML browser.
You can use the HTMLRenderingExtension ('HtmlRenderingExtension Class' in the on-line
documentation) to render your report in this format.
In order to render your report in HTML, add reference to the following assemblies in the project:
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.v9.dll

Note: Rendering to HTML requires the .NET Framework full profile version. To ensure you are using the full
profile version, go to the Visual Studio Project menu > Properties > Compile tab > Advanced Compile
Options (for Visual Basic projects) or to the Project menu > Properties > Application tab (for C#
projects) and under Target framework select a full profile version.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 364
The following steps provide an example of rendering a report in the HTML format.
1. In Visual Studio, create a new Windows Forms Application or open an existing one.
2. On the Form.cs or Form.vb that opens, double-click the title bar to create the Form_Load event.
3. Add the following code inside the Form_Load event.
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.
' Provide the page report you want to render.
Dim report As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(New
System.IO.FileInfo("C:\Sample_PageReport.rdlx"))
Dim reportDocument As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(report)

' Create a directory

Dim outputDirectory As New System.IO.DirectoryInfo("C:\MyHTML")
outputDirectory.Create()

' Provide settings for your rendering output.

Dim htmlSetting As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.Page.Settings()
Dim setting As GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.Rendering.ISettings =
htmlSetting

' Set the rendering extension and render the report.

Dim htmlRenderingExtension As New
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.Page.HtmlRenderingExtension()
Dim outputProvider As New
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.FileStreamProvider(outputDirectory,
System.IO.Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(outputDirectory.Name))
reportDocument.Render(htmlRenderingExtension, outputProvider, htmlSetting)

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.

// Provide the page report you want to render.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport report = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(new
System.IO.FileInfo(@"C:\Sample_PageReport.rdlx"));
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument reportDocument = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(report);

// Create a directory
System.IO.DirectoryInfo outputDirectory = new
System.IO.DirectoryInfo(@"C:\MyHTML");
outputDirectory.Create();

// Provide settings for your rendering output.

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.Page.Settings htmlSetting = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.Page.Settings();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.Rendering.ISettings setting = htmlSetting;

//Set the rendering extension and render the report.

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.Page.HtmlRenderingExtension
htmlRenderingExtension = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.Page.HtmlRenderingExtension();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.FileStreamProvider outputProvider = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.FileStreamProvider(outputDirectory,
System.IO.Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(outputDirectory.Name));
reportDocument.Render(htmlRenderingExtension, outputProvider, htmlSetting);

HTML Rendering Properties

ActiveReports offers several options to control how reports render to HTML.

Property Description

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 365
Fragment Determine whether or not the full html text will be returned or just the contents contained
('Fragment inside the body tag will be returned. True indicates only the content inside the body tag
Property' in the will be return; otherwise false. The default is false.
on-line
documentation)
MhtOutput Gets or sets whether or not the output should be in Mht format. True indicates the output
('MhtOutput should be in Mht format; otherwise false. The default is false.
Property' in the
on-line
documentation)
StyleStream Set the StyleStream to True to create an external .css file containing style information
('StyleStream from your report controls' style properties. If you prefer to have style information
Property' in the embedded in the HTML file, set the StyleStream property to False.
on-line
documentation)
JavaScript Gets or sets whether or not JavaScript will be included in the html. True indicates
('JavaScript JaveScript will be used; otherwise false. The default is true.
Property' in the
on-line
documentation)
LinkTarget Specify a link target to control whether drill down reports and other links open in a new
('LinkTarget window or reuse the current window. By default, no value is set and links open in the
Property' in the same window. A value of _blank opens the link in a new window, or you can specify a
on-line window using window_name. By default this value is not set.
documentation)
Mode ('Mode Galley mode renders the report in one HTML stream. Select Paginated mode to render
Property' in the each page as a section inside the HTML document.
on-line
documentation)
Output TOC Indicates whether the report's existing TOC should be added in the output.
('OutputTOC
Property' in the
on-line
documentation)

Limitations
HTML is not the best format for printing. Use the PDF rendering extension instead.
Vertical-align style is always Top for text boxes in HTML reports. If Bottom or Middle vertical alignment
is an essential style element in your report, it is recommended to use any format other than HTML.
TextIndent property and FillCharacter property of the TableOfContents control's Level setting are not
supported.

Interactivity
Reports rendered in HTML support a number of interactive features. Hyperlinks, Bookmarks and Drill through links
can be rendered to HTML. However, Document Maps are not available in this format. For a drill down report, make
sure that the data you want to display is expanded before rendering, otherwise it renders in the hidden state.

Rendering to PDF
Portable Document Format (PDF), is a format recommended for printing and exports. You can use the
PDFRenderingExtension ('PdfRenderingExtension Class' in the on-line documentation) to render your
report in this format. With the PDF rendering extension, you can use features such as font linking, digital
signatures and end-user defined characters (EUDC). These features are only available in the Professional Edition of
ActiveReports.
In order to render your report in PDF, add reference to the following assemblies in the project:
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.v9.dll

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 366
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.v9.dll
The following steps provide an example of rendering a report in PDF format.
1. In Visual Studio, create a new Windows Forms Application or open an existing one.
2. On the Form.cs or Form.vb that opens, double-click the title bar to create the Form_Load event.
3. Add the following code inside the Form_Load event.

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.

' Provide the page report you want to render.
Dim report As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(New
System.IO.FileInfo("C:\Sample_PageReport.rdlx"))
Dim reportDocument As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(report)

' Create a output directory

Dim outputDirectory As New System.IO.DirectoryInfo("C:\MyPDF")
outputDirectory.Create()

' Provide settings for your rendering output.

Dim pdfSetting As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Page.Settings()
Dim setting As GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.Rendering.ISettings = pdfsetting

' Set the rendering extension and render the report.

Dim pdfRenderingExtension As New
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Page.PdfRenderingExtension()
Dim outputProvider As New
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.FileStreamProvider(outputDirectory,
System.IO.Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(outputDirectory.Name))
reportDocument.Render(pdfRenderingExtension, outputProvider, pdfSetting)

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.

// Provide the page report you want to render.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport report = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(new
System.IO.FileInfo(@"C:\Sample_PageReport.rdlx"));
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument reportDocument = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(report);

// Create a output directory

System.IO.DirectoryInfo outputDirectory = new System.IO.DirectoryInfo(@"C:\MyPDF");
outputDirectory.Create();

// Provide settings for your rendering output.

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Page.Settings pdfSetting = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Page.Settings();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.Rendering.ISettings setting = pdfSetting;

//Set the rendering extension and render the report.

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Page.PdfRenderingExtension pdfRenderingExtension =
new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Page.PdfRenderingExtension();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.FileStreamProvider outputProvider = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.FileStreamProvider(outputDirectory,
System.IO.Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(outputDirectory.Name));
reportDocument.Render(pdfRenderingExtension, outputProvider, pdfSetting);

PDF Rendering Properties

ActiveReports offers several options to control how reports render to PDF.

Property Description
Application Set the value that appears for application in the Document Properties dialog of
('Application the PDF viewer application.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 367
Property' in the on-
line documentation)
Author ('Author Enter the name of the author to appear in the Document Properties dialog of the PDF
Property' in the on- viewer application.
line documentation)
CenterWindow Set to True to position the document's window in the center of the screen.
('CenterWindow
Property' in the on-
line documentation)
Columns ('Columns Set the number of columns to use in the report. This value overrides the report's
Property' in the on- original settings. The default value of -1 uses the report's original settings.
line documentation)
ColumnSpacing Enter a value in inches to set the amount of space between columns. This value
('ColumnSpacing overrides the report's original settings.
Property' in the on-
line documentation)
DisplayMode Specifies how the document is displayed when opened. FullScreen mode displays the
('DisplayMode document with no menu bar, window controls, or any other window visible.
Property' in the on-
line documentation)
DisplayTitle Set to True to display text you enter in the Title property. When set to False it displays
('DisplayTitle the name of the PDF file.
Property' in the on-
line documentation)
DpiX ('DpiX Set the horizontal resolution of the rendered PDF file.
Property' in the on-
line documentation)
DpiY ('DpiY Property' Set the vertical resolution of the rendered PDF file.
in the on-line
documentation)
Encrypt ('Encrypt Determines whether the document is encrypted or not.
Property' in the on- Note: If Encrypt is set to False, permissions and passwords have no effect.
line documentation)
EndPage ('EndPage The last page of the report to render. The default value is the value for StartPage i.e
Property' in the on- 0.
line documentation)
FallbackFonts Gets or sets a comma-delimited string of font families to locate missing glyphs from
('FallbackFonts the original font.
Property' in the on-
line documentation)
FitWindow True to resize the document’s window to fit the size of the first displayed page.
('FitWindow Default value: false.
Property' in the on-
line documentation)
HideMenubar True to hide the viewer application’s menu bar when the document is active. Default
('HideMenubar value: false.
Property' in the on-
line documentation)
HideToolbar True to hide the viewer application’s toolbars when the document is active. Default
('HideToolbar value: false.
Property' in the on-
line documentation)
HideWindowUI True to hide user interface elements in the document’s window (such as scroll bars
('HideWindowUI and navigation controls), leaving only the document’s contents displayed. Default
Property' in the on- value: false.
line documentation)

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 368
ImageInterpolation Interpolation value of images. Allows to enable/disable image interpolation, when
('ImageInterpolation exporting the file to PDF.
Property' in the on-
line documentation)
Keywords Keywords associated with the document.
('Keywords Property'
in the on-line
documentation)
MarginBottom The bottom margin value, in inches, to set for the report. You must include an integer
('MarginBottom or decimal value followed by "in" (for example, 1in). This value overrides the report's
Property' in the on- original settings.
line documentation)
MarginLeft The left margin value, in inches, to set for the report. You must include an integer or
('MarginLeft decimal value followed by "in" (for example, 1in). This value overrides the report's
Property' in the on- original settings.
line documentation)
MarginRight The right margin value, in inches, to set for the report. You must include an integer or
('MarginRight decimal value followed by "in" (for example, 1in). This value overrides the report's
Property' in the on- original settings.
line documentation)
MarginTop The top margin value, in inches, to set for the report. You must include an integer or
('MarginTop decimal value followed by "in" (for example, 1in). This value overrides the report's
Property' in the on- original settings.
line documentation)
OwnerPassword The owner password that can be entered in the reader that permits full access to the
('OwnerPassword document regardless of the specified user permissions.
Property' in the on-
line documentation)
PageHeight The page height value, in inches, to set for the report. You must include an integer or
('PageHeight decimal value followed by "in" (for example, 1in). This value overrides the report's
Property' in the on- original settings.
line documentation)
PageWidth The page width value, in inches, to set for the report. You must include an integer or
('PageWidth decimal value followed by "in" (for example, 1in). This value overrides the report's
Property' in the on- original settings.
line documentation)
Permissions Specifies the user permissions for the document. Permissions can be combined using a
('Permissions comma between values. In order to use AllowFillin, AllowAccessibleReaders, and
Property' in the on- AllowAssembly permissions, you must set the Use128Bit property to True.
line documentation)
PrintLayoutMode Specifies layout mode to be used for PDF document.
('PrintLayoutMode
Property' in the on-
line documentation)
SizeToFit ('SizeToFit Determines whether PDF pages are fit to the selected paper size or not.
Property' in the on-
line documentation)
StartPage The first page of the report to render. A value of 0 indicates that all pages are
('StartPage Property' rendered.
in the on-line
documentation)
Subject ('Subject The subject of the document.
Property' in the on-
line documentation)
Title ('Title Property' The title of the document.
in the on-line
documentation)

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 369
Use128Bit True to use 128 bit encryption with full permissions capability. False to use 40 bit
('Use128Bit encryption with limited permissions
Property' in the on-
line documentation)
UserPassword The user password that can be entered in the reader. If this value is left empty, the
('UserPassword user will not be prompted for a password, however the user will be restricted by the
Property' in the on- specified permissions.
line documentation)
WatermarkAngle Specify the degree of angle for the watermark text on the PDF document. Valid values
('WatermarkAngle range from 0 to 359, where 0 is horizontal, left to right.
Property' in the on-
line documentation)
WatermarkColor Select a color for the watermark text on the PDF document. The default value for the
('WatermarkColor watermark color is gray, but you can select any Web, System, or Custom color.
Property' in the on-
line documentation)
WatermarkFont Set the font to use for the watermark to any valid System.Drawing.Font.
('WatermarkFont
Property' in the on-
line documentation)
WatermarkTitle Enter text (i.e. CONFIDENTIAL) to use as the watermark on the PDF document.
('WatermarkTitle
Property' in the on-
line documentation)

PDF/A Support Limitations

The NeverEmbedFonts property is ignored, so all fonts of a report are embedded into the PDF
document.
The Security.Encrypt property is ignored and the PDF export behaves as if this property is always set
to False.
The OnlyForPrint property is ignored and the PDF export behaves as if this property is always set to
False.
The DocumentToAddBeforeReport and DocumentToAddAfterReport properties of the PDF
Rendering Extension settings are ignored.
Transparent images lose their transparency when exported to PDF/A-1.
External hyperlinks are exported as plain text.

Interactivity
PDF is considered as the best format for printing and it also supports interactive features like Document Map,
Bookmarks and Hyperlinks. However, in case you have any data hidden (like in a drill-down report) at the time of
rendering, it does not show up in the output. Therefore, it is recommended to expand all toggle items prior to
rendering.

Rendering to Images
Image is the format that converts your report to an image file. You can use the ImageRenderingExtension ('ImageRenderingExtension
Class' in the on-line documentation) to your render you report in this format. Make sure that you select an ImageType ('ImageType
Property' in the on-line documentation) to any of the six different image formats available: BMP, EMF, GIF, JPEG, TIFF, and PNG.
In order to render your report as an Image, add reference to the following assemblies in the project:
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.v9.dll

Note: By default, the image rendering extension creates a separate file for each page in a report and adds an index to each
corresponding file name (for example, image001.PNG, image002.PNG, etc).
To render the entire report as a single image, set the Pagination ('Pagination Property' in the on-line documentation) setting to
False.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 370
The following steps provide an example of rendering a report in Image format.
1. In Visual Studio, create a new Windows Forms Application or open an existing one.
2. On the Form.cs or Form.vb that opens, double-click the title bar to create the Form_Load event.
3. Add the following code inside the Form_Load event.

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.

' Provide the page report you want to render.
Dim report As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(New System.IO.FileInfo("C:\Sample_PageReport.rdlx"))
Dim reportDocument As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(report)

' Create a output directory

Dim outputDirectory As New System.IO.DirectoryInfo("C:\MyImage")
outputDirectory.Create()

' Provide settings for your rendering output.

Dim imageSetting As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.Page.Settings()
Dim setting As GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.Rendering.ISettings = imageSetting' Set the rendering
extension and render the report.
Dim imageRenderingExtension As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.Page.ImageRenderingExtension()Dim
outputProvider As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.FileStreamProvider(outputDirectory,
System.IO.Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(outputDirectory.Name))reportDocument.Render(imageRenderingExtension,
outputProvider, imageSetting)

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.

// Provide the page report you want to render.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport report = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(new
System.IO.FileInfo(@"C:\Sample_PageReport.rdlx"));
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument reportDocument = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(report);

// Create a output directory

System.IO.DirectoryInfo outputDirectory = new System.IO.DirectoryInfo(@"C:\MyImage");
outputDirectory.Create();

// Provide settings for your rendering output.

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.Page.Settings imageSetting = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.Page.Settings();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.Rendering.ISettings setting = imageSetting;//Set the rendering extension
and render the report.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.Page.ImageRenderingExtension imageRenderingExtension = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.Page.ImageRenderingExtension();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.FileStreamProvider outputProvider = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.FileStreamProvider(outputDirectory,
System.IO.Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(outputDirectory.Name));reportDocument.Render(imageRenderingExtension,
outputProvider, imageSetting);

Image Rendering Properties

ActiveReports offers several options to control how reports render to Image.

Property Description
Compression Sets or returns a value which specifies the compression to be used when exporting.
('Compression Property'
in the on-line
documentation)
Dither ('Dither Property' Specifies whether the image should be dithered when saving to a black and white output format, like CCITT3 or
in the on-line Rle. This property has no effect if the CompressionScheme property is set to Lzw or None(represents color
documentation) output).
DpiX ('DpiX Property' in Adjust the horizontal resolution of rendered images. The default value is 96.
the on-line
documentation)
DpiY ('DpiY Property' in Adjust the vertical resolution of rendered images.
the on-line
documentation)
EndPage ('EndPage The default value of 0 in this property renders all of the report pages. Otherwise, set this value to the number
Property' in the on-line of the last page to render. Please note that if the StartPage property is set to 0, all of the pages of the report
documentation) render. In order to use the EndPage property, you must set the StartPage property to a valid non-zero
number.
ImageType ('ImageType Select the type of image to which you want to render the report. Supported types are BMP, EMF, GIF, JPEG,
Property' in the on-line TIFF, and PNG.
documentation)
MarginBottom Set the value in inches to use for the bottom margin of the image. The format is an integer or decimal with "in"

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 371
('MarginBottom as the suffix, for example "1in" for 1 inch. By default, no margins are used. The value set in this property
Property' in the on-line overrides the report's settings.
documentation)
MarginLeft ('MarginLeft Set the value in inches to use for the left margin of the image. The format is an integer or decimal with "in"
Property' in the on-line as the suffix, for example "1in" for 1 inch. By default, no margins are used. The value set in this property
documentation) overrides the report's settings.
MarginRight Set the value in inches to use for the right margin of the image. The format is an integer or decimal with "in"
('MarginRight Property' as the suffix, for example "1in" for 1 inch. By default, no margins are used. The value set in this property
in the on-line overrides the report's settings.
documentation)
MarginTop ('MarginTop Set the value in inches to use for the top margin of the image. The format is an integer or decimal with "in"
Property' in the on-line as the suffix, for example "1in" for 1 inch. By default, no margins are used. The value set in this property
documentation) overrides the report's settings.
PageHeight Set the value in inches to use for the height of the image. The format is an integer or decimal with "in" as the
('PageHeight Property' suffix, for example "11in" for 11 inches. The value set in this property overrides the report's settings.
in the on-line
documentation)
PageWidth ('PageWidth Set the value in inches to use for the height of the image. The format is an integer or decimal with "in" as the
Property' in the on-line suffix, for example "11in" for 11 inches. The value set in this property overrides the report's settings.
documentation)
Pagination ('Pagination By default, each page of a report is rendered as a separate image. Set this value to False to render the entire
Property' in the on-line report as a single image.
documentation)
PrintLayoutMode Select how to lay out the pages of the report in the image.
('PrintLayoutMode OneLogicalPageOnSinglePhysicalPage
Property' in the on-line TwoLogicalPagesOnSinglePhysicalPage
documentation)
FourLogicalPagesOnSinglePhysicalPage
EightLogicalPagesOnSinglePhysicalPage
BookletMode (lays the pages out for booklet printing)

Quality ('Quality Gets or sets the quality of the report to be rendered as an image.
Property' in the on-line
documentation)
SizeToFit ('SizeToFit By default, rendered report pages are not resized to fit within the selected image size. Set this value to True to
Property' in the on-line resize the report pages.
documentation)
Start Page ('StartPage The default value of zero in this and the EndPage properties render all of the report pages to images.
Property' in the on-line Otherwise, set this value to the number of the first page to render.
documentation)
WatermarkAngle Specify the degree of angle for the watermark text on the image. Valid values range from 0 to 359, where 0 is
('WatermarkAngle horizontal, left to right.
Property' in the on-line
documentation)
WatermarkColor Select a color for the watermark text on the image. The default value for the watermark color is gray, but you
('WatermarkColor can select any Web, System, or Custom color.
Property' in the on-line
documentation)
WatermarkFont Set the font to use for the watermark to any valid System.Drawing.Font.
('WatermarkFont
Property' in the on-line
documentation)
WatermarkTitle Sets text (i.e. CONFIDENTIAL) to use as the watermark on the image.
('WatermarkTitle
Property' in the on-line
documentation)

Interactivity
Reports rendered as images do not support any of the interactive features of Data Dynamics Reports. Any data hidden at the time of export is
hidden in the image. To display all data in a drill-down report, expand all toggle items prior to exporting.

Rendering to XML
XML is a useful format for delivering data to other applications as the resulting XML file opens in an internet browser. You can use
the XmlRenderingExtension ('XmlRenderingExtension Class' in the on-line documentation) to render your report in this format.
XML is a good format for delivering data to other applications. The resulting XML file opens in an internet browser
In order to render your report in XML, add reference to the following assemblies in the project:
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.v9.dll

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 372
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.v9.dll
The following steps provide an example of rendering a report in the Xml format.
1. In Visual Studio, create a new Windows Forms Application or open an existing one.
2. On the Form.cs or Form.vb that opens, double-click the title bar to create the Form_Load event.
3. Add the following code inside the Form_Load event.

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.

' Provide the page report you want to render.
Dim report As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(New System.IO.FileInfo("C:\Sample_PageReport.rdlx"))
Dim reportDocument As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(report)

' Create a output directory

Dim outputDirectory As New System.IO.DirectoryInfo("C:\MyXml")
outputDirectory.Create()

' Provide settings for your rendering output.

Dim xmlSetting As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.Page.Settings()
Dim setting As GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.Rendering.ISettings = xmlSetting' Set the rendering
extension and render the report.
Dim xmlRenderingExtension As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.Page.XmlRenderingExtension()Dim
outputProvider As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.FileStreamProvider(outputDirectory,
System.IO.Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(outputDirectory.Name))reportDocument.Render(xmlRenderingExtension,
outputProvider, xmlSetting)

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.

// Provide the page report you want to render.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport report = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(new
System.IO.FileInfo(@"C:\Sample_PageReport.rdlx"));
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument reportDocument = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(report);

// Create a output directory

System.IO.DirectoryInfo outputDirectory = new System.IO.DirectoryInfo(@"C:\MyXml");
outputDirectory.Create();

// Provide settings for your rendering output.

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.Page.Settings xmlSetting = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.Page.Settings();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.Rendering.ISettings setting = xmlSetting;

//Set the rendering extension and render the report.

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.Page.XmlRenderingExtension xmlRenderingExtension = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.Page.XmlRenderingExtension();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.FileStreamProvider outputProvider = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.FileStreamProvider(outputDirectory,
System.IO.Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(outputDirectory.Name));
reportDocument.Render(xmlRenderingExtension, outputProvider, xmlSetting);

Xml Rendering Properties

ActiveReports offers several options to control how reports render to Xml.

Property Description
Encoding Select the encoding schema to use in the XML transformation.
('Encoding
Property' in the
on-line
documentation)
XslStylesheet Select the existing XSL Stylesheet file to use to transform the resulting XML file. Note: When using the
('XslStylesheet XslStylesheet option, be sure to save the file in the correct file format, such as HTML.
Property' in the
on-line
documentation)

Controlling XML Output

You can also control XML output through properties on the individual report controls. These properties are:
DataElementName Indicates the name to use for the data element or attribute.
DataElementOutput Indicates whether the report controls renders in the XML output.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 373
DataElementStyle Indicates whether a text box renders as an element or an attribute.
DetailDataCollectionName Indicates the name to use for the collection of all instances of the detail group in the XML output.
DetailDataElementName Indicates the name to use for instances of the detail group in the XML output.
DetailDataElementOutput Indicates whether the details appear in the XML output.
DataInstanceElementOutput Indicates whether a list appears in the XML output. (This property is ignored if there is a grouping
in the list.)
DataInstanceName Indicates the name to use for instances of the list in the XML output.

Interactivity
XML format does not support interactive features except that when rendering a report to XML, complete drill-down data is shown regardless
of whether the data is rendered in expanded state or not.

Rendering to Excel
Microsoft Excel is one of the formats to which you can render your report using ExcelRenderingExtension
('ExcelRenderingExtension Class' in the on-line documentation). You can export excel files in two formats,
i.e. Xls and Xlsx.
In order to render your report to Excel, add reference to the following assemblies in the project:
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.v9.dll
The following steps provide an example of rendering a report in the Microsoft Excel format.
1. In Visual Studio, create a new WindowsForms application or open an existing one.
2. On the Form.cs or Form.vb that opens, double-click the title bar to create the Form_Load event.
3. Add the following code inside the Form_Load event.
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.
' Provide the page report you want to render.
Dim report As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(New
System.IO.FileInfo("C:\Sample_PageReport.rdlx"))
Dim reportDocument As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(report)

' Create an output directory

Dim outputDirectory As New System.IO.DirectoryInfo("C:\MyExcel")
outputDirectory.Create()

' Provide settings for your rendering output.

Dim excelSetting As New
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Page.ExcelRenderingExtensionSettings()
excelSetting.FileFormat = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Page.FileFormat.Xls
Dim setting As GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.Rendering.ISettings =
excelSetting

' Set the rendering extension and render the report.

Dim excelRenderingExtension As New
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Page.ExcelRenderingExtension()
Dim outputProvider As New
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.FileStreamProvider(outputDirectory,
System.IO.Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(outputDirectory.Name))
reportDocument.Render(excelRenderingExtension, outputProvider,
excelSetting.GetSettings())

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.

// Provide the page report you want to render.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport report = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(new
System.IO.FileInfo(@"C:\Sample_PageReport.rdlx"));
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument reportDocument = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(report);

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 374
// Create an output directory
System.IO.DirectoryInfo outputDirectory = new
System.IO.DirectoryInfo(@"C:\MyExcel");
outputDirectory.Create();

// Provide settings for your rendering output.

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Page.ExcelRenderingExtensionSettings
excelSetting = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Page.ExcelRenderingExtensionSettings();
excelSetting.FileFormat =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Page.FileFormat.Xls;
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.Rendering.ISettings setting = excelSetting;

//Set the rendering extension and render the report.

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Page.ExcelRenderingExtension
excelRenderingExtension = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Page.ExcelRenderingExtension();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.FileStreamProvider outputProvider = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.FileStreamProvider(outputDirectory,
System.IO.Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(outputDirectory.Name));
reportDocument.Render(excelRenderingExtension, outputProvider,
excelSetting.GetSettings());

Excel Rendering Properties

ActiveReports offers several options to control how reports render to Microsoft Excel.

Property Description
PageSettings ('PageSettings Returns an ExcelRenderingExtensionPageSettings
Property' in the on-line ('ExcelRenderingExtensionPageSettings Class' in the on-line
documentation) documentation) object for initializing Excel file print setting.
Pagination ('Pagination Forces pagination or galley report layout mode.
Property' in the on-line
documentation)
Security ('Security Property' in Returns an ExcelRenderingExtensionSecurity
the on-line documentation) ('ExcelRenderingExtensionSecurity Class' in the on-line
documentation) object for initializing document security.
UseDefaultPalette Indicates whether to export the document with the default Excel palette.
('UseDefaultPalette Property'
in the on-line documentation)
FileFormat ('FileFormat Specifies the output format of the Excel document, i.e. Xls or Xlsx.
Property' in the on-line
documentation)
OpenXmlStandard Specifies the level of Open XML document conformance on exporting in
('OpenXmlStandard Property' Xlsx file format. You can choose between Strict and Transitional value.
in the on-line documentation)
MultiSheet ('MultiSheet Indicates whether to generate a single-sheet or multi-sheet Excel
Property' in the on-line document.
documentation)

Interactivity
Reports rendered in Excel support a number of interactive features like Bookmarks and Hyperlinks. However, in
case you have any data hidden at the time of rendering (like in a drill-down report), it does not show up in the
output. It is recommended that you expand all toggle items prior to rendering.

Limitations
BackgroundImage, overlapping controls, rounded corners (for Shape and Container) are not exported.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 375
LineSpacing is not retained after export.
Exported FormattedText control does not preserve styles and formatting. It exports FormattedText as
TextBox with plain text without any tags.
Barcodes are exported as an image object so scanning of barcode image may fail in some cases. It
depends on printer settings and the scanner quality. Barcodes may be blurred on export and the caption
may get truncated in case of physical printing.
Exported boolean values are displayed in uppercase in both Xls and Xlsx files.
TextIndent property and FillCharacter property of the TableOfContents control's Level setting are not
supported.
Text decoration (Underline and LineThrough) gets applied to the indented area, when left padding is
applied to the TableOfControl's levels.

Rendering to Word
MS Word is one of the formats to which you can export ActiveReports from the Viewer. You can use
the WordRenderingExtension ('WordRenderingExtension Class' in the on-line documentation) to render
your report in Microsoft® Word 2003 and 2007 formats.
In order to render your report in MS Word, add reference to the following assemblies in the project:
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.v9.dll
The following steps provide an example of rendering a report in the Word format.
1. In Visual Studio, create a new Windows Forms Application or open an existing one.
2. On the Form.cs or Form.vb that opens, double-click the title bar to create the Form_Load event.
3. Add the following code inside the Form_Load event.

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.

' Provide the page report you want to render.
Dim report As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(New
System.IO.FileInfo("C:\Sample_PageReport.rdlx"))
Dim reportDocument As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(report)

' Create a output directory

Dim outputDirectory As New System.IO.DirectoryInfo("C:\MyWord")
outputDirectory.Create()

' Provide settings for your rendering output.

Dim wordSetting As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.Page.Settings()
Dim setting As GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.Rendering.ISettings = wordSetting
' Set the rendering extension and render the report.
Dim wordRenderingExtension As New
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.Page.WordRenderingExtension()
Dim outputProvider As New
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.FileStreamProvider(outputDirectory,
System.IO.Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(outputDirectory.Name))
reportDocument.Render(wordRenderingExtension, outputProvider, wordSetting)

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.

// Provide the page report you want to render.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport report = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(new
System.IO.FileInfo(@"C:\Sample_PageReport.rdlx"));
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument reportDocument = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(report);

// Create a output directory

System.IO.DirectoryInfo outputDirectory = new System.IO.DirectoryInfo(@"C:\MyWord");
outputDirectory.Create();

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 376
// Provide settings for your rendering output.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.Page.Settings wordSetting = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.Page.Settings();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.Rendering.ISettings setting = wordSetting;

//Set the rendering extension and render the report.

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.Page.WordRenderingExtension wordRenderingExtension
= new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.Page.WordRenderingExtension();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.FileStreamProvider outputProvider = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.FileStreamProvider(outputDirectory,
System.IO.Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(outputDirectory.Name));
reportDocument.Render(wordRenderingExtension, outputProvider, wordSetting);

Word Rendering Properties

ActiveReports offers several options to control how reports render to Microsoft® Word.

Property Description
Author ('Author Property' in Enter the name of the author to appear in the File Properties dialog of the
the on-line documentation) Microsoft® Word application on the Summary tab in the Author field.
BaseUrl ('BaseUrl Property' Enter a base URL for any relative hyperlinks used in the report. This value
in the on-line appears in the File Properties dialog of the Microsoft® Word application on the
documentation) Summary tab in the Hyperlink base field.
Generator ('Generator Set the identity of the document generator in a meta-data file stamp. The
Property' in the on-line default value is "Created using ActiveReports."
documentation)
PageHeight ('PageHeight Enter a value in inches (i.e. 11 in) to set the height of the report's pages. This
Property' in the on-line value overrides the report's original settings.
documentation)
PageWidth ('PageWidth Enter a value in inches (i.e. 8.5 in) to set the width of the report's pages. This
Property' in the on-line value overrides the report's original settings.
documentation)
Title ('Title Property' in the Enter the document’s title. This value appears in the File Properties dialog of
on-line documentation) the Microsoft® Word application on the Summary tab in the Title field.
UseMhtOutput Set True or False value to indicate whether Mht output is to be used for the
('UseMhtOutput Property' in resultant Word document or not.
the on-line documentation)

Limitations
Although background colors for controls export to Word documents, background colors for sections such as Body
and Page Header or Footer do not.

Interactivity
Reports rendered in a Word format supports both Bookmarks and Hyperlinks. However, if visibility toggling (like in
a drill-down report) is essential to your report, it is recommended to use the HTML rendering extension. And If a
Document map is essential to your report, it is recommended to use the PDF rendering extension.

Export Filters
ActiveReports provides custom components for exporting reports into six formats. Each export format has special
features, however, not all formats support all of the features that you can use in your reports. Here are the unique
usage possibilities of each format, along with any limitations inherent in each.
HTML Export
PDF Export
Text Export

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 377
RTF Export
Excel Export
TIFF Export
See Exporting Reports using Export Filters for exporting Page Report, RDL Report or Section Report using the
export filters.

HTML Export
HTML, or hypertext markup language, is a format that opens in a Web browser. The HTML export filter has a
number of useful properties that allow you to control your output. You can set the properties either in code using
the HTMLExport ('HtmlExport Class' in the on-line documentation) object after adding reference to the
following assembly in your project, or by selecting the object in the toolbox and adding it to the component tray
below the Form which automatically adds this assembly to the project:
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.v9.dll

Note: HTML Export requires the .NET Framework full profile version. To ensure you are using the full profile
version, go to the Visual Studio Project menu > Properties > Compile tab > Advanced Compile Options
(for Visual Basic projects) or to the Project menu > Properties > Application tab (for C# projects)
and under Target framework select a full profile version.

HTML Export Properties

Property Valid Values Description

BookmarkStyle Html (default) or None Set to Html to generate a page of bookmarks
('BookmarkStyle from the bookmarks in the report. If the report
Property' in the on-line has no bookmarks, this setting is ignored.
documentation)
CharacterSet Big5, EucJp, HzGb2312, Ibm850, Select the IANA character set that you want to
('CharacterSet Iso2022Jp, Iso2022Kr, Iso8859_1, use in the meta tag in the header section of the
Property' in the on-line Iso8859_2, Iso8859_5, HTML output. This property only takes effect if
documentation) Iso8859_6, Koi8r, Ksc5601, the IncludeHtmlHeader property is set to True.
ShiftJis, UnicodeUtf16,
UnicodeUtf8 (default)
CreateFramesetPage True or False (default) Set to True to generate a set of frames that
('CreateFramesetPage display a page of bookmarks (if available) in
Property' in the on-line the left frame and the report document in the
documentation) right frame. The HTML output uses the
specified filename with the extension
.frame.html.
IncludeHtmlHeader True (default) or False Set to False if you want to embed the HTML
('IncludeHtmlHeader output in another HTML document. Otherwise,
Property' in the on-line the HTML output includes the usual HTML,
documentation) HEAD, and BODY elements.
IncludePageMargins True or False (default) Set to True to include the report's margins in
('IncludePageMargins the HTML output.
Property' in the on-line
documentation)
MultiPage ('MultiPage True or False (default) Set to True to create a separate HTML page for
Property' in the on-line each page of the report. Otherwise, the HTML
documentation) output is a single page.
OutputType DynamicHtml (default) or Set to LegacyHtml to use tables for positioning
('OutputType Property' LegacyHtml and avoid the use of cascading style sheets
in the on-line (CSS). Otherwise, positioning of controls is
documentation) handled in the CSS.
RemoveVerticalSpace True or False (default) Set to True if the OutputType property is set to
('RemoveVerticalSpace LegacyHtml and you plan to print the output
Property' in the on-line from a browser. This removes white space from

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 378
documentation) the report to help improve pagination.
Otherwise, vertical white space is kept intact.
Title ('Title Property' Any String Enter the text to use in the header section's
in the on-line title. This is displayed in the title bar of the
documentation) browser.

More information on output types

By default, the report is exported as DynamicHtml (DHTML), with cascading style sheets (CSS). Using the
OutputType ('OutputType Property' in the on-line documentation) property, you can change the output to
LegacyHtml (HTML). Neither of the output types creates a report that looks exactly like the one you display in the
viewer because of differences in formats. Following is the usage of each output type and controls to avoid in each.
DynamicHtml (DHTML)
Usage:
Create Web reports with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
Open in Web browsers
Does not support:
Diagonal line control
Control borders
LegacyHtml (HTML)
Usage:
Create archival reports
Open in Web browsers
Does not support:
Line control
Control borders
CrossSectionLine controls
Overlapping controls

PDF Export
PDF, or portable document format, opens in the Adobe Reader. The PDF export filter has a number of useful
properties that allow you to control your output. You can set the properties either in code using the PDFExport
('PdfExport Class' in the on-line documentation) object after adding reference to the following assembly in
your project, or by selecting the object in the toolbox and adding it to the component tray below the Form which
automatically adds this assembly to the project:
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.v9.dll
With the PDF export filter, you can use the feature Font Linking.

Note: These features are only available in the Professional Edition of ActiveReports.

PDF Export Properties

Property Valid Values Description

ConvertMetaToPng True or False Set to True to change any Windows metafile images to PNG format
('ConvertMetaToPng (default) to keep the file size down. If the report has no metafiles, this
Property' in the on- setting is ignored.
line documentation)
ExportBookmarks True (default) or Set to True to generate bookmarks from the bookmarks in the
('ExportBookmarks False report. If the report has no bookmarks, this setting is ignored. To
Property' in the on- control how the exported bookmarks are displayed, use
line documentation) Options.DisplayMode detailed below.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 379
FontFallback String of font Set a comma-delimited string of font families to be used to lookup
('FontFallback families glyphs missing in the original font.
Property' in the on-
line documentation)
ImageQuality Lowest, Medium Set to Highest in combination with a high value in the
('ImageQuality (default), or ImageResolution property to yield the best printing results when
Property' in the on- Highest converting Windows metafiles (.wmf and .emf). Set to Lowest to
line documentation) keep the file size down. If the report has no metafiles, this setting
is ignored.
ImageResolution 75 - 2400 dpi Set to 75 dpi to save space, 150 dpi for normal screen viewing,
('ImageResolution and 300 dpi or higher for print quality. Use this property in
Property' in the on- combination with ImageQuality (highest) to yield the best results
line documentation) when the report contains metafiles or the Page.DrawPicture API is
used. Neither property has any effect on other image types.
NeverEmbedFonts A semicolon- List all of the fonts that you do not want to embed in the PDF file
('NeverEmbedFonts delimited string of to keep the file size down. This can make a big difference if you
Property' in the on- font names use a lot of fonts in your reports.
line documentation)
Options ('Options See below Expand this property to see a group of sub properties. These
Property' in the on- settings control how the Adobe Reader displays the output PDF file
line documentation) when it is first opened. See the table below for details.
Security ('Security See below Expand this property to see a group of sub properties. These
Property' in the on- settings control encryption and permissions on the output PDF file.
line documentation) See the table below for details.
Signature A valid This must be set up in code. For more information, see Digital
('Signature PdfSignature Signature .
Property' in the on- object
line documentation)
Version ('Version Pdf11, Pdf12, Sets the version of the PDF format the exported document is
Property' in the on- Pdf13, Pdf14, saved in.
line documentation) Pdf15,
Pdf16, Pdf17,
PdfA1a, PdfA1b,
PdfA2a, PdfA2b,
or PdfA2u

PDF (Portable Document Format)

Usage:
Create printable reports whose formats do not change from machine to machine.
Open in Adobe Reader.
Does not support:
Dash and dot border patterns appear to look longer in the PDF output than in the ActiveReports Window
Forms Viewer.
Multiple lines of vertical text is not supported in Page and RDL reports.
Transparent background-color in charts are not supported.

PDF/A Support Limitations

The NeverEmbedFonts property is ignored, so all fonts of a report are embedded into the PDF
document.
The Security.Encrypt property is ignored and the PDF export behaves as if this property is always set
to False.
The OnlyForPrint property is ignored and the PDF export behaves as if this property is always set to
False.
Transparent images lose their transparency when exported to PDF/A-1.
External hyperlinks are exported as plain text.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 380
Options and Security
When you expand the Options or Security properties in the Properties window, the following sub properties are
revealed.
PDF Options Properties

Property Valid Values Description

Application ('Application String Set to the string value that you want to display in
Property' in the on-line the Adobe Document Properties dialog, Description tab,
documentation) Application field.
Author ('Author Property' String Set to the string value that you want to display in
in the on-line the Adobe Document Properties dialog, Description tab,
documentation) Author field.
CenterWindow True or False Set to True to position the Adobe Reader window in the
('CenterWindow Property' (default) center of the screen when the document is first opened.
in the on-line
documentation)
DisplayMode None (default), Select how to display bookmarks when the document is
('DisplayMode Property' in Outlines, Thumbs, first opened.
the on-line or FullScreen
documentation) None (default) bookmarks are not displayed
until opened by the user.
Outlines shows bookmarks in outline format.
Thumbs shows bookmarks as thumbnails.
FullScreen shows the document in full screen,
and bookmarks are not displayed.

DisplayTitle ('DisplayTitle True or False Set to True to use the Title string entered in the Title
Property' in the on-line (default) property below. Otherwise, the file name is used.
documentation)
FitWindow ('FitWindow True or False Set to True to expand the window to fit the size of the first
Property' in the on-line (default) displayed page.
documentation)
HideMenubar True or False Set to True to hide the menu in the Adobe Reader when
('HideMenubar Property' in (default) the document is first opened.
the on-line
documentation)
HideToolbar ('HideToolbar True or False Set to True to hide the toolbars in the Adobe Reader when
Property' in the on-line (default) the document is first opened.
documentation)
HideWindowUI True or False Set to True to hide the scrollbars and navigation controls
('HideWindowUI Property' (default) in the Adobe Reader when the document is first opened,
in the on-line displaying only the document.
documentation)
Keywords ('Keywords String Enter keywords to display in the Adobe Document
Property' in the on-line Properties dialog, Description tab, Keywords field.
documentation)
OnlyForPrint True or False Set to indicate whether the PDF is only for print.
('OnlyForPrint Property' in (default)
the on-line
documentation)
Subject ('Subject Property' String Enter a subject to display in the Adobe Document
in the on-line Properties dialog, Description tab, Subject field.
documentation)
Title ('Title Property' in the String Enter a title to display in the Adobe Document Properties
on-line documentation) dialog, Description tab, Title field.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 381
Set DisplayTitle to True to display this text in the title bar
of the Adobe Reader when the document is opened.

PDF Security Properties

Property Valid Values Description

Encrypt ('Encrypt True or False (default) Sets or returns a value indicating whether the
Property' in the document is encrypted.
on-line
documentation)
OwnerPassword String Enter the string to use as a password that unlocks
('OwnerPassword the document regardless of specified permissions.
Property' in the
on-line
documentation)
Permissions None, AllowPrint, Combine multiple values by dropping down the
('Permissions AllowModifyContents, AllowCopy, selector and selecting the check boxes of any
Property' in the AllowModifyAnnotations, permissions you want to grant. By default, all of
on-line AllowFillIn, the permissions are granted.
documentation) AllowAccessibleReaders, or
AllowAssembly
Use128Bit True (default) or False Set to False to use 40 bit encryption with limited
('Use128Bit permissions. (Disables AllowFillIn,
Property' in the AllowAccessibleReaders, and AllowAssembly
on-line permissions.)
documentation)
UserPassword String Enter the string to use as a password that unlocks
('UserPassword the document using the specified permissions.
Property' in the Leave this value blank to allow anyone to open the
on-line document using the specified permissions.
documentation)

Text Export
Plain Text is a format that opens in Notepad or Microsoft Excel depending on the file extension you use in the
filePath parameter of the Export ('Export Method' in the on-line documentation) method. Use the extension
.txt to open files in Notepad, or use .csv to open comma separated value files in Excel. The Text export filter has
a number of useful properties that allow you to control your output. You can set the properties either in code using
the TextExport ('TextExport Class' in the on-line documentation) object after adding reference to the
following assembly in your project, or by selecting the object in the toolbox and adding it to the component tray
below the Form which automatically adds this assembly to the project:
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.v9.dll
Text Export Properties

Property Valid Values Description

Encoding ('Encoding System.Text.ASCIIEncoding (default), This property can only be set in code.
Property' in the on- System.Text.UnicodeEncoding, Enter an enumerated system
line documentation) System.Text.UTF7Encoding, encoding value to use for character
or System.Text.UTF8Encoding encoding.
PageDelimiter String Enter a character or sequence of
('PageDelimiter characters to mark the end of each
Property' in the on- page.
line documentation)
SuppressEmptyLines True (default) or False Set to False if you want to keep
('SuppressEmptyLines empty lines in the exported text file.
Property' in the on- Otherwise, white space is removed.
line documentation)

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TextDelimiter String Enter a character or sequence of
('TextDelimiter characters to mark the end of each
Property' in the on- text field. This is mainly for use with
line documentation) CSV files that you open in Excel.

Text
Usage:
Create plain text files
Create comma (or other character) delimited text files
Feed raw data to spreadsheets or databases
Open in Notepad or Excel (comma delimited)
Does not support anything but plain fields and labels:
Supports plain text only with no formatting other than simple delimiters
Supports encoding for foreign language support

RTF Export
RTF, or RichText format, opens in Microsoft Word, and is native to WordPad. This export does not render reports
exactly as they appear in the Viewer due to inherent differences in the formats.
You can set the property either in code using the RTFExport ('RtfExport Class' in the on-line documentation)
object after adding reference to the following assembly in your project, or by selecting the object in the toolbox
and adding it to the component tray below the Form which automatically adds this assembly to the project:
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.v9.dll
Usage:
Create word-processing files
Open in Word or WordPad
Does not support:
Section or Page back colors
Angled text

Excel Export
XLSX is a format that opens in Microsoft Excel as a spreadsheet. This export does not render reports exactly as
they appear in the Viewer due to inherent differences in the formats. The XLSX export filter has a number of useful
properties that allow you to control your output. You can set the properties either in code using the XLSExport
('XlsExport Class' in the on-line documentation) object after adding reference to the following assembly in
your project, or by selecting the object in the toolbox and adding it to the component tray below the Form which
automatically adds this assembly to the project:
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.v9.dll
Excel Export Properties

Property Valid Description

Values
AutoRowHeight True or Set to True to have Excel set the height of rows based on the contents.
('AutoRowHeight False Otherwise XlsExport calculates the height of rows. In some cases this
Property' in the on-line (default) may make the output look better inside Excel. However, a value of True
documentation) may adversely affect pagination when printing, as it may stretch the
height of the page.
DisplayGridLines True Set to False to hide grid lines in Excel.
('DisplayGridLines (default)
Property' in the on-line or False

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 383
documentation)
FileFormat Xls97Plus Set to Xls95 to use Microsoft Excel 95, Xls95Plus to use Microsoft Excel
('FileFormat Property' (default) 97and Xlsx to use Microsoft Excel 2007 or newer.
in the on-line or Xls95
documentation) or Xlsx
MinColumnWidth Single Set the number of inches that is the smallest width for a column in the
('MinColumnWidth (VB) or exported spreadsheet.
Property' in the on-line float
documentation) (C#) Tip: Larger values reduce the number of empty columns in a sheet. Set
this value to 1 inch or more to get rid of small empty columns.

MinRowHeight Single Set the number of inches that is the smallest height for a row in the
('MinRowHeight (VB) or exported spreadsheet.
Property' in the on-line float
documentation) (C#) Tip: Larger values force the export to place more controls on a single
line by reducing the number of rows added to match blank space. Set
this value to .25 inches or more to get rid of small empty rows.

MultiSheet True or Set to True to export each page of your report to a separate sheet
('MultiSheet Property' False within the Excel file. This can increase performance and output quality at
in the on-line (default) the cost of memory consumption for reports with complex pages and a
documentation) lot of deviation between page layouts.
In general, use False for reports with more than 30 pages.

PageSettings Set a print orientation and paper size of Excel sheet.

('PageSettings
Property' in the on-line
documentation)

RemoveVerticalSpace True or Set to True to remove vertical empty spaces from the spreadsheet. This
('RemoveVerticalSpace False may improve pagination for printing.
Property' in the on-line (default)
documentation)
Security ('Security Set a password and username to protect the excel spreadsheet.
Property' in the on-line
documentation)
UseCellMerging True or Set to True to merge cells where applicable.
('UseCellMerging False
Property' in the on-line (default)
documentation)
UseDefaultPalette True or Set to True to export document with Excel default palette.
('UseDefaultPalette False
Property' in the on-line (default)
documentation)

Usage:
Create spreadsheets
Open in Microsoft Excel
Does not support:
Line control
Shapes (other than filled rectangles)
CrossSectionBox and CrossSectionLine controls
Overlapping controls
Borders on controls with angled text
Angled text
CheckBox control (only its text element is exported)

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 384
TIFF Export
TIFF, or tagged image file format, opens in the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer or any TIFF viewer. This export
looks very much like the report as it displays in the viewer, but it is a multi-page image, so the text cannot be
edited. The TIFF export filter has a couple of useful properties that allow you to control your output. You can set
the properties either in code using the TIFFExport ('TiffExport Class' in the on-line documentation) object
after adding reference to the following assembly in your project, or by selecting the object in the toolbox and
adding it to the component tray below the Form which automatically adds this assembly to the project:
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.v9.dll
TIFF Export Properties

Property Valid Values Description

CompressionScheme None, Rle, Ccitt3 (default), Ccitt4 or Lzw Select an enumerated value to use for
('CompressionScheme color output control:
Property' in the on-
line documentation) None delivers color output
with no compression.
Rle (run-length encoding) is
for 1, 4, and 8 bit color
depths.
Ccitt3 and Ccitt4 are for 1
color depth, and are used in
old standard faxes.
Lzw (based on Unisys
patent) is for 1, 4, and 8 bit
color depths with lossless
compression.

Dither ('Dither True or False (default) Set to True to dither the image when
Property' in the on- you save it to a black and white
line documentation) format (Ccitt3, Ccitt4 or Rle). This
property has no effect if the
CompressionScheme is set to Lzw or
None.
DpiX ('DpiX Property' Integer (VB) or int (C#) greater than 0 Set the horizontal resolution of a
in the on-line report when exporting to TIFF format.
documentation) The default value is 200.
Setting the DpiX or DpiY property to
large values can cause the rendered
image to be too large and not enough
memory in system can be allocated to
the bitmap.

DpiY ('DpiY Property' Integer (VB) or int (C#) greater than 0 Set the vertical resolution of a report
in the on-line when exporting to TIFF format. The
documentation) default value is 196.
Setting the DpiX or DpiY property to
large values can cause the rendered
image to be too large and not enough
memory in system can be allocated to
the bitmap.

Usage:
Create optical archive reports
Send reports via fax machines
Open in image viewers
Generates an image of each page. 100% WYSIWYG.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 385
Exporting Reports using Export Filters
ActiveReports provides various export filters that can be used to export Page, Section and Rdl Reports to the supported file formats. Here are the export
formats that are included with ActiveReports:
HTML For displaying on Web browsers or e-mail. You can access the HTML Export filter by adding the reference to
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.v9.dll in your project.
PDF For preserving formatting on different computers. You can access the PDF Export filter by adding the reference to
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.v9.dll in your project.
RTF For preserving some formatting, but allowing reports to be opened with Word or WordPad. You can access the RTF Export filter by adding
the reference to GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.v9.dll in your project.
Text For transmitting raw data, with little or no formatting. You can access the Text Export filter by adding the reference to
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.v9.dll in your project.
TIFF For transmitting faxes. You can access the Image Export filter by adding the reference to GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.v9.dll in
your project.
Excel For displaying as spreadsheets. You can access the Excel Export filter by adding the reference to
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.v9.dll in your project.

Note: HTML Export requires the .NET Framework full profile version. To ensure you are using the full profile version, go to the Visual Studio
Project menu > Properties > Compile tab > Advanced Compile Options (for Visual Basic projects) or to the Project menu > Properties >
Application tab (for C# projects) and under Target framework select a full profile version.

Note: In ActiveReports, by default, the assemblies are located in the ...\Common Files\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9 folder.

Use the following steps to export reports through export filters. These steps assume that you have already created a Windows Application and added
the export controls to your Visual Studio toolbox. For more information, see Adding ActiveReports Controls.

To export a report
1. In your project's Bin>Debug folder, place the report.rpx (Section Report) or report.rdlx (Page/Rdl Report).
2. In the Solution Explorer, right-click the References node and select Add Reference.
3. In the Add Reference dialog that appears, select the following references and click OK to add them to your project.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.v9
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.v9
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.v9
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.v9
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.v9
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.v9
4. On the Form.cs or Form.vb, double-click the title bar to create the Form_Load event.
5. In Form_Load event, add the following code to add a report to your project.
To add Page/Rdl report to your project
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.
' Create a page/Rdl report.
Dim rpt As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport()
' Load the report you want to export.
' For the code to work, this report must be stored in the bin\debug folder of your project.
rpt.Load(New System.IO.FileInfo ("report.rdlx"))
Dim MyDocument As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument (rpt)

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.

// Create a page/Rdl report.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport rpt = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport();
// Load the report you want to export.
// For the code to work, this report must be stored in the bin\debug folder of your project.
rpt.Load(new System.IO.FileInfo ("report.rdlx"));
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument MyDocument = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument
(rpt);

To add Section report to your project

Visual Basic.NETcode. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.
' Create a Section report.
Dim rpt As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport()
' For the code to work, report.rpx must be placed in the bin\debug folder of your project.
Dim xtr As New System.Xml.XmlTextReader(Application.StartupPath + "\report.rpx")
rpt.LoadLayout(xtr)
rpt.Run()

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.

// Create a Section report.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport rpt = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport();
// For the code to work, report.rpx must be placed in the bin\debug folder of your project.
System.Xml.XmlTextReader xtr = new System.Xml.XmlTextReader(Application.StartupPath + "\\report.rpx");
rpt.LoadLayout(xtr);
rpt.Run();

6. Add the following code to export Page, Rdl and Section Reports to multiple format.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 386
This code is common for all the report types (.rpx and .rdlx).
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.
' Export the report in HTML format.
Dim HtmlExport1 As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.Section.HtmlExport()
HtmlExport1.Export(MyDocument, Application.StartupPath + "\HTMLExpt.html")

' Export the report in PDF format.

Dim PdfExport1 As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Section.PdfExport()
PdfExport1.Export(MyDocument, Application.StartupPath + "\PDFExpt.pdf")

' Export the report in RTF format.

Dim RtfExport1 As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.Section.RtfExport()
RtfExport1.Export(MyDocument, Application.StartupPath + "\RTFExpt.rtf")

' Export the report in text format.

Dim TextExport1 As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.Section.TextExport()
TextExport1.Export(MyDocument, Application.StartupPath + "\TextExpt.txt")

' Export the report in TIFF format.

Dim TiffExport1 As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.Tiff.Section.TiffExport()
TiffExport1.Export(MyDocument, Application.StartupPath + "\TIFFExpt.tiff")

' Export the report in Excel format.

Dim XlsExport1 As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Section.XlsExport()
' Set a file format of the exported excel file to Xlsx to support Microsoft Excel 2007 and newer versions.
XlsExport1.FileFormat = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Section.FileFormat.Xlsx
XlsExport1.Export(MyDocument, Application.StartupPath + "\XLSExpt.xlsx")

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.
// Export the report in HTML format.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.Section.HtmlExport HtmlExport1 = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.Section.HtmlExport();
HtmlExport1.Export(MyDocument, Application.StartupPath + "\\HTMLExpt.html");

// Export the report in PDF format.

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Section.PdfExport PdfExport1 = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Section.PdfExport();
PdfExport1.Export(MyDocument, Application.StartupPath + "\\PDFExpt.pdf");

// Export the report in RTF format.

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.Section.RtfExport RtfExport1 = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.Section.RtfExport();
RtfExport1.Export(MyDocument, Application.StartupPath + "\\RTFExpt.rtf");

// Export the report in text format.

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.Section.TextExport TextExport1 = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.Section.TextExport();
TextExport1.Export(MyDocument, Application.StartupPath + "\\TextExpt.txt");

// Export the report in TIFF format.

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.Tiff.Section.TiffExport TiffExport1 = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.Tiff.Section.TiffExport();
TiffExport1.Export(MyDocument, Application.StartupPath + "\\TIFFExpt.tiff");

// Export the report in XLSX format.

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Section.XlsExport XlsExport1 = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Section.XlsExport();
// Set a file format of the exported excel file to Xlsx to support Microsoft Excel 2007 and newer versions.
XlsExport1.FileFormat = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Section.FileFormat.Xlsx;
XlsExport1.Export(MyDocument, Application.StartupPath + "\\XLSExpt.xlsx");

Note: When exporting a report to .MHT file by Export filters use htmlExport.Export(Document doc, Stream outputStream);
For more information, see HTML Export Method ('Export Method' in the on-line documentation).

7. Press F5 to run the application. The exported files are saved in the bin\debug folder.

Font Linking
Font linking helps resolve the situation when fonts on a deployment machine do not have the glyphs that are used
in a development environment. When you find such a glyph mismatch, there is a possibility that the PDF output on
development and deployment machines may be different.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 387
In order to resolve this issue, the PDF export filter or the PDF rendering extension looks for the missing glyphs in
the installed fonts as follows:
Checks the system font link settings for each font that is used in the report.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\FontLink\SystemLink registry
key stores the information on font links.
If font links are not set or the needed glyphs are not found, searches for the glyphs in the fonts declared
in the FontFallback Property (on-line documentation).
Uses glyphs from the font links collection to replace fonts that do not have their own declared linked
fonts.
If necessary glyphs are not found by font links or in the fonts declared in the FontFallback property,
glyphs from Microsoft Sans Serif font are taken as the predefined font.

Note: Font Linking is only possible in the Professional Edition of ActiveReports.

Custom Font Factory (Pro Edition)

When you use the PDF export filter in a Medium trust environment, ActiveReports does not have access to the
System Fonts folder due to security restrictions. So if your reports use special glyphs or non-ASCII characters that
are only found in certain fonts, the PDF output may be incorrect on some machines.
The ActiveReports custom font factory allows you to embed any fonts you need in PDF in the Medium trust
environment. To deploy the necessary fonts with your Medium trust solution, you must add the used font files in
the specific folder and set up your web.config file.
ActiveReports looks for the custom fonts in the order as follows:
1. A font specified in the control.
2. A mapped specified font in the Substitute setting.
3. A font specified in the the AddFontLink setting (Pro Edition only).
4. A font specified in the SetFallbackFont setting (Pro Edition only).
Notice that you need to copy the required font files (.ttc, .ttf) manually into the font folder you are accessing.

Custom Font Factory in Windows Azure

For your Azure project, you need to set the properties for all fonts in the project Fonts folder as follows:
1. Set Copy to Output Directory to Copy always.
2. Set BuildAction to Content.

To add a font factory section group

XML code. Paste INSIDE the configSections tags of the web.config file.
<sectionGroup name="ActiveReports.PdfExport"> <section name="FontFactory"
type="GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.FontFactorySectionHandler,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.v7, Version=7.99.10395.0, Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff" requirePermission="false" /></sectionGroup>

To create a font factory

Required fonts or the folder containing the required fonts are set in the font factory. Paste code like the following
after the configSections tag, but before the appSettings tag.

Note: Please make the required changes for the font that you wish to use. In case of the following sample
code, create a Font folder and copy the required font files (arial.ttf, tahoma.ttf, msgothic.ttc, simsun.ttc,
gulim.ttc, mingliu.ttc, micross.ttf).

XML code. Paste between configSections and appSettings tags of the web.config file.
<ActiveReports.PdfExport>
<FontFactory Mode="File">
<AddFolder VirtualPath="~/Fonts" Recurse="true"/>
<Substitute Font="Helv" To="Helvetica"/>

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 388
<SetFallbackFont Font="Arial"/>
<!-- font link nodes -->
<AddFontLink Font="Arial" List="SimSun,gulim,PMingLiU"/>
<AddFontLink Font="Tahoma" List="MS UI Gothic,SimSun,gulim,PMingLiU"/>
<AddFontLink Font="MS UI Gothic" List="SimSun,gulim,PMingLiU,Microsoft Sans
Serif" IsDefault="true"/>
</FontFactory>
</ActiveReports.PdfExport>

Note: For the Azure worker role project, use an absolute path instead of a virtual path in the code
above: <AddFolder Path="~/Fonts" Recurse="true"/>.

Configuration settings
FontFactory
Description: This is the main font factory node to which you can add fonts.

Attributes

Element Description
Mode Setting the Mode attribute to File allows to use a file based factory, or remove the
attribute for a Windows GDI factory.

Child Elements
None.

Parent Elements

Element Description
ActiveReports.PdfExport The assembly that contains the PdfExport namespace (PDF export, document
options, and security classes).

Example
<FontFactory Mode="File">

AddFolder
Description: Adds all TrueType fonts (.ttc, .ttf) from the specified folder.

Attributes

Element Description
Path Specifies the absolute path to the folder.

VirtualPath Specifies the relative path to the folder.

Recurse When set to True, it can read the subfolder. When set to False, it cannot read the
subfolder.

Child Elements
None.

Parent Elements

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 389
Element Description
FontFactory This is the main font factory node to which you can add fonts.

Example
<AddFolder VirtualPath="~/Fonts" Recurse="true"/>

Substitute
Description: Maps an alternate name of fonts to their official names.

Attributes

Element Description
Font Specifies the abbreviated font name (e.g. "Helv").

To Specifies the official font name (e.g. "Helvetica").

Child Elements
None.

Parent Elements

Element Description
FontFactory This is the main font factory node to which you can add fonts.

Example
<Substitute Font="Helv" To="Helvetica"/>

SetFallbackFont (Professional Edition only)

Description: In the Professional Edition, sets the font to use if a) the specified font is not installed, b) the
Substitute font is not specified or not installed, or c) the font links are not set or the needed glyphs are not found
in the AddFontLink setting.

Attributes

Element Description
Font Specifies the font name.

Child Elements
None.

Parent Elements

Element Description
FontFactory This is the main font factory node to which you can add fonts.

Example
<SetFallbackFont Font="Arial"/>

AddFontLink (Professional Edition only)

Description: In the Professional Edition, there is the extra support for CJK glyphs. You can add font links that allow
the PdfExport to look up any glyphs missing from the specified font in the list of other fonts to check.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 390

Attributes

Element Description
Font Specifies the font used in the reports.

List Specifies the comma-separated list of fonts to be used in case the glyph is not
found.
Caution: The character style of the link won't be outputted in case
the alternate font file does not exist in the specified folder of
the AddFolder setting.

IsDefault When set to True, indicates to use the specified list for any fonts that do not
have their own font links.

Child Elements
None.

Parent Elements

Element Description
FontFactory This is the main font factory node to which you can add fonts.

Example
<AddFontLink Font="Tahoma" List="MS UI Gothic,SimSun,gulim,PMingLiU"/>

Visual Query Designer

Access the Visual Query Designer
Elements of Visual Query Designer
Visual Query Designer is a graphical interface that simplifies data binding by allowing users to interactively build queries and
view the results. With the Visual Query Designer's interactive interface, users who are unfamiliar with SQL can easily design, edit
and preview queries.
Visual Query Designer supports the following SQL capabilities:
Selecting fields
Custom expression
Inner, left outer and right outer joins
Filtering Data
Grouping and aggregate functions
Sorting
Setting aliases for the selected fields and tables
For more information on how to use these capabilites in Visual Query Designer, refer to Query Building With Visual Query
Designer.

Note: You need to have Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 or higher installed on the system to run the Visual Query Designer.

See the graphic below to understand how a simple SQL query is generated in the Visual Query Designer.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 391

Limitations
1. Queries for XML, Object, DataSet Provider or any other specific data providers cannot be created in Visual Query
Designer.
2. Unions, nested queries and stored procedures are not supported in Design Tab.
3. Crosses, full joins, provider-specific joins, and other SQL-specific implementation capabilities are not supported in the
Design Tab.

Accessing the Visual Query Designer

1. Connect a Page/RDL Report to a data source. See Connect to a Data Source for details on how to connect to a data
source in Page/Rdl Reports and Bind Reports to a Data Source for Section Reports.
2. Right-click the data source node (DataSource1 by default) and select the Add Data Set option or select Data Set from
the Add button on the Report Explorer toolbar to add a data set to the report.
3. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the Query page and then select the edit with visual query designer button
.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 392

This opens the Visual Query Designer in a Page Report or Rdl Report.
In a Section Report
1. Connect a Section Report to a data source through the Report Data Source dialog. The Query Designer button is
disabled until the report connects to a data source. For more information see, Bind Reports to a Data Source.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 393

2. Once enabled, click the button.

This opens the Visual Query Designer in a Section Report.

Elements of Visual Query Designer

Database View
Database View contains the structure of a database including namespaces, tables, views and columns. You can drag and drop or
double click the elements in the Database View to add them to the Design tab. Alternatively, you can double click the crossed
arrows icon on the right hand side of each element in the Database View to add it to the Design tab.
This is the first step in query building through the Visual Query Designer. A SQL query is generated as you add the database
elements to the Design tab.

Query Tools
The Visual Query Designer provides several tools to generate a query. The Query Tools section is divided into three major areas:

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 394
Design tab, SQL tab and Toolbar buttons.
Design Tab
The Design tab is the area of the Visual Query Designer where you set up queries. It provides a visual interface for the SQL
query you want to generate.
Selected Fields panel
Displays the fields, tables or any other element selected from the Database view. Each field in the Selected Fields
panel has its own set of editable options.

Option Description

Output Checkbox to determine whether the field is included in the result set. The
checkbox is selected by default when a field is added to the Selected Fields panel. You
can clear this checkbox if you do not want the field to be displayed in the Results panel.

Table Displays the name of the table the selected field belongs to.
Alias Allows the user to provide an alternative name for the field.
Total Applies grouping or aggregates on a field. Total (expression) is used to perform a
calculation, retrieve the value of a control, define regulations, create calculated fields, and
define a group level for a report.
Expression - Allows selection of fields from a table. Custom expressions can also
be specified here.
GroupBy - Groups data based on the selected field.
Count - Returns the number of items in a group. Implements the SQL COUNT
aggregate.
Avg - Returns the average of the values in a group. Implements the SQL AVG
aggregate.
Sum - Returns the sum of all the values in the group. Implements the SQL SUM
aggregate.
Min - Returns the minimum value in a group. Implements the SQL MIN aggregate.
Max - Returns the maximum value in a group. Implements the SQL MAX
aggregate.
StDev - Returns the statistical standard deviation of all values in a group.
Implements the SQL STDEV aggregate.
Var - Returns the statistical variance of all values in the group. Implements the
SQL VAR aggregate.

Sort Arranges data in a prescribed sequence i.e. in Ascending or Descending order.

Sort Order Allows the user to set the order of sorting in case multiple fields are to be sorted.
Where Allows the user to set a filtering condition for the column data. The WHERE clause can be
used when you want to fetch any specific data from a table omitting other unrelated data.

Note: When you add a table to the Selected Fields panel, all the fields in that table are added to the query. In
effect you get a query like Select * from Customers.

Tables and Relationships

The Tables and Relationships panel displays a list of all the tables with fields in the Selected Fields panel. In case the
Selected Fields panel has fields from multiple tables, a Relations button appears at the bottom of the related table's
name to show the relationship between two tables.

Tables and Relationships panel provides the following options for each table:

Option Description

Table Displays the names of all the tables with fields in the Selected Fields panel.
Alias Allows the user to provide an alternative name for the table.

SQL Tab

The SQL Tab displays the SQL statement for the current query. Users can edit the query directly in the SQL Tab.
When you switch to the SQL Tab, the Visual Query Designer automatically formats your query in the correct syntax with
highlighted keywords.
In the SQL Tab you can:

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 395
Add new queries by directly typing SQL statements.
Modify the SQL statement created by Visual Query Designer.

Tool Bar Buttons

Option Description

Distinct Checkbox Distinct Checkbox is used to remove duplicates from the result set of a SELECT statement. If checked,
it allows users to display only distinct values.
Execute Allows users to execute their query and display the result in Results panel.
Save Allows users to save the query to a DataSet dialog.
Clear Allows users to clear all the panels in the Visual Query Designer and the SQL tab along with it.

The Query Tools section also has a dropdown on the top right corner with two options:
1. Toggle Panels: To expand or collapse the Selected Fields and the Tables and Relationships panel.
2. Show Hints: To show or hide hints on how to use the Visual Query Designer effectively.
Example: "Double click the table or field name in the database view or drag and drop it here." appears at the top of the
Selected Fields panel.

Result panel
Displays the result of the query set in the Visual Query Designer.
This panel is populated when you click the Execute button on the Visual Query Designer toolbar after adding the required fields
or tables in the Selected Fields panel.
Go to Top

Query Building With Visual Query Designer

The topic takes you through the query building process in the Visual Query Designer. Query building in Visual
Query Designer can be accomplished in a few simple steps:
Step 1: Adding fields from a table to generate a simple query
Step 2: Setting relationships (only applicable to queries using multiple tables)
Step 3: Setting options for individual fields or tables
Step 4: Executing a query
Step 5: Previewing a query
Create and Execute a Query (Single Table)
Create and Execute a Query (Multiple Tables)
Preview a Query
Save a Query
Edit a Query
Clear a Query
Access the Visual Query Designer
Delete a field
Sort data
Display Distinct Values
Aggregate Functions and Grouping
Hide Fields from a Query
Set filter condition
Create a parameterized query
The following steps assume that you have already added a Page Report or an Rdl Report template and connected it
to a data source. See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project and Connect to a Data Source for further information.
For more information on how to access Visual Query Designer, see Accessing Visual Query Designer.

Note: This topic uses the Reels database. By default, the Reels.mdb file is located in the [User Documents

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 396
folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data folder.

Create and Execute a Query (Single Table)

Go to Top
In the Visual Query Designer, you get a visual interface to assist you in quickly designing simple queries that
reference a single table.
Query Result in SQL
SQL Query
select Movie.MovieID, Movie.Title
from Movie

Steps to create the Query in Visual Query Designer

1. From the Movie table in the Database view, drag and drop the field MovieID to the Selected Fields
panel.

2. Add another field, Movie.Title from the same table, to the Selected Fields panel.
3. On the Toolbar of the Visual Query Designer, click the Execute button.

Result data similar to the following appears in Results panel.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 397
Create and Execute a Query (Multiple Tables)
Go to Top
In the Visual Query Designer, you get a visual interface to reference multiple tables and set up relationships
between them.
The following example shows how to implement a right outer join using the tables Movie and MovieCrew from
Reels database and apply a filter condition to your result set using the WHERE clause. For more information about
table relationships and joins in Visual Query Designer, see Tables and Relations.

Query Result in SQL

SQL Query
select Movie.MovieID, Movie.Country, Movie.Title, MovieCrew.CastID,
MovieCrew.TitleID from Movie right join MovieCrew on
MovieCrew.MovieID = Movie.MovieID
where (Movie.Country = 'USA' and MovieCrew.CastID =1)

Steps to create the Query in Visual Query Designer

1. From the Movie table in the Database view, drag and drop the fields MovieID, Country and Title to the
Selected Fields panel.
2. From the MovieCrew table in Database view, drag and drop the fields CastID and TitleID to the Selected
Fields panel.
3. When you add the first field in step 2, a Tables relations dialog automatically appears on the screen.
In Tables relations dialog, you can also select any other field from MovieCrew table which matches the
related table's field to form a join between the both.
4. In Tables relations dialog, select the Right Outer Join Type for joining the two tables Movie and Movie
Crew. The Right Outer tab is highlighted.
Refer to Tables And Relations for more information on types of joins.

5. In Tables relations dialog, click OK to save the relationship between tables.

Once the relationship has been set up between tables, you may also access the Tables relations dialog
from the Relations button in the Tables and Relationships panel.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 398
6. In the Selected Fields panel, under the Where option, add a filter condition to Country field in the Movie
table and set the value to "= 'USA'".
7. Again, in the Selected Fields panel, under the Where option, add a filter condition to CastID field in the
MovieCrew table and set the value to "= 1".
8. On the Toolbar of the Visual Query Designer, click the Execute button.

Result data similar to the following appears in Results panel.

Preview a Query
Go to Top
When you have finished designing your query, you can execute it and then preview the result in the Visual Query
Designer.
1. In the Query Tools section of the Visual Query Designer, go to the Toolbar.

2. Click the button.

You can preview the result in the Results panel at the bottom of the Visual Query Designer dialog.

Note: When previewing a query, Visual Query Designer shows only a part of the data from the database.

Save a Query
Go to Top
Page Report/Rdl Report
Once a query is created in the Visual Query Designer, the Save button allows you to save the query into the
DataSet dialog.
1. Once your query is created in Visual Query Designer, in the Query Tools section of the Visual Query
Designer, go to the Toolbar.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 399

2. Click the button. Your query appears in Query field of the Query page in the DataSet dialog.
3. Click OK to close the dialog.
Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report Explorer.
Section Report
Once a query is created in the Visual Query Designer, the Save button allows you to save the query into the
Report Data Source dialog.
1. Once the query is created in Visual Query Designer, in the Query Tools section of the Visual Query
Designer, go to the Toolbar.

2. Click the button.

Your query appears in Query field of the Report Data Source dialog.
3. Click OK to close the dialog. Your queried fields appear as bound field nodes in the Report Explorer.

Clear a Query
Go to Top
Once a query is created, the Selected Fields panel is populated with fields and Tables and Relationship panel
displays the tables to which the fields used in the query belong.
1. In the Query Tools section of the Visual Query Designer, go to the Toolbar.

2. Click the button.

This clears the Query Tools section completely including Selected Fields and Tables and Relationships
panel. It also removes the SQL query from the SQL tab and any data appearing in the Results panel.

Edit a Query
Go to Top
There are two ways to edit a query in the Visual Query Designer:
Edit a query created in the Visual Query Designer directly in the SQL tab.

Follow the steps below to edit a query created in the Visual Query Designer manually in the SQL:
1. From the Movie table in Database view, drag and drop the fields MovieID and Title onto the Selected
Fields panel.
2. Under Query Tools, switch to the SQL tab to edit the query manually.

3. Enter the field name Movie.Length in the SQL tab.

SQL Query
select Movie.MovieID, Movie.Title, Movie.Length
from Movie

4. On the Toolbar of the Visual Query Designer, click the Execute button.

The additional Length column appears in Results panel.

Edit an existing SQL query in the Visual Query Designer.

This approach has some limitations based on the type of queries that can be handled in the Visual Query

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 400
Designer.

Assuming that a query like the following already exists in the Data Set dialog of a Page/Rdl Report or
the Report Data Source dialog of a Section Report, follow the steps below to edit it in the Visual Query
Designer.
SQL Query
select Movie.MovieID, Movie.Title
from Movie

1. Open the Visual Query Designer and under Query Tools, go to the SQL tab. Notice that the SQL query is
already present in the this tab.
2. Go to the Design tab and notice that the Selected Fields panel already contains the fields MovieID and
Title.
3. From the Database view, drag and drop a field, Length from the Movie table onto the Selected Fields
panel.
4. Go to the SQL tab again and see that the query now appears as follows:
SQL Query
select Movie.MovieID, Movie.Title, Movie.Length
from Movie

5. On the Toolbar of the Visual Query Designer, click the Execute button.

Result data similar to the following appears in Results panel.

Delete a field
Go to Top
You can delete any field from a query in the Visual Query Designer. When you delete a field from a query, the field
remains in the database, but is no longer used in the query.
1. From the Movie table in the Database view, drag and drop the fields MovieID, Country and Title onto the
Selected Fields panel.
2. Hover your mouse over the MovieID field in Selected Fields panel to display the Delete icon.
3. Click the Delete icon to delete the field.
Please note that once you delete a field, it is also removed from the SQL query in the SQL tab.

Sort data
Go to Top
You can sort the records in a table, query, form, or a report on one or more fields in the Visual Query Designer.
For example, you can sort the Movie table by Title in ascending order and Country in descending order. In case
multiple fields are being sorted, you can also determine which field is sorted first and which is sorted later.

Query Result in SQL

SQL Query
select Movie.MovieID, Movie.Title, Movie.Countryfrom Movieorder by Movie.Country desc,
Movie.Title asc

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 401
Steps to create the Query in Visual Query Designer
1. In the Database view, from the Movie table, drag and drop the fields MovieID, Title and Country onto the
Selected Fields panel.
2. In the Selected Fields panel, go to the Title field and set the Sort option to ascending. Sort Order option
is automatically set to 1.
3. Go to the Country field next and set the Sort option to ascending. Sort Order option is automatically set to
2.
Based on steps 2 and 3, the table values sort on the Title field first and then on the Country field
in ascending order.
4. In Country field, change the Sort Order value to 1. Sort Order value of the Title field automatically
changes to 2.
The table values now sort on the Country field first in and then on the Title field in ascending order.
5. In the Toolbar of the Visual Query Designer, click the Execute button.

Result data similar to the following appears in Results panel.

Display Distinct Values

Go to Top
When retrieving data from a table, you may get duplicate records. Use the Distinct operator in the Select
statement of your query to remove such values.
In the Visual Query Designer, you can use the Distinct checkbox available in the Toolbar to eliminate duplicate
records. For example, you can retrieve unique records from YearReleased field of the Movie table.

Query Result in SQL

SQL Query
select DISTINCT Movie.Title, Movie.YearReleased
from Movie

Steps to create the Query in Visual Query Designer

1. From the Movie table in the Database view, drag and drop the Title and YearReleased fields onto
the Selected Fields panel.

2. In the Toolbar of the Visual Query Designer, check the checkbox to display unique values
from the YearReleased field.
3. Click the Execute button.

Result data similar to the following appears in Results panel.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 402

Aggregate Functions and Grouping

Go to Top
You can group data on a field and create an aggregate query that involves a function such as Sum or Avg in the
Visual Query Designer. For example, you can group the movies in the Movie table by Country and calculate the
average movie ratings for different countries using the Visual Query Designer.
Query Result in SQL
SQL Query
select Movie.Country, Avg(Movie.UserRating) as [Average Ratings]
from Movie group by Movie.Country

Steps to create the Query in Visual Query Designer

1. From the Movie table in the Database view, drag and drop the Country and UserRating fields onto
Selected Fields panel.
2. In the Selected Fields panel, under the Country field, select GroupBy from the Total dropdown list. This
groups the data by country name.
3. In the Selected Fields panel under the UserRating field, select the option Alias and set its alternate name
to Average Ratings.
4. Under the UserRating field again, select Avg from a list of pre-defined aggregate functions in the Total
dropdown list. This provides average user ratings for movies.
5. In the Toolbar of the Visual Query Designer, click the Execute button.

Result data similar to the following appears in Results panel.

Hide Fields from a Query

Go to Top
The Hide option in the Visual Query Designer allows you to hide part of the data that a query retrieves. For

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 403
example, you can hide the MovieID field in the Movie table, from the result set of your query.
Follow the steps below to hide a field through the Visual Query Designer:
1. From the Movie table in the Database view, drag and drop the fields Title, UserRating and Country onto
the Selected Fields panel.
2. In the Selected Fields panel, go to the Country field and select the Where option and set it's value to " =
'USA' "
3. In the Selected Fields panel, go to the Title field and set the value of the Alias option to Movies from
USA.
4. Clear the Output check box for the Country field as shown in the image below to hide the field from the
result set.

5. In the Toolbar of the Visual Query Designer, click the Execute button.

The data for the Country field does not appear in the in the Results panel anymore.

Set filter condition

Go to Top
The SQL Where clause is used to filter results that match a given criteria. The Where clause can be used when
you want to fetch any specific data from a table omitting other unrelated data.
For example if you want to display UserRating of only those movies where the MovieID is either 1 or 2, you can
use the Where clause with an '=' operator in the Visual Query Designer.
Query Result in SQL
SQL Query
select Movie.MovieID, Movie.UserRating
from Movie
where (Movie.MovieID = 1 or Movie.MovieID = 2)

Steps to create the Query in Visual Query Designer

1. Form the Movie table in Database view, drag and drop the MovieID and UserRating fields onto the
Selected Fields panel.
2. In the Selected Fields panel under the MovieID field, select the Where option and set the value to "=1".

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 404
3. Add an OR condition in MovieID field and set the value to "=2".

Rows which have either have MovieID = 1 or MovieID = 2 are displayed in the Result set.
4. In the Toolbar of the Visual Query Designer, click the Execute button.

Result data similar to the following appears in Results panel.

Create a parameterized query

Go to Top
You can set paramaters in your query using the Visual Query Designer. A parameterized query generally prompts
the user to enter a value before the query is executed, to determine the type of data to be displayed in the result
set.

As an example of a simple parameterized query, you can create a query parameter that prompts a user for a
Movie ID and displays the Title, UserRating and Length of the movie based on the ID entered.
Query Result in SQL
SQL Query
select Movie.MovieID, Movie.Title, Movie.Country, Movie.UserRating
from Movie
where Movie.Country = ?

Steps to create the Query in Visual Query Designer

1. From the Movie table in the Database view, drag and drop the MovieID, Title, UserRating and Country
fields onto the Selected Fields panel.
2. In the Selected Fields panel under the Country field, select the option Where and set its value to "=
@Country".
This creates a parameter Country.

3. In the Toolbar of the Visual Query Designer, click the Execute button. The Parameters dialog
automatically appears on the screen.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 405

4. Enter the parameter value USA in the dialog box and click OK.

Result data similar to the following appears in Results panel.

Go to Top

Tables And Relations

Queries can incorporate fields from different tables. It is the relationship you set up between the data in these
tables that determines how the data appears in the result set.
Users can set up these relationships between tables using SQL Joins like Inner Join, Left Join and Right Join in the
Visual Query Designer.
1. Inner Join (simple join) - Inner Join matches rows from Table1 with rows in Table2, and allows the user
to retrieve records that show a relationship in both the tables. Inner join produces a set of data that
matches both Table1 and Table2.

Syntax for the SQL Inner Join:

SELECT columns
FROM table1
INNER JOIN table2
ON table1.column = table2.column;

Visual Illustration

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 406

SQL Inner Join returns the records where table1 and table2 intersect.
2. Left Outer Join (left join) - Left Outer Join allows users to select rows that match from both the left and
right tables, plus all the rows from the left table (table 1). This means only those rows from table2 that
intersect with table1 appear in the result set.

Syntax for SQL Left Outer Join:

SELECT columns
FROM table1
LEFT [OUTER] JOIN table2
ON table1.column = table2.column;

Visual Illustration

SQL Left Outer Join returns the records from table1 and only those records from table2 that intersect with
table1.
3. Right Outer Join (right join) - Right outer join allows users to select rows that match from the both the
left and right tables, plus all the rows from right table (table 2). This means that only those rows from table
1 that intersect with table 2. appear in the result set

Syntax for SQL Right Outer Join:

SELECT columns
FROM table1
RIGHT [OUTER] JOIN table2
ON table1.column = table2.column;

Visual Illustration

SQL Right Outer Join returns the records from table 2 and only those records from table 1 that intersect
with table2.

Tables relations dialog

The Tables relations dialog allows users to set up a relationship between two different tables with at least one
common field.
Complete the following steps to access the Tables relations dialog:
1. In the Visual Query Designer, drag and drop a field or fields from a table in the Database view to the

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 407
Selection Fields panel.
2. Add another field from a different table in the Database tab to the Selected Fields panel. Make sure that at
least one field between these two tables' matches i.e. the second table contains a foreign key.
3. When the field in step 2 is added, the Tables relations dialog automatically pops up on the screen.
Once the relationship has been set up between tables, you may also access the Tables relations dialog from the
Relations button in the Tables and Relationships panel.

Option Description

Join Type Enables selection of an appropriate Join type out of Inner Join, Left Outer Join and
Right Outer Join.
Example: Inner Join tab is highlighted in the image above.
<Table Name> Field Displays the name of the field that is common between tables i.e. the foreign key
name in the second table.
Example: "Products" Field contains the 'Category ID' field in the image above.
Related Table Displays the name of the table to which the relationship has been set up.
Example: 'Categories' table is listed in the image above.
Related Table's Field Displays the name of the field from the table to which the relationship has been set
up.
Example: 'Category ID' is the field from the Categories tables listed in the image
above.
Delete Icon adjacent to the Related Table's Field to delete the currently added relation.
Add Relation Button that allows users to add another relationship to the table.
Cancel Closes the Tables relations window.
OK Saves the relationship between tables as a SQL query in the SQL tab.

Go to Top

Using the Visual Query Designer

The following walkthrough shows how to implement an Inner Join using the tables Categories and Products from
the Nwind database. It also explains how to use a parameter and sort data in a Visual Query Designer.
Note:
This walkthrough uses the Products and Categories table from the NWIND database. By default,
in ActiveReports, the NWIND.mdb file is located in [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity
Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb.
This walkthrough uses Page Reports, but the same steps can be used to generate queries in Rdl or
Section reports also. See Accessing the Visual Query Designer, for more information on how
to access the Visual Query Designer in Rdl and Section reports.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 408
Add an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio Project
Access the Visual Query Designer
Create a Query
Save a Query
View the Report

Add an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Page Report and in the Name field,
rename the file as VisualQueryDesigner.
4. Click the Add button to open a new Page Report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.

Access the Visual Query Designer

1. Connect a Page Report to a data source. See Connect to a Data Source for details on how to connect to a
data source in Page Reports.
2. Right-click the data source node (DataSource1 by default) and select the Add Data Set option or select
Data Set from the Add button on the Report Explorer toolbar to add a data set to the report.
3. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the Query page and then select the Edit with visual query
designer button .
This opens the Visual Query Designer.

Create a Query
Visual Query Designer provides you with an interface to reference multiple tables, set up relationships, sort the
data and add parameters to your query.
Follow the steps below to create a query like the following using the Visual Query Designer.
Query Result in SQL
SQL Query
select Products.ProductName, Products.UnitPrice, Categories.CategoryName
from Products inner join Categories on Products.CategoryID = Categories.CategoryID
where Categories.CategoryName = ?
order by Products.UnitPrice desc

Steps to create a Query in Visual Query Designer

1. From the Products table in the Database view, drag and drop the fields ProductName and UnitPrice to the
Selected Fields panel.
2. From the Categories table in Database view, drag and drop the field CategoryName to the Selected
Fields panel.
3. When you add the field in step 2, a Tables relations dialog automatically appears on the screen.
4. In Tables relations dialog, select the Inner Join Type for joining the two tables Products and Categories.
The Inner Join tab is selected by default.
Refer to Tables And Relations for more information on types of joins.

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5. In Tables relations dialog, click OK to save the relationship between tables.

Once the relationship has been set up between tables, you may also access the Tables relations dialog
from the Relations button in the Tables and Relationships panel under the Query Tools section.
6. In the Selected Fields panel under the CategoryName field, select the option Where and set its value to
"= @CategoryName". This creates a parameter on the CategoryName field.

7. In the Selected Fields panel, go to the UnitPrice field and set the Sort option to descending. This sorts the
data in descending order on UnitPrice.
8. On the Toolbar of the Visual Query Designer, click the Execute button. A Parameters dialog appears on
the screen.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 410

9. Enter any parameter value, for example, Produce in the dialog box and click OK.

Result data similar to the following appears in Results panel.

Save a Query
1. Once your query is created in Visual Query Designer, go to the Toolbar in the Query Tools section of the
Visual Query Designer.

2. Click the button. Your query appears in the Query field of the Query page in the DataSet
dialog.
Note: On clicking the Save button, your query is automatically validated by the Visual Query
Designer.

View the Report

1. Place a data region like a Table onto the design surface and add fields to it. For more information on how to
add fields to a table, see the Adding Data on the Table data region page.
2. Click the preview tab to view the report with the Parameters panel displayed in the sidebar.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 411

OR
Open the report in the Viewer to view the report with the Parameters panel displayed in the sidebar. See
Using the Viewer for further information.

Open and Save Reports from the Server

ActiveReports allows you to save and open Page reports, RDL reports and XML-based Section reports directly from
ActiveReports Server. This feature allows you to save a new report or open an existing report in the designer and
make changes to it before saving the report back to the server. Each time you save a report to the server, it
stores a revision for that report that you can later use to open specific versions of the report.

Note:
You cannot save or open code-based Section reports in ActiveReports Server.
You must be connected to ActiveReports Server to access Open from server or Save to server
dialogs. For more details, see Connecting to ActiveReports Server.

Accessing the Save and Open from Server Options

Elements of the Open report from server dialog
Elements of the Open report revision dialog
Elements of the Save report to server dialog

Accessing the Save and Open from Server Options

You can access the Open from server or Save to server options from the Stand-alone Designer or the Visual
Studio designer.

In the Stand-alone Designer

Access the Open from server or Save to server dialog from the File menu of the Stand-alone Designer.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 412

In the Visual Studio Designer

Access the Open from server or Save to server dialog from the Report menu of Visual Studio designer.

Elements of the Open report from server dialog

This dialog appears when you click the Open from server option from the File menu of the Stand-alone
Designer or Report menu of the Visual Studio designer. Using the dialog options, users can open any specific
revision of the report from ActiveReports Server and make modifications to it in the designer.

The Open report from server dialog consists of the following elements:

Elements Description

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 413
URL Enter the server URL (Uniform Resource Locator) to access the reports saved on ActiveReports
Server. The server URL is specified as "http://<ServerName>:<PortNumber>/" where the
ServerName is the name of the machine on which ActiveReports Server is installed and
PortNumber is the port on IIS where the server is installed. Example: http:\\1.x.x.x:8080\
Username Enter the username to access reports on ActiveReports Server.
Password Enter the password to login to ActiveReports Server.
Connect Connects ActiveReports Designer to ActiveReports Server.
Connection Displays the connection status information.
Status
Breadcrumb Indicates the current location in the category folder hierarchy. Example: \\ActiveTunes\Invoice,
where Invoice is a sub-category of the ActiveTunes folder.
Refresh Allows users to refresh the list of reports on ActiveReports Server.
Up one Allows users to move up by one folder level.
level
Name Displays a list of report names, categories, and sub categories which are stored on ActiveReports
Server. For more details, see Report Categories.
Revision Displays the most recent revision number of the report.
Modification Displays the date when the report was last updated.
Date
Modified By Displays the name of the most recent author to modify the report.
Comment Displays the most recent revision comment entered by an author.
Open Allows users to open the most recent version of the report in the ActiveReports Designer.
Open Allows users to open a specific revision of the report. For more details, see Open report revision
revision dialog.
Cancel Allows users to close the dialog without opening any report.

Elements of the Open report revision dialog

This dialog appears when you click the Open revision button in the Open report from server dialog. The Open
report revision dialog allows users to open any specific revision of a report from ActiveReports Server.

The Open report revision dialog consists of the following elements:

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 414
Elements Description
Revision Displays the revision number of the report.
Modification Date Displays the date when the changes were made to the report.
Modified By Displays the name of the author who modified the report.
Comment Displays the revision comment entered by the user while saving the report.
Open Allows users to open a specific revision of the report in the ActiveReports Designer.
Cancel Allows users to close the dialog without opening any report.

Elements of the Save report to server dialog

This dialog appears when you click the Save to server option from the File menu of the Stand-alone Designer or
the Report menu of the Visual Studio designer. These reports are directly saved on ActiveReports Server and a
revision is created each time the report is saved. These reports can be previewed in ActiveReports Server.
See Previewing Reports for more information.

The Save report to server dialog consists of the following elements:

Elements Description
URL Enter the server URL (Uniform Resource Locator) to access the reports saved on ActiveReports
Server. The server URL is specified as "http://<ServerName>:<PortNumber>/" where the
ServerName is the name of the machine on which ActiveReports Server is installed and
PortNumber is the port on IIS where the server is installed. Example: http:\\1.x.x.x:8080\
Username Enter the username to access reports on ActiveReports Server.
Password Enter the password to login to ActiveReports Server.
Connect Connects ActiveReports Designer to ActiveReports Server.
Connection Displays the connection status information.
Status
Breadcrumb Indicates the current location in the category folder hierarchy. Example: \\ActiveTunes\Invoice,
where Invoice is the sub-category of ActiveTunes folder.
Refresh Allows users to refresh the list of reports on ActiveReports Server.
Up one Allows users to move up by one folder level.
level
Name Displays a list of report names, categories, and sub categories which are stored on ActiveReports
Server. For more details, see Report Categories.
Revision Displays the most recent revision number of the report.
Modification Displays the date when the report was last updated.
Date
Modified By Displays the name of the author who recently modified the report.
Comment Displays the most recent revision comment entered by the user while saving the report.
Report Allows users to enter a name for the report to be saved on ActiveReports Server.
Name
Description Allows users to type a short description about their report.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 415
Comment Allows users to enter a revision comment related to the changes made in the report.
Save Allows users to directly save a report under the selected category on ActiveReports Server. The
report gets added to the report list and a revision is created each time the report is saved
on ActiveReports Server.
Cancel Allows users to close the dialog without saving the report.

Working with Reports Stored in ActiveReports Server

This topic explains how to open reports from ActiveReports Server, save existing reports to the server after modifications and
also how to save new reports to the server.
Open a report from the server
Open a report revision from the server
Open a report revision from the server
Save a report to the server

Note: In the following steps, Open from server and Save to server options are accessed using the File menu of the
Stand-alone Designer. However, you can also access these dialogs from the Report menu of the Visual Studio designer.
See Accessing Save and Open from Server Options for details.

Open a report from the server

1. In the Stand-alone Designer, click the File menu and then select Open from server.

2. In the Open report from server dialog that appears, type the Server URL (Uniform Resource Locator).
3. Enter the Username and Password and then click the Connect button for connecting the ActiveReports Designer
to ActiveReports Server. Check the Connection status to make sure you are connected to the server.

4. In the Choose a report section, double-click to navigate through the categories or sub categories folder and then select
the report that you want to open.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 416

5. Click Open to load the report in the designer.

Open a report revision from the server

1. In the Open report from server dialog that appears, click the dropdown arrow next to the Open button and then
select Open revision.
To access the Open report from server dialog, see Accessing Open and Save from Server Options for details.

2. In the Open report revision dialog that appears, select any revision of the report that you want to work on and click
the Open button.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 417

Save a report to the server

1. From the File menu, select Save to server.

2. In the Save report to server dialog that appears, type the Server URL (Uniform Resource Locator).
3. Enter the Username and Password and then click the Connect button for connecting the ActiveReports Designer
to ActiveReports Server. Check the Connection status to make sure you are connected to the server.

4. In the Choose a report section, double-click to navigate through the categories or sub categories folders and
then select a location where you want save the report.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 418

5. Enter the Report name and add a brief description of the report in the Description section. Entering the Report name
and Description is only required when saving the report for the first time on ActiveReports Server. When modifying a
report that is already on ActiveReports Server, the Report name and Description fields are already filled in.
6. In the Comment section, enter a revision comment to explain the type of changes made to the report. See Report
Versions for further information.
7. Click the Save button to save the report under the selected category on ActiveReports Server.

Interactive Features
ActiveReports supports features like parameters, filters, drill-down, links, document map and sorting to provide an
interactive look to your report at run-time.

Parameters
ActiveReports allows you to set parameters in your report to filter the data displayed. Parameters make navigation
of the report easier for the user at runtime. See Parameters for further details.

Filters
The filtering feature is only available with page layout reports. By using filters in your page report or RDL report
you can limit the information you want to display on your report. See Filtering for further details.

Drill-Down Reports
When you open a report with drill-down features, part of the data is hidden so that you only see high-level data
until you request more detail. See Drill-Down Reports for more information.

Bookmark, Hyperlinks and Drill-Through Links

Bookmark Links
When you click a bookmark link, the viewer navigates to a bookmarked item within the current report.
Hyperlinks
When you click a hyperlink, your machine's default internet browser opens to display a Web page.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 419
Drill-Through
Using the drill-through link feature in your report you can navigate to another report for details about the item you
clicked.
See Linking in Reports for further details.

Document Map
The Document Map (Table of Contents) feature allows you to navigate to a particular item in a report. See
Document Map for further details.

Sorting
The sorting feature allows you to organize your data and present it in a logical order at run-time. Using this
feature you can sort the data alphabetically or numerically in ascending or descending order. See Sorting for
further details.

Note: You cannot use the interactive features in the following cases:
With Adobe Acrobat Reader and RawHTML types of the WebViewer.
With reports that use the collation feature, i.e. reports that have two or more themes.
With the ViewerType of WebViewer control set to FlashViewer, you can only use hyperlinks and
document map interactive features.

Annotations
The annotations feature allows you to add floating text bars or images to call attention to specific items or values
or to add notes and special instructions directly to the reports. These annotations are accessible through the
Annotation button present on the Viewer toolbar which is hidden by default. Annotations added via the viewer's
toolbar are temporary and are destroyed when the report closes. See Annotations for further details.

Parameters
ActiveReports allows you to use parameters to filter or add the data to display in reports at runtime. You can either prompt users for parameters so that they control the output, or supply
the parameters behind the scenes.

Adding parameter for different data sources

A query parameter can get its value from the Report Parameters collection (entered by the user or from a value you supply), a field in another dataset, or an expression. Syntax for adding
a parameter in your query might differ depending upon the data source that you are using. Use the syntax specific to your data source type to create a parameter.

Parameterized query for different data sources are as follows:

Data Source Parameter Syntax Example

OleDB (?) SELECT * FROM Customer WHERE (CustomerID = ? AND AccountNumber = ?)

ODBC @ParameterName SELECT * FROM Customer WHERE (CustomerID = @CustomerID AND AccountNumber = @AccountNumber)
SQL Client @ParameterName SELECT * FROM Customer WHERE (CustomerID = @CustomerID AND AccountNumber = @AccountNumber)

OracleDB :ParameterName SELECT * FROM Customer WHERE CustomerID = :CustomerID AND AccountNumber = :AccountNumber

Page Report/RDL Report

In a page report or a RDL report, the easiest way to build queries with parameters is to use the Visual Query Designer, as it automatically sets up each parameter.
In the DataSet dialog, click on to access Visual Query Designer for creating SQL queries. See Query Building With Visual Query Designer for further information on how to create a
parameterized query using the interactive query designer.

However, if you would like to do it manually, you must enter each parameter in three locations: the Report Parameters dialog (for filtering data at run time), the Parameters page of the
DataSet dialog, and the Query page of the DataSet dialog.
Report - Parameters dialog
The Report - Parameters dialog allows you to control how and whether a user interface is presented to your users for each parameter. You have to set the following properties in the dialog
to create a parameter:
Enter a report parameter name. Each report parameter in the collection must have a unique name, and the name must match the name you call in the Parameters page of the
DataSet dialog. In the example above, the name is MPAA.
Set the data type, the text used to prompt the user, whether to allow null, blank, multiple values or multiline text, and whether to hide the user interface.
Select the default value or populate a list of available values from which users can choose.
Parameter values are collected in the order they appear in the Report Parameters collection. You can change the order using the arrows in the Report - Parameters dialog.
General Tab
Name: Set the name for the parameter in this field. The value you supply here appears in the parameters list and must match the corresponding query parameter.
Data type: Set the data type for your parameter which must match the data type of the field that it filters. The interface presented might also differ depending on the data type.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 420
Boolean: Presents the user with two options True or False
Date: Presents the user with a calendar picker to select a date if you do not supply a default value or a drop-down selection of available values
DateTime: Presents the user with a calendar picker to select a date and a time picker to select the time in cases where you do not supply a default value or a drop-
down selection of available values
Integer: Presents the user with a text box or a drop-down selection of available values
Float: Presents the user with a text box or a drop-down selection of available values
String: Presents the user with a text box or a drop-down selection of available values
Text for prompting users for a value: Enter the text you want to see on the user interface to request information from the user in this field. By default this is the same as the
Name property.
Allow null value: Select this check box if you want to allow null values to be passed for the parameter. It is not selected by default.
Allow blank value: Select this check box if you want to allow blank values to be passed for the parameter. It is not selected by default.
Multivalue: Select this check box to allow the user to select multiple items in the available values list.
Multiline: Select this check box to allow multiline values in the parameter. The control will automatically adjust to accommodate multiple lines.
Hidden: Select this check box to hide the parameter interface from the user and instead provide a default value or pass in values from a subreport or drill-through link. Please
note that if you hide the user interface and do not provide a default value, the report will not run.
Available Values
These values are used to fill a drop-down list from which the end user can choose.
Non-queried: You can supply Labels and Values by typing in static values or using expressions.
From query: You can select a Dataset from which to select a Value field and Label field.
Default Values
This is the value that you give for the parameter if the user does not supply one, or if you hide the parameter user interface.
Non-queried: You can supply a default Value by entering a static value or using an expression.
From query: You can select a Dataset from which to select a Value field.
None: You can have your users provide a value for the parameter.

Note: In the Available Values tab , the Value is what is passed to the query parameter, and the Label is what is shown to the user. For example, if the Value is an Employee
Number, you might want to supply a more user-friendly Label showing Employee Names.

To access the Report - Parameters Dialog

You can access the Report - Parameters dialog through any one of the following:
In the Report Explorer, click the Add (+) icon and select the Parameter option.
In the Report Explorer, right-click the Parameters node and select Add Parameter.
In the Report Explorer, right-click the Report node and select Report Parameters.
From the Report Menu, select Report Parameters.
The Report Parameters dialog contains a parameters page with a list of parameters and three tabs to set parameter properties. To add a parameter to the list, click the Add (+) icon and
set the parameter properties in the three tabs described below.
Parameters page of the DataSet dialog
On the Parameters page of the DataSet Dialog, pass a Report Parameter into the parameter in your query. You can click the Add (+) icon at the top of the parameters list, enter parameter
name, and supply a value like:
=Parameters!MPAA.Value
Query page of the DataSet dialog
On the Query page of the DataSet Dialog, enter the parameter in the SQL query. Use the syntax specific to your data source type to create a parameter. For example, with an OleDB data
source, add a query like the following for a multi-value Movie Rating parameter:
SELECT * FROM Movie WHERE (MPAA = ? AND YearReleased = ?)

If you want to run a report without prompting the user for a value at runtime, you need to set a default value for each parameter and the Hidden check box should be selected in the
Report - Parameters dialog, General tab.
Subreport parameters are also considered as hidden parameters as a user can easily synchronize a subreport's data with that of the parent report . See Subreports in RDL Reports for
further details.
Drill-Through parameters are also hidden parameters as drill-through links are used to navigate from one report to another. When you select Jump to report for the action, the
parameters list is enabled.

Section Report
In section report, you can use the Parameters collection to pass values directly into a control at runtime, or you can also use it to display a subset of data in a particular instance of a
report.
There are several ways for setting up parameters in a report:
You can enter syntax like the following in your SQL query to filter the data displayed in a report at runtime:
<%Name | PromptString | DefaultValue | DataType | PromptUser%>
You can add parameters through the Report Explorer and place them on the report as TextBox controls to pass values in them at runtime.
You can also add parameters through the code behind the report, inside the ReportStart event. See Add Parameters for more information.
Prompting for Parameter Values
In order to prompt the user for parameter values, all of the following must be in place:
At least one parameter should exist in the Parameters collection of the report.
The PromptUser property for at least one parameter must be set to True.
On the report object, the ShowParameterUI property must be set to True.
When there are parameters in the collection and the ShowParameterUI property is set to True, the user prompt automatically displays when the report is run. When the user enters the
requested values and clicks the OK button, the report gets displayed using the specified values.
Values of a parameter added through the Report Explorer can be applied to a parameter in the SQL query by specifying the param: prefix for a parameter in the SQL query. This prefix
relates the current parameter to the one in the Report Explorer.
For e.g., select * from CUSTOMERS where CustomerName = '<%param:Parameter1%>'. In this case, the parameter with the param: prefix in the SQL query is updated with values of the
corresponding parameter in the Report Explorer.

Note: Within the same report, you can prompt users for some parameters and not for others by setting the PromptUser property to True on some and False on others. However,
if the report object's ShowParameterUI property is set to False, the user prompt does not display for any parameters regardless of its PromptUser setting.

Adding Parameters to the Parameters Collection via the SQL Query

When you add a single parameter to a report's Parameters collection via the SQL query, the query looks like this:

SQL Query.
SELECT * FROM Products
INNER JOIN Categories ON Products.CategoryID = Categories.CategoryID

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WHERE Products.SupplierID = <%SupplierID|Enter a Supplier ID|1|S|True%>

You can also create a parameterized query from the Visual Query Desinger. See Query Building With Visual Query Designer for further information on how to create a parameterized query
using the interactive query designer.

There are five values in the parameter syntax, separated by the pipe character: |
Only the first value (Name) is required, but if you do not specify the third value (DefaultValue), the field list is not populated at design time. You can provide only the Name value and no
pipes, or if you wish to provide some, but not all of the values, simply provide pipes with no space between them for the missing values. For example, <%ProductID||||False%>
Name: This is the unique name of the parameter, and corresponds to the Key property in parameters entered via code.
PromptString: This string is displayed in the user prompt to let the user know what sort of value to enter.
DefaultValue: Providing a default value to use for the parameter allows ActiveReports to populate the bound fields list while you are designing your report, enabling you to drag fields
onto the report. It also populates the user prompt so that the user can simply click the OK button to accept the default value.
DataType: This value, which defaults to S for string, tells ActiveReports what type of data the parameter represents. It also dictates the type of control used in the user prompt. The type
can be one of three values.
S (string) provides a textbox into which the user can enter the string.
Depending on your data source, you may need to put apostrophes (single quotes) or quotation marks around the parameter syntax for string values.
For example, '<%MyStringParameter%>'
Also, if you provide a default value for a string parameter that is enclosed in apostrophes or quotation marks, ActiveReports sends the apostrophes or quotation marks along
with the string to SQL.
For example, <%MyStringParameter||"DefaultValue"|S|False%>
D (date) provides a drop-down calendar control from which the user can select a date.
Depending on your data source, you may need to put number signs around the parameter syntax.
For example, #<%MyDateParameter%>#
B (Boolean) provides a checkbox which the user can select or clear.
If you provide a default value of True or False, or 0 or 1 for a Boolean parameter, ActiveReports sends it to SQL in that format.
Note: With Microsoft Access databases, the values for Boolean parameters are specified as -1 (true) or 0 (false).

PromptUser: This Boolean allows you to tell ActiveReports whether to prompt the user for a value. This can be set to True for some parameters and False for others. If you set the
report's ShowParameterUI property to False, users are not prompted for any parameters, regardless of the PromptUser value set for any parameter in the report.

Filtering
In page layout, ActiveReports allows you to set filters on a large set of data that has already been retrieved from
the data source and use them with datasets or data regions to limit the information you want to display on your
report.
Although not as efficient performance-wise as query parameters which filter data at the source, there are still
scenarios which demand filters. The obvious case is when the data source does not support query parameters.
Another case for using filters is when users who require different sets of data view the same report.
You can set filters on a Filters page or a tab similar to the one in the following image.

There are three major elements that constitute a filter:

Expression: Type or use the expression editor to provide the expression on which to filter data.
Operator: Select the operator to compare the expression results with the Value.
Value: Enter the value with which to compare the expression results.
For example, in the filter =Fields!YearReleased.Value = 1997 applied on a dataset from the Movies table of the
Reels.mdb database, =Fields!YearReleased.Value is set under expression, = is the operator and 1997 is the
value on which filter is set. See Setting Filters for further instructions on adding filters in reports.
You can also use multiple values with the In and Between operators. Two fields with an And in the middle appear
for the Between operator, and another Expression field is available at the bottom of the Filters page or tab for the
In operator. The following table lists all available filtering operators.

Filtering Operators
Filter Description

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 422
Equal Select this operator if you want to choose data for which the value on the left is equal
to the value on the right.
Like Select this operator if you want to choose data for which the value on the left is similar
to the value on the right. See the MSDN Web site for more information on the Like
operator.
NotEqual Select this operator if you want to choose data for which the value on the left is not
equal to the value on the right.
GreaterThan Select this operator if you want to choose data for which the value on the left is greater
than the value on the right.
GreaterThanOrEqual Select this operator if you want to choose data for which the value on the left is greater
than or equal to the value on the right.
LessThan Select this operator if you want to choose data for which the value on the left is less
than the value on the right.
LessThanOrEqual Select this operator if you want to choose data for which the value on the left is less
than or equal to the value on the right.
TopN Select this operator if you want to choose items from the value on the left which are
the top number specified in the value on the right.
BottomN Select this operator if you want to choose items from the value on the left which are
the bottom number specified in the value on the right.
TopPercent Select this operator if you want to choose items from the value on the left which are
the top percent specified in the value on the right.
BottomPercent Select this operator if you want to choose items from the value on the left which are
the bottom percent specified in the value on the right.
In Select this operator if you want to choose items from the value on the left which are in
the array of values on the right. This operator enables the Values list at the bottom of
the Filters page.
Between Select this operator if you want to choose items from the value on the left which fall
between pair of values you specify on the right. This operator enables two Value boxes
instead of one.

Drill-Down Reports
The drill-down feature helps in temporarily hiding a part of your report. That hidden part can be controls, groups,
columns or rows. When you open a drill-down report, part of the data is hidden so that you can only see high-level
data until you request for more detail. In such reports you find an expand icon (plus-sign image) next to the
toggle item in the report. Clicking the toggle image, or plus sign, expands hidden content into view and the
expand icon changes to a collapse icon (minus-sign). When you click the minus-sign image, it hides the content
and returns the report to its previous state.
To create a drill-down report, use the Visibility properties of controls, groups, columns, or rows. Simply set the
Visibility-hidden property to True and set the toggle item to the name of another item in the report, usually a text
box in the group containing the hidden item. At run time, this puts a plus sign next to the toggle item which the
user can click to display the hidden data.
If you export a drill-down report or render it through rendering extensions, any content which is hidden at the time
of export remains hidden in the exported file. If you want all of the content to appear in the exported file, you
must first expand all hidden data.
Only when you render a report using the XML using the XmlRenderingExtension ('XmlRenderingExtension
Class' in the on-line documentation), all hidden data is exported regardless of whether it is hidden at the time
of export.

Linking in Reports
You can enhance the interactivity in your report by adding different types of links to it. ActiveReports provides the
ability to add bookmarks, hyperlinks, drill-through links to reports.

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The following topic explains the links you can create in page and section reports.

Page Report/RDL Report

Hyperlinks
Hyperlinks take you to a web page that opens in the default browser of the system. You can set hyperlinks in the
Textbox and Image controls to access a Web page from your report. See Add Hyperlinks for further information.
Hyperlinks are displayed when you preview a page report or a RDL report in the Viewer, export a report in HTML ,
PDF, RTF and Excel formats. You can also see hyperlinks in Word, HTML and PDF formats when you render reports
using rendering extensions.

Bookmarks
A bookmark link is similar to a hyperlink, except that it moves the viewer to another area in the report instead of
linking to a web page. You can create these links on a control using a Bookmark ID that connects to another target
control. See Adding Bookmarks for further information.
Bookmarks are displayed when you preview a page report/RDL report in the Viewer or render a report through
rendering extensions in Word, HTML and PDF formats.

Drill through links

A drill-through link takes you to another report with more detail. Drill-through links appear as a hyperlink that you
can click to move to a completely different report. You can also create more complex links where you pass
parameters to the report called by the link.
Drill-through links are displayed when you preview a page report/RDL report in the Viewer or render a report
through rendering extensions in HTML format.

Note: While rendering a report to HTML, drill-through links are broken unless the target report is also
exported to the same directory with the same name as the original.

Section Layout

Hyperlinks
Hyperlinks take you to a web page that opens in the default browser of the system. You can set the HyperLink
property available with the Label, Textbox, Picture and OleObject controls that allow you to add hyperlinks that
connect to a Web page. You can also use the HyperLink property to open an e-mail or jump to a bookmark. See
Add Hyperlinks for further details.
Hyperlinks are supported when you preview a section report in the Viewer, export a report in HTML , PDF, RTF and
Excel formats.

Bookmarks
Bookmark links take you to a location where the bookmark is set on your report. Unlike hyperlinks, these links
take you within the report. Bookmarks and nested bookmarks appear in the document map for fields, groups and
subreports. You can also add special bookmarks at run-time. You can use hyperlinks for simulating a drill through
like feature similar to Page Layout. See Add Bookmarks for further details.
Bookmarks are supported when you preview a section report in the Viewer, export a report in HTML and PDF
formats.

Note: When you export a report to HTML, a*.TOC file is created in the folder where you export the report.
Use this file to reach the bookmarked locations.

Document Map
When you click an item in the document map, the viewer jumps to that item in the report.
A document map functions as a table of contents for a page report or a RDL report and as a bookmarks panel for a

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 424
section report. It provides a convenient way to navigate a lengthy report.

Page Reports/RDL Reports

In a page report or a RDL Report, you can add report controls, data regions, groups and detail groups to the
document map by:
Assigning a value to the Document map label on the Navigation page of the corresponding dialog.
Setting the value of the Label property in the properties window.
Setting the value of the HeadingLevel property in the properties window.
See Add Items to the Document Map for more information.

Section Reports
In a section report, when you add a bookmark on any control it appears in the document map while viewing the
report. In order to navigate to a bookmark you need to open the document map and click that bookmark.
See Add Bookmarks for more information.

Viewing the Document Map in the Viewer

1. On the Viewer toolbar, click the Toggle sidebar button to display the sidebar.

2. At the bottom of the sidebar pane, click the Document map button to display the document map.

If there is no document map associated with the report, the button does not appear at the bottom of the
sidebar pane.
3. In the Document map that appears, click the item you want to view in the report.

Note: You can also access the Document map from the Toggle sidebar button on the preview tab toolbar.

Exporting document maps

In the Viewer, the document map appears in a sidebar to the left of the report, but when you export your page or
section report to various file formats, they handle document maps differently.

Export Filter Effect on Document Map

HTML A .toc file containing the document map is exported along with the HTML
report.
PDF Document map appears in the bookmarks panel.
Text Document map does not appear in the exported report.
Rich Text Format Document map does not appear in the exported report.
TIFF Document map does not appear in the exported report.
Excel Document map does not appear in the exported report.

In a page report or a RDL report, if you use rendering extensions to export your report, the document map is not
available in any rendering type except PDF where it appears in the bookmarks panel.

Note: For printing and rendering purposes use TableOfContents control in your page report and RDL report.

Sorting

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 425
In order to better organize and present data in your report, you can sort it alphabetically or numerically in
ascending or descending order. You can also use sorting effectively with grouped data to present an easy to
understand, comprehensive view of report data.

Sorting in Page Reports/RDL Reports

In a page report or a RDL report, you can sort data in the data region, along with grouping, on a fixed page
in Page report or sort data directly in the SQL query. You can also set interactive sorting for your data on a
TextBox control.
Sorting at different levels in a Report
You can apply sorting at different levels on your report data. ActiveReports provides a Sorting page in the dialogs
of a data region, grouped data and fixed page to determine where you want to display sorted data.
Sorting data in a Data Region
In Table and List data regions, you can sort data within the data region. To sort data within these data regions, set
sorting in the Sorting page of the specific data region's dialog.
In Matrix, BandedList and Chart data regions, sorting is only possible on grouped data therefore there is no
independent Sorting page available in their specific dialogs.
Sorting grouped data
A Sorting tab is available inside the Groups page of all the data region dialogs and the Detail Grouping page of the
List dialog. It allows you to set the sort order of grouped data. This tab is enabled once grouping is set inside the
data region.
Sorting on a Fixed Page
In a Page report, sorting is also possible on a fixed page grouped on a dynamic value. Sorting data on a fixed page
is similar to sorting grouped data in a data region. The only difference is when you sort data on the fixed page you
apply sorting to all the data regions that are placed on the design surface. See, Sort Data for more information.
Sorting data through SQL Query
When you connect to a data source and create a data set to fetch data for your report, you define a query. Set the
ORDER BY keyword in the query to sort data in ascending or descending order.
By default, the ORDER BY keyword usually sorts the data in ascending order, but you can include the DESC
keyword in your query to sort data in descending order. For example, if you want to fetch data from the Movie
table of the Reels database and sort it on the Title field, your query looks like the following:
SELECT * FROM Movie ORDER BY Title
OR
SELECT * FROM Movie ORDER BY Title ASC
In case you want the Title field sorted in descending order, your query looks like the following:
SELECT * FROM Movie ORDER BY Title DESC

Interactive Sorting
You can add interactive sorting on a TextBox control to allow users to sort columns of data within a data region on
a published report.
The interactive sorting feature is set through the Interactive Sort page which available in the TextBox dialog.
Once you set interactive sorting on a TextBox control, while viewing the report in the Viewer or in the Preview Tab
the textbox control displays a sort icon inside it. A user can sort data that appears inside the textbox in ascending
or descending order by clicking the icons.
On the Interactive Sort page of the TextBox dialog you can find following fields available for entering values:
Sort Expression: An expression specifying the sort value for data contained in the column.
Data region or group to sort: Select the grouping level or data region within the report to sort. The
default value is Current scope, but you may also choose an alternate data region or grouping.
Evaluate sort expression in this scope: Select the grouping level within the report on which to
evaluate an aggregate sorting expression. The default value is Current scope, but you may also choose
an alternate data region or grouping.
See Allow Users to Sort Data in the Viewer for more information.

Sorting in Section Reports

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 426
In a section report, sorting is not explicitly available. However, you can modify the SQL Query to order your data
while fetching it from the database.
Sorting data through SQL Query
When you connect the report to a data source and enter a query to fetch data, you can include the ORDER BY
keyword in your query to get sorted data.
By default, the ORDER BY keyword usually sorts data in ascending order, but you can include the DESC keyword in
your query to sort data in descending order. For example, if you want to fetch data from the Customers table of
the NWind database and sort it on the CompanyName field, your query looks like the following:
SELECT * FROM Customers ORDER BY CompanyName
OR
SELECT * FROM Customers ORDER BY CompanyName ASC
In case you want the CompanyName field sorted in descending order, your query looks like the following:
SELECT * FROM Customers ORDER BY CompanyName DESC

Annotations
Annotations are floating text bars or images to call attention to specific items or values or to add notes and special
instructions directly to the reports. Annotations added via the viewer's toolbar are temporary and are destroyed
when the report closes.
These annotations are accessible through the Annotation button present on the Viewer toolbar which is hidden by
default. You can make the Annotations toolbar visible by setting the AnnotationToolbarVisible Property (on-
line documentation) to True in the viewer's properties window.
Available Annotations
Each annotation type allows you to change the colors, transparency, border, font, and alignment, plus other
properties specific to the type of annotation. Available annotations include:

Annotation Name Description

AnnotationText A rectangular box to enter text using the Text
property.

AnnotationCircle A circle without text. You can change the shape to an

oval by dragging its corners.

AnnotationRectangle A rectangular box without text. You can change the

shape to a square by dragging its corners.

AnnotationArrow A 2D arrow to enter text using the Text property. You

can also change the arrow direction using the
ArrowDirection property.
AnnotationBalloon A balloon caption to enter text using its Text
property. You can also point the balloon's tail in any
direction using its Quadrant property.

AnnotationLine A line to enter text above or below it using its Text

and LineLocation properties. You can also add arrow
caps to one or both ends and select different dash
styles using DashCap, DashStyle, and
ShowArrowCaps properties.
AnnotationImage A rectangle with a background image and text. You
can select an any image inside it using the
BackgroundImage property. You can also place text
on the image using the Text property.

To add annotations using the Viewer

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 427
These steps assume that you have already placed the Viewer control onto a Windows Form and loaded a report in
it. See Using the Viewer for more information.
1. In your Visual Studio project, on the Form where the Viewer control is placed, select the Viewer control an
right-click to choose Properties.
2. In the Properties Window that appears, set the AnnotationToolbarVisible property to True to get an
additional toolbar in the viewer control.

3. Run the report application and select the annotation you want use from the Annotation toolbar on the
Viewer.
4. Drag the annotation to the desired location on the report design surface. The annotation appears with a
Delete and a Properties button on the top left corner.

5. Inside the annotation, click the Properties button to view its properties in the Properties Window and use
those properties to enter text, change color or transparency, set border or font, alignment etc.
6. Close the Properties Window to apply changes to the annotation.
7. Drag the corners to resize the annotation as needed. You can also select entire annotation to move it to
another location on the report.
8. Right-click the annotation to display the annotation context menu. The context menu includes
the Properties and Delete commands.

Note: You can print a page, RDL or section report that contains annotations. In a section report, you can also
save a report with annotations in RDF format. See Add and Save Annotations for further details.

Text Justification
The TextJustify Property (on-line documentation) of a Textbox control provides you justification options for
aligning your text within a control. It is important that the TextAlign property (Alignment property in a Section
Report) must be set to Justify' for TextJustify property to affect the text layout.

Note: In section layout, the TextJustify property is also available in the Label control.

You can choose from the following values of the TextJustify property:
Auto
Results in Standard MSWord like justification where space at the end of a line is spread across other words in that
line. This is the default value.
Distribute
Spaces individual characters within a word, except for the last line.
DistributeAllLines
Spaces individual characters within words and also justifies the last line according to the length of others lines.

To set Text Justification

1. On design surface, select the control to view it's properties in Properties window.
2. In the properties window, set the TextAlign property (Alignment property in a Section Report) to Justify.
3. Go to the TextJustify property and from the drop down list select any one option.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 428
Text justification is supported when you preview a report in the Viewer, print a report or export a page, RDL or
section report in PDF and TIFF formats. In page reports and RDL reports, it is also supported while rendering a
report in Word, HTML, PDF and Image formats using rendering extensions. See Rendering Extensions for
more information on rendering extensions.

Multiline in Report Controls

ActiveReports allows you to display text within a control on multiple lines.

Multiline in Section Reports

In a section report, to enable multiline display in your report control, you need to set the Multiline Property (on-
line documentation) to True. Then, with your control in edit mode, insert line breaks at the desired location
using the Enter key or Ctrl + Enter keys to create multiline text. However, when the MultiLine property is set to
False, text entered into the control is displayed on a single line.
You can display multiline text in TextBox, RichTextBox and Label controls.

Multiline in Page Reports/RDL Reports

In a page report or a RDL Report, with your control in edit mode, insert line breaks at the desired location using
the Enter key or Ctrl + Enter key to create multiline text. You can also insert line breaks in the Expression Editor
through the Value property of the control.
You can display multiline text in the TextBox and CheckBox controls.

Note: In edit mode, scrollbars appear automatically to fit multiline content within a control. However, these
are not displayed in the preview tab, so you may need to adjust the Size property of the control to display all
of the text.

Line Spacing and Character Spacing

In ActiveReports, in order to make your report output clearly visible during export or printing you can
set character and line spacing. In order to use line spacing you must first set the MultiLine property for the control
to True.

The CharacterSpacing ('CharacterSpacing Property' in the on-line documentation) and LineSpacing

('LineSpacing Property' in the on-line documentation) properties are available in the following controls for
this purpose:

Page Report/RDL Report

TextBox

Section Report
TextBox
Label

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 429
To set line or character spacing
1. On the design surface, click the control to display it in the Properties Window.
2. In the Properties window, click the Property Dialog command at the bottom to open the control dialog.
3. In the TextBox dialog, go to the Format page and set the Line Spacing or Character Spacing values in
points.

Note: You can also set the CharacterSpacing and LineSpacing property directly in the Properties Window.

Line and character spacing is supported when you preview a report in the Viewer, print a report or export a section
report in HTML , PDF and TIFF formats.
In page reports and RDL reports, it is also supported while rendering a report through rendering extensions in
Word, HTML, PDF and Image formats. See Rendering Extensions for further information on rendering extensions.

Windows Forms Viewer Customization

There are a number of ways in which you can customize the Viewer control to make it a perfect fit for your
Windows application. You can add and remove buttons from the toolbars, add and remove menu items, create
custom dialogs, and call them from custom click events.
You can use the methods listed in the System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItemCollection documentation on MSDN to
customize each ToolStrip.

ToolStrip
TheToolStrip contains the following ToolStripItems by index number.
0 Toggle sidebar
1 Separator
2 Print
3 Galley mode
4 Separator
5 Copy
6 Find
7 Separator
8 Zoom out
9 Zoom In
10 Current Zoom
11 Separator
12 Fit width
13 Fit page
14 Separator
15 Single page
16 Continuous mode
17 Multipage mode
18 Separator
19 First page
20 Previous page
21 Current
22 Next page
23 Last page
24 Separator
25 History back
26 History forward
27 Separator
28 Back to parent
29 Separator

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 430
30 Refresh
31 Cancel button
32 Separator
33 Pan mode
34 Copy select
35 Snapshot
36 Separator
37 Annotations
You can access these ToolStripItems by index with the Insert and RemoveAt methods. Other methods, including
Add and AddRange, are described in the System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItemCollection documentation on
MSDN.

ToolStrip Implementation
When you add a new item to a ToolStrip, you need to add an ItemClicked event handler and an ItemClicked event
for the ToolStrip with the new item. At run time, when a user clicks the new ToolStrip item, they raise the
ItemClicked event of the ToolStrip containing the item
Add the event handler to the Load event of the Form that contains the Viewer control, and use the IntelliSense
Generate Method Stub feature to create the related event. For examples of the code to create an event hander,
see the Customize the Viewer Control topic, and the Custom Preview sample that is located in
...\Documents\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\C#\CustomPreview.

Designer Control (Pro Edition)

With the Professional Edition of ActiveReports, you can host the ActiveReports Designer control in your Windows
Forms application and provide your end users with report editing capabilities. The control's methods and
properties allow you to save and load report layouts, monitor and control the design environment, and customize
the look and feel.
In addition to the Designer control, ActiveReports offers a CreateToolStrips method to help you add default
toolbars to the designer and add and remove individual tool bars and commands. This gives your designer a
finished look and allows you to quickly create a functioning report designer application.

Note: You cannot host the ActiveReports Designer control in the Web application and Web site project types.

Shrink Text to Fit in a Control

In ActiveReports, when working with the Textbox control in a page report and RDL report or a TextBox or Label
control in a section report, you can use the ShrinkToFit property to reduce the size of the text so that it fits
within the bounds of the control. The text shrinks at runtime, so you can see the reduced font size when you
preview, print or export the report.
The following image illustrates the result when the ShrinkToFit property is set to True on Title.

You can use other text formatting properties in combination with the ShrinkToFit property.

Caution: When both CanGrow and ShrinkToFit are set to True, CanGrow setting is ignored and only
ShrinkToFit is applied to the report.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 431
Export Support
While exporting a report, various file formats handle ShrinkToFit differently.
ShrinkToFit gets exported in all formats except Text. While rendering a page report or RDL report using rendering
extensions, ShrinkToFit is not supported in XML. However, all other rendering extensions allow ShrinkToFit display
as it is. See Rendering Extensions for more on rendering extensions.

Stand-Alone Designer and Viewers

ActiveReports provides executable files for the Designer and the Viewer controls (Windows and WPF) in the startup
menu. These executable files function as stand-alone applications to help create, edit, and view a report quickly.
The stand-alone designer supports opening and saving reports directly from the ActiveReports Server. For more
information, see Save and Open Reports from Server.
Use the stand-alone designer application to create a report layout, save it in .rpx or .rdlx format and then load it in
the stand-alone viewer application to view the report.

To access the stand-alone designer or viewer application

From the Start Menu, go to All Programs > GrapeCity > ActiveReports and select ActiveReports Designer or
ActiveReports Viewer.
OR
Select the following applications located under ...\Common Files\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Designer.exe
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.exe
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.WpfViewer.exe

Stand-alone designer

Stand-alone designer refers to the GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Designer.exe application installed with ActiveReports

installer. This application provides a user interface that includes a Designer along with a toolbox, toolbar, menu,
Report Explorer and Properties Window to mimic the Visual Studio look and feel.
The stand-alone designer supports all page, RDL and section reports. By default, the designer appears with a
section layout loaded. To open a page report or RDL report, do one of the following:
From the File menu > New menu option, open the Create New Report dialog and select Page Report or
RDL report.
On the toolbar, select the New menu option to open the Create New Report dialog and select Page
Report or RDL report.
Use the File menu > Save As option to save the report in .rpx or .rdlx format depending on the type of layout you
are using. The Report menu that appears in the menu bar is similar to the one in Visual Studio. See Report Menu
for more information.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 432
Stand-alone viewer

Stand-alone viewer refers to the GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.exe application installed with ActiveReports. This
is a Windows Forms application with an ActiveReports Viewer control and a menu bar.

You can open a .rdlx or .rpx report in the stand-alone viewer application, by going to the File menu > Open menu
option and selecting a report to load in the viewer.

This application is compiled with the basic code to load reports. Please note that any additional features activated
through code like the annotation toolbar, are not available in the stand-alone viewer application. See Using the
Viewer for more information on how to implement these features in the Viewer control.

Stand-alone WPF viewer

Stand-alone WPF viewer refers to the GrapeCity.ActiveReports.WpfViewer.exe application installed with

ActiveReports. This is a WPF application with an ActiveReports WPF Viewer control and a menu bar.
You can open an .rdlx or .rpx report in the stand-alone WPF Viewer application, by going to the File menu > Open
menu option and selecting a report to load in the viewer.

