JasperSoft iReport Java Programming User Manual

Below you will find brief information for iReport. iReport simplifies report creation with its visual designer, allowing users to build, compile, and generate reports from scratch using report wizards and Groovy. It effectively accesses data sources and produces high-quality reports in various formats.
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PANTONE 123 C
EMPOWERING PRODUCTIVITY FOR THE JAVA™ DEVELOPER
Companion
eBook Available
Dear Reader,
Author of
The iReport™ Manual
Coauthor of
The JasperServer™
Ultimate Guide
www.dbebooks.com - Free Books &amp; magazines
A
JasperForge.org
™
Giulio Toffoli
iReport
iReport™ is the most popular visual report designer for JasperReports ™, the
award-winning open source Java™ library. Using iReport, you can create complex,
pixel-perfect reports in many file formats including PDF, HTML, XLS, CSV,
XML, and OpenOffice. The Definitive Guide to iReport is the most comprehensive
reference/tutorial available on this powerful program. I wrote the book to teach
you everything you need to use iReport to master high-quality reports, starting
from the JasperReports basics up to the most advanced techniques in accessing
data across a wide range of data sources.
You’ll learn how to install and configure iReport to work with your environment
effectively, how to build, compile, and generate reports from scratch, and how
to speed up your work using report wizards and the Groovy language, avoiding
complex Java expressions. Clear, in-depth explanations about how subreports,
subdatasets, crosstabs, and charts work will help you to better design your
reports, avoid common mistakes, and learn best practices.
I adopted a step-by-step approach to help beginners be productive as quickly
as possible. If you are an expert user, you can skip subjects you already know
and focus on the most advanced topics like how to write custom datasources
and test them within iReport, how to create and use a report scriptlet, how to
create your own report templates, and how to internationalize your reports
using Resource Bundle files. Many functions are explained using practical realworld examples, and the whole book is rich with valuable suggestions, best
practice techniques, and numerous tips and tricks related to report design.
This is the perfect book for newcomers wanting to start using iReport and a
vital source of suggestions and hidden gems for expert users.
The Definitive Guide to
The Definitive Guide to iReport
THE EXPERT’s VOICE &reg; IN JAVA™ TECHNOLOGY
Project
The Definitive Guide to
iReport
Create JasperReports™ from scratch and speed up
your work with report wizards—as well as the Groovy
language—using the popular open source iReport ™
™
Companion eBook
THE APRESS JAVA™ ROADMAP
Beginning POJOs
See last page for details
on $10 eBook version
www.apress.com
java.apress.com
The Definitive Guide to
iReport™
The Definitive Guide to
JasperReports™
The Definitive Guide to
Grails
ISBN-13: 978-1-59059-928-0
ISBN-10: 1-59059-928-4
90000
Toffoli
SOURCE CODE ONLINE
Giulio Toffoli
Foreword by Teodor Danciu, Developer of JasperReports™
Shelve in
Java Programming
User level:
Intermediate–Advanced
9 781590 599280
this print for content only—size &amp; color not accurate
™
spine = 0.82&quot; 352 page count
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The Definitive Guide
™
to iReport
Giulio Toffoli
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The Definitive Guide to iReport™
Copyright &copy; 2007 by JasperSoft Corporation
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval
system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner and the publisher.
ISBN-13 (pbk): 978-1-59059-928-0
ISBN-10 (pbk): 1-59059-928-4
Printed and bound in the United States of America 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Trademarked names may appear in this book. Rather than use a trademark symbol with every occurrence
of a trademarked name, we use the names only in an editorial fashion and to the benefit of the trademark
owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark.
JasperSoft, the JasperSoft logo, JasperAnalysis, JasperServer, JasperETL, JasperReports, JasperStudio,
iReport, and Jasper4 products are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of JasperSoft Corporation
in the United States and in jurisdictions throughout the world. All other company and product names
are or may be trade names or trademarks of their respective owners.
Lead Editor: Steve Anglin
Editorial Board: Steve Anglin, Ewan Buckingham, Gary Cornell, Jonathan Gennick,
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Artist: April Milne
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Distributed to the book trade worldwide by Springer-Verlag New York, Inc., 233 Spring Street, 6th Floor,
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section.
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To my wonderful wife, Caterina
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Contents at a Glance
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxi
■CHAPTER 1
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
■CHAPTER 2
Basic Notions of JasperReports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
■CHAPTER 3
Report Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
■CHAPTER 4
Report Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
■CHAPTER 5
Fonts and Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
■CHAPTER 6
Fields, Parameters, and Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
■CHAPTER 7
Bands and Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
■CHAPTER 8
Subreports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
■CHAPTER 9
Datasources and Query Executers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
■CHAPTER 10
Internationalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
■CHAPTER 11
Scriptlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
■CHAPTER 12
Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
■CHAPTER 13
Charts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
■CHAPTER 14
Subdatasets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
■CHAPTER 15
Crosstabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
■CHAPTER 16
Other Interface Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
■CHAPTER 17
Plug-Ins and Additional Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
■CHAPTER 18
Solutions to Common Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
■CHAPTER 19
iReport Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
■APPENDIX A
GNU General Public License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
■APPENDIX B
DTD Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
■APPENDIX C
iReport and JasperReports Versions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
■INDEX
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
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Contents
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxi
■CHAPTER 1
Getting Started
..................................................1
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Downloading iReport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Accessing Source Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Compiling iReport. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Setting Up the Start and Base Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
The Windows Installer and iReport.exe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
First iReport Execution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Creating a JDBC Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Creating Your First Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Specifying Startup Command-Line Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
■CHAPTER 2
Basic Notions of JasperReports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Understanding the Report Life Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
JRXML Sources and Jasper Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Datasources and Print Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Compatibility Between Versions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Report Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Using Groovy As a Language for Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
A Simple Program Using JasperReports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
■CHAPTER 3
Report Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Document Sections (Bands) Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Title . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Page Header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Column Header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Group Header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Group Footer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
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■CONTENTS
Column Footer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Page Footer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Last Page Footer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Specifying Report Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Advanced Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
■CHAPTER 4
Report Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Inserting and Selecting Elements in a Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Positioning and Elements Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Managing Elements with the Elements Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Basic Element Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Graphic Element Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Rectangle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Ellipse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Text Element Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Static Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Text Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
A Brief Look at Subreports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Working with Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Special Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Barcode Element Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Inserting Page and Column Breaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Adding Hyperlinks to Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Hyperlink Type Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
■CHAPTER 5
Fonts and Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Working with Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Using TTF Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Font Loading and Font Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Character Encoding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Use of Unicode Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Working with Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Creating Style Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Reusing Styles Through the Styles Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
A Word About Report Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
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■CHAPTER 6
Fields, Parameters, and Variables
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Working with Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Registration of Fields of a SQL Query . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Registration of the Fields of a JavaBean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Displaying a Field with a Text Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Working with Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Using Parameters in a Query . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Passing Parameters from a Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Built-in Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Working with Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Built-in Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
■CHAPTER 7
Bands and Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Modifying Bands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Working with Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Group Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Groups and Record Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
■CHAPTER 8
Subreports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Creating a Subreport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Linking a Subreport to the Parent Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Passing Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Specifying the Datasource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Specifying the Subreport. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
A Step-by-Step Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Returning Values from a Subreport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Using the Subreport Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Create a New Report via the Subreport Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Specifying an Existing Report in the Subreport Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
■CHAPTER 9
Datasources and Query Executers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
How a JasperReports Datasource Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Understanding Datasources and Connections in iReport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Creating and Using JDBC Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
ClassNotFoundError . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
URL Not Correct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Parameters Not Correct for the Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Working with Your JDBC Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Fields Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Sorting and Filtering Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
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Using JavaBeans Set Datasources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Fields of a JavaBean Set Datasource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Using XML Datasources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Registration of the Fields for an XML Datasource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
XML Datasource and Subreport Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Using Remote XML File Datasources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Using CSV Datasources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Registration of the Fields for a CSV Datasource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Using JREmptyDataSource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Using HQL and Hibernate Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Understanding the JRDataSource Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
How to Implement a New JRDataSource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Using a Personalized JRDataSource with iReport. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Using MDX and OLAP (Mondrian) Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Working with an XML/A Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Using an XML/A Connection with JasperReports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Using an XML/A Connection with the Cincom MDX Query Executer . . . . 168
Using the MDX Query Editor Rex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Using an EJBQL Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Running an EJBQL Query from a Subreport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Running an EJBQL-Based Report from a Java Application . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Importing and Exporting Datasources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
JasperReports Datasource Providers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Creating Custom Languages and Query Executers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Creating a Query Executer for a Custom Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Working with a Fields Provider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Creating Custom iReport Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
■CHAPTER 10
Internationalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Using a Resource Bundle Base Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Retrieving Localized Strings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Formatting Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Deploying Localized Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Running a Report Using a Specific Locale and Time Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
■CHAPTER 11
Scriptlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Understanding the JRAbstractScriptlet Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Scriptlet Handling in iReport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Deploying Reports That Use Scriptlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
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■CHAPTER 12
Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Template Structure Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Using a Custom Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Putting Templates into JAR Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
■CHAPTER 13
Charts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Creating a Simple Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Using Datasets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Value Hyperlinks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Properties of Charts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
■CHAPTER 14
Subdatasets
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Creating a Subdataset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Creating Dataset Runs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Working Through an Example Subdataset. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
■CHAPTER 15
Crosstabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Using the Crosstab Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Working with Columns, Rows, and Cells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Modifying Rows and Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Modifying Cells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Modifying Special Cells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Understanding Measures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Modifying Crosstab Element Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Working with Crosstab Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Using Crosstab Total Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
■CHAPTER 16
Other Interface Components
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Using the Document Structure Panel and the Object Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Page X of Y Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Total Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Current Date Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Percentage Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Understanding the Log Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Understanding the Thread List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Using Rules and Magnetic Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
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■CHAPTER 17
Plug-Ins and Additional Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Plug-In Configuration XML File Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Working with the it.businesslogic.ireport.plugin.IReportPlugin Class. . . . . . . . . 264
Deploying a Plug-In As a JAR File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Using the Massive Compiler Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Using the Text Wizard Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Using the Oracle Options Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Using the Check for iReport Updates Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Using the Translation Status Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Working with JasperBabylon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
■CHAPTER 18
Solutions to Common Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Error Handling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Printing Large Reports Using Report Virtualizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Printing a Percentage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Counting Occurrences of a Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Splitting the Detail Band . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Inserting Additional Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Retrieving Data Using Multiple Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Using Stored Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
PL/SQL Query Executer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
■CHAPTER 19
iReport Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Configuring General Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
The iReport UI and Non-Latin Languages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Configuring Compiler Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Configuring Report Virtualizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Configuring Backup Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Configuring External Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Extending the Classpath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Configuring Export Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Creating Custom Expressions (Formulas) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
■APPENDIX A
GNU General Public License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
The GNU General Public License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Preamble. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Terms and Conditions for Copying, Distribution, and Modification . . . . . . 294
NO WARRANTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Appendix: How to Apply These Terms to Your New Programs . . . . . . . . . . 297
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■APPENDIX B
DTD Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
jaspereport.dtd (v.1.3.4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
iReportProperties.dtd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
iReportPlugin.dtd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
iReportFilesList.dtd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
■APPENDIX C
■INDEX
iReport and JasperReports Versions
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
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Foreword
I
n the early days of JasperReports™ development, users had to manually edit report template files,
and the only visual tool to help them see what they were doing was the built-in report design preview tool.
Of course, JasperReports, as a content-rendering library, was, and still is, mainly a developer
tool that provides reporting functionality to Java™ applications that need it. Developers are used
to working with source code files and XML, so not having a visual tool at the time did not prevent
them from downloading JasperReports and using it right away.
But as things moved forward and JasperReports provided new features to its users, it soon
became apparent there was a need for more advanced tools that would simplify report design work
and make it more enjoyable.
I started to work on such a tool myself at the time and realized that the complexity of the project and the effort required would probably distract me from what I was doing on JasperReports. I
decided to not take up this challenge of creating a visual designer for JasperReports and continued
to concentrate on the report engine.
Fortunately, Giulio Toffoli came to the rescue, and within a relatively short time he was able to
put together a very useful and intuitive visual designer for creating and testing report templates.
This was a major boost to the JasperReports community in general, and the iReport™ designer
quickly became the most popular GUI tool for JasperReports.
Since then, things have moved along swiftly, with Giulio making sure that iReport continues to
evolve and keeps pace with JasperReports, always being up-to-date and supporting the newest features that were added to the reporting engine.
Things got even better back in 2005, when the iReport project joined the JasperReports
project and both became core components in what we now know as the JasperSoft&reg; Business
Intelligence Suite. This suite is a comprehensive set of tools for integrated reporting, analysis, and
data integration. In addition to JasperReports and iReport, the suite includes JasperServer™, a
high-performance business intelligence and report server; JasperAnalysis™, an OLAP engine;
and JasperETL™, a ready-to-run data integration platform.
The JasperSoft Business Intelligence Suite began as a complete open source reporting and BI
solution. Today, JasperSoft offers both open source and professional versions of the suite. The professional version includes JasperStudio™, the professional edition of iReport.
Nowadays, iReport is not only a simple visual report designer. It is a complete and integrated
reporting tool that offers various services including report preview in all JasperReports export formats, data connectivity, wizards, and support for visually designing charts and crosstabs. It is also
the report designer for JasperServer and Jasper4Salesforce™, with which it interacts through one of
its easy-to-use plug-in modules.
Not only has Giulio done a great job creating iReport and making it the popular and very useful
tool it is today, but he has also done an amazing job documenting it. This book is a complete reference to all iReport functionality and features and helps you get a quick start with reporting, even
without being familiar with the JasperReports engine. With iReport and its documentation, Giulio
helped making JasperReports useful to a wider audience, not only to Java developers. I hope you’ll
enjoy this book as much as I have enjoyed working with Giulio all these years.
Teodor Danciu
Founder and architect of JasperReports, JasperSoft
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About the Author
■GIULIO TOFFOLI is a senior software engineer at JasperSoft Corporation,
where he serves as the iReport project leader. He has been developing Java
applications since 1999 and founded the iReport project in 2001. During
this time, Giulio has enjoyed designing complex software architectures and
implementing custom software solutions with a focus on desktop and multitiered, web-based, client-server applications using Java (J2EE/JEE) and
open source technologies. Giulio has a degree in computer science from
the University of Bologna and currently resides in Italy.
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Acknowledgments
i
Report contains code and ideas from many people. Though I run the risk of forgetting somebody,
I would like to thank the following people for their contribution to this project: Teodor Danciu,
Alexander, Andre Legendre, Craig B. Spengler, David Walters, Egon R. Pereira, ErtanO, G. Raghavan,
Heiko Wenzel, Kees Kuip, Octavio Luna, Peter Henderson, Vinod Kumar Singh, Wade Chandler, Erica
Pastorello, and all reviewers. A special thanks goes to Kristen Kelleher from JasperSoft and all the
Apress guys for the amazing job done for the latest release of this book.
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Introduction
i
Report is an open source program that can create complex reports which can use every kind of Java
application through the JasperReports library. It is written in 100% pure Java and is distributed with
source code according to the GNU General Public License. JasperStudio is the professional edition of
iReport; it is essentially the same application, but is commercially supported by JasperSoft Corporation and released as part of the JasperSoft Business Intelligence Suite, a comprehensive set of tools
for integrated reporting, analysis, and data integration. In addition to JasperStudio, the suite is comprised of JasperServer, a high-performance business intelligence and report server; JasperAnalysis,
an OLAP engine to drill down and slice and dice data; and JasperETL, a ready-to-run data integration
platform providing data extract-transform-load (ETL) capabilities.
Through an intuitive and rich graphic interface, iReport lets you rapidly create any kind of
report very easily. iReport enables engineers who are just learning this technology to access all the
functions of JasperReports as well as helping skilled users to save a lot of time during the development of very elaborate reports.
This guide refers to the 2.0.0 version of iReport, but a great portion of this information is directly
applicable to earlier versions; my commitment is to keep this guide as up-to-date as possible with
future iReport versions.
Features of iReport
The following list describes some of the most important features of iReport:
• 100% support of JasperReports XML tags.
• WYSIWYG editor for the creation of reports. It has complete tools for drawing rectangles,
lines, ellipses, text fields, labels, charts, subreports, and bar codes.
• Built-in editor with syntax highlighting for writing expressions.
• Support for Unicode and non-Latin languages (Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc.).
• Browser for document structure.
• Integrated report compiler, filler, and exporter.
• Support for all databases accessible by JDBC.
• Virtual support for all kinds of datasources.
• Wizard for creating reports automatically.
• Support for subreports.
• Backup feature of source files.
• Support for document templates.
• TrueType fonts support.
• Support for localization.
• Extensibility through plug-ins.
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■INTRODUCTION
• Integrated support for scriptlets.
• Support for charts.
• Management of a library of standard objects (e.g., numbers of pages).
• Drag-and-drop functionality.
• Unlimited undo/redo.
• Wizard for creating crosstabs.
• Styles library.
• Docking system.
The iReport team is composed of many skilled and experienced programmers who come from
every part of the world. They work daily to add new functionalities and fix bugs.
iReport Community
The iReport web site is at http://ireport.sourceforge.net. If you need help with iReport,
there is a discussion forum in English: http://www.jasperforge.org/index.php?option=
com_joomlaboard&amp;Itemid=215&amp;func=showcat&amp;catid=9. This is the place where you can send
requests for help and technical questions about the use of the program, as well as post comments and discuss implementation choices or propose new functionalities. There is no
guarantee for a prompt reply, but requests are usually satisfied within a few days’ time. This
service is free. If you need information concerning commercial support, you can write to
[email protected].
Please report bugs at the following address: http://jasperforge.org/sf/tracker/do/
listArtifacts/projects.ireport/tracker.bugs.
In the project site, there is a system to send requests for enhancement (RFE). There is also the
ability to suggest patches and integrative code.
All members of the iReport team keep in serious consideration all suggestions, criticism, and
advice coming from iReport and JasperStudio users.
Downloading the Code
The source code for this book is available to readers at http://www.apress.com in the Downloads
section of this book’s home page. Please feel free to visit the Apress web site and download all the
code there. You can also check for errata and find related titles from Apress.
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Getting Started
I
n this chapter, you’ll see what the requirements are for using iReport, the way to obtain the binary
distribution and the sources, and how to compile and install it.
Requirements
iReport needs Sun Java 2 SDK 1.5 or newer; in order to compile report scriptlets, it is necessary to
install the complete distribution of Java 2 (Java SE Development Kit, or JDK), not only a runtime
environment (Java Runtime Environment, or JRE). If you want to compile iReport sources, you
should install Jakarta Ant version 1.6 or newer.
As for hardware, like all Java programs, iReport eats a lot of RAM, and so it is necessary to have
at least 256MB of memory and about 20MB of free space on disk.
Downloading iReport
It is possible to download iReport from the iReport project page on SourceForge where you can
always find the last released iReport distribution (http://sourceforge.net/projects/ireport).
Four different distributions are available:
iReport-x.x.x.zip: This is the official binary distribution in ZIP format.
iReport-x.x.x.tgz: This is the official binary distribution in TAR GZ format.
iReport-x-x-x-src.zip: This is the official distribution of sources in ZIP format.
iReport-x.x.x-windows-installer.exe: This is the official Win32 installer.
x.x.x represents the version number of iReport. Every distribution contains all needed libraries
from third parties necessary to use the program and additional files, such as templates and base
documentation in HTML format.
