Sometimes, the data of a cell may exceed the original cell size in the web report. Then, what should we do?

For common web reporting tools, there are two major methods.

A method is to dynamically widen cell according to data, or heighten cell by wrapping text. However, users sometimes want to fix the width and height of cell.

Another method is to adjust font like Excel. However, this method is suitable only when data length is not much wider than cell size. Or else, data may be too small to be read.

Therefore, they all have disadvantages.

Solution

As a pure Java web reporting tool, RAQ Report provides a wonderful method by combining these two methods ingeniously. It can both wrap text and shrink font when data is excessive. Then, font is shrunken less for better readability. Moreover, RAQ Report can operate not only a character cell, but also a graph cell.

Operation

Users just need to select a page break mode and decide whether to wrap text after report design.

Interesting Example

Now, I will input “wonderful reporting tool” in a cell. With different resizing mode, the display effect is different.

Fix the size of the cell.

Adjust cell size to content automatically.

Adjust font size to content automatically.

Wrap text when needed.

Adjust font size and wrap text for best performance.

Source: Knowledge Base of RAQ Report
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Card type web report is usually used in practical web reporting applications, such as employee information card, ID card, business card, etc. Card type report’s characteristic is that the area of each card is small, and many cards need to be arranged on a piece of paper. Moreover, there is a gap between two pages for clipping.

Have you ever been frustrated with a condition like this when you are making card type report with web reporting tool? Then, how to do it?

With common web reporting tool, the most direct method is to calculate the numbers of rows and columns can be deployed on a piece of paper according to the sizes of paper and card. However, as users usually want to configure the numbers of rows and columns, it has to do complex dynamic computations to get the gap between two cards according to users’ configuration before printing and displaying.

For the title of card type web report, there are two modes, one card one title and one paper one title. Then, it should allow users to choose the mode they like. For the one paper one title mode, it needs to independently deploy the title first, and then deploy the remaining data area.

Solution

As a pure Java web reporting tool, RAQ Report does a lot of work on this problem for users’ convenience. As a result, users can make card type reports with it easily. They just need to set parameters of print and page break after report design.

Graphic Illustration

Print parameters needed to be set.

Page break parameters needed to be set.

Source: Knowledge Base of RAQ Report
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“I am learning Java, and I find it really troublesome. Especially when I want to create a form, I have to write all the controls. So I ask all of you for help. Is there a Java web report development tool which can add control directly without writing so much boring code like Visual Basic 6.0?“

I read the post above in a famous Java forum. In a short time, many kind members gave their own answers to the question, and those various answers listed about 10 Java development tool including Eclipse. However, they didn’t really solve the problem.

Maybe you have the same question with the guy. Then, is there a Java development tool which can change the web application develop mode from Java’s B/S web application coding to C/S graphical programming mode like VB?

What about Eclipse? Programmers familiar with it know that it isn’t a good interface design tool. Combined with development modes of various Java web application frameworks, it provides developers flexibility. However, it also increases programming complexity.

For example, there is development project to make a Business MIS (Management Information System) based on webapps and database with Java, and most Web pages are used to do addition, cancellation, amendment, inquiry to database.

According to a common MIS project, it needs a great number of people to work on the project. Artists will design the html interfaces of all pages, and system architects will choose various architectures (struts, spring, habernate, etc.) to build application programs’ basic frameworks, and engineers familiar with Java performance optimization will build underlying performance controls.

Even if we have enough budgets and time to do such a mass of work above, programmers will take a lot of time to study those complex architectures. Moreover, we have to deal with various frustrating problems caused by those complex architectures in the maintenance phase.

Solution

In fact, we have a better choice. We can use RAQ Report to realize our aims easily. RAQ Report is a pure Java reporting tool with real Excel-like design style. You can imagine the feeling of satisfying all the needs of end users with RAQ Report. I believe it is wonderful for project leader, programmers, and end users.

Maybe you will doubt is it really that a Java reporting tool can realize so many functions without writing code. Well, you can refer to the examples below.