This application is compiled with the basic code to load reports. Please note that features like customizing
the toolbar through code, are not implemented in the stand-alone WPF Viewer application. See Using the WPF
Viewer for more information on how to implement these features in the Viewer control.

Localization
ActiveReports uses the Hub and Spoke model for localizing resources. The hub is the main executing assembly and
the spokes are the satellite DLLs that contain localized resources for the application.
For example, if you want to localize the Viewer Control, the hub is GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Win.v9.dll and
the spoke is GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Win.v9.resources.dll.
In your Program Files folder, the Localization folder is in a path like ....\GrapeCity\ActiveReports
9\Localization, and contains all of the ActiveReports components that you can localize.
There are 16 ActiveReports components in the Localization folder and most have two files.
A .bat file that is used to set the Cultures to which you want to localize. (The Flash viewer does not have

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 433
a .bat file.)
A .zip file that contains the resource files (.resx) in which you update or change the strings.
There is one application in the Localization folder: NameCompleter.exe. When you run your .bat file after
updating your culture, it runs this application to create a SatelliteAssembly folder with a language sub-
folder containing the localized GrapeCity.ActiveReports.AssemblyName.v9.resources.dll file.
Place the language folder containing the *.resources.dll file inside your main executing assembly folder to
implement changes.

Note: Before you can distribute or put your localization in the Global Assembly Cache (GAC), you must first
send the localized GrapeCity.ActiveReports.AssemblyName.v9.resources.dll file to GrapeCity support and get
it signed with a strong name. Once you receive the signed DLL file, you can drag the language subfolder with
the signed DLL file into C:\WINDOWS\ASSEMBLY, or distribute it with your solution.

When the main executing assembly needs a resource, it uses a ResourceManager object to load the required
resource. The ResourceManager uses the thread's CurrentUICulture property.
The common language runtime sets the CurrentUICulture property or you can set it in code to force a certain UI
Culture so that you can test whether your satellite DLL is loading properly. The ResourceManager class uses the
CurrentUICulture property to locate subdirectories that contain a satellite DLL for the current culture. If no
subdirectory exists, the ResourceManager uses the resource that is embedded in the assembly. US English ("en-
US") is the default culture for ActiveReports.

Tip: For more detailed information about how the Framework locates satellite DLLs, please refer to the help
system in Visual Studio® or the book Developing International Software, 2nd edition by MS Press that
contains information on localizing applications using the .NET Framework.

Cultures
For your convenience, here is a list of predefined System.Globalization cultures. (Source: MSDN.) For
ActiveReports localization purposes, use the Culture and Language Name value in the first column.

Culture and Language Name Culture Identifier Culture

"" (empty string) 0x007F Invariant culture
af 0x0036 Afrikaans
af-ZA 0x0436 Afrikaans (South Africa)
sq 0x001C Albanian
sq-AL 0x041C Albanian (Albania)
ar 0x0001 Arabic
ar-DZ 0x1401 Arabic (Algeria)
ar-BH 0x3C01 Arabic (Bahrain)
ar-EG 0x0C01 Arabic (Egypt)
ar-IQ 0x0801 Arabic (Iraq)
ar-JO 0x2C01 Arabic (Jordan)
ar-KW 0x3401 Arabic (Kuwait)
ar-LB 0x3001 Arabic (Lebanon)
ar-LY 0x1001 Arabic (Libya)
ar-MA 0x1801 Arabic (Morocco)
ar-OM 0x2001 Arabic (Oman)
ar-QA 0x4001 Arabic (Qatar)
ar-SA 0x0401 Arabic (Saudi Arabia)
ar-SY 0x2801 Arabic (Syria)

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ar-TN 0x1C01 Arabic (Tunisia)
ar-AE 0x3801 Arabic (U.A.E.)
ar-YE 0x2401 Arabic (Yemen)
hy 0x002B Armenian
hy-AM 0x042B Armenian (Armenia)
az 0x002C Azeri
az-Cyrl-AZ 0x082C Azeri (Azerbaijan, Cyrillic)
az-Latn-AZ 0x042C Azeri (Azerbaijan, Latin)
eu 0x002D Basque
eu-ES 0x042D Basque (Basque)
be 0x0023 Belarusian
be-BY 0x0423 Belarusian (Belarus)
bg 0x0002 Bulgarian
bg-BG 0x0402 Bulgarian (Bulgaria)
ca 0x0003 Catalan
ca-ES 0x0403 Catalan (Catalan)
zh-HK 0x0C04 Chinese (Hong Kong SAR, PRC)
zh-MO 0x1404 Chinese (Macao SAR)
zh-CN 0x0804 Chinese (PRC)
zh-Hans 0x0004 Chinese (Simplified)
zh-SG 0x1004 Chinese (Singapore)
zh-TW 0x0404 Chinese (Taiwan)
zh-Hant 0x7C04 Chinese (Traditional)
hr 0x001A Croatian
hr-HR 0x041A Croatian (Croatia)
cs 0x0005 Czech
cs-CZ 0x0405 Czech (Czech Republic)
da 0x0006 Danish
da-DK 0x0406 Danish (Denmark)
dv 0x0065 Divehi
dv-MV 0x0465 Divehi (Maldives)
nl 0x0013 Dutch
nl-BE 0x0813 Dutch (Belgium)
nl-NL 0x0413 Dutch (Netherlands)
en 0x0009 English
en-AU 0x0C09 English (Australia)
en-BZ 0x2809 English (Belize)
en-CA 0x1009 English (Canada)
en-029 0x2409 English (Caribbean)
en-IE 0x1809 English (Ireland)
en-JM 0x2009 English (Jamaica)

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en-NZ 0x1409 English (New Zealand)
en-PH 0x3409 English (Philippines)
en-ZA 0x1C09 English (South Africa)
en-TT 0x2C09 English (Trinidad and Tobago)
en-GB 0x0809 English (United Kingdom)
en-US 0x0409 English (United States)
en-ZW 0x3009 English (Zimbabwe)
et 0x0025 Estonian
et-EE 0x0425 Estonian (Estonia)
fo 0x0038 Faroese
fo-FO 0x0438 Faroese (Faroe Islands)
fa 0x0029 Farsi
fa-IR 0x0429 Farsi (Iran)
fi 0x000B Finnish
fi-FI 0x040B Finnish (Finland)
fr 0x000C French
fr-BE 0x080C French (Belgium)
fr-CA 0x0C0C French (Canada)
fr-FR 0x040C French (France)
fr-LU 0x140C French (Luxembourg)
fr-MC 0x180C French (Monaco)
fr-CH 0x100C French (Switzerland)
gl 0x0056 Galician
gl-ES 0x0456 Galician (Spain)
ka 0x0037 Georgian
ka-GE 0x0437 Georgian (Georgia)
de 0x0007 German
de-AT 0x0C07 German (Austria)
de-DE 0x0407 German (Germany)
de-LI 0x1407 German (Liechtenstein)
de-LU 0x1007 German (Luxembourg)
de-CH 0x0807 German (Switzerland)
el 0x0008 Greek
el-GR 0x0408 Greek (Greece)
gu 0x0047 Gujarati
gu-IN 0x0447 Gujarati (India)
he 0x000D Hebrew
he-IL 0x040D Hebrew (Israel)
hi 0x0039 Hindi
hi-IN 0x0439 Hindi (India)
hu 0x000E Hungarian

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hu-HU 0x040E Hungarian (Hungary)
is 0x000F Icelandic
is-IS 0x040F Icelandic (Iceland)
id 0x0021 Indonesian
id-ID 0x0421 Indonesian (Indonesia)
it 0x0010 Italian
it-IT 0x0410 Italian (Italy)
it-CH 0x0810 Italian (Switzerland)
ja 0x0011 Japanese
ja-JP 0x0411 Japanese (Japan)
kn 0x004B Kannada
kn-IN 0x044B Kannada (India)
kk 0x003F Kazakh
kk-KZ 0x043F Kazakh (Kazakhstan)
kok 0x0057 Konkani
kok-IN 0x0457 Konkani (India)
ko 0x0012 Korean
ko-KR 0x0412 Korean (Korea)
ky 0x0040 Kyrgyz
ky-KG 0x0440 Kyrgyz (Kyrgyzstan)
lv 0x0026 Latvian
lv-LV 0x0426 Latvian (Latvia)
lt 0x0027 Lithuanian
lt-LT 0x0427 Lithuanian (Lithuania)
mk 0x002F Macedonian
mk-MK 0x042F Macedonian (Macedonia, FYROM)
ms 0x003E Malay
ms-BN 0x083E Malay (Brunei Darussalam)
ms-MY 0x043E Malay (Malaysia)
mr 0x004E Marathi
mr-IN 0x044E Marathi (India)
mn 0x0050 Mongolian
mn-MN 0x0450 Mongolian (Mongolia)
no 0x0014 Norwegian
nb-NO 0x0414 Norwegian (Bokmål, Norway)
nn-NO 0x0814 Norwegian (Nynorsk, Norway)
pl 0x0015 Polish
pl-PL 0x0415 Polish (Poland)
pt 0x0016 Portuguese
pt-BR 0x0416 Portuguese (Brazil)
pt-PT 0x0816 Portuguese (Portugal)

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pa 0x0046 Punjabi
pa-IN 0x0446 Punjabi (India)
ro 0x0018 Romanian
ro-RO 0x0418 Romanian (Romania)
ru 0x0019 Russian
ru-RU 0x0419 Russian (Russia)
sa 0x004F Sanskrit
sa-IN 0x044F Sanskrit (India)
sr-Cyrl-CS 0x0C1A Serbian (Serbia, Cyrillic)
sr-Latn-CS 0x081A Serbian (Serbia, Latin)
sk 0x001B Slovak
sk-SK 0x041B Slovak (Slovakia)
sl 0x0024 Slovenian
sl-SI 0x0424 Slovenian (Slovenia)
es 0x000A Spanish
es-AR 0x2C0A Spanish (Argentina)
es-BO 0x400A Spanish (Bolivia)
es-CL 0x340A Spanish (Chile)
es-CO 0x240A Spanish (Colombia)
es-CR 0x140A Spanish (Costa Rica)
es-DO 0x1C0A Spanish (Dominican Republic)
es-EC 0x300A Spanish (Ecuador)
es-SV 0x440A Spanish (El Salvador)
es-GT 0x100A Spanish (Guatemala)
es-HN 0x480A Spanish (Honduras)
es-MX 0x080A Spanish (Mexico)
es-NI 0x4C0A Spanish (Nicaragua)
es-PA 0x180A Spanish (Panama)
es-PY 0x3C0A Spanish (Paraguay)
es-PE 0x280A Spanish (Peru)
es-PR 0x500A Spanish (Puerto Rico)
es-ES 0x0C0A Spanish (Spain)
es-ES_tradnl 0x040A Spanish (Spain, Traditional Sort)
es-UY 0x380A Spanish (Uruguay)
es-VE 0x200A Spanish (Venezuela)
sw 0x0041 Swahili
sw-KE 0x0441 Swahili (Kenya)
sv 0x001D Swedish
sv-FI 0x081D Swedish (Finland)
sv-SE 0x041D Swedish (Sweden)
syr 0x005A Syriac

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syr-SY 0x045A Syriac (Syria)
ta 0x0049 Tamil
ta-IN 0x0449 Tamil (India)
tt 0x0044 Tatar
tt-RU 0x0444 Tatar (Russia)
te 0x004A Telugu
te-IN 0x044A Telugu (India)
th 0x001E Thai
th-TH 0x041E Thai (Thailand)
tr 0x001F Turkish
tr-TR 0x041F Turkish (Turkey)
uk 0x0022 Ukrainian
uk-UA 0x0422 Ukrainian (Ukraine)
ur 0x0020 Urdu
ur-PK 0x0420 Urdu (Pakistan)
uz 0x0043 Uzbek
uz-Cyrl-UZ 0x0843 Uzbek (Uzbekistan, Cyrillic)
uz-Latn-UZ 0x0443 Uzbek (Uzbekistan, Latin)
vi 0x002A Vietnamese
vi-VN 0x042A Vietnamese (Vietnam)

Section 508 Compliance

Section 508 requires that when Federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information
technology, Federal employees with disabilities have access to and use of information and data that is comparable
to the access and use by Federal employees without disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the
agency. Section 508 also requires that individuals with disabilities seeking information or services from a Federal
agency have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to that provided to the general public,
unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency.

Summary

Guideline Applicability ActiveReports Area

Section 1194.21 Software Applications and Applicable End User Designer, Windows
Operating Systems Viewer, WPF Viewer, Web
controls (HTML5 Viewer,
HTML/Flash Viewer,
Silverlight).
Section 1194.22 Web-Based Intranet and Applicable Web controls (HTML5 Viewer,
Internet Information and HTML/Flash Viewer,
Applications Silverlight).
Section 1194.23 Telecommunications Not applicable none
Products
Section 1194.24 Video and Multimedia Not applicable none
Products
Section 1194.25 Self-Contained, Closed Not applicable none
Products
Section 1194.26 Desktop and Portable Not applicable none

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 439
Computers
Section 1194.31 Functional Performance Applicable End User Designer, Windows
Criteria Viewer, WPF Viewer, Web
controls (HTML5 Viewer,
HTML/Flash Viewer,
Silverlight).
Section 1194.41 Information, Documentation Applicable Documentation and Support.
and Support

Accessibility Summary:
All major features of ActiveReports software are accessible via keyboard navigation.

DISCLAIMER:
GRAPECITY MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS DOCUMENT. The following information
reflects the general accessibility features of GrapeCity software components as related to the Section 508
standards. If you find that the information is not accurate, or if you have specific accessibility needs that our
products do not meet, please contact us and we will attempt to rectify the problem, although we cannot guarantee
that we will be able to do so in every case.

Software Applications and Operating Systems

Section 1194.21

Criteria Status Remarks

(a) When software is designed to run on a system that has a Supported ActiveReports partially
keyboard, product functions shall be executable from a keyboard with supports keyboard
where the function itself or the result of performing a function can exceptions navigation. Users cannot
be discerned textually. execute
report functions completely
using the keyboard.
(b) Applications shall not disrupt or disable activated features of Supported The controls do not disrupt
other products that are identified as accessibility features, where or disable industry
those features are developed and documented according to standard accessibility
industry standards. Applications also shall not disrupt or disable features of other products.
activated features of any operating system that are identified as
accessibility features where the application programming interface
for those accessibility features has been documented by the
manufacturer of the operating system and is available to the
product developer.
(c) A well-defined on-screen indication of the current focus shall be Supported Some elements in
provided that moves among interactive interface elements as the with ActiveReports cannot track
input focus changes. The focus shall be programmatically exposed exceptions focus. Focus is not
so that Assistive Technology can track focus and focus changes. exposed to screen readers
like NVDA.
(d) Sufficient information about a user interface element including Supported The images representing
the identity, operation and state of the element shall be available with program elements do not
to Assistive Technology. When an image represents a program exceptions support alternative text.
element, the information conveyed by the image must also be Partial support for
available in text. Assistive Technology is
provided for some
interface elements.
(e) When bitmap images are used to identify controls, status Supported Any image used to identify
indicators, or other programmatic elements, the meaning assigned a programmatic element
to those images shall be consistent throughout an application's has a consistent meaning
performance. throughout an application's
performance.
(f) Textual information shall be provided through operating system Supported Textual information such
functions for displaying text. The minimum information that shall as text content, caret

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 440
be made available is text content, text input caret location, and location, and any text
text attributes. attribute (i.e. bold, italic,
size, color, etc.) is
available for all the viewer
elements.
(g) Applications shall not override user selected contrast and color Supported User selected contrast and
selections and other individual display attributes. with color settings are not
exceptions overridden, except for
some minor exceptions in
End User Designer.
(h) When animation is displayed, the information shall be Supported Animated image is only
displayable in at least one non-animated presentation mode at the used when a report is
option of the user. being loaded in the viewer.
The users can provide
a static text for the
animation
using the loadCompleted
event of the Viewer.
(i) Color coding shall not be used as the only means of conveying Supported Any interface element that
information, indicating an action, prompting a response, or uses color to indicate an
distinguishing a visual element. action, prompt a response,
or distinguish a visual
element also provides a
textual cue.
(j) When a product permits a user to adjust color and contrast Supported ActiveReports supports
settings, a variety of color selections capable of producing a range a variety of colors, themes
of contrast levels shall be provided. and styles that can be
applied to controls in a
report.
(k) Software shall not use flashing or blinking text, objects, or Supported The controls do not use
other elements having a flash or blink frequency greater than 2 Hz flashing or blinking text or
and lower than 55 Hz. objects.
(l) When electronic forms are used, the form shall allow people Supported Any form-type dialogs or
using Assistive Technology to access the information, field windows associated with
elements, and functionality required for completion and submission the controls provide
of the form, including all directions and cues. Assistive Technology with
access to information on
all directions, cues, field
elements, and functionality
required for completion.

Web-Based Internet Information and Applications

Section 1194.22

Criteria Status Remarks

(a) A text equivalent for every non-text element shall be Supported Each non-text element has a
provided (e.g., via "alt", "longdesc", or in element text equivalent.
content).
(b) Equivalent alternatives for any multimedia Not applicable ActiveReports web controls
presentation shall be synchronized with the presentation. do not include multimedia.
(c) Web pages shall be designed so that all information Not applicable ActiveReports web controls
conveyed with color is also available without color, for do not provide any
example from context or markup. information using color.
(d) Documents shall be organized so they are readable Supported with Toolbar icons in some web
without requiring an associated style sheet. exceptions controls are not visible when
the associated styles are
disabled.
(e) Redundant text links shall be provided for each active Not applicable There are no server-side

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 441
region of a server-side image map. image maps in
ActiveReports web controls.
(f) Client-side image maps shall be provided instead of Not applicable ActiveReports Server does
server-side image maps except where the regions cannot not use client-side image
be defined with an available geometric shape. maps in ActiveReports web
controls.
(g) Row and column headers shall be identified for data Not applicable By default, there are no data
tables. tables associated with the
ActiveReports web controls.
(h) Markup shall be used to associate data cells and Not applicable By default, there are no data
header cells for data tables that have two or more logical tables associated with the
levels of row or column headers. ActiveReports web controls.
(i) Frames shall be titled with text that facilitates frame Not applicable By default, there are no
identification and navigation. frames associated
with ActiveReports web
controls.
(j) Pages shall be designed to avoid causing the screen to Supported ActiveReports Web controls
flicker with a frequency greater than 2 Hz and lower than do not contain any feature
55 Hz. that causes page flickering.
(k) A text-only page, with equivalent information or Not applicable Text-only page is
functionality, shall be provided to make a web site comply not available in
with the provisions of this part, when compliance cannot ActiveReports Web Viewer or
be accomplished in any other way. The content of the Web controls.
text-only page shall be updated whenever the primary
page changes.
(l) When pages utilize scripting languages to display Supported The ActiveReports HTML5
content, or to create interface elements, the information Viewer control uses scripting
provided by the script shall be identified with functional that is supported by
text that can be read by Assistive Technology. Assistive Technology.
(m) When a web page requires that an applet, plug-in or Supported ActiveReports provides a link
other application be present on the client system to to install the Silverlight
interpret page content, the page must provide a link to a plug-in when an application
plug-in or applet that complies with §1194.21(a) through using ActiveReports
(l). Silverlight viewer control is
executed.
(n) When electronic forms are designed to be completed Supported with The components used in
on-line, the form shall allow people using Assistive exceptions ActiveReports have been
Technology to access the information, field elements, and configured for maximum
functionality required for completion and submission of compliance. Some form
the form, including all directions and cues. controls may not support
Assistive Technology.
(o) A method shall be provided that permits users to skip Not applicable ActiveReports does not
repetitive navigation links. support repetitive navigation
links.
(p) When a timed response is required, the user shall be Not applicable Timed response is not
alerted and given sufficient time to indicate more time is required.
required.

Performance Criteria
Section 1194.31

Criteria Status Remarks

(a) At least one mode of operation and information Supported with Partial support is provided
retrieval that does not require user vision shall be exceptions for assistive technologies like
provided, or support for assistive technology used by screen readers.
people who are blind or visually impaired shall be
provided.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 442
(b) At least one mode of operation and information Supported ActiveReports does not require
retrieval that does not require visual acuity greater than visual acuity greater than
20/70 shall be provided in audio and enlarged print 20/70. It is exposed to
output working together or independently, or support for magnification tools like the
assistive technology used by people who are visually Screen Magnifier that can be
impaired shall be provided. used for magnifying the screen.
(c) At least one mode of operation and information Not applicable ActiveReports does not use any
retrieval that does not require user hearing shall be sound output. Hearing is not
provided, or support for assistive technology used by necessary to use the product.
people who are deaf or hard of hearing shall be provided.
(d) Where audio information is important for the use of a Not applicable ActiveReports does not provide
product, at least one mode of operation and information functionalities that require audio
retrieval shall be provided in an enhanced auditory or video aids.
fashion, or support for assistive hearing devices shall be
provided.
(e) At least one mode of operation and information Not applicable ActiveReports does not provide
retrieval that does not require user speech shall be any functionality that make use
provided, or support for assistive technology used by of user speech.
people with disabilities shall be provided.
(f) At least one mode of operation and information Supported ActiveReports does not provide
retrieval that does not require fine motor control or any functionality that requires
simultaneous actions and that is operable with limited fine motor control or
reach and strength shall be provided. simultaneous action.

Information, Documentation and Support

Section 1194.41

Criteria Status Remarks

(a) Product support documentation provided to end-users Supported Documentation is available in four
shall be made available in alternate formats upon request, formats: HTML(Web), *.chm, *.PDF,
at no additional charge. and Help3(Visual Studio help content)
(b) End-users shall have access to a description of the Supported ActiveReports provides information
accessibility and compatibility features of products in about accessibility and compatibility
alternate formats or alternate methods upon request, at features in the documentation. The
no additional charge. documentation is exposed to screen
readers.
(c) Support services for products shall accommodate the Supported Support services such as telephone,
communication needs of end-users with disabilities. email and forum support are provided
to the customers.

How To
Learn to perform common tasks with ActiveReports with quick how-to topics.

This section contains information about

Page Report/RDL Report How To
Learn how to work with both Page report and RDL report, and perform various page report tasks.
Section Report How To
Learn how to work with Section reports and perform various reporting tasks specific to this type of report.
Customize, Localize, and Deploy
Learn how to customize each of the Windows and Web controls, how to localize reports and controls, and how to
deploy Windows, Web, and Silverlight applications.
Use Fields in Reports
Learn how to utilize bound or database fields and calculated fields in reports.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 443
Use Advanced Printing Options
Learn how to access and set up the advanced printing options provided with the ActiveReports Viewer.
Provide One-Touch Printing in the WebViewer (Pro Edition)
Learn how to use One-Touch printing in the Web Viewer.
Provide PDF Printing in the Silverlight Viewer (Pro Edition)
Learn how to use PDF printing in the Silverlight Viewer.
Print Methods In ActiveReports
Learn about various Print methods in ActiveReports.

Page Report/RDL Report How To

Learn to perform common tasks with ActiveReports with quick how-to topics.

This section contains information about how to

Work with Data
Learn how to connect to different data sources and add a data set in a page report or a RDL report.
Work with Report Controls and Data Regions
Learn how to use controls like the TextBox, Map or Image, and data regions like the Matrix or Table on Page
Reports/RDL reports.
Create Common Page Reports
Learn how to work with both Page report and RDL report, and perform various report tasks.
Add Parameters
Learn how to add a parameters to your report so that the users can filter data.
Create and Add Themes
Learn how to create and add new themes.
Customize and Apply a Theme
Learn how to modify an existing theme and apply them in your report.
Use Constant Expressions in a Theme
Learn how to set a constant expression in a theme and display it on your report.
Set Up Collation
Learn how a report renders when multiple themes are applied.
Add Hyperlinks
Learn how to add hyperlinks and improve interactivity in your report.
Add Bookmarks
Learn how to add bookmark links and improve interactivity in your report.
Create and Use a Master Report (RDL Report)
Learn how to create a master report and apply common features to any number of reports.
Sort Data
Learn how to sort data in page layout.
Allow Users to Sort Data in the Viewer
Learn how to use the Interactive Sort settings on a TextBox report control.
Create a Drill-Down Report
Learn how to use the Visibility settings to toggle detail data within a report.
Set a Drill-Through Link
Learn how to set a drill-through link.
Add Items to the Document Map
Learn how to add items in the Document Map.
Change Page Size
Learn how to change page size in page layout.
Add Page Breaks in RDL (RDL Report)

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 444
Learn how to add page breaks in RDL reports.
Add Totals and Subtotals in a Data Region
Learn how to set totals and subtotals in all the data regions with illustrative examples.
Add Static Rows and Columns to a Matrix
Learn how to static rows and columns automatically or manually in a Matrix.
Cell Merging In Matrix
Learn how to cells with duplicate values are merged in a Matrix.

Work with Data

See step-by-step instructions for performing common tasks in Page Reports and RDL Reports.

This section contains information about how to:

Connect to a Data Source
Learn how to bind reports to various data sources.
Add a Dataset
Learn how to add a dataset in a report.
Create and Edit a Shared Data Source
Learn how to create and edit a shared data source.
Bind Reports to a Data Source at run time
Learn how to bind a page report to a data source at run time.

Connect to a Data Source

In a page report or a RDL report, you can connect to a data source at design time through the Report Explorer.
Use the following instructions to connect to various data providers supported in ActiveReports.
These steps assume that you have already added a Page Report/RDL Report template in a Visual Studio project.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project further information.
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Sources node and select the Add Data Source option or select
Data Source from the add button.

2. In the Report Data Source dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the data
source. By default, the data source name is set to Data Source1. This name appears as a child node to the
Data Sources node in the Report Explorer.
3. Under Type, select the type of data source you want to use.
4. Under Connection, enter a Connection String. If you select SQL, OleDB, or Oracle as the data source Type
value, Connection Properties, Connection String and Advanced Settings pages appear under Connection.
See Report Data Source Dialog for further details.
Note: When you select an XML Provider under Type, the connection string must include XmlDoc or
XmlData. Use of TransformationDoc is optional. See details of each of these connection string types
below:
Connection String
XmlDoc: Refers to a specific XML file located on either the file system or at a web-
accessible location. For example, XmlDoc=C:\MyXmlFile.xml;
XmlData: Provides specific XML data in the Connection String itself. For example,
XmlData=<people>

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 445
<person>
<name>
<given>John</given>
<family>Doe</family>
</name>
</person>
<person>
<name>
<given>Jane</given>
<family>Smith</family>
</name>
</person>
</people>;
TransformationDoc: Refers to a specific XSLT file to apply to the XML data.
Note that elements in the Connection String must be terminated with a semicolon (;) character.

5. Click the Validate Data Source icon to confirm the connection string. This icon becomes inactive to
indicate success, while an error message indicates an invalid connection string.

6. On the Credentials page, you can specify password, credentials, or Windows authentication.

7. Click the OK button on the lower right corner to close the dialog. You have successfully connected the
report to a data source.
In ActiveReports, you can connect to most data sources with these steps. However, you need to follow the
instructions below to connect to a Shared Data Source.
Connect to a Shared Data Source
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Sources node and select the Add Data Source option or select
Data Source from the Add button.
2. In the Report Data Source dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the data
source. This name appears as a child node to the Data Sources node in the Report Explorer.
3. Check the Shared Reference checkbox on.
4. Under Reference, click the Browse button and from the Shared Data Source File dialog that appears, go to
the folder where your shared data source file is located and select it. A file path appears in the field
adjacent to the Browse button.
5. Click the OK button on the lower right corner to close the dialog. A shared data source node appears in the
Report Explorer.

Add a Dataset
In a page report or a RDL report, once you connect your report to a data source, in order to get a list of fields to
use in the report, you need to add a dataset. Use the following instructions to add a dataset to the report.
These steps assume that you have already added a Page Report/RDL Report template and connected it to a data
source. See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project and Connect to a Data Source for further information.
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node (DataSource1 by default) and select the Add Data
Set option or select Data Set... from the Add button.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 446
2. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the dataset. This name
appears as a child node to the data source icon in the Report Explorer.
3. On the Query page of this dialog, select a Command Type from the dropdown list.

Text - Allows the user to enter a SQL query or XML path in the Query box. See Visual Query
Designer for further information on how to create a query using the interactive query designer.
StoredProcedure - Allows the user to enter the name of the stored procedure in the Query
box.
TableDirect - Allows the user to enter the name of the table in the Query box.
4. Click the Validate DataSet icon at the top right hand corner above the Query box to validate the query.

5. The fields are automatically added to the Fields page in the DataSet dialog. For XML data, manually enter
fields on the Fields page using valid XPath expressions.
6. You can also set parameters, filters, and data options on the other pages of the dialog.
7. Click the OK button to close the dialog. Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report
Explorer.

Note: In case you are using an XML data source provider, you have to provide an XML path on the Query
page and generate fields using XPath expressions on the Fields page of the DataSet dialog. See the following
example for details.
Query and Field settings for XML Data
The XML provider supports the use of XPath 1.0 in building queries and selecting Fields. Following is an
example of how the query string and fields are set with an XMLData connection string.
Connection String
Example of an XmlData connection string.
XmlData=<people>
<person>
<name>
<given>John</given>
<family>Doe</family>
</name>
</person>
<person>
<name>
<given>Jane</given>
<family>Smith</family>
</name>
</person>
</people>;

Query String
Set the query like /people/person/name
Fields
Once the query is set, build the Fields collection with two fields that contain the following name and value
pairs:
Name: Given; Value: given
Name: Family; Value: family
See Use Fields in Reports to understand fields further.

Create and Edit a Shared Data Source

You can save a data connection type such as an OleDb connection or an XML connection as a Shared Data Source
(RDSX). This topic provides the steps to create a shared data source with an OleDb data connection.

To create a shared data source

1. Create a new Visual Studio project or open an existing one.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 447
2. In the Visual Studio project, add a Page Report or a RDL Report template to create a new report. See
Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for further details.
3. In the Report Explorer, click the Add icon on the top left and select Data Source...

4. In the Report Data Source dialog that appears, go to the General page and set the following properties
to create a connection to an OleDb data source.
Name: Any Name
Type: Microsoft OleDB Provider
Under Connection, go to the Connection Properties tab and set:
OLE DB Provider: Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0
Server or file Name: Your .mdb file location
5. In the Report Data Source dialog, click the OK button to close the dialog. A data source node appears in
the Report Explorer.
6. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source and select Share Data Source.
7. In the Save Shared Data Source File dialog that appears, enter the file name and click the Save button
to save the file in RDSX format. Notice that the data source icon changes to show sharing.

Data Source Icon Shared Data Source Icon

To edit a shared data source

These steps assume that you have already connected your report to a shared data source. See Connect to a Data
Source for further information.
1. To open the Report Data Source dialog, do one of the following:
In the Report Explorer, right-click a shared data source node and in the context menu that
appears, select Edit.
In the Report Explorer toolbar, click the Edit Shared Data Source button.

2. In the Report Data Source dialog that appears, edit the data connection information.

Bind a Page Report to a Data Source at Run Time

ActiveReports allows you to modify a data source at run time. See the following set of sample codes to connect
your page report or RDL report to a data source at run time.

OleDB Data Source

To connect to an OleDB data source at run time
Use the API to set a data source and dataset on a report at run time. These steps assume that you have already
added a Page Report template and placed a Viewer control on a Windows Form in your Visual Studio project. See
Adding an ActiveReport to a Project and Using the Viewer for further information.

Note: You can use the code example below for the SQL, Odbc, OleDB or Oracle data source binding. To do
that, modify the Data Provider Type and Connection String according to the data source.

1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a Table data region onto the design surface of the report.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 448
2. In the Table, select the following cells and go to Properties Window to set their Value property.

Cell Value Property

Left Cell =Fields!ProductID.Value

Middle Cell =Fields!InStock.Value

Right Cell =Fields!Price.Value

3. Go to the Visual Studio Report Menu, and select Save Layout.

4. In the Save As window that appears navigate to your project's folder and save the layout (like
RuntimeBinding.rdlx) inside the bin/debug folder.
5. Double-click the title bar of the Windows Form to create an event-handling method for the Form_Load
event.
6. Add the following code to the handler to connect to a data source, add a dataset and to supply data in the
report.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.

'create an empty page report
Dim def As New PageReport
'load the report layout
def.Load(New System.IO.FileInfo(Application.StartupPath + "\RuntimeBinding.rdlx"))
'create and setup the data source
Dim myDataSource As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.DataSource
myDataSource.Name = "Example Data Source"
myDataSource.ConnectionProperties.DataProvider = "OLEDB"
myDataSource.ConnectionProperties.ConnectString =
"Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=[User Documents
folder]\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9\Samples\Data\Reels.mdb"
'setup the dataset
Dim myDataSet As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.DataSet()
Dim myQuery As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.Query()
myDataSet.Name = "Example Data Set"
myQuery.DataSourceName = "Example Data Source"
myQuery.CommandType =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.QueryCommandType.TableDirect
myQuery.CommandText =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Expressions.ExpressionInfo.FromString("Product")
myDataSet.Query = myQuery
' add fields
Dim _field As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.Field("ProductID",
"ProductID", Nothing)
myDataSet.Fields.Add(_field)
_field = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.Field("InStock", "InStock",
Nothing)
myDataSet.Fields.Add(_field)
_field = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.Field("Price", "Price",
Nothing)
myDataSet.Fields.Add(_field)
'bind the data source and the dataset to the report
def.Report.DataSources.Add(myDataSource)
def.Report.DataSets.Add(myDataSet)
def.Run()
Viewer1.LoadDocument(def.Document)

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.
//create an empty page report
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport def = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport();
//load the report layout

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 449
def.Load(new System.IO.FileInfo(Application.StartupPath +
"\RuntimeBinding.rdlx"));
//create and setup the data source
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.DataSource myDataSource = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.DataSource();
myDataSource.Name = "Example Data Source";
myDataSource.ConnectionProperties.DataProvider = "OLEDB";
myDataSource.ConnectionProperties.ConnectString =
"Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=[User Documents
folder]\\GrapeCity\\ActiveReports 9\\Samples\\Data\\Reels.mdb";
//setup the dataset
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.DataSet myDataSet = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.DataSet();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.Query myQuery = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.Query();
myDataSet.Name = "Example Data Set";
myQuery.DataSourceName = "Example Data Source";
myQuery.CommandType =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.QueryCommandType.TableDirect;
myQuery.CommandText =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Expressions.ExpressionInfo.FromString("Product");
myDataSet.Query = myQuery;
// add fields
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.Field _field = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.Field("ProductID", "ProductID", null);
myDataSet.Fields.Add(_field);
_field = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.Field("InStock", "InStock",
null);
myDataSet.Fields.Add(_field);
_field = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReportModel.Field("Price", "Price",
null);
myDataSet.Fields.Add(_field);
//bind the data source and the dataset to the report
def.Report.DataSources.Add(myDataSource);
def.Report.DataSets.Add(myDataSet);
def.Run();
viewer1.LoadDocument(def.Document);

7. Press F5 to run the Application.

Unbound Data Source

To connect to unbound data sources at run time, you can use the DataSet provider or the Object provider with the
LocateDataSource event. The reporting engine raises the LocateDataSource event when it needs input on the
data to use.
DataSet provider
With the DataSet provider, the ConnectionString and Query settings vary depending on how you connect to data.
To use the LocateDataSource event to bind the report to data, leave the ConnectionString blank.
If LocateDataSource returns a DataSet, the Query is set to the DataSet table name.
If LocateDataSource returns a DataTable or DataView, the Query is left blank.
To bind a report to a dataset located in a file, set the ConnectionString to the path of the file, and set the Query to
the DataSet table name.

Limitations of the Dataset Provider

Relationship names that have periods in them are not supported.
Fields in nested relationships only traverse parent relationships (e.g.
FK_Order_Details_Orders.FK_Orders_Customers.CompanyName).
Parent Table Fields

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 450
To request a field from a parent table, prefix the field name with the name of the relation(s) that must be
traversed to navigate to the appropriate parent table. Separate field names and relations with periods.
For example, consider a main table named OrderDetails which has a parent table named Orders. A relation named
Orders_OrderDetails defines the relationship between the two tables. Use a field with the syntax below to access
the OrderDate from the parent table:
Orders_OrderDetails.OrderDate
Use this same technique to traverse multiple levels of table relations. For example, consider that the Orders table
used in the prior example has a parent table named Customers and a relation binding the two called
Customers_Orders. If the CommandText specifies the main table as OrderDetails, use the following syntax to get
the CustomerName field from the parent table:
Customers_Orders.Orders_OrderDetails.CustomerName

Note: Ambiguity can occur if a field and a relation have the same name. This is not supported.

To use the Dataset Provider

You can use the API to set a dataset on a report at run time.
The Dataset provider returns a data table. All fields in the data table are available. To use the Dataset provider as
a report's data source, set up a report definition and runtime, and attach the page document to a
LocateDataSourceEventHandler.
These steps assume that you have already added a Page Report template and placed a Viewer control on a
Windows Form in your Visual Studio project. See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project and Using the Viewer for
further information.
1. In the Report Explorer, go to the DataSources node and right-click to select Add Data Source.
2. In the Report Data Source dialog that appears, set Type to DataSetProvider and close the dialog. A data
source node appears in the ReportExplorer.
3. Right-click the data source node and to select Add Data Set.
4. In the DataSet dialog that appears select the Fields page.
5. On the Fields page, add a fields like =Fields!ProductID.Value and =Fields!InStock.Value.
6. Click OK to close the dialog. Nodes with the field names appear under the dataset name.
7. From the Visual Studio toolbox ActiveReports 9 Page Report tab, drag a Table data region onto the design
surface of the report.
8. From the ReportExplorer, add the newly added fields onto cells in the detail row of the Table and save the
report.
9. In the Visual Studio Solution Explorer, right-click YourProjectName and select Add > Class.
10. In the Add New Item window that appears, rename the class to DataLayer.cs or .vb and click Add.
11. In the Solution Explorer, double-click the DataLayer.cs or .vb to open the code view of the class and paste
the following code inside it.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste inside the DataLayer class.
Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Expressions.ExpressionObjectModel
Imports System.Globalization
Imports System.Data.OleDb

Friend NotInheritable Class DataLayer

Private _datasetData As System.Data.DataSet

Public Sub New()

LoadDataToDataSet()
End Sub

Public ReadOnly Property DataSetData() As System.Data.DataSet

Get
Return _datasetData
End Get
End Property

Private Sub LoadDataToDataSet()

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 451
Dim connStr As String = "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Persist Security
Info=False;
Data Source=[User Documents folder]\\GrapeCity\\ActiveReports
9\\Samples\\Data\\Reels.mdb"
Dim productSql As String = "SELECT top 100 * FROM Product"

_datasetData = New DataSet()

Dim conn As New OleDbConnection(connStr)
Dim cmd As OleDbCommand = Nothing
Dim adapter As New OleDbDataAdapter

cmd = New OleDbCommand(productSql, conn)

adapter.SelectCommand = cmd
adapter.Fill(_datasetData, "Products")
End Sub

End Class

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste inside the DataLayer class.
using System;
using System.Data;
using System.Data.OleDb;

internal sealed class DataLayer

{
private DataSet dataSetData;
public DataLayer()
{
LoadDataToDataSet();
}

public DataSet DataSetData

{
get { return dataSetData; }
}

private void LoadDataToDataSet()

{
string connStr = @"Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Persist Security
Info=False;
Data Source=[User Documents folder]\\GrapeCity\\ActiveReports
9\\Samples\\Data\\Reels.mdb";
string productSql = "SELECT * From Product";

dataSetData = new DataSet();

OleDbConnection conn = new OleDbConnection(connStr);
OleDbCommand cmd = new OleDbCommand(productSql, conn);
OleDbDataAdapter adapter = new OleDbDataAdapter();
adapter.SelectCommand = cmd;
adapter.Fill(dataSetData, "Products");
}
}

Note: The DataSetDataSource sample provides context on how to create the DataLayer class, used
in the code below. The DataSetDataSource sample is included in the ActiveReports installation and is
located in the [UserDocumentFolder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Page Reports\RDL\API
folder.

12. Double-click the title bar of the Windows Form to create an event-handling method for the Form_Load

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 452
event and add the following code to the handler.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.

LoadReport()

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the class declaration of the form.
Dim WithEvents runtime As GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument

Private Sub LoadReport()

Dim rptPath As New System.IO.FileInfo("..\..\YourReportName.rdlx")
'Create a report definition that loads an existing report.
Dim definition As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(rptPath)
'Load the report definition into a new page document.
runtime = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(definition)
'Attach the runtime to an event. This line of code creates the event shell
below.
Viewer1.LoadDocument(runtime)
End Sub

'ActiveReports raises this event when it cannot locate a report's data source in
the usual ways.
Private Sub runtime_LocateDataSource(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal args As
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.LocateDataSourceEventArgs) Handles
Runtime.LocateDataSource
Dim dl = New DataLayer
args.Data = dl.DataSetData.Tables("Products")
End Sub

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.

LoadReport();

C# code. Paste INSIDE the class declaration of the form.

private void LoadReport()

{
System.IO.FileInfo rptPath = new
System.IO.FileInfo("..\\..\\YourReportName.rdlx");
//Create a report definition that loads an existing report.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport definition = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(rptPath);
//Load the report definition into a new page document.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument runtime = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(definition);
//Attach the runtime to an event. This line of code creates the event shell
below.
runtime.LocateDataSource += new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.LocateDataSourceEventHandler(runtime_LocateDataSource);
viewer1.LoadDocument(runtime);
}

//ActiveReports raises this event when it cannot locate a report's data source in
the usual ways.
private void runtime_LocateDataSource(object sender,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.LocateDataSourceEventArgs args)
{

DataLayer dl = new DataLayer();

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 453
args.Data = dl.DataSetData.Tables["Products"];
}

Object Provider
Use the API to bind a report data source to a collection of objects. To bind the Object provider to a report, set up
a report definition and a page document, and attach the page document to a LocateDataSourceEventHandler.
Create a public class which sets up a property name to which the data field can bind.
The Object provider data source must have a dataset with the Query left blank and fields that correspond to the
fields of your Object provider data source. Add these fields manually in the DataSet Dialog under Fields.
When using the Object provider, always leave the report's ConnectionString blank because it uses the
LocateDataSource event to bind to an Object. Set the Query to one of these values:
To use the Object Provider
These steps assume that you have already added a Page Report template and placed a Viewer control on a
Windows Form in your Visual Studio project. See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project and Using the Viewer for
further information.
1. In the Report Explorer, go to the DataSources node and right-click to select Add Data Source.
2. In the Report Data Source dialog that appears, set Type to ObjectProvider and close the dialog. A data
source node appears in the ReportExplorer.
3. Right-click the data source node and in the DataSet dialog that appears select the Fields page.
4. In the Fields page, add a field like =Fields!name.Value and click ok to close the dialog. A node with the
field name appears under the dataset name.
5. From the Visual Studio toolbox ActiveReports 9 Page Report tab, drag a Table data region onto the design
surface of the report.
6. From the ReportExplorer, add the newly added field onto a cell in the detail row of the Table.
7. Save the report as DogReport.rdlx.
8. In the Solution Explorer, right-click the Form and select View Code to open the Code View.
9. In the Code View of the form, paste the following code inside the class declaration.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the class declaration of the form.
' Create a class from which to call a property.
Public Class dog
Private _name As String
Public Property name() As String
Get
Return _name
End Get
Set(ByVal value As String)
_name = Value
End Set
End Property
End Class
' Create an array to contain the data.
Dim dogArray As System.Collections.ArrayList
' Create a method to populate the data array.
Private Sub LoadData()
dogArray = New System.Collections.ArrayList()
Dim dog1 As New dog()
dog1.name = "border collie"
dogArray.Add(dog1)
dog1 = New dog()
dog1.name = "cocker spaniel"
dogArray.Add(dog1)
dog1 = New dog()
dog1.name = "golden retriever"
dogArray.Add(dog1)
dog1 = New dog()
dog1.name = "shar pei"

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 454
dogArray.Add(dog1)
End Sub

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the class declaration of the form.
// Create a class from which to call a property.
public class dog
{
private string _name;
public string name
{
get { return _name; }
set { _name = value; }
}
}
// Create an array to contain the data.
System.Collections.ArrayList dogArray;
// Create a method to populate the data array.
private void LoadData()
{
dogArray = new System.Collections.ArrayList();
dog dog1 = new dog();
dog1.name = "border collie";
dogArray.Add(dog1);
dog1 = new dog();
dog1.name = "cocker spaniel";
dogArray.Add(dog1);
dog1 = new dog();
dog1.name = "golden retriever";
dogArray.Add(dog1);
dog1 = new dog();
dog1.name = "shar pei";
dogArray.Add(dog1);
}

10. Set up the report and add a handler for the LocateDataSource event.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.
Private Sub Form1_Load(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs)
Handles MyBase.Load
' Create file info with a path to the report in your project.
Dim fi As New System.IO.FileInfo("..\\..\\DogReport.rdlx")
' Create a report definition using the file info.
Dim repDef As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(fi)
' Create a page document using the report definition.
Dim runt As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(repDef)
' Create a LocateDataSource event for the runtime.
AddHandler runt.LocateDataSource, AddressOf runt_LocateDataSource
' Display the report in the viewer. The title can be any text.
Viewer1.LoadDocument(runt)
End Sub

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.
private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
// Create file info with a path to the report in your project.
System.IO.FileInfo fi = new System.IO.FileInfo("..\\..\\DogReport.rdlx");

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 455
// Create a report definition using the file info.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport repDef = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(fi);
// Create a page document using the report definition.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument runt = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(repDef);
// Create a LocateDataSource event for the runtime.
runt.LocateDataSource += new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.LocateDataSourceEventHandler(runt_LocateDataSource);
// Display the report in the viewer. The title can be any text.
viewer1.LoadDocument(runt);
}

11. Use the LocateDataSource event to load data from the object.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the class declaration of the form.
Private Sub runt_LocateDataSource(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal args As
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.LocateDataSourceEventArgs)
If dogArray Is Nothing Then LoadData()
args.Data = dogArray
End Sub

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the class declaration of the form.
void runt_LocateDataSource(object sender,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.LocateDataSourceEventArgs args)
{
if (dogArray == null)
{
LoadData();
}
args.Data = dogArray;
}

12. Press F5 to run the application.

Work with Report Controls and Data Regions

Learn to perform common tasks with ActiveReports with quick how-to topics.

This section contains information about how to

Grouping in a FixedPage
Learn how group data on the fixed page to apply grouping on the entire report instead of a single control.
Grouping in a Data Region
Learn how to group data in a data region like Table, List, BandedList, Matrix and Chart.
Set Detail Grouping In Sparklines
Learn how to set detail grouping to reflect a trend in your data with sparklines.
Setting Filters
Learn how set filters in your report and limit the data you want to display.
Set FixedSize of a Data Region
Learn how to set the FixedSize property of a Data Region using the resize handler and the Properties window.
Work with Map
Learn how to work with layers and data in a Map control.
Add Table Of Contents to a PageReport
Learn how to use the TableOfContents control to create an organized hierarchy.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 456
Grouping in a FixedPage
In a Page Report, you can group your data on the fixed page. A group set on the fixed page, applies to the entire
report including the controls within the report. Therefore, once you set grouping here, you may decide not to
group individual data regions.
Use the following steps to understand grouping on a fixed page. These steps assume that you have already added
a Page Report template, connected it to a data source and created a dataset. See Adding an ActiveReport to a
Project and Connect to a Data Source for further information.

Note: This topic uses the Movie table in the Reels database. By default, the Reels.mdb file is located in
[User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data folder.

To set grouping on a Fixed Page

1. Right-click the gray area outside the design surface and select Fixed Layout Settings or with the fixed
page selected, under the Properties Window, click the Property dialog link to open the FixedPage dialog.
2. On the Grouping page, in the General tab, under Group on enter the field name or expression on which
you want to group the data. For example, =Fields!YearReleased.Value.

Note: A default group name like FixedPage1_Group appears under Name, once you set the group. To
modify the group name, add a field name or expression under Group on to enable the Name option
and enter a new name.

3. Under the Document map label field, you can optionally set a label to add the item to the document map.
4. Click OK to close the dialog.
5. Drag and drop a data region, like a Table onto the design surface and set data inside its cells.
6. Go to the Preview Tab to view the result. You'll notice that the data appears in groups sorted according
the YearReleased field on each report page.

Grouping in a Data Region

In a page report/RDL report, group your data from a data region on fields and expressions. Each data region
provides grouping in a different way.
Use the steps below to learn how to set groups in each data region. These steps assume that you have already
added a Page Report/RDL Report template and connected it to a data source. See Adding an ActiveReport to a
Project, Connect to a Data Source and Add a Dataset for more information.

Note: This topic uses examples from the Movie table in the Reels database. By default, in ActiveReports, the
Reels.mdb file is located at [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\Reels.mdb.

To set grouping in a Table

To group data in a Table data region, add group header and footer rows to the table or set detail grouping.
To add groups in a Table
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a Table data region onto the design surface.
2. With the Table selected on the report, under the Properties window, click the Property dialog link to open
the Table dialog.
3. In the table dialog that appears go to the Groups page and click the Add (+) button to add a group

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 457
manually.
4. In this dialog, on the General tab, under Group on enter the field name or expression on which you want
to group the data. For e.g., =Fields!YearReleased.Value.

Note: A default group name like Table1_Group1 appears under Name, until you set the grouping
expression under Group On, after which you can modify the group name.

5. Under the Document map label, you can optionally set a label to add the item to the document map.
See Document Map for further information.
6. Under Parent group, you can optionally set the parent group for a recursive hierarchy.
7. Click OK to close the dialog. Group header and group footer rows appear right above and below the table
details row.
8. Drag and drop fields onto the Table data region and in the group header row, add the field on which the
grouping is set.
9. Preview the report to see the result.

Tip: You can sort, filter, set page breaks or repeat headers for your grouped data in the other tabs of the
Table-Groups dialog.

To set detail grouping in a Table

Detail Grouping is useful when you do not want to repeat values within the data on display in the report.
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a Table data region onto the design surface.
2. With the Table selected on the report, under the Properties Window, click the Property dialog link to open
the Table dialog > Detail Grouping page.
3. In the Detail Grouping page, under Group on enter the expression on which you want to group the data.
For e.g., =Fields!YearReleased.Value

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 458

Note: A default group name like Table1_Detail_Group1 appears under Name, until you set the
grouping expression under Group On, after which you can modify the group name.

4. Under the Document map label, you can optionally set a label to add the item to the document map.
See Document Map for further information.
5. Under Parent group, you can optionally set the parent group for a recursive hierarchy.
6. Click OK to close the dialog.
7. Drag and drop fields onto the Table data region and go to the preview tab to see grouped data.

Tip: You can filter, set page breaks or set visibility for your grouped data in the other tabs of the Table-
Detail Grouping page.

To set detail grouping in a List

To group data in a List data region, set detail grouping. Detail Grouping is useful when you do not want to repeat
values within the data on display in the report.
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a List data region onto the design surface.
2. With the List selected on the report, under the Properties window, click the Property dialog link to open
the List dialog > Detail Grouping page.
3. In the Detail Grouping page, under Group on enter the expression on which you want to group the data.
For e.g., =Fields!YearReleased.Value.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 459

Note: A default group name like List1_Detail_Group appears under Name, until you set the grouping
expression under Group On, after which you can modify the group name.

4. Under the Document map label field, you can optionally set a label to add the item to the document map.
See Document Map for further information.
5. Under the Parent group field, you can optionally set the parent group for a recursive hierarchy.
6. Click OK to close the dialog.
7. Drag and drop fields or other data regions onto the List data region and go to the preview tab to see
grouped data.

Tip: You can place lists within lists to create nested grouping. You can also filter, set page breaks or set
sorting for your grouped data in the other tabs of the List-Detail Grouping page.

To set grouping in a BandedList

To group data in a BandedList data region, add the BandedList group header and footer row.
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a BandedList data region onto the design surface.
2. Right-click the BandedList data region and select Insert Group to open the Banded List-Groups dialog.
OR
With the BandedList selected on the report, under the Properties Window, click the Property dialog link to
open the Banded List dialog > Groups page. However, you have to click the Add (+) button and add the
group manually in this case.
3. In the Groups page, under Group on enter the field name or expression on which you want to group the
data. For e.g., =Fields!YearReleased.Value.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 460

Note: A default group name like BandedList1_Group1 appears under Name, until you set the
grouping expression under Group On, after which you can modify the group name.

4. Under the Document map label field, you can optionally set a label to add the item to the document map.
See Document Map for further information.
5. Under Parent group you can set the parent group for a recursive hierarchy.
6. Click the OK to close the dialog.
7. Drag and drop fields onto the BandedList data region and go to the preview tab to see grouped data.

To set grouping in a Matrix

To group data in a Matrix data region, set row and column groups dynamically or manually in the data region.
To dynamically group a matrix using dynamic columns and rows
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a Matrix data region onto the design surface.
2. From the Report Explorer, drag a field and drop it onto a row or column header in the matrix. This action
adds both an expression to the textbox in the cell and a grouping to the matrix.

3. From the Report Explorer, drag and drop a field onto the aggregate detail cell of the matrix data region.
To manually group a matrix using dynamic columns and rows
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a Matrix data region onto the design surface.
2. Right-click a row or column header and choose Insert Group. This adds a new cell below the original
column header or to the right of the original row header.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 461

3. In the Matrix - Column Groups or Row Groups dialog that appears, under Group on enter an
expression on which you want to group the data. For e.g., =Fields!YearReleased.Value.

4. Click OK to close the dialog.

5. Drag and drop or set fields in the aggregate detail cell of the matrix data region and go to the Preview
Tab to view the result.
Or
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a Matrix data region onto the design surface.
2. With the Matrix data region selected on the report, under the Properties Window, click the Property dialog
link to open the Matrix dialog.
3. In the Column Groups or Row Groups page, click the Add button to add a new group and a new cell
below the original column header or to the right of the original row header.
4. Enter an expression under Group on on which you want to group the data. For e.g.,
=Fields!YearReleased.Value.

5. Click OK to close the dialog.

6. Drag and drop or set fields in the aggregate detail cell of the matrix data region and go to the Preview
Tab to view the result.

Note: A default group name like Matrix1_RowGroup1 or Matrix1_ColumnGroup1 appears under Name, until
you set the grouping expression under Group On, after which you can modify the group name.

To set grouping in a Chart

To group data in a Chart data region, set grouping for categories or series. In a Chart, you can set groups directly
on the design surface or add category groups and series groups manually.
To dynamically group a Chart category or series

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 462
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a Chart data region onto the design surface.
2. From the Report Explorer,
3. Drag a field near the lower edge of the Chart and drop it onto the part that reads Drop category fields
here. This action groups the categorized chart data on the field set here.
4. Drag a field near the upper edge of the Chart and drop it onto the part that reads Drop data fields here.
This adds data which is to be grouped to the chart.
5. Drag a field near the right edge of the Chart and drop it onto the part that reads Optionally drop series
fields here. This action groups data on series.
To manually group a Chart category or series
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a Chart data region onto the design surface.
2. With the Chart data region selected on the report, under the Properties Window, click the Chart Data link
to open the Chart Data dialog.
3. In the Chart Data dialog, go to the Category Groups page and click the Add button to add a new group.
4. Enter an expression under Group on on which you want to categorize the data. For e.g.,
=Fields!Title.Value.

5. In the Chart Data dialog, go to the Series Groups page and click the Add button to add a new group.
6. Enter an expression under Group on on which you want to group your series data. For e.g.,
=Fields!Country.Value.

7. Click OK to close the dialog.

8. Drag the UserRating field near the upper edge of the Chart and drop it onto the part that reads, Drop
data fields here. This adds data which is to be grouped to the chart.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 463

Note: A default group name like Chart1_CategoryGroup1 or Chart1_SeriesGroup1 appear under Name, until
you set the grouping expression under Group On, after which you can modify the group name.

Set Detail Grouping In Sparklines

Applying detail grouping to a sparkline helps to visualize data clearly – the sparkline value is displayed as a set of
sparklines grouped by a detail grouping value. The following steps take you through how to show trends in
analyzed data when detail grouping is set with Sparklines.
These steps assume that you have already added a Page Report/RDL Report template to your project, connected it
to a data source and added a dataset. See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project, Connect to a Data Source and Add
a Dataset for more information.

Note: This topic uses examples from the SalesByGenre table in the Reels database. By default, in
ActiveReports, the Reels.mdb file is located in the [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports
9\Data folder.

1. From the toolbox, drag a Table data region onto the report design surface.
2. With the table selected, set the following:
Set the DataSetName property (For example, SalesByGenre).
Right-click the table handle to the left of the Detail row and select Insert Row Below or Insert
Row Above from the menu and add another detail row to the table.
Hover your mouse over the first Textbox located in the Detail row column to make the Field
Selection Adorner appear. Click this adorner to display a list of available fields from the data set,
select a field (For example, GenreName).
Note: This automatically places an expression in the detail row and simultaneously places a
static label Genre Name in the header row of the same column.

3. From the toolbox, drag a Sparkline control to the second detail row of the table on your report and set the
following in the Properties Window.
Set the SparklineType property to Line (by default).
Set the DataSetName property to a data set (For example, SalesByGenre).
Set the SeriesValue property by selecting <Expression...>. In the Expression Editor under
Fields, expand the Fields (SalesByGenre) node and select a numeric field from the connected
data set (for example, =Fields!Profit.Value). Click the OK button to accept the change.
Set the LineColor property to Gray.
Set the MarkerColor property to Blue.
4. To apply the detail grouping to the sparkline, right-click the Table data region and go to Properties Window
to select the Properties dialog command at the bottom.
5. In the Table dialog that appears, select the Detail Grouping.
6. In the General tab, under Group on, select an expression from the drop-down list on which to group the
data (for example, =Fields!GenreName.Value).

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 464
7. Click the OK button to close the dialog and save the changes.
8. Go to the preview tab to view the sparkline you have added to your report.
This set of sparklines display the profit value grouped by the movie genres.

Setting Filters
Normally you can filter your data using parameters in a query, but if your data source does not support
parameters you can use filters. You can set filters on the following:
DataSet
Data Region
Groups in a Data Region
In a Page Report, you can also set filters on the page through the FixedPage dialog.
Use the following steps to create filters in a page report and RDL report. These steps assume that you have
already added a Page Report/RDL Report template and have a data connection and a dataset in place. See Adding
an ActiveReport to a Project, Connect to a Data Source and Add a Dataset for more information.
Set filters on a DataSet
When you set a filter on a dataset, any control you add to the design surface can utilize this filtered data.
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the DataSet node and select Edit.
2. In the DataSet dialog that appears, select the Filters page and click the Add (+) icon to add a new filter for
the data set. By default, an empty filter expression gets added to the filter list.
3. Under Expression, enter an expression or use the Expression Editor to provide the expression on which to
filter data. For example, =Fields!YearReleased.Value
4. Under Operator, select an operator from the list to decide how to compare the Expression with the Value.
For example, set a GreaterThan operator on the Expression above. See Filtering for a list of available
operators and their description.

5. Under Value, enter a value or set an expression using the Expression Editor with which to compare the
expression results. For example, 2000 to represent the year 2000.
The resultant filter looks like the following.
=Fields!YearReleased.Value > 2000

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 465

Set filters in a Data Region

When you set a filter in a data region, you can limit the amount of data available for use inside that data region.
1. With the data region selected on the report, under the Properties window, click the Property dialog link.
This is a command to open the corresponding data region dialog. See Properties Window for more on how
to access commands.
Note: In a Chart data region, right-click the data region and choose the Chart data option to open
the Chart Data dialog.

2. In the data region dialog that appears, select the Filters page and click the Add (+) icon to add a new filter
for the data region. By default, an empty filter expression gets added to the filter list.
3. Under Expression, enter an expression or use the Expression Editor to provide the expression on which to
filter data. For example, =Fields!UserRating.Value
4. Under Operator, select an operator from the list to decide how to compare the Expression with the Value.
For example, set a LessThan operator on the Expression above. See Filtering for a list of available operators
and their description.

5. Under Value, enter a value or set an expression using the Expression Editor with which to compare the
expression results. For example, 6 to represent the Rating 6.
The resultant filter looks like the following.
=Fields!UserRating.Value < 6

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 466

Set filters on groups in a Data Region

You can also set filters on grouped data in a data region. The following example uses the Table data region to
show filtering on groups.
1. In the report, set grouping on a data region. For example, on a Table data region, set grouping on the
=Fields!YearReleased.Value field. See Grouping in a Data Region for further details.
2. With the data region selected on the report, under the Properties window, click the Property dialog link.
This is a command to open the corresponding data region dialog. See Properties Window for more on how
to access commands.
Note: In a Chart data region, right-click the data region and choose the Chart data option to open
the Chart Data dialog.

3. In the Table dialog, go to the Groups tab and select the Group.
4. After selecting the group, go to the Filters tab and click the Add (+) icon to add a new filter. By default, an
empty filter expression gets added to the filter list.
5. Under Expression, enter an expression or use the Expression Editor to provide the expression on which to
filter data. For example, =Fields!YearReleased.Value
6. Under Operator, select an operator from the list to decide how to compare the Expression with the Value.
For example, GreaterThan operator set on the Expression above. See Filtering for a list of available
operators and their description.

7. Under Value, enter a value or set an expression using the Expression Editor with which to compare the
expression results. For example, 2000 to represent the year 2000.
The resultant filter looks like the following.
=Fields!YearReleased.Value > 2000

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Set FixedSize of a Data Region

FixedSize property of a Page Report is used to set the exact height or width (or both) that the data region will
occupy at runtime. Using this property, you can control the number of records that are displayed on each page.
In case there are more records to display than what FixedSize can accommodate, the remaining records get
displayed on the next page. However, in case there is an OverflowPlaceHolder control bound to a data region on
the same page, the remaining records are displayed at the location where the OverflowPlaceHolder control is
placed. When you link a data region to an OverflowPlaceHolder, this control gets its Size property value from the
Size of the data region it is linked with. However, it is also possible to change the Size (Height and Width)
property values of OverflowPlaceHolder control based on the requirement of your Page Report.

Caution: The Size of an OverflowPlaceHolder cannot be changed to a value which is less than the Size of a
data region it is linked with.

Using the FixedSize Property in Data Region

The significance of the FixedHeight and FixedWidth property depends on the data region that is being used. For
example, in case of Table data region, only the FixedHeight property holds importance as the Table control always
grows vertically to accommodate excessive data, while in case of Matrix data region both FixedHeight and
FixedWidth properties are important as the control expands both vertically and horizontally to fit excessive data.
The table below show the data regions that contains the FixedSize property and their support for FixedHeight and
FixedWidth properties:

Data Region Supported Property

Table FixedHeight
Matrix FixedHeight and FixedWidth both
List FixedHeight
BandedList FixedHeight
Calendar FixedHeight

Setting FixedSize Property

You can use the Properties Window to set the FixedHeight and FixedWidth properties of a data region manually,
or use the resize handlers that appears around the data region to set the FixedSize.
Follow these steps to set FixedSize through the Properties window:
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a data region like List or a Table control onto the design
surface.

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2. On the design surface, click the data region to select it and go to the Properties Window.
3. In the Properties Window, locate and expand the FixedSize property node to assign values for the Height
and Width.
Follow these steps to set FixedSize using the resize handlers:
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a data region like List or a Table control onto the design
surface. Notice the resize handlers that appear around the data region.
2. Use mouse to drag the resize handlers to set the FixedSize area of a data region.

Work with Map

Learn using Map data region in Page Reports/RDL Reports.

This section contains information about how to:

Create a Map
Learn how to add and create a Map in a Report.
Work with Data
Learn how to add and work with data in a Map control.
Work with Layers
Learn how to use different layers to display different data on a Map data region.

Create a Map

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The Map data region shows your business data against a geographical background. This topic illustrates how to
create a Map and modify its appearance.
These steps assume that you have added a page layout template to your project and have a data connection in
place. See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project and Connect to a Data Source for further information.
To add a map to the report
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag a Map control onto the design surface.
2. In the Select a Map Template wizard that appears, select a map template from the following options:

Empty map: An empty map without any predefined data.

USA map: A map with the predefined polygon layer that contains the embedded spatial data
with the USA map.
From ESRI file: Select from your local .shp file, the shapefile spatial data format that complies
with the Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI). An ESRI Shapefile is a collection
of files, where a .shp file defines the geographical or geometrical shapes and the .dbf file
provides attributes for the shapes in the .shp file. To successfully add spatial data using this
option, both files (.shp and .dbf) must be copied to the same folder. ESRI files are available on
public domain data sources on the Web, including government and university sites. For more
information, go to www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/tiger.html.
To modify the appearance of the map
1. On the design surface, select the Map control and click the Property dialog link in the command section
that appears below the properties window.
2. In the Map dialog that appears, on the General page, enter "Map" in the Name textbox. You can
also make modifications in properties that control the smoothing mode of all map elements (Antialiasing
and Antialiasing quality).

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3. On the Visibility page of the dialog, you can setup the visibility mode of the map.
4. On the Appearance page of the dialog, you can make modifications to the border width, style, color and
background color.
5. On the Data Output page of the dialog, choose from Auto, Yes or No to decide whether to include this
map in the XML output. Also, if you choose to include this map in the XML output, then in Element Name,
enter a name to be used in the XML output for this map. Choosing Auto will include the map in the XML
output.
6. Click OK to close the dialog.
To add a legend to the map
A legend on a map provides valuable information to users for interpreting the map data visualization rules such as
color, size, and marker type differences for map elements on a layer. By default, a single Legend item already
exists in the legends collection which can be used by all layers to display items. You can also create additional
legends to use them individually with layers that have associated rules to display items in the legend. Use these
steps to learn adding and setting a legend on a map:
1. On the design surface, select the Map control.
2. In the Properties window, click the Legends (Collection) property and then click the ellipsis (...)
button that appears.
3. In the LegendDesigner Collection Editor that appears, click Add under the Members list of
legends. Legend1 with the default legend settings appears in the Members list.

4. With Legend1 selected in the Members list of legends, you can make modifications to its font, border and
background color settings.
5. Click OK to close the dialog.

Note: You can associate the newly added legend to a layer by specifying its name in the Legend
Name field that appears in the Legend tab on a specific rule page of a Layer dialog. See, Use Color
Rule, Marker Rule and Size Rule for more information.

To add a title to the map

Map Title describes the theme or subject of the map. The purpose of map title is to tell the viewer of what he is
looking at. Use these steps to learn adding a title on a map control.
1. On the design surface, select the Map control.
2. In the Properties window, click the Titles (Collection) property and then click the ellipsis (...) button that
appears.
3. In the MapTitleDesigner Collection Editor that appears, in the Members list of titles, Title with the
default property settings already exist.

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4. In the Properties Window, you can modify the text, font, border and the background color settings of
the map title.
5. Click OK to close the dialog.
To set the distance scale
A distance scale helps a user to understand the scale of the map. Distance on a map is not the same as the actual
real-world distance, so a distance scale shows that a certain distance on the map equals a certain distance in a
real-world. In distance scale, the distance is displayed in both miles and kilometers. The scale range and values
are automatically calculated using the viewport boundaries, projection type, and zoom level. Use these steps to
learn setting a distance scale on a map:
1. On the design surface, select the Map control.
2. In the Properties window, click the DistanceScale property and then click the ellipsis (...) button that
appears.
3. In the Map Distance Scale dialog that appears, on the General page, you can set the location and the
color of the distance scale.

4. On the Appearance page of the dialog, you can make modifications to the border width, style, color and
background color.
5. On the Font page of the dialog, you can make modifications to the font properties of the distance scale.
6. On the Visibility page of the dialog, you can setup the visibility mode of the distance scale.
7. On the Navigation page of the dialog, you can setup the interactivity features for the distance scale.
8. Click OK to close the dialog.
To set the color scale
A color scale helps a user to understand the range of colors that are used for data visualization on a layer. A map
has just one color scale and multiple layers can provide data for it. Use these steps to learn setting a color scale on
a map.
1. On the design surface, select the Map control.
2. In the Properties window, click the ColorScale property and then click the ellipsis (...) button that appears.
3. In the Map Color Scale dialog that appears, on the General page, you can set the location and the color
of the color scale.

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4. On the Labels page of the dialog, you can make modifications to the properties of the color scale labels.
5. On the Title page of the dialog, you can make modifications to title text and font properties of the color
scale.
6. On to the Appearance page, you can make modifications to the border width, style, color and background
color.
7. On the Font page, you can make modifications to the font properties of the color scale.
8. On the Visibility page, you can setup the visibility mode of the color scale.
9. On the Navigation page, you can setup the interactivity features for the color scale.
10. Click OK to close the dialog.
To modify the appearance of the Viewport
Viewport refers to the area on the map where map data is displayed against a geographical background. It
specifies the coordinates, projection system, parallels and meridians, center point, and scale of the map. In other
words, it is a map element that actually display geographical data and occupies most area of the map control
depending on the location and dock position of other map elements. See Map for more information.
You can modify Viewport properties to make the map look more attractive.
1. On the design surface, select the Map control.
2. Go to the Properties window, click the Viewport property and then click the ellipsis (...) button that
appears.
3. In the Map Viewport dialog that appears, on the General page, choose the Coordinate system. The
map viewport supports the following two coordinate system:

Geographic: Specifies Earth coordinates by defining longitude and latitude values. If you set the
CoordinateSystem property to Geographic, then you must specify the Projection property. A
projection is a set of rules on how to locate three-dimensional objects onto a planar surface.
Planar: Specifies geometric coordinates on a two-dimensional surface by using X and Y
values. and in case you set it to Geographic then set the Projection.
4. Go to the Meridians page, set its visibility and its line and font style and color.
5. Similarly, go to the Parallels page, set its visibility and its line and font style and color.
6. On the View page of the dialog, choose a Center and Zoom mode. The map viewport supports the
following four center and zoom modes:

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Custom: Choose this option to specify custom values for the view center and the zoom level.
Center map to show a map layer: Choose this option to specify a layer and automatically,
center the view on its map data. For example, center the view on LineLayer1.
Center map to show a map element: Choose this option to center the view on a specific data
bound map element. For example, center the view on the map element where the name of the
match field is [StateName] and the match value is "Washington".
Center map to show all map elements: Choose this option to center the view on all map
elements in the layer.

Note: Zoom and View Center level can also be set from the design surface using the zoom slider and
arrow keys that appears in the View Pane of the Map control.

7. On the Appearance page, set the Border and Background style and color of the viewport.
8. Click OK to close the dialog.

Work with Data

The Map data region uses the following two types of data:

Spatial Data
Spatial data is a set of coordinates that defines a map element. Each map layer must have spatial data of one of
the following types - a polygon, a line, or a point.
Spatial data can be either embedded in a map or can be linked to a map layer. The only difference between the
two is that while having the spatial data embedded in a map, there is no separate file to locate or to keep track of
when you move the report between projects or machines.
Embedded Spatial Data:
Embedded spatial data can refer to the following:
Embedded ESRI shapefile or dataset: When you use the Embedded option in Map Layer
Data Properties dialog or the From ESRI file option in the Map Wizard to import spatial data
from an ESRI shapefile, the ESRI shapefile gets embedded in the Map. Similarly, if a report
dataset is been used to provide spatial data to a map layer, you always have an option of
embedding that spatial data in the map using the Embed Spatial Data option that appears in
the layers pane. See, Use Layers to learn embedding spatial data to a map.
Custom data: When you add an empty layer to a map and enter spatial data manually in the
LayerDesigner Collection Editor, the data entered gets embedded to the map automatically.
External Spatial Data:
External spatial data can refer to the following:
Remote or Local ESRI shapefile: When you use the Linked option in Map Layer Data
Properties dialog or use the File property in the Properties Window to specify the local or
remote path/location of an ESRI shapefile, the ESRI shapefile gets linked to the Map layer.
However, it remains an external source as the dependent ESRI shapefile needs to moved
along with the report between projects or machines.
Report Dataset: When you use a report dataset to provide spatial data to a map layer and
you don't embed the spatial data, it remains an external source. This requires the
dependent database file to moved along with the report between projects or machines.
ActiveReports provide numerous ways to add spatial data to the map. You can either use the Map Wizard
and add data from an ESRI shapefile or use the Map Layer Data Properties dialog for using advance options.
You can also add spatial data from the Properties Window.
To add spatial data using Map Wizard
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a Map control onto the design surface.
2. In the Select a Map Template wizard that appears, select From ESRI file.
3. In the Open dialog that appears, navigate to the folder that contains the .shp and .dbf files, select the .shp
file, use the Map Resolution slider to simplify vector data and click Open.
This option automatically imports the spatial data stored in the shapefile and adds a related layer to the map

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control.
To add spatial data using the Map Layer Data Properties dialog
The Map Layer Data Properties dialog provide the following advance options to add spatial data. For more
information on Map Layer Data Properties dialog, see Map.

Embedded : Use this option where you want to add spatial data from an ESRI file along with an
additional option of adding custom spatial data fields if required.
To add Spatial data from an ESRI file using the Embedded option
1. In the Map Layer Data Properties dialog, on the General page, select the Embedded
option and click the Browse button.
2. In the Open dialog that appears, navigate to the folder that contains the .shp and .dbf files.
3. Select the .shp file, use the Map Resolution slider to simplify vector data and click Open. The
fields list gets populated with spatial data fields that are added from the shapefile.
4. In Dataset, set the name of the dataset.
5. In the Fields list, click the Add (+) button to add a new empty spatial data field.
6. With the newly added spatial data field selected in the list, in Field name, enter the name of
the field.
7. In Field type, set the field type of newly added spatial data field.
8. Click OK to close the dialog.

Note : In order to apply the new spatial data field on a layer, you must provide its value for
each map layer element like polygons, points or lines in the added map layer Designer
Collection Editor dialog.

Linked : Use this option when you just want to add spatial data from an ESRI shapefile without any
additional modifications or additions .
To add Spatial data from an ESRI file using the Linked option
1. In the Map Layer Data Properties dialog, on the General page, select the Linked option
and click the Browse button.
2. In the Open dialog that appears, navigate to the folder that contains the .shp and .dbf files.
3. Select the .shp file and click Open.
4. Click OK to close the dialog.
Dataset : Use this option when you have a dataset that stores a spatial data field to provide spatial
data to the Map. You can directly use the data fields from the dataset to display data on a map layer
without setting the match fields for analytical data. Therefore, it also provides you an
additional option of having different dataset for analytical data and spatial data respectively.
To add Spatial data from a Dataset
1. In the Map Layer Data Properties dialog, on the General page, select the Dataset option.
2. In Dataset, set the name of the dataset.
3. In Field name, enter the data field name that contains the spatial data.
Caution: Simply type the name of the dataset field that contains spatial data. For
example, enter value as StateName, not as =[StateName].

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4. Click OK to close the dialog.
Analytical : Use this option when you want to use the spatial data field from the same dataset that
you may use for adding Analytical data to the layer. For using this option you need to first set the
dataset for analytical data and then use the spatial data field from the dataset to provide spatial
data to the map layer.
To add spatial data from Analytical data
1. Configure Analytical data for the Map control. See the dropdown section below to learn
adding Analytical data.

Note : Once the Analytical data has been set, the Analytical option on the General page
of the Map Layer Data Properties dialog becomes active.

2. In the Map Layer Data Properties dialog, on the General page, select the Analytical
option.
3. In Field name, enter the data field name that contains the spatial data.

Caution: In Field name, enter the data field name as =[StateName], not
as StateName.

4. Click OK to close the dialog.

To add spatial data using Properties Window
These steps assume that you have a Map control containing at least one map data layer placed on the design
surface. To learn how to add a layer to the Map control, see Use Layers.
1. With the Map control selected, go to the Properties window, click the Layers (Collection) property and
then click the ellipsis button that appears.
2. In the LayerDesigner Collection Editor that appears, under Members, select the map data layer you
want to use and expand the SpatialData property.

3. In Type, choose the spatial data source of the layer from the following supported options:
Embedded: Use this option when you want to add custom spatial data to the map data
layer. This can be done by first adding the spatial data fields for the embedded spatial data using
the MapFieldDefinitionDesigner Collection Editor which can be accessed through the
FieldDefinitions property. And then later adding spatial data (points, polygons or lines) using
the PolygonDesigner Collection Editor, PointsDesigner Collection Editor or LineDesigner Collection
Editor depending on the layer in use. These Editor dialogs can be accessed using the
SpatialData > Polygons, SpatialData > Points or SpatialData > Lines property.
File: Use this option when you want to add spatial data from an ESRI file. Use the
Source property to specify the location of the shapefile.
Note: The specified location must contain the shape format (.shp) and attribute format
(.dbf) files.

DataSet: Use this option when you have a dataset that stores a spatial data field to provide
spatial data to the Map. This option is equivalent to the DataSet option in the Map Layer Data
Properties dialog. Use the SpatialData > DataSetName property to specify the name of the
dataset and the SpatialData > SpatialField property to specify the data field that contains
spatial data.
DataRegion: Use this option when you have a dataset that stores a spatial data field to provide
spatial data to the Map. This option is equivalent to the Analytical option in the Map Layer
Data Properties dialog. Use the LayerData > DataSetName property to specify the name of
the dataset and the SpatialData > VectorData property to specify the data field or
expression that contains spatial data.
4. Click OK to close the dialog.

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Analytical Data
Analytical data is the data that you want to visualize on the map, for example, tourist attractions in a city or
product sales by region. For analytical data, you can associate it with map elements by indicating match fields in
the Match box of the Map Layer Data Properties dialog. You can use one or more fields in the Match box of the
Map Layer Data Properties dialog; for each spatial data field you must indicate a unique analytical data field.
This data is optional.
You can get analytical data from the following types of data sources.
Dataset field: A field from a dataset.
Spatial data source field: A field from the spatial data source. For example, you can often find that an
ESRI Shapefile contains both spatial and analytical data. Field names from the spatial data source are
marked with the # sign in the drop-down list of fields.
Embedded data for a map element: After you embed polygons, lines, or points in a report, you can
select the data fields for map elements and define custom values.
To add Analytical Data to the Map control
Use the following steps to add analytical data to the map. These steps assume that you have added a page layout
template to your report and have a data connection in place. See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project and Connect
to a Data Source for further information.
1. Add spatial data to the map control. See the dropdown sections above to learn adding spatial data to the
map control.
2. In the Map Layer Data Properties dialog, go to the Analytical data page.
3. Select the dataset that you want to use from the Dataset dropdown list and click the Add (+) button
located next to the Match field. This creates an empty match field expression and enables the Spatial and
Analytical field properties.
4. In the Spatial field and Analytical field options set data fields that contain same data in both Spatial and
Analytical databases. This builds the match field expression and relates analytical data to map elements on
a map layer.

Note: It is necessary to set match fields if you want to use a spatial data field from analytical data, or
if you want to visualize analytical data on the map layer. Match fields enable the report processor to
build a relationship between the analytical data and the spatial data.

5. Click OK to close the dialog.

Work with Layers

See step-by-step instructions for using map layers in a Map data region to display data.
Use Layers
Learn adding and removing layers, adding bookmarks and hyperlinks to map layer elements and embedding
spatial data on a map.
Use a Polygon Layer
Learn how to use a polygon layer to display data on a map.
Use a Point Layer
Learn how to use a point layer to display data on a map.
Use a Line Layer
Learn how to use a line layer to display data on a map.
Use a Tile Layer
Learn how to use a tile layer to display data on a map.
Use Color Rule, Marker Rule and Size Rule
Learn how to use Color, Marker and Size rules to modify appearance of the data displayed on a map.

Use Layers

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A map is a collection of layers that display data on the map control. See, Map for more information.
This topic illustrates how to add, remove and change order of layers. It also shows how to add interactive
navigational feature to map layer elements.

To add a map layer

To add a map layer from the design surface
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a Map control onto the design surface.
2. In the Select a Map Template wizard that appears, select a map template.
3. Click the Map until the map panes appear.
4. Right click inside the area labeled "Right click to add the new layer." and select the map layer you want
to use.
To add a map layer using the LayerDesigner Collection Editor
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a Map control onto the design surface.
2. In the Select a Map Template wizard that appears, select a map template.
3. With the Map control selected, go to the Properties window, click the Layers (Collection)
property and then click the ellipsis button that appears.
4. In the LayerDesigner Collection Editor that appears, use the Add combo-box to view the list of available
layers and select the map layer you want to use.

To delete a map layer

To delete a map layer from the design surface
1. On the design surface, click the map until the map panes appear.
2. In the layers pane, right click the layer you want to remove and select Delete.
To delete a map layer using the LayerDesigner Collection Editor
1. On the design surface, with the Map control selected, go to the Properties window, click the Layers
(Collection) property and then click the ellipsis button that appears.
2. In the LayerDesigner Collection Editor that appears, under the members list, select the map layer you
want to delete and click the Remove button.

To change order of layers

Map layers are rendered from left to right in the order that they appear in the map panes. In the image below, the
polygon layer is drawn first and the line layer is rendered last. Layers that are rendered later might hide map
elements on layers that are rendered earlier. You can change rendering order of layers added to the map control
using the LayerDesigner Collection Editor. Follow these to steps learn re-ordering the layers on a map.

1. On the design surface, with the Map control selected, go to the Properties window.
2. In the Properties Window, click the Layers (Collection) property and then click the ellipsis button that
appears.
3. In the LayerDesigner Collection Editor that appears, under the members list, select the map layer you
want to reorder and use the up or down arrow to change the rendering order of each layer.
4. Click OK to close the Collection Editor.

To embed layer spatial data or tiles in a map

When you embed map elements or map tiles in a report, the spatial data is stored in the report definition.
1. Click the map until the map panes appear.
2. In the layers pane, right click the added layer that contains spatial data, select Embed Spatial Data and
then select All Spatial Data or Currently Visible Data. In case of Tile layer select Embed Tiles.
Note: All Spatial Data refers to all the spatial data fields, while Currently Visible Data refers to
the spatial data field that is set in the Field property.

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To add Hyperlinks, Bookmarks and drill-through links
Map layer elements like point, polygon and line provides you a functionality to set interactive navigational features
like a bookmark link to jump to other areas in the same report, a hyperlink to jump to a Web address, or a drill-
through link to jump to another report. Follow these steps to learn adding hyperlinks, bookmarks and drill-through
links to a layer element:
1. On the design surface, click the map until the map panes appear.
2. In the layers pane, right click the layer in use and select Edit.
3. In the selected layer's dialog that appears, go to the Navigation page.
4. On the Navigation page, select from the following actions to perform when a user clicks a data layer
element :
None: The default behavior to indicate that the item has no action.
Jump to report: For drill-through reporting, select this option and provide the name of a local
report, the relative path of a report in another folder, or the full path of a report on another
server.
Parameters: Supply parameters to the targeted report by entering the Name of
each parameter, the Value to send to the targeted report, or whether to Omit the
parameter. Note that parameter names you supply must exactly match parameters
in the target report. You can remove or change the order of parameters using the
X and arrow buttons.
For detailed steps on adding a drill-through link, see Set a Drill-Through Link.
Jump to bookmark: Select this option and provide a valid Bookmark ID to allow the user to
jump to another report control with the same Bookmark ID.
For more information on adding bookmarks, see Add Bookmarks.
Jump to URL: Select this option and provide a valid URL to create a hyperlink to a Web page.
For more information on adding hyperlinks, see Add Hyperlinks.
5. Click OK to close the dialog.

Use a Polygon Layer

A Polygon layer display outlines of areas or site boundaries that can be linked to Locations and can be used to
select records that fall within the boundary for reporting usage.
Use the following steps for creating a basic map using the Polygon layer. These steps assume that you have added
a page layout template to your project and have a data connection in place. See Adding an ActiveReport to a
Project and Connect to a Data Source for further information.
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a Map control onto the design surface.
2. In the Select a Map Template wizard that appears, select the New Map template.
3. Click the map until the map panes appear.
4. Right click inside the area labeled "Right click to add the new layer." and select Add Polygon Layer. This
adds a polygon layer to the map and opens the Map Layer Data Properties dialog.
5. In the Map Layer Data Properties dialog that appears, on the General page, import the spatial
data (polygons) from a shape file or use a data field from the analytical data to specify the spatial data
source.
6. In case you want to visualize analytical data on the map, go to the Analytical data page of the dialog,
select your dataset from the Dataset dropdown list and click the Add (+) button located next to the
Match field. This creates an empty match field expression and enables the Spatial and Analytical field
properties. See, Work with Data for more information.
7. In the Spatial field and Analytical field options set data fields that contain similar data in both Spatial
and Analytical databases. This builds the match field expression and relates analytical data to map
elements on a polygon layer.
Note: It is necessary to set match fields if you want to use a spatial data field from analytical data, or
if you want to visualize analytical data on the map layer. Match fields enable the report processor to
build a relationship between the analytical data and the spatial data.

8. Go to the Filters page and set filters if any.

9. Click OK to close the dialog.

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10. In the layers pane, right click on PolygonLayer1 and select Edit to open Map Polygon Layer dialog.

11. In the General page of the dialog, select any data field from the Label Text combo box to display as
labels inside polygons at runtime.
12. Go to the Color Rule page of the dialog, to set rules to visualize data using color pallets, color ranges or
custom colors for polygons or polygon center points that gets displayed on the map or keep it set to the
default "Use Appearance settings". See, Use Color Rule, Marker Rule and Size Rule for more information.
13. Go to the Visibility page of the dialog and make sure the layer visibility is set to Show. You can also select
options to show or hide layer based on any expression or zoom value.
14. In the Navigation page of the dialog, you can optionally link the polygon to a URL, bookmark or a report.
15. The Appearance page of the dialog either reflects the default appearance of the polygons or the color rule
settings if any.
16. In the Font page of the dialog, you can optionally set the font family, size, weight, style, set and color for
the label text that you had set in the General page of the dialog.
17. Go to the Data Output page and specify the Data Element Name of the layer to be used while rendering to
XML and also specify whether the layer should be included in output while rendering or not.
18. Click OK to close the dialog and go to the preview tab to view the map.

Use a Point Layer

A Point layer displays markers for point locations such as a city or an address for a store, restaurant, or school.
Use the following steps for creating a basic map using the Point layer. These steps assume that you have added a
page layout template to your project and have a data connection in place. See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project
and Connect to a Data Source for further information.
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a Map control onto the design surface.
2. In the Select a Map Template wizard that appears, select the New Map template.
3. Click the map until the map panes appear.
4. Right click inside the area labeled "Right click to add the new layer." and add either a Tile layer or a
Polygon layer. One of these layers that you add serves as the geographic base to plot points on. See, Use a
Polygon Layer or Use a Tile Layer for steps to add these layers on a Map control.
5. Right click again inside the area labeled "Right click to add the new layer." and select Add Point Layer.
This adds a point layer to the map and opens the Map Layer Data Properties dialog.
6. In the Map Layer Data Properties dialog that appears, on the General page, import the spatial
data (points) from a shape file or use a data field from the analytical data to specify the spatial data source.
7. In case you want to visualize analytical data on the map, go to the Analytical data page of the dialog,
select your dataset from the Dataset dropdown list and click the Add (+) button located next to the
Match field. This makes the Spatial field and Analytical field options active. See, Work with Data for
more information.
8. In the Spatial field and Analytical field options set data fields that contain similar data in both Spatial
and Analytical databases. Match fields are used to relate the spatial data with the analytical data.
Note: It is necessary to set match fields if you want to use a data field from the analytical data to set
spatial data for the layer, or if you want to visualize analytical data on the map.

9. Go to the Filters page and set filters if any.

10. Click OK to close the dialog and return to design surface.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 480
11. In the layers pane, right click on PointLayer1 and select Edit to open Map Point Layer dialog.

12. In the General page of the dialog, select any data field from the Label Text dropdown list to display as
label for each point that gets displayed on the map at runtime. You can also set the label placement, size
and marker type.
13. Go to the Marker Rule page to set rules to visualize data using markers or keep it set to "Use default
marker type".
14. Go to the Size Rule page to set rules to visualize data using different marker sizes or keep it set to "Use
default marker size". See, Use Color Rule, Marker Rule and Size Rule for more information.
15. Go to the Color Rule page to set rules to visualize data using color pallets, color ranges or custom colors
for markers that gets displayed on the map or keep it set to "Use Appearance settings".
16. Go to the Visibility page of the dialog and make sure the layer visibility is set to Show. You can also select
options to show or hide layer based on any expression or zoom value.
17. In the Navigation page of the dialog, you can optionally link the layer to a URL, bookmark or a report.
18. The Appearance page of the dialog either reflects the default appearance of the polygons or the color rule
settings if any.
19. In the Font page of the dialog, you can optionally set the font family, size, weight, style, set and color for
the label text that you had set in the General page of the dialog.
20. Go to the Data Output page and specify the Data Element Name of the layer to be used while rendering to
XML and also specify whether the layer should be included in output while rendering or not.
21. Click OK to close the dialog and go to the preview tab to view the map.

Use a Line Layer

A Line layer displays routes and paths between different locations, for example, transportation route between two
stores.
Use the following steps for creating a basic map using the Point layer. These steps assume that you have added a
page layout template to your project and have a data connection in place. See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project
and Connect to a Data Source for further information.
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a Map control onto the design surface.
2. In the Select a Map Template wizard that appears, select the New Map template.
3. Click the map until the map panes appear.
4. Right click inside the area labeled "Right click to add the new layer." and add either a Tile layer or a
Polygon layer. One of these layers that you add serves as the geographic base to plot lines on. See, Use a
Polygon Layer or Use a Tile Layer for steps to add these layers on a Map control.
5. Right click again inside the area labeled "Right click to add the new layer." and select Add Line Layer. This
adds a Line layer to the map and opens the Map Layer Data Properties dialog.
6. In the Map Layer Data Properties dialog that appears, on the General page, import the spatial
data (lines) from a shape file or use a data field from the analytical data to specify the spatial data source.
7. In case you want to visualize analytical data on the map, go to the Analytical data page of the dialog,
select your dataset from the Dataset dropdown list and click the Add (+) button located next to the
Match field. This makes the Spatial field and Analytical field options active. See, Work with Data for
more information.
8. In the Spatial field and Analytical field options set data fields that contain similar data in both Spatial
and Analytical databases. Match fields are used to relate the spatial data with the analytical data.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 481
Note: It is necessary to set match fields if you want to use a data field from the analytical data to set
spatial data for the layer, or if you want to visualize analytical data on the map.

9. Go to the Filters page and set filters if any.

10. Click OK to close the dialog and return to design surface.
11. In the layers pane, right click on LineLayer1 and select Edit to open Map Line Layer dialog.

12. In the General page of the dialog, select any data field from the Label Text dropdown list to display as
label for each line that gets displayed on the map at runtime. You can also set the label placement.
13. Go to the Color Rule page to set rules to visualize data using color pallets, color ranges or custom colors
for lines that gets displayed on the map or keep it set to "Use Appearance settings". See, Use Color Rule,
Marker Rule and Size Rule for more information.
14. Go to the Size Rule page to set rules to visualize data using line width or keep it set to the default line
width.
15. Go to the Visibility page of the dialog and make sure the layer visibility is set to Show. You can also select
options to show or hide layer based on any expression or zoom value.
16. In the Navigation page of the dialog, you can optionally link the layer to a URL, bookmark or a report.
17. Go to the Appearance page of the dialog and set the style, width and color of the layer border and the
layer background.
18. In the Font page of the dialog, you can optionally set the font family, size, weight, style, set and color for
the label text that you had set in the General page of the dialog.
19. Go to the Data Output page and specify the Data Element Name of the layer to be used while rendering to
XML and also specify whether the layer should be included in output while rendering or not.
20. Click OK to close the dialog and go to the preview tab to view the map.

Use a Tile Layer

A Tile layer displays the virtual earth tile background on the map.
Use the following steps for creating a basic map using the Polygon layer. These steps assume that you have added
a page layout template to your report and have a data connection in place. See Adding an ActiveReport to a
Project and Connect to a Data Source for further information.
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a Map control onto the design surface.
2. In the Select a Map Template wizard that appears, select the New Map template.
3. Click the map until the map panes appear.
4. Right click inside the area labeled "Right click to add the new layer." and select Add Tile Layer. This adds
a tile layer to the map and opens the Map Tile Properties dialog.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 482

5. In the Map Tile Properties dialog that appears, on the General page, set the layer name and choose its
Source and Type. The default values in these fields also work fine.
6. In the Provider property, choose one from the following supported tile providers:
Bing: The Microsoft Bing Map server offers static map images. This requires an Application key
for authentication. The default key provided by ActiveReports is for demo purpose and can't be
used by 3rd party applications. In order to obtain a Bing Map Key, see HowTo - Create a Bing
Map Account and HowTo - Get a Bing Map Key.
Note: After generating the key, add the following script in
the Grapecity.ActiveReports.config file to configure embedded Bing tile provider with
Application key.
Script
Paste inside the <Configuration></Configuration> tags.
<MapTileServerConfiguration>
<Timeout>5</Timeout>
<AppID>"Your Application Key"</AppID>
</MapTileServerConfiguration>

Caution: The Grapecity.ActiveReports.config file should always be placed in the same

folder as the EndUserDesigner.exe file for displaying a Bing tile layer on a Map.

Google: The Google Map server creates your map tiles based on URL parameters sent through a
standard HTTP request that returns the map tiles as an image.
CloudMade: The CloudMade tile server allows you to access it through the HTTP Tile API. The
URL structure for this API is straightforward, and is instantly recognizable to anyone familiar with
the OpenStreetMap tile numbering convention. To use a CloudMade Tile server you require an
API key for authentication which can be obtained by registering at CloudMade.
Note: After generating the key, add the following script in
the Grapecity.ActiveReports.config file to configure embedded CloudMade tile provider with
ApiKey.
Script
Paste inside the <Configuration></Configuration> tags.
<!-- Configure embedded CloudMade tile provider with ApiKey -->
<MapTileProvider Name="CloudMade" DisplayName="CloudMade Tiles
Provider">
<Settings>
<add key="ApiKey" value="API Key" />
</Settings>
</MapTileProvider>

MapQuest: The MapQuest tile server provides the tiles in a format similar to Google. This tile
server requires an API Key for authentication which can be obtained by registering at MapQuest.
Note: After generating the key, add the following script in
the Grapecity.ActiveReports.config file to configure embedded MapQuest tile provider with

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 483
ApiKey.
Script

Paste inside the <Configuration></Configuration> tags.

<!-- Configure embedded MapQuest tile provider with ApiKey -->
<MapTileProvider Name="MapQuest" DisplayName="Map Quest Tiles
Provider">
<Settings>
<add key="ApiKey" value="API Key" />
<add key="Timeout" value="3000" />
</Settings>
</MapTileProvider>

OpenStreetMap: The OpenStreetMap server provides the tiles in an index based format. This
tile server provides only the roadmap and returns fixed size images (256x256). Before using the
OpenStreetMap server, go through the Copyright and License and Tile usage policy pages.
7. Go to the Visibility page of the dialog and make sure the layer visibility is set to Show. You can also select
options to show or hide layer based on any expression or zoom value.
8. Click OK to close the dialog and go to the preview tab to view the map.

Note
If you are using proxy server connection to see the map tile images, you need to set credentials for the proxy
server in the application config file for authentication. To use your default proxy server credentials, you can
do the following:
For Visual Studio Designer (IDE)
1. Find devenv.exe.config (the devenv.exe configuration file) in: ProgramFiles(x86)\Microsoft Visual
Studio 12.0\Common7\IDE
2. In the configuration file, find the <system.net> block, and add this code:
Paste inside the <system.net></system.net> tags.
<defaultProxy useDefaultCredentials="true" />

For Visual Studio Application

1. On the menu bar, choose Project, Add New Item and then choose the Application Configuration
File template.
2. In the Name text box, enter a name, and then click Add button.
3. In the configuration file, add this code:
Paste inside the <configuration></configuration> tags.
<system.net>
<defaultProxy useDefaultCredentials="true" />
</system.net>

Note: Grapecity.ActiveReports.config file should be kept inside the project Debug folder and added to a
Visual Studio project for displaying a Tile layer on a Map in any Viewer control.

Add a Custom Tile Provider

You can add and configure a Custom Tile Provider in the Map control using the IMapTileProvider ('IMapTileProvider Interface' in the on-line documentation)
and IMapTile ('IMapTile Interface' in the on-line documentation) interfaces.
The IMapTileProvider interface contains detailed settings that are required to communicate with the tile server, whereas the IMapTile interface represents a single
tile of a Map's tile layer that fetches the tile image based on the configurations in the IMapTileProvider interface.
Adding a custom tile provider also requires making some modifications in the Grapecity.ActiveReports.config file. Follow these steps to learn how to set a custom tile
provider:
1. Create a Class Library Project, for example MyClassLib, in Visual Studio.
2. Add a new Class to the project and name the class, for example, MyTileProvider. You may add functions and features to this class for getting the Tile images
based on your tile server settings and details. This class serves as the interface between your Map control and your custom tile server. Replace the existing code
with the following in the MyTileProvider class to implement the IMapTileProvider interface.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 484
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
VB code. Paste on TOP
Imports System
Imports System.Collections.Specialized
Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.Rendering.Components.Map

VB code. Paste BELOW the Imports statements

Namespace MyClassLib
Public Class MyTileProvider Implements IMapTileProvider
' Tile provider settings, like ApiKey, Language, Style and etc.
Public Property Settings() As NameValueCollection
' Add your code here.
End Property
' Get instance of tile by specifying tile coordinates and details.
Public Sub GetTile(key As MapTileKey, success As Action(Of IMapTile), [error] As Action(Of Exception))
' Add your code here.
End Sub
End Class

End Namespace

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste on TOP

using System;
using System.Collections.Specialized;
using GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.Rendering.Components.Map;

C# code. Paste BELOW the Using statements

namespace MyClassLib
{
public Class MyTileProvider :IMapTileProvider
{// Tile provider settings, like ApiKey, Language, Style and etc.
public NameValueCollection Settings { get; private set;}
// Get instance of tile by specifying tile coordinates and details.
public void GetTile(MapTileKey key, Action<IMapTile> success, Action<Exception> error);
// Add your code here.
}
}

3. Add a new Class to the project and name the class, for example, MyMapTile. Replace the existing code with the following in the MyMapTile class to implement
the IMapTile interface.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

VB code. Paste on TOP

Imports System.IO
Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.Rendering.Components.Map

VB code. Paste BELOW the Imports statements

Namespace MyClassLib
Public Class MyMapTile Implements IMapTile
' Gets the tile identifier
Public Property Id() As MapTileKey
' Add your code here
End Property
' Gets the tile image stream.
Public Property Image() As Stream
' Add your code here.
End Property
End Class
End Namespace

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste on TOP

using System.IO;
using GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.Rendering.Components.Map;

C# code. Paste BELOW the Using statements

namespace MyClassLib
public class MyMapTile : IMapTile
{ // Gets the tile identifier.
public MapTileKey Id { get; private set; }
// Gets the tile image stream.
public Stream Image { get; private set; }
// Add your code here.
}
}

4. Add another Class to the project and name the class, for example, WebRequestHelper. Replace the existing code with the following in the
WebRequestHelper class to implement the loading of raw website data into the System.IO.MemoryStream class.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
VB code. Paste on TOP
Imports System.IO

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 485
Imports System.Net

VB code. Paste BELOW the Imports statements

Namespace MyClassLib
Module StringExtensions
Public Sub CopyTo(ByVal input As Stream, ByVal output As Stream)
'Add your code here
End Sub
Private Function InlineAssignHelper(Of T)(ByRef target As T, value As T) As T
'Add your code here
End Function
End Module
Friend NotInheritable Class WebRequestHelper
Private Sub New()
End Sub
' Load raw data into MemoryStream from specified Url.
Public Shared Function DownloadData(url As String, timeoutMilliseconds As Integer) As Stream
'Add your code here
End Function
'oad raw data into MemoryStream from specified Url.
Public Shared Sub DownloadDataAsync(url As String, timeoutMilliseconds As Integer, success As Action(Of
MemoryStream), [error] As Action(Of Exception))
'Add your code here
End Sub
Private Shared Function InlineAssignHelper(Of T)(ByRef target As T, value As T) As T
'Add your code here
End Function
End Class
End Namespace

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste on TOP

using System.IO;
using System.Net;

C# code. Paste BELOW the Using statements

namespace MyClassLib
{
internal static class WebRequestHelper
{ // Load raw data into MemoryStream from specified Url.
public static Stream DownloadData(string url, int timeoutMilliseconds)
{//Add your code here }
public static void DownloadDataAsync(string url, int timeoutMilliseconds, Action<MemoryStream> success,
Action<Exception> error)
{//Add your code here }
public static void CopyTo(this Stream input, Stream output)
{//Add your code here }
}
}

5. Save and build your class library project and locate the new .dll file in its Bin>Debug folder. This file has the same name as your class library project, with a .dll
extension.
6. Create a Basic End User Designer in a new solution following the steps in Creating a Basic End User Designer.
7. Run your Basic End User Designer project to create a EndUserDesigner.exe in your projects Bin>Debug folder.
8. Copy the Grapecity.ActiveReports.config file from the C:\Program Files\Common Files\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9\ location and paste it into your End User
Designer project's Bin>Debug folder.
Caution: Grapecity.ActiveReports.config file should always be placed inside the same folder as the EndUserDesigner.exe file for displaying a tile layer on a
Map.

9. Right-click on the Grapecity.ActiveReports.config file and select Include in this Project to make changes in the config file.
10. Double-click to open the Grapecity.ActiveReports.config file and paste the following code between the <Configuration> and </Configuration> tags:
Paste between the <Configuration></Configuration> tags.
<!-- Register and configure custom tile provider. -->
<MapTileProvider Name="Custom" DisplayName="Custom Provider" type="YourTileProvider, AssemblyName, Version = x.x.x.x">
<Settings>
<add key="ApiKey" value="API Key" />
</Settings>
</MapTileProvider>

Note: Replace YourTileProvider with fully qualified class name and AssemblyName with the name of the assembly created after implementing
IMapTileProvider and IMapTile interfaces.

11. Add the Class Library project created in step 5 to your Basic End User Designer project.
12. Copy the YourProjectName.dll created in step 5 and paste it to the current project's Bin>Debug folder together with the EndUserDesigner.exe.
13. Save and Run the project.
14. Create a Report containing a Map control in the Basic End User Designer. See Reports with Map for more information.
15. Add a Tile layer to the Map control. Right click the Tile layer and select Edit to view the custom tile provider added in the Provider drop-down. See Use a Tile
Layer for more information.
1.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 486
Use Color Rule, Marker Rule and Size Rule
You can visualize the data displayed on a map by setting rules to control color, size or marker type for all map
elements on a layer. You can set three types of rules depending on the type of layer in use.

1. Color Rule
Color Rule is set to fill colors for map elements like polygons, markers (points or polygon center points)
and lines while using a Polygon, Point or Line layer.
Color Rule provides four options:
a. Apply Appearance Settings : Use the default appearance settings that are set in the Appearance
page of the map layer dialog.
b. Visualize data by using color palette : This option uses an in-built palette that you specify.
Based on related analytical data, each map element is assigned a different color from the palette.
c. Visualize data by using color ranges : This option, combined with the start, middle, and end
colors that you specify on this page and the options that you specify on the Distribution page, divide
the related analytical data into ranges. The report then assigns the appropriate color to each map
element based on its associated data and the range that it falls into. For example, in a map which
uses color to display temperatures on a scale of 0 to 100, low values are blue to represent cold and
high values are red to represent hot.
d. Visualize data by using custom colors : This option uses the list of custom colors that you
specify. Based on related analytical data, each map element is assigned a color from the list.

To set Color Rule for polygons, lines and markers

To visualize polygons, lines or markers using color palette
a. Click the Map until the map panes appear.
b. In the layers pane, right click on the added map layer and select Edit to open the selected map
layer dialog.
c. In the selected map layer dialog that appears, go to the Color Rule page.
d. In the Color Rule page, select the Visualize data by using color palette option.
e. In Data field, set the name of the field or expression that contains the analytical data that you
want to visualize by color.
f. In Palette, set the name of the palette to use.
g. Click OK to close the dialog.
To visualize polygons, lines or markers using color ranges
a. Click the Map until the map panes appear.
b. In the layers pane, right click on the added map layer and select Edit to open the selected map
layer dialog.
c. In the selected map layer dialog that appears, go to the Color Rule page.
d. In the Color Rule page, select the Visualize data by using color ranges option.
e. In Data field, set the name of the field or expression that contains the analytical data that you
want to visualize by color.
f. In Start color, set the color to be used for the color range.
g. In Middle color, set the color to be used for the color range.
h. In End color, set the color to be used for the color range.
i. Click OK to close the dialog.
To visualize polygons, lines or markers using custom colors
a. Click the Map until the map panes appear.
b. In the layers pane, right click on the added map layer and select Edit to open the selected map
layer dialog.
c. In the selected map layer dialog that appears, go to the Color Rule page.
d. In the Color Rule page, select the Visualize data by using custom colors option.
e. In Data field, set the name of the field that contains the analytical data that you want to visualize
by color.
f. Click Add to specify each custom color.
g. Click OK to close the dialog.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 487
2. Marker Rule
Marker Rule is set on markers that represent points or polygon center points on a map while using a Point
layer.
Marker Rule support two options:
a. Use a default marker type : You specify one of the available marker types.
b. Visualize data using markers : This option uses a set of markers in an order in which you want
them to be used. Marker types include Rectangle, Circle, Diamond, Triangle, Trapezoid,
Star, Wedge, Pentagon, PushPin and Image.

To set Marker Rule for points

To visualize points using default marker type
a. Click the Map until the map panes appear.
b. In the layers pane, right click on the added map layer and select Edit to open the selected map
layer dialog.
c. In the selected map layer dialog that appears, go to the Marker Rule page.
d. In Default, set a default marker type that will appear in place of each point on a map.
e. Click OK to close the dialog.
To visualize points using specific marker types
a. Click the Map until the map panes appear.
b. In the layers pane, right click on the added map layer and select Edit to open the selected map
layer dialog.
c. In the selected map layer dialog that appears, go to the Marker Rule page.
d. In the Marker Rule page, select the Visualize data using markers option.
e. In Data field, set the name of the field that contains the analytical data that you want to visualize
using different marker types.
f. Click Add and specify each Marker type in an order in which you want them to be used.
g. Click OK to close the dialog.
To visualize points using Image as marker type
ActiveReports provides Image as one of the many available marker types to use from. You can set this
marker type and use any image as a marker on a map layer. Like other marker types, you can either use it
as a default marker or use it as one of the member in the markers collection.
Use Image as Default marker type
a. Click the Map until the map panes appear.
b. In the layers pane, right click on the added map layer and select Edit to open the selected map
layer dialog.
c. In the selected map layer dialog that appears, on the General page, set Marker Type to Image. A
new set of properties appears on the page.
d. In Image Source, choose the source of image from the provided options:
External: Select this option and set a path or url of the image file in Image Value.
Embedded: Choose from the list of embedded images added to your report. Once you set
this option, the Image Value provides you the list of embedded images to choose from.
Database: Select this option and set the data field containing the image in the Image
Value property.
e. In MIME Type, set the MIME type of the image chosen. In case you are using the Embedded image
source the MIME Type gets set automatically as you select the image in the Image Value property.
f. Set the Transparent Color and the Resize Mode.
g. Click OK to close the dialog.
Use Image in markers collection
a. Click the Map until the map panes appear.
b. In the layers pane, right click on the added map layer and select Edit to open the selected map
layer dialog.
c. In the selected map layer dialog that appears, go to the Marker Rule page.
d. In the Marker Rule page, select the Visualize data using markers option.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 488
e. In Data field, set the name of the field that contains the analytical data that you want to visualize
using different marker types.
f. Click Add and set Marker type to Image. A new set of properties for image marker types appears
on the page.
g. In Image Source, choose the source of image from the provided options:
External: Select this option and set a path or url of the image file in Image Value.
Embedded: Choose from the list of embedded images added to your report. Once you set
this option, the Image Value provides you the list of embedded images to choose from.
Database: Select this option and set the data field containing the image in the Image
Value property.
h. In MIME Type, set the MIME type of the image chosen. In case you are using the Embedded image
source the MIME Type gets set automatically as you select the image in the Image Value property.
i. Set the Transparent Color and the Resize Mode.
j. Click OK to close the dialog.

3. Size Rule
Size Rule is set on markers, polygon center points or line width while using a Polygon, Point or a Line layer.
Size Rule support two options:
a. Use a default marker size or Use a default line width : You specify the marker size or line
width in points.
b. Visualize data by using size or Visualize data by using line width : In this option, you set the
minimum (start) and maximum (end) sizes or width for marker or line, specify the data field to
be used for varying the marker size or line width and then specify the distribution options to apply
to that data.

To set Size Rule for markers and line width

To visualize marker or line using default marker size or line width
a. Click the Map until the map panes appear.
b. In the layers pane, right click on the added map layer and select Edit to open the selected map
layer dialog.
c. In the selected map layer dialog that appears, go to the Size Rule page.
d. In Default, set default size or width for each marker or line that appears on a map.
e. Click OK to close the dialog.
To visualize marker or line using specific marker size or line width
a. Click the Map until the map panes appear.
b. In the layers pane, right click on the added map layer and select Edit to open the selected map
layer dialog.
c. In the selected map layer dialog that appears, go to the Size Rule page.
d. In the Size Rule page, select Visualize data by using size or Visualize data by using line width
depending on the layer type in use.
e. In Data field, set the name of the field that contains the analytical data that you want to visualize
using different marker sizes or line width.
f. Set Start size and End size in case of Point Layer or Minimum line width and Maximum line
width in case of Line Layer.
g. Click OK to close the dialog.

Distribution Options
The distribution values are used by the rules to differ the map element display values.
To create a distribution of values, you divide your data into ranges by specifying the distribution method, the
number of sub-ranges, and the range start and end values.
To set distribution values for rules
1. Click the Map until the map panes appear.
2. In the layers pane, right click on the added map layer and select Edit to open the selected map layer
dialog.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 489
3. In the selected map layer dialog that appears, go to the rule page(Color Rule, Marker Rule or Size
Rule) where you need to specify distribution values.
4. In the rule page of the dialog, select any option to visualize data using the selected rule type and go to the
Distribution tab.
5. On the Distribution tab, select one of the following distribution types:
EqualInterval : Create ranges that divide the data into equal range intervals. For the example,
the three ranges would be 0-2999, 3000-5999, 6000-8999. Sub-range 1: 1, 10, 200, 500. Sub-
range 2: 4777. Sub-range 3: 8999.
EqualDistribution : Create ranges that divide that data so that each range has an equal number
of items. For example, the three ranges would be 0-10, 11-500, 501-8999. Sub-range 1: 1, 10.
Sub-range 2: 200, 500. Sub-range 3: 4777, 8999.
Optimal : Specifies ranges that automatically adjust distribution to create balanced sub-ranges.
The number of Sub-ranges is determined by the algorithm.
Custom : Specify your own number of ranges to control the distribution of values. For example,
you can specify your own custom ranges 0-5000 and 5001-10000.
6. In Number of Sub-ranges, type the number of sub-ranges to use.
7. In Range start, type a minimum range value. All values less than this number are the same as the range
minimum.
8. In Range end, type a maximum range value. All values larger than this number are the same as the range
maximum.
9. Click OK to close the dialog.

Displaying Rule results in Legend

To display rule results in Legend
1. Click the Map until the map panes appear.
2. In the layers pane, right click on the added map layer and select Edit to open the selected map layer
dialog.
3. In the selected map layer dialog that appears, go to the rule page(Color Rule, Marker Rule or Size Rule)
where you need to specify displaying rule results in a legend.
4. In the rule page of the dialog, select any option to visualize data using the selected rule type and go to
the Legend tab.
5. Select Show in legend checkbox and set Legend name.
6. In Legend text, enter text that specify which data should appear in the legend. Use map keywords and
custom formats to help control the format of legend text. For example, #VALUE {C2} specifies a currency
format with two decimal places. Following are the supported formats that you can use:

Format Description Example

#Value Displays a numeric
value calculated using
"(EndRangeValue -
StartRangeValue)/2"
formula.
#FROMVALUE {C0} Displays the currency $100
of the total value with
no decimal places.
#FROMVALUE {C2} Displays the currency $40.25
of the total value to
two decimal places.
#TOVALUE Displays the actual 100
numeric value of the
data field.
#FROMVALUE{N0} - Displays the actual 10 - 500
#TOVALUE{N0} numeric values of the
beginning of the range
and end of the range.

7. Click OK to close the dialog.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 490
Add TableOfContents
The TableOfContents control allows you to display the document map, an organized hierarchy of the report
bookmark labels and heading levels along with their page numbers, in the body of a report.

To add items to the Document Map using HeadingLevel Property

You can define an hierarchical structure for your report using the HeadingLevel property of the TextBox control.
For example, you can set the HeadingLevel property of the TextBox displaying the report title to Heading1 and
then set the HeadingLevel property of the TextBox displaying a group header to Heading2, this will club all the
Heading2 entries under the Heading1 entry in the Document Map.
These steps assume that you have already set the HeadingLevel property of the TextBox controls that your
report contains. See, Add Items to the Document Map for more information.
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Report item and select Report Properties...
2. In the Report Properties dialog that appears, go to the Document Map page.
3. On the Document Map page, set Source to Headings Only and optionally select the Numbering Style
from the dropdown list.
Tip: You can also set Source to Labels and Headings to include both labels and headings in
the Document Map.

4. Click OK to close the dialog.

To add items to the Document Map using Label Property or Document Map Labels
By setting the Label property or Document Map Label of the controls in your page report/RDL report, you
can show a hierarchical structure based on the parent - child relationship between the controls in the Document
Map. For example, set the Label property or Document Map Label of a List data region and a TextBox control
and then place the TextBox control inside the List data region. When you view the Document Map, the TextBox
label appears nested inside the List data region label, thereby displaying a hierarchical structure. Similarly, if you
set a Document map label on multiple Groups of a data region, they appear nested below each other in the
document map displaying the same hierarchy in which they were set.
These steps assume that you have already set the Label property or Document Map Label of the controls that
your report contains. See, Add Items to the Document Map for more information.
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the control and select Report Properties...
2. In the Report Properties dialog that appears, go to the Document Map page.
3. In the Document Map page, set Source to Labels Only and optionally select the Numbering Style from
the dropdown list.
Tip: You can also set Source to Labels and Headings to include both labels and headings in
the Document Map.

4. Click OK to close the dialog.

To add and configure TableOfContents

Follow these steps to setup the ToC control in the report layout displaying the document map set in the procedures
above.

To add a ToC control in Page Report

1. In the Report designer, click the New tab to add a new page to the report layout.
2. From the toolbox, drag and drop the TableOfContents control onto Page 1 while use Page 2 to
create layout for displaying the main content of the report. Using the same page that contains the ToC
may disrupt the flow of data displayed in the report.
3. On the design surface, select the TableOfContents control and go to the Properties window to set its
FixedHeight property. The use of the FixedHeight property is similar to the use of the FixedSize property
that is available with other report controls.
Note: You can also place the OverflowPlaceHolder control and link it with the ToC control using its
OverflowName property to display data that does not fit inside the fixed size of the ToC control.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 491
To add a ToC control in Report Definition Language (RDL)
1. From the toolbox, drag and drop the TableOfContents control onto the report design surface, preferably
at the start or end of the report layout to justify the significance of the control.

To configure ToC's Appearance

1. With the TableOfContents control selected, click the Levels (Collection) property and then click the
ellipsis button that appears.
2. In the LevelDesigner Collection Editor that appears, consider the hierarchy of entries that appear in the
Document Map and add as many levels required using the Add button. This allows you to customize entries
at different nested levels. Using just a single Level will list down all the ToC entries at the same level.
3. Select each level and set its related properties available in the LevelDesigner Collection Editor. These
properties could be general properties like DisplayPageNumber or DisplayFillCharacter, or they could be
related to the level's appearance like BackgroundColor, Font, Padding etc. These properties directly affect
all the entries that appear in the selected level, thereby allowing you to customize them. For information on
the important properties of the TableOfContents control, see TableOfContents.

Note: You can also set various numbering styles for all levels or individual level by setting the
Numbering Style for document map levels using the Report dialog or using the DocumentMap
property that gets directly applied to the ToC control. For more information see Add Items to the
Document Map.

4. Click OK to close the dialog and return to the design surface.

5. Go to the Preview Tab to view the Table of Contents appear in the report output.
6. Click any ToC entry and navigate to that targeted report control in the report.

Create Common Page Reports

See step-by-step instructions for creating commonly used reports in a Page Layout.

This section contains information about how to:

Create Top N Report
Learn how to display top N data on a report.
Create Red Negatives Report
Learn to highlight negative values in red on a report.
Create Green Bar Report
Learn to create alternate background colors for report details.
Create a Bullet Graph
Learn how to create a Bullet Graph.
Create a Whisker Sparkline
Learn how to create a Whisker Sparkline.

Create Top N Report

A Top N Report displays details for the top results in your report. You can create this report by modifying the SQL
query while creating a dataset.
The following steps demonstrate how to create a Top N report. These steps assume that you have already added a
Page Report/RDL Report template to your project and connected it to a data source. See Adding an ActiveReport to
a Project and Connect to a Data Source for more information.
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node (DataSource1 by default) and select the Add Data
Set option or select Data Set from the add button.
2. In the DataSet dialog that appears, go to the Query page and enter a query in the Query textbox in the
following format : Select Top N FieldNames From TableName

Note: In the query above TableName refers to the table you want to get from the
database. FieldNames and N refer to the fields you want to fetch from the table and the number of

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 492
records to display from that field. Following is an example of a Top N Report SQL query :
Select Top 10 * From Movie

3. Click the Validate DataSet icon at the top right hand corner above the Query box to validate the query
and then click OK to close the dialog.

4. In the Report Explorer, expand the DataSet node and drag and drop fields onto the design surface. In an
Page report, you need to place these fields inside a data region.
5. Go to the Preview tab and view the result. You'll notice only N number of records displaying in your report.
The following image is an example of a Top N Report displaying top 10 movie records:

Create Red Negatives Report

A Red Negatives report shows negative values in red color if those values meet the requirements set in a
conditional expression. The following steps demonstrate how to create a report with negative values in red
negatives.
These steps assume that you have already added a Page Report/RDL Report template to your project, connected it
to a data source and added a DataSet. See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project, Connect to a Data Source and Add
a Dataset for more information.
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a Table data region onto the design surface and place fields
inside the cells of the details row.
2. In the same Table, select any cell (Textbox) that displays integer values and right click to select Properties.
3. In the Properties Window that appears, set the following expression in the Color property:
=iif(Fields!FieldName.Value < 0, "Red", "Black")

Note: In the expression above, FieldName refers to field that the textbox contains. For example, if a
textbox contains the Rollup field, the expression looks like:
=iif(Fields!Rollup.Value < 0, "Red", "Black")

4. Go to the Preview tab and view the result.

The following image illustrates a report that contains negative values in red:

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 493

Create Green Bar Report

You can create a Green Bar report by alternating the background color of a data region like a Table using
conditional formatting. The following steps demonstrate Follow the steps below to learn creating a Green Bar
Report.
These steps assume that you have already added a Page Report/RDL Report template to your project, connected it
to a data source and added a dataset. See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project, Connect to a Data Source and Add
a Dataset for more information.
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a Table data region onto the design surface.
2. In the Table data region, click the row handle to the left of the detail row and right-click to select
Properties.
3. In the Properties Window dialog that appears, set the following expression in the BackgroundColor
property: =iif(RowNumber(Nothing) Mod 2, "PaleGreen", "White")
4. On the design surface, set fields the detail row of the table data region.
5. Go to Preview tab and view the result. You will notice that every alternate detail the report displays has a
green background.
The following image shows an example of a Green Bar report:

Create a Bullet Graph

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 494
You can create a bullet graph based on aggregated data from the data source. The following steps demonstrate
how to create a bullet graph.
These steps assume that you have already added a Page Report/RDL Report template to your project and
connected it to a data source. See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project and Connect to a Data Source for more
information.
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag a drop Table control onto the design surface.
2. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag a Bullet control onto the detail row of the table and in the properties
window, set its Value property to a numeric field (like =Fields!SalesAmount.Value). This Value property
is used to define the key measure displayed on the graph.

3. With the Bullet control selected on the design surface:

Set its Target Value property to 200. This property defines a target for the Value to be
compared to.

Set its Best Value property to 500 and the Worst Value property to 0. The Best Value and
Worst Value properties define the value range on the graph.

You can also optionally encode the segments on the graph as qualitative ranges indicating bad,
satisfactory and good sections.
The Range1Boundary property defines a value for the bad/satisfactory boundary on
the graph. Set this property to 150.
The Range2Boundary property defines a value for the satisfactory/good boundary on
the graph. Set this property to 300.

You can also optionally define the Interval property for the graph value range. So, set this
property to 100.
4. Go to the Preview tab to view the bullet graph you have added to your report.
As the bullet graph is based on aggregated data, you get a stack of bullet graphs indicating the Sales
Amount value for different customers.

Create a Whisker Sparkline

You can use a whisker Sparkline to render “win/loss/tie” scenarios (for example, sport statistics) or “true/false”
scenarios (for example, was the sales goal met or was the temperature above average), based on the numeric

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 495
data from a data set.
The bars in a whisker sparkline render below the baseline for a negative value, above the baseline for a positive
value and on the baseline for a zero value, for example, in a "profit/loss/no profit, no loss" scenario.
The following steps demonstrate how to create a whisker sparkline. These steps assume that you have already
added a Page Report/RDL Report template to your project, connected it to a data source and added a dataset. See
Adding an ActiveReport to a Project, Connect to a Data Source and Add a Dataset for more information.

Note: These steps use the AccountsChartData table from the Reels database. The sample Reels.mdb
database file is located in the [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data folder.

1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag a Sparkline control onto the design surface.
2. With the sparkline selected on the design surface, go to the properties window and:
Set the Sparkline Type property to Whiskers.
Set the SeriesValue property to a numeric field (like =Fields!RollUp.Value) from the
connected data set.
Set the FillStyle/FillColor property to Red.
3. Go to the Preview tab to view the whisker sparkline.

Add Parameters
You can add parameters to a page report/RDL report to allow users to select the data to display, or to use in
creating drill-through reports.

To add a parameter
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Parameters node and select Add Parameter. The Report
Parameters dialog appears.
2. On the General tab of the dialog, set the name, data type and prompt text for the parameter. For
example:
Name: MPAA
Data type: String
Text for prompting users for a value: Enter value
Select out of the checkbox options to allow null values, multivalues, blank value, multiline values or set
hidden parameters.
3. On the Available Values tab, you can select From query populate a list from the data set from which
users can select a value. Alternatively, you can select Non-queried to enter your own values.
4. On the Default Values tab, you can provide default values to use if the user does not select a value. This is
useful when you are creating a hidden parameter.
5. Click OK to save the parameter. The new parameter appears in the Report Explorer under the Parameters
node.
6. From the Report Explorer, drag the parameter to report design surface to create a TextBox that is bound to
the parameter. When you run the report, the value that the user supplies in the prompt dialog displays in
the bound TextBox on the report.
For a step by step description of adding parameters in different scenarios look at the following pages:
Create an ALL Parameter
Learn how to create a multi-value parameter with an ALL value.
Add a Cascading Parameter
Learn how to create cascading parameters where one parameter value is dependent on the selection of another.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 496
Set a Hidden Parameter
Learn how to set a hidden parameter to allow data to fetched using the parameter value without prompting the
user.

Create an ALL Parameter

In a page report or a RDL report, when you create a Multivalue list in a parameter, you can add an ALL value which removes the parameter filter to this list. Set the following to create an
ALL parameter:
A dataset to populate the parameter values
A report parameter
A list of values for the report parameter
A dataset with a parameter
The following procedures take you through a step by step process of how to set an ALL parameter. These steps assume that you have added a Page Report/RDL Report template to your
report and have a data connection in place. See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project and Connect to a Data Source for further information.

Note: This topic uses the Producers and Movie table from the Reels database. By default, in ActiveReports, the Reels.mdb file is located at [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity
Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\Reels.mdb.

To create a dataset to populate the parameter values

1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Source (DataSource1 by default) node and select Add Data Set.

2. In the DataSet dialog that appears, select the Query page.

3. Enter a SQL query like the following into the Query text box where a UNION SELECT statement combines the results of the ALL query with those of the query for the individual values.
SELECT -1 AS ProductionID, "(All)" AS Name
FROM Producers
UNION
SELECT ProductionID, Name
FROM Producers;

4. Click the OK button on the lower right corner to close the dialog and see the dataset and the selected fields appear in the Report Explorer.
To add a Report Parameter
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Parameters node and select Add Parameter.

2. In the Report - Parameters dialog that appears, add a name for the parameter (i.e. ProdID) and ensure that the Data type matches that of the field (i.e. Integer for ProductionID).
3. Enter Text for prompting users for a value.
4. Select the check box next to Multivalue to allow users to select more than one item from the list.

To provide a list of values for the Report Parameter

1. In the Report - Parameters dialog, go to the Available Values tab and select the From query radio button.
2. Under the Dataset field, select the dataset created above (i.e. DataSet1).
3. Under the Value field, select the field given for -1 (i.e. ProductionID).
4. Under Label field, select the field given for "All" (i.e. Name).
5. Click the OK button on the lower right corner to close the dialog and add the parameter to the collection.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 497

To add a dataset with a parameter

1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Source (DataSource1 by default) node and select Add Data Set.
2. In the DataSet dialog that appears, on the Parameters page, click the Add (+) icon above the parameters list and add the following to the dataset to provide values for the
parameters we add to the query in step 3 below.
Name: Param1; Value: =Parameters!ProdID.Value
Name: Param2; Value: =Parameters!ProdID.Value

3. On the Query page, enter a SQL query like the following in the Query text box:
SELECT Movie.Title, Movie.YearReleased, Movie.UserRating, Producers.Name
FROM Producers INNER JOIN (Movie INNER JOIN MovieProducers ON Movie.MovieID = MovieProducers.MovieID) ON Producers.ProductionID = MovieProducers.ProductionID
WHERE (MovieProducers.ProductionID IN (?)) OR (-1 IN (?))
ORDER BY MovieProducers.ProductionID, Movie.YearReleased

4. Click the Validate DataSet icon to validate the query and to populate the Fields list.

5. Click the OK button on the lower right corner to close the dialog and see the dataset and the selected fields appear in the Report Explorer.
Place a control like a Table onto the design surface and add fields to it. View the report in the preview tab and see the Parameters in the sidebar with an ALL option at the top.

Note: In a page report, when you have multiple datasets in the report, you need to set the DataSet property on the General tab of the FixedPage dialog in order to specify which
dataset is used to display data in the report.

Add a Cascading Parameter

When a parameter’s value list depends on the value of another parameter, the report collects the required
parameter value and uses it to create the value list for the second parameter. This cascade of parameter values is
sometimes also called dependent or hierarchical parameters.
Use the following instructions to create your own cascading parameters. These steps assume that you have added
a Page Report/RDL template to your report and have a data connection in place. See Adding an ActiveReport to a
Project and Connect to a Data Source for further information. Also refer to Add a Dataset before reading this topic.

Note: This topic uses the Reels database. By default, in ActiveReports, the Reels.mdb file is located at [User
Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\Reels.mdb.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 498
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Source (DataSource1 by default) node and select Add Data Set
to create a dataset named Regions.

