Parts of this are located in the help documentation. However, this has been posted several times from the Tech Tips...
------------------------------------------------------------ Article: Controlling the End-User Environment ------------------------------------------------------------
If you are having difficulty getting the Data tab, the Calc tab, the crosstab component or the TeeChart component to appear in your end-user application, or you are trying to eliminate one of these capabilities from the app, then this help topic is for you. The following paragraphs explain the unit registration scheme used by ReportBuilder Pro, and how you can use this scheme to get control over the feature set presented to your end-users.
In order to minimize the overhead in end-user reporting applications, ReportBuilder employs a unit level registration scheme (similar to component registration in Delphi.), whereby components and functionality can be added at the discretion of the developer. In other words, you can control whether the 'Data' workspace, the 'Calc' workspace or certain components appear in your end-user reporting application simply by specifying or omitting certain unit names from the uses clause of your main end-user reporting unit. The advantage of this approach is that overhead associated with features such as DADE, RAP or the crosstab component can be eliminated from your application if you do not wish to pass these features along to the end-user. The disadvantage is that you must manually add certain units to the uses clause or these capabilities will not appear in the application.
In the end-user reporting demo project (located in the ...\RBuilder\Demos\1. Report Explorer directory), the main unit is a form entitled myEURpt. At the top of the unit for this form there is a series of conditional compiler directives which, when enabled, cause certain functionality to appear in the application. The conditional compiler directives in this unit are an attempt to simplify the configuration of the demo application. However, these directives do nothing more than add or omit certain unit names from the uses clause of the form. The important thing to know is the unit names and the functionality that including those unit names will provide. The table below provides this information.
Unit Name Feature ---------- --------------------------------------------------------------- daDatMan DADE user-interface ('Data' tab)
raIDE RAP user-interface ('Calc tab)
ppCTDsgn User-interface for the configuration of the crosstab. Normally the Crosstab Designer is displayed by accessing the 'Configure...' speed menu option of a crosstab component. If this unit is not included then this menu option is not displayed.
myChkBox Checkbox components appear on the component palette when this unit is included. If you want to check out the source for these components it is in ...RBuilder Pro 4\Demos\RCL
ppChrt Adds standard non-data aware TeeChart component to component palette. If you have end-user reports containing the TppTeeChart component, you need to add this unit or the report will not be functional. ppChrtDP Adds a data-aware TeeChart component to component palette. This unit must be added if you have reports which contain data-aware TeeCharts.
ppChrtDB Legacy unit which contains older version of data-aware TeeChart component. If you have reports which contain TppDBTeeChart components, you will need to add this unit to the uses clause. This unit does NOT work with the latest version of TeeChart from TeeMach and is provided only for backward compatibility with the TeeChart component provided with Delphi 3 and Delphi 4. If you have purchased TeeChart or are using Delphi 5, then you must use ppChrtDP.
ReportBuilder also uses the unit registration scheme to control which database connectivity options are provided by the application. While including the daDatMan unit will cause the 'Data' workspace to appear in the Report Designer, that workspace will not be functional without a supporting implementation. In ReportBuilder we call these implementations DADE plug-ins. A DADE plug-in is nothing more than a Delphi unit which contains the appropriate descendant class implementations needed by DADE to communicate with a given database. Placing the data access implementation in a separate unit gives us at least two benefits. One is that the user interface is not tied to any specific database connectivity scheme. The other is that the overhead associated with database support is limited to the database connectivity products you are actually using. This means that if you are using ADO to access your data, you need only include the daADO unit in your uses clause and your application will use ADO only. Most developers use DADE plug-ins to gain access to databases not supported by the BDE, or to gain access to databases without the use of the BDE. The following DADE plug-ins are provided with ReportBuilder Pro:
Unit Name Feature ---------- ---------- daDBBDE BDE support for the Query Wizard and Query Designer
daADO ADO support for the Query Wizard and Query Designer
daIBExpress Interbase Express support for the Query Wizard and Query Designer.
daADS Advantage support.
daDOA Oracle support via the Direct Oracle Access components.
daODBC98 ODBC support via the ODBC98 components.
daIBO InterBase support via the InterBase Objects components.
daDBISAM DBISAM support.
You can use DADE plug-ins at Delphi design-time by generating a package which contains one of these units and then installing it into Delphi. This will allow you to use your preferred database product within the 'Data' workspace at Delphi design-time. You can locate the various DADE plug-in units in the ...\RBuilder\ Demos\EndUser Databases directories. A Delphi package project has been provided for each DADE implementation so that you can generate and install the plug-in at Delphi design-time. For more information on how this can be done, see the ReadMe files in the EndUser Databases directories.
Additional DADE Plug-ins are always being developed. Check the Digital Metaphors web-site for the latest information (see the section Friends:Data:DADE Plug-Ins.)
Thanks - and just in case you think me too lazy to read the help - I did try to find this but could not. I assume others have the same problem, hence the frequent request...
I certainly don't think that you're too lazy to read the help file. It a large PDF and you have to know what to look for. In any event, it's on page 318, second column, #5 and the "NOTE" (near the top):
"#5. Add daDatMan...to the uses clause of the form's unit." -= followed by =-
"NOTE: The daDatMan unit contains a data manager class that makes the data workspace available from within the Report Designer."
Comments
posted several times from the Tech Tips...