Please remember that all those examples are designed with a graphical designer without writing complex Java code.

Examples

1. The input page of Employee ID.

1) The access relation between cells and database can be implemented with simple definition.
2) The data of Title, Region, and City are from the code table in database, users can choose in the dropdown list.
3) Double click the photo, and then users can select, upload or save a photo.

2. User can insert, add, delete, and submit a record easily in the graphical interface without programming.

3. With the legality check function of RAQ Report, if users input an illegal record, a prompt box will appear. Then, users can modify it in the graphical interface with ease.

4. Sometimes, there are easy relations between different fields, and users can describe these relations with simple expressions. Then, the automatic computation of RAQ Report can help a lot.

Source: Knowledge Base of RAQ Report
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Since the birth of Java, it is always connected with all kinds of configuration files. Following the configuration habit of Java, the installation deployments of most pure Java products are troublesome.

As a result, programmers come from other programming language commonly feel unconformable and difficult with the environment configuration of Java.

Difficulties

A Java web reporting tool is often composed of two parts, designer and server. Commonly, they are independent programs.

As an independent tool, the installation deployment of report designer is relatively simple.
It just needs an installation package. However, as it is pure Java, it must depend on Java environment. As user’s computer may have installed a Java environment before, it does not want to install another during the installation of designer. Moreover, the two may be of different versions and conflict. Nevertheless, if you do not install a new one, you have to write a configuration file to configure the installation directory of Java.

As report server is often deployed on J2EE application server, its installation deployment is more complex.
First, publish the report server as a war package. Second, configure the database connection pool. Last, configure according to the requirement of application. For example, RAQ Report needs to configure semantic layer files, authorization files, log files, etc. For application, it needs to configure application directory, port number, etc.

Beside those above, there is another trouble, the joint of designer and server.
As they both run independently, report made by designer needs to be deployed to server, and this makes the development process troublesome. Moreover, you can look over report in web page only after deployment. As a result, users have to establish the web page framework on server first. After that, they can design report and look over the display effect. This increases the difficulty of fast usage experience.

Solution

As a pure Java web reporting tool, RAQ Report gives a more perfect solution to installation package for users’ convenience. The main advantages of it are as follows:

1. Integrate report designer and server. Users need not to develop any server-side program, and they can look over the report made in designer in web page directly. This makes fast experience easy for users.

2. Being saved, designed report can be deployed to the application of server directly. This increases the development speed by avoiding secondary deployment.

3. After designing, it can generate a war package for deployment directly. During the generation process, users can configure a series of application parameters with a friendly interface. Such as semantic layer files, authorization files, log files, etc.

4. The report designer supports simultaneous development of several applications and it can start/stop several applications simultaneously. As it has a plugin menu for all the applications, users can click corresponding buttons easily. This helps users with less development experience of Web applications a lot.

Graphic Illustration

Source: Knowledge Base of Java Reporting Tool
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However, those experienced developers may need more personalized designer initial properties. Such as row height, column width, font size and so on. Then, they need not to set these properties time and time again.

As a professional java reporting tool, RAQ Report provides two solutions for advanced users.

1. Set initial properties in the report IDE of RAQ Report.

Open the report IDE, and choose “Configure>Options>Initial properties”.Set your desired initial properties here, and click “OK”. As shown below:

Then you can design a new report with those startup properties from the next time you open RAQ Report.

Note: With this method, some initial properties can only be set as integer, not decimal.

2. Set initial properties in the configuration file of RAQ Report.

Open RAQ Report’s installation directory “reportHome\designer\tmp”, and find the option node in the file report4config.xml. Under this node, initial properties can be set as decimal. Such as fRowHeight, fColWidth, etc. Save the file after changing. As shown below:

Then, reset the designer, and you will find that changed initial properties have been saved.

Note: Before editting the configuration file, you should close the designer.

Source: Knowledge Base of RAQ Report
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Generally speaking, the report wizard of web reporting tool can help users to make a report step by step. Due to its strong regularity, common report wizard can only make simple reports, such as grid report, group report and cross report. However, reports in real business are more complex.