2. On the Query page of the DataSet Dialog, use the following SQL Query to fetch data from the Regions
table.
SELECT RegionID, Region FROM Regions
3. Click OK to close the Regions DataSet dialog.
4. Follow step 1 to create another dataset named Districts and on the Parameters page of the DataSet Dialog,
click the Add(+) icon to add a parameter named Region with the value set to:
=Parameters!Region.Value
This parameter is added to the Report Parameters collection later.
5. In the Districts dataset dialog, on the Query page, add the following SQL query to fetch data from the
Districts table. This query depends on the Region parameter.
SELECT DistrictID, District FROM Districts WHERE Region = ?
6. Click OK to close the Districts DataSet dialog.
7. Follow step 1 and create another dataset named StoreNames and on the Parameters page of the DataSet
Dialog, click the Add(+) icon to add a parameter named DistrictID with the value set to:
=Parameters!DistrictID.Value
This parameter is added to the Report Parameters collection later.
8. In the StoreNames dataset, on the Query page, add the following SQL query to retrieve data for the
selected region from the selected district. This query depends on the DistrictID parameter.
SELECT StoreID, StoreName, OpenDate FROM Store WHERE NOT StoreID = 0 AND DistrictID = ?
9. Click OK to close the StoreNames DataSet dialog.
10. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Parameters node and select Add Parameter

11. In the Report - Parameters dialog that appears, add a parameter named Region with an Integer data
type. On the Available Values tab, select From query and set the dataset to Regions, the value field to
RegionID, and the label field to Region.
12. Click OK to close the Report - Parameters dialog.
13. Follow the same process as steps 10 and 11 to add a second parameter named DistrictID with an Integer
data type. On the Available Values tab, select From query and set the dataset to Districts, DistrictID for
the value field, and District for the label field.
14. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a Table data region (or any other data region) onto the
design surface, and drag the StoreID, StoreName and OpenDate fields onto the table details row.
15. Click the Preview Tab to view the result.
Notice that the two drop down lists, for regions and districts appear in the Parameters sidebar while the second
drop down list remains disabled until a region is selected. Click the View Report button to see the StoreID,

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 499
StoreName and OpenDate values returned for the selected region and district.

Note: In a Page Report, when you have multiple datasets in the report, you need to set the DataSet
property on the General tab of the FixedPage dialog in order to specify which dataset is used to display data
in the report.

Set a Hidden Parameter

If you want to run a report without prompting the user for a value at runtime, you need to set a default value for
each parameter. The report collects the required parameter value from the default value and uses it to generate
the report.
Default values can be queried or non-queried. A non-queried default value can be a static value or an expression.
A queried default value is a field value from a dataset.
Use the following instructions to create your own hidden parameters. These steps assume that you have added a
Page Report/RDL Report template to your report and have a data connection in place. See Adding an ActiveReport
to a Project and Connect to a Data Source for further information. Also refer to Add a Dataset before reading this
topic.

Note: This topic uses the DVDStock table in the Reels database. By default, in ActiveReports, the Reels.mdb
file is located at [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data folder.

1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Parameters node and select Add Parameter.

2. In the Report - Parameters dialog that appears, add a parameter named StorePrice with an Integer data
type. Click the checkbox next to Hidden to hide the parameter UI at runtime.
3. On the Default Values tab, select Non-queried and click the Add(+) icon to add an empty expression for
the value.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 500
Note: When you use From query to provide a default value, only the first returned row value is used
as the default value.

4. In the Value field enter 5 and click OK to close the Report - Parameters dialog.

Note: When adding multiple default values, in the Report - Parameters dialog, General tab, check the
Multivalue check box, otherwise the report collects only the first default value from the list and uses
it to generate the report.

5. In the Report Explorer, right-click Data Source (DataSource1 by default) node and select Add Data Set to
create a dataset.

6. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, on the Parameters page, click the Add(+) icon to add an empty
expression for the parameter.
7. In the Name field, enter the same parameter name (StorePrice) you had added in the steps above and set
its value to:
=Parameters!StorePrice.Value
8. On the Query page of the DataSet Dialog, use the following SQL query to fetch data from the DvDStock
table.
SELECT * FROM DvDStock WHERE StorePrice IN (?).
9. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a Table data region (or any other data region) onto the
design surface, and from the Report Explorer, drag the Title, StorePrice and In Stock fields onto the
table details row.
10. Click the Preview Tab to view the result.
Notice that the report collects the required parameter value from the default value (i.e. 5) and uses it to display
the list of Movie DVDs with Store Price $5.

Create and Add Themes

A theme is a collection of properties that defines the appearance of a report. A theme includes colors, fonts,

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 501
images, and expressions that you can apply to report elements once you add a theme to a report.
You can add one or many themes to a report. If a report has multiple themes, you can use the report's CollateBy
('CollateBy Property' in the on-line documentation) property to control the page order in a report. For more
information, see Collation.
Use the following instructions to create and add themes.
To create a new theme
1. From the Start menu, go to All Programs > GrapeCity > ActiveReports and select ActiveReports
Theme Editor.
2. In the Theme Editor that opens, define the colors, fonts, images, and constant expressions properties for
your new theme under the corresponding tabs.
3. On the File menu, select Save.
4. Choose a directory on your local machine and enter the name of a new theme, then click Save.
To add a theme to the report
1. In the Designer, click the gray area around the report page to select a report.
2. In the Properties window, select the Themes property and click the ellipsis (…) button to open the Report -
Themes dialog.
3. In the Report - Themes dialog that opens, click the Open... icon above the list of themes.
4. In the Open dialog that appears, select a theme file from your local files and click Open.

Customize and Apply a Theme

Use the following instructions to customize an existing theme and apply it to your report.
To modify a theme
1. In the Designer, click the gray area around the report page to select a report.
2. In the Properties window, select the Themes ('Themes Property' in the on-line documentation)
property and click the ellipsis (…) button to open the Report - Themes dialog.
3. In the Report - Themes dialog that opens, select an existing report theme.
4. Click the Edit... icon above the list of themes.
5. In the Theme Editor that opens, modify the theme properties and click OK to close the dialog.
To apply a theme color
1. In the Designer, select the report’s control (for example, a TextBox).
2. In the Properties window, go to the color-related property (for example, the BackgroundColor property)
and click the arrow to display the drop-down list of values.
3. In the list that appears, go to the Theme tab and select the color you want.

To apply a theme font

1. In the Designer, select the report’s control (for example, a TextBox).
2. In the Properties window, go to a property from the Font properties group (for example, the Font property)
and click the arrow to display the drop-down list of values.
3. In the values list that appears, select a font defined in a theme (for example,
=Theme.Fonts!MinorFont.Family).

Use Constant Expressions in a Theme

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In the Theme Editor, you can define constant expressions to be used in a theme. Later, you can apply a constant
expression to the report’s control by selecting it in the Value field of that control.
Also, you can apply a constant expression to a report’s control in code by using the following syntax (VB code
example):
=Theme.Constants!Header
=Theme.Constants("Header")
Constant expressions allow you to define a name and an associated value to be used in themes.
Use the following instructions to create and use constant expressions in themes.
To define a constant expression
1. In the Theme Editor, go to Constants.
2. Double-click the field under Name and enter the Constant name (for example, Header).
3. In the next field to the right, under Value, enter the Constant value (for example, Invoice#).
To use a constant expression
1. In the Designer, select the report’s control (for example, a TextBox).
2. In the Properties Window, go to the Values field and select the <Expression> option from the drop-down
list to open the Expression Editor.
3. In the Expression Editor, expand the Themes node with the constant expressions defined in the report
theme.
4. In the Themes node, select a constant and then click the Replace or Insert button.
5. Click OK to add the constant expression in the TextBox.

Set Up Collation
You can add multiple themes to the report. In this case, the report renders a combination of multiple outputs for
each theme. For example, if a report has two themes, then the report output includes a combination of the first
and the second themes, applied to each report page. You can control the combination rules of the report output in
the CollateBy ('CollateBy Property' in the on-line documentation) property.

Caution: If you are using collation in a report, you cannot use interactive features, such as drill down, links,
document map, and sorting.

You can control the page order of a rendered report with multiple themes by selecting the collation mode in the
CollateBy ('CollateBy Property' in the on-line documentation) property of the report:

Note: The collection of constant expressions must be the same in all themes of a report. See Use Constant
Expressions in a Theme for further information.

1. In the Designer, click the gray area around the report page to select the report.
2. In the Properties Window, go to the CollateBy ('CollateBy Property' in the on-line documentation)
property and select one of the available options:
Simple. Renders report pages without any specific sorting. For example, if you have a report
with 2 themes, the report renders all pages with theme 1, then all pages with theme 2.

ValueIndex. Sorts report pages by page number. For example, if you have a report with 2
themes, the report renders page 1 for theme 1 and 2, then page 2 for theme 1 and 2, and so on.

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Value. Sorts report pages by the grouping expression that you specify in the report's FixedPage
dialog. For example, if you have a report with 2 themes with grouping, the report renders group1
(pages 1 and 2 of theme1, then pages 1 and 2 of theme2), then group 2 (pages 1 and 2 of
theme1, then pages 1 and 2 of theme2), and so on.

Note: In RDL Reports, the Value collation mode is not available by design.

See Add Page Numbering for information on setting cumulative page count formats for Page Report.

Add Hyperlinks
In a page report or a RDL report, you can set hyperlinks in the TextBox or Image controls to access a Web page
from your report. You can also set hyperlinks on Map layer data elements. These hyperlinks open in the default
browser of the system.

To add a hyperlink in the Textbox or Image control

1. Add a Textbox or Image control to the design surface.
2. With the control selected, under the Properties window, click the Property dialog link to open
the respective control's dialog and go to the Navigation page.
OR
With the control selected, go to the Properties window and click the ellipses near the Action property to
open the Navigation page in the dialog.
3. On the Navigation page, select the Jump to URL radio button to enable the field below it.
4. Type or use the expression editor to provide a valid Web page address. For example,
http://activereports.grapecity.com/
5. Click OK to close the dialog.
6. In the Properties window, enter text in the Value property of the respective control to set the display text
for the Web page hyperlink. For example, GrapeCity PowerTools.

To add a hyperlink on Map layer elements

Map layer elements like point, polygon and line provides you a functionality to set hyperlinks on them to access a
Web page from your report.
1. On the design surface, click the map until the map panes appear.
2. In the layers pane, right click the layer in use and select Edit.
3. In the selected layer's dialog that appears, go to the Navigation page.
4. On the Navigation page, select the Jump to URL radio button to enable the field below it.
5. Type or use the expression editor to provide a valid Web page address. For example,
http://activereports.grapecity.com/
6. Click OK to close the dialog.

Add Bookmarks
A bookmark link is similar to a hyperlink, except that it moves the viewer to another area in the report instead
of opening a web page. You can add bookmarks in a two-step process:
Identify the place (target control) where you want to allow a user to jump to with the help of a
Bookmark ID.

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Share that Bookmark ID with another control that links to the target control.
Use the following steps to create a Bookmark ID on a Textbox control and create a bookmark link on another
Textbox control at the bottom of the page.
These steps assume that you have already added a Page Report/RDL Report template to your project. See Adding
an ActiveReport to a Project for further details.

To add a Bookmark ID on a control

Bookmark ID is like a URL that provides information required by the report viewer to locate the report control. You
need to provide a Bookmark ID for any control to which you want to allow users to jump to via a Bookmark Link.
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a Textbox control onto the design surface.
2. Select the Textbox to view its properties in the Properties window and enter any text in the Value property
(For e.g., Top).
3. Click the Property dialog link below the Properties window to open the Textbox dialog.
4. In the TextBox dialog that appears, select the Navigation page and in the Bookmark ID field enter text
like Link Text.

5. Click OK to close the dialog.

Tip: You can also set the Bookmark ID through the Bookmark property in the Properties window.

To set a bookmark link

Bookmark Link is a simple link you create to jump to the location where the Bookmark ID is set.
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop another Textbox control onto the design surface. Place it at
the bottom of the page for this example.
2. Select the Textbox to view its properties in the Properties window and in the Value property enter Go to
Top.
3. Click the Property dialog link below the Properties window to open the Textbox dialog.
4. In the Textbox dialog that appears, click on the Navigation page and select the Jump To Bookmark radio
button to activate it.
5. Under Jump To Bookmark, enter the same text (i.e. Link Text) you assigned as Bookmark ID in the steps
above.

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6. Click OK to close the dialog.
7. Go to the Preview Tab, and click Go to Top.

You move to the top of the page where the Bookmark ID was set on the control.

Tip: You can also access the Navigation page of a control to set the bookmark link through the ellipsis
button next to the Action property in the Properties window.

Create and Use a Master Report (RDL Report)

In a RDL report, you can create a master report that you apply to any number of content reports to keep common
styles in one easy-to-maintain location. See Master Reports for more information.

To design a master report

These steps assume that you have already added a RDL Report template and connected it to a data
source. The Master Report feature is only available in RDL Report.
See the topic, Adding an ActiveReport to a Project Exploring Page Reports for further information.
1. With focus on the report, from the Report Menu, select Convert to Master Report to create a master
report.
2. Right-click the ruler area to the top or left of the report and choose Page Header, then Page Footer.
3. From the toolbox, drag and drop controls in the page header and footer. These controls that appear
on every page of every report to when you apply the master report. For e.g., an image of the company
logo, or a textbox with the company Web site address.
4. From the toolbox, drag and drop a ContentPlaceHolder control to the report. This control defines where you
want to allow controls to be placed on content reports that use the master report.
Add a ContentPlaceHolder
A ContentPlaceHolder control appears in the toolbox when you convert a RDL report to a Master Report.
This control provides the region to use for creating or designing a content report after applying a master
report template. Use the following instructions to add the ContentPlaceHolder control in the master report.
From the toolbox, drag and drop the ContentPlaceHolder control onto the report design surface.
Right-click the control and from the context menu that appears, select Properties to open the
properties window.
Set the following properties for the ContentPlaceHolder control.

Property Description
Location To position the control with respect to the top left corner of the container.
Size To set the control size for determining the space available to design a content
report.
Text To add instructive text for the user. E.g. "Design your content report here". This
caption appears in the design view and not the final output.

5. With the report selected, go to the Report menu > Save Layout.
6. In the Save As dialog that appears, navigate to the location where you want to save the report and click

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Save to save the report in the rdlx-master file format.

To use a master report

These steps assume that you have already added a RDL Report template. This report functions as a content report.
1. With focus on the report to which you want to apply the master report, from the Report menu, select Set
Master Report.
2. In the Open dialog that appears, navigate to the location where you saved the master report and open it.
The master report layout is applied to the content report with all areas locked except for the region with the
ContentPlaceHolder, which is available for use.

Sort Data
In a page report and a RDL report, you can apply sorting on a data region, grouped data or fixed page.
Use the following steps to determine how to sort your data. These steps assume that you have already added a
Page Report (xml-based)/RDL Report template to your project and connected it to a data source. See Adding an
ActiveReport to a Project, Connect to a Data Source and Add a Dataset for more information.
Sorting in a Data Region
You can set the sorting expression on the Sorting page of a data region dialog.
1. Right-click the data region and select Properties to open the Properties window. Select the Property dialog
link under properties where the commands are displayed to open the data region dialog. See Properties
Window for more information.
2. In the dialog that appears, go to the Sorting page and click the Add(+) icon to add an empty expression to
the sorting list below.
3. In the Expression field, enter the expression directly or use <Expression...> from the dropdown to open the
Expression Editor and select the field on which you want to sort your data.

4. Under Direction, select Ascending or Descending to set the order in which to sort your data.
5. Click OK to close the dialog.
6. From the Report Explorer, drag and drop the field on which the sorting expression is set and go to the
Preview Tab to view the result.
The following image shows the result after setting sorting in a Table data region on the Title field in Ascending
order:

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Sorting on Grouped Data

You can sort the order of groups through the Sorting tab of the Groups page or the Detail Grouping page of the
List data region. The following steps assume that you have already grouped data in the data region. See Grouping
in a Data Region for further information on grouping.

Note: In a Chart data region dialog, the Sorting tab is available on the Category Groups and Series Groups
pages.

1. On the Groups or the Detail Grouping page of the data region dialog, select the Sorting tab.
2. In the Sorting tab, click the Add(+) icon to add an empty expression to the sorting list.
3. In the Expression field, enter the expression directly or use <Expression...> from the dropdown to open the
Expression Editor and select the field on which you want to sort your data. The expression set here should
be the same as the grouping expression.

4. Under Direction, select Ascending or Descending to set the order in which to sort your data.
5. Click OK to close the dialog.
6. From the Report Explorer, drag and drop the field on which sorting is set and go to the Preview Tab to view
the result.
The following image shows the result on a Table data region where grouping and sorting is set on the StorePrice
field in Descending order:

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Sorting on a Fixed Page

In a Page Report , if the fixed page is grouped on a dynamic value, you can sort the order of the groups through
the Sorting page of the FixedPage Dialog. Follow the steps below to learn setting up sorting on a Fixed Page:
1. Right-click the gray area of the report and select Fixed Layout Settings to open the FixedPage dialog.
OR
Right click the report page and select Properties to open the Properties window. Select the Property dialog
link under properties where the commands are displayed to open the FixedPage dialog. See Properties
Window for more information on commands.
2. In the FixedPage dialog that appears, go to the Grouping page and in the Expression field, enter the
expression directly or use <Expression...> from the dropdown to open the Expression Editor and select the
field on which you want to group your data.

3. In the FixedPage dialog, now go to the Sorting page and click the Add(+) icon to add an empty expression
to the sorting list below and in the Expression field enter the same expression you used for grouping the
data.

4. Under Direction, select Ascending or Descending to set the order in which to sort your data.
5. Click OK to close and apply the settings.
6. From the Report Explorer, drag and drop the field on which sorting is set and go to the Preview Tab to view

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 509
the result.

Note: The difference in setting sorting on a Fixed Page is that it affects every data region placed on the
report layout, whereas sorting on a data region is limited to the data region only.

The following images shows the result when sorting is set on a fixed page on the StorePrice field in descending
order:

Page 1 Page 2

Allow Users to Sort Data in the Viewer

In a page report or a RDL report, you can allow the end-user to sort columns of data in the Viewer by setting
interactive sorting on a TextBox control within a data region. Follow the steps below to set interactive sorting in a
TextBox control.

To set interactive sort properties on a TextBox

These steps assume that you have already added a Page Report (xml-based)/RDL Report template to your project
and connected it to a data source and a data set. See Connect to a Data Source and Add a Dataset for further
information.
1. From the toolbox, drag a Table data region onto the report.
2. From the Report Explorer, drag fields into the detail row of the table. Labels appear in the table header row,
and expressions appear in the detail row.
3. Click to select a TextBox in the header row on which you want to allow users to sort, and in the Commands
section at the bottom of the Properties Window, click the Property dialog command.
4. In the TextBox dialog that appears, select the Interactive Sort page.

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5. Select the checkbox next to Add an interactive sort action to this textbox and enable the other
properties on the page.
6. Under Sort expression, drop down the list and select the expression containing the value of the field on
which you want to provide sorting.

Note: Under Data region or group to sort, and Evaluate sort expression in this scope, you can
optionally choose a different a scope from the Choose data region or grouping drop down list.

7. Click OK to close the dialog and accept the changes.

When you preview the report, you can see a sort icon next to the TextBox control, the User Rating header in this
case.

You can click the icon to sort in descending order. The icon changes to an up arrow that you can click to sort
ascending.

Create a Drill-Down Report

In a page layout, you can set up data regions, report controls, table rows, and matrix row and column groups to
collapse, so that users can drill down into the data they choose to view.
In order to collapse an item, you use the Visibility settings available in the Properties Window or in the control
dialog. You set the initial visibility of the report controls to Hidden and allow the user to toggle them by clicking
other report controls (usually a TextBox).
When the report is initially displayed at run-time, the toggle items display with plus sign icons that you can click to
display the detail data. Use the following steps to set a drill-down link.
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a TextBox control and a Table data region onto the report
design surface. え
2. Place the TextBox control such that it appears as a header on your report.
3. From the Report Explorer, expand your data set and drag fields and place them inside the detail row of the
Table data region. Expressions for these fields appear in the detail row, and labels appear in the table

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header row.
4. With the Table data region selected on the design surface, under the Properties window, click the Property
dialog link. This is a command to open the respective control's dialog. See Properties Window for more on
how to access commands.
5. In the Table dialog that appears, go to the Visibility page, change the Initial visibility to Hidden, and
select the check box next to Visibility can be toggled by another report control.
6. From the drop-down list that appears, select the TextBox that you added in step 1. The TextBox is now
used to toggle items in the Table and show detail data.
7. Click OK to save the changes.
When you view the report, the Textbox displays an Expand/Collapse icon to its left.

Click the icon to view the hidden data.

Set a Drill-Through Link

In a page report or a RDL report, you can use drill-through links to connect one report to another detailed report.
Follow the steps to set a drill-through link:
1. On the design surface, select a report control (like a TextBox) on which you want set the link and under the
Properties window, click the Property dialog link. This is a command to open the TextBox dialog. See
Properties Window for more on how to access commands.
2. In the control dialog that appears, go to the Navigation page and under Action, select the Jump to
report radio button. Doing this activates the fields below it.

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3. Under the Jump to Report field, enter the name of the report (like BasicReport.rdlx) that you want to
navigate to on clicking the drill-through link.

Note: Under the Jump to Report field, when you enter just a report name, the targeted report
should be kept in the same directory as the parent report. Else, you can also enter the relative path to
the location of the report. You can also use a report from your connected database using the Custom
Resource Locator.

4. After setting the detail report to drill-through, on the Navigation page, under Parameters, you can
optionally enter a valid parameter Name and Value to pass to the detail report. This value must evaluate
to a valid value for the parameter. By setting parameters you can jump right to the desired information. For
example, if your summary report contains a list of invoice numbers and delivery dates for each customer,
you could use a drill-through link with the invoice number as the parameter to allow the user to jump to the
relevant invoice.

Caution: The Parameter Name must exactly match the name of the parameter in the detail report. If
any parameter is spelled differently, capitalized differently, or if an expected parameter is not
supplied, the drill-through report fails.

5. Go to the preview tab and click the drill-through link to navigate to the targeted report.
6. On the Viewer toolbar, click the Back to Parent Report button to return to the main report.

The following images show a simple drill-through link set on a list displaying years. Click any year to drill-through
to a report that contains top movies in that year.

Report With a Drill-Through Link

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Target Report

Add Items to the Document Map

In a page report or a RDL report, use the following steps to add report controls, groups and detail groups to the
document map.
This topic will guide you through the following procedures:
To add a control to the Document Map
To add a group or a detail group to the Document Map
To create a hierarchical Document Map
To set the numbering style for Document Map levels

To add a control to the Document Map

Using Document Map Label or Label Property

1. On the design surface, select a control you want to add to the Document map and right-click to choose
Properties from the context menu.
2. In the command section of the Properties Window, click Property dialog. This is a command to open the
control's dialog. See Properties Window for more information on how to access commands.
3. In the dialog that appears, go to the Navigation page and under the Document map label, enter a text
or an expression representing the control in the Document map.

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Alternatively,
1. On the design surface, select the report control you want to add to the Document map and right-click to
choose Properties from the context menu.
2. In the Properties window that appears, enter a text or an expression in the Label property to represent the
report control in the Document map.

Using HeadingLevel Property

1. On the design surface, select the report control you want to add to the Document map and right-click to
choose Properties from the context menu.
2. In the Properties window that appears, set the HeadingLevel property to represent the report control in
the Document map.
Note The HeadingLevel property defines the DocumentMap level for that control.

Go to the preview tab or the Viewer to view the document map.

To add a group or a detail group to the Document Map

1. Open a report that contains a group. See Grouping in a Data Region for further information.
2. On the design surface, select the data region on which grouping or detail grouping has been set and go to
the command section which appears below the Properties Window.
3. Click Property dialog to open the data region dialog. See Properties Window for more information on how
to access commands.
4. In the dialog that appears, go to the Grouping or Detail Grouping page, and under the Document map
label, enter a text or an expression representing the group or detail group in the Document Map.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 515

Go to the preview tab or the Viewer to view the document map.

To create a hierarchical Document Map

1. Open a report that contains a data region like a Table.
2. With the data region selected, right-click to open the context menu and select Properties.
3. In the Properties Window that appears, select the Property dialog command at the bottom of the window
to open the data region dialog. See Properties Window for further information on how to access commands.
4. On the data region dialog, on the Groups page, set the grouping expression. For example, group the data
on StorePrice (=Fields!StorePrice.Value). See Grouping in a Data Region for further information.
5. On the same Groups page, set the Document map label to the value of the grouping expression. For
example, =Fields!StorePrice.Value.
6. On the design surface, select a control inside the data region. For example, the TextBox in the detail row of
the Table data region.
7. Right-click the control and select properties to open the Properties Window. In the command section of the
Properties Window, click Property dialog.
8. In the dialog that appears, go to the Navigation page and under the Document map label, enter a text or
an expression representing the control in the Document map.
Go to the preview tab or the Viewer to view the document map.

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Note: In an Page report, you can also set grouping and set the document map label on the FixedPage dialog
> Groups page. See Grouping in a FixedPage to learn how to set groups on a fixed page.

To set the numbering style for Document Map levels

You can the set the numbering style for all document map levels using the Report dialog or in the Properties
Window using the DocumentMap property.
1. In the Report Explorer select the Report item.
2. In the command section of the Properties Window, click Property dialog. This is a command to open
the Report dialog. See Properties Window for more information on how to access commands.
3. In the Report dialog that appears, go to the Document Map page and set the Source property to one of the
available value.
4. Set the Numbering Style to one of the available formats. The selected style would get applied to all the
document levels and only to the selected source that you had set above.
5. Click OK to close the dialog.
You can also set separate numbering style to different document map levels using the
DocumentMapLevelDesigner Collection Editor dialog.
1. In the Report Explorer select the Report item.
2. Go to the Properties Window, click the Levels (Collection) property and then click the ellipsis button that
appears.
3. In the DocumentMapLevelDesigner Collection Editor dialog that appears, consider the hierarchy of
report bookmarks that appears in Document Map and add as many levels required using the Add button.
4. Select each level and set its NumberingStyle to any of the available format.
5. Click OK to close the dialog.

Note: Any customization made here gets directly applied to the TableOfContents control.

Change Page Size

You can change the size of your page through the Appearance page of the Report Dialog.

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To change the page size

1. Click the gray area outside the design surface to select the report and under the Properties Window, click
the Property dialog command.
2. In the Report dialog that appears, on the Appearance page, select from a list of pre-defined Paper
Size options from the dropdown list. This automatically changes the Height and Width values of the page
based on the selected size.
3. Set the Orientation of the page to Portrait or Landscape. This also modifies the Height and Width values of
the page.
You can also set the page size through the PageSize property in the Properties Window.

Note: The unit of measure is based on your locale, but you can change it by typing in a different unit
designator such as cm or pt after the number.

Add Page Breaks in RDL (RDL Report)

In a page layout, you can add page breaks in a RDL report, using the PageBreakAtStart and PageBreakAtEnd
properties of the report control.
You can set a page break before or after the Container control. It is also possible to force a page break before or
after the following data regions or their groups:
List
Table
Matrix
Chart
Use the following steps to set page breaks in the report from the control dialogs:

To add a page break before or after a report control

1. On the design surface, select the report control on which you want to add a page break and in the
command section of the Properties Window, click Property dialog. This is a command to open the control's
dialog. See Properties Window for more information on how to access commands.
2. In the control's dialog that appears, on the General page, under Page Breaks, select the check box for
Insert a page break before this control or Insert a page break after this control or both.
3. Click the OK button to save the changes and to close the dialog.
4. Go to the preview tab to view the result.

To add a page break before or after a group

1. On the design surface, select the report control containing a group and in the command section of the
Properties Window, click Property dialog. This is a command to open the control's dialog. See Properties
Window for more information on how to access commands.
2. In the control's dialog that appears, go to the Groups or Detail Grouping page whichever is available.
3. On the Groups or Detail Grouping page, go the Layout tab and select the check box for Page break at

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 518
start or Page break at end or both.
4. Click the OK button to save the changes and to close the dialog.
5. Go to the preview tab to view the result.

Add Totals and Subtotals in a Data Region

You can add subtotals and grand totals in a data region to add meaning to the data it displays.
Use the steps below to learn how to set subtotals and totals in each data region. These steps assume that you
have already added a Page Report/RDL Report template and connected it to a data source. See Adding an
ActiveReport to a Project, Connect to a Data Source and Add a Dataset for more information.

Note: This topic uses examples from the tables in the Reels database. By default, in ActiveReports, the
Reels.mdb file is located at [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\Reels.mdb.

To add Totals and Subtotals in a Table

To add a subtotals to a table group
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a Table data region onto the design surface.
2. From the Report Explorer, drag a numeric field (like InStock) onto the detail row of the Table. This is the
field for which you want to display subtotals.
3. Follow the steps below to add groups to the Table data region.
Click inside the Table to reveal the row and column handles along the left and top edges.
Right-click in the row handles along the left edge of the table and select Insert Group.
In the Groups dialog that appears, set a Group on expression (like StorePrice) on which you
want to group the data.
Click the OK button to close the dialog and add the group. A new pair of rows for group header
and footer appear on the Table.
4. From the Report Explorer, drag and drop the numeric field (like InStock) you added to the detail row in
step 2, onto the GroupFooter row.
5. Double click the textbox containing the field you just dropped onto the GroupFooter row and add a Sum
function to its expression to calculate the total [for example, =Sum(Fields!InStock.Value)].
6. Go to the Preview Tab to see the subtotals appearing below each group of data in the Table.

To add a grand total to a table

1. Drag the numeric field (like InStock) you used to set subtotals on in the procedure above onto the Table
Footer row.
2. Double click the textbox containing the field you just dropped onto the Table Footer row and add a Sum
function to its expression to calculate the total [for example, =Sum(Fields!InStock.Value)].
3. Go to the Preview Tab and notice that at the end of the table, the Textbox from the Table Footer row
supplies the grand total.

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To add Totals and Subtotals in a List

To add a subtotals to a list
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a List data region onto the design surface.
2. From the Report Explorer, drag and drop a numeric field (like Price) onto the List data region.
3. Double click the textbox containing the field you just dropped and add a Sum function to its expression to
calculate the total [for example, =Sum([Price] * [Quantity])].
Note: If you preview the report at this point, you will notice that the field renders the grand total for
the dataset after each sales amount.

4. Follow the steps below to add detail grouping to the List data region.
Right-click the list and select Properties.
In the Detail Grouping page, select a Group on expression (like AccountNumber) on which you
want to group the data.
Click the OK button to close the dialog and apply grouping.
5. Go to the Preview Tab to view the report, you can see a subtotal on price for each account number.

To add a grand total to a list

1. Drag the numeric field that shows subtotals in your list (like Price) just below the List data region.
2. Double click the textbox containing the field you just dropped and add a Sum function to its expression to
calculate the grand total [for example, =Sum([Price] * [Quantity], "List1")].
3. Go to the Preview Tab and notice that below the List there is a Textbox that supplies the grand total.

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To add Totals and Subtotals in a BandedList

To add a subtotal to a banded list
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a BandedList data region onto the design surface.
2. From the Report Explorer, drag a numeric field (Like InStock) onto the detail band of the banded list.
3. Follow the steps below to add groups to the BandedList data region.
Right-click the BandedList and select Insert Group.
In the Groups dialog that appears, select a Group on expression (like StorePrice) on which you
want to group the data.
Click the OK button to close the dialog and add a group. A new pair of group bands appear on
the data region.
4. From the Report Explorer, the numeric field (like InStock) you added to the detail band in step 2, onto the
GroupFooter band.
5. Double click the textbox containing the field you just dropped and add a Sum function to its expression to
calculate the subtotal[for example, =Sum(Fields!InStock.Value)].
6. Go to the Preview Tab to view the report to see the subtotals appearing below each group of data in the
BandedList.

To add a grand total to a banded list

1. Drag the numeric field (like InStock) you used to set subtotals on in the procedure above onto the
BandedListFooter band.
2. Double click the textbox containing the field you just dropped onto the BandedListFooter band and add a
Sum function to its expression to calculate the total [for example, =Sum(Fields!InStock.Value)].
3. Go to Preview Tab and notice that at the end of the BandedList, the Textbox from the BandedListFooter
band supplies the grand total.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 521

To add Totals and Subtotals in a Matrix

To add a subtotal to a matrix group
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a Matrix data region onto the design surface.
2. From the Report Explorer, drag and drop a field (Like Store) onto the bottom left cell of the matrix. This is
the row header, and dragging a field into it automatically adds a Row Group.
3. From the Report Explorer, drag and drop a field (Like SaleDate) onto the top right cell of the matrix. This is
the column header, and automatically groups data in columns.
Note: In this example, we have modified the value of the SalesDate field to
=Fields!SaleDate.Value.Year to provide yearly data.

4. From the Report Explorer, drag and drop a field (Like SalesAmount) onto the bottom right cell of the
matrix. This is the detail data cell, and displays aggregated data for the intersection of each column and
row.
5. In the Matrix data region, click the cell containing the field you placed in the last step and go to the
Properties Window.
6. In the Properties Window, go to the Value property and set the expression for the detail cell to
=Sum(Fields!SalesAmount.Value). This displays the sum of aggregated data at the intersection of each
column and row.
Note: For the Value property, you can set any expression from the set of aggregate functions
to calculate data for the subtotals. For example, if you set the Value property of the detail cell to the
expression =Max(Fields!SalesAmount.Value), this displays the maximum value at the intersection
of each column and row.

7. In the Matrix, right-click the column header cell and select Subtotal. A new column appears to the right
with the text Total. This displays the subtotal for each row group.
8. Right-click the row header cell and select Subtotal. A new row appears at the bottom with the text Total.
This displays subtotals for each column group.
9. Go to the Preview tab to view the subtotals for each year.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 522

To add a grand total to a matrix

1. The row and columns subtotals set in the previous procedure, intersect at the rightmost cell of the Matrix
that contains the grand total of the combined sales amount for years 2004 and 2005 in all the stores.
2. Go to the Preview tab to view the result.

Add Static Rows and Columns to a Matrix

In a Matrix data region, you can add fixed rows and columns to provide space for additional detail data or labels.

To automatically add static columns and rows to a matrix

1. From the Report Explorer, drag and drop a field onto the bottom right (detail) cell of the Matrix data region.
2. From the Report Explorer, drag and drop an additional field onto the same detail cell to split the cell and
create an additional static column or row (A grey bar indicates where the field is inserted). This creates a
static cell on the selected side of the original detail cell, and adds a label using the field name.
Dropping an additional field.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 523
New static column added.

Along with the additional cell, a static label cell is added automatically. The label is added at the position indicated
in the following table, depending on the side of the original detail cell on which the static column or row is placed.

Position Relative to Position of Description

Detail Cell Label Cell
Above Left Static row appears above the detail. An empty label cell is added so
that you can label the details.
Below Left Static row appears below the detail. An empty label cell is added so
that you can label the details.
Left Above Static column appears to the left of detail. An empty label cell is added
so that you can label the details.
Right Above Static column appears to the right of detail. An empty label cell is
added so that you can label the details.

To manually add static columns and rows to a matrix

1. On the design surface, right-click the bottom right (detail) cell of the Matrix data region and select Add
Column or Add Row.
2. Cells are added to the Matrix at the following location as indicated in the table below. You can add text or
expressions to the cells as needed.

Selection Position Position Description

Relative to of Label
Detail
Add Row Below Left Static row appears below the detail. An empty label cell is
added so that you can label the details.
Add Right Above Static row appears to the right of detail. An empty label cell
Column is added so that you can label the details.

Cell Merging In Matrix

In the Matrix data region, cells with same values are merged automatically to delete duplicate values. The
following image illustrates the result of merged cells in a Matrix where similar data exists.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 524
To allow cell merging in Matrix
The following steps use the EmployeeInfo table from the Reels database. By default, in ActiveReports, the
Reels.mdb file is located at [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\Reels.mdb.
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, add the Matrix data region onto the report design surface.
2. In the bottom left cell, set a field like StoreName (Fields!StoreName.Value). This automatically creates a
row grouping on StoreName.
3. Right-click the Matrix to select Properties, and in the Properties Window that appears, at the bottom select
Property dialog.
4. In the Matrix dialog that appears, go the Row Groups page and click the Add (+) button at the top of the
group list to add another group.
5. In the expression field of this group, set an expression like Fields!City.Value. This creates an additional row
grouping on City.
6. Repeat step 4 and 5 above to add two more row groups on Name (Fields!Name.Value) and EmployeeID
(Fields!.EmployeeID.Value).

Note: Make sure that the Value property of each TextBox representing the row group in the Matrix is
set to the corresponding field value.

7. Click OK to close the dialog.

8. From the Visual Studio toolbox, place a Container control inside the merged cell of the first row in the
Matrix data region to create headers for respective columns.
Note: Use textbox controls inside the Container control to create a label for each column.

9. Go to the preview tab to view the result.

Cell with merged data automatically expands to accommodate large strings.

In case the data flows to the next page at a point where the merged cell is located, the merged cell value repeats
on the new page along with the corresponding values of the matrix.

Page 1 Page 2

Section Report How To

Learn to perform common tasks in Section reports with quick how-to topics.

This section contains information about how to

Work with Data in Section Reports
Learn how to work with Section reports and perform various reporting tasks specific to this type of report.
Work with Report Controls
Learn how to work with fields, display page numbers, add charts, and many other tasks with Section report
controls.
Create Common Section Reports
Learn what the tools and UI items on the report designer can help you to accomplish.
Inherit a Report Template
Learn how to inherit a report template in other reports to share common features with multiple reports.
Change Ruler Measurements

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 525
Learn how to change ruler measurements at design time and runtime.
Print Multiple Copies, Duplex and Landscape
Learn how to set duplex and landscape printing from the Report Settings dialog and also set printing for multiple
copies.
Conditionally Show or Hide Details
Learn how to conditionally show or hide details in a section layout report.
Add Parameters in a Section Report
Learn how to use parameters to filter data in the report.
Add and Save Annotations
Learn how you can save a report with annotations to RDF and add annotations in a report at runtime.
Add Bookmarks
Learn how to set bookmarks.
Add Hyperlinks
Learn how to add hyperlinks in a section layout report.
Use External Style Sheets
Learn how to use external style sheets in a section layout report.
Insert or Add Pages
Learn how to insert or add pages in section layout report.
Embed Subreports
Learn how to create add a subreport to a child report in the project.
Add Code to Layouts Using Script
Learn how to add code to the layouts using script.
Save and Load RDF Report Files
Learn how to save and load a .rdf report file.
Save and Load RPX Report Files
Learn how to save and load a .rpx report file.

Work with Data in Section Reports

See step-by-step instructions for performing common tasks using ActiveReports.

This section contains information about how to:

Bind Reports to a Data Source
Learn how to bind reports to various data sources.
Add Grouping in Section Reports
Learn how to use the GroupHeader section to group data in a section report.
Modify Data Sources at Run Time
Learn to use code to modify a report's data source.

Bind Reports to a Data Source

At design time, you can connect a section report to a data source through the Report Data Source dialog. You
can access the Report Data Source dialog by doing one of the following:
On the detail section band, click the Data Source Icon.

Click the gray area around the design surface and in the commands section at the bottom of the
Properties Window, click the Edit Data Source command.
There are four tabs in the dialog for the four most commonly used data sources.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 526

The following steps take you through the process of binding reports to each data source. These steps assume that
you have already added an ActiveReports 9 Section Report template in a Visual Studio project. See Adding an
ActiveReport to a Project further information on adding different report layouts.
To use the OLE DB data source
1. In the Report Data Source dialog, on the OLE DB tab, next to Connection String, click the Build button.
2. In the Data Link Properties window that appears, select Microsoft Jet 4.0 OLE DB Provider and click the
Next button to move to the Connection tab.
3. Click the ellipsis (...) button to browse to your database, for example the NWind.mdb sample database.
Click Open once you have selected the appropriate database path.
4. Click the Test Connection button to see if you have successfully connected to the database.
5. Click OK to close the Data Link Properties window and return to the Report Data Source dialog. Notice that
the Connection String field gets filled automatically.
6. In the Query field on the OLE DB tab, enter a SQL query to select the data that you want use from the
connected database. For example, Select * From CUSTOMERS
OR

In the Report Data Source dialog, click on to access Visual Query Designer for
creating SQL queries. See Visual Query Designer for further information on how to create a query using
the interactive query designer.
7. Click OK to save the data source and return to the report design surface.
To use the ODBC data source
Before you connect to an ODBC data source, you must install an ODBC driver and set up an ODBC data source. For
more information, see How To: Setup an ODBC Data Source.
1. In the Report Data source dialog, click the ODBC tab.
2. In the Connection String field on the ODBC tab, enter a connection string to connect to the database. For
example, Provider=MSDASQL;Persist Security Info=False;DSN=MS Access Database
3. In the Query field on the ODBC tab, enter a SQL query to select the data that you want use from the
connected database. For example, Select * From CUSTOMERS
4. Click OK to save the data source and return to the report design surface.
To use the SQL data source
1. In the Report Data Source dialog, on the SQL tab, next to Connection String, click the Build button.
2. In the Data Link Properties window that appears, select Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server and
click the Next button to move to the Connection tab.
3. On the Connection tab of the Data Link Properties window:
In the Select or enter server name field, select your server from the drop down list.
Under Enter information to log on to the server, select the Windows NT security credentials
or your specific user name and password.
Under Select the database on the server, select a database from the server or attach a
database file.
Click the Test Connection button to see if you have successfully connected to the database.
4. Click OK to close the Data Link Properties window and to return to the Report Data Source dialog. Notice
that the Connection String field gets filled automatically.
5. In the Query field on the SQL tab, enter a SQL query to select the data that you want use from the
connected database. For example, Select * From CUSTOMERS
OR

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 527
In the Report Data Source dialog, click to access Visual Query Designer for creating
SQL queries. See Visual Query Designer for further information on how to create a query.
6. Click OK to save the data source and return to the report design surface.
To use the XML data source
1. In the Report Data Source dialog, on the XML tab, click the ellipsis (...) button next to File URL field.
2. In the Open File window that appears, navigate to your XML data file to select it and click the Open
button. You can use a sample XML data file located at C:\Users\YourUserName\Documents\GrapeCity
Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\customer.xml.
3. In the Recordset Pattern field, enter a valid XPath expression like the following. //CUSTOMER
4. Click OK to save the data source and return to the report design surface.
You also have the option to use an unbound or an IEnumerable data source. See the following procedures to
implement these data source connections in code.
To use an Unbound data source
To create a data connection
1. Add an Imports (VisualBasic.NET) or using (C#) statement for System.Data and System.Data.Oledb
namespaces.
2. Right-click the gray area outside the design surface to select the report and select Properties.
3. In the Properties window that appears, click the Events icon to view the available events for the report.
4. In the events list, double-click the ReportStart event. This creates an event-handling method for the
ReportStart event in code.
5. Add the following code to the handler.
To write code in VisualBasic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste above the ReportStart event.
Dim m_cnnString As String
Dim sqlString As String
Dim m_reader As OleDbDataReader
Dim m_cnn As OleDbConnection

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste inside the ReportStart event.

'Set data source connection string.
m_cnnString = "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;" _
+ "Data Source=C:\Users\YourUserName\Documents\GrapeCity
Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\Nwind.mdb;Persist Security Info=False"
'Set data source SQL query.
sqlString = "SELECT * FROM categories INNER JOIN products ON categories.categoryid
" _
+ "= products.categoryid ORDER BY products.categoryid, products.productid"
'Open connection and create DataReader.
m_cnn = New OleDb.OleDbConnection(m_cnnString)
Dim m_Cmd As New OleDb.OleDbCommand(sqlString, m_cnn)
If m_cnn.State = ConnectionState.Closed Then
m_cnn.Open()
End If
m_reader = m_Cmd.ExecuteReader()

To write code in C#
C# code. Paste above the ReportStart event.
private static OleDbConnection m_cnn;
private static OleDbDataReader m_reader;
private string sqlString;
private string m_cnnString;

C# code. Paste inside the ReportStart event.

//Set data source connection string.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 528
m_cnnString = "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source="
+ @"C:\Users\YourUserName\Documents\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports
9\Data\Nwind.mdb;Persist Security Info=False";
//Set data source SQL query.
sqlString = "SELECT * FROM categories INNER JOIN products"
+ " ON categories.categoryid = products.categoryid"
+ " ORDER BY products.categoryid, products.productid";
//Open connection and create DataReader.
m_cnn = new OleDbConnection(m_cnnString);
OleDbCommand m_Cmd = new OleDbCommand(sqlString,m_cnn);
if(m_cnn.State == ConnectionState.Closed)
{
m_cnn.Open();
}
m_reader = m_Cmd.ExecuteReader();

To close the data connection

1. Right-click the gray area outside the design surface to select the report and select Properties.
2. In the Properties window that appears, click the Events icon to view the available events for the report.
3. In the events list, double-click the ReportEnd event. This creates an event-handling method for the
ReportEnd event.
4. Add the following code to the handler.
To write the code in Visual Basic
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste inside the ReportEnd event.
m_reader.Close()
m_cnn.Close()

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste inside the ReportEnd event.

m_reader.Close();
m_cnn.Close();

To create a fields collection

1. Right-click the gray area around the design surface to select the report and select Properties.
2. In the Properties window that appears, click the Events icon to view the available events for the report.
3. In the events list, double-click DataInitialize event. This creates an event-handling method for the
report's DataInitialize event.
4. Add code to the handler to add fields to the report's fields collection.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste inside the DataInitialize event.
Fields.Add("CategoryName")
Fields.Add("ProductName")
Fields.Add("UnitsInStock")
Fields.Add("Description")

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste inside the DataInitialize event.
Fields.Add("CategoryName");
Fields.Add("ProductName");
Fields.Add("UnitsInStock");
Fields.Add("Description");

To populate the fields

1. Right-click the gray area around the design surface to select the report and select Properties.
2. In the Properties window that appears, click the Events icon to view the available events for the report.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 529
3. In the events list, double-click the FetchData event. This creates an event-handling method for the
report's FetchData event.
4. Add the following code to the handler to retrieve information to populate the report fields.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste inside the FetchData event.

Try
m_reader.Read()
Me.Fields("CategoryName").Value = m_reader("CategoryName")
Me.Fields("ProductName").Value = m_reader("ProductName")
Me.Fields("UnitsInStock").Value = m_reader("UnitsInStock")
Me.Fields("Description").Value = m_reader("Description")
eArgs.EOF = False
Catch ex As Exception
eArgs.EOF = True
End Try

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste inside the FetchData event.
try
{
m_reader.Read();
Fields["CategoryName"].Value = m_reader["CategoryName"].ToString();
Fields["ProductName"].Value = m_reader["ProductName"].ToString();
Fields["UnitsInStock"].Value = m_reader["UnitsInStock"].ToString();
Fields["Description"].Value = m_reader["Description"].ToString();
eArgs.EOF = false;
}
catch
{
eArgs.EOF = true;
}

Tip: In order to view the added data at runtime, add controls to your report and assign their DataField
property to the name of the fields you added in code while creating a field collection.

Caution: Do not access the Fields collection outside the DataInitialize and FetchData events. Accessing the
Fields collection outside of these events is not supported, and has unpredictable results.

To use the IEnumerable data source

1. Right-click the design surface and select View Code.
2. Add the following code inside the class declaration of the report:
To create a data source in Visual Basic
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste inside the class declaration of the report.
Private datasource1 As IEnumerator(Of String) = Nothing
Dim list As List(Of String)= Nothing

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste inside the class declaration of the report.
Private Function GetIEnumerableData() As IEnumerable(Of String)
For i As Integer = 1 To 10
list.Add(String.Format("TestData_{0}", i.ToString()))
Next
Return list
End Function

To create a data source in C#

C# code. Paste inside the class declaration of the report.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 530
private IEnumerator<string> datasource = null;

C# code. Paste inside the class declaration of the report.

private IEnumerable<string> GetIEnumerableData()
{
for (int i = 1; i <= 10; i++)
{
yield return string.Format("TestData_{0}", i.ToString());
}
}

3. On the design surface, right-click the gray area around the design surface to select the report and select
Properties.
4. In the Properties window that appears, click the Events icon to view the available events for the report.
5. Double-click the DataInitialize event. This creates an event-handling method for the report's DataInitialize
event.
6. Add the following code to the handler to add fields to the report's Fields collection.
To add fields in Visual Basic
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste inside the DataInitialize event.
Me.Fields.Add("TestField")
Me.list = New List(Of String)
datasource1 = GetIEnumerableData().GetEnumerator()

To add fields in C#
C# code. Paste inside the DataInitialize event.
this.Fields.Add("TestField");
datasource = GetIEnumerableData().GetEnumerator();

7. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to open the events list in the property window.
8. Double-click the FetchData event. This creates an event-handling method for the report's FetchData
event.
9. Add code to the handler to retrieve information to populate the report fields.
To populate fields in Visual Basic
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste inside the FetchData event.
If datasource1.MoveNext() Then
Me.Fields("TestField").Value = datasource1.Current
eArgs.EOF = False
Else
eArgs.EOF = True
End If

To populate fields in C#
C# code. Paste inside the FetchData event.
if (datasource.MoveNext())
{
this.Fields["TestField"].Value = datasource.Current;
eArgs.EOF = false;
}
else
eArgs.EOF = true;

Tip: In order to view the added data at runtime, add controls to your report and assign their DataField
property to the name of the fields you added in code while creating a field collection.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 531
Add Grouping in Section Reports
In a section report, you can set grouping on a field or a field expression. Use the following steps to understand
grouping in a section report.
These steps assume that you have already added a Section Report (xml-based) or Section Report (code based)
template and connected it to a data source. See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for further information.

To set grouping in a Section Report

1. Right-click the design surface of a report and select Insert, then Group Header/Footer. Group Header
and Footer sections appear immediately above and below the detail section.
2. With the GroupHeader section selected, go to the Properties window and set the DataField ('DataField
Property' in the on-line documentation) to a field on which you want to group the data. For example,
Country from Customers table in the NWind database.

Note: You can also set a field expression in the DataField property. For example, =Country + City.

3. Drag and drop the grouping field onto the GroupHeader section to see the grouping field while previewing
the report.
4. Drag and drop data fields onto the detail section. All the data placed inside the detail section gets grouped
according to grouping field.
5. Preview the report to see the result.
The following image shows a customer list grouped on the Country field.

Tip: In a section report, data is grouped in the order in which it is fetched in the raw form. Therefore, for
best results, while setting the SQL query in your report data source, order the data by the grouping field. For
example., SELECT * FROM Customers ORDER BY Country

Modify Data Sources at Run Time

In a section report, you can modify your data source at run time. Follow the steps below to connect your report to
the NWind.mdb sample database at run time.

To find the database path

Note: These steps assume that the data path is defined in the following registry key.

1. Right-click the design surface, and select View Code to display the code view for the report.
2. Add the following code to the report to access the sample database path from the registry.
To write the code in Visual Basic
The following example shows what the code for the function looks like.

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste below the Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports statement at the top of the
code view.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 532
Imports System
Imports Microsoft.Win32

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste inside the report class.

Private Function getDatabasePath() As String

End Function

This creates a function for getDatabasePath.

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste inside the getDatabasePath function.
Dim regKey As RegistryKey
regKey = Registry.LocalMachine
regKey = regKey.CreateSubKey("SOFTWARE\\GrapeCity\\ActiveReports\\v9")
getDatabasePath = CType(regKey.GetValue(""), String)

To write the code in C#

The following example shows what the code for the function looks like.
C# code. Paste below the using GrapCity.ActiveReports statement at the top of the code view.
using Microsoft.Win32;
using System;

C# code. Paste inside the report class and hit Enter.

private string getDatabasePath()

This creates a function for getDatabasePath.

C# code. Paste BELOW the getDatabasePath function.
{
RegistryKey regKey = Registry.LocalMachine;
regKey = regKey.CreateSubKey("SOFTWARE\\GrapeCity\\ActiveReports\\v9");
return ((string)(regKey.GetValue("")));
}

To change the data source at run time

1. Double-click the gray area outside the design surface to create an event-handling method for the
ReportStart event.
2. Add the following code to the handler to change the data source at run time.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste above the ReportStart event.
Dim conn As System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection
Dim reader As System.Data.OleDb.OleDbDataReader

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste inside the ReportStart event.

Dim dbPath As String = getDatabasePath()
Dim connString As String = "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=" + dbPath +
"\NWIND.mdb"
conn = New System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection(connString)
Dim cmd As New System.Data.OleDb.OleDbCommand("SELECT * FROM Products WHERE UnitPrice =
18", conn)
conn.Open()
reader = cmd.ExecuteReader()
Me.DataSource = reader

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 533
To write the code in C#
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.

C# code. Paste above the ReportStart event.

private static System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection conn;
private static System.Data.OleDb.OleDbDataReader reader;

C# code. Paste inside the ReportStart event.

string dbPath = getDatabasePath();
string connString = "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=" + dbPath +
"\\NWIND.mdb";
conn = new System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection(connString);
System.Data.OleDb.OleDbCommand cmd = new System.Data.OleDb.OleDbCommand("SELECT * FROM
Products WHERE UnitPrice = 18", conn);
conn.Open();
reader = cmd.ExecuteReader();
this.DataSource = reader;

To close the data connection

1. Right-click the gray area outside the design surface and select Properties.
2. In the Properties Window that appears, click the Events button. A list of report events appear.
3. Select the ReportEnd event and double click to create an event-handling method.
4. Add the following code to the handler to close the data connection.
To write the code in Visual Basic
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste inside the ReportEnd event.

reader.Close()
conn.Close()

To write the code in C#

The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
C# code. Paste inside the ReportEnd event.
reader.Close();
conn.Close();

Work with Report Controls

See step-by-step instructions on using Section report controls.

This section contains information about how to

Add Field Expressions
Learn how to add field expressions to a text box data field.
Display Page Numbers and Report Dates
Learn how to quickly add page numbering or report dates to Section reports using the ReportInfo control.
Load a File into a RichTextBox Control
Learn how to save and load an HTML or RTF file in a RichTextBox.
Use Custom Controls on Reports
Learn how to access a third party custom control in ActiveReports.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 534
Add Field Expressions
In a section report, expressions can be used in the DataField ('DataField Property' in the on-line
documentation) property to specify textbox output in a report, such as date/time, mathematical calculations or
conditional values. All field expressions used in the DataField property begin with the equals sign (=).

Using Field Expressions

To use a mathematical expression
Set the DataField property of a textbox control to a mathematical calculation.
Example:
=UnitPrice+5
=Quantity-5
=Quantity*UnitPrice
=UnitPrice/QuantityPerUnit
To use a substring
Set the DataField property of a textbox control to the required substring. While setting up grouping, change the
GroupHeader's DataField property to the same substring.
Example:
=ProductName.Substring(0, 1)
To use date/time
Set the DataField property of a textbox control similar to the following expression to display date/time values.
Example:
=System.DateTime.Now.ToString()
To create a conditional value
Set the DataField property of a textbox control to the conditional statement as desired.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 535
Example:
=(UnitsInStock > 0)?"In Stock":"Backorder"
To concatenate fields
Set the DataField property of a textbox control similar to the following expression to display concatenated fields.
Example:
="There are " + UnitsInStock + " units of " + ProductName + " in stock."
=TitleOfCourtesy + " " + FirstName + " " + LastName

Note: ActiveReports automatically handles null values, replacing them with an empty string.

To round a calculation
Set the DataField Property of a textbox control like the following example.
Example:
=(double)System.Math.Round(UnitsInStock/10)
To use modular division
Set the DataField property of a textbox control like the following example to get the remainder (2 in this case).
Example: =22%(5)
To replace a null value
Set the DataField property of a textbox control like the following example to replace null with your own value.
Example:
=(UnitsInStock == System.DBNull.Value) ? "No Units In Stock" : UnitsInStock

Display Page Numbers and Report Dates

With the ReportInfo control available in a section report, you can display page numbers and report dates and
times by selecting a value in the FormatString property. This property provides the following pre-defined options
for page numbering and date and time formatting.
Predefined Options and their Description

Numbering Format Description

Page {PageNumber} of {PageCount} on {RunDateTime} Display the page numbers along with Date and
Time in the following format :
Page 1 of 100 on 1/31/2012 2:45:50 PM
Page {PageNumber} of {PageCount} Display the only the page numbers in the following
format : Page 1 of 100

{RunDateTime:} Display the Date and Time in the following format :

1/31/2012 2:45:50 PM
{RunDateTime: M/d} Display the Date in the following format : 1/31
{RunDateTime: M/d/yy} Display the Date in the following format : 1/31/12
{RunDateTime: M/d/yyyy} Display the Date in the following format : 1/31/2012
{RunDateTime: MM/dd/yy} Display the Date in the following format : 01/31/12
{RunDateTime: MM/dd/yyyy} Display the Date in the following format :
01/31/2012
{RunDateTime: d-MMM} Display the Date in the following format : 31-Jan
{RunDateTime: d-MMM-yy} Display the Date in the following format : 31-Jan-12
{RunDateTime: d-MMM-yyyy} Display the Date in the following format :
31-Jan-2012

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 536
{RunDateTime: dd-MMM-yy} Display the Date in the following format : 31-Jan-12

{RunDateTime: dd-MMM-yyyy} Display the Date in the following format :

31-Jan-2012

{RunDateTime: MMM-yy} Display the Date in the following format : Jan-12

{RunDateTime: MMM-yyyy} Display the Date in the following format : Jan-2012

{RunDateTime: MMMM-yy} Display the Date in the following format :

January-12
{RunDateTime: MMMM-yyyy} Display the Date in the following format :
January-2012
{RunDateTime: MMMM d,yyyy} Display the Date in the following format :
January 31, 2012
{RunDateTime: M/d/yy h:mm tt} Display the Date and Time in the following format :
1/31/12 2:45 PM

{RunDateTime: M/d/yyyy h:mm tt} Display the Date and Time in the following format :
1/31/2012 2:45 PM
{RunDateTime: M/d/yy h:mm} Display the Date and Time in the following format :
1/31/12 2:45
{RunDateTime: M/d/yyyy h:mm} Display the Date and Time in the following format :
1/31/2012 2:45

Page numbering can also be set to a group level using the SummaryGroup and SummaryRunning properties.
These steps assume that you have already added a Section Report to a project in Visual Studio. See Adding an
ActiveReport to a Project for more information.
To display page numbers and report dates on a report
1. From the ActiveReports 9 Section Report tab in the toolbox, drag the ReportInfo control to the desired
location on the design surface.
2. With the ReportInfo control selected in the Properties Window, drop down the FormatString property.
3. Select the pre-defined format that best suits your needs.
Tip: You can customize the pre-defined formats in the Properties Window. For example,
if you change the FormatString property to Page {PageNumber} / {PageCount}, it shows the
first page number as Page 1/1. For more information on creating formatting strings, see the Date,
Time, and Number Formatting topic.

To display page numbers and page count at the group level

1. From the ActiveReports 9 Section Report tab in the toolbox, drag the ReportInfo control to the
GroupHeader or GroupFooter section of the report and set the FormatString property as above.
2. With the ReportInfo control still selected in the Properties Window, drop down the SummaryGroup
property and select the group for which you want to display a page count.
3. Drop down the SummaryRunning property and select Group.

Load a File into a RichTextBox Control

In a section layout, you can load an RTF or an HTML file into the RichTextBox control both at design time and at
run time . Following is a step-by-step process that helps you load these files into the RichTextBox control.
These steps assume that you have already added a Section Report (code based) template in a Visual Studio
project and have placed a RichTextBox control inside its detail section. See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for
more information.

Caution: Do not attempt to load a file into a RichTextBox in a section that repeats. After the first iteration of
the section, the RTF or HTML file is already in use by that first iteration and returns "file in use" errors when
that section is processed again.

To write an RTF file to load into a RichTextBox control

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 537
1. Open wordpad, and paste the following formatted text into it.
Paste into an RTF File

Customer List by Country

Argentina
Rancho grande
Océano Atlántico Ltda.
Cactus Comidas para llevar
Austria
Piccolo und mehr
Ernst Handel
Belgium
Suprêmes délices
Maison Dewey
Brazil
Familia Arquibaldo
Wellington Improtadora
Que Delícia
Tradição Hipermercados
Ricardo Adocicados
Hanari Carnes
Queen Cozinha
Comércio Mineiro
Gourmet Lanchonetes
2. Save the file as sample.rtf in the debug directory inside the bin folder of your project.

Note: The RichTextBox control is limited in its support for advanced RTF features such as the ones supported
by Microsoft Word. In general, the features supported by WordPad are supported in this control.

To load an RTF file into the RichTextBox control at design time

1. On the report design surface, add a RichTextBox control.
2. With the RichTextBox control selected, at the botton of the Properties Window, click the Load File
command. See Properties Window for a description of commands.
3. In the Open dialog that appears, browse to an *.RTF file (For example, sample.rtf) and click the Open
button to load the file in the RichTextBox control.
To load an RTF file into the RichTextBox control at run time

Note: The RichTextBox control has limited support for advanced RTF features such as the ones supported by
Microsoft Word. Therefore, use a WordPad for obtaining best results.

These steps assume that the RTF file (for example, sample.rtf) to load has been saved in the bin/debug directory
of your project.
1. Right-click the report and select View Code to open the code view.
2. Add an Imports (Visual Basic.NET) or using (C#) statement at the top of the code view for the
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReportModel namespace.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 538
3. In the design view, double-click the detail section of the report to create an event-handling method for the
Detail Format event.
4. Add the following code to the handler to load the RTF file into the RichTextBox control.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Detail1_Format event.
Dim streamRTF As New System.IO.FileStream(System.Windows.Forms.Application.StartupPath
+ "\sample.rtf", System.IO.FileMode.Open)
Me.RichTextBox1.Load(streamRTF, RichTextType.Rtf)

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the detail_Format event.
System.IO.FileStream streamRTF = new
System.IO.FileStream(System.Windows.Forms.Application.StartupPath +
"\\sample.rtf", System.IO.FileMode.Open);
this.richTextBox1.Load(streamRTF, RichTextType.Rtf);

Note: The Application.Startup path code does not work in preview mode. You must run the project in order
to see the file load.

To write an HTML file to load into a RichTextBox control

1. Open a Notepad, and paste the following HTML code into it.
HTML code
HTML code. Paste in a NotePad file.
<html>
<body>
<center><h1>Customer List by Country</h1></center>
<h1>Argentina</h1>
<ul>
<li>Rancho grande
<li>Océano Atlántico Ltda.
<li>Cactus Comidas para llevar
</ul>
<h1>Austria</h1>
<ul>
<li>Piccolo und mehr
<li>Ernst Handel
</ul>
<h1>Belgium</h1>
<ul>
<li>Suprêmes délices
<li>Maison Dewey
</ul>
<h1>Brazil</h1>
<ul>
<li>Familia Arquibaldo
<li>Wellington Improtadora
<li>Que Delícia
<li>Tradição Hipermercados
<li>Ricardo Adocicados
<li>Hanari Carnes
<li>Queen Cozinha
<li>Comércio Mineiro
<li>Gourmet Lanchonetes
</ul>

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 539
</body>
</html>

2. Save the file as sample.html.

To load an HTML file into the RichTextBox control at design time
1. On the report design surface, add a RichTextBox control.
2. With the RichTextBox control selected, at the bottom of the Properties Window, click the Load File
command. See Properties Window for a description of commands.
3. In the Open dialog that appears, browse to an *.html file (For example, sample.html) and click the Open
button to load the file in the RichTextBox control.
To load an HTML file into a RichTextBox control at run time
These steps assume that the HTML file (for example, sample.html) to load has been saved in the bin/debug
directory of your project.
1. Right-click the report and select View Code to open the code view.
2. Add an Imports (Visual Basic.NET) or using (C#) statement at the top of the code view for the
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReportModel namespace.
3. In the design view, double-click the detail section of the report to create an event-handling method for the
Detail Format event.
4. Add code to the handler to load the HTML file into the RichText control.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Detail1_Format event.
Dim streamHTML As New System.IO.FileStream(System.Windows.Forms.Application.StartupPath
+ "\sample.HTML", System.IO.FileMode.Open)
Me.RichTextBox1.Load(streamHTML, RichTextType.Html)

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the detail_Format event.
System.IO.FileStream streamHTML = new
System.IO.FileStream(System.Windows.Forms.Application.StartupPath +
"\\sample.html", System.IO.FileMode.Open);
this.richTextBox1.Load(streamHTML, RichTextType.Html);

Note: The Application.Startup path code does not work in preview mode. You must run the project in order
to see the file load.

Use Custom Controls on Reports

In a section report, ActiveReports allows you to drop a third party control onto the report design surface where it
is recognized as a custom control. You can access its properties using type casting.
In the following steps, we use hidden textbox controls to populate a Visual Studio TreeView control. These steps
assume that you have already added a Section Report (code-based) template in a Visual Studio project.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for more information.
To add the TreeView control to a report
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox Common Controls tab, drag and drop a TreeView control onto the detail
section of a report.
2. Notice that in the Properties window, the control is called CustomControl1.
To add data and hidden TextBox controls to the report
1. Connect the report to the sample Nwind.mdb. The following steps use the Orders table from the NWind
database. By default, in ActiveReports, the Nwind.mdb file is located at [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 540
Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\Nwind.mdb.
2. From the Report Explorer, drag and drop the following fields onto the detail section of the report:
ShipCountry
ShipCity
CustomerID
EmployeeID
3. On the design surface, select all four TextBox controls, and in the Properties window, change their Visible
property to False.
To create a function to add nodes to the TreeView control
1. Right-click the design surface and select View Code to see the code view for the report.
2. Add the following code inside the report class to add a function to the report for adding nodes to the
TreeView control.
The following examples show what the code for the function looks like.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the report class.
Private Function AddNodeToTreeView(ByVal colNodes As TreeNodeCollection, ByVal sText As
String) As TreeNode
Dim objTreeNode As TreeNode
objTreeNode = New TreeNode(sText)
colNodes.Add(objTreeNode)
Return objTreeNode
End Function

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the report class.
private TreeNode AddNodeToTreeView(TreeNodeCollection colNodes, string sText)
{
TreeNode objTreeNode;
objTreeNode = new TreeNode(sText);
colNodes.Add(objTreeNode);
return objTreeNode;
}

To access the TreeView control properties in code and assign data

1. On the report design surface, double-click the detail section to create an event-handling method for the
Detail_Format event.
2. Add the following code to the handler to access the TreeView properties and assign data from the hidden
TextBox controls.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Detail Format event.
'Type cast the custom control as a TreeView
Dim TreeView1 As New TreeView
TreeView1 = CType(Me.CustomControl1.Control, TreeView)
'Create a tree node
Dim objCountryTreeNode As TreeNode
'Assign the text from a hidden textbox to the node
objCountryTreeNode = AddNodeToTreeView(TreeView1.Nodes,
Me.txtShipCountry1.Text)
'Add a second-level node
AddNodeToTreeView(objCountryTreeNode.Nodes, Me.txtShipCity1.Text)
'Expand the top-level node so the second-level node is in view

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 541
objCountryTreeNode.Expand()
'Create a second top-level node
Dim objCustomerTreeNode As TreeNode
objCustomerTreeNode = AddNodeToTreeView(TreeView1.Nodes,
Me.txtCustomerID1.Text)
AddNodeToTreeView(objCustomerTreeNode.Nodes, Me.txtEmployeeID1.Text)
objCustomerTreeNode.Expand()

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Detail Format event.
//Type cast the custom control as a TreeView
TreeView TreeView1 = new TreeView();
TreeView1 = (TreeView)this.customControl1.Control;
//Create a tree node
TreeNode objCountryTreeNode;
//Assign the text from a hidden textbox to the node
objCountryTreeNode = AddNodeToTreeView(TreeView1.Nodes, this.txtShipCountry1.Text);
//Add a second-level node
AddNodeToTreeView(objCountryTreeNode.Nodes, this.txtShipCity1.Text);
//Expand the top-level node so the second-level node is in view
objCountryTreeNode.Expand();
//Create a second top-level node
TreeNode objCustomerTreeNode;
objCustomerTreeNode = AddNodeToTreeView(TreeView1.Nodes, this.txtCustomerID1.Text);
AddNodeToTreeView(objCustomerTreeNode.Nodes, this.txtEmployeeID1.Text);
objCustomerTreeNode.Expand();

Create Common Section Reports

See step-by-step instructions for creating commonly used reports with Section Layout.

This section contains information about how to:

Create Top N Reports
Learn to display top 10 data on a report.
Create a Summary Report
Learn to display summary data on a report.
Create Green Bar Reports
Learn to alternate background colors on the detail section.

Create Top N Reports

In a section report, in order to display only the top N number of details on a report, you can manipulate the data
pulled by your SQL query.

To set an access data source to pull Top N data

1. On the design surface, click the DataSource Icon in the detail section band to open the Report Data
Source dialog.

2. On the OLE DB tab of the Report Data Source dialog, next to Connection String, click the Build button.
3. In the Data Link Properties window that appears, select Microsoft Jet 4.0 OLE DB Provider and click the

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 542
Next button.
4. Click the ellipsis (...) button to browse to the NWind database. Click Open once you have selected the
appropriate access path.

Note: The sample NWind.mdb data file is located in: [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity
Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWind.mdb

5. Click OK to close the window and fill in the Connection String field.
6. Back in Report Data Source dialog, paste the following SQL query in the Query field to fetch Top 10
records from the database.
SQL Query
SELECT TOP 10 Customers.CompanyName, Sum([UnitPrice]*[Quantity])
AS Sales
FROM (Customers INNER JOIN Orders ON Customers.CustomerID = Orders.CustomerID)
INNER JOIN [Order Details] ON Orders.OrderID = [Order Details].OrderID
GROUP BY Customers.CompanyName
ORDER BY Sum([UnitPrice]*[Quantity])
DESC

7. Click OK to return to the report design surface.

To add controls to display the Top N data

1. In the Report Explorer, expand the Fields node, then the Bound node.
2. Drag and drop the following fields onto the detail section and set the properties of each textbox as
indicated.

Field Text Location Miscellaneous

CompanyName Company Name 0.5, 0
Sales Sales 5, 0 OutputFormat = Currency

3. Go to Preview tab, to view the result.

A report with the Top 10 companies' data similar to the following will appear in the preview.

Create a Summary Report

In a section layout, you can display totals and subtotals by modifying the summary fields of a TextBox control. Use
the following steps to learn how to add totals and subtotals in a report.
These steps assume that you have already added a Section Report template in a Visual Studio project and
connected it to a data source. See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project and Bind Reports to a Data Source for

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 543
further information.

Note: These steps use the Products table from the NWind database. The sample NWind.mdb database file is
located in the [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data folder.

To calculate and display subtotals in a report

1. Right-click the design surface and select Insert, then Group Header/Footer to add group header and
group footer sections to the layout.
2. With the GroupHeader section selected in the Properties Window, set its DataField property to CategoryID.
This groups the data on the report according to the set field.
3. From the Report Explorer, drag and drop the following fields onto the corresponding sections of the report.
Fields
Field Name = CategoryID
Section = GroupHeader
Field Name = ProductName
Section = Detail
Field Name = UnitsInStock
Section = Detail
Field Name = UnitsInStock
Section = GroupFooter
4. With the UnitsInStock field in the GroupFooter selected, go to the Properties Window and set the following:
SummaryFunc: Sum
SummaryType: Sub Total
SummaryRunning: Group
SummaryGroup: GroupHeader1
5. Go to the Preview tab to view the report and see the Sub Total appear below each group of data similar to
the following image.

To calculate and display grand total in a report

These steps are a continuation of the procedure above. The report generated at the end of this procedure contains
totals and subtotals.
1. Right-click the design surface and select Insert, then Report Header/Footer to add report header and
footer sections to the layout.
2. From Report Explorer, drag and drop the UnitsInStock field onto the ReportFooter section go to the
Properties Window and set the following:
SummaryFunc: Sum
SummaryType: GrandTotal
SummaryRunning: All
3. Go to the Preview tab to view the report and see the Grand Total appear on the last page of the report.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 544

Create Green Bar Reports

In a section report, green bar printouts can be created by setting alternate shades or background color in the
report's detail section in the Format event. The following steps demonstrate how to create a Green Bar report.
1. On the design surface, double-click the detail section of the report to create an event handling method for
the Detail Format event.
2. Add the following code to the handler to alternate background colors.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste JUST ABOVE the Detail Format event.
Dim color As Boolean

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Detail Format event.

If color = True Then
Me.Detail1.BackColor = System.Drawing.Color.DarkSeaGreen
color = False
Else
Me.Detail1.BackColor = System.Drawing.Color.Transparent
color = True
End If

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste JUST ABOVE the Detail Format event.
bool color;

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Detail Format event.

if(color)
{
this.detail.BackColor = System.Drawing.Color.DarkSeaGreen;
color = false;
}
else
{
this.detail.BackColor = System.Drawing.Color.Transparent;
color = true;
}

3. Add controls like TextBox to the report design surface and preview the report.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 545
The following image shows a Green Bar report alternating between Transparent and Dark Sea Green backgrounds:

Inherit a Report Template

In a section layout, you can create a base report as a template from which other reports can inherit. This behavior is
similar to creating a master report and is available in a Section Report (code-based) layout.
Inheriting reports is useful when multiple reports share common features, such as identical page headers and footers.
Instead of recreating the look every time, create template headers and footers once and use inheritance to apply them to
other reports.
Use the following instructions to create a base report and inherit it in other reports.

Caution: Base reports and the reports that inherit from them cannot contain controls with duplicate names. You can
compile and run your project with duplicate control names, but you cannot save the layout until you change the
duplicate names.

To create a base report

1. In a Visual Studio project, add a Section Report (code-based) template and name it rptLetterhead. See Adding an
ActiveReport to a Project for more information.
2. In the report template that appears, add the following controls from the Visual Studio toolbox to the indicated
section of rptLetterhead and set the properties.
Controls for rptLetterhead

Control Section Location Size Miscellaneous

Picture PageHeader 0, 0 in 3, 0.65 in Image = (click ellipsis and navigate to the location of
your image file)
PictureAlignment = TopLeft
Label PageHeader 1.16, 0.65 in 1.8, 0.25 in Text = Inheritance
Font = Arial, 15pt, style=Bold
Label PageFooter 0, 0 in 6.5, 0.19 in Text = http://www.grapecity.com
HyperLink = http://www.grapecity.com
Font/Bold = True
Alignment = Center

3. Right-click the gray area below the design surface and choose properties, to open the Properties window.
4. In the Properties window, set the MasterReport property to True. Setting the MasterReport property to True locks
the Detail section.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 546

You can use the Page Header and Page Footer sections to design the base report. When you create reports that inherit the
layout from this base report, only the detail section is available for editing.

Caution: Do not set the MasterReport property to True until you have finished designing or making changes to
the report. Setting this property to True triggers major changes in the designer file of the report.

To inherit layout from a base report

These steps assume that you have already added another Section Report (code-based) template. This report functions like
a content report where you can create the layout of the Detail section.
1. In a Visual Studio project, add a Section Report (code-based) template and name it rptLetter.
2. In the Solution Explorer, right-click the new report and select the View Code option to open the code behind of
the report.
3. In the code view, modify the inheritance statement as shown below. The content report inherits from the base
report instead of GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport.
Caution: The existing report layout in the content report is lost once you inherit the base report. Even if you
change it back to GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport, the original layout in content report will not be
retrieved.

To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic.NET code. Replace YourContentReport, YourProjectName and YourMasterReportName
with relevant names.
Partial Public Class rptLetter Inherits YourProjectName.rptLetterhead

To write the code in C#

C# code. Replace YourContentReport, YourProjectName and YourMasterReportName with relevant
names.
public partial class rptLetter : YourProjectName.rptLetterhead

4. Close the reports and from the Build menu on the Visual Studio menu bar, select Rebuild. When you reopen the
report, the inherited sections and controls are disabled.

Note: To apply further changes from the base report to the content report, you might have to rebuild the
project again.

Change Ruler Measurements

In a section layout, you can change ruler measurements from inches to centimeters and centimeters to inches.
Use the following instructions to modify ruler measurements at design- time and run-time.

To change ruler measurements at design-time

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 547
At design time, you can change the ruler measurements from the Report Settings Dialog.
1. In the Report Explorer, double-click the Settings node.
2. In the Report Settings dialog that appears, click Global Settings.
3. From the Ruler Units dropdown select Centimeters or Inches.

To call a measurement conversion at run-time

Call the CmToInch ('CmToInch Method' in the on-line documentation) method or InchToCm ('InchToCm
Method' in the on-line documentation) method at run-time to change measurements. For example, you can
use the following code when you are working in centimeters and need to convert a Label's position measurements
from centimeters to inches at run-time.
1. On the design surface select the section containing a control like a Label.
2. In the Properties Window, click the Events button to get a list of report events.
3. Select the Format event and double-click to create an event-handling method.
4. Add code like the following to the handler to set the size of the control using centimeters to inches.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste inside the Format event.
Me.Label1.Left = SectionReport1.CmToInch(2)
Me.Label1.Top = SectionReport1.CmToInch(2)

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste inside the Format event.
this.label1.Left = SectionReport1.CmToInch(2);
this.label1.Top = SectionReport1.CmToInch(2);

Print Multiple Copies, Duplex and Landscape

In a section report, you can modify various printer settings or print multiple copies of a report at design time and
at runtime.

Printer Settings
At design time, you can set up duplex printing, page orientation, collation, and page size in the Printer Settings
tab of the Report Settings Dialog.

Duplex Printing
To set up duplex printing in Printer Settings
1. In the Report Explorer, double-click the Settings node.
2. In the Report Settings dialog that appears, click Printer Settings.
3. On the Printer Settings page, next to Duplex, select one of the following options:
Printer Default: The report uses the default settings of the selected printer.
Simplex: Turns off duplex printing.
Horizontal: Prints horizontally on both sides of the paper.
Vertical: Prints vertically on both sides of the paper.
4. Click OK to return to the report.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 548
To use code to set up duplex printing
1. Double-click the gray area below the design surface to create an event-handling method for the report's
ReportStart event.
2. Add the following code to the handler to set up duplexing.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.
Me.PageSettings.Duplex = System.Drawing.Printing.Duplex.Horizontal

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.
this.PageSettings.Duplex = System.Drawing.Printing.Duplex.Horizontal;

Page Orientation
To set page orientation on the Printer Settings page
1. In the Report Explorer, double-click the Settings node.
2. In the Report Settings dialog that appears, click Printer Settings.
3. On the Printer Settings page, in the Orientation section, select either Default, Portrait or Landscape.
4. Click OK to return to the report.
To use code to change page orientation
1. Double-click the gray area below the design surface to create an event-handling method for the report's
ReportStart event.
2. Add the following code to the handler to change the page orientation of the report for printing.
Note: Page orientation can only be modified before the report runs. Otherwise, changes made to the
page orientation are not used during printing.

The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.
Me.PageSettings.Orientation =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.Section.PageOrientation.Landscape

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.

this.PageSettings.Orientation =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.Section.PageOrientation.Landscape;

Multiple Copies
You can print multiple copies using the Print dialog in the Preview tab or in the Viewer, or you can use code to set
the number of copies to print.
To set multiple copies in the print dialog
1. With a report displayed in the viewer or in the preview tab, click Print.
2. In the Print dialog that appears, next to Number of copies, set the number of copies that you want to
print.
To use code to set multiple copies
1. Double-click in the gray area below the design surface to create an event-handling method for the report's
ReportStart event.
2. Add the following code to the handler to set multiple copies of the report for printing.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like for printing five copies.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 549
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.

Me.Document.Printer.PrinterSettings.Copies = 5

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the ReportEnd event.

Me.Document.Printer.Print()

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.
this.Document.Printer.PrinterSettings.Copies = 5;

C# code. Paste INSIDE the ReportEnd event.

this.Document.Printer.Print();

Conditionally Show or Hide Details

In a section layout, you can use conditions in the Format event to control the display of report's detail section at
runtime.
These steps assume that you have already added a Section Report (code-based) template in a Visual Studio
project and connected it to a data source. See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project and Bind Reports to a Data
Source for further information.

Note: These steps use the Products table from the NWind database. By default, in ActiveReports, the
NWind.mdb file is located in the [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports
9\Data\NWind.mdb.

1. From the Report Explorer, drag and drop the following fields onto the detail section of the report and set
their properties in the Properties Window.

Field Name Properties

ProductName Location: 0, 0.104 in

Size: 2.667, 0.2 in

Discontinued Location: 2.667, 0.104 in

Size: 2.021, 0.2 in

ReorderLevel Location: 4.688, 0.104 in

Size: 1.812, 0.2 in

2. Double-click the detail section of the report to create an event-handling method for the Format event.
3. Add the following code to the handler to hide the details of a product which is discontinued.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Detail_Format event.
If Me.txtReorderLevel1.Value = 0 And Me.txtDiscontinued1.Value = False
Then
Me.Detail1.Visible = True
Me.txtReorderLevel1.Text = "Need to Reorder"
Me.txtReorderLevel1.ForeColor = System.Drawing.Color.DarkRed
Else
Me.Detail1.Visible = False
End If

To write the code in C#

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 550
C# code. Paste INSIDE the detail_Format event.
if (int.Parse(txtReorderLevel1.Value.ToString()) == 0 &&
txtDiscontinued1.Text == "False")
{
this.detail1.Visible = true;
this.txtReorderLevel1.Text = "Need to Reorder";
this.txtReorderLevel1.ForeColor = System.Drawing.Color.DarkRed;
}
else
{
this.detail1.Visible = false;
}

4. In Form1 of the Visual Studio project, add a Viewer control and load the report you created above in it. See
Using the Viewer for further details.
5. Press F5 to debug and see a report with discontinued products hidden from view.

Add Parameters in a Section Report

There are several ways to add parameters in a section report. The following sections provide a step by step overview of adding parameters in a report.

To add parameters using the Report Explorer

1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Parameters node and select Add. This adds a parameter (Parameter1) as a child to the Parameters node.

2. Select the added parameter to open the Properties Window and set values in the following properties:
Name: This is the unique name of the parameter which appears as Parameter1 by default. It corresponds to the Key property in parameters entered via code.
Default Value: Sets/returns the value displayed when the user is prompted to enter a value at runtime.
Prompt: Sets/returns a string displayed when a user is prompted for the value at runtime.
PromptUser: Boolean value that indicates whether to prompt the user for a value or not. This is set True to use parameters at runtime.
Type: This value which defaults to String defines the type of data the parameter represents. You can also set data type to Date or Boolean.
3. Pass the parameter to a field on the report, or access it programmatically as described in the run time procedure below.

To add parameters directly using a SQL query

When you add SQL parameters to a report, ActiveReports displays an Enter Report Parameters dialog where the user can enter the values to fetch from the database.
1. In the detail section band, click the DataSource icon to view the Report Data Source dialog.
2. Connect the report to a data source, for example, OleDb data source. See Bind Reports to a Data Source for further details.
3. In the Query field, enter a SQL query like the one below, which contains the parameter syntax to prompt for parameter values at runtime.
SELECT * FROM Products
INNER JOIN (Orders INNER JOIN [Order Details] ON Orders.OrderID= [Order Details].OrderID) ON Products.ProductID = [Order Details].ProductID WHERE Products.SupplierID = <%SupplierID|Enter Supplier ID|7%>
AND OrderDate >= #<%OrderDate|Order date from|11/1/1994|D%>#
AND Discontinued = <%Discontinued|Is this checked?|true|B%>
4. Click OK to save the data source and return to the report design surface.
The SQL query above causes ActiveReports to display the following dialog to the user. The user can accept these or input other values to select report data.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 551

To add parameters at run time

You can add, edit, and delete parameters at run time. The following code demonstrates how to add a parameter and display its value in a Textbox control.
1. Double-click in the gray area below the report to create an event-handling method for the ReportStart event.
2. Add code to the handler to set parameters at run time.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste at beginning of code view.

Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReportModel

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.

Dim myParam1 As New Parameter()
myParam1.Key = "myParam1"
myParam1.Type = Parameter.DataType.String
'Set to False if you do not want input from user.
myParam1.PromptUser = True
myParam1.Prompt = "Enter Data:"
myParam1.DefaultValue = "Default Value"
Me.Parameters.Add(myParam1)

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste at beginning of code view.

using GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReportModel;

C# code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.

Parameter myParam1 = new Parameter();
myParam1.Key = "myParam1";
myParam1.Type = Parameter.DataType.String;
//Set to False if you do not want input from user.
myParam1.PromptUser = true;
myParam1.Prompt = "Enter Data:";
myParam1.DefaultValue = "Default Value";
this.Parameters.Add(myParam1);

3. In the design view, click the gray area below the report to select it and open the Properties Window.
4. Click the events icon in the Properties Window to display available events for the report.
5. Double-click FetchData. This creates an event-handling method for the report's FetchData event.
6. Add code to the handler to pass the parameter at run time.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the FetchData event.

'Set textbox text equal to the value of the parameter.
Me.txtParam1.Text = Me.Parameters("myParam1").Value

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the FetchData event.

//Set textbox text equal to the value of the parameter.
this.txtParam1.Text = this.Parameters["myParam1"].Value;

The runtime implementation above causes ActiveReports to display the following dialog to the user. The user can enter any text in this prompt dialog and display it on the report.

Viewing a Parameterized Report

The parameter prompt dialog for a parameterized report depending on how you view the report.
To get a Parameter Dialog box
1. In the Visual Studio project, add a Viewer control to the Form.
2. Double-click the Form title bar to create a Form_Load event.
3. Add the following code to the handler to view the report in the Viewer.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.

Dim rpt As New SectionReport1
Viewer1.Document = rpt.Document
rpt.Run()

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.

SectionReport1 rpt = new SectionReport1();
viewer1.Document = rpt.Document;
rpt.Run();

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 552

To get a Parameter Panel in the Viewer sidebar

1. In the Visual Studio project, add a Viewer control to the Form.
2. Double-click the Form title bar to create a Form_Load event.
3. Add the following code to the handler to view the report in the Viewer.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.
Dim rpt As New SectionReport1
Me.Viewer1.LoadDocument(rpt)

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.

SectionReport1 rpt = new SectionReport1();
viewer1.LoadDocument(rpt);

Add and Save Annotations

In a section report, you can save a report containing annotations along with the report data into an RDF file. You
can also add annotations at runtime. The following steps demonstrate how to accomplish these tasks in code.
These steps assume that you have already added a Section Report (code based) template in a Visual Studio
project. See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for more information.

To save annotations
The following example shows how to add a Save Annotated Report button to the viewer and save a report with
annotations in RDF.
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag a Button control onto the viewer.
2. Set the Text property of the button to Save Annotated Report.
3. Double-click the button. This creates an event-handling method for the button Click event.
4. Add code to the click handler to save the document to an RDF file. See Save and Load RDF Report Files for
more information on loading the saved RDF file into the viewer.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the button Click event.
Me.Viewer1.Document.Save("C:\UserAnnotations.rdf")

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the button Click event.
this.viewer1.Document.Save("C:\\UserAnnotations.rdf");

To add annotations in code

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 553
The following example shows how to add annotations at run time and save the report data and annotations to an
RDF file.
1. Double-click the title bar of the Form in which you host the viewer. This creates an event-handling method
for the Form_Load event.
2. Add code to the handler to run the report, add annotations, display the report in the viewer, and save it
into an RDF file.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste ABOVE the class.
Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.Section.Annotations

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.

Dim rpt As New SectionReport1
'Run the report first.
rpt.Run()

'Assign the viewer.

Me.Viewer1.Document = rpt.Document

'Create an annotation and assign property values.

Dim circle As New AnnotationCircle
circle.Color = System.Drawing.Color.GreenYellow
circle.Border.Color = System.Drawing.Color.Chartreuse

'Add the annotation.

circle.Attach(1,1) 'screen location
Me.Viewer1.Document.Pages(0).Annotations.Add(circle)

'Set the size properties. The annotation must be added to the page first.
circle.Height = 0.25
circle.Width = 0.50

'Save annotations with the report in an RDF file.

rpt.Document.Save("C:\AnnotatedReport.rdf")

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste ABOVE the class.
using GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.Section.Annotations;

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.

SectionReport1 rpt = new SectionReport1();
//Run the report first.
rpt.Run();

//Assign the viewer

this.viewer1.Document = rpt.Document;

//Create an annotation and assign property values.

AnnotationCircle circle = new AnnotationCircle();
circle.Color = System.Drawing.Color.GreenYellow;
circle.Border.Color = System.Drawing.Color.Chartreuse;

//Add the annotation.

circle.Attach(1,1); //screen location
this.viewer1.Document.Pages[0].Annotations.Add(circle);

//Set the size properties. The annotation must be added to the page first.
circle.Height = 0.25f;

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 554
circle.Width = 0.50f;

//Save annotations with the report in an RDF file.

rpt.Document.Save("C:\\AnnotatedReport.rdf");

Add Bookmarks
In a section report, you can display bookmarks and nested bookmarks in the viewer's table of contents for fields, groups, and subreports. You
can also add special bookmarks at run time.
To set up basic bookmarks
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a TextBox control onto the detail section.
2. Double-click the Detail section of the report. This creates an event-handling method for the report's Detail_Format event.
3. Add code to the handler to set up bookmarks.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Detail Format event.

Me.Detail1.AddBookmark(textBox1.text)

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Detail Format event.

Detail.AddBookmark(TextBox1.Text);

To set up leveled or nested bookmarks

1. From the Report Explorer, drag and drop CustomerID and ContactName onto the detail section.
2. Double-click the Detail section of the report. This creates an event-handling method for the report's Detail_Format event.
3. Add code to the handler to set up bookmarks.
The following example shows what the code to set up leveled or nested Bookmarks looks like.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Detail Format event.

Me.Detail1.AddBookmark(txtCustomerID.Text + "\" + txtContactName.Text)

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Detail Format event.

detail.AddBookmark(txtCustomerID.Text + "\\" + txtContactName.Text);

To nest grandchild bookmarks and use bookmarks in grouping

1. From the Report Explorer, drag and drop CustomerID, ContactName and City fields onto the detail section.
2. Double-click in the Detail section of the report. This creates an event-handling method for the report's Detail_Format event.
3. Add code to the handler to set up a bookmark for each ContactName and nest ContactName bookmarks within each CustomerID, and
CustomerID bookmarks in each City.
The following example shows what the code for the detail section looks like.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Detail_Format event.

Me.Detail1.AddBookmark(txtCity.Text + "\" + txtCustomerID.Text + "\" +
txtContactName.Text)

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Detail_Format event.

this.detail.AddBookmark(txtCity.Text + "\\" + txtCustomerID.Text + "\\" +
txtContactName.Text);

4. Add a GroupHeader section to the layout and set its DataField property to City.
5. Double-click in the Group Header section of the report. This creates an event-handling method for the report's Group Header Format
event.
6. Add code to the handler to set up a bookmark for each instance of the City group.
The following example shows what the code for the group header looks like.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 555
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Group Header Format event.
Me.GroupHeader1.AddBookmark(txtCity.Text)

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Group Header Format event.

this.groupHeader1.AddBookmark(txtCity.Text);

To combine parent report and subreport bookmarks

1. From the Report Explorer, drag and drop the CustomerID field onto the detail section of the Parent report.
2. Double-click the Detail section to create an event-handling method for the report's Detail Format event.
3. Add code to the handler to create a bookmark for each instance of the CustomerID field in the main report.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like for the main report.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Detail Format event of the main report.
Me.Detail1.AddBookmark(txtCustomerID.Text)

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Detail Format event of the main report.
detail1.AddBookmark(txtCustomerID.Text);

4. From the Report Explorer, drag and drop the ContactName field onto the detail section of the Subreport.
5. Double-click in the Detail section to create an event-handling method for the report's Detail Format event.
6. Add code to the handler to create a bookmark for each instance of the ContactName field in the subreport.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like for the subreport.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Detail Format event of the subreport.
Me.Detail1.AddBookmark(CType(Me.ParentReport.Sections("Detail1").Controls(" txtCustomerID"),
TextBox).Text + "\" + Me.txtContactName.Text)

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Detail Format event of the subreport.

this.detail1.AddBookmark(((TextBox)
(this.ParentReport.Sections["Detail1"].Controls["txtCustomerID"])).Text + "\\" +
this.txtContactName.Text);

To add special bookmarks at run time

To create and add special bookmarks to the bookmarks collection at run time, add the bookmarks to the report document's pages collection.

Caution: Remember that the page collection does not exist until the report runs, so use this code in the ReportEnd event or in form
code after the report has run.

To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

1. Click in the gray area outside the report and right-click to select Properties from the context menu.
2. Click the Events icon in the Properties Window to display events available for the report.
3. Double-click ReportEnd. This creates an event-handling method for the ReportEnd event.
4. Add code to the handler to add a bookmark.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the ReportEnd event.

Me.Document.Pages(0).AddBookmark("New Bookmark", 1)

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the ReportEnd event.

this.Document.Pages[0].AddBookmark("New Bookmark", 1);

To view a report bookmarks in the Viewer or Preview tab

1. Add the ActiveReports Viewer control to your Windows Form.
2. Add code to display the report in the Viewer. See Viewing Reports for further information.
3. Press F5 to run the report.
4. On the Viewer toolbar, select Toggle Sidebar to open the sidebar and click the Document Map button to view the list of bookmarks.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 556
Add Hyperlinks
In a section report, you can add hyperlinks in a report using the Hyperlink property available with the following
controls:
Label
TextBox
Picture
You can add hyperlinks that connect to a Web page, open an e-mail, or jump to a bookmark.

Note: Specify the full URL address (for example, "http://www.grapecity.com") for the Hyperlink property to
avoid broken links while viewing reports.

To link to a Web page

1. Select an existing control or drag and drop a control from the Visual Studio toolbox onto the design surface.
2. Right-click the control to open the Properties Window.
3. In the Properties Window, set the HyperLink property to any valid URL. For example, for example,
http://www.grapecity.com.

To link to an e-mail address

1. Select an existing control or drag and drop a control from the Visual Studio toolbox onto the design surface.
2. Right-click the control to open the Properties Window.
3. In the Properties Window, set the HyperLink property to mailto: any valid e-mail address.

To parse the URL out of a database field for a hyperlink

1. From the Report Explorer, drag and drop the link field onto the design surface.
2. Double-click the section where you had placed the link field. This creates an event-handling method for the
section's Format event.
3. Add code to the Format event to,
Parse the URL out of the Link field
Assign it to the HyperLink property of TextBox
Remove the URL markers from the text displayed in TextBox
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Format event.
Dim iStart As Integer
Dim sHTML As String
If textBox1.Text <> "" Then
iStart = InStr(1, textBox1.Text, "#", CompareMethod.Text)
sHTML = Right(textBox1.Text, (Len(textBox1.Text) - iStart))
sHTML = Replace(sHTML, "#", "", 1, -1, CompareMethod.Text)
textBox1.HyperLink = sHTML
textBox1.Text = Replace(textBox1.Text, "#", "", 1, -1, CompareMethod.Text)
End If

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Format event.
int iStart;
string sHTML;
if (textBox1.Text != "")
{
iStart = textBox1.Text.IndexOf("#",0);
sHTML = textBox1.Text.Substring(iStart, textBox1.Text.Length - iStart);
sHTML = sHTML.Replace("#", "");

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 557
textBox1.HyperLink = sHTML;
textBox1.Text = textBox1.Text.Replace("#", "");
}

To create a hyperlink that jumps to a bookmark

1. From the Report Explorer, drag and drop a field onto the design surface.
2. Double-click the section where you had placed the field. This creates an event-handling method for the
section's Format event.
3. Add the following code inside the Format event.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste JUST ABOVE the Format event.
Public pBM As New BookmarksCollection()
Dim iEntry As Integer

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Format event.

Me.Detail1.AddBookmark(Me.textBox1.Text)
Me.txtEntry.HyperLink = "toc://" + pBM(iEntry - 1).Label
Me.txtEntry.Text = pBM(iEntry - 1).Label
Me.txtPage.Text = pBM(iEntry - 1).PageNumber

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste JUST ABOVE the Format event.
public BookmarksCollection pBM = new BookmarksCollection();
int iEntry;

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Format event.

this.detail.AddBookmark(this.textBox.Text);
this.txtEntry.HyperLink = "toc://" + pBM[iEntry - 1].Label;
this.txtEntry.Text = pBM[iEntry - 1].Label;
this.txtPage.Text = pBM[iEntry - 1].PageNumber.ToString();

To display the page number of the bookmark in the table of contents

1. Select the gray area outside the report and right-click to choose Properties option from the context menu.
2. In the Properties Window that appears, click the Events button to get the list of events for the report.
3. Select the FetchData event from that list and double-click it. This creates an event-handling method for
the report's FetchData event in the code behind.
4. Add code to the handler to retrieve information to populate the report fields.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
To write the code in Visual Basic
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the FetchData event.
If iEntry > pBM.Count - 1 Then
eArgs.EOF = True
Else
eArgs.EOF = False
iEntry += 1
End If

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the FetchData event.
if (iEntry > pBM.Count - 1)

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 558
{
eArgs.EOF = true;
}
else
{
eArgs.EOF = false;
iEntry += 1;
}

Use External Style Sheets

In a section layout, you can set custom style values in the Styles page of the Report Settings Dialog, and then
apply the styles to controls using the ClassName property from the Properties Window.
You can also apply these same styles to controls in other reports, by exporting them to a XML file of type
*.reportstyle and selecting it in other reports using the Report Settings dialog.

Note: You can apply styles to the CheckBox, Label, TextBox, and ReportInfo controls only.

To modify or create a style and save it to an external style sheet

1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Settings node and select Show.
2. In the Report Settings dialog that appears, go to the Styles page. On the Styles page, there are four
predefined styles: Normal, Heading1, Heading2 and Heading3.
3. Click any of these styles in the list to modify them using the fields on the right, or click the New button to
add a new style.
4. Click the Export styles to file button to save the existing styles in a style sheet.
5. In the Save As dialog that appears, navigate to the location where you want to save the style sheet,
provide an name for the file and click the Save button to save it as an external *.reportstyle file.
6. In the Report Settings dialog, click the OK button to close the dialog and save the styles in the current
report.
To load and apply an external style sheet at design time
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Settings node and select Show.
2. In the Report Settings dialog that appears, go to the Styles page.
3. On the Style page, click the Import styles from file button.
4. A message box warns that current styles will be deleted. Click Yes to continue.
5. In the Open dialog that appears, navigate to the *.reportstyle file that you want to use and click the Open
button to load the external style sheet.
6. On the design surface, select the control you want to apply the style to and right-click to choose Properties.
7. In the Properties Window, from the Class Name property drop down select a style to apply (like
Heading1).
To load an external style sheet at runtime and apply it
1. Right-click the gray area outside the design surface and select Properties.
2. In the Properties Window that appears, click the Events button. A list of report events appear.
3. Select the ReportStart event and double click to create an event-handling method.
4. Add the following code to the handler to load an external style sheet.
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 559
Me.LoadStyles("C:\MyStyleSheet.reportstyle")

C# code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.

this.LoadStyles(@"C:\MyStyleSheet.reportstyle");

To apply a style to a control at runtime

The following steps assume that you have already loaded an external style sheet to the report.
1. On the design surface select the section containing the control.
2. In the Properties Window, click the Events button. A list of report events appear.
3. Select the Format event and double click to create an event-handling method.
4. Add the following code to the handler to apply a style to a control.
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Format event.
Me.TextBox.ClassName = "Heading1"

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Format event.

this.textBox.ClassName = "Heading1";

Insert or Add Pages

In a section layout, you can run multiple reports, merge their entire page collection or specific portions and view it
as a single report. You can save the document containing merged reports to an RDF file or even export them.
These steps assume that you have already placed a Viewer control on a Windows Form and your Visual Studio
project contains two section layout (code based) reports (rptOne and rptTwo). See Adding an ActiveReport to a
Project and Using the Viewer for more information.
To add pages from one report to another
To add an entire report to another, use code like the one in the example below to iterate through the entire pages
collection of a report and append it to the first report. The Add ('Add Method' in the on-line documentation)
of the PagesCollection takes one parameter (value), which references a report document page.
1. In the design view of the Form containing the Viewer, double-click the title bar of the Form to create an
event-handling method for the Form_Load event.
2. Add the following code to the handler to add the entire rptTwo page collection to rptOne.
The following example shows what the code for the Add() method looks like.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.
Dim i As Integer
Dim rpt As New rptOne()
rpt.Run()
Dim rpt2 As New rptTwo()
rpt2.Run()
For i = 0 To rpt2.Document.Pages.Count - 1
rpt.Document.Pages.Add(rpt2.Document.Pages(i))
Next
Viewer1.Document = rpt.Document

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.
int i;
rptOne rpt1 = new rptOne();
rpt1.Run();

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 560
rptTwo rpt2 = new rptTwo();
rpt2.Run();
for(i = 0; i < rpt2.Document.Pages.Count; i++)
{
rpt1.Document.Pages.Add(rpt2.Document.Pages[i]);
}
viewer1.Document = rpt1.Document;

To add a range of pages from one report to another

To add a range of pages from one report to another, use the AddRange ('AddRange Method' in the on-line
documentation). This method has two overloads, each with one parameter. The first overload takes an array of
page objects which you can use to append only the specified pages from the second report onto the first (as in the
example below).
1. In the design view of the Form containing the Viewer, double-click the title bar of the Form to create an
event-handling method for the Form_Load event.
2. Add the following code to the handler to use the AddRange() method to add pages from rptTwo to rptOne.
The following example shows what the code for the AddRange() method looks like.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.
Dim rpt1 As New rptOne()

rpt1.Run()

Dim rpt2 As New rptTwo()

rpt2.Run()

rpt1.Document.Pages.AddRange(New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.Section.Page()
{rpt2.Document.Pages(1), rpt2.Document.Pages(2)})

Viewer1.Document = rpt1.Document

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.
rptOne rpt1 = new rptOne();
rpt1.Run();
rptTwo rpt2 = new rptTwo();
rpt2.Run();
rpt1.Document.Pages.AddRange(new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.Section.Page[]
{rpt2.Document.Pages[0],rpt2.Document.Pages[1]} );
viewer1.Document = rpt1.Document;

To insert pages from one report into another

To insert pages from one report to another, use the Insert ('Insert Method' in the on-line documentation)
that takes two parameters, an index, which determines where to insert the pages in the main report, and a value
which references the report page to insert.
1. In the design view of the Form containing the Viewer, double-click the title bar of the Form to create an
event-handling method for the Form_Load event.
2. Add the following code to the handler to insert page 1 of rptTwo at the beginning of rptOne.
The following example shows what the code for the Insert() method looks like.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 561
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.

Dim rpt1 As New rptOne()

rpt1.Run()

Dim rpt2 As New rptTwo()

rpt2.Run()

rpt1.Document.Pages.Insert(0, rpt2.Document.Pages(0))

Viewer1.Document = rpt1.Document

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.
rptOne rpt1 = new rptOne();

rpt1.Run();

rptTwo rpt2 = new rptTwo();

rpt2.Run();

rpt1.Document.Pages.Insert(0, rpt2.Document.Pages[0]);

viewer1.Document = rpt1.Document;

To insert a new page at a specific report location

To insert a new blank page at a specific location in the report, use the InsertNew ('InsertNew Method' in the
on-line documentation) which takes one parameter, index, which specifies the page after which you want to
insert a new blank page.
1. In the design view of the viewer form, double-click the title bar of the Form to create an event-handling
method for the Form_Load event.
2. Add the following code to the handler to insert a blank page at the beginning of rptOne.
The following example shows what the code for the InsertNew() method looks like.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.
Dim rpt1 As New rptOne()

rpt1.Run()

rpt1.Document.Pages.InsertNew(0)

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 562
Viewer1.Document = rpt1.Document

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.

rptOne rpt1 = new rptOne();

rpt1.Run();

rpt1.Document.Pages.InsertNew(0);

viewer1.Document = rpt1.Document;

Embed Subreports
To embed a subreport into a parent report, you add two reports (one parent and one child report) to a Visual
Studio project, and from the ActiveReports 9 Section Report toolbox, drag the SubReport control onto the parent
report. The following steps take you through the process of adding a subreport in a section report.
These steps assume that you have already added a Section Report (code-based) template in a Visual Studio
project. See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for further information.

To add code to create an instance of the child report in the parent report
1. Double-click the gray area around the parent report to create an event-handling method for the
ReportStart event.
2. Add code like the following to the handler to create a new instance of the child report.
To write the code in Visual Basic

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste JUST ABOVE the ReportStart event.

Dim rpt As rptYourChildReportName

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.

rpt = New rptYourChildReportName()

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste JUST ABOVE the ReportStart event.
private rptYourChildReportName rpt;

C# code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.

rpt = new rptYourChildReportName();

Caution: It is recommended that you do not create a new instance of the subreport in the Format event.
Doing so creates a new subreport each time the section Format code is run, using a lot of memory.

To add code to display the child report in a subreport control on a parent report
1. Add the SubReport control onto the design surface of the parent report.
2. Double-click the detail section of the report to create a detail_Format event.
3. Add code like the following to the handler to display a report in the SubReport control.
To write the code in Visual Basic
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Format event.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 563
Me.SubReport1.Report = rpt

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Format event.

this.subReport1.Report = rpt;

Add Code to Layouts Using Script

In a section report, you can use script to access controls, functions in a class, namespaces, etc. You can also
create classes inside the script to call methods or add code to a report's script from a Windows Form. The following
sections illustrate simple scripting scenarios with examples.
These steps assume that you have already added a Section Report (code based) template in a Visual Studio
project. See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for more information.
To access controls in script
To add script to a report to access a textbox named TextBox1 in the detail section and assign the text "Hello" to it:
1. On the script tab of the report, drop down the Object list and select Detail. This populates the Event drop-
down list with section events.
2. Drop down the Event list and select Format. This creates script stubs for the event.
To access a textbox in the detail section in VB.NET script

Visual Basic.NET script. Paste INSIDE the Detail Format event.

Me.TextBox1.Text = "Hello"

Or
Visual Basic.NET script. Paste INSIDE the Detail Format event.
CType(rpt.Sections("Detail1").Controls("TextBox1"), TextBox).Text =
"Hello"

To access a textbox in the detail section in C# script

C# script. Paste INSIDE the Detail Format event.
this.textBox1.Text = "Hello";

Or

C# script. Paste INSIDE the Detail Format event.

((TextBox)rpt.Sections["detail"].Controls["TextBox1"]).Text = "Hello";

To give a script access to functions in a class in your project

Using the AddNamedItem method, you can allow the script to access functions in a class file within your project.
This allows you to keep secure information such as a database connection string or a SQL query string in the code
instead of saving it in the RPX file.
1. In the Code View of the Form, add a class to your project named clsMyItem.
To add a class in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code.
Public Class clsMyItem
End Class

To add a class in C#
C# code.
public partial class clsMyItem

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 564
{
}

2. Add a public function to your class using code like the following:
To create a public function in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the new class.
Public Function getMyItem() As String
getMyItem = "Hello"
End Function

To create a public function in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the new class.
public string getMyItem()
{
return "Hello";
}

3. Go to the design view of the report and double-click the gray area around the design surface to create an
event-handling method for the ReportStart event.
4. Add the following code to the handler:
To access the class in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste before or in the ReportStart event.
Me.AddNamedItem("myItem", new clsMyItem())

To access the class in C#

C# code. Paste before or in the ReportStart event.
this.AddNamedItem("myItem", new clsMyItem());

5. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a TextBox control onto the detail section of the report.
6. Go to the script tab and drop down the Object list to select Detail. This populates the Event drop-down list
with section events.
7. Drop down the Event list and select Format. This creates script stubs for the event.
8. Add the following script to the event to access a control on the report and populate it using the named
item.
To access the control in VB.NET script

VB.NET script. Paste INSIDE the Detail Format event.

Me.TextBox1.Text = myItem.getMyItem()

Or
VB.NET script. Paste INSIDE the Detail Format event.
CType(rpt.Sections("Detail1").Controls("TextBox1"), TextBox).Text =
myItem.getMyItem()

To access the control in C# script

C# script. Paste INSIDE the Detail Format event.
this.textBox1.Text = myItem.getMyItem();

Or
C# script. Paste INSIDE the Detail Format event.
((TextBox)rpt.Sections["detail"].Controls["textBox1"]).Text =

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 565
myItem.getMyItem();

9. Go to the preview tab to view the result.

To access namespaces
Using the AddScriptReference method, you can gain access to .NET or other namespaces. This is only necessary
if you need a reference, such as System.Data.dll, that is not initialized in the project before the script runs.
To access a namespace in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form code. Replace YourReportName with the name of
your report.
Private Sub runReport()
Dim rpt as new YourReportName
rpt.AddScriptReference("System.Data.dll")
rpt.Run()
End Sub

To access a namespace in C#
C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form code. Replace YourReportName with the name of your report.
private void runReport()
{
YourReportName rpt = new YourReportName;
rpt.AddScriptReference("System.Data.dll");
rpt.Run();
}

To add code to a report's script from a Windows Form

Using the AddCode method in the Code View of the Form, you can add code into the script. The AddCode method
allows you to add actual code segments to the script at run time. This is useful for allowing secure information,
such as a database connection string or SQL query string, to be used inside the script without saving it in the RPX
file.
1. Go to the Code View of your report and add a public function like the following:
To add code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the report class.
Public Function addThisCode() As String
Dim sCode As String = "Public Function ShowACMessage() As String" +
Environment.NewLine + "ShowACMessage = ""my Added Code""" + Environment.NewLine +
"End Function"
addThisCode = sCode
End Function

To add code in C#
C# code. Paste INSIDE the report class.
public string addThisCode()
{
string sCode = "public string ShowACMessage(){return \"my Added Code\";}";
return sCode;
}

2. In the design view of your report double-click the gray area around the design surface to create an event-
handling method for the ReportStart event.
3. Add the following code to the handler:
To access the class in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.
Me.AddCode(addThisCode())

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 566
To access the class in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.

this.AddCode(addThisCode());

4. Go to the script tab and drop down the Object list to select Detail. This populates the Event drop-down list
with section events.
5. Drop down the Event list and select Format. This creates script stubs for the event.
6. Add the following script to the event:
To write the script in Visual Basic.NET
VB.NET script. Paste INSIDE the Detail1_Format event.
Me.TextBox1.Text = ShowACMessage()

Or

VB.NET script. Paste INSIDE the Detail1_Format event.

CType(rpt.Sections("Detail1").Controls("TextBox1"), TextBox).Text =
ShowACMessage()

To write the script in C#

C# script. Paste INSIDE the detail_Format event.
this.textBox1.Text = ShowACMessage();

Or
C# script. Paste INSIDE the detail_Format event.
((TextBox)rpt.Sections["detail"].Controls["textBox1"]).Text =
ShowACMessage();

To create classes inside the script to call methods

If the script requires a method to be called, you can construct a class inside the script.
1. Go to the script tab and add the following code at the top:
To create a class inside the script in VB.NET script
VB.NET script. Paste INSIDE the script tab.
Public Class MyFuncs
Public Sub New()
End Sub
Public Function ShowMyString() As String
Return "This is my string"
End Function
End Class

To create a class inside the script in C#

C# script. Paste INSIDE the script tab.
public class MyFuncs
{
public MyFuncs()
{
}
public string ShowMyString()
{
return "This is my string";
}
}

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 567
2. On the script tab, now drop down the Object list and select Detail. This populates the Event drop-down list
with section events.
3. Drop down the Event list and select Format. This creates script stubs for the event.
4. Add the following script to the event:
To create a class inside the script in VB.NET script
VB.NET script. Paste INSIDE the Detail1_Format event.
Dim f As MyFuncs = New MyFuncs()
Me.TextBox1.Text = f.ShowMyString

Or
VB.NET script. Paste INSIDE the Detail1_Format event.
Dim f As MyFuncs = New MyFuncs()
CType(rpt.Sections("Detail1").Controls("TextBox1"), TextBox).Text = f.ShowMyString

To create a class inside the script in C#

C# script. Paste INSIDE the detail_Format event.
MyFuncs f = new MyFuncs();
this.textBox1.Text = f.ShowMyString();

Or
C# script. Paste INSIDE the detail_Format event.
MyFuncs f = new MyFuncs();
((TextBox)rpt.Sections["detail"].Controls["textBox1"]).Text = f.ShowMyString();

Note: Use the examples with the "this" (C#) and "Me"(Visual Basic.NET) keywords, as they are
recommended rather than the ones with "rpt".

Save and Load RDF Report Files

ActiveReports allows reports to be saved in their own standard format called an RDF file (Report Document
Format). In this format, the data is static. The saved report displays the data that is retrieved when you run the
report. You can save a report to an RDF file and load it into the viewer control.
To save a report as a static RDF file
1. Double-click the title bar of the Windows Form to create an event-handling method for the Form_Load
event.
2. Add the following code to the handler to save the report.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.
Dim rpt As New YourReportName()
rpt.Run()
rpt.Document.Save(Application.StartupPath + \NewRDF.RDF)

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.
YourReportName rpt = new YourReportName();
rpt.Run();
rpt.Document.Save(Application.StartupPath + \\NewRDF.RDF);

To load a saved RDF file into the ActiveReports viewer

1. Double-click the title bar of the Windows Form to create an event-handling method for the Form_Load
event.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 568
2. Add the following code to the handler to load the saved report.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.

Viewer1.Document.Load("Location of the .RDF File")

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.

viewer1.Document.Load(@"Location of the .RDF File");

Note: The Windows Form Viewer can display RDF files made with any version of ActiveReports, including
COM versions. The FlashViewer viewer type of the WebViewer (Professional Edition) may be able to display
RDF files made with previous versions, but this is not guaranteed for every RDF.

To save or load report files to a memory stream

1. Double-click the title bar of the Windows Form to create an event-handling method for the Form_Load
event.
2. Add the following code to the handler to save the report to a memory stream and load the memory stream
into the ActiveReports viewer.
The following examples show what the code for the method looks like.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.
Dim strm As New System.IO.MemoryStream()
Dim rpt As New YourReportName()
rpt.Run()
rpt.Document.Save(strm)
Dim theBytes(strm.Length) As Byte
strm.Read(theBytes, 0, Int(strm.Length))
strm.Position = 0
Viewer1.Document.Load(strm)

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.
System.IO.MemoryStream strm = new System.IO.MemoryStream();
YourReportName rpt = new YourReportName();
rpt.Run();
rpt.Document.Save(strm);
byte[] theBytes = new byte[strm.Length];
strm.Read(theBytes, 0, (int)strm.Length);
strm.Position =0;
viewer1.Document.Load(strm);

Save and Load RPX Report Files

Although ActiveReports writes report layouts in either C# or Visual Basic.NET, you can save the layout of your
report as a report XML (RPX) file for portability. If you make changes to the RPX file and load it back into an
ActiveReport in Visual Studio, you can see the changes you made reflected in the C# or Visual Basic.NET code in
the YourReportName.Designer.vb or YourReportName.Designer.cs file.

Caution: When you load an RPX layout into a report object, it overwrites everything in the report object. In
order to avoid overwriting important layouts, add a new blank ActiveReport and load the RPX file onto it.

To save a report as an RPX file at design time

1. From the Visual Studio Report menu, select Save Layout.
2. In the Save As dialog that appears, set the file name and select the location where you want to save it.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 569
The file extension is *.rpx.
3. Click the Save button to save the report layout and close the dialog.

Note: When you save a layout that contains a dataset, ActiveReports saves the data adapter and data
connection in the component tray, but not the dataset itself. When the saved layout is loaded into another
report, you can regenerate the dataset with the data adapter and data connection.

To load an RPX file at design time

1. From the Visual Studio Report menu, select Load Layout.
2. In the Open dialog that appears, navigate to the location of the .rpx file and select it.
3. Click the Open button to load the report layout.
To save a report as an RPX file at runtime
Use the SaveLayout method to save your report layout at runtime.

Note: When you save a report layout, ActiveReports only saves the code in the script editor to the file. Any
code behind the report in the .cs or .vb file is not saved to the RPX file.

1. Right-click the Windows Form and select View Code to see the code view for the Windows form.
2. Add the following code to the Form class to save the report.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form class.
Dim rpt As New SectionReport1()
Dim xtw As New System.Xml.XmlTextWriter(Application.StartupPath +
"\report.rpx", Nothing)
rpt.SaveLayout(xtw)
xtw.Close()

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form class.
SectionReport1 rpt = new SectionReport1();
System.Xml.XmlTextWriter xtw = new System.Xml.XmlTextWriter(Application.StartupPath +
"\\report.rpx", null);
rpt.SaveLayout(xtw);
xtw.Close();

Save report layouts before they run. If you save a layout after the report runs, you also save any dynamic changes
made to properties or sections in the report. To avoid this when you call SaveLayout inside the report code, use
the ReportStart event.

Note: The SaveLayout method uses utf-16 encoding when you save to a stream, and utf-8 encoding when
you save to a file.

To load an RPX file into the ActiveReports viewer at runtime

1. Right-click on the Windows Form and select View Code to see the code view for the Windows form.
2. Add the following code to the form class to load a report.
The following examples show what the code for the method looks like.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form class.
Dim rpt As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport()
' For the code to work, this report.rpx must be stored in the bin\debug folder of your
project.
Dim xtr As New System.Xml.XmlTextReader(Application.StartupPath + "\report.rpx")
rpt.LoadLayout(xtr)

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 570
xtr.Close()
Viewer1.Document = rpt.Document
rpt.Run()

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form class.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport rpt = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport();
// For the code to work, this report.rpx must be stored in the bin\debug folder of your
project.
System.Xml.XmlTextReader xtr = new System.Xml.XmlTextReader(Application.StartupPath +
"\\Sample.rpx");
rpt.LoadLayout(xtr);
xtr.Close();
viewer1.Document = rpt.Document;
rpt.Run();

Customize, Localize, and Deploy

ActiveReports uses an English locale by default, and includes localization resources for Japanese and Russian
locales. You can also localize all of the components into any language you need. GrapeCity may, from time to time
and on the agreement of users who localize components, include additional locales with future hot fixes and
service packs. If you are willing to share your localized resources with other users, please inform technical support
staff so that they can pass on your resource files to development.
There are several ways to deploy your ActiveReports applications. See the topics listed below for more information
on customizing, localizing and deploying your applications.

In this section
Localize Reports, TextBoxes, and Chart Controls
Learn how to localize individual textboxes, chart controls, and entire reports.
Localize ActiveReports Resources
Learn to localize ActiveReports dialogs, error messages, and images.
Customize the Viewer Control
Learn how to customize the touch mode toolbar and the mouse mode toolbar of the Viewer control.
Localize the Viewer Control
Learn how to localize strings and images for the ActiveReports Viewer control.
Deploy Windows Applications
Learn to deploy ActiveReports Windows applications.
Deploy Web Applications
Learn to deploy ActiveReports Windows applications.
Localize the End User Report Designer
Learn to localize the strings and images in the End User Report Designer.
Customize the FlashViewer Toolbar
Learn to deploy ActiveReports Windows applications.
Localize the Flash Viewer
Learn to deploy ActiveReports Windows applications.
Configure HTTPHandlers in IIS 6
Learn to deploy ActiveReports Windows applications.
Configure HTTPHandlers in IIS 7 and IIS 8
Learn to deploy ActiveReports Windows applications.
Customize HTML5 Viewer
Learn how to customize the HTML5 Viewer.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 571
Localize and Deploy HTML5 Viewer
Learn how to localize strings and deploy the HTML5 Viewer.

Localize Reports, TextBoxes, and Chart Controls

In a section layout report, the Report object, TextBox control, and Chart control have a public Culture property
that allows you to localize data when the OutputFormat property is set to D (date), C (currency), or other .NET
formats.

Note: The default value for the Culture property is (default, inherit). For the Report object, this is the
culture of the current thread and for the TextBox control and the ChartControl, this is the culture of the
Report object.

In a page layout report, the Report object, TextBox control, and Chart control all have a Language property that
works in the same way. The default value for the Language property is Default, which is the culture of the current
thread.

Design Time
At design time, you can set the culture or language in the Visual Studio Properties window.
To localize a Report at design time
1. Click the gray area around the design surface to select the Report in the Properties window.
2. In the Properties window, drop down the Culture or Language property and select the culture that you
want to apply to the report.
To localize a TextBox control at design time
1. Click the TextBox control that you want to localize to select it.
2. In the Properties window, drop down the Culture or Language property and select the culture that you
want to apply to the textbox.
To localize a Chart control at design time
1. Click the Chart control to select it.
2. In the Properties window, drop down the Culture or Language property and select the culture that you
want to apply to the chart.

Run Time
You can also specify a culture in code for section reports. For a list of System.Globalization culture codes, see
Cultures.
To localize a Report at run time
1. Double-click the gray area around the design surface, to create an event handling method for the
ReportStart event.
2. In the code view of the report that appears, paste code like the following.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.
YourReportName.Culture =
System.Globalization.CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture("en-US")

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.
YourReportName.Culture =
System.Globalization.CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture("en-US");

To localize a TextBox at run time

1. On the design surface, double-click the section containing the TextBox control that you want to localize to

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 572
create an event handling method for the section Format event.
2. In the code view of the report that appears, paste code like the following inside the Format event.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Format event.

TextBox.Culture =
System.Globalization.CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture("en-US")

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Format event.
textBox.Culture =
System.Globalization.CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture("en-US");

To localize a Chart at run time

1. On the design surface, double-click the section containing the ChartControl that you want to localize to
create an event handling method for the section Format event.
2. In the code view of the report that appears, paste code like the following in the Format event.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Format event.
ChartControl.Culture =
System.Globalization.CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture("en-US")

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Format event.
chartControl.Culture =
System.Globalization.CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture("en-US");

Localize ActiveReports Resources

You can localize all of the UI strings, error messages, and images that appear in ActiveReports in included resource
files, and alter and run a batch file to localize each resource.

To localize ActiveReports Resources

All of the localization files are located in C:\Program Files (x86)\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9\Localization.
Specify the culture you want to use in the batch files.
1. Start Notepad or another text editor as an Administrator.
2. Open *.bat file for each resource you want to localize and change the Culture value to the culture you
want to use.
3. Ensure that the path in ProgamFilesAssemblyDir is correct for your installation, but do not alter any of
the other properties.
4. Save and close each file.
Localize strings (and images) in the resource files.
1. Launch your zip program as an Administrator and open the *.zip file for each resource you want to localize.
2. Extract all of the files to
C:\Program Files (x86)\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9\Localization.
A resource subfolder with the same name as the zip file is created.
3. In the new folder, open each subfolder and change the strings in each of the *.resx files.
Tip: Strings are located between <value> and </value> tags in the resource files.

4. If you want to change the images, rename your localized images to the names of the ones in the

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 573
Res\Resources subfolder and replace them with your localized images.
Run the batch files as an Administrator.
1. From the Start menu, type cmd in the text box, and press CTRL + SHIFT + ENTER to open a command
prompt as an Administrator.
2. To change directories, type:
cd C:\Program Files (x86)\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9\Localization
and press Enter.
3. Type the name of the *.bat file and press Enter to run the file. The NameCompleter.exe application runs,
and creates the following.
A SatelliteAssembly folder inside the resource subfolder.
A language subfolder with the name of the culture you set inside the SatelliteAssemby folder.
A localized GrapeCity.ActiveReports.AssemblyName.v9.resources.dll file inside the language
subfolder.
4. Copy the language subfolder and paste it into the Debug folder of your application.

Note: Before you can distribute or put your localization in the Global Assembly Cache (GAC), you
must first send the localized GrapeCity.ActiveReports.AssemblyName.v9.resources.dll file to GrapeCity
and get it signed with a strong name. Then you can drag the language subfolder with the signed dll
file into C:\WINDOWS\ASSEMBLY, or distribute it with your solution.

Test your localized application on a machine that does not share the culture of the localized DLLs.
1. Add the following code in the form's constructor just before the InitializeComponent method is called.
2. Replace the "ja" in the example code with the culture you specified in the *.bat file.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the form's constructor just before the InitializeComponent
method.
System.Threading.Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture = New
System.Globalization.CultureInfo("ja")

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the form's constructor just before the InitializeComponent method.
System.Threading.Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture = new
System.Globalization.CultureInfo("ja");

Customize the Viewer Control

ActiveReports includes a Viewer control for Windows Forms that lets you show report output in a custom preview
form. You can modify both viewer's mouse mode and touch mode toolbars and set custom commands. For
example, in the following sample codes we show customization specific to mouse mode toolbar and touch mode
toolbar.
To create a basic preview form
1. In Visual Studio, create a new Windows Forms project.
2. From the Visual Studio toolbox on the ActiveReports 9 tab, drag the Viewer control onto the form. If you
do not have the Viewer in your toolbox, see Adding ActiveReports Controls.
3. With the viewer control selected, in the Properties window, set the Dock property to Fill.
4. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
5. Select ActiveReports 9 Section Report (code-based) and click the Add button.
6. Double-click in the title bar of the form to create a Form Load event.
7. Add the following code to run the report and display the resulting document in the viewer.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.
Dim rpt as new SectionReport1

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 574
Viewer1.LoadDocument(rpt)

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.

SectionReport1 rpt = new SectionReport1();
viewer1.LoadDocument(rpt);

8. Press F5 to run the project.

Customize the Mouse Mode Toolbar
1. Add a second Windows Form to the project created above and name it frmPrintDlg.
2. Add a label to frmPrintDlg and change the Text property to This is the custom print dialog.
3. Add a button to frmPrintDlg and change the Text property to OK.
4. Back on the viewer form, double-click the title bar of the form to go to the Form Load event.
5. Add the following code to the Form Load event to remove the default print button and add your own.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.
'Remove the print button.
Viewer1.Toolbar.ToolStrip.Items.RemoveAt(2)
'Remove the extra separator.
Viewer1.Toolbar.ToolStrip.Items.RemoveAt(1)
'Add a new button to the end of the tool strip with the caption "Print."
Dim tsbPrint As New ToolStripButton("Print")
Viewer1.Toolbar.ToolStrip.Items.Add(tsbPrint)
'Create a click event handler for the button.
AddHandler tsbPrint.Click, AddressOf tsbPrint_Click

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.
//Remove the print button.
viewer1.Toolbar.ToolStrip.Items.RemoveAt(2);
//Remove the extra separator.
viewer1.Toolbar.ToolStrip.Items.RemoveAt(1);
//Add a new button to the end of the tool strip with the caption "Print."
ToolStripButton tsbPrint = new ToolStripButton("Print");
viewer1.Toolbar.ToolStrip.Items.Add(tsbPrint);
//Create a click event handler for the button.
tsbPrint.Click += new EventHandler(tsbPrint_Click);

6. Add the following code to the Form class below the Load event to display frmPrintDlg when a user clicks the
custom print button.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste BELOW the Form Load event.
'Call the custom dialog from the new button's click event.
Private Sub tsbPrint_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs)
Me.CustomPrint()
End Sub

'Call the custom print dialog.

Private Sub CustomPrint()
Dim _printForm As New frmPrintDlg()
_printForm.ShowDialog(Me)
End Sub

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste BELOW the Form Load event.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 575
//Call the custom dialog from the new button's click event.
private void tsbPrint_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
this.CustomPrint();
}

//Call the custom print dialog.

private void CustomPrint()
{
frmPrintDlg _printForm = new frmPrintDlg();
_printForm.ShowDialog(this);
}

7. Press F5 to run the project and see the custom print button on the viewer.
Customize the Touch Mode Toolbar
1. Double-click in the title bar of the Viewer form to create a Form Load event.
2. Add the following code to add a custom Zoom out button.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.
Dim zoomOutButton = viewer1.TouchModeToolbar.ToolStrip.Items(8)
zoomOutButton.Visible = true

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.
var zoomOutButton = viewer1.TouchModeToolbar.ToolStrip.Items[8];
zoomOutButton.Visible = true;

Caution: Any customization done in mouse mode does not apply to the touch mode and vice versa.

Although this topic and the sample both demonstrate using section reports, customized viewers support page
reports and RDL reports as well. The only difference is in the way that you load reports. For more information, see
Using the Viewer.

Localize the Viewer Control

You can localize all of the strings and images that appear in the Windows Forms Viewer control in
included resource files, and alter and run a batch file to localize the control.

