# What's New in ActiveReports.NET v20.2 Use ActiveReports for reporting in .NET Core. Visit this topic to get the major highlights of ActiveReports 18 since its last version. ## Content ## Report Designer Enhancements ### AI Assistance in the Web Designer The ActiveReports Web Designer hosted in your application can now suggest visualizations with AI through the new **Explore** option. ![](https://cdn.mescius.io/document-site-files/images/cf658a8a-df75-4ef1-940a-491f1a19d05a/what%27snew1-20260914.81e156.png) Select a dataset, or just a few of its fields, and choose **Explore**. The designer sends the field names and types — never the data itself — to your configured AI provider, which returns ready-to-use table, tablix, and chart visualizations. Each suggestion comes with a plain-language description and a color theme you can switch on the generated items. ![](https://cdn.mescius.io/document-site-files/images/cf658a8a-df75-4ef1-940a-491f1a19d05a/what%27snew-webai-20260914.9d4484.png) Connect the provider that fits your environment: OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, Google Gemini, or a fully local Ollama model. For setup instructions, see [Web AI Assistant Setup](/activereportsnet/docs/v20.2/developers/create-applications/web-designer-application/web-ai-assistant-setup). To learn how report authors use this feature, see [AI Assistant in Web Designer](/activereportsnet/docs/v20.2/report-authors/webdesigner/ai-assistant). ### Size Source for Paper Size Selection The report designer adds a **Size Source** option that controls where the entries in the **Size** list come from. Point it at a specific printer to offer the paper sizes that printer supports, or keep the default list of standard sizes. This makes it easier to match a report's page setup to the device it will be printed on. **Size Source** is available for all report types. You can set it in the following locations: * [Report Wizard](/activereportsnet/docs/v20.2/report-authors/using-report-wizard/configuring-page-settings): the **Configure Page Settings** step * [Report Settings](/activereportsnet/docs/v20.2/report-authors/design-reports/design-section-reports/report-settings-dialog) dialog for [Section Reports](/activereportsnet/docs/v20.2/report-authors/reporttypes/section-report-type) * Property Grid: [RDLX - Continious Page Layout](/activereportsnet/docs/v20.2/report-authors/reporttypes/rdl-report-type) and [RDLX - Fixed Page Layout](/activereportsnet/docs/v20.2/report-authors/reporttypes/page-report-type) report types ![](https://cdn.mescius.io/document-site-files/images/cf658a8a-df75-4ef1-940a-491f1a19d05a/what%27snew-sizesource-20260914.95dab8.png) When you change the source, the **Size** list refreshes automatically to show the paper sizes available from it. The size source is a design-time setting only and isn't saved in the report layout. ## Report Viewer Enhancements ### Optional Automatic Execution for Reports with Default Parameters Until now, a report whose parameters all had default values ran as soon as it opened in the viewer, giving readers no chance to check the values first. The new `AutoExecuteWithDefaultParams` setting lets you turn that automatic execution off, so readers can review the default parameter values — and change them if needed — before selecting Preview to run the report. ![](https://cdn.mescius.io/document-site-files/images/cf658a8a-df75-4ef1-940a-491f1a19d05a/what%27snew-autoexecute-20260914.af0b19.png) The setting is available in [WinForms](/activereportsnet/api/v20.2/MESCIUS.ActiveReports.Viewer.Win/GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Win.html), [WPF](/activereportsnet/api/v20.2/MESCIUS.ActiveReports.Viewer.Wpf/GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Viewer.Wpf.html), [ASP.NET Web Viewer](/activereportsnet/api/v20.2/MESCIUS.ActiveReports.Web/GrapeCity.ActiveReports.Web.WebViewer.html), [Blazor Viewer](/activereportsnet/docs/v20.2/developers/create-applications/blazor-viewer-application/blazor-viewer-api), and [JS Viewer](/activereportsnet/docs/v20.2/developers/create-applications/js-viewer-application/jsviewer-api). It stays enabled by default, so existing behavior does not change unless you opt out. Disabling it is especially useful in web applications, where it avoids running a report before the reader is ready. ## Report Export Enhancements ### Multi-Column List Support in Word Export [Word export](/activereportsnet/docs/v20.2/developers/export-reports/exporting-page-rdl-reports/word-export-page-rdl) now supports multi-column layouts for the [List report item](/activereportsnet/docs/v20.2/report-authors/report-controls/report-controls-page-rdl-report/list). When a list defines multiple columns through its `RowsOrColumnsCount` property, the exported DOCX keeps that column layout, so the Word output matches the on-screen preview. See the [Multi-Column List](https://developer.mescius.com/activereportsnet/demos/controls/list/multi-column-list) sample report for a working example. ![](https://cdn.mescius.io/document-site-files/images/cf658a8a-df75-4ef1-940a-491f1a19d05a/what%27snew-multi-column-list-export-word-20260914.ac780f.png) ### Background Image Support in Word Export [Word export](/activereportsnet/docs/v20.2/developers/export-reports/exporting-page-rdl-reports/word-export-page-rdl) now exports the Background Image with `BackgroundRepeat` is set to `NoRepeat` as a Word Document Watermark. ![](https://cdn.mescius.io/document-site-files/images/cf658a8a-df75-4ef1-940a-491f1a19d05a/what%27snew-background-image-20260914.67afcd.png)