During the webinar on ClarionLive covering Report Writer we had some great suggestions for additional features and functionality. It would be helpful if the Clarion devs who voiced those ideas could open Feature Requests in the PTSS system so we can properly track them. If you’d like to vote your support for a particular feature request you can also post a comment right here.
There were some audio problems during the webinar and it seems it caused some confusion during the Q/A session. It seems the most confusion revolved around whether the ability to just print/preview a report from within a Clarion7 or Clarion.Net application would require a license per workstation, this is the same type functionality as we have now using the C70prlbx.dll, and the answer is No, there is no license required to view and print exisitng reports. We’ll be providing the same type of functionality as in C6/C7 to easily print/preview exising reports (without the full Report Writer) but with greater depth in order to take advantage of new features and functionality.
Hello,
We never send out our dictionary … it is proprietary. Currently, using Clarion 6 Report Writer, they connect directly to the TPS or SQL files.
If the TPS layouts change (ie: we add a new field), the current RW stops the user and tells them they can’t run the report without opening up the TXR, and doing FILE / IMPORT / TPS FILE / etc.
1. Is there a way for this to be made automatic. It would be a HUGE benefit
2. When working with an SQL database like Sybase SQL Anywhere, is it possible for you to read the COLUMN DESCRIPTION from the database when displaying the fields to pick from in the new report writer. This would make it so the user did not even need a dictionary because the column description is actually embedded in the SQL database. If you need an example of what we do, I can provide it.
Hopefully the next Webinar won’t be plagued by the same ‘gremlins’ 🙂
Will the new RW Library file (.REPL ?) be a readable unencrypted TPS superfile ?
ie will we be able to access the individual .REPX report files etc
This would open up ReportWriter to individual and 3rd party developers who wish to produce their own front ends etc using Clarion.NET and DevExpress components.
The “library” (.repxl) is a simple XML file, but the reports (.repx) have a lot of changes and additional data in them to support Clarion functions, Clarion# code,
data dictionaries, drivers, etc. so I don’t think it will be possible to open them using Devexpress libraries. Likely we’ll change the reports extensions to avoid confusion.
Thank you. This sounds good.
Will the C70PRLBX.DLL be smart enough to run both TXR and REP’s so we can maintain old legacy reports, or will you have two different DLL’s? Please don’t add a new parameter to the existing call, otherwise, it would break compatibility or at least default it to legacy.
Make sense?
Yes, we understand that and we’ll have a separate DLL for accessing the new reports, and we’ll ship both DLLs so users can work with either format.
I am happy to hear this, I resell RW to my users but I like to design the most important reports myself and put them on my main menu. Thank you for your considerations.