Create aX report with crystalreports

1
Create aX report with crystal-reports
How to create a report by using an automationX
spreadsheet How to create a crystal-report
manually

• Training aX Basics

2
Create a report by using an automationX
spreadsheet

• Setup automationX-spreadsheet
• AutomationX Report Designer
• Setup data-source connection of Crystal-Report
• Create crystal-report file and definition files
• Report Design
• Print automationX-spreadsheet report
• Troubleshooting

3
Create manually a Crystal-Report

• Basic Study
• Starting with Crystal-Report Wizard
• Create a Data Definition File
• Finishing with Crystal-Report Wizard
• How to use axcrprint.exe

4
Setup AutomationX-Spreadsheet

• Insert a SpreadSheet from the Automation Core
  Classes
• Setup the instance name
• Column-Labels enter a clear text into the used
  column-labels

The column-labels are the column-header in the
crystal-report.
For further informations about editing
spreadsheets have a look at the system manual
4.0, 8.6.6.
5
AutomationX Report Designer Task 1
Create the report by using the automationX-report
designer. This designer works in offline-mode
and is used to create the main-part of the whole
report-files. Push the right mouse button to
open the spreadsheet popup. Select Define
Report to start the automationX-report designer.
Read these instructions very carefully!!
Edit aX-DB is for single automationX variables
which are embedded into a crystal-report.
6
AutomationX Report Designer Task 2

• Define a Report-Name
• Locate the crw32.exe Use the search dialog to
  find out the position.

If a printer-name has been registered, it is not
possible to change him in run-time. If no
printer-name has been registered, the reports
will be printed on the system-standard printer.

• Printer setup Popup with current on system
  installed printers. Select a defined printer
  and push OK for accept selection. Push cancel to
  abort printer-selection.

7
AutomationX Report Designer Task 3

• Go back to the windows-popup with the
  instructions and click on the button Create
  default report to start Crystal Reports.
• On this procedure automationX creates following
  files
• ax_database.ttx data-source with aX variables
  the variables (now strings!) must be inserted
  manually
• ax_table.ttx data-source with the table-data of
  the spreadsheets
• config.txt configuration-file from automationX.

8
Setup data-source connection of Crystal-Report
Task 4

• Start the crystal-report data-explorer of
  axdefault.rpt
• Database gt Add Database to Report
• 2. Select type of data source in the
  data-explorer
• More Data Sources\Active Data\Active
  Data (Field Definitions Only)
• Add your specific data-source connections
• ?ax_table.ttx (spreadsheet data definitions)
• ?ax_database.ttx ( server variable definitions)
• ?ax_repvis.ttx (visual variable definitions)
• Browse in your report directory for the specified
  ttx-file

9
Setup data-source connection of Crystal-Report
Task 5

• Select the file and click Open to append this
  file to your data-source collection. Push
  Cancel to abort selection.
• The following picture shows the data-explorer
  after binding the .ttxfiles for a spreadsheet
  and server-variables.
• Click onAdd to append the specified
  data-source to the report-datasources.
• After appending all data-sources exit
  Data-Explorer.

A datasource could only be used, if it has been
added to the report data-sources. All available
data-sources are shown in the FIELD-EXPLORER in
Crystal-Report.
f) Save the report file File --gt
Save g) Accept default report and create
spreadsheet-report Push OK in the AX-Report
popup
EXIT Data Explorer
10
Setup data-source connection of Crystal-Report
Task 6

• After selecting ok, the automationX Report
  Designer creates the reportfile, which is used by
  the project.
• The designer automatically inserts the
• definitions for the spreadsheet into the
  ax-table.ttx .

• Open the project report-file testreport.rpt and
  verify the database. Now the spreadsheet fields
  are available in the report.
• h) The last task for you is to insert the
  data-fields into the report. For this open the
  field explorer. Insert the specified fields into
  the report by dragdrop.

11
Report Design Task 7

• Every report consists of
• Report header
• Side header
• Detail range
• Side footer
• Report footer

Header Detail Footer
If you want to insert fields of server- or visual
variables, put them into the report-header or
report-footer.
12
Create a Crystal-Report File Definition Files
Task 1
Do you bind data except spreadsheet-data?
DO YOU WANT TO ADD DATA EXCEPT THE
SPREADSHEET-DATA?
NO
YES

Necessary Data Definition Files

• ax_table.ttx spreadsheet data

• ax_table.ttx spreadsheet data
• ax_database.ttx server data
• ?open with edit ax-db edit
• ax_repvis.ttx visual data
• ?open manually with a text-editor edit

13
Create a Crystal-Report File Definition Files
Task 2

• Variable- and Typedeclaration of
  SERVER-VARIABLES
• A STRING has a minimum length of 50 character
  (default).
• If you define in automationX a length of 150, you
  have to set the string length of the variable to
  150 in the definition-file.
• Other data-types The data-types will be casted.
  So you have to use following string lengths to
  avoid any errors.

• Variable- and Type declaration of
  CLIENT-VARIABLES
• A STRING has a minimum length of 50 character
  (default).
• If you define in automationX a length
  of 150, you have to set the string
  length of the variable to 150 in the
  definition-file.
• Other data-types The data-types will be casted.
  So you have to use the following string lengths
  to avoid any errors.

14
Create a Crystal-Report File Definition Files
Task 3
Additional server variables are always in the
ax_database.ttx. Spreadsheet column-names are
always in the ax_table.ttx defined.

