Download CIS 338: Printing

CIS 338: VB.NET Printing
Dr. Ralph D. Westfall
May, 2011
Crystal Reports
recognized as leading product for
printing and formatting reports

better reporting than the earlier versions
that came with VB6, VB.NET 2003, 2005
Crystal Reports 10 version is packaged
with Visual Studio.NET 2008

May need to download free version that
works with VS 2010
Installing Crystal Reports
if didn't do so originally, need to add
Crystal Reports to your Visual
Studio.NET installation
 might also need to reinstall if you
upgrade from VS 2005 to VS 2008?

Start>Settings>Control Panel>
Add/Remove Programs>Microsoft Visual
Studio.NET>Visual Studio.NET>Add or
Remove Features>etc.
Get Database and Project
download and unzip Proj3Web.zip file
create a new folder on your desktop

copy and paste the Nations.mdf and.ldf files
from the unzipped folder into C:\cis338
Creating a Project
start VB.NET




should see Crystal Reports icon on startup
screen
create a new Web (or Windows) project
Web>ASP.NET Web Application
or File>New Project>Visual Windows Form
Application
May Need to Attach Database
open SQL Server Management Studio


save Server Name from login window
Connect>right-click Databases>Attach>
Add>select .mdf file in new folder>OK>OK
expand Databases and the database
you will be using

right-click table that you will be using>
make sure that table has a primary key>
close the deign window
Add a Report Designer
Project>Add New Item>Reporting>
Crystal Report, rename it>click Add

(1st use) accept the license terms>OK
with Using the Report Wizard selected,
Standard Report highlighted>OK

expand Create New Connection>expand
OLE DB (ADO)>select Microsoft OLE DB
Provider for SQL Server>Next>
Add Your Database
check Integrated Security:>Server:
(local)\SQLEXPRESS>Database:
C:\cis338\Nations.mdf>Next>Finish
select Add Command (in Available Data
Sources)>click on angle bracket pointing
right>(moves to new window)
type in the following SQL query:
select ID, Country, Gold, Pop, Currency,
Capital from nations2, currencies where
nations2.CID=currencies.CID>OK>Next
Identify Outputs and Groups
expand the command and use the double
angle bracket to send all the fields to the
right

or select fields and use the single angle
bracket to send individual fields>Next
add a field to Group By: that isn't unique
so it will have more than one item in its
groups (such as Gold or Currency)>
change sort order if want>Next
More Options
could select Sum of command.Pop and
then select a summarization in ListBox,
such as Sum or Average

return other groupings to left>Next
could choose to group by Top 5 or
Bottom 5

sum of command.Pop
could choose a charting option>Next
Even More
could filter by values in any field

could select database values in ListBox or
type in value e.g. Pop >=1.0 >Next
review the Report Styles by selecting
some and viewing Preview until find
one that looks best>Finish
Add a Report Viewer
Project>Add New Item>Web>Web
Form>Add
Find Crystal Reports Viewer on ToolBox
in Reporting section and drag onto Form

in a Windows project (not ASP), could set
Anchor property to link to all four corners of
form, so user can resize report
Add Report Viewer - 2
Specify the ReportSource as the report
you just created>OK, or
double-click form to create start of
Form_Load code, and add code:
Imports CrystalDecisions.Windows.Forms
Dim [instance] As New [report object]()
[report viewer].ReportSource = [instance]
[report viewer].ShowFirstPage( )
'Notes
Test Report Viewer
run project with web form on screen


can use navigation at top to scroll through
Windows form report
review output for possible design changes
note buttons at top

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Print Report, Search Text, etc.
Export Report (various file types/formats)
Toggle Group Tree
Modifying Report
in report designer, right click on some
white space (not an object) in form>
Insert>Text Object>move box to where
you want it and type text in it
select fields to widen them and/or move
them to better locations
right-click redundant fields>Delete
Format Object on pop-up menu
Changing Report Options
double click the report icon in Solution
Explorer to view designer
right click on white section of designer,
then click Report


various options allow you to modify
previous choices
Report Options allows you to set NULL
values to defaults
Fixing NULL Fields in Database
in SQL Server Management Studio,
right-click database name>New Query
query can be used to get data (slide 8)
 type 1st query below, click the Execute
button, then use 2nd query to verify:
1.
update [table name] set [field] = [replace
with] where [field] is null
2.
select * from [table name] where [field]
is [replace with]

Adding Special Fields
Crystal Reports>Field Explorer

can drag and drop fields such as Print
Date, Print Time, Page Number, etc. onto
various areas of screen
Open/Show Multiple Forms
Project>Add New item>etc.
follow the preceding steps to create a Crystal
Report on the new form, or some other form
put code in a form to select and show the
other form (is or loads from Startup object)
Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender etc.
Response.Redirect("[report file].aspx") 'ASP
Form2.Show()
'Windows
End Sub