To localize the viewer control

All of the localization files are located in C:\Program Files (x86)\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9\Localization.
Specify the culture you want to use in the batch file.
1. Start Notepad or another text editor as an Administrator.
2. Open the WinViewer.bat file and change the Culture value to the culture you want to use.
3. Ensure that the path in ProductPath is correct for your installation, but do not alter any of the other
properties.
4. Save and close the file.
Localize strings (and images) in the resource files.
1. Launch your zip program as an Administrator and open the WinViewer.zip file.
2. Extract all of the files to
C:\Program Files (x86)\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9\Localization.
A WinViewer subfolder is created.
3. In the new WinViewer folder, open each subfolder and change the strings in each of the *.resx files.

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 576
Tip: Strings are located between <value> and </value> tags in the resource files.

4. If you want to change the images, rename your localized images to the names of the ones in the
Res\Resources subfolder and replace them with your localized images.
Run the batch file as an Administrator.
1. From the Start menu, type cmd in the text box, and press CTRL + SHIFT + ENTER to open a command
prompt as an Administrator.
2. To change directories, type:
cd C:\Program Files (x86)\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9\Localization
and press Enter.
3. Type WinViewer.bat and press Enter to run the file. The NameCompleter.exe application runs, and
creates the following.
A SatelliteAssembly folder inside the WinViewer folder.
A language subfolder with the name of the culture you set inside the SatelliteAssemby folder.
A localized GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Win.v9.resources.dll file inside the language
subfolder.

4. Copy the language subfolder and paste it into the Debug folder of your application.
Note: Before you can distribute or put your localization in the Global Assembly Cache (GAC), you
must first send the localized GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Win.v9.resources.dll file to GrapeCity
and get it signed with a strong name. Then you can drag the language subfolder with the signed dll
file into C:\WINDOWS\ASSEMBLY.

Test your localized application on a machine that does not share the culture of the localized DLL.
1. Add the following code in the form's constructor just before the InitializeComponent method is called.
2. Replace the "ja" in the example code with the culture you specified in the WinViewer.bat file.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the form's constructor just before the InitializeComponent
method.
System.Threading.Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture = New
System.Globalization.CultureInfo("ja")

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the form's constructor just before the InitializeComponent method.
System.Threading.Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture = new
System.Globalization.CultureInfo("ja");

Deploy Windows Applications

Before you begin

Before deploying a Windows application, there are a few settings that can be helpful.
On report files, in the Properties window, change the Copy to Output Directory property to Copy
always.
For ActiveReports references, change the Copy Local property to True. This puts all of the needed
reference assemblies into the Release folder when you build your project.
It is also good to be sure that all of the references you need for your reports are included. Here is a table listing
features and required DLLs.
Features and References
These assemblies are added automatically when you add controls to forms or report controls to code-based section

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 577
reports, but Visual Studio does not do this with XML-based (RPX and RDLX) reports.

Feature Required Assembly

Export: GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.*.v9.dll
Excel, Html, Image/Tiff, Pdf, Word/Rtf, Text/Xml (replace * with Excel, Html, Image, Pdf, Word, or Xml)
Chart report control GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.v9.dll
Calendar report control GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Calendar.v9.dll
Sparkline or Bullet report control GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Dashboard.v9.dll
Viewer control (or printing without the Viewer control) GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Win.v9.dll
Designer, Toolbox, or ReportExplorer control GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Design.Win.v9.dll

XCopy Deployment
1. Open your project in Visual Studio, and set the Solution Configuration to Release.
2. From the Build menu, select Build Solution.
3. In Windows Explorer, navigate to the project's bin directory, and copy the files from the Release folder
into a zip file.
4. Distribute the zip file.

MSI Installer Deployment

To create an installer project
1. Open an existing ActiveReports project or create a new one.
2. From the Visual Studio Build menu, select Build YourActiveReportsProjectName to build your report
project.
3. From the File menu, select Add, then New Project to open the Add New Project dialog.
4. In the Add New Project dialog under Project Types, expand the Other Project Types node and select
Setup and Deployment.
5. Under Visual Studio Installer, select Setup Project, rename the file and click OK. The ProductName that
you enter determines the name that is displayed for the application in folder names and in the Programs
and Features control panel item.
6. In the File System editor that appears, under File System on Target Machine, select the Application
Folder.
Note: To show the File System editor at any time, drop down the View menu and select Editor, then
File System.

7. From the Visual Studio Action menu, select Add, then Project Output.
8. In the Add Project Output Group dialog that appears, choose your ActiveReports project name from the
drop-down list.
9. In the list, select Primary Output and click OK. This adds all of the existing assembly dependencies to
your project.
10. If you want to add other ActiveReports DLLs to the installer (e.g. if you use OleObjects on reports, you
need to include the Interop.dll or Interop64.dll for 64-bit machines), in the Solution Explorer, right-click the
installer project name, select Add, then Assembly.
Note: If you would rather use the ActiveReports .msm file, please contact our technical support team.

11. In the Select Component dialog that appears, select any components that you want to add and click the OK
button.
12. From the Visual Studio Build menu, select Build YourInstallerProjectName to build your Installer
project.
To deploy the installer application
1. Select the Installer project in the Solution Explorer.
2. From the Visual Studio Project menu, click Install.
3. The Installer application runs and installs the project on your computer. The distributable exe and msi
setup files appear in your installer project Debug folder.

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 578
Deploy Web Applications
Follow this guide to deploy ActiveReports Web projects to your Web server. For Web projects using the
Professional Edition HttpHandlers, see Configure HTTPHandlers in IIS 6 or Configure HTTPHandlers in IIS 7 and IIS
8.

Before you begin

To deploy ActiveReports Web projects, you must have access to the Microsoft .NET Framework version 3.5 SP1 or
higher and the coordinating version of ASP.NET. You must also have access to Internet Information Services
version 5.1 or higher, and you need administrative access to the server.
It is also good to be sure that all of the references you need for your reports are included. Here is a table listing
features and required DLLs.
Features and References
These assemblies are added automatically when you add controls to forms or report controls to code-based section
reports, but Visual Studio does not do this with XML-based (RPX and RDLX) reports.

Feature Required Assembly

Export: Excel GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.v9.dll
DocumentFormat.OpenXml.dll
Export: HTML GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.v9.dll
Export: Image GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.v9.dll
Export: PDF GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.v9.dll
Export: Word/RTF GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.v9.dll
DocumentFormat.OpenXml.dll

Export: Rdf GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Rdf.v9.dll

Export: Xml GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.v9.dll
Export: XAML GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xaml.v9.dll
Chart report control GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.v9.dll
Calendar report control GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Calendar.v9.dll
Sparkline or Bullet report control GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Dashboard.v9.dll
WebViewer or HttpHandlers (Pro Edition only) GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.v9.dll

Other important assemblies that are required for deploying web applications are as follows:
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Document.v9.dll
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Diagnostics.v9.dll
To copy referenced DLLs to your project
1. In the Visual Studio Solution Explorer, if the References node is not showing, click the Show All Files
button.
2. Expand the References node, and select one of the ActiveReports references.
3. In the Properties window, change the CopyLocal property to True. The corresponding DLL is stored in the
Bin folder of your project.
4. Set the CopyLocal property to True for each ActiveReports reference used in your project.
To install prerequisites on the server
Follow Microsoft's instructions to install each of the following on your Web server:
The Microsoft .NET Framework version 3.5 SP1 or higher
Internet Information Services (IIS) version 5.1 or 6.0
ASP.NET version 3.5 or higher (must be the same version as the Framework)

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 579
To copy your project to the server
1. Copy the entire directory containing your project to the server.
2. If your project is in a virtual directory on your local machine (i.e. C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\YourProject), you
must set up a virtual directory in IIS on the server as well.
To set permissions on the server
Depending on your project, you may need to set permissions to allow ActiveReports access to data or folders.
Some examples of required permissions on the server:
If you are saving files (e.g. PDF or RDF exports) to a folder on Windows XP or 2000 machines, the
ASPNET user ID needs Write access to that folder.
Windows 2003 is user configurable, so use the name assigned to the ASPNET user instead.
If your application reads anything from any folder, assign Read access to it.
If your reports run on any networked data source (e.g. SQL, Access, etc.) assign Read access to it.
If you use CacheToDisk, assign IsolatedStorageFilePermission to it.

Localize the End User Report Designer

You can localize all of the UI strings, error messages, and images that appear in the ActiveReports Windows Forms
Designer control in included resource files, and alter and run a batch file to localize the assembly.

To localize the Designer control

All of the localization files are located in C:\Program Files (x86)\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9\Localization.
Specify the culture you want to use in the batch file.
1. Start Notepad or another text editor as an Administrator.
2. Open the ARDesigner.bat file and change the Culture value to the culture you want to use.
3. Ensure that the path in ProgamFilesAssemblyDir is correct for your installation, but do not alter any of
the other properties.
4. Save and close the file.
Localize strings (and images) in the resource files.
1. Launch your zip program as an Administrator and open the ARDesigner.zip file.
2. Extract all of the files to
C:\Program Files (x86)\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9\Localization.
An ARDesigner subfolder is created.
3. In the new folder, open each subfolder and change the strings in each of the *.resx files.
Tip: Strings are located between <value> and </value> tags in the resource files.

4. If you want to change the images, rename your localized images to the names of the ones in the
Res\Resources subfolder and replace them with your localized images.
Run the batch file as an Administrator.
1. From the Start menu, type cmd in the text box, and press CTRL + SHIFT + ENTER to open a command
prompt as an Administrator.
2. To change directories, type:
cd C:\Program Files (x86)\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9\Localization
and press Enter.
3. Type ARDesigner.bat and press Enter to run the file. The NameCompleter.exe application runs, and
creates the following.
A SatelliteAssembly folder inside the ARDesigner subfolder.
A language subfolder with the name of the culture you set inside the SatelliteAssemby folder.
A localized GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Design.Win.v9.resources.dll file inside the language
subfolder.
4. Copy the language subfolder and paste it into the Debug folder of your application.

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 580
Note: Before you can distribute or put your localization in the Global Assembly Cache (GAC), you
must first send the localized GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Design.Win.v9.resources.dll file to GrapeCity
and get it signed with a strong name. Then you can drag the language subfolder with the signed dll
file into C:\WINDOWS\ASSEMBLY, or distribute it with your solution.

Test your localized application on a machine that does not share the culture of the localized DLLs.
1. Add the following code in the form's constructor just before the InitializeComponent method is called.
2. Replace the "ja" in the example code with the culture you specified in the ARDesigner.bat file.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the form's constructor just before the InitializeComponent
method.
System.Threading.Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture = New
System.Globalization.CultureInfo("ja")

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the form's constructor just before the InitializeComponent method.
System.Threading.Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture = new
System.Globalization.CultureInfo("ja");

Customize the FlashViewer Toolbar

When you use the WebViewer that is licensed with the Professional Edition, one of the ViewerTypes that you can
select is FlashViewer. The FlashViewer toolbar is very similar to the Viewer control's toolbar. You can show or hide
it, reorder buttons, remove buttons, add custom buttons, or create a custom toolbar. Use the Web.Controls
('GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Controls Namespace' in the on-line documentation) namespace to create
custom buttons or a custom toolbar that you can specify in the WebViewer's FlashViewerToolbar property.
The following buttons are provided by default.

Heading Print Page Range

Search Zoom-out Zoom
Zoom-in Single Page Multiple pages
Continuous Page Previous Page Next Page
Page Number Backwards Forward

Drop down the sections below for code samples.

Note: This code is ignored if the ViewerType property of the WebViewer control is not set to FlashViewer.

To hide the toolbar

1. In the Visual Studio Solution Explorer, right-click the ASPX file that contains your WebViewer and select
View Designer.
2. In the design view of your web form, double-click on the form below the WebViewer. This creates an event
handling method for the Page Load event and takes you to the code view of the page.
3. Use the following code to hide the toolbar.
Paste INSIDE the Page Load event
WebViewer1.FlashViewerToolBar.Visible = False

Paste INSIDE the Page Load event

WebViewer1.FlashViewerToolBar.Visible = false;

To add a using or Imports directive

To reduce the amount of code needed for the rest of the customizations, add a using or Imports directive at the

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 581
top of the ASPX code view.

Paste at the top of the ASPX code view

Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Controls

Paste near the top of the ASPX code view

using GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Controls;

To reorder buttons in the toolbar

1. In the Visual Studio Solution Explorer, right-click the ASPX file that contains your WebViewer and select
View Designer.
2. In the design view of your web form, double-click on the form below the WebViewer. This creates an event
handling method for the Page Load event and takes you to the code view of the page.
3. Use the following code to create a new button and add it at the beginning of the toolbar.
Paste INSIDE the Page Load event
'Get a default tool from the toolbar. (You can also specify the tool index.）
Dim tool As ToolBase = WebViewer1.FlashViewerToolBar.Tools("PageRangeButton")
'Remove the tool from the toolbar.
WebViewer1.FlashViewerToolBar.Tools.Remove(tool)
'Insert the tool in a different position.
WebViewer1.FlashViewerToolBar.Tools.Insert(0, tool)

Paste INSIDE the Page Load event

//Get a default tool from the toolbar. (You can also specify the tool index.）
ToolBase tool = WebViewer1.FlashViewerToolBar.Tools["PageRangeButton"];
//Remove the tool from the toolbar.
WebViewer1.FlashViewerToolBar.Tools.Remove(tool);
//Insert the tool in a different position.
WebViewer1.FlashViewerToolBar.Tools.Insert(0, tool);

To remove a button from the toolbar

1. In the Visual Studio Solution Explorer, right-click the ASPX file that contains your WebViewer and select
View Designer.
2. In the design view of your web form, double-click on the form below the WebViewer. This creates an event
handling method for the Page Load event and takes you to the code view of the page.
3. Use the following code to remove a button from the toolbar.
Paste INSIDE the Page Load event
'Get a default tool from the toolbar by name. （You can also specify the tool
index.）
Dim tool As ToolBase = WebViewer1.FlashViewerToolBar.Tools("PageRangeButton")
' Delete the tool from the toolbar.
WebViewer1.FlashViewerToolBar.Tools.Remove(tool)

Paste INSIDE the Page Load event

//Get a default tool from the toolbar by name. （You can also specify the tool
index.）
ToolBase tool = WebViewer1.FlashViewerToolBar.Tools["PageRangeButton"];
//Delete the tool from the toolbar.
WebViewer1.FlashViewerToolBar.Tools.Remove(tool);

To create a custom button and add it to the toolbar

Tip: The ToolsCollection class in the Web.Controls namespace has the standard
System.Collections.ObjectModel.Collection methods available, so if you want to just add a button to the end
of the toolbar, you can use the Add method instead.

1. In the Visual Studio Solution Explorer, right-click the ASPX file that contains your WebViewer and select

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 582
View Designer.
2. In the design view of your web form, double-click on the form below the WebViewer. This creates an event
handling method for the Page Load event and takes you to the code view of the page.
3. Use the following code to create a button and place it at the beginning of the toolbar.
Paste INSIDE the Page Load event
Dim customButton As ToolButton = Tool.CreateButton("CustomButton")
customButton.Caption = "Contanct Us"
customButton.ToolTip = "ActiveReports Website"
customButton.ClickNavigateTo = "http://activereports.grapecity.com/"
'Add a button at the specified index.
'An index value of 20 places it second to last, between the Forward and Backward
buttons.
'Set the index value to 0 to place it in the first position at the left.
WebViewer1.FlashViewerToolBar.Tools.Insert(20, customButton)

Paste INSIDE the Page Load event

ToolButton customButton = Tool.CreateButton("CustomButton");
customButton.Caption = "Contact Us";
customButton.ToolTip = "ActiveReports Website";
customButton.ClickNavigateTo = "http://activereports.grapecity.com/";
//Add a button at the specified index.
//An index value of 20 places it second to last, between the Forward and Backward
buttons.
//Set the index value to 0 to place it in the first position at the left.
WebViewer1.FlashViewerToolBar.Tools.Insert(20, customButton);

To create a custom toolbar and add it to the viewer

1. In the Visual Studio Solution Explorer, right-click the ASPX file that contains your WebViewer and select
View Designer..
2. In the design view of your web form, double-click on the form below the WebViewer. This creates an event
handling method for the Page Load event and takes you to the code view of the page.
3. Use the following code to create the custom toolbar and add it to viewer.
Paste INSIDE the Page Load event
'Get the collection of buttons and separators used in the toolbar.
Dim collection As ToolsCollection = WebViewer1.FlashViewerToolBar.Tools
'Delete all of the buttons and separators from the toolbar.
collection.Clear()
'Add pre-defined buttons.
collection.Add(Tool.Create(ToolsCollection.ToolCommands.ZoomOutButton))
collection.Add(Tool.Create(ToolsCollection.ToolCommands.ZoomBox))
collection.Add(Tool.Create(ToolsCollection.ToolCommands.ZoomInButton))
' Add a separator.
collection.Add(Tool.CreateSeparator())
'Add a pre-defined button.
collection.Add(Tool.Create(ToolsCollection.ToolCommands.SearchButton))
'Add a separator.
collection.Add(Tool.CreateSeparator())
'Add custom buttons.
collection.Add(Tool.CreateButton("btn1"))
collection.Add(Tool.CreateButton("btn2"))

Paste INSIDE the Page Load event

//Get the collection of buttons and separators used in the toolbar.
ToolsCollection collection = WebViewer1.FlashViewerToolBar.Tools;
//Delete all of the buttons and separators from the toolbar.
collection.Clear();
//Add pre-defined buttons.
collection.Add(Tool.Create(ToolsCollection.ToolCommands.ZoomOutButton));

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 583
collection.Add(Tool.Create(ToolsCollection.ToolCommands.ZoomBox));
collection.Add(Tool.Create(ToolsCollection.ToolCommands.ZoomInButton));
//Add a separator.
collection.Add(Tool.CreateSeparator());
//Add a pre-defined button.
collection.Add(Tool.Create(ToolsCollection.ToolCommands.SearchButton));
//Add a separator.
collection.Add(Tool.CreateSeparator());
//Add custom buttons.
collection.Add(Tool.CreateButton("btn1"));
collection.Add(Tool.CreateButton("btn2"));

Localize the Flash Viewer

The FlashViewer, one of the ViewerTypes of the WebViewer control, is localized separately from other
ActiveReports resources. You can redistribute the Flash localization resources separately from the application so
that you need not recompile the GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Flash.v9.swf file.
You can localize all of the UI strings, error messages, fonts, and images that appear in the FlashViewer in the
included resource file, and send it to GrapeCity to be compiled into the SWF resources file.

Note: If you are willing to share your new localization with other customers, let support know so that the
updated GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Flash.v9.Resources.swf file can be included in future builds of the product.

Included Localizations
The default locale is en_US, U.S. English, but the included GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Flash.v9.Resources.swf file
also contains strings localized for the following languages:
ru_RU Russian
ja_JP Japanese
zh_CN Simplified Chinese
The SWF files are located in C:\Program Files (x86)\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9\Deployment\Flash.
To use the Russian, Japanese, or Chinese localization
1. From C:\Program Files (x86)\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9\Deployment\Flash, copy
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Flash.v9.Resources.swf into the project folder that contains the ASPX file
with the WebViewer.
2. In the Design view of the ASPX file, click the WebViewer control to select it, and in the Properties window,
expand the FlashViewerOptions property node.
3. In the ResourceLocale property, drop down the list of values and select the locale that you want to use.
4. Run the project to see the localized FlashViewer.

Custom Localizations
The localization file is located in C:\Program Files (x86)\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9\Localization.
To localize strings (and images) in the resource file.
1. In C:\Program Files (x86)\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9\Localization, open the FlashViewer.zip file.
2. Using Notepad, open the Resources.properties file and localize the strings.
3. Save and zip the file.
4. If you want to change the toc.png image for the Table of Contents button icon, rename your localized
image to toc.png and add it to the zip file.
To send the localized file to GrapeCity to be compiled into the SWF file.
1. Attach the localized FlashViewer.zip file to the Submit New Issue form on
our web site: http://activereports.grapecity.com/.
2. Tell support the culture of the localization and ask them to compile it into the
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Flash.v9.Resources.swf.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 584
3. Support will email you the localized SWF file.
To use your custom localization.
1. When you receive the new ActiveReports.FlashViewer.Resources.swf file, copy it into the project folder that
contains the ASPX file with the WebViewer.
2. In the Design view of the ASPX file, click the WebViewer control to select it, and in the Properties window,
expand the FlashViewerOptions property node.
3. In the ResourceLocale property, drop down the list of values and select your custom locale.
4. Run the project to see the localized FlashViewer.

Configure HTTPHandlers in IIS 6

HttpHandlers are included in the Professional edition of ActiveReports to allow you to quickly and easily display
reports in the browser. In order to use ActiveReports HTTP handlers on the Web with ASP.NET, you must first
configure the machine to use the handlers.
For information on how to configure ActiveReports handler mappings in IIS 7.x, see the section Configure
HTTPHandlers in IIS 7 and IIS 8 of this Guide.
Follow these steps to configure the ActiveReports HTTP handlers in IIS 6.x so that you can link directly to reports
in your Web applications. Once the handlers are configured, you can automatically run a report and view it in the
browser from a URL.
To configure ActiveReports HTTP handlers to enable report linking on your machine
1. In the Control Panel, open Administrative Tools, then Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
2. In the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager window that appears, in the left pane, expand the Sites
node, right-click the Web application you want to configure, and select Properties.
3. On the Directory tab of the YourWebSite Properties dialog that appears, click the Configuration button.
4. In the Application Configuration dialog that appears, select the list item with .aspx in the Extension column
and click Edit.
Note: If your machine does not have the ASP.NET server components installed, the .aspx handler
does not appear in the Application Mappings list.

5. In the Executable field, select and copy all of the text, and click Cancel to return to the Application
Configuration dialog.
6. Click the Add button to add a new Application Mapping.
7. In the Add/Edit Application Extension Mapping dialog that appears, enter the information from the first row
of the table below.

Executable Extension Check that file exists

Paste the text copied from the *.aspx script map. .AR9 Clear this checkbox.
Paste the text copied from the *.aspx script map. .AR9Web Clear this checkbox.
Paste the text copied from the *.aspx script map. .rpx Select this checkbox.
Paste the text copied from the *.aspx script map. .rdlx Select this checkbox.
Paste the text copied from the *.aspx script map. .rdl Select this checkbox.
Paste the text copied from the *.aspx script map. .ActiveReport Select this checkbox.

8. Click OK to close the window and add the script mapping.

9. Repeat for each script mapping in the table above.
To enable HTTP handlers in your project
In your Web application, open the Web.config file and add code like the following between the <system.web> and
</system.web> tags, changing the Version number on each line to match the version installed on your machine.
Paste inside the <system.web> tags.
<httpHandlers>
<add verb="*" path="*.AR9"
type="GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Handlers.ReportBinariesStreamer,

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 585
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.v9, Version=8.0.xxxx.0, Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff" />
<add verb="*" path="*.ActiveReport"
type="GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Handlers.CompiledReportHandler,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.v9, Version=8.0.xxxx.0, Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff" />
<add verb="*" path="*.rpx" type="GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Handlers.RpxHandler,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.v9, Version=8.0.xxxx.0, Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff" />
<add verb="*" path="*.rdl" type="GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Handlers.RdlxHandler,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.v9, Version=8.0.xxxx.0, Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff" />
<add verb="*" path="*.rdlx" type="GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Handlers.RdlxHandler,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.v9, Version=8.0.xxxx.0, Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff" />
<add verb="*" path="*.AR9Web"
type="GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Handlers.WebCacheAccessHandler,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.v9, Version=8.0.xxxx.0, Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff" />
</httpHandlers>

Configure HTTPHandlers in IIS 7 and IIS 8

HttpHandlers are included in the Professional edition of ActiveReports to allow you to quickly and easily display
reports in the browser.
Follow these steps to configure the ActiveReports HTTP handlers in IIS 7.x so that you can link directly to reports
in your Web applications. Once the handlers are configured, you can automatically run a report and view it in the
browser from a URL.

Classic Mode
If any part of your Web application is not supported in Integrated Mode, you can run it using the Classic .NET
AppPool.
To run your Web application in the Classic .NET Application Pool
1. In the Control Panel, open Administrative Tools, then Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
2. In the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager window that appears, in the left pane under
Connections, expand the Sites node and select the Web application you want to configure.
3. To the right of the Handler Mappings pane that appears, under Actions, click Basic Settings.
4. In the Edit Site dialog that appears, click the Select button.
5. In the Select Application Pool dialog that appears, drop down the Application pool, select Classic .NET
AppPool, and click OK.
6. Back in the Edit Site dialog, click OK to accept the changes.
To configure ActiveReports HTTP handlers to enable report linking in your Web applications
1. In the Control Panel, open Administrative Tools, then Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
2. In the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager window that appears, in the left pane under
Connections, expand the Sites node and select the Web application you want to configure.
3. In the site's Home pane that appears, under IIS, double-click Handler Mappings.
4. To the right of the Handler Mappings pane that appears, under Actions, click Add Script Map.
5. In the Add Script Map dialog that appears, enter the information from the first row of the table below.
Note: If you have a 64 bit app pool, add script mappings for the 64 bit version of the aspnet_isapi.dll
by navigating to C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v*\aspnet_isapi.dll.

Request path Executable Name

*.AR9 aspnet_isapi.dll version to match your app ActiveReports 9 Script Mapping
pool

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 586
*.AR9Web aspnet_isapi.dll version to match your app ActiveReports 9 Cache Item Script
pool Mapping
*.rpx aspnet_isapi.dll version to match your app ActiveReports 9 RPX Script Mapping
pool
*.rdlx aspnet_isapi.dll version to match your app ActiveReports 9 RDLX Script Mapping
pool
*.rdl aspnet_isapi.dll version to match your app ActiveReports 9 RDL Script Mapping
pool
*.ActiveReport aspnet_isapi.dll version to match your app ActiveReports 9 Script Mapping
pool

6. Click the Request Restrictions button and ensure that the Invoke handler only if request is mapped
to check box is cleared.
7. Click OK to close the window and add the script mapping.
8. Repeat for each script mapping in the table above.
To add handlers without configuring IIS 7 or IIS 8 using the Classic .NET AppPool
1. In your Web application, open the Web.config file and add code like the following between the
<system.web> and </system.web> tags, changing the ActiveReports Version number on each line to
match the version installed on your machine.
Paste inside the <system.web> tags.
<httpHandlers>
<add verb="*" path="*.AR9"
type="GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Handlers.ReportBinariesStreamer,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.v9, Version=8.0.xxxx.0, Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff" />
<add verb="*" path="*.ActiveReport"
type="GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Handlers.CompiledReportHandler,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.v9, Version=8.0.xxxx.0, Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff" />
<add verb="*" path="*.rpx"
type="GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Handlers.RpxHandler,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.v9, Version=8.0.xxxx.0, Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff" />
<add verb="*" path="*.rdl"
type="GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Handlers.RdlxHandler,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.v9, Version=8.0.xxxx.0, Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff" />
<add verb="*" path="*.rdlx"
type="GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Handlers.RdlxHandler,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.v9, Version=8.0.xxxx.0, Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff" />
<add verb="*" path="*.AR9Web"
type="GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Handlers.WebCacheAccessHandler,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.v9, Version=8.0.xxxx.0, Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff" />
</httpHandlers>

2. In your Web application, open the Web.config file and add code like the following between the
<system.webServer> and </system.webServer> tags depending on the .Net Framework version 2.0 or
4.0 installed on your machine:
.Net 2.0
Paste inside the <system.webServer> tags.
<handlers>
<add name="AR9Rpx" path="*.rpx" verb="*" modules="IsapiModule"
scriptProcessor="%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\aspnet_isapi.dll"
preCondition="classicMode,runtimeVersionv2.0,bitness32"/>
<add name="AR9Rdlx" path="*.rdlx" verb="*" modules="IsapiModule"

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 587
scriptProcessor="%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\aspnet_isapi.dll"
preCondition="classicMode,runtimeVersionv2.0,bitness32"/>
<add name="AR9" path="*.AR9" verb="*" modules="IsapiModule"
scriptProcessor="%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\aspnet_isapi.dll"
preCondition="classicMode,runtimeVersionv2.0,bitness32"/>
<add name="AR9Web" path="*.AR9Web" verb="*" modules="IsapiModule"
scriptProcessor="%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\aspnet_isapi.dll"
preCondition="classicMode,runtimeVersionv2.0,bitness32"/>
<add name="AR9Rdl" path="*.rdl" verb="*" modules="IsapiModule"
scriptProcessor="%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\aspnet_isapi.dll"
preCondition="classicMode,runtimeVersionv2.0,bitness32"/>
<add name="ActiveReport" path="*.ActiveReport" verb="*"
modules="IsapiModule"
scriptProcessor="%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\aspnet_isapi.dll"
preCondition="classicMode,runtimeVersionv2.0,bitness32"/>
</handlers>

.Net 4.0
Paste inside the <system.webServer> tags.
<handlers>
<add name="AR9Rpx" path="*.rpx" verb="*" modules="IsapiModule"
scriptProcessor="%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\aspnet_isapi.dll"
preCondition="classicMode,runtimeVersionv4.0,bitness32"/>
<add name="AR9Rdlx" path="*.rdlx" verb="*" modules="IsapiModule"
scriptProcessor="%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\aspnet_isapi.dll"
preCondition="classicMode,runtimeVersionv4.0,bitness32"/>
<add name="AR9Rdl" path="*.rdl" verb="*" modules="IsapiModule"
scriptProcessor="%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\aspnet_isapi.dll"
preCondition="classicMode,runtimeVersionv4.0,bitness32"/>
<add name="AR9" path="*.AR9" verb="*" modules="IsapiModule"
scriptProcessor="%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\aspnet_isapi.dll"
preCondition="classicMode,runtimeVersionv4.0,bitness32"/>
<add name="AR9Web" path="*.AR9Web" verb="*" modules="IsapiModule"
scriptProcessor="%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\aspnet_isapi.dll"
preCondition="classicMode,runtimeVersionv4.0,bitness32"/>
<add name="ActiveReport" path="*.ActiveReport" verb="*"
modules="IsapiModule"
scriptProcessor="%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\aspnet_isapi.dll"
preCondition="classicMode,runtimeVersionv4.0,bitness32"/>
</handlers>

Note: If you have a 64 bit Web application, change the preCondition attribute on each line to
classicMode,runtimeVersionv2.0,bitness64, or in ASP.NET 4, change it to
classicMode,runtimeVersion4.0,bitness64.

Integrated Mode
To configure ActiveReports HTTP handlers to enable report linking in your Web applications
1. In the Control Panel, open Administrative Tools, then Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
2. In the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager window that appears, in the left pane under
Connections, expand the Sites node and select the Web application you want to configure.
3. In the site's Home pane that appears, under IIS, double-click Handler Mappings.
4. To the right of the Handler Mappings pane that appears, under Actions, click Add Managed Handler.
5. In the Add Managed Handler dialog that appears, enter the information from the first row of the table
below.

Request path Type Name

*.AR9 GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Handlers.ReportBinariesStreamer ActiveReports 9

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 588
integrated handler
mapping
*.AR9Web GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Handlers.WebCacheAccessHandler ActiveReports 9 cache
item integrated
handler mapping
*.rpx GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Handlers.RpxHandler ActiveReports 9 RPX
integrated handler
mapping
*.rdlx GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Handlers.RdlxHandler ActiveReports 9 RDLX
integrated handler
mapping
*.rdl GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Handlers.RdlxHandler ActiveReports 9 RDL
integrated handler
mapping
*.ActiveReport GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Handlers.CompiledReportHandler ActiveReports
9 integrated handler
mapping

6. Click the Request Restrictions button and ensure that the Invoke handler only if request is mapped
to check box is cleared.
7. Click OK to close the window and add the handler mapping.
8. Repeat for each handler mapping in the table above.
To add handlers without configuring IIS 7 or IIS 8 using the DefaultAppPool
In your Web application, open the Web.config file and add code like the following between the
<system.webServer> and </system.webServer> tags, changing the ActiveReports Version number on each line
to match the version installed on your machine.
Paste inside the <system.webServer> tags.
<handlers>
<add name="AR9Rpx" path="*.rpx" verb="*" modules="IsapiModule"
scriptProcessor="%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\aspnet_isapi.dll"
preCondition="integratedMode,runtimeVersionv2.0,bitness32"/>
<add name="AR9Rdlx" path="*.rdlx" verb="*" modules="IsapiModule"
scriptProcessor="%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\aspnet_isapi.dll"
preCondition="integratedMode,runtimeVersionv2.0,bitness32"/>
<add name="AR9" path="*.AR9" verb="*" modules="IsapiModule"
scriptProcessor="%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\aspnet_isapi.dll"
preCondition="integratedMode,runtimeVersionv2.0,bitness32"/>
<add name="AR9Web" path="*.AR9Web" verb="*" modules="IsapiModule"
scriptProcessor="%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\aspnet_isapi.dll"
preCondition="integratedMode,runtimeVersionv2.0,bitness32"/>
<add name="AR9Rdl" path="*.rdl" verb="*" modules="IsapiModule"
scriptProcessor="%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\aspnet_isapi.dll"
preCondition="integratedMode,runtimeVersionv2.0,bitness32"/>
<add name="ActiveReport" path="*.ActiveReport" verb="*" modules="IsapiModule"
scriptProcessor="%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\aspnet_isapi.dll"
preCondition="integratedMode,runtimeVersionv2.0,bitness32"/>
</handlers>

Note: If you have a 64 bit Web application, change the preCondition attribute on each line to
integratedMode,runtimeVersionv2.0,bitness64, or in ASP.NET 4, change it to
integratedMode,runtimeVersion4.0,bitness64.

Customize HTML5 Viewer

ActiveReports HTML5 Viewer is a fully customizable control. You can easily change the look of the viewer and show

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 589
or hide the components using its public API.
The following example demonstrates few of the many modifications possible in the HTML5 Viewer. It shows setting
the Custom uiType, adding the custom buttons for Print and Export and adding the Paginator control that
allows you to display the number of report pages and to navigate through them.

Note: These steps assume that you have already created a new ASP.Net Web Application and added a
sample report to display in the viewer.

1. Add a new HTML page item to the project and in the Name field, rename the page item as
HTML5Viewer.html.
2. Copy and place GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Html.js and
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Html.css files in the project folder and add them to your project.
Note: In ActiveReports, these files are located in the C:\Program Files\GrapeCity\ActiveReports
9\Deployment\Html folder.

3. In the HTML5Viewer page item, add references to the stylesheets that will control the styling and
appearance of the HTML5 Viewer.
Note: You can obtain the source of Bootstrap.min.js from Content Delivery Network (CDN) like shown
in the code below. You can also download the file from the source website and add the file to the
project locally.

Code
Paste inside the <head></head> tags
<link href="//netdna.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/3.0.0/css/bootstrap.min.css"
rel="stylesheet" />
<link href="/GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Html.css" rel="stylesheet" />

4. Add the following DIV element inside the <body></body> tags that will contain the HTML5 Viewer and
the Paginator control.
Code
Paste inside the <body></body> tags
<div class="container">
<div id="paginator" class="pagination"></div>
<div id="viewer" style="width: auto; height: 600px"></div>
</div>

5. Add the following Style element inside the <body></body> tags to make the viewer fill the entire
browser window.
Code
Paste inside the <body></body> tags
<style>
#viewer {
position: absolute;
left: 5px;
right: 5px;
top: auto;
bottom: 5px;
font-family: 'segoe ui', 'ms sans serif';
overflow: hidden;
}
</style>

6. Add the following DIV element inside the <body></body> tags that will contain the buttons for Print and
Export.
Code
Paste inside the <body></body> tags
<div class="panel panel-default">

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 590
<div class="panel-heading">
<div id="appToolbar" class="btn-toolbar" style="margin-bottom: 10px">
<button type="button" class="btn" id="btnPrint">
Print</button>
<button type="button" class="btn" id="btnExport">
Export to PDF</button>
</div>
</div>
</div>

7. In the Project menu, click Add New Item, select ActiveReports 9 Web Service and then click the Add
button. This adds the ActiveReports.ReportService.asmx file to the project.
8. Add the reference to the GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Html.js and its following dependencies:
jQuery 1.10.2 or higher
Bootstrap 3.1.0 or higher
Knockout 2.3.0 or higher

Note: You can obtain the source of dependencies like jQuery from Content Delivery Network (CDN).
You can also download and add them to the project locally.

Code
Paste inside the <head></head> tags
<script src="//cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.10.2/jquery.js"
type="text/javascript"></script>
<script src="//cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/twitter-
bootstrap/3.1.0/js/bootstrap.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script src="//cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/knockout/2.3.0/knockout-debug.js"
type="text/javascript"></script>
<script src="/GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Html.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>

9. Add the following script element below other script elements to create the HTML5 Viewer for the viewer
<div> element we have added above.
Code
Paste inside the <body></body> tags
<script type="text/javascript">
$(function () {
var paginator = $('#paginator');
var viewer = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer(
{
element: '#viewer',
report: {
id: "SampleReport.rdlx"
},
reportService: {
url: '/ActiveReports.ReportService.asmx'
},
//Setting the uiType to Custom
uiType: 'custom',
documentLoaded: function () {
setPaginator();
}
});
//Creating the function for Printing
$('#btnPrint').click(function () {
viewer.print();
});
//Creating the function for Exporting
$('#btnExport').click(function () {

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 591
viewer.export('Pdf', function (uri) {
window.open(uri);
}, false, {});
});

//Creating the function for using Paginator control to display report pages
and to navigate through them
function setPaginator() {
if (viewer.pageCount > 0) {
for (var i = 1; i <= viewer.pageCount; i++) {
$('<li data-bind="' + i + '"><a class="js-page"
href="javascript:void(0)">' + i + '</a></li>').appendTo(paginator);
}
paginator.children(":first").addClass('active');
paginator.children().click(function () {
var self = $(this);
viewer.goToPage(self.attr('data-bind'), 0, function () {
paginator.children().removeClass('active');
self.addClass('active');
});
});
}
}
});
</script>

10. Press F5 to run the project and navigate to the webpage containing the HTML5 Viewer that we have just
created.

11. As the report gets loaded in the viewer, use the paginator control to navigate through the all the report
pages and click Print or Export to PDF to print or export the displayed report.

Localize and Deploy HTML5 Viewer

Localization
The HTML5 viewer can be localized by localizing the strings present in the en.txt file and then using it through the
localeUri option while initializing the viewer. The en.txt file contains strings for viewer's toolbar items, panes,
dialogs and errors. These strings can be localized to any culture and should be saved in the UTF-8 format. Follow
these steps to learn localizing the HTML5 viewer:
1. Go to C:\Program Files\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9\Deployment\Html\i18n and open the en.txt
file in a Notepad.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 592
2. Localize the strings in the file to any desired culture and save the file in the UTF-8 format as jp.txt.

3. Add the newly created localized file to the project containing the HTML5 viewer. See Working with HTML5
Viewer using Javascript to learn creating the HTML5 viewer.
4. In the targeted HTML page that contains code to create the HTML5 viewer, paste the following code:
XML
var viewer = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer(
{
localeUri: 'Scripts/i18n/jp.txt'
});

5. Press F5 to run the project and navigate to the webpage containing the HTML5 Viewer with localized
strings.

Deployment
You can deploy the HTML5 viewer on IIS by deploying the ActiveReports Web Application that contains the viewer.
See Working with HTML5 Viewer using Javascript to learn creating the HTML5 viewer in a ASP.Net Web Application
project and Deploy Web Applications to learn deploying an ActiveReport Web Application.

Use Fields in Reports

Fields provide data to display on a report page. ActiveReports has two types of fields; a bound or database field
and a calculated field.
Bound or Database field: A field where the value is returned by a query. See the Query dropdown in
the Dataset Dialog for further information on queries in page reports and RDL reports.
Calculated field: A field where the value is an expression created with functions, formulas and
operators. Use the following instructions to add calculated fields in a report.
To create a calculated field in a Section Report
In a section report, once you connect to a data source, bound fields automatically appear under the Fields >
Bound node in the Report Explorer. However, you have to add calculated fields manually under the Fields >
Calculated node. The following steps guide you through the process.
1. In the Report Explorer, expand the Fields node.
2. Right-click the Calculated node and select Add. This action creates an unbound field with a default name
like field1.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 593

3. In the Report Explorer, with field1 selected, go to the Properties Window and set a value for the field in the
Formula ('Formula Property' in the on-line documentation) property. For e.g., for a calculated field
Inventory, in the Formula field, enter the expression =UnitsInStock - ReorderLevel.

You can change the name of the field in the Name ('Name Property' in the on-line documentation)
property.
4. Drag the field from the Calculated node onto the detail section of the report. This action creates a TextBox
object, and sets its DataField property to the name of the calculated field.

Note: You can also add C# expressions in a Bound Field's DataField property to modify it. See Add Field
Expressions for more information.

To create a calculated field in a Page Report/RDL Report

In a page report or a RDL report, all fields irrespective of their type appear under the corresponding DataSet node
in the Report Explorer. To create a calculated field, you can add the new field in the DataSet dialog.
The following steps guide you through the process.

Note: These steps assume that you have added a DataSet in your report. See Add a Dataset for further
information.

1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data set node and select Edit.
2. In the DataSet dialog that appears, go to the Fields page and click the Add (+) button to add an empty

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 594
field to the list.

3. Under Name, enter the name of the field. By default it appears as Field1.
4. Under Value, click the dropdown arrow and select <Expression...>, to open the Expression Editor dialog.
5. In the Expression Editor dialog, create an expression you want to use as the value for the calculated field.
For e.g., for a calculated field Cost, in the Formula field, enter the expression =[Quantity]*[Price]. See
Expressions for further information.
6. Click OK to close the Expression Editor and then the DataSet dialogs.
7. From the Report Explorer, drag the calculated field from that now appears as a field under the DataSet
node onto the design surface. This action creates a TextBox object, and sets its Value property to the name
of the calculated field expression.

Use Advanced Printing Options

The advanced printing options in the ActiveReports Viewer, allow you to change page scaling, set page margins
and add a watermark when printing a report.

To access the advanced printing options

1. In the Viewer toolbar, click the Print button. See Using the Viewer for information on the Viewer toolbar.
2. In the Print dialog that appears, click Advanced.
3. In the Page Setup dialog that appears, go to the Layout and Watermark tabs to set page scaling, page
margins and watermark options.

To modify page scaling

1. In the Page Setup dialog, on the Layout tab under the Page Handling group, select a value from the Page
Scaling drop-down list.
2. In case you select Multiple pages per sheet under Page Scaling, you can specify the Pages per sheet
and Page Order options.
3. Click OK to close the dialog.

Note: You may also check the Print page border or Auto-Rotate Pages check box for further
customization of your print setup.

To change page margins

1. In the Page Setup dialog, on the Layout tab under the Margins group, enter values for the Left, Top, Right
and Bottom margins.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 595
2. Click OK to close the dialog.
To add a watermark to the report
1. In the Page Setup dialog, on the Watermark tab, under the textbox named Text, enter the text you want
to display in your watermark.
2. Select the Font, Size, and Color for the text.
3. In the Angle field, enter a numeric value between 0 and 360 (A value of 0 renders straight left-to-right
text. A value of 180 renders inverted text).
4. Click OK to close the dialog.

Provide One-Touch Printing in the WebViewer (Pro Edition)

In the WebViewer control, when the ViewerType is set to FlashViewer, you can provide one-touch printing. This
opens the Print dialog as soon as you run your application. This feature is available in the Professional Edition only.
The following steps assume that you have already created a Web Application in Visual Studio and added a
WebViewer control on the aspx page. See Adding ActiveReports Controls and Getting Started with the WebViewer
for further information.

To provide one-touch printing

1. Add an ActiveReport to the project. See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for further details.
2. Go to the aspx page of your application which contains the WebViewer.
3. With the WebViewer control selected, go to the Properties Window, and make the following changes:
Set the ReportName property to the name of your report.
Set the ViewerType property to FlashViewer.
Expand the FlashViewerOptions > PrintOptions node, and set the StartPrint property to
True.
If you do not want to display the report to the user, set the Height and Width properties to 0.
4. Copy the ActiveReports.FlashViewer.swf file into your project folder where your aspx file is located. You
can get this file from the ...\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9\Deployment\Flash folder.
5. Run the project to see the Print dialog box and send the report to print by clicking the Print button.

Provide PDF Printing in the Silverlight Viewer (Pro Edition)

You can set PDF printing in your Silverlight project to allow printing a document from Silverlight to the PDF format
directly. This is a good alternative to the default Silverlight printing with its large print spool size issue.
If PDF printing is set up in the Silverlight project, you see a Print dialog appear on clicking the Print button in the
SilverlightViewer toolbar:

When you print to PDF, the exceptions that occur at printing cannot be caught. Thus, if there is a printing
exception, no Print dialog appears after you click the Print button.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 596
Caution: If your Web browser does not support JavaScript and Adobe Reader, the Silverlight Viewer will use
its default printing instead of the PDF printing. Also, PDF printing is not supported in the Silverlight Out-of-
Browser applications.

To set up PDF printing in the Silverlight Viewer project

1. Open your Silverlight project or create a new Silverlight project as described in Using the SilverlightViewer.
2. In Solution Explorer, open the Web.config file.
3. Make sure that the http handlers have been added to the Web.config file. The http handlers are added to
the Web config automatically when you add ActiveReports 9 Web Service - see Using the Silverlight
Viewer for details:
XML code. Handlers appear in the XML view of the Web.config file inside the system.web
section.
<httpHandlers>
<add verb="*" path="*.AR9"
type="GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Handlers.ReportBinariesStreamer,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.v9, Version=8.0.xxxx.0, Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff" />
<add verb="*" path="*.AR9Web"
type="GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Handlers.WebCacheAccessHandler,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.v9, Version=8.0.xxxx.0, Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff" />
<add verb="*" path="*.ActiveReport"
type="GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Handlers.CompiledReportHandler,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.v9, Version=8.0.xxxx.0, Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff" />
<add verb="*" path="*.rpx"
type="GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Handlers.RpxHandler,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.v9, Version=8.0.xxxx.0, Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff" />
<add verb="*" path="*.RDL,*.rdlx"
type="GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.Handlers.RdlxHandler,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.v9, Version=8.0.xxxx.0, Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff" />
<remove verb="*" path="*.asmx" />
<add verb="*" path="*.asmx" validate="false"
type="System.Web.Script.Services.ScriptHandlerFactory, System.Web.Extensions,
Version=3.5.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31BF3856AD364E35" />
</httpHandlers>

Note: You might need to update the Version and PublicKeyToken values to reflect the current version
of ActiveReports installed on your machine. You can find the Version and PublicKeyToken values in the
Global Assembly Cache (GAC), C:\Windows\assembly.

4. On MainPage.xaml, go to the Properties window and then to the Events view.

5. In the list of events, double-click the viewer1_Loaded event.
6. On MainPage.xaml.cs/vb that opens, add the following code to the viewer1_Loaded event:
To write code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET Code. Paste to MainPage.xaml.vb to the Viewer1_Loaded event.
Viewer1.PdfPrint = True

To write code in C#
C# Code. Paste to MainPage.xaml.cs to the viewer1_Loaded event.
viewer1.PdfPrint = true;

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 597
Print Methods In ActiveReports
ActiveReports provides access to Print methods to enable printing of page and section reports. You can access
Print methods in any of the following ways:
Viewer.Print method (using the Viewer control)
Print methods in SectionDocument or PageDocument
Print methods in the PrintExtension class

Viewer.Print method
The code sample illustrate how to access the the print method using the Viewer conrol.
You can use the Print ('Print Method' in the on-line documentation) method of the Viewer class to print a
report loaded in the Viewer control. Make sure that the report is loaded completely before Print is executed.

Visual Basic.NET code. Add this code INSIDE the LoadCompleted event of the Viewer
Viewer1.Print(True, True, True)

C# code. Add this code INSIDE the LoadCompleted event of the Viewer
viewer1.Print(true, true, true);

Print methods in SectionDocument or PageDocument

SectionDocument and PageDocument types have Print methods that can be used directly on the document object.
The following code samples illustrate how to access the print methods that can be used directly on the document
object.

Note: The Print ('Print Method' in the on-line documentation) method is implemented as an extension
method of the PrintExtension.Print ('Print Method' in the on-line documentation) method, which is
present in Grapecity.ActiveReport namespace of GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Win.v9 assembly.
In order to access Print ('Print Method' in the on-line documentation) method through
SectionDocument or PageDocument class, you need to add GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Win.v9 reference
to the project. Also, as mentioned in the code, make sure that you add a reference for the
GrapeCity.ActiveReports namespace in your project using Imports (Visual Basic.NET) or using (C#)
statement.

Section Report
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste at the top of the code view.
Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.

Dim file_name As String = "..\..\PageReport1.rdlx"
Dim pageReport As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(New
System.IO.FileInfo(file_name))
Dim pageDocument As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(pageReport)
pageDocument.Print(True, True, False)

C# code. Paste at the top of the code view.

using GrapeCity.ActiveReports;

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.

var rpt = new SectionReport1();
rpt.Run(false);
var sectionDocument = rpt.Document;

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 598
sectionDocument.Print(true, true, false);

Page Report
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste at the top of the code view.
Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.

Dim rpt = New SectionReport1()
rpt.Run(False)
Dim sectionDocument = rpt.Document
sectionDocument.Print(True, True, False)

C# code. Paste at the top of the code view.

using GrapeCity.ActiveReports;

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.

string file_name = @"..\..\PageReport1.rdlx";
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport pageReport = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(new System.IO.FileInfo(file_name));
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument pageDocument = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(pageReport);
pageDocument.Print(true, true, false);

Print methods in the PrintExtension class

You can use the Print ('Print Method' in the on-line documentation) method of the PrintExtension class to
print a report loaded in the Viewer control. Make sure that the report is loaded completely before Print is executed.
The following code samples illustrate how to access the print method of the PrintExtension class.

Note: The Print ('Print Method' in the on-line documentation) method is implemented as an extension
method of the PrintExtension.Print ('Print Method' in the on-line documentation) method, which is
present in Grapecity.ActiveReport namespace of GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Win.v9 assembly.
In order to access Print ('Print Method' in the on-line documentation) method through
SectionDocument or PageDocument class, you need to add GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Win.v9 reference
to the project. Also, as mentioned in the code, make sure that you add a reference for the
GrapeCity.ActiveReports namespace in your project using Imports (Visual Basic.NET) or using (C#)
statement.

Section Report
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE an event like Button_Click.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PrintExtension.Print(sectionDocument, True, True)

C# code. Paste INSIDE an event like Button_Click.

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PrintExtension.Print(sectionDocument, true, true);

Page Report
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE an event like Button_Click.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PrintExtension.Print(pageDocument, True, True)

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 599
C# code. Paste INSIDE an event like Button_Click.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PrintExtension.Print(pageDocument, true, true);

Samples and Walkthroughs

To understand some of the more complex tasks you can accomplish using ActiveReports, you can open included
sample projects, or you can follow walkthroughs, step-by-step tutorials that walk you through every step required
to create a specific type of report.

This section contains information about

Samples
Browse brief descriptions of included samples, and follow links that open sample projects in Visual Studio.
Walkthroughs
Look through tutorials that teach you all of the steps involved in creating various types of ActiveReports projects,
from the basic report through more complex unbound reports and Web options.

Samples
Learn about the samples provided with the ActiveReports installation standard and professional editions. The
samples folder is located at the following location:
[User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9
Each sample has a C# and a Visual Basic.NET version for Visual Studio 2010 and 2012. You can also see the
comments within the sample projects throughout code.
This section contains information about:
HTML5 Viewer Sample
This sample demonstrates the HTML 5 Viewer with its various options of loading Basic or Customized UI and Page,
RDL and RDLX reports.
Page Reports And RDL Reports
This section provides information on each of the Page report and RDL report sample provided with the
ActiveReports installation.
Professional
This section provides information on each of the sample provided with the ActiveReports professional edition
installation.
Reports Gallery
This section provides information on Page, RDL and Section reports provided with the ActiveReports installation.
Section Reports
This section provides information on each of the Section report sample provided with the ActiveReports
installation.
Standard Edition Web
Demonstrates exporting an ActiveReports report to the HTML or PDF format in your Web application.
WPF Viewer
Demonstrates the WPF Viewer and its options to view rdlx and rpx reports.

HTML5 Viewer Sample

The HTML5 Viewer sample demonstrates the use of HTML5 Viewer and its options to load different report types
in basic or customized viewer.

Basic UI

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 600

Custom UI

Sample Location
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\HTML5 Viewer
Runtime Features
When you run the sample, the index.html containing the HTML5 Viewer appears on your browser with the following
options to choose from:
Basic or Custom UI Viewer
The Basic UI Viewer appears by default with an option of switching to Custom UI Viewer by clicking the Custom
UI option.
The Custom UI option loads the CustomUI.html in the browser. On the Custom UI Viewer page, you can click
on any Genre category button to pass parameter to the MoviesReport.rdlx report and load the report in the
viewer specific to the passed parameter value.
While working on the Custom UI Viewer, you can always switch back to the Basic UI Viewer by clicking the Basic
option.
Choose Report: Page Report, RDL Report , RPX Report and Code-based Report
These options are a part of the Basic UI Viewer. Click on any of these buttons to load a report of specific format.
Choose UI Type: Desktop or Mobile
These options are a part of the Basic UI Viewer and are related to the Viewer report preview area. When you run
this project, the HTML5 Viewer Desktop UI appears in the browser by default. You can switch to the HTML5 Viewer
Mobile UI by clicking the Mobile button.

Project Details
Css folder
The Css folder contains the following css files that store styles for the HTML5 viewer application:
bootstrap.css
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Html.css
site.css
theme-cosmo.css

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Fonts folder
The fonts folder contains the following font files to provide styles to the text that gets displayed in the HTML5
viewer at runtime:
glyphicons-halflings-regular.eot
glyphicons-halflings-regular.svg
glyphicons-halflings-regular.ttf
glyphicons-halflings-regular.woff
images folder
The images folder contain images for the buttons used in the Custom UI Viewer.
Reports folder
The reports folder contains the following reports:
BillingInvoice.rdlx: This page based report gets loaded in the viewer when you select the Page Report
type in the Basic UI viewer. This report uses the NWind shared data source connection to provide data.
This report showcases a billing invoice layout commonly used in convenience stores. The report
mostly contains Label, TextBox and Line controls in its layout. The EAN128FNC1 barcode is used in this
report due to its high reading accuracy in convenience stores.
Invoice.rpx: This section based report gets loaded in the viewer when you select the RPX report type in
the Basic UI viewer. This report uses the NWind data source connection to provide data. This report uses
TextBox controls to create the Invoice layout for displaying customer transactions. One of the TexBox
uses the Sum function to display the GrandTotal of all transactions.
MoviesReport.rdlx: This page based report appears in the Custom UI viewer. This report uses the
Reels database to provide data to showcase the list of movies based on different genres using the
parameter set on the GenereName field.
OilProducingCountries.rdlx: This page based report gets loaded in the viewer when you select the
RDL report type in the Basic UI viewer. This report uses the FactBook database to provide data to the
Map control that visualizes the oil production for different parts of the world.
rpt2DBar: This code-based section report gets loaded in the viewer when you select the Code-based
report type in the Basic UI viewer. This report displays bar chart and retrieves the data to be displayed
in a chart from Orders table of NWind database.
Scripts folder
The scripts folder contains the following javascript files and its dependencies required to build this application:
bootstrap-3.0.0.js
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Html.js
jquery-1.10.2.js
knockout-2.3.0.js
ActiveReports.ReportService.asmx
ActiveReports.ReportService.asmx is an ASP.NET Webservices Source file that is required for creating and proper
functioning of the HTML5 Viewer. You can add this service using the Add New Item in the Visual Studio
Project menu and then selecting ActiveReports 9 Web Service.
customUI.html
The customUI.html hosts the Custom UI page on the browser. It contains html code for the appearance and
functioning of the Custom Ul page.
index.html
The index.html is the main page that gets hosted on the browser when you run this sample. It contains html code
for the appearance and functioning of the main page.

Page Reports And RDL Reports

Learn about the different Page and RDL Report RDL samples categorized under API
This section contains:
API
This section contains samples that showcase working with ActiveReports API to create a RDL report.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 602
API
Learn about the samples that fall under the API category.
This section contains:
CreateReport
This sample demonstrates how to create a page report layout in code. It further shows creating a table control,
adding table rows and table columns inside it, adding cells inside the table rows and columns and adding text
boxes inside the cells.
Custom Resource Locator
This Custom Resource Locator sample showcases a custom implementation of the resource locator to load pictures
from the user's "My Pictures" directory.
DataSet DataSource
This sample demonstrates how to use a dataset as a data source for a report.
Layer
This sample demonstrates how to use Layers in a report.
NormalizedDataSet
This sample demonstrates loading the same data into three types of reports using the DataSet provider, XML
provider and Object provider for fetching data from the data source.
OleDbDataSource
This sample demonstrates how to connect to an OleDb data source at runtime and pass data to the report using
LocateDataSource event.
PageUnboundData
The PageUnboundData sample demonstrates how to connect a page report to an unbound data source at runtime,
using the DataSet provider with the LocateDataSource event.
ReportWizard
This sample demonstrates how to create a custom Report Wizard that allows you to select a report from the list of
multiple reports and then allows you to select the data that you want to display in the selected report.
XMLDataSource
This sample demonstrates how to connect to a XML data source at runtime and pass data to the report using
LocateDataSource event.

Create Report
The Create Report sample demonstrates how to create a RDL report using code and display it in the ActiveReports
Designer.

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Page Reports And RDL Reports\API\CreateReport\VB.NET
C#

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 603
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Page Reports And RDL Reports\API\CreateReport\C#
Runtime Features
When you run this sample, the ActiveReports Designer appears with a RDL report that is bound to a database. To
view the report, go to the Preview tab of the Designer.

Note: To run this sample, you must have access to the Reels.mdb. A copy is located at [User Documents
folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data. If you are unable to access the data files in the
sample, create the Data folder and place all the data files to this folder, or change the reference path to the
data files within the folder according to your environment.

Project Details
ReportsForm
This is the main form of the sample that contains the Designer, ReportExplorer, PropertyGrid, Toolbox and ToolStrip
controls, used to create the ActiveReports Designer at runtime. See Creating a Basic End User Report Designer (Pro
Edition) for information on creating a basic ActiveReports Designer.
Right-click the form and select View Code to see how to set up the Designer and attach the ReportExplorer,
PropertyGrid and Toolbox controls to it. It also contains code that loads a layout created in
the LayoutBuilder class to a page report object; then loads the page report object to a stream, which is loaded to
the Designer.
Constants
This file is an internal class that contains string values that are required for creating a dataset of the report.
LayoutBuilder
This file is an internal class that contains code for creating a RDL report layout and adding a data source and a
dataset to it.

Custom Resource Locator

The Custom Resource Locator sample demonstrates a custom implementation of the resource locator to load pictures from the
user's My Pictures directory. In general, you can use a resource locator in a report to find any resources that a report may
require.

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Page Reports And RDL Reports\API\CustomResourceLocator\C#
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Page Reports And RDL Reports\API\CustomResourceLocator\VB.NET
Runtime Features
When you run this sample, you see the MainForm with the list of images from the My Pictures directory. Select any image
and click the Show Report button. A report with the selected image opens in the PreviewForm.

Caution: To run this sample properly, you must have image files in your My Pictures directory. If the directory does
not contain any pictures, you should add them to the folder manually.

Project Details
Resources folder

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 604
This folder contains the Description.rtf file that contains a summarized content of the resource locator that gets displayed
inside the RichTextBox control on the MainForm at runtime.
This folder also contains the NoImage.bmp image file that is used if there is no image in the My Pictures directory.
DemoReport.rdlx
The DemoReport.rdlx displays the selected image. This report contains two TextBox controls and one Image control,
which display the image name, the image type and the image at runtime after you click the Show Report button on the
MainForm.
MainForm
This is the main form of this sample that appears when you run the sample. This form contains the RichTextBox, the ListView
and the Button controls.
The RichTextBox control displays the summarized information saved in the Description.rtf file about the resource locator and
the sample.
The ListView control gets populated with the images located in the My Pictures directory; the Button control is used to
generate the report with the selected image.
Right-click the form and select View Code to see how to load text in the RichTextBox control and images in the ListView
control. It also contains code that displays the DemoReport.rdlx on the showReport_Click event.
MyPicturesLocator
This file is an internal class that contains code that looks for resources in the My Pictures directory.
PreviewForm
This form uses the ActiveReports Viewer control to display the DemoReport.rdlx with the selected image.
Right-click the form and select View Code to see how to load the report into the Viewer.

DataSet DataSource
The DataSetDataSource sample demonstrates how to use the API to load the report and to set the report's dataset at
runtime.

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Page Reports And RDL Reports\API\DataSetDataSource\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Page Reports And RDL Reports\API\DataSetDataSource\C#
Runtime Features
When you run this sample, the MainForm with the ActiveReports Viewer appears. The Viewer displays the Parameter
pane and the DataGrid control containing the report data in the left part of the Viewer. Set the parameters and click
the View Report button to display the report.
Also, the Viewer toolbar contains the custom export button that opens the ExportProperties form where you can set up
the options for exporting the displayed report to a specified format.
Project Details
Constants
This file is an internal class that contains string values that are required for creating a dataset of the report.
DataLayer

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 605
This file is an internal class that contains code to provide data for the report.
ExportForm
This is the form that appears when you click the custom Export button on the Viewer's toolbar at runtime. In the Export
form, you can select from the following export file format options.
HTML
Excel
Text
PDF
RTF
TIFF
This form uses the ComboBox to show the supported export formats, the Button control to browse to the location where
you want to save the exported file, the PropertiesGrid to list down the properties of the selected exported format and two
other Button controls that allow you to export the report to a file and reset the fields respectively.
Right-click the form and select View Code to see how to export the report document and define the respective
function of Browse, Export and Reset buttons in their Click event.
MainForm
The MainForm has the Splitter control with the ActiveReports Viewer control docked to the right and the DataGrid
control docked to the left. The Viewer control displays the report at runtime while the DataGrid control lists the report's
data.
Right-click the form and select View Code to see how to initialize and return data for the report, show and load the report
in the Viewer and add data to the DataGrid control. It also contains code that adds the custom export button to the
Viewer's toolbar and defines its function in the exportbutton_Click event.
ReportFromDataSet
This is the main report that the ActiveReports Viewer displays. This report features the TextBox, Table and Subreport
controls. The TextBox and Table controls display data from the dataset; the Subreport control links to
the SubReportFomDataSet report.
The report has two parameters, StartDate and EndDate. When the report is displayed in the Viewer, you are prompted to
select the start date and end date of sales on the Parameters pane of the Viewer sidebar.
SubReportFomDataSet
This report gets displayed by the SubReport control of the ReportFromDataSet report. This report features the
Table data region that displays data from the dataset.
The report has two parameters, StartDate and EndDate.

Layer
The Layer sample demonstrates how to work with Layers in four different reporting scenarios.
Sample Location
Runtime Features
Project Details

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Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Page Reports And RDL
Reports\API\Layer\VB.NET

C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Page Reports And RDL
Reports\API\Layer\C#

Runtime Features
When you run this sample, the End User Designer shows a list of .rdlx reports on the bottom left of the form.
Expand the Reports node to view reports under it and double-click a report to load it into the designer. Once the
report is loaded in the designer, a Layers List window showing all the Layers used in the report is displayed as a
tab next to the Report Explorer tab. See Working with Layers for further details on the Layers List window.

Project Details

ReportForm
This is the main form that appears when you run the Layers sample. This form uses controls such as Designer,
ReportExplorer, LayerList, Toolbox, PropertyGrid, ToolStripPanel, ToolStripContentPanel and TreeView to create a
customized report designer.
Right-click the form and select View Code to see how to set up the report designer. It also contains code that
adds reports to the TreeView control, loads a report into the Designer when it is double-clicked in the Reports
node, and shows the Layer List window if the report type is Page or RDL.

Reports Folder
AccountStatementSheet.rdlx: This report uses the XML data source connection to provide custom data.
Controls such as Image, FormattedTextBox, Table and Label are used to display the statement of an account
holder. The FormattedTextBox control contains text in HTML tags to display the content.
This report is contains three Layers besides the Default Layer with the following controls and TargetDevice
settings.

Layer Name Target Device Description

Default All This is a default layer. It does not contain any control.

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Layer1 Screen Contains the Header and Footer section.

Layer2 Screen, Paper Contains a FormattedTextBox control to display the account information of
the account holder.
Layer3 All Contains a Table data region and an OverflowPlaceHolder control to display
the account transactions.

SalesRevenueReport.rdlx: This report uses the Reels shared data source connection to provide the data. The
layout of the report uses a Chart data region to graphically display sales and profit for each month
and two Table data regions to display the chart data. The first Table data region (Layer2) contains the sales
revenue for each month and the second Table data region (Layer3) lists down the detailed figures for the monthly
sales along with a DataBar to visually depict the profits.
This report contains three Layers besides the Default Layer with the following controls and TargetDevice settings.

Layer Name Target Device Description

Default All This is a default layer. It does not contain any control.
Layer1 All Contains a Chart data region to display the annual sales by month.
Layer2 Paper Contains a Table data region to display the sales by month. Visibility of this
Layer has been set to hidden.
Layer3 Screen, Export Contains a Table data region to display the detailed sales and a DataBar to
depict the profits.

SchoolStudentReportCard.rdlx: This report uses the XML data source connection to provide custom data. This
report includes an Image control that acts as a background layout of the report. It also includes a few TextBox
controls to display the name and the grades obtained by the student.
This report contains two Layers besides the Default Layer with the following controls and TargetDevice settings.

Layer Name Target Device Description

Default All This is a default layer. It does not contain any control.
Layer1 Screen, Export Contains an Image control with an image of a school graduation certificate.
Layer2 All Contains few TextBox controls to display the name and grades obtained by
the student.

UserConferenceLabels.rdlx: This report uses the Nwind shared data source connection to provide data. This
report uses the Image, TextBox, BarCode and Label controls to create a layout for the User Conference 2014
ticket.
This report contains two Layers besides the Default Layer with the following controls and TargetDevice settings.

Layer Name Target Device Description

default All This is a default layer. It does not contain any control.
Layer1 Screen, Export Contains Image controls to display the conference logo and sponsors
and Label controls to display conference name and details.
Layer2 All Contains bound TextBox fields to display the conference attendee details
and a BarCode control to display a unique BarCode for each attendee.

Normalized DataSet
The Normalized DataSet sample demonstrates how to access relational data in reports, using the DataSet, Object or XML
providers. This sample uses the same data in all three reports bound to the relational data providers.

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Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Page Reports And RDL Reports\API\NormalizedDataSet\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Page Reports And RDL Reports\API\NormalizedDataSet\C#
Runtime Features
When you run this sample, the Relational Data Sampler form appears. Select a provider in the left pane and click the
Display Sample button located below the left pane to see a sample report appear in the ReportsForm Designer form.
You can see the description of the each provider and its related sample report as you select the provider in the left pane of
the form.
Project Details
Explanations folder
This folder contains DataSetProvider.rtf, ObjectDataProvider.rtf and XmlDataProvider.rtf files that provide descriptions for
the corresponding provider and its sample report. This is the description that the Relational Data Sampler form
displays when you run the sample and select a provider.
Constants
This file is an internal class that contains string values required for creating a dataset for the report. It also contains the
sample description text that the label on the main form displays.
DataLayer
This file is an internal class that contains code to read data from the Reels database and load it in a normalized dataset.
DataSetReport
This is the sample report that is bound to the DataSet provider. This report uses an ADO.Net dataset to obtain data for the
report. At runtime, the report is displayed in ReportsForm Designer after you select DataSet Provider in the list of
providers on the main ReportSelector form and click the Display Sample button.
ObjectReport
This is the sample report that is bound to the Object provider. This report uses a collection of business objects to obtain
data for the report. At runtime, the report is displayed in ReportsForm Designer after you select Object Provider in
the list of providers on the main ReportSelector form and click the Display Sample button.
XmlReport
This is the sample report that is bound to the XML provider. This report uses the XmlReader to obtain data for the report.
At runtime, the report is displayed in ReportsForm Designer after you select XML Provider in the list of providers on
the main Relational Data Sampler form and click the Display Sample button.
XmlDB
This is an XML database file included in this sample to provide data for the reports.
ReportSelector
This is the main form that is displayed at runtime. This form uses the Label, ListBox and Button controls docked to the left
and the RichTextBox control docked to the right. The Label control displays description of the sample, the Listbox control
displays the list of three data providers at runtime. The Button control is used to display the corresponding sample report
in the ActiveReports Designer.
Right-click the form and select View Code to see how to add the three sample reports in an array to display in the listbox
and have the ActiveReports Designer display the report when you double-click the provider in the list or when you
click the Display Sample button.
ReportsForm
This form appears when you click the Display Sample button on the main Relational Data Sampler form after selecting
a data provider in the listbox. This form uses the ToolStripPanel, the ToolStripContentPanel, the Designer, the Toolbox,
the ReportExplorer and PropertyGrid controls to create the Unified ReportDesigner.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 609
Right-click the form and select View Code to see how to set the designer and create a blank page report. It also contains
code that attaches the Toolbox, the ReportExplorer and the PropertyGrid controls to the Designer, adds DropDown items
to the ToolStripDropDownItem and sets their functions and checks for any modifications to the report loaded in the
ReportsForm Designer.

OleDb DataSource
The OleDB Data Source sample demonstrates how to use the OleDb data provider for binding a report to data.

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Page Reports And RDL Reports\API\OleDbDataSource\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Page Reports And RDL Reports\API\OleDbDataSource\C#
Runtime Features
When you run this sample, the MainForm with the ActiveReports Viewer appears. The Viewer displays the report with
the list of movies, their ratings and the release year information.

Note: To run this sample, you must have access to the Reels.mdb. A copy is located at [User Documents
folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data. If you are unable to access the data files in the sample,
create the Data folder and place all the data files to this folder, or change the reference path to the data files
within the folder according to your environment.

Project Details
DataLayer
This file is an internal class that contains code to create a data connection. It creates the OleDb data reader to read
data from the Reels database and add it to an array to provide data for the report.
MainForm
This is the main form that appears when you run this sample. It uses the ActiveReports Viewer control to display the
report at runtime.
Right-click the form and select View Code to see how to load and show the report at runtime.
OleDBReport.rdlx
This is the report that gets displayed in the Viewer at runtime.
The report uses the header with the Textbox to display the report heading and the footer with the Textbox to display
the page number information. The body of the report has the Table data region to display data obtained from the OleDb
data provider. For that, the Textbox controls of the Table are bound to the OleDB data source in the Value property.

Page Unbound Data

The PageUnboundData sample demonstrates how to connect a page report to an unbound data source at runtime, using
the DataSet provider with the LocateDataSource event. The reporting engine raises the LocateDataSource event when it
needs input on the data to use.

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Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Page Reports And RDL Reports\API\PageUnboundData\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Page Reports And RDL Reports\API\PageUnboundData\C#
Runtime Features
When you run this sample, the Invoice2.rdlx report is displayed in the Viewer control. The report displays the Invoice
form with the list of products along with the product ID, quantity and price of the products.
The report connects to an unbound data source at runtime using the LocateDataSource event and the DataSet provider.
Project Details
Invoice2.rdlx
In the Report Data Source dialog, the type of the report data source is set to DataSetProvider and the ConnectionString
is left blank. In the DataSet dialog, data fields used on the report are added to the DataSet on the Fields page.
This report uses the Table, TextBox, Label and Shape controls to create an Invoice layout for displaying the customer
transactions. The Container control at the bottom of the report contains a label, a textbox and line control. The textbox
uses the Sum function to display the sum of the values returned by the expression indicated in the Value property.
ViewerForm
This is the main form that appears when you run this sample. It uses the ActiveReports Viewer control to display the
report at runtime. The code-behind the form contains the code with the LocateDataSource event that connects the
Invoice2.rdlx report to unbound data and the code that populates fields for the data table.

Report Wizard
The Report Wizard sample demonstrates how to create and customize a report, using the report wizard.

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Page Reports And RDL Reports\API\ReportWizard\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Page Reports And RDL Reports\API\ReportWizard\C#

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Runtime Features
When you run this sample, the form with the Report Wizard appears. On the Select Report Type page, select the
report type you want to analyze and click the Next button.
On the next Choose grouping options page of the wizard that appears, you are asked to choose a field for
grouping the report data and click the Next button. You can also enable the checkbox at the bottom of the page if
you like to include the last detail of the report as separate group. If you leave it unchecked, the
checkbox automatically adds the last detail to a previous group.
On the next Select output fields page of the wizard that appears, you are asked to choose the fields you want to
display in your report and click the Next button.
On the next Summarization and Review page, you can review the settings you have selected previously. You can
also set the summary options if you want to display a grand total or a sub-total in the report.
Finally, when you click the Finish button, the GrapeCity Unified ReportDesigner appears and displays the report.
Project Details
MetaData folder
This folder contains two internal classes, FieldMetaData and ReportMetaData. The FieldMetaData
class contains information on the fields used in the report string values. This file provides this information when
required by the application.
Similarly, the ReportMetaData class contains information on the reports used in this sample. This file provides this
information when required by the application.
Resources folder
This folder contains images and icons used by the the Report Wizard API.
UI folder
WizardSteps
This folder contains templates of the Report Wizard pages, which get displayed inside the Panel control on the
WizardForm at runtime.
DesignerForm
This form appears when you click the Finish button on the last page of the Report Wizard. This form
uses the ToolStripPanel, ToolStripContentPanel, Designer, Toolbox, ReportExplorer and a PropertyGrid controls
to create the Unified ReportDesigner.
Right-click the form and select View Code to see how to set the designer and create a blank page report. It also
contains code that attaches the Toolbox, ReportExplorer and PropertyGrid controls to the Designer, inserts
DropDown items to the ToolStripDropDownItem, sets their functions, and checks for any modifications that have
been made to the report in the designer.
DragDropListBox
This file contains code to override methods that enable and handle the drag-and-drop feature in the ListBox, which
appears on the wizard page where you select the grouping and the output fields. Thus, instead of selecting a field
and clicking the Add button in the ListBox control, you can directly drag fields as well.
TipControl
This file contains the design of the Tip that appears on the first page of the report wizard.
WizardDialog
This is the main form that appears when you run the sample. It uses the PictureBox, two Labels, Panel and two
Button controls to create the Report Wizard. The PictureBox displays the logo while the two Label controls display
the Page Title and Page Description respectively. The Panel control loads the design of different pages of the Report
Wizard. The two Button controls handle the last page and next page functions.
Right-click the form and select View Code to see how to define functions of different controls used on the form.
Constants
This is an internal class that contains fields in string values that are summarizable.
GenreSales.rdlx-master
This is the master report for the Genre Sales report. It uses the Image, two Textbox and ContentPlaceholder
controls to design the report. The Image control displays the logo on the top of the report while the two Textbox
controls display the report execution time and page number information respectively. The ContentPlaceholder
control displays its content report.
LayoutBuilder

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This is the internal class file that contains code for creating the layout of both child reports and loading data in it.
Reports.xml
This XML file is used as a database to provide data for the reports in this sample.
ReportWizardState
This is the internal class file that contains code for handling the UI of the Report Wizard.
StoreSales.rdlx-master
This is the master report for the Store Sales report. It uses the Image, two Textbox and ContentPlaceholder
controls to design the report. The Image control displays the logo on the top of the report while the two Textbox
controls display the report execution time and page number information respectively. The ContentPlaceholder
control displays its content report.

Xml Data Source

The XML Data Source sample demonstrates how to use the XML data provider for supplying data to the report.

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Page Reports And RDL Reports\Data\XmlDataSource\VB
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Page Reports And RDL Reports\Data\XmlDataSource\C#
Runtime Features
When you run this sample, you will see the MainForm appear. The MainForm contains the ActiveReports Viewer
that displays a report with data from the xml data provider.
Project Details
BandedListXML.rdlx
This is the main report that gets displayed in the Viewer at runtime. It uses the BandedList and Textbox controls,
and the Subreport control inside the BandedList data region to display data.
The BandedList data region uses two groups to group the report data by the fields City and Country.
The Subreport control, placed in the GroupFooter section of the BandedList, displays the CountrySales report.
CountrySales.rdlx
This is the report that gets displayed by the Subreport control of the BandedListXML report.
It uses the Chart data region to display data. The Chart Type property is set to Doughnut (Pie Exploded
Doughnut), which shows the analysis of companies sales amount for different countries.

Professional
This section provides information on each of the sample provided with the ActiveReports professional
edition installation.
This section contains:
Active Reports Web Pro

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The Active Reports Web Pro Sample demonstrates the use of Professional Edition ASP.NET features, such as HTTP
handlers, Flash Viewer options, parameterized reports and more.
ActiveReports with MVC
The ActiveReports with MVC Sample demonstrates an MVC web application using the ActiveReports Web Viewer
with the options of loading section and page report layouts.
Custom Data Provider Sample
This sample demonstrates how to create a project using custom data provider and how to pull data from a comma
separated value (CSV) file.
Custom Tile Provider Sample
This sample demonstrates how to create a custom tile provider.
Digital Signature
This sample demonstrates how you can digitally sign or set time stamp for a section report when exporting it
to PDF format.
End User Designer
Demonstrates a custom end-user report designer that can be integrated in your applications to allow users to
modify report layouts.
Map
The Map sample demonstrates how to work with Map control in ActiveReports.
Silverlight Viewer
This sample demonstrates the Silverlight Viewer with its various options of loading RPX, RDLX and RDF reports.
Table of Contents
The TableofContents sample demonstrates how to use TableofContents control in ActiveReports.
ActiveReports with MVC5 and HTML5Viewer
The sample demonstrates how to use ActiveReports HTML5 Viewer in ASP.NET MVC5 framework.

Active Reports Web Pro

The Active Reports Web Pro Sample describes the standard ActiveReports web features as well as other features
available in the Professional Edition only, such as HTTP handlers, Flash Viewer options, parameterized reports and
more.

Note: Before running this sample, in the Solution Explorer, click the Licenses.licx file and then, from the
Build menu, select Build Runtime License. Please see To license Web Forms projects made on the trial
version for details.

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Professional\ActiveReportsWebPro\VB.NET

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C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Professional\ActiveReportsWebPro\C#
Runtime Features
When you run the sample, the Default.aspx page appears in your browser. This page provides links to other
sample pages that demonstrate the following web features.
WebControl for ASP.NET
This link opens the WebControl.aspx page that allows you to select any of the four Viewer Types and it also allows
you to select from Section, Page and RDL Report Type.

The four Viewer Types that are available are as follows:

HtmlViewer
FlashViewer
PDF Reader
RawHtml

Flash Viewer Control

This link opens the FlashViewerIntro.aspx page where you can adjust settings, select a report and then click the
"View Report" button to be redirected to a WebForm with the Flash Viewer.

HTTPHandlers
This link opens the HttpHandlers.aspx page with the http handler examples.

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Custom Exporting PDF Example

This link opens the Invoice report in the PDF Reader by exporting it to memory stream and then outputting it in
the browser.

Custom Exporting HTML Example

This link opens the NWindLabels report. This report is outputted to the ReportOutput folder by using the
MyCustomHtmlOutputter class and the exported HTML is displayed in the browser.

Parameterized Report Example

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 616
This link opens the page that demonstrates how to generate a report by passing a parameter to the report.

Note: To run this sample, you must have access to the Nwind.mdb. A copy is located at [User Documents
folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb. If you are unable to access the data
files in the sample, create the Data folder and place all the data files to this folder, or change the reference
path to the data files within the folder according to your environment.

Project Details
CodeReports
The CodeReports folder contains the following reports - Invoice, InvoiceFiltered, NwindLabels and
NwindLabelsFiltered.
The code reports are used to demonstrate how the ActiveReports Compiled Report HttpHandler functions. For more
details, see HttpHandlers.aspx below.
images
The images folder contains the logo.png. This image file is used in the header of the FlashViewerIntro.aspx page.
PageReports
The PageReprorts folder contains the Invoice_Grouped and PurchaseReport report.
RDLReports
The RdlxReports folder contains the SalesReceipt report.
RPXReports
The RpxReports folder contains the following reports - Invoice, InvoiceFiltered, NwindLabels,
NwindLabelsFiltered and Params.
The Invoice.rpx report is used to demonstrate the Web Viewer control options and is opened by clicking
WebControl for ASP.NET on the Default.aspx page. This report is also opened by clicking the Custom
Exporting PDF Example option on the Default.aspx page. For detailed information on the Invoice report, see the
Cross Section Control Sample.
The NwindLabels report is opened by clicking the Custom Exporting HTML Example option on the Default.aspx
page.
The Params report is used by the ParameterReport.aspx page to demonstrate how to generate a report by passing
a parameter to the report.
All reports from this folder are used to demonstrate the Flash Viewer options. You can select one of these reports
from the list on the FlashViewer.aspx page.
Themes
The Themes folder contains themes to use on the Flash Viewer. Following themes can be used for the Flash
Viewer.
FluorescentBlue.swf
Office.swf

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OliveGreen.swf
Orange.swf
VistaAero.swf
WindowsClassic.swf
XP.swf
ActiveReports.ReportService.asmx
The report web service is required for proper functioning of the Web Viewer. The
ActiveReports.ReportService.asmx is added automatically to the project when you place the WebViewer control on
the form. You can also add this service by using Add New Item in the Visual Studio 2010 Project menu.
For the information on how to use the WebViewer control, see Getting Started with the Web Viewer.
CustomExportHtml.aspx
This Web form is displayed by clicking the Custom Exporting HTML Example option on the Default.aspx page.
In CustomExportHtml.aspx, the NWindLabels report is outputted to the ReportOutput folder using the
CustomHtmlOutput class and the exported HTML is displayed in the browser.

Note: This sample requires write permissions to the ReportOutput folder that is located in the web samples
directory.

CustomExportPdf.aspx
This Web form is displayed by clicking the Custom Exporting PDF Example option on the Default.aspx page. In
CustomExportPdf.aspx, the Invoice report is exported to memory stream and then outputted in the browser.

Note: This sample requires write permissions to the ReportOutput folder that is located in the web samples
directory.

CustomHtmlOutput class
This class is used for exporting a report to the HTML format. The CustomHtmlOutput class implements the required
IOutputHtml in the HTML export and saves the output results to a file with a unique name.
Default.aspx
This is the main Web form of the sample that shows the introductory text and links to the following sample pages.
WebControl for ASP.NET (WebControl.aspx)
FlashViewer Control (FlashViewerIntro.aspx)
HTTPHandlers (HttpHandlers.aspx)
Custom Exporting PDF Example (Invoice report)
Custom Exporting HTML Example (NWindLabels report)
Parameterized Report Example(ParameterReport.aspx)
FlashViewer.aspx
This is a web form with the Web Viewer that is displayed after you click the View Report button on
the ActiveReports9 Flash WebViewer Sample.
In the Properties window, notice that the ViewerType property is set to FlashViewer, and the Height and
Width properties are set to 100%. (This ensures that the viewer resizes to fill the browser window.)
For information on the Flash Viewer, see Using the Flash Viewer.
FlashViewerIntro.aspx

This web form displays the introductory text for the ActiveReports 9 Flash WebViewer Sample. On this page, you
can adjust the Flash Viewer settings, select a language, a theme and a report for the Flash Viewer from the drop-
down lists. The report is opened in the Flash Viewer by clicking the View Report button that you see on this page.

This sample uses the reports from the RPXReports folder of the Sample project.

Right-click the file and select View Code to see the code used to populate the Themes drop-down list and to
redirect to the FlashViewer form.

Grapecity.ActiveReports.Flash.v9.Resources.swf

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This file is used for localization and is necessary only if you want to use a language resource that is different from
the default one. The default locale is U.S. English (en_US).
This file is located in the ...\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9\Deployment\Flash folder.
Grapecity.ActiveReports.Flash.v8.swf
This file is required for using the Flash Viewer and is located in the ...\GrapeCity\ActiveReports
9\Deployment\Flash folder.
HttpHandlers.aspx
ActiveReports provides HttpHandler components that allow ASP.NET to automatically process reports that have
been placed into an ASP.NET web site folder. ActiveReports' HttpHandler components enable easily deployable
reports in both HTML and PDF file formats. ActiveReports includes a simple configuration utility to properly register
the HttpHandler components with IIS and ASP.NET.
The RPX and RDLX HttpHandler processes and outputs reports from ActiveReports layout files (ending in the
.rpx/.rdlx extension). When the ASP.NET receives a request for an ActiveReport file ending with the .rpx/.rdlx
extension, the RPX/RDLX HttpHandler will run, and return the report's output in a format of your choice.
The compiled Report HttpHandler enables easy distribution of ActiveReports that use compiled .NET source code.
Compiled reports are exposed as a .NET class in a .NET assembly file. When ASP.NET receives a request for a file
with the .ActiveReport extension, the Compiled Report handler will load the ActiveReports from the assembly, run
it, and return the output in a format of your choice.
For information on configuring the http handlers, see Configure HttpHandlers in IIS 6.x and Configure
HttpHandlers in IIS 7 and IIS 8. The required mapping for each feature has been listed below.

WebViewer control ActiveReports 9 Cache Item Script

Mapping is required
Compiled Report Handler ActiveReport Script Mapping is required
(the report explorer is embedded in the assembly after
compiling the report )
RPX HTTP Handler ActiveReport 9 RPX Script Mapping is
(when the *.rpx report is placed on the Web) required
RDLX HTTP Handler ActiveReport 9 RDLX Script Mapping is
(when the *.rdlx report is placed on the Web) required

ParameterReport.aspx

The web form that demonstrates how to generate a report by passing a parameter to the report. This sample uses
the Params report from the RpxReports folder of this Sample project.

The date list is created by changing the SQL query of the report at runtime. In this sample, when the date is
selected from the Calendar control, the SQL query is updated and the report is generated. The report is generated
dynamically in the SelectedIndexChanged event of the Calendar control.

On this form, you can select the Viewer to display the report - HTML, Flash, AcrobatReader, or RawHTML.

Note: This sample requires write permissions to the ReportOutput folder that is located in the web samples
directory.

Web.config
The configuration file that contains the httpHandlers that allow ActiveReports to process reports on the Web.
Note that you need to manually update version information here when you update your version of ActiveReports.
WebControl.aspx

This page is opened by clicking WebControl for ASP.NET on the Default.aspx page. By default it displays the
Web Viewer control with the Invoice report.

In this page, you can select from HTMLViewer, FlashViewer, AcrobatReader, RawHtml viewer types and can
also select from Page, Section and RDL report types to be displayed.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 619
ActiveReports with MVC
The ActiveReports9 with MVC sample demonstrates an MVC web application with the ActiveReports Web
Viewer. This Sample is part of the ActiveReports Professional Edition.

Note: Before running this sample, you must first install the ASP.NET MVC 3 framework on your machine.

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Professional\ActiveReportsWithMVC\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Professional\ActiveReportsWithMVC\C#
Runtime Features
When you run the project, the page with the Customer Index view appears. On this page, you can click a
customer in the list to open a new page with the Customer Details information. At the bottom of the page, there
are two links - Freight Summary (section report) and Order Summary (page report). Clicking the Freight
Summary (section report) link opens a page with the OrderReport report. Clicking the Order Summary
(page report) link opens a page with the OrderDetailsReport.rdlx report.
Project Details
Controllers
This folder contains the HomeController that handles the user interaction and returns the main Index view, the
CustomerDetails view and the views with Freight Summary (section report) and Order Summary (page report).
DBContext
This folder contains the NWindData class that gets the Customer, Orders, Order Details tables of the NWIND.mdb
and populates the data into the components of this sample project.
Models
This folder contains the following classes.
Customer - a container for the rows in the Customers table of NWind.mdb.
Order - a container for the rows in the Orders table of NWind.mdb.
OrderDetails - a container for the rows in the Order Details table of NWind.mdb.
ReportDescriptor - the class representation of the ReportType (section or page layout) and the CustomerID.
Repository - a container for data required by the application.
Reports
OrderDetailsReport.rdlx: This report uses the object provider to connect to data at runtime. It uses the
Table data region to display order details and the Plain Line chart to display sales by order id. The Table data is
grouped by OrderID. Some TextBox controls of the Table use the Sum function to display the total price
information for each order.
This is the report that opens in a separate view when you click the Order Summary (page report) link on the
Customer Details page.
OrderReport: This report binds to data at runtime. The report uses the Textbox and Label controls to display the

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 620
order details and the Bar chart to display the freight amounts by ship date.
This is the report that opens in a separate view when you click the Freight Summary (section report) link on
the Customer Details page.
Views
Home folder
This folder contains the following views.
_Layout.cshtml. The default layout file.
_ViewStart.cshtml. The default view start file.
Details.cshtml. The Customer Details view file.
Index.cshtml. The Index view file.
StartPage.cshtml. The template for the Index view.
Viewer.cshtml. The template for the section report and page report views.
WebViewer.ascx. The form that contains the ActiveReports WebViewer control.
Web.config
The configuration file that contains the httpHandlers that allow ActiveReports to process view pages on the Web.
ActiveReports.ReportService.asmx
The report web service required for the proper functioning of the Web Viewer. The
ActiveReports.ReportService.asmx is added automatically to the project when you place the Viewer control on the
form. You can also can add this service by using Add New Item in the Visual Studio 2010 Project menu.
Global.asax
The default class that sets global URL routing values for this web application.
Web.config
The configuration file that contains the httpHandlers that allow ActiveReports to process this web application.
Note that you need to manually update version information here when you update your version of ActiveReports.

CustomDataProvider
The Custom Data Provider sample demonstrates how to create a project that use a custom data provider and
how to pull data from a comma separated value (CSV) file. This sample is part of the ActiveReports Professional
Edition.

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Professional\CustomDataProvider\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Professional\CustomDataProvider\C#

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 621
Runtime Features
When you run this sample, a DesignerForm displaying the DemoReport.rdlx report in ActiveReports Designer
and a HelperForm explaining the steps to connect a report to the comma separated value (CSV) file appears.
In the ActiveReports Designer, you can add a dataset with a comma separated values (CSV) file. For adding this
file,in the Report Explorer, expand the DataSources node, right-click the node for the data source and select Add
DataSet. In the DataSet dialog that appears, under Query section, go to the Query String field and click the
drop-down arrow to display the custom query editor. In the custom query editor, click the Select CSV File button
and select the Categories.csv file kept within the project.
Go to the Preview tab of the Designer to view the report with the data pulled from the custom data provider.
Project Details
CustomDataProvider folder
CSVDataProvider folder
This folder contains the following classes.
CsvColumn - this class represents information about fields in the data source.
CsvCommand - this class provides the IDbCommand implementation for the .NET Framework CSV Data
Provider.
CsvConnection - this class provides an implementation of IDbConnection for the .NET Framework CSV
Data Provider.
CsvDataProviderFactory - this class implements the DataProviderFactory for .NET Framework CSV Data
Provider.
CsvDataReader - this class provides an implementation of IDataReader for the .NET Framework CSV
Data Provider.
CustomDataProviderUI folder
CSVFileSelector
This is the form that contains the Select CSV File button. This button is displayed in the CVS data provider query
editor when you open the DataSet dialog and under Query, in the Query String field and click the drop-down
arrow to display the custom query editor.
Clicking the Select CSV File button allows you to select the Categories.csv file that is used as a custom data
provider for the sample report.
QueryEditor
This is the class that reads the content of the specified file and builds the CSV data provider query string.
CustomDataProviderUITest folder
Categories.csv
This is the comma separated values (CSV) file that serves as a custom data provider for the sample report.
This file is selected in the Please, select CSV File dialog that appears when you click the Select CSV File button
in the Query String field under Query in the DataSet dialog.
DemoReport.rdlx
The DemoReport.rdlx displays the custom data. This report contains one Table data region with the TextBox
controls, which display the name, the role and the city information of an employee.
DesignerForm
This is the main form of this sample that appears when you run the sample. On this form, you can connect the
sample report to a custom data provider by adding a dataset with a comma separated values (CSV) file.
Right-click the form and select View Code to see the code implementation for the ActiveReports Designer.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.config
The configuration file that configures the project to use the custom data provider.
HelperForm
This form appears on top of the main DesignerForm when you run the sample. This form contains the explanatory
text with the steps on how to bind the sample report to the comma separated value (CSV) file. You can close the
Help form by clicking the X button in the upper-right corner of the form.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 622
Custom Tile Provider
The CustomTileProvider sample demonstrates how to create a custom tile provider using IMapTileProvider and
IMapTile interface and configure it in a Map Control which is placed on a RDL report. This sample makes use of
two projects - CustomTileProviders and TileProviderEndUserDesigner in a single Visual Studio solution. The
CustomTileProviders project contains the tile server configurations for the tile providers, whereas the
TileProviderEndUserDesigner project references the created CustomTileProviders project assemblies.

Note: CustomTileProvider is for use with the Professional Edition license only. An evaluation message is
rendered when used with the Standard Edition license.

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Professional\CustomTileProvider\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Professional\CustomTileProvider\C#

Runtime Features
When you run this sample, the ActiveReports End User Designer appears with an overlaying Help-Creating a
Custom Tile Provider dialog. This dialog gives you step-by-step instructions to create a new tile provider for a
Map control with custom settings.
The End User Designer displays a RDL report containing a Map control with MapQuest set as the default tile
provider. To change the existing tile provider, double-click on the Map control to display the existing tile layer and
right click to select Edit. In the Map Tile Properties - General dialog that appears, click the Provider drop-
down to select the tile provider you want to apply to the Map control. Go to the Preview tab to view the data in the
selected tile provider. You can choose from the following tile provider options:
Google-Sample
Cloud-Made Sample
MapQuest-Sample
OpenStreetMap-Sample

Note: The Microsoft Bing Map server offers static map images. This requires an Application key for
authentication. The default key provided by ActiveReports is for demo purpose and can not be used by 3rd
party applications. In order to obtain a Bing Map Key, see HowTo - Create a Bing Map Account and HowTo -
Generate a Bing Map Key.

Project Details

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 623
CustomTileProviders folder
This folder contain files that are used in the CustomTileProvider project.
CloudMadeTileProvider.cs
This class implements the IMapTileProvider interface and contains the settings for the map tile images provided
from http://cloudmade.com.
GoogleMapsTileProvider.cs
This class implements the IMapTileProvider interface and contains the settings for the map tile images provided
from http://maps.google.com.
MapQuestTileProvider.cs
This class implements the IMapTileProvider interface and contains the settings for the map tile images provided
from http://www.mapquest.com.
MapTile.cs
This class represents a single map tile, implementing the IMapTile interface. For more information on ImapTile
interface, see Add a Custom Tile Provider.
OpenStreetMapTileProvider.cs
This class implements the IMapTileProvider interface and contains the settings for the map tile images provided
from http://www.openstreetmap.org.
WebRequestHelper.cs
This class picks the raw data from the tile providers and loads them into the System.IO.MemoryStream class.
TileProviderEndUserDesigner folder
This folder contain files that are used in the TileProviderEndUserDesigner project.
CustomTileProvider.rdlx
This report contains the Map control that visualizes the oil production in different parts of the world on a virtual
earth background. The map control uses the color rule set on a polygon layer to differentiate parts of world as per
their oil production capacity. These colors are defined using a color rule which is described in the legend at
runtime. The report gets the data from Factbook.rdsx shared data source.
DesignerForm.cs
This is the main form that gets displayed when you run the sample. This form uses multiple controls like the
ToolStripPanel, ToolStripContainerPanel, SplitContainer, Designer, Toolbox, ReportExplorer and PropertyGrid
controls to create a customized End User Designer. It also contains code to load CustomTileProvider.rdlx report
into the Designer.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.config
This configuration file contains the settings for the various tile providers, and is located in the same folder as the
EndUserDesigner.exe file for the tile provider settings to work.
HelperForm.cs
This form uses the HelperForm class to display a screen containing step-by-step instructions for the user to create
a custom tile provider.

Digital Signature
This sample demonstrates how you can digitally sign or set time stamp for a section report when exporting it
to PDF format.

Note: PDF digital signatures is for use with the Professional Edition license only. An evaluation message is
rendered when used with the Standard Edition license.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 624

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Professional\DigitalSignature\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Professional\DigitalSignature\C#
Runtime Features
When you run this sample, the Invoice report is displayed in the Viewer control.
Clicking the Generate Digitally Signed PDF button in the Viewer toolbar creates a PDF file with a time stamp or
digital signatures, based on the settings you have specified in the Viewer toolbar. You can change the content of
signatures in the Signature Format box and you can add the time stamp to the generated pdf file by checking
the Set TimeStamp checkbox, in the Viewer toolbar.
When you click the Generate Digitally Signed PDF button, a dialog for saving the destination file appears. After
you indicate the location for a new PDF file, the PDF report file is created. Digital signature certificates dynamically
reference and use GrapeCity.pfx, included in the project. Also, digital signatures dynamically load and use the
gc.bmp file that you can find in the Image folder of this sample project.

Note: To run this sample, you must have access to the Nwind.mdb. A copy is located at [User Documents
folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb. If you are unable to access the data
files in the sample, create the Data folder and place all the data files to this folder, or change the reference
path to the data files within the folder according to your environment.

Project Details
Image folder
This folder stores the gc.bmp file with the GrapeCity logo that digital signatures dynamically load and use.
Invoice report
The Invoice report is the Sample report that uses three GroupHeader sections, a Detail section and a GroupFooter
section as well as a label in the PageFooter section to display data.
See The Bound Data Sample topic for details on the Invoice report.
GrapeCity.pfx
In order to create a digital signature, you must have a valid PKCS#12 certificate (*.pfx) file.
For information on creating a self-signed certificate, see the Adobe Acrobat Help topic "Create a self-signed digital
ID."
You can also create a PFX file from the Visual Studio command line. For more information and links to SDK
downloads, see http://www.source-code.biz/snippets/vbasic/3.htm.
PDFDigitalSignature form
This is the main form of the Sample that uses the ActiveReports Viewer control in the bottom section of the form,
and a panel docked to the top contains the Create Digitally Signed PDF button, the Signature Format box with
the drop-down list and the Set TimeStamp checkbox.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 625
Clicking the Generate Digitally Signed PDF button opens a dialog for saving the destination file. After you
indicate the location for a new PDF file, the PDF report file is created.
The drop-down list of the Signature Format box contains the following options.
Invisible - the invisible pdf digital signature.
Text - the pdf digital signature that contains text only.
Image - the pdf digital signature that contains graphics only.
ImageText - the pdf digital signature that contains text and graphics.
Checking the Set TimeStamp checkbox allows you to add the time stamp to the signature of the generated pdf
file. The time stamp contains the Time Stamp Server address, its login and password information.
Right-click PDFDigitalSignature in the Solution Explorer and select View Code to see the code implementation
for the pdf digital signature options.
Resource1.resx
This file contains the string for the message box that appears after the PDF file is generated.

End User Designer

The EndUserDesigner Sample demonstrates how to set up a custom end-user report designer using the Designer,
ReportExplorer, Layer List and ToolBox controls. This Sample is part of the ActiveReports Professional Edition.

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Professional\EndUserDesigner\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Professional\EndUserDesigner\C#
Runtime Features
When you run the sample, the End User Designer appears in the Viewer control. This report designer provides the
functionality of the ActiveReports Designer and supports three types of report layouts: Page Report, RDL
Report and Section Report.
The End User Designer lets you create report layouts and edit them at design time or runtime. The
Designer includes the Property Window with extensive properties for each element of the report, the Toolbox is
filled with report controls and the Report Explorer with a tree view of report controls. Page reports and RDL
reports provide the Layer List in a tabbed window with the Report Explorer. The Layer List window displays a list of
layers in the report along with their visibility and lock options.
The End User Designer provides the following menu items:
File menu
New - Creates a new report in the designer with the default report template.
Open - Opens Open File Dialog to load a report.
Open from server - Opens Open report from server dialog to open reports from the ActiveReports

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 626
Server. See Open and Save Reports from the Server for more information.
Export - Exports a report to one of the available formats. This menu option is active during report
preview only.
Save - Saves a report.
Save as - Saves a report at the path that you specify.
Save to server - Opens Save report to server dialog to save reports to the ActiveReports Server.
See Open and Save Reports from the Server for more information.
Exit - Closes the End User Designer.
Edit menu
Undo - Undoes your last action and enables the Redo button.
Redo - Redoes an undone action.
Cut - Removes the selected item(s) and places them on the clipboard.
Copy - Copies the selected item(s) to the clipboard.
Paste - Adds the last item on the clipboard to the design surface.
Delete - Deletes a selected control from your report layout.
Select All- Selects all items in case of section reports or all items on the Active Layer of Page or RDL
reports.
Report menu
Convert to Master Report - (for a RDL Report) Converts a RDL report to a Master Report.This menu
item is enabled when you have a RDL report open. It disappears from the Report menu when a master
report is applied to the report through Set Master Report.
Report Parameters - opens the Parameters page of the Report dialog where you can manage, add
and delete parameters.
Embedded Images - opens Images page of the Report dialog, where you can select images to embed
in a report. Once you add images to the collection, they appear in the Report Explorer under the
Embedded Images node.
Report Properties - opens the General page of the Report dialog where you can set report properties
such as author, description and grid spacing for Page reports. For RDL reports, you can set the page
header and footer properties, once you have added them to your report layout.
Set Master Report - (for a RDL Report) Opens the Open dialog to select a Master Report (RDLX-master
file format). This menu item is enabled when you have a RDL report open. It is disabled when a RDL
report is open or when a Master Report is created with the Convert to Master Report menu item.
Generate Excel Template - (for a RDL Report) creates an Excel template of the report that you or the
end user can customize for use with Excel exports to control the way the exported reports appear.
View - opens the Designer, Script or Preview tab. See Designer Tabs for more details.
Page Header - (for a RDL Report) toggles the report Page Header on or off.
Page Footer - (for a RDL Report) toggles the report Page Footer on or off.

Note: Except for View option, all other options in Report menu are disabled for a Section report.

For more information on the Designer features, please see ActiveReports Designer.
Project Details
ExportForm
This is the form with the Export dialog for Page report, Rdl report and Section report.
A user sees the Export dialog under the Preview tab in the File menu > Export. This dialog allows to select the
export type and to browse for the file location in local folders where the report is exported. See Exporting for
details on the type of export formats supported in Section report, Page report and RDL report.
ExportForm controls

Control Name Description

ComboBox cmbExportFormat The Export Format combo box that allows to select options for the
report export type.
Button btnOK The OK button in the lower part of the ExportForm.
Button btnCancel The Cancel button in the lower part of the ExportForm.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 627
PropertyGrid exportPropertyGrid Provides interface for export options of each export type.
SaveFileDialog exportSaveFileDialog The Save File dialog that allows to specify the file name for saving an
exported report file.
Label lblExport The Export label in the header of the ExportForm.
Label lblExportFormat The Export Format label of the Export Format combo box.
Label lblExportOptions The Export Options label of the Export property grid.
Label lblSelectExportTxt The Select Export text that describes the purpose of the ExportForm.
SplitContainer exportSettings Represents a movable bar that divides the display area of the
SplitContainer ExportForm into two resizable panels - the ExportForm header panel and
the ExportForm panel with the Export Format combo box and the
Property Grid.
SplitContainer exportHeader Represents a movable bar that divides the Export Format section
SplitContainer consisting of the Export Format combo box with the Export Format label
and the Property Grid of ExportForm.

Right-click the ExportForm in the Solution Explorer and select View Code to see the code implementation for the
Export form.
EndUserDesigner form
This is the form with a basic end-user report designer that contains the following elements. These elements are
dragged from the Visual Studio toolbox onto the form.
End User Designer controls

Control Name Description

Designer reportDesigner The Designer control that allows you to create and
modify a report.
ReportExplorer reportExplorer Gives you a visual overview of the report
elements in the form of a tree view where each
node represents a report element.
TabControl reportExplorerTabControl Represents a movable bar that divides the display
area of the designer into two tabs -the Report
Explorer and the Layer List
PropertyGrid reportPropertyGrid Provides an interface for each element of the
report.
Toolbox reportToolbox Displays all of the controls specific to the type of
report that has focus.
LayerList layerList Represents a list of Layers in the report along with
their visibility and lock options.
SplitContainer mainContainer Represents a movable bar that divides the display
area of the Designer into two resizable panels.
SplitContainer designerExplorerPropertyGridContainer Represents a movable bar that divides the display
area of the designer into two resizable panels -
the toolbox and the toolstrip.
SplitContainer bodyContainer Represents a movable bar that divides the display
area of the Viewer into two resizable panels.
SplitContainer explorerPropertyGridContainer Represents a movable bar that divides the display
area of the designer into two resizable panels -
the report explorer and the property grid.
ToolStripContainer toolStripContainer Provides a central panel on top of the Designer to
hold the Toolstrip element with the menu items.

Right-click the EndUserDesigner form in the Solution Explorer and select View Code to see the code
implementation for the End User Designer.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 628
Map
The Map sample demonstrates the basic functioning of the Map control with the help of four reports that explain
the different features of the control. This sample is part of the ActiveReports Professional Edition.
Sample Location
Runtime Features
Project Details

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Professional\Map\VB.NET

C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Professional\Map\C#

Runtime Features
When you run this sample, the End User Designer shows a list of .rdlx reports at the bottom left of the
form. Expand the Reports node to view reports under it and double-click a report to load it into the designer.

Project Details

Report Form
This is the main form that appears when you run the sample. This form uses the ToolStripPanel,
ToolStripContentPanel, Designer, Toolbox, ReportExplorer and PropertyGrid controls to create a customized
ReportDesigner.

Right-click the form and select View Code to see how to set up the designer and create a blank page report. It
also contains code that adds the reports to the TreeView control, loads a report into the Designer when the report
is double-clicked, and checks for any modifications that have been made to the report in the designer.

Reports Folder
OilProducingCountries.rdlx: This report uses the FactBook shared data source connection to provide data.
It contains a Map control that visually displays the oil production in different countries of the world on a virtual
earth background. The map control uses the color rule set on a polygon layer to differentiate parts of
world according to their oil production capacity. These colors are defined using a color rule which is described in
the legend at runtime.
RomePlaces.rdlx: This report contains a Map control that visually displays famous places in Rome.
The map control uses Google maps in a Tile layer to provide a virtual earth background and a Point layer to plot
famous places on the map using image markers. Clicking the image marker opens the web page for the selected
place in Wikipedia.
StoreSales.rdlx: This report contains a Map control that visually displays the sales of different stores in the US.
The Map control uses the built-in USA map template. The polygon layer defines the country and state boundaries
while the point layer is used to plot store locations. The Point layer uses the marker size rule to differentiate

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 629
stores according to their profits. The different sized markers used for plotting stores are defined in a legend that
appears on the map at runtime. The point layer also uses the drill-through link (the Action is set to Jump to
report) that opens a specific store report (StoreReport2.rdlx) when the marker is clicked.
StoreReport2.rdlx: This report uses the Reels shared data source connection to provide data.
It opens on clicking a specific store location that is indicated with a marker. The Table data region in the
report uses a drill-down link to display the list of employees in the selected store. The report uses the chart data
region to display the sales for the store. The Reels logo that appears on the report in the Image control is
embedded within the Reels theme.

Silverlight Viewer
The Silverlight Viewer sample demonstrates the Silverlight Viewer with its various options of loading RPX,
RDLX and RDF reports. This Sample is part of the ActiveReports Professional Edition.

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Professional\SilverLightViewer\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Professional\SilverLightViewer\C#
Runtime Features
When you run the project, the MainPage.xaml page with the Silverlight Viewer displaying the
MainReport.rpx appears in your browser, and you will see a number of report options that the Silverlight Viewer
will display.
RDF
RDLX
RPX
Code
Project Details
Images
The Images folder contains images that are used in the header of the ActiveReports 9 Silverlight Viewer, including
the images for the buttons to load and display an RDF, an RDLX, an RPX and a Code report in the Silverlight
Viewer.
MainPage.xaml
The user control that contains the Silverlight Viewer. The code behind this file, MainPage.xaml.vb (or .cs), handles
the customization of the Silverlight Viewer application.
It contains code that handles the display of RDF, RDLX, RPX, and Code reports in the ActiveReports 9 Silverlight
Viewer.
SilverlightViewer.Web Project
Reports

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 630
The Reports folder that contains the RDF, RDLX and RPX files of reports used in the sample. You can alter the
project and add your own reports to this folder.
RDF
The EmployeeSales.rdf report that is displayed in the Silverlight Viewer by clicking the RDF button in the header
of the Viewer.
The report displays the Sales by Employee chart and the list of employee names in the alphabetical order along
with their total sales.
RDLX
The SalesReport.rpx is displayed in the Silverlight Viewer by clicking the RDLX button in the header of the
Viewer. This report presents the Sales over time line chart along with the list of chart data.
The report contains two parameters, StartDate and EndDate. The report also has one TextBox with the Label
property set to the expression, thus you can see the Document map of the report in the sidebar pane.
RPX
The Invoice1.rpx and MainReport.rpx reports. The Invoice1.rpx report is displayed in the Silverlight Viewer by
clicking the RPX button in the header of the Viewer. The report displays the invoice form and the invoice details.
The MainReport.rpx report is the default report to be displayed in the Viewer when you run the sample project.
ActiveReports.ReportService.asmx
The report web service required for the proper functioning of the Silverlight Viewer. The
ActiveReports.ReportService.asmx is added automatically to the project when you place the Viewer control on the
form. You can also can add this service by using Add New Item in the Visual Studio 2010 Project menu.
For the information on how to use the Silverlight Viewer, see Using the Silverlight Viewer.
CodeReport
The Invoice report that is displayed in the Silverlight Viewer by clicking the Code button in the header of the
Viewer.
Invoice Report
The Invoice report uses a PageHeader, a GroupHeader, a Detail section, a GroupFooter and a PageFooter section.
PageHeader
This section contains Label, Textbox, Shape and Line controls to create the report page header.
customerGroupHeader
The DataField property of this section is set to OrderID. This setting, in conjunction with data ordered by the
OrderID field, causes the report to print all of the information for one order ID value, including all of the related
details and footers, before moving on to the next order ID. For more information on grouping, see Grouping Data
in Section Reports.
This section also contains the Line, Shape, CrossSection controls, a number of Label controls, and two bound
TextBox controls. The TextBoxes are bound using the DataField property in the Properties window.
In the lower part, the section contains labels for the data to follow in the Detail section.
Detail
This section contains bound TextBox controls. These TextBoxes render once for each row of data found in the
current OrderID before the report moves on to the GroupFooter section.
customerGroupFooter
The NewPage property of this section is set to After. This causes the report to break to a new page and generate
a new invoice after this section prints its subtotals.
This section contains several labels and several TextBoxes. The subtotalTextBox control uses the following
properties to summarize the detail data: SummaryRunning, SummaryGroup, and SummaryType. For more
information, Create a Summary Report.
The Total TextBox does not use the DataField property or any of the summary properties, or even any code. To
find the functionality of this TextBox, in design view, click the Script tab at the bottom of the report.
PageFooter
This section has one simple ReportInfo control. For more information about report sections and the order in which
they print, see Section Report Structure and Section Report Events.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 631
Default.html
This is the html page that hosts the Silverlight Viewer in the browser.
Report.aspx
This report contains the code to run the CodeReport, generate it in the rdf format and pass it to the Silverlight
Viewer for display. This report is processed by the code of MainPage.xaml when you click the Code button in the
Silverlight Viewer header.
Web.config
The configuration file that contains the httpHandlers that allow ActiveReports to process reports on the Web.
Note that you need to manually update version information here when you update your version of ActiveReports.

Table of Contents
The TableofContents sample demonstrates basic features of the TableofContents control. This sample is part of the
ActiveReports Professional Edition.
Sample Location
Runtime Features
Project Details

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Professional\TableOfContents\VB.NET

C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Professional\TableOfContents\C#

Runtime Features
When you run this sample, the End User Designer appears with a MovieCatalog.rdlx under the Reports node. The
report contains a TableOfContents control which displays a list of movie titles along with their page numbers under
each genre. On clicking the movie title, the details on the selected movie are displayed.

Project Details

Report Form
This is the main form that appears when you run this sample. This form uses the ToolStripPanel, LayerList,
TreeView, ToolStripContentPanel, Designer, Toolbox, ReportExplorer and PropertyGrid controls to create a
customized ReportDesigner.

Right-click the form and select View Code to see how to set up the designer. It also contains code that adds the
reports to the TreeView control, loads a report into the Designer when it is double-clicked, and checks for any
modifications that have been made to the report in the designer.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 632
Reports Folder
MovieCatalog.rdlx: This report uses the Reels data source connection to provide data.
The report makes use of TableOfContents, Image, TextBox, Label and List controls to display the layout of the
report. TableofContents control displays an organized hierarchy of movie titles under each genre with two heading
levels. Clicking the genre name or the movie title takes you to the corresponding page number that contains the
details. The Reels logo that appears on the report is embedded within the Reels theme.

ActiveReports with MVC5 and HTML5Viewer

This sample demonstrates how to use ActiveReports HTML5 Viewer in ASP.NET MVC5 framework. This Sample is
part of the ActiveReports Professional Edition.

Note: Before running this sample, you must first install the ASP.NET MVC5 framework on your system.

Sample Location
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Professional\ActiveReportsWithMVC5WebAPI\C#
Runtime Features
When you run the sample, the page with the main view appears. On the left side of the main view, you can click a
customer name under the Customer List. On the right side of the main view, you have the Customer Info tab
and the Reports tab. Following options are available on this page.
Customer List
Displays a list of customer names. You can use the search box on the top to search for customer names.
Customer Info tab
Displays details of the customer name selected from the customer list.
Reports tab
Displays a report for the selected customer in the HTML5 Viewer. You can choose from the following
options.
Choose Report: You can choose from Orders report (Page Report) or Product Details
(Section Report). The selected report is displayed in the HTML5 Viewer.
Choose UI type: You can choose from Desktop or Mobile options. The default mode is set to
Desktop. On selecting the Mobile UI type, the layout adapts itself to the mobile device
display.
Project Details
App_Start folder
This folder contains the following cs files that are required to run the application.
BundleConfig.cs
FilterConfig.cs

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 633
RouteConfig.cs
Startup.Auth.cs
WebApiConfig.cs
Content folder
Image folder
This folder contains the images used for the viewer buttons.
Also contains .css files which define the style of the application.
bootstrap.css
bootstrap.min.css
SideBar.css
Site.css
Controllers

This folder contains the HomeController and CustomersController files. The HomeController handles the user
interaction and returns the main view. The CustomersController handles the customer details information that is
displayed when a customer is selected.
css folder
The css folder contains the following css files that store styles for the HTML5 viewer application.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Html.css
theme-cosmo.css
Fonts folder
The fonts folder contains the following font files to provide styles to the text that gets displayed in the HTML5
viewer at runtime.
glyphicons-halflings-regular.eot
glyphicons-halflings-regular.svg
glyphicons-halflings-regular.ttf
glyphicons-halflings-regular.woff
Models
This folder contains the following classes.
Customer - Contains information for the rows in the Customers table of Reels.mdb.
CustomerContext - Contains information for the rows in the CustomerOrders table of Reels.mdb.
Reports
OrderDetailsReport.rdlx: This page report loads in the HTML5 Viewer when you select the Orders report for the
Desktop UI type. This report uses the Table data region to display the order details. The Sum function is used to
display the totals.
ProductDetail.rpx: This section report loads in the HTML5 Viewer when you select Product Details for the
Desktop UI type. This report uses the Textbox and Label controls to display the data. The Sum function is used to
display the total price information for each customer order.
Scripts folder
The Scripts folder contains the following javascript files and its dependencies required to build this application.
bootstrap-3.0.0.js
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Html.js
jquery-1.10.2.js
knockout-2.3.0.js
Views folder
Home folder
The default view start file.
Index.cshtml: The Index view file.

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Shared folder
_Layout.cshtml: The default layout file.
ViewStart.cshtml
The default view start file.
Web.config
This file contains settings for the HTTP handler.
ActiveReports.ReportService.asmx
This is the report web service required for the proper functioning of the WebViewer control. The
ActiveReports.ReportService.asmx is added automatically to the project when you place the Viewer control on the
form. You can also can add this service by using Add New Item in the Visual Studio Project menu.
Global.asax
The is the default class that sets global URL routing values for this web application.
Startup.cs
This is the default startup file.
Web.config
The configuration file that contains the httpHandlers that allow ActiveReports to process this web application.
Note that you need to manually update version information here when you update your version of ActiveReports.

Reports Gallery
The Reports Gallery sample demonstrates how to customize the End User Designer application by adding the
TreeView control to display a list of categorized reports. At runtime, the user can double-click any report out of the
three categories: Page, Rdl and Section, and load it into the designer.
Sample Location
Runtime Features
Project Details

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Reports Gallery\VB.NET

C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Reports Gallery\C#

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 635
Runtime Features
When you run this sample, the End User Designer appears with a list of report categories at the bottom left of the
form. Expand each category to view the reports under it and double-click any report to load it into the designer.
You can also go to the Preview Tab to view the report.

Project Details

ReportsForm
This is the main form that appears when you run this sample. This form uses the ToolStripPanel,
ToolStripContentPanel, Designer, Toolbox, ReportExplorer, TreeView, PropertyGrid and LayerList controls to create
a customized unified ReportDesigner.
Right-click the form and select View Code to see how to set up the designer and create a blank page report. It
also contains code that attaches the Toolbox, ReportExplorer, PropertyGrid and LayerList controls to the Designer,
inserts DropDown items to the ToolStripDropDownItem and sets their functions. Finally, it also contains code that
adds the reports to the TreeView control, loads a report into the Designer when the report is double-clicked, and
checks for any modifications that have been made to the report in the designer.

Reports folder
Reports folder consists of three subfolders - Page Report, RDL Report and Section Report, each containing a set of
reports that highlight the major features of the corresponding report types.

Page Report folder

This folder contains several subfolders that illustrate the use of Page Reports in different scenarios.

Drill Through folder

AllCustomers report
This report uses the NWind shared data source. It uses the Table data region to display customer's contact
details. The Textbox displaying the CustomerID field in the detail row of the Table is used to set a drill-through
link to navigate to the CustomerDetails report.
CustomerDetails report

This report uses the NWind shared data source. It is used as a child report for the AllCustomers report. It uses
the Table data region to display the customer orders. This report opens when the user clicks any CustomerID
link in the AllCustomers report. The Textbox displaying the OrderID field in the detail row of the Table is used to
set a drill-through link to navigate to the OrderDetails report.
OrderDetails report

This report uses the NWind shared data source. It is used as a child report for the CustomerDetails report. It
uses the Table data region to display order details when the OrderID link in the CustomerDetails report is
clicked.

Invoice folder
BillingInvoice report

This report uses the NWind shared data source. It showcases a billing invoice layout commonly used in
convenience stores. The report mostly contains Label, TextBox and Line controls in its layout. It also includes an
EAN128FNC1 barcode due to its high reading accuracy.
Invoice_Grouped report
This report uses the NWind shared data source. It uses the Table, few TextBox and Label controls to display
customer transactions in an Invoice. The data is grouped on the CustomerID field, so that all transactions made
by a customer appear together based on their ID.
Invoice_Parameters report

This report uses the NWind shared data source connection and two datasets to provide data. It is similar to the
Invoice_Grouped report with an additional parameters feature. It uses parameters set on the CompanyName

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 636
field to filter data on report preview.
Invoice1 report

This report uses the NWind shared data source. It includes a BandedList and few TextBox controls to create the
Invoice layout for displaying customer transactions. Both the page and the BandedList control are grouped by the
OrderID field. One of the textboxes in the footer section of the BandedList control uses the Sum function to
display the grand total of all transactions.
Invoice2 report

This report uses the NWind shared data source. It uses a Table, few TextBoxes and Shape controls to create the
Invoice layout for displaying customer transactions. The report page is grouped by the CustomerID field,
therefore all transactions made by a customer appear together based on the ID. One of the textboxes placed
inside the Container control at the bottom of the report uses the Sum function to display the grand total of all
transactions.

Other folder
BarCode report

This report demonstrates all barcode types that are supported by ActiveReports. The barcode types are presented
in the Table data region, using a single page layout. The rows of the table use alternate background colors (grey
and white). At runtime, the Barcode report displays one page that fits the table with all the sample barcodes.
Catalog report

This report uses the NWind shared data source. It shows a multi page layout spread over four pages in the report.
The layout in Page1 and Page2 contains Image, Label and Textbox controls to display introductory text. The
layout on Page3 contains a List data region with TextBox controls and a Table to display product details for each
product category. The List is grouped by the CategoryID field to filter products by their category and its FixedSize
property is set to fit in excess data. The layout on Page4 (that appears as page 9 at runtime) uses Textbox,
Shape and Line controls amongst others to create an Order Form, which a user is to fill manually.
CellMerging report

This report uses the NWind shared data source. It demonstrates cell merging in a Matrix data region, where cells
with same values are merged automatically to avoid showing duplicate values.
DeliverySlip_theme report

This report uses the Seikyu2 shared data source. It uses the TextBox, Label, Container controls and two Table
data regions to display the invoice information. The report uses two themes and has its CollateBy property set to
ValueIndex to determine the order in which the report pages are rendered. Some TextBox controls on the report
also use the Sum function to display the total price information for each Invoice. The page is grouped on the
EstimateID field, so the invoices are sorted by EstimateID.
EmployeeSales report

This report uses the NWind shared data source. It contains the Chart and Table data regions to display sales by
each employee for the year 1997. A column chart shows the graphical representation of sales by each employee
while the Table lists down the exact sales figures. One of the TextBox controls on the report also uses the Sum
function to display the grand total of all sales.
IRS-W4 report

This report uses the IRS XML data source to provide data to the report. It mainly contains Textbox, CheckBox,
Shape and Line controls to create the layout of a tax form used in the US.
Letter report

This report uses the NWind shared data source. It contains an Image, FormattedTextBox, Table and an
OverflowPlaceholder controls to create a layout for a letter. The FormattedTextBox control uses text with HTML
tags to display content. The Table displays OrderID with order dates and order amount and is linked with the
OverflowPlaceholder control to display excess data on the same page. The Reels logo, displayed on the report
inside the Image control, is embedded within the Reels theme and the TextBox placed below the Image control
uses a Global expression to display the current date. The layout page is grouped by the CustomerID field to filter
data on each report page according to individual customers.

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MatrixSample report

This report uses the NWind shared data source. It contains the Matrix data region that displays an orders report
with product category and names showing quarterly and yearly orders. The Matrix uses multiple row grouping to
group the Matrix data region by CategoryName and ProductName, and multiple column grouping to group the
Matrix data by Years and Quarter. One of the TextBox controls on the report also uses the Sum function to display
the grand total of order amount.
PurchaseReport report

This report uses the NWind shared data source. It contains the Textbox and Table controls to display purchase
details for each company. The layout page is grouped by the Company_CD field to filter data on each report page
according to the company. The Textbox control placed below each table column uses the Sum function to display
totals. The FixedSize property of the Table is set to fit in excess data.
ReelsMatrix

This report uses the Reels shared data source. It contains the Matrix data region to display a sales report for each
country, city and media type by year. The Matrix uses multiple row grouping to group matrix data by Country,
City and MediaType, and column grouping to group the data by Years. One of the TextBox controls on the report
also uses the Sum function to display the grand total of all orders.
SalesReport report
This report uses the Reels data source connection and two datasets that fetch data through a Stored Procedure.
The layout of the report uses the Chart to display sales and profit for the selected date range and the Table to
display the numeric values of the same. The table also uses the DataBar function to plot profits graphically. The
Reels logo, displayed on the report inside the Image control, is embedded within the Reels theme. This report also
uses two nullable parameters to select the range of dates.
TackSeal

This report uses the NWind shared data source. It contains the OverflowPlaceholder control and the List data
region to create a columnar display of tack seals with postal barcodes. The List data region has its OverflowName
property set to OverflowPlaceHolder1 and the OverflowPlaceHolder1 control has its OverflowName property
set to OverflowPlaceHolder2 to assure correct display of columnar data display within the report page.

RDL Report folder

This folder contains several subfolders that illustrate the use of RDL Reports in different scenarios.

Calendar folder
Events

This report uses XML data containing event details entered directly in the connection string of the data source and
accessed by the dataset. It contains a Calendar control to display events.

EventTypes

This report uses XML data containing event details entered directly in the connection string of the data source and
accessed by the dataset. It contains a Calendar control to display Family, Music and Cultural events. A custom
event background color is also set for each event type in the Script tab.
Vacations

This report uses XML data containing event details entered directly in the connection string of the data source and
accessed by the dataset. It contains a Calendar control to display employee's vacations.

DashBoard folder
CallCenterDashBoard

This report uses the CallCenter shared data source. It contains uses the Bullet control to indicate when the data is
approaching or past a warning range and the Sparkline controls to indicate daily trends in key pieces of
performance and sales data. It also uses the Icon Set data visualizer to indicate the warning levels for key
performance data.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 638
MarketDashBoard

This report uses the MarketData shared data source. It contains the Sparkline control to display stock price trends
over the last 30 days. The Sparkline allows investors to see trends without knowing what actual values are
associated with each point.
TeamList

This report uses the FootballStatistics shared data source. It contains the List control that displays a list of team
names with drill-through links to navigate to the TeamStatisticsDashboard.rdlx report that displays the
selected team's statistics.
TeamStatisticsDashBoard

This report uses the FootballStatistics shared data source. It contains the Bullet control to display the team's
scoring performance in ranges below average, average and above average. The report also uses the Sparkline
controls to display the team statistics.

FactBook folder
CountryFacts

This report uses the Factbook shared data source. It contains a List data region grouped on CountryID that groups
data by Country. The report also contains a map image whose Value property is set to the expression with the
MapCode data field from the XML data source. It contains a hidden parameter that is used to accept the Country
ID. This report is called in other reports by drill-through links or as a subreport, so the Country ID is passed
silently. The default ID is the World. The dataset has a filter that retrieves only countries, specified by the report
parameter. From each textbox with category under Energy Production / Consumption you can see the Image
control that uses the Icon Set data visualizer to flag energy categories where consumption is greater than
production.

LifeExpectancyByGdpAndMedianAge

This report uses the Factbook shared data source. It contains the Matrix data region to compare the average life
expectancy based on the category where the Median age and GDP fall.
Top10CountriesByGdp

This report uses the FactbookSortedByGdp shared data source and shows the Top 10 countries by GDP. It contains
a List data region with an image in the Image control that uses the RangeBar function to create an ad-hoc
horizontal bar chart.

Reels folder
CustomerMailingList

This report uses the Reels shared data source. It includes a Container control along with TextBox and Barcode
controls to display a mailing list of customers. The Columns property of the Body section is set to 3 to display
mailing labels in three columns.

CustomerOrders

This report uses the Reels shared data source. It contains the List and Table data regions that group data by
CustomerID and SaleID respectively to display order information. The SalesAmount textbox of the Table has its
Value property set to Sum function to calculate the total for each order (as a table group subtotal). The
YearTotal textbox of the Table also has its Value property set to Sum function to calculate the total of pre-tax
sales. The Reels logo that is displayed on the report is embedded within the Reels theme. The page number in the
PageHeader section is reset every time a new customer is displayed. This report also contains a subreport,
CustomerOrdersCoupon.rdlx.
CustomerOrdersCoupon

This report is used as a subreport in the CustomerOrders report. It includes a Rectangle containing some
TextBoxes, Image and Barcode controls to create a layout for a discount coupon. It also includes a Parameter,
CouponAmount to set the discount provided to customers.

DistrictReport

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 639
This report uses the Reels shared data source. It contains the Chart and Matrix data regions to display the number
of sold items and the profit for each month during the two year span (2004-2005) for the selected district. The
report parameter determines what district to display and uses the available values from the second report dataset
SalesData. The Reels logo that is displayed on the report is embedded within the Reels theme. The StoreName
textbox in the report body uses the drill-through link (the Action is set to Jump to report) that opens the
StoreReport.rdlx with more information.

DistrictSales

This report uses the Reels shared data source. It contains the BandedList data region that groups data by
SaleYear, DistrictID and RegionID to display district sales details. Sum function is used to get the total sales at
the District, Region, Year levels and also to display a grand total. The Reels logo that is displayed on the report is
embedded within the Reels theme.

