End-user reporting as print layout tool.

rbuser

Hi,

My application uses a GIS (Geographic Information System) component to
work with land maps. The GIS component is great but has very limited
printing capabilities.

I need to implement a flexible printing system for this component, and
am wondering whether the end-user report system in ReportBuilder Pro
might meet my needs. If I run through my dream scenario, would someone
familiar with ReportBuilder please comment on its suitability?

* When my user hits Print from a map, they are offered a choice of
standard templates. Each template has the map itself taking up a large
part of the page, and other objects such as borders, titles, dates,
and some other custom map-related objects like a legend and
north-pointer arrow.

* The templates are available for a number of standard page sizes: A4,
A3, A2, A1

* The user should be able to print larger page sizes as tiles of
smaller pages, e.g. print an A3 map across two A4 pages

* If none of the templates suit the user, they should be able to
create their own, using ReportBuilder's end-user capabillities.

* I should be able to save the user-created templates into my app's
database

* When the user creates their own print templates, they should have my
app's custom objects (map, legend, north-pointer) available as
controls just like a 'bitmap' control.

* When a template (report) is actually printed, ReportBuilder should
ask my app to render a bitmap of the appropriate size and resolution
to fill the space reserved on paper for that object.

I hope that makes sense, happy to provide any other information
required. Another option I'm considering is to use the DevExpress
ExpressPrintingSystem, but I think that would require much more custom
coding to allow the print template design.

Thanks in advance,

Darren Bruning.

nardmoseley

You can easily build this using Delphi and RB. You can create any number of
templates and offer the user a choice using a menu, listbox or whatever type
of user interfact controls you prefer. Then load the template and run the
report.



One option is to build separate templates that are optiumal for each paper
size. The other option is to use the
new anchors property introduced in RB. Anchors can be used to enable objects
to automatically reposition themselves relative to the right of the page
etc.


This is not something that RB currently supports.



RB Enterprise and Professional can both handle these two.


You can create custom components and register them with the report designer.
For an example, see RBuilder\Demos\RCL.


This type of integration between your app and RB is simple to implement -
since both are written in Delphi.


--
Nard Moseley
Digital Metaphors Corporation
http://www.digital-metaphors.com

rbuser

Thanks Nard. The Anchor properties sound perfect, I wasn't aware they
existed. You've given me enough confidence to dive in and try to
implement this in my app!

Kind regards,

Darren Bruning.

On Fri, 23 Sep 2005 10:36:59 -0500, "Nard Moseley \(Digital