Accessing Source Code
If you want a more up-to-date version of sources, you can directly access the SVN repository. In this
case, it is necessary to have an SVN client (my favorite is Tortoise SVN). If you don’t have one, you
need to create an account on http://jasperforge.org/sf/projects/ireport in order to access the
repository.
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■Caution
iReport source code is no longer available on SourceForge CVS server.
The URL of the SVN repository of iReport is http://scm.jasperforge.org/svn/repos/ireport/
trunk/iReport2.
Compiling iReport
The distribution with sources contains a build.xml file that is used by Jakarta Ant to compile and
start iReport and/or to create different distributions of the program.
Download iReport-x.x.x-src.zip, unzip it into the directory of your choice, for example,
c:\devel (or /usr/devel on a Unix system). Open a command prompt or a shell, go to the directory
where the archive was uncompressed, go to the iReport directory, and enter
C:\devel\iReport-2.0.0&gt;ant iReport
The sources, which stay in the src directory, will be compiled into the classes folder, and
iReport will start immediately.
Setting Up the Start and Base Configuration
If you preferred downloading the binary version of iReport, uncompress the downloaded archive
into the directory of your choice, for example, c:\devel (or /usr/devel on a Unix system). Open a
command prompt or a shell, go to the directory where the archive was uncompressed, go to the
iReport directory, and enter
C:\devel\iReport-2.0.0&gt;iReport.bat
or on Unix:
$ ./iReport.sh
(In this case, it should be preceded by a chmod +x if the file is not executable.)
The Windows Installer and iReport.exe
Starting from version 1.2.3, iReport provides a Windows installer created using NSIS, the popular
tool from Nullsoft (http://nsis.sourceforge.net/Main_Page).
To install iReport, double-click iReport-x.x.x-windows-installer.exe to bring up the screen
shown in Figure 1-1.
Click Next, review the license agreement as shown in Figure 1-2, and click I Agree if you accept
the terms.
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Figure 1-1. iReport Setup Wizard—Step 1
Figure 1-2. iReport Setup Wizard—Step 2
iReport can be installed with and without the source code, as shown in Figure 1-3. If you want
to install the sources too, you can follow the instructions about how to compile iReport as discussed
earlier in the section “Compiling iReport.”
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Figure 1-3. iReport Setup Wizard—Step 3
At the end of the installation process, you get a new menu item in the program files menu (for
instance, on a Windows system, Start ➤ All Programs ➤ JasperSoft ➤ iReport-x.x.x).
You can have more than one version of iReport installed on your machine at the same time, but
all these versions will share the same configuration files.
The installer creates a shortcut to launch iReport, linking the shortcut to iReport.exe (present
in the program home directory); this Win32 binary version is really a wrapper created using JSmooth
(http://jsmooth.sourceforge.net/). From iReport 1.2.5 on, the executable created by JSmooth is
able to automatically load all JAR files located in the lib directory.
■Caution
If you experience some problems like ClassNotFound exceptions using iReport.exe, try using
iReport.bat instead.
First iReport Execution
On the first execution, iReport will create a directory named .ireport in the user’s home directory.
Here the personal settings and the configuration of the program are saved. If it is not possible to
create this folder, this could cause undesirable effects in the program, and it may not be possible to
save the configuration files. In this case, it could be necessary to create the directory manually.
■Note Before proceeding to the program configuration, it is necessary to copy the tools.jar file, normally present
in the lib directory of Sun JDK, into the iReport lib directory. The absence of this file can produce some exceptions
during the compilation of a report (carried out by using classes contained in this Java library). On Mac OS X, the
tools.jar file does not exist, but there is a classes.jar file, which contains the required classes to compile.
The iReport initial configuration consists of setting up the programs to run for viewing the
produced documents according to their file formats, selecting the language to use, and indicating
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where to store compiled files. Other configuration settings will be explained subsequently. In order
to proceed to the configuration, run iReport and select Options ➤ Settings to bring up the window
shown in Figure 1-4.
Figure 1-4. Options window—General options
Select the language you prefer and go to the Compiler tab, shown in Figure 1-5.
Figure 1-5. Options window—Compiler options
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In the Compiler tab, you can set where iReport stores JASPER files that are compiled. By
default, iReport uses the current directory as the destination for compiled files. Often it is useful to
specify a particular directory for saving compiled files; this directory is usually the same one in
which the source of the report is located. In this case, check the Use the reports directory for compiles check box.
In this tab, you can also set a specific compiler to use. JasperReports provides different ways to
compile your report. The current JasperReports default compiler is the JDT Compiler. If you use the
Java compiler (javac), you need to have the tools.jar file in your classpath (you can find this file in
your JDK).
I suggest you use the default compiler (JDT). Using this compiler, iReport will be able to point
you to errors using clickable items in the Problems tab (see Figure 1-6).
Figure 1-6. Clickable errors produced using the JDT compiler
If Groovy is used as the language for expression, a special compiler is used instead of the one
specified.
See Chapter 19 for details on the other options present in the Compiler tab.
Complete the configuration by going to the External Programs tab and specifying the external
programs to use with different output formats of reports and the editor to use for modifying XML
source (see Figure 1-7).
Restart iReport to set all chosen options.
Test the configuration by creating a new blank report (select File ➤ New Document) and
confirming all features proposed for the new report. Then click the Run button on the toolbar,
shown here:
If everything is OK, you will be prompted to save the report in a JRXML file, and a corresponding JASPER file will be created and a preview of a blank page will appear. This means that iReport
has been installed and configured correctly.
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Figure 1-7. Options window—External Programs options
Creating a JDBC Connection
The most common datasource for filling a report is typically a relational database. Next, you will see
how to set up a JDBC connection in iReport. Select Data ➤ Connections/Datasources and click the
New button in the window with the connections list. A new window will appear for the configuration
of the new connection (see Figure 1-8). Select Database JDBC connection and click Next. In the new
frame, shown in Figure 1-9, enter the connection name (e.g., “My new connection”) and select the
right JDBC driver. iReport recognizes the URL syntax of many JDBC drivers. You can automatically
create the URL by entering the server address and database name in the corresponding boxes and
clicking the Wizard button. To complete the connection configuration, enter the username and password for access to the database. If you want to save the password, select the Save password check box.
Figure 1-8. Creating a JDBC connection
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Figure 1-9. Specifying the properties for a JDBC connection
Test the connection by clicking the Test button. It is better to test the connections before saving
and using them.
iReport is shipped with only the JDBC driver for the MySQL database and the HSQL database
engine (HSQLDB). If during the test there is a ClassNotFound error, it is possible that there is no JAR
archive (or ZIP) in the classpath that contains the selected database driver. Without closing iReport,
copy the JDBC driver into the lib directory and retry; the new JAR will be automatically located and
loaded by iReport. In Chapter 9, I will explain extensively all the configuration modalities of the
datasources.
At the end of the test, click the Save button to store the new connection.
In this way, you have created a new datasource, so you have to tell iReport to use it as a predefined datasource. Select Data ➤ Connections/Data Sources and then specify the new datasource.
The new connection will be automatically considered the active connection.
In general, to set the active connection, you can use the drop-down list in the main iReport
toolbar (see Figure 1-10).
Figure 1-10. Specifying a JDBC connection
Another way is by selecting Data ➤ Set Active Connection to bring up the dialog box shown in
Figure 1-11.
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Figure 1-11. List of the available datasources
Then select your connection from the list and click the OK button. From now on iReport will
use this connection for every operation that needs access to the database (in particular the acquisition of the fields selected through SQL queries and prints creation).
Creating Your First Report
Now that you have installed and configured iReport, and prepared a JDBC connection to the database, you will proceed to create a simple report using the Report Wizard.
For it and for many other following examples, you will use HSQLDB, a small relational database
written in Java and supplied with a JDBC driver. To be able to use it, copy the hsqldb.jar file into the
lib directory (this file is the database driver, and it is already present in all the iReport distributions
from version 0.3.2). In order to know more about this small jewel, please visit the HSQLDB project
site at this address: http://hsqldb.sourceforge.net.
In order to set up the database connection used in this example, use the parameters listed in
Table 1-1.
Table 1-1. Connection Parameters
Properties
Value
Name
Northwind
JDBC Driver
org.hsqldb.jdbcDriver
JDBC URL
jdbc:hsqldb:c:/devel/northwind/northwind
Username
sa
Password
When the password is blank, as in this case, remember to select the Save password check box
when configuring the connection.
Select File ➤ Report Wizard. This loads a tool for the step-by-step creation of a report, starting
with a query insertion (see Figure 1-12).
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Figure 1-12. Report Wizard—query insertion
In the text area, insert a SQL query in order to select data that will go to fill your report, for
example:
select * from customers order by country
and click Next. The clause “order by” is important to the following choice of the grouping (I will discuss the details a little later). iReport will read the fields of the customers table, and it will present
them in the next screen of the Report Wizard, as shown in Figure 1-13.
Figure 1-13. Report Wizard—report fields selection
Select the fields you wish to include and click Next. Now that you have selected the fields to put in
the report, you will be prompted to choose what fields you wish to group by, if any (see Figure 1-14).
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Figure 1-14. Report Wizard—groupings
Using the wizard, it is possible to create up to four groups. Others can be defined afterwards.
(In fact, it is possible to set up an arbitrary number of groupings.)
For this first report, define a simple grouping on the COUNTRY field, as shown in Figure 1-14.
The next step of the wizard allows you to select the print template, which is a model that can
be used as the base for the creation of the report (see Figure 1-15). With iReport, some very simple
templates are supplied, and you will see how to create some new ones. For the moment, it is enough
to know that there are two types of templates: the tabular templates, in which every record occupies
one line like in a table; and the columnar templates, in which the fields of the report are displayed
in columns.
Figure 1-15. Report Wizard—choosing a template
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For your first report, select a tabular template, preferably the classicT one (here, “T” stands for
tabular).
After you have chosen the template, click Next. The last screen of the wizard will appear, and it
will tell you the outcome of the operation. Click Finish to create the report, which will appear in the
iReport central area, ready for execution, as shown in Figure 1-16.
Figure 1-16. iReport main window
Before being able to execute the final print, you will have to save the report source created
through the wizard and compile it. These operations can be done all at once by clicking the Run
report using a connection button, shown here, that is on the toolbar:
After you click the Run report using a connection button, you will be asked for the name under
which to save the file. Save the file with the name report1.jrxml. In the console, which is in the part
below the main window, some messages will appear. They will tell you about what is happening: the
report will be compiled, created, and finally exported (see Figure 1-17).
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Figure 1-17. Your first report in PDF format
At the end of the operation, if everything is OK, the report will be shown in the default program
for opening PDF files. The PDF format is the predefined format of export.
Specifying Startup Command-Line Options
It is possible to specify some startup parameters on the command line. These parameters are not
case sensitive. They can be truncated so long as they remain unambiguous. For example, the option
-ireport-home can be specified as -i because no other option starts with the letter “i,” and therefore
the command-line interpreter will successfully interpret -i as the truncation of the -ireport-home
option.
The Boolean options can be specified using both the contracted form -option and the extensive form -option=true or -option=false according to necessity.
It is possible to obtain the options list by entering
iReport.bat -?
or
./iReport.sh -?
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Table 1-2 explains the different available options. It refers to the iReport 2.0.0 version, and it
may not be complete regarding successive versions.
Table 1-2. Command-Line Options
Option
Description
-beanClass &lt;className&gt;
Shows the specified class in the Bean Datasource tab (in the query
editor window).
-config-file &lt;fileName&gt;
Specifies the file name for loading an alternate configuration. The file
is never changed from iReport, which will save an eventual modified
configuration in the canonical directory, that is, the user home
/.ireport.
-embedded
Avoids application exit when the main window is closed.
-ireport-home &lt;dir&gt;
Specifies the program directory.
-no-splash
Avoids showing the splash window at startup.
-temp-dir &lt;dir&gt;
Specifies the directory where temporary files will be saved.
-user-home &lt;dir&gt;
Specifies the user home. The predefined directory is the one stored
into the user.home system property.
-version
Outputs the version immediately.
-webstart
Specifies that iReport will use a Java Web Start–friendly class loader.
If Ant is used, it is not possible to specify these options directly from the command line, but it
will be necessary to modify the build.xml file by adding the &lt;arg&gt; tags useful to the Java task that
runs iReport.
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Basic Notions of JasperReports
T
he heart of iReport is an open source library named JasperReports (JR), developed and maintained by Teodor Danciu, of JasperSoft Corporation. It is the most widely distributed and powerful
free software library for report creation available today.
In this chapter, I will illustrate JasperReports’ base concepts for a better understanding of how
iReport works.
The JasperReports API, the XML syntax for report definition, and all the details for using the
library in your own programs are documented very well in The Definitive Guide to JasperReports by
Teodor Daniciu, Lucian Chirita, Sanda Zaharia, and Ionut Nedelcu (Apress, 2007). Other information
and examples are directly available on the official site at http://jasperreports.sourceforge.net.
Unlike iReport, which is distributed according to the GPL license, JasperReports is issued with
the LGPL license, which is less restrictive. This means that JasperReports can be freely used on commercial programs without buying very expensive software licenses and without remaining trapped
in the complicated net of open source licenses. This is fundamental when reports created with iReport have to be used in a commercial product; in fact, programs only need the JasperReports library
to produce print reports, which works as something like a runtime.
Without the right commercial license (available upon request), iReport can be used only as a
development tool, and it cannot be part of a program that is not distributed with the GPL license.
Understanding the Report Life Cycle
The report life cycle is very similar to that of a Java class. In Java, this is described by a source file,
that is, a file with a .java extension, written according to its language rules. The source is compiled
through the compiler, creating a class file with a .class extension. When the class is used, it is
loaded into memory and instanced by the Java interpreter; during execution, the attributes will be
emphasized.
Similarly, a report is described by a source file, in XML format, as defined by the DTD
(jasperreport.dtd version 1.3.4 is listed in Appendix B). As of library version 0.5.3, the official
extension of these source files has become .jrxml (i.e., JasperReports XML), replacing the generic
.xml extension. These source files are compiled to create a JASPER file (with the .jasper extension), which is a kind of predefined report, exactly like a class file is (or represents) for an instance
of an object in Java. The JASPER file is loaded in a runtime by your application. It is joined to
records coming from a datasource in order to create a print, which can be exported in the desired
format (e.g., PDF or XLS).
Therefore, it is possible to define two distinct action groups: those that have to be executed
during the development phase (design and planning of the report, and compilation of a JASPER
file source), and those that have to be executed in a runtime (loading of the file and production of
the print).
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JRXML Sources and Jasper Files
The report layout definition is contained in a text file in the form of an XML document defined by
jasperreport.dtd. This source file is defined by a series of sections, some of them concerning the
report’s physical characteristics, such as the dimension of the page, the positioning of the fields,
and the height of the bands; and some of them concerning the logical characteristics, such as the
declaration of the parameters and variables, and the definition of a query for the data selection.
Simplifying a lot, it is possible to outline the sections of a JRXML source, as follows:
Report main characteristics
Property (0,+)
Import (0,+)
Global font (0,+)
Parameters (0,+)
Query [SQL//HQL/XPATH/..] (0,1)
Fields (0,+)
Variables (0,+)
Groups (0,+)
Group header
Group header elements (0,+)
Group footer
Group footer elements (0,+)
Predefined bands
Predefined bands elements
Listing 2-1 shows an example of a JRXML file.
Listing 2-1. A Simple JRXML File Example
&lt;?xml version=&quot;1.0&quot; encoding=&quot;ISO-8859-1&quot; ?&gt;
&lt;!-- Created with iReport - A designer for JasperReports --&gt;
&lt;!DOCTYPE jasperReport PUBLIC &quot;//JasperReports//DTD Report Design//EN&quot; ➥
&quot;http://jasperreports.sourceforge.net/dtds/jasperreport.dtd&quot;&gt;
&lt;jasperReport
name=&quot;untitled_report_1&quot;
columnCount=&quot;2&quot;
printOrder=&quot;Vertical&quot;
orientation=&quot;Portrait&quot;
pageWidth=&quot;595&quot;
pageHeight=&quot;842&quot;
columnWidth=&quot;266&quot;
columnSpacing=&quot;0&quot;
leftMargin=&quot;30&quot;
rightMargin=&quot;30&quot;
topMargin=&quot;20&quot;
bottomMargin=&quot;20&quot;
whenNoDataType=&quot;NoPages&quot;
isTitleNewPage=&quot;false&quot;
isSummaryNewPage=&quot;false&quot;&gt;
&lt;property name=&quot;ireport.scriptlethandling&quot; value=&quot;2&quot; /&gt;
&lt;queryString&gt;&lt;![CDATA[select * from customers]]&gt;&lt;/queryString&gt;
&lt;field name=&quot;CUSTOMERID&quot; class=&quot;java.lang.String&quot;/&gt;
&lt;field name=&quot;COMPANYNAME&quot; class=&quot;java.lang.String&quot;/&gt;
&lt;background&gt;
&lt;band height=&quot;0&quot; isSplitAllowed=&quot;true&quot; &gt;
&lt;/band&gt;
&lt;/background&gt;
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&lt;title&gt;
&lt;band height=&quot;46&quot; isSplitAllowed=&quot;true&quot; &gt;
&lt;staticText&gt;
&lt;reportElement
mode=&quot;Opaque&quot;
x=&quot;145&quot;
y=&quot;6&quot;
width=&quot;245&quot;
height=&quot;34&quot;
forecolor=&quot;#000000&quot;
backcolor=&quot;#FFFFFF&quot;
key=&quot;element-1&quot;
stretchType=&quot;NoStretch&quot;
positionType=&quot;FixRelativeToTop&quot;
isPrintRepeatedValues=&quot;true&quot;
isRemoveLineWhenBlank=&quot;false&quot;
isPrintInFirstWholeBand=&quot;false&quot;
isPrintWhenDetailOverflows=&quot;false&quot;/&gt;
&lt;textElement textAlignment=&quot;Center&quot; verticalAlignment=&quot;Top&quot;
rotation=&quot;None&quot; lineSpacing=&quot;Single&quot;&gt;
&lt;font fontName=&quot;Arial&quot; pdfFontName=&quot;Helvetica&quot; size=&quot;24&quot;
isBold=&quot;false&quot; isItalic=&quot;false&quot; isUnderline=&quot;false&quot;
isPdfEmbedded =&quot;false&quot; pdfEncoding =&quot;Cp1252&quot;
isStrikeThrough=&quot;false&quot; /&gt;
&lt;/textElement&gt;
&lt;text&gt;&lt;![CDATA[This is the title]]&gt;&lt;/text&gt;
&lt;/staticText&gt;
&lt;/band&gt;
&lt;/title&gt;
&lt;pageHeader&gt;
&lt;band height=&quot;0&quot; isSplitAllowed=&quot;true&quot; &gt;
&lt;/band&gt;
&lt;/pageHeader&gt;
&lt;columnHeader&gt;
&lt;band height=&quot;0&quot; isSplitAllowed=&quot;true&quot; &gt;
&lt;/band&gt;
&lt;/columnHeader&gt;
&lt;detail&gt;
&lt;band height=&quot;19&quot; isSplitAllowed=&quot;true&quot; &gt;
&lt;textField isStretchWithOverflow=&quot;false&quot; pattern=&quot;&quot;
isBlankWhenNull=&quot;false&quot; evaluationTime=&quot;Now&quot;
hyperlinkType=&quot;None&quot; &gt;
&lt;reportElement
mode=&quot;Opaque&quot;
x=&quot;1&quot;
y=&quot;1&quot;
width=&quot;264&quot;
height=&quot;18&quot;
forecolor=&quot;#000000&quot;
backcolor=&quot;#FFFFFF&quot;
key=&quot;element-2&quot;
stretchType=&quot;NoStretch&quot;
positionType=&quot;FixRelativeToTop&quot;
isPrintRepeatedValues=&quot;true&quot;
isRemoveLineWhenBlank=&quot;false&quot;
isPrintInFirstWholeBand=&quot;false&quot;
isPrintWhenDetailOverflows=&quot;false&quot;/&gt;
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&lt;textElement textAlignment=&quot;Left&quot; verticalAlignment=&quot;Top&quot;
rotation=&quot;None&quot; lineSpacing=&quot;Single&quot;&gt;
&lt;font fontName=&quot;Arial&quot; pdfFontName=&quot;Helvetica&quot; size=&quot;10&quot;
isBold=&quot;false&quot; isItalic=&quot;false&quot; isUnderline=&quot;false&quot;
isPdfEmbedded =&quot;false&quot; pdfEncoding =&quot;Cp1252&quot;
isStrikeThrough=&quot;false&quot; /&gt;
&lt;/textElement&gt;
&lt;textFieldExpression
class=&quot;java.lang.String&quot;&gt;
&lt;![CDATA[$F{COMPANYNAME}]]&gt;&lt;/textFieldExpression&gt;
&lt;/textField&gt;
&lt;/band&gt;
&lt;/detail&gt;
&lt;columnFooter&gt;
&lt;band height=&quot;0&quot; isSplitAllowed=&quot;true&quot; &gt;
&lt;/band&gt;
&lt;/columnFooter&gt;
&lt;pageFooter&gt;
&lt;band height=&quot;0&quot; isSplitAllowed=&quot;true&quot; &gt;
&lt;/band&gt;
&lt;/pageFooter&gt;
&lt;summary&gt;
&lt;band height=&quot;0&quot; isSplitAllowed=&quot;true&quot; &gt;
&lt;/band&gt;
&lt;/summary&gt;
&lt;/jasperReport&gt;
Figure 2-1 shows the print result from the example in Listing 2-1. In reality, the code of this listing, produced with iReport, is much more long-winded than necessary. This is because iReport does
not produce optimized code (e.g., omitting attributes with predefined default values).
