Interactive Reporting

The Report Preview screen displays your report and you can choose to print, export, email the report along with several other features.   But did you know that the report in the preview window can be interactive.   Scripts in the report can respond to mouse actions including clicks, double clicks, mouse down, mouse move, and mouse up events.   These scripts can be assigned to any control on the report.  This opens up many possibilities including creating drill down reports and drill though reports.  In fact, you can have a user click on a control in print preview and open another report, open a file, go to a website, open a form, message box, input box, and more.  You can even create a menu and have the menu launch reports and more.

More to come on this exciting topic….

Coming

This version focuses on the look and feel aspects of the product.

1. New preference added to choose a skin theme for all forms.  42 different skins available
2. New preference added to select the background color or the Tiled Main Menu
3. The docking of the panels in the tabbed/ribbon report designer will be saved and restored the next time the form is opened
4. The position and size of the tabbed/ribbon report designer will be saved and restored the next time the form is opened
5. The changes made to the various list forms including grouping, sorting, filtering, column selection, etc. will be saved and restored the next time the form is opened.   This includes the data source list, report design list, report definition list, report list, and queue list.

Here is a YouTube video showing all 42 skins in just over a minute – Watch Now

New Features

Another great update to Sunset Reports is here.   This version introduces two new major features:

• Start the program with “opening arguments”.   Create your own shortcuts or even open Sunset Reports with another program.  Up to 4 opening arguments will put the software in one of 8 modes.
• A new menu interface inspired by the Windows 8 Metro interface.   Now it will be easier to use our software with your touch screens.

Here are the 8 modes:  (Note: Modes 2 thru 8 all require Arg1 being a specified report storage file)

1. No arguments – normal mode connecting to default user report storage file
2. Normal mode connecting to arg1 instead of the default user report storage file.
3. With Arg2 a positive number – run in BATCH mode with arg2 = run queue time
4. With Arg2 = -1, show report list and if Arg3 then filter by category = Arg3 and if Arg 4 then filter by userid = Arg4
5. With Arg2 = -2, show report carousel and if Arg3 then filter by category = Arg3 and if Arg 4 then filter by userid = Arg4
6. With Arg2 = a Report Definition Name and if no Arg3 then print preview the report definition by that name.
7. With Arg2 = a Report Definition Name and if Arg3 = 1 then print to default printer directly
8. With Arg2 = a Report Definition Name and if Arg3 = 2 then print with prompt for printer

Here is the new menu….