Dynamic Crystal Reports Viewing

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Introduction

The code shows how anyone can make a dynamic Crystal Reports application that can easily be distributed to your users.

Background

So many times at google.com, I have noticed that Crystal Reporting is a problem for many users (especially myself). I finally found a quick and easy recipe to handle any type of reporting requirements. In other words, I think this solution works fine by itself and equally fine when integrated into an existing application.

Using the code

Slap the code into your application and create a rpt subdirectory as part of the setup project (under the application folder), then fill with Crystal Reports that have been created using an ODBC connection (do not click Save Data in the Crystal Report). After this, you are "cooking with gas" (ready to go...).

Set the following properties:

Form Properties
===============
Starting Position = Maximized, Center of Screen

Report Viewer Properties
========================
Anchor (Top,Bottom, Left, Right)
Dock (Bottom)

The key parts of this easy application centers on the following routines:

private void Form1_Load(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
    //Populate the Combo Box with the report names

    cBxRptList_Fill();
}

private void cBxRptList_Fill()
{
    //Create a temp table to hold the reports description and path

    DataTable cBxContents = new DataTable ();
    cBxContents.Columns.Add ("Description", System.Type.GetType("System.String"));
    cBxContents.Columns.Add ("Path",System.Type.GetType("System.String"));

    //Create the first row of the temp table to tell users what to do

    string[] FirstRow = {" -- select a report to view --", "-1"};
    cBxContents.Rows.Add (FirstRow);

    //Pickup all the crystal reports in the rpts subdirectory of the program

    string[] fileList =  Directory.GetFiles (Directory.GetCurrentDirectory() 
                                                      + @"\rpts", "*.rpt");
    foreach (string item in fileList)
    {
        //add all the friendly report names into the temp table

        int startPt = item.ToString().LastIndexOf(@"\rpts");
        string[] rowData = {item.Substring(startPt + @"\rpts".Length + 1,
        item.ToString ().Length - (startPt + @"\rpts".Length + 1)),item};
        cBxContents.Rows.Add (rowData);
    }

    //assign the temp table to the combo box

    cBxRptList.DataSource = cBxContents;
    cBxRptList.DisplayMember = "Description";
    cBxRptList.ValueMember = "Path";
}

private void cBxRptList_SelectedIndexChanged(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
    //identify if the first combo box item is not selected

    switch (cBxRptList.SelectedIndex > 0)
    {
        //if another line in the combo box is selected then view the report 

        case true:
            cRVMain.ReportSource = cBxRptList.SelectedValue ;
            cRVMain.Zoom (25);
            break;

        //if the first line in the combo box is selected then clear the report

        case false:
            cRVMain.ReportSource = null;
            break;
    }

The full listing of code includes the IDE generated code that appears after one drops a ComboBox and a Crystal Report Viewer onto a basic form. Note that I renamed my ComboBox -> cBxRptList and the Crystal Report Viewer -> cRVMain. I also created a DataTable to hold the description and the path information for the reports, called cBxContents.

Points of Interest

When one reopens the form in design mode, the viewer seems to be pulled out of position (reset), I am not sure why (seems like a bug to me).

I learned that rather than putting lots of auxiliary stuff (like miscellaneous folders) into the executable, that one should put all the extras into the setup deliverable. For instance, I put the actual reports into the setup file by adding them under the rpts folder (which is under the Application folder).

History

• 4/21/04 - Changed the routines to use a friendly list of names rather than just assigning the entire path names to the list of reports.