Filmography

This report uses the Reels shared data source. It contains nested List data regions that group data by MovieID
and MoviePersonID to return a distinct number of movies with the selected actors. The report contains two
cascading parameters that narrow down the number of actors displayed in the list first based on the alphabet with
which the actor's name begins and then based on the actor's name. The Reels logo that is displayed on the report
is embedded within the Reels theme.

GenreSales

This report uses the Reels shared data source. It contains a Matrix data region to display the units sold for each
genre, in each year and each quarter. The report also uses the plain column Chart to display the number of titles
sold for each genre. This report uses the multivalue parameter that allows you to select more than one genre for
displaying sales data. The Reels logo that is displayed on the report is embedded within the Reels theme.

GenreStatistics

This report uses the Reels shared data source. Median and Mode aggregate functions are used to show the middle
values in a set of data as well as the most commonly occurring value. It also uses the ReelsConfidential.rdlx-
master report to provide standard page headers and footers. The Reels logo that is displayed on the report is
embedded within the Reels theme.

MonthlySalesReport

This report uses the Reels shared data source. It contains a Table data region that groups data by DistrictID. The
Textbox controls in the Table have their Value property set to expressions to display the total of sales for each
district and region as well as the totals of all districts within a region for a given month. It also uses the Plain Line
Chart with the data grouped and sorted by Day for each SaleDate to display sales and profit for the selected
month. This report uses query based parameters to select the month and region for displaying data. The Reels
logo that is displayed on the report is embedded within the Reels theme.

MovieCatalog
This report uses the Reels shared data source. It contains the Image, TextBox, TableofContents and List controls
to display the list of movies in a catalog. This report uses the TableofContents control to display, an organized
hierarchy of the report heading levels and labels along with their page numbers, in the body of a report. It also
uses the TextBox and Image control to display the layout of the report. The Reels logo that is displayed on the
report is embedded within the Reels theme.

MovieReport

This report uses the Reels shared data source. It contains four List data regions with groupings. The MovieList is
grouped by MovieID, the GenreList is used to display the genre names and is grouped by GenreID, the
CrewList is used to display the title and is grouped by CrewTitleID, and finally the CastNameList is used to
display the cast and crew and is grouped by MoviePersonID. This report uses cascading parameters. The first
parameter asks to select which letter the movie titles starts with, and then the second parameter asks to select a
movie to display. The CrewName textbox in the report Body uses the drill-through link (the Action is set to
Jump to report) that opens Filmography.rdlx with more information on the selected person. The parameters of
this report are passed to the Filmography.rdlx report. The Reels logo that is displayed on the report is embedded
within the Reels theme.

ReelsConfidential.rdlx-master

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 640
This master report is a template for other reports. It provides the connection to the Reels data source that child
reports can use. The Reels logo that is displayed on the report is embedded within the Reels theme.

RegionPerformance

This report uses NWind.mdb database. It contains the Table data region that uses the Region value to group the
report data and the SalesAmount value to sort the report data. It also uses filtering to filter the report data by
the RegionID value. Textbox controls in the Table have their Value properties set to Sum functions to display the
total of sales amount for each region. The Reels logo that is displayed on the report is embedded within the Reels
theme.

ReorderList

This report uses Reels shared data source. It contains the Table data region without any grouping. The Table detail
row has its BackgroundColor property set to the expression to create a light yellow bar report. The Reels logo
that appears on the report is embedded within the Reels theme.

SalesByMediaType

This report uses the Reels shared data source. It contains the List data region that is grouped by Image to display
data. The list also includes the Table data region that groups its data by MediaID. The report also contains the
Plain Column Chart to display sales and profit by media type and embedded images for each category. This report
uses the ReelsConfidential.rdlx-master report to render the report page header and footer.

SalesByRegion

This report uses the Reels shared data source. It contains the Matrix data region and subtotals to display the
number of units sold and profit for each region by year and quarter. The Matrix report data has the row grouping
by Region and the column grouping by SaleDate.Year. The report also uses the Plain Column Chart to display
the annual profit for each region. Data in the Chart is also grouped by Region and SaleDate.Year.
SalesReceipt

This report uses the Reels shared data source. It contains a Table data region and three Container controls nested
in the List data region. The List is grouped by SaleID to produce the body of the receipt. The salesTaxLabel and
totalSalesTax textboxes use the Sum function that totals the amount due in the list and adds tax to the sum of a
field for the grand total due. The Reels logo that is displayed on the report is embedded within the Reels theme.

SalesReport

This report uses the Reels shared data source. It contains a Table and Chart data regions to display totals of sales
and profit for the selected date range. The Table also uses the Data Bar function to plot the profits. The Chart and
Table data is grouped by Month and Year. The Month textbox uses the drill-through link to display
MonthlySalesReport.rdlx with more information on the selected month. This report uses parameters that allow
the null value to select the range of dates. The Reels logo that is displayed on the report is embedded within the
Reels theme.

StorePerformance

This report uses the Reels shared data source. It identifies stores with profits above or below expectations. It also
has two Image controls that display the database images and use the IconSet function. This report uses the
ReelsConfidential.rdlx-master report to render page headers and footers.

StoreReport:

This report uses the Reels shared data source. It contains the Table, List and Chart data regions to display sales
for each employee. The Table and Chart data is grouped by EmployeeID. The Table uses hierarchical grouping to
show the relationship between employee and supervisor for each store. The FirstName textbox has its Padding>
Left property set to the Level function that leaves a space 15 pixels wide to the left of the control. This is the drill-
down report where the Visibility > Hidden property of the Table detail row is set to =Fields!Supervisor.Value
<> 0 and the Visibility > ToggleItem property is set to the FirstName data field. The expression in the
Visibility > Hidden property calculates whether the supervisor field returns 0, so only the supervisor's name is
displayed initially. By clicking the toggle image next to the supervisor's name, the rows with details about
employees are displayed. The report uses a cascade of parameter values - Region, District and StoreNumber.
Each parameter depends on the value of the previous parameter and each comes from a separate dataset. The
Reels logo that is displayed on the report is embedded within the Reels theme.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 641
TopPerformers

This report uses the Reels shared data source. It contains two Table data regions to display the top and bottom
performers based on the movies sales. Each Table data is grouped by MoviePersonID and MovieID (nested
grouping). The TopN filter is applied to one table and the BottomN filter is applied to another. The number of items
returned by each of the filters is specified in report parameters. This report also uses two integer parameters to
alter the number of items displayed in each table. The parameters use default values, which are passed to
textboxes of the Table Headers. This is the drill-down report where the second Table Group Header in each Table
has its Visibility > Hidden property set to True and the ToggleItem property set to the PerformerName
textbox. By clicking the toggle image next to the name, the rows containing details about performers are
displayed.

Section Report folder

BarCode Report
This report displays all barcode types that are supported by ActiveReports.
PageHeader section: This section contains the table columns to display the report header. The Text
property of the two Textbox controls, define the name of the two table columns.
Detail section: This section contains a list of all the Barcode types that are supported by
ActiveReports. The barcodes are presented in a table that contains two columns, the one with the
Textbox control displays the barcode name, and the other one with the Barcode control displays the
barcode image.
Invoice1 Report
This report calculates the total amount for each customer along with purchase details. The report also displays the
average of the previous invoice amount, the current invoice amount and the consumption tax. This report uses
Bill.mdb database to provide data.
PageHeader section: This section contains the Label and Textbox controls. It uses the bound data
fields to calculate the invoice information in the header. The values of the Excise and BillTotal Textbox
controls are set in the Script tab and are calculated in the BeforePrint event.

Note: This sample uses bound fields on the PageHeader section, assuming that the value of all records to be
displayed on a page does not change.
However, it is not recommend that you place bound fields in the PageHeader or PageFooter sections because
these sections are displayed on a page once. For the same reason it is not recommended that you place
bound fields on the GroupHeader and GroupFooter sections.

GroupHeader section: This section (ghColumnCaption) contains the Label controls that are captions
for the information displayed in the Detail section. This section also uses the CrossSectionBox and the
Shape controls.
Detail section: This section contains the bound TextBox controls that display each row of data
associated with the current ghColumnCaption. The Shape control is used to alternate row colors in the
Detail section. Go to the Script tab and see the shpDetailBack.BackColor property in the Detail_Format
event.
PageFooter: This section contains the Label controls that explain codes used in the Category column of
the invoice details.
Invoice2 Report
This report shows another invoice layout and uses Seikyu2.mdb database to provide data.
GroupHeader1 section: This section contains the Label and Textbox controls. It uses the bound data
fields to calculate the invoice information in the header. The values of the Year, Month and Day
Textbox controls are set under the Script tab and are calculated in the ReportStart event. It also uses
the CrossSectionLine and the CrossSectionBox controls that span the GroupHeader1 section to Detail
section. The CrossSection Box ends in the GroupFooter1 section. These controls form vertical lines
between columns of the invoice details and a rectangle around the details of the invoice at runtime.
Detail section: This section uses the data table tb_Main for the main report data and the data table
tb_Count to retrieve the number of data items within a group. The Detail data in each group is
retrieved beforehand to calculate the required number of empty rows. For the required empty row
count, substitute data with "" in the FetchData event. The Shape control is used to alternate row colors
in the Detail section. Go to the Script tab and see the shpDetailBack.BackColor property in the
Detail_Format event.
GroupFooter1 section: This section contains the Label and Textbox controls that display the totals of

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 642
the invoice. The values of the Tax and Pretax Textbox controls are set under the Script tab and are
calculated in the Format event.
Label Report
This report displays the tack seal, which is commonly used in postal services. This multi-column report uses the
customer barcode that is bound to data by using the DataField property. This report uses Nwind.mdb database
to provide data.
Detail1 section: This section contains the bound data fields to display the contact information and the
Barcode control that is bound to data by using the DataField property. The ColumnCount property is
set to 3, which allows the report to display the tack seal in 3 columns.
PaymentSlip Report
The report displays the salary payment slip where the EAN128FNC1 barcode is used for barcode bound to a data
field. This report uses Bill.mdb data source connection to provide data.
Detail section: This section contains bound data fields to display the payment information and the
Barcode control that is bound to data by using the DataField property.
PurchaseOrder Report
The report displays purchase slips created with bound data. It groups data for each purchase slip. The detail count
is not fixed but the number of rows in the report layout is fixed. In this case, when the RepeatToFill property of
the Detail section is set to True, the detail data is repeatedly displayed on the entire page. The report uses the
RepeatToFill property and calculated fields to demonstrate how to create the report layout without any code.
Calculated fields are used to calculate the total cost and the total selling price. This report uses Shiire.mdb data
source.
groupHeader1 section: This section contains the Label and Textbox controls. It uses the bound data
fields to calculate the company information in the header.
Detail section: This section contains Textbox controls. It uses bound data fields to calculate the
product information in the body of the report. The detail.BackColor property is used to alternate row
colors in the Detail section. Go to the Script tab and see the detailBack.BackColor property in the
detail_Format event.
groupFooter1 section: This section contains the Label and Textbox controls. It uses the bound data
fields to calculate the total information in the footer of the report group.
Schedule Report:
The sample report displays the weekly schedule of employees in the gantt chart format. The report displays six
day report schedules on a single page in the Viewer control. This report uses Schedule.mdb database to provide
data.
GroupHeader1 section: This section contains the Label and Textbox controls. It uses the bound data
fields to calculate the employee information in the header.
Detail section: The Gantt chart view is created by using the Label, Shape and Line control. You can
display the horizontal bars like in the gantt chart by modifying the size of the Label control. To add
horizonal bars, you can dynamically add twenty four (12 x 2) Label controls within the 9-20 hours time
frame that will become the horizontal bars of gantt chart in the ReportStart event. Once they are added,
set the Visible property to False to hide them.
You can adjust the width of horizontal bars by setting calculated values from the time width in the Tag property of
the Label control within Detail_Format event. For the horizontal adjustment of bars, change the width of the Label
control to match with the value in the Tag property.

UnderlayNext Report:
This report displays the bound data. It uses Nwind.mdb database to provide data.
PageHeader section: This section contains the Label and Line controls to create the header for report
data.
GroupHeader1 section: This section contains a TextBox control bound to the Country field and the
CrossSectionLine controls to create the table for the body data of the report. UnderlayNext Property
(on-line documentation) of this section is set to True to align the beginning position of the report
data in the Detail section with the GroupHeader1 section.
Detail section: This section contains the bound Textbox controls to display report data. This
section displays the name of the city, contact name and postal code for each customer according to their
countries.

Section Report
Learn about the different section report samples categorized under Data, Layout, Preview, Summary and Web
Copyrightrespectively.
© 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved
This section contains:
ActiveReports 9 User Guide 643
Data
Learn working with different data sources.
This section contains:
Bound Data
Demonstrates binding to ADO.NET Data objects.
IList Binding
Demonstrates creating a custom collection that stores data from the database in the List. The custom collection is
displayed by binding data to the DataGridView control by using the DataSource property of this control.
LINQ
The LINQ sample demonstrates how to use LINQ in an ActiveReports report.
Unbound Data
The Unbound Data sample demonstrates how to create a dataset for a section report and use the FetchData event
to populate the Fields collection to display the report unbound data.
XML
This sample demonstrates how to create a report with XML data, using a SubReport or using the XML hierarchical
structure.

Bound Data
The Bound Data sample demonstrates various ways to bind data in a section report.
When you run the sample, the Viewer control displays the form with seven tabs, each with a different data binding
technique. Click to select a tab, and then click the Bind To button to create the report.

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Data\BoundData\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Data\BoundData\C#
Runtime Features
The top panel of the MainForm comprises of seven tabs:
Bind to DataSet
Creates a DataSet from the sample database and binds it to a SectionReport object.
Bind to DataReader
Creates a DataReader from the sample database and binds it to a SectionReport object.
Bind to DataView
Creates a DataView from the sample database and binds it to a SectionReport object. This tab contains a
ComboBox which lets you choose the company name from the NWind database.
Bind to DataTable
Creates a DataTable from the sample database and binds it to a SectionReport object.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 644
Bind to SQL Server
Creates a SQL Server DataSource from a SQL server instance and binds it to a SectionReport object. The
ComboBox present in this tab lets you populate the dropdown list with the existing SQL servers on the network.
Bind to OleDb
Creates an Oledb DataSource and binds it to a SectionReport object.
Bind to XML
Creates a XML DataSource from a file and binds it to a SectionReport object. The XML tab also features a
Generate XML button that generates a DataSet and saves it as an XML data file. The generated file is then used
as a data source for the report.

Project Details
MainForm
The MainForm uses the ActiveReports Viewer control in the bottom section of the form, and a panel docked to the
top contains seven tabs, each with a different data binding technique.
Click to select a tab, and then double-click the button on the tab to jump to the button's Click event in the code.
Invoice Report
The Invoice report uses three GroupHeader sections, a Detail section and a GroupFooter section as well as a label
in the PageFooter section to display data.

Note: Except for the Detail section, all sections come in header and footer pairs. Unused sections have their
Height properties set to 0 and their Visible properties set to False.

ghOrderHeader
The DataField property of this section is set to OrderID. This setting, in conjunction with data ordered by the
OrderID field, causes the report to print all of the information for one order ID value, including all of the related
details and footers, before moving on to the next order ID. For more information on grouping, see Grouping Data
in Section Reports.
This section also contains a Picture control, a number of Label controls, and two bound TextBox controls. The
TextBoxes are bound using the DataField property in the Properties window, and the date is formatted using the
OutputFormat property.
ghOrderID
The DataField property of this section is also set to OrderID. This allows subtotal summary functions in the
related GFOrderID section to calculate properly.
This section contains a number of labels and bound text boxes, as well as two Line controls.
ghTableHeader
This section contains only labels for the data to follow in the Detail section.
Detail
This section contains bound TextBox controls. These TextBoxes render once for each row of data found in the
current OrderID before the report moves on to the GroupFooter sections.
GFOrderID
The NewPage property of this section is set to After. This causes the report to break to a new page and generate
a new invoice after this section prints its subtotals.
This section contains several labels and several TextBoxes. Two of the TextBox controls use the following
properties to summarize the detail data: SummaryFunc, SummaryGroup, and SummaryType. For more
information, Create a Summary Report.
The Total TextBox does not use the DataField property or any of the summary properties, or even any code. To
find the functionality of this TextBox, in design view, click the Script tab at the bottom of the report.
PageFooter
This section has one simple Label control. For more information about report sections and the order in which they
print, see Section Report Structure and Section Report Events.

IList Binding

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 645
The IList Binding sample uses CollectionBase class, with implementation of IList interface to create a
ProductCollection class which gets populated from the Products table of the NWind database. The created
ProductCollection is used as a database for binding data to the DataGridView control.The data from
ProductCollection class gets displayed using the DataSource property of DataGridView control. On clicking the
Generate Report button, the ProductCollection class is again used to display the data of the generated report in a
Viewer control. Similarly, you can display a report by binding to the DataSource property of a report.
Data from ProductCollection class displayed in DataGridView control

Generated report displayed in Viewer control

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Data\IListBinding\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Data\IListBinding\C#
Runtime Features
When you run this sample, DataGridView, which is a standard Windows Forms control displays the custom
collection. To display a report with the bound custom collection, click the Generate Report button.

Note: To run this sample, you must have access to the Nwind.mdb. A copy is located at [User Documents
folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data. If you are unable to access the data files in the
sample, create the Data folder and place all the data files to this folder, or change the reference path to the
data files within the folder according to your environment.

Project Details
The IList Binding sample consists of two projects: IListBinding and IListBinding.DataLayer.
IListBinding Project
BindIListToDataGridSample

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 646
This form contains a DataGridView control, a Label control and a Generate Report button. It displays output results
by binding data of a custom collection to the DataGridView control. On clicking the Generate Report button,
ViewerForm displays a report bound to this custom collection.
IlistReportSample report
The report uses the ReportHeader, GroupHeader1 and Detail sections for the report output.
ReportHeader section
The ReportHeader section contains a Label that displays the title of the report.

GroupHeader1 section
The GroupHeader1 section contains nine Label controls that define the layout of the report data.
Detail section
The Detail section contains TextBox controls to display the report data. Following settings have been performed
to enhance the appearance of the report output.
Change the background color of alternate rows
Use the BackColor property of the Detail section (set in the Format event of the Detail
section) to change the background color of each row for better visibility of the table.
Change the background color for selected rows
Use the BackColor property of the Detail section (set in the Format event of the Detail
section) to change the background color of selected rows. The background color changes when Reorder
Level is below Ordered Units.
ViewerForm
Setting the Dock property of the Viewer control to Fill ensures that the viewer resizes along with the form at run
time. Right-click the form and select View Code to see the code used to run the report and display it in the
viewer.
IListBinding.DataLayer project
DataProvider Class
Implements the connection to the data base.
Product Class
Defines custom collection class.
ProductCollection Class
Implements the CollectionBase class to create a collection of Product class. The list of this collection stores
data from the Products table.

LINQ
The LINQ sample demonstrates how to use LINQ in an ActiveReports report.

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Data\LINQ\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Data\LINQ\C#
Runtime Features

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 647
This sample uses a LINQ Query to sort recordsets in descending order of age. The resultant recordsets are
converted to an IList and used as a datasource for the report which is displayed in Viewer control.
Project Details
ViewerForm
Displays the report output results. ToList method is set in DataSource property of the report to extract objects
that use LINQ.
rptLINQtoObject report
The report DataSource is a list of Person constructor created from generic class. Creates a query to sort in
descending order of Age.

Unbound Data
The Unbound Data sample demonstrates how to create a dataset for a section report and use the FetchData event
to populate the Fields collection to display the report unbound data.
When you run the sample, the Viewer control displays the form with four tabs, each with a different dataset
binding technique. Click to select a tab, and then click the Build Report From button to create the report with
unbound data.

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Data\UnboundData\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Data\UnboundData\C#
Runtime Features
Unbound data with a DataSet
Creates a data set from the included Northwind sample database inside the SectionReport object and
uses the FetchData event to populate the internal Fields collection to display the report data.
Unbound data with a DataReader
Creates a data reader from the included Northwind sample database inside the SectionReport object and
uses the FetchData event to populate the internal Fields collection to display the report data.
Unbound data with a Text File
Sets the Invoice.txt file as a datasource for the SectionReport object and uses the FetchData event to
populate the internal Fields collection to display the report data.
Unbound data with a Data Array
Creates a data array from the included sample text file inside the SectionReport object and uses the
FetchData event to populate the internal Fields collection to display the report data.
Project Details
MainForm
This is the main form of the sample that uses the ActiveReports Viewer control in the bottom section of the form,
and a panel docked to the top contains four tabs, each with a different data binding technique. Click to select a
tab, and then click the button on the tab to display the report with unbound data.
UnboundDAInvoice report

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 648
The Invoice report for the Unbound data with a Data Array option. The report consists of the page header,
group header, detail, group footer and page footer sections. The detail section contains information on the order
details, the group header provides grouping data functions by using its DataField property.
For the details on the Invoice report, see the Bound Data Sample topic.
UnboundDRInvoice report
The Invoice report for the Unbound data with a DataReader option. The report consists of the page header,
group header, detail, group footer and page footer sections. The detail section contains information on the order
details, the group header provides grouping data functions by using its DataField property.
For the details on the Invoice report, see the Bound Data Sample topic.
UnboundDSInvoice report
The Invoice report for the Unbound data with a DataSet option. The report consists of the page header, group
header, detail, group footer and page footer sections. The detail section contains information on the order details,
the group header provides grouping data functions by using its DataField property.
For the details on the Invoice report, see the Bound Data Sample topic.
UnboundTFInvoice report
The Invoice report for the Unbound data with a Text File option. The report consists of the page header, group
header, detail, group footer and page footer sections. The detail section contains information on the order details,
the group header provides grouping data functions by using its DataField property.
For the details on the Invoice report, see the Bound Data Sample topic.

XML
The XML sample displays customer order list using the XML data source. The sample demonstrates how to create a
report with XML data, using a SubReport or using the XML hierarchical structure.

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Data\XML\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Data\XML\C#
Runtime Features
When you run the sample, you will be asked to select between the following.
Run Customers XML Report
Demonstrates a two level Master/Detail XML Data Source. Uses a SubReport to print the orders of each customer.
By selecting any of the radio buttons - Show All Data, Show Report where ID = 2301, or Show All Data with
an E-Mail address, you can change the creation option of the generated report.
Customer Orders (Leveled)
Displays customer's orders by using the XML hierarchical structure. The Master/Detail is implemented using the
XML hierarchy XPath selection patterns without any SubReports.
Project Details
StartForm
This is the main form of the sample. You see this form after you run the project and where you can select how to
display XML data.
Run Customers XML Report

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 649
Displays the customers order list by using SubReports.To bind the CustomersOrders report to the XML
data source, the valid XPath expression is entered in the RecordsetPattern field on the XML tab of the
Report Data Source dialog.
Customer Orders (Leveled)
Displays customer's orders by using the XML hierarchical structure, which is demonstrated by the
OrdersLeveled report. To bind this report to XML data, the path to the XML file is entered in the File
URL field on the XML tab of the Report Data Source dialog and also the XML hierarchical structure like
"../../@email" is specified in each field.
CustomersOrders report
This report embeds the srptOrders SubReport. Following settings are performed in this report.
Embed the SubReport control
Places the SubReport control in the Detail section and connects it to the Orders SubReport for displaying
the orders list.
OrderItems SubReport
This report binds to the Subreport control of Orders report.
Orders SubReport
This is the report with a SubReport control that is bound to the OrderItems report. Following settings
are performed in this report.
Embed the SubReport control
Places the SubReport control in the Detail section and connects it to the OrderItems report for displaying
the list of orders.
The Report property of the Subreport control is specified in the Orders_ReportStart event.
Set the XML data source included in the SubReport
Indicates a method to retrieve the record set using the NodeList property instead of
the RecordsetPattern property of the XML data source on OrderItems report at design time.
The NodeList property of the XML data source is set in the Detail_Format event.
OrdersLeveled report
Displays the list of customer's orders. Following settings are performed in this report.
Groups data
Groups data using the XPath pattern that represents the hierarchical structure of XML. DataField
property of ghCustomers section and ghOrders section is set at design time.
ViewerForm
The Viewer control has its Dock property set to Fill. This ensures that the viewer resizes along with the form at run
time. Right-click the form and select View Code to see the code used to run the report and display it in the viewer.

Layout
Learn to create different layouts in a section report.
This section contains:
Annual Report
Demonstrates how to use subreports and nested subreports, how to modify data source properties at run time,
how to use parameters in the chart control, how to create alternate row highlighting and how to use the page
break control.
Category Selection
Demonstrates using the ad hoc report filter by modifying the report's SQL query at run time.
Charting
Demonstrates the use of the Chart control in both bound and unbound modes.
Cross Section Control
Demonstrates the use of the new cross section lines and boxes.
Cross Tab Report
Demonstrates using unbound data, conditional highlighting and distributing data across columns to create a cross-
tab view and data aggregation.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 650
Inheritance
Demonstrates using the method that inherits a report at runtime and design time.
Style Sheets
Demonstrates changing styles at run time to provide a different look to a same report.
Subreport
Demonstrates using subreports in an ActiveReports report.

Annual Report
The AnnualReport sample demonstrates the use of SubReports, section report properties, and Chart control. It
includes a StartupForm and AnnualReport, ProductSalesByCategory, Top10, Top10Customers, Top10Products
reports.

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Layout\AnnualReport\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Layout\AnnualReport\C#
Runtime features
When you run this sample, a three page report appears wherein the first page mentions the name of the trader
and year of the report, the second page displays company information along with a SubReport displaying category
wise sales and the third page displays data in form of charts. The AnnualReport fetches data from
ProductSalesByCategory report and Top10 report and displays it in the Viewer control. The Top10 report
further fetches data from Top10Customers subreport and Top10Products subreport.

Note: To run this sample, you must have access to the Nwind.mdb. A copy is located at [User Documents
folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb. If you are unable to access the data
files in the sample, create the Data folder and place all the data files to this folder, or change the reference
path to the data files within the folder according to your environment.

Project Details
StartupForm
This form contains the ActiveReports Viewer control. The Dock property of the viewer is set to Fill so that it
resizes automatically with the form at run time. Right-click and select View Code to see the code that displays the
AnnualReport when the form loads.
AnnualReport report
This is the main report for the project.
ReportHeader section
This report features a two-page ReportHeader section that uses a PageBreak control to separate the two pages,
and breaks to the second page by setting the ReportHeader section's NewPage property to After. This report
shows how you can use the BackColor and ForeColor properties of labels to create a distinctive look for your
reports.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 651
The ReportHeader section also has a SubReport control that links to the ProductSalesByCategory report in the
code behind the report, in the ReportStart event.

Tip: It is recommended that you initialize reports in the ReportStart event rather than a section Format
event so that a new report is not initialized every time the section runs. If the SubReport control is in a
section that prints multiple times, you need to assign the report in the section Format event while still
initializing in the ReportStart event.

The yellow background in the right half of the ReportHeader section below the page break control is achieved by
using the Shape control and setting its BackColor property. The image to the left is a Picture control.
Detail section
The Detail section contains one SubReport control that link in the code behind the report to the Top10 reports.
In most reports, the Detail section would run multiple times. In this report, the Detail section has only labels, and
no bound textboxes, so it will only run once. Therefore, the Top10 report can be assigned to the SubReport control
in the ReportStart event where it is initialized.
Notice that the ReportFooter section has its Height property set to 0. This is because, except for the Detail
section, all sections come in pairs. In order to use the ReportHeader section, you must also have a ReportFooter
section. If you do not want to use it, you can set its Height to 0.
ProductSalesByCategory report
This is the report that is assigned to the SubReport control in the ReportHeader section of the Annual Report.

Tip: This report has the ReportHeader/Footer and PageHeader/Footer sections removed. These sections are
not printed within the SubReport control, so removing the sections saves processing time.

Notice also that the PrintWidth property of this report is only 2.677 inches. This is so that it fits easily within the
SubReport control on the Annual Report.
This report uses the GroupHeader section to display labels for the data fields that fill the Detail section. The
fields in the Detail section repeat once for each row of data in the database.
Right-click in the grey area around the report and select View Code to see the code that sets the data source for
the report. Notice that the background color of the Detail section is set to yellow on every second row of data.
Top10 report
This report only has a Detail section. The Detail section contains two SubReport controls that linked to
Top10Customers and Top10Products reports in code.
Top10Customers and Top10Products reports
The Top10Customers and Top10Products reports use only two sections, GroupHeader and Detail. The PrintWidth
property of each report is set to 3.135 inches so that it fits into the SubReport control in the Top10 report. The
GroupHeader section of each report is filled with a Chart control. The Detail section of each report has two bound
TextBoxes and a Label controls. Right-click and select View Code to see the code that sets the data source for
the report, passes data to the Chart control, alternates the background color of the Detail section, and sets the
Text property of the label.

Category Selection
The CategorySelection sample demonstrates passing a SQL string into a report at run time. It consists of a
CategorySelectForm and CategoryProducts report.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 652

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Layout\CategorySelection\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Layout\CategorySelection\C#
Runtime Features
When you run this sample, a form containing a Viewer control and a ComboBox control within a panel is
displayed. The Select a Product Category ComboBox at the top of the form allows the users to select the type of
data they want to display in the Viewer control.

Note: To run this sample, you must have access to the Nwind.mdb. A copy is located at [User Documents
folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb. If you are unable to access the data
files in the sample, create the Data folder and place all the data files to this folder, or change the reference
path to the data files within the folder according to your environment.

Project Details
CategorySelectForm
The Viewer control fills most of the form, and a ComboBox at the top allows the user to select which data to send
to the Viewer control.
To see how all of this works, right-click the form and select View Code.
The getCategories code populates the ComboBox with the category names.
The runCategoryReport code runs the report with a SQL string with the CategoryName passed in by
the ComboBox selection.
The SelectIndexChanged event calls runCategoryReport and passes the CategoryName.
CategoryProducts
This report lists the products in the selected category, and summarizes the number of products.
ReportHeader section
This section cannot be deleted, because the related ReportFooter section is used and thus the Height property is
set to 0.
PageHeader section
This section uses Label controls, Line controls and a TextBox. DataField property of txtCategory TextBox is set
to CategoryName. Two Line controls and three Label controls create the report title and the column headers for
this report.
Detail section
This section contains two bound TextBox controls to display each product in the selected category along with its
price. Although the form passes data to the report at run time, the report's data source is set for design time use.
At design time, it is easier to drag bound fields onto the report from the Report Explorer than it is to create them
and set their properties. The data source also allows you to preview the report while you are designing it.
PageFooter section
This section uses the ReportInfo control to display Page N of M. In the Properties window, you can select a way

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 653
to display the page number and run date using the FormatString property.
ReportFooter section
This section contains a Label control and a bound TextBox. The TextBox has the SummaryType set
to GrandTotal and DataField property set to ProductName to display the total number of products in the
selected category.

Charting
The Charting sample provides an option to choose from various chart types and a button to display the
selected chart in a Viewer control.

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Layout\Charting\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Layout\Charting\C#
Runtime Features
Chart type combobox
Select from the following ChartType options.
2D Bar Chart - Use this chart to compare values of items across categories.
3D Pie Chart - Use this chart to display data in 3D format to depict how percentage of each data item
contributes to a total percentage. Selecting this ChartType provides an option to set the Direction of
rotation of 3D Pie chart to Clockwise or Counterclockwise.
3D Bar Chart - Use this chart to compare values of items across categories and to display the data in a
3D format.
Finance Chart -Use this chart to display the stock information using High, Low, Open and Close values.
The size of the wick line is determined by the High and Low values, while the size of the bar is
determined by the Open and Close values.
Stacked Area Chart - Use this chart to demonstrate how each value contributes to the total.
Report Display button
Click this button to display the selected chart type in a Viewer control.

Note: To run rpt2DBar, rpt3DPie and rpt3DBar report, you must have access to the Nwind.mdb database. A
copy is located at [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb.
If you are unable to access the data files in the sample, create the Data folder and place all the data files to
this folder, or change the reference path to the data files within the folder according to your environment.

Project Details
ViewerForm
The ViewerForm contains the Viewer control, with the Dock property set to Fill. This enables the viewer to
automatically resize along with the form. Right-click the form and select View Code to see the code used to run
the report and display it in the viewer.
rpt2DBar report
Displays bar chart on a report. Retrieves the data to be displayed in a chart from Orders table in Nwind.mbd

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 654
database. Settings for chart data source can be done using the Chart DataSource dialog.
rpt3DBar report
Displays 3D bar chart on a report. Retrieves the data to be displayed in a chart from Orders table in Nwind.mbd
database. Generates a DataSet for the chart in ReportStart event and sets it in DataSource property of Chart
control.
rpt3DPie report
Displays 3D pie chart on a report. Retrieves the data to be displayed in a chart from each of the Employees,
Categories, Products, Orders, Order Details tables in Nwind.mdb database. Generates a DataTable for the chart in
a ReportStart event and sets it in DataSource property of Chart control. Rotational direction of 3D pie chart can be
set to Clockwise or Counterclockwise.
rptCandle report
Displays candle chart on a report. Chart data is set at design time using DataPoint Collection Editor.
DataSource property is not used for this chart.
rptStackedArea report
Displays stacked area chart on a report. Chart data is set at design time using DataPoint Collection Editor.
DataSource property is not used for this chart.

Cross Section Controls

This CrossSectionControls sample displays the invoice report of a company in detail. This sample uses the
CrossSectionBox and CrossSectionLine controls to demonstrate the lines and display the Invoice report in a tabular
form. It includes a ViewerForm with three tabs, three Viewer controls and an Invoice report to highlight
several report features. Run the project and click the tab to see these features in action.

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Layout\CrossSectionControls\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Layout\CrossSectionControls\C#
Runtime Features
When you run this sample, a form with three different tab options and each tab option displaying a report in a
Viewer control is displayed. Click any tab option at the bottom of the form to display the selected tab feature
applied to the report in a Viewer control. Select from the following tab options.
Cross Section Controls
Draws table style gridlines easily through multiple sections without any gap.
Detail RepeatToFill
The Detail RepeatToFill tab has the RepeatToFill property set to True. This ensures that the formatting
(alternating purple and white rows and CrossSection controls) fills space as needed to keep the same layout
between pages.
GroupFooter PrintAtBottom
The GroupFooter section has the PrintAtBottom property set to True. This pulls the GroupFooter section to the

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 655
bottom of the page, just above the PageFooter section.

Note: To run this sample, you must have access to the Nwind.mdb. A copy is located at [User Documents
folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb. If you are unable to access the data
files in the sample, create the Data folder and place all the data files to this folder, or change the reference
path to the data files within the folder according to your environment.

Project Details
ViewerForm
The ViewerForm has three tabs-Cross Section Controls, Detail RepeatToFill, GroupFooter PrintAtBottom,
each with an ActiveReports Viewer control on it. Right-click the form and select View Code to see the code used
to change the Invoice report's section properties at run time.
Invoice Report
The Invoice report demonstrates the usage of the following features.
PageHeader section
This section contains Shape, Label and TextBox controls. The Shape control provides a border around the Order
ID and Order Date fields and labels. The orderDateTextBox has the OutputFormat property set to d to display a
short date. The Label controls use the BackColor, ForeColor, and Font properties to add a distinctive style to
the report.
customerGroupHeader section
The CrossSectionBox control is hosted in the GroupHeader section, and spans the Detail section to end in the
GroupFooter section, forming a rectangle around the details of the invoice at run time. Three of
the CrossSectionLine controls are hosted in the GroupHeader section, and span the Detail section to end in the
GroupFooter section, forming vertical lines between columns of invoice details at run time.
Note: If you try to drop a CrossSectionBox or CrossSectionLine control into a section other than a header or
footer, the mouse pointer changes to unavailable, and you cannot drop the control.

Two of the TextBox controls use a CalculatedField in the DataField property.

Tip: In the Report Explorer, expand the Fields node, then Calculated to see all of the calculated
fields. Select BillingAddress or ShippingAddress to take a look at the Formula used in the Properties
window.

The Line control is used below the column header labels to draw a horizontal line across the width of the report.
(It is not visible at design time unless you make the Height of the GroupHeader section larger.) The DataField
property of the customerGroupHeader section is set to the OrderID field, so that the section (followed by related
details and GroupFooter) prints once per order.
Detail section
This section contains four bound TextBox controls. The four TextBox controls display each row of data associated
with the current GroupHeader OrderID. The OutputFormat property of the UnitPrice and Total fields is set to C to
display currency. The Line control is used below the TextBox controls to draw horizontal lines across the width of
the report under each row of data. (It is not visible at design time unless you make the Height of the Detail section
larger.)
Right-click the report and select View Code to see the code used in the Detail Format event to create a colored
bar (in this case, purple bar) report by alternating the BackColor property of the section. Click the Data Source
Icon on the Detail band to view the Connection String used in the report.
customerGroupFooter section
This section has the NewPage property set to After so that a new page is printed for each OrderID (the
associated GroupHeader's DataField). The Subtotal TextBox uses the following properties.
The DataField property uses a Total CalculatedField.
The SummaryFunc property is set to Sum, to add the values of the field in the detail section.
The SummaryGroup property is set to the name of the customerGroupHeader, to reset the summary
value each time the GroupHeader section runs.
The SummaryRunning property is set to Group so that the value accumulates for the group rather

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 656
than for the entire report or not at all.
The SummaryType property is set to GrandTotal.
Right-click the report and select View Code to see the code used in the customerGroupFooter Format event to
calculate the value for the Grand Total TextBox, and to format it as currency.
PageFooter section
The ReportInfo control uses a FormatString property value of Page {PageNumber} of {PageCount}, one of
the preset values you can use for quick page numbering.

Tip: In order to easily select a control within the report, in the Report explorer, expand the section node and
select the control. The control is highlighted in the Report Explorer and on the report design surface.

Cross Tab Report

The CrossTabReport sample displays hierarchical information in a cross tabular structure. This sample consists of
a StartForm with an ActiveReports Viewer control and a ProductWeeklySales report.

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Layout\CrossTabReport\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Layout\CrossTabReport\C#
Runtime Features
When you run the sample, a report displaying a list of weekly sales for current week, month, quarter or year for
each product category is displayed in the Viewer control. The values highlighted in red represent negative values.

Note: To run this sample, you must have access to the Nwind.mdb. A copy is located at [User Documents
folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb. If you are unable to access the data
files in the sample, create the Data folder and place all the data files to this folder, or change the reference
path to the data files within the folder according to your environment.

Project Details
StartForm
The Viewer control has the Dock property set to Fill. This ensures that the viewer resizes along with the form at
run time. Right-click the form and select View Code to see the code used to run the report and display it in the
viewer.
ProductWeeklySales Report
This report features a number of accumulated values using summary function property settings and
calculated values in the code.
The summary function displays a list of summary values only for weekly sales total in group footer without

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 657
displaying the Detail section. By setting the Height property of Detail section to 0 and/or hiding the Detail section
by setting Visible property to False, you can create a summary report that only displays sections other than the
Detail section.
Based on the order date of Detail section data, you can determine whether it will be included in a week, month,
quarter, year or previous year's quarter and set the values by sorting in unbound fields. Value of each unbound
field is automatically summarized by each Field placed in the group footer section.

ReportHeader section
This section of the report features static controls including Labels, a Picture, a Line, and a Shape control. The
report header prints only once on the first page of the report, thus report title, company information, and a logo
are added in this section.
PageHeader section
The page header section contains static Label controls that print at the top of each page and serve as column
headers for the group header sections.
ghCategory section
This group header section has the DataField property set to CategoryName. This setting, along with data sorted
by the same field, produces a report grouped by category. The section contains one bound TextBox control to
display the category name at the beginning of each group. The section's UnderlayNext property is set to True so
that the category prints to the left of the top line of data instead of above it.
ghProduct section
Although this group header contains no controls and is hidden by setting the Height property to 0 and Visible
property to False, it still performs two important functions. First, the DataField property is set to ProductName,
to sort the data inside each category by product, and second, the related group footer section displays the bulk of
the data for the report.
Detail section
The detail section of this report is hidden by setting the Height property to 0 and Visible property to False, but it
does contain four bound fields whose values are used in the code. In the Detail Format event, the value from the
hidden txtDetProduct TextBox is collected and passed to the _sProductName variable. For more information on
section events, see Section Report Events.
gfProduct section
This group footer section displays the bulk of the data for the report in TextBox controls that have values passed in
code, or are bound to fields from the report's Fields collection (see FetchData and DataInitialize events in the
code) using the DataField property.
In the gfProduct Format event for the inner group footer section, the product name collected from the Detail
Format event is passed to the txtProduct TextBox. The Value for the txtPQTDChange TextBox is calculated by
subtracting the prior year's quarter-to-date sales figure from the current quarter-to-date sales figure. The
BackColor of the txtPQTDChange TextBox is set to Red if the value is negative.
The total units and sales for each product is summarized using the following properties.
SummaryFunc: Sum (the default value)
Adds values rather than counting or averaging them.
SummaryGroup: ghProduct
Summarizes the values that fall within the current product group.
SummaryRunning: None (the default value)
Ensures that this value is reset each time the product group changes.
SummaryType: SubTotal
Summarizes the current group rather than a page or report total.
gfCategory section
This group footer section displays totals of the gfProduct data in TextBox controls that have values passed in code,
or are bound to fields from the report's Fields collection (see FetchData and DataInitialize events in the code)
using the DataField property.
The total units and sales for each category is summarized using the following properties.
SummaryFunc: Sum (the default value)

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 658
Adds values rather than counting or averaging them.
SummaryGroup: ghCategory
Summarizes the values that fall within the current category group.
SummaryRunning: None (the default value)
Ensures that this value is reset each time the category group changes.
SummaryType: SubTotal
Summarizes the current group rather than a page or report total.
PageFooter section
This section is not used, so it is hidden by setting the Height property to 0 and/or Visible property to False.
Otherwise, it would print at the bottom of each page. The section cannot be deleted, because the related
PageHeader section is in use.
ReportFooter section
This section is not used, so it is hidden by setting the Height property to 0 and/or Visible property to False.
Otherwise, it would print once at the end of the report. The section cannot be deleted, because its related
ReportHeader section is in use.

Inheritance
This sample explains the method to inherit a report at runtime and design time. The Inheritance sample solution
comprises of two classes - the parent class and the child class for both inheritance at runtime and design time.

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Layout\Inheritance\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Layout\Inheritance\C#
Runtime Features
When you run the sample, the report is created and displayed, providing you with the choice of two options -
Inheritance Report created at RunTime and Inheritance Report created at Design Time. By clicking a
button on the form, you get a report that inherits another class at runtime or at design time.

Inheritance Report created at RunTime

The rptInheritBase class is the inheritance class for the generated report when the Inheritance Report created
at RunTime button is clicked on the form. The rptInheritBase class inherits the SectionReport class of the
GrapeCity.ActiveReports namespace as parent class. It is possible to use DataInitialize event or FetchData event in
this class and also possible to load csv file and set values for csv files. It defines the CsvPath property which gets
csv file path.
The rptInheritChild class inherits the rptInheritBase class and is a class which only defines the report design. By
adding the event handler for inheritance in the constructor and setting for csv file in CsvPath property, it is
possible to perform rendering of data executed by event of BaseReport which is the inheritance class.
Inheritance Report created at Design Time
The rptDesignBase class is the inheritance class for the generated report when the Inheritance Report created
at Design Time button is clicked on the form. The rptDesignBase class inherits SectionReport class of the

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 659
GrapeCity.ActiveReports namespace as parent class. Using this class, you can place any control (ReportInfo
controls etc. to display report title, page number, page count) you wish to inherit in PageHeader section and
PageFooter section. The rptDesignChild class is inherited from rptDesignBase class. It only defines the design of
Detail section. PageHeader section and PageFooter section use the design of rptDesignBase class which is an
inherited class. DataSource setting can be performed from rptDesignChild class.

Caution: If you have not run the project even once, an error occurs when you try to open the report
designers of the inherited classes rptInheritChild or rptDesignChild from the solution explorer. In case this
error occurs, Build the project once before opening the report.

Project Details
ViewerForm
Creates an instance of specified report and display the report in Viewer control.
rptDesignBase
The rptDesignBase class that defines the layout of PageHeader section and PageFooter section.
rptDesignChild
The rptDesignChild designer defines the layout on Detail section and sets the value of DataField property of the
controls placed in Detail section. Also set the data source to output using Report Data Source dialog.
rptInheritBase
The class to set values for data field and rendering of csv file using DataInitialize event FetchData event.
rptInheritChild
The designer that sets layout for each control and it's DataField property.

Style Sheets
This sample demonstrates how you can change styles at run time to provide a different look to a same report. The
project includes two reports, three reportstyles and a form containing the ActiveReports Viewer control and other
controls that allow you to select any combination of styles and reports.

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Layout\Stylesheets\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Layout\Stylesheets\C#
Runtime Features
Choose Report
Choose between the type of report, Categories and Product List, you want to display in the Viewer control.
Choose Style
Choose between Classic, Colored and External style sheet options to apply the style to the selected report.
Clicking the Choose button option for External style sheet displays the Open dialog that shows only
*.reportstyle files, and passes the selected reportstyle path and file name string to the externalStyleSheet
variable.
Run Report button

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 660
Click this button to display the selected report with the applied style in a Viewer control. Clicking this button
creates an SectionReport object, assigns the selected report to it, and assigns a path and file name string to the
styleSheet variable. It then assigns the style sheet to the report using the LoadStyles(styleSheet) method, runs
the report, and displays it in the viewer.
Project Details
Report Style Sheets
Look in Solution Explorer to see several *.reportstyle files. These are XML-based files that hold styles that you can
apply to TextBox, Label, CheckBox, and ReportInfo controls on ActiveReports. Double-click one to open it. Each
reportstyle contains a set of values for each of the standard style names:
Normal
Heading1
Heading2
Heading3
DetailRecord
ReportTitle
When you select one of these style names on a report control, ActiveReports retrieves the style values, such as
font size and color, from the specified style sheet when it runs the report.
For more information on creating your own style sheets, see Use External Style Sheets.
Reports
Two reports, CategoryReport and ProductsReport, are included in this sample so that you can apply styles
in different ways. Open one of the reports, and select the TextBox and Label controls on it to see which style is
used for each.
StyleSheetsForm
The form in this project features radio buttons for choosing the report and style you want, a Choose button that
opens a standard Windows Open dialog where you can select a reportstyle, and a Run report button that runs
the selected report, applies the selected reportstyle, and displays the results in the ActiveReports viewer control
below.
To see how all of this works, right-click the form and select View Code.
Choose Button Click Event
This event contains code that sets up an Open dialog that shows only *.reportstyle files, and passes the selected
reportstyle path and file name string to the externalStyleSheet variable.
Run Report Button Click Event
This event contains code that creates an empty SectionReport object, assigns the selected report to it, and assigns
a path and file name string to the styleSheet variable. It then assigns the style sheet to the report using the
LoadStyles(styleSheet) method, runs the report, and displays it in the viewer.

SubReport
The SubReports sample demonstrates how SubReport control can be used to generate nested and hierarchical
reports.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 661

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Layout\SubReport\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Layout\SubReport\C#
Runtime Features
When you run this sample, the blank Viewer form appears, with the drop-down list of the sample reports on
the top of the form. Select the report from the drop-down list to have it displayed in the Viewer control. You can
select from the following options.
Simple SubReport - the basic sample report that demonstrates how to embed a report into another
report. See rptSimpleMain and rptSimpleSub for details.
Nested SubReport - the report demonstrates how to nest subreports to display main, child, and
grandchild levels in a report. See rptNestedParent, rptNestedChildMain and rptNestedChildSub for
details.
Hierarchical SubReport - the main report dataset with the SHAPE statement defines the hierarchical
structure of the report that uses a subreport. See rptHierarchicalMain and rptHierarchicalSub for details.
SubReport using the data set that contains relationship - the main report having dataset with the
relation that is defined in code, in the DataSet.Relations property of the main rptDSRelationParent
report. See rptDSRelationParent, rptDSRelationChildMain and rptDSRelationChildSub for details.
Master-detail report containing a SubReport - the sample report that demonstrates how to create a
master detail report that uses a subreport. See rptMasterMain and rptMasterSub for details.
Bookmark in SubReport - the sample report that uses bookmarks from the subreport. See
rptBookmarkMain and rptBookmarkSub for details.
Use a parameter in the SubReport - the sample report demonstrates how to set up a parameter in
the data source of the subreport. See rptParamMain and rptParamSub for details.
To view the Dataset with multiple tables using SubReports - the sample report with the dataset
that contains multiple data tables. The main report uses subreports to output multiple tables in a single
report. See rptUnboundDSMain and rptUnboundDSSub for details.
Note: To run this sample, you must have access to the Nwind.mdb. A copy is located at [User
Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb. If you are
unable to access the data files in the sample, create the Data folder and place all the data files to
this folder, or change the reference path to the data files within the folder according to your
environment.

Project Details
ViewerForm
The ViewerForm uses the ActiveReports Viewer control in the bottom section of the form, and a panel docked to
the top with the drop-down list. The Viewer displays a report once it is selected from the list.
rptBookmarkMain
This report is displayed when you select the Bookmark in SubReport option in the drop-down list of the
ViewerForm.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 662
This report uses bookmarks that you can see in the Document map of the Viewer sidebar, which is displayed if you
click the Toggle sidebar button in the Viewer's toolbar. See Linking in Reports and Add Bookmarks for details
on using bookmarks in ActiveReports.
The report uses the PageHeader section to display the name of the report, the Detail section to display data
and the PageFooter section to display the report information. The Detail section contains the Subreport control that
displays data from rptBookmarkSub.
The report is bound to Nwind.mdb at runtime.
rptBookmarkSub
This report contains the Product List information for the Subreport control in rptBookmarkMain.
This report also contains bookmarks, which are setup in code in the Detail Format event.
rptDSRelationChildMain
This report displays the Product Name information and is the subreport for rptDSRelationParent.
The report uses the GroupHeader section to group data by Product Name and to display the label for the data in
the Detail section, and the Detail section to display data. The Detail section contains the Subreport control that
displays data from rptDSRelationChildSub.
The report is bound to the data row collection.
rptDSRelationChildSub
This report displays the Order Details information and is the subreport for rptDSRelationChildMain.
rptDSRelationParent
This report is displayed when you select the SubReport using the data set that contains relationship option
in the drop-down list of the ViewerForm. This report demostrates how to bind a subreport to a dataset with a
relation, defined in the DataSet.Relations property in code, and how to work with nested data relations.
The report uses the PageHeader section to display the name of the report, the groupHeader1 section to provide
labels for the report data, the ghCategories to group data by Category Name, the Detail section to display data,
and the PageFooter section to display the report information. The Detail section contains the Subreport control that
displays the Product Name data from rptDSRelationChildMain.
The report is bound to the data row collection.
rptHierarchicalMain
This report is displayed when you select the Hierarchical SubReport option in the drop-down list of the
ViewerForm.
The report uses the Detail section to display data and the PageFooter section to display the report information. The
Detail section contains the Subreport control that displays data from rptHierarchicalSub.
The report is bound to Nwind.mdb at runtime.
rptHierarchicalSub
This report displays the Order information and is the subreport for rptHierarchicalMain.
rptMasterMain
This report is displayed when you select the Master-detail report containing a SubReport option in the drop-
down list of the ViewerForm. This report displays orders with the general information, the order details in this
report are taken from rptMasterSub.
The report uses the PageHeader section to display the name of the report, the Detail section to display data
and the PageFooter section to display the report information. The Detail section contains the bound Textbox
controls that display information for each order and the Subreport control that displays order details from
rptMasterSub.
The report is bound to Nwind.mdb at runtime.
rptMasterSub
This report displays the Order Details information and is the subreport for rptMasterMain.
rptNestedChildMain
This report displays the Order Details information and is the subreport for rptNestedParent.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 663
The report uses the groupHeader1 section to group the data by Orders ID, the groupHeader2 section to display
static labels for the data in the Detail section, and the Detail section to display data. The groupHeader2 section
contains the Subreport control that displays data from rptNestedChildSub.
The report is bound to Nwind.mdb at runtime.
rptNestedChildSub
This report displays the Contact information and is the subreport for rptNestedChildMain.
The report is bound to Nwind.mdb at runtime.
rptNestedParent
This report is displayed when you select the Nested SubReport option in the drop-down list of the ViewerForm.
This report demonstrates how to set up embedded subreports to display main, child, and grandchild levels in a
report.
The report uses the PageHeader section to display the name of the report, the groupHeader section to group the
report data by Employee ID and to display static labels for the data in the Detail section, the Detail section that
displays data on each employee, and the PageFooter section to display the report information. The Detail section
contains the Subreport control that displays data from rptNestedChildMain.
The report is bound to Nwind.mdb at runtime.
rptParamMain
This report is displayed when you select the Use a parameter in the SubReport option in the drop-down list of
the ViewerForm. This report demonstrates how to set up a parameter in the subreport. See Parameters for more
details.
The report uses the PageHeader section to display the name of the report, the groupHeader section to group data
by Country and to display static labels for the report data, the Detail section to display Contact information,
and the PageFooter section to display the report information. The Detail section contains the Subreport control that
displays data from rptParamSub.
The report is bound to Nwind.mdb at runtime.
rptParamSub
This report displays the Product Name information and is the subreport for rptParamMain.
The report is bound to Nwind.mdb at runtime.
The parameter is added to the sql query at runtime. Right-click rptParamSub in the Solution Explorer and select
View Code to see the code implementation for the subreport parameter.
See Add Parameters in a Section Report for more details.
rptSimpleMain
This report is displayed when you select the Simple SubReport option in the drop-down list of the ViewerForm.
The report uses the PageHeader section to display the name of the report, the Detail section and the PageFooter
section to display the report information. The Detail section contains the bound Textbox control to display the
Category Name information and the Subreport control to display data from rptSimpleSub.
The report is bound to Nwind.mdb at runtime.
rptSimpleSub
This report displays the Product Name information and is the subreport for rptSimpleMain.
The Detail section contains the Barcode control.
rptUnboundDSMain
This report is displayed when you select the To view the DataSet with multiple tables
using SubReports option in the drop-down list of the ViewerForm.
The report uses the PageHeader section to display the name of the report, the Detail section and the PageFooter
section to display the report information. The Detail section contains the bound Textbox controls to display
Customer ID and Company Name, and the Subreport control to display data from rptUnboundDSSub.
The report is bound to the DataSet with multiple tables at runtime. Right-click rptUnboundDSMain in the Solution
Explorer and select View Code to see the code implementation for the dataset connection.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 664
rptUnboundDSSub
This report displays the Order Detail information and is the subreport for rptUnboundDSMain.
The report uses the GroupHeader section to display static labels for Order List details in the Detail section.

Preview
Learn to create an interactive section report during preview.
This section contains:
Custom Annotation
Demonstrates adding the Custom Annotation button to the report Viewer toolbar and adding a new annotation to
the report.
Custom Preview
Demonstrates using Viewer control customization, export filters, rich edit control and mail-merge, parameters in
the chart control, and grouping.
Hyperlinks and Drill Down
Demonstrates using hyperlinks and the viewer hyperlink event to simulate drill-down from one report to another.
Print Multiple Pages Per Sheet
Demonstrates printing a document with multiple pages per sheet by using the common PrintDocument class of the
NET.Framework.
RDF Viewer
Demonstrates creating the Rdf Viewer with an ActiveReports Viewer control and an ExportForm with a Property
Grid.

Custom Annotation
The Custom Annotation sample demonstrates how to add the Custom Annotation button to the Viewer toolbar
and depicts the method to add any annotation (seal image in this case) to the report. Only one annotation can be
used per page.

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Preview\CustomAnnotation\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Preview\CustomAnnotation\C#
Runtime Features
When you run the sample, the report appears in the Viewer control. The Viewer control toolbar contains the
Custom Annotation button that opens the report annotation.

Note: To run this sample, you must have access to the Nwind.mdb. A copy is located at [User Documents
folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data. If you are unable to access the data files in the
sample, create the Data folder and place all the data files to this folder, or change the reference path to the
data files within the folder according to your environment.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 665
Project Details
AnnotationForm
Add Custom Annotation button in Form_Load event. The behavior on clicking the Custom Annotation button is
mentioned in the description of the Click event.
Annotation report
ghOrderID section
Product order receipt is grouped according to OrderID.
Detail section
Use RepeatToFill property to output empty rows till the end and perform page break group wise.
GFOrderID section
This group footer section displays the bulk of the data for the report in TextBox controls that have values passed in
code, or are bound to fields from the report's Fields collection (see FetchData and DataInitialize events in the
code) using the DataField property. The total units and sales for each product are summarized using the following
properties:
SummaryFunc: Sum (the default value) adds values rather than counting or averaging them.
Caution: SummaryFunc has no effect unless the SummaryType property is set to either SubTotal
or GrandTotal.

SummaryGroup: ghOrderID summarizes the values that fall within the current order id.
SummaryRunning: None (the default value) ensures that this value is reset each time the order id
changes.
SummaryType: SubTotal summarizes the current group rather than a page or report total.
Resources folder
This folder holds the icon used for adding annotation (seal image) to the report.
Resource1.resx
This file contains the string for the message box that appears when Custom Annotation button is clicked again to
add the annotation.

Custom Preview
The Custom Preview sample demonstrates how to create various type of reports, customize the Viewer toolbar,
load or save a report document file (RDF). The sample also provides six types of export options and demonstrates
the use of print settings.

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Preview\CustomPreview\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Preview\CustomPreview\C#
Runtime Features

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 666
The Custom Preview sample consists of the parent CustomPreviewForm with menus, the child PreviewForm
with the Viewer control, the ExportForm with the Properties window, the Reports folder, and the Resources folder.
When you run the sample, the CustomPreviewForm appears. It has three menus - File, Reports and Window.
The File menu allows you to perform the following operations.
Open: Loads the report document file (RDF).
Spreaduilder API: Creates an Excel file by the Spreadbuilder API.
Export... This option is available with an opened report. Exports a report to six formats - HTML, Excel,
Text, PDF, RTF, and TIFF.
Save: This option is available with an opened report. Saves the opened report in the report document
format (RDF).
Exit: Closes the Custom Preview Sample form.
The Reports menu allows opening the sample reports by selecting them from the list. The available reports are
described in detail below under Reports folder.
The Window menu allows navigating between the opened reports.

Note: To run this sample, you must have access to the Nwind.mdb. A copy is located at [User Documents
folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data. If you are unable to access the data files in the
sample, create the above folder to place all the data files or change the reference path to the data files within
the folder according to your environment.

Project Details
CustomPreviewForm
This is the main form that gets displayed when you run the sample.
The CustomPreviewForm has its IsMdiContainer property set to True. This ensures that the child PreviewForm
is embedded into the parent CustomPreviewForm.
This form has a menu bar, mnuMain, with three menus: File, Reports, and Window. The MergeType property
of the File menu is set to MergeItems, which adds the menu items from any child PreviewForms to the
CustomPreviewForm. The form also has two dialogs: dlgOpenFile, and dlgPrint.
Right-click the form and select View Code to see how reports selected from the Reports menu are run and passed
to the PreviewForm, using the ShowReport method.
PreviewForm
This is the form that gets displayed when you select a report in the Reports menu of the main Custom Preview
Sample form (CustomPreviewForm).
The PreviewForm has the ActiveReports Viewer control with it Dock property set to Fill. This ensures that the
viewer resizes along with the form at run time.
The form has the File menu with its MergeType set to MergeItems. This ensures that the File menu on the
CustomPreviewForm displays the Export, Save menu items when a report is open. The form also has one dialog:
dlgPrint.
Right-click the form and select View Code to see how two custom buttons are added to the toolbar in the
PreviewForm_Load event. The ToolClick event of the Viewer calls the SaveDocument and ExportDocument
functions for the new buttons. The menu item click events call the same functions for the related menu items.
The SaveDocument function opens the dialog dlgSave, while the ExportDocument function opens the new
ExportForm.
ExportForm
This is the form that gets displayed when you select Export in the File menu of the opened report. In the Export
form, you can select from the following export file format options.
HTML
Excel
Text
PDF
RTF
TIFF

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 667
The Export Report Document form opens by the ExportDocument function on the PreviewForm. The form
features the Export Format combo box, cboExportFormat, that populates the PropertyGrid control based on the
selected item. The export types are added to cboExportFormat via the Items (collection) property.
Right-click the form and select View Code to see how the property grid control's SelectedObject is set to the
selected export in the cboExportFormat SelectedIndexChanged event. This ensures that only the properties
related to each export type are displayed in the Properties window.
See the btnOK Click event for the code that exports the report to the selected file name and format, and the
btnSaveFile Click event for the code that opens the Save dialog.
Resources folder
This folder contains the icons that are used in the File menu of the Custom Preview Sample form.
Reports folder
The Reports folder contains the following reports that demonstrate the Viewer and Export features.
Catalog
The Catalog report uses the PageBreak control and the NewPage property to create a cover at the beginning and
an order form at the end of the catalog. It uses grouping to list products by Category.
ReportHeader section
At the top of the ReportHeader section, the Picture, Line, and Label controls are used to create a static cover
page for the catalog. The PageBreak control allows a second page of static labels to be set in the same section.
Setting the section's NewPage property to After ensures that the report breaks to a new page before rendering
the next section. The ReportHeader section prints once per report.
PageHeader section
This section is not in use, so the Height property is set to 0. This section cannot be deleted because its related
PageFooter section is in use.
ghCategoryName section
This GroupHeader section has its DataField property set to CategoryName. This, along with sorting the data by
the same field, ensures that all details for one category are printed before the report moves on to the next
category. Also, the section's GroupKeepTogether property is set to All. This causes ActiveReports to attempt to
print the group header, related details, and the group footer together on one page.
The controls in this section include two bound TextBox controls and a bound Picture control, along with a row of
labels to serve as column headers for the Detail section to follow.
Detail section
Click the gray report DataSource icon on the Detail section band to open the Report Data Source dialog, where you
can see the Connection String and SQL Query that provide data for the bound fields.
The Detail section has four bound TextBox controls. Select a textbox and go to the DataField property in the
Properties window to see a bound data field for this textbox. The UnitPrice textbox also uses the OutputFormat
to display the data in the currency format. This section prints once for each row of data.
gfCategoryName section
This section is used only to render a horizontal Line control after each category grouping is completed.
PageFooter section
This section is used to display the document title and the page number at the bottom of each page.
ReportFooter section
This section has the NewPage property set to Before to ensure that it begins at the top of a new page.
The Label, Shape, and Line controls are used to create the static order form layout in this page-long report
section that prints once at the end of the report.
CustomerLabels
Detail section
Click the gray report DataSource icon on the Detail section band to open the Report Data Source dialog, where you
can see the Connection String and SQL Query that provide data for the bound fields.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 668
The Detail section has bound TextBox and Label controls. Select a textbox and go to the DataField property in
the Properties window to see a bound data field for this textbox.
The ColumnCount property is set to 2, which allows the report to display the labels in 2 columns. The
ColumnDirection property is set to AcrossDown to have labels print in the left-to-right order instead of the top-
to-bottom order.
EmployeeProfiles
PageHeader section
This section is used to display the document title and the text description at the top of each page.
Detail section
Click the gray report DataSource icon on the Detail section band to open the Report Data Source dialog, where you
can see the Connection String and SQL Query that provide data for the bound fields.
The Detail section has a bound Picture control, bound TextBox and Label controls. Select a textbox and go to
the DataField property in the Properties window to see a bound data field for this textbox.
This report uses bookmarks that you can see in the Document map of the Viewer sidebar, which is displayed if you
click the Toggle sidebar button in the Viewer's toolbar. Right-click the report and select View Code to see how
to use the unbound Textbox control and the Add.Bookmark method in the Detail_BeforePrint event to
set the bookmarks in this report. See Linking in Reports and Add Bookmarks for details on using bookmarks in
ActiveReports.
The KeepTogether property is set to True to print the section content on a single page.
PageFooter section
This section is not in use, so the Height property is set to 0. This section cannot be deleted because its related
PageHeader section is in use.
EmployeeSales
ReportHeader section
This section contains Label controls, a bound Textbox control and a bound Chart control to display the title, total
sales and the bar graph representation of the data.
GroupHeader1 section
The controls in this section include two Label controls to serve as column headers for the Detail section to follow.
Detail section
Click the gray report DataSource icon on the Detail section band to open the Report Data Source dialog, where you
can see the Connection String and SQL Query that provide data for the bound fields.
The Detail section has bound TextBox and Label controls. Select a textbox and go to the DataField property in
the Properties window to see a bound data field for this textbox.
GroupFooter1 section
This section is not in use, so the Height property is set to 0. This section cannot be deleted because its related
GroupHeader1 section is in use.
Report Footer section
This section is not in use, so the Height property is set to 0. This section cannot be deleted because its
related ReportHeader section is in use.

Invoice
PageHeader section
This section contains a Picture control with a logo, a number of Label controls, and two bound TextBox controls.
The TextBoxes are bound using the DataField property in the Properties window, and the date is formatted using
the OutputFormat property.
ghOrderID section
The DataField property of this section is also set to OrderID. This allows subtotal summary functions in the
related GFOrderID section to calculate properly.
This section contains a number of labels and bound text boxes, as well as two Line controls.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 669
The KeepTogether property is set to True to print the section content on a single page.
Detail section
Click the gray report DataSource icon on the Detail section band to open the Report Data Source dialog, where you
can see the Connection String and SQL Query that provide data for the bound fields.
This section contains bound TextBox controls. These controls render once for each row of data found in the
current OrderID before the report moves on to the Footer sections.
GFOrderID section
The NewPage property of this section is set to After. This causes the report to break to a new page and generate
a new invoice after this section prints its subtotals.
This section contains several labels and several TextBoxes. Two of the TextBox controls use the following
properties to summarize the detail data: SummaryFunc, SummaryGroup, and SummaryType. For more
information, Create a Summary Report.
The Total TextBox does not use the DataField property or any of the summary properties, or even any code. Go to
the Script tab at the bottom of the report to see how this TextBox is set.
The KeepTogether property is set to True to print the section content on a single page.
PageFooter section
This section has one simple Label control that contains a "Thank you" note. For more information about report
sections and the order in which they print, see Section Report Structure and Section Report Events.
Letter
PageHeader section
This section contains the Picture control with a logo, the Line control, and the Label controls.
The CanGrow property is set to False to indicate that the controls are to be clipped to the section's height.
ghCustomerID section
This section has its DataField property set to CustomerID. This ensures that all details for one customer id are
printed before the report moves on to the next customer id.
The section contains the Label controls, the RichTextBox control, and bound TextBox controls.
The RichTextBox control allows to create a mail-merge report where field place holders are replaced with values
(merged) at run time. Right-click the report and select View Code to see how to use the ReplaceField method in
the BeforePrint event to calculate total fields in the RichTextBox control.
The CanShrink property is set to True to have the section shrink to fit its controls.
The KeepTogether property is set to True to print the section content on a single page.
Detail section
Click the gray report DataSource icon on the Detail section band to open the Report Data Source dialog, where you
can see the Connection String and SQL Query that provide data for the bound fields.
This section contains three bound TextBox controls.
The KeepTogether property is set to True to print the section content on a single page.
gfCustomerID section
This section contains two Label controls that display the note at the end of each letter to a customer.
The NewPage property is set to After to ensure that the report breaks to a new page before rendering the next
section.
PageFooter section
This section contains the Label control that displays the address of the company.
The CanGrow property is set to False to indicate that the controls are to be clipped to the section's height.

Hyperlinks and DrillThrough

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 670
The Hyperlinks and DrillThrough sample consists of three reports and a ViewerForm. The reports use the Hyperlink event of
the Viewer control to pass a value from the Hyperlink property of a TextBox control to a Parameter value in a more detailed
report.

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Preview\Hyperlinks and DrillThrough\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Preview\Hyperlinks and DrillThrough\C#
Runtime Features
When you run this sample, a report displaying bound fields with a link created on CustomerID is displayed in a Viewer
control. DrillThrough feature allows users to navigate to another report containing detailed data. Clicking the CustomerID
hyperlink takes you to the second report which displays detailed information of the selected CustomerID. On further
clicking the OrderID hyperlink the third report displaying the details of the selected order is opened in the Viewer. This
feature enables the users to systematically go through the detailed data of the desired CustomerID.

Note: To run this sample, you must have access to the Nwind.mdb. A copy is located at [User Documents
folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb. If you are unable to access the data files in
the sample, create the Data folder and place all the data files to this folder, or change the reference path to the data
files within the folder according to your environment.

Project Details
ViewerForm
This form contains only the Viewer control with its Dock property set to Fill. This ensures that the viewer resizes along
with the form at run time.
Right-click the form and select View Code to see the code that allows multiple ViewerForms to display for the reports, and
see the Form Load event for the code that loads the main report into the viewer.
See the Viewer Hyperlink event for the code that collects a string value from the Hyperlink property of the clicked
TextBox on the main report and passes it into the customerID Parameter of the report DrillThrough1, or collects a
numeric value and passes it to the orderID Parameter of the report DrillThrough2. This code then runs the report with the
parameter value and displays it in another instance of the ViewerForm.
DrillThroughMain Report
The main report that is loaded in the ViewerForm by default uses the PageHeader and Detail sections.
PageHeader section
This section contains three Label controls to serve as column headers for the details, and a CrossSectionBox control. For
more information, see Cross Section Controls.
Detail section
The Detail section has the BackColor property set to Thistle, and its RepeatToFill property set to True. This ensures
that the background color reaches all the way to the bottom of the page when there is not enough data to fill it.
Right click on the form, select View code to see the Connection String and SQL Query that provide data for the bound
fields.
The Detail section has three bound TextBox controls that display a list of customer information. Select CustomerID and
you will see that the HyperLink property is not set in the Properties window. To see the code that assigns the data from
the TextBox to its HyperLink property, right-click the report and select View Code. The HyperLink property is set in the
Detail BeforePrint event.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 671
Note: This hyperlink does not work in Preview mode, because it relies on code in the ViewerForm to pass the value
to DrillThrough1 report's parameter.

PageFooter Section
This section is not in use, so it is hidden by setting the Visible property to False. This section cannot be deleted, because
its related PageHeader section is in use.
DrillThrough1 Report
This report looks similar to the DrillThroughMain report, but the main difference is that it has a CustomerID parameter in
its SQL Query.
GroupHeader section
Since this report only displays order information for the CustomerID from the clicked hyperlink, the PageHeader section
could have been used, but this report uses the GroupHeader section. To make this section print at the top of each
page, the RepeatStyle property is set to OnPage. This section consists of five label controls to serve as column headers
for the Detail section and a CrossSectionBox control.
Detail section
Right click on the form, select View code to see the parameter in the SQL Query that collects the value from the
ViewerForm.
Parameters in SQL Queries are denoted by the <% and %> symbols that trigger ActiveReports to add them to the report's
Parameters collection. For more information, see Parameters.
The Detail section has five bound TextBox controls that display a list of order information for the customer. Select OrderID
and you will see that the HyperLink property is not set in the Properties window. To see the code that assigns the data
from the TextBox to its HyperLink property, right-click the report and select View Code. The HyperLink property is set in
the Detail BeforePrint event.
GroupFooter section
This section is not in use, so it is hidden by setting the Visible property to False. This section cannot be deleted, because
it is related GroupHeader section is in use.
DrillThrough2 Report
Like DrillThrough1, this report has a parameter in a SQL Query, but unlike the other two reports, this one has no hyperlink.
It displays order details for the OrderID value passed into it from the clicked hyperlink in DrillThroguh1.
GroupHeader section
Like in the previous report, this section contains Label controls to serve as column headers for the details, and a
CrossSectionBox control.
Detail section
Right click on the form, select View code to see the parameter in the SQL Query that collects the value from the
ViewerForm.

Print Mutliple Pages per Sheet

The PrintMultiplePagesPerSheet sample demonstrates how you can print a document with multiple pages per sheet using
the common PrintDocument class or PrintOptions class from .NET Framework. This sample project consists of the
PrintMultiplePagesForm and the Invoice report.

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 672
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Preview\PrintMultiplePagesPerSheet\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Preview\PrintMultiplePagesPerSheet\C#
Runtime features
When you run this sample, you will see the PrintMultiplePagesForm with the Invoice report. On this form, you can select
the number of pages to be printed on each sheet using the Select Numer of Pages to Print on One Sheet ComboBox.
You can also select from PrintMultiple Pages using PrintOptions API and PrintMultiple Pages using Custom Code
tabs options and click the Print button on each of these tab to print the selected number of pages in one sheet.

Note: To run this sample, you must have access to the Nwind.mdb. A copy is located at [User Documents
folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb. If you are unable to access the data files in
the sample, create the Data folder and place all the data files to this folder, or change the reference path to the data
files within the folder according to your environment.

Project details
PrintMultiplePagesForm
This form contains the ActiveReports Viewer control. The Dock property of the viewer is set to Fill so that it resizes
automatically with the form at run time. The top section of Viewer contains a panel in which two
tabs, ComboBox control, Label and two Print buttons are placed. ComboBox control lets you select the number of pages
per sheet (2,4 or 8)and the Print button in PrintMultiple Pages using PrintOptions API and PrintMultiple Pages
using Custom Code tab, print the selected number of pages in one sheet. The form also has two dialogs - dlgPrint and
PrintDocument which assist in displaying the Print dialog box and printing the document.
Right-click and select View Code to see the code that displays the Invoice report when the form loads. Also the
code demonstrates the different ways of printing a document - the Print button in PrintMultiple Pages using Custom
Code tab uses the PrintDocument class and the Print button in PrintMultiple Pages using PrintOptions
API tab uses the PrintOptions class.
Invoice report
The Invoice report uses a PageHeader section, GroupHeader section, Detail section, GroupFooter section as well as a
PageFooter section to display data in a Label control.
PageHeader section
This section contains a Picture control to display the logo along with several Label and TextBox controls to
display company name, order date, address, Order number etc.
ghOrderID section
The DataField property of this section is set to OrderID. This allows subtotal summary functions in the related
GFOrderID section to calculate properly. This section contains a number of labels and bound TextBox controls, as well as
two Line controls.
Detail section
This section contains bound TextBox controls. These render once for each row of data found in the current OrderID before
the report moves on to the Footer sections.
GFOrderID section
The NewPage property of this section is set to After. This causes the report to break to a new page and generate a new
invoice after this section prints its subtotals.
This section contains several Label and TextBoxe controls. Subtotal and Freight TextBox use the following properties to
summarize the detail data: SummaryFunc, SummaryGroup, and SummaryType. However, the Total TextBox does
not use the DataField property or any of the summary properties, or even any code. To find the functionality of this
TextBox, in the design view, click the Script tab at the bottom of the report.
PageFooter section
This section has one simple Label control. The CanGrow property is set to False.

RDF Viewer
The RDF Viewer sample is used to view RDF files. It consists of an RdfViewerForm with an ActiveReports Viewer
control and an ExportForm with a Property Grid. The sample also contains a RDFs folder of saved reports.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 673

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Preview\RDFViewer\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Preview\RDFViewer\C#
Runtime features
When you run the sample, a Viewer control containing File and View menu appears on the top. Following options
are available in given menus.
File menu
Open: Loads any of the six given RDF files
Export: Exports file to HTML, Excel, Text, PDF, RTF or TIFF format
Print: Prints the loaded RDF file
Exit: Closes the application
View menu
TocView: Shows or hides all the report pages as thumbnails in the left pane
Toolbar: Shows or hides Viewer toolbar
Project Details
ExportForm
This form contains a Combobox to collect the user-selected export format, a property grid to display properties for
the selected format, and an OK button to export the report to the selected format. It also contains a Save dialog.
Right-click the form and select View Code to see how this is done.
The Export Format ComboBox's SelectedIndexChanged event sets the cmbExportFormat variable to the
selected export type. The cmbExportFormat variable is picked up in the OK button Click event, and then the
report Document is pulled from the Viewer and exported to the selected format.
RdfViewerForm
This form contains an ActiveReports Viewer control with its Dock property set to Fill. This ensures that the viewer
resizes along with the form at run time. It also contains a MenuStrip and an OpenFile dialog. To see the code
implementation of this form, right-click the form and select View Code.
The Click event of the Open option in the File menu filters to show only RDF files and opens the Open File dialog
to the RDFs folder. The dlgOpenFile_FileOK event loads the selected RDF file into the Viewer control.
The Click event of the Export option in the File menu opens a new ExportForm. For more information on the
Viewer control, see Using the Viewer.
RDFs folder
An RDF file is a static copy of a report saved to the native Report Document Format. This can be loaded into the
Viewer control without running it or accessing data. For more information, see Save and Load RDF Report Files.
The following five reports are included in this sample:
Catalog.rdf

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 674
Customer Labels.rdf
Employee Profiles.rdf
Employee Sales.rdf
Invoice.rdf
Letter.rdf

Summary
Learn to display summarized data in a section report.
This section contains:
Calculated Fields
Demonstrates using an unbound data field to perform a calculation which can then be aggregated.
Data Field Expressions
Demonstrates the use of expressions in the DataField properties of controls.

Calculated Fields
The CalculatedFields sample demonstrates the use of calculated fields in a report, where the field values are
calculated in code. A custom field is added to the Fields collection in the DataInitialize event and the field value is
calculated in the FetchData event.

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Summary\CalculatedFields\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Summary\CalculatedFields\C#
Runtime Features
When you run the sample, a report displaying ProductID, UnitPrice, Quantity, Discount, Extended Price and Total
value for each OrderID is displayed in the Viewer control. The Extended Price value is a calculated field that
displays the result of the formula specified in FetchData event.

Note: To run this sample, you must have access to the Nwind.mdb. A copy is located at [User Documents
folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb. If you are unable to access the data
files in the sample, create the Data folder and place all the data files to this folder, or change the reference
path to the data files within the folder according to your environment.

Project Details
StartForm
The Viewer control has the Dock property set to Fill. This ensures that the viewer resizes along with the form at
run time. Right-click the form and select View Code to see the code used to run the report and display it in the

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 675
viewer.
OrdersReport
The OrdersReport uses a GroupHeader section, a Detail section and a GroupFooter section as well as a Label in the
PageFooter section to display data.

Note: Except for the Detail section, all sections come in header and footer pairs. Unused sections have their
Height properties set to 0 and their Visible properties set to False.

ghOrderID section
This group header section has the DataField property set to OrderID. This setting, along with data sorted by the
same field, displays a report grouped by OrderID. The section contains one bound TextBox control to display
the OrderID at the beginning of each group.
Detail section
Detail section of this report contains 5 bound TextBox controls that render for each row of data of the OrderID.
gfOrderID section
This group footer section displays total of the gfOrderID data in TextBox controls that have values passed in code,
or are bound to fields from the report's Fields collection using the DataField property. The total extended price for
the OrderID is summarized using the following properties:
SummaryFunc: Sum (the default value)
Adds values rather than counting or averaging them.
SummaryGroup: ghOrderID
Summarizes the values that fall within the current OrderID group.
SummaryRunning: Group
Calculates a running summary (each value is the sum of the current value and all preceding values)
within the same group level.
SummaryType: SubTotal
Summarizes the current group rather than a page or report total.
PageFooter section
The page footer section contains a static Label control that prints at the bottom of each page and contains the note
on the number of pages in the report.

Data Field Expressions

The DataFieldExpressions sample demonstrates the use of data field expressions for simple calculations within the
same section of the unbound report using known Fields collection values. These data field expressions cannot be
used with the built in summary functions of ActiveReports 9.

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Summary\DataFieldExpressions\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Section Reports\Summary\DataFieldExpressions\C#
Runtime Features
When you run the sample, the DataFieldExpressionsReport appears in the Viewer control. The
DataFieldExpressionsReport displays data, using the Fields collection from the OrderDetail class.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 676
The report data under ExtendedPrice is calculated by the data field expression, specified in the DataField
property of the txtExtendedPrice TextBox at the design time.
Project Details
StartForm
The Viewer control has its Dock property set to Fill. This ensures that the viewer resizes along with the form at
run time. Right-click the form and select View Code to see the code used to run the report and display it in the
viewer.
DataFieldExpressionsReport
The DataFieldExpressionsReport is an unbound report that uses the field values from the OrderDetail file for
displaying the report data.
PageHeader section
This section contains one Label control with the note text and four labels with the names of the report data fields.
Detail section
This section contains four textboxes that use the Fields collection values to display the report data.
The DataField property of the txtExtendedPrice textbox in the Detail section demonstrates how to format your
data field expression.
OrderDetail
This file contains the class with data that is used in the fields of the report. When the report is run, the values of
these fields are used to display data of the report.
The field values are bound to the fields in the DataInitilize event and the data is bound to the field values in the
FetchData event of the DataFieldExpressionsReport.

Standard Edition Web

The Standard Edition Web sample demonstrates a method to view a report at client side in HTML or PDF format.
Application structure consists of ASP.NET website, using which the report is streamed to the client as HTML or PDF.
This sample describes custom exporting without the Pro Edition server controls or RPX handlers as well as running
reports on the server. The PDF and HTML exports allow you to manually control exporting by writing a little code in
ASP.NET language. Steps explained in this sample can be used for both Standard and Professional editions.

Note: Before running this sample, in the Solution Explorer, click the Licenses.licx file and then, from the
Build menu, select Build Runtime License. Please see To license Web Forms projects made on the trial
version for details.

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Standard Edition Web\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Standard Edition Web\C#

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 677
Runtime Features
When you run the sample, the Default.aspx page appears in your browser. This page provides two links to other
reports that demonstrate custom PDF or HTML export options.
Clicking the Custom Exporting PDF Example option opens the Invoice report and clicking Custom Exporting
HTML Example option opens NwindLabels report in the Default.aspx page.

Note: To run this sample, you must have access to the Nwind.mdb. A copy is located at [User Documents
folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb. If you are unable to access the data
files in the sample, create the Data folder and place all the data files to this folder, or change the reference
path to the data files within the folder according to your environment.

Project Details
Reports folder
The Reports folder contains two rpx reports - the Invoice report and the NwindLabels report.

Invoice Report
The Invoice report uses three GroupHeader sections, a Detail section and a GroupFooter section as well as a label
in the PageFooter section to display data.

Note: Except for the Detail section, all sections come in header and footer pairs. Unused sections have their
Height properties set to 0 and their Visible properties set to False.

ghOrderHeader section
The DataField property of this section is set to OrderID. This setting, in conjunction with data ordered by the
OrderID field, causes the report to print all of the information for one order ID value, including all of the related
details and footers, before moving on to the next order ID. For more information on grouping, see Grouping Data
in Section Reports.
This section also contains a Picture control, a number of Label controls, and two bound TextBox controls. The
TextBoxes are bound using the DataField property in the Properties window, and the date is formatted using the
OutputFormat property.
ghOrderID section
The DataField property of this section is also set to OrderID. This allows subtotal summary functions in the
related GFOrderID section to calculate properly.
This section contains a number of labels and bound text boxes, as well as two Line controls.
ghTableHeader section
This section contains only labels for the data to follow in the Detail section.
Detail section
This section contains bound TextBox controls. These TextBoxes render once for each row of data found in the
current OrderID before the report moves on to the GroupFooter sections.
GFOrderID section
The NewPage property of this section is set to After. This causes the report to break to a new page and generate
a new invoice after this section prints its subtotals.
This section contains several labels and several TextBoxes. Two of the TextBox controls use the following
properties to summarize the detail data: SummaryFunc, SummaryGroup, and SummaryType. For more
information, Create a Summary Report.
The Total TextBox does not use the DataField property or any of the summary properties, or even any code. To
find the functionality of this TextBox, in design view, click the Script tab at the bottom of the report.
PageFooter section
This section has one simple Label control. For more information about report sections and the order in which they
print, see Section Report Structure and Section Report Events.
NwindLabels Report
TheNwindLabels report only uses the Detail section to display the report data.

Note: Except for the Detail section, all sections come in header and footer pairs. Unused sections have their

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 678
Height properties set to 0 and their Visible properties set to False.

Detail section
This section contains bound TextBox controls and Label controls. This section prints 30 labels per 8½ x 11 sheet.
The Detail section uses the CanGrow property set to False to maintain the label size and the ColumnCount,
ColumnDirection, and ColumnSpacing properties to accommodate multiple labels in a single page.
ActiveReports.ReportService.asmx
The report web service required for the proper functioning of the Web Viewer. The
ActiveReports.ReportService.asmx is added automatically to the project when you place the WebViewer control on
the form. You can also add this service by using Add New Item in the Visual Studio Project menu.
For the information on how to use the WebViewer control, see Getting Started with the Web Viewer.
CustomExportHtml.aspx
This Web form is displayed by clicking the Custom Exporting HTML Example option on the Default.aspx page.
In CustomExportHtml.aspx, report is outputted to the ReportOutput folder using the CustomHtmlOutput class
and the exported HTML is displayed in the browser. The CustomHtmlOutput class implements the required
IOutputHtml in the HTML export and saves the output results to a file with a unique name.

Note: This sample requires write permissions to the ReportOutput folder that is located in the web samples
directory.

CustomExportPdf.aspx
The Web form is displayed by clicking the Custom Exporting PDF Example option on the Default.aspx page.
In CustomExportPdf.aspx, the report is exported to memory stream and then outputted in the browser.

Note: This sample requires write permissions to the ReportOutput folder that is located in the web samples
directory.

Default.aspx
This is the main Web form of the sample that shows the introductory text and links to other sample pages that
demonstrate the following web features.
Custom Exporting PDF Example - This link opens the Invoice report in the PDF Reader by exporting it
to memory stream and then outputting it in the browser.
Custom Exporting HTML Example - This link opens the NWindLabels report. This report is outputted
to the ReportOutput folder by using the CustomHtmlOutput class and the exported HTML is displayed in
the browser.
Web.config
This configuration file contains the httpHandlers that allow ActiveReports to process reports on the Web.
Note that you need to manually update version information here when you update your version of ActiveReports.

WPF Viewer
The WPF Viewer samples demonstrates the use of WPF Viewer and its options to view the rdlx and rpx reports.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 679

Sample Location
Visual Basic.NET
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\WPF Viewer\VB.NET
C#
<User Folder>\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\WPF Viewer\C#
Runtime Features
When you run the sample, MainWindow.xaml containing the WPF Viewer, Select Report ComboBox, Preview
button and Add Custom Button CheckBox appears.

Select Report
In the Select Report ComboBox, you can select from a list of 6 sample reports. The ComboBox contains the
following reports - Catalog.rdlx, EmployeeSales.rdlx, Invoice1.rdlx, Invoice2.rpx, LabelReport.rpx, and
PaymentSlip.rpx.
Preview
The Preview button opens the report selected in Select Report ComboBox in the WPF Viewer.
Add custom button
The Add custom button CheckBox demonstrates the customization options of the WPF Viewer. To see the About
Us custom button appear in the WPF Viewer toolbar, select the Add custom button CheckBox and click the
Preview button. To remove the About Us custom button from the WPF Viewer toolbar, click to clear the Add
custom button CheckBox and then click the Preview button.

Note: Preview button and Add custom button CheckBox are only enabled when a report is selected from
the Select Report ComboBox.

Project Details
Reports folder
The folder contains the following reports.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 680
Catalog.rdlx: This is a sample layout for the product catalog. This report uses multiple page layouts to create a
catalog. The layout of this report is spread over 4 pages, which appear one after another at runtime. Page1 and
Page2 layouts simply display introductive text. The layout on Page3 contains a List data region with TextBox
controls and a Table to display product details for each product category. The List is grouped by the CategoryID
field to filter products by their category. The layout on Page4 uses Textbox, Shape and Line controls to create a
Order Form, which a user is to fill manually.
EmployeeSales.rdlx: This is a sample layout to display sales by each employee for the year 1997. The Chart
control is used to display a graphical analysis of sales by each employee and the Table data region lists down the
exact numbers.
Invoice1.rdlx: This report uses a BandedList and few TextBox controls to create the Invoice layout for displaying
customer transactions. Both page and the BandedList control are grouped by the OrderID field. Texboxes in the
footer section of the BandedList control use the Sum function to display the total of the transactions. For detailed
information on the Invoice2.rpx report, see the Reports Gallery Sample.
Invoice2.rpx: This is a sample layout for the invoice report. The report page is grouped by the EstimateID field.
Sum function is used to display the GrandTotal of all transactions. For detailed information on the Invoice2.rpx
report, see the Reports Gallery Sample.
LabelReport.rpx: This report displays the tack seal, which is commonly used in postal services. This multi-
column report uses the customer barcode that is bound to the data using the DataField property. For detailed
information on the LabelReport.rpx report, see the Reports Gallery Sample.
PaymentSlip.rpx: This report displays the invoice payment slip with the GS1-128 barcode that is used for
payment services in convenience stores. GS1-128 is the convenience store barcode, formerly called UCC/EAN-128.
For detailed information on the PaymentSlip.rpx report, see the Reports Gallery Sample.
DefaultWPFViewerTemplates.Xaml
The DefaultWPFViewerTemplates.xaml is used for the WPF Viewer customization. For steps on the WPF Viewer
customization, see the WPF Viewer walkthrough.
MainWindow.xaml
The MainWindow.xaml is displayed when you run the sample. It contains the WPF Viewer, the Select
Report ComboBox, the Preview button and the Add custom button CheckBox.
The code behind of MainWindow.xaml.vb (or .cs), handles the display of RDLX and RPX reports in the WPF Viewer
and the customization of the WPF Viewer application.
MyCommand
This class contains the text that is displayed when you click the About Us custom button in the WPF Viewer
toolbar.

Walkthroughs
The Walkthroughs section of the User Guide provides you with step-by-step tutorials that you can follow as you
create projects in Visual Studio. These walkthroughs cover the key features of Page Reports, RDL Reports and
Section Reports in different scenarios. The walkthroughs progress from basic through advanced for Standard and
Professional Editions of ActiveReports.
This section contains information about:
Page Report/RDL Report Walkthroughs
Learn the dynamic features through easy to implement scenarios for Page Report and RDL Report.
Section Report Walkthroughs
Use the walkthroughs under this section to understand key features of a section report through simple scenarios.
Common Walkthroughs
Common walkthroughs comprise of scenarios to introduce the key features of page, RDL and section reports.

Page Report/RDL Report Walkthroughs

Page Report walkthroughs comprise of scenarios to introduce the key features of Page Reports and RDL reports.
Learn about different walkthroughs categorized as follows.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 681
Data
This section contains the walkthroughs that explain various ways of working with data sources.
Layout
This section contains the walkthroughs that explain how to create different report layouts.
Chart
This section contains the walkthrough that demonstrates how to work with the ActiveReports Chart control.
Map
This section contains the walkthrough that demonstrates how to work with the ActiveReports Map control.
Export
This section contains the walkthrough that demonstrates how to export your reports into several popular formats
like PDF, HTML, Excel, Image and Word.
Preview
This section contains the walkthrough that demonstrates how to work with custom data and custom code.
Advanced
This section contains the walkthroughs that demonstrate interactive features of ActiveReports reports.

Data
This section contains the following walkthroughs that fall under the Data category.
Master Detail Reports
This walkthrough demonstrates how to create a master detail report using the Table control and grouping.
Reports with Parameterized Queries
This walkthrough demonstrates how to create a simple dynamic query.
Reports with Stored Procedures
This walkthrough demonstrates how to create a report that uses a stored procedure as a data set.
Reports with XML Data
This walkthrough demonstrates how to connect a report to an XML data source and to create a data set.
Expressions in Reports
This walkthrough demonstrates how to use expressions to achieve different effects in a report.

Master Detail Reports

You can create a master detail report using the Table control and grouping. The following walkthrough takes you
through the step by step procedure of creating a Master Detail report.
The walkthrough is split into the following activities:
Adding an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio project
Connecting the report to a data source
Adding a dataset to the report
Adding controls to the report to contain data
Viewing the report

Note:
This walkthrough uses the Customer table from the Reels database. By default, in ActiveReports,
the Reels.mdb file is located in the [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports
9\Data folder.
Although this walkthrough uses Page reports, but this can be implemented using RDL reports also.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at
runtime.

Design Time Layout

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 682

Runtime Layout

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Page Report and in the Name field,
rename the file as rptMasterDetail.
4. Click the Add button to open a new fixed page report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the report to a data source
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Sources node and select the Add Data Source option or select
Data Source from the Add button.

2. In the Report Data Source Dialog that appears, select the General page and in the Name field, enter a
name like ReportData.
3. On this page, create a connection to the Reels database. See Connect to a Data Source for information on
connecting to a data source.
To add a dataset
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node and select the Add Data Set option or select Data
Set from the Add button.
2. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the dataset as
CustomerOrders. This name appears as a child node to the data source icon in the Report Explorer.
3. On the Query page of this dialog, in the Query field enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
SELECT CustomerID, Title, LastName, Quantity, Price, [Quantity]*[Price] AS
Total FROM CustomerOrders WHERE CustomerID < 1010

4. Click the Validate DataSet icon at the top right hand corner above the Query box to validate the query.

5. Click OK to close the dialog. Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report Explorer.
To create a layout for the report
To add a table with grouping to the report
1. From the toolbox, drag a Table data region onto the report design surface and go to the Properties

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 683
Window to set its Location property to 0in, 1in.
2. Click inside the table to display the column and row handles along the top and left sides of the table.
3. To visually group the data within the report, right-click the row handle to the left of the detail row and
select Insert Group.
4. In the Table - Groups dialog that appears, under Expression select =Fields!CustomerID.Value.
This groups the details from each customer.
5. Change the Name to Customer.

Note: You cannot change the name of a table group until after you have set the expression.

6. Click OK to close the dialog. The group header and footer rows are added to the table.
To add a fourth column to the table
1. Select the second column and in the Properties Window, change its Width property to 0.92in.
2. Select the third column and in the Properties Window, change its Width property to 1.04in.
3. Select the first column and in the Properties Window, change its Width property to 3.5in.

Tip: Making some columns narrower before making other columns wider prevents your report width
from changing.

4. Right-click the column handle above the third column and select Insert Column to the Right. The
inserted fourth column has the same width as the third column, which is 1.04in.
To add data to the table
1. Place your mouse over the Textbox located in the first column of the group header row of the table to
display the field selection adorner.
2. Click the adorner to display the list of available fields from the DataSet and select LastName. This
automatically places an expression in the group header row and simultaneously places a static label in the
table header row.
3. In the Properties window, set the FontSize property of this textbox to 12pt.
4. In the table header row, delete the static label Last Name.
5. To display static labels at the beginning of each new group, right-click the row handle to the left of the
group header row and select Insert Row Below.
6. In the first column of the detail row, use the field selector adorner to select the Title field.
7. In the textbox immediately above it, type Title.
8. In the table header row, delete the static label Title.
9. In the second column of the detail row, use the field selector adorner to select the Quantity field. This
automatically places an expression in the detail row and simultaneously places a static label in the header
row of the same column.
10. In the Properties window, set the TextAlign property of the Quantity field to Left.
11. Cut the static label and paste it into the inserted row immediately above the detail row.
12. In the third column of the detail row, use the field selector adorner to select the Price field.
13. In the Properties window, set the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

TextAlign Left
Format C (uses currency
formatting)

14. Cut the static label from the group header and paste it into the inserted row immediately above the detail
row.
15. Select the Total field for the fourth column of the detail row of the table.
16. In the Properties window, set the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

TextAlign Left
Format C (uses currency
formatting)

17. Cut the static label from the group header and paste it into the inserted row immediately above the detail

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 684
row.
To refine the look of the report
1. Right-click any row handle to the left of the table and select Table Header to remove the table header row
since it is not being used.
2. Select the Header row containing the labels by clicking the table handle to the left of the row.
3. In the Properties window, set the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

RepeatOnNewPage True
FontWeight Bold

4. From the Report Explorer, drag the Total field into the group footer row in the fourth column to add
subtotaling to the group. Notice that the expression automatically uses the Sum function.
5. Go to the Properties window to set the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

Format C (uses currency formatting)
FontWeight Bold

6. From the Report Explorer, drag the Total field into the table footer row in the fourth column. This adds
grand totaling to the table.
7. Go to the Properties window to set the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

Format C (uses currency formatting)
FontWeight Bold

8. Delete the static label Total from the top row.

9. Click the gray area below the design surface to give report the focus and from the Report menu, select
Page Header.
Note: Page reports do not have page header and page footer options. Go to the last step of this
section to finish your page report.

10. From the toolbox, drag the TextBox control onto the PageHeader section to span the entire width of the
report.
11. Go to the Properties Window to set the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

TextAlign Center
FontSize 14pt
Value Customer Orders

12. For an page report, in the Report Explorer select the Table data region and set its FixedSize property to
6.5in, 7in.
To view the report
Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Reports with Parameterized Queries

You can create dynamic queries to change the structure of a query at run time. This advanced walkthrough
illustrates how to create a simple dynamic query.
The walkthrough is split into the following activities:

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 685
Adding an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio project
Connecting the report to a data source
Adding a dataset
Adding controls to the report to contain data
Creating a second dataset for use by the parameter list
Adding parameters to the report
Changing the Products dataset to use a dynamic query
Adding a header to display the chosen parameter label
Viewing the report

Note:
This walkthrough uses the MovieType table from the Reels database. By default, in ActiveReports,
the Reels.mdb file is located at [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports
10\Data\Reels.mdb.
Although this walkthrough uses Page reports, you can also implement this using RDL reports.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at
runtime.

Design Time Layout

Runtime Layout

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 10 Page Report and in the Name field,
rename the file as DynamicQueries.
4. Click the Add button to open a new fixed page report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the report to a data source
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Sources node and select the Add Data Source option or select
Data Source from the Add button.

2. In the Report Data Source Dialog that appears, select the General page and in the Name field, enter a
name like ReportData.
3. On this page, create a connection to the Reels database. See Connect to a Data Source for information on
connecting to a data source.
To add a dataset
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node and select the Add Data Set option or select Data
Set from the Add button.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 686
2. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the dataset as
Products. This name appears as a child node to the data source icon in the Report Explorer.
3. On the Query page of this dialog, in the Query field enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
SELECT Movie.Title, Product.InStock, Product.StorePrice
FROM MediaType
INNER JOIN
(Movie INNER JOIN
(Product INNER JOIN MovieProduct
ON Product.ProductID = MovieProduct.ProductID)
ON Movie.MovieID = MovieProduct.MovieID)
ON MediaType.MediaID = MovieProduct.MediaType
WHERE (((MediaType.MediaID)=1))
ORDER BY Movie.Title

4. Click the Validate DataSet icon at the top right hand corner above the Query box to validate the query.

5. Click OK to close the dialog. Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report Explorer.
To create a layout for the report
1. From the toolbox, drag a Table data region onto the report design surface and set the following properties
in the Properties Window:

Property Name Property

Value
Location 0in, 0.5in
Size 5.5in, 0.75in
FixedSize (only for FixedPageLayout 6.5in, 7in
reports)

2. In the Report Explorer from the Products dataset, drag the following fields onto the detail row of the table.

Data Field Column Name

Title TableColumn1
InStock TableColumn2
StorePrice TableColumn3

Note: This automatically places an expression in the detail row and simultaneously places a static
label in the header row of the same column.

3. Select the header row, click the table handle to the left of the row and in the Properties Window, set the
following properties:

Property Name Property Value

FontWeight Bold
BackgroundColor DarkSeaGreen
RepeatOnNewPage True

4. Select the StorePrice field in the detail row and in the Properties Window, set its Format property to
Currency.
5. Click the column handle at the top of each column in turn to select it, and in the Properties Window, set the
Width property as indicated in the table.

Column Width
First 4.5in
Second 1in

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 687
Third 1in

To create a second dataset for use by the parameter list

1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node and select the Add Data Set option or select Data
Set from the Add button.
2. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the dataset as
MediaType.
3. On the Query page, paste the following SQL command into the Query text box:
SQL Query
SELECT 0 AS MediaID, "All" AS Description
FROM MediaType
UNION SELECT MediaID, Description
FROM MediaType
ORDER BY Description

4. Click the Validate icon to validate the query and to populate the Fields list.

5. Click OK to close the dialog. Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report Explorer.
To add parameters to the report
1. In the Report Explorer, select the Parameters node.
2. Right-click the node and select Add Parameter to open the Report - Parameters dialog.
3. In the dialog box that appears, select the parameter from the parameters list.
4. Set properties in the following fields below the parameters list.
In the General tab:
Name: MediaType
DataType: String
Text for prompting users for a value: Select a media type
In the Available Values tab select From query:
DataSet: MediaType
Value: MediaID
Label: Description
5. Click OK to close the dialog and add the parameter to the collection. This parameter appears under the
Parameters node in the Report Explorer.
To modify the Products dataset to use a dynamic query
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Products dataset and select Edit.
2. In the DataSet dialog that appears, select the Query page.
3. In the Query field, change the query to the following expression:
Query
="SELECT Movie.Title, Product.InStock, Product.StorePrice,
MediaType.Description FROM MediaType INNER JOIN (Movie INNER JOIN
(Product INNER JOIN MovieProduct ON Product.ProductID =
MovieProduct.ProductID) ON Movie.MovieID = MovieProduct.MovieID) ON
MediaType.MediaID = MovieProduct.MediaType" &
IIf(Parameters!MediaType.Value = 0, ""," WHERE (MediaType = " &
Parameters!MediaType.Value & ")") & " ORDER BY Movie.Title"

4. Click OK to close the dialog.

To add a header to display the chosen parameter label
1. From the toolbox, drag and drop a Textbox control onto the report design surface. In RDL reports, you can
place the Textbox control in the PageHeader.
2. Select the Textbox and set the following properties in the Properties window.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 688
Property Name Property Value
TextAlign Center
FontSize 14pt
Location 0in, 0in
Size 6.5in, 0.25in
Value =Parameters!MediaType.Label
& " Movies in Stock"

Note: Using Label instead of Value in the expression displays a more readily understandable
Description field instead of the MediaID field we used for the parameter's value.

To view the report

Go to the preview tab and select a parameter in the Parameters pane to view the report at design time.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer and select a parameter in the Parameters pane to view the report. See
Using the Viewer for further information.

Reports with Stored Procedures

You can create a report using a stored procedure as a dataset. A stored procedure is a group of SQL statements
that are used to encapsulate a set of operations or queries to execute on a database.
This walkthrough illustrates how to create a report that uses a stored procedure as a data set. The walkthrough is
split into the following activities:
Adding an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio project
Connecting the report to a data source
Adding a dataset (stored procedure) with a parameter
Creating a layout for the report
Viewing the report

Note:
This walkthrough uses a table from the Reels database. By default, in ActiveReports, the Reels.mdb
file is located in the [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data folder.
Although this walkthrough uses Page reports, but this can be implemented using RDL reports also.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at
runtime.

Design Time Layout

Runtime Layout

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 689
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Page Report and in the Name field,
rename the file as StoredProcedure.
4. Click the Add button to open a new fixed page report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the report to a data source
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Sources node and select the Add Data Source option or select
Data Source from the Add button.

2. In the Report Data Source Dialog that appears, select the General page and in the Name field, enter a
name like Reels.
3. On this page, create a connection to the Reels database. See Connect to a Data Source for information on
connecting to a data source.
To add a dataset with a parameter
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node and select the Add Data Set option or select Data
Set from the Add button.
2. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the dataset as
SalesDataForStore. This name appears as a child node to the data source icon in the Report Explorer.
3. On the Query page of this dialog, set the Command Type to Stored Procedure.
4. On the Query page of this dialog, in the Query field enter the stored procedure name (e.g.
SalesDataForStore).
5. Click the Validate icon to validate the query. You may receive an error at this point since the required
parameters have not yet been added.

6. Go to the Parameters page and add a Parameter using the Add(+) button.
7. On the same page, enter Name as StoreID and Value as 1002.
8. Select the Query page of DataSet dialog, and click the Validate icon to validate the query and load the
fields.
9. Click OK to close the dialog. Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report Explorer.
To create a layout for the report
1. From the toolbox, drag a Table data region onto the report design surface.
2. In the Table data region, place your mouse over the cells of the table details row to display the field
selection adorner.
3. With the Table selected, right-click and open the Properties Window to set the following properties:

Property Name Property Value

Location 0in, 0.5in
Size 6.5in, 0.75in
FixedSize 6.5in, 7in

4. Click the adorner to show a list of available fields from the SalesDataForStore dataset and add the following
fields to the cells of the table details row.

Cell Field
Left Cell StoreID
Middle Cell UnitsSold
Right Cell NetSales

This automatically places an expression in the detail row and simultaneously places a static label in the

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 690
header row of the same column.
5. Select the Header row by clicking the table handle to the left of the row and go to the Properties Window to
set the following properties:

Property Name Property Value

FontWeight Bold
RepeatOnNewPage True

6. Click the column handle at the top of each column in turn to select it, and in the Properties Window, set the
Width property as indicated in the table:

Column Width
First 3.5in
Second 2in
Third 1in

7. Set the TextAlign property of all the columns to Left.

8. From the toolbox, drag the Textbox onto the design surface to span the entire width of the report and go to
the Properties Window to set the following properties:

Property Name Property Value

TextAlign Center
Size 6.5in, 0.35in
Location 0in, 0.125in
FontSize 14pt
Value Net Sales by Store

Tip: In a RDL report, you can also add a Page Header to place the Textbox control.

To view the report

Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Reports with XML Data

This walkthrough explains the steps involved in connecting a page report to an XML data source and creating a
dataset. It also demonstrates the use of the List control.
The walkthrough is split up into the following activities:
Adding an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio project
Connecting the report to an XML data source
Adding a dataset
Adding controls to the report to contain data
Viewing the report

Note:
This walkthrough uses the Factbook sample database. By default, in ActiveReports, the
Factbook.rdsx file is located at [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports
9\Data\Factbook.rdsx.
Although this walkthrough uses Page reports, but this can be implemented using RDL reports also.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at
runtime.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 691

Design Time Layout

Runtime Layout

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Page Report and in the Name field,
rename the file as ExchangeRates.
4. Click the Add button to open a new page report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the report to a data source
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Sources node and select the Add Data Source option or select
Data Source from the Add button.

2. In the Report Data Source Dialog that appears, select the General page and in the Name field, enter a
name like Factbook.
3. On this page, check the Shared Reference checkbox.
4. Click the Browse button and select Factbook.rdsx, which is located in [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity
Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data. See Connect to a Data Source for information on connecting to a data
source.
To add a dataset
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node and select the Add Data Set option or select Data
Set from the Add button.
2. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the dataset as
ExchangeRates.
3. On the Query page, enter the following XML path into the Query text box to access data for every country
except "World":
//country [@name != 'World']
4. On the Fields page, enter the values in the table below to create fields for your report. Values for XML data
fields must be valid XPath expressions.

Field Type Value

Name
Name Database @name
Field
Currency Database ./ExchangeRates/Currency
Field

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 692
2004 Database ./ExchangeRates/VsUSD2004
Field
2003 Database ./ExchangeRates/VsUSD2003
Field
2002 Database ./ExchangeRates/VsUSD2002
Field
2001 Database ./ExchangeRates/VsUSD2001
Field
2000 Database ./ExchangeRates/VsUSD2000
Field

5. Click OK to close the dialog. Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report Explorer.
To add controls to the report
1. From the toolbox, drag a List data region onto the design surface of the report and go to the Properties
window to set the DataSetName property to ExchangeRates.
2. From the Report Explorer, drag the Name field onto the list, center it at the top and go to the Properties
window to set the FontSize property to 14pt.
3. From the Report Explorer, drag the following fields onto the list with properties set as described in the table
below.

Field Name Property Name

Currency Location: 1.125in, 0.5in
Size: 2.25in, 0.25in
2004 Location: 4.5in, 0.875in
Size: 1in, 0.25in
2003 Location: 4.5in, 1.25in
Size: 1in, 0.25in
2002 Location: 4.5in, 1.625in
Size: 1in, 0.25in
2001 Location: 4.5in, 2in
Size: 1in, 0.25in
2000 Location: 4.5in, 2.375in
Size: 1in, 0.25in

Note: You will notice that the expressions created for these fields are different than usual. Because
Visual Basic syntax does not allow an identifier that begins with a number, any numeric field names
must be treated as strings in expressions.

4. From the toolbox, drag a TextBox onto the list and go to the Properties window to set the properties as
described in the table below to combine static text with a field value.

Property Property Value

Name
Location 0.145in, 0.875in
Size 3in, 0.25in
Value ="Value of " & Fields!Currency.Value & "
versus US$ for year:"

5. From the toolbox, drag TextBox controls onto the list and go to the Properties window to set the properties
as described in the table below to create static labels.
TextBox1

Property Name Property Value

Location 0.125in, 0.5in
Size 0.75in, 0.25in

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 693
FontWeight Bold
Value Currency:

TextBox2

Property Name Property Value

Location 3.375in, 0.875in
Size 1in, 0.25in
TextAlign Right
Value 2004:

TextBox3

Property Name Property Value

Location 3.375in, 1.25in
Size 1in, 0.25in
TextAlign Right
Value 2003:

TextBox4

Property Name Property Value

Location 3.375in, 1.625in
Size 1in, 0.25in
TextAlign Right
Value 2002:

TextBox5

Property Name Property Value

Location 3.375in, 2in
Size 1in, 0.25in
TextAlign Right
Value 2001:

TextBox6

Property Name Property Value

Location 3.375in, 2.375in
Size 1in, 0.25in
TextAlign Right
Value 2000:

To view the report

Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Expressions in Reports
You can use expressions in the control's properties to calculate values. You can also use expressions to concatenate fields, to

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 694
concatenate strings with fields, to aggregate data, to set formatting based on field values, to show or hide other controls based on field
values and even to display a graphical representation of the data. This walkthrough illustrates the how to use expressions to achieve
different effects.
The walkthrough is split into the following activities:
Adding an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio project
Connecting the report to a data source
Adding a dataset
Adding controls to the report to contain data
Adding a field expression to a text box to multiply two field values
Adding an Immediate If expression to show or hide a control
Adding a Data Visualization expression to display data graphically
Viewing the report

Note:
This walkthrough uses the MovieProduct table from the Reels database. By default, in ActiveReports, the Reels.mdb file
is located in the [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data folder.
Although this walkthrough uses Page reports, but this can be implemented using RDL reports also.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at runtime.

Design Time Layout

Runtime Layout

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Page Report and in the Name field, rename the file as
rptExpressions.
4. Click the Add button to open a new fixed page report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the report to a data source
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Sources node and select the Add Data Source option or select Data Source from
the Add button.

2. In the Report Data Source Dialog that appears, select the General page and in the Name field, enter a name like ReportData.
3. On this page, create a connection to the Reels database. See Connect to a Data Source for information on connecting to a data
source.
To add a dataset
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node and select the Add Data Set option or select Data Set from the Add
button.
2. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the dataset as DVDStock. This name appears
as a child node to the data source icon in the Report Explorer.
3. On the Query page of this dialog, in the Query field enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
SELECT * FROM DVDStock

4. Click the Validate DataSet icon at the top right hand corner above the Query box to validate the query.

5. Click OK to close the dialog. Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report Explorer.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 695
To create a layout for the report
1. From the toolbox, drag a Table data region onto the design surface and go to the Properties Window to set the DataSetName
property to DVDStock.
2. Right-click in the column handle at the top of the third column and choose Insert Column to the Right to add a fourth column
of the same width.
3. Click inside the table to display the row and column handles along the left and top edges of the table and set the column width as
follows:

Table Column Width

TableColumn1 3.5in
TableColumn2 1in
TableColumn3 1in
TableColumn4 1in

4. In the Report Explorer from the DVDStock dataset, drag the following fields into the detail row and set their properties as follows.

Data Field Column Name

TableColumn1 Title
TableColumn2 StorePrice
TableColumn3 InStock

5. Select detail row cell containing the StorePrice values in the TableColumn2 and in the Properties Window, set the Format
property to Currency.
6. Select the header row using the row handle to the left and in the Properties Window, set the FontWeight property to Bold.
7. For an Page report, in the Report Explorer select the Table control and in the Properties window, set the FixedSize property to
6.5in, 7in.
To add a field expression to a text box to multiply two field values
1. In the detail row of the fourth column, enter the following expression: = Fields!InStock.Value* Fields!StorePrice.Value
2. Go to the Properties Window to set the Format property of the textbox to Currency formatting.
3. In the header row immediately above this Textbox, enter Stock Value for the static label.
To add an Immediate If expression to show or hide a report control
1. Select the cell in which we multiplied two field values (in the detail row of the fourth column) and in the Properties window,
expand the Visibility property.
2. In the Hidden property, enter the following immediate if expression to hide the textbox if there is no stock for the item.
=iif(Fields!InStock.Value=0, True, False)
To add a Data Visualization expression to display data graphically
The ColorScale3 visualizer function displays a range of colors to indicate minimum, average, and maximum values in the data. See the
Data Visualizers topic for further information.
Select the cell in the detail row under the In Stock label and in the Properties window, set the BackgroundColor property to the
following expression:
=ColorScale3(Fields!InStock.Value, 0, Avg(Fields!InStock.Value), Max(Fields!InStock.Value), "Red", "Yellow", "Green")

Note: The parameters of the ColorScale3 function evaluate to Value, Minimum, Average, Maximum, StartColor, MiddleColor
and EndColor. Note that aggregate functions (Avg and Max) are used within the ColorScale3 function. See Functions for details on
these and other aggregate functions.

To view the report

Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Layout
This section contains the following walkthroughs that fall under the Layout category.
BandedList Reports
This walkthrough demonstrates how to create a grouped BandedList report.
Collate Multiple Copies of a Report
This walkthrough demonstrates how to use the collation feature in a report that contains layouts on two page tabs.
Columnar Layout Reports (RDL)

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 696
This walkthrough demonstrates how to create a RDL report using columns.
Matrix Reports
This walkthrough demonstrates how to use nested grouping and subtotals in the Matrix data region to replicate a
drilldown report.
Overflow Data in a Single Page(Page Report)
This walkthrough demonstrates how to use the OverflowPlaceHolder controls at any location on the same page to
build a rich report layout.
Overflow Data in Multiple Pages(Page Report)
This walkthrough demonstrates how to create two different layouts using the OverflowPlaceHolder control.
Recursive Hierarchy Reports
This walkthrough demonstrates how to create a report using a recursive hierarchy and the Level function to show
parent-child relationships in data.
Single Layout Reports
This walkthrough demonstrates how to create a layout at design time on a single page tab and apply it to the
entire report.
Subreports in RDL Reports
This walkthrough demonstrates how to create a report using a subreport.

BandedList Reports
You can create a freeform report with groups using the BandedList control. This walkthrough illustrates how to
create a grouped BandedList report.
The walkthrough is split up into the following activities:
Adding an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio project
Connecting the report to a data source
Adding a dataset
Adding a banded list with grouping
Adding controls to the banded list
Viewing the report

Note:
This walkthrough uses the Movie table from the Reels database. By default, in ActiveReports, the
Reels.mdb file is located in the [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data
folder.
Although this walkthrough uses Page reports, but this can be implemented using RDL reports also.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at
runtime.

Design Time Layout

Runtime Layout

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 697
To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project
1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Page Report and in the Name field,
rename the file as rptBandedList.
4. Click the Add button to open a new fixed page report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the report to a data source
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Sources node and select the Add Data Source option or select
Data Source from the Add button.

2. In the Report Data Source Dialog that appears, select the General page and in the Name field, enter a
name like ReportData.
3. On this page, create a connection to the Reels database. See Connect to a Data Source for information on
connecting to a data source.
To add a dataset
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node and select the Add Data Set option.
2. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the dataset as Movies.
This name appears as a child node to the data source icon in the Report Explorer.
3. On the Query page of this dialog, change the Command Type to TableDirect and enter Movie into the
Query text box.
4. Click the Validate DataSet icon at the top right hand corner above the Query box to validate the query.

5. Click OK to close the dialog. Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report Explorer.
To add the BandedList with grouping
1. From the toolbox, drag a BandedList data region onto the design surface and go to the properties window
to set the DataSetName property to Movies.

Note: To select the banded list, click inside any band in the list and click the four-way arrow that
appears at the top left of the control.

2. Right-click inside the banded list and select Footer. This removes the footer band that we are not using in
this walkthrough.
3. Right-click inside the banded list and select Insert Group. This adds a group header between the
BandedList header and the detail section, and a group footer below the detail section, and opens the
BandedList - Groups dialog.
4. In the BandedList - Groups dialog, drop down the list of expressions in the Group on expression box and
select =Fields!YearReleased.Value to group the movies based on the year in which they were released.
5. In the same dialog, change the Name to Year.
6. In the same dialog under Layout, clear the Include group footer checkbox to remove the group footer.
7. Click the Add icon. This adds a second group header under the first, and a group footer below the detail
section.
8. In the same dialog, select the newly added group from the list of groups, drop down the list of expressions
in the Group on expression box and select =Fields!MPAA.Value to group the movies based on the rating
(for example, G, PG, etc).
9. In the same dialog, change the Name to MPAA.
10. In the same dialog under Layout, clear the Include group footer checkbox to remove the group footer.
11. Click OK to close the dialog.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 698
To add controls to the BandedList
1. From the toolbox, drag a TextBox control onto the top-most band (BandedList1_Header) and in
the Properties window, set the following properties:

Property Name Property Value

BackgroundColor Gray
Color White
FontSize 14pt
FontWeight Bold
Location 0in, 0in
Size 6.5in, 0.25in
TextAlign Center
Value Movie Details

2. Click the BandedList1_Header band adorner (the grey bar along the top of the band) to select the
banded list header.
3. In the Properties window, set the following properties for the banded list header:

Property Name Property

Value
RepeatOnNewPage True
Height 0.25in

4. From the Report Explorer drag the YearReleased field onto the first grouping band (Year_Header) of the
banded list.
5. With this field selected, go to the Properties window to set the following properties:

Property Name Property Value

BackgroundColor DarkGray
FontWeight Bold
Location 0in, 0in
Size 6.5in, 0.25in
TextAlign Left
Value =First(Fields!YearReleased.Value)

6. Click the Year_Header band adorner (the grey bar along the top of the band) to select it and go to the
properties window to set the Height property of the header band to 0.25in.
7. From the Report Explorer, drag the MPAA field into the second grouping band (MPAA_Header) of the
banded list.
8. Go to the Properties window to set the following properties:

Property Name Property Value

BackgroundColor Silver
BorderColor Gray
BorderStyle Solid
FontWeight Bold
Location 0in, 0in
Size 6.5in, 0.25in

Note: The Value property is automatically set to an expression using the First aggregate. This
displays the movie rating for each group.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 699
9. Click the MPAA_Header band adorner (the grey bar along the top of the band) to select it and go to the
properties window to set the Height property of the header band to 0.25in.
10. Click inside the detail band to select it and in the properties window, set its Height property to 1.2in.
11. From the Report Explorer, drag the following six fields onto the detail band and in the properties window,
set their properties as indicated.

Data Field Property Name

Title Location: 0in, 0.25in
Size: 3.75in, 0.25in
Country Location: 1.25in, 0.5in
Size: 1in, 0.25in
Language Location: 1.25in, 0.75in
Size: 1in, 0.25in
Length Location: 5.375in, 0in
Size: 1in, 0.25in
TextAlign = Left
UserRating Location: 5.375in, 0.5in
Size: 1in, 0.25in
TextAlign = Left
IsColor Location: 5.375in, 0.75in
Size: 1in, 0.25in

Note: When you drag and drop fields from a dataset in the Report Explorer onto the design
surface, these fields are automatically converted to Textbox controls that you can modify by setting
the control properties in the Properties Window.

12. Once you've arranged the fields, select the IsColor field and in the properties window, change the Value
property to the following expression so that instead of "True" or "False," it will read "Color" or "Black and
White."
=Iif(Fields!IsColor.Value=True, "Color", "Black and White")
13. From the toolbox, drag six TextBox controls onto the detail band and in the properties window, set their
properties as indicated.
TextBox1

Property Name Property Value

Value Movie Title:
Location 0in, 0in
Size 1in, 0.25in
FontWeight Bold

TextBox2

Property Name Property Value

Value Country of origin:
Location 0in, 0.5in
Size 1.25in, 0.25in
FontWeight Bold

TextBox3

Property Name Property Value

Value Language:
Location 0in, 0.75in
Size 1in, 0.25in
FontWeight Bold

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 700
TextBox4

Property Name Property Value

Value Length:
Location 4.25in, 0in
Size 1in, 0.25in
FontWeight Bold
TextAlign Right

TextBox5

Property Name Property Value

Value User Rating:
Location 4.25in, 0.5in
Size 1in, 0.25in
FontWeight Bold
TextAlign Right

TextBox6

Property Name Property Value

Value Format:
Location 4.25in, 0.75in
Size 1in, 0.25in
FontWeight Bold
TextAlign Right

14. From the toolbox, drag a Line control onto the detail band and in the Properties window, set the properties.

Property Name Property Value

LineColor Gray
LineWidth 3pt
Location 0in, 1.12in
EndPoint 6.5in, 1.12in

15. For a Page report, in the Report Explorer select the BandedList control and in the Properties window, set
its FixedSize property to 6.5in, 7in.
To view the report
Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Collate Multiple Copies of a Report

In a Page Report you can create reports with multiple themes, where you can control the page order of a rendered report by selecting
the collation mode. This walkthrough uses a report that contains layouts on two page tabs in order to illustrate the collation feature.
This walkthrough is split into the following activities:
Creating report layout on multiple pages
Adding themes
Applying themes

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 701
Setting up collation
Viewing the report

Note:
This walkthrough uses the CustomerOrders table from the Reels database. By default, in ActiveReports, the
Reels.mdb file is located at [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\Reels.mdb.
Although this walkthrough uses Page reports, but this can be implemented using RDL reports also.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a report that looks similar to the following. These images show the result of the Value
collation mode.

Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

To create a report layout on multiple pages

In a Page Report, you can apply more than one layout to a single report by using page tabs. See the walkthrough Overflow Data in
Multiple Pages, to learn how to create a report that consists of a first page with a different layout from all subsequent pages.

Note: The information provided henceforth is an extension of the Overflow Data in Multiple Pages walkthrough, so we
recommend that you go through this topic before moving to the next procedure.

To add themes to the report

1. In the Designer, click the gray area around the report page to select a report.
2. In the Properties window, select the Themes property and click the ellipsis (…) button to open the Report - Themes dialog.
3. In the Report - Themes dialog that opens, click the New icon above the list of themes.
4. In the Theme Editor that opens, define the colors and constant expressions for your new theme under the corresponding tabs
as follows:
Theme 1

Property Name Property Description

Value
Text/Background - Default To set the background color for the
Light1 (Colors tab) (white) theme.
Name (Constants Constant1 To define a name for the constant
tab) expression to be used within in a
theme.
Value (Constants Theme1 To associate a value to be used as a
tab) constant in the expression.
Description Default To describe a constant expression.
(Constants tab) Theme

5. In the Theme Editor, click OK and in the Save As dialog that opens, choose a directory on your local machine and enter the
name, Default Theme for your new theme.
6. Click Save to save the theme at the desired location.
7. Repeat steps 3-6 above to add another theme to the report. Define the colors and constant expressions of the theme under the
corresponding tabs as follows:
Theme 2

Property Name Property Description

Value
Text/Background - Yellow To set the background color for the
Light1 (Colors tab) theme.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 702
Name (Constants Constant1 To define a name for the constant
tab) expression to be used within in a
theme.
Value (Constants Theme2 To associate a value to be used as a
tab) constant in the expression.
Description Yellow To describe a constant expression.
(Constants tab) Theme

To apply themes to the report

In order to apply themes to a report, you need to set the theme as a value of a property. In this walkthrough we set the theme in the
BackgroundColor property.
1. In the Report Explorer, select the Page 1 node to open the layout for the first page of the report.
2. In the Properties window, go to the BackgroundColor property and click the arrow to display the drop-down list of values.
3. In the list that appears, go to the Theme button and select Light1.

4. In the Report Explorer, select Page 2 node to open the layout for the second page of the report.
5. In the Properties window, go to the BackgroundColor property and click the arrow to display the drop-down list of values.
6. In the list that appears, go to the Theme button and select Light1.
7. From the Visual Studio toolbox, ActiveReports 9 Page Report tab, drag the Textbox control and drop it onto the Page 1
design surface.
8. With this TextBox control selected, set the following properties in the properties window. This is to display a constant value
associated with the Theme.

Property Property Value

Name
Location 4.4in, 0in
Size 2.1in, 0.25in
Value = Theme.Constants("Constant1")

Note: To set this value, enter it in the Value field of

the Properties window. You may also use the
Expression Editor option that appears when you click
the ellipses (...) button adjacent to the Value
property.

9. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag the Textbox control and drop it onto the Page 2 design surface. Set the properties
specified in step 8 above in the properties window.
Your layout now contains two themes and a constant expression displaying the theme you are using on the top left corner of the page.
To set up collation
Collation is set to determine the order in which the report pages are rendered when you have multiple themes in the report. In order
to define the order, you need to set the CollateBy ('CollateBy Property' in the on-line documentation) property.
1. In the Designer, click the gray area around the report page to select the report.
2. In the Properties Window, go to the CollateBy property and select the Simple mode. The report will be rendered in the
following way - the report renders all pages with theme 1, then all pages with theme 2.

3. In the Properties Window, go to the CollateBy property and select the ValueIndex mode. The report will be rendered by page
number. For example, if you have a report with 2 themes, the report renders page 1 for theme 1 and 2, then page 2 for theme
1 and 2, and so on.

4. In the Properties Window, go to the CollateBy property and select the Value mode. The report will be rendered by the grouping
expression that you specify in the FixedPage dialog. For example, if you have a report comprising of 2 themes with grouping,

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 703
the report renders group1 (pages 1 and 2 of theme1, then pages 1 and 2 of theme2), then group 2 (pages 1 and 2 of theme1,
then pages 1 and 2 of theme2), and so on.

To view the report

Click the preview tab to view the report.
OR
See Using the Viewer to display report in the Viewer at runtime.

Columnar Layout Reports (RDL)

In RDL report, you can create a columnar report layout by using the Columns property of the report. This
walkthrough illustrates how to create a RDL report using columns, and is split up into the following activities:
Adding an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio project
Connecting to a the data source
Adding a dataset
Creating a column report layout
Viewing the report

Note: This walkthrough uses the CustomerMailingList table from the Reels database. By default, in
ActiveReports, the Reels.mdb file is located in the [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports
9\Data folder.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at
runtime.

Design Time Layout

Runtime Layout

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 RDL Report and in the Name field,
rename the file as rptRDLColumnLayout.
4. Click the Add button to open a new RDL report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the report to a data source
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Sources node and select the Add Data Source option or select
Data Source from the Add button.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 704

2. In the Report Data Source Dialog that appears, select the General page and in the Name field, enter a
name like ReportData.
3. On this page, create a connection to the Reels database. See Connect to a Data Source for information on
connecting to a data source.
To add a dataset
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node and select the Add Data Set option or select Data
Set from the Add button.
2. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the dataset as
CustomerList. This name appears as a child node to the data source icon in the Report Explorer.
3. On the Query page of this dialog, in the Query field enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
SELECT TOP 100 * FROM CustomerMailingList
UNION
SELECT TOP 100 * FROM CustomerMailingList WHERE Country = "USA"
ORDER BY 8 DESC

4. Click the Validate DataSet icon at the top right hand corner above the Query box to validate the query.

5. Click OK to close the dialog. Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report Explorer.
To create a column layout for the report
1. In the Report Explorer, select Body and set the following properties in the properties window.

Property Name Property Value

Columns 2
ColumnSpacing 0.25in
Size 2.625in, 1in

2. In the Visual Studio toolbox, go to the ActiveReports 9 Page Report tab and drag the List data region
onto the design surface.
3. In the Properties Window, set the following properties for the List.

Property Name Property Value

DataSetName CustomerList
Size 2.5in, 1in

4. In the Visual Studio toolbox, go to the ActiveReports 9 Page Report tab and drag three TextBox controls
onto the List data region added above.
5. In the Properties Window, set the following properties for TextBox1.