Difficulties

Combined report is one kind of complex report. Each part of a combined report may be regular. For example, it maybe composed of a grid report part and a group report part. However, for this kind of report, you can only make one part report with the wizard. Then, you have to modify it all by yourself.

Another problem is about template invalidation. For example, you may have designed a uniform template with header and footer, and set its appearance properties. If you are asked to insert a grid report, you need to first make a grid report with the wizard. After that, you have to copy the header and footer to it, and set all the appearance properties with the format painter. If your reporting tool does not support format painter, you have to set all the appearance properties one by one. It means that the uniform template you designed does not play a role in the whole process.

Solution

For the convenience of users, RAQ Report provides a report wizard with Insert Local Report function to solve this problem. As a result, you only need to finish the appearance and other irregular parts by yourself. Then, the wizard will help you to insert a local report step by step. By the way, you can insert several local reports in a template.

Example

1. Make a report with template.

2. Select the cell to insert local report.

3. Choose “Insert > Local Report”.

4. Click Next.

5. Click Next.

6. Click Create Grid Report.

7. It generated expressions automatically.

8. The preview of the report.

Source: Knowledge Base of Java Reporting Tool
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Web Report always needs printing, while printing always needs page break.

A kind of common page break is automatic page break by paper size and page margins. Before printing or displaying, it will calculate that how many rows and columns can be displayed in each piece of paper according to page size and page margins. However, this mode is easy only when the height and width of rows and columns are fixed.

As data are dynamically fetched from database, if they exceed the width of cells, they will widen or heighten cells. Therefore, users have to fetch data and judge whether the data will exceed the width of cells first. Then, they can calculate that how many rows and columns can be displayed in each piece of paper.

Another kind is page break by fixed row number. It means that each piece of paper display fixed number of rows, and the remaining will be displayed in following pages. Users always use this mode for orderly format or preformatted paper printing.

For it needs not to do complex calculations, this mode seems easier. However, as users’ requirements are various, data may exceed the width of cells. It means that the data have to wrap text without change the width and height of cells. Then, the only solution is to shrink font. Nevertheless, it is difficult. For best display effect, the final font is decided with complicated calculations according to both width and height of cells.

In addition, there is another problem about empty rows. As data are dynamically fetched from database, the number of rows is unfixed, and there may be empty rows in the last page. Therefore, users have to supplement these empty rows. Then, how many empty rows are there? It is difficult to know, and users have to do dynamic calculations according to practical condition.

Moreover, there are more complex page break modes. For example, page break with automatic adaptation to paper size. This mode is usually used in reports with dynamically horizontal expansion. As users want to print report in a piece of paper without horizontal page break, and the column number is unfixed, it needs to adjust column width according to final column number.

To sum up, page break is important in web report, and the page break modes provided by a web reporting tool can influence the work efficiency of users greatly.

Solution

As a pure Java web reporting tool, RAQ Report is doing well in this aspect by providing a series of simple and useful modes. After report design, users only need to select a page break mode and a zoom mode, and set related parameters like Rows per page, Print type of vertical break, Print type of table header and footer, etc.

Graphic Illustration

Zoom mode

Page Break Mode

The effect of supplementing empty rows.

Source: Knowledge Base of RAQ Report
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For printing web report, users often need to print it by clicking the print button. However, sometimes users may want to print report immediately when loading the report on browser.

Solution

As a real Excel-like web reporting tool, RAQ Report provides a direct print function for users. You only need to use the tag <object></object> in the JSP file to call the applet program directly. The solution is that write a print class, which inherits the direct print class DirectPrintApplet,and call the print program directly in the DirectPrintApplet.java. Then you can print the uploading report directly without the trigger program.

Easy operation

1. Write a print class, which inherits the direct print class DirectPrintApplet.(You can choose the DirectPrintWithoutShow name as you like).

2. Put the print class into runqianReport4Applet.jar. Remember to decompress runqianReport4Applet.jar firstly and delete the mete folder before compress it.

