Choosing a Report Type
ActiveReports supports the following report types:
-
Page/RDLX reports: xml-based formats that are similar to the MS SSRS format from Microsoft.
- RDLX report: similar to the MS SSRS format with some extensions and limitations. In general, you can use Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (MS SSRS) reports, but there are complicated situations that require importing. In an RDLX 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.
There are a number of common concepts that apply to Page and RDLX reports. You should remember that some features require developer's experience - work with code samples, etc, so you should visit the corresponding pages.
- Page report: RDLX-like pages with predefined fixed layout pages but without the same growing possibilities. 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 Overflow Placeholder to handle any extra data.
-
Section reports: similar to the RDLX report type with the BandedList data region in the paginated mode.
- Xml-based Section report (RPX): XML-based format that uses event handlers as restricted scripts.
- Code-based Section Report (CodeDOM): the Designer is available with Visual Studio only but you can perform many report operations using event handlers.
RDLX is the default report type. If you need special fixed pages, you should choose the Page report type. We suggest using the Section report type for migration use-cases only. For XML-based RPX reports we have an import tool, which allows migrating most of the layout.
For now, each report type has some unique feature, so it is suggested to choose the report type depending on your requirements. This table will help you choose the report type.
| Report Type |
End-User Designer |
WebDesigner |
DocX Export |
Linux |
Custom controls |
Galley layout |
Primary Target:
developers or end-users |
Document serialization |
Different page sizes
in a document |
Viewer interactivity |
| RDLX |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
end-users |
✗ |
✗ |
✓ |
| Page |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✗1 |
end-users |
✗ |
✓ |
✓ |
| RDLX Dashboard |
✗ |
✓ |
✗ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
end-users |
✗ |
✗ |
✓ |
| XML-based Section |
✓ |
✗ |
✗ |
✓ |
✓ |
✗1 |
developers |
✓2 |
✓ 3 |
✗ |
| Code-based Section |
✗ |
✗ |
✗ |
✓ |
✓ |
✗1 |
developers only |
✓2 |
✓3 |
✗ |
1Paginated only
2Internal RDF format
3Supported in RDF format, requires manual document merging using scripts/events
All report types support scripts (section reports require scripts in most situations) and the possibility to use functions from external assemblies (in expressions for Page/RDLX reports and in scripts/events for Section reports).
Note: Section report requires using code/scripts for most complicated scenarios. See Scripts topic.
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
- RDLX: This is an XML-based proprietary file format that provides custom extensions to the Report Definition Language (RDLX) 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 RDLX 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 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.
- 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. The RDF format is a vector-based image, this means that you can join some documents or render additional graphics. You can open it in any viewer or export it to any supported format (limited to Section reports). The RDF format doesn't require access to data sources and doesn't support parameters.
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 Work with RDF Document for further details.
See the following list of file formats available in each layout.
| Format |
Page Layout/RDLX Layout |
Section 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 report |
Page report |
RDLX report |
| Viewers & Editors |
|
|
|
| Visual Studio Integrated Designer |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
| Expressions Editor |
✗ |
✓ |
✓ |
| Designer Script Editor |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
| Windows Form Viewer |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
| WebViewer. Includes viewer types HTML, RawHTML, and PDF. |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
| HTTP Handlers (Pro Edition) |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
| Interactivity |
|
|
|
| Hyperlinks |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
| Parameters |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
| Drill through |
✗ |
✓ |
✓ |
| Drill down |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
| 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 |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
| Filtering |
✗ |
✓ |
✓ |
| Grouping |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
| Sorting |
✗ |
✓ |
✓ |
| Standalone Applications |
|
|
|
| ActiveReports Viewer |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
| ActiveReports Theme Editor |
✗ |
✓ |
✓ |
| ActiveReports Designer |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
For comparison of reports with respect to available report controls or data regions, see Report Controls page.
