ActiveReports provides HTTPHandler components that, upon configuration, allow ASP.NET to automatically process reports that have been placed into an ASP.NET web site folder. ActiveReports HTTPHandler components enable reports to be easily deployed in both HTML and PDF. ActiveReports includes a simple configuration utility to properly register the HTTPHandler components with IIS and ASP.NET.

This walkthrough illustrates how to create a simple Web application and set the HTTPHandler to output report information in HTML format.

This walkthrough is split up into the following activities:

• Adding an ActiveReport to an ASP.NET Web application
• Connecting the report to a data source
• Adding parameters to the report's Parameters collection
• Adding controls to the report to contain data
• Adding code to the Web.config file to enable HTTP handlers
• Adding a link to the Web Form to enable viewing in HTML format

To complete the walkthrough, you must have access to the NorthWind database (NWind.mdb). You must also have access to Internet Information Services either from your computer or from the server. You must also run the "Configure Web Sample" option from the Data Dynamics ActiveReports for .NET 2.0 program menu from your Windows Start button.

When you have completed this walkthrough, you will have a report that looks similar to the following.

   

Adding an ActiveReport to an ASP.NET Web application

Important: If you are using Visual Studio.NET 2005, please see the Visual Studio.NET 2005 Web Changes topic.

To add an ActiveReport to your project

1. Open a new ASP.NET Web application in Visual Studio.
2. Click on Project > Add New Item.
3. Select ActiveReports file and rename the file rptCustomers.
4. Click Open.

Connecting the report to a data source

To connect the report to a data source and add a parameter to the report's Parameters collection

1. Click on the yellow report DataSource icon in the Detail section. This brings up the report DataSource dialog box.
2. Click on Build...
3. Select Microsoft Jet 4.0 OLE DB Provider and click Next >>
4. Click on the ellipsis to browse for the access path to NWind.mdb. Click Open once you have selected the appropriate access path.
5. Click OK to continue.
6. In the Query field, type "Select * from Customers WHERE Country = '<%Country%>' ".
7. Click OK to return to the report design surface.
8. In the Visual Studio property grid, select ActiveReport from the combo box.
9. Change the value of the ShowParameterUI property from its default value of True to False to turn off the parameter dialog.

Adding controls to the report to contain data

To add controls to the report

1. Add a GroupHeader/Footer section to rptCustomers by right-clicking the report and choosing Insert.
2. Make the following changes to the group header:
   • Change the name to ghCountry
   • Change the DataField property to Country
   • Change the GroupKeepTogether property to All
   • Change the KeepTogether property to True
3. From the populated Fields list, drag the Country field onto the GroupHeader section, and set its font size to 14.

4. Add the following controls to the Detail section:

   Control	DataField	Name	Text/Caption	Location	OutputFormat
   TextBox	CompanyName	txtCompanyName	Customer Name	0, 0	(Empty string)
   TextBox	ContactName	txtContactName	Contact Name	3, 0	(Empty string)
   TextBox	Phone	txtPhone	Phone	5, 0	(Empty string)

Adding code to the Web.config file to enable HTTPHandler

To add code to the Web.config file

1. Double-click the Web.config file in the Solution Explorer window.
2. In the XML view, add the following code in the Globalization section at the end. (Each handler must be on one line, so remove line breaks when pasting this code.)

       <httpHandlers>
       	<!--
       	********** ActiveReports HttpHandler Configuration **********
       	-->
       	<add verb="*" path="*.rpx" 
       	type="DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Web.Handlers.RpxHandler, ActiveReports.Web,
       	Version=3.0.0.1592, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff" />
       	<add verb="*" path="*.ActiveReport" 
       	type="DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Web.Handlers.CompiledReportHandler,
       	ActiveReports.Web, Version=3.0.0.1592, Culture=neutral, 
       	PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff" />
       	<add verb="*" path="*.ArCacheItem" 
       	type="DataDynamics.ActiveReports.Web.Handlers.WebCacheAccessHandler,
       	ActiveReports.Web, Version=3.0.0.1592, Culture=neutral, 
       	PublicKeyToken=cc4967777c49a3ff" />
       </httpHandlers>	

Note   The version number and PublicKeyToken will need to be updated to reflect the information for the current version of ActiveReports installed on your computer.

Adding a link to the Web Form

To add a link to the Web Form

1. In the HTML view of the Web Form, add the following HTML code.

   <a href="rptCustomers.rpx?Country=USA">Customer Phone List for USA</a>
       

2. Press F5 to run the program.
3. Click the link on the web form to show the report in its default HTML format.

Tasks: Visual Studio.NET 2005 Web Changes

 

 

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