Property Name Property Value

Location 0in, 0in
Size 2.5in, 0.25in
DataElementName FirstName
Name FirstName
Value =Fields!FirstName.Value & IIF(
Fields!MiddleInitial.Value Is Nothing, "", "

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 705
" & Fields!MiddleInitial.Value ) & " " &
Fields!LastName.Value
CanGrow False

6. In the Properties Window, set the following properties for TextBox2.

Property Name Property Value

Location 0in, 0.25in
Size 2.5in, 0.25in
DataElementName CustomerAddress1
Name CustomerAddress1
Value =Fields!Address1.Value & IIF(
Fields!Address2.Value is Nothing, "",
vbCrLf & Fields!Address2.Value )
CanGrow False
CanShrink True

7. In the Properties window, set the following properties for TextBox3.

Property Name Property Value

Location 0in, 0.50in
Size 2.5in, 0.25in
DataElementName CustomerCity
Name CustomerCity
Value =Fields!City.Value & ", " &
Fields!Region.Value & " " &
Fields!PostalCode.Value & " " & IIf(
Fields!Country.Value = "USA", "",
Fields!Country.Value )
CanGrow False

To view the report

Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.
If you want to create a similar layout in Page report, see Overflow Data in a Single Page (on-line
documentation).

Matrix Reports
Use nested grouping and subtotals in the Matrix data region, to replicate a drilldown report. This walkthrough
illustrates a step by step overview of a Matrix report through a simple example.
The walkthrough is split into the following activities:
Adding an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio project
Connecting the report to a data source
Adding a dataset with calculated fields
Creating a layout for the report
Adding nested grouping and drill-down to the matrix
Adding subtotals to the matrix
Enhancing the appearance of the report
Viewing the report

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 706
Note:
This walkthrough uses the Sale table from the Reels database. By default, in ActiveReports, the
Reels.mdb file is located in the [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data
folder.
Although this walkthrough uses Page reports, but this can be implemented using RDL reports also.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout looks similar to the following at design time and at runtime.

Design Time Layout

Runtime Layout

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Page Report and in the Name field,
rename the file as rptMatrix.
4. Click the Add button to open a new fixed page report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the report to a data source
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Sources node and select the Add Data Source option or select
Data Source from the Add button.

2. In the Report Data Source Dialog that appears, select the General page and in the Name field, enter a
name like ReportData.
3. On this page, create a connection to the Reels database. See Connect to a Data Source for information on
connecting to a data source.
To add a dataset
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node and select the Add Data Set option or select Data
Set from the Add button.
2. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the dataset as Sale.
This name appears as a child node to the data source icon in the Report Explorer.
3. On the Query page of this dialog, in the Query field enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
SELECT Store, SaleDate, SalesAmount FROM Sale ORDER BY Store, SaleDate

4. Click the Validate DataSet icon at the top right hand corner above the Query box to validate the query.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 707
5. On the Fields page of this dialog, enter three new calculated fields with the values in the following table.

Field Name Value

Month =Fields!SaleDate.Value.Month
Quarter =Choose(1 + ((Fields!Month.Value - 1)\3), "Q1",
"Q2", "Q3", "Q4")
Year =Fields!SaleDate.Value.Year

6. Click OK to close the dialog. Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report Explorer.
To create a layout for the report
1. Click the gray area below the design surface to select the report, go to the Properties Window, expand the
PageSize property and set the Width to 10in and Height 11in.
2. From the toolbox, drag a Matrix data region onto the body of the report in the top left corner. The matrix
initially has four textbox cells.

Property Name Property Value

Location 0in, 0.5in
Size 3in, 1in
FixedSize (only 8in, 7in
for FixedPageLayout
reports)

3. In the Report Explorer from the Sale dataset, drag the Store field into the bottom left cell in the matrix.
This is the row header, and dragging a field into it automatically adds a Row Group which groups data by
store in rows down the page at run time.
4. Go to the Properties Window to set the Value property to ="Store #" & Fields!Store.Value. This
concatenates a string with the field value and makes the Store value more user-friendly at run time.
5. In the Report Explorer from the Sale dataset, drag the Year field into the top right cell in the matrix. This
is the column header, and automatically groups data in columns to the right at runtime.
6. With the Year cell selected, go to the Properties window to set the TextAlign property to Center.
7. In the Report Explorer from the Sale dataset, drag the SalesAmount field into the bottom right cell in the
matrix. This is the detail data cell, and displays aggregated data for the intersection of each column and
row at run time.
8. With the SalesAmount cell selected, in the Properties window set the Format property to Currency and the
Value property to =Sum(Fields!SalesAmount.Value).
To add nested grouping and drilldown features to the matrix
1. In the Report Explorer from the Sale dataset, drag the Quarter field to the top right Year cell and move
the cursor down slightly so that the bar appears at the bottom edge of the cell before dropping it.

This adds a cell below the Year cell and automatically adds a Quarter grouping to the Column Groups for
the matrix.
2. With the new Quarter cell selected, go to the Properties window to set the TextAlign property to Center.
3. Select the Matrix data region and under the Properties Window select Property dialog command to open
the Matrix dialog. See Properties Window for details on commands.
4. On the Column Groups page, select the Matrix1_Quarter group and go to the Visibility tab.
5. Under Visibility, change the Initial visibility to Hidden and select the check box next to Visibility can be
toggled by another report control.
Tip: In order to provide drill-down functionality, we must set visibility on the group we want to hide.

6. In the drop down enabled below, enter TextBox3 (Textbox containing Year values in the Matrix) and click
OK to close the dialog.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 708
This enables users to click the plus sign next to the Year to view the quarterly details at runtime.
7. In the Report Explorer from the Sale dataset, drag the Month field to the Quarter cell and move the cursor
down slightly so that the bar appears at the bottom edge of the cell before dropping it.

This adds a cell below the Year cell and automatically adds a Month grouping to the Column Groups for the
matrix.
8. Select the Matrix data region and under the Properties Window select Property dialog command to open
the Matrix dialog.
9. On the Column Groups page, select the Matrix1_Month group and go to the Visibility tab.
10. Under Visibility, change the Initial visibility to Hidden and select the check box next to Visibility can
be toggled by another report control.
11. In the drop down enabled below, enter TextBox5 (Textbox containing Quarter values in the Matrix) and
click OK to close the dialog.
This enables users to click the plus sign next to the quarter to view the monthly details at runtime.
12. Click OK to close the dialog.
To add subtotals to the matrix
Without subtotals, viewing the report at run time shows data for each year, or if expanded, for each quarter or
month. Adding subtotals displays totals for each group in a new column to the right of the group.
1. Right-click the Year cell and select Subtotal. A new column appears to the right with the text Total and a
green mark at the top right corner (Clicking the green mark displays the MatrixSubtotal properties in the
Properties Window).
2. Select the new Total cell and go the Properties Window to set the following properties:

Property Name Property Value

TextAlign Center
Value Grand Total

3. Right-click the Quarter cell and select Subtotal.

4. Select the new Total cell and go to the Properties Window to set the following properties:

Property Name Property Value

TextAlign Center
Value =Fields!Year.Value & " Total"

5. Right-click the Month cell and select Subtotal.

6. Select the new Total cell and go to the Properties Window to set the following properties:

Property Name Property Value

TextAlign Center
Value =Fields!Quarter.Value & "
Total"

To enhance the appearance of the report

If you preview the report at this point, you notice that although all of the data displays correctly, it is difficult to
identify data when you start drilling down into it. This can be improved with background colors and borders.
1. In the matrix data region of your report, select the textbox that contains the month field and go to the
Properties Window to set the following properties:

Property Name Property Value

Format MMMM

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 709
Value =Fields!SaleDate.Value

Note: Changing the textbox value does not affect the grouping value, so the data is still grouped by
month.

2. Holding down the Shift key, select the two textboxes in the top row containing the Year and Grand Total
cells and make the following changes in the Properties window:

Property Name Property Value

BackgroundColor Gainsboro
BorderStyle Solid

3. Holding down the Shift key, select the two textboxes in the second row containing the expressions
=Fields!Quarter.Value and =Fields!Year.Value & " Total" and make the following changes in the Properties
Window:

Property Name Property Value

BackgroundColor LightSteelBlue
BorderStyle Solid

4. Holding down the Shift key, select the two textboxes in the third row containing the month and quarterly
total cells and make the following changes in the Properties Window:

Property Name Property Value

BackgroundColor AliceBlue
BorderStyle Solid

5. Holding down the Shift key, select the two textboxes in the fourth row containing the store number and
detail cells and make the following change in the Properties Window:

Property Name Property Value

BorderStyle Solid

6. From the toolbox, drag a Textbox control onto the design surface to span the entire width of the report.
Tip: In a RDL report, you can place the Textbox in the PageHeader.

7. Go to the Properties window to set the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

Location 0in, 0.25in
Size 6.5in, 0.25in
TextAlign Center
FontSize 14pt
Value Sales by Store

To view the report

Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Overflow Data in a Single Page(Page Report)

In a Page Report, ActiveReports allows you to arrange the OverflowPlaceHolder controls at any location on the
same page along with the host data region to build a rich report layout. The following walkthrough demonstrates
this by using a Table data region and three OverflowPlaceHolder controls on a single page to create a columnar
display.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 710
This walkthrough is split into the following activities:
Adding an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio project
Connecting to a data source
Adding a dataset
Creating a columnar layout
Viewing the report

Note: This topic uses the Movie table in the Reels database. By default, in ActiveReports, the Reels.mdb file
is located at [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\Reels.mdb.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at
runtime.

Design Time Layout

Notice that the runtime report layout below is similar to the one you see at design time except for the data which
you see at runtime or when you preview the report.

Runtime Layout

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Page Report and in the Name field,
rename the file as rptColumnarLayout.
4. Click the Add button to open a new fixed page report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the report to a data source
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Sources node and select the Add Data Source option or select
Data Source from the Add button.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 711

2. In the Report Data Source Dialogthat appears, select the General page and in the Name field, enter a
name like ColumnData.
3. On this page, create a connection to the Reels database. See Connect to a Data Source for information on
connecting to a data source.
To add a dataset
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node and select the Add Data Set option or select Data
Set from the Add button.
2. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the dataset as
MovieList. This name appears as a child node to the data source icon in the Report Explorer.
3. On the Query page of this dialog, in the Query field enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
SELECT * FROM Movie

4. Click the Validate DataSet icon at the top right hand corner above the Query box to validate the query.

5. Click OK to close the dialog. Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report Explorer.
To create a layout for the report
1. In the Visual Studio toolbox, go to ActiveReports 9 Page Report tab and drag a TextBox control onto the
design surface.
2. Select the TextBox control and go to the properties window to set the following properties. This TextBox
functions as the title in the report layout.

Property Name Property Value

Location 0in, 0in
BackgroundColor DarkCyan
Font Normal, Arial, 20pt, Bold
Size 6.5in, 0.5in
TextAlign Center
Value Movie Database
VerticalAlign Middle

3. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a Table data region onto the design surface and set its
following properties in the properties window.

Property Name Property Value

Location 0.125in, 1in
BackgroundColor Azure
RepeatHeaderOnNewPage True
Size 3in, 0.66in
FixedSize 3in, 3.5in
OverflowName OverflowPlaceHolder1
Note: Set this
property after you
add the

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 712
OverflowPlaceHolder1
to the design surface
in the next step, to
handle the data that
exceeds the fixed size
of the Table data
region.

4. In the Table data region, right click the footer row and select Table Footer from the context menu to
delete the unnecessary footer row.
5. In the table details row, add the following fields using the field selection adorner:

Cell Field Name

Left Title
Center YearReleased
Right UserRating

6. In the table details row, select the left cell containing the Title field and go to the Properties window to set
the ShrinkToFit property to True. This will avoid clipping of longer movie titles and fit the string in the
same cell in a smaller font size.
7. In the design view, select the following rows of the Table data region by clicking the table handle to the left
of the row and go to the Properties window to set the following properties:

Row Property Name

TableHeader BackgroundColor: PaleTurquoise
BorderStyle: Solid
FontSize: 10pt
FontWeight: Bold
TextAlign: Left
TableDetail BorderStyle: Solid
TextAlign: Left
FontSize: 9pt

8. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop three OverflowPlaceHolder controls onto the design surface
and the set the following properties in the Properties window for each of them so that the data appears in a
columnar format.

Control Name Property

OverflowPlaceHolder1 Location: 3.375in, 1in
OverflowName:
OverflowPalceHolder2
Note: Set this property
after you add the
OverflowPlaceHolder2 to
the design surface.

OverflowPlaceHolder2 Location: 0.125in, 5in

OverflowName:
OverflowPlaceHolder3
Note: Set this property
after you add the
OverflowPlaceHolder3 to
the design surface.

OverflowPlaceHolder3 Location: 3.375in, 5in

Note: Notice that the OverflowName property is set to link each OverflowPlaceHolder control to the
next one.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 713
To view the Report
Click the preview tab to view the report.
OR
See Using the Viewer to display report in the Viewer at runtime.

Overflow Data in Multiple Pages(Page Report)

In a Page Report you can create different layouts in a single report by designing your report on more than one
page tab. This walkthrough describes the steps to create two different layouts and how data flows from the first
layout to the next using the OverflowPlaceHolder control.
This walkthrough is split into the following activities:
Adding an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio project
Connecting to a the data source
Adding a dataset
Creating a layout for the first page
Creating a layout for subsequent pages
Viewing the Report

Note: This walkthrough uses the CustomerOrders table from the Reels database. By default, in
ActiveReports, the Reels.mdb file is located at [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports
9\Data\Reels.mdb.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at run
time.

Design Time Layout

Page 1 Page 2

Notice that the runtime report layout below is similar to the one you see at design time except for the data which
is added to the report at runtime or when you preview it.

Runtime Layout

Page 1 Page 2

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 714

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Page Report and in the Name field,
rename the file as rptMultipleLayout.
4. Click the Add button to open a new fixed page report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the report to a data source
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Sources node and select the Add Data Source option or select
Data Source from the Add button.

2. In the Report Data Source Dialog that appears, select the General page and in the Name field, enter a
name like CustomerData.
3. On this page, create a connection to the Reels database. See Connect to a Data Source for information on
connecting to a data source.
To add a dataset
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node and select the Add Data Set option or select Data
Set from the Add button.
2. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the dataset as
OrdersList. This name appears as a child node to the data source icon in the Report Explorer.
3. On the Query page of this dialog, in the Query field enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
Select * from customerorders

4. Click the Validate DataSet icon at the top right hand corner above the Query box to validate the query.

5. Click OK to close the dialog. Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report Explorer.
To create a layout for the first page
1. Click the design surface to select the page, go to the properties window and set the FixedLayout -
Grouping property to =Fields!SalesID.Value. See Grouping in a FixedPage to understand grouping
further.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 715
2. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Embedded Images node to select Add Embedded Image.
OR
Alternatively, you can also select the Embedded Images option by clicking the Add (+) icon at the top on
the Report Explorer.
This opens the Open dialog where you can select an image to embed in the report.
3. Drag and drop the embedded image, which now appears as a node in the Report Explorer, onto the Page 1
design surface and in the properties window set its Location property to 0in, 0in.
4. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag the following controls from the ActiveReports 9 Page Report tab,
drop it onto the Page 1 design surface and set the following properties in the properties window.
Controls

Control Properties
Textbox Color: DarkSlateBlue
Font: Normal, Arial, 11pt, Bold
Location: 0in, 1in
Size: 2in, 0.25in
TextAlign: Center
Value: 5473 Sidelong Street
Textbox Color: DarkSlateBlue
Font: Normal, Arial, 11pt, Bold
Location: 0in, 1.25in
Size: 2in, 0.25in
TextAlign: Center
Value: Siler City, NC. 27344
Textbox Font: Normal, Arial, 10pt, SemiBold
Location: 0in, 2in
Size: 1in, 0.25in
TextAlign: Right
Value: Sales Date :
Textbox Font: Normal, Arial, 10pt, SemiBold
Location: 0in, 2.25in
Size: 1in, 0.25in
TextAlign: Right
Value: Sales ID :
Textbox Font: Normal, Arial, 10pt, SemiBold
Location: 3in, 2in
Size: 1.5in, 0.25in
TextAlign: Right
Value: Customer Name :
Textbox Font: Normal, Arial, 10pt, SemiBold
Location: 3in, 2.25in
Size: 1.5in, 0.25in
TextAlign: Right
Value: Address :
Textbox Font: Normal, Arial, 10pt, SemiBold
Location: 3in, 2.50in
Size: 1.5in, 0.25in
TextAlign: Right
Value: City :
Textbox Font: Normal, Arial, 10pt, SemiBold
Location: 3in, 2.75in
Size: 1.5in, 0.25in
TextAlign: Right
Value: Country :
Textbox Font: Normal, Arial, 10pt, SemiBold
Location: 0in, 4in
Size: 1.5in, 0.25in
TextAlign: Right
Value: Account Number:

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 716
Table BorderStyle: Solid
FixedSize: 6.5in, 2in
Location: 0in, 5in
OverflowName: OverflowPlaceHolder1

Note: Set this property after you add the

OverflowPlaceHolder1 control to the design
surface to handle the data that exceeds the
fixed size of the Table data region.

RepeatHeaderOnNewPage: True
Size: 6.5in, 0.75in

5. From the Report Explorer drag and drop the following fields onto the Page 1 design surface and set the
following properties in the properties window.
Fields

Field Properties
SaleDate Format: D
Location: 1in, 2in
Size: 2in, 0.25in
TextAlign: Left
SalesID Location: 1in, 2.25in
Size: 2in, 0.25in
TextAlign: Left
FirstName Location: 4.5in, 2in
Size: 2in, 0.25in
TextAlign: Left
Address1 Location: 4.5in, 2.25in
Size: 2in, 0.25in
TextAlign: Left
City Location: 4.5in, 2.5in
Size: 2in, 0.25in
TextAlign: Left
Country Location: 4.5in, 2.75in
Size: 2in, 0.25in
TextAlign: Left
AccountNumber Location: 1.5in, 4in
Size: 2in, 0.25in
TextAlign: Left

6. Hover your mouse over the columns of the Table Details row to access the field selection adorner and set
the following fields in the table cells along with their properties.

Cell Field Properties

Left Cell Title BorderStyle: Solid
TextAlign: Center
Middle Cell Quantity BorderStyle: Solid
TextAlign: Center
Right Cell Price BorderStyle: Solid
Format: c
TextAlign: Center

This automatically places an expression in the details row and simultaneously places a static label in the
header row of the same column.
7. Select the Table Header row and set the following properties in the properties window.

Property Name Value

BackgroundColor Silver

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 717
Font Normal, Arial, 11pt, Bold
RepeatOnNewPage True
TextAlign Center

8. Set the properties of the following cells on the Table Footer row through the properties window.

Cell Properties
Middle Cell Font: Normal, Arial, 10pt, Bold
TextAlign: Right
Value: Total:
Right Cell Font: Normal, Arial, 10pt, Bold
Format: c
TextAlign: Center
Value: =Sum(Fields!Price.Value)

9. In the Report Explorer, expand the Common Values node and drag and drop the Page N of M (Section)
field onto the Page 1 design surface and set its Location property to 0in, 8in in the properties window.
To create a layout for subsequent Pages
1. Click the New tab to add a new page to the report layout. This page is named Page 2 by default.
2. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag the following controls from the ActiveReports 9 Page Report tab,
drop it onto the Page 2 design surface and set the properties in the properties window.
Controls

Control Properties
Textbox Font: Normal, Arial, 12pt, Bold
Location: 0in, 1in
Size: 2.625in, 0.25in
TextAlign: Right
Value: Account Details:
Textbox Font: Normal, Arial, 12pt, Bold
Location: 2.625in, 1in
Size: 3.25in, 0.25in
Value:
=Fields!FirstName.Value + ", " + Fields!AccountNumber.Value
OverflowPlaceHolder Location: 0in, 2in
Textbox Location: 1.75in, 5in
Size: 3in, 0.25in
TextAlign: Center
Value: Thank You For Your Business!

3. In the Report Explorer, expand the Common Values node and drag and drop the Page N of M (Section)
field onto the Page 2 design surface and set its Location property to 0in, 8in in the properties window.
To view the report
Click the preview tab to view the report.
OR
See Using the Viewer to display report in the Viewer at runtime.

Recursive Hierarchy Reports

You can create a report using a recursive hierarchy and the Level function to show parent-child relationships in
data. This walkthrough illustrates how to create a recursive hierarchy report.
The walkthrough is split into the following activities:
Adding an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio project
Connecting the report to a data source
Creating a dataset to populate the parameter values

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 718
Adding a report parameter
Adding a dataset for the report
Adding controls to the report to contain data
Setting up a recursive hierarchy
Using the Level function to display the hierarchy
Viewing the report

Note:
This walkthrough uses the Store table from the Reels database. By default, in ActiveReports, the
Reels.mdb file is located in the [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports
9\Samples\Data folder.
Although this walkthrough uses Page reports, but this can be implemented using RDL reports also.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at
runtime.

Design Time Layout

Runtime Layout

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Page Report and in the Name field,
rename the file as rptRecursiveHierarchy.
4. Click the Add button to open a new fixed page report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the report to a data source
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Sources node and select the Add Data Source option or select
Data Source from the Add button.

2. In the Report Data Source Dialog that appears, select the General page and in the Name field, enter a
name like ReportData.
3. On this page, create a connection to the Reels database. See Connect to a Data Source for information on
connecting to a data source.
To create a dataset to populate the parameter values
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node and select the Add Data Set option or select Data
Set from the Add button.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 719
2. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the dataset as Stores.
This name appears as a child node to the data source icon in the Report Explorer.
3. On the Query page of this dialog, in the Query field enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
SELECT StoreID FROM Store

4. Click the Validate DataSet icon at the top right hand corner above the Query box to validate the query.

5. Click OK to close the dialog. Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report Explorer.
To add a report parameter
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node and select the Parameters node or select
Parameter from the Add button.
2. In the Report - Parameters dialog that appears, set the following values:
In the General tab
Name: StoreID
DataType: Integer
Text for prompting users for a value: Select a store number
In the Available Values tab select From query
Dataset: Stores
Value: StoreID
Label: StoreID
3. Click OK to close the dialog and add the parameter under the Parameters node of the Report Explorer.
To add a dataset for the report
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node and select the Add Data Set option.
2. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the dataset as
Employees. This name appears as a child node to the data source icon in the Report Explorer.
3. On the Parameters page, add a parameter with the following properties.
Parameter Name: @StoreID
Value: =Parameters!StoreID.Value
4. On the Query page of this dialog, change the Command Type to StoredProcedure and enter the following
stored procedure into the Query text box (the question mark denotes the parameter)
StoredProcedure Query
EmployeesForStore ?

EmployeesForStore ?
5. Click the Validate icon to validate the query and to populate the Fields list.
6. Click OK to close the dialog. Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report Explorer.
To create a layout for the report
1. From the toolbox, drag a Table control onto the body of the report and go to the Properties window to set
the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

Location 0in, 0in
DataSetName Employees
FixedSize (only for Page reports) 6.5in, 9in

2. Click inside the table to display the row and column handles along the left and top edges of the table.
3. Select the columns by clicking the grey column header above the column and change the Width property
in the order as follows.

Column Property Name

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 720
Second Column Width: 1.5in
Third Column Width: 1.05in
First Column Width: 2.2in

4. Right-click the grey column header above the third column and select Insert Column to the Right.
5. Select the fourth column and change its Width property to 1.75in.

Tip: Making some columns narrower before adding columns or making other columns wider prevents
your report width from changing.

6. In the Report Explorer from the Employees dataset, drag the following fields onto the detail row of the
table.

Data Field Column Name

Title TableColumn1
LastName TableColumn2
Supervisor TableColumn3
Department TableColumn4

7. Select the LastName field in the second column of the detail row and in the Properties window, set the
Value property to =Fields!LastName.Value & " " & Fields!EmployeeID.Value. This will display the
Employee ID number along with each employee's last name.
8. Select the static label in the second column of the detail row of the table and in the properties window, set
its Value property to Last Name and ID.
9. Select the Supervisor field in the third column of the detail row and in the Properties window, set its
TextAlign property to Center.
10. Select the static label in the third column of the detail row and in the Properties window, set its Value
property to Supervisor ID.
11. Select the header row by clicking the table handle to the left of the row and in the Properties window, set
the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

TextAlign Center
FontWeight Bold
BackgroundColor DarkSlateBlue
Color White

12. Select the detail row and in the Properties window, set the BorderStyle property to Solid.
13. Right-click the table handle to the left of the header row and select Insert Row Above.
14. While holding down the SHIFT key, click each of the cells in the newly added top row.
15. Right-click inside the selected cells and select Merge Cells to create a cell that spans the table.
16. Go to the Properties window to set the following properties.

Property Property Value

Name
TextAlign Center
FontSize 14pt
Value ="Store Number " &
Parameters!StoreID.Value

17. Right-click the table handle to the left of the row and select Table Footer to remove the footer row from
the table.
18. Select the detail row and in the Properties window, set the BorderStyle property to Solid.

Note: In case you are setting a recursive hierarchy on a Page report, set the DataSetName property in the
FixedPage Dialog to Employees.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 721
To set up a recursive hierarchy
1. Right-click the table handle to the left of the Detail row and select Edit Group to open the Table-Detail
Grouping dialog.
2. Under Group on: Expression, select =Fields!EmployeeID.Value.
3. Under Parent group:, select =Fields!Supervisor.Value.
4. Click OK to close the dialog.
To use the Level function to display the hierarchy
1. Select the cell in the first column of the Detail row that reads =Fields!Title.Value and in the Properties
window, expand the Padding property.
2. In the Padding > Left property, enter the expression =2 + (Level() * 15) & "pt".
Note: Adding 2 to the result ensures that a normal amount of padding is always used.

To use the Level function with themes in the BackgroundColor property of a textbox
1. Go to [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Page
Reports\RDL\Layouts\Reports\Reels.
Note: In Windows Vista, the path is [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports
9\Page Reports\RDL\Layouts\Reports\Reels.

2. Copy the file Reels.rdlx-theme and paste it into the folder in which you saved your report.
3. In the Report Explorer, select Report.
4. In the Properties window in the Theme property, enter the theme file name: Reels.rdlx-theme.
5. Click the table handle to the left of the detail row to select the entire row.
6. In the Properties window, set the BackgroundColor property to =Theme.Colors(Level() + 1, 4).
To view the report
Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Single Layout Reports

A Page Report, allows you to create a layout at design time on a single page tab and apply it to the entire report.
Designing a layout in this format gives you the advantage of creating a layout that appears exactly the same at
design time and runtime. This walkthrough illustrates how to create a report that contains a single layout and
preview it.
This walkthrough is split into the following activities:
Adding an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio project
Connecting to a the data source
Adding a dataset
Creating a layout
Viewing the report

Note:
This walkthrough uses the DVDStock table from the Reels database. By default, in ActiveReports,
the Reels.mdb file is located at [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports
9\Samples\Data\Reels.mdb.
Although this walkthrough uses Page reports, but this can be implemented using RDL reports also.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at
runtime.

Design Time Layout

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 722

Notice that the runtime report layout below is similar to the one you see at design time except for the data which
you see at runtime or when you preview the report.

Runtime Layout

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Page Report and in the Name field,
rename the file as rptSingleLayout.
4. Click the Add button to open a new fixed page report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the report to a data source
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Sources node and select the Add Data Source option or select
Data Source from the Add button.

2. In the Report Data Source Dialog that appears, select the General page and in the Name field, enter a
name like ReportData.
3. On this page, create a connection to the Reels database. See Connect to a Data Source for information on
connecting to a data source.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 723
To add a dataset
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node and select the Add Data Set option or select Data
Set from the Add button.
2. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the dataset as DVDList.
This name appears as a child node to the data source icon in the Report Explorer.
3. On the Query page of this dialog, in the Query field enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
Select * from dvdstock

4. Click the Validate DataSet icon at the top right hand corner above the Query box to validate the query.

5. Click OK to close the dialog. Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report Explorer.
To create a layout for the report
1. In the Visual Studio toolbox, go to the ActiveReports 9 Page Report tab and drag a TextBox control onto
the design surface.
2. Select the TextBox control and go to the Properties window to set the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

Location 0.25in, 0.5in
BackgroundColor Khaki
Color Maroon
Font Normal, Arial, 16pt,
Bold
Size 6in, 0.5in
TextAlign Center
Value DVD STOCK

3. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag a Table data region and place it on the design surface.
4. Select the Table and go to the Properties window to set the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

Location 0.25in, 1in
BackgroundColor Khaki
FixedSize 6in, 7.5in
RepeatHeaderOnNewPage True
Size 6in, 0.75in

5. In the Table data region, place your mouse over the cells of the table details row to display the field
selection adorner.

6. Click the adorner to show a list of available fields from the DataSet and add the following fields to the cells
of the table details row.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 724

Cell Field
Left Cell Title
Middle Cell InStock
Right Cell StorePrice

This automatically places an expression in the details row and simultaneously places a static label in the
header row of the same column.
Tip: You can also directly drag fields from the Report Explorer onto the textbox cells of the Table
data region.

7. Select the columns of the Table and set their Width property as follows:

Cell Field
Left Cell 2.5in
Middle Cell 1.75in
Right Cell 1.75in

8. Select the following table rows and go to the Properties window to set their following properties.

Row Properties
Table Header BorderStyle: Solid
Color: Maroon
Font: Normal, Arial,
12pt, Bold
TextAlign: Left
Table Details BorderStyle: Solid
Font: Normal, Arial,
10pt, Bold
TextAlign: Left

To view the report

Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Subreports in RDL Reports

You can create a RDL report that hosts a subreport. This walkthrough illustrates how to create a report using a
subreport.
The walkthrough is split up into the following activities:
Creating a report for the subreport
Connecting the subreport to a data source
Adding a dataset with a parameter to the subreport
Adding a report parameter to the subreport
Adding controls to display data on the subreport
Creating the main report
Connecting the main report to a data source
Adding a dataset to the main report
Adding controls to display data on the main report
Viewing the report

Note: This topic uses the Employee, Sale and SaleDetails tables in the Reels database. By default, in
ActiveReports, the Reels.mdb file is located at [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 725
9\Data\Reels.mdb.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at
runtime.

Design Time Layout

Runtime Layout

To add a report for the subreport

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 RDL Report and in the Name field,
rename the file as Sales.rdlx.
4. Click the Add button to open a new RDL report in the designer.
5. In the Solution Explorer, select Sales.rdlx and set the Build Action property to Content and the Copy to
Output Directory property to Copy Always.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the subreport to a data source
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Sources node and select the Add Data Source option or select
Data Source from the Add button.

2. In the Report Data Source Dialog that appears, select the General page and in the Name field, enter a
name like Reels.
3. On this page, create a connection to the Reels database. See Connect to a Data Source for information on
connecting to a data source.
To add a report parameter to the subreport
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Parameters node and select the Add Parameter option or select
Parameter from the Add button.
2. Under Name, enter EmployeeID.
3. Under Data type, select Integer.
4. Click OK to close the dialog.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 726
To add a dataset with a parameter to the subreport
When you add a query parameter using the syntax required by your database you must add a parameter to the
Parameters page to ensure that the parameter value is passed to the query from the Report Parameters collection.
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node and select the Add Data Set option or select Data
Set from the Add button.
2. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the dataset as
EmployeeSales. This name appears as a child node to the data source icon in the Report Explorer.
3. On the Parameters page under Parameter Name enter EmployeeID.
4. Under Value enter =Parameters!EmployeeID.Value
5. On the Query page of this dialog, in the Query field enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
SELECT * FROM EmployeeSales

6. Click the Validate DataSet icon at the top right hand corner above the Query box to validate the query.

7. Click OK to close the dialog. Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report Explorer.
To add controls to display data on the subreport
1. From the toolbox, drag a Table data region onto the body of the report and go to the properties window to
set the DataSetName property to EmployeeSales.
2. Click inside the table to display the column and row handles along the top and left sides of the table.
3. Right-click the handle above the rightmost column and select Insert Column to the Right to add another
column.
4. Click the column handle at the top of each column in turn to select it, and in the property grid, set the
Width property as indicated in the table.

Column Width
First 1.5in
Second 1.5in
Third 1.2in
Fourth 1.55in

Tip: In most cases it is easier to resize existing columns before adding new columns because this
prevents the table from growing horizontally and pushing the report width beyond what will fit on
paper.

5. Right-click the handle to the left of the table detail row and select Insert Group to open the Table-Groups
dialog.
6. Under Expression select =Fields!EmployeeID.Value. This groups all details from each employee.
7. Change the Name to Employee and click OK to close the dialog. A grouping row is added to the table.
Note: You cannot change the name of a table group until after you have set the expression.

8. Right-click the handle to the left of the table detail row and select Edit Group to access the Table-Detail
Grouping dialog.
9. Under Expression select =Fields!SaleID.Value and click OK to close the dialog. This lists the total amount
of each sale instead of listing each item sold within each SaleID.
10. Right-click the handle to the left of the grouping row and select Insert Row Below. We will use this new
row for static labels that repeat at the top of each new group.
11. Right-click any handle to the left of the table and select Table Header to toggle off the table header.
12. Right-click any handle to the left of the table and select Table Footer to toggle off the table footer.
13. In the Report Explorer, select the Body node and go to the Properties window to set the Size property to
5.75in, 1in so that it fits inside the subreport control on the main report.
To add data fields to the Table data region
1. In the Report Explorer, from the EmployeeSales dataset, drag the following field onto the first group header

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 727
row of the table.

Data Field Column Name Property Name

Name TableColumn1 FontWeight: Bold

2. Use the Shift key and the mouse to select the first two cells in the first group header row, right-click and
select Merge Cells. This allows the employee name to span two columns in the table.
3. Using the handle to the left of the first group header row, select the row and set the BackgroundColor
property to LightSteelBlue.
Tip: Even if you do not want to use colors in your finished report, it is often helpful to do so during
the design of a report to make identification of the various sections easier for troubleshooting when
you preview it.

4. Enter the following text into the cells in the second group header row of the table.

Data Field Column Name Property Name

Sale Date TableColumn1 FontWeight: Bold
TextAlign: Right
Sale Number TableColumn2 FontWeight: Bold
TextAlign: Right
Quantity TableColumn3 FontWeight: Bold
TextAlign: Right
Total TableColumn4 FontWeight: Bold
TextAlign: Right

5. Using the handle to the left of the second group header row, select the row and set the BackgroundColor
property to LightGray.
6. In the Report Explorer, drag the following fields from the EmployeeSales dataset onto the detail row of the
table.

Data Field Column Name Property Name

Sale Date TableColumn1 Format: Short
date
SaleID TableColumn2
Quantity TableColumn3
Total TableColumn4 Format: Currency

7. In the detail row of the table, select the textbox with the Quantity data field and go to the Properties
window to change the Value property to =Sum(Fields!Quantity.Value). This adds the Sum aggregate to
the expression for the field and shows a summary of the quantity field for each SalesID.
8. In the detail row of the table, select the textbox with the Total data field and go to the Properties window
to change the Value property to =Sum(Fields!Total.Value). This adds the Sum aggregate to the
expression for the field and shows a summary of the total field for each SalesID.
9. In the Report Explorer, from the EmployeeSales dataset, drag the following fields onto the group footer
row of the table.

Data Column Name Property Name

Field
Quantity TableColumn3 Value:
=Sum(Fields!Quantity.Value)
Total TableColumn4 Format: Currency
Value:
=Sum(Fields!Total.Value)

10. Enter the following text into the indicated cell in the group footer row of the table.

Text Column Name Property Name

Employee Total: TableColumn2 FontWeight: Bold
TextAlign: Right

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 728
11. Using the handle to the left of the group footer row, select the row and in the BackgroundColor property
select LightGray.
12. Go to the preview tab, enter 1035 for the Employee ID, and click the View Report button. You get a
layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at runtime.

Design Time Layout Runtime Layout

13. From the File menu, select Save and save this file. This report functions as the subreport you use in the
main report.
To create the main report
1. From the Visual Studio Project menu, select Add New Item.
2. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Page Report and in the Name field,
rename the file as Employees.rdlx.
3. Click the Add button to open a new fixed page report in the designer.
4. From the Report menu, select Convert to RDL Report.
To connect the main report to a data source
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Sources node and select the Add Data Source option or select
Data Source from the Add button.

2. In the Report Data Source Dialog that appears, select the General page and in the Name field, enter a
name like Reels.
3. On this page, create a connection to the Reels database. See Connect to a Data Source for information on
connecting to a data source.
To add a dataset to the main report
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node and select the Add Data Set option or select Data
Set from the Add button.
2. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the dataset as
EmployeeInfo. This name appears as a child node to the data source icon in the Report Explorer.
3. On the Query page of this dialog, in the Query field enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
SELECT * FROM EmployeeInfo

4. Click the Validate icon to validate the query and to populate the Fields list.
5. Click OK to close the dialog. Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report Explorer.
To add controls to display data on the main report
The following steps demonstrate how you can add controls and create the main report:
To add a static label to the top of the main report
From the toolbox, drag a TextBox control onto the body of the report and set the following properties:

Property Name Property Value

Font Normal, Arial, 14pt, Bold
Location 0in, 0in

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 729
Size 6.5in, 0.3in
TextAlign Center
Value Employee Report by City
and Store

To add a List data region that repeats data for each city
1. Drag a List data region from the toolbox onto the body of the report and with the data region selected, go
to the Properties Window to set the following properties:

Property Name Property Value

BackgroundColor Silver
DataSetName EmployeeInfo
Location 0in, 0.5in

Size 6.5in, 3.1in

2. At the bottom of the Properties Window, select the Property dialog command. See Properties Window for
further details on accessing commands.
3. In the List dialog that appears, select Detail Grouping.
4. Under Expression, select =Fields!City.Value
5. Click OK to close the dialog.
6. From the Report Explorer, drag the City field onto the List data region and set the following properties:

Property Name Property Value

FontSize 12pt
Location 0in, 0in
Size 6.5in, 0.25in
TextAlign Center

To nest a second List data region that repeats data for each store within the city
1. Drag a List data region from the toolbox onto the the first list and with the data region selected, go to the
Properties Window to set the following properties:

Property Name Property Value

BackgroundColor Beige
DataSetName EmployeeInfo
Location 0.125in, 0.3in
Size 6.375in, 2.5in

2. At the bottom of the Properties Window, select the Property dialog command. See Properties Window for
further details on accessing commands.
3. In the List dialog that appears, select Detail Grouping.
4. Under Expression, select =Fields!StoreName.Value
5. Click OK to close the dialog.
6. From the Report Explorer, drag the StoreName field onto the list and set the following properties:

Property Name Property Value

FontWeight Bold
Location 0in, 0in
Size 2in, 0.25in

To nest a third List data region that repeats data for each employee in the store
1. Drag a List data region from the toolbox onto the second list and with the data region selected, go to the

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 730
Properties Window to set the following properties:

Property Name Property Value

BackgroundColor White
DataSetName EmployeeInfo
Location 0.125in, 0.25in
Size 6.125in, 2.25in

2. At the bottom of the Properties Window, select the Property dialog command. See Properties Window for
further details on accessing commands.
3. In the List dialog, select Detail Grouping.
4. Under Expression, select =Fields!EmployeeID.Value
5. Click OK to close the dialog.
6. From the Report Explorer, drag the following fields onto the list and set the following properties:

Data Field Property Name

Name Location: 1.125in, 0in
Size: 2.625in, 0.25in
Education Location: 1.125in, 0.25in
Size: 2.625in, 0.25in
DateOfBirth Location: 5in, 0in
Size: 0.875in, 0.25in
Format: Short date
PhoneNumber Location: 4.875in, 0.25in
Size: 1in, 0.25in

7. From the toolbox, drag five text boxes onto the List and set the following properties:

TextBox Value Property Name

Name Property
TextBox 1 Name: Location: 0.125in, 0in
Size: 0.625in, 0.25in
FontWeight: Bold
TextBox 2 Education: Location: 0.125in,
0.25in
Size: 0.875in, 0.25in
FontWeight: Bold
TextBox 3 Date of Birth: Location: 3.875in, 0in
Size: 1in, 0.25in
FontWeight: Bold
TextBox 4 Phone: Location: 3.875in,
0.25in
Size: 0.875in, 0.25in
FontWeight: Bold
TextBox 5 Sales Record Location: 0.125in, 0.5in
Size: 1in, 0.25in
FontWeight: Bold

To add a Subreport control to the main report

1. From the toolbox, drag a Subreport control onto the third list and with the control selected, go to the
Properties Window to set the following properties:

Property Property Value

Name
Location 0.125in, 0.75in
NoRows No sales recorded for this employee during
2005.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 731
ReportName Sales (ensure that this report is saved in the
same directory as the Sales report)

Note: To view the report in the preview

tab, you should specify the full path to
the subreport.

Size 5.75in, 1.3in

Visibility: True (hides the subreport initially)
Hidden
Visibility: Sales Record text box added in the previous
ToggleItem procedure (puts a toggle image next to the
text that shows the subreport when clicked)

2. At the bottom of the Properties Window, select the Property dialog command. See Properties Window for
further details on accessing commands.
3. On the Parameters page of the Subreport dialog, set the Parameter Name to EmployeeID. This name
must match the parameter in the subreport exactly.
4. Set the Parameter Value to =Fields!EmployeeID.Value.
Note: You can use the option of having the subreport automatically apply the same theme as the
hosting report. This option is available on the General page of the Subreport Properties.

5. Click OK to close the dialog.

6. In the Report Explorer, select the Body node and go to the Properties window to set the Size property to
6.5in, 3.6in.
To view the report
Click the preview tab to view the report.
OR
See Using the Viewer to display report in the Viewer at runtime.

Note: Click the + to the left of Sales Record to see the subreport.

Chart
This section contains the following walkthroughs that fall under the Chart category.
Charts
This walkthrough demonstrates how to create a report with a chart.

Charts
You can create a page report with a chart using the ActiveReports Chart control. This walkthrough illustrates how
to create a report with a chart.
The walkthrough is split into the following activities:
Adding an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio project
Connecting the report to a data source
Adding a dataset
Adding a chart control with data and grouping to the report
Configuring the appearance of the chart
Viewing the report

Note:
This walkthrough uses the Sales table from the Reels database. By default, in ActiveReports, the
Reels.mdb file is located in the [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 732
folder.
Although this walkthrough uses Page reports, but this can be implemented using RDL reports also.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at
runtime.

Design Time Layout

Runtime Layout

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Page Report and in the Name field,
rename the file as ProfitsByGenre.
4. Click the Add button to open a new fixed page report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the report to a data source
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Sources node and select the Add Data Source option or select
Data Source from the Add button.

2. In the Report Data Source Dialog that appears, select the General page and in the Name field, enter a
name like ReportData.
3. On this page, create a connection to the Reels database. See Connect to a Data Source for information on
connecting to a data source.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 733
To add a dataset
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node and select the Add Data Set option or select Data
Set from the Add button.
2. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the dataset as
ProfitsByGenre. This name appears as a child node to the data source icon in the Report Explorer.
3. On the Query page of this dialog, in the Query field enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
SELECT Profit, SalesID, SaleDate, GenreName FROM SalesByGenre WHERE (SalesID <
1090) AND (GenreName = "Comedy" OR GenreName = "Drama" OR GenreName = "Adventure")
ORDER BY SalesID

4. Click the Validate DataSet icon at the top right hand corner above the Query box to validate the query.

5. On the Fields page, add a new field by clicking the Add (+) button above the fields list.
6. Set the Name to Month and the Value of the new field to =Fields!SaleDate.Value.Month
This parses out the month from the date field.
7. Click OK to close the dialog. Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report Explorer.
To add chart control with data and grouping to the report
1. From the toolbox, drag the Chart control onto of the report design surface.
2. In the wizard Select a Chart Type that appears, select the chart type Column and go to the Properties
Window to set the following properties:

Property Name Property Value

Location 0in, 0in
Size 6.5in, 4.5in

3. Double-click inside the chart to display the UI along the top, right, and bottom of the chart to drop fields in.
4. From the Report Explorer, drag the Month field into the area below the chart labeled "Drop category fields
here." This automatically binds the Month field to the X axis.

5. Right-click the month category group and select Edit to open the Chart Data - Category Groups dialog.
6. In the dialog that appears on the General page, go to the Label field and enter the following expression:
=MonthName(Fields!Month.Value) and click OK to close the dialog.
7. From the ReportExplorer, drag the Profit field into the area above the chart labeled "Drop data fields here."
This plots the profits to the Y axis of the chart.
8. In the Report Explorer, drag the GenreName field into the area to the right of the chart labeled "Drop
series fields here." This sets the series to be charted in the chart area.
9. Right-click the genre series group and select Edit to open the Chart Data - Series Groups dialog.
10. In the dialog that appears on the General page, go to the Label field and enter the following expression:
=Fields!GenreName.Value. This shows genre names in the legend.
11. Click OK to close the dialog.
12. Select the chart and at the bottom of the Properties Window, select the Chart Data command. See
Properties Window for further details on accessing commands.
13. In the Chart Data dialog that appears, under Series Values go to the Value field and make sure it is set
to =Sum(Fields!Profit.Value).

To configure the appearance of the chart

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 734
1. Select the chart and at the bottom of the Properties Window, select the Chart appearance command.
2. In the Chart Appearance dialog that appears set the following:
Title Page
On the Title page enter Profits by Genre in the Chart title text box and change the Size property to 14pt.
Palette Page
On the Palette page and select Light in the drop down list. This is a good color choice because it
differentiates between genres without highlighting one of them unintentionally.
Plot Area Page
On the Plot Area page set the Background Fill Color > Fill Color to Silver.
3. Click OK to close the dialog.
4. Select the X-Axis label in the chart and at the bottom of the Properties Window, select the Property dialog
command.
5. In the Chart X-Axis - Title dialog that appears set the following properties:
Title Page
On the Title page, in the X-Axis Title field remove the default "Axis X" text.
Labels Page
On the Labels page, set the Size property to 10pt.
6. Click OK to close the dialog.
7. Select the Y-Axis label in the chart and at the bottom of the Properties Window, select the Property dialog
command.
8. In the Chart Y-Axis - Title dialog that appears set the following properties:
Title Page
On the Title page, in the Y-Axis Title field remove the default "Axis Y" text.
Labels Page
On the Labels page and in the Format code field, select Currency in the Format drop-down list. Set the
Size property to 10pt.
Scale Page
On the Scale page and in the Minimum field enter 0 (zero). This sets the currency labels to start at zero
on the Y axis.
9. Click OK to close the dialog.
To view the report
Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Map
This section contains the following walkthrough that fall under the Map category.
Reports with Map
This walkthrough demonstrates how to create a report with a map.

Reports with Map

You can create a page report that contains a map using the ActiveReports Map control. The Map data region shows
your data on a geographical background. This walkthrough illustrates how to create a report that uses a Map to
display data.
The walkthrough is split into the following activities:
Adding an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio project
Connecting the report to a data source
Adding a dataset

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 735
Adding Map control to the report and configuring its data
Configuring appearance of the Map
Viewing the report

Note:
This walkthrough use tables from the Reels database. By default, in ActiveReports, the Reels.mdb
file is located in the [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data folder.
Although this walkthrough uses Page reports, but this can be implemented using RDL reports also.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at
runtime.

Design Time Layout

Runtime Layout

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Page Report and in the Name field,
rename the file to CustomersPopulation.
4. Click the Add button to open a new fixed page report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the report to a data source

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 736
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Sources node and select the Add Data Source option or select
Data Source from the Add button.

2. In the Report Data Source Dialog that appears, select the General page and in the Name field, enter a
name like ReportData.
3. On this page, create a connection to the Reels database. See Connect to a Data Source for information on
connecting to a data source.
To add a dataset
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node and select the Add Data Set option or select Data
Set from the Add button.
2. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the dataset as
Customers. This name appears as a child node to the data source icon in the Report Explorer.
3. On the Query page of this dialog, in the Query field enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
SELECT Address.Region, Customer.CustomerID FROM (Address INNER JOIN Person ON
Address.[AddressID] = Person.[AddressID]) INNER JOIN Customer ON Person.[PersonID]
= Customer.[PersonID];

4. Click the Validate DataSet icon at the top right hand corner above the Query box to validate the query.

5. Click OK to close the dialog. Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report Explorer.
To add a Map data region and configure its data
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop a Map control onto the design surface.
2. In the Select a Map Template wizard that appears, select the USA Map template.
3. Click the Map until the map panes appear.
4. In the layers pane, right click PolygonLayer1 and select Layer Data to open Map Layer Data
Properties dialog.
5. In the Map Layer Data Properties dialog that appears, go to the Analytical data page.
6. Select Customers from the Dataset property combo box and then click the Add (+) button located next
to the Match label. This creates an empty match item and enables its Spatial and Analytical fields editor.
Note: It is necessary to set match fields if you want to use a spatial data field from analytical data, or
if you want to visualize analytical data on the map layer. Match fields enable the report processor to
build a relationship between the analytical data and the spatial data.

7. In the Spatial field property, select STATE_ABBR from the combo box; and similarly, select
=Fields!Region.Value in the Analytical field property. This builds the match field expression and relates
the analytical data to map elements on a polygon layer.
8. Click OK to close the dialog.
To configure appearance of the Map
1. In the layers pane, right click PolygonLayer1 and select Edit to open Map Polygon Layer dialog.
2. In the General page of the dialog, select #STATE_NAME from the Label Text combo box to display as label
inside polygons at runtime.
3. Go to the Color Rule page of the dialog, and select Visualize data by using color palette option. This
activates the tabs below.
4. On the General tab, enter the following expression =Count([CustomerID]) in the Data field property and
set Palette property to SemiTransparent.
5. On the Distribution tab, set the Method property to EqualInterval.
6. On the Legends tab, click to select Show in Legend.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 737
7. In Legend Name, enter Legend. This name relates to the default legend that appears in the Legend
collection.
8. Click OK to close the dialog.
9. On the design surface, click on the Map control to select it and go to the Properties Window to set the
following properties:
Properties

Property Name Property Value

BackgroundColor White
BackgroundGradientEndColor White
BorderStyle Solid
ColorScale > Hidden True
DistanceScale > Hidden True
Location 0in, 0.625in
Size 6.5in, 4.75in
ViewPort > BackgroundColor LightSteelBlue
ViewPort > BackgroundGradientEndColor White
ViewPort > BorderStyle None
ViewPort > CoordinateSystem Planar
ViewPort > Margin > Right 20pt
ViewPort > Meridians > Hidden True
ViewPort > Parallels > Hidden True
ViewPort > View > Zoom 115

10. With the Map control selected, go to the Properties window, click the Legends (Collection) property and
then click the ellipsis button that appears.
11. In the LegendDesigner Collection Editor that appears, under the Members list, select the existing
legend and set the following properties:
Properties

Property Name Property Value

BackgroundColor LightSteelBlue
BackgroundGradientEndColor White
Location > DockOutsideViewport False
Location > DockPosition RightBottom
Title > (Caption) Number of Customers
Title > Font Normal, Arial, 10pt, Bold

12. Click OK to close the dialog.

13. With the Map control selected, go to the Properties window, click the Titles (Collection) property and then
click the ellipsis button that appears.
14. In the MapTitleDesigner Collection Editor that appears, with Title selected in the Members list set the
following properties:
Properties

Property Name Property Value

(Text) Customers Population
Color Black

15. Click OK to close the dialog.

To view the report

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 738
Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Export
This section contains the following walkthroughs that fall under the Export category.
Custom Web Exporting
This walkthrough demonstrates how to export your report into several popular formats like PDF, HTML, Excel,
Image and Word.

Custom Web Exporting

ActiveReports provides components that allow you to export your reports into several popular formats like PDF, HTML, Excel, Image, Word and XML.
The walkthrough is split up into the following activities:
Adding an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio project
Adding code to the Web Form to create the PDF, HTML, Excel, Word, XML and Image Export objects and export a report.
Running the project

Note: Although this walkthrough uses Page reports, you can also implement this using RDL reports.

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio Web Application project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Page Report and in the Name field, rename the file as CustomWebExporting.
4. Click the Add button to open a new fixed page report in the designer.
5. In the Solution Explorer, right-click the References node and select Add Reference.
6. In the Add Reference dialog that appears, select the following references and click OK to add them to your project.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.v9
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.v9
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.v9
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.v9
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.v9
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.v9
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To add code to the Web Form to create the PDF Export object and export a report
1. Double-click on the design view of the aspx page. This creates an event-handling method for the Page_Load event.
2. Add code like the following to the Page_Load event.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.

'Provide the page report you want to render.
Dim report As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(New System.IO.FileInfo(Server.MapPath("") +
"\CustomWebExporting.rdlx"))
Dim reportDocument As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(report)

'Set the rendering extension and render the report.

Dim pdfRenderingExtension As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Page.PdfRenderingExtension()
Dim outputProvider As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.MemoryStreamProvider()
reportDocument.Render(pdfRenderingExtension, outputProvider)

Response.ContentType = "application/pdf"
Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", "inline;filename=MyExport.pdf")
Dim ms As New System.IO.MemoryStream()
CType(outputProvider.GetPrimaryStream().OpenStream(), System.IO.MemoryStream).WriteTo(ms)
Response.BinaryWrite(ms.ToArray())
Response.End()

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.
// Provide the page report you want to render.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport report = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(new
System.IO.FileInfo(Server.MapPath("") + "\\CustomWebExporting.rdlx"));
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument reportDocument = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(report);

// Set the rendering extension and render the report.

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Page.PdfRenderingExtension pdfRenderingExtension = new

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 739
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Page.PdfRenderingExtension();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.MemoryStreamProvider outputProvider = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.MemoryStreamProvider();
reportDocument.Render(pdfRenderingExtension, outputProvider);

Response.ContentType = "application/pdf";
Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", "inline;filename=MyExport.pdf");
System.IO.MemoryStream ms = new System.IO.MemoryStream();
outputProvider.GetPrimaryStream().OpenStream().CopyTo(ms);
Response.BinaryWrite(ms.ToArray());
Response.End();

Note: To use the one-touch printing option, add the following to the code above.
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.
' Replace the line reportDocument.Render(pdfRenderingExtension, outputProvider) in the code above with the following

Dim setting As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Page.Settings()

setting.PrintOnOpen = True
reportDocument.Render(pdfRenderingExtension, outputProvider,setting)

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.

// Replace the line reportDocument.Render(pdfRenderingExtension, outputProvider); in the code above with the
following

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Page.Settings setting = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Page.Settings();

setting.PrintOnOpen = true;
reportDocument.Render(pdfRenderingExtension, outputProvider,setting);

Warning: You need to manually license your application in order to use PDF export.

To add code to the Web Form to create the HTML Export object and export a report
1. Double-click on the design view of the aspx page. This creates an event-handling method for the Page_Load event.
2. Add code like the following to the Page_Load event.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.
' Provide the page report you want to render.
Dim report As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(New System.IO.FileInfo(Server.MapPath("") +
"\CustomWebExporting.rdlx"))
Dim reportDocument As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(report)

' Set the rendering extension and render the report.

Dim htmlRenderingExtension As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.Page.HtmlRenderingExtension()
Dim outputProvider As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.MemoryStreamProvider()
Dim setting As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.Page.Settings()
setting.Mode = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.Page.RenderMode.Galley
setting.MhtOutput = True

reportDocument.Render(htmlRenderingExtension, outputProvider, setting)

Response.ContentType = "message/rfc822"
Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", "inline;filename=MyExport.mht")
Dim ms As New System.IO.MemoryStream()
CType(outputProvider.GetPrimaryStream().OpenStream(), System.IO.MemoryStream).WriteTo(ms)
Response.BinaryWrite(ms.ToArray())
Response.End()

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.
// Provide the page report you want to render.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport report = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(new
System.IO.FileInfo(Server.MapPath("") + "\\CustomWebExporting.rdlx"));
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument reportDocument = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(report);

// Set the rendering extension and render the report.

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.Page.HtmlRenderingExtension htmlRenderingExtension = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.Page.HtmlRenderingExtension();GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.MemoryStreamProvider
outputProvider = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.MemoryStreamProvider();GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.Page.Settings setting = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.Page.Settings();
setting.Mode = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.Page.RenderMode.Galley;
setting.MhtOutput = true;

reportDocument.Render(htmlRenderingExtension, outputProvider, setting);

Response.ContentType = "message/rfc822";
Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", "inline;filename=MyExport.html");

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 740
System.IO.MemoryStream ms = new System.IO.MemoryStream();
outputProvider.GetPrimaryStream().OpenStream().CopyTo(ms);
Response.BinaryWrite(ms.ToArray());
Response.End();

To add code to the Web Form to create the Excel Export - Data object and export a report(RDL Reports Only)
1. Double-click on the design view of the aspx page. This creates an event-handling method for the Page_Load event.
2. Add code like the following to the Page_Load event.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.
' Provide the page report you want to render.
Dim report As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(New System.IO.FileInfo(Server.MapPath("") +
"\CustomWebExporting.rdlx"))
Dim reportDocument As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(report)

' Set the rendering extension and render the report.

Dim excelTransformationDevice As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Page.ExcelTransformationDevice()
Dim outputProvider As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.MemoryStreamProvider()
Dim setting As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Page.Settings()
setting.ProtectWorkbookPassword = 123

reportDocument.Render(excelTransformationDevice, outputProvider, setting)

Response.ContentType = "application/vnd.ms-excel"
Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", "inline;filename=MyExport.xls")
Dim ms As New System.IO.MemoryStream()
CType(outputProvider.GetPrimaryStream().OpenStream(), System.IO.MemoryStream).WriteTo(ms)
Response.BinaryWrite(ms.ToArray())
Response.End()

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.
// Provide the page report you want to render.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport report = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(new
System.IO.FileInfo(Server.MapPath("") + "\\CustomWebExporting.rdlx"));
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument reportDocument = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(report);

// Set the rendering extension and render the report.

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Page.ExcelTransformationDevice excelTransformationDevice = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Page.ExcelTransformationDevice();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.MemoryStreamProvider outputProvider = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.MemoryStreamProvider();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Page.Settings setting = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Page.Settings();
setting.ProtectWorkbookPassword = "123";

reportDocument.Render(excelTransformationDevice, outputProvider, setting);

Response.ContentType = "application/vnd.ms-excel";
Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", "inline;filename=MyExport.xls");
System.IO.MemoryStream ms = new System.IO.MemoryStream();
outputProvider.GetPrimaryStream().OpenStream().CopyTo(ms);
Response.BinaryWrite(ms.ToArray());

To add code to the Web Form to create the Excel Export - Layout object and export a report

1. Double-click on the design view of the aspx page. This creates an event-handling method for the Page_Load event.
2. Add code like the following to the Page_Load event.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.
' Provide the page report you want to render.
Dim report As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(New System.IO.FileInfo(Server.MapPath("") +
"\CustomWebExporting.rdlx"))
Dim reportDocument As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(report)

' Provide settings for your rendering output.

Dim excelSetting As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Page.ExcelRenderingExtensionSettings()
excelSetting.FileFormat = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Page.FileFormat.Xlsx
Dim setting As GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.Rendering.ISettings = excelSetting

' Set the rendering extension and render the report.

Dim excelRenderingExtension As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Page.ExcelRenderingExtension()
Dim outputProvider As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.MemoryStreamProvider()
reportDocument.Render(excelRenderingExtension, outputProvider, setting.GetSettings())

Response.ContentType = "application/vnd.ms-excel"
Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", "inline;filename=MyExport.xls")
Dim ms As New System.IO.MemoryStream()

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 741
outputProvider.GetPrimaryStream().OpenStream().CopyTo(ms)
Response.BinaryWrite(ms.ToArray())
Response.[End]()

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.

// Provide the page report you want to render.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport report = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(new
System.IO.FileInfo(Server.MapPath("") + "\\CustomWebExporting.rdlx"));
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument reportDocument = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(report);

// Provide settings for your rendering output.

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Page.ExcelRenderingExtensionSettings excelSetting = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Page.ExcelRenderingExtensionSettings();
excelSetting.FileFormat = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Page.FileFormat.Xlsx;
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.Rendering.ISettings setting = excelSetting;

// Set the rendering extension and render the report.

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Page.ExcelRenderingExtension excelRenderingExtension = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Page.ExcelRenderingExtension();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.MemoryStreamProvider outputProvider = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.MemoryStreamProvider();
reportDocument.Render(excelRenderingExtension, outputProvider, setting.GetSettings());

Response.ContentType = "application/vnd.ms-excel";
Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", "inline;filename=MyExport.xls");
System.IO.MemoryStream ms = new System.IO.MemoryStream();
outputProvider.GetPrimaryStream().OpenStream().CopyTo(ms);
Response.BinaryWrite(ms.ToArray());
Response.End();

To add code to the Web Form to create the Word Export object and export a report
1. Double-click on the design view of the aspx page. This creates an event-handling method for the Page_Load event.
2. Add code like the following to the Page_Load event.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.
' Provide the page report you want to render.
Dim report As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(New System.IO.FileInfo(Server.MapPath("") +
"\CustomWebExporting.rdlx"))
Dim reportDocument As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(report)

' Set the rendering extension and render the report.

Dim wordRenderingExtension As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.Page.WordRenderingExtension()
Dim outputProvider As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.MemoryStreamProvider()
Dim setting As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.Page.Settings()
setting.UseMhtOutput = True

reportDocument.Render(wordRenderingExtension, outputProvider, setting)

Response.ContentType = "application/msword"
Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", "inline;filename=MyExport.doc")
Dim ms As New System.IO.MemoryStream()
CType(outputProvider.GetPrimaryStream().OpenStream(), System.IO.MemoryStream).WriteTo(ms)
Response.BinaryWrite(ms.ToArray())
Response.End()

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.
// Provide the page report you want to render.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport report = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(new
System.IO.FileInfo(Server.MapPath("") + "\\CustomWebExporting.rdlx"));
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument reportDocument = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(report);

// Set the rendering extension and render the report.

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.Page.WordRenderingExtension wordRenderingExtension = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.Page.WordRenderingExtension();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.MemoryStreamProvider outputProvider = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.MemoryStreamProvider();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.Page.Settings setting = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.Page.Settings();
setting.UseMhtOutput = true;

reportDocument.Render(wordRenderingExtension, outputProvider, setting);

Response.ContentType = "application/msword";
Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", "inline;filename=MyExport.doc");
System.IO.MemoryStream ms = new System.IO.MemoryStream();
outputProvider.GetPrimaryStream().OpenStream().CopyTo(ms);
Response.BinaryWrite(ms.ToArray());

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 742
Response.End();

To add code to the Web Form to create the Image Export object and export a report
1. Double-click on the design view of the aspx page. This creates an event-handling method for the Page_Load event.
2. Add code like the following to the Page_Load event.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.
' Provide the page report you want to render.
Dim report As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(New System.IO.FileInfo(Server.MapPath("") +
"\CustomWebExporting.rdlx"))
Dim reportDocument As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(report)

' Set the rendering extension and render the report.

Dim imageRenderingExtension As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.Page.ImageRenderingExtension()
Dim outputProvider As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.MemoryStreamProvider()
Dim setting As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.Page.Settings()
setting.ImageType = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.Page.Renderers.ImageType.JPEG
reportDocument.Render(imageRenderingExtension, outputProvider, setting)

Response.ContentType = "image/jpeg"
Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", "inline;filename=MyExport.jpg")
Dim ms As New System.IO.MemoryStream()

' Get the first page of the report

CType(outputProvider.GetSecondaryStreams()(0).OpenStream(), System.IO.MemoryStream).WriteTo(ms)
Response.BinaryWrite(ms.ToArray())
Response.End()

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.
// Provide the page report you want to render.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport report = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(new
System.IO.FileInfo(Server.MapPath("") + "\\CustomWebExporting.rdlx"));
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument reportDocument = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(report);

// Set the rendering extension and render the report.

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.Page.ImageRenderingExtension imageRenderingExtension = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.Page.ImageRenderingExtension();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.MemoryStreamProvider outputProvider = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.MemoryStreamProvider();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.Page.Settings setting = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.Page.Settings();
setting.ImageType = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.Page.Renderers.ImageType.JPEG;

reportDocument.Render(imageRenderingExtension, outputProvider, setting);

Response.ContentType = "image/jpeg";
Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", "inline;filename=MyExport.jpg");
System.IO.MemoryStream ms = new System.IO.MemoryStream();
// Get the first page of the report
outputProvider.GetSecondaryStreams()[0].OpenStream().CopyTo(ms);
Response.BinaryWrite(ms.ToArray());
Response.End();

To add code to the Web Form to create the XML Export object and export a report.
1. Double-click on the design view of the aspx page. This creates an event-handling method for the Page_Load event.
2. Add code like the following to the Page_Load event.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.

' Provide the page report you want to render.
Dim report As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(New System.IO.FileInfo(Server.MapPath("") +
"\CustomWebExporting.rdlx"))
Dim reportDocument As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(report)

' Set the rendering extension and render the report.

Dim xmlRenderingExtension As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.Page.XmlRenderingExtension()
Dim outputProvider As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.MemoryStreamProvider()
reportDocument.Render(xmlRenderingExtension, outputProvider)

Response.ContentType = "application/xml"
Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", "inline;filename=MyExport.xml")
Dim ms As New System.IO.MemoryStream()
outputProvider.GetPrimaryStream().OpenStream().CopyTo(ms)
Response.BinaryWrite(ms.ToArray())
Response.[End]()

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 743
// Provide the page report you want to render.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport report = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.PageReport(new
System.IO.FileInfo(Server.MapPath("") + "\\CustomWebExporting.rdlx"));
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument reportDocument = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document.PageDocument(report);

// Set the rendering extension and render the report.

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.Page.XmlRenderingExtension xmlRenderingExtension = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.Page.XmlRenderingExtension();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.MemoryStreamProvider outputProvider = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Rendering.IO.MemoryStreamProvider();
reportDocument.Render(xmlRenderingExtension, outputProvider);

Response.ContentType = "application/xml";
Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", "inline;filename=MyExport.xml");
System.IO.MemoryStream ms = new System.IO.MemoryStream();
outputProvider.GetPrimaryStream().OpenStream().CopyTo(ms);
Response.BinaryWrite(ms.ToArray());
Response.End();

To run the project

Press F5 to run the project.

Preview
This section contains the following walkthroughs that fall under the Preview category.
Drilldown Reports
This walkthrough demonstrates how to create a drilldown report using the Hidden and ToggleItem properties.
Drill-Through Reports
This walkthrough demonstrates how to create a drill-through link to another report containing details about the
linked item.
Parameterized Reports
This walkthrough demonstrates how to create a report with multivalue parameters and an option to select all of
the data.
Reports with Bookmarks
This walkthrough demonstrates how to set up bookmarks and links in a report.
Reports with TableOfContents
This walkthrough demonstrates how to create a report that includes the TableOfContents (ToC) control
and displays the document map on a report page.

Drilldown Reports
This walkthrough expands upon the report created in the Master Detail Reports walkthrough. If you have not
created the Master Detail report (CustomerOrders.rdlx) already, please do so before continuing.
This walkthrough illustrates how to create a drilldown report using the Hidden and ToggleItem properties.
The walkthrough is split up into the following activities:
Opening the Master Detail Report
Hiding table rows and setting a toggle item
Viewing the report

Note: This walkthrough uses the Customer table from the Reels database. By default, in ActiveReports, the
Reels.mdb file is located in the [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data folder.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at runtime.

Design Time Layout

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 744
Runtime Layout

To open the report in Visual Studio

1. Open the Master Detail Report project in Visual Studio.
2. In the Visual Studio Solution Explorer, double-click CustomerOrders.rdlx.
To hide table rows and set a toggle item
1. In the designer, click inside the table to display the column and row handles along the top and left sides of
the table.
2. Select the second group header row containing the static labels (Title, Quantity, Price and Total) by
clicking the row handle to the left of it.
3. Hold the CTRL key and select the Detail row containing field expressions to add to the selection.
4. In the Properties window, expand the Visibility property and set its properties as follows.

Property Name Property Value

Visibility Hidden True
Visibility Toggle Item TextBox10 (the textbox
containing the expression
=First(Fields!LastName.Value))

To view the report

Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
1. Click the Preview tab of the report designer.
2. Click the + icon next to a customer to display order details for that customer.
3. Click the - icon to hide the details.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Drill-Through Reports
The following procedures illustrate how to create a drill-through link to another report containing details about the
linked item.
The walkthrough is split into the following activities:
Creating a main report
Connecting the main report to a data source and adding a dataset
Adding controls to the main report to contain data
Creating a detail report
Connecting the detail report to a data source
Adding a dataset with a parameter
Creating a dataset to populate the parameter values
Adding a report parameter
Adding controls to the detail report to contain data
Adding a drill-through link in the main report
Viewing the report

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 745
Note:
This walkthrough uses tables from the Reels database. By default, in ActiveReports, the Reels.mdb
file is located in the [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data folder.
Although this walkthrough uses Page reports, but this can be implemented using RDL reports also.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at runtime.

Runtime Layout (main report)

Runtime Layout (detail report)

To create the main report

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Visual Studio Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Page Report and in the Name field,
rename the file as MainReport.rdlx.
4. Click the Add button to open a new page report in the designer.
To connect the main report to a data source and add a dataset
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Sources node and select the Add Data Source option or select
Data Source from the Add button.

2. In the Report Data Source Dialog that appears, select the General page and in the Name field, enter a
name like MainReportData.
3. On this page, create a connection to the Reels database. See Connect to a Data Source for information on
connecting to a data source.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 746
4. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node and select the Add Data Set option.
5. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the dataset as Movie.
This name appears as a child node to the data source icon in the Report Explorer.
6. On the Query page of this dialog, in the Query field enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
SELECT * FROM Movie ORDER BY MovieID ASC

7. Click the Validate DataSet icon at the top right hand corner above the Query box to validate the query.

8. Click OK to close the dialog. Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report Explorer.
To create a layout for the main report
1. In the Visual Studio toolbox, go to the ActiveReports 9 Page Report tab and drag a TextBox control onto
the design surface.
2. Select the TextBox control and go to the Properties window to set the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

Location 0.75in, 0.125in
Font Normal, Arial, 18pt,
Bold
Size 5in, 0.5in
TextAlign Center
Value MOVIES INFORMATION

3. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag a Table data region and place it on the design surface.
4. Select the Table and go to the Properties window to set the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

Location 0in, 1.125in
FixedSize 6.5in, 7in
BorderStyle Solid
RepeatHeaderOnNewPage True
Size 6.5in, 0.75in

5. In the Table data region, place your mouse over the cells of the table details row to display the field
selection adorner.
6. Click the adorner to show a list of available fields from the DataSet and add the following fields to the cells
of the table details row.

Cell Field
Left Cell MovieID
Middle Cell Title
Right Cell YearReleased

This automatically places an expression in the details row and simultaneously places a static label in the
header row of the same column.
Tip: You can also directly drag fields from the Report Explorer onto the textbox cells of the Table
data region.

7. Select the following table rows and go to the Properties window to set their properties.
Table Header

Property Name Property Value

BorderStyle Solid

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 747
Font Normal, Arial, 12pt,
Bold
TextAlign Center

Table Details

Property Name Property Value

BorderStyle Solid
Font Normal, Arial, 10pt,
Bold
TextAlign Center

To create the detail report

1. From the Visual Studio Project menu, select Add New Item.
2. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Page Report and in the Name field,
rename the file as MovieDetails.rdlx.
3. Click the Add button to open a new page report in the designer.
To connect the detail report to a data source
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Sources node and select the Add Data Source option or select
Data Source from the Add button.

2. In the Report Data Source Dialog that appears, select the General page and in the Name field, enter a
name like ReportData.
3. On this page, create a connection to the Reels database. See Connect to a Data Source for information on
connecting to a data source.
To add a dataset with a parameter
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node and select the Add Data Set option.
2. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the dataset as
MovieInfo. This name appears as a child node to the data source icon in the Report Explorer.
3. On the Parameters page under Parameter Name enter MovieID.
4. Under Value enter =Parameters!MovieID.Value
5. On the Query page of this dialog, in the Query field enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
Select * from MovieCastInformation

6. Click the Validate DataSet icon at the top right hand corner above the Query box to validate the query.

7. Click OK to close the dialog. Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report Explorer.
8. In an Page report, set the Dataset name in the FixedPage dialog > General tab to MovieInfo. For more
information, see FixedPage Dialog.

Caution: In an Page report, you may get an error if the Dataset name for the FixedPage is not be specified
explicitly.

To add a dataset to populate the parameter values

1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node and select the Add Data Set option.
2. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the dataset as
MovieTitles. This name appears as a child node to the data source icon in the Report Explorer.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 748
3. On the Query page of this dialog, in the Query field enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
SELECT MovieID, Title FROM Movie ORDER BY Title ASC

4. Click the Validate DataSet icon at the top right hand corner above the Query box to validate the query.

5. Click OK to close the dialog. Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report Explorer.
To add a parameter to the report
1. In the Report Explorer, select the Parameters node.
2. Right-click the node and select Add Parameter to open the Report - Parameters dialog.
3. Set properties in the following fields below the parameters list.
In the General tab:
Name: MovieID
DataType: Integer
In the Available Values tab select From query:
DataSet: MovieTitles
Value: MovieID
Label: Title
4. Click OK to close the dialog and add the parameter to the collection. This parameter appears under the
Parameters node in the Report Explorer.
To create a layout for the detail report
1. Click the gray area below the design surface to select the report.
2. Go to the Properties window, expand the PageSize property and set the Width to 8.5in and Height to 3in.
3. From the toolbox, drag a List control onto the design surface and in the Properties window, set the
following properties:

Property Name Property Value

DataSetName MovieInfo
Location 0in, 0in
Name MovieList
Size 6.5in, 1in
FixedSize (only for Page reports) 6.5in, 1in

4. With the List control selected, at the bottom of the Properties Window, select the Property dialog
command.
5. In the List dialog that appears, on the Detail Grouping page, set the Group on: Expression
to =Fields!MovieID.Value.
6. Click OK to close the dialog.
7. From the Report Explorer, go to the MovieInfo dataset and drag the following five fields onto the MovieList
data region. In the properties window, set their properties as indicated.
Title

Property Name Property Value

Name MovieTitle
Location 0in, 0in
Size 6.5in, 0.375in
TextAlign Center
FontSize 14pt

YearReleased

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 749
Property Name Property Value
Name YearReleased
Location 1in, 0.375in
Size 0.75in, 0.25in
TextAlign Left

MPAA

Property Name Property Value

Name MPAA
Location 6in, 0.375in
Size 0.5in, 0.25in

UserRating

Property Name Property Value

Name UserRating
Location 1in, 0.625in
Size 0.25in, 0.25in
TextAlign Left

Length

Property Name Property Value

Name Length
Location 4.75in, 0.625in
Size 1.75in, 0.25in
TextAlign Left
Value =Fields!Length.Value
& " minutes"

Note: When you drag and drop fields from a dataset in the Report Explorer onto the design surface,
these fields are automatically converted to Textbox controls that you can modify by setting the control
properties in the Properties Window.

8. From the Report Explorer, drag four TextBox controls onto the MovieList data region and in the properties
window, set their properties as indicated.
TextBox1

Property Name Property Value

Location 0in, 0.375in
Size 1in, 0.25in
Name ReleaseLabel
Value Released in:
FontWeight Bold

TextBox2

Property Name Property Value

Location 3.625in, 0.375in
Size 1.875in, 0.25in
Name MPAALabel

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 750
Value The MPAA rated
this film:
FontWeight Bold

TextBox3

Property Name Property Value

Location 0in, 0.625in
Size 1in, 0.25in
Name UserRatingLabel
Value User rating:
FontWeight Bold

TextBox4

Property Name Property Value

Location 4.125in, 0.625in
Size 0.625in, 0.25in
Name LengthLabel
Value Length:
FontWeight Bold

To add a drill-through link to the main report

1. On the design surface, select the cell containing the Title field inside the table data region and at the
bottom of the Properties Window, click the Property dialog command.
2. In the Textbox dialog that appears, go to the Navigation page.
3. Under Action, select Jump to report and set the report name MovieDetails.rdlx.
4. Under Jump to report set the Name of the parameter to MovieID.
Caution: The parameter name must exactly match the parameter in the target report.

5. Set the Value to =Fields!MovieID.Value.

6. Click OK to close the dialog.
To view the report
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Parameterized Reports
You can create a parameterized report with ActiveReports and provide an "All" choice for users who want to see all of the data
as well as the ability to select multiple values for those who want to see data for several items.
This walkthrough illustrates how to create a report with multivalue parameters and an option to select all of the data.
The walkthrough is split up into the following activities:
Adding an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio project
Connecting the report to a data source
Adding a Dataset with a parameter
Creating a Dataset to populate the parameter values
Adding a Report Parameter
Adding controls to the report to contain data
Viewing the report

Note:
This walkthrough uses the Movie table from the Reels database. By default, in ActiveReports, the Reels.mdb
file is located in the [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data folder.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 751
Although this walkthrough uses Page reports, but this can be implemented using RDL reports also.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at runtime.

Design Time Layout

Runtime Layout

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Page Report and in the Name field, rename the file
as MoviesByProducer.
4. Click the Add button to open a new fixed page report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the report to a data source
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Sources node and select the Add Data Source option or select Data
Source from the Add button.

2. In the Report Data Source Dialog that appears, select the General page and in the Name field, enter a name like
ReportData.
3. On this page, create a connection to the Reels database. See Connect to a Data Source for information on connecting
to a data source.
To add a dataset to populate the parameter values
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node and select the Add Data Set option.
2. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the dataset as Producers. This
name appears as a child node to the data source icon in the Report Explorer.
3. On the Query page of this dialog, in the Query field enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
SELECT -1 AS ProductionID, "(All)" AS Name
FROM Producers
UNION
SELECT ProductionID, Name
FROM Producers;

4. Click the Validate DataSet icon at the top right hand corner above the Query box to validate the query.

5. Click OK to close the dialog. Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report Explorer.
To add a parameter to the report
1. In the Report Explorer, select the Parameters node.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 752
2. Right-click the node and select Add Parameter to open the Report - Parameters dialog.
3. In the dialog box that appears, click the Add(+) button to add a new parameter in the list.
4. Set properties in the following fields below the parameters list.
In the General tab:
Name: ProductionID
DataType: Integer
Text for prompting users for a value: Select a production company.
Select the check box next to Multivalue to allow users to select more than one production company from the
list.
In the Available Values tab select From query:
DataSet: Producers
Value: ProductionID
Label: Name

Note: The name of the parameter you enter must exactly match the name of the parameter in the
linked report, and it is case sensitive. You can pass a value from the current report to the parameter in
the Value column of the list. If a value is not supplied for an expected parameter in the linked report,
or if the parameter names do not match, the linked report will not run.

5. Click OK to close the dialog and add the parameter to the collection. This parameter appears under the Parameters
node in the Report Explorer.
To add a dataset with a parameter
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node and select the Add Data Set option.
2. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the dataset as Movies. This name
appears as a child node to the data source icon in the Report Explorer.
3. On the Parameters page under Parameter Name enter Param1.
4. Under Value enter =Parameters!ProductionID.Value
5. On the Parameters page under Parameter Name enter Param2.
6. Under Value enter =Parameters!ProductionID.Value
7. On the Query page of this dialog, in the Query field enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
SELECT Movie.Title, Movie.YearReleased, Movie.UserRating, Producers.Name
FROM Producers INNER JOIN (Movie INNER JOIN MovieProducers ON Movie.MovieID =
MovieProducers.MovieID) ON Producers.ProductionID = MovieProducers.ProductionID
WHERE (MovieProducers.ProductionID IN (?)) OR (-1 IN (?))
ORDER BY MovieProducers.ProductionID, Movie.YearReleased;

8. Click the Validate DataSet icon at the top right hand corner above the Query box to validate the query.

9. Click OK to close the dialog. Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report Explorer.
To create a layout for the report
1. From the toolbox, drag a Table control onto the design surface and in the Properties window, set the following
properties.

Property Name Property Value

Location 0in, 1in
DataSetName Movies
FixedSize (only for Page reports) 6.5in, 7.5in

2. Click inside the table to display the column and row handles along the top and left sides of the table.
3. To visually group the data within the report, right-click the icon to the left of the detail row and select Insert Group.
4. In the Table - Groups dialog that appears, under Expression select =Fields!Name.Value to group all details from
each producer.
5. Change the Name to Producer.

Note: You cannot change the name of a table group until after you have set the expression.

6. On the Layout tab of the Table - Groups dialog, select the check box next to Repeat group header to ensure that
the header is printed at the top of each page.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 753
7. Clear the check box next to Include group footer as we will not be using it for this report.
8. Click OK to close the dialog.
9. In the Report Explorer, from the Movies dataset drag the following fields into the detail row of the table and set their
properties as in the following table.

Field Column Width

Title TableColumn1 3.9in
YearReleased TableColumn2 1.3in
UserRating TableColumn3 1.3in

10. Static labels with the field names are automatically created in the table header row. To improve the appearance of the
report, select the table header row, and set the text to Bold and change the FontSize to 11pt.
11. From the Report Explorer, the Movies dataset drag the Name field into the first column of the group header row of
the table and set the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

FontWeight Bold
BackgroundColor Thistle

Tip: Use the Shift key to select all three text boxes in the group header row, right-click and select Merge Cells to
prevent long production company names from wrapping.

To view the report

Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Reports with Bookmarks

You can assign a bookmark ID to any report control and link a text box or image to it to allow users to easily
navigate between items in the finished report. The bookmark link works like a hyperlink, except that clicking a
bookmark link jumps to another page or area of the report instead of to a Web page.
This walkthrough explains the steps involved in setting up bookmarks and links.
The walkthrough is split up into the following activities:
Adding an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio project
Connecting the report to an XML data source
Adding a Dataset
Adding controls to the report to contain data
Assigning a bookmark ID to a report control
Adding a bookmark link to a report control
Viewing the report

Note:
This walkthrough uses the Factbook sample database. By default, in ActiveReports, the
Factbook.rdsx file is located at [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports
9\Data\Factbook.rdsx.
Although this walkthrough uses Page reports, but this can be implemented using RDL reports also.

Note: If you have already created the report outlined in the Reports with XML Data walkthrough, you can
open that report and go directly to the Assigning a Bookmark ID section of this walkthrough.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and
at runtime.

Design Time Layout

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 754

Runtime Layout

To add an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Page Report and in the Name field,
rename the file as ExchangeRates.rdlx.
4. Click the Add button to open a new fixed page report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the report to a data source
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Sources node and select the Add Data Source option or select
Data Source from the Add button.

2. In the Report Data Source Dialog that appears, select the General page and in the Name field, enter a
name like Factbook.
3. On this page, check the Shared Reference checkbox.
4. Click the Browse button and select Factbook.rdsx, which is located in [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity
Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data. See Connect to a Data Source for information on connecting to a data
source.
To add a dataset
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node and select the Add Data Set option or select Data
Set from the Add button.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 755
2. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the dataset as
ExchangeRates.
3. On the Query page, enter the following XML path into the Query text box to access data for every country
except "World":
//country [@name != 'World']
4. On the Fields page, enter the values in the table below to create fields for your report. Values for XML data
fields must be valid XPath expressions.

Field Type Value

Name
Name Database @name
Field
Currency Database ./ExchangeRates/Currency
Field
2004 Database ./ExchangeRates/VsUSD2004
Field
2003 Database ./ExchangeRates/VsUSD2003
Field
2002 Database ./ExchangeRates/VsUSD2002
Field
2001 Database ./ExchangeRates/VsUSD2001
Field
2000 Database ./ExchangeRates/VsUSD2000
Field

5. Click OK to close the dialog. Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report Explorer.
To add controls to the report
1. From the toolbox, drag a List data region onto the design surface of the report and go to the Properties
window to set the DataSetName property to ExchangeRates, Location property to 0in, 0in and Size
property to 6.5in, 3in.
2. From the Report Explorer, drag the Name field onto the list, center it at the top and go to the Properties
window to set the FontSize property to 14pt and the BorderStyle property to Solid.
3. From the Report Explorer, drag the following fields onto the list with properties set as described in the table
below.

Field Name Property Name

Currency Location: 1.125in, 0.5in
Size: 2.25in, 0.25in
2004 Location: 4in, 0.875in
Size: 1in, 0.25in
2003 Location: 4in, 1.25in
Size: 1in, 0.25in
2002 Location: 4in, 1.625in
Size: 1in, 0.25in
2001 Location: 4in, 2in
Size: 1in, 0.25in
2000 Location: 4in, 2.375in
Size: 1in, 0.25in

Note: You will notice that the expressions created for these fields are different than usual. Because
Visual Basic syntax does not allow an identifier that begins with a number, any numeric field names
must be treated as strings in expressions.

4. From the toolbox, drag a TextBox onto the list and go to the Properties window to set the properties as
described in the table below to combine static text with a field value.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 756
Property Property Value
Name
Location 0.125in, 0.875in
Size 3.125in, 0.25in
Value ="Value of " & Fields!Currency.Value & "
versus US$ for year:"
Font Normal, Arial, 10pt, Bold
TextAlign Right

5. From the toolbox, drag TextBox controls onto the list and go to the Properties window to set the properties
as described in the table below to create static labels.
TextBox1

Property Name Property Value

Location 0.125in, 0.5in
Size 0.75in, 0.25in
FontWeight Bold
Value Currency:

TextBox2

Property Name Property Value

Location 3.375in, 0.875in
Size 0.5in, 0.25in
TextAlign Right
Value 2004:

TextBox3

Property Name Property Value

Location 3.375in, 1.25in
Size 0.5in, 0.25in
TextAlign Right
Value 2003:

TextBox4

Property Name Property Value

Location 3.375in, 1.625in
Size 1in, 0.25in
TextAlign Right
Value 2002:

TextBox5

Property Name Property Value

Location 3.375in, 2in
Size 0.5in, 0.25in
TextAlign Right
Value 2001:

TextBox6

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 757
Property Name Property Value
Location 3.375in, 2.375in
Size 0.5in, 0.25in
TextAlign Right
Value 2000:

To assign a bookmark ID to the report control

A bookmark ID marks any report control as something to which a bookmark link can navigate.
1. On the designer surface, select the Name textbox at the top of the list and at the bottom of the Properties
Window, select the Property dialog command.
2. In the Textbox dialog that appears, go to the Navigation page.
3. On the Navigation page, enter Name in the Bookmark ID field.

Note: Every bookmark ID in a report must be a unique string. If you have duplicates, a link to it will
navigate only to the first one it finds.

4. Click OK to close the dialog.

To add a bookmark link to the report control
A bookmark link is like a hyperlink that navigates to a report control marked with a bookmark ID instead of to a
URL. We will add a text box below the list we already created to display at the bottom of the report. This text box
will have a bookmark link to the bookmark ID we created in the last procedure.
1. From the toolbox, drag a text box onto the report below the list and in the Properties window, set the
properties as follows.

Property Name Property Value

Value Back to Top
Location 0in, 3in
Size 6.5in, .5in
TextAlign Center

2. At the bottom of the Properties Window, select the Property dialog command.
3. In the Textbox dialog that appears, go to the Navigation page.
4. On the Navigation page, select the Jump to Bookmark radio button and enter the bookmark ID
(Name) created in the procedure above.
5. Click OK to close the dialog.
To view the report
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Reports with TableOfContents

This walkthrough illustrates how to create a report that includes the TableOfContents (ToC) control and displays
the document map on a report page.
The TableOfContents control allows you to quickly navigate to desired data inside a report. You can use the
TableOfContents control to embed the list of contents in the report body for printing and rendering, unlike the
Document Map that is only available in the Viewers and cannot be rendered or printed.
This walkthrough is split into the following procedures:
To add an ActiveReports to the Visual Studio project
To connect the report to a data source
To add a dataset
To create a layout for the report
To configure the appearance of Table of Contents

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 758
To view the report
When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and
at runtime.

Design Time Layout

Runtime Layout

To add an ActiveReports to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio Windows Forms Application project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 RDL Report and in the Name field,
rename the file as ReportsWithToC.rdlx.
4. Click the Add button to open a new RDL report.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 759
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.

To connect the report to a data source

This walkthrough uses the Movies table from the Reels database. By default, in ActiveReports, the Reels.mdb file
is located in the [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data folder.
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Sources node and select the Add Data Source option or select
Data Source from the Add button.

2. In the Report Data Source Dialog that appears, select the General page and in the Name field, enter a
name like ReportData.
3. On this page, create a connection to the Reels database. See Connect to a Data Source for information on
connecting to a data source.

To add a dataset
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node and select the Add Data Set option or select Data
Set from the Add button.
2. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the dataset as
MovieCatalog. This name appears as a child node to the data source icon in the Report Explorer.
3. On the Query page of this dialog, in the Query field enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
SELECT Genre.GenreName, Movie.Title, Movie.YearReleased, Movie.UserRating,
Movie.Country FROM Genre INNER JOIN (Movie INNER JOIN MovieGenres ON Movie.MovieID
= MovieGenres.MovieID) ON Genre.GenreID = MovieGenres.GenreID ORDER BY
YearReleased ASC

4. Click the Validate DataSet icon at the top right hand corner above the Query box to validate the query.

5. Click OK to close the dialog. Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report Explorer.

To create a layout for the report

1. From the toolbox, drag the List control onto the design surface and in the Properties window, set
the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

DataSetName MovieCatalog
Location 0.25in, 1.875in
Size 6in, 4in
PageBreakAtStart True

2. With the List data region selected, under the Properties window, click the Property dialog link to open the
List dialog
3. Go to the Detail Grouping page and on the General tab, under Group on, set the Expression field to
=Fields!GenreName.Value.
4. Click OK to close the dialog
5. In the Report Explorer, from the MovieCatalog dataset, drag and drop the GenreName field inside the List
data region and in the Properties window, set the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

Location 0.25in, 0.375in

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 760
Font Normal, Arial, 12pt, Bold
TextAlign Center
Size 5.625in, 0.25in
Label =Fields!GenreName.Value
Note: Setting the
control's Label
property adds an
entry of the control
in the document
map.

6. From the toolbox, drag and drop the Table data region inside the List data region and in the Properties
window, set the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

Location 0.125in, 1in
Size 6in, 0.75in
DataSetName MovieCatalog
BorderStyle Solid
RepeatHeaderOnNewPage True

7. In the Table data region, place your mouse over the cells of the table details row to display the field
selection adorner.
8. Click the adorner to show a list of available fields from the MovieCatalog dataset and add the following
fields to the cells of the table details row.

Cell Field
Left Cell Title
Middle Cell Country
Right Cell UserRating

This automatically places an expression in the details row and simultaneously places a static label in the
header row of the same column.
Tip: You can also directly drag fields from the Report Explorer onto the textbox cells of the Table
data region.

9. Select the table header row using the row handle to the left and in the Properties Window set the
following properties.

Property Name Property Value

Font > FontWeight Bold
TextAlign Left
BackgroundColor Silver
BoderStyle Solid

10. Select the table detail row using the row handle to the left, and in the Properties Window set the following
properties.

Property Name Property Value

TextAlign Left
BorderStyle Solid

11. Right-click the table detail row using the row handle to the left, and select Insert Group...
12. In the Table - Groups dialog that appears, on the General tab, under Group on, set the Expression field

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 761
to =Fields!YearReleased.Value.
13. Click OK to close the dialog.
14. Select the textboxes inside the table group row using the CTRL key and left mouse button, right-click the
selection and select Merge Cells.
15. Select the merged cell and in the Properties window, set the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

Font Normal, Arial, 10pt, Bold
HeadingLevel Heading 2
Note: Setting the
control's HeadingLevel
property adds an
entry of the control in
the document map.

TextAlign Center
Value ="Movies Released in " &
Fields !YearReleased.Value

16. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag a TableOfContents control onto the design surface and in the
Properties window, set the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

Location 0.25in, 0.5in
Size 6in, 0.875in
BorderStyle Solid

To configure the appearance of Table of Contents

1. With the TableOfContents control selected, select the Levels (Collection) property and then click the
ellipsis button that appears.
2. In the LevelDesigner Collection Editor dialog that appears, under Members, use the Add button to add
Level2 to the TableOfContents.
3. Under Members, select Level1 and click the Property Pages button above the LevelDesigner Collection
Editor properties grid.
4. In the Level Properties dialog that appears, set the following properties.
Properties

Property Name Property Value

Font > Size 14
Font > Weight Bold
Font > Color DarkBlue
Format > Padding > Left 10pt
Format > Padding > Top 10pt
Format > Padding > Right 10pt
Format > Padding > Bottom 10pt
Format > Fill character .

5. Click OK to close the dialog.

6. In the LevelDesigner Collection Editor, select the Level2 entry under Members and click the Property
Pages button above the LevelDesigner Collection Editor Properties grid.
7. In the Level Properties dialog that appears, set the Font > Weight property to Bold.
8. Click OK to close the dialog.
9. In the LevelDesigner Collection Editor, with Level2 selected under Members, in properties grid, set the

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 762
Padding property to 20pt, 10pt, 0pt, 0pt and the DisplayPageNumber property to False.
10. Click OK to close the LevelDesigner Collection Editor dialog.
11. In the Report Explorer, select the Report node and in the Properties window set the following properties:
Properties

Property Name Property Value

DocumentMap > Source Labels and
Headings
DocumentMap > NumberingStyle 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

To view the report

Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Advanced
This section contains the following walkthroughs that fall under the Advanced category.
Reports with Custom Code
This walkthrough demonstrates how to create a simple report with custom code.
Custom Resource Locator
This walkthrough is based on the Custom Resource Locator sample and illustrates how to load pictures from the
user's My Pictures directory.
Custom Data Provider
This walkthrough demonstrates how to create a solution with projects that create a custom data provider and
demonstrate how it pulls data from a comma separated values (CSV) file.

Reports with Custom Code

This walkthrough illustrates how to create a simple report with custom code.
The walkthrough is split up into the following activities:
Adding an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio project
Connecting the report to a data source
Adding a dataset
Adding controls to the report to contain data
Embedding code in a report and referencing it in a field expression
Viewing the report

Note:
This walkthrough uses the Store table from the Reels database. By default, in ActiveReports, the
Reels.mdb file is located at [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports
9\Data\Reels.mdb.
Although this walkthrough uses Page reports, but this can be implemented using RDL reports also.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at
runtime.

Design Time Layout

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 763
Runtime Layout

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Page Report and in the Name field,
rename the file as CustomCode.
4. Click the Add button to open a new fixed page report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the report to a data source
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Sources node and select the Add Data Source option or select
Data Source from the Add button.

2. In the Report Data Source Dialog that appears, select the General page and in the Name field, enter a
name like ReportData.
3. On this page, create a connection to the Reels database. See Connect to a Data Source for information on
connecting to a data source.
To add a dataset
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node and select the Add Data Set option or select Data
Set from the Add button.
2. In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the dataset as
Districts. This name appears as a child node to the data source icon in the Report Explorer.
3. On the Query page of this dialog, in the Query field enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
SELECT Store.StoreName, Address.City, Address.Region AS StateProvince,
Address.Country, Districts.District
FROM Address INNER JOIN (Districts INNER JOIN Store ON Districts.DistrictID =
Store.DistrictID) ON Address.AddressID = Store.Address WHERE NOT
Districts.DistrictID = 0 ORDER BY Districts.District

4. Click the Validate DataSet icon at the top right hand corner above the Query box to validate the query.

5. Click OK to close the dialog. Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report Explorer.
To create a layout for the report
1. From the toolbox, drag the TextBox control onto the design surface and go to the Properties window to set
the following properties:

Property Name Property

Value
Location 0in, 0in
Size 6.5in,

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 764
0.5in
TextAlign Center
FontSize 14pt
Value District
Locations

2. From the toolbox, drag a Table data region onto the design surface and go to the Properties window to set
the DataSetName property to Districts.
3. Set the following properties for the table:

Property Property
Name Value
Location 0in, 0.5in
FixedSize 6in, 7in

Note:
FixedSize
property
is set
only in
Page
report.

4. Click inside the table to display the column handles at the top and in the Properties window, set the
Width property of following columns:

Column Width
TableColumn1 3in
TableColumn2 1.5in
TableColumn3 1.5in

5. Click inside the table to display the row handles along the left of the table and right-click any of the row
handles to select Insert Group.
6. In the Table - Groups dialog that appears, under Group on, select the following expression:
=Fields!District.Value
7. On the same dialog set the Name to District and click OK to close the dialog. The header and footer rows
for the new group appear.
8. In the Report Explorer from the Districts dataset, drag the District field into the second column of the
group header row of the table. This automatically places an expression in the group header row and
simultaneously places a static label in the table header row.
9. In the first column of the group header row, just to the left of the District field, in the Properties window set
the Value property to District Name:.
10. Click the row handle to the left of the group header row to select the entire row and in the Properties
window, set the properties as follows:

Property Name Property

Value
FontSize 12pt
FontWeight Bold
BackgroundColor MediumPurple
Color White

11. Right-click any row handle to the left of the table and select Table Header to remove the table header.
12. Right-click any row handle to the left of the table and select Table Footer to remove the table footer.
13. In the Report Explorer, drag the following fields from the Districts dataset onto the detail row of the table
as follows.

Field Column

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 765
StoreName TableColumn1
City TableColumn2
StateProvince TableColumn3

14. Remove the static label State Province from the group header for the third column.
15. Right-click the row handle for the group header row and select Insert Row Below to add a row for static
labels that will appear once for each group.
16. In the new row, enter the following values for static label in table columns.
TableColumn1

Property Name Property

Value
Value Store
Name
FontWeight Bold

TableColumn2

Property Name Property

Value
Value City
FontWeight Bold

TableColumn3

Property Property Value

Name
Value =iif(Fields!Country.Value="USA",
"State", "Province")
FontWeight Bold

Note: The expression in the third column displays the label "State" when the country is USA, and
displays "Province" when it is not.

To embed code in a report and reference it in a field expression

This custom code creates a URL to Yahoo!® Maps for each city in the report.
1. On the Script tab of the report, enter the following code to create a URL.
Visual Basic.NET code. Add to the Script tab.
Public Function MapLink(ByVal Country, ByVal City, ByVal StateProvince) As String
Dim Link As String
Dim _Country As String = Country.ToString()
Dim _City As String = City.ToString()
Dim _StateProvince As String = StateProvince.ToString()

Select Case _Country

Case "USA"
Link = "http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?addr=&csz=" & _City &
"%2C+" & _StateProvince & "&country=us&new=1&name=&qty="
Case "Canada"
Link = "http:file://ca.maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?csz=%2C+" &
_StateProvince & "&country=ca"
Case Else
Link = ""
End Select

Return Link
End Function

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 766

Note: Custom code is helpful if you intend to reuse code throughout the report or if code is too
complex to use in an expression. Code must be instance based and written in Visual Basic.NET. You
can include multiple methods, but if you want to use classes or other .NET languages, create a custom
assembly. See Using Script in a Page Report for further details.

To reference embedded code in a field expression

1. On the Designer tab of the report, click the detail cell in the second table column (containing the expression
=Fields!City.Value) to select it and under the Properties window, click the Property dialog link. This is a
command to open the respective control's dialog. See Properties Window for more on how to access
commands. .
2. In the Textbox - General dialog that appears, go to the Navigation page.
3. Select the radio button next to Jump to URL, and enter the following expression in the combo box below
it. = Code.MapLink(Fields!Country.Value, Fields!City.Value, Fields!StateProvince.Value)
4. Click OK to close the dialog and use the code to create a hyperlink for the field.
To view the report
Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Custom Resource Locator

Page reports can get resources from your file system using file paths, but sometimes resources are preserved in very specific
sources, such as a database. With page reports, you can create a custom resource locator to read any resources that might be
required by your reports from any location. This walkthrough is based on the Custom Resource Locator sample and illustrates
how to load pictures from the user's My Pictures directory.
This walkthrough is split into the following procedures:
Adding an ActiveReports to the Visual Studio project
Creating a layout for the report
Adding the new MyPicturesLocator class
Creating the PreviewForm that contains the Viewer control to view the report.

Note: Although this walkthrough uses Page reports, but this can be implemented using RDL reports also.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at runtime.

To add an ActiveReports to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio Windows Forms Application project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Page Report and in the Name field, rename the file
as DemoReport.rdlx.
4. Click the Add button to open a new fixed page report.

To create a layout for the report

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 767
1. From the toolbox, drag an Image control onto the design surface and in the Properties window, set the following
properties.

Property Name Property Value

Name Image1
Location 0.1in, 0.1in
Size 2.8in, 2.8in
Value MyPictures:Penguins.jpg

2. From the toolbox, drag another Image control onto the design surface and in the Properties window, set the following
properties.

Property Name Property Value

Name Image2
Location 3.1in, 0.1in
Size 2.8in, 2.8in
Value MyPictures:Desert.jpg

3. In the Solution Explorer, select DemoReport.rdlx and in the Properties window, set Build Action to Embedded
Resource.

To add the new MyPicturesLocator class

1. In the Solution Explorer window, right-click on your project name and select Add and then New Item.
2. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select Class.
3. Change the name of the class to MyPicturesLocator and click the Add button.
4. Replace the existing code with the following code to the new class.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

VB code. Paste on TOP

Imports System
Imports System.Drawing
Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility
Imports System.Globalization
Imports System.IO
Imports System.Runtime.InteropServices

VB code. Paste INSIDE the class

Inherits ResourceLocator

Private Const UriSchemeMyImages As String = "MyPictures:"

' Obtain and return the resource.

Public Overrides Function GetResource(resourceInfo As ResourceInfo) As Resource
Dim name As String = resourceInfo.Name
If name Is Nothing OrElse name.Length = 0 Then
Throw New ArgumentException("The name of resource to be obtained should be non-
empty string.", "name")
End If
Dim uri As New Uri(name)
Dim stream As Stream = GetPictureFromSpecialFolder(name)
If stream Is Nothing Then
stream = New MemoryStream()
End If
Return New Resource(stream, uri)
End Function

' Returns the specified image from Public Pictures folder.

Private Shared Function GetPictureFromSpecialFolder(path As String) As Stream
Dim startPathPos As Integer = UriSchemeMyImages.Length
If startPathPos >= path.Length Then
Return Nothing
End If
Dim pictureName As String = path.Substring(startPathPos)
Dim myPicturesPath As String = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("public") &

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 768
"\Pictures\Sample Pictures"
If Not myPicturesPath.EndsWith("\") Then
myPicturesPath += "\"
End If
Dim picturePath As String = System.IO.Path.Combine(myPicturesPath, pictureName)
If Not File.Exists(picturePath) Then
Return Nothing
End If
Dim stream As New MemoryStream()
Try
Dim picture As Image = Image.FromFile(picturePath)
picture.Save(stream, picture.RawFormat)
stream.Position = 0
Catch generatedExceptionName As OutOfMemoryException
' The file is not valid image, or GDI+ doesn't support such images.
Return Nothing
Catch generatedExceptionName As ExternalException
Return Nothing
End Try
Return stream
End Function

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste on TOP
using System;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Globalization;
using System.IO;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility;
using your_project_name.Properties;

C# code. Paste BELOW the Using statements

namespace your_project_name
{
// Look for the resources in My Pictures folder.
internal sealed class MyPicturesLocator : ResourceLocator
{
private const string UriSchemeMyImages = "MyPictures:";
// Obtain and return the resource.
public override Resource GetResource(ResourceInfo resourceInfo)
{
string name = resourceInfo.Name;
if (name == null || name.Length == 0)
{
throw new ArgumentException("The name of resource to be obtained should be
non-empty string.", "name");
}
Uri uri = new Uri(name);
Stream stream = GetPictureFromSpecialFolder(name);
if (stream == null)
{
stream = new MemoryStream();
}
return new Resource(stream, uri);
}
// Returns the specified image from Public Pictures folder.
private static Stream GetPictureFromSpecialFolder(string path)
{
int startPathPos = UriSchemeMyImages.Length;
if (startPathPos >= path.ToString().Length)
{
return null;
}
string pictureName = path.ToString().Substring(startPathPos);

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 769
string myPicturesPath = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("public") +
"\\Pictures\\Sample Pictures";
if (!myPicturesPath.EndsWith("\\")) myPicturesPath += "\\";
string picturePath = Path.Combine(myPicturesPath, pictureName);
if (!File.Exists(picturePath)) return null;
MemoryStream stream = new MemoryStream();
try
{
Image picture = Image.FromFile(picturePath);
picture.Save(stream, picture.RawFormat);
stream.Position = 0;
}
catch (OutOfMemoryException) // The file is not valid image, or GDI+ doesn't
support such images.
{
return null;
}
catch (ExternalException)
{
return null;
}
return stream;
}
}
}

To create the PreviewForm

1. In the Solution Explorer, select the Form1 in the Design view and in the Properties window, set the properties as follows.

Property Name Property Value

Name PreviewForm
Text Preview Form
Size 1015, 770

2. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag the Viewer control onto the PreviewForm and in the Properties window, set the
following properties.

Property Name Property Value

Name reportPreview1
Dock Fill

3. Double-click the PreviewForm to create an instance for the Load event and add the following code.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

VB code. Paste BELOW the Import statements

Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document
Imports System.IO
Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports

VB code. Paste INSIDE the Load event

Dim reportData As Stream = [GetType]
().Assembly.GetManifestResourceStream("your_project_name.DemoReport.rdlx")
reportData.Position = 0
Dim reader As New StreamReader(reportData)
Dim def As New PageReport(reader)
def.ResourceLocator = New MyPicturesLocator()
Dim runtime As New PageDocument(def)
reportPreview1.ReportViewer.LoadDocument(runtime)

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste BELOW the Using statements

using GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Document;
using System.IO;

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 770
using GrapeCity.ActiveReports;

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Load event

string myPicturesPath = Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.MyPictures);
Stream reportData =
GetType().Assembly.GetManifestResourceStream("your_project_name.DemoReport.rdlx");
reportData.Position = 0;
StreamReader reader = new StreamReader(reportData);
PageReport def = new PageReport(reader);
def.ResourceLocator = new MyPicturesLocator();
PageDocument runtime = new PageDocument(def);
reportPreview1.ReportViewer.LoadDocument(runtime);

4. Press F5 to run the project.

Custom Data Provider

A custom data provider allows you to use non-traditional data sources in your page reports, both at run time and at
design time. This walkthrough illustrates how to create a solution with projects that create a custom data provider
and demonstrate how it pulls data from a comma separated values (CSV) file.
This walkthrough is split into the following activities:
Creating a Designer project to demonstrate the custom data provider
Configuring the project to use a custom data provider
Adding a report to show the data
Adding a second project to contain the custom data provider
Adding a button to the query editor
When you complete this walkthrough, you will have a designer pre-loaded with a report that pulls data from a CSV
file and looks like the following.

To create a Designer project to demonstrate the custom data provider

1. In Visual Studio, create a Windows Forms project and name it CustomDataProviderDemo.
2. From the Visual Studio toolbox ActiveReports 9 tab, drag a ReportExplorer and drop it onto the default
Windows form, resizing the form to a comfortable working area.
3. In the Properties window, set the Dock property of the ReportExplorer control to Left.
4. From the toolbox Common Controls tab, drag a RichTextBox control onto the form and set the Dock
property to Top.
5. Add the following text to the Text property. (Drop down the box to ensure that all of the lines of text are
added.)
Text. Paste in the Text property of the RichTextBox.
1. In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Sources node and select Add Data
Source.
2. In the Report Data Source dialog that appears, on the General tab, drop down
the Type box, select CSV Data Provider, and click OK.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 771
3. In the Report Explorer, right-click DataSource1 and select Add Data Set.
4. In the dialog that appears, select the Query page.
5. Drop down the Query String box to display the custom query editor.
6. Click the Select CSV File button and open the Categories.csv file in this
project.
7. Click OK to save the changes and close the dialog.
8. Click Preview to see the report with data from the csv file.

6. From the toolbox ActiveReports 9 tab, drag a Designer control and drop it on the empty part of the form.
7. Set the Dock property to Fill, then right-click the Designer control on the form and select Bring to front.
8. Select the ReportExplorer control and in the Properties window, drop down the ReportDesigner property
and select Designer1.
9. Double-click on the form's title bar to create a form Load event, and add code like the following above the
class.
Visual Basic code. Paste above the class.
Imports System.Xml
Imports System.IO
Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Design

C# code. Paste above the class.

using System.Xml;
using System.IO;
using GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Design;

10. Add the following code to the form Load event.

Visual Basic code. Paste inside the form Load event.
Using reportStream = File.OpenRead("DemoReport.rdlx")
Using reader = XmlReader.Create(reportStream)
Designer1.LoadReport(reader, DesignerReportType.Page)
End Using
End Using

C# code. Paste inside the form Load event.

using (var reportStream = File.OpenRead("DemoReport.rdlx"))
{
using (var reader = XmlReader.Create(reportStream))
{
designer1.LoadReport(reader, DesignerReportType.Page);
}
}

To configure the project to use a custom data provider

1. In the Solution Explorer, right-click the project and select Add, then New Item.
2. In the dialog that appears, select Text File, name it GrapeCity.ActiveReports.config, and click Add.
3. In the Solution Explorer, select the new file and in the Properties window, set its Copy to Output
Directory property to Copy always.
4. Paste the following text into the file and save it. (You can safely ignore the warning that the 'Configuration'
element is not declared.)
Paste into the config file.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<Configuration>
<Extensions>
<Data>
<Extension Name="CSV" DisplayName="CSV Data Provider"
Type="CustomDataProvider.CsvDataProvider.CsvDataProviderFactory,
CustomDataProvider"
CommandTextEditorType="CustomDataProvider.CSVDataProvider.QueryEditor,

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 772
CustomDataProvider"/>
</Data>
</Extensions>
</Configuration>

5. In the Solution Explorer, right-click the project and select Add, then New Item.
6. In the dialog that appears, select Text File, name it Categories.csv, and click Add.
7. In the Solution Explorer, click to select the file, and in the Properties window, change the Copy to Output
Directory property to Copy always.
8. Paste the following text into the file and save it.
Paste into the text file.
EmployeeID(int32),LastName,FirstName,Role,City
1,James,Yolanda,Owner,Columbus
7,Reed,Marvin,Manager,Newton
9,Figg,Murray,Cashier,Columbus
12,Snead,Lance,Store Keeper,Columbus
15,Halm,Jeffry,Store Keeper,Columbus
17,Hames,Alma,Store Keeper,Oak Bay
18,Nicki,Aubrey,Store Keeper,Columbus
24,Cliett,Vikki,Store Keeper,Newton

To add a report to show the data from the custom data provider
1. In the Solution Explorer, right-click the project and select Add, then New Item.
2. In the dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 RDL Report, name it DemoReport, and click Add.
3. In the Solution Explorer, click to select the report, and in the Properties window, change the Copy to
Output Directory property to Copy always.
4. From the ActiveReports 9 RDL Report Toolbox, drag a Table report control onto the report.
Note: In case you are still working on Page report layout, set the FixedSize property of the Table
control to display all data on one page.

5. Click inside the table to reveal the table adorners, then right-click the table adorner to the left of the footer
row and select Delete Rows. The footer row is removed from the table.
6. In the Report Explorer, select each of the textboxes in turn and set the properties as in the following table.
(If you do not see the Report Explorer, from the View menu, select Other Windows, then Report Explorer
8.)

TextBox Value Property BackgroundColor

Name Property
TextBox1 Name MediumSlateBlue
TextBox2 Role MediumSlateBlue
TextBox3 City MediumSlateBlue
TextBox4 =Fields!FirstName.Value & " " &
Fields!LastName.Value
TextBox5 =Fields!Role.Value
TextBox6 =Fields!City.Value

7. In the Report Explorer, select the Table1 node and in the Properties window, set the Location property to
1in, 1in and the Size property to 6in, 0.5in to make the table wide enough to see all of the data.
8. With Table1 still selected in the Properties window, in the DataSetName property, enter the text
DataSet1.
To add a class library project to the solution to contain the custom data provider
1. From the File menu, select Add, then New Project.
2. In the Add New Project dialog, select Class Library, and name the project CustomDataProvider.
3. In the Solution Explorer, right-click the default class and select Delete. (We will add our classes to a folder
below.)
4. Right-click the CustomDataProvider project and select Add Reference, and in the Add Reference dialog that

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 773
appears, on the .NET tab, select the following references to add, holding down the Ctrl button to select
multiple references.
GrapeCity ActiveReports 9 (GrapeCity.ActiveReports.v9)
GrapeCity ActiveReports Extensibility Library (GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.v9)
System.Drawing
System.Windows.Forms
5. Right-click the CustomDataProvider project and select Add, then New Folder, and name the folder
CSVDataProvider.
6. Right-click the folder and select Add, then Class, then name the class CsvColumn and add code like the
following to replace the default stub in the class.
Visual Basic code
Visual Basic code. Paste it to replace the default stub in the class.
Namespace CSVDataProvider
' Represents information about fields in the data source.
Friend Structure CsvColumn
Private ReadOnly _fieldName As String
Private ReadOnly _dataType As Type

' Creates a new instance of the CsvColumn class.

' The fieldName parameter is the name of the field represented by
this instance of the CsvColumn.
' The dataType parameter is the Type of the field represented by
this instance of the CsvColumn.
Public Sub New(fieldName As String, dataType As Type)
If fieldName Is Nothing Then
Throw New ArgumentNullException("fieldName")
End If
If dataType Is Nothing Then
Throw New ArgumentNullException("dataType")
End If
_fieldName = fieldName
_dataType = dataType
End Sub

' Gets the name of the field represented by this instance of the
CsvColumn.
Public ReadOnly Property FieldName() As String
Get
Return _fieldName
End Get
End Property

' Gets the the Type of the field represented by this instance of
the CsvColumn.
Public ReadOnly Property DataType() As Type
Get
Return _dataType
End Get
End Property

' Returns a String that represents this instance of the CsvColumn.

Public Overrides Function ToString() As String
Return [String].Concat(New String() {FieldName, "(",
DataType.ToString(), ")"})
End Function

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 774
' Determines whether two CsvColumn instances are equal.
' The obj represents the CsvColumn to compare with the current
CsvColumn.
' Returns True if the specified CsvColumn is equal to the current
CsvColumn; otherwise, False.
Public Overrides Function Equals(obj As Object) As Boolean
Dim flag As Boolean

If TypeOf obj Is CsvColumn Then

flag = Equals(CType(obj, CsvColumn))
Else
flag = False
End If
Return flag
End Function

Private Overloads Function Equals(column As CsvColumn) As Boolean

Return column.FieldName = FieldName
End Function

' Serves as a hash function for a CsvColumn, suitable for use in

hashing algorithms and data structures like a hash table.
' Returns a hash code for the current CsvColumn instance.
Public Overrides Function GetHashCode() As Integer
Return (FieldName.GetHashCode() + DataType.GetHashCode())
End Function
End Structure
End Namespace

C# code
C# code. Paste it to replace the default stub in the class.
using System;

namespace CustomDataProvider.CSVDataProvider
{
// Represents information about fields in the data source.
internal struct CsvColumn
{
private readonly string _fieldName;
private readonly Type _dataType;

// Creates a new instance of the CsvColumn class.

// The fieldName parameter is the name of the field represented by
this instance of the CsvColumn.
// The dataType parameter is the Type of the field represented by
this instance of the CsvColumn.
public CsvColumn(string fieldName, Type dataType)
{
if (fieldName == null)
throw new ArgumentNullException("fieldName");
if (dataType == null)
throw new ArgumentNullException("dataType");
_fieldName = fieldName;
_dataType = dataType;
}

// Gets the name of the field represented by this instance of the

CsvColumn.
public string FieldName

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 775
{
get { return _fieldName; }
}

// Gets the the Type of the field represented by this instance of

the CsvColumn.
public Type DataType
{
get { return _dataType; }
}

// Returns a String that represents this instance of the CsvColumn.

public override string ToString()
{
return String.Concat(new string[] {FieldName, "(",
DataType.ToString(), ")"});
}

// Determines whether two CsvColumn instances are equal.

// The obj represents the CsvColumn to compare with the current
CsvColumn.
// Returns True if the specified CsvColumn is equal to the current
CsvColumn; otherwise, False.
public override bool Equals(object obj)
{
bool flag;

if (obj is CsvColumn)
{
flag = Equals((CsvColumn) obj);
}
else
{
flag = false;
}
return flag;
}

private bool Equals(CsvColumn column)

{
return column.FieldName == FieldName;
}

// Serves as a hash function for a CsvColumn, suitable for use in

hashing algorithms and data structures like a hash table.
// Returns a hash code for the current CsvColumn instance.
public override int GetHashCode()
{
return (FieldName.GetHashCode() + DataType.GetHashCode());
}
}
}

7. Right-click the CSVDataProvider folder and select Add, then Class, then name the class CsvDataReader
and add code like the following to replace the default stub in the class.
Visual Basic code
Visual Basic code. Paste it to replace the default stub in the class.

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 776
Imports System
Imports System.Collections
Imports System.Globalization
Imports System.IO
Imports System.Text.RegularExpressions
Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.Data

Namespace CSVDataProvider

' Provides an implementation of IDataReader for the .NET Framework CSV Data
Provider.
Friend Class CsvDataReader
Implements IDataReader
'NOTE: HashcodeProvider and Comparer need to be case-insensitive since
TypeNames are capitalized differently in places.
'Otherwise data types end up as strings when using Int32 vs int32.
Private _typeLookup As New
Hashtable(StringComparer.Create(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, False))

Private _columnLookup As New Hashtable()

Private _columns As Object()
Private _textReader As TextReader
Private _currentRow As Object()

'The regular expressions are set to be pre-compiled to make it faster.

Since we were concerned about
'multi-threading, we made the properties read-only so no one can change
any properties on these objects.
Private Shared ReadOnly _rxDataRow As New Regex(",(?=(?:[^""]*""[^""]*"")*
(?![^""]*""))", RegexOptions.Compiled)
'Used to parse the data rows.

Private Shared ReadOnly _rxHeaderRow As New Regex("(?<fieldName>

(\w*\s*)*)\((?<fieldType>\w*)\)", RegexOptions.Compiled)
'Used to parse the header rows.

' Creates a new instance of the CsvDataReader class.

' The textReader parameter represents the TextReader to use to read the
data.
Public Sub New(textReader As TextReader)
_textReader = textReader
ParseCommandText()
End Sub

' Parses the passed-in command text.

Private Sub ParseCommandText()
If _textReader.Peek() = -1 Then
Return
End If
'Command text is empty or at the end already.
FillTypeLookup()

Dim header As String = _textReader.ReadLine()

header = AddDefaultTypeToHeader(header)

If Not ParseHeader(header) Then

Throw New InvalidOperationException( _
"Field names and types are not defined. " & _
"The first line in the CommandText must contain the field names

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 777
and data types. e.g FirstName(string)")
End If
End Sub

'A hashtable is used to return a type for the string value used in the
header text.
Private Sub FillTypeLookup()
_typeLookup.Add("string", GetType([String]))
_typeLookup.Add("byte", GetType([Byte]))
_typeLookup.Add("boolean", GetType([Boolean]))
_typeLookup.Add("datetime", GetType(DateTime))
_typeLookup.Add("decimal", GetType([Decimal]))
_typeLookup.Add("double", GetType([Double]))
_typeLookup.Add("int16", GetType(Int16))
_typeLookup.Add("int32", GetType(Int32))
_typeLookup.Add("int", GetType(Int32))
_typeLookup.Add("integer", GetType(Int32))
_typeLookup.Add("int64", GetType(Int64))
_typeLookup.Add("sbyte", GetType([SByte]))
_typeLookup.Add("single", GetType([Single]))
_typeLookup.Add("time", GetType(DateTime))
_typeLookup.Add("date", GetType(DateTime))
_typeLookup.Add("uint16", GetType(UInt16))
_typeLookup.Add("uint32", GetType(UInt32))
_typeLookup.Add("uint64", GetType(UInt64))
End Sub

' Returns a type based on the string value passed in from the header text
string. If no match is found,
' a string type is returned.
' The fieldType parameter represents the String value from the header
command text string.
Private Function GetFieldTypeFromString(fieldType As String) As Type
If _typeLookup.Contains(fieldType) Then
Return TryCast(_typeLookup(fieldType), Type)
End If
Return GetType([String])
End Function

' Parses the first line in the passed-in command text string to create the
field names and field data types.
' The field information is stored in a CsvColumn struct, and these column
info items are stored
' in an ArrayList. The column name is also added to a hashtable for easy
lookup later.
' The header parameter represents the header string that contains all the
fields.
' Returns True if it can parse the header string; otherwise False.
Private Function ParseHeader(header As String) As Boolean
Dim fieldName As String
Dim index As Integer = 0
If header.IndexOf("(") = -1 Then
Return False
End If

Dim matches As MatchCollection = _rxHeaderRow.Matches(header)

_columns = New Object(matches.Count - 1) {}
For Each match As Match In matches
fieldName = match.Groups("fieldName").Value
Dim fieldType As Type =

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 778
GetFieldTypeFromString(match.Groups("fieldType").Value)
_columns.SetValue(New CsvColumn(fieldName, fieldType), index)
_columnLookup.Add(fieldName, index)
index += 1
Next

Return True
End Function

' Ensures that the header contains columns in the form of name(type)
' The line parameter represents the raw header line from the file to fix
up.
' Returns a modified header with default types appended to column names.
Private Shared Function AddDefaultTypeToHeader(line As String) As String
Const ColumnWithDataTypeRegex As String = "[""]?\w+[\""]?\(.+\)"
Dim columns As String() = line.Split(New String() {","},
StringSplitOptions.None)
Dim ret As String = Nothing
For Each column As String In columns
If Not String.IsNullOrEmpty(ret) Then
ret += ","
End If
If Not Regex.Match(column, ColumnWithDataTypeRegex).Success Then
ret += column + "(string)"
Else
ret += column
End If
Next
Return ret
End Function

' Parses a row of data using a regular expression and stores the
information inside an object
' array that is the current row of data.
' If the row does not have the correct number of fields, an exception is
raised.
' The dataRow parameter represents the String value representing a comma
delimited data row.
' Returns True if it can parse the data string; otherwise False.
Private Function ParseDataRow(dataRow As String) As Boolean
Dim index As Integer = 0
Dim tempData As String() = _rxDataRow.Split(dataRow)

_currentRow = New Object(tempData.Length - 1) {}

If tempData.Length <> _columns.Length Then
Dim [error] As String =
String.Format(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, _
"Invalid row ""{0}"". The row does not contain the
same number of data columns as the table header definition.", dataRow)
Throw New InvalidOperationException([error])
End If
For i As Integer = 0 To tempData.Length - 1
Dim value As String = tempData(i)

If value.Length > 1 Then

If value.IndexOf(""""c, 0) = 0 AndAlso value.IndexOf(""""c, 1)
= value.Length - 1 Then
value = value.Substring(1, value.Length - 2)
End If
End If

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 779
_currentRow.SetValue(ConvertValue(GetFieldType(index), value),
index)
index += 1
Next
Return True
End Function

' Coverts the string value coming from the command text to the appropriate
data type, based on the field's type.
' This also checks a few string value rules to decide if a String.Empty of
System.Data.DBNull needs to be returned.
' The type parameter represents the Type of the current column the data
belongs to.
' The originalValue parameter represents the String value coming from the
command text.
' Returns the object resulting from the converted string, based on the
type.
Private Function ConvertValue(type As Type, originalValue As String) As
Object
Dim fieldType As Type = type
Dim invariantCulture As CultureInfo = CultureInfo.InvariantCulture
Try
If originalValue = """""" OrElse originalValue = " " Then
Return String.Empty
End If
If originalValue = "" Then
Return DBNull.Value
End If
If originalValue = "DBNull" Then
Return DBNull.Value
End If
If fieldType.Equals(GetType([String])) Then
Return originalValue.Trim()
End If
If fieldType.Equals(GetType(Int32)) Then
Return Convert.ToInt32(originalValue, invariantCulture)
End If
If fieldType.Equals(GetType([Boolean])) Then
Return Convert.ToBoolean(originalValue, invariantCulture)
End If
If fieldType.Equals(GetType(DateTime)) Then
Return Convert.ToDateTime(originalValue, invariantCulture)
End If
If fieldType.Equals(GetType([Decimal])) Then
Return Convert.ToDecimal(originalValue, invariantCulture)
End If
If fieldType.Equals(GetType([Double])) Then
Return Convert.ToDouble(originalValue, invariantCulture)
End If
If fieldType.Equals(GetType(Int16)) Then
Return Convert.ToInt16(originalValue, invariantCulture)
End If
If fieldType.Equals(GetType(Int64)) Then
Return Convert.ToInt64(originalValue, invariantCulture)
End If
If fieldType.Equals(GetType([Single])) Then
Return Convert.ToSingle(originalValue, invariantCulture)
End If
If fieldType.Equals(GetType([Byte])) Then
Return Convert.ToByte(originalValue, invariantCulture)
End If

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 780
If fieldType.Equals(GetType([SByte])) Then
Return Convert.ToSByte(originalValue, invariantCulture)
End If
If fieldType.Equals(GetType(UInt16)) Then
Return Convert.ToUInt16(originalValue, invariantCulture)
End If
If fieldType.Equals(GetType(UInt32)) Then
Return Convert.ToUInt32(originalValue, invariantCulture)
End If
If fieldType.Equals(GetType(UInt64)) Then
Return Convert.ToUInt64(originalValue, invariantCulture)
End If
Catch e As Exception
Throw New InvalidOperationException(String.Format("Input value
'{0}' could not be converted to the type '{1}'.", originalValue, type), e)
End Try
'If no match is found return DBNull instead.
Return DBNull.Value
End Function

#Region "IDataReader Members"

' Advances the CsvDataReader to the next record.

' Returns True if there are more rows; otherwise, False.
Public Function Read() As Boolean Implements IDataReader.Read
If _textReader.Peek() > -1 Then
ParseDataRow(_textReader.ReadLine())
Else
Return False
End If

Return True
End Function

#End Region

#Region "IDisposable Members"

' Releases the resources used by the CsvDataReader.

Public Sub Dispose() Implements IDisposable.Dispose
Dispose(True)
GC.SuppressFinalize(Me)
End Sub

Private Sub Dispose(disposing As Boolean)

If disposing Then
If _textReader IsNot Nothing Then
_textReader.Close()
End If
End If

_typeLookup = Nothing
_columnLookup = Nothing
_columns = Nothing
_currentRow = Nothing
End Sub

' Allows an Object to attempt to free resources and perform

' other cleanup operations before the Object is reclaimed by garbage

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 781
collection.
Protected Overrides Sub Finalize()
Try
Dispose(False)
Finally
MyBase.Finalize()
End Try
End Sub

#End Region

#Region "IDataRecord Members"

' Gets the number of columns in the current row.

Public ReadOnly Property FieldCount() As Integer Implements
IDataRecord.FieldCount
Get
Return _columns.Length
End Get
End Property

' The i parameter represents the index of the field to find.

' Returns the Type information corresponding to the type of Object that
would be returned from GetValue.
Public Function GetFieldType(i As Integer) As Type Implements
IDataReader.GetFieldType
If i > _columns.Length - 1 Then
Return Nothing
End If

Return DirectCast(_columns.GetValue(i), CsvColumn).DataType

End Function

' Gets the name for the field to find.

' The i parameter represents the index of the field to find.
' Returns the name of the field or an empty string (""), if there is no
value to return.
Public Function GetName(i As Integer) As String Implements
IDataRecord.GetName
If i > _columns.Length - 1 Then
Return String.Empty
End If

Return DirectCast(_columns.GetValue(i), CsvColumn).FieldName

End Function

' The name parameter represents the name of the field to find.
' Returns the index of the named field.
Public Function GetOrdinal(name As String) As Integer Implements
IDataRecord.GetOrdinal
Dim value As Object = _columnLookup(name)
If value Is Nothing Then
Throw New IndexOutOfRangeException("name")
End If
Return CInt(value)
End Function

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 782

' The i parameter represents the index of the field to find.

