ActiveReports 18 .NET Edition
Developers / Work with Reports using Code / Visual Studio Integrated Designer
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    Visual Studio Integrated Designer
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    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 Properties panel 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.

    Report Layouts in Visual Studio Integrated Designer

    The designer supports these types of report layouts: rdlx layout, page layout, and section layout.

    RDLX/RDLX Dashboard Report

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

    RDLX Report Layout

     

    RDLX Dashboard Report Layout

    Note that a theme you select for your Visual Studio, is automatically applied to the ActiveReports Designer. For example, if you select the Dark theme for your Visual Studio, this theme is applied automatically to the Designer. The Visual Studio theme is extended to such ActiveReports Designer elements as Reports Library, Layer List, Report Explorer, and Group Editor.

    The theme integration works for all reports (Page, RDLX, RDLX Dashboard, and Section) opened in supported Visual Studio versions.

    Visual Studio in dark theme

     

    Page Report

    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.

    Page Report Layout

    Section Report

    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.

    Section Report Layout (RPX)