Any template to let user customize their reports?

[Robert Iliuta]

Hallo,


I have some users that want to customize their reports... Any available template compatible with NT?

Thank you,
Robert

[kevin plummer]

Hi Robert,

This was one of the big items I needed to solve when I started looking at porting my app to the web.

I use List and Label and they do not have a WYSIWYG web report designer. It only works on windows win32 or dot net.

The solution I have come up with (which I have not implemented so it is still theory) is to create a standalone windows report designer program that uses SOAP or any of the other NetTalk Tools to communicate with my web server and sync the files with the standalone program. So the user can tweak the report on their computer and press a button to upload the file onto the web server and then run the report.

The downside is that it won't work for MAC users.

I'm sure this approach would work for most of the existing report designers so you don't necessarily need to use List and Label.

Cheers,

Kev

[ccordes]

Kevin,
How are you presenting the reports? PDF or HTML?

Chris

[kevin plummer]

Both - I let the user choose. The xHTML does not render as nicely as PDF but it is really quick. L&L actually comes with lots of report options so I may some other down the track.

Kev

[ccordes]

Nice. How much graphical control do you give/want to give the users?
Selecting columns is one thing moving stuff around is another

chris

[kevin plummer]

Users have full access to literally do anything if you give them access. I usually block them from changing my default reports and instead let them copy and change in case they screw it up. The report designer is what I use to create the report in the first place so the end user also has this tool to make whatever changes they need. However, apart from a small handful of users most only ever use it to move a few fields around on a cheque image to get it to line up with printed laser cheques.

I only used L&L as all my existing reports were already done and it does actually render really nice looking reports and has a bucket load of options to solve any reporting issue I have come across. I'm not sure I would recommend it for someone starting out. Solace who supported it originally is now defunct, I had to do a major hack on the template to get it to do what I wanted and there is a steep learning curve to creating reports in the first place. Russ took over the templates and I think re-wrote them but last I heard I think they are now open source.

My original point was really about the process rather than the tool. What I am attempting to do via SOAP I think you could do with lots of Report Designer tools not just L&L.

Cheers,

Kev

[ccordes]

That is where I was going too. It wouldn't be unexpected to find a activeX or flash control to manipulate a report structure. The trick is to get it back to Clarion and use it. Sound like a fantastic add-on for advanced users.