Figure 2-1. Print resulting from Listing 2-1
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Reducing the XML code, however, would not change the report’s final result or execution
speed.
During compilation (done through some JasperReports classes) of the JRXML file, the XML is
parsed and loaded in a JRBaseReport object. JRBaseReport is a rich data structure that allows you to
represent the exact XML contents in memory. All of the parsed expressions are loaded, and the Java
class source is produced. This source, which extends the JRCalculator, is compiled by means of a
normal Java compiler, and the class created on disk is loaded as a byte buffer. Starting from the initial JRBaseReport, a JasperReport class is instanced (it extends the JRBaseReport class), and the
JRCalculator class byte buffer, previously loaded, is stored in a compileData field of this new class.
The JasperReport class that you have obtained is serialized into the JASPER file, which is then ready
for loading at any given time.
The JasperReports speed is due to all of the report’s formulas being compiled into Java native
bytecode and the report structure verified during compilation, not runtime.
Datasources and Print Formats
Without the possibility of filling a report through some dynamically supplied data, the most sophisticated and appealing report would be useless.
JasperReports allows you to specify fill data for the print in two different ways: through parameters and datasources, which are presented by means of a generic interface named JRDataSource, as
shown in Figure 2-2.
Figure 2-2. Datasources and parameters in the creation flux of a report
Chapter 9 is dedicated to datasources, where it is explained how they can be used in iReport
and how it is possible to define custom datasources (in case those supplied with JasperReports are
not right for your requirements). The JRDataSource allows a set of records that are organized in
tables (rows and columns) to be read.
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Instead of using an explicit datasource to fill in a report, JasperReports is able to do so through
a JDBC connection (already instanced and opened) to whichever relational database you wish to
run a SQL query on (which is specified in the report).
If the data (passed through a datasource) is not sufficient, or if it is necessary to specify particular values to condition its execution, it is possible to produce some name/value couples to
“transmit” to the print motor. These couples are named parameters, and they have to be “declared”
in advance in the report. Through the fillManager, it is possible to join a JASPER file and a datasource in a JasperPrint object. This object is a metaprint that can create a real print after having
been exported in the desired format through appropriate classes that implement the JRExporter
interface.
JasperReports puts at your disposal different predefined exporters like those for creating files in
such formats as PDF, XLS, CVS, XML, and HTML. Through the JRViewer class, it is possible to view
the report directly on the screen and to print it.
Compatibility Between Versions
When a new version of JasperReports is distributed, usually some classes change. These modified
classes typically define the report structure. So in order to avoid conflicts among reports that are
compiled with libraries of different versions, JasperReports associates a SerialVersion (in reality it
is inherited from the JasperReport class) with every compiled JASPER file, which identifies the exact
library version used for the compilation. If you execute a print loading a JASPER file that has a
SerialVersion different from the one supported by your chosen library, an error will occur (at least
for reports compiled with a version of JR prior to 1.1.0). The error may be similar to the following:
java.io.InvalidClassException:
net.sf.jasperreports.engine.base.JRBaseReport;
local class incompatible: stream classdesc serialVersionUID = 406,
local class serialVersionUID = 600
net.sf.jasperreports.engine.JRException: Error loading object from InputStream
Caused by: java.io.InvalidClassException:
net.sf.jasperreports.engine.base.JRBaseReport;
local class incompatible: stream classdesc serialVersionUID = 406,
local class serialVersionUID = 600
However, the “old” report sources can be compiled with newer library versions than those the
sources were first compiled with: this is because the newer versions usually introduce only new tags
that are not compulsory, without modifying the XML’s general structure.
The migration from one JasperReports version to another one is substantially painless, and it
can quickly be executed thanks to the iReport plug-in named massive compiler, which allows you to
carry out a massive compilation of all reports within a directory structure, keeping a safety copy of
the already existing JASPER files. (I will talk more about the massive compiler in Chapter 17.)
■Caution
Starting from JasperReports 1.1.0, you are no longer required to recompile the reports to use them
with a newer version of the library.
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Report Expressions
All of the formulas in JasperReports are defined through expressions. An expression is a Java instruction that has an object as a result.
Following are some examples of expressions:
• &quot;This is an expression&quot;
• new Boolean(true)
• new Integer(3)
• (($P{MyParam}.equals(&quot;S&quot;)) ? &quot;Yes&quot; : &quot;No&quot;)
These expression examples are nonvalid:
• 3 + 2 * 5
• true
• (($P{MyParam} == 1) ? &quot;Yes&quot; : &quot;No&quot;)
In particular, the first and the second expressions are not valid because they are of a primitive
type (int in the first case and boolean in the second case). The third expression is not valid
because it assumes that the MyParam parameter is a primitive type and that it can be compared
through the == operator with an int, but this is not true. (I will explain the $P{...} syntax shortly.)
The expression return type is determined by the context. For example, if the expression is used
to determine the moment when an element has to be printed, the return type will be Boolean. Similarly, if you write the expression that underlines a numerical field, the return type will be an Integer
or a Double.
Within the expression, you can refer to the parameters, variables, and fields, which are defined
in the report using the syntax summarized in Table 2-1.
Table 2-1. Syntax for Referring to Report Objects
Syntax
Description
$F{name_field}
Specifies the name_field field (“F” means field)
$V{name_variable}
Specifies the name_variable variable
$P{name_parameter}
Specifies the name_parameter parameter
$P!{name_parameter}
A special syntax used in the report SQL query to indicate that the
parameter does not have to be treated as a value to transfer to a
prepared statement, but that it represents a little piece of the query
Fields, variables, and parameters always represent objects (they can assume the null value)
and their type is specified at the moment of their declaration. After JasperReports version 0.6.2, a
new type $R{name_resource} syntax was introduced. It is used for the localization of strings (I will
talk about these more in Chapter 10, which is dedicated to the subject of internationalization).
Often an expression can be insufficient for defining the return object. For example, if you want
to print a number in Roman numerals or give back the name of the weekday in a particular data, it
is possible to transfer the elaborations to an external class method, which is declared as static, as
follows:
MyFormatter.toRomanNumber( $F{MyInteger}.intValue() )
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toRomanNumber is a MyFormatter class static method, which takes an int as a unique item (the
conversion from Integer to int is done by means of the intValue() method) and gives back the
Roman version of a number in a string.
This technique can be used for many aims, for example, to extrapolate the text of a CLOB field
or to add a value into a HashMap parameter. This operation cannot be executed by means of a simple expression.
Using Groovy As a Language for Expressions
Starting from JasperReports 0.6.6, Java is no longer the only language available to write expressions.
In fact, this version introduced a way to use languages different from Java; JasperReports supports
new expressions written using the Groovy language.
Groovy is a full language for the Java 2 Platform: this means that inside the Groovy language
you can use all classes and JARs available for Java.
Table 2-2 compares some typical JasperReports expressions written in Java and in Groovy.
Table 2-2. Groovy and Java Samples
Expression
Java
Groovy
Field
$F{field_name}
$F{field_name}
Sum of two double fields
new Double($F{f1}.doubleValue() +
$F{f2}.doubleValue())
$F{f1} + $F{f2}
Comparison of numbers
new Boolean($F{f}.intValue() == 1)
$F{f} == 1
Comparison of strings
new Boolean($F{f} != null &amp;&amp;
$F{f}.equals(&quot;test&quot;))
$F{f} == &quot;test&quot;
The following is a correct Groovy expression:
new JREmptyDataSource($F{num_of_void_records})
JREmptyDataSource is a class of JasperReports to generate on the fly a set of empty records
(without all fields set to null). You can see how you can instance this class (a pure Java class) in
Groovy without any problem.
Groovy opens the doors of JasperReports to all people who don’t know Java.
A Simple Program Using JasperReports
I finish this introduction to JasperReports by presenting an example of a simple program
(Listing 2-2) that shows how to produce a PDF file from a JASPER file using a special datasource
named JREmptyDataSource. JREmptyDataSource is a kind of empty datasource. The test.jasper
file, which the example refers to, is the compiled version of Listing 2-1.
Listing 2-2. JasperTest.java
import net.sf.jasperreports.engine.*;
import net.sf.jasperreports.engine.export.*;
import java.util.*;
public class JasperTest
{
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public static void main(String[] args)
{
String fileName = &quot;/devel/examples/test.jasper&quot;;
String outFileName = &quot;/devel/examples/test.pdf&quot;;
HashMap hm = new HashMap();
try
{
JasperPrint print = JasperFillManager.fillReport(
fileName,
hm,
new JREmptyDataSource());
JRExporter exporter =
new net.sf.jasperreports.engine.export.JRPdfExporter();
exporter.setParameter(
JRExporterParameter.OUTPUT_FILE_NAME,
outFileName);
exporter.setParameter(
JRExporterParameter.JASPER_PRINT,print);
exporter.exportReport();
System.out.println(&quot;Created file: &quot; + outFileName);
}
catch (JRException e)
{
e.printStackTrace();
System.exit(1);
}
catch (Exception e)
{
e.printStackTrace();
System.exit(1);
}
}
}
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3
Report Structure
I
n this chapter, you will learn about report structure; you will see which parts compose a report
and how they behave in comparison with data to print.
Document Sections (Bands) Overview
A report is defined by means of a type page. This is divided into different horizontal portions
named bands. When the report is joined with the data generating the print, these sections are
printed many times according to their function (and according to the rules that the report author
has set up). For instance, the page header is repeated at the beginning of every page, while the
detail band is repeated for every single record.
The type page is divided into nine predefined bands to which new groups are added (see
Figure 3-1). In addition, iReport manages a heading band (group header) and a recapitulation
band (group footer) for every group.
Figure 3-1. Predefined bands of a document. (The background and the last page footer bands are
not shown.)
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A band is always as wide as the page width (right and left margins excluded). However, its
height, even if it is established during the design phase, can vary during the print creation according to the contained elements; it can “lengthen” toward the bottom of a page in an arbitrary way.
This typically occurs when bands contain subreports or text fields that have to adapt to the content
vertically. Generally, the height specified by the user should be considered “the minimal height” of
the band. Not all bands can be stretched dynamically according to the content, in particular the column footer, page footer, and last page footer bands.
The sum of all band heights (except for the background) has to always be less than or equal to
the page height minus the top and bottom margins.
The following text briefly outlines each of the predefined bands plus the bands for groups.
Title
The title band is the first visible band. It is created only once and can be printed on a separate page.
Regarding the allowed dimensions, it is not possible during design time to exceed the report page
height (top and bottom margins are included). If the title is printed on a separate page, this band
height is not included in the calculation of the total sum of all band heights, which has to be less
than or equal to the page height, as mentioned previously.
Page Header
The page header band allows you to define a page header. The height specified during the design
phase usually does not change during the creation process (except for the insertion of vertically
resizable components, such as text fields that contain long text and subreports). The page header
appears on all printed pages in the same position defined during the design phase. Title and summary bands do not include the page header when printed on a separate page.
Column Header
The column header band is printed at the beginning of each detail column. (The column concept
will be explained in the “Columns” section later in this chapter.) Usually, labels containing the column names of a tabular report are inserted in this band.
Group Header
A report can contain zero or more group bands, which permit the collection of detail records in real
groups. A group header is always accompanied by a group footer (both can be independently visible
or not). Different properties are associated with a group. They determine its behavior from the
graphic point of view. It is possible to always force a group header on a new page or in a new column and to print this band on all pages if the bands below it overflow the single page (as a page
header, but at group level). It is possible to fix a minimum height required to print a group header: if
it exceeds this height, the group header band will be printed on a new page (please note that a value
too large for this property can create an infinite loop during printing). (I will discuss groups in
greater detail in Chapter 7.)
Detail
A detail band corresponds to every record that is read by the datasource that feeds the report. In all
probability, most of the print elements will be put here.
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Group Footer
The group footer band completes a group. Usually it contains fields to view subtotals or separation
graphic elements, such as lines.
Column Footer
The column footer band appears at the end of every column. Its dimensions are not resizable at
run time (not even if it contains resizable elements such as subreports or text fields with a variable
number of text lines).
Page Footer
The page footer band appears on every page where there is a page header. Like the column footer, it
is not resizable at run time.
Last Page Footer
If you want to make the last page footer different from the other footers, it is possible to use the special last page footer band. If the band height is 0, it is completely ignored, and the layout established
for the common page will also be used for the last page. This band first appeared in JasperReports
version 0.6.2.
Summary
The summary band allows you to insert fields concerning total calculations, means, or whatever
you want to insert at the end of the report. In other systems, this band is often named “report
footer.”
Background
The background band appeared for the first time in JasperReports version 0.4.6. It was introduced
after insistent requests from many users who wanted to be able to create watermarks and similar
effects (such as a frame around the whole page). It can have a maximum height equal to the page
height.
Specifying Report Properties
Now that you have seen the individual parts that comprise a report, you will proceed to creating a
new one. Click the following button:
or select New Document from the File menu to open the Report properties dialog box (see
Figure 3-2). Here you will fill in the report properties. This window is recallable anytime by
selecting Report properties from the Edit menu.
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Figure 3-2. Report properties
You can also select the Document node in the document structure panel to view the report
properties in the property sheet panel.
The first property is the report name. It is a logical name, independent from the source file’s
name, and is used only by the JasperReports library (e.g., to name the produced Java file, a report is
compiled).
The page dimensions are probably the report’s most important properties. A list of standard
measures is presented. The unit of measurement used by iReport and JasperReports is the pixel
(which has a resolution of 75 dpi, or dots per inch). However, it is possible to specify report dimensions using units of measurement that are more common, such as centimeters, millimeters, or inches.
Table 3-1 lists the standard measures and their dimensions in pixels. Because the dimensions
management is based on pixels, some rough adjustments can take place when viewing the same
data using different units of measurement.
Table 3-1. Standard Print Formats
Page Type
Dimensions in Pixels
LETTER
612&times;792
NOTE
540&times;720
LEGAL
612&times;1008
A0
2380&times;3368
A1
1684&times;2380
A2
1190&times;1684
A3
842&times;1190
A4
595&times;842
A5
421&times;595
A6
297&times;421
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Page Type
Dimensions in Pixels
A7
210&times;297
A8
148&times;210
A9
105&times;148
A10
74&times;105
B0
2836&times;4008
B1
2004&times;2836
B2
1418&times;2004
B3
1002&times;1418
B4
709&times;1002
B5
501&times;709
ARCH_E
2592&times;3456
ARCH_D
1728&times;2592
ARCH_C
1296&times;1728
ARCH_B
864&times;1296
ARCH_A
648&times;864
FLSA
612&times;936
FLSE
612&times;936
HALFLETTER
396&times;612
11X17
792&times;1224
LEDGER
1224&times;792
By modifying width and height, it is possible to create a report of whatever size you like. The
page orientation options, Landscape or Portrait, in reality are not meaningful, because the page
dimensions are characterized by width and height independent of the sheet orientation. However,
this property can be used by certain report exporters.
The page margin dimensions are set by means of the four options on the Page Margin tab.
The remaining options in the Report properties dialog box warrant more detailed discussion.
First, I want to talk a bit about the concept of columns before discussing the options available on
the Columns tab. Then I will show you the advanced options available through the Scriptlet Class,
More, and i18n tabs.
Columns
As you have seen, a report is divided into horizontal sections: bands.
The page, one or more of which make up a report, presents bands that are independent from
the data (such as the title or the page footers) and other bands that are printed only if there are one
or more data records to print (such as the group headers and the detail band). These last sections
can be divided into vertical columns in order to take advantage of the available space on the page.
In this context, the concept of a column can be easily confused with that of a field. In fact, a
column does not concern the record fields, but it does concern the detail band. This means that if
you have a record with ten fields and you desire a table view, ten columns are not needed. However,
the elements will have to be placed correctly to have a table effect. Ten columns will result when
long record lists (that are horizontally very narrow) are printed.
To illustrate how to set up columns in your reports, following are two examples. The first
demonstrates how to set up the values for a single-column report on an A4 sheet. Take a look at
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Figure 3-3, which shows the Columns tab in the Report properties dialog box with settings for a
single-column report.
Figure 3-3. Settings for a single column report
The number of columns is 1, and its width is equal to the entire page, except for the margins.