------------------------------------------------------------
Article: Controlling the End-User Environment
------------------------------------------------------------
If you are having difficulty getting the Data tab, the Calc tab, the
crosstab component or the TeeChart component to appear in your end-user
application, or you are trying to eliminate one of these capabilities
from the app, then this help topic is for you. The following paragraphs
explain the unit registration scheme used by ReportBuilder Pro, and how
you can use this scheme to get control over the feature set presented to
your end-users.
In order to minimize the overhead in end-user reporting applications,
ReportBuilder employs a unit level registration scheme (similar to
component registration in Delphi.), whereby components and functionality
can be added at the discretion of the developer. In other words, you can
control whether the 'Data' workspace, the 'Calc' workspace or certain
components appear in your end-user reporting application simply by
specifying or omitting certain unit names from the uses clause of your
main end-user reporting unit. The advantage of this approach is that
overhead associated with features such as DADE, RAP or the crosstab
component can be eliminated from your application if you do not wish to
pass these features along to the end-user. The disadvantage is that you
must manually add certain units to the uses clause or these capabilities
will not appear in the application.
In the end-user reporting demo project (located in the
...\RBuilder\Demos\1. Report Explorer directory), the main unit is a
form entitled myEURpt. At the top of the unit for this form there is a
series of conditional compiler directives which, when enabled, cause
certain functionality to appear in the application. The conditional
compiler directives in this unit are an attempt to simplify the
configuration of the demo application. However, these directives do
nothing more than add or omit certain unit names from the uses clause of
the form. The important thing to know is the unit names and the
functionality that including those unit names will provide. The table
below provides this information.
Unit Name Feature
----------
---------------------------------------------------------------
daDatMan DADE user-interface ('Data' tab)
raIDE RAP user-interface ('Calc tab)
ppCTDsgn User-interface for the configuration of the crosstab.
Normally the Crosstab Designer is displayed by accessing
the 'Configure...' speed menu option of
a crosstab component.
If this unit is not included then this menu option is
not displayed.
myChkBox Checkbox components appear on the component palette when this
unit is
included. If you want to check out the source for these
components it
is in ...RBuilder Pro 4\Demos\RCL
ppChrt Adds standard non-data aware TeeChart component to
component palette.
If you have end-user reports containing the TppTeeChart
component, you
need to add this unit or the report will not be
functional.
ppChrtDP Adds a data-aware TeeChart component to component palette.
This unit must be added if you have reports which
contain
data-aware TeeCharts.
ppChrtDB Legacy unit which contains older version of data-aware TeeChart
component. If you have reports which contain
TppDBTeeChart
components, you will need to add this unit to the uses
clause.
This unit does NOT work with the latest version of
TeeChart from TeeMach
and is provided only for backward compatibility with the
TeeChart component
provided with Delphi 3 and Delphi 4. If you have
purchased TeeChart or are
using Delphi 5, then you must use ppChrtDP.
ReportBuilder also uses the unit registration scheme to control which
database connectivity options are provided by the application. While
including the daDatMan unit will cause the 'Data' workspace to appear in
the Report Designer, that workspace will not be functional without a
supporting implementation. In ReportBuilder we call these
implementations DADE plug-ins. A DADE plug-in is nothing more than a
Delphi unit which contains the appropriate descendant class
implementations needed by DADE to communicate with a given database.
Placing the data access implementation in a separate unit gives us at
least two benefits. One is that the user interface is not tied to any
specific database connectivity scheme. The other is that the overhead
associated with database support is limited to the database connectivity
products you are actually using. This means that if you are using ADO
to access your data, you need only include the daADO unit in your uses
clause and your application will use ADO only. Most developers use DADE
plug-ins to gain access to databases not supported by the BDE, or to
gain access to databases without the use of the BDE. The following DADE
plug-ins are provided with ReportBuilder Pro:
Unit Name Feature
---------- ----------
daDBBDE BDE support for the Query Wizard and Query Designer
daADO ADO support for the Query Wizard and Query Designer
daIBExpress Interbase Express support for the Query Wizard and Query
Designer.
daADS Advantage support.
daDOA Oracle support via the Direct Oracle Access components.
daODBC98 ODBC support via the ODBC98 components.
daIBO InterBase support via the InterBase Objects components.
daDBISAM DBISAM support.
You can use DADE plug-ins at Delphi design-time by generating a package
which contains one of these units and then installing it into Delphi.
This will allow you to use your preferred database product within the
'Data' workspace at Delphi design-time. You can locate the various DADE
plug-in units in the ...\RBuilder\ Demos\EndUser Databases directories.
A Delphi package project has been provided for each DADE implementation
so that you can generate and install the plug-in at Delphi design-time.
For more information on how this can be done, see the ReadMe files in
the EndUser Databases directories.
Additional DADE Plug-ins are always being developed. Check the Digital
Metaphors web-site for the latest information (see the section
Friends:Data:DADE Plug-Ins.)
--
Tech Support mailto:support@digital-metaphors.com
Digital Metaphors http://www.digital-metaphors.com
to find this but could not. I assume others have the same problem, hence the
frequent request...
But it worked....
large PDF and you have to know what to look for. In any event, it's on page
318, second column, #5 and the "NOTE" (near the top):
"#5. Add daDatMan...to the uses clause of the form's unit." -= followed by
=-
"NOTE: The daDatMan unit contains a data manager class that makes the data
workspace available from within the Report Designer."
The same information shows up again on page #334.
Just FYI in case you want to check up more on it.
Regards,
Jan