What is Crystal Reports

Hi,
I'm a newby in VB6 and I have read in my book that we can use Crystal Reports for editing reports rather than the Data Report Control.
What is exactly Crystal Reports ? Is it provided with the Visual Studio or must I buy it ?
Is it better than the data report control or no ?
I use Visual Studio 6.0.
Thanks a lot
Jeremie
RENNES
FRANCE

Crystal Reports is a separate application designed to creatre reports. In VB4 Crystal reports was a part of VB. Now you can buy it separately, create reports and call them from VB.

Iouri Boutchkine
[email protected]

Thank you for your response.
Is Crystal Reports better than the Data Report Control ?
Is it interesting to buy it or is the Data Report Control enough to build most of reports ?
Thank you.
Jeremie
RENNES
FRANCE

Crystal reports still comes with vb. You will have the version 4.5 in your cd somewhere. I am at work now, but when I'm home I can point out where it can be found. In my opinion, Microsoft has put out some good software, but the datareport is not one of them. :)


David Paulson

I agree with d.paulson that Crystal Report is better than Data Report. You also can use Access reporting tool if your database is Access. You can create report in Access and then call it from VB

Iouri Boutchkine
[email protected]

I agree! Crystal Reports is much more flexible and not near as confusing now as the early versions. I've also heard that Data Dynamic's Active Reports is also very good but I've never tried it. You may want to check it out also.

Crystal Reports is on VB 6.0 CDROM at
?:\Common\Tools\VB\CRYSREPT

John G

Thanks for all,
I found it on the 3rd CD of Visual Studio 6.
It's good news that there is a version of Crystal Report provided with VB6. I will test it now.
Thank you.
Jeremie

Does this require VBA and therfore an installation of ACCESS on the users computer?
I am assuming yes

I agree.. datareport is good for VERY basic reports.. anything above VERY basic it sucks.
Crystal does a good job though.
However.. last time I checked they did not make it very easy at all to access a secured Access Database.

Thank you all for your answers.
Questions :

With VB6, I can use Crystal Reports 4.5.
If I want to use an earlier version, I suppose I have to buy it. What does the recent versions permit to do that the 4.5 does not ?

I have seen that I can make the link with the database inside the .rpt file rather than with a data control in VB6. What is the best solution ?

Thanks from France
Jeremie

Last question:
Actually, I can't use an ADO Data Control with the Crystal Report Control. It only accepts a classic Data Control. Is it normal ?
Jeremie

I also have a basic question. I am trying to access the report using visual basic, but I don't know how to. I'm fairly new to both, and I can't find any mention of it in my books... Please help...

Thanks,
Alona

You need to add the crystal reports component (crystl32.ocx) to your project. Then, drop the control on a form and name the control rptAnyName and set the ReportFileName the path of the report. Put this code where you want to run the report from (i.e. on the click event of a command button etc.). Set any other properties you wish either in code or from the properties box.

rptAnyName.ReportFileName = "Somepath\some.rpt"
rptAnyName.Action = 1

'Here some more example:
Dim sql As String
Cr1.ReportFileName = "D:\Condivisa\report\Report04.rpt"
Cr1.ReportSource = 0

Cr1.DiscardSavedData = True
sql = "{persona.Cognome}='Imperiali'"
Cr1.SelectionFormula = sql
Cr1.Action = 1
'or:
'myvar = Cr1.PrintReport
'MsgBox myvar
Cr1.Reset 'to reset all and make it work again if you want
'--------------------------
'A simply report with one parameter field
'called SelectMe in a omit formula for a section. This solution comes from Surrendermonkey hint.
'Matter is not to make the selection (I can workaround using
'formulas). Matter is to pass a parameter value to a rpt file
'through Ocx - or: to make parameter fields to be filled
'via code form VB.
Cr1.Reset
Cr1.ReportFileName = "D:\Condivisa\Cesarevb\Crystol\cryweb\Report1.rpt"
Cr1.ReportSource = 0
Cr1.DiscardSavedData = True
Cr1.ParameterFields(1) = "SelectMe;1;false" 'parameter field name={?SelectMe}
'false = show a window for confirmation of values
'I tried with last parameter set to true, but it did not work...

Cr1.Action = 1 'make it print
'or:
'myvar = Cr1.PrintReport
'MsgBox myvar

'Hope this help
'Cesare Imperiali


Special thanks to Lothar "the Great" Haensler. Come back soon, you Guru.

is there a way to test if the report has been correctly printed from vb?.

Crystal Reports is a software package which makes report building much faster and easier than anything else I have ever used. You can call queries or stored procedures or lump the whole thing into your website.

You must purchase CR seperate from studio. I believe it runs over $800 for a high end corporate edition. I am unsure if it is available as an eval.

Adrian Miller
Programmer
Kansas Innovations Inc.

sorry for the post.......I did not realize I was running in a collapsed mode!

Looks like you have got it figured out!

Adrian Miller
Programmer
Kansas Innovations Inc.