The space between columns is not meaningful in this case, so it is left at zero, the default.
Figure 3-4 shows how the page settings from Figure 3-3 will appear in the document pane.
Figure 3-4. Structure of a single-column report
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As you can see in Figure 3-5, most of the page is not used. If multiple columns are used, this
report would look better. Figure 3-6 shows the dimensions used for a two-column report.
Figure 3-5. Result of a single-column print
Figure 3-6. Settings for a two-column report
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In this case, in the Columns field you enter 2 to specify the number of columns you want.
iReport will automatically calculate the maximum column width according to the margins and to
the page width. If you want to increase the space between the columns, just increase the value
of the Spacing field.
Figure 3-7 shows a the layout of a report with three columns separated by some blank space.
Figure 3-7. Structure of a three-column report
Multiple columns, as shown in Figure 3-8, are commonly used for prints of very long lists (for
example, a phone directory). Functionally, it is important to remember that when you have more
than one column, the width of the detail band and of linked bands is reduced to the width of the
columns.
The sum of the margins, column widths, and space between columns has to be less than or
equal to the page width. If this condition is not met, the compilation can result in error.
In Figures 3-5 and 3-7, the useful page areas for setting the report elements (fields, images, etc.)
are highlighted in white. The parts that you cannot use, such as margins and columns following the
first one (which have to be considered as though they were a continuation of the first) are highlighted in gray.
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Figure 3-8. Result of a two-column print
Advanced Options
Up to now you have seen only basic characteristics concerning the layout. Here you will see some
advanced options. You will get the chance to examine some of these more thoroughly in the following chapters; the rest you will fully understand and take full advantage of only after having acquired
familiarity with the use of JasperReports.
Scriptlet Class Tab Options
A scriptlet is a Java class whose methods are executed according to specific events during report
creation, such as the beginning of a new page or the end of a group. For those who are familiar with
visual tools such as MS Access or MS Excel, a scriptlet can be compared to a module, in which some
procedures associated with particular events or functions recallable in other report contexts (for
example, the expression of a text field) are inserted. (Chapter 11 is dedicated to the scriptlet.)
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In the Scriptlet Class tab of the Report properties dialog box (see Figure 3-9), it is possible to
specify an external scriptlet (a Java class) or activate iReport’s internal scriptlet support.
Figure 3-9. Setting of the scriptlet class and language
If you do not want to use a scriptlet, select the Don’t use scriptlet class option in the Scriptlet
class combo box or leave the text field blank where the class name is usually entered.
In the Scriptlet Class tab, you can also choose the language that will be used for expressions
(at the time of writing, only Java and Groovy are supported). Please note that the language is not
related to the scriptlet class.
More Tab Options
In the More tab (see Figure 3-10), it is possible to specify some print instructions. Let’s briefly look at
each of the options available on this tab.
Figure 3-10. More tab options
Title on a new page Option
The Title on a new page option specifies that the title band is to be printed on a new page, which
forces a page break at the end of the title band. As an example, take a look at Figure 3-11, which
shows a simple report.
In the editor, the report is always the same: the title band is always on top.
Figure 3-12 shows the print result using default settings.
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Figure 3-11. Structure of a columnar simple report
Figure 3-12. Default print of the title band
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Figure 3-13 shows the print result with the Title on a new page option set to true. As you can
see, no one other band is printed on the title page, not even the page header or page footer. However, this page is still counted in the total pages numeration.
Figure 3-13. Printing with the title band on a new page
Summary on a new page Option
This option is similar to the previous option except that the summary band is printed as the last
page. Now, if you need to print this band on a new page, the new page will only contain the summary band.
Floating column footer Option
This option allows you to force the printing of the column footer band immediately after the last
detail band (or group footer) and not at the end of the column. This option is used, for example,
when you want to create tables using the report elements (see the JasperReports tables.jrxml
example for more details).
Print order Option
The Print order option determines how the print data is organized on the page when using multiple
columns. The default setting is Vertical, that is, the records are printed one after the other, passing
to a new column only when the previous column has reached the end of the page (like what happens in a newspaper or a phone book). Horizontal print order prints the different records
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horizontally across the page, occupying all of the available columns before passing to a new line.
Refer to Figures 3-14 and 3-15 for examples of vertical and horizontal print order.
Figure 3-14. Printing with a vertical order
Figure 3-15. Printing with a horizontal order
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The output in these two figures should clarify the concept of print order. As you can see, the
names are printed in alphabetical order. In Figure 3-14, they are printed in vertical order (filling in
the first column and then passing to the following column), and in Figure 3-15, they are printed in
horizontal order (filling all columns horizontally before passing to the following line).
When no data Option
When an empty data set is supplied as the print number (or the SQL query associated to the report
gives back no records), an empty file is created (or a stream of zero byte length is given back). This
default behavior can be modified by specifying what to do in the case of absence of data (that is,
“when no data”). Table 3-2 summarizes the possible values and their meaning.
Table 3-2. Print Types in Absence of Data
Option
Description
NoPages
This is the default; the final result is an empty buffer.
BlankPage
This gives back an empty page.
AllSectionsNoDetails
This gives back a page composed of all the bands except for the
detail band.
i18n Tab Options
The following sections define the options that can be set on the i18n tab, shown in Figure 3-16.
Figure 3-16. i18n tab
Format Factory Class
A format factory class is a class that implements the interface net.sf.jasperreports.engine.
util.FormatFactory. You can set a custom implementation of that class, which will be used to
define the default formatter for numbers and dates.
Resource Bundle Base Name
The Resource Bundle Base Name is a parameter used when you want to internationalize a report.
The Resource Bundle is the set of files that contain the translated text of the labels, sentences, and
expressions used within a report in each defined language. A language corresponds to a specific file.
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The base name represents the prefix through which you can find the file with the correct translation.
In order to reconstruct the file name required for a particular language, some language/country initials (e.g., _it_IT for Italian-Italy) and the .properties extension are added to this prefix. (I will
explain internationalization in greater detail in Chapter 10.)
If a resource is not available, you can specify what to do by choosing an option from the combo
box labeled “When resource missing type.” The available options are listed in Table 3-3.
Table 3-3. When resource missing type Options
Option
Description
Null
Prints the “Null” string (it’s the default option)
Empty
Prints nothing
Key
Prints the missing key name
Error
Throws an exception stopping the fill process
Character Encodings of the XML Source Files
The default format for saving source files is UTF-8. However, if you want to use some characters that
need particular encoding in the XML, it is necessary to specify the correct charset.
UTF-8 manages all accented letters and the euro. Other common charsets are listed in the XML
encoding combo box (ISO-8859-1 is widely used in Europe).
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4
Report Elements
I
n this chapter, I will explain elements, the main objects that can be inserted into a report, and
survey their characteristics.
By “element,” I mean graphic object, such as a text box or a rectangle. Unlike what happens in
a word processing program, in iReport the concept of paragraph or table does not exist; everything
is created by means of elements, which can contain text, create tables when they are opportunely
aligned, and so on. This approach is what is adopted by the majority of report tools.
The following basic elements are offered by the JasperReports library:
• Line
• Rectangle
• Ellipse
• Static Text
• Text Field (or simply Field)
• Image
• Subreport
• Crosstab
• Chart
• Frame
Through the combination of these elements, it is possible to produce every kind of report.
In addition to the basic elements just listed, iReport provides an additional special element
based on the Image element: the Barcode element.
Each kind of element has some common properties, such as height, width, position, and band
to which it belongs, while other properties are specific to the type of element (for example, font or,
in the case of a rectangle, thickness of the border). It is possible to group the elements into two
macrocategories: the graphic elements (Line, Rectangle, Ellipse, Image) and the text field elements
(Static Text and Text Field). Subreports represent separate kinds of elements, and because of the
complexity of their use, I will touch briefly on them later in the chapter, dealing with them in more
detail in Chapter 8. Similarly, I will reserve coverage of Crosstab elements for Chapter 15.
The elements are inserted into bands. In particular, every element is associated with a band,
no exceptions. If an element is not completely contained within the band that it is part of, the
report compiler will return a message that informs you about the incorrect position of the element;
the report will be compiled in any case, and in the worst case, the “out-of-band” element will not be
printed.
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Inserting and Selecting Elements in a Report
In order to add an element to a report, select one of the tools present on the toolbar (see Figure 4-1).
Figure 4-1. Tools for element creation
The Arrow tool is used for doing all the most important operations on the elements (selecting,
etc.), and its activation switches off another active tool.
When you have chosen the element to insert, click the band where you want to insert the
element and draw a rectangle by dragging the mouse downward to the right. When you release
the mouse button, a new element will be created, and it will be selected automatically. The new
element will also appear in the document structure panel on the right of the iReport desktop, as
shown in Figure 4-2.
When dragging an element, iReport suggests places to align it based on the elements
already in the design pane. You can turn this feature on or off by activating or deactivating the
Magnetic tool:
Double-clicking an element, right-clicking an element and selecting Properties from the
context menu, or selecting Edit ➤ Element Properties opens the element properties window (see
Figure 4-3).
This window is organized in several tabs. The Common tab contains the properties common to
every kind of element, whereas the other tabs are specific to each kind of element.
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Figure 4-2. The elements tree, or document structure panel (highlighted on the left)
Figure 4-3. Element properties window
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Starting with iReport 1.2.1, you can access some, but not all, of the element properties from the
element properties sheet, shown in Figure 4-4. Figure 4-5 shows where you would find the element
properties sheet in the main window.
Figure 4-4. Element properties sheet
Figure 4-5. Position of the properties sheet in the main window
The most important difference between using the element properties window and the element
properties sheet is that with the properties sheet you can reset a value to its default using the Reset
button (see Figure 4-6). Of course, the Reset button is present only when the property can have a
null value, in which case a default value will be used by the report engine. Null values for element
properties are important when using a style (see Chapter 5).
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Figure 4-6. The element attribute Reset button
It is possible to select more than one element at the same time by using the Arrow tool and
drawing a rectangle that contains, even only in part, the elements to select. The selection area is
highlighted with a pink rectangle.
Alternatively, you can select more than one element at the same time by keeping the Shift key
pressed while clicking with the mouse over all elements you want selected.
An element that is not selected appears without any particular selection frame (see Figure 4-7).
The first element of a selection is highlighted with an orange frame with blue corners (which appear
as dark gray in Figure 4-8), while the secondary elements are highlighted with a frame having gray
corners (which appear as light gray in Figure 4-9).
Figure 4-7. No selected element
Figure 4-8. Primary selection
Figure 4-9. Secondary selection
The first element of a multiple selection is the primary element of the selection.
In order to resize an element, it is necessary to move the mouse cursor over one of the corners
or over one of the selected element sides: click and drag the mouse in order to arrange its dimensions as you wish. For a more careful resize, you can specify the element dimensions directly in the
element properties window. If more than one element is selected at the same time, the resize of one
element results in the resize of all the other elements.
Moreover, it could be useful to enlarge the report by using the Zoom tool, which you will find
on the toolbar (see Figure 4-10).
Figure 4-10. Zoom tool
It is possible to select a zoom percentage from the combo box, as shown in Figure 4-10, or to
enter directly the zoom value you wish (expressed as a percentage and without the final % character).
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Positioning and Elements Order
An element is moved by using the mouse: by clicking the element, it is selected, and it is possible for
you to drag it to your desired position. In order to be able to obtain a greater precision in the movement, use the arrow keys to move the element 1 pixel at a time; similarly, using the arrow keys while
pressing the Shift key will move the element 10 pixels.
If you prefer to prevent accidental movement of elements, it could be useful to disable elements
dragging through the mouse by selecting Options ➤ Disable elements mouse move.
The menu command View ➤ Show grid activates a grid that can be used as a reference for the
positioning of the different elements (see Figure 4-11). It is also possible to put into action automatic positioning of elements relative to the grid by selecting Options ➤ Snap to grid.
Figure 4-11. The elements positioning grid
When the number of elements to organize in the report increases, several tools are available to
help you organize those elements; these can be recalled both from the Format menu and from the
context menu viewable by selecting the element you are interested in and right-clicking it. Most of
these functionalities need a selection of more than one element. In this case, the primary element
of the selection is taken as the reference for the operation to perform. Table 4-1 summarizes the formatting functionalities.
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Table 4-1. Formatting Functionalities
Requires
Multiple
Elements?
Operation
Description
Align left
Aligns the left sides to that of the primary element
Align right
Aligns the right sides to that of the primary element
Align top
Aligns the top sides (or the upper part) to that of the primary
element
Align bottom
Aligns the bottom sides to that of the primary element
Align vertical axis
Centers horizontally the selected elements according to the
primary element
Align horizontal axis
Centers vertically the selected elements according to the
primary element
Align to band top
Sets the top value at 0
Align to band bottom
Positions the elements at the bottom as much as possible
according to the band to which they belong
Same width
Sets the selected elements’ width equal to that of the
primary element
✓
Same width (max)
Sets the selected elements’ width equal to that of the widest
element
✓
Same width (min)
Sets the selected elements’ width equal to that of the most
narrow element
✓
Same height
Sets the selected elements’ height equal to that of the
primary element
✓
Same height (max)
Sets the selected elements’ height equal to that of the
highest element
✓
Same height (min)
Sets the selected elements’ height equal to that of the lowest
element
✓
Same size
Sets the selected elements’ dimension to that of the primary
element
✓
Center horizontally
(band based)
Positions horizontally the selected elements in the center of
the band
Center vertically
(band based)
Positions vertically the selected elements in the center of
the band
Center in band
Puts the elements in the center of the band
Center in background
Puts the elements in the center of the page in the background
Join sides left
Joins horizontally the elements by moving them to the left
Join sides right
Joins horizontally the elements by moving them to the right
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
HS ➤ Make equal
Distributes equally the horizontal space among elements
HS ➤ Increase
Increases by 5 pixels the horizontal space among elements
(by moving them to the right)
HS ➤ Decrease
Decreases by 5 pixels the horizontal space among elements
(by moving them to the left)
✓
HS ➤ Remove
Removes the horizontal space among elements by moving
them to the left
✓
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The elements can be overlapped; it is possible to bring elements to the front or to send them
back by using the formatting functions Bring to front and Send to back. The z-order (that is, the
position from the depth point of view) is determined by the order in which the elements are
inserted into the report. The disposition can be viewed in the elements tree, where the elements
are viewed in every band from the lowest to the highest.
As I have already said, an element is always linked to the band it belongs to. If the element is
partly or completely out of its band, it will be highlighted with a red frame (only for text elements)
in order to indicate that the position is not valid. For other kinds of elements, the incorrect position
is highlighted in the elements tree or during the selecting phase, as indicated by red corners in the
frame (see Figure 4-12).
Figure 4-12. Elements that fall outside their bands
■Note
If an element partly covers one other element, the corners are highlighted in green, while an element that
completely hides another element has the corners highlighted in pink.
Moving an element from a band to another, iReport automatically changes the Band setting for
the element. To specify a different band, use the first combo box present in the element properties
window (see Figure 4-13).
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Figure 4-13. Element Band setting
If two or more elements are selected, only the common properties are visualized. If the values
of these properties are different, they will appear blank (usually the field is shown empty). Specifying a value for a particular property applies that value to all selected elements.
Managing Elements with the Elements Tree
The elements tree, shown in Figure 4-14, allows you to localize and select report elements easily and
with precision.
Figure 4-14. The elements tree
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The report is outlined with a tree structure: the main nodes are the bands (represented by the
symbol of a page with a little blue or orange strip); under each band are its elements, represented by
their various symbols, names, and coordinates; also they are also organized by hierarchy under the
band node.
Double-clicking an element opens the properties window of the selected object. Also, as mentioned previously, a context menu is associated with elements (viewable by selecting at least one
element and right-clicking it): beyond the usual functions of copy and paste, there are two particular functions, move up and move down, by means of which you can modify the z-order of an
element in the specific band.
If a band node is selected, the properties sheet (normally located on the right side of the main
window) will present the properties for that band (see Figure 4-15).
Figure 4-15. Band properties window
The meaning of the various band characteristics is explained in Chapter 7.
Basic Element Attributes
All the elements have a set of common attributes presented in the Common tab in the element
properties window (as shown earlier in Figure 4-3). These attributes concern information about
element positioning on the page: the following list describes the different attributes available.
■Note
Coordinates and dimensions are always expressed in pixels in relation to a 72-pixel-per-inch resolution.
Band: This is the band that the element belongs to. All the elements have one, and their position is always linked to it. The positioning of a particular element always has to be made in the
specified band.
Top: This is the distance of the top-left corner of the element from the top of the band the element belongs to.
Left: This is the distance of the top-right corner of the element from the left margin of the band.
Width: This is the element width.
Height: This is the element height; in reality, this indicates a minimum value that can increase
during the print creation according to the value of the other attributes.
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Figure 4-16 shows how the position of an element is relative to the band to which the element
belongs to. The band width always equals that of the document page (minus the left and right margin); however, band height can change depending on the type of band and the elements it contains.
Figure 4-16. Element positioning
Foreground: This is the color with which the text elements are printed and the lines and the
element corners are drawn.
Background: This is the color with which the element background is filled.
Transparent: If this option is selected, it makes the element transparent; the transparency
involves the parts that should be filled with the background.
■Caution
Not all export formats support the transparency attribute.
Remove line when blank: This option takes away the vertical space occupied by an object, if it is
not visible; the element visibility is determined by the value of the expression contained in the
Print when expression attribute. Think of the page as a grid where the elements are placed,
with a line being the space the element occupies. Figure 4-17 highlights the element A line; in
order to really remove this line, all the elements that share a portion of the line have to be null
(that is, they will not be printed).
Figure 4-17. Element A line
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Print in first whole band: This option ensures that an element is printed in the next page (or
column) if the band overflows the page (or the column); this type of guarantee is useful when
the Print repeated values attribute is not active.
Print when detail overflows: This option prints the element in the following page or column, if
the band is not all printable in the present page or column.
Print repeated values: This option determines whether to print the element when its value is
equal to that which is used in the previous record.
Position Type: This option determines how the top coordinates have to be considered in the
case that the band is changed. The three possible values are as follows:
• Fix relative to top: This is the predefined position type; the coordinate values never
change.
• Float: The element is progressively pushed toward the bottom by the previous elements
that increase their height.
• Fix relative to bottom: The distance of the element from the bottom of the band remains
constant; usually this is used for lines that separate records.
Print when group changes: In this combo box, all report groups are presented. If one of them
is selected, the element will be printed only when the expression associated with the group
changes—that is, when a new break of the selected group is created.
Key: This is the element name, which has to be unique in the report (iReport proposes it automatically), and it is used by the programs that need to modify the field properties at runtime.
Stretch Type: This attribute defines how to vary the element height during print elaboration; the
three possible values are as follows:
• No stretch: This is the predefined stretch type, and it dictates that the element height
should remain as is.
• Relative to band height: The element height is increased proportionally to the increasing size of the band; this is useful for vertical lines that simulate table borders.
• Relative to tallest object: The element modifies its height according to the deformation
of the nearest element: this option is also used with the element group, which is an element group mechanism not managed by iReport.
