And The Wait Is Over : ActiveReports 9 is Here!

Adding yet another feather in the crown of the ActiveReports family, we have for you ActiveReports 9 with more features, better functionality and an all new user experience. Here is the list of all the new features that have been added to ActiveReports 9 :

1. RDL Reports

CPL has been Renamed as RDL and the name 'Page Reports' will be exclusively used for FPL. Hence, now we have three types of Reports that are offered in ActiveReports 9 : Section Reports : This is the traditional banded report where the report is divided into different sequential and repeating bands or sections. There are sections for Detail (repeating data) and header/footers for Groups, Pages and the overall Report. ActiveReports Section Reports can be completely code based as well. If a developer wants to generate reports using business logic in their code, this might be the option for them. RDL Reports (former CPL) : These reports are characterized by the fact that they treat the report page as a continuous blank sheet of paper (think the fax paper rolls). Using this report type, you can have multiple report components (such as multiple banded reports) in one page. You can show multiple data sources in one page. The continuous nature of the page helps when developers do not know how much data will be resultant from the report. The report will span across pages and repeat the data rows as per the layout. This is a particularly good option for long tabular reports such as General Ledgers, Account reports, etc. Page Reports (former FPL) : These reports are an advanced type of page reports where the page acts as a container. Each page can be made a “copy” of the first and the developer has more control over how the tabular data (and other data) gets shown on the page. You can still span across pages, but you have more control over the layout of each page and where the exact data will go in case there is an overflow to the next page. This type of reports are particularly good for billing statements, mail merge type outputs, catalogues, anything where the page layout is very important.

2. Layers

A whole new basic feature has been added for RDL/Page Reports : Layers. A Layer can be considered as a named group of controls. The settings of each Layer can be changed at design time through a set of built-in properties. You can also lock or unlock, add or remove, show or hide the groups of controls present in each Layer. When a new report is created, a Default Layer is automatically added to it. The purpose of adding Layers is to add the functionality and freedom of 'Tracing' and define 'Visibility for Print' You can use Layers to trace the layout of a pre-printed form accurately or modify the template report without changing the existing report layout and so much more.

3. Visual Query Designer (VQD)

Creating SQL queries can be both fun and troublesome/cumbersome at the same time. For some writing SQL queries may be like a walk in the garden while for others it might be no less than a nightmare. VQD is a solution for4 the users who fall in the latter category. VQD is a graphical interface that simplifies data binding and query designing. A few drags/drops and anyone can design, edit and preview queries without any worries.

4. Excel Rendering Extension

Exporting via RenderingExtension is the most suitable method when working with RDL/PageReports. However, until now we were been missing the support for Excel support in the same. But no-more, ActiveReports 9 now offers Excel Rendering Extension. For further information and complete code, click here.

5. Table of Contents (TOC)

An addition in the list of the RDL/Page Report's ToolBox. The control allows you to display the document map on a report page. It allows you to quickly navigate to the desired data inside a report.Like any other control, TOC can be added onto the report via simple drag-drop.

6. Independent Rounded Corners

This feature allows the user to provide rounding radius to the Shape and CrossSectionBox control in Section Reports. It enables the user to set the radius of each corner individually with the help of GUI (Smart Dialog). The Page Report already had these functions in Shape and Container report items. And now the same interface & properties are introduced for Shape and Cross Section Box controls of Section Report.

7. Fixed Size by Mouse

Earlier the Fixed Size of any DataRegion in RDL/Page Reports could be defined only by the Properties Window, but now the same is possible via the mouse as well. Once you select the respective DataRegion, you will observe that an outer cross-section and the resize handlers appear at the edges of the data region. Select and resize it to the desired size. This way you can define the FixedSize of any DataRegion using the mouse.

8. Design Time Enhancements and Performance Optimization

In ActiveReports 9, the performance of the page report designer has been improved significantly to enhance the design time user experience. So what are you waiting for, click here and explore all what you want to know about ActiveReports9