Report Builder

1. Report Builder • Third party Banded Report writer coded in Delphi • Available in four versions from Digital Metaphors • Integrates into the Delphi environment • Delphi 4 to Rad Studio • Supports external templates to allow user customisation • Very powerful • Working with Professional Version today • Current US pricing is $495

2. Report Builder • Why do I use this product • Tired of Borland changing the reporting tool from version to version - Report Smith, Quick Reports, Rave Reports • Needed to be able to offer our customer base an easy way to personalise their reports with out attending a major training course • Easy for support guys to whip up a change that looks good and is chargeable

3. Report Builder • Why do I use this product • Tired of Borland changing the reporting tool from version to version - Report Smith, Quick Reports, Rave Reports • Needed to be able to offer our customer base an easy way to personalise their reports with out attending a major training course • Easy for support guys to whip up a change that looks good and is chargeable • Major benefit is that, with a minimal amount of programming, printed reports e.g. invoices can be personalised by client or other appropriate records

4. Report Builder • Why do I use this product • Tired of Borland changing the reporting tool from version to version - Report Smith, Quick Reports, Rave Reports • Needed to be able to offer our customer base an easy way to personalise their reports with out attending a major training course • Easy for support guys to whip up a change that looks good and is chargeable • Major benefit is that, with a minimal amount of programming, printed reports e.g. invoices can be personalised by client or other appropriate records • Handles complex form like reports such as payslips with multiple datasources placed beside each other

5. Report Builder • How to use the Report Builder • Create a new form • Select the Rbuilder tab • Insert a ppReport component

6. Report Builder • How to use the Report Builder • Create a new form • Select the Rbuilder tab • Insert a ppReport component • Set up a data source such as a table or Query

7. Report Builder • How to use the Report Builder • Create a new form • Select the Rbuilder tab • Insert a ppReport component • Set up a data source such as a table or Query • Now add TppPipeLine component which can be • A TppDBPipeLine (which is what I use) • A ppBDEPipeline for BDE use • A ppTextPipeline (data from an Ascii text file) • A ppJITPipeline (data from Delphi objects) • Beware of getting all the relevant fields

8. Report Builder • How to use the Report Builder continued • Now double click on the ppReport component and the layout screen appears • Next insert the appropriate components as in a typical report generator via the Command bar at the top • The icons on the left of the double bar || are the ‘Static’ items such as labels, memos, pictures, bar codes

9. Report Builder • How to use the Report Builder continued • Now double click on the ppReport component and the layout screen appears • Next insert the appropriate components as in a typical report generator via the Command bar at the top • The icons on the left of the double bar || are the ‘Static’ items such as labels, memos, pictures, bar codes • The next set of icons are the database components

10. Report Builder • How to use the Report Builder continued • Now double click on the ppReport component and the layout screen appears • Next insert the appropriate components as in a typical report generator via the Command bar at the top • The icons on the left of the double bar || are the ‘Static’ items such as labels, memos, pictures, bar codes • The next set of icons are the database components • All the ‘static’ items can be programmed to different values as the report transverses the data stream use the alignment tools to position the components

11. Report Builder • How to use the Report Builder continued • The three icons after the second double bar || are the most interesting • Regions • Used to group components which must move together • Can contain anything and can stretch or be of fixed size • Can be set to move relative to another stretching component • Use region to contain non stretching components and then reference this region

12. Report Builder • How to use the Report Builder continued • The three icons after the second double bar || are the most interesting • Regions • Used to group components which must move together • Can contain anything and can stretch or be of fixed size • Can be set to move relative to another stretching component • Use region to contain non stretching components and then reference this region • Subreports • This function the same way as other report writers

13. Report Builder • How to use the Report Builder continued • The three icons after the second double bar || are the most interesting • Regions • Used to group components which must move together • Can contain anything and can stretch or be of fixed size • Can be set to move relative to another stretching component • Use region to contain non stretching components and then reference this region • Subreports • This functions the same way as normal • Cross Tabs • This functions the same way as other report writers

14. Report Builder • How to use the Report Builder continued • Report can be called via Show or ShowModal (I use Show) e.g. • Spa_print := true; // flag to skip on re-activating calling form InstNetForm.Show; InstNetForm.Close;Then, inside the report.onActive have code of the formif scn_flg then ppReport1.DeviceType := dtScreenelse ppReport1.DeviceType := dtPrinter; ppReport1.Print;//while not CloseQuery do Application.ProcessMessages;

15. Report Builder • Tricks • Emailing • Achieving a different look for each record reported on