Print when expression: This is a Java expression like those described in Chapter 2, and it must
return a Boolean object; besides being associated with elements, this expression is also associated with the bands. If the expression returns true, the element is hidden. A null value
implicitly identifies an expression like new Boolean(true), which will print the element unconditionally.
Graphic Element Attributes
The graphic elements are drawing objects such as the Line and the Rectangle elements; they do not
show data generally, but they are used to make reports more readable and agreeable from an aesthetic point of view. All kinds of elements share the Graphics element tab in the element properties
window (see Figure 4-18).
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Figure 4-18. Graphics element tab options
Following is a brief description of the options available in this tab:
Pen: This is the thickness with which you draw lines and frames; the possible values are as
follows:
• None: The thickness is null, which inhibits the drawing of lines and frames.
• Thin: Lines and frames will be drawn using the thinnest available line.
• 1Point: Lines and frames will be 1 pixel thick.
• 2Point: Lines and frames will be 2 pixels thick.
• 4Point: Lines and frames will be 4 pixels thick.
• Dotted: Lines and frames will be drawn with a series of dots.
Fill: This is the modality used to fill the background; the only admitted value is Solid, which is
the complete filling.
Now that you know the attributes governing graphic elements, let’s turn to a brief overview of
each of the types of graphic elements available. Recall that in the element properties window,
attributes are grouped in tabs, which can vary depending on the element type.
Line
In JasperReports, a line is defined by a rectangle of which the line represents the diagonal (see
Figure 4-19).
Figure 4-19. Top-down Line element
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The line is drawn using the Foreground setting as its color and the Pen setting for its thickness.
The Line tab, specific to this element, features one more option:
Line Direction: This indicates which of the two rectangle diagonals represents the line; the possible values are Top-down (see Figure 4-20) and Bottom-up.
Figure 4-20. Line direction
Rectangle
The Rectangle element is usually used to draw frames around other elements. Its border is drawn
with the color specified with the Foreground setting and a thickness specified by the Pen setting.
The background is filled with the color specified with the Background setting if the element has not
been defined as transparent.
In JasperReports, it is possible to have a rectangle with rounded corners (see Figure 4-21).
The rounded corners are defined by means of the Radius attribute (on the Rectangle tab, shown in
Figure 4-22), which represents the curvature with which you draw the corners, expressed in pixels.
Figure 4-21. Rectangle element with rounded corners
Figure 4-22. Rectangle radius option
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Ellipse
The Ellipse element is the only one that has no attributes specific to it. An ellipse is drawn into a
rectangle that is built up on the four sides that are tangent to it (see Figure 4-23). The border is
drawn with the color specified with the Foreground setting and a thickness specified with the Pen
setting. The background is filled with the Background color setting if the element has not been
defined as transparent.
Figure 4-23. Ellipse element
Image
The Image element is the most complex of the graphic elements (see Figure 4-24). It can be used to
insert raster images (such as GIF, PNG, and JPEG images) into the report, but it can also be used as a
canvas object, a kind of box where you can draw: the Image element is used, for example, to draw
charts and barcodes. Charts are complex enough to deserve their own chapter; I cover them in
Chapter 13.
Figure 4-24. Image element
Figure 4-25 shows the element properties for an Image element, with the Image tab selected.
Figure 4-25. Image element properties window
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It is possible to use your own rendering class by using the net.sf.jasperreports.engine.
JRRenderable interface. A hypertext link can be associated with an Image element (via the Hyper
Link tab). You will see more of the Hyper Link tab at the end of this chapter in the section “Adding
Hyperlinks to Elements.”
The image characteristics are set up in the Image tab:
Image Expression: This is a Java expression. Its result is an object defined by the Image Expression
Class attribute; depending on the return type, the way the image is loaded changes.
Image Expression Class: This is the expression return type.
Table 4-2 summarizes the values that you can specify for the Image Expression Class setting
and how the Image Expression result is interpreted.
Table 4-2. Expression Types to Localize an Image
Type
Interpretation
java.lang.String
A string is interpreted like a file name; JasperReports will try to
interpret the string like an absolute path. If no file is found, it will try
to load a resource from the classpath with the specified name.
Examples of correct expressions:
&quot;c:\\devel\\ireport\\myImage.jpg&quot;
&quot;it/businesslogic/ireport/icons/logo.gif&quot;
java.io.File
This specifies a File object to load as an image.
Example of a correct expression:
new java.io.File(&quot;c:\\myImage.jpg&quot;)
java.net.URL
This specifies the java.net.URL object. It is useful when you have to
export the report in HTML format.
Example of a correct expression:
new java.net.URL(&quot;http://127.0.0.1/test.jpg&quot;)
java.io.InputStream
This specifies a java.io.InputStream object that is ready for reading.
In this case, you do not consider that the image exists and that it is in a
file; in particular, you could read the image from a database and return
the inputStream for reading.
Example of a correct expression:
MyUtil.getInputStream(${MyField})
java.awt.Image
This specifies a java.awt.Image object; it is probably the simplest
object to return when an image has to be created dynamically.
Example of a correct expression:
MyUtil.createChart()
JRRenderable
This specifies an object that uses the net.sf.jasperreports.engine.
JRRenderable interface.
In the examples presented in Table 4-2, MyUtil represents an invented class. If you want to use
an external class by calling a static method to run particular elaborations, it is necessary to use it
with the package it belongs to (for example, it.businesslogic.ireport.util.MyUtil) or to specify
its package in the import (through the menu command Edit ➤ Import directives in the report). The
methods explained in the examples are static, but when I talk about variables in Chapter 6, you will
see how to instance a class at the beginning of the print and how to use it in expressions.
By using fields, variables, and parameters in the image expression, you can load or produce
images in a parametric way (as it would happen, for example, for the detail of an illustrated catalog
where every product is associated with an image).
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Let’s take a look at the remaining options in the Image tab:
Scale Image: This defines how the image has to adapt to the element’s dimension; the possible
values are three:
• Clip: The image dimension is not changed (see Figure 4-26).
• Fill frame: The image is adapted to the element’s dimension (becoming deformed) (see
Figure 4-27).
• Retain shape: The image is adapted to the element’s dimension by keeping the original
proportions (see Figure 4-28).
Figure 4-26. Scaling with the Clip option
Figure 4-27. Scaling with the Fill frame option
Figure 4-28. Scaling with the Retain shape option
On error type: This defines what to do if the image loading fails:
• Error: This is the default value, which throws a Java exception, stopping the filling
process.
• Blank: The image is not printed and a blank space will be placed in the report instead.
• Icon: An icon is printed instead of the original image.
Vertical Alignment: This attribute defines the image vertical alignment according to the element area. The possible values are as follows:
• Top: The image is aligned at the top.
• Middle: The image is positioned in the middle vertically according to the element area.
• Bottom: The image is aligned at the bottom.
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Horizontal Alignment: This attribute defines the image horizontal alignment according to the
element area. The possible values are as follows:
• Left: The image is aligned to the left.
• Center: The image is positioned in the center horizontally according to the element area.
• Right: The image is aligned to the right.
Is Lazy: This avoids loading of the image at fill time. The image will instead be loaded when the
report will exported, which is useful when an image is loaded from an URL.
Using cache: This option keeps the image in memory in order to use it again if the element
is printed anew; the image is kept in cache only if Image Expression Class is set to
Java.lang.String.
Evaluation Time: This defines during which creation phase the image expression has to be
processed. In fact, the evaluation of an expression can be done when the report engine
“encounters” the element during the creation of the report, or it can also be postponed in some
particular cases, for example, if you want to calculate a subtotal. The evaluation time is a very
interesting functionality, and it is well explained in The Definitive Guide to JasperReports by
Teodor Daniciu, Lucian Chirita, Sanda Zaharia, and Ionut Nedelcu (Apress, 2007). The possible
values are as follows:
• Now: Evaluate the expression immediately.
• Report: Evaluate the expression at the end of the report.
• Page: Evaluate the expression at the end of the page.
• Column: Evaluate the expression at the end of this column.
• Group: Evaluate the expression of the group that is specified in Evaluation Group setting.
• Band: Evaluate this expression after the evaluation of the current band (used to evaluate expressions that deal with subreport return values).
Evaluation Group: See the preceding Group value description for the Evaluation Time setting.
For Image elements (and for text elements), it is possible to visualize a frame or to define a
particular padding for the four sides, which is space between the element border and its content.
Borders and padding are specified in the Border tab (see Figure 4-29), and these are properties that
have been included since JasperReports 0.6.3.
You can select the type and color of the border to draw for every side of the element. The border types are as follows:
• None: Thickness null (that is, the border doesn’t print)
• Thin: Line of minimum thickness
• 1 Point: Thickness of 1 pixel
• 2 Point: Thickness of 2 pixels
• 4 Point: Thickness of 4 pixels
• Dotted: Dotted line of minimum thickness
A simple preview of the graphic effect produced by the selected border appears in the center of
the Border tab.
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Figure 4-29. The Border tab options are common to Image and Text elements.
Text Element Attributes
Like the graphic elements, the elements that allow you to view text have a common properties tab:
the Font tab (see Figure 4-30).
Figure 4-30. The Font tab is common to all text elements.
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In the Font tab, you set the properties of the text shown in the element—not only the font
(dimension and type of the character), but also text alignment, eventual rotation, and line space.
Here’s a look at each of the options for this tab:
Report Font: This is the name of a preset font, from which will be taken all the character
properties. The preset fonts are defined at report level, and it is possible to manage them by
selecting Format ➤ Fonts.
Line Spacing: This is the interline (spacing between lines) value. The possible values are as
follows:
• Single: Single interline (predefined value)
• 1-1-2: Interline of one line and a half
• Double: Double interline
Horizontally Align: This is the horizontal alignment of the text according to the element.
Vertically Align: This is the vertical alignment of the text according to the element.
Rotation: This specifies how the text has to be printed. The possible values are as follows (see
Figure 4-31 for an illustration of these rotational effects):
• None: The text is printed normally from left to right and from top to bottom.
• Left: The text is rotated of 90 degrees counterclockwise; it is printed from bottom to top,
and the horizontal and vertical alignments follow the text rotation (for example, the
bottom vertical alignment will print the text along the right side of the rectangle that
delimits the element area).
• Right: The text is rotated 90 degrees clockwise from top to bottom, and the horizontal
and vertical alignments are set according to the text rotation.
• Upside down: The text is rotated 180 degrees clockwise.
Figure 4-31. The rotation effects
The other characteristics of the Font tab are explained in Chapter 5, which is completely dedicated to fonts and styles.
Text element properties can be modified also by using the text toolbar (see Figure 4-32).
Figure 4-32. Toolbar for modifying text fields
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Static Text
The Static Text element is used to show nondynamic text in reports (see Figure 4-33). The only
parameter that distinguishes this element from a generic text element is the Static Text tab (see
Figure 4-34), where the text to view is specified; it is a normal string, not an expression, and so it is
not necessary to enclose it in double quotes for respecting the conventions of the Java syntax.
Figure 4-33. Static Text element
Figure 4-34. Static Text tab
Text Field
A text field allows you to print the value of a Java expression (see Figure 4-35). The simplest case is
the printing of a string (java.lang.String) coming from an expression like this:
&quot;Hello World!&quot;
Figure 4-35. Text Field element
In this case, the result is exactly the same as a static field, except created with a little bit more
work, because the string of the example is an expression of constant value; in reality, the use of a
Java expression to define a text field’s content allows you to have a high level of control on the generated text. JasperReports does not directly associate the data to print to particular text elements (as
happens with different tools of the report where the text element represents implicitly the value of a
database field); the values of the different fields of the records that are made available by the datasource are stored in objects named fields, and they are called in the expressions by means of the
syntax explained in Chapter 2.
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As with Image elements, a hypertext link can also be associated with text fields, and it is
defined by the Hyper Link tab (which I will discuss in the “Adding Hyperlinks to Elements” section
later in this chapter).
Figure 4-36 shows the Text Field tab options. Following is a brief description of each of these
options.
Figure 4-36. Text Field tab options
Text Field Expression Class: This specifies the return type of the field expression. The possible
values are many: they include all the Java objects that comprehend the SQL types and some
classes for the management of dates. Table 4-3 lists all the selectable types. Note the
java.lang.Object type: this can be used if none of the other types are applicable to the
associated data.
Table 4-3. Expression Types for a Text Field
java.lang.Object
java.lang.Float
java.lang.Boolean
java.lang.Integer
java.lang.Byte
java.io.InputStream
java.util.Date
java.lang.Long
java.sql.Timestamp
java.lang.Short
java.sql.Time
java.math.BigDecimal
java.lang.Double
java.lang.String
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Evaluation Time: This determines in which phase of report creation the text field expression
has to be elaborated (see the information on the Evaluation Time option in the “Image” section
earlier for details on this attribute).
Evaluation Group: This is the group to which the evaluation time is referred if it is set to Group.
Stretch with overflow: When this option is selected, it allows the text field to adapt vertically to
the content, if the element is not sufficient to contain all the text lines.
Blank when null: This allows you to avoid the text “null” printing when the field expression
returns a null object.
Text Field Expression: This is the expression that produces the value to print; it has to return an
object of the same type declared in Text Field Expression Class.
Pattern: This specifies a string to use with a Format class that is right for the type specified in
the Text Field Expression Class setting.
JasperReports is able to format dates and numbers; the following tables provide some parameters and examples of patterns of data and numbers. Table 4-4 shows letters you can use to specify
properties of dates.
Table 4-4. Letters to Create Patterns for Dates
Letter
Date Components
Examples
G
Era designator
AD
y
Year
1996, 96
M
Month in year
July, Jul, 07
w
Week in year
27
W
Week in month
2
D
Day in year
189
d
Day in month
10
F
Day of week in month
2
E
Day in week
Tuesday, Tue
a
Am/pm marker
PM
H
Hour in day (0–23)
0
k
Hour in day (1–24)
24
K
Hour in am/pm (0–11)
0
h
Hour in am/pm (1–12)
12
m
Minute in hour
30
s
Second in minute
55
S
Millisecond
978
z
Time zone
Pacific Standard Time, PST, GMT–08:00
Z
Time zone
–0800
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Table 4-5 shows some examples of formatting of dates and timestamps.
Table 4-5. Example Patterns for Dates
Dates and Time Pattern
Result
&quot;yyyy.MM.dd G 'at' HH:mm:ss z&quot;
2001.07.04 AD at 12:08:56 PDT
&quot;EEE, MMM d, ''yy&quot;
Wed, Jul 4, ’01
&quot;h:mm a&quot;
12:08 PM
&quot;hh 'o''clock' a, zzzz&quot;
12 o’clock PM, Pacific Daylight Time
&quot;K:mm a, z&quot;
0:08 PM, PDT
&quot;yyyyy.MMMMM.dd GGG hh:mm aaa&quot;
02001.July.04 AD 12:08 PM
&quot;EEE, d MMM yyyy HH:mm:ss Z&quot;
Wed, 4 Jul 2001 12:08:56 –0700
&quot;yyMMddHHmmssZ&quot;
010704120856–0700
Table 4-6 shows symbols you can use to create patterns for numbers.
Table 4-6. Symbols to Create Patterns for Numbers
Symbol
Location
Localized?
Meaning
0
Number
Yes
Digit.
#
Number
Yes
Digit, zero shows as absent.
.
Number
Yes
Decimal separator or monetary decimal
separator.
-
Number
Yes
Minus sign.
,
Number
Yes
Grouping separator.
E
Number
Yes
Separates mantissa and exponent in
scientific notation. Need not be quoted in
prefix or suffix.
;
Subpattern boundary
Yes
Separates positive and negative subpatterns.
%
Prefix or suffix
Yes
Multiplies by 100 and shows result as
percentage.
Prefix or suffix
Yes
Multiplies by 1000 and shows as per mille.
Prefix or suffix
No
Currency sign, replaced by currency symbol.
If doubled, replaced by international
currency symbol. If present in a pattern, the
monetary decimal separator is used instead
of the decimal separator.
Prefix or suffix
No
Used to quote special characters in a prefix
or suffix, for example, &quot;'#'#&quot; formats 123 as
“#123”. To create a single quote itself, use two
in a row: &quot;# o''clock&quot;.
\u2030
(\u00A4)
'
Table 4-7 provides some examples of the formatting of numbers.
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Table 4-7. Example Patterns for Numbers
Dates and Time Pattern
Result
&quot;#,##0.00&quot;
1.234,56
&quot;#,##0.00;(#,##0.00)&quot;
1.234,56 (–1.234.56)
Thanks to the Create button (highlighted in Figure 4-37), it is possible to open an editor for the
pattern and use it to simplify formatting of numbers, dates, currency, and so forth.
Figure 4-37. Create button in the Text Field tab
■Tip It is possible to transform a Static Text element into a Text Field element by selecting it and pressing the F3
key. If a text field element is selected, pressing F2 brings up a window in which you can easily change the text
field expression (without using the element properties window).
A Brief Look at Subreports
The Subreport element is one that is able to contain another report that is created starting from a
JASPER file and fed by a datasource that is specified in the subreport properties (see Figure 4-38).
Figure 4-38. Subreport element
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This section briefly describes the characteristics of subreports. However, because of the complexity of this subject, I will explain subreports in depth in another chapter (Chapter 8).
Subreport properties span two tabs: Subreport (Figure 4-39) and Subreport (Other) (Figure 4-40).
All these properties are not available in the element properties sheet.
Figure 4-39. Subreport tab options
Figure 4-40. Subreport (Other) tab options
Parameters Map Expression: This identifies an expression that is valuated at runtime. The
expression must return a java.util.Map; this map contains some coupled names/objects that
will be passed to the subreport in order to serve as values for its parameters.
Connection/Data Source Expression: This identifies the expression that will return at runtime a
JDBC connection or a JRDataSource used to fill in the subreport.
Using cache: This specifies whether to keep in memory the data structures of the specified subreport in order to speed up subsequent reloading of the data structures.
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Subreport Expression Class: This is the class type of the subreport expression; there are several
options, each of which defines a different way to load the JasperReports data used to fill the
subreport.
Subreport Expression: This identifies the expression that will return at runtime a subreport
expression class object. According to the return type, the expression is valuated in order to
recover a JASPER object to be used to produce the subreport.
Subreport parameters: This table allows you to define some couplet names/expressions that
are useful for dynamically setting values for the subreport parameters by using calculated
expressions.
Subreport return values: This table allows you to define how to store in local variables values
calculated or processed in the subreport (such as totals and record count).
If you need to pass a set of parameters defined in the master report, you can save some time by
clicking the Copy from Master button in the Subreport (Other) tab.
Working with Frames
A Frame element is one that can contain other elements and draw border reports around them, as
shown in Figure 4-41.
Figure 4-41. Frame element
Since a frame is a container of other elements, in the document structure panel the frame is
represented with a node, inside of which you will find the elements it contains (see Figure 4-42).
Figure 4-42. Frame content
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To add an element to a frame, do one of the following:
• Draw the element directly inside the frame.
