Application Development with Crystal Report Viewers

Developing applications that display reports on screen is now a straightforward process. Crystal Reports includes the Crystal Report Viewers as easy to use but complex components that can be embedded directly in an application. Once added to an application, reports accessed through the Report Engine Automation Server, the Report Designer Component, or the Crystal Web Reports Server can be displayed right inside your own applications. The Report Viewer retains all of the powerful formatting, grouping, and totalling power of the original report, and your users get access to data in a dynamic and clear format.

Crystal Reports provides two Report Viewers specifically designed for application development: the Crystal Report Viewer for ActiveX and the Crystal Report Viewer Java Bean. Both provide a complete object model for programming and manipulating the Report Viewer at runtime inside your applications. Simply displaying a single report inside the Report Viewer is a simple process requiring only a couple of lines of code. However, if necessary for your application, you have the option of complete control over how the Report Viewer appears and functions.

With the Crystal Report Viewer as a front-end user interface for viewing reports, Crystal Reports development technologies allow you to develop even complex client/server or multi-tier applications that access, manipulate, and display data for intranet systems, workgroups, or any group of people needing clear and informative data on a regular basis. Design robust Business Support systems and Enterprise Information Management applications delivering even the most complex data through the Crystal Report Viewers.

This chapter describes both the ActiveX and Java Bean versions of the Report Viewer in relation to designing applications using Crystal Reports development technologies.



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