Server explorer volume and loading a report

rbuser

I have modifed the rbMSSQLServerReportServer demo to point to our database
with no problems. I am new to the server side, but since it also has an
"item" pipeline and has a template field indicator, do I need to do anything
else for it to load the reports?

When trying to open a report I get:
Server Error: Processing request for report explorer database
blah\blah\blah/blah, ppReport2.OnstartPage: Invalid property value.

Where is this ppReport2 and what do i need to set on its OnStatrPage? What
am I missing? Is this explorer demo just for exploring and not for openning
a report?

Also, the folder and template information is in one database on our server
and the tables and fields that the reports feed off of are in a different
database. How do I tell/point the server to get the reports' data from
elsewhere once it loads the template of a report?

So close, yet so far away

nardmoseley

I recommend that you first spend some time with the RBServer\Developers
Guide\RBServer.pdf. There is a tutorial called "Building a Report Server
Application for an Explorer Database".

The DataModule that contains the ReportExplorerVolume component must
provide a thread-safe environment for the execution of the reports.

The report loading error that references Report.OnStartPage, indicates
that the report contains an event-handler reference that cannot be
resolved. Most likely, your end-user application contains some
event-handlers. One solution is code the event-handlers in RAP so that
the code is saved with the report. Another solution is to copy the
event-handler code from the end-user solution to the datamodule
containing the ReportExplorerVolume.

rbuser

Hello again,

I have read, reread, and read the documentation several times now and am no
closer to an answer than before. I have looked at anything in the demos and
tutorials that seemed related and I just didn't see anything that shows how
to connect an event to a report.

Sure I can find out what the events used to do and replicate them on the
server, or try to at least, but I still have no clue how to connect an event
handler to a report template saved in the database. In the non-server
version, you put a ppReport on the form and use it. I see no talk of that
in the server version. Seems like these report objects are created at run
time and executed. If so, how do I set their even handlers??

The most related thing I found in the documentation was "Registering Reports
With The Server" which says to put a rsReportTemplateVolume on the
datamodule in order the connect the events. I don't see nor understand how
putting another volume component connects anything with anything else.
Generally for an event handler, like OnStartPage, to be fired it needs to be
set to a corresponding method.

Where/how do I connect these event handlers in a server application??

Thanks.

nardmoseley

1. When you save a report template, the names of the report
event-handler methods are saved as part of the report definition. When
the report loads, the Delphi streaming system will try to resolve the
reference by looking at the Report.Owner for a published method with the
same name.

In the case of the server, the TppReport object created by the report
service is Owned by the DataModule that contains the ReportVolume
component. Thus by defining the report event-handlers as published
methods of the DataModule the event-handlers will be attached to the
report automatically when it loads.

There is an example of this in the RB Server tutorials.

2. If you prefer to programmatically resolve the event-handler
references after the report loads, you can do this as well.

A. Use the ReportTemplateVolume.OnLoadReportEnd event. The Sender
parameter is the TppReport object - you will need to typecast it.

B. Use the ReportTemplateVolume.BeforePublishReport event. The
aEventParams object provides access to the TppReport and to
SessionParameters and ReportParameters. See
TrsBeforePublishReportEventParams in the RBServer.hlp.