• Create or select one or more elements you want to put inside the frame, cut them, select the
Frame element, and paste in the cut elements.
Special Elements
Besides the primitive elements provided by JasperReports, iReport supplies another element with
custom properties and rendered using an Image element: the Barcode element, which I will discuss
first. After that, I will discuss the Page Break element; although it is provided by JasperReports,
I consider it a special element since it is managed differently from all the other elements in iReport.
Barcode Element Attributes
Barcode elements allow you to create and print dynamically a value in the form of a barcode (see
Figure 4-43). Figure 4-44 shows the Barcode tab, where you edit the properties of a barcode.
Figure 4-43. Barcode element
Figure 4-44. Barcode tab options
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Following are the options available through the Barcode tab:
Type: This specifies the type of barcode that you want printed. The possible values are listed in
Table 4-8.
Table 4-8. Barcode Types
2of7
EAN128
ShipmentIdentificationNumber
3of9
EAN13
SSCC18
Bookland
GlobalTradeItemNumber
Std2of5
Codabar
Int2of5
Std2of5
Code128
Int2of5
UCC128
Code128A
Monarch
UPCA
Code128B
NW7
USD3
Code128C
PDF417
USD4
Code39
SCC14ShippingCode
USPS
Checksum: This specifies whether the code of control of the barcode has to be printed; this
modality is supported by only some types of barcode.
Show Text: This specifies whether the text represented by the barcode has to be printed.
Barcode Expression: This is the expression valuated at runtime that expresses the value to represent by means of the barcode; the return type has to be a string.
Bar Width: This is the width in pixels of a single bar in the barcode (use 0 for the default width).
This is NOT the width of the barcode image.
Bar Height: This is the height in pixels of the bars in the barcode (use 0 for the default height).
This is NOT the height of the barcode image.
Application Identifier: This is the expression valuated at runtime to define the application identifier used in the UCC128 barcode type.
Evaluation Time and Evaluation Group: These have the same meaning as corresponding
options in the Image tab options (refer to the “Image” section earlier in the chapter).
All the other options (Scale Barcode Image, On error type, Horizontal Alignment, and Vertical
Alignment) are inherited by the Image element, from which the Barcode element derives.
Inserting Page and Column Breaks
Page and column breaks are used to force the report engine to make a jump to the next page or column (see Figure 4-45). A column break in a single column report has the same effect as a page break.
Figure 4-45. Page and column breaks
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Break elements are available starting from JasperReports 1.3.0, and unlike the other elements,
there is no button on the toolbar to create this kind of object. Instead, you insert breaks by selecting
Edit ➤ Insert page/column break.
A break can be managed like other elements, so it can be moved, resized, and so on, but the
only information really used by the report engine is the vertical position. For this reason, iReport
tries to override the values for dimension and left position specified by the user.
The type of break can be defined from the element properties sheet or using the element properties window.
Adding Hyperlinks to Elements
Image, Text Field, and Chart elements can be used both as anchors into a document and as hypertext links to external sources or other local anchor. An anchor is a kind of label that identifies a
specific position in the document.
These hypertext links and anchors are defined by means of the Hyper Link tab, shown in
Figure 4-46. This tab is divided in two parts. In the upper part is a text area through which it is possible to specify the expression that will be the name of the anchor. This name can be referenced by
other links. If you plan to export your report as a PDF document, you can use the bookmark level
to populate the bookmark tree, making the final document navigation much easier. This feature is
supported starting from JasperReports version 1.0.0. To make an anchor available in the bookmark, simply choose a bookmark level greater than 1. The use of a greater level makes possible the
creation of nested bookmarks.
Figure 4-46. Hyper Link tab options
The lower part of the Hyper Link tab is dedicated to the link definition toward an external
source or a position in the document. Through the Hyperlink target option, it is possible to specify
whether the exploration of a particular link has to be made in the current window (this is the predefined setting and the target is Self) or in a new window (the target is Blank). This kind of behavior
control makes sense only in certain output formats such as HTML and PDF.
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The following text outlines some of the remaining options in the Hyper Link tab.
Hyperlink Type Option
JasperReports provides five types of built-in hypertext links: Reference, LocalAnchor, LocalPage,
RemoteAnchor, and RemotePage.
Reference
The Reference link indicates an external source that is identified by a normal URL. This is ideal to
point to a servlet, for example, to manage record drill-down functionalities. The only expression
required is the hyperlink reference expression.
LocalAnchor
To point to a local anchor means to create a link between two locations into the same document.
It can be used, for example, to link the titles of a summary to the chapters they refer to.
To define a LocalAnchor, it is necessary to specify a hyperlink anchor expression, which will
have to produce a valid anchor name.
LocalPage
If instead of pointing to an anchor, you want to point to a specific current report page, you need to
create a LocalPage link. In this case, it is necessary to specify the page number you are pointing to
by means of a hyperlink page expression (the expression has to return an Integer object).
RemoteAnchor
If you want to point to a particular anchor that resides in an external document, you use the
RemoteAnchor link. In this case, the URL of the external file pointed to will have to be specified in
the Hyperlink Reference Expression field, and the name of the anchor will have to be specified
in the Hyperlink Anchor Expression field.
RemotePage
This link allows you to point to a particular page of an external document. Similarly, in this case the
URL of the external file pointed to will have to be specified in the Hyperlink Reference Expression
field, and the page number will have to be specified by means of the hyperlink page expression.
■Caution
Not all export formats support hypertext links.
Hyperlink Parameters
Sometimes you will need to define some parameters that must be “concatenated” to the link. The
Link parameters table provides a convenient way to define them. The parameter value can be set
using an expression.
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Custom Hyperlink Types
Sometimes the hyperlink string requires a complex custom elaboration in order to be generated.
JasperReports provides a way to plug into the engine a custom hyperlink producer factory that can
generate the hyperlink string having as input a JRPrintHyperlink object. The custom factory will
be associated with a custom hyperlink type (basically a name like “myHyperlinkType”). You can
put your custom hyperlink type name in the Hyperlink type combo box, which is editable for this
purpose.
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5
Fonts and Styles
Y
ou can save time defining the look of your elements by using styles. A style is a collection of predefined properties that refer to aspects of elements (like background color, borders, and font). You
can define a default style for your report that all undefined properties of your elements refer to by
default.
Fonts describe the characteristics (shape and dimension) of text. In JasperReports, you can specify the font properties for each text element. With previous versions, you could define a set of global
fonts named report fonts and associate them with a text element, and the global fonts would then be
used for the text contained in the element. However, note that report fonts are now deprecated, so
you want to define a style instead of a report font. In effect, a style contains all the information about
a font and works much like a report font.
Working with Fonts
Usually a font is defined by the following basic characteristics:
• Font name (font family)
• Font dimension
• Attributes (bold, italics, underlined, barred, etc.)
If a report is to be exported as a PDF file, JasperReports needs the following additional
information:
PDF font name: The name of font (it could be a predefined PDF font or the name of a TTF file
present in the classpath)
PDF embedded: A flag that specifies whether an external TrueType font (TTF) file should be
included in the PDF file
PDF encoding: A string that specifies the name of the character encoding
If the report is not exported to PDF format, the font used is the one specified by font name and
enriched with the specified attributes. In the case of a PDF document, PDF font name identifies the
font used and its attributes (bold, italics, etc.). Other attributes are ignored since they are inherited
from the specified PDF font.
Using TTF Fonts
You can use an external True Type font. To do so, the external fonts (files with .ttf extensions) must
appear in the classpath. This is necessary both during design time (during the use of iReport) and during production (when the report is produced by an external Java program, Swing program, or servlet).
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■Caution
Avoid adding hundreds of TrueType fonts to the classpath because this slows down the start of
iReport. For Windows in particular, avoid adding the %WINDIR%\fonts directory to the classpath.
In the Font name combo box in the Font tab of the element properties window, only the system
fonts, managed by the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), are shown (see Figure 5-1). These are usually
inherited by the operating system. Therefore, to select an external TTF font to use in non-PDF
reports, install it on your system before use.
Figure 5-1. Font definition
After installing, all available external fonts are listed in the PDF font name combo box (see
Figure 5-2).
Figure 5-2. List of TTF fonts
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This combo box displays first a list of PDF built-in fonts, and then all TTF files found in the
classpath on startup. At this point, there is no way to rescan the classpath to update the list without
restarting iReport.
If the font is not available at design time, edit the TTF file name directly in the combo box.
Please note that if the file is not found when the report is run, this will generate an error.
If the selected font is an external TTF font, to ensure that the font is viewed correctly in the
exported PDF, select the PDF Embedded check box.
Font Loading and Font Paths
Scanning the whole classpath to look for TTF files and loading all classes used to read TTF files
(provided by iText) is really expensive in terms of startup time. For these reasons, iReport provides
several ways to limit the time wasted by these processes. If you don’t use external fonts at all, you
can disable the TTF font loading at startup in the General tab of the Options window (Options ➤
Settings). If during your work you need to use external fonts, the menu command Options ➤ Reload
fonts will do what you avoided during startup.
To limit the number of directories to scan when looking for fonts, you can define a special
fonts path. This is composed of a set of directories belonging to the classpath, so you can be sure
that JasperReports will find the requested fonts to fill a report (see Figure 5-3).
Figure 5-3. Fonts path window
To define the fonts path, select Options ➤ Fonts path and check all the directories and JARs
that must be scanned when looking for fonts.
A void fonts path will not be considered, and the whole classpath will be used instead.
Character Encoding
Correct character encoding is crucial in JasperReports, particularly when you have to print in PDF
format. Therefore, it is very important to choose the right PDF encoding for characters.
The encoding specifies how characters are to be interpreted. In Italian, for example, to print
correctly accented characters (such as &egrave;, &ograve;, &agrave;, and &ugrave;), you must use CP1252 encoding (Western
European ANSI, also known as WinAnsi). However, some JVM versions (those prior to version 1.4)
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do not support this encoding; these versions require Cp1252 encoding (the only difference is the “p”
written in lowercase).
iReport has a rich set of predefined encoding types in the PDF Encoding combo box in the Font
tab of the element properties window.
If you have problems with reports containing nonstandard characters in PDF format, make
sure that all the fields have the same encoding type and check the charset used by the database
from which the report data is read.
Use of Unicode Characters
You can use Unicode syntax to write non-Latin-based characters (such as Greek, Cyrillic, and Asian
characters). For these characters, specify Unicode code in the expression that identifies the field
text. For example, to print the euro symbol, use the Unicode \u20ac character escape.
■Caution The expression \u20ac is not simple text; it is a Java expression that identifies a string containing
the € character. If you write this text into a static text element, “\u20ac” will appear; the value of a static field is
not interpreted as a Java expression (this only happens with the text fields).
Working with Styles
To define a new style, select Styles from the Format menu. This opens a window for managing
report styles (see Figure 5-4).
Figure 5-4. Styles window
This list is the same as in the styles library pane in the main window, shown in Figure 5-5 (the
combo box on top of the pane must be set to Report styles).
In the Styles window, press the New button to add a new style.
You can define many properties for a style. Leave the default value when you don’t want to set a
specific value for a property. To reset a value, click the Reset button, shown here:
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Figure 5-5. Styles library pane showing the report styles
The only mandatory field in the Style definition window, shown in Figure 5-6, is the Style name.
All other fields are optional.
Figure 5-6. Style definition window
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It is possible to specify a style to be the default style of a report (you can have only one default
style in a report). If a default style is present, all the element properties that have an unspecified
value will implicitly inherit a value from the default style.
The Parent style property defines the style from which the current one inherits default properties.
The other properties fall into the following four categories: common properties, graphics properties, border and padding properties, and text properties. For details about each of these properties,
refer to Chapter 4.
In the Common tab of the element properties window for each text element is a combo box
labeled Style. To apply a style to an element, choose a value from the list.
■Caution
The copy/paste style items in the pop-up menu in the main design window (see Figure 5-7) simply
copy or paste the graphic properties of one element to another. They do not refer to the Style property of the element, shown in Figure 5-8.
Figure 5-7. Copy/paste style items in the pop-up menu don’t refer to the style property.
Figure 5-8. Element properties window—Style property
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Creating Style Conditions
Starting with JasperReports 1.2, you can make your styles dynamic using conditions. For example,
you can set the forecolor of a text field to black if the field value is positive and to red when it is negative. To do that, add a condition to the Style conditions list, which adds a new set of values to the
style (see Figure 5-9). You can override all default style values; these new values will be used when
the condition is true.
Figure 5-9. Conditional style
Sometimes you can’t see the changes in your final report even if the condition is true, especially
when adding a style to old JRXML files (earlier than JasperReports version 1.2). This happens
because iReport used to save all the attribute values of elements in the JRXML file. When an attribute of an element is explicitly defined, the style value is overridden, and the conditional style is not
applied. (Starting from iReport 1.2, this kind of behavior has changed.)
Reusing Styles Through the Styles Library
Instead of repeatedly defining similar styles for each report, you can define a style in the styles
library and reuse it in other reports. To do this, drag a style from the library over an element. If the
style is not yet present in the report, it is added, and the Style attribute of the element is set to the
name of the selected style.
iReport comes with a set of completely modifiable predefined styles.
To use the library, select Styles library from the combo box above the library pane in the main
window.
An image in the background of the list informs you that the styles panel is displaying the report
styles (Figure 5-10) or the list of saved styles in the library (Figure 5-11).
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Figure 5-10. Report styles image
Figure 5-11. Styles library image
If you want to specify a style present in the library be the default style for new reports, you need
to choose in the Options window (Options ➤ Settings) a value for the Default Style property (in the
property group Report Defaults in the General tab). From then on, every time a new report is created, the specified style will be copied into the new report and set as the default style.
To add, modify, and delete styles, use the buttons on the right of the combo box above the pane
(see Figure 5-12).
Figure 5-12. Styles can be organized in the styles library.
■Caution
Once a library style has been applied to a report, any later changes to that library style will not be
updated in the report style.
Library styles are saved in the styleLibrary.xml file located in the same directory as
config.xml (by default, &lt;user home&gt;/.ireport/).
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A Word About Report Fonts
The use of report fonts is deprecated—use styles instead.
In case you do run into report fonts when working in iReport, understand that iReport does
not manage the report font optimally. iReport limits itself to setting the property values of the
selected report font to the selected element and to copying all the attributes of the global font
to the text element. In fact, global fonts were created to economize the XML source by avoiding
having to specify all the font characteristics for every single field. Since this work is completely
automated in iReport, optimizing has little importance. However, because of this, the attempt to
centralize report font management is bypassed, because JasperReports uses the attributes specified at the element level and they are always specified by iReport. More simply, if a global report
font is used in a text element, its characteristics are saved with the text element and essentially
override the global report font.
You cannot currently define a set of fonts to be used in more than one report.
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6
Fields, Parameters, and Variables
I
n a report, there are three groups of objects that can store values: fields, parameters, and variables.
These objects are used in expressions, they can change their values during print progression, and
they are typed, that is, all these objects have a type that corresponds to a Java class such as String
or Double.
Fields, parameters, and variables have to be declared in the report in order to be used. By
selecting View from the main menu, you will find, among other choices, the Fields, Variables, and
Parameters submenus. Each of these three submenus allows you to view the window for managing
all these objects (see Figure 6-1).
Figure 6-1. Window for managing fields, variables, and parameters
Through this values window, it is possible to declare, modify, and remove fields, variables, and
parameters. The same operations available in this window are available in the Document structure
panel as well (see Figure 6-2).
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Figure 6-2. Management of fields, variables, and parameters from the Document structure panel
Let’s take a closer look at these objects, starting with fields.
Working with Fields
A report is commonly created starting from a datasource: the datasources in JasperReports are
always organized in a set of records that are composed of a series of fields exactly like the results of
a SQL query.
In the window that appears when you select View ➤ Fields, in the Fields tab, you can view
declared fields. In order to declare a field, click the New button, and the window shown in Figure 6-3
will appear.
Figure 6-3. Adding a new field
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The fields are identified by a name, by a type, and by an optional description. Starting from
JasperReports 1.0.0, fields can be of any type. This simplifies working with JavaBean datasources
where casting from java.lang.Object to the actual report field class is no longer required in expressions; now you can refer to a field by using the following syntax, where field_name can be an
arbitrary string:
$F{field_name}
So, if you want to deal with a field named MyPerson as an it.businesslogic.Person object, you
would write
((it.businesslogic.Person)$F{MyPerson})
Starting from JasperReports 1.3.2, you can use custom name/value pair properties for report
fields (and report parameters) to store extra information about a field. By clicking the Edit field
properties button in the Add/modify field dialog box shown earlier in Figure 6-3, you can open the
window in Figure 6-4 to edit a field’s properties.
Figure 6-4. Editing field properties
Custom properties can be read and used by external applications.
The number of fields in a report could be really high (possibly reaching the hundreds). For this
reason, in iReport, different tools exist for the declaration of fields retrieved by particular datasource
typologies.
Registration of Fields of a SQL Query
The most widely used tool is the one that allows you to declare or record the fields of a SQL query in
order to use them in a report. To do this, it is necessary first of all to open the Report query dialog
box by clicking the button shown here:
The dialog box for the query definition will appear, as shown in Figure 6-5. It will be used to fill
the report (if the report is really created starting from a SQL query).
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Figure 6-5. Report query dialog box
After being sure that the connection to the DBMS is active, insert a query, for example:
select * from customers
iReport will run the SQL query, and it will analyze its result in order to propose available fields
to you. By selecting the fields, you register them in the values window (see Figure 6-6).
Figure 6-6. Fields retrieved from a query
■Caution
To register the fields, it is necessary to select them from the list; if the query contains some mistakes,
deselect the Automatically Retrieve Fields check box in the Report query dialog box and read the fields manually
with the Read Fields button.
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The current status of Automatically Retrieve Fields is remembered by iReport even after a
restart.
In this case, all the fields will be of type String: in general, the type set for the fields is based on
the original SQL type, which can be matched with a string, an integer, and so forth.
Accessing the SQL Query Designer
You can create queries in the Report queries dialog box via a visual query designer. You open this
tool by clicking the button labeled Query designer (a JDBC connection must be active, and the
selected language must be SQL).
This SQL query designer, which comes from the SQLeonardo project, provides a drag-anddrop way to create queries (see Figure 6-7).
Figure 6-7. SQL query designer
To create a simple query, drag some tables into the main pane and select some fields.
Registration of the Fields of a JavaBean
One of the most advanced features of JasperReports is the capability to manage datasources that are
not based on a simple SQL query. This is the case for JavaBean collections, where Java objects substitute for records. In this case, the “fields” are object attributes (or attributes of attributes).
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By selecting the JavaBean Datasource tab in the Report query dialog box, you can register fields
that are read by a specified Java object. For example, Figure 6-8 shows the fields for the following
object:
it.businesslogic.ireport.examples.beans.PersonBean
Figure 6-8. Fields registered by a JavaBean
By clicking the Read attributes button, you can explore the object. When browsing the object,
you can see scalar attributes or other objects. By double-clicking an object, you can access its
attributes.