' Returns the Object which contains the value of the specified field.
Public Function GetValue(i As Integer) As Object Implements
IDataRecord.GetValue
If i > _columns.Length - 1 Then
Return Nothing
End If

Return _currentRow.GetValue(i)
End Function

Public Overridable Function GetData(fieldIndex As Integer) As IDataReader

Implements IDataReader.GetData
Throw New NotSupportedException()
End Function

#End Region
End Class
End Namespace

C# code

C# code. Paste it to replace the default stub in the class.

using System;
using System.Collections;
using System.Globalization;
using System.IO;
using System.Text.RegularExpressions;
using GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.Data;

namespace CustomDataProvider.CSVDataProvider
{

// Provides an implementation of IDataReader for the .NET Framework CSV

Data Provider.
internal class CsvDataReader : IDataReader
{
//NOTE: HashcodeProvider and Comparer need to be case-insensitive
since TypeNames are capitalized differently in places.
//Otherwise data types end up as strings when
using Int32 vs int32.
private Hashtable _typeLookup =
new
Hashtable(StringComparer.Create(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, false));
private Hashtable _columnLookup = new Hashtable();
private object[] _columns;
private TextReader _textReader;
private object[] _currentRow;

//The regular expressions are set to be pre-compiled to make it

faster. Since we were concerned about
//multi-threading, we made the properties read-only so no one can
change any properties on these objects.
private static readonly Regex _rxDataRow = new Regex(@",(?=(?:
[^""]*""[^""]*"")*(?![^""]*""))", RegexOptions.Compiled);
//Used to parse the data rows.

private static readonly Regex _rxHeaderRow =

new Regex(@"(?<fieldName>(\w*\s*)*)\((?<fieldType>\w*)\)",
RegexOptions.Compiled);

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 783
//Used to parse the header rows.

// Creates a new instance of the CsvDataReader class.

// The textReader parameter represents the TextReader to use to
read the data.
public CsvDataReader(TextReader textReader)
{
_textReader = textReader;
ParseCommandText();
}

// Parses the passed-in command text.

private void ParseCommandText()
{
if (_textReader.Peek() == -1)
return; //Command text is empty or at the end
already.

FillTypeLookup();

string header = _textReader.ReadLine();

header = AddDefaultTypeToHeader(header);

if (!ParseHeader(header))
throw new InvalidOperationException(
"Field names and types are not defined.
The first line in the CommandText must contain the field names and data types. e.g
FirstName(string)");
}

//A hashtable is used to return a type for the string value used
in the header text.
private void FillTypeLookup()
{
_typeLookup.Add("string", typeof (String));
_typeLookup.Add("byte", typeof (Byte));
_typeLookup.Add("boolean", typeof (Boolean));
_typeLookup.Add("datetime", typeof (DateTime));
_typeLookup.Add("decimal", typeof (Decimal));
_typeLookup.Add("double", typeof (Double));
_typeLookup.Add("int16", typeof (Int16));
_typeLookup.Add("int32", typeof (Int32));
_typeLookup.Add("int", typeof (Int32));
_typeLookup.Add("integer", typeof (Int32));
_typeLookup.Add("int64", typeof (Int64));
_typeLookup.Add("sbyte", typeof (SByte));
_typeLookup.Add("single", typeof (Single));
_typeLookup.Add("time", typeof (DateTime));
_typeLookup.Add("date", typeof (DateTime));
_typeLookup.Add("uint16", typeof (UInt16));
_typeLookup.Add("uint32", typeof (UInt32));
_typeLookup.Add("uint64", typeof (UInt64));
}

// Returns a type based on the string value passed in from the

header text string. If no match is found, a string type is returned.
// The fieldType parameter represents the String value from the
header command text string.
private Type GetFieldTypeFromString(string fieldType)

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 784
{
if (_typeLookup.Contains(fieldType))
return _typeLookup[fieldType] as Type;
return typeof (String);
}

// Parses the first line in the passed-in command text string to

create the field names and field data types. The field information
// is stored in a CsvColumn struct, and these column info items
are stored in an ArrayList. The column name is also added
// to a hashtable for easy lookup later.

// The header parameter represents the header string that contains

all the fields.
// Returns True if it can parse the header string; otherwise
False.
private bool ParseHeader(string header)
{
string fieldName;
int index = 0;
if (header.IndexOf("(") == -1)
return false;

MatchCollection matches = _rxHeaderRow.Matches(header);

_columns = new object[matches.Count];
foreach (Match match in matches)
{
fieldName = match.Groups["fieldName"].Value;
Type fieldType =
GetFieldTypeFromString(match.Groups["fieldType"].Value);
_columns.SetValue(new CsvColumn(fieldName,
fieldType), index);
_columnLookup.Add(fieldName, index);
index++;
}

return true;
}

// Ensures that the header contains columns in the form of

name(type)
// The line parameter represents the raw header line from the file
to fix up.
// Returns a modified header with default types appended to column
names.
private static string AddDefaultTypeToHeader(string line)
{
const string ColumnWithDataTypeRegex = @"[""]?\w+[\""]?\
(.+\)";
string[] columns = line.Split(new string[] { "," },
StringSplitOptions.None);
string ret = null;
foreach (string column in columns)
{
if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(ret))
ret += ",";
if (!Regex.Match(column,
ColumnWithDataTypeRegex).Success)
{
ret += column + "(string)";

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 785
}
else
{
ret += column;
}
}
return ret;
}

// Parses a row of data using a regular expression and stores the

information inside an object array that is the current row of data.
// If the row does not have the correct number of fields, an
exception is raised.
// The dataRow parameter represents the String value representing
a comma delimited data row.
// Returns True if it can parse the data string; otherwise False.
private bool ParseDataRow(string dataRow)
{
int index = 0;
string[] tempData = _rxDataRow.Split(dataRow);

_currentRow = new object[tempData.Length];

if (tempData.Length != _columns.Length)
{
string error =

string.Format(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture,
"Invalid row \"{0}\". The
row does not contain the same number of data columns as the table header
definition.",
dataRow);
throw new InvalidOperationException(error);
}
for (int i = 0; i < tempData.Length; i++)
{
string value = tempData[i];

if (value.Length > 1)
{
if (value.IndexOf('"', 0) == 0 &&
value.IndexOf('"', 1) == value.Length - 1)
value = value.Substring(1,
value.Length - 2);
}

_currentRow.SetValue(ConvertValue(GetFieldType(index), value), index);

index++;
}
return true;
}

// Coverts the string value coming from the command text to the
appropriate data type, based on the field's type.
// This also checks a few string value rules to decide if a
String.Empty of System.Data.DBNull needs to be returned.
// The type parameter represents the Type of the current column
the data belongs to.
// The originalValue parameter represents the String value coming
from the command text.
// Returns the object resulting from the converted string, based

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 786
on the type.
private object ConvertValue(Type type, string originalValue)
{
Type fieldType = type;
CultureInfo invariantCulture =
CultureInfo.InvariantCulture;
try
{
if (originalValue == "\"\"" || originalValue == "
")
return string.Empty;
if (originalValue == "")
return DBNull.Value;
if (originalValue == "DBNull")
return DBNull.Value;
if (fieldType.Equals(typeof (String)))
return originalValue.Trim();
if (fieldType.Equals(typeof (Int32)))
return Convert.ToInt32(originalValue,
invariantCulture);
if (fieldType.Equals(typeof (Boolean)))
return Convert.ToBoolean(originalValue,
invariantCulture);
if (fieldType.Equals(typeof (DateTime)))
return Convert.ToDateTime(originalValue,
invariantCulture);
if (fieldType.Equals(typeof (Decimal)))
return Convert.ToDecimal(originalValue,
invariantCulture);
if (fieldType.Equals(typeof (Double)))
return Convert.ToDouble(originalValue,
invariantCulture);
if (fieldType.Equals(typeof (Int16)))
return Convert.ToInt16(originalValue,
invariantCulture);
if (fieldType.Equals(typeof (Int64)))
return Convert.ToInt64(originalValue,
invariantCulture);
if (fieldType.Equals(typeof (Single)))
return Convert.ToSingle(originalValue,
invariantCulture);
if (fieldType.Equals(typeof (Byte)))
return Convert.ToByte(originalValue,
invariantCulture);
if (fieldType.Equals(typeof (SByte)))
return Convert.ToSByte(originalValue,
invariantCulture);
if (fieldType.Equals(typeof (UInt16)))
return Convert.ToUInt16(originalValue,
invariantCulture);
if (fieldType.Equals(typeof (UInt32)))
return Convert.ToUInt32(originalValue,
invariantCulture);
if (fieldType.Equals(typeof (UInt64)))
return Convert.ToUInt64(originalValue,
invariantCulture);
}
catch (Exception e)
{
throw new InvalidOperationException(
string.Format("Input value '{0}' could not
be converted to the type '{1}'.", originalValue, type), e);

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 787
}
//If no match is found return DBNull instead.
return DBNull.Value;
}

#region IDataReader Members

// Advances the CsvDataReader to the next record.

// Returns True if there are more rows; otherwise, False.
public bool Read()
{
if (_textReader.Peek() > -1)
ParseDataRow(_textReader.ReadLine());
else
return false;

return true;
}

#endregion

#region IDisposable Members

// Releases the resources used by the CsvDataReader.

public void Dispose()
{
Dispose(true);
GC.SuppressFinalize(this);
}

private void Dispose(bool disposing)

{
if (disposing)
{
if (_textReader != null)
_textReader.Close();
}

_typeLookup = null;
_columnLookup = null;
_columns = null;
_currentRow = null;
}

// Allows an Object to attempt to free resources and perform other

cleanup operations before the Object is reclaimed by garbage collection.
~CsvDataReader()
{
Dispose(false);
}

#endregion

#region IDataRecord Members

// Gets the number of columns in the current row.

public int FieldCount
{

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 788
get { return _columns.Length; }
}

// The i parameter represents the index of the field to find.

// Returns the Type information corresponding to the type of
Object that would be returned from GetValue.
public Type GetFieldType(int i)
{
if (i > _columns.Length - 1)
return null;

return ((CsvColumn) _columns.GetValue(i)).DataType;

}

// Gets the name for the field to find.

// The i parameter represents the index of the field to find.
// Returns the name of the field or an empty string (""), if there
is no value to return.
public string GetName(int i)
{
if (i > _columns.Length - 1)
return string.Empty;

return ((CsvColumn) _columns.GetValue(i)).FieldName;

}

// The name parameter represents the name of the field to find.

// Returns the index of the named field.
public int GetOrdinal(string name)
{
object value = _columnLookup[name];
if (value == null)
throw new IndexOutOfRangeException("name");
return (int) value;
}

// The i parameter represents the index of the field to find.

// Returns the Object which contains the value of the specified
field.
public object GetValue(int i)
{
if (i > _columns.Length - 1)
return null;

return _currentRow.GetValue(i);
}

public virtual IDataReader GetData(int fieldIndex)

{
throw new NotSupportedException();
}

#endregion
}
}

8. Right-click the CSVDataProvider folder and select Add, then Class, then name the class CsvCommand and

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 789
add code like the following to replace the default stub in the class. (You can safely ignore the errors, as they
will go away when you add the CsvConnection class.)
Visual Basic code
Visual Basic code. Paste it to replace the default stub in the class.
Imports System
Imports System.IO
Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.Data

Namespace CSVDataProvider

' Provides the IDbCommand implementation for the .NET Framework CSV Data
Provider.
Public NotInheritable Class CsvCommand
Implements IDbCommand
Private _commandText As String
Private _connection As IDbConnection
Private _commandTimeout As Integer
Private _commandType As CommandType

' Creates a new instance of the CsvCommand class.

Public Sub New()
Me.New(String.Empty)
End Sub

' Creates a new instance of the CsvCommand class with command text.
' The commandText parameter represents the command text.
Public Sub New(commandText As String)
Me.New(commandText, Nothing)
End Sub

' Creates a new instance of the CsvCommand class with command text and a
CsvConnection.
' The commandText parameter represents the command text.
' The connection parameter represents a CsvConnection to a data source.
Public Sub New(commandText As String, connection As CsvConnection)
_commandText = commandText
_connection = connection
End Sub

' Gets or sets the command to execute at the data source.

Public Property CommandText() As String Implements IDbCommand.CommandText
Get
Return _commandText
End Get
Set(value As String)
_commandText = value
End Set
End Property

' Gets or sets the wait time before terminating an attempt to execute the
command and generating an error.
Public Property CommandTimeout() As Integer Implements
IDbCommand.CommandTimeout
Get
Return _commandTimeout
End Get

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 790

Set(value As Integer)
_commandTimeout = value
End Set
End Property

' Gets or sets a value indicating how the CommandText property is

interpreted.
' Remarks: We don't use this one for the Csv Data Provider.
Public Property CommandType() As CommandType Implements
IDbCommand.CommandType
Get
Return _commandType
End Get

Set(value As CommandType)
_commandType = value
End Set
End Property

' Gets or sets the CsvConnection used by this instance of the CsvCommand.
Public Property Connection() As IDbConnection
Get
Return _connection
End Get

Set(value As IDbConnection)
_connection = value
End Set
End Property

' Sends the CommandText to the CsvConnection, and builds a CsvDataReader

using one of the CommandBehavior values.
' The behavior parameter represents a CommandBehavior value.
' Returns a CsvDataReader object.
Public Function ExecuteReader(behavior As CommandBehavior) As IDataReader
Implements IDbCommand.ExecuteReader
Return New CsvDataReader(New StreamReader(_commandText))
End Function

' Returns a string that represents the command text with the parameters
expanded into constants.
Public Function GenerateRewrittenCommandText() As String Implements
IDbCommand.GenerateRewrittenCommandText
Return _commandText
End Function

' Sends the CommandText to the CsvConnection and builds a CsvDataReader.

' Returns a CsvDataReader object.
Public Function ExecuteReader() As IDataReader Implements
IDbCommand.ExecuteReader
Return ExecuteReader(CommandBehavior.SchemaOnly)
End Function

#Region "Non implemented IDbCommand Members"

Public ReadOnly Property Parameters() As IDataParameterCollection

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 791
Implements IDbCommand.Parameters
Get
Throw New NotImplementedException()
End Get
End Property

Public Property Transaction() As IDbTransaction Implements

IDbCommand.Transaction
Get
Throw New NotImplementedException()
End Get

Set(value As IDbTransaction)
Throw New NotImplementedException()
End Set
End Property

Public Sub Cancel() Implements IDbCommand.Cancel

End Sub

Public Function CreateParameter() As IDataParameter Implements

IDbCommand.CreateParameter
Throw New NotImplementedException()
End Function

#End Region

#Region "IDisposable Members"

' Releases the resources used by the CsvCommand.

Public Sub Dispose() Implements IDisposable.Dispose
Dispose(True)
GC.SuppressFinalize(Me)
End Sub

Private Sub Dispose(disposing As Boolean)

If disposing Then
If _connection IsNot Nothing Then
_connection.Dispose()
_connection = Nothing
End If
End If
End Sub

#End Region
End Class
End Namespace

C# code
C# code. Paste it to replace the default stub in the class.
using System;
using System.IO;
using GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.Data;

namespace CustomDataProvider.CSVDataProvider
{

// Provides the IDbCommand implementation for the .NET Framework CSV Data

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 792
Provider.
public sealed class CsvCommand : IDbCommand
{
private string _commandText;
private IDbConnection _connection;
private int _commandTimeout;
private CommandType _commandType;

/// Creates a new instance of the CsvCommand class.

public CsvCommand()
: this(string.Empty)
{
}

// Creates a new instance of the CsvCommand class with command

text.
// The commandText parameter represents the command text.
public CsvCommand(string commandText)
: this(commandText, null)
{
}

// Creates a new instance of the CsvCommand class with command

text and a CsvConnection.
// The commandText parameter represents the command text.
// The connection parameter represents a CsvConnection to a data
source.?
public CsvCommand(string commandText, CsvConnection connection)
{
_commandText = commandText;
_connection = connection;
}

// Gets or sets the command to execute at the data source.

public string CommandText
{
get { return _commandText; }
set { _commandText = value; }
}

// Gets or sets the wait time before terminating an attempt to

execute the command and generating an error.
public int CommandTimeout
{
get { return _commandTimeout; }

set { _commandTimeout = value; }

}

// Gets or sets a value indicating how the CommandText property is

interpreted.
// Remarks: We don't use this one for the Csv Data Provider.
public CommandType CommandType
{
get { return _commandType; }

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 793
set { _commandType = value; }
}

// Gets or sets the CsvConnection used by this instance of the

CsvCommand.
public IDbConnection Connection
{
get { return _connection; }

set { _connection = value; }

}

// Sends the CommandText to the CsvConnection, and builds a

CsvDataReader using one of the CommandBehavior values.
// The behavior parameter represents a CommandBehavior value.
// Returns a CsvDataReader object.
public IDataReader ExecuteReader(CommandBehavior behavior)
{
return new CsvDataReader(new StreamReader(_commandText));
}

// Returns a string that represents the command text with the

parameters expanded into constants.
public string GenerateRewrittenCommandText()
{
return _commandText;
}

// Sends the CommandText to the CsvConnection and builds a

CsvDataReader.
// Returns a CsvDataReader object.
public IDataReader ExecuteReader()
{
return ExecuteReader(CommandBehavior.SchemaOnly);
}

#region Non implemented IDbCommand Members

public IDataParameterCollection Parameters

{
get { throw new NotImplementedException(); }
}

public IDbTransaction Transaction

{
get { throw new NotImplementedException(); }

set { throw new NotImplementedException(); }

}

public void Cancel()

{

public IDataParameter CreateParameter()

{
throw new NotImplementedException();

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 794
}

#endregion

#region IDisposable Members

// Releases the resources used by the CsvCommand.

public void Dispose()
{
Dispose(true);
GC.SuppressFinalize(this);
}

private void Dispose(bool disposing)

{
if (disposing)
{
if (_connection != null)
{
_connection.Dispose();
_connection = null;
}
}
}

#endregion
}
}

9. Right-click the CSVDataProvider folder and select Add, then Class, then name the class CsvConnection
and add code like the following to replace the default stub in the class.
Visual Basic code

Visual Basic code. Paste it to replace the default stub in the class.
Imports System
Imports System.Collections.Specialized
Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.Data

Namespace CSVDataProvider

' Provides an implementation of IDbConnection for the .NET Framework CSV Data
Provider.
Public NotInheritable Class CsvConnection
Implements IDbConnection
Private _localizedName As String

' Creates a new instance of the CsvConnection class.

Public Sub New()
_localizedName = "Csv"
End Sub

' Creates a new instance of the CsvConnection class.

' The localizedName parameter represents the localized name for the
CsvConnection instance.
Public Sub New(localizeName As String)
_localizedName = localizeName
End Sub

#Region "IDbConnection Members"

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 795
' Gets or sets the string used to open the connection to the data source.
' Remarks: We don't use this one for the Csv Data Provider.
Public Property ConnectionString() As String Implements
IDbConnection.ConnectionString
Get
Return String.Empty
End Get

Set(value As String)

End Set
End Property

' Gets the amount of time to wait while trying to establish a connection
before terminating
' the attempt and generating an error.
' Remarks: We don't use this one for the Csv Data Provider.
Public ReadOnly Property ConnectionTimeout() As Integer Implements
IDbConnection.ConnectionTimeout
Get
Throw New NotImplementedException()
End Get
End Property

' Begins a data source transaction.

' Returns an object representing the new transaction.
' Remarks: We don't use this one for the Csv Data Provider.
Public Function BeginTransaction() As IDbTransaction Implements
IDbConnection.BeginTransaction
Return Nothing
End Function

' Opens a data source connection.

' Remarks: We don't use this one for the Csv Data Provider.
Public Sub Open() Implements IDbConnection.Open

End Sub

' Closes the connection to the data source. This is the preferred method
of closing any open connection.
Public Sub Close() Implements IDbConnection.Close
Dispose()
End Sub

' Creates and returns a CsvCommand object associated with the

CsvConnection.
Public Function CreateCommand() As IDbCommand Implements
IDbConnection.CreateCommand
Return New CsvCommand(String.Empty)
End Function

Public Property DataProviderService() As IDataProviderService Implements

IDbConnection.DataProviderService
Get
Return Nothing
End Get
Set(value As IDataProviderService)
End Set
End Property

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 796
#End Region

#Region "IDisposable Members"

' Releases the resources used by the CsvConnection.

Public Sub Dispose() Implements IDisposable.Dispose
Dispose(True)
GC.SuppressFinalize(Me)
End Sub

Private Sub Dispose(disposing As Boolean)

End Sub

' Allows an Object to attempt to free resources and perform other cleanup
operations
' before the Object is reclaimed by garbage collection.
Protected Overrides Sub Finalize()
Try
Dispose(False)
Finally
MyBase.Finalize()
End Try
End Sub

#End Region

#Region "IExtension Members"

' Gets the localized name of the CsvConnection.

Public ReadOnly Property LocalizedName() As String Implements
IDbConnection.LocalizedName
Get
Return _localizedName
End Get
End Property

' Specifies any configuration information for this extension.

' The configurationSettings parameter represents a NameValueCollection of
the settings.
Public Sub SetConfiguration(configurationSettings As NameValueCollection)
Implements IDbConnection.SetConfiguration
End Sub

#End Region
End Class
End Namespace

C# code
C# code. Paste it to replace the default stub in the class.
using System;
using System.Collections.Specialized;
using GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.Data;

namespace CustomDataProvider.CSVDataProvider
{

// Provides an implementation of IDbConnection for the .NET Framework CSV

Data Provider.
public sealed class CsvConnection : IDbConnection
{
private string _localizedName;

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 797

/ Creates a new instance of the CsvConnection class.

public CsvConnection()
{
_localizedName = "Csv";
}

// Creates a new instance of the CsvConnection class.

// The localizedName parameter represents the localized name for
the CsvConnection instance.
public CsvConnection(string localizeName)
{
_localizedName = localizeName;
}

#region IDbConnection Members

// Gets or sets the string used to open the connection to the data
source.
// Remarks: We don't use this one for the Csv Data Provider.
public string ConnectionString
{
get { return string.Empty; }

set { ; }
}

// Gets the amount of time to wait while trying to establish a

connection before terminating the attempt and generating an error.
// Remarks: We don't use this one for the Csv Data Provider.
public int ConnectionTimeout
{
get { throw new NotImplementedException(); }
}

// Begins a data source transaction.

// Returns an object representing the new transaction.
// Remarks: We don't use this one for the Csv Data Provider.
public IDbTransaction BeginTransaction()
{
return null;
}

// Opens a data source connection.

// Remarks: We don't use this one for the Csv Data Provider.
public void Open()
{
;
}

// Closes the connection to the data source. This is the preferred

method of closing any open connection.
public void Close()
{
Dispose();

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 798
}

// Creates and returns a CsvCommand object associated with the

CsvConnection.
public IDbCommand CreateCommand()
{
return new CsvCommand(string.Empty);
}

public IDataProviderService DataProviderService

{
get { return null; }
set { }
}

#endregion

#region IDisposable Members

// Releases the resources used by the CsvConnection.

public void Dispose()
{
Dispose(true);
GC.SuppressFinalize(this);
}

private void Dispose(bool disposing)

{
}

// Allows an Object to attempt to free resources and perform other

cleanup operations before the Object is reclaimed by garbage collection.
~CsvConnection()
{
Dispose(false);
}

#endregion

#region IExtension Members

// Gets the localized name of the CsvConnection.

public string LocalizedName
{
get { return _localizedName; }
}

// Specifies any configuration information for this extension.

// The configurationSettings parameter represents a
NameValueCollection of the settings.
public void SetConfiguration(NameValueCollection
configurationSettings)
{
}

#endregion
}

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 799
}

10. Right-click the CSVDataProvider folder and select Add, then Class, then name the class
CsvDataProviderFactory and add code like the following to replace the default stub in the class.
Visual Basic code
Visual Basic code. Paste it to replace the default stub in the class.
Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.Data
Imports GrapeCity.BI.Data.DataProviders

Namespace CSVDataProvider

' Implements the DataProviderFactory for .NET Framework CSV Data Provider.
Public Class CsvDataProviderFactory
Inherits DataProviderFactory

' Creates new instance of the CsvDataProviderFactory class.

Public Sub New()
End Sub

' Returns a new instance of the the CsvCommand.

Public Overrides Function CreateCommand() As IDbCommand
Return New CsvCommand()
End Function

' Returns a new instance of the the CsvConnection.

Public Overrides Function CreateConnection() As IDbConnection
Return New CsvConnection()
End Function
End Class
End Namespace

C# code
C# code. Paste it to replace the default stub in the class.
using GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensibility.Data;
using GrapeCity.BI.Data.DataProviders;

namespace CustomDataProvider.CSVDataProvider
{

// Implements the DataProviderFactory for .NET Framework CSV Data Provider.

public class CsvDataProviderFactory : DataProviderFactory
{

// Creates new instance of the CsvDataProviderFactory class.

public CsvDataProviderFactory()
{
}

// Returns a new instance of the the CsvCommand.

public override IDbCommand CreateCommand()
{
return new CsvCommand();
}

// Returns a new instance of the the CsvConnection.

public override IDbConnection CreateConnection()
{
return new CsvConnection();
}
}

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 800
}

To add a button to the query editor

1. In the Solution Explorer, right-click the CSVDataProvider folder and select Add, then Class, then name the
class QueryEditor and add code like the following to replace the default stub in the class.
Visual Basic code
Visual Basic code. Paste it to replace the default stub in the class.
Imports System
Imports System.Collections.Generic
Imports System.Drawing.Design
Imports System.IO
Imports System.Linq
Imports System.Text
Imports System.Text.RegularExpressions
Imports System.Windows.Forms
Imports System.Windows.Forms.Design
Namespace CSVDataProvider
Public NotInheritable Class QueryEditor
Inherits UITypeEditor
Dim path = ""
Friend WithEvents btn As New Button()
Public Overrides Function GetEditStyle(context As
System.ComponentModel.ITypeDescriptorContext) As UITypeEditorEditStyle
Return UITypeEditorEditStyle.DropDown
End Function
Public Overrides Function EditValue(context As
System.ComponentModel.ITypeDescriptorContext, provider As
System.IServiceProvider, value As Object) As Object
Dim edSvc As IWindowsFormsEditorService =
DirectCast(provider.GetService(GetType(IWindowsFormsEditorService)),
IWindowsFormsEditorService)

btn.Text = "Select CSV File..."

Dim pdg = btn.Padding
pdg.Bottom += 2
btn.Padding = pdg
edSvc.DropDownControl(btn)
If String.IsNullOrEmpty(path) Then
Return String.Empty
End If
If Not File.Exists(path) Then
Return String.Empty
End If
Return path

End Function

Private Sub btn_Click(sender As System.Object, e As

System.EventArgs) Handles btn.Click
Using openDlg = New OpenFileDialog()

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 801
openDlg.Filter = "CSV Files (*.csv)|*.csv|All Files
(*.*)|*.*"
If openDlg.ShowDialog() <> DialogResult.OK Then
path = ""
Else
path = openDlg.FileName
End If

End Using
End Sub
End Class
End Namespace

C# code

C# code. Paste it to replace the default stub in the class.

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Drawing.Design;
using System.IO;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Text.RegularExpressions;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.Windows.Forms.Design;

namespace CustomDataProvider.CSVDataProvider
{
public sealed class QueryEditor : UITypeEditor
{
public override UITypeEditorEditStyle
GetEditStyle(System.ComponentModel.ITypeDescriptorContext context)
{
return UITypeEditorEditStyle.DropDown;
}

public override object

EditValue(System.ComponentModel.ITypeDescriptorContext context,
System.IServiceProvider provider, object value)
{
IWindowsFormsEditorService edSvc =
(IWindowsFormsEditorService)provider.GetService(typeof(IWindowsFormsEditorService));
var path = "";
var btn = new Button();
btn.Text = "Select CSV File...";
var pdg = btn.Padding;
pdg.Bottom += 2;
btn.Padding = pdg;

btn.Click += delegate
{
using (var openDlg = new
OpenFileDialog())
{
openDlg.Filter = "CSV Files
(*.csv)|*.csv|All Files (*.*)|*.*";

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 802
if (openDlg.ShowDialog() !=
DialogResult.OK)
path = "";
else
path =
openDlg.FileName;
}
};

edSvc.DropDownControl(btn);

if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(path)) return string.Empty;

if (!File.Exists(path)) return string.Empty;

return path;
}
}
}

2. In the Solution Explorer, right-click the CustomDataProviderDemo project and select Add Reference. In the
Add Reference dialog that appears, on the Projects tab, select CustomDataProvider and click OK.
3. Run the project, and follow the instructions in the RichTextBox to see the custom data provider in action.

Section Report Walkthroughs

Section Report walkthroughs comprise of scenarios to introduce the key features of code-based and XML-based
section reports. Learn about different section report walkthroughs categorized as follows.
Data
This section contain the walkthroughs that explain various ways of working with data sources.
Layout
This section contain the walkthroughs that explain how to create different section report layouts.
Chart
This section contain the walkthroughs that demonstrate how to work with the ActiveReports Chart control in a
section report.
Export
This section contains the walkthrough that demonstrates how to set up report custom exporting to PDF, Excel,
TIFF, RTF, and plain text formats.
Script
This section contain the walkthroughs that demonstrate how to embed script in reports so that code becomes
portable when you save a report layout to XML-based RPX format.
Parameters
This section contain the walkthroughs that demonstrate how to use parameters in SubReport and Chart controls.
Web
This section contains the walkthroughs that explain how to create a simple web service for each scenario and how
to create a Document Windows application.

Data
This section contains the following walkthroughs that fall under the Data category.
Basic Data Bound Reports
This walkthrough demonstrates the basics of setting up bound section reports.
Basic XML-Based Reports (RPX)
This walkthrough demonstrates how to create a simple section report, using the XML-based report template.

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 803
Run Time Data Sources
Describes how to change the report data source at run time using the ReportStart event.

Basic Data Bound Reports

In ActiveReports, the simplest reporting style is a tabular listing of fields from a data source.
This walkthrough illustrates the basics of setting up bound reports by introducing the ideas of using the
DataSource icon and dragging fields from the Report Explorer onto the report.
The walkthrough is split up into the following activities:
Adding an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project
Connecting to a data source
Adding controls to the report
Viewing the report

Note: This walkthrough uses the Northwind database. By default, in ActiveReports, the Northwind.mdb file is
located at [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at
runtime.

Design Time Layout

Runtime Layout

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Section Report (code-based) and in
the Name field, rename the file as rptBound.
4. Click the Add button to open a new section report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the report to a data source
1. On the detail section band, click the Data Source Icon.

2. In the Report Data Source dialog that appears, on the OLE DB tab, next to Connection String, click the
Build button.
3. In the Data Link Properties window that appears, select Microsoft Jet 4.0 OLE DB Provider and click the
Next button to move to the Connection tab.
4. Click the ellipsis (...) button to browse to your database, for example the NWind.mdb sample database.
Click Open once you have selected the appropriate database path.
5. Click the Test Connection button to see if you have successfully connected to the database.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 804
6. Click OK to close the Data Link Properties window and return to the Report Data Source dialog. Notice that
the Connection String field gets filled automatically.
7. In the Query field on the OLE DB tab, enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
SELECT * FROM Products

8. Click OK to save the data source and return to the report design surface.
To create a layout for the report
1. In the Visual Studio toolbox, expand the ActiveReports 9 Section Report node and drag three TextBox
controls onto the detail section and set the properties of each textbox as indicated:
TextBox1

Property Name Property Value

DataField ProductName
Text Product Name
Location 0, 0in
Size 2.3, 0.2in

TextBox2

Property Name Property Value

DataField QuantityPerUnit
Text Quantity
Location 2.4, 0in
Size 1.5, 0.2in

TextBox3

Property Name Property Value

DataField UnitsInStock
Text Stock
Location 4, 0in
Size 1, 0.2in

2. Click just below the fields to select the Detail section, and in the Properties Window, set the CanShrink
property to True to eliminate white space in the rendered report.
To view the report
Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Basic XML-Based Reports (RPX)

ActiveReports allows you to create reports with embedded script and save them to the XML-based RPX file format.
By embedding script in reports saved as RPX files, you can later load, run, and display reports directly in the
viewer control without rebuilding the application. This walkthrough illustrates how to create a simple report, using
the XML-based report template.
This walkthrough is split into the following activities:
Adding an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project
Creating a layout for the report
Adding scripting to supply data for the controls

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 805
Applying scripting to set alternate row colors in the detail section
Loading an XML-based report from resources

Note: This walkthrough uses the Northwind database. By default, in ActiveReports, the NWind.mdb file is
located in the [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data folder.

When you have finished this walkthrough, you get a report that looks similar to the following at design time and at
runtime.

Design Time Layout

Runtime Layout

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Section Report (xml-based) and in
the Name field, rename the file as rptScript.
4. Click the Add button to open a new section report in the designer.
5. In the Solution Explorer click the rptScript.rpx item and in the properties window set the Build Action
property to Embedded Resource.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To create a layout for the report
1. In the Visual Studio toolbox, expand the ActiveReports 9 Section Report node and drag three TextBox
controls onto the detail section and set the properties of each textbox as indicated:
TextBox1

Property Name Property Value

DataField ProductName
Text Product Name
Location 0, 0in
Size 2.3, 0.2in

TextBox2

Property Name Property Value

DataField QuantityPerUnit
Text Quantity
Location 2.4, 0in
Size 1.5, 0.2in

TextBox3

Property Name Property Value

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 806
DataField UnitsInStock
Text Stock
Location 4, 0in
Size 1, 0.2in

2. Click just below the fields to select the Detail section, and in the Properties Window, set the CanShrink
property to True to eliminate white space in the rendered report.
To add scripting to the report to supply data for the controls
1. Click the Script tab located at the bottom of the report designer to access the script editor.
2. Add the scripting code.
The following example shows what the scripting code looks like.

Warning: Do not access the Fields collection outside the DataInitialize and FetchData events.
Accessing the Fields collection outside of these events is not supported, and has unpredictable
results.

To write the script in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic.NET script. Paste in the script editor window.
Private Shared m_cnn As System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection

Public Sub ActiveReport_ReportStart()

'Set up a data connection for the report
Dim connString As String = "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data
Source=C:\Users\[User Folder]\Documents\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports
9\Data\NWIND.mdb"
Dim sqlString As String = "SELECT * FROM products"

m_cnn = new System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection(connString)

Dim m_Cmd As System.Data.OleDb.OleDbCommand = new
System.Data.OleDb.OleDbCommand(sqlString, m_cnn)

If m_cnn.State = System.Data.ConnectionState.Closed Then

m_cnn.Open
End If
rpt.DataSource = m_Cmd.ExecuteReader
End Sub

Public Sub ActiveReport_ReportEnd()

'Close the data reader and connection
m_cnn.Close
End Sub

To write the script in C#

C# script. Paste in the script editor window.
private static System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection m_cnn;

public void ActiveReport_ReportStart()

{
//Set up a data connection for the report
string m_cnnString = @"Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=C:\Users\
[User Folder]\Documents\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb";
string sqlString = "SELECT * FROM products";
m_cnn = new System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection(m_cnnString);
System.Data.OleDb.OleDbCommand m_Cmd = new
System.Data.OleDb.OleDbCommand(sqlString, m_cnn);

if(m_cnn.State == System.Data.ConnectionState.Closed)

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 807
{
m_cnn.Open();
}
rpt.DataSource = m_Cmd.ExecuteReader();
}

public void ActiveReport_ReportEnd()

{
//Close the data reader and connection
m_cnn.Close();
}

To add scripting to alternate colors in the detail section

1. Click the Script tab located at the bottom edge of the report designer to access the scripting editor.
2. Add the scripting code to set alternate colors in the rows of the detail section.
The following example shows what the scripting code looks like.
To write the script in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET script. Paste in the script editor window.
Dim b as boolean = true

Sub Detail1_Format
if b then
Me.Detail1.BackColor = Color.AliceBlue
b= false
else
me.Detail1.BackColor = Color.Cyan
b = true
End If
End Sub

To write the script in C#

C# script. Paste in the script editor window.
bool color = true;
public void Detail1_Format()
{
if(color)
{
this.Detail1.BackColor = System.Drawing.Color.AliceBlue;
color = false;
}
else
{
this.Detail1.BackColor = System.Drawing.Color.Cyan;
color = true;
}
}

Loading the report to the Viewer

You can quickly view your report at design time by clicking the Preview tab at the bottom of the designer. You can
also load the report to the Viewer control.
Drag the ActiveReports Viewer control from the Visual Studio toolbox onto the Windows Form and set its
Dock property to Fill.
Double-click the title bar of the Windows Form containing the viewer to create a Form_Load event and
add the code needed to load the RPX into a generic ActiveReport and display it in the viewer.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
To write the script in Visual Basic.NET

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 808
Visual Basic.NET script. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.
Dim sectionReport As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport()
Dim xtr As New System.Xml.XmlTextReader("..\..\rptScript.rpx")
sectionReport.LoadLayout(xtr)
xtr.Close()
Viewer1.LoadDocument(sectionReport)

To write the script in C#

C# script. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport sectionReport = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport();
System.Xml.XmlTextReader xtr = new
System.Xml.XmlTextReader(@"..\..\rptScript.rpx");
sectionReport.LoadLayout(xtr);
xtr.Close();
viewer1.LoadDocument(sectionReport);

Run Time Data Sources

ActiveReports allows you to change the data source of a report at run time. This walkthrough illustrates how to
change the data source at run time.
This walkthrough is split up into the following activities:
Adding an ActiveReports to the Visual Studio project
Connecting the report to a design time data source
Adding controls to the report to display data
Adding code to change the data source at run time
Adding code to close the data connection
Viewing the report

Note: This walkthrough uses the Northwind database. By default, in ActiveReports, the Northwind.mdb file is
located at [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at
runtime.

Design Time Layout

Runtime Layout

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Section Report (code-based) and in
the Name field, rename the file as rptModifyDS.
4. Click the Add button to open a new section report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 809
To connect the report to a data source

Tip: Even if you will change the data source at run time, setting a design time data source allows you to
drag fields onto the report from the Report Explorer.

1. On the detail section band, click the Data Source Icon.

2. In the Report Data Source dialog that appears, on the OLE DB tab, next to Connection String, click the
Build button.
3. In the Data Link Properties window that appears, select Microsoft Jet 4.0 OLE DB Provider and click the
Next button to move to the Connection tab.
4. Click the ellipsis (...) button to browse to your database, for example the NWind.mdb sample database.
Click Open once you have selected the appropriate database path.
5. Click the Test Connection button to see if you have successfully connected to the database.
6. Click OK to close the Data Link Properties window and return to the Report Data Source dialog. Notice that
the Connection String field gets filled automatically.
7. In the Query field on the OLE DB tab, enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
SELECT * FROM Products

8. Click OK to save the data source and return to the report design surface.
To create a layout for the report
1. On the design surface of the report, select the detail section and in the Properties window, set
the CanShrink property to True.
2. In the Report Explorer, expand the Fields node, then the Bound node. Drag the following fields onto
the detail section and in the Properties window, set the following properties.
TextBox1 (ProductID)

Property Name Property Value

Location 0, 0 in
Size 0.5, 0.2 in

TextBox2 (ProductName)

Property Name Property Value

Location 0.6, 0 in
Size 2.8, 0.2 in

TextBox3 (UnitsInStock)

Property Name Property Value

Location 3.5, 0 in
Size 0.5, 0.2 in
Alignment Right

TextBox4 (UnitsOnOrder)

Property Name Property Value

Location 4.1, 0 in
Size 0.5, 0.2 in
Alignment Right

TextBox5 (UnitPrice)

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 810
Property Name Property Value
Location 4.7, 0 in
Size 0.9, 0.2 in
Alignment Right
OutputFormat Currency

To change the data source at run time

To change the data source at run time
1. Double-click in the gray area below rptModifyDS to create an event-handling method for the ReportStart
event.
2. Add code to the handler to change the data source at run time.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste JUST ABOVE the ReportStart event.
Dim conn As System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection
Dim reader As System.Data.OleDb.OleDbDataReader

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.

Dim connString As String = "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=" + "C:\Users\
[YourUserName]\Documents\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb"
conn = New System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection(connString)
Dim cmd As New System.Data.OleDb.OleDbCommand("SELECT * FROM Products WHERE UnitPrice =
18", conn)
conn.Open()
reader = cmd.ExecuteReader()
Me.DataSource = reader

To write the code in C#

The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
C# code. Paste JUST ABOVE the ReportStart event.
private static System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection conn;
private static System.Data.OleDb.OleDbDataReader reader;

C# code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.

string connString = "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=" + @"C:\Users\
[YourUserName]\Documents\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb";
conn = new System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection(connString);
System.Data.OleDb.OleDbCommand cmd = new System.Data.OleDb.OleDbCommand("SELECT * FROM
Products WHERE UnitPrice = 18", conn);
conn.Open();
reader = cmd.ExecuteReader();
this.DataSource = reader;

To close the data connection

To write the code in Visual Basic
1. In design view of rptModifyDS, drop down the field at the top left of the code view and select
(rptModifyDS Events).
2. Drop down the field at the top right of the code view and select ReportEnd. This creates an event-handling
method for ReportEnd event.
3. Add code to the handler to close the data connection.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 811
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the ReportEnd event.
reader.Close()
conn.Close()

To write the code in C#

1. Click in the gray area below rptModifyDS to select the report.
2. Click the events icon in the Properties Window to display available events for the report.
3. Double-click ReportEnd. This creates an event-handling method for the ReportEnd event.
4. Add code to the handler to close the data connection.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
C# code. Paste INSIDE the ReportEnd event.
reader.Close();
conn.Close();

To view the report

Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Layout
This section contains the following walkthroughs that fall under the Layout category.
Address Labels
This walkthrough demonstrates how to create a report that repeats labels using the LayoutAction property.
Columnar Reports
This walkthrough demonstrates how to create a simple report using columns.
Group On Unbound Fields
This walkthrough demonstrates how to set up grouping in an unbound section report.
Mail Merge with RichText
This walkthrough demonstrates how to create a mail-merge report using the RichText control.
Overlaying Reports (Letterhead)
This walkthrough demonstrates how to overlay an ActiveReport with a static letterhead report.
Run Time Layouts
Describes how to create and modify report layouts dynamically.
Subreports with XML Data
Learn how to use XML data with subreports.
Subreports with Run-Time Data Sources
Learn how to embed a subreport in a main report, passing the data source from the main report to the subreport
at run time.

Address Labels
ActiveReports can be used to print any label size by using the newspaper column layout.
This walkthrough illustrates how to create a report that repeats labels using the LayoutAction property and prints labels to a laser printer. The labels in this example are 1" x 2.5" and print
30 labels per 8½" x 11" sheet.
The walkthrough is split up into the following activities:
Connecting the report to a data source
Adding controls to the report to display data
Adding code to the detail_Format event to repeat labels
Viewing the report

Note: This walkthrough uses the Northwind database. By default, in ActiveReports, the NWind.mdb file is located in the [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports
9\Data folder.

When you have finished this walkthrough, you get a report that looks similar to the following at design time and at runtime.

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 812
Design Time Layout

Runtime Layout

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Section Report (code-based) and in the Name field, rename the file as rptLabels.
4. Click the Add button to open a new section report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the report to a data source
1. On the detail section band, click the Data Source Icon.

2. In the Report Data Source dialog that appears, on the OLE DB tab, next to Connection String, click the Build button.
3. In the Data Link Properties window that appears, select Microsoft Jet 4.0 OLE DB Provider and click the Next button to move to the Connection tab.
4. Click the ellipsis (...) button to browse to your database, for example the NWind.mdb sample database. Click Open once you have selected the appropriate database path.
5. Click the Test Connection button to see if you have successfully connected to the database.
6. Click OK to close the Data Link Properties window and return to the Report Data Source dialog. Notice that the Connection String field gets filled automatically.
7. In the Query field on the OLE DB tab, enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
SELECT ContactName, CompanyName, Address, City, PostalCode, Country FROM Customers

8. Click OK to save the data source and return to the report design surface.
To create a layout for the report
1. Right-click the PageHeader section and select Delete to remove the PageHeader and Footer sections from the report.
2. In the Report menu, select Settings and change the margins as follows:
Top margin: 0.5
Bottom margin: 0.5
Left margin: 0.2
Right margin: 0.2
3. In the Report Explorer, select Report and in the Properties Window, set the PrintWidth property to 8.1 (the width of the label sheet less the Left and Right margins).
4. Click the detail section of the report to select it and in the Properties window, set the properties as follows.

Property Name Property Value

CanGrow False
ColumnCount 3
ColumnDirection AcrossDown
ColumnSpacing 0.2
Height 1

5. From the toolbox, drag six TextBox controls onto the detail section and set the properties of each textbox as follows.
TextBox1

Property Name Property Value

DataField ContactName
Location 0, 0 in
Size 2.5, 0.2 in
Font Bold True

TextBox2

Property Name Property Value

DataField CompanyName
Location 0, 0.2 in
Size 2.5, 0.2 in

TextBox3

Property Name Property Value

DataField Address
Location 0, 0.4 in
Size 2.5, 0.2 in

TextBox4

Property Name Property Value

DataField City
Location 0, 0.6 in
Size 2.5, 0.2 in

TextBox5

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 813
Property Name Property Value
DataField PostalCode
Location 0, 0.8 in
Size 1.45, 0.2 in

TextBox6

Property Name Property Value

DataField Country
Location 1.5, 0.8 in
Size 1, 0.2 in

6. Select all of the textboxes, and in the Properties Window, set the CanGrow property to False. This prevents overlapping text, but may crop data if one of the fields contains more
data than the control size allows.
If you preview the report at this point, one copy of each label appears on the page.
To add code to the detail_Format event to repeat labels
1. Double-click in the detail section to create a detail_Format event.
2. Add the following code to the event to repeat each label across all three columns.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Format event.

'print each label three times
Static counter As Integer
counter = counter + 1
If counter <= 2 Then
Me.LayoutAction = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.LayoutAction.MoveLayout Or GrapeCity.ActiveReports.LayoutAction.PrintSection
Else
Me.LayoutAction = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.LayoutAction.MoveLayout Or GrapeCity.ActiveReports.LayoutAction.NextRecord Or
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.LayoutAction.PrintSection
counter = 0
End If

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste JUST ABOVE the Format event.
int counter=0;

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Format event.

//print each label three times
counter = counter + 1;
if (counter <= 2)
{
this.LayoutAction = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.LayoutAction.MoveLayout|GrapeCity.ActiveReports.LayoutAction.PrintSection;
}
else
{
this.LayoutAction =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.LayoutAction.MoveLayout|GrapeCity.ActiveReports.LayoutAction.NextRecord|GrapeCity.ActiveReports.LayoutAction.PrintSection;

counter = 0;
}

To view the report

Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Columnar Reports
ActiveReports supports newspaper column layouts in both the Detail and Group sections. You can render the
columns either horizontally or vertically in the section with options to break the column on the Group section (i.e.
start a new column on the change of a group).
There is also a Boolean ColumnGroupKeepTogether property on the GroupHeader. When set to True, the
ColumnGroupKeepTogether property attempts to prevent a group from splitting across columns. If a group cannot
fit in the current column, it tries the next. If the group is too large for a single column, the property is ignored.

Note: The ColumnGroupKeepTogether property only works when the GroupHeader's

GroupKeepTogether property is set to All.

This walkthrough illustrates how to create a simple report using columns, and is split up into the following
activities:
Connecting the report to a data source
Adding controls to the report to display data
Viewing the report

Note: This walkthrough uses the Northwind database. By default, in ActiveReports, the Northwind.mdb file is

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 814
located at [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at
runtime.

Design Time Layout

Runtime Layout

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Section Report (code-based) and in
the Name field, rename the file as rptColumnar.
4. Click the Add button to open a new section report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the report to a data source
1. On the detail section band, click the Data Source Icon.

2. In the Report Data Source dialog that appears, on the OLE DB tab, next to Connection String, click the
Build button.
3. In the Data Link Properties window that appears, select Microsoft Jet 4.0 OLE DB Provider and click the
Next button to move to the Connection tab.
4. Click the ellipsis (...) button to browse to your database, for example the NWind.mdb sample database.
Click Open once you have selected the appropriate database path.
5. Click the Test Connection button to see if you have successfully connected to the database.
6. Click OK to close the Data Link Properties window and return to the Report Data Source dialog. Notice that
the Connection String field gets filled automatically.
7. In the Query field on the OLE DB tab, enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
SELECT Country, CompanyName, ContactName, Phone FROM Customers ORDER
BY Country

8. Click OK to save the data source and return to the report design surface.
To create a layout for the report
1. Right-click the design surface of the report and select Insert, then Group Header/Footer to add a
GroupHeader/Footer section.
2. Select the group header and in the Properties Window, set the properties as follows.

Property Name Property Value

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 815
Name ghCountry
BackColor Gold
DataField Country
ColumnGroupKeepTogether True
GroupKeepTogether All

3. Select the group footer and in the Properties window, set the BackColor property to Goldenrod.
4. In the Report Explorer, drag the Country field onto the GroupHeader section and in the Properties window,
set its properties as follows.

Property Name Property Value

Location 0, 0 in
Size 3.25, 0.2 in
Alignment Center
FontSize 12
Font Bold True

5. Select the PageHeader section and in the Properties window, set the BackColor property to Linen.
6. From the toolbox, drag a Label control onto the PageHeader section and in the Properties window, set the
properties as follows:

Property Name Property Value

Location 0, 0 in
Size 6.5, 0.25 in
Alignment Center
FontSize 14
Text Customer Telephone List by Country

7. Select the Detail section and in the Properties window, set the properties as follows.

Property Name Property Value

CanShrink True
ColumnCount 2

8. In the Report Explorer, expand the Fields node, then the Bound node. Drag the following fields onto the
Detail section and set the properties of each textbox as indicated.
TextBox1

Property Name Property Value

Field CompanyName
Location 0, 0 in
Size 1.15, 0.2 in
Font Size 8pt

TextBox2

Property Name Property Value

Field ContactName
Location 1.15, 0 in
Size 1.15, 0.2 in
Font Size 8pt

TextBox3

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 816
Property Name Property Value
Field Phone
Location 2.3, 0 in
Size 0.95, 0.2 in
Font Size 8pt

To view the report

Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Group On Unbound Fields

ActiveReports allows you to set up grouping in unbound reports. When setting up grouping, the group header's
DataField property is used to retrieve the grouping data from the database in the same manner as a textbox's
DataField property. This walkthrough illustrates how to set up grouping in an unbound report.
This walkthrough is split into the following activities:
Adding code to connect the report to a data source
Adding controls to contain the data
Using the DataInitialize event to add fields to the report's fields collection
Using the FetchData event to populate the report fields
Adding code to close the connection to the data source
Viewing the report

Note: This walkthrough uses the Northwind database. By default, in ActiveReports, the Northwind.mdb file is
located at [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at
runtime.

Design Time Layout

Runtime Layout

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 817
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Section Report (code-based) and in
the Name field, rename the file as rptGroupUnbound.
4. Click the Add button to open a new section report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To add code to connect the report to a data source
1. Double-click the gray area below the report. This creates an event-handling method for the report's
ReportStart event.
2. Add code to the handler to:
Set the data source connection string
Set the data source SQL query
Open the connection and retrieve the data with the data reader
The following examples show what the code for the method looks like in Visual Basic.NET and C#.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste JUST ABOVE the ReportStart event.
Dim connection As System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection
Dim reader As System.Data.OleDb.OleDbDataReader

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.

'Create the data connection and change the data source path as necessary
Dim connectionString As String
connectionString = "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=C:\Users\[User
Folder]\Documents\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb"
connection = New System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection(connectionString)
connection.Open()

Dim sqlString As String

sqlString = "SELECT * FROM categories INNER JOIN products ON categories.categoryid=
products.categoryid ORDER BY categories.CategoryID"
Dim command As New System.Data.OleDb.OleDbCommand(sqlString, connection)
'Retrieve data
reader = command.ExecuteReader()

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste JUST ABOVE the ReportStart event.
private System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection connection;
private System.Data.OleDb.OleDbDataReader reader;

C# code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.

//Create the data connection and change the data source path as necessary
string connectionString = @"Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=C:\Users\[User
Folder]\Documents\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb";
connection=new System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection(connectionString);
connection.Open();

string sqlString = "SELECT * FROM categories INNER JOIN products ON

categories.categoryid = products.categoryid ORDER BY categories.CategoryID";
System.Data.OleDb.OleDbCommand command = new System.Data.OleDb.OleDbCommand(sqlString,
connection);

//Retrieve data
reader = command.ExecuteReader();

To create a layout for the report

1. On the design surface of the report, right-click and select Insert, then Group Header/Footer to add

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 818
group header and footer sections.
2. Select the group header and in the Properties window, set the properties as follows.

Property Name Property Value

Name ghCategories
BackColor Silver
CanShrink True
DataField CategoryID
GroupKeepTogether All
KeepTogether True

3. Select the group footer, and in the Properties Window, change the Name property to gfCategories.
4. Select the Detail section, and in the Properties Window, change the CanShrink property to True.
5. From the toolbox, drag the following controls to the Group Header section (drag the bottom edge of the
section down to display all of the controls) and in the Properties window, set the properties of each control
as follows.
TextBox1

Property Name Property Value

DataField CategoryName
Name txtCategoryName
Text Category Name
Location 0, 0 in
Size 2, 0.2 in
ForeColor Blue
BackColor Silver
Font Size 12
Font Bold True

TextBox2

Property Name Property Value

DataField Description
Name txtDescription
Text Description
Location 0, 0.3 in
Size 6, 0.2 in

Label1

Property Name Property Value

Name lblProductName
Text Product Name
Location 0, 0.6 in
Font Bold True

Label2

Property Name Property Value

Name lblUnitsInStock
Text Units In Stock

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 819
Location 4.4, 0.6 in
Font Bold True
Alignment Right

6. From the toolbox, drag two Textbox controls to the Detail section and in the Properties window, set the
properties of each control as follows.
TextBox1

Property Name Property Value

DataField ProductName
Name txtProductName
Text Product Name
Location 0, 0 in
Size 4, 0.2 in

TextBox2

Property Name Property Value

DataField UnitsInStock
Name txtUnitsInStock
Text Units In Stock
Location 4.4, 0 in
Alignment Right

7. From the toolbox, drag the following controls to the Group Footer section and in the Properties window, set
the properties of each control as follows.
Label

Property Name Property Value

DataField TotalLabel
Name lblTotalLabel
Location 2, 0 in
Size 2.4, 0.2 in

TextBox

Property Name Property Value

DataField ProductName
Name txtTotalItems
Text Total Items
Location 4.4, 0 in
SummaryType SubTotal
SummaryFunc Count
SummaryRunning Group
SummaryGroup ghCategories
Alignment Right

Line

Property Name Property Value

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 820
Name Line1
LineWeight 3
X1 1.2
X2 6.45
Y1 0
Y2 0

8. Right-click the Page Header section and select Delete.

To add fields using the DataInitialize event

Warning: Do not access the Fields collection outside the DataInitialize and FetchData events. Accessing
the Fields collection outside of these events is not supported, and has unpredictable results.

To write the code in Visual Basic

1. Right-click in any section of the design surface of the report, and select View Code to display the code
view for the report.
2. At the top left of the code view of the report, click the drop-down arrow and select (YourReportName
Events).
3. At the top right of the code window, click the drop-down arrow and select DataInitialize. This creates an
event-handling method for the report's DataInitialize event.
4. Add code to the handler to add fields to the report's Fields collection.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the DataInitialize event.
Fields.Add("CategoryID")
Fields.Add("CategoryName")
Fields.Add("ProductName")
Fields.Add("UnitsInStock")
Fields.Add("Description")
Fields.Add("TotalLabel")

To write the code in C#

1. Click in the gray area below the report to select it.
2. Click the events icon in the Properties Window to display available events for the report.
3. Double-click DataInitialize. This creates an event-handling method for the report's DataInitialize event.
4. Add code to the handler to add fields to the report's Fields collection.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
C# code. Paste INSIDE the DataInitialize event.
Fields.Add("CategoryID");
Fields.Add("CategoryName");
Fields.Add("ProductName");
Fields.Add("UnitsInStock");
Fields.Add("Description");
Fields.Add("TotalLabel");

To populate the fields using the FetchData event

To write the code in Visual Basic
1. At the top left of the code view for the report, click the drop-down arrow and select (YourReportName
Events).
2. At the top right of the code window, click the drop-down arrow and select FetchData. This creates an
event-handling method for the report's FetchData event.
3. Add code to the handler to retrieve information to populate the report fields.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 821
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the FetchData event.
Try
reader.Read()
Me.Fields("CategoryID").Value = reader("categories.CategoryID")
Me.Fields("CategoryName").Value = reader("CategoryName")
Me.Fields("ProductName").Value = reader("ProductName")
Me.Fields("UnitsInStock").Value = reader("UnitsInStock")
Me.Fields("Description").Value = reader("Description")
Me.Fields("TotalLabel").Value = "Total Number of " + reader("CategoryName") + ":"
eArgs.EOF = False
Catch
eArgs.EOF = True
End Try

To write the code in C#

1. Back in design view, click in the gray area below the report to select it.
2. Click the events icon in the Properties window to display available events for the report.
3. Double-click FetchData. This creates an event-handling method for the report's FetchData event.
4. Add code to the handler to retrieve information to populate the report fields.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
C# code. Paste INSIDE the FetchData event.
try
{
reader.Read();
Fields["CategoryID"].Value = reader["categories.CategoryID"].ToString();
Fields["CategoryName"].Value = reader["CategoryName"].ToString();
Fields["ProductName"].Value = reader["ProductName"].ToString();
Fields["UnitsInStock"].Value = reader["UnitsInStock"].ToString();
Fields["Description"].Value = reader["Description"].ToString();
Fields["TotalLabel"].Value = "Total Number of " +
reader["CategoryName"].ToString() + ":";
eArgs.EOF = false;
}
catch
{
eArgs.EOF = true;
}

To add code to close the connection to the data source

To write the code in Visual Basic
1. At the top left of the code view for the report, click the drop-down arrow and select (YourReportName
Events).
2. At the top right of the code window, click the drop-down arrow and select ReportEnd. This creates an
event-handling method for the report's ReportEnd event.
3. Add code to the handler to close the connection.
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the ReportEnd event.
reader.Close()
connection.Close()

To write the code in C#

1. Back in design view, click in the gray area below the report to select it.
2. Click the events icon in the Properties window to display available events for the report.
3. Double-click ReportEnd. This creates an event-handling method for the report's ReportEnd event.
4. Add code to the handler to close the connection.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 822
C# code. Paste INSIDE the ReportEnd event.
reader.Close();
connection.Close();

To view the report

Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Mail Merge with RichText

ActiveReports supports field merged reports using the RichText control. The RichText control can contain field
place holders that can be replaced with values (merged) at run time. This walkthrough illustrates how to create a
mail-merge report using the RichText control.
This walkthrough is split up into the following activities:
Adding an ActiveReports to the Visual Studio project
Connecting the report to a data source
Adding controls and formatting the report
Adding fields and text to the RichText control
Using the FetchData event to conditionally format data
Adding code to update RichText fields with current date and conditional values
Adding code to send the group subtotal value to the RichText field
Viewing the report

Note: This walkthrough uses the Northwind database. By default, in ActiveReports, the Northwind.mdb file is
located at [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at
runtime.

Design Time Layout

Runtime Layout

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 823

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Section Report (code-based) and in
the Name field, rename the file as rptLetter.
4. Click the Add button to open a new section report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the report to a data source
1. On the detail section band, click the Data Source Icon.

2. In the Report Data Source dialog that appears, on the OLE DB tab, next to Connection String, click the
Build button.
3. In the Data Link Properties window that appears, select Microsoft Jet 4.0 OLE DB Provider and click the
Next button to move to the Connection tab.
4. Click the ellipsis (...) button to browse to your database, for example the NWind.mdb sample database.
Click Open once you have selected the appropriate database path.
5. Click the Test Connection button to see if you have successfully connected to the database.
6. Click OK to close the Data Link Properties window and return to the Report Data Source dialog. Notice that
the Connection String field gets filled automatically.
7. In the Query field on the OLE DB tab, enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
SELECT Customers.CustomerID, Customers.CompanyName,
Customers.ContactName, Customers.Address, Customers.City,
Customers.Region, Customers.Country, Customers.PostalCode,
Orders.OrderID, Orders.OrderDate, [Order Subtotals].Subtotal
FROM Customers INNER JOIN ([Order Subtotals] INNER JOIN Orders ON
[Order Subtotals].OrderID = Orders.OrderID) ON Customers.CustomerID =
Orders.CustomerID

8. Click OK to save the data source and return to the report design surface.
To create a layout for the report
1. On the design surface of the report, right-click and select Insert, then Group Header/Footer to add
group header and footer sections.
2. On the design surface, select the grey area outside the report and in the Properties window, set the
PrintWidth property to 6.5.
3. Select the group header and in the Properties window, set the properties as follows.

Property Name Property Value

DataField CustomerID
Height 2.5

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 824
KeepTogether True

4. On the design surface of the report, select the group footer section and in the Properties window, set the
following properties.

Property Name Property Value

Height 1.1
KeepTogether True
NewPage After

5. On the design surface of the report, select the detail section and in the Properties window, set
the CanShrink property to True.
6. On the design surface of the report, select the pageHeader section and in the Properties window, set
the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

Height 0.8
BackColor Coral

7. From the toolbox, drag the Label control to the pageHeader section and in the Properties window, set the
properties as follows.
Label

Property Name Property Value

Location 0, 0 in
Size 6.5, 0.65 in
Text GrapeCity
Font Size 36
Font Bold True

8. In the Report Explorer, expand the Fields node, then the Bound node. Drag the SubTotal field onto the
groupHeader section and in the Properties window, set the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

Location 4, 0 in
Size 1, 0.2 in
Name txtSubtotal1
OutputFormat Currency
Visible False
SummaryType SubTotal
SummaryGroup GroupHeader1

Note: Even though txtSubtotal1 is hidden, setting its properties is important as it provides the value
and the formatting that is displayed in the RichText control.

9. From the toolbox, drag the following controls to the groupHeader section and in the Properties window, set
the properties as follows.
RichTextBox

Property Name Property Value

Location 0, 0 in
Size 6.5, 2.1 in
AutoReplaceFields True

Label1

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 825
Property Name Property Value
Location 0.875, 2.25 in
Size 1, 0.2 in
Text Order ID
Font Bold True

Label2

Property Name Property Value

Location 1.875, 2.25 in
Size 1, 0.2 in
Text Order Date
Font Bold True

Label3

Property Name Property Value

Location 4.375, 2.25 in
Size 1, 0.2 in
Text Amount
Font Bold True
Alignment Right

10. In the Report Explorer, expand the Fields node, then the Bound node. Drag the following fields onto the
detail section and in the Properties window, set the properties of each textbox as follows.
TextBox1 (OrderID)

Property Name Property Value

Location 0.875, 0 in
Size 1, 0.2 in

TextBox2 (OrderDate)

Property Name Property Value

Location 1.875, 0 in
Size 1, 0.2 in
OutputFormat MM/dd/yy

TextBox3 (Subtotal)

Property Name Property Value

Location 4.375, 0 in
Size 1, 0.2 in
OutputFormat Currency
Alignment Right

11. From the toolbox, drag the following controls to the groupFooter section and in the Properties window, set
the properties as follows.
Label1

Property Name Property Value

Location 5.15, 0.15 in

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 826
Size 1.35, 0.2 in
Text Best regards,
Alignment Right

Label2

Property Name Property Value

Location 5.15, 0.8 in
Size 1.35, 0.2 in
Text Accounts Receivable

12. From the toolbox, drag a Label control to the pageFooter section and in the Properties window, set the
properties as follows.
Label

Property Property Value

Name
Location 0, 0 in
Size 6.5, 0.2 in
Text GrapeCity, 401 Parkplace, Suite 411,
Kirkland, WA 98033
Alignment Center

To add fields to the RichText control

1. Double-click the RichTextBox control box and delete the default text.
2. Right-click the box and choose Insert Fields.
3. In the Insert Field dialog that appears, enter Date and click OK.
4. Place the cursor in front of the text [!Date] that appears in the RichText control, and add spaces until the
text is at the right edge of the control (but not overlapping to the next line).
5. Place the cursor at the end of the text, and press the Enter key to move to the next line.
6. Insert each of the following fields using the Insert Field dialog (see design time image above for fields
arrangement):
CompanyName
ContactName
Address
City
Region
Country
PostalCode
SubTotal
7. Add the following text to the RichText control box after all of the fields.
Paste into the RichText control
Dear [!ContactName],

Thank you for your business. Below is a list of your orders for the past year with
a total of [!SubTotal].
Please take this opportunity to review each order and total for accuracy. Call us
at 1-800-DNT-CALL with
any questions or concerns.

8. Arrange the text and fields within the control as you would in any text editor.
To use the FetchData event to conditionally format data
To write the code in Visual Basic

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 827
1. At the top left of the code view for the report, click the drop-down arrow and select (rptLetter Events).
2. At the top right of the code window, click the drop-down arrow and select FetchData. This creates an
event-handling method for the report's FetchData event.
3. Add code to the handler to add a comma and a space if there is a Region value for the customer's address.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste JUST ABOVE the FetchData event.
Dim region As String

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the FetchData event.

'If there is no region for the customer, display nothing
If Fields("Region").Value Is System.DBNull.Value Then
region = ""
Else
'If there is a region, add a comma and a space
region = ", " + Fields("Region").Value
End If

To write the code in C#

1. Back in design view, click in the gray area below the report to select it.
2. Click the events icon in the Properties window to display available events for the report.
3. Double-click FetchData. This creates an event-handling method for the report's FetchData event.
4. Add code to the handler to add a comma and a space if there is a Region value for the customer's address.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
C# code. Paste JUST ABOVE the FetchData event.
string region;

C# code. Paste INSIDE the FetchData event.

if(Fields["Region"].Value is System.DBNull)
region = "";
else
region = ", " + Fields["Region"].Value.ToString();

To add code to update RichText fields with the current date and conditional values
1. Double-click in the group header section of the report to create an event-handling method for the group
header's Format event.
2. Add code to the handler to:
Replace the Date field in the RichText control with the current system date
Replace the Region field with the conditional value created in the FetchData event
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Group Header Format event.
'Use the current date in the letter
Me.RichTextBox1.ReplaceField("Date", System.DateTime.Today.Date.ToShortDateString())
'Use the value returned by the FetchData event
Me.RichTextBox1.ReplaceField("Region", region)

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Group Header Format event.
//Use the current date in the letter
this.richTextBox1.ReplaceField("Date", System.DateTime.Today.Date.ToShortDateString());
//Use the value returned by the FetchData event
this.richTextBox1.ReplaceField("Region", region);

To add code to send the group subtotal value to the RichText field

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 828
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
1. Right-click in any section of the design window of rptLetter, and click on View Code to display the code
view for the report.
2. At the top left of the code view for rptLetter, click the drop-down arrow and select GroupHeader1.
3. At the top right of the code window, click the drop-down arrow and select BeforePrint. This creates an
event-handling method for rptLetter's GroupHeader1_BeforePrint event.

Note: We use the BeforePrint event instead of the Format event to get the final value of the subtotal
field just prior to printing. For more information on section event usage, see the Section Events topic.

4. Add code to the handler to replace the value of the Subtotal field in the RichText control with the value of
the hidden textbox in the group header.
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Group Header BeforePrint event.
'Use the value from the hidden group subtotal field
Me.RichTextBox1.ReplaceField("SubTotal", Me.txtSubtotal1.Text)

To write the code in C#

1. Back in design view, click the group header section to select it.
2. Click the events icon in the Properties window to display available events for the group header.
3. Double-click BeforePrint. This creates an event-handling method for the report's BeforePrint event.
Add code to the handler to replace the value of the Subtotal field in the RichText control with the value of
the hidden textbox in the group header.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
C# code. Paste INSIDE the Group Header BeforePrint event.
//Use the value from the hidden group subtotal field
this.richTextBox1.ReplaceField("SubTotal", this.txtSubtotal1.Text);

To view the report

Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Overlaying Reports (Letterhead)

ActiveReports allows you to overlay static report formats over data reports. This walkthrough illustrates how to
overlay an ActiveReport with a static letterhead report.
This walkthrough is split up into the following activities:
Adding an ActiveReports to the Visual Studio project
Connecting the data report to a data source
Adding controls to the letterhead and data reports
Adding code to overlay the data report pages with the letterhead report
Viewing the report

Note: This walkthrough uses the Northwind database. By default, in ActiveReports, the Northwind.mdb file is
located at [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at
runtime.

Design Time Layout (rptLetterhead)

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 829

Design Time Layout (rptData)

Runtime Layout

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Section Report (code-based) and in the
Name field, rename the file as rptLetterhead.
4. Click the Add button to open a new section report in the designer.
5. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
6. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Section Report (code-based) and in the
Name field, rename the file as rptData.
7. Click the Add button to open a new section report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the rptData to a data source
1. On the detail section band, click the Data Source Icon.

2. In the Report Data Source dialog that appears, on the OLE DB tab, next to Connection String, click the
Build button.
3. In the Data Link Properties window that appears, select Microsoft Jet 4.0 OLE DB Provider and click the
Next button to move to the Connection tab.
4. Click the ellipsis (...) button to browse to your database, for example the NWind.mdb sample database.
Click Open once you have selected the appropriate database path.
5. Click the Test Connection button to see if you have successfully connected to the database.
6. Click OK to close the Data Link Properties window and return to the Report Data Source dialog. Notice that
the Connection String field gets filled automatically.
7. In the Query field on the OLE DB tab, enter the following SQL query.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 830
SQL Query
SELECT * FROM Customers ORDER BY Country

8. Click OK to save the data source and return to the report design surface.
To create a layout for the rptData
1. Select the PageHeader section and in the Properties Window, set the Height property to 0.65. (This will
match the height of the page header in the template.)
2. On the design surface, select the grey area outside the report and in the Properties window, set the
PrintWidth property to 6.5.
3. Right-click the report and select Insert > GroupHeader/Footer to add group header and group footer
sections.
4. Select the group header and in the Properties window, set the properties as follows.

Property Name Property Value

Name ghCustomers
BackColor MediumSlateBlue
CanShrink True
DataField Country
GroupKeepTogether FirstDetail
KeepTogether True

5. From the toolbox, drag the following controls to ghCustomers and in the Properties window, set the
properties as follows.
TextBox1

Property Name Property Value

DataField ="Customers in " + Country
(DataField)
Size 2, 0.2 in
Location 0, 0 in
Font Bold True
ForeColor White
Font Size 12

Label1

Property Name Property Value

Text ID
Size 0.6, 0.2 in
Location 0, 0.2 in
Font Bold True
ForeColor DarkSlateBlue

Label2

Property Name Property Value

Text Company Name
Size 1.1, 0.2 in
Location 0.7, 0.2 in
Font Bold True
ForeColor DarkSlateBlue

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 831
Label3

Property Name Property Value

Text Address
Size 1, 0.2 in
Location 2.7, 0.2 in
Font Bold True
ForeColor DarkSlateBlue

Label4

Property Name Property Value

Text City
Size 1, 0.2 in
Location 5.5, 0.2 in
Font Bold True
ForeColor DarkSlateBlue

6. Click the Detail section and in the Properties window, set the properties as follows.

Property Name Property Value

BackColor LightGray
CanShrink True

7. From the toolbox, drag four TextBox controls onto the Detail section and set the properties of each textbox
as follows.
TextBox1

Property Name Property Value

DataField CustomerID
Size 0.6, 0.2 in
Location 0, 0 in

TextBox2

Property Name Property Value

DataField CompanyName
Size 2, 0.2 in
Location 0.7, 0 in

TextBox3

Property Name Property Value

DataField Address
Size 2.8, 0.2 in
Location 2.7, 0 in

TextBox4

Property Name Property Value

DataField City
Size 1, 0.2 in

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 832
Location 5.5, 0.2 in

8. Select the group footer and in the Properties window, set the Height property to 0.
To create a layout for the rptLetterhead
1. Select the Page Header and in the Properties window, set the properties as follows.

Property Name Property Value

BackColor DarkSlateBlue
Height 0.65

2. From the toolbox, drag a Label control onto the Page Header and in the Properties window, set the
properties as follows.
Label1

Property Name Property Value

Size 6.5, 0.65 in
Location 0, 0 in
Font Size 36
Font Bold True
ForeColor White
Text GrapeCity

3. Select the Page Footer and in the Properties window, set the BackColor property to DarkSlateBlue.
4. From the toolbox, drag a Label control onto the Page Footer and in the Properties window, set the
properties as follows.

Property Property Value

Name
Size 6.5, 0.2 in
Location 0, 0 in
Alignment Center
Font Bold True
ForeColor White
Text (919) 460-4551,
http://www.grapecity.com,
[email protected]

To add code to overlay the data report pages with the letterhead report
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Add the ActiveReports viewer control to the Windows Form. Then, double-click the top of the Windows
Form to create an event-handling method for the form's Load event. Add code to the handler to:
Set the viewer to display the rptData report document
Overlay rptLetterhead on rptData
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.
Dim rpt As New rptData()
rpt.Run()
Dim rpt2 As New rptLetterhead()
rpt2.Run()
Dim i As Integer
For i = 0 To rpt.Document.Pages.Count - 1
rpt.Document.Pages(i).Overlay(rpt2.Document.Pages(0))
Next

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 833
Viewer1.Document = rpt.Document

To write the code in C#

Add the ActiveReports viewer control to the Windows Form. Then, double-click the top of the Windows
Form to create an event-handling method for the form's Load event. Add code to the handler to:
Set the viewer to display the rptData report document
Overlay rptLetterhead on rptData
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.
rptData rpt = new rptData();
rpt.Run();
rptLetterhead rpt2 = new rptLetterhead();
rpt2.Run();
for(int i = 0; i < rpt.Document.Pages.Count; i++)
{
rpt.Document.Pages[i].Overlay(rpt2.Document.Pages[0]);
}
viewer1.Document = rpt.Document;

To view the report

Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Run Time Layouts

ActiveReports objects and controls are completely accessible at run time. You can modify the properties of any of the
report sections or controls to produce a dynamic report. The section Format event allows you to modify the properties
of the section and its controls, including height, visibility, and other visual properties. The Format event is the only
event in which you can modify the printable area of a section. Once this event has run, any changes to the section's
height are not reflected in the report output.
This walkthrough illustrates how to create a report layout at run time based on user input.

Note: Add controls dynamically in the ReportStart event, otherwise, results may be unpredictable. For more
information on events, see the Section Report Events topic.

This walkthrough is split into the following activities:

Adding an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project
Adding controls to the Windows Form to display fields and a viewer
Generating a dataset for the Windows Form
Adding code to create the report layout
Adding code to fill the check list with fields and to launch the report
Adding code to alternate colors in the detail section
Adding code to the ReportStart event to call the report layout code
Adding code to the button's Click event to collect the selected values and launch the report
Adding code to enable the button when fields are selected
Adding code to the Form_Load event to call the fill check list code
Viewing the report

Note: This walkthrough uses the NWind database. By default, in ActiveReports, the Nwind.mdb file is located in
the [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data folder.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at
runtime.

Design Time Layout (Windows form)

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 834

Runtime Layout

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Section Report (code-based) and in the
Name field, rename the file as rptRunTime.
4. Click the Add button to open a new section report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To add controls to the form
1. Resize the Windows Form so that it is large enough to accommodate a number of controls.
2. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag the Panel control to the Windows Form and in the Properties Window, set
the properties as follows.
Panel

Property Name Property Value

Dock Left
Name Panel1

3. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag the following controls onto the Panel1 and in the Properties Window, set
the properties listed below.
Label

Property Name Property Value

Dock Top
Name lblSelectFields
Text Select Fields for Your Report

CheckedListBox

Property Name Property Value

Dock Fill
Name clbFields

Button

Property Name Property Value

Dock Bottom
Name btnGenRep

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 835
Text Generate Report

CheckBox

Property Name Property Value

Dock Bottom
Name chkGroup
Text Group By Category ID

4. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag the Viewer control to the Windows Form and in the Properties Window, set
the properties as follows.
Viewer

Property Name Property Value

Dock Fill
Name Viewer1

To generate a dataset for the Form

1. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
2. Select DataSet, rename the file NWINDDataSet.xsd and click the Add button.
3. In the DataSet Designer that appears, click the Server Explorer link.
4. In the Server Explorer, expand the node for your local copy of the Northwind database, then the Tables node,
and drag the Products table onto the DataSet designer.
Tip: If you do not see a copy of the Northwind database, click the Connect to Database icon on top of
the Server Explorer and follow the prompts.

5. Open the Form and from the Visual Studio toolbox, drag DataSet onto the Form.
6. From the Add DataSet dialog that appears, select Typed dataset and click OK.

To add code to create the report layout

1. Right-click on rptRunTime and select View Code.
2. Add the following code within the class declaration of the report to:
Create an array of fields
Create an option for whether to use groups
Set properties on the report sections
Add textboxes and labels to the report based on the array of fields
Handle exceptions
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste JUST BELOW the statements at the top of the code view
Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReportModel

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the class declaration of the report.
Private m_arrayFields As ArrayList
Private m_useGroups As Boolean
'Create an array to hold the fields selected by the user
Public WriteOnly Property FieldsList() As ArrayList
Set(ByVal Value As ArrayList)
m_arrayFields = Value
End Set
End Property

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 836
'Create a property to hold the user's grouping choice
Public WriteOnly Property UseGroups() As Boolean
Set(ByVal Value As Boolean)
m_useGroups = False
m_useGroups = Value
End Set
End Property
Private m_defaultHeight As Single = 0.2F
Private m_defaultWidth As Single = 4.0F
Private m_currentY As Single = 0.0F
'Set up report formatting and add fields based on user choices
Private Sub constructReport()
Try
Me.Detail1.CanGrow = True
Me.Detail1.CanShrink = True
Me.Detail1.KeepTogether = True
If m_useGroups = True Then
'If the user wants grouping, add a group header and footer and set the grouping
field
Me.Sections.InsertGroupHF()
CType(Me.Sections("GroupHeader1"), GroupHeader).DataField = "CategoryID"
Me.Sections("GroupHeader1").BackColor = System.Drawing.Color.Gray
Me.Sections("GroupHeader1").CanGrow = True
Me.Sections("GroupHeader1").CanShrink = True
CType(Me.Sections("GroupHeader1"), GroupHeader).RepeatStyle =
RepeatStyle.OnPageIncludeNoDetail
'Add a textbox to display the group's category ID
Dim txt As New TextBox
txt.DataField = "CategoryID"
txt.Location = New System.Drawing.PointF(0.0F, 0)
txt.Width = 2.0F
txt.Height = 0.3F
txt.Style = "font-weight: bold; font-size: 16pt"
Me.Sections("GroupHeader1").Controls.Add(txt)
End If
Dim i As Integer
For i = 0 To m_arrayFields.Count - 1
'For all fields selected by the user (except CategoryID) create a label and a
textbox
If m_arrayFields(i).ToString <> "CategoryID" Then
Dim lbl As New Label
'Set the label to display the name of the selected field
lbl.Text = m_arrayFields(i) + ":"
'Set the location of each label
'(m_currentY gets the height of each control added on each iteration)
lbl.Location() = New System.Drawing.PointF(0.0F, m_currentY)
lbl.Width = 0.9F
lbl.Height = m_defaultHeight
Me.Detail1.Controls.Add(lbl)
Dim txt As New TextBox
'Set the textbox to display data
txt.DataField = m_arrayFields(i)
'Set the location of the textbox
txt.Location = New System.Drawing.PointF(1.0F, m_currentY)
txt.Width = m_defaultWidth
txt.Height = m_defaultHeight
Me.Detail1.Controls.Add(txt)
'Set the textbox to use currency formatting if the field is UnitPrice
If m_arrayFields(i) = "UnitPrice" Then
txt.OutputFormat = "$#.00"
End If
'Increment the vertical location by adding the height of the added controls
m_currentY = m_currentY + m_defaultHeight

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 837
End If
Next
Catch ex As Exception
System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox.Show("Error in Report-constructReport: " +
ex.Message, "Project Error", System.Windows.Forms.MessageBoxButtons.OK,
System.Windows.Forms.MessageBoxIcon.Error)
End Try
End Sub

To write the code in C#

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

C# code. Paste JUST BELOW the statements at the top of the code view
using GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReportModel;

C# code. Paste INSIDE the class declaration of the report.

private ArrayList m_arrayFields;
//Create an array to hold the fields selected by the user
public ArrayList FieldsList
{
set{m_arrayFields = value;}
}
private bool m_useGroups = false;
//Create a property to hold the user's grouping choice
public bool UseGroups
{
set{m_useGroups = value;}
}
float m_defaultHeight = .2f;
float m_defaultWidth = 4f;
float m_currentY = 0f;
//Set up report formatting and add fields based on user choices
private void constructReport()
{
try
{
this.detail.CanGrow = true;
this.detail.CanShrink = true;
this.detail.KeepTogether = true;
if(m_useGroups)
{
//If the user wants grouping, add a group header and footer and set the grouping
field
this.Sections.InsertGroupHF();
((GroupHeader)this.Sections["GroupHeader1"]).DataField = "CategoryID";
this.Sections["GroupHeader1"].BackColor = System.Drawing.Color.Gray;
this.Sections["GroupHeader1"].CanGrow = true;
this.Sections["GroupHeader1"].CanShrink = true;
((GroupHeader)this.Sections["GroupHeader1"]).RepeatStyle =
RepeatStyle.OnPageIncludeNoDetail;
this.Sections["GroupFooter1"].Height = 0;
//Add a textbox to display the group's category ID
TextBox txt = new TextBox();
txt.DataField = "CategoryID";
txt.Location = new System.Drawing.PointF(0f,0);
txt.Width =2f;
txt.Height = .3f;
txt.Style = "font-weight: bold; font-size: 16pt;";
this.Sections["GroupHeader1"].Controls.Add(txt);
}
for(int i=0;i<m_arrayFields.Count;i++)
{

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 838
if(!m_useGroups || (m_useGroups && m_arrayFields[i].ToString() != "CategoryID"))
//'For all fields selected by the user (except CategoryID) create a label and a
textbox
{
Label lbl = new Label();
//Set the label to display the name of the selected field
lbl.Text = m_arrayFields[i].ToString() + ":";
//Set the location of each label
//(m_currentY gets the height of each control added on each iteration)
lbl.Location = new System.Drawing.PointF(0f,m_currentY);
lbl.Width =.9f;
lbl.Height = m_defaultHeight;
this.detail.Controls.Add(lbl);
TextBox txt = new TextBox();
//Set the textbox to display data
txt.DataField = m_arrayFields[i].ToString();
//Set the location of the textbox
txt.Location = new System.Drawing.PointF(1f,m_currentY);
txt.Width = m_defaultWidth;
txt.Height = m_defaultHeight;
this.detail.Controls.Add(txt);
//Set the textbox to use currency formatting if the field is UnitPrice
if (m_arrayFields[i].ToString().Equals("UnitPrice"))
{
txt.OutputFormat = "$#.00";
}
//Increment the vertical location by adding the height of the added controls
m_currentY = m_currentY + m_defaultHeight;
}
}
}
catch(Exception ex)
{
System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox.Show("Error in Report-constructReport: " +
ex.Message,"Project
Error",System.Windows.Forms.MessageBoxButtons.OK,System.Windows.Forms.MessageBoxIcon.Error);
}
}

To add code to fill the check list with fields and to launch the report
1. Right-click the Windows Form and select View Code.
2. Add code within the class declaration of the form to:
Fill the check list with fields
Launch the report
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the class declaration of the form.
Dim i As Integer
Dim c As Integer
Dim m_arrayField As New ArrayList()
Private Sub fillCheckBox()
For i = 0 To Me.NwindDataSet1.Tables.Count - 1
For c = 0 To Me.NwindDataSet1.Tables(i).Columns.Count - 1
Me.clbFields.Items.Add(Me.NwindDataSet1.Tables(i).Columns(c).ColumnName)
Next
Next
End Sub
Private Sub launchReport()
Dim rpt As New rptRunTime()
Dim dataAdapter As New NWINDDataSetTableAdapters.ProductsTableAdapter

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 839
Try
rpt.FieldsList = m_arrayField
rpt.UseGroups = chkGroup.Checked
dataAdapter.Fill(NwindDataSet1.Products)
rpt.DataSource = Me.NwindDataSet1.Products
Viewer1.Document = rpt.Document
rpt.Run()
Catch ex As Exception
System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox.Show(Me, "Error in launchReport: " +
ex.Message, "Project Error", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Error)
End Try
End Sub

To write the code in C#

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

C# code. Paste INSIDE the class declaration of the form.

ArrayList m_arrayField = new ArrayList();
private void fillCheckBox()
{
for(int i = 0; i < this.nwindDataSet1.Tables.Count; i++)
{
for(int c = 0; c < this.nwindDataSet1.Tables[i].Columns.Count; c++)
{
this.clbFields.Items.Add(this.nwindDataSet1.Tables[i].Columns[c].ColumnName);
}
}
}
private void launchReport()
{
try
{
rptRunTime rpt = new rptRunTime();
rpt.FieldsList = m_arrayField;
rpt.UseGroups = chkGroup.Checked;
NWINDDataSetTableAdapters.ProductsTableAdapter dataAdapter = new
NWINDDataSetTableAdapters.ProductsTableAdapter();
dataAdapter.Fill(this.nwindDataSet1.Products);
rpt.DataSource = this.nwindDataSet1.Products;
this.Viewer1.Document = rpt.Document;
rpt.Run();
}
catch(Exception ex)
{
MessageBox.Show(this,"Error in launchReport: " + ex.Message,"Project
Error",MessageBoxButtons.OK,MessageBoxIcon.Error);
}
}

To add code to alternate colors in the detail section

1. Double-click the detail section of rptRunTime. This creates an event-handling method for rptRunTime's
Detail_Format event.
2. Add code to the handler to alternate colors for a green bar report effect.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste JUST ABOVE the Detail Format event.
Dim m_count As Integer

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Detail Format event.

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 840
If m_count Mod 2 = 0 Then
Me.Detail1.BackColor = System.Drawing.Color.SlateGray
Else
Me.Detail1.BackColor = System.Drawing.Color.Gainsboro
End If
m_count = m_count + 1

To write the code in C#

The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
C# code. Paste JUST ABOVE the Detail Format event.
int m_count;

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Detail Format event.

if(m_count % 2 == 0)
{
this.detail.BackColor = System.Drawing.Color.SlateGray;
}
else
{
this.detail.BackColor = System.Drawing.Color.Gainsboro;
}
m_count++;

To add code to the ReportStart event to call the report layout code
1. Double-click the gray area below rptRunTime to create an event-handling method for rptRunTime's ReportStart
event.
2. Add code to call the constructReport method.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.
constructReport()

To write the code in C#

The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
C# code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.
constructReport();

To add code to the button's Click event to collect the selected values and launch the report
1. Double-click btnGenRep to create an event-handling method for the button click event.
2. Add code to the handler to collect the selected values and launch the report.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the button click event.
Me.m_arrayField.Clear()
For Me.i = 0 To Me.clbFields.CheckedItems.Count - 1
m_arrayField.Add(Me.clbFields.CheckedItems(i).ToString)
Next
launchReport()

To write the code in C#

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

C# code. Paste INSIDE the button click event.

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 841
this.m_arrayField.Clear();
for(int i = 0; i < this.clbFields.CheckedItems.Count; i++)
{
m_arrayField.Add(this.clbFields.CheckedItems[i].ToString());
}
launchReport();

To add code to enable the button when fields are selected

1. Select the checked list box (clbFields) and go to the Properties Window.
2. At the top of Properties Window, select the Events icon to open the events list.
3. Double-click the SelectedIndexChanged event. This creates an event-handling method for the
clbFields_SelectedIndexChanged event.
4. Add code to the handler to enable the button when fields are selected.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the SelectedIndexChanged event.
If Me.clbFields.CheckedItems.Count < 0 Then
Me.btnGenRep.Enabled = False
Else
Me.btnGenRep.Enabled = True
End If

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the SelectedIndexChanged event.

if(this.clbFields.CheckedItems.Count>0)
{
this.btnGenRep.Enabled = true;
}
else
{
this.btnGenRep.Enabled = false;
}

To add code to the Form_Load event to call the fill check list code
1. Double-click the title bar of the form. This creates an event-handling method for the Windows Form_Load
event.
2. Add code to the handler to call the fillCheckBox() method to populate clbFields with field values and to handle
exceptions.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.

Try
fillCheckBox()
Catch ex As Exception
System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox.Show(Me, "Error in Form1_Load: " + ex.Message, "Project
Error", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Error)
End Try

To write the code in C#

The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.
try
{
fillCheckBox();

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 842
}
catch(Exception ex)
{
MessageBox.Show(this,"Error in Form1_Load: " + ex.Message,"Project Error",
MessageBoxButtons.OK,MessageBoxIcon.Error);
}

To view the report

Press F5 to run the project.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Subreports with XML Data

Using XML data requires some setup that is different from other types of data. This walkthrough illustrates how to
set up a subreport bound to the XML DataSource in the parent report.
This walkthrough is split up into the following activities:
Adding an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project
Connecting the parent report to an XML data source
Adding controls to display the data
Adding code to create a new instance of the subreport
Adding code to pass a subset of the parent report's data to the subreport
Viewing the report

Note: This walkthrough uses Customer.xml. By default, in ActiveReports, the Customer.xml file is located in
the [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Samples\Data folder.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at
runtime.

Design Time Layout

Runtime Layout

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Section Report (code-based) and in
the Name field, rename the file as rptMain.
4. Click the Add button to open a new section report in the designer.
5. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
6. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Section Report (code-based) and in
the Name field, rename the file as rptSub.
7. Click the Add button to open a second new section report in the designer.

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 843
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the Parent Report (rptMain) to a data source
1. On the detail section band, click the Data Source Icon.

2. In the Report Data Source dialog, on the XML tab, click the ellipsis (...) button next to File URL field.
3. In the Open File window that appears, navigate to Customer.xml and click the Open button. (The default
installation path is C:\Users\YourUserName\Documents\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports
9\Data\customer.xml).
4. In the Recordset Pattern field, enter //CUSTOMER.
5. Click OK to save the data source and return to the report design surface.
To create a layout for the Parent Report (rptMain)
1. On the design surface, select the pageHeader section and in the Properties window, set the
Height property to 0.3.
2. On the design surface, select the grey area outside the report and in the Properties window, set the
PrintWidth property to 6.5.
3. On the design surface, select the detail section and in the Properties window, set the CanShrink property
to True to eliminate white space.
4. From the toolbox, drag the Label control onto the pageHeader section and in the Properties window, set
the properties as follows.

Property Name Property Value

Text Orders by Customer
Location 0, 0 in
Size 6.5, 0.25 in
Font Arial, 14pt, style=Bold
Alignment Center

5. From the toolbox, drag the controls onto the detail section and in the Properties window, set the properties
of each control as follows.
TextBox1

Property Name Property Value

DataField NAME
Location 1.2, 0 in
Size 2, 0.2 in

Label1

Property Name Property Value

Text Customer Name:
Location 0, 0 in
Size 1.2, 0.2 in
Font Bold True

Label2

Property Name Property Value

Text Orders:
Location 1.2, 0.25 in
Size 1, 0.2 in

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 844
Font Bold True

Subreport

Property Name Property Value

Location 2.3, 0.25 in
Size 4, 1 in

To create a layout for the Child Report (rptSub)

1. On the design surface, select the detail section and in the Properties window, set the properties as follows.

Property Name Property Value

CanShrink True
BackColor LightSteelBlue

Tip: Even if you do not want colors in your finished reports, using background colors on subreports
can help in troubleshooting layout issues.

2. On the design surface, right-click the pageHeader or pageFooter section and select Delete. Subreports do
not render these sections, so deleting them saves processing time.
3. From the toolbox, drag the following controls to the detail section and in the Properties window, set the
properties as follows.
TextBox1

Property Name Property Value

DataField TITLE
Name txtTitle
Location 0, 0 in
Size 2.9, 0.2 in

TextBox2

Property Property Value

Name
DataField PRICE
Name txtPrice
Location 3, 0 in
Size 1, 0.2 in
Alignment Right
OutputFormat $#,##0.00 (or select Currency in the
dialog)

To add code to create a new instance of the Child Report (rptSub)

Warning: Do not create a new instance of the subreport in the Format event. Doing so creates a new
subreport each time the section Format code is run, which uses a lot of memory.

To write the code in Visual Basic

1. Right-click the design surface of rptMain and select View Code.
2. At the top left of the code view of the report, click the drop-down arrow and select (rptMain Events).
3. At the top right of the code window, click the drop-down arrow and select ReportStart. This creates an
event-handling method for the ReportStart event.
4. Add code to the handler to create an instance of rptSub.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 845
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste JUST ABOVE the ReportStart event.
Dim rpt As rptSub

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.

rpt = New rptSub

To write the code in C#

1. Click in the gray area below rptMain to select it.
2. Click the events icon in the Properties Window to display available events for the report.
3. Double-click ReportStart. This creates an event-handling method for the report's ReportStart event.
4. Add code to the handler to create a new instance of rptSub.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.

C# code. Paste JUST ABOVE the ReportStart event.

private rptSub rpt;

C# code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.

rpt = new rptSub();

To add code to pass a subset of the Parent Report's data to the Child Report
To add code to pass a subset of the parent report's data to the subreport
1. Double-click in the detail section of the design surface of rptMain to create a detail_Format event.
2. Add code to the handler to:
Create a new GrapeCity XMLDataSource
Type cast the new data source as rptMain's data source and set the NodeList to the
"ORDER/ITEM" field
Display rptSub in the subreport control
Pass the new data source to the subreport
To write the code in Visual Basic
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Format event.
Dim xmlDS As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Data.XMLDataSource
xmlDS.NodeList = CType(CType(Me.DataSource,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Data.XMLDataSource).Field("ORDER/ITEM", True),
System.Xml.XmlNodeList)
rpt.DataSource = xmlDS
SubReport1.Report = rpt

To write the code in C#

The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
C# code. Paste INSIDE the Format event.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Data.XMLDataSource xmlDS = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Data.XMLDataSource();
xmlDS.NodeList = (System.Xml.XmlNodeList)
((GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Data.XMLDataSource) this.DataSource).Field("ORDER/ITEM",
true);
rpt.DataSource = xmlDS;
subReport1.Report = rpt;

To view the report

Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
OR

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 846
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Subreports with Run-Time Data Sources

ActiveReports allows section reports to contain any number of child reports using the Subreport control. Child
reports, or subreports, are executed each time the parent section (i.e. the section in which the Subreport control is
placed) is processed. This walkthrough illustrates how to modify the subreport record source from the data in the
parent report to retrieve the correct information.
This walkthrough is split up into the following activities:
Adding a main report and a subreport to a Visual Studio project
Connecting the main report to a data source
Adding controls to the main report to display data and contain the subreport
Adding controls to the subreport to display data
Adding code to save the current record's CategoryID for use in the subreport's SQL query
Adding code to create an instance of the subreport
Adding code to assign a data source for the subreport
Viewing the report

Note: This walkthrough uses tables from the NWind database. By default, in ActiveReports, the NWind.mdb
file is located in the [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Samples\Data folder.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at
runtime.

Design Time Layout

Runtime Layout

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Section Report (code-based) and in
the Name field, rename the file as rptMain.
4. Click the Add button to open a new section report in the designer.
5. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
6. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Section Report (code-based) and in
the Name field, rename the file as rptSub.
7. Click the Add button to open a second new section report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the Parent Report (rptMain) to a data source

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 847
1. On the detail section band, click the Data Source Icon.

2. In the Report Data Source dialog that appears, from the OLE DB tab, create a data source connection. See
Bind Reports to a Data Source for further details.
3. Once the connection string field is populated, in the Query field, enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
SELECT * FROM Categories

4. Click OK to save the data source and return to the report design surface.
To create a layout for the Parent Report (rptMain)
1. In the Report Explorer, select the report and in the Properties window, set the PrintWidth property to
5.75.
2. On the design surface, select the detail section and in the Properties window, set the CanShrink property
to True to eliminate white space.
3. From the toolbox, drag a Label control onto the pageHeader section and in the Properties window, set the
properties as follows.

Property Name Property Value

Name lblProductsbyCategory
Text Products by Category
Location 0, 0 in
Size 5.75, 0.25 in
Font Size 14
Alignment Center

4. From the toolbox, drag the following controls onto the detail section and in the Properties window, set the
properties as follows.
TextBox1

Property Name Property Value

Name txtCategoryID1
DataField CategoryID
Visible False

TextBox2

Property Name Property Value

Name txtCategoryName1
DataField CategoryName
Location 1.15, 0.05 in

Label1

Property Name Property Value

Name lblCategoryName
Text CategoryName:
Location 0, 0.05 in
Size 1.15, 0.2 in
Font Bold True

Label2

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 848

Property Name Property Value

Name lblProducts
Text Products:
Location 2.4, 0.05 in
Font Bold True

Subreport

Property Name Property Value

Name SubReport1
Location 3.5, 0.05 in
Size 2.25, 1 in

To create a layout for the Child Report (rptSub)

1. On the design surface, select the detail section and in the Properties window, set the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

CanShrink True
BackColor AliceBlue

Tip: Even if you do not want colors in your finished reports, using background colors on subreports
can help in troubleshooting layout issues.

2. On the design surface, right-click the pageHeader or pageFooter section and select Delete. Subreports do
not render these sections, so deleting them saves processing time.
3. From the toolbox, drag a TextBox control to the detail section and in the Properties window, set the
following properties.

Property Name Property Value

DataField ProductName
Name txtProductName
Text Product Name
Location 0, 0 in
Size 2.25, 0.2 in

To add code to create an instance of the subreport

Warning: Do not create a new instance of the subreport in the Format event. Doing so creates a new
subreport each time the section Format code is run, which uses a lot of memory.

To write the code in Visual Basic

1. At the top left of the code view for the report, click the drop-down arrow and select (rptMain Events).
2. At the top right of the code window, click the drop-down arrow and select ReportStart. This creates an
event-handling method for the report's ReportStart event.
3. Add code to the handler to create a new instance of the subreport.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste JUST ABOVE the ReportStart event.
Private rpt As rptSub
Private childDataSource As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Data.OleDBDataSource()

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.

rpt = New rptSub()

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 849
To write the code in C#
1. Click in the gray area below rptMain to select it.
2. Click the events icon in the Properties Window to display available events for the report.
3. Double-click ReportStart. This creates an event-handling method for the report's ReportStart event.
4. Add code to the handler to create a new instance of the subreport.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
C# code. Paste JUST ABOVE the ReportStart event.
private rptSub rpt;
private GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Data.OleDBDataSource childDataSource = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Data.OleDBDataSource();

C# code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.

rpt = new rptSub();

To add code to assign a data source for the Child Report (rptSub)
1. Back in design view of the Parent report (rptMain), double-click the detail section. This creates the
Detail_Format event handler.
2. Add code to the handler to:
Set the connection string for the OleDBDataSource for the subreport
Set the SQL query for the new data source and pass in the current record's CategoryID
Set the data source of the subreport to the data source
Assign rptSub to the SubReport control
To write the code in Visual Basic
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Format event.

childDataSource.ConnectionString = CType(Me.DataSource,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Data.OleDBDataSource).ConnectionString
childDataSource.SQL = "SELECT * FROM Products WHERE CategoryID = " +
Me.txtCategoryID1.Value.ToString
rpt.DataSource = childDataSource
SubReport1.Report = rpt

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Format event.

childDataSource.ConnectionString =
((GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Data.OleDBDataSource)this.DataSource).ConnectionString;
childDataSource.SQL = "SELECT * FROM Products WHERE CategoryID = " +
this.txtCategoryID1.Value.ToString();
rpt.DataSource = childDataSource;
SubReport1.Report = rpt;

To view the report

Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Chart
This section contains the following walkthroughs that fall under the Chart category.
Bar Chart

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 850
This walkthrough demonstrates how to create a bar chart which compares items across categories.
3D Pie Chart
This walkthrough demonstrates how to a three dimensional pie chart which shows how the percentage of each
data item contributes to a total percentage.
Financial Chart
This walkthrough demonstrates how to create a financial chart which lets you plot high, low, opening, and closing
prices.
Unbound Chart
This walkthrough demonstrates how to create a simple unbound chart.

Bar Chart
Bar charts are useful in comparing items across categories. This walkthrough illustrates how to create a simple bar chart using the ActiveReports chart
control.
The walkthrough is split up into the following activities:
Adding a chart control to the report
Setting a data source for the chart
Setting the chart's properties

Note: This walkthrough uses the Northwind database. By default, in ActiveReports, the Northwind.mdb file is located at [User Documents
folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at runtime.

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Section Report (code-based) and in the Name field, rename the file as
BarChart.
4. Click the Add button to open a new section report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To add the Chart control to the report
1. From the toolbox, drag the ChartControl to the body of the report.
2. If the chart wizard appears, click Cancel.
Tip: If you do not want the chart wizard to appear each time you add a chart, clear the Auto Run Wizard checkbox. You can still access the
wizard via the command verbs (see below).

3. On the design surface, select the grey area outside the report and in the Properties window, set the PrintWidth property to 6.5.
4. In the Properties window, set the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

Location 0, 0 in
Size 6.5, 3.5 in

5. In the Report Explorer, select Detail1 and go to the properties window to set the Height property to 3.5.
To connect the Chart to a data source
1. Select the Chart control and at the bottom of the Properties window, select the Data Source command. See Properties Window for further details on
accessing commands.

Tip: If the verb is not visible, right-click an empty space in the Properties Window and select Commands to display verbs.

2. In the Chart DataSource dialog box that appears, click the Build button.
3. In the Data Link Properties window, select Microsoft Jet 4.0 OLE DB Provider and click the Next button.
4. Click the ellipsis button (...) to browse to the Northwind database. Click Open once you have selected the file.
5. Click the OK button to close the window and fill in the Connection String.
6. In the Query field, enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
SELECT ShipCountry, SUM(Freight) AS FreightSum FROM Orders GROUP BY ShipCountry

7. Click OK to save the data source.

To configure the appearance of the Chart

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 851
1. Select the Chart control and at the bottom of the Properties window, select the Customize command. See Properties Window for further details on
accessing commands.
2. In the Chart Designer dialog that appears set the following.
Chart Areas
a. Click the Axes bar on the left to expand it.
b. Click Axis X, and on the Common tab in the pane to the right, type Country in the Title textbox and set the Font size to 12.
c. On the Labels tab, select the Staggered Labels checkbox to avoid overlapping labels and set the Text angle property to 45.

d. Click Axis Y on the left, and on the Common tab in the pane to the right, type Freight in the Title textbox and set the Font size to 12.
Titles
a. Click the Titles bar on the left to expand it. In the list of titles, the header is selected by default.
b. In the Caption textbox, type Simple Bar Chart and increase the Font size to 14.
c. In the list of titles to the left, select the footer and delete it by clicking the Delete icon on top of the list.
Series
a. Click the Series bar on the left. The Series1 is selected by default.
b. In the Data Binding box, set X (Name) to ShipCountry, and set Y to FreightSum.
c. In the list of series to the left, select Series2 and Series3 and delete them by clicking the Delete icon on top of the list.
Legend
a. Click the Legend bar on the left to expand it. The defaultLegend is selected by default.
b. On the Common tab, clear the Visible checkbox to hide the legend.
3. Click Finish to exit the Chart Designer.
To view the report
Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

3D Pie Chart
Pie charts are useful in showing how the percentage of each data item contributes to the total. This walkthrough
illustrates how to create a three dimensional pie chart.
The walkthrough is split up into the following activities:
Adding a chart control to the report
Adding a series and data points to the chart
Setting the chart's properties
When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at
runtime.

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Section Report (code-based) and in
the Name field, rename the file as 3DPieChart.
4. Click the Add button to open a new section report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To add the Chart control to the report

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 852
1. From the toolbox, drag the ChartControl to the body of the report.
2. If the chart wizard appears, click Cancel.

Tip: If you do not want the chart wizard to appear each time you add a chart, clear the Auto Run
Wizard checkbox. You can still access the wizard via the command verbs (see below).

3. In the Properties window, set the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

Location 0, 0in
Size 6.5, 3.5in

4. In the Report Explorer, select Detail1 and go to the properties window to set the Height property to 3.5.
5. On the design surface, select the grey area outside the report and in the Properties window, set the
PrintWidth property to 6.5.
To add a series and data points to the Chart

1. With the chart control selected, go to the Properties window and click the Series (Collection) property ,
then click the ellipsis button (...) that appears.
2. In the Series Collection Editor that appears, Series1 is selected by default. There, under Series1
properties, change the following.

Property Name Property Value

ColorPalette Confetti
Type Doughnut3D

3. Click the Points (Collection) property, then click the ellipsis button that appears.
4. In the DataPoint Collection that appears, click the Add button to add a data point.
5. In the DataPoint Collection Editor that appears, go to the Properties window to set the following
properties.

Property Name Property Value

LegendText Figs
YValues 19
Properties>ExplodeFactor 0.5

6. Click the Add button to add another data point.

7. In the DataPoint Collection Editor that appears, go to the Properties window to set the following
properties.

Property Name Property Value

LegendText Raspberries
YValues 15

8. Click the Add button to add another data point.

9. In the DataPoint Collection Editor that appears, go to the Properties window to set the following
properties.

Property Name Property Value

LegendText Blueberries
YValues 37

10. Click the Add button to add another data point.

11. In the DataPoint Collection Editor that appears, go to the Properties window to set the following
properties.

Property Name Property Value

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 853
LegendText Bananas
YValues 21

12. Click OK to save the data points and return to the Series Collection Editor.
13. In the Series Collection Editor under Members, select Series2 and Series3 and click the Remove
button.
14. Click OK to save the changes and return to the report design surface.
To configure the appearance of the Chart
1. With the chart control selected, go to the Properties window and click the ChartAreas (Collection)
property and then click the ellipsis button that appears.
2. In the ChartArea Collection Editor that appears, expand the Projection property node and set
the VerticalRotation property to 50. This allows you to see more of the top of the pie.
3. Click OK to return to the report design surface.
4. With the chart control highlighted, go to the Properties window and click the Titles (Collection) property
and then click the ellipsis button that appears.
5. In the Title Collection Editor that appears, under header properties, set the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

Text 3D Pie Chart
Font Size 14

6. Under Members, select the footer and click the Remove button.
7. Click OK to return to the report design surface.
To view the report
Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Financial Chart
Financial charts are useful for displaying stock information using High, Low, Open and Close values. This
walkthrough illustrates how to create a Candle chart.
The walkthrough is split up into the following activities:
Adding a chart control to the report
Adding a series and data points to the chart
Setting the chart's properties
When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at
runtime.

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Section Report (code-based) and in
the Name field, rename the file as FinancialChart.
4. Click the Add button to open a new section report in the designer.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 854
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To add the Chart control to the report
1. From the toolbox, drag the ChartControl to the body of the report.
2. If the chart wizard appears, click Cancel.
Tip: If you do not want the chart wizard to appear each time you add a chart, clear the Auto Run
Wizard checkbox. You can still access the wizard via the command verbs (see below).

3. In the Properties window, set the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

Location 0, 0in
Size 6.5, 3.5in

4. In the Report Explorer, select Detail1 and go to the properties window to set the Height property to
3.5.On the design surface, select the grey area outside the report and in the Properties window, set the
PrintWidth property to 6.5.
To add a series and data points to the Chart
1. With the chart control selected, go to the Properties window and click the Series (Collection) property
and then click the ellipsis button.
2. In the Series Collection Editor that appears, Series1 is selected by default. There, under Series1
properties, change the following.

Property Name Property

Value
Type Candle
Properties>BodyDownswingBackdrop (Default)
Properties>BodyDownswingBackdrop>Color Fuchsia
Properties>BodyUpswingBackdrop (Default)
Properties>BodyUpswingBackdrop>Color DarkViolet
Properties>BodyWidth 5
Properties>WickLine (Default)
Legend (none)

3. Click the Points (Collection) property, then click the ellipsis button that appears.
4. In the DataPoint Collection window that appears, click Add to add a data point and set its YValues
property to 99; 37; 53; 88.
Note: The first Y value is the high figure or top of the wick; the second is the low figure, or bottom of
the wick; the third is the opening figure; the fourth is the closing figure. If the fourth figure is higher
than the third, the candle is DarkViolet, the BodyUpswingBackdrop.

5. Click Add to add another data point and set its YValues property to 115; 22; 101; 35.
6. Click Add to add another data point, and set its YValues property to 87; 1; 7; 80.
7. Click Add to add another data point, and set its YValues property to 63; 14; 57; 25.
8. Click Add to add another data point, and set its YValues property to 130; 25; 25; 120.
9. Click OK to save the data points and close the window.
10. In the Series Collection Editor under Members, select Series2 and Series3 and click the Remove
button.
11. Click OK to return to the report design surface.
To configure the appearance of the Chart

1. With the chart control selected, go to the Properties window and click the ChartAreas (Collection) property
and then click the ellipsis button that appears.
2. In the ChartArea Collection Editor that appears, under defaultArea properties, click the Axes (Collection)

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 855
property, then click the ellipsis button that appears.
3. In the AxisBase Collection Editor that appears, set the following properties.
AxisBase
a. Under AxisX properties, in the Title property delete the default text.
b. Click the Labels (Collection) property, then click the ellipsis button that appears. This is where you
add the labels that appear along the X axis, the line across the bottom of the chart.
c. In the Array Data Editor that appears, enter the following into the editor, each item on a separate
line:
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
d. Click the OK button to return to the AxisBase Collection Editor.
e. Under Members, select the AxisY member, and under AxisY properties set the following
properties.

Property Name Property Value

MajorTick>Step 10
LabelsVisible True
Min 0
Title $,000

f. Click OK to return to the ChartArea Collection Editor.

4. Click OK to return to the report design surface and see the changes reflected in the chart.
5. With the chart control selected, go to the Properties window and click the Titles (Collection) property
and then click the ellipsis button that appears.
6. In the Title Collection Editor that appears, set the following properties.
Titles
a. Under header properties, set the Text property to Candle Chart.
b. Expand the Font property and set Font Size to 14.
c. Under Members, select footer and click the Remove button.
7. Click OK to return to the report design surface.
8. With the Chart control selected, go to the Properties window and click the Legends (Collection) property
and then click the ellipsis button that appears.
9. In the Legend Collection Editor that appears, set the following properties.
Legends
a. In the Properties window, set the Visible property to False.
b. Click OK to return to the report design surface and see the completed chart.
To view the report
Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Unbound Chart
The Chart control allows you to bind charts to any type of data source, including arrays. You can create a chart
without setting its data source and load the data into the control at run time. This walkthrough illustrates how to
create a simple unbound chart.
The walkthrough is split up into the following activities:
Adding the chart control to the report and setting chart properties

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 856
Adding code to create the chart at run time

Note: This walkthrough uses the Northwind database. By default, in ActiveReports, the Northwind.mdb file is
located at [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at runtime.

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Section Report (code-based) and in
the Name field, rename the file as UnboundChart.
4. Click the Add button to open a new section report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To add the Chart control to the report
1. From the toolbox, drag the ChartControl to the body of the report.
2. If the chart wizard appears, click Cancel.
Tip: If you do not want the chart wizard to appear each time you add a chart, clear the Auto Run
Wizard checkbox. You can still access the wizard via the command verbs (see below).

3. In the Properties window, set the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

Location 0, 0in
Size 6.5, 3.5in

4. In the Report Explorer, select Detail and go to the properties window to set the Height property to 3.5.
5. On the design surface, select the grey area outside the report and in the Properties window, set the
PrintWidth property to 6.5.
To configure the appearance of the Chart
1. Select the Chart control and at the bottom of the Properties window, select the Customize command. See
Properties Window for further details on accessing commands.
Tip: If the verb is not visible, right-click an empty space in the Properties Window and select
Commands to display verbs.

2. In the ChartAreas view which displays by default, click the Axes bar to expand it.
3. Click Axis X, and on the Common tab in the pane to the right, type Company Name in the Title textbox
and set the font size to 12.
4. Click Axis Y on the left, and on the Common tab in the pane to the right, type Freight in US$ in the Title
textbox and increase the Font size to 12.
5. Click the Titles bar on the left. In the list of titles, header is selected by default.
6. On the Title properties page, type Unbound Chart in the Caption textbox and set the Font size to 14.
7. Under Titles, select the footer and delete it by clicking the Delete icon on top of the list.
8. Click the Series bar on the left.
9. Under Series, select Series1, Series2 and Series3 and delete them by clicking the Delete icon on top of
the list.
10. Click the Legends bar on the left. The defaultLegend is selected by default.
11. On the Common page, clear the Visible checkbox to hide the legend.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 857
12. Click the Finish button to exit the Chart Designer.
Back on the design surface of the report, the chart appears empty except for the title.
To add the code to create a chart at run time chart in Visual Basic or C#
Double-click the gray area below the report. This creates an event-handling method for rptUnboundChart's
ReportStart event. Add code to the handler to:
Create the series
Create the dataset
Set the chart properties
Angle the labels to avoid overlap
The following examples show what the code for the methods look like in Visual Basic.NET and C#.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.

'create the series
Dim series As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Series
series.Type = Chart.ChartType.Bar3D

'connection string and data adapter

Dim dbPath As String = "C:\\Documents and Settings\\YourUserName\\My
Documents\\GrapeCity\\ActiveReports 9\\Samples\\Data\\NWIND.MDB"
Dim connString As String = "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source= " + dbPath"
Dim da As New System.Data.OleDb.OleDbDataAdapter("SELECT * from Orders WHERE OrderDate
< #08/17/1994#", connString)

'create the dataset

Dim ds As New DataSet
da.Fill(ds, "Orders")

'set chart properties

Me.ChartControl1.DataSource = ds
Me.ChartControl1.Series.Add(series)
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).ValueMembersY = ds.Tables("Orders").Columns(7).ColumnName
Me.ChartControl1.Series(0).ValueMemberX = ds.Tables("Orders").Columns(8).ColumnName

'angle the labels to avoid overlapping

Me.ChartControl1.ChartAreas(0).Axes(0).LabelFont.Angle = 45

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.
//create the series
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Series series = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.Series();
series.Type = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Chart.ChartType.Bar3D;

//connection string and data adapter

string dbPath = "C:\\Documents and Settings\\YourUserName\\My
Documents\\GrapeCity\\ActiveReports 9\\Samples\\Data\\NWIND.MDB";
string connString = "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source= " + dbPath;
System.Data.OleDb.OleDbDataAdapter da = new System.Data.OleDb.OleDbDataAdapter
("SELECT * from Orders WHERE OrderDate < #08/17/1994#", connString);

// create the dataset

System.Data.DataSet ds = new System.Data.DataSet();
da.Fill(ds, "Orders");

// set chart properties

this.chartControl1.DataSource = ds;

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 858
this.chartControl1.Series.Add(series);
this.chartControl1.Series[0].ValueMembersY = ds.Tables["Orders"].Columns[7].ColumnName;
this.chartControl1.Series[0].ValueMemberX = ds.Tables["Orders"].Columns[8].ColumnName;

// angle the labels to avoid overlapping

this.chartControl1.ChartAreas[0].Axes[0].LabelFont.Angle = 45;

To view the report

Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Export
This section contains the following walkthroughs that fall under the Export category.
Custom Web Exporting (Std Edition)
This walkthrough demonstrates how to set up report custom exporting to PDF, Excel, TIFF, RTF, and plain text
formats.
Custom HTML Outputter
This walkthrough demonstrates how to create a custom HTML outputter for your ActiveReports ASP.NET Web
Application.

Custom Web Exporting (Std Edition)

ActiveReports provides components that allow you to set up report custom exporting to PDF, Excel, TIFF, RTF, and
plain text formats. You can similarly export to HTML, or you can create a custom HTML outputter.
To add a report and export references to the Web project
1. From the View menu, select Component Designer to go to the design view of the aspx file.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item window that appears, select the ActiveReports 9 Section Report (xml-
based) template, set the report's name to SectionReport1, and click the Add button.
4. From the Project menu, select Add Reference.
5. In the Add Reference dialog that appears, select the following references and click OK to add them to your
project.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.v9
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.v9
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.v9
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.v9
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.v9
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.v9
6. Design your report.
To add code to the Web Form to export a report to PDF
1. Double-click on the design view of the aspx page. This creates an event-handling method for the
Page_Load event.
2. Add code like the following to the Page_Load event.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.
Dim m_stream As New System.IO.MemoryStream()
Dim rpt As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport
Dim xtr As New System.Xml.XmlTextReader("\SectionReport1.rpx")
rpt.LoadLayout(xtr)
xtr.Close()

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 859
rpt.Run()
Dim PdfExport1 As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Section.PdfExport
PdfExport1.Export(rpt.Document, m_stream)
m_stream.Position = 0
Response.ContentType = "application/pdf"
Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", "attachment;filename=MyExport.pdf")
Response.BinaryWrite(m_stream.ToArray())
Response.End()

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.
System.IO.MemoryStream m_stream = new System.IO.MemoryStream();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport rpt = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport();

System.Xml.XmlTextReader xtr = new System.Xml.XmlTextReader(Server.MapPath("") +

"\\SectionReport1.rpx");
rpt.LoadLayout(xtr);
xtr.Close();

rpt.Run();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Section.PdfExport pdfExport1 = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Section.PdfExport();
pdfExport1.Export(rpt.Document, m_stream);
Response.ContentType = "application/pdf";
Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", "inline;filename=MyExport.pdf");
Response.BinaryWrite(m_stream.ToArray());
Response.End();

Note: To use the one-touch printing option, add the following to the code above.
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.
pdfExport1.Options.OnlyForPrint = True

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.

pdfExport1.Options.OnlyForPrint = true;

To add code to the Web Form to export a report to Excel

1. Double-click on the design view of the aspx page. This creates an event-handling method for the
Page_Load event.
2. Add code like the following to the Page_Load event.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.
Dim m_stream As New System.IO.MemoryStream()
Dim rpt As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport
Dim xtr As New System.Xml.XmlTextReader("\SectionReport1.rpx")
rpt.LoadLayout(xtr)
xtr.Close()
rpt.Run()
Dim XlsExport1 As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Section.XlsExport
XlsExport1.MinColumnWidth = 0.5
XlsExport1.Export(rpt.Document, m_stream)
m_stream.Position = 0
Response.ContentType = "application/vnd.ms-excel"
Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", "inline; filename=MyExport.xls")
Response.BinaryWrite(m_stream.ToArray())
Response.End()

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 860
To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.

System.IO.MemoryStream m_stream = new System.IO.MemoryStream();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport rpt = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport();
System.Xml.XmlTextReader xtr = new System.Xml.XmlTextReader(Server.MapPath("") +
"\\SectionReport1.rpx");
rpt.LoadLayout(xtr);
xtr.Close();
rpt.Run();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Section.XlsExport XlsExport1 = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.Section.XlsExport();
XlsExport1.MinColumnWidth = 0.5f;
XlsExport1.Export(rpt.Document, m_stream);
m_stream.Position = 0;
Response.ContentType = "application/vnd.ms-excel";
Response.AddHeader("content-disposition","inline; filename=MyExport.xls");
Response.BinaryWrite(m_stream.ToArray());
Response.End();

To add code to the Web Form to export a report to TIFF

1. Double-click on the design view of the aspx page. This creates an event-handling method for the
Page_Load event.
2. Add code like the following to the Page_Load event.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.
Dim m_stream As New System.IO.MemoryStream()
Dim rpt As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport
Dim xtr As New System.Xml.XmlTextReader(Server.MapPath("\SectionReport1.rpx"))
rpt.LoadLayout(xtr)
xtr.Close()
rpt.Run()
Dim TiffExport1 As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.Tiff.Section.TiffExport
Me.TiffExport1.CompressionScheme =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.Tiff.Section.CompressionScheme.None
Me.TiffExport1.Export(rpt.Document, m_stream)m_stream.Position = 0
Response.ContentType = "image/tiff"
Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", "inline; filename=MyExport.tiff")
Response.BinaryWrite(m_stream.ToArray())
Response.End()

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.
System.IO.MemoryStream m_stream = new System.IO.MemoryStream();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport rpt = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport();
System.Xml.XmlTextReader xtr = new System.Xml.XmlTextReader(Server.MapPath("") +
"\\SectionReport1.rpx");
rpt.LoadLayout(xtr);
xtr.Close();
rpt.Run();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.Tiff.Section.TiffExport tiffExport1 = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.Tiff.Section.TiffExport();
tiffExport1.CompressionScheme =
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Image.Tiff.Section.CompressionScheme.None;
tiffExport1.Export(rpt.Document, m_stream);

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 861
m_stream.Position = 0;
Response.ContentType = "image/tiff";
Response.AddHeader("content-disposition","inline; filename=MyExport.tiff");
Response.BinaryWrite(m_stream.ToArray());
Response.End();

To add code to the Web Form to export a report to RTF

1. Double-click on the design view of the aspx page. This creates an event-handling method for the
Page_Load event.
2. Add code like the following to the Page_Load event.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.
Dim m_stream As New System.IO.MemoryStream()
Dim rpt As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport
Dim xtr As New System.Xml.XmlTextReader("\SectionReport1.rpx")
rpt.LoadLayout(xtr)
xtr.Close()
rpt.Run()
Dim RtfExport1 As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.Section.RtfExport
RtfExport1.Export(rpt.Document, m_stream)
m_stream.Position = 0
Response.ContentType = "application/msword"
Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", "inline; filename=MyExport.rtf")
Response.BinaryWrite(m_stream.ToArray())
Response.End()

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.

System.IO.MemoryStream m_stream = new System.IO.MemoryStream();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport rpt = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport();
System.Xml.XmlTextReader xtr = new System.Xml.XmlTextReader(Server.MapPath("") +
"\\SectionReport1.rpx");
rpt.LoadLayout(xtr);
xtr.Close();
rpt.Run();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.Section.RtfExport rtfExport1 = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Word.Section.RtfExport();
rtfExport1.Export(rpt.Document, m_stream);
m_stream.Position = 0;
Response.ContentType = "application/msword";
Response.AddHeader("content-disposition","inline; filename=MyExport.rtf");
Response.BinaryWrite(m_stream.ToArray());
Response.End();

To add code to the Web Form to export a report to Plain Text

1. Double-click on the design view of the aspx page. This creates an event-handling method for the
Page_Load event.
2. Add code like the following to the Page_Load event.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.
Dim m_stream As New System.IO.MemoryStream()
Dim rpt As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport
Dim xtr As New System.Xml.XmlTextReader("\SectionReport1.rpx")
rpt.LoadLayout(xtr)
xtr.Close()

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 862
rpt.Run()
Dim TextExport1 As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.Section.TextExport
TextExport1.Export(rpt.Document, m_stream)
m_stream.Position = 0
Response.ContentType = "text/plain"
Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", "attachment; filename=MyExport.txt")
Response.BinaryWrite(m_stream.ToArray())
Response.End()

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.
System.IO.MemoryStream m_stream = new System.IO.MemoryStream();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport rpt = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport();
System.Xml.XmlTextReader xtr = new System.Xml.XmlTextReader(Server.MapPath("") +
"\\SectionReport1.rpx");
rpt.LoadLayout(xtr);
xtr.Close();
rpt.Run();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.Section.TextExport textExport1 = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Xml.Section.TextExport ();
textExport1.Export(rpt.Document, m_stream);
m_stream.Position = 0;
Response.ContentType = "text/plain";
Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", "attachment; filename=MyExport.txt");
Response.BinaryWrite(m_stream.ToArray());
Response.End();

To run the project

Press F5 to run the project.

Custom HTML Outputter

You can create a custom HTML outputter for your ActiveReports ASP.NET Web Application.

Note: You cannot create a custom HTML outputter for a page report because the html rendering extension
does not support the custom output formatter.

This walkthrough is split up into the following activities:

Creating a public class for the HTML outputter
Adding code to create the Html Export object and export the report
Adding a folder for report output
To create a public class for the HTML outputter
1. In the Solution Explorer window, right-click on your project name and select Add, then New Item.
2. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select Class.
3. Change the name of the class to MyCustomHtmlOutputter and click the Add button.
4. This opens the code view of the class file where you can add the code needed to create the public class.
5. For C# code, add the IOutputHtml interface to MyCustomHtmlOutputter class.
C# code.
public class MyCustomHtmlOutputter: IOutputHtml

The following example shows what the complete code for the method looks like.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste JUST ABOVE the class.

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 863
Imports System
Imports System.IO
Imports System.Web
Imports System.Text
Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports
Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the class.

Implements IOutputHtml
'The http context of the request.
Private context As System.Web.HttpContext = Nothing
'The directory in which to save filename--this ensures that the filename
'is unique.
Private dirToSave As System.IO.DirectoryInfo = Nothing
Public mainPage As String = ""
Public Sub New(ByVal context As System.Web.HttpContext)
If context Is Nothing Then
Throw New ArgumentNullException("context")
End If
Me.context = context
Dim dirName As String = context.Server.MapPath("ReportOutput")
Me.dirToSave = New DirectoryInfo(dirName)
End Sub
#Region "Implementation of IOutputHtml"
Public Function OutputHtmlData(ByVal info As HtmlOutputInfoArgs) As String
Implements IOutputHtml.OutputHtmlData
Dim temp As String = ""
Select Case info.OutputKind
Case HtmlOutputKind.BookmarksHtml
Case HtmlOutputKind.FramesetHtml
temp = Me.GenUniqueFileNameWithExtension(".html")
Dim fs As New FileStream(temp, FileMode.CreateNew)
Me.WriteStreamToStream(info.OutputStream, fs)
fs.Close()
Return temp
Case HtmlOutputKind.HtmlPage
'Store the name of the main page so we can redirect the
'browser to it
Me.mainPage = Me.GenUniqueFileNameWithExtension(".html")
Dim fs As New FileStream(Me.mainPage, FileMode.CreateNew)
Me.WriteStreamToStream(info.OutputStream, fs)
fs.Close()
Return Me.mainPage
Case HtmlOutputKind.ImageJpg
'Create a file with a .jpg extension:
temp = Me.GenUniqueFileNameWithExtension(".jpg")
Dim fs As New FileStream(temp, FileMode.CreateNew)
fs = File.Create(temp)
Me.WriteStreamToStream(info.OutputStream, fs)
fs.Close()
Return temp
Case HtmlOutputKind.ImagePng
'Create a file with a .png extension:
temp = Me.GenUniqueFileNameWithExtension(".png")

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 864
Dim fs As New FileStream(temp, FileMode.CreateNew)
Me.WriteStreamToStream(info.OutputStream, fs)
fs.Close()
Return temp
Case Else
'Default to html:
temp = Me.GenUniqueFileNameWithExtension(".html")
Dim fs As New FileStream(temp, FileMode.CreateNew)
Me.WriteStreamToStream(info.OutputStream, fs)
fs.Close()
Return temp
End Select
End Function Public Sub Finish() Implements IOutputHtml.Finish
End Sub
#End Region
Private Sub WriteStreamToStream(ByVal sourceStream As Stream, ByVal
targetStream As Stream)
'Find the size of the source stream:
Dim size As Integer = CType(sourceStream.Length, Integer)
'Create a buffer that same size
Dim buffer(size) As Byte
'Move the source stream to the beginning
sourceStream.Seek(0, SeekOrigin.Begin)
'Copy the sourceStream into our buffer
sourceStream.Read(buffer, 0, size)
'Write out the buffer to the target stream
targetStream.Write(buffer, 0, size)
End Sub
Private Function GenUniqueFileNameWithExtension(ByVal extensionWithDot As
String) As String
Dim r As New System.Random()
Dim unique As Boolean = False
Dim filePath As String = ""
Dim iRandom As Integer = 0
'Generate a random name until it's unique
While Not unique
iRandom = r.Next()
'Build the full filename
Dim sb = New StringBuilder()
sb.Append(Me.dirToSave.FullName)
sb.Append(Path.DirectorySeparatorChar)
sb.Append(iRandom.ToString())
sb.Append(extensionWithDot)
filePath = sb.ToString()
If File.Exists(filePath) = False Then
unique = True
Else
unique = False
End If
End While
Return filePath
End Function
End Class

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 865
To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste JUST ABOVE the class.

using System;
using System.IO;
using System.Web;
using System.Text;
using GrapeCity.ActiveReports;
using GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html;

C# code. Paste INSIDE the class.