3. Sign the new runqianReport4Applet.jar.

4. Use the new class name instead of the called class name in the jsp when direct print while loading report.

Source: Knowledge Base of RAQ Report
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Bridge way

This is the simplest way as it bridges the virtual network card to a physical network card directly. It is similar to a network card binding with two different addresses in linux. In fact, it sets the network card as promiscuous mode, and then the card can sniff several IP addresses.

In this mode, the internal network card of virtual machine(eth0 under linux is an example) is linked to the network of physical network card directly, and you can imagine that virtual machine and host machine have equal status in network relation.

To use this way, you need to get more than one IP address.

This way is not suitable for those who want to do network experiments, because you can not control the network of virtual machine.

Nat way

In this way, a virtual network card vmnet8(by default) appears in the host machine. If you have experiences of Nat server, you can imagine that vmnet8 is equal to the network card linked to internal network, while the virtual machine is equal to the machine running in internal network, and the internal network card(eth0) of virtual machine is independent of vmnet8.

You can find that the own dhcp of vmware will be loaded to the interface of vmnet8 by default. Then, virtual machine can use dhcp service. More important, vmware has its own Nat service which provides address transformation from vmnet8 to outer network.

Therefore, there is a real running Nat server, but only used for virtual machine.

Obviously, if you have only one Outer network address, this way is quite suitable.

Hostonly way

This is the most flexible way, and you can do all kinds of network experiments. The only difference with Nat way is that it has no address transformation service. Therefore, virtual machine only has access to host machine by default. This is the meaning of the name “hostonly”.

By default, a dhcp service will be loaded to vmnet1. Then, the virtual machine linked to vmnet1 also can be setted as dhcp, and this makes the configuration of system easy.

Is this way can not link to outer network?

No. In fact, it is more suitable as you can use your own way to get the best configuration.

Examples:

1. Use your own dhcp service. First, you should stop the dhcp service of vmware, and make dhcp service more uniform.

2. Use your own Nat, and add firewall easily. There are many ways to do Nat with windows host. The Internet sharing of window XP

is a simple one, and the Nat service of windows server is a complicated one.

3. Use your own firewall. As you can totally control vmnet1, you can add (or try) a firewall between vmnet11 and outer network.

As stated above, you can see that this way is similar to that common Nat server link to outer network with the whole internal network. So you can do related experiments easily. For example, the setting of firewall.

Source: Knowledge Base of RAQ Report
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Sometimes, users may change the data source of input report template through RAQ Report API dynamically. However, after releasing the input report template with tag, an error message “Can’t find data source!” usually appears when users are inputting data in the web page.

Analysis

Through API of RAQ Report, users can only change the name of the data source of report template dynamically, but not change the data source in updated attribute correspondingly. As a result, the data sources in input template and updated attribute are different. Then, when users are inputting data, the system can’t find correct data source, and an error message pops up.

Solution

After changing the data source of report template, users should change the data source of updated attribute correspondingly.

With RAQ Report, users only need to get the corresponding relations between input report attribute and updated attribute, and change the data source of updated attribute.

Example

ReportDefine rd = (ReportDefine)ReportUtils.read(raq);
INormalCell cell = rd.getCell(2, (short)1);
//Get input report attributes.
InputProperty ip = cell.getInputProperty();
ArrayList al = ip.getUpdateList();
UpdateProperty up = (UpdateProperty)al.get(0);
//Get corresponding relations between input report attribute and updated attribute.
Object relations = up.getRelation();
if(relations instanceof com.runqian.report4.usermodel.input.TableRelations){
TableRelations trs = (TableRelations)relations;
System.out.println(trs.getDataSourceName());
//Set the data source of updated attribute.
trs.setDataSourceName("northwind");
up.setRelation(trs);
ArrayList ups = new ArrayList(1);
ups.add(up);
ip.setUpdateList(ups);
cell.setInputProperty(ip);

Source: Knowledge Base of Java Reporting Tool
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