In order to add a field to the list, select a tree node and click the Add selected field(s) button.
The path to the attribute will be stored in the field description.
Displaying a Field with a Text Field
To print a field in a Text Field element, you will need to set the expression and the text field type correctly in the Text Field tab of the element properties window (see Figure 6-9). If necessary, you can
also define a pattern for formatting the field.
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Figure 6-9. Element properties for printing the field
It is possible to automate the setting of the expression and of the type by dragging a field from
the fields list into the desired report band.
Working with Parameters
Parameters are values usually passed to the report from the program that creates the print of the
report. They can be used for guiding particular behaviors during runtime (such as the application of
a condition in a SQL query) and for supplying additional data to the print context such as an Image
object containing a chart or a string with the report title.
As with fields, parameters are also typed and must be declared at design time (see Figure 6-10).
The parameter types can be arbitrary.
Figure 6-10. Adding a new parameter
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At the moment, the property Use as a Prompt in the Add/modify parameter dialog box is not
used by iReport, and it is not relevant for printing. It is a mechanism introduced by JasperReports to
allow applications to collect parameters entered directly by the user.
In an expression, you refer to a parameter by using the following syntax, in which parameter_name
is an arbitrary string:
$P{parameter_name}
A parameter can assume a default value if the application does not pass an explicit value for
that parameter to the report. Parameters (and variables as well) are Java objects, so it is incorrect to
use an expression for a default value of type Double such as
0.123
You must create an instance of the Double object this way:
new Double(0.123)
As for fields, you can define a set of name/value pairs so you can store extra information about
a parameter in your report. Such properties are normally used by external applications.
Click the Edit parameter properties button to bring up the dialog box shown earlier in Figure 6-4,
where you can edit property information for parameters.
Using Parameters in a Query
Parameters may be used to filter a SQL query. Suppose you want to print information about a
particular customer identified by customer ID (not known at design time). Your query will be as
follows:
select * from customers
where CUSTOMERID = $P{MyCustomerId}
MyCustomerId is a parameter declared as an integer. JasperReports will transform this query to
select * from customers where CUSTOMERID = ?
It will run this SQL using a prepared statement by passing the MyCustomerId value as a
query parameter. If you would like to pass the parameter value directly, you can use this special
syntax:
$P!{parameter_name}
This allows you to replace the parameter name in the query with its value. For example, if you have
a parameter named MyWhere with the value of where CUSTOMERID = 5, the query
select * from customers
$P!{CUSTOMERID}
will be transformed into
select * from customers
by using this syntax.
where CUSTOMERID = 5
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Passing Parameters from a Program
Parameters are passed from a program “caller” to the print generator through a class that extends
the java.util.Map interface.
Consider the code in Listing 2-2 in Chapter 2, in particular the following lines:
...
HashMap hm = new HashMap();
...
JasperPrint print = JasperFillManager.fillReport(
fileName,
hm,
new JREmptyDataSource());
...
fillReport is a key method that allows you to print a report by passing the file name as a
parameter—in this case, a dummy datasource (JREmptyDataSource) and a parameter map that is
empty and is represented by a java.util.HashMap object.
To use a parameter that contains the title of your report, you can proceed this way:
1. Declare the parameter as described previously. The parameter will be of the type
java.lang.String and named REPORT_NAME (see Figure 6-11).
Figure 6-11. Definition of the REPORT_NAME parameter
2. Add into the title band a Text Field element with the following expression:
$P{ REPORT_NAME}.
3. Modify the program code:
...
HashMap hm = new HashMap();
hm.put(&quot;REPORT_NAME&quot;,&quot;This is the title of the report&quot;);
...
JasperPrint print = JasperFillManager.fillReport(
fileName,
hm,
new JREmptyDataSource());
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You have inserted into the parameter map a value for the REPORT_NAME parameter.
Figures 6-12 and 6-13 show the passed parameter at design time and when printed, respectively.
Figure 6-12. Using a parameter to print the report title
You do not need to pass the values of all parameters declared in a report unless you want to set
a value for a parameter by the program explicitly. JasperReports will use the default value expression
(which you can specify in the Add/modify parameter dialog box) to calculate the predefined value
of the parameter; the empty expression is synonymous to null.
In reality, this example is not very interesting because the data type passed is a simple string.
However, it is possible to pass some much more complex objects such as an image (java.awt.Image)
or a datasource instance usable to feed a particular subreport. It is important to fill a parameter
with an object having the same type as the declared type for the parameter. Otherwise, a
ClassCastException will be thrown.
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Figure 6-13. The final printed report
Built-in Parameters
JasperReports provides some built-in parameters (they are internal to the reporting engine) that are
readable but not modifiable by the user. These parameters are presented in Table 6-1.
Table 6-1. Built-in Parameters
Parameter
Description
REPORT_PARAMETERS_MAP
This is the java.util.Map passed to the fillReport method, and it
contains the parameter values defined by the user.
REPORTCONNECTION
This is the JDBC connection passed to the report when the report is
created through a SQL query.
REPORT_DATASOURCE
This is the datasource used by the report when it is not using a JDBC
connection.
REPORT_SCRIPTLET
This represents the scriptlet instance used during creation.
If no scriptlet is specified, this parameter uses an instance of
net.sf.jasperreports.engine.JRDefaultScriptlet. Starting from
JasperReports 1.0.0, an implicit cast to the provided scriptlet class is
performed. This simplifies many expressions that use the provided
scriptlet class.
Continued
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Table 6-1. Continued
Parameter
Description
IS_IGNORE_PAGINATION
You can switch the pagination system on or off by setting a value for
this parameter (it must be a Boolean object). By default, pagination is
used, except for exporting to HTML or Excel formats.
REPORT_LOCALE
This is used to set the locale used to fill the report. If no locale is
provided, the system default will be used.
REPORT_TIME_ZONE
This is used to set the time zone used to fill the report. If no locale is
provided, the system default will be used.
REPORT_MAX_COUNT
This is used to limit the number of records filling a report. If no value
is provided, no limit will be set.
REPORT_RESOURCE_BUNDLE
This is the resource bundle loaded for this report. See Chapter 10 for
how to provide a resource bundle for a report.
REPORT_VIRTUALIZER
This defines the class for the report filler that implements the
JRVirtualizer interface for filling the report.
Working with Variables
Variables are objects used to store the results of calculations such as subtotals, sums, and so on.
Variables are typed, the same as fields and parameters are. You must declare the Java type of
which they are instances (the variable class type).
Figure 6-14 shows the dialog box for the creation of a new variable. Following is a list describing
the meaning of each field in this dialog box.
Figure 6-14. Declaration of a variable
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Variable Name: This is the name of the variable. Similar to fields and parameters, you refer to a
variable using the following syntax in an expression, where variable_name is an arbitrary string:
$V{variable_name}
Variable Class Type: Similar to parameters, variables do not have restrictions regarding the
object type that they can assume. In the combo box, you can see some of the most common
types such as java.lang.String and java.lang.Double.
Calculation Type: This is the type of a predefined calculation used to store the result by the
variable. When the predefined value is Nothing, it means “don’t perform any calculation automatically.” JasperReports performs the specified calculation by changing the variable’s value
for every new record that is read from the datasource. To perform a calculation of a variable
means to evaluate its expression (defined in the Variable Expression area). If the calculation
type is Nothing, JasperReports will assign the variable the value that resulted from the evaluation of the variable expressions. If a calculation type is other than Nothing, the expression result
will represent a new input value for the chosen calculation, and the variable value will be the
result of this calculation. The calculation types are listed in Table 6-2.
Table 6-2. Calculation Types for Variables
Calculation Types
Description
Nothing
No type calculation is performed. It is used when the calculation type
is intrinsic to the expression that is specified and valuated for each
new record.
Count
This counts how many times the expression result is different from
null. It is not the same as Sum, which makes real sums based on the
expression’s numerical value.
Distinct Count
This counts the number of different expression results; the order of
expression evaluation does not matter.
Sum
This adds to each iteration the expression value to the variable’s
current value.
Average
This calculates the arithmetic average of all the expressions received
in input.
Lowest
This returns the lowest expression value received in input.
Highest
This returns the highest expression value received in input.
StandardDeviation
This returns the standard deviation of all the expressions received
in input.
Variance
This returns the variance of all the expressions received in input.
System
This does not make any calculation, and the expression is not
evaluated. In this case, the report engine keeps only the last value set
for this variable in memory. This setting can be used to store the
calculation result performed, for example, one returned from a
scriptlet.
Reset Type: This specifies when a variable value has to be reset to the initial value or simply to
null. The variable reset concept is fundamental when you want to make some group calculations such as subtotals or averages. The reset types are listed in Table 6-3.
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Table 6-3. Variable Reset Types
Reset Types
Description
None
The initial value expression is always ignored.
Report
The variable is initialized only once at the beginning of report creation by
using the initial value expression.
Page
The variable is initialized again in each new page.
Column
The variable is initialized again in each new column (or in each page if the
report is composed of only one column).
Group
The variable is initialized again in each new group (the group specified in
the Reset group setting).
Reset Group: This specifies the group that determines the variable reset if the Group reset type is
selected.
Increment Type: This specifies when a variable value has to be evaluated; the variable reset concept is fundamental when you want to make some group calculations such as subtotals or
averages. The increment types are the same as the calculation types listed in Table 6-2.
Increment Group: This specifies the group that determines the variable increment if the Group
increment type is selected.
Custom Incrementer Factory Class: This is the name of a Java class that increases the
JRIncrementerFactory interface, which is useful for defining operations such as the sum for
nonnumerical types.
Variable Expression: This is the Java expression that identifies the input value of the variable to
each iteration.
Initial Value Expression: This is an expression for evaluating the variable’s initial value.
Built-in Variables
As with the parameters, JasperReports provides some built-in variables (which are directly managed
by the reporting engine). These variables are readable but not modifiable by the user. Table 6-4 lists
the built-in variables.
Table 6-4. Built-in Variables
Built-in Variable
Description
PAGE_NUMBER
Contains the current number of pages. At “report” time, this variable
will contain the total number of pages.
COLUMN_NUMBER
Contains the current number of columns.
REPORT_COUNT
Contains the current number of records that have been processed.
PAGE_COUNT
Contains the current number of records that have been processed in
the current page.
COLUMN_COUNT
Contains the current number of records that have been processed
during the current column creation.
group_name_COUNT
Contains the current number of records that have been processed for
the group specified as a variable prefix.
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7
Bands and Groups
I
n this chapter, I will explain how to manage bands and groups by using iReport. In Chapter 3, you
learned how reports are structured, and you have seen how the report is divided into bands, horizontal portions of a page that are printed and modified in height according to band properties and
content. Here, you will see how to adjust the properties of bands. You will also learn how to use
groups and how to create some breaks in a report.
Modifying Bands
JasperReports divides a report into eight main bands and the background (nine bands in total).
To these two other bands can be added: the group footer and the group header.
By clicking the Bands button shown here:
it is possible to bring up a list of bands present in your report (see Figure 7-1).
Figure 7-1. Bands list and properties window
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Through this window, you can modify the main properties of a band: specify its height,
expressed in pixels (through the Band Height option); indicate whether the band breaks if it overflows the page (by enabling the Split allowed check box option); and include an expression (in the
Print When expression area) that must return a Boolean object, which determines whether the band
gets printed. In this case, the empty expression represents implicitly the following:
new Boolean(true)
indicating that the band is always printed. In this expression, you can use fields, variables, and
parameters, as long as the expression produces a Boolean object as a result.
The same band properties can be modified using the band properties sheet by selecting the
band node in the Document structure panel: the properties sheet is normally located on the right of
the main window (see Figure 7-2). This approach permits you to modify the same property of more
than a single band at time.
Figure 7-2. Document structure panel (on the left) and band properties sheet (on right)
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Even if it is specified explicitly, the band height can increase if one or more of the elements it
contains grows vertically (it can happen for Text Field elements whose contents exceed the specified
dimensions or for Subreport elements). JasperReports guarantees that the band height is never less
than that specified.
■Note
In order to resize a band, you can use the band properties sheet or the bands list and properties window,
setting a value directly for the band in the Band Height field, or use the mouse by moving the cursor over the lower
margin of the band and dragging it toward the bottom or the top of the page (see Figure 7-3).
A double-click on the lower margin allows you to resize the band by adapting the height to the content.
Figure 7-3. Movement of the lower margin of a band
■Tip
If one or more consecutive bands have zero height, it is possible to increase a band’s dimensions by
moving toward the bottom the lower margin in the band that precedes it while pressing down the Shift key.
By moving an element from one band to another, the band with which the element is associated is changed automatically.
Working with Groups
Groups allow you to organize the records of a report to better structure the report content. A group
is defined through an expression. JasperReports evaluates this expression: a new group begins when
the expression value changes.
I will explain the use of the groups by walking you through an example step by step. Suppose
you have a list of people: you want to create a report where the names of these people are grouped
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based on the initial letter (like in a phone book). Run iReport and open a new empty report. Next,
you will take the data from a database by using a SQL query (a JDBC connection to the Northwind
database must already be configured and tested). The first thing you have to consider is the order of
record selection: JasperReports doesn’t dictate order of records coming from a datasource; for this
reason, when you think about a report containing some groups, you have to order the records in the
right way yourself. For this example, use the following SQL query:
select * from customers order by CONTACTNAME
The selected records will be ordered according to the name of the selected customers.
Select the CONTACTNAME and COUNTRY fields through the Report query dialog box (see
Figure 7-4).
Figure 7-4. The query extracts the ordered records.
Before continuing on with creating your group, make sure that everything works correctly
by inserting in the details band the CONTACTNAME and COUNTRY fields (move them from the
Document structure panel to the detail band, as shown in Figure 7-5), and then compile and create the report. To make things a bit more complex, divide the detail into two columns (Chapter 3
discusses how to specify the number of columns in a report). The result should be similar to that
of Figure 7-6.
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Figure 7-5. The report without groups
Figure 7-6. A preliminary printed report
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Now on to grouping the data. By clicking the Groups button, shown here:
you bring up the report groups window through which you manage report groups, as shown in
Figure 7-7.
Figure 7-7. Report groups window
Click the New button and in the dialog box that appears, insert a new group named, for
example, Initial (see Figure 7-8).
Figure 7-8. Specifying group properties
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A group is identified by several properties:
Group Name: This specifies the group name, which will be used to name the two bands to associate with the group: the header and the footer.
Start on a New Column: If this option is selected, it forces a column break at the end of the
group (that is, at the beginning of a new group); if there is only one column in the report, a column break becomes a page break.
Start on a New Page: If this option is selected, it forces a page break at the end of the group (that
is, at the beginning of a new group).
Reset Page Number: This option resets the number of pages at the beginning of a new group.
Print header on each page: If this option is selected, it prints the group header on all the pages
on which the group’s content is printed (if the content requires more than one page for the
printed report).
Min height to Start New Page: If the value is other than 0, JasperReports will start to print this
group on a new page, if the available space is less than the minimum specified. This option is
usually used to avoid dividing by a page break a report section composed of two or more elements that you want to remain together (such as a title followed by the text of a paragraph).
Group Expression: This is the expression that JasperReports will evaluate against each record.
When the expression changes in value, a new group is created. If this expression is empty, it is
equal to null, and since a null expression will never change in value, the result is a single group
header and a single group footer, respectively, after the first column header and before the last
column footer.
Group Header Band Height: This is the band height representing the group header: as for all
bands, it is possible to modify this value also from the bands list and properties window (refer
back to Figure 7-1).
Group Footer Band Height: This is the band height representing the group footer: as for all
bands, it is possible to modify this value also from the bands list and properties window (refer
back to Figure 7-1).
For this example, you name the group Initial (referring to the initial letter of the names); now
you will tell it to start on a new column (selecting the Start on a New Column option). Your group
expression has to return the first letter of each name, but an expression like the following:
$F{CONTACTNAME}.substring(0,1)
would be not sufficient to do what you want, because there is no guarantee that the CONTACTNAME
field is not null and that the length is greater than or equal to one. In fact, if CONTACTNAME is null,
the expression evaluation generates a NullPointerException, and if CONTACTNAME is a zero-length
string, the expression evaluation generates an ArrayOutOfBoundException. In order to prevent these
exceptions, you have to test these two bad cases with a conditional expression like this:
( ($F{CONTACTNAME} != null &amp;&amp; $F{CONTACTNAME}.length() &gt; 0) ?
$F{CONTACTNAME}.substring(0,1) : &quot;&quot;)
You use the Java constraint
( condition ) ? value1 : value2
which returns value1 if the condition is true and value2 if the condition is false. In particular, if
CONTACTNAME is null or its length is zero, it is returned an empty string; otherwise, it is returned
the first character of the name.
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Once you have added the new group, two new bands appear in the design window: these are
labeled InitialHeader and InitialFooter. Insert in the InitialHeader band a text field with the expression used for the group (see Figure 7-9).
Figure 7-9. Layout of your report
Figure 7-10 shows the final result.
The number of possible groups contained in a report is arbitrary, and a group can be contained
in a parent group, and itself contain other children groups. The result is a groups list.
It is possible to change the priority of a group with respect to another through the Move Up
and Move Down buttons present in the report groups window (shown previously in Figure 7-7).
To change the priority of a group means also to change the position of the bands composing it.
The higher the priority, the further the group bands are from the detail band.
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Figure 7-10. The final result in PDF format
Group Wizard
To simplify and speed up the creation of a group, iReport provides a convenient wizard that can be
run by selecting Edit ➤ New Report Group Wizard.
The Report Group Wizard becomes unbelievably useful when a group is based on a report
object, like a field or a variable. In this case, after you set the group name, you select the desired
object from the Group by the following report object combo box (see Figure 7-11).
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Figure 7-11. Report Group Wizard—step 1
Alternatively, it’s possible to set a more complex expression by selecting the Group by the
following expression radio button option and filling the field below it.
In the next step, shown in Figure 7-12, you can decide whether or not to display the group
header and the group footer.
Figure 7-12. Report Group Wizard—step 2
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Groups and Record Order
As mentioned earlier, JasperReports by default does not order data records from a datasource. For
this reason, when you create a group, you are responsible for providing the right order of records to
JasperReports. This task is trivial when dealing with SQL queries, where an order by clause can do
the job, but it’s also simple when using other kinds of datasources such as an XML datasource. In
this case, you must be sure that the order of provided data is compatible with the report groups to
avoid several equal results of the same group expression value (which will produce more groups
than desired).
If you cannot provide the data in the right order, you can use the Sort options of JasperReports
to force an in-memory sorting of your records (the “Sorting and Filtering Records” section in
Chapter 9 explains how to do just that).
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8
Subreports
S
ubreports represent one of the most advanced functionalities of JasperReports, and they make
possible the realization of very complex reports. The aim is to be able to insert a report into another
report created with modalities similar to the first one.
You have seen that to create a printed report you need three things: a JASPER file, a parameters
map (it can be empty), and a datasource (or a JDBC connection). In this chapter, I will explain how
to pass these three objects to a subreport through its parent report and by creating dynamic connections that are able to filter the records of the subreport based on the parent’s data. Then I will
explain how to return information regarding the subreport creation to the parent report.