//The http context of the request
private System.Web.HttpContext context = null;
//The directory in which to save filename--this ensures that the filename
//is unique.
private System.IO.DirectoryInfo dirToSave = null;
public string mainPage = "";
public MyCustomHtmlOutputter(System.Web.HttpContext context)
{
if(context == null)
{
throw new ArgumentNullException("context");
}
this.context = context;
string dirName = context.Server.MapPath("ReportOutput");
this.dirToSave = new DirectoryInfo(dirName);
}

#region Implementation of IOutputHtml

public string OutputHtmlData(HtmlOutputInfoArgs info)
{
string temp = "";
switch(info.OutputKind)
{
case HtmlOutputKind.BookmarksHtml:
case HtmlOutputKind.FramesetHtml:
{
temp = this.GenUniqueFileNameWithExtension(".html");
FileStream fs = File.Create(temp);
this.WriteStreamToStream(info.OutputStream, fs);
fs.Close();
return temp;
}

case HtmlOutputKind.HtmlPage:
{
//Store the name of the main page so we can
//redirect the browser to it
this.mainPage = this.GenUniqueFileNameWithExtension(".html");
FileStream fs = File.Create(this.mainPage);
this.WriteStreamToStream(info.OutputStream, fs);
fs.Close();
return this.mainPage;
}

case HtmlOutputKind.ImageJpg:
{
// Create a file with a .jpg extension:
temp = this.GenUniqueFileNameWithExtension(".jpg");
FileStream fs = File.Create(temp);
this.WriteStreamToStream(info.OutputStream, fs);

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 866
fs.Close();
return temp;
}

case HtmlOutputKind.ImagePng:
{
//Create a file with a .png extension:
temp = this.GenUniqueFileNameWithExtension(".png");
FileStream fs = File.Create(temp);
this.WriteStreamToStream(info.OutputStream, fs);
fs.Close();
return temp;
}

default:
{
//Default to html:
temp = this.GenUniqueFileNameWithExtension(".html");
FileStream fs = File.Create(temp);
this.WriteStreamToStream(info.OutputStream, fs);
fs.Close();
return temp;
}
}
}

public void Finish()

{
}
#endregion

private void WriteStreamToStream(Stream sourceStream, Stream targetStream)

{
//Find the size of the source stream
int size = (int)sourceStream.Length;

//Create a buffer that same size

byte[] buffer = new byte[size];

//Move the source stream to the beginning

sourceStream.Seek(0, SeekOrigin.Begin);

//Copy the sourceStream into our buffer

sourceStream.Read(buffer, 0, size);

//Write out the buffer to the target stream

targetStream.Write(buffer, 0, size);
}

private string GenUniqueFileNameWithExtension(string extensionWithDot)

{
System.Random r = new Random();
bool unique = false;
string filePath = "";
int iRandom = 0;
//Generate a random name until it's unique
while(!unique)
{
iRandom = r.Next();
//Buld the full filename
System.Text.StringBuilder sb = new System.Text.StringBuilder();

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 867
sb.Append(this.dirToSave.FullName);
sb.Append(Path.DirectorySeparatorChar);
sb.Append(iRandom.ToString());
sb.Append(extensionWithDot);
filePath = sb.ToString();
unique = !File.Exists(filePath);
}
return filePath;
}

To add code to the Web Form to export to HTML

1. Add an ActiveReport to the project, and name it rptCustHTML.
2. Double-click on the design view of the ASPX. This creates an event-handling method for the Web Form's
Page Load event.
3. Add the following code to the Page Load event.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.
Dim rpt As New rptCustHTML()
Try

rpt.Run(False)
Catch eRunReport As Exception
'If the report fails to run, report the error to the user

Response.Clear()
Response.Write("<h1>Error running report:</h1>")
Response.Write(eRunReport.ToString())
Return
End Try

'Buffer this page's output until the report output is ready.

Response.Buffer = True

'Clear any part of this page that might have already been buffered for output.

Response.ClearContent()

'Clear any headers that might have already been buffered (such as the content type

'for an HTML page)

Response.ClearHeaders()

'Tell the browser and the "network" that the resulting data of this page should be

'cached since this could be a dynamic report that changes upon each request.

Response.Cache.SetCacheability(HttpCacheability.NoCache)

'Tell the browser this is an Html document so it will use an appropriate viewer.

Response.ContentType = "text/HTML"

'Create the Html export object

Dim HtmlExport1 As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.Section.HtmlExport()

Dim outputter As New MyCustomHtmlOutputter(Me.Context)

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 868
HtmlExport1.Export(rpt.Document, outputter, "")
Response.Redirect("ReportOutput" + "/" +
System.IO.Path.GetFileName(outputter.mainPage))

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Page Load event.
rptCustHTML rpt = new rptCustHTML();
try
{
rpt.Run(false);
}
catch (Exception eRunReport)
{
//If the report fails to run, report the error to the user
Response.Clear();
Response.Write("<h1>Error running report:</h1>");
Response.Write(eRunReport.ToString());
return;
}
//Buffer this page's output until the report output is ready.
Response.Buffer = true;

//Clear any part of this page that might have already been buffered for output.
Response.ClearContent();

//Clear any headers that might have already been buffered (such as the content
//type for an HTML page)
Response.ClearHeaders();

//Tell the browser and the "network" that the resulting data of this page should
//be cached since this could be a dynamic report that changes upon each request.
Response.Cache.SetCacheability(HttpCacheability.NoCache);

//Tell the browser this is an Html document so it will use an appropriate viewer.
Response.ContentType = "text/html";

//Create the HTML export object

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.Section.HtmlExport htmlExport1 = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Html.Section.HtmlExport();

//Export the report to HTML in this session's webcache

MyCustomHtmlOutputter outputter = new MyCustomHtmlOutputter(this.Context);
this.htmlExport1.Export(rpt.Document, outputter, "");
Response.Redirect("ReportOutput" + "/" +
System.IO.Path.GetFileName(outputter.mainPage));

To add a folder to the project for report output

1. In the Solution Explorer, right-click your solution and select Add, then New Folder.
2. Name the folder ReportOutput.
3. Ensure that you have write permissions for this folder.
4. To view the results in your Web browser, run the project.

Script
This section contains the following walkthroughs that fall under the Script category.
ActiveReports allows you to embed script in reports so that code becomes portable when you save a report layout

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 869
to XML-based RPX format. This characteristic allows the options of stand-alone reporting and web reporting
without the need to distribute related .vb or .cs files.
By embedding script 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. Script can also be used in conjunction with RPX files to allow
distributed reports to be updated without recompiling the Visual Studio project.
Script for Simple Reports
This walkthrough demonstrates how to embed script in a simple stand-alone report.
Script for Subreports
This walkthrough demonstrates how to embed script to pass a parameter to a subreport.

Script for Simple Reports

ActiveReports allows you to use scripting to embed code in reports saved to the XML-based RPX file format. By
embedding script in reports saved as RPX files, you can later load, run, and display reports directly in the viewer
control without using the designer. This walkthrough illustrates how to include scripting in a simple report.
This walkthrough is split into the following activities:
Temporarily connecting the report to a data source
Adding controls to a report to display data
Adding scripting to supply data for the controls
Saving the report to an RPX file

Tip: For basic steps like adding a report to a Visual Studio project and viewing a report, please see the Basic
Data Bound Reports walkthrough.

Note: This walkthrough uses the the Northwind database. By default, in ActiveReports, the NWind.mdb file is
located in [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data folder.

When you have finished this walkthrough, you will have a report that looks similar to the following at design time
and at runtime.

Design Time Layout

Runtime Layout

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Section Report (code-based) and in

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 870
the Name field, rename the file as rptSimpleScript.
4. Click the Add button to open a new section report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the report to a data source

Note: The following steps are just for convenience so that the fields list in the Report Explorer can be
populated at design time.

1. In the Report Data Source dialog, on the OLE DB tab, next to Connection String, click the Build button.
2. In the Data Link Properties window that appears, select Microsoft Jet 4.0 OLE DB Provider and click the
Next button to move to the Connection tab.
3. Click the ellipsis (...) button to browse to your database, for example the NWind.mdb sample database.
Click Open once you have selected the appropriate database path.
4. Click the Test Connection button to see if you have successfully connected to the database.
5. Click OK to close the Data Link Properties window and return to the Report Data Source dialog. Notice that
the Connection String field gets filled automatically.
6. In the Query field on the OLE DB tab, enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
SELECT * FROM categories INNER JOIN products ON categories.categoryid =
products.categoryid ORDER BY products.categoryid, products.productid

7. Click OK to save the data source and return to the report design surface.
To create a layout for the report
1. Right-click the design surface of the report and select Insert then Group Header/Footer to add group
header and footer sections to your report.
2. Increase the group header section's height so that you have room to work.
3. With the GroupHeader section selected, go to the Properties Window to set the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

BackColor LightBlue
CanShrink True
DataField CategoryName
GroupKeepTogether All
KeepTogether True

4. From the toolbox, drag the following controls to the GroupHeader section and set the properties of each
control as indicated.
TextBox1

Property Name Property Value

DataField CategoryName
Location 0, 0 in
Size 6.5, 0.2 in
BackColor CadetBlue
Font Bold True
Font Size 12

TextBox2

Property Name Property Value

DataField Description
Location 0, 0.2 in

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 871
Size 6.5, 0.2 in
BackColor CadetBlue

Label1

Property Name Property Value

Text Product Name
Location 0, 0.4 in
Size 1, 0.2 in
Font Bold True

Label2

Property Name Property Value

Text Units in Stock
Location 5.5, 0.4 in
Size 1, 0.2 in
Font Bold True
Alignment Right

5. From the toolbox, drag the following controls onto the detail section and set the properties of each as
indicated.
TextBox1

Property Name Property Value

DataField ProductName
Location 0, 0 in
Size 5.5, 0.2 in

TextBox2

Property Name Property Value

DataField UnitsInStock
Location 5.5, 0 in
Size 1, 0.2 in
Alignment Right

6. Click just below the fields to select the Detail section, and in the Properties Window, set the CanShrink
property to True to eliminate white space in the rendered report.
7. In the Detail section, select both TextBox1 and TextBox2, right-click and select Format Border.
Select DarkCyan in the color combo box.
Select the solid line in the Line Styles pane.
Click the bottom edge in the Preview pane.
Click the OK button to add a solid cyan line to the bottom edge of the text boxes.
8. Increase the group footer section's height so that you have room to work.
9. With the GroupFooter section selected, go to the properties window and set the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

BackColor PaleGreen
CanShrink True

10. From the toolbox, drag the following controls to the GroupFooter Section and set the properties of each
control as indicated.
TextBox1

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 872
Property Name Property Value
DataField TotalLabel
Location 2.5, 0 in
Size 3, 0.2 in
Font Bold True

TextBox2

Property Name Property Value

DataField ProductName
Location 5.5, 0 in
SummaryType Subtotal
SummaryFunc Count
SummaryRunning Group
SummaryGroup GroupHeader1
Alignment Right

Label1

Property Property Value

Name
Location 0, 0.25 in
Size 6.5, 0.2 in
BackColor White (creates white space after the
subtotal)
Text
Note: Delete the default text.

To add scripting to the report to supply data for the controls

1. Click in the grey area below the report to select it, and in the Properties Window, change the
ScriptLanguage property for the report to the scripting language you want to use. The default setting is
C#.
2. Click the Script tab located at the bottom edge of the report designer to access the scripting editor. Add
the scripting code.
The following example shows what the scripting code looks like.

Warning: Do not access the Fields collection outside the DataInitialize and FetchData events. Accessing
the Fields collection outside of these events is not supported, and has unpredictable results.

To write the script in Visual Basic.NET.

Visual Basic.NET script. Paste in the script editor window.
Private Shared m_reader As System.Data.OleDb.OleDbDataReader
Private Shared m_cnn As System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection

Public Sub ActiveReport_ReportStart()

'Set up a data connection for the report
rpt.DataSource = ""
Dim connString As String = "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=C:\Users\
[User Folder]\Documents\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb"
Dim sqlString As String = "SELECT * FROM categories INNER JOIN products ON
categories.categoryid = products.categoryid ORDER BY products.categoryid,
products.productid"

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 873

m_cnn = new System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection(connString)

Dim m_Cmd As System.Data.OleDb.OleDbCommand = new
System.Data.OleDb.OleDbCommand(sqlString, m_cnn)

If m_cnn.State = System.Data.ConnectionState.Closed Then

m_cnn.Open
End If
m_reader = m_Cmd.ExecuteReader
End Sub

Public Sub ActiveReport_DataInitialize()

'Add data fields to the report
rpt.Fields.Add("CategoryID")
rpt.Fields.Add("CategoryName")
rpt.Fields.Add("ProductName")
rpt.Fields.Add("UnitsInStock")
rpt.Fields.Add("Description")
rpt.Fields.Add("TotalLabel")
End Sub

Public Function ActiveReport_FetchData(ByVal eof As Boolean) As Boolean

Try
m_reader.Read
'Populated the fields with data from the data reader
rpt.Fields("CategoryID").Value = m_reader("categories.CategoryID")
rpt.Fields("CategoryName").Value = m_reader("CategoryName")
rpt.Fields("ProductName").Value = m_reader("ProductName")
rpt.Fields("UnitsInStock").Value = m_reader("UnitsInStock")
rpt.Fields("Description").Value = m_reader("Description")
'Concatenate static text with data
rpt.Fields("TotalLabel").Value = "Total Number of " + m_reader("CategoryName")+ "
Products:"
eof = False
Catch
'If the end of the data file has been reached, tell the FetchData function
eof = True
End Try
Return eof
End Function

Public Sub ActiveReport_ReportEnd()

'Close the data reader and connection
m_reader.Close
m_cnn.Close
End Sub

To write the script in C#.

C# script. Paste in the script editor window.
//C#
private static System.Data.OleDb.OleDbDataReader m_reader;
private static System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection m_cnn;

public void ActiveReport_ReportStart()

{
//Set up a data connection for the report
rpt.DataSource = "";
string m_cnnString = @"Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=C:\Users\[User
Folder]\Documents\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb";
string sqlString = "SELECT * FROM categories INNER JOIN products ON

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 874
categories.categoryid = products.categoryid ORDER BY products.categoryid,
products.productid";
m_cnn = new System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection(m_cnnString);
System.Data.OleDb.OleDbCommand m_Cmd = new
System.Data.OleDb.OleDbCommand(sqlString,m_cnn);

if(m_cnn.State == System.Data.ConnectionState.Closed)
{
m_cnn.Open();
}
m_reader = m_Cmd.ExecuteReader();
}

public void ActiveReport_DataInitialize()

{
//Add data fields to the report
rpt.Fields.Add("CategoryID");
rpt.Fields.Add("CategoryName");
rpt.Fields.Add("ProductName");
rpt.Fields.Add("UnitsInStock");
rpt.Fields.Add("Description");
rpt.Fields.Add("TotalLabel");
}

public bool ActiveReport_FetchData(bool eof)

{
try
{
m_reader.Read();
//Populated the fields with data from the data reader
rpt.Fields["CategoryID"].Value = m_reader["categories.CategoryID"].ToString();
rpt.Fields["CategoryName"].Value = m_reader["CategoryName"].ToString();
rpt.Fields["ProductName"].Value = m_reader["ProductName"].ToString();
rpt.Fields["UnitsInStock"].Value = m_reader["UnitsInStock"].ToString();
rpt.Fields["Description"].Value = m_reader["Description"].ToString();
//Concatenate static text with data
rpt.Fields["TotalLabel"].Value = "Total Number of " +
m_reader["CategoryName"].ToString() + " Products:";
eof = false;
}
catch
{
//If the end of the data file has been reached, tell the FetchData function
eof = true;
}
return eof;
}

public void ActiveReport_ReportEnd()

{
//Close the data reader and connection
m_reader.Close();
m_cnn.Close();
}

To save the report to an XML-based RPX file

1. From the Report menu, select Save Layout.
2. In the Save dialog that appears, enter a name for the report, i.e. rptScript.rpx, and click the Save button.
To view the report
Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 875
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Script for Subreports

ActiveReports allows you to use scripting to permit reports saved to an XML file to contain code. By including
scripting when reports are saved into XML, the reports later can be loaded, run, and displayed directly to the
viewer control without needing to use the designer.
This walkthrough illustrates how to use scripting when creating a subreport.
This walkthrough is split up into the following activities:
Temporarily connecting the main report to a data source
Connecting the subreport to a data source
Adding controls to each report to display data
Adding the scripting code for rptMain
Viewing the report

Tip: For basic steps like adding a report to a Visual Studio project and viewing a report, please see the Basic
Data Bound Reports walkthrough.

Note: This walkthrough uses the Northwind database. By default, in ActiveReports, the Northwind.mdb file is
located at [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb.

When you have finished this walkthrough, you will have a report that looks similar to the following at design time
and at runtime.

Design Time Layout (main report)

Runtime Layout (main report)

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Section Report (xml-based) and in
the Name field, rename the file as rptMain.
4. Click the Add button to open a new section report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the report to a data source

Note: The following steps are just for convenience so that the fields list in the Report Explorer can be

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 876
populated at design time.

1. In the Report Data Source dialog, on the OLE DB tab, next to Connection String, click the Build button.
2. In the Data Link Properties window that appears, select Microsoft Jet 4.0 OLE DB Provider and click the
Next button to move to the Connection tab.
3. Click the ellipsis (...) button to browse to your database, for example the NWind.mdb sample database.
Click Open once you have selected the appropriate database path.
4. Click the Test Connection button to see if you have successfully connected to the database.
5. Click OK to close the Data Link Properties window and return to the Report Data Source dialog. Notice that
the Connection String field gets filled automatically.
6. In the Query field on the OLE DB tab, enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
SELECT * FROM Orders INNER JOIN Customers ON Orders.CustomerID =
Customers.CustomerID ORDER BY CompanyName, OrderDate

7. Click OK to save the data source and return to the report design surface.
To add a report for the subreport
1. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
2. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Section Report (xml-based) and in
the Name field, rename the file as rptSub.
3. Click the Add button to open a new section report in the designer.
4. Right-click the PageHeader or PageFooter section and select Delete. Subreports do not render these
sections, so deleting them saves processing time.
5. Click in the grey area below the report to select it, and in the Properties window, change the report's
ShowParameterUI property to False. This prevents the subreport from requesting a parameter from the
user.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the subreport to a data source

Note: The following steps are just for convenience so that the fields list in the Report Explorer can be
populated at design time.

1. In the Report Data Source dialog, on the OLE DB tab, next to Connection String, click the Build button.
2. In the Data Link Properties window that appears, select Microsoft Jet 4.0 OLE DB Provider and click the
Next button to move to the Connection tab.
3. Click the ellipsis (...) button to browse to your database, for example the NWind.mdb sample database.
Click Open once you have selected the appropriate database path.
4. Click the Test Connection button to see if you have successfully connected to the database.
5. Click OK to close the Data Link Properties window and return to the Report Data Source dialog. Notice that
the Connection String field gets filled automatically.
6. In the Query field on the OLE DB tab, enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
SELECT * FROM [order details] inner join products on [order details].productid =
products.productid

7. Click OK to save the data source and return to the report design surface.
To create a layout for the main report
1. Right-click the design surface of rptMain and select Insert then Group Header/Footer to add group
header and footer sections to the report.
2. In the Properties Window, make the following changes to the group header.

Property Name Property Value

Name ghCompanies
BackColor LemonChiffon

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 877
CanShrink True
DataField CompanyName
GroupKeepTogether All
KeepTogether True

3. In the Report Explorer, expand the Fields node, then the Bound node. Drag the CompanyName field
onto ghCompanies and in the Properties window, set the properties as follows.

Property Name Property Value

Size 4, 0.2 in
Location 0, 0 in
Font Bold True
Font Size 12

4. Right-click the design surface of rptMain and select Insert then Group Header/Footer to add the second
group header and footer sections to the report.
5. In the Properties Window, make the following changes to the second group header.

Property Name Property Value

Name ghOrders
BackColor LightYellow
CanShrink True
DataField OrderDate
GroupKeepTogether All
KeepTogether True

6. From the toolbox, drag three TextBox controls onto ghOrders and set the properties for each control as
follows.
TextBox1

Property Name Property Value

DataField OrderDate
Location 1.1, 0 in
Size 1, 0.2 in
OutputFormat MM/dd/yy

TextBox2

Property Name Property Value

DataField RequiredDate
Location 3.5, 0 in
Size 1, 0.2 in
OutputFormat MM/dd/yy

TextBox3

Property Name Property Value

DataField ShippedDate
Location 5.5, 0 in
Size 1, 0.2 in
OutputFormat MM/dd/yy

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 878
Alignment Right

7. From the toolbox, drag three Label controls onto ghOrders and set the properties for each control as
follows.
Label1

Property Name Property Value

Location 0, 0 in
Size 1, 0.2 in
Text Ordered:
Font Bold True

Label2

Property Name Property Value

Location 2.5, 0 in
Size 1, 0.2 in
Text Required:
Font Bold True

Label3

Property Name Property Value

Location 4.8, 0 in
Size 0.65, 0.2 in
Text Shipped:
FontStyle Bold

8. Select the Detail section and in the Properties window, set the CanShrink property to True.
9. From the toolbox, drag the Subreport control onto the Detail section and in the Properties window, set the
properties as follows.

Property Name Property Value

ReportName C:\full project path\rptSub.rpx
Name SubReport1
Size 6.5, 1 in
Location 0, 0 in
GroupKeepTogether All
KeepTogether True

To create a layout for the subreport

1. Right-click the design surface of rptSub and select Insert then Group Header/Footer to add group
header and footer sections to the report.
2. In the Properties window, make the following changes to the group header.

Property Name Property Value

Name ghOrderDetails
BackColor LightSteelBlue
CanShrink True
DataField OrderID

3. From the toolbox, drag four label controls to ghOrderDetails and set the properties for each label as
follows.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 879
Label1

Property Name Property Value

Location 0, 0 in
Text Product Name
Font Bold True
Alignment Left

Label2

Property Name Property Value

Location 3.25, 0 in
Text Quantity
Font Bold True
Alignment Right

Label3

Property Name Property Value

Location 4.4, 0 in
Text Unit Price
Font Bold True
Alignment Right

Label4

Property Name Property Value

Location 5.5, 0 in
Text Discount
Font Bold True
Alignment Right

4. From the toolbox, drag four Line controls to ghOrderDetails and set the properties for each line as
follows.
Line1

Property Name Property Value

X1 3.2
X2 3.2
Y1 0
Y2 0.2

Line2

Property Name Property Value

X1 4.3
X2 4.3
Y1 0
Y2 0.2

Line3

Property Name Property Value

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 880
X1 5.45
X2 5.45
Y1 0
Y2 0.2

Line4

Property Name Property Value

X1 0
X2 6.5
Y1 0.2
Y2 0.2

5. Click the Detail section and in the Properties window, set the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

BackColor Gainsboro
CanShrink True

6. From the toolbox, drag four TextBox controls onto onto the Detail section and set the properties as follows.
TextBox1

Property Name Property Value

DataField ProductName
Location 0, 0 in
Size 3.15, 0.2 in
Alignment Left

TextBox2

Property Name Property Value

DataField Quantity
Location 3.25, 0 in
Size 1, 0.2 in
Alignment Right

TextBox3

Property Name Property Value

DataField Products.UnitPrice
Location 4.4, 0 in
Size 1, 0.2 in
Alignment Right
OutputFormat Currency

TextBox4

Property Name Property Value

DataField Discount
Location 5.5, 0 in
Size 1, 0.2 in

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 881
Alignment Right
OutputFormat Percentage

7. From the toolbox, drag four Line controls to the Detail section and set the properties as follows.
Line5

Property Name Property Value

X1 3.2
X2 3.2
Y1 0
Y2 0.2

Line6

Property Name Property Value

X1 4.3
X2 4.3
Y1 0
Y2 0.2

Line7

Property Name Property Value

X1 5.45
X2 5.45
Y1 0
Y2 0.2

Line8

Property Name Property Value

X1 0
X2 6.5
Y1 0.2
Y2 0.2

To embed script in the main report

1. Change the ScriptLanguage property for the report to the appropriate scripting language. The default
setting is C#.
2. Click the Script tab located below the report designer to access the scripting editor.
3. Embed script to set the data source for the main report and pass data into the subreport.
The following example shows what the script looks like.
To write the script in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET script. Paste in the script editor window.
Dim rptSub As GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport
Sub ActiveReport_ReportStart
'Create a new instance of the generic report
rptSub = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport()
'Load the rpx file into the generic report
rptSub.LoadLayout(me.SubReport1.ReportName)
'Connect data to the main report
Dim connString As String = "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=C:\Users\

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 882
[User Folder]\Documents\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb;Persist
Security Info=False"
Dim sqlString As String = "Select * from orders inner join customers on
orders.customerid = customers.customerid order by CompanyName,OrderDate"
Dim ds As new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Data.OleDBDataSource()
ds.ConnectionString = connString
ds.SQL = sqlString
rpt.DataSource = ds
End Sub

Sub Detail1_Format
Dim rptSubCtl As GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SubReport = me.SubReport1
Dim childDataSource As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Data.OleDBDataSource()
childDataSource.ConnectionString = CType(rpt.DataSource,
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Data.OleDBDataSource).ConnectionString
'Set a parameter in the SQL query
childDataSource.SQL = "Select * from [order details] inner join products on [order
details].productid = products.productid where [order details].orderid = <%OrderID%>"
'Pass the data to the subreport
rptSub.DataSource = childDataSource
'Display rptSub in the subreport control
rptSubCtl.Report = rptSub
End Sub

To write the script in C#

C# code. Paste in the script editor window.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport rptSub;
public void Detail1_Format()
{
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReportModel.SubReport rptSubCtl = this.SubReport1;
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Data.OleDBDataSource childDataSource = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Data.OleDBDataSource();
childDataSource.ConnectionString = ((GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Data.OleDBDataSource)
rpt.DataSource).ConnectionString;
//Set a parameter in the SQL query
childDataSource.SQL = "Select * from [order details] inner join products on [order
details].productid = products.productid where [order details].orderid = <%OrderID%>";
//Pass the data to the subreport
rptSub.DataSource = childDataSource;
//Display rptSub in the subreport control
rptSubCtl.Report = rptSub;
}

public void ActiveReport_ReportStart()

{
//Create a new instance of the generic report
rptSub = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport();
//Load the rpx file into the generic report
rptSub.LoadLayout(this.SubReport1.ReportName);
//Connect data to the main report
string connString = @"Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=C:\Users\[User
Folder]\Documents\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data\NWIND.mdb;Persist Security
Info=False";
string sqlString = "Select * from orders inner join customers on orders.customerid =
customers.customerid order by CompanyName,OrderDate";
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Data.OleDBDataSource ds = new
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Data.OleDBDataSource();
ds.ConnectionString = connString;
ds.SQL = sqlString;

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 883
rpt.DataSource = ds;
}

To view the report

Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information on how to load the xml-
based section report onto the viewer.

Parameters
This section contains the following walkthroughs that fall under the Parameter category.
Using Parameters in SubReports
This walkthrough demonstrates how to link a report with a SubReport using parameters.
Parameters for Charts
This walkthrough demonstrates how to link a report with a chart using parameters.

Using Parameters in SubReports

Using parameters in SubReport, you can connect a SubReport to the parent report. By setting the parameter on
the field that binds the parent report to SubReport, the parent report passes the data to display in SubReport
through a parameter. This walkthrough illustrates the method to link the main report with a SubReport using
parameters.
This walkthrough is split up into the following activities:
Adding a parent report and a SubReport to a Visual Studio project
Connecting the parent report to a data source
Connecting the SubReport to a data source using parameter
Adding controls to create layout of the parent report (rptParent)
Adding controls to create a layout of the child report (rptChild)
Adding code to embed the SubReport to the SubReport control in parent report
Adding code to set the ShowParametersUI property of SubReport to False.
Viewing the report

Note: This walkthrough uses tables from the NorthWind database. By default, in ActiveReports, the
NWind.mdb file is located in the [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data folder.

Caution: SubReports do not render PageHeader and PageFooter sections.

When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following:

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 884

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Section Report (code-based) and in
the Name field, rename the file as rptParent.
4. Click the Add button to open a new section report in the designer.
5. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
6. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Section Report (code-based) and in
the Name field, rename the file as rptChild.
7. Click the Add button to open a second new section report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the Parent Report (rptParent) to a data source
1. On the detail section band, click the Data Source Icon.

2. In the Report Data Source dialog that appears, from the OLE DB tab, create a data source connection. See
Bind Reports to a Data Source for further details.
3. Once the connection string field is populated, in the Query field, enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
Select * from suppliers order by country

4. Click OK to save the data source and return to the report design surface.
To connect the child report (rptChild) to a data source using parameter
1. On the detail section band, click the Data Source Icon.

2. In the Report Data Source dialog that appears, from the OLE DB tab, create a data source connection. See
Bind Reports to a Data Source for further details.
3. Once the connection string field is populated, in the Query field, enter the following parameterized SQL
query.
SQL Query
SELECT * FROM products INNER JOIN categories ON products.categoryid =
categories.categoryid WHERE Products.SupplierID = <%SupplierID%>

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 885
4. Click OK to save the data source and return to the report design surface.
To create a layout for the parent report (rptParent)
1. On the design surface, right click the PageHeader or PageFooter section and select Delete to remove the
PageHeader/Footer pair.
2. Right click on the design surface of the parent report and insert GroupHeader/Footer section pair.
3. Click the GroupHeader section to select it and go to the Properties window to set the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

Name ghSuppliers
DataField Country

4. From the toolbox, drag a TextBox control onto the groupHeader section and in the Properties window, set
the properties as follows:

Property Name Property Value

DataField Country
Name txtCountry
Text Country
Location 0, 0
Font Arial, 13pt, style=Bold

5. Click the Detail section to select it and go to the Properties window to set the CanShrink property to True.
6. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop the following controls onto the detail section of the
report and in the Properties window, set their properties as given below:
TextBox1

Property Property Value

Name
DataField CompanyName
Name txtCompanyName
Text Company Name
Location 0.0625, 0.0625
Size 2.25, 0.2 in
Style background-color: Silver; font-weight:
bold

TextBox2

Property Property Value

Name
DataField ContactName
Name txtContactName
Text Contact Name
Location 2.312, 0.0625
Size 1.708, 0.2 in
Style background-color: Silver; font-weight:
bold

TextBox3

Property Property Value

Name
DataField Phone

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 886
Name txtPhone
Text Phone
Location 4.562, 0.0625
Size 1.542, 0.2 in
Style background-color: Silver; font-weight:
bold

SubReport

Property Name Property Value

Name Subreport1
ReportName ProductName
Location 0.0625, 0.312

To create a layout for the child report (rptChild)

1. On the design surface, right click the PageHeader or PageFooter section and select Delete to remove the
PageHeader/Footer pair.
2. Right click on the design surface of the child report and insert GroupHeader/Footer section pair.
3. Click the GroupHeader section to select it and go to the Properties window to set the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

Name ghProducts
DataField CategoryName

4. From the toolbox, drag and drop a TextBox control onto the groupHeader section and in the Properties
window, set the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

DataField CategoryName
Name txtCategoryName
Text Category Name
Location 0.0625, 0.0625
Size 2.042, 0.2 in
Style color: Maroon; font-weight: bold

5. Click the Detail section to select it and go to the Properties window to set the CanShrink property to True.
6. From the toolbox, drag and drop a TextBox control onto the detail section and in the Properties window, set
the following properties.

Property Name Property Value

DataField ProductName
Name txtProductName
Text Product Name
Location 0.0625, 0.0625
Size 1.99, 0.2 in
Style color: Red

To connect the child report (rptChild) to the SubReport control in parent report (rptParent)
1. Double-click the gray area around the parent report (rptParent) to create an event-handling method for the
ReportStart event.
2. Add code like the following to the handler to create a new instance of the child report (rptChild).
To write the code in Visual Basic

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 887
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste JUST ABOVE the ReportStart event.
Dim rpt As rptChild

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.

rpt = New rptChild()

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste JUST ABOVE the ReportStart event.
private rptChild rpt;

C# code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.

rpt = new rptChild();

3. Double-click the detail section of the parent report (rptParent) to create a detail_Format event.
4. Add code like the following to the handler to display a report in the SubReport control.
To write the code in Visual Basic
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Format event.
Me.SubReport1.Report = rpt

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Format event.
this.subReport1.Report = rpt;

To set the ShowParametersUI property of SubReport to False

1. Click the gray area around the child report (rptChild) and go to the Properties window to set the
ShowParameterUI property to False.
To view the report
Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Parameters for Charts

Using parameters you can connect your report to the chart control. By setting the parameter on the field that
connects the report to the chart, the report passes the data to display in the chart. This walkthrough illustrates
how to link report with chart using parameters.

The walkthrough is split up into the following activities:

Adding an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio project
Connecting the report to a data source
Adding controls to the report to display data
Connecting the Chart control to a data source using parameter
Setting the Chart's properties
Viewing the report.
When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at runtime:

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 888

Note: This topic uses table from the NorthWind database. By default, in ActiveReports, the NWind.mdb file is
located in the [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 9\Data folder.

To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 9 Section Report (code-based) and in
the Name field, rename the file as rptChartParams.
4. Click the Add button to open a new section report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the report (rptChartParams) to a data source
1. On the detail section band, click the Data Source Icon.

2. In the Report Data Source dialog that appears, from the OLE DB tab, create a data source connection. See
Bind Reports to a Data Source for further details.
3. Once the connection string field is populated, in the Query field, enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query
SELECT * FROM Products ORDER BY CategoryID, ProductName

4. Click OK to save the data source and return to the report design surface.
To add controls to the report to display data
1. On the design surface, right click the PageHeader or PageFooter section and select Delete to remove the
PageHeader/Footer pair.
2. Right click on the design surface and insert GroupHeader/Footer section pair.
3. Click the GroupHeader section to select it and go to the Properties window to set the following properties:

Property Name Property Value

Name ghCategoryID
DataField CategoryID
GroupKeepTogether All
Height 5.65 inches

4. Set Height property of Detail section to 0.23 inches and of GroupFooter section to 0 inch.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 889
5. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop the following controls onto the GroupHeader section and set
their properties as given below:
Label1

Property Name Property Value

Name lblCategoryID
Text CategoryID
Location 1.78, 0

Label2

Property Name Property Value

Name lblProductName
Text Product Name
Location 0.23, 5.43

Label3

Property Name Property Value

Name lblUnitsInStock
Text Inventory stock
Location 5, 5.43

TextBox

Property Name Property Value

DataField CategoryID
Name txtCategoryID
Text CategoryID
Location 3.72, 0

Chart

Property Name Property Value

Name ChartControl
Location 0, 0.313
Size 6.5, 4.66

6. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag and drop the following controls onto the detail section and set their
properties as given below:
TextBox1

Property Name Property Value

DataField ProductName
Name txtProductName
Text ProductName
Location 0.23, 0

TextBox2

Property Name Property Value

DataField UnitsInStock
Name txtUnitsInStock

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 890
Text UnitsInStock
Location 5, 0

To connect the Chart to a data source

1. Select the Chart control and at the bottom of the Properties window, select the Data Source command.
See Properties Window for further details on accessing commands.

Tip: If the verb is not visible, right-click an empty space in the Properties Window and select
Commands to display verbs.

2. In the Chart DataSource dialog box that appears, click the Build button.
3. In the Data Link Properties window, select Microsoft Jet 4.0 OLE DB Provider and click the Next button.
4. Click the ellipsis button (...) to browse to the NorthWind database. Click Open once you have selected the
file.
5. Click the OK button to close the window and fill in the Connection String.
6. In the Query field, enter the following parameterized SQL query.
SQL Query
SELECT * FROM Products WHERE CategoryID = <%CategoryID||1%> ORDER BY
ProductName

Note: The chart data cannot be arranged if ORDER is not set in both the SQL statements (report and
chart statement).

7. Click OK to save the data source.

To configure the appearance of the Chart
1. With the chart control selected, go to the Properties window, click the ChartAreas (Collection)
property and then click the ellipsis button that appears.
2. In the ChartArea Collection Editor that appears with defaultArea selected under the members list, click
its Axes (Collection) property and then click the ellipsis button.
3. In the AxesBase Collection Editor that appears, set the following properties.
AxisBase
a. With AxisX selected under members list, set Angle property of LabelFont to -90.

b. Delete text from Title property to make sure that the ProductName label (lblProductName) does not
overlap.
c. Click AxisY under the members list and set its Title property to Unit Stock.
d. With AxisY selected under the members list, expand the GridLine section under MajorTick
property tree view and set its following sub-properties.

Property Property
Name Value
Style Dot
Color Silver
Weight 1

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 891

e. Click OK to return back to ChartArea collection editor and then click OK again to return back to
report design surface.
4. With the chart control selected, go to the Properties window, click the ChartSeries (Collection)
property and then click the ellipsis button that appears.
5. In the Series Collection Editor that appears, set the following properties:
Series
a. With Series1 selected under the members list, set its following properties:

Property Property
Name Value

ValueMembersY UnitsInStock

ValueMembersX ProductName

b. Click OK to return back to report design surface.

6. With the chart control selected, go to the Properties window, click the Titles (Collection) property and
then click the ellipsis button that appears.
7. In the Title Collection Editor that appears, set the following properties:
Titles
a. With Header selected under the members list, set its Text property to Product Inventory.

b. Delete/Remove Footer from the members list.

c. Click OK to return back to report design surface.
8. With the chart control selected, go to the Properties window, click the Legends (Collection) property and
then click the ellipsis button that appears.
9. In the Legend Collection Editor that appears, set the following properties:
Legends
a. With defaultLegend selected under the members list, set its Visible property to False.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 892

b. Click OK to return back to report design surface.

To view the report
Click the preview tab to view the report at design time.
OR
Open the report in the Viewer. See Using the Viewer for further information.

Web
This section contains the following walkthroughs that fall under the Web category.
Document Web Service
This walkthrough describes how to set up a simple web service that returns an ActiveReports document.
Document Windows Application
This walkthrough describes how to set up a Windows client application for the ActiveReports Document Web
Service

Important: In order to consume Web services in your Windows applications, you must set permissions to
allow the ASP.NET user to consume the services. Ask your server administrator for help with this.

Document Web Service

With ASP.NET and ActiveReports, you can set up a Web Service that returns a report document which can be shown in a report viewer control.
This walkthrough illustrates how to create a Web Service that returns the contents of an ActiveReports as a byte array.
This walkthrough is split up into the following activities:
Creating an ASP.NET Web Service project
Adding code to create the Web Method
Testing the Web Service
Publishing the Web Service
Creating a virtual directory in IIS

Note: For the information on how to connect your report to data and how to create the report layout, please see Basic Data Bound Reports for a section report.

When you have completed this walkthrough, you will have a Web Service that returns the contents of an ActiveReports as a byte array.
To create an ASP.NET Web Service project
1. From the File menu, select New Project.
2. In the New Project dialog that appears, select ASP.NET Web Service Application.
3. Change the name of the project.
4. Click OK to open the new project in Visual Studio.
To write the code to create the Web Method
1. On the Service.vb or Service.cs tab is the code view of the Service.asmx file.
2. Replace the existing WebMethod and HelloWorld function with the following code.
The following code demonstrates how you create the Web Method for a section report.

Visual Basic.NET code. REPLACE the existing WebMethod and function with this code.
<WebMethod( _Description:="Returns a products report grouped by category")> _ Public Function GetProductsReport() As Byte() Dim rpt As New rptProducts() rpt.Run() Return rpt.Document.Content End Function

C# code. REPLACE the existing WebMethod and function with this code.
[WebMethod(_Description = "Returns a products report grouped by category")]
public byte[] GetProductsReport()
{
rptProducts rpt = new rptProducts();
rpt.Run();
return rpt.Document.Content;
}

To test the Document Web Service

1. Press F5 to run the project. The Service page appears in your browser.
2. In the list of supported operations at the top, click GetProductsReport.
3. Click the Invoke button to test the Web Service operation.
4. If the test is successful, you will see the binary version of the contents of rptProducts.
To publish the Document Web Service
1. In the Solution Explorer, right-click the project name and select Publish.
2. In the Publish Web window that appears, enter locahost in the Service URL field and "SiteName"/WebService in the Site/application field.
Note: Get the SiteName from the Internet Information Services Manager.

3. Select the Mark an IIS application on destination option and click the OK button.
To check the configuration in IIS
1. Open Internet Information Services Manager.
2. In the Internet Information Services Manager window that appears, expand the tree view in the left pane until you see the Web Service you had added in the steps above.
3. Right-click the Web Service select Manage Application then Browse.
4. In the browser that appears, go to the Address bar and add \Service1 to the url.
For information on consuming the Document Web Service in a viewer, see Document Windows Application.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 893
Document Windows Application
In ActiveReports, you can use a Web Service that returns the content of a Section report to show in the Windows
Forms viewer control.
This walkthrough illustrates how to create a Windows client application that returns the content of a
Section report in the Windows Forms viewer.
This walkthrough builds on the Document Web Service walkthrough and is split up into the following activities:
Creating a Visual Studio project
Adding the ActiveReports Windows Forms viewer control to the form
Adding a reference to a Web service to the project
Displaying the content returned by the Document Web Service in the viewer
Running the project

Note: Refer to Document Web Service to set up Web service that returns an ActiveReports document.

To create a Visual Studio project

1. From the File menu, select New, then Project.
2. In the Templates section of the New Project dialog, select Windows Application.
3. Change the name of the application to ARDocumentClient.
4. Click OK to open the project.
To add the Viewer control
1. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag the ActiveReports Viewer control onto the form.
2. Change the Dock property for the viewer control to Fill, and resize the form to accommodate a report.
To add a web reference
To add a reference to a web service in Visual Studio 2010 that is compatible with .NET Framework 2.0
Web service
1. From the Project menu, select Add Service Reference.
2. In the Add Service Reference window that appears, click the Advanced button.
3. In the Service Reference Settings window that appears, click Add Web Reference button.
4. From the Project menu, select Add Web Reference.
5. Type in the address of the .asmx file for the ActiveReports Document Web Service you created in the
previous walkthrough. For example: http://localhost/ARDocumentWS/Service.asmx
6. Click the Add Reference button when the Web Service is recognized.
To add a reference to a web service in Visual Studio 2010
1. From the Project menu, select Add Service Reference.
2. In the Add Service Reference that appears, type in the address of the .asmx file for the ActiveReports
Document Web Service you created in the previous walkthrough. For example:
http://localhost/ARDocumentWS/Service.asmx
3. Click the Go button, and then click the OK button when the Web Service is recognized.
To display the content returned by the Document Web Service in the viewer
To display the report content (for Visual Studio 2010 compatible with .NET Framework 2.0 Web
service)
1. Double-click Form1 to create an event-handling method for the Form1_Load event.
2. Add code to the handler to display the document Web service content in the viewer.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.
Dim ws As New localhost.Service
Me.Viewer1.Document.Content = ws.GetProductsReport()

To write the code in C#

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 894
C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.
localhost.Service ws = new localhost.Service();
this.viewer1.Document.Content = ws.GetProductsReport();

To display the report content (for Visual Studio 2010)

1. Double-click on Form1 to create an event-handling method for the Form1_Load event.
2. Add code to the handler to display the document Web service content in the viewer.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.
Dim ws As New ServiceReference1.ServiceSoapClient()
Me.Viewer1.Document.Content = ws.GetProductsReport()

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form Load event.
ServiceReference1.ServiceSoapClient ws = new ServiceReference1.ServiceSoapClient();
this.viewer1.Document.Content = ws.GetProductsReport();

To update the app.config file

Note: You need to update the app.config file if you added the Service Reference to the Visual Studio 2010
project in the previous section.

1. In the Solution Explorer, open the app.config file.

2. In the tag <binding name = "ServiceSoap"...>, set maxBufferSize and maxReceivedMessageSize to
some large number, for example, 200500.
3. In the next tag <readerQuotas...>, set maxArrayLength to some large number, for example, 60500.
To run the project
Press F5 to run the project.

Common Walkthroughs
Common walkthroughs comprise of scenarios to introduce the key features of page and section reports. Learn
about different page and section report walkthroughs categorized as follows.
Professional
This section contains the walkthroughs explaining features that are part of the ActiveReports Professional Edition.
Export
This section contains the walkthrough that explains how to create a simple custom spreadsheet and save it to
an Excel file.
Web
This section contains the walkthroughs that explain how to create a simple web service for each scenario and how
to create a Windows client application for each web service.
WPF
This section contains the walkthrough that explains how to use the ActiveReports WPF Viewer in a WPF application
project.

Professional
This section contains the following walkthroughs that fall under the Professional category.
Creating a Basic End User Designer
This walkthrough demonstrates how to set up a basic end-user report designer on a Windows Forms application.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 895
Customizing the Flash Viewer UI
This walkthrough demonstrates how to customize the look and feel of the Flash Viewer.
Customizing the HTML Viewer UI
This walkthrough demonstrates how to customize the HTML Viewer interface using JQuery methods.

Creating a Basic End User Report Designer (Pro Edition)

This walkthrough illustrates how to set up a basic End-User Report Designer on a Windows Forms application in the
Professional Edition of ActiveReports.
At the end of this walkthrough, the End-User Report Designer appears like the following image.

Note: See Adding ActiveReports Controls, if you need help with adding the Designer control or any other
ActiveReports controls to your Visual Studio toolbox.

Adding controls to the form

1. In a Windows Forms application, select a form and go to the Properties window to change the Name
property to formDesigner and Text property to ActiveReports 9.
2. Resize the form so that you can accommodate the controls listed in the next step.
3. From the Visual Studio toolbox, drag the following controls onto the form in the order listed below. The
order is important because some of the controls are placed inside other container controls. Also, set the
properties as indicated in the list below.

Controls Placed on a form

Control Parent Name Dock Property Value

ToolStripContainer formDesigner toolStripContainer Fill LeftToolStripPanel - Enabled =
False
RightToolStripPanel - Enabled =
False
SplitContainer toolStripContainer splitContainer Fill FixedPanel = Panel1
Designer splitContainer.Panel2 arDesigner None Anchor = Top, Bottom, Left,
Right
Resize and move as necessary.
TabControl splitContainer.Panel2 tabControl None Anchor = Right
Resize and move as necessary.
ReportExplorer tabControl.tabPage1 arReportExplorer None ReportDesigner = arDesigner
This binds the ActiveReports
Designer to the ReportExplorer
control.
Resize and move as necessary
You can control the visibility of
Report Explorer nodes
using VisibleNodes
('VisibleNodes Property' in
the on-line documentation)
property.

LayerList tabControl.tabPage2 arLayerList None ReportDesigner = arDesigner

This binds the ActiveReports
Designer to the LayerList
control.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 896
Resize and move as necessary.

PropertyGrid splitContainer.Panel2 arPropertyGrid None Anchor = Top, Bottom, Right

Resize and move as necessary.
Toolbox splitContainer.Panel1 arToolbox Fill -

4. Select arDesigner and in the Properties window go to the PropertyGrid property and select
arPropertyGrid. This attaches the Property Grid to the Designer to display properties of the selected item.
5. Select tabControl and in the Properties window, click the ellipses button in the TabPages property.
6. In the TabPage Collection Editor dialog that appears, select tabPage1 and change the Text property to
Report Explorer.
7. Select tabPage2 and change its Text property to Layer List.

The form now looks like the image below:

Creating a Data toolbox group

Add the following code to create a data group in the toolbox. This code creates a LoadTools method that you can
call in the formDesigner_Load event to load the data toolbox group into the toolbox.

The following examples show what the code looks like.

To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste ABOVE the formDesigner class.

Imports GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Design

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the formDesigner class.

Private Sub LoadTools(ByVal arToolbox As Toolbox.Toolbox)
'Add Data Providers
Me.arToolbox.AddToolboxItem(New
System.Drawing.Design.ToolboxItem(GetType(System.Data.DataSet)), "Data")
Me.arToolbox.AddToolboxItem(New
System.Drawing.Design.ToolboxItem(GetType(System.Data.DataView)), "Data")
Me.arToolbox.AddToolboxItem(New
System.Drawing.Design.ToolboxItem(GetType(System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection)), "Data")
Me.arToolbox.AddToolboxItem(New
System.Drawing.Design.ToolboxItem(GetType(System.Data.OleDb.OleDbDataAdapter)), "Data")
Me.arToolbox.AddToolboxItem(New
System.Drawing.Design.ToolboxItem(GetType(System.Data.Odbc.OdbcConnection)), "Data")
Me.arToolbox.AddToolboxItem(New
System.Drawing.Design.ToolboxItem(GetType(System.Data.Odbc.OdbcDataAdapter)), "Data")
Me.arToolbox.AddToolboxItem(New

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 897
System.Drawing.Design.ToolboxItem(GetType(System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection)),
"Data")
Me.arToolbox.AddToolboxItem(New
System.Drawing.Design.ToolboxItem(GetType(System.Data.SqlClient.SqlDataAdapter)),
"Data")
End Sub

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste ABOVE the formDesigner class.
using GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Design;

C# code. Paste INSIDE the formDesigner class.

private void LoadTools(Toolbox.Toolbox arToolbox)
{
//Add Data Providers
this.arToolbox.AddToolboxItem(new
System.Drawing.Design.ToolboxItem(typeof(System.Data.DataSet)), "Data");
this.arToolbox.AddToolboxItem(new
System.Drawing.Design.ToolboxItem(typeof(System.Data.DataView)), "Data");
this.arToolbox.AddToolboxItem(new
System.Drawing.Design.ToolboxItem(typeof(System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection)), "Data");
this.arToolbox.AddToolboxItem(new
System.Drawing.Design.ToolboxItem(typeof(System.Data.OleDb.OleDbDataAdapter)), "Data");
this.arToolbox.AddToolboxItem(new
System.Drawing.Design.ToolboxItem(typeof(System.Data.Odbc.OdbcConnection)), "Data");
this.arToolbox.AddToolboxItem(new
System.Drawing.Design.ToolboxItem(typeof(System.Data.Odbc.OdbcDataAdapter)), "Data");
this.arToolbox.AddToolboxItem(new
System.Drawing.Design.ToolboxItem(typeof(System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection)),
"Data");
this.arToolbox.AddToolboxItem(new
System.Drawing.Design.ToolboxItem(typeof(System.Data.SqlClient.SqlDataAdapter)),
"Data");
}

Adding an OnExit method

1. Right-click anywhere on the formDesigner, and select View Code.
2. In the code view that appears, add the following code to create an OnExit method that you can call from
the Exit menu item we create later.

The following examples show what the code looks like.

To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the formDesigner class.
Private Sub OnExit(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs)
MyBase.Close()
End Sub

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the formDesigner class.
private void OnExit(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
Close();
}

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 898

Adding code to set up the toolbox, menus and toolstrips

1. In the Design view of the form, double-click the title bar on the formDesigner. This creates an event-
handling method for the formDesigner Load event.
2. Add code to the handler to:
Set up the toolbox
Set up the menu and tool strips
Add an Exit command to the menu
The following examples show what the code for the method looks like.

To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the formDesigner Load event.
' Add controls to the toolbox
LoadTools(arToolbox)
arDesigner.Toolbox = arToolbox

' Add Menu and ToolStrips to the form

Dim menuStrip As ToolStrip = arDesigner.CreateToolStrips(DesignerToolStrips.Menu)
(0)
Dim fileMenu As ToolStripDropDownItem = CType(menuStrip.Items(0),
ToolStripDropDownItem)

' Add an Exit command to the File menu

fileMenu.DropDownItems.Add(New ToolStripMenuItem("Exit", Nothing, AddressOf
OnExit))

Dim panel As ToolStripPanel = toolStripContainer.TopToolStripPanel

panel.Join(menuStrip, 0)
panel.Join(arDesigner.CreateToolStrips(DesignerToolStrips.Zoom)(0), 1)
panel.Join(arDesigner.CreateToolStrips(DesignerToolStrips.Undo)(0), 1)
panel.Join(arDesigner.CreateToolStrips(DesignerToolStrips.Edit)(0), 1)
panel.Join(arDesigner.CreateToolStrips(DesignerToolStrips.Report)(0), 1)

panel.Join(arDesigner.CreateToolStrips(DesignerToolStrips.Layout)(0), 2)
panel.Join(arDesigner.CreateToolStrips(DesignerToolStrips.Format)(0), 2)

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the formDesigner Load event.
// Add controls to the toolbox
LoadTools(arToolbox);
arDesigner.Toolbox = arToolbox;

// Add Menu and ToolStrip to the Form

ToolStrip menuStrip = arDesigner.CreateToolStrips(DesignerToolStrips.Menu)[0];
ToolStripDropDownItem fileMenu = (ToolStripDropDownItem)menuStrip.Items[0];

// Add an Exit command to the File menu

fileMenu.DropDownItems.Add(new ToolStripMenuItem("Exit", null, this.OnExit));
ToolStripPanel panel = ToolStripContainer.TopToolStripPanel;
panel.Join(menuStrip, 0);
panel.Join(arDesigner.CreateToolStrips(DesignerToolStrips.Zoom)[0], 1);
panel.Join(arDesigner.CreateToolStrips(DesignerToolStrips.Undo)[0], 1);
panel.Join(arDesigner.CreateToolStrips(DesignerToolStrips.Edit)[0], 1);
panel.Join(arDesigner.CreateToolStrips(DesignerToolStrips.Report)[0], 1);

panel.Join(arDesigner.CreateToolStrips(DesignerToolStrips.Layout)[0], 2);
panel.Join(arDesigner.CreateToolStrips(DesignerToolStrips.Format)[0], 2);

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 899
Removing Layer List from Section Report
Layers are supported in Page Reports and Rdl Reports, so the Layer List options appear disabled in Section
Reports. Follow the steps below to remove the Layer List from Section Report.
1. In the Code view of formDesigner, add the OnLayoutChanged event handler to modify the report layout.

To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the formDesigner class.
' Create the event handler
Public Sub New()
InitializeComponent()
AddHandler Me.arDesigner.LayoutChanged, AddressOf OnLayoutChanged
End Sub

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the formDesigner method.
// Create the event handler
this.arDesigner.LayoutChanged += new LayoutChangedEventHandler(OnLayoutChanged);

2. Add the following code to create OnLayoutChanged function. This code creates a method that you can call
in the formDesigner_Load event. The following example shows what the code for the method looks like:

To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the formDesigner class.
Private Sub OnLayoutChanged(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As
LayoutChangedArgs) Handles arDesigner.LayoutChangedEnd Sub

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the formDesigner class.
private void OnLayoutChanged(object sender, LayoutChangedArgs e){}

3. Go to the OnLayoutChanged function and add the following code to remove the Layer List from Section
Report and add it to the Page Report or Rdl Report. The following example shows what the code for the
method looks like:

To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the OnLayoutChanged function.
If arDesigner.ReportType = DesignerReportType.Section Then
tabControl.TabPages.Remove(TabPage1)
tabControl.TabPages.Remove(TabPage2)
tabControl.TabPages.Add(TabPage1)
tabControl.Refresh()
End If
If arDesigner.ReportType = DesignerReportType.Page Then
tabControl.TabPages.Remove(TabPage1)
tabControl.TabPages.Remove(TabPage2)
tabControl.TabPages.Add(TabPage1)
tabControl.TabPages.Add(TabPage2)
tabControl.Refresh()
End If
If arDesigner.ReportType = DesignerReportType.Rdl Then
tabControl.TabPages.Remove(TabPage1)
tabControl.TabPages.Remove(TabPage2)
tabControl.TabPages.Add(TabPage1)
tabControl.TabPages.Add(TabPage2)
tabControl.Refresh()

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 900
End If

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the OnLayoutChanged function.
if (arDesigner.ReportType == DesignerReportType.Section)
{
tabControl.TabPages.Remove(tabPage1);
tabControl.TabPages.Remove(tabPage2);
tabControl.TabPages.Add(tabPage1);
tabControl.Refresh();
}
if (arDesigner.ReportType == DesignerReportType.Page)
{
tabControl.TabPages.Remove(tabPage1);
tabControl.TabPages.Remove(tabPage2);
tabControl.TabPages.Add(tabPage1);
tabControl.TabPages.Add(tabPage2);
tabControl.Refresh();
}
if (arDesigner.ReportType == DesignerReportType.Rdl)
{
tabControl.TabPages.Remove(tabPage1);
tabControl.TabPages.Remove(tabPage2);
tabControl.TabPages.Add(tabPage1);
tabControl.TabPages.Add(tabPage2);
tabControl.Refresh();
}

4. Add the following code in formDesigner Load event to call the OnLayoutChanged function.

To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the OnLayoutChanged function.
OnLayoutChanged(Nothing, Nothing)

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the OnLayoutChanged function.
OnLayoutChanged(null, null);

Viewing the End User Report Designer

1. Press F5 to run the project. The End User Report Designer opens with a Section Report.
2. Go to the File menu and select New to open the Create New Report dialog.
3. From Templates, you can select Page Report or Rdl Report to open in the designer along with its
corresponding toolbox controls, Report Explorer and Layer List items.
4. Go to the File menu again. Notice that an Exit menu item has been added to the listed menu items.
You can also customize the End User Report Designer further by disabling the Section Report tab in the Page or
RDL report toolbox. For this and other customizations refer to the End User Designer product sample.

Customizing the Flash Viewer UI

You can customize the Flash Viewer UI, using javascript functions. This walkthrough illustrates how to customize
the look and feel of the Flash Viewer.
The walkthrough is split up into the following activities:
Adding code to customize the Flash Viewer options
Adding code to handle the Flash Viewer events

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 901
To follow the steps of this walkthrough, you must first complete the steps on creating an ASP.NET Web site and
setting up the FlashViewer, described in the Flash Viewer walkthrough.

To customize the Flash Viewer options

1. Select the WebViewer on your .aspx page, and in the Properties window, expand the FlashViewerOptions
node.
2. Set the property UseClientApi (FlashViewerOptions) to True (this property is set to False by default).
3. Declare a variable and attach the FlashViewer by adding the following code onto the .aspx source view.
Paste the code into .aspx source
<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript">
var viewer;

function init() { GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.OnLoad ("WebViewer1", function()

{
viewer = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Attach("WebViewer1"); });
}
</script>

...

<body onload="return init()">

4. Drag the Html Input (button) control from the Visual Studio toolbox onto the .aspx design view,
containing the WebViewer control.
5. Double-click the Button control and paste the following code:
Paste the code into .aspx source
<input id="button1" type="button" value="button" onclick="return
Button1_onclick()" />

6. Add the following function for this button:

Paste the code into .aspx source
function Button1_onclick() {
var zoom = viewer.getZoom();
alert("Check that zoom property is changed from " + zoom);
zoom += 0.1;
viewer.setZoom(zoom);
alert("to " + zoom);
}

Note: You can declare a variable and attach the FlashViewer in the event handler directly.

Paste the code into .aspx source

function Button1_onclick()
{
var viewer;
viewer = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Attach("WebViewer1");
...
}

Available Flash Viewer properties

The properties below use a pair of the getter and setter functions, which names are formed as {get|set}
<PropertyName>().

Property Name Description

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 902
CurrentPage Integer. Gets or sets the page for a currently selected view.

HyperLinkBackColor String. Gets or sets the background color for all hyperlinks in a document. This
value is applied only after a new document is loaded. The format is "#FF0000"
(#RRGGBB).

HyperLinkForeColor String. Gets or sets the color for all hyperlinks in a document. This value is applied
only after a new document is loaded. The format is "#FF0000" (#RRGGBB).
HyperLinkUnderline Boolean. Gets or sets a value determining whether the text of all hyperlinks in a
document is underlined. This value is applied only after a new document is loaded.
SearchResultsBackColor String. Gets or sets the background color of the highlighted text when using the
Find dialog. The format is "#FF0000" (#RRGGBB).
SearchResultsForeColor String. Gets or sets the color of the highlighted text when using the Find dialog.
The format is "#FF0000" (#RRGGBB).
PaperColor String. Gets or sets the paper color of the report. The format is "#FF0000"
(#RRGGBB).
ShowSplitter Boolean. Gets or sets a value determining whether to display a splitter. If set to
True, the splitter is shown.

TargetView String. Gets or sets a value that specifies which view - Primary or Secondary, is
currently active. If the ShowSplitter property is set to False, then you cannot
switch to the Secondary view.
ThemeUrl String. Gets or sets a value specifying the relative URL of a skin to use on the
Flash Viewer.
Zoom Integer. Gets or sets a value that specifies the zoom level at which to display the
report.
TocPanel Object. Gets the Table of Contents Panel object. This property is read-only.
Alignment To align the TOC panel.
ShowThumbnails To specify whether to display a pane with thumbnail
views of pages.
ShowToc To specify whether to display the table of contents pane.
Visible To specify whether to display the Table of contents.
Width To specify the Table of contents width.

ViewType String. Gets or sets the current ViewType value.

EventsHandler Object. Gets or sets the events handler container.

Available Flash Viewer methods

Note: Except for the below mentioned methods, {get|set}<Property Name>() method can be used for all
the properties. See Using the Flash Viewer topic for details.

Method Name Description

LoadDocument(string Loads the RDF document. You may use an RDF file that resides on a
documentUrl) server, RpxHandler, CompiledReportHandler or custom Http handler
implementation to provide a streamed document. This method cancels the
current document's loading.
Code example
Paste the code into .aspx source
function btnLoadDoc_onclick()
{
viewer.LoadDocument("RpxHandler/NwindLabels.rpx?
&OutputFormat=Rdf3");
}

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 903
CancelDocumentLoad() Cancels the loading of a current document.

Print(PrintOptions options) Causes the Viewer to wait until all required pages are loaded, displayed in
the Print dialog and starts printing. The PrintOptions are similar to the
WebViewer.PrintOptions, except that the PageRangesCollection methods
are merged into the PrintOptions class.
CreatePrintOptions() Creates options for the Print() method.

setViewType(string viewType, int Specifies the view mode.

multiPageRows, int multiPageCols)
Possible values for the first parameter are specified in the ViewType
enumeration. The last two parameters are applied for
ViewType.MultiPage only.

To handle Flash Viewer Events

1. Declare a variable, attach the Flash Viewer and add event handlers by adding the following code onto the
.aspx source view.
Paste the code into .aspx source
<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript">
var viewer;
function init() {
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.OnLoad("WebViewer1", function() {
viewer = GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Attach("WebViewer1");
viewer.setEventsHandler({
<EVENTS>

});
});
}
</script>
...

<body onload="return init()">

Note: <EVENTS> are described in detail in the Available events list below.

Available events

Event Description
OnLinkClick(LinkEventArgs) Specifies the URL value of a linked item or a string.
This event is raised when a report object with a
hyperlink is clicked; this event overrides the default
Hyperlinks behavior that simply opens another
browser window. Cancelable.
The event handler receives an argument of type
LinkEventArgs containing data related to this event.
The handler argument has the field "Link". The field
"Link" returns the hyperlink URL value.
Code example

OnLinkClick: function(e)
{

alert(e.Link);//specifies url of the

link item, string
return true;

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 904
}

OnError(ErrorEventArgs) Fires when an application fires an error or a

warning. Use this event to customize FlashViewer
error messages and warnings.
The event handler receives an argument of type
ErrorEventArgs containing data related to this
event. The handler argument has the following
fields - "ErrorType" and "Message".
The field "ErrorType" contains the error type value;
the field "Message" contains a description of a Flash
Viewer problem.
This event allows suppressing any notifications to a
user.
Code example

OnError: function(e)
{
alert(e.Message);
//error message, string
alert(e.ErrorType);
//possible types are "Error" and
"Warning", string
return false;
}

OnLoadProgress(LoadProgressArgs) Raised during the processing of a report.

The event handler receives an argument of type
LoadProgressArgs containing data related to this
event. The handler argument has the following
fields - "PageCount", "PageNumber" and "State".
Return value is ignored in case of this event.
The field "PageCount" returns the total count of
report pages.
The field "PageNumber" returns the page number of
the processed report.
The field "State" returns the value, indicating the
state of the report's processing; the possible values
are "Completed", "InProgress" and "Cancelled".
In Progress: Indicates the loading state of the
report.
Cancelled: Indicates a states where loading of a
report is cancelled.
Completed: Indicates a state where loading of a
report is complete.
Code example

OnLoadProgress: function(e)
{
if(e.State == "InProgress") {
if(e.PageNumber == 10)
{
alert("10

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 905
pages are loaded");
}
}

if(e.State == "Cancelled"){
alert("Report
processing is cancelled");
}

if(e.State == "Completed")//
possible value are Completed,
InProgress and Cancelled
{
alert("Report loading
is completed, total page count is" +
e.PageCount);
}

//return value is ignored in

this event
}

OnTargetViewChanging(TargetViewChangeEventArgs) Raised while a report's view is changing.

The event handler receives an argument of type
TargetViewChangedEventArgs containing data
related to this event. The handler argument has the
following fields - "CurrentView" and "NewView".
The field "CurrentView" returns the currently
selected view value.
The field "NewView" returns the newly selected
view value.
Code example

OnTargetViewChanging: function(e)
{
alert("Currently
selected view is " + e.CurrentView);
//gets currently selected view, string
alert("Newly selected
view is " + e.NewView);
//gets newly selected view, string
return false;
//cancelable event
}

OnToolClick(ToolClickEventArgs) Raised by clicking the toolbar button. Cancelable.

The event handler receives an argument of type
ToolClickEventArgs containing data related to this
event. The handler argument has the following field
- "Tool".
The field "Tool" returns the name of a clicked
button.
Code example

OnToolClick: function(e)

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 906
{
alert(e.Tool);
return false;
}

OnCurrentPageChanged(CurrentPageChangeEventArgs) Raised each time a current page is changed within

the current view programmatically or by any user
navigation command. This event is also raised
when the current view (primary or secondary) is
changed.
The event handler receives an argument of type
CurrentPageChangedEventArgs containing data
related to this event. The handler argument has the
following fields - "PageNumber" and "ViaApi".
The field "PageNumber" contains the 1-based page
number. The field "ViaApi" specifies whether the
event is raised by setting the page number in the
CurrentPage property.

Note: Use the "return true;" value to show that the client side has handled the event. The "return false;"
value indicates that the event was not handled.

Customizing the HTML Viewer UI

You can customize the HTMLViewer interface using JQuery methods. WebViewer control adds JQuery library in
page scripts. Use the code in this walkthrough to remove a button from the HTMLViewer toolbar and add a client
side PDF export implementation.
This walkthrough is split into the following activities:
Loading an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio ASP.NET Web application.
Accessing WebViewer's view model.
Removing an existing toolbar button.
Adding a function for PDF exporting.
Binding the Custom UI to WebViewer's view model.
When you complete this walkthrough you get an HTMLViewer that looks similar to the following at runtime.

To load an ActiveReport in the Web application

1. Create a new Visual Studio ASP.NET Web application.
2. In the Default.aspx that gets created, go to the Visual Studio toolbox ActiveReports 9 Page Report tab

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 907
and drag a WebViewer control onto the Design view.
3. Load the report generated at the end of the Single Layout Reports walkthrough.
Note: You may load any report, section or page in the HTMLViewer. See Getting Started with the Web
Viewer for information on loading a report.

To access the WebViewer view model

The HTML Web Viewer is created using the MVVM pattern that provides a view model which does not depend on
the UI. The code can access the Viewer's view model and bind the custom UI to it by using well-documented
properties and methods. For MVVM support, the code can use knockout.js which is the standard MVVM library for
JavaScript. Knockout.js provides declarative bindings, observable objects and collections in HTML markup. See
Working with HTML Viewer using Javascript for more information.
Follow the steps below to access the ViewModel.
1. In the Source view of the Default.aspx file, add a <script> tag.
Add a script tag like the following before the body tag
<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript">
</script>

2. Add the following Javascript code for document's Onload event handler and WebViewer's Loaded event
handler that gets fired when the UI is rendered on the Html Page:
Paste the code into .aspx source
<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript">
function viewer_loaded()
{
};
function document_onload()
{
};
</script>
...
<body onload="return document_onload()">

3. Add the following Javascript code inside the viewer_loaded event handler to access WebViewer's view
model:
Paste the code into .aspx source
var viewModel = GetViewModel('WebViewer1');

4. Add the following Javascript code inside the document_load event handler to bind WebViewer's Loaded
event to client side viewer_loaded event:
Paste the code into .aspx source
$('#WebViewer1').bind('loaded', viewer_loaded);

To remove a button from the WebViewer toolbar

In the Source view of the Default.aspx file, add the following Javascript code inside the viewer_loaded event
handler to access the WebViewer toolbar and remove the Next Page button from the toolbar:

Paste the code into .aspx source

var toolbar = $('#WebViewer1').find('.arvToolBar');
toolbar.find('.btnNext').remove();

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 908
Note: In order to access the child elements of the WebViewer toolbar you need their css class names.
Following is a list for reference:
Toolbar Child Elements
Toggle Sidebar button: btnToggleSidebar
Find button: btnFind
First page button: btnFirst
Previous page button: btnPrev
Page label: toolbarLabel
Page number input box: toolbarInput
Next page button: btnNext
Last page button: btnLast
Back to parent report button: btnBack

To add a function for exporting to PDF

The steps below illustrate how to build a custom UI.
1. In the Source view of the Default.aspx file, add following Javascript code inside <script> tag to create a
function. This function accesses the view model and exports the report in PDF format :
Paste the code into .aspx source
function exportPDF()
{

var viewModel = GetViewModel('WebViewer1');

if (viewModel.PageLoaded())
{
viewModel.Export(ExportType.Pdf, function (uri)
{
window.location = uri;
}, true);
}
}

2. In the Source view of the Default.aspx file, add the following Javascript code inside <form> tag to add a
button on a custom toolbar. This button is enabled once the report is loaded and calls the exportPDF()
function at runtime:
Paste the code into .aspx source
<div id="customToolbar" style = "display:inline">
<button data-bind='enable: PageLoaded, click: exportPDF' style="
width: 105px; font-size: medium; height: 22px;">Export</button>
</div>

3. In the Source view of the Default.aspx file, add the following Javascript code inside the viewer_loaded
event handler to attach the custom toolbar with the built-in toolbar:
Paste the code into .aspx source
$('#customToolbar').appendTo(toolbar);

To bind the custom UI to the WebViewer view model and run the application
1. Add the following Javascript code inside the viewer_loaded event handler to bind the custom UI to
WebViewer view model:
Paste the code into .aspx source
ko.applyBindings(viewModel, document.getElementById("customToolbar"));

2. Press F5 to run the application.

Note: Replace 'WebViewer1' in the code snippets above, with the actual ID of the WebViewer control in your

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 909
application.

Export
This section contains the following walkthroughs that fall under the Export category.
Basic Spreadsheet with SpreadBuilder
This walkthrough demonstrates how to create a simple custom spreadsheet and save it to an Excel file.

Basic Spreadsheet with SpreadBuilder

Included with the ActiveReports Excel export filter is the SpreadBuilder API. With this utility, you can create Excel
spreadsheets cell by cell for maximum control. This walkthrough illustrates how to create a simple custom
spreadsheet and save it to an Excel file.
This walkthrough is split into the following activities:
Adding an ActiveReport to your project
Adding an GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.v9 assembly reference
Creating a Workbook using code
Viewing the Excel File
When you have completed this walkthrough, a custom Excel file like the following is created in the Bin/Debug
subfolder of your project's folder.

To add an GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.v9 assembly reference to your project

1. Create a new Visual Studio project.
2. From the Visual Studio Project menu, select Add Reference.
3. In the Add Reference window that appears, select GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Excel.v9
assembly reference and click OK.
Note: In ActiveReports, by default, the assemblies are located in the ...\Common
Files\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9 folder.

To add code to create a workbook

Double-click the title bar of the Windows Form to create an event-handling method for the Form_Load event. Add
code to the handler to:
Create a Workbook, and add a sheet to the Workbook's Sheets collection
Set properties on columns and rows in the sheet
Set values of cells in the sheet
Use the Save method to create an Excel file
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste inside the form Load event.
'Create a Workbook and add a sheet to its Sheets collection
Dim sb As New GrapeCity.SpreadBuilder.Workbook()
sb.Sheets.AddNew()

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 910
'Set up properties and values for columns, rows, and cells as desired
With sb.Sheets(0)
.Name = "Customer Call List" 'sets the name of the sheet
.Columns(0).Width = 2 * 1440 'sets the width of the 1st column
.Columns(1).Width = 1440
.Columns(2).Width = 1440
.Rows(0).Height = 1440 / 4

'Header row
.Cell(0, 0).SetValue("Company Name")
.Cell(0, 0).FontBold = True
.Cell(0, 1).SetValue("Contact Name")
.Cell(0, 1).FontBold = True
.Cell(0, 2).SetValue("Phone")
.Cell(0, 2).FontBold = True

'First row of data

.Cell(1, 0).SetValue("GrapeCity")
.Cell(1, 1).SetValue("Mortimer")
.Cell(1, 2).SetValue("(425) 880-2601")
End With

'Save the Workbook to an Excel file

sb.Save(Application.StartupPath & "\x.xls")
MessageBox.Show("Your Spreadsheet has been saved to " & Application.StartupPath &
"\x.xls")

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste inside the form Load event.
//Create a Workbook and add a sheet to its Sheets collection
GrapeCity.SpreadBuilder.Workbook sb = new GrapeCity.SpreadBuilder.Workbook();
sb.Sheets.AddNew();

//Set up properties and values for columns, rows and cells as desired
sb.Sheets[0].Name = "Customer Call List";
sb.Sheets[0].Columns(0).Width = 2 * 1440;
sb.Sheets[0].Columns(1).Width = 1440;
sb.Sheets[0].Columns(2).Width = 1440;
sb.Sheets[0].Rows(0).Height = 1440/4;

//Header row
sb.Sheets[0].Cell(0,0).SetValue("Company Name");
sb.Sheets[0].Cell(0,0).FontBold = true;
sb.Sheets[0].Cell(0,1).SetValue("Contact Name");
sb.Sheets[0].Cell(0,1).FontBold = true;
sb.Sheets[0].Cell(0,2).SetValue("Phone");
sb.Sheets[0].Cell(0,2).FontBold = true;

//First row of data

sb.Sheets[0].Cell(1,0).SetValue("GrapeCity");
sb.Sheets[0].Cell(1,1).SetValue("Mortimer");
sb.Sheets[0].Cell(1,2).SetValue("(425) 880-2601");

//Save the Workbook to an Excel file

sb.Save (Application.StartupPath + @"\x.xls");
MessageBox.Show("Your Spreadsheet has been saved to " + Application.StartupPath +
@"\x.xls");

To view the Excel File

1. Press F5 to run the project. A message box informs you of the exact location of the exported x.xls file.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 911
2. Navigate to the Bin/Debug subfolder of your project's folder and open the XLS file.

Web
This section contains the following walkthroughs that fall under the Web category.
DataSet Web Service
This walkthrough describes how to set up a simple web service that returns a dataset.
DataSet Windows Application
This walkthrough describes how to set up a Windows client application for the dataset Web Service.

Important: In order to consume Web services in your Windows applications, you must set permissions to
allow the ASP.NET user to consume the services. Ask your server administrator for help with this.

DataSet Web Service

With ASP.NET, you can set up a Web Service that returns a dataset to use in ActiveReports. This walkthrough
illustrates how to create one.
This walkthrough is split into the following activities:
Creating an ASP.NET Web Service project
Adding code to create the Web method
Testing the Web service
Publishing the Web service
Creating a virtual directory in IIS

Note: For the information on how to connect your report to data and how to create the report layout, please
see Single Layout Reports (for a page report) or Basic Data Bound Reports (for a section report).

To create an ASP.NET Web Service project

1. From the File menu, select New Project.
2. In the New Project dialog that appears, select ASP.NET Web Service Application.
3. Change the name of the project.
4. Click OK to open the new project in Visual Studio.
To create the Web Method
In the App_Code/Service.vb or Service.cs file that displays by default, replace the existing <WebMethod()> _ and
HelloWorld function with code like the following.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste OVER the existing WebMethod.
Private connString As String
<WebMethod(Description:="Returns a DataSet containing all Products")> _
Public Function GetProduct() As Data.DataSet
connString = "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;
Data Source=C:\Users\[User Name]\Documents\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports
9\Data\nwind.mdb"
Dim adapter As New Data.OleDb.OleDbDataAdapter("select * from products", connString)
Dim ds As New Data.DataSet()
adapter.Fill(ds, "Products")
Return ds
End Function

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste OVER the existing WebMethod.
private static string connString = "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 912
Data Source = C:\\Users\\[User Name]\\Documents\\GrapeCity Samples\\ActiveReports
9\\Data\\nwind.mdb";
[WebMethod(Description="Returns a DataSet containing all Products")]
public Data.DataSet GetProduct()
{
Data.OleDb.OleDbDataAdapter adapter;
Data.DataSet ds;
adapter = new Data.OleDb.OleDbDataAdapter("select * from products", connString);
ds = new Data.DataSet();
adapter.Fill(ds, "Products");
return ds;
}

To test the Web Service

1. Press F5 to run the project.
2. If the Debugging Not Enabled dialog appears, select the option that enables debugging and click OK to
continue.
3. In the list of supported operations, click the GetProduct link. (The description string from the code above
appears below the link.)
4. Click the Invoke button to test the Web Service operation.
5. If the test is successful, a valid XML schema of the Northwind products table displays in a new browser
window.
6. Copy the URL from the browser for use in the Web Reference of your DataSet Windows Application.
To publish the Web Service
1. In the Solution Explorer, right-click the project name and select Publish.
2. In the Publish Web window that appears, enter locahost in the Service URL field and
"SiteName"/WebService in the Site/application field.

Note: Get the SiteName from the Internet Information Services Manager.

3. Select the Mark an IIS application on destination option and click the OK button.
To check the configuration in IIS
1. Open Internet Information Services Manager.
2. In the Internet Information Services Manager window that appears, expand the tree view in the left
pane until you see the Web Service you had added in the steps above.
3. Right-click the Web Service select Manage Application then Browse.
4. In the browser that appears, go to the Address bar and add \Service1 to the url.
For information on consuming the DataSet Web Service in an ActiveReport, see DataSet Windows Application.

DataSet Windows Application

You can use a Web Service that returns a dataset as the data source for your reports in Windows applications. This
walkthrough illustrates how to create a Windows client application that uses the dataset Web Service as the data
source for an ActiveReports.
This walkthrough builds on the DataSet Web Service walkthrough and is split up into the following activities:
Adding a reference to a Web service to the project
Setting the report data source to the one returned by the Web service

Note: For the information on how to connect your report to data and how to create the report layout, please
see Single Layout Reports (for a page report) or Basic Data Bound Reports (for a section report).

To add a reference to a web service to the project

To add a reference to a web service in Visual Studio that is compatible with .NET Framework 2.0 Web
service
1. From the Project menu, select Add Service Reference.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 913
2. In the Add Service Reference window that appears, click Advanced button.
3. In the Service Reference Settings window that appears, click Add Web Reference button.
4. In the Add Web Reference window that appears, click the Web services on the local machine link.
5. Click the link to the virtual directory you created in the previous walkthrough. You can get the address by
running the project from the previous walkthrough and copying the url from the address in the browser. (It
will look something like http://localhost:####/DataSetWS/Service.asmx where #### is the port
number.)
6. Click the Go button, and then click the Add Reference button when the Web Service is recognized.
To add a reference to a web service in Visual Studio
1. From the Project menu, select Add Service Reference.
2. In the Add Service Reference window that appears, type in the address of the virtual directory you
created in the previous walkthrough. You can get the address by running the project from the previous
walkthrough and copying the url from the address in the browser. (It will look something like
http://localhost:####/DataSetWS/Service.asmx where #### is the port number.)
3. Click the Go button, and then click the OK button when the Web Service is recognized.
To set the report data source to the one returned by the Web service
To set the report data source (for Visual Studio 2010 compatible with .NET Framework 2.0 Web
service)
1. Double-click the gray area below the report. This creates an event-handling method for the ReportStart
event.
2. Add code to the handler to use the web service dataset in the report.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event
Dim ws As New localhost.Service
Dim ds As DataSet()= ws.GetProduct()
Me.DataSource = ds
Me.DataMember = "Products"

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.
localhost.DataSetWS ws = new localhost.Service;
DataSet ds = ws.GetProduct();
this.DataSource = ds;
this.DataMember = "Products";

To set the report data source

1. Double-click the gray area below the report. This creates an event-handling method for the ReportStart
event.
2. Add code to the handler to use the web service dataset in the report.
The following example shows what the code for the method looks like.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.
Dim ws As New ServiceReference1.ServiceSoapClient()
Dim ds As DataSet = ws.GetProduct()
Me.DataSource = ds
Me.DataMember = "Products"

To write the code in C#

C# code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.
ServiceReference1.ServiceSoapClient ws = new
ServiceReference1.ServiceSoapClient();
DataSet ds = ws.GetProduct();

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 914
this.DataSource = ds;
this.DataMember = "Products";

To update the app.config file

Note: You need to update the app.config file if you added the Service Reference to the Visual Studio project
in the previous section.

1. In the Solution Explorer, open the app.config file.

2. In the tag <binding name = "ServiceSoap"...>, set maxBufferSize and maxReceivedMessageSize to
some large number, for example, 200500.
3. In the next tag <readerQuotas...>, set maxArrayLength to some large number, for example, 60500.

WPF
This section contains the following walkthroughs that fall under the WPF category.
WPF Viewer
This walkthrough explains how to use the ActiveReports WPF Viewer in a WPF application project.

WPF Viewer
The ActiveReports WPF Viewer is a custom control that allows to easily view section, RDL and page report layouts.
This walkthrough is split up into the following activities.
Creating a WPF Application project in Visual Studio
Adding the ActiveReports WPF Viewer control to the xaml page
Loading a report to the ActiveReports WPF Viewer
Previewing a report
Customizing the ActiveReports WPF Viewer
When you have completed this walkthrough, you will have the ActiveReports WPF Viewer displaying a report that looks
similar to the following.

To create a WPF application in Visual Studio

1. On the Visual Studio File menu, click New Project.
2. In the New Project dialog that appears, select WPF Application in the list of templates.
3. Specify the name and location of the project and then сlick the OK button.
4. In the Visual Studio Solution Explorer, right-click YourProject and select Add, then New Item.
5. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select the ActiveReports 9 Page Report and create the
rptSingleLayout report as described in the Single Layout Reports walkthrough.
To add the WPF Viewer control
1. In Solution Explorer, open MainWindow.xaml.
2. From the Toolbox ActiveReports 9 tab, drag the Viewer control and drop it on the design view of
MainWindow.xaml.
3. In the Properties window, set the properties of the Viewer control as follows.

Property Name Property Value

HorizontalAlignment Stretch

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 915
VerticalAlignment Stretch
Margin 0

4. In the Properties window, rename the Viewer control to viewer1.

To load a report to the WPF Viewer

1. In the Solution Explorer, select the rptSingleLayout report you have created.
2. In the Properties window, set Copy to Output Directory to Copy Always.
3. On MainWindow.xaml, with the viewer selected, go to the Properties window and double click the Loaded event.
4. In the MainWindow code view that appears, add code like the following to the viewer1_loaded event to bind the
report to the viewer. This code shows an .rdlx report being loaded but you can use an .rpx report as well.
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the viewer1_Loaded event in MainWindow.xaml.vb.
Viewer1.LoadDocument("rptSingleLayout.rdlx")

C# code. Paste INSIDE the viewer1_Loaded event in MainWindow.xaml.cs.

viewer1.LoadDocument("rptSingleLayout.rdlx");

Note: For an example of other ways to bind a report to the WPF Viewer, see the LoadDocument ('LoadDocument
Method' in the on-line documentation) method in the Class Library documentation.

Note: To avoid evaluation banners appearing at runtime, license your ActiveReports WPF Application project. You can
find information on licensing in License Your ActiveReports.

To view the report

Press F5 to run the project. The WPF Viewer displaying a report appears.
To customize the WPF Viewer
The ActiveReports WPF Viewer is a customizable control. You can easily change the look of the WPF Viewer and its
elements, such as the error panel, search panel, sidebar and toolbar by modifying properties in the default WPF
Viewer template (DefaultWPFiewerTemplates.xaml).

To add the customization template to the WPF project

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 916
1. Open your WPF project.
2. In Solution Explorer, select the YourProjectName node.
3. On the Visual Studio Project menu, click Add Existing Item.
4. In the dialog that appears, locate and select DefaultWPFViewerTemplates.xaml and click OK. You can find
DefaultWPFViewerTemplates.xaml at [systemdrive]\Program Files\GrapeCity\ActiveReports
9\Deployment\WPF\Templates folder (on a 64-bit Windows operating system, this file is located in
[systemdrive]\Program Files (x86)\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9\Deployment\WPF\Templates).
5. On MainWindow.xaml before the opening <Grid> tag, add the following code.
Paste to the XAML view of MainWindow.xaml before the opening <Grid> tag
<Window.Resources>
<ResourceDictionary Source="DefaultWPFViewerTemplates.xaml" />
</Window.Resources>

To customize the WPF Viewer sidebar

1. In Solution Explorer, double-click DefaultWPFViewerTemplates.xaml.
2. In the file that opens, search for "thumbnails tab".
3. In the GroupBox Header property of <!-- thumbnails tab -->, remove "{Binding Source={StaticResource res},
Path=Resources.ThumbnailsPanel_Title}" and type "THUMBNAILS".
4. Search for "TabControl x:Name="Sidebar".
5. In the Properties Window, go to the Background property and select the color "Yellow".
6. Press F5 to see the customized viewer sidebar.
To add a customized button to the WPF Viewer toolbar
1. In Solution Explorer, select the YourProjectName node.
2. On the Visual Studio Project menu, select Add New Item.
3. In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select Class, rename it to MyCommand and click Add.
4. In the MyCommand.cs/vb that opens, add the following code to implement a command.
To write the code in Visual Basic.NET

Visual Basic.NET code. Add to MyCommand.vb

Implements ICommand
Public Function CanExecute(ByVal parameter As Object) As Boolean Implements
System.Windows.Input.ICommand.CanExecute
Return True
End Function

Public Event CanExecuteChanged(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs)

Implements System.Windows.Input.ICommand.CanExecuteChanged

Public Sub Execute(ByVal parameter As Object) Implements

System.Windows.Input.ICommand.Execute
MessageBox.Show("GrapeCity is the world's largest component vendor.", "About Us",
MessageBoxButton.OK)
End Sub

To write the code in C#

C# code. Add after the statement using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Input;
using System.Windows;

C# code. Add to MyCommand.cs

public class MyCommand : ICommand
{
public bool CanExecute(object parameter)
{
return true;
}

public void Execute(object parameter)

{

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 917
MessageBox.Show("GrapeCity is the world's largest component vendor.", "About
Us", MessageBoxButton.OK);
}

public event EventHandler CanExecuteChanged;

}

5. In Solution Explorer, double-click DefaultWpfViewerTemplates.xaml.

6. In the file that opens, add the following code.
XML code. Add to DefaultWpfViewerTemplates.xaml
<ResourceDictionary>
...
xmlns:YourProjectName="clr-namespace:YourProjectName">
<YourProjectName:MyCommand x:Key="MyCommand" />
...
</ResourceDictionary>

7. In the same file, add the following code to add a button.

XML code. Add to DefaultWpfViewerTemplates.xaml before the closing Toolbar tag
<Button Command="{StaticResource MyCommand}" Content="About Us" />

8. Press F5 to see the new customized button About Us in the Viewer toolbar.
To remove the Refresh button from the WPF Viewer toolbar
1. In Solution Explorer, double-click DefaultWpfViewerTemplates.xaml.
2. In the file that opens, search for "<!--Refresh btn-->".
3. Replace the existing content in Visiblity="..." with the following.
XML code. Add to DefaultWpfViewerTemplates.xaml
<Button Command=... Visibility="Collapsed">

Troubleshooting
If you run into an issue while using ActiveReports, you will probably find the solution within this section. Click any
short description below to drop down the symptoms, cause, and solution. Or click a link to another section of the

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 918
troubleshooting guide.

General Troubleshooting
References missing from Visual Studio Add Reference dialog
Symptoms: When you try to add references to your project, only a few of the ActiveReports references are available.
Cause: The project's target framework is set to an old version of the .NET framework that does not support the new
assemblies.
Solution:
1. In the Solution Explorer, right click the project and choose Properties.
2. On the Application tab in C# projects (or the Compile tab, then the Advanced Compile Options button in Visual
Basic projects), drop down the Target framework box and select .NET Framework 4.0.
Errors after installing a new build
Symptoms: When you open a project created with a previous build of ActiveReports after installing a new build, there
are errors related to being unable to find the previous build.
Cause: Visual Studio has a property on references called Specific Version. If this property is set to True, the project
looks for the specific version that you had installed when you created the report, and throws errors when it cannot
find it.
Solution: For each of the ActiveReports references in the Solution Explorer, select the reference and change the
Specific Version property to False in the Properties Window.
The project does not work if Integrated Managed Pipeline Mode is enabled
Symptoms: The web project does not work in the application pool if Integrated Managed Pipeline Mode is enabled.
Cause: The application configuration is incorrect for being used in Integrated mode.
Solution: Migrate the application configuration. Here is a sample command.
Paste the following on the command line.
"%SystemRoot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd migrate config YourWebSite/"

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Interop64.v9.dll is not available in the default "Add Reference" dialog

Symptoms: The GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Interop64.v9.dll is not available in the default "Add Reference" dialog.
Cause: The GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Interop64.v9.dll is located in the distribution folder.
Solution: The GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Interop64.v9.dll is located in C:\Program Files (x86)\Common
Files\GrapeCity\ActiveReports 9\redist.
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensiblity.v9.dll is added to the list of unused dlls in Visual Studio
Symptoms: GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensiblity.v9.dll is added to the references folder when the viewer is dragged
and dropped on the form, however it is present in the list of unused dll in Visual Studio.
Cause: GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Extensiblity.v9.dll is used internally for certain features in ActiveReports and is
present in the Global Assembly Cache. Therefore, Visual Studio can resolve the dependency and cannot find the direct
references due to which it gets listed as a unused dll in Visual Studio.
Reports are not associated with the designer in Visual Studio when adding ActiveReports to a TFS-bound
project
Symptoms: When adding ActiveReports to a Web site project that is bound to TFS (where reports are added to the
App_Code folder), the report does not open in the designer in Visual Studio.
Cause: The FileAttributes.xml file that contains attribute information to associate ActiveReports files with the
Designer is usually loaded and maintained in memory when a new ActiveReports file is added. However, if a Web site
is bound to TFS, the FileAttributes.xml file is not maintained in memory. As a result, Visual Studio treats all the newly
added files as normal code files.
Solution: Add the newly added reports to FileAttributes.xml manually.
1. From the Website menu, select Add New Item.
2. Select ActiveReports 9 Section Report (code-based) and click OK.
3. Close the project.
4. From Windows Explorer, open the FileAttributes.xml file in an editor and add the new ActiveReports file,

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 919
setting the subtype to Component, using code like the following.

Note: The FileAttributes.xml is located at C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\Local

Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\WebsiteCache\[WebSite1]\ (Windows XP), or at C:\Users\
[username]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WebsiteCache\[WebSite1]\ (Windows 7).

XML code. Paste inside FileAttributes.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16" ?>
<DesignTimeData>
<File RelativeUrl="App_Code/NewActiveReport1.cs" subtype="Component" />
<File RelativeUrl="Default.aspx.cs" subtype="ASPXCodeBehind"
codebehindowner="Default.aspx" />
<File RelativeUrl="Default.aspx" subtype="ASPXCodeBehind" />
</DesignTimeData>

5. Save the FileAttributes.xml file.

6. Reopen the Web site project.
The SystemNotSupportedException occurs when running ActiveReports with scripts on .NET Framework
4.0
Symptoms: The SystemNotSupportedException occurs when running ActiveReports with scripts on .NET Framework
4.0.
Cause: This exception occurs because of the CAS policy, which is obsolete in the .NET Framework 4.0.
Solution: To resolve this issue, the configuration file needs to be updated. To do this, in the Solution Explorer, open
the app.config file (for Windows Forms applications) or the Web.config file (for ASP.NET Web applications) and add the
following code.
(Windows Forms Applications) XML code. Paste inside the app.config file
<configuration>
<runtime>
<NetFx40_LegacySecurityPolicy enabled="true"/>
</runtime>
</configuration>

(ASP.NET Web Applications) XML code. Paste inside the Web.config file
<system.web>
<trust legacyCasModel="true"/>
</system.web>

Microsoft Access OLE DB provider in a 64-bit system

Symptoms: Microsoft Access OLE DB provider, Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0 does not work on a 64-bit system.
Cause: In Visual Studio 2010, by default, projects are set to use 32 bit or 64 bit, depending on the environment on
which they are run. The Microsoft Access OLE DB provider, Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0, is not compatible with 64 bit, so
it fails with Visual Studio 2010 on a 64-bit system.
Solution: To avoid this situation, change the project settings to use only 32 bit.
1. With the project open in Visual Studio, from the Project menu, select Project Properties.
2. In the page that appears, select the Compile tab in a VB project, or the Build tab in a C# project.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Advanced Compile Options button in VB, or skip this step in
C#.
4. Drop down the Target CPU list in VB, or Platform target in C#, (set to use AnyCPU by default) and select
x86.
5. Click OK to save the changes, or skip this step in C#.
The printing thread dies before the report finishes printing
Symptoms: The printing thread dies before the report is printed.
Cause: If printing is done in a separate thread and the application is shut down right after the print call, the separate
thread dies before the report is printed.
Solution: Set the usePrintingThread parameter of the Print() method to False to keep the printing on the same

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 920
thread. This applies to all Page reports, RDL reports and Section reports.
1. In the project where you call the Print method, add a reference to the GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Win.v9
assembly.
2. At the top of the code file where you call the Print method, add a using directive (Imports for VB) for
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.
3. Call the Print method with the usePrintingThread parameter (the third parameter) set to false with code like
the following.

C# code.
document.Print(false, false, false);

Visual Basic code.

document.Print(False, False, False)

Exception thrown when using Viewer.Print to print a report

Symptoms: An exception is thrown when the Viewer.Print method is used to print a report.
Cause: Print method was called before the page was loaded completely.
Solution: Use the Viewer.Print method in the LoadCompleted ('LoadCompleted Event' in the on-line
documentation) event.
ActiveReports controls do not appear in the toolbox
Symptoms: ActiveReport controls do not appear in the toolbox even when they are added manually using the steps in
Adding ActiveReports Controls.
Cause: The project is using .NET 2.0 or lower.
Solution: Confirm if the project is using .NET 3.5 or later. .NET 2.0 is not supported in ActiveReports.

Section Report Troubleshooting

Blank pages printed between pages, or a red line appears in the viewer
Symptoms: Blank pages are printed between pages of the report.
Cause: This problem occurs when the PrintWidth plus the left and right margins exceeds the paper width. For
example, if the paper size were set to A4, the PrintWidth plus the left and right margins cannot exceed 8.27";
otherwise blank pages will be printed. At run time, ActiveReports marks a page overflow by displaying a red line in the
viewer at the position in which the breach has occurred.
Solution: Adjust the PrintWidth in the report designer using either the property grid or by dragging the right edge of
the report. Adjust page margins, height, and width either through the print properties dialog box (in the Report menu
under Settings), or programmatically in the Report_Start event.
Copying reports results in stacked controls
Symptoms: A report file copied into a new project has all of its controls piled up at location 0, 0.
Cause: The report has become disconnected from its resource file. When you set a report"s Localizable property to
True, the Size and Location properties of the report"s controls are moved to the associated *.resx file, so if you copy
or move the report, you must move the *.resx file along with it.
Solution: When you copy a report"s *.vb or *.cs file from one project's App_Code folder into the App_Code folder of
a new project, you need to also copy its *.resx file from the original project"s App_GlobalResources folder into the
new project's App_GlobalResources folder.
No data appears in a report containing the OleObject control
Symptoms: No data appears in a report containing the OleObject control.
Cause: This issue occurs when the Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0 Client Profile or .NET Framework 4.0 Full Profile is
used and the useLegacyV2RuntimeActivationPolicy attribute is not set to True.
Solution: Open the app.config file and set the useLegacyV2RuntimeActivationPolicy attribute to true.
XML code. Paste INSIDE the app.config file.
<configuration>
<startup useLegacyV2RuntimeActivationPolicy="true">
<supportedRuntime version="MyRunTimeVersion"/>

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 921
</startup>
</configuration>

An error message appears in the Fields list

Symptoms: An error message is displayed in the Fields list in the Report Explorer instead of the fields.
Cause: This is an expected error if no default value is given for a parameter. If the field is a data type other than text,
memo, or date/time in Access, the report still runs normally.
Solution: To display the fields in the Fields list in the Report Explorer, supply a default value for the parameter in the
Properties Window, or in the SQL query as below:

SQL Query
<%Name | PromptString | DefaultValue | DataType | PromptUser%>

Only the Name parameter is required. To use some, but not all, of the optional parameters, use all of the separator
characters but with no text between one and the next for unused parameters. For example:
SQL Query
<%Name | | DefaultValue | |%>

An unhandled exception of type "System.Data..." occurs when the report is run

Symptoms: When the report is run, an exception like the following occurs: "An unhandled exception of type
"System.Data.OleDb.OleDbException" occurred in system.data.dll"
Cause: If the field is a text, memo, or date/time data type in Access, the parameter syntax requires single quotes for
text or memo fields, or pound signs for date/time fields. Please note that for different data sources, these
requirements may differ.
Solution: To avoid the exception when the report is run against an Access database, use pound signs for date/time
values, or single quotes for string values in your SQL query, for example:

SQL Query
#<%InvoiceDate | Choose invoice date: | 11/2/04 | D | True%>#

or
SQL Query
"<%Country | Country: | Germany | S | True%>"

User is prompted for parameters for subreports even though they are supplied by the main report
Symptoms: The parameter user interface pops up at run time asking for a value even though the main report is
supplying the parameter values for the subreports.
Cause: The default value of the ShowParameterUI property of the report is True.
Solution: Set the ShowParameterUI property of the report to False. This can be done in the property grid or in code
in the ReportStart event.
The viewer shows the report on the wrong paper size
Symptoms: In the viewer, the report renders to a different paper size than the one specified.
Cause: ActiveReports polls the printer driver assigned to the report to check for clipping, margins, and paper sizes
supported by the printer. If the paper size specified for the report is not supported by the printer, ActiveReports uses
the printer's default paper size to render the report.
Solution: If the report is to be printed, the printer assigned to the report must support the paper size and margins.
Please note that any changes to the print settings in code must be made in or before the ReportStart event. To use
custom paper sizes not supported by the driver, set the PrinterName to an empty string to use the ActiveReports
virtual print driver. This does not allow printing, but is recommended for reports that are only exported or viewed.
This prevents ActiveReports from making a call to the default printer driver. Use the following code in the
ReportStart event, or just before .Run is called.
C# code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.
this.Document.Printer.PrinterName = '';

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 922
Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.
Me.Document.Printer.PrinterName = ''

The PaperHeight and PaperWidth properties, which take a float value defined in inches, have no effect unless you set
the PaperKind property to Custom. Here is some sample code which can be placed in the ReportStart event, or just
before .Run.
C# code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.
this.PageSettings.PaperKind = Drawing.Printing.PaperKind.Custom;
this.PageSettings.PaperHeight = 2;
//sets the height to two inches
this.PageSettings.PaperWidth = 4;
//sets the width to four inches

Visual Basic.NET code. Paste INSIDE the ReportStart event.

Me.PageSettings.PaperKind = Drawing.Printing.PaperKind.Custom
Me.PageSettings.PaperHeight = 2
'sets the height to two inches
Me.PageSettings.PaperWidth = 4
'sets the width to four inches

Custom paper sizes do not work

Symptoms: Custom paper sizes do not work.
Cause: You can create more than one custom paper size, so setting only the PaperKind property is not enough to
create a custom paper size.
Solution: In addition to setting the PaperKind property to Custom, you must also set the PaperName property to a
unique string.

Page Report/RDL report Troubleshooting

An expression containing a numeric field name does not display any data at run time.
Symptoms: An expression containing a numeric field name does not display any data at runtime.
Cause: Visual Basic syntax does not allow an identifier that begins with a number.
i.e. =Fields!2004.Value
Solution: Make the numeric field name a string.
i.e. =Fields("2004").Value or, =Fields.Item("2004").Value
DataSet field in PageHeader of a RDL report
Symptoms: Cannot set a dataset field (bound field) in the PageHeader of a RDL report.
Cause: ActiveReports is based on the RDL 2005 specifications, therefore, referencing datasets in the PageHeader of a
RDL report is not supported.
Solution: There is no direct way to add a DataField in a PageHeader, however, as a workaround you can create a
hidden report parameter that is bound to your dataset and has the default value set to your expression. For example,
="*" & First(Fields!name.Value). You can then use this parameter in the page header.
Alternatively, you can use an Page report instead, which lets you place data fields anywhere on a page.
Exception thrown when using Viewer.Document property
Symptoms: An exception is raised when Viewer.Document ('Document Property' in the on-line
documentation) is used with a page report or RDL report.
Cause: Document property is available for section reports only.
Cannot add assembly reference created in .NET Framework 4.0 or above in PageReports/RDLReports
Symptoms: Cannot add assembly reference created in .NET Framework 4.0 or above in PageReports/RDLReports of
the Stand-alone Designer application.
Cause: Stand-alone Designer application has been created in .NET 3.5 framework, therefore it cannot loaad .NET 4.0
assemblies.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 923
Flash Viewer Troubleshooting
Swfobject undefined error
Symptoms: With the Flash viewer, my page throws a swfobject is undefined error.
Cause: The ActiveReports Handler Mappings are not set up correctly in IIS 7.0.
Solution: Configure HTTPHandlers in IIS 7.x.
IOError while loading document. Error #2032
Symptoms: When running the Flash viewer in IIS, an error occurs with the following message: "IOError while loading
document. Reason: Error #2032."
Cause: The ActiveReports Handler Mappings are not set up correctly in IIS or in the web.config file.
Solution: Update Configure HTTPHandlers in IIS 7.x or if that is already done, ensure that the handlers are enabled in
your web.config file.
FireFox displays white pages
Symptoms: When running the Flash viewer in FireFox, reports display white pages, but Internet Explorer renders
reports correctly.
Cause: The height and width of the Flash viewer control is set to 100%. FireFox does not support this setting, so it
does not resize the Flash Viewer at all.
Solution: Use cascading style sheets (CSS) to set the properties.
To use CSS in your Flash viewer ASPX
ASPX CSS code
<style type="text/css">
html, body, #WebViewer1, #WebViewer1_controlDiv
{
width: 100%;
height: 100%;
margin: 0;
}
</style>

To use an external CSS file

1. Assign the Flash viewer control a CSS class of report-viewer.
2. Add code like the following to the CSS file.
ASPX CSS code. Paste in the external CSS file
.report-viewer, .report-viewer div, .report-viewer object {height: 100%;
width: 100%;}

Cannot load an rdf file in Flash Viewer using client scripting

Symptoms: An rdf file is not loaded in Flash Viewer when using client scripting.
Cause: You have to modify the setting of IIS Express to allow an rdf file to load correctly when using client scripting.
Solution: There are two ways to resolve this issue.
Open a Command Prompt window. Navigate to the IIS Express installation folder (the default location of this folder is
C:\Program Files\IIS Express) and run the following command.

Paste the following on the command line

appcmd set config /section:staticContent /+
[fileExtension='.rdf',mimeType='application/octet-stream']

The other one is to modify the IIS Express configuration file.

1. In your local folders, find the IIS Express configuration file (the default location is C:\Users\
[username]\Documents\IISExpress\config\applicationhost.config).
2. Using Notepad, open the file and find the configuration/system.webServer/staticContent element.
3. Add the following content to the staticContent node.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 924
Paste inside the IIS Express configuration file to the staticContent node
<mimeMap fileExtension=".rdf" mimeType="application/octet-stream" />

4. Save the IIS Express configuration file.

Silverlight Viewer Troubleshooting

JScript error while using the Silverlight Viewer in Silverlight 5
Symptoms: When using the Silverlight Viewer in Silverlight 5, the JScript error may occur with the following
message: "Unhandled Error in Silverlight Application The invocation of the constructor on type
'DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Viewer' that matches the specified binding constraints threw an exception."
Cause: The Silverlight Viewer is based on Silverlight 4, and it adds reference to System.Windows.Controls.dll
(2.0.5.0). In Silverlight 5, adding the Silverlight Viewer control does not automatically add reference to
System.Windows.Controls.dll to the project because the Silverlight Viewer adds reference to the Silverlight 4 version.
Solution: Add a reference to System.Windows.Controls.dll (in Silverlight 4 SDK or Silverlight 5 SDK) to the project.
Pan Mode does not work if the Silverlight viewer is placed in layout panels
Symptoms: Pan Mode does not work in horizontal/vertical directions, if the Silverlight viewer is placed in layout
panels such as StackPanel, Canvas etc.
Cause: The default size of the Silverlight viewer is set to infinite according to the layout panel properties.
Solution: Go to the properties window and set a custom value in the Height and Width property of the layout panel.
Cannot load an rdf file in Silverlight Viewer
Symptoms: An rdf file is not loaded in Silverlight Viewer.
Cause: You have to modify the setting of IIS Express to allow an rdf file to load correctly.
Solution: There are two ways to resolve this issue.
Open a Command Prompt window. Navigate to the IIS Express installation folder (the default location of this folder is
C:\Program Files\IIS Express) and run the following command.

Paste the following on the command line

appcmd set config /section:staticContent /+
[fileExtension='.rdf',mimeType='application/octet-stream']

The other one is to modify the IIS Express configuration file.

1. In your local folders, find the IIS Express configuration file (the default location is C:\Users\
[username]\Documents\IISExpress\config\applicationhost.config).
2. Using Notepad, open the file and find the configuration/system.webServer/staticContent element.
3. Add the following content to the staticContent node.
Paste inside the IIS Express configuration file to the staticContent node
<mimeMap fileExtension=".rdf" mimeType="application/octet-stream" />

4. Save the IIS Express configuration file.

WPF Viewer Troubleshooting

TargetInvocationException occurs when running the WPF browser application
Symptoms: When running the WPF browser application, the TargetInvocationException occurs.
Cause: The WPF browser application does not support Partial Trust.
Solution: Make sure that the WPF browser application uses Full Trust. To do that, in the Visual Studio Project menu,
go to YourProject Properties and on the Security tab, under EnableClickOnce security settings, select the option
This is a full trust application.

Memory Troubleshooting
Note: According to Microsoft it is not necessary to call GC.Collect and it should be avoided. However, if calling
GC.Collect reduces the memory leak, then this indicates that it is not a leak after all. A leak in managed code is

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 925
caused by holding a reference to an object indefinitely. If ActiveReports is holding a reference to an object, then
the object cannot be collected by the garbage collector.

Symptoms: ActiveReports is consuming too much memory; CPU usage always goes to 100% when using
ActiveReports.
Cause: There are several reasons why too much memory may be consumed:
The report is not being disposed of properly
Cause: The report is not being disposed of properly. The incorrect syntax is as follows.

C# code.
//Incorrect!
rpt.Dispose();
rpt=null;

Visual Basic code.

'Incorrect!
rpt.Dispose()
rpt=Nothing

Solution: The correct syntax for disposing of a section report is as follows.

C# code.
//Correct!
rpt.Document.Dispose();
rpt.Dispose();
rpt=null;

Visual Basic code.

'Correct!
rpt.Document.Dispose()
rpt.Dispose()
rpt=Nothing

Machine.Config MemoryLimit setting is insufficient

Cause: Large reports in an ASP.NET application can easily use up the 60% of memory allocated to the ASP.NET
worker process by default, which produces an error. In Machine.Config, MemoryLimit specifies the maximum allowed
memory size, as a percentage of total system memory, that the worker process can consume before ASP.NET
launches a new process and reassigns existing requests.
Solution: Set the CacheToDisk property of the document to True.
This caches the report to disk instead of holding it in memory. This setting is also detected by the PDF Export, which
follows suit, but any other exports still consume memory. Although it is not advised, the ASP.NET worker process
memory allocation can also be changed in your Machine.Config file, which is located in a path like:
C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\Config\. Search the Machine.Config file for memoryLimit, which
is located in the processModel.
Report never finishes processing
Cause: In some cases, very large reports can consume so much memory that the report never finishes processing.
Some of the things that can cause this include:
1. Many non-repeating images, or a high resolution repeating image
2. Instantiating a new instance of a subreport each time the format event of a section fires
3. Using a lot of subreports instead of grouping with joins in the SQL query
4. Pulling in all of the data when only a few fields are needed (e.g. Select * from db instead of Select First,
Last, Address from db)
Solution: In cases where the report is too large to run any other way, the CacheToDisk property may be set to
True. This property should only be used when there is no other way to run the report to completion. Before resorting
to this method, please see the Optimizing Section Reports topic.
Task manager indicates the current "working set" of the process

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 926
Cause: If inflated memory usage is seen in the Task Manager it is not necessarily in use by the code. Task manager
indicates the current "working set" of the process and, upon request, other processes can gain access to that memory.
It is managed by the Operating System.
Solution: For an example of some working set behavior anomalies (which are considered normal), create a WinForms
application and run it. Look in Task Manager at the working set for that process (it should be several megabytes),
then minimize and maximize the form and notice that the working set reclaims to <1MB. Obviously, the code was not
using all that memory even though Task Manager showed that it was allocated to that process. Similarly, you'll see
ASP.NET and other managed service processes continue to gradually grow their working set even though the managed
code in that process is not using all of it. To see whether this is the case, try using the two lines of code below in a
button Click event after running the project.
System.Diagnostics.Process pc = System.Diagnostics.Process.GetCurrentProcess();
pc.MaxWorkingSet = pc.MinWorkingSet;

If that reclaims the memory then the Operating System trimmed the working set down to the minimum amount
necessary and this indicates that the extra memory was not actually in use.

WebViewer Troubleshooting
The WebViewer will not print without displaying the report
Symptoms: The WebViewer will not automatically print a report without displaying it.
Cause: Only the new FlashViewer ViewerType of the WebViewer offers this functionality.
Solution:
1. Set the ViewerType property to FlashViewer.
2. Expand the FlashViewerOptions property, and expand the PrintOptions subproperty.
3. Under the PrintOptions subproperty, set the StartPrint property to True.
PDF opens in a new window when an application contains the WebViewer
Symptoms: When using Internet Explorer and Acrobat Reader to view a page containing a WebViewer in PDF mode,
the resulting PDF always opens in a new window.
Cause: Acrobat Reader is only available in a 32-bit version. When the 64-bit version of Internet Explorer is used, it
opens up an instance of the 32-bit version of Internet Explorer so that the plug-in and the PDF can load, rendering the
resulting PDF in a new window.
Solution:
Install a PDF reader plug-in that is 64-bit compatible.
OR
Use the 32-bit version of Internet Explorer.
The report in the HTML viewer type does not look exactly like the other viewer types
Symptoms: The report in the HTML viewer type does not look exactly like the other viewer types.
Cause: The HTML format is not WYSIWYG. It does not support the following items:
Line control
Control borders
Shapes (other than filled rects)
CrossSectionBox and CrossSectionLine controls
Overlapping controls
Solution: Try to avoid using the above items in reports which are shown in HTML format.
Blank reports with the AcrobatReader viewer type on the production web server
Symptoms: In the WebViewer, reports render correctly with the HTML ViewerType but they show up blank with the
AcrobatReader ViewerType on the production web server.
Cause: .ArCacheItem is not set up in your IIS extension mappings.
Solution:
1. From the Start menu, choose Control Panel, then Administrative Tools, then Internet Information
Services.
2. Right-click your Default Web Site and choose Properties.
3. On the Home Directory tab, click the Configuration button.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 927
4. On the Mapping tab, check the Extension column to see whether .ArCacheItem appears. If not, click Add.
5. In the Add/Edit Application Extension Mapping dialog that appears, click Browse and navigate to
(Windows)\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727 or v3.0 or v3.5.
6. In the Open dialog, change Files of type to Dynamic Link libraries (*.dll).
7. Select aspnet_isapi.dll and click Open.
8. In the Extension textbox type .ArCacheItem.
9. Click the Limit to radio button and type GET,HEAD,POST,DEBUG.
10. Ensure that the Script engine check box is selected and the Check that file exists check box is cleared.
11. Click OK.

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 928

1 Index
.NET Framework Client and Full Profile Versions, 32-33
2D Area Charts, 292-293
2D Bar Charts, 294-297
2D Financial Charts, 312-317
2D Line Charts, 303-305
2D Pie/Doughnut Charts, 306-308
2D Point/Bubble Charts, 319-322
3D Area Charts, 293-294
3D Bar Charts, 297-303
3D Effects, 325-326
3D Financial Charts, 317-319
3D Line Charts, 305-306
3D Pie Chart, 851-853
3D Pie/Doughnut Charts, 308-312
Active Reports Web Pro, 613-618
ActiveReports 9, 15
ActiveReports and the Web , 60-61
ActiveReports Designer, 87-89
ActiveReports Editions, 20-26
ActiveReports User Guide, 15
ActiveReports with MVC, 618-620
ActiveReports with MVC5 and HTML5Viewer, 632-634
Add a Cascading Parameter, 497-499
Add a Custom Tile Provider, 483-485
Add a Dataset, 445-446
Add and Save Annotations, 552-554
Add Bookmarks, 554-555 , 503-505
Add Code to Layouts Using Script, 563-567
Add Field Expressions, 533-535
Add Grouping in Section Reports, 530-531
Add Hyperlinks, 556-558 , 503
Add Items to the Document Map, 513-516
Add Page Breaks in RDL (RDL Report), 517-518
Add Page Numbering, 235-236

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 929
Add Parameters, 495-496
Add Parameters in a Section Report, 550-552
Add Static Rows and Columns to a Matrix, 522-523
Add TableOfContents, 490-491
Add Totals and Subtotals in a Data Region , 518-522
Adding a Data Source to a Report, 50-51
Adding ActiveReports Controls, 46-47
Adding an ActiveReport to a Project, 47-50
Adding an ActiveReports Application, 85-86
Address Labels, 811-813
Advanced, 762
Allow Users to Sort Data in the Viewer, 509-510
Alpha Blending, 326
Annotations, 426-427
Annual Report, 650-651
API, 602
Area Chart, 291-292
BandedList, 122-125
BandedList Reports, 696-700
Bar Chart, 294 , 850-851
Barcode, 125-136
Barcode (Section Report) , 274-286
Basic Data Bound Reports, 803-804
Basic Spreadsheet with SpreadBuilder, 909-911
Basic XML-Based Reports (RPX), 804-808
Bind a Page Report to a Data Source at Run Time, 447-455
Bind Reports to a Data Source, 525-530
Bound Data, 643-644
Breaking Changes, 40-43
Bullet, 136-138
CacheToDisk and Resource Storage, 362
Calculated Fields, 674-675
Calendar, 138-141
Category Selection, 651-653
Cell Merging In Matrix, 523-524
Change Page Size, 516-517

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 930
Change Ruler Measurements, 546-547
Chart, 849-850 , 731
Chart , 141-149
Chart Annotations, 327-329
Chart Appearance, 323-324
Chart Axes and Walls, 341
Chart Control Items, 327
Chart Data Dialog, 149-155
Chart Effects, 324
Chart Series, 322-323
Chart Titles and Footers, 329-331
Chart Types (Section Reports), 291
Chart Wizard, 290-291
ChartControl, 288-290
Charting, 653-654
Charts, 731-734
CheckBox (Page Report) , 155-157
CheckBox (Section Report), 267-268
Code-Based Section Report, 119
Collate Multiple Copies of a Report, 700-703
Color Scale 2, 252-254
Color Scale 3, 254-257
Colors, 324-325
Columnar Layout Reports (RDL), 703-705
Columnar Reports, 813-816
Common Functions, 205-210
Common Values, 204-205
Common Walkthroughs, 894
Concepts, 86-87
Conditionally Show or Hide Details, 549-550
Configure HTTPHandlers in IIS 6, 584-585
Configure HTTPHandlers in IIS 7 and IIS 8, 585-588
Connect to a Data Source, 444-445
constant expressions, 501-502
Constant Lines and Stripes, 339-341
Container, 157-158

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 931
Converting Crystal Reports/MS Access Reports, 43-46
Copy, 917-927
Create a Bullet Graph, 493-494
Create a Drill-Down Report, 510-511
Create a Map, 468-473
Create a Summary Report, 542-544
Create a Whisker Sparkline, 494-495
Create an ALL Parameter, 496-497
Create and Add Themes, 500-501
Create and Edit a Shared Data Source, 446-447
Create and Use a Master Report (RDL Report), 505-506
Create Common Page Reports , 491
Create Common Section Reports, 541
Create Green Bar Report, 493
Create Green Bar Reports, 544-545
Create Red Negatives Report, 492-493
Create Report, 602-603
Create Top N Report, 491-492
Create Top N Reports, 541-542
Creating a Basic End User Report Designer (Pro Edition), 895-900
Cross Section Controls, 347-349 , 654-656
Cross Tab Report, 656-658
Cultures, 433-438
Custom Annotation, 664-665
Custom Axes, 344-345
Custom Data Provider, 770-802
Custom Font Factory (Pro Edition), 387-390
Custom HTML Outputter, 862-868
Custom Preview, 665-669
Custom Resource Locator, 257-260 , 766-770 , 603-604
Custom Tile Provider, 622-623
Custom Web Exporting, 738-743
Custom Web Exporting (Std Edition), 858-862
CustomDataProvider, 620-621
Customize and Apply a Theme, 501
Customize HTML5 Viewer, 588-591

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 932
Customize the FlashViewer Toolbar, 580-583
Customize the Viewer Control, 573-575
Customize, Localize, and Deploy, 570-571
Customizing the Flash Viewer UI, 900-906
Customizing the HTML Viewer UI, 906-909
Data, 802-803 , 643
Data , 681
Data Bar, 249-252
Data Field Expressions, 675-676
Data Sources and Datasets, 198
Data Visualizers, 239
DataSet DataSource, 604-605
DataSet Dialog, 200-202
DataSet Web Service, 911-912
DataSet Windows Application, 912-914
Date, Time, and Number Formatting, 359-361
Deploy, 578-579
Deploy Web Applications, 578-579
Deploy Windows Applications, 576-577
Design View, 89-91
Designer Buttons, 94-98
Designer Control (Pro Edition), 430
Designer Tabs, 92-94
Digital Signature, 623-625
Display Page Numbers and Report Dates, 535-536
Document Map, 423-424
Document Web Service, 892
Document Windows Application, 893-894
Drilldown Reports, 743-744
Drill-Down Reports, 422
Drill-Through Reports, 744-750
Embed Subreports , 562-563
End User Designer, 625-627
End User License Agreement, 32
Excel Export, 382-383
Exploring Page Reports , 107-108

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 933
Exploring RDL Reports, 105-107
Exploring Section Reports , 104-105
Export, 909 , 738 , 858
Export Filters, 376-377
Exporting, 362-363
Exporting Reports using Export Filters, 384-386
Expressions, 203-204
Expressions in Reports, 693-695
Filtering, 421-422
Financial Chart, 312 , 853-855
FixedPage Dialog, 231-233
Font Linking, 386-387
FormattedText, 158-161
Getting Started, 46
Getting Started with the Web Viewer, 61-62
GrapeCity Copyright Notice , 31-32
Green Bar, 544-545
Gridlines and Tick Marks, 345-346
Group On Unbound Fields, 816-822
Grouping Data (Page Layout), 233-235
Grouping Data in Section Reports, 357-359
Grouping in a Data Region, 456-463
Grouping in a FixedPage, 456
How To, 442-443
HTML Export, 377-378
HTML5 Viewer Sample, 599-601
Hyperlinks and DrillThrough, 669-671
Icon Set, 239-243
IList Binding, 644-646
Image, 161-163
Inherit a Report Template, 545-546
Inheritance, 658-659
Insert or Add Pages, 559-562
Install ActiveReports, 27-28
Installation, 26
Installed Files, 28-30

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 934
Interactive Features, 418-419
Label, 262-264
Label Symbols, 333-339
Layer, 605-607
Layers, 210-218
Layout, 695-696 , 811 , 649-650
Legends, 331-332
License, 34-39
License Your ActiveReports, 34-39
Lighting, 326-327
Line, 163
Line (Section Report) , 273-274
Line Chart, 303
Line Spacing and Character Spacing, 428-429
Linking in Reports, 422-423
LINQ, 646-647
List, 163-166
Load a File into a RichTextBox Control, 536-539
Localization, 432-433
Localize, 432-433 , 433-438
Localize ActiveReports Resources, 572-573
Localize and Deploy HTML5 Viewer, 591-592
Localize Reports, TextBoxes, and Chart Controls , 571-572
Localize the End User Report Designer, 579-580
Localize the Flash Viewer, 583-584
Localize the Viewer Control, 575-576
Mail Merge with RichText, 822-828
Map, 166-175 , 734 , 628-629
Markers, 332-333
Master Detail Reports, 681-684
Master Reports (RDL), 237-239
Matrix, 175-180
Matrix Reports, 705-709
Medium Trust Support, 76-77
Memory, 362 , 917-927
Modify Data Sources at Run Time, 531-533

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 935
Multiline in Report Controls, 428
Normalized DataSet, 607-609
OleDb DataSource, 609
OleObject, 287-288
Open and Save Reports from the Server, 411-415
Optimizing Section Reports, 361-362
Overflow Data in a Single Page(Page Report), 709-713
Overflow Data in Multiple Pages(Page Report), 713-717
OverflowPlaceHolder, 180-181
Overlaying Reports (Letterhead), 828-833
Page Report, 118
Page Report/RDL Report Concepts , 120
Page Report/RDL Report How To , 443-444
Page Report/RDL Report Walkthroughs, 680-681
Page Reports And RDL Reports, 601
Page Tabs, 98-99
Page Unbound Data, 609-610
PageBreak, 274
Parameterized Reports, 750-753
Parameters, 419-421 , 883 , 917-927
Parameters for Charts, 887-892
PDF Export, 378-381
Picture, 272-273
Pie and Doughnut Charts, 306
Point and Bubble Charts, 319
Preview, 743 , 664
Print Methods In ActiveReports, 596-599
Print Multiple Copies, Duplex and Landscape, 547-549
Print Mutliple Pages per Sheet, 671-672
Printing, 917-927
Professional, 894-895 , 612-613
Properties Window, 108-109
Provide One-Touch Printing in the WebViewer (Pro Edition), 595
Provide PDF Printing in the Silverlight Viewer (Pro Edition), 595-596
Query Building With Visual Query Designer, 395-405
Range Bar, 243-246

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 936
Range Bar Progress, 246-249
RDF Viewer, 672-674
Recursive Hierarchy Reports, 717-721
Redistributable Files, 33-34
Rendering Extensions, 363
Rendering to Excel, 373-375
Rendering to HTML, 363-365
Rendering to Images, 369-371
Rendering to PDF, 365-369
Rendering to Word, 375-376
Rendering to XML, 371-373
Report Data Source Dialog, 198-200
Report Definition Language (RDL) Report, 116-118
Report Dialog , 228-230
Report Explorer, 103-104
Report Menu, 91-92
Report Settings Dialog, 355-357
Report Types, 113-116
Report Wizard, 610-612
ReportInfo, 346-347
Reports Gallery, 634-642
Reports with Bookmarks, 753-757
Reports with Custom Code, 762-766
Reports with Map, 734-738
Reports with Parameterized Queries, 684-688
Reports with Stored Procedures, 688-690
Reports with TableOfContents, 757-762
Reports with XML Data, 690-693
Requirements, 26-27
RichTextBox, 268-271
RTF Export, 382
Rulers , 109-110
Run Time Data Sources, 808-811
Run Time Layouts, 833-842
Samples, 599
Samples and Walkthroughs, 599

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 937
Save and Load RDF Report Files, 567-568
Save and Load RPX Report Files , 568-570
Script, 868-869
Script for Simple Reports, 869-875
Script for Subreports, 875-883
Scripting in Section Reports, 354-355
Scroll Bars, 110-111
Section 508 Compliance, 438-442
Section Report, 642
Section Report Concepts , 260-261
Section Report Events, 351-354
Section Report How To, 524-525
Section Report Structure, 349-351
Section Report Toolbox, 261-262
Section Report Walkthroughs, 802
Set a Drill-Through Link, 511-513
Set a Hidden Parameter, 499-500
Set Detail Grouping In Sparklines, 463-464
Set FixedSize of a Data Region, 467-468
Set Up Collation, 502-503
Setting Filters, 464-467
Shape, 181-183
Shape (Section Report), 271-272
Shared Data Source (RDSX), 202-203
Shrink Text to Fit in a Control, 430-431
Side-by-Side Installation, 30-31
Silverlight Viewer, 629-631
Single Layout Reports, 721-724
Snap Lines, 111-112
Sort Data, 506-509
Sorting, 424-426
Sparkline, 183-186
Stand-Alone Designer and Viewers , 431-432
Standard Axes, 341-343
Standard Edition Web, 676-678
Style Sheets, 659-660

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 938
SubReport, 660-664
SubReport (Section Report), 286-287
Subreport(RDL), 186-187
Subreports in RDL Reports, 724-731
Subreports with Run-Time Data Sources, 846-849
Subreports with XML Data, 842-846
Summary, 674
Table, 187-192
Table of Contents, 631-632
TableOfContents, 192-194
Tables And Relations, 405-407
Text Export, 381-382
Text Justification, 427-428
TextBox, 194-198
TextBox (Section Report) , 264-267
Themes, 236-237
TIFF Export, 383-384
Toolbar, 99-103
Toolbox, 120-122 , 108
Tracing Layers, 223-227
Troubleshooting, 917-927
Unbound Chart, 855-858
Unbound Data, 647-648
Upgrading Reports, 39-40
Use a Line Layer, 480-481
Use a Point Layer, 479-480
Use a Polygon Layer, 478-479
Use a Tile Layer, 481-483
Use Advanced Printing Options, 594-595
Use Color Rule, Marker Rule and Size Rule, 486-489
Use Constant Expressions in a Theme, 501-502
Use Custom Controls on Reports, 539-541
Use External Style Sheets, 558-559
Use Fields in Reports, 592-594
Use Layers, 476-478
Using Parameters in SubReports, 883-887

Copyright © 2016 GrapeCity, inc. All rights reserved

ActiveReports 9 User Guide 939
Using Script, 227-228
Using the Flash Viewer, 62-65
Using the HTML Viewer , 65-67
Using the HTML5 Viewer, 68-72
Using the Silverlight Viewer, 77-79
Using the Viewer, 51-60
Using the Visual Query Designer, 407-411
Using the WPF Viewer, 79-85
View, Export or Print Layers, 222-223
Viewing Reports, 51
Viewing Reports using HTML5 Viewer, 75-76
Visual Query Designer, 390-395
Walkthroughs, 680
Web, 578-579 , 911
Web , 892
WebViewer, 595 , 917-927
Welcome to ActiveReports

ActiveReports Editions, 20-26

ActiveReports User Guide, 15
Breaking Changes, 40-43
Converting Crystal Reports/MS Access Reports, 43-46
End User License Agreement, 32
GrapeCity Copyright Notice , 31-32
Install ActiveReports, 27-28
Installation, 26
Installed Files, 28-30
Redistributable Files, 33-34
Requirements, 26-27
Side-by-Side Installation, 30-31
Upgrading Reports, 39-40
Welcome to ActiveReports 9, 15-16
What's New, 16-20

Welcome to ActiveReports 9, 15-16

What's New, 16-20
Windows Forms Viewer Customization, 429-430

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ActiveReports 9 User Guide 940
Work with Data, 444 , 473-476
Work with Data in Section Reports, 525
Work with Layers, 476
Work with Map, 468
Work with Report Controls, 533
Work with Report Controls and Data Regions, 455
Working with HTML Viewer using Javascript , 67-68
Working with HTML5 Viewer using Javascript, 72-75
Working with Layers, 218-222
Working with Reports Stored in ActiveReports Server, 415-418
WPF, 914
WPF Viewer, 914-917 , 678-680
XML, 648-649
Xml Data Source, 612
XML-Based Section Report , 119
Zoom Support, 113

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