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 object after adding reference to MESCIUS.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf package in your project

PDF Export Properties

PDF Export usage and limitations

Usage:

• Create printable reports whose formats do not change from machine to machine.
• Open in Adobe Reader.
• WYSWYG in both compatibility modes - a legacy GDI and a new CrossPlatform mode (section report).

Does not support:

• Multiple lines of vertical text is not supported in Page and RDLX reports (GDI compatibility mode).
• Transparent background-color in charts is not supported in the GDI compatibility mode if ConvertMetaToPng is set to True.

Options, Security, and Watermark

When you expand the Options, Security, or Watermark properties in the Properties window, the following sub properties are revealed.

PDF Options Properties

PDF Security Properties

PDF Watermark Properties (CrossPlatform Compatibility Mode only)

PDF Print Presets Properties

ActiveReports allows you to preset the printing properties for PDF report exports using the PrintPresets class. This pre-populates the print settings in the Print dialog box. Please see Print Presets for more information.

Metadata in PDFs

Adding Metadata

Metadata such as keywords, descriptions are used by the search engines to narrow down the searches. You can add a number of predefined accessors, such as title, contributors, creators, copyright, description, etc. using AdditionalMetadata property. The allowed namespaces are:

• Dublin Core Properties
• XMP Core Properties
• PDF Properties

Dim sectionReport As GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport()
Dim xtr As XmlReader = XmlReader.Create(Application.StartupPath & "\SectionReport1.rpx")
sectionReport.LoadLayout(xtr)
sectionReport.Run()
Dim pdfExport As GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Section.PdfExport = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Section.PdfExport()
Dim metadata1 = New AdditionalMetadataInfo With {
    .[Namespace] = AdditionalMetadataNamespace.PurlOrg, ' Dublin Core Properties
    .Key = "title",
    .Value = "Invoice"
}
pdfExport.Options.AdditionalMetadata.Add(metadata1)
pdfExport.Export(sectionReport.Document, Application.StartupPath & "\MyPDF.pdf")

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport sectionReport = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport();
XmlReader xtr = XmlReader.Create(Application.StartupPath + "\\SectionReport1.rpx");
sectionReport.LoadLayout(xtr);
sectionReport.Run();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Section.PdfExport pdfExport = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Section.PdfExport();
// Add meta data
var metadata1 = new AdditionalMetadataInfo
{
    Namespace = AdditionalMetadataNamespace.PurlOrg, //Dublin Core Properties
    Key = "title",
    Value = "Invoice"
 };          
            
pdfExport.Options.AdditionalMetadata.Add(metadata1);
pdfExport.Export(sectionReport.Document, Application.StartupPath + "\\MyPDF.pdf");

Adding Attachment

You can include an attachment as metadata (such as invoices) to exported PDFs using Attachments property. This property allows to attach files such as a .xml or a .txt file in PDF. Below is example to export Section reports to PDF and attach a file to the exported PDF.

Dim sectionReport As GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport()
Dim xtr As XmlReader = XmlReader.Create(Application.StartupPath + _, SectionReport1.rpx)
sectionReport.LoadLayout(xtr)
sectionReport.Run()
Dim pdfExport As GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Section.PdfExport = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Section.PdfExport()
Dim attachment = New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.AttachmentInfo With {
    .Name = "file.txt",
    .Content = System.IO.File.ReadAllBytes("D:\Reports\file.txt"),
    .Description = "attachment description"
}
pdfExport.Options.Attachments.Add(attachment)
pdfExport.Export(sectionReport.Document, Application.StartupPath & "\MyPDF.pdf")

GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport sectionReport = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.SectionReport();
XmlReader xtr = XmlReader.Create(Application.StartupPath + \\SectionReport1.rpx);
sectionReport.LoadLayout(xtr);
sectionReport.Run();
GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Section.PdfExport pdfExport = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Section.PdfExport();
// Add attachment
var attachment = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.AttachmentInfo
    {
          Name = "file.txt",
          Content = System.IO.File.ReadAllBytes(@"D:\Reports\file.txt"),
          Description = "attachment description" //optional
    };
pdfExport.Options.Attachments.Add(attachment);
pdfExport.Export(sectionReport.Document, Application.StartupPath + "\\MyPDF.pdf");

Open the exported PDF and you should see the attachment. Check the left sidebar in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.

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.

Export Report using PDF Export Filter

Use the following steps to export reports through PDF export filters.

1. Create a new or open an existing Visual Studio project.
   • If you are creating a new project,
     - select ActiveReports 18 Section Report (xml-based) Application in Create a New Project dialog, and then
     - specify a name for the project, and click OK.
     
   • If you are using an existing project,
     - go to the Solution Explorer and right-click the project and select Add > New Item, and then
     - select ActiveReports 18 Section Report (xml-based) and click Add.
     
2. Add a reference to MESCIUS.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf package in the project. See Manage ActiveReports Dependencies for more information.
3. In your project's Bin>Debug folder, place the report.rpx (Section Report).    
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 export Section Reports .

   Visual Basic.NETcode. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event

   Copy Code

   ' 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() ' Export the report in HTML format. Dim PdfExport1 As New GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Section.PdfExport() PdfExport1.Export(rpt.Document, Application.StartupPath + "\PDFExpt.pdf")

   
   

   C# code. Paste INSIDE the Form_Load event.

   Copy Code

   // 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(); // Export the report in PDF format. GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Section.PdfExport PdfExport1 = new GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Export.Pdf.Section.PdfExport(); PdfExport1.Export(rpt.Document, Application.StartupPath + "\\PDFExpt.pdf");