Creating a Subreport
As I have already said, a subreport is a real report composed of its own XML source and compiled in
a JASPER file. To create a subreport means to create a normal report. You have to pay attention only
to the print margins, which are usually set to zero for subreports. The horizontal dimension of the
report should be as large as the element into which it will be placed in the parent report. It is not
necessary that the Subreport element be exactly as large as the subreport; however, in order to avoid
unexpected results, it is always better to be precise.
In the parent report it is possible to insert a subreport using the Subreport tool, shown here:
What is created is an element similar to the Rectangle element.
The Subreport element dimensions are not really meaningful because the subreport will occupy
all the space it needs without being cut or cropped. You can think of a Subreport element as defining
the position of the top-left corner to which the subreport will be aligned.
Linking a Subreport to the Parent Report
To link the subreport to the parent report means to define three things: how to recover the JASPER
object that implements the subreport, how to feed it with data, and how to set the value for the subreport parameters. All this information is defined through the Subreport and Subreport (Other) tabs
of the element properties window (see Figures 8-1 and 8-2).
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Figure 8-1. Subreport tab options
Figure 8-2. Subreport (Other) tab options
First, let’s take a look at how subreport parameters are set.
Passing Parameters
Just as a report is invoked from a program using the fillReport method, a parameters map is passed
during a subreport’s creation; in reality, this map is managed directly by the reporting engine, but
you can insert parameter name/object pairs into this map at runtime. Although the Parameters Map
Expression option is probably the method least used to set values of subreport parameters, it is the
first property of the Subreport element encountered in the Subreport tab; it allows you to define an
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expression, the result of which must be a java.util.Map object. Using this method, it is possible,
for example, to pass to the master report (from your program) a parameter containing a map,
and then to pass this map to the subreport by including in an expression the name of the parameter (for example, $P{myMap}) that contains the map. It is also possible to pass to the child report
the same parameters map that was provided to the parent by using the built-in parameter
REPORT_PARAMETERS_MAP: in this case, the right expression would be $P{REPORT_PARAMETERS_MAP}.
If you leave the Parameters Map Expression field blank, an empty map will be passed to the
subreport (this is not true if you define some subreport parameter values as you’ll see soon in the
section “A Step-by-Step Example”). The limitation of this mechanism is the immutability of the
parameters passed in the map. In order to get around this limitation, JasperReports allows you to
define some parameter name/object pairs where the value of each object can be created through
an expression. You can see the Subreport parameters table earlier in Figure 8-2. Also, in this case,
the interface is quite self-explanatory: by clicking the Add button, you can bring up a dialog box in
which it is possible to add a new parameter that will feed the parameters map of the subreport (see
Figure 8-3).
Figure 8-3. Adding a new parameter
The parameter name has to be the same as the one declared in the subreport. The names are
case sensitive, which means capitalization counts. If you make an error typing the name or the
inserted parameter has not been defined, no error is thrown (but something would probably end
up not working, and you would be left to wonder why).
In the Default Value Expression area, you supply a classic JasperReports expression, in which
you can use fields, parameters, and variables. The return type has to be congruous with the parameter type declared in the subreport; otherwise, an exception of ClassCastException will occur at
runtime.
One of the most common uses of subreport parameters is to pass the key of a record printed in
the parent report in order to execute a query in the subreport through which you can extract the
records referred to (report headers and lines).
Specifying the Datasource
To set the subreport datasource means to tell JasperReports how to retrieve data to fill the subreport. There are two big datasource groups: JDBC connections and datasources.
Using a JDBC connection to fill the parent report makes the use of the subreport simple
enough. In this case, a connection expression defines a java.sql.Connection object that is already
linked to the database (you will see how to specify this type of expression later in this chapter in the
section “A Step-by-Step Example”). It is possible to pass this already opened connection through the
parameters map explicitly, but the simplest thing is to use the predefined REPORT_CONNECTION
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parameter containing the connection passed to the fillReport method from the calling application. By using a connection expression, you ensure the report will be created starting from the SQL
query contained in the subreport.
The use of a datasource is more complex (even if it is sometimes necessary when a connection
like JDBC is not being used), but it is extremely powerful. It involves writing a datasource expression
that returns the JRDataSource instance with which to fill the subreport. Depending on what you want
to achieve, it is possible to pass the datasource that will feed the subreport through a parameter. If
the parent report is executed using a datasource, this datasource is stored in the REPORT_DATASOURCE
built-in parameter; unlike the REPORT_CONNECTION parameter, the REPORT_DATASOURCE should never
be used to feed a subreport. A datasource is in general a consumable object that is usable for feeding
a report only once, so a datasource will satisfy the needs of a single report (or subreport). Therefore,
the parameter technique is not suitable when every record of the master report has got its own
subreport (unless there is only one record in the master report). When I explain datasources in
Chapter 9, you will see how this problem is easily solved by using custom datasources, and how to
create subreports using different types of connections and datasources.
Specifying the Subreport
To specify what JASPER file to use to create the subreport, you must set a subreport expression (you
will see how to specify this type of expression later in this chapter in the section “A Step-by-Step
Example”). The type of object returned from this expression has to be selected from the combo box
that precedes the expression field (refer back to Figure 8-2). Table 8-1 lists the possible object types.
Table 8-1. Possible Return Types of the Subreport Expression
Possible Return Types
Description
net.sf.jasperreports.engine.JasperReport
The JASPER file preloaded in a JasperReport object
java.io.InputStream
An open stream of the JASPER file
java.net.URL
A URL that identifies the location of the JASPER file
java.io.File
A file object that identifies the JASPER file
java.lang.String
The name of the JASPER file
If the expression is a string, it uses the JRLoader class to load the file starting from the specified
location. Specifically, the string is at first interpreted as a URL. In case of a MalformedURLException
being returned, the string is interpreted as a physical path to a file; if the file does not exist, the
string is interpreted as a Java resource. This means that if you refer to a file, the string has to contain
the absolute path for that file, or you have to put your JASPER file in the classpath and refer to it
using a Java resource path.
A Step-by-Step Example
Let’s put into practice what you have learned in the previous sections. Say you want to print an
orders list with rows containing order details. You will use a JDBC connection to the database
Northwind: the three tables to use are Orders, Customers, and Order Details.
Open an empty report and click the button shown here:
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Insert the query for the parent report:
select * from orders
From the available fields list keep only ORDERID, ORDERDATE, and CUTOMERID so that you
simplify the example (to remove unwanted fields from the list, select them and click the Cancel
button). Click the OK button: the three fields will be registered automatically in the report (see
Figures 8-4 and 8-5).
Figure 8-4. Selecting the report master fields
Figure 8-5. The selected fields are registered among the report fields.
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Drag the three fields into the detail band, as shown in Figure 8-6, save the report named as you
like (for example, master.jrxml), and print this simple report before proceeding with the subreport.
Your results should resemble what you see in Figure 8-7.
Figure 8-6. Adding the selected fields to the detail band
Figure 8-7. Test of the report master
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Next, you will construct the first subreport to display the information about the customer of
each order (CUSTOMER).
In the same way you constructed the report master, prepare this second report by adding to the
parameters list the CUSTOMERID parameter, type java.lang.String. The query of this subreport will
use this parameter as follows: SELECT * FROM CUSTOMERS WHERE CUSTOMERID = $P{CUSTOMERID} (see
Figure 8-8).
Figure 8-8. The query of the first subreport (customers.jrxml)
In order to correctly read the query fields, it is necessary to associate a default value for the
parameter (for example, the empty string &quot;&quot;).
In the subreport, all the page margins are usually removed because it will be inserted into the
master report as a simple element. Figure 8-9 shows how the subreport layout should look.
Figure 8-9. Design of the subreport
Save the subreport (for example, with the name customers.jrxml) and insert a Subreport element into the master report. The vertical dimension of this element is not important, because when
you print the report, JasperReports will use all the vertical space necessary (see Figure 8-10).
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Figure 8-10. TheSubreport element in the master report (height is not meaningful)
When you insert the Subreport element, the Subreport Wizard automatically opens. You don’t
want to use this wizard at this point (I will show you how to work with the Subreport Wizard later
in the section “Using the Subreport Wizard”), so select the option “Just create the subreport element” and click Finish. To begin setting the subreport properties, open the element properties
window and click the Subreport tab.
Select Use connection expression in the combo box under Connection/Datasource Expression
and specify $P{REPORT_CONNECTION} as the expression that stores the JDBC connection used to fill
the parent (see Figure 8-11).
Figure 8-11. Connection to use for feeding the subreport
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In the Subreport (Other) tab, specify where to find the customer.jasper file (that is, the file that
contains the subreport) and how to create or modify the parameters that bind the subreport to the
master report (see Figure 8-12).
Figure 8-12. Location of the JASPER file and parameters to bind the subreport to the master report
As the expression for your subreport, simply specify the name of the JASPER file you created to
use as the subreport. By using iReport, you ensure that the subreport will be found when you specify its name without an absolute path, because the directory where the subreport is stored will
automatically be added to the classpath, and so the subreport will be found not as a file but as a
Java resource through the ClassLoader. In other cases, it could be necessary to specify the directory
path where the subreport is located as parameter and to specify an expression like this:
$P{PATH_TO_SUBREPORTS} + java.io.File.separator + &quot;customers.jasper&quot;
In order to extract each customer’s data and to view it in the subreport, you have to fill the
CUSTOMERID parameter of customers.jasper. To do so, add a new line in the parameters table of the
subreport by specifying the parameter name of the subreport and give it an expression that creates
the value to give to the parameter. In this case, the parameter will be CUSTOMERID and the expression
will be $F{CUSTOMERID}, which is the value of the corresponding field in the master report.
Compile master.jrxml and customers.jrxml and run the parent report. Your results should
resemble Figure 8-13.
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Figure 8-13. Printing the first subreport
Proceed with the second subreport to view order details. Once again, start from an empty
report, remove the margins, and define the parameter to link to the master report: in this case, use
the ORDERID parameter declared as java.lang.Integer, and insert the query for the selection of the
order detail rows: select * from orderDetails where ORDERID = $P{ORDERID} (see Figure 8-14).
Figure 8-14. Query for the second subreport
Set the height of the unused bands to zero (all except for the detail band) and insert in the
detail band the fields you want to print (see Figure 8-15).
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Figure 8-15. Design of the second subreport
Save the file in the same directory as the master with the name details.jrxml and compile it in
order to generate details.jasper.
Add the subreport to the master report, as shown in Figure 8-16, and specify the file name of
the new subreport and the binding for the ORDERID field.
The file name to specify will be details.jasper (having previously saved the subreport with the
name details.jrxml).
Add the parameter of the ORDERID subreport with the value $F{ORDERID} (see Figure 8-17).
Figure 8-16. The second subreport added to the master report
Figure 8-17. Second subreport’s properties
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Now compile the master report once more and print it. The final result should be something
like what you see in Figure 8-18.
Figure 8-18. The final report with the filled subreports
Returning Values from a Subreport
It is often necessary to retrieve information, such as totals or the number of records, from within a
subreport.
JasperReports versions 1.0.0 and later provide a new feature that allows users to retrieve values
from within a subreport. This mechanism works much the same as passing input parameters to
subreports. The idea is to save values calculated during the filling of the subreport into variables in
the master report.
Bindings between calculated values and local variables can be set in the Subreport return
values tab in the lower part of the Subreport (Other) tab of the element properties window (see
Figure 8-19).
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Figure 8-19. Subreport return values
To create a new binding between a local variable and a calculated value from a subreport, click
the Add button. A window opens, as shown in Figure 8-20.
Figure 8-20. Binding a local variable to a calculated value
At this point, select a calculated value from the subreport (in this case, the value is a variable
from the subreport), as well as the local variable that will contain the returned value. Since iReport
doesn’t recognize variables defined within a subreport, the first combo box is writable.
Next, select a calculation type. If you want a subreport value to be returned as is, select the
value Nothing. Otherwise, several calculations can be applied. For example, if the desired value is
the average of the number of records within a subreport that is invoked repeatedly, set the calculation type to Average.
■Caution
When you create a new variable in your master report to be used like a container for a returned
value, set the variable calculation type to System in the Add/modify variable dialog box. The effective calculation
type performed on the variable values is the one defined in the dialog box shown in Figure 8-20.
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The value coming from the subreport is available only when the whole band containing the
subreport is printed. If you need to print this value using a text field placed in the same band as
your subreport, set the evaluation time of the text field to Band.
You can find additional details and information on returning parameters in The Definitive
Guide to JasperReports by Teodor Daniciu, Lucian Chirita, Sanda Zaharia, and Ionut Nedelcu
(Apress, 2007).
Using the Subreport Wizard
To simplify inserting a subreport, starting from iReport 1.2.1, a wizard for creating subreports automatically starts when a Subreport element is added to a report.
You can use the Subreport Wizard, shown in Figure 8-21, to create a brand new report that will
be referenced as a subreport or to refer to an existing report. In the latter case, if the report you
choose contains one or more parameters, the wizard provides an easy way to define a value for
each of them.
Figure 8-21. Subreport Wizard
Create a New Report via the Subreport Wizard
If you are adding a subreport to an open report that has previously been saved, the Subreport
Wizard can create a new report for you that will be used as a subreport.
The steps to create the new report are very similar to those you follow in the Report Wizard:
1. Select a connection or datasource; if the datasource requires a query (like a JDBC or Hibernate connection), you can write it in the text area or load it from a file.
2. Select fields.
3. Select the layout.
4. Save the new subreport and subreport expression definition.
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There is currently no way to define groups for the subreport using the Subreport Wizard. You
can add groups after the automatic creation of the report using the report groups window (View ➤
Report groups).
The subreport expression is used to refer to the subreport JASPER file. The wizard lets you do
this in one of two ways:
1. Store the path part of the subreport URI in a parameter, as shown in Figure 8-22, to make it
modifiable at runtime by setting a different value for the parameter (the subreport path is
the default value).
2. Save the complete path in the expression.
If the subreport is created in the same directory as the master report, the path value is set to
a zero-length string. Please note that at runtime this works only if the subreport is present in the
classpath.
The subreport is not compiled when created. To test your report, you must compile it.
Figure 8-22. Specifying a subreport expression in the Subreport Wizard
When you create a new subreport, you can’t specify parameters. You will be able to add parameters and use them in the subreport query after the report is created. At this point, to filter your
subreport query, follow these steps:
1. Add a parameter to the report implementing your subreport.
2. Use that parameter in your query with the typical syntax $P{MyParam} (or $!P{MyParam} if
the parameter must be concatenated with the query as is).
3. In the master report, open the element properties window of the Subreport element and
add an entry in the Subreport parameters list setting an expression for the subreport
parameter (see the section “Passing Parameters” earlier in this chapter for more details).
If your subreport is not based on a SQL or HQL query, you must still set the subreport
datasource expression to successfully run your report.
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As mentioned earlier, you can use the Subreport Wizard to create a brand new report that
will be referenced as a subreport or to refer to an existing report. In the latter case, if the chosen
report contains one or more parameters, the wizard provides an easy way to define a value for
each of them.
Specifying an Existing Report in the Subreport Wizard
You can point to an existing report as a subreport through the Subreport Wizard. To do this, the first
step is to select a JRXML or a JASPER file in the first screen of the wizard. (The JASPER file must have
been created with JasperReports version 1.2.0 or greater.)
The second step of the wizard manages expressions for the connection or the datasource used
to fill the subreport (see Figure 8-23).
Figure 8-23. Specifying a connection/datasource expression
You can select the Use the same connection used to fill the master report radio button option
when using a JDBC-based subreport. The JDBC connection is passed to the subreport to execute it.
To specify a different JDBC connection, select the Use another connection radio button option.
Finally, to use a JRDataSource object to fill the subreport, select Use a JRDataSource expression
and write an expression capable of returning a JRDataSource object.
If the selected report contains parameters, they are listed in the next step (see Figure 8-24). For
each parameter, you can set a value by choosing an object from the combo boxes. The combo box
contains a set of suggested values. Of course, you can write your own expression, but no expression
editor is provided in this context.
Finally, you must designate how to generate the subreport expression. Just as for a new subreport, there are two options: store the path in a parameter to set it dynamically, or set a hard-coded
path (see Figure 8-25).
All choices can be modified after you leave the Subreport Wizard.
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Figure 8-24. Specifying subreport parameters
Figure 8-25. Specifying a subreport expression
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9
Datasources and Query Executers
T
here are several ways in JasperReports to provide data to fill a printed report; for example, you
can put a SQL query directly inside a report and provide a connection to a database against which
to execute the query and read the resulting record set.
iReport provides direct support for a rich set of query languages, including SQL, HQL, EJBQL,
and MDX, and supports other languages like XPath (XML Path Language).
Moreover, in iReport, you can use custom languages by registering pluggable engines called
query executers to interpret and execute the report query.
If you don’t want to use a query language, or you simply don’t want to put the query inside the
report, you can use a JasperReports datasource: basically a JR datasource is an object that iterates
on a record set organized like a simple table. All the datasources implement the JRDataSource interface. JasperReports provides many ready-to-use implementations of datasources to wrap generic
data structures, like arrays or collections of JavaBeans, result sets, table models, CSV and XML files,
and so on. In this chapter, I will present some of these datasources, and you will see how easy it is to
create a custom datasource in order to fit any possible need.
Finally, you will see how to define a custom query language and a custom query executer to
use it.
iReport provides support for all these things: you can define JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) connections to execute SQL queries, set up Hibernate connections using Spring, and test your
own JRDataSource or custom query language.
How a JasperReports Datasource Works
JasperReports is a record-set-oriented engine: this means that to print a report, you have to provide
a set of records. When the report is run, JasperReports will iterate on this record set, creating and
filling the bands according to the report definition. Bands, groups, variables—their elaboration is
strictly tied to the record set used to fill the report. This is why JasperReports defines only one query
per report. Multiple queries/datasources can be used when inserting subreports or defining subdatasets, each one with their own query (or datasource), fields, parameters, variables, and so on.
Subdatasets are only used to feed a crosstab or a chart.
Each record contains a set of fields. These fields must be declared in the report in order to be
used, as explained in Chapter 6.
But what is the difference between using a query inside a report and providing data using a
JRDataSource? Basically, there is no difference. In fact, what happens behind the scenes when a
query is used instead of a JRDataSource is that JasperReports executes the query using a built-in
or user-defined query executer that will produce a JRDataSource. There are circumstances where
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providing a JDBC connection to the engine and using a query defined at report level can simplify
the use of subreports.
A JRDataSource is a consumable object, which means that you cannot use the same instance
of JRDataSource to fill more than one report or subreport. A typical error is try to use the same
JRDataSource object (e.g., provided to the report as parameter) to feed a subreport placed in the
detail band: if the detail band is printed more than once (normally it is printed for every record
present in the main datasource), the subreport will be filled for each main record, and every time
the subreport will iterate on the same JRDataSource provided. However, this will only give results the
first time the datasource is used.
At the end of this chapter, you will know how to avoid