• Sample data definition file of SERVER-VARIABLESs
• Select Edit aX-DB to edit the server-variables
  in the ax_database.ttx (default).
• Define your server-variables
• The structure of the variables in the
  data-definition-file is defined as follows
• variablename TAB STRING TAB stringlength

additional server variables
15
Create a Crystal-Report File Definition Files
Task 4
The variable name is defined in the same way as
in automationX defined (path variable).

• Sample data definition file of CLIENT-VARIABLESs
• 1. Open your report-directory and create a file
  with following structure
• name ltReportnamegtVis.ttx,
• as example "Bericht1Vis.ttx".
• 2. Open this file with a text-editor (notepad)
• 3. Define your client variables
• The structure of the variables in the
  data-definition-file is defined as follows
• variablename TAB STRING TAB stringlength

16
How to print an AutomationX-SpreadSheet Report
Click on the spreadsheet with the mouse. Push
Strg RightMouseButton to open the spreadsheet
online-popup. Select Print to open the print
dialog.
Select Preview to open the crystal-report in
preview-mode. Start Line start-position of
report-table in spreadsheet-table End Line
end-position of report-table in
spreadsheet-table OK Start PRINTING or
PREVIEW
17
Basic Study

• Which variables do you want to include in the
  report? (1)
• Do you want to create tables or do you only want
  to insert single variables? (2)
• Where do you want to call the axcrprint.exe?
• To bind automationX with crystal-report you have
  to do following things
• Define an existing automationx-variable in the
  data-definition file
• Configure this file as a data-source in the
  report-file
• Insert the variable into the report
• 1. If the variable-paths in the
  data-definition-file are not valid, the specific
  variables will not be found in automationX.
• ? The effect is, that no report will be printed
  out or previewed.
• 2. Creating a report like a spreadsheet report is
  only possible, if you use an ODBC(ADO) or DAO
  data-source.
• 3. You can only access local variables in the
  tree of the calling process (axcrprint).
• So you have access to tree-local variables
  and global variables.

18
Starting with Crystal-Report Wizard

• Start Crystal-Report Designer
• FILE ? NEW

• Select Database to create a data-source connection

19
Creating a Data Definition File Task 1
The basic steps are the same like in the last
sessions described

• First create a new connection for Active Data
• ( Field Definitions Only)

• Push New to create a new definition file

20
Creating a Data Definition File Task 2

• Insert the field name
• Select the field type ( always STRING !! )
• Insert a valid string-length
• Select Append to add the new variable to the
  definition list
• Close the popup with X at the left-top
• ? a message dialog will be opened
• YES, to commit changes to the field definition
  file
• NO, to avoid saving field definition file

21
Creating a Data Definition File Task 3

• Saving the field definition file
• a) switch into the report-directory
• b) insert a valid name for your field
  definition file
• c) click Save to save the field
  definition file
• click Abort to cancel abort
  saving
• In the popup Select Data Source the active Data
  Definition is displayed.

22
Creating a Data Definition File Task 4

• The available tables are displayed in the
  report-wizard
• Push Add to append ax_test.ttx to the available
  tables for the report
• Close the database-popup by clicking on the
  Close button
• Push Next to switch to Fields

23
Finishing with Crystal-Report Wizard Task 1

• In the tabsheet FIELDS, the available and for
  display selected fields are shown.
• Append Add available fields to the
  displayfields
• Append all Add all available fields to the
  display-fields
• You can edit the header-title after selecting a
  display-field.
• Push Finish to close this dialog and create a
  report with the available fields and configured
  options.

24
Finishing with Crystal-Report Wizard Task 2

• At least you have to save the report-file in the
  report directory. You have to insert this name in
  the axcrprint-call.

25
How to use axcrprint.exe

• Ab axcrprint call must be written into a callback
  function in ACL.
• The following sample describes, how to write the
  StartProcess call.

SAMPLE path_axcrprint "bin\axcrprint.exe" pat
h filename of axcrprint.exe reportname "
-rprojects\testproject\Reports\Bericht1.rpt" path
filename of the reportfile ttxname "
dax_test.ttx" filename of datadefinition-file
optional1 " -verbose" optional for detailed
printinfo in dos-box optional2 " -preview"
optional for preview of report optional3 "
-bTEST.b" optional path of activebit
StartProcess(path_axcrprint,reportname,ttxname,o
ptional1, optional2,optional3)
26
Exercise

• Describe?
• Describe?

27
Expert Tips and Hints

• If you use an odbc or another database
  connection, make sure that you have all runtime
  files for crystal-report installed.
• Following files are used by crystal-report in
  combination with databases
• System directory
• p2bdao.dll
• p2ctdao.dll
• p2irdao.dll
• p2sevt.dll
• P2smon.dll
• p2sodbc.dll
• If the report opens, but you cant see any values
  of automationX, check if the data-source has been
  updated.
• If there is no error to see, try to create a new
  data-source connection.

28
Reference Material

• available from our web-site
• www.automationX.com
• Crystal Report developer help
• manual and help files (develop. version)
• Crystal Report
• Getting Started Guide (develop. version)
• Crystal Report web-site
• www.germany.seagatesoftware.com
• Crystal Report runtime-requirements
• Royalty Free Runtime.hlp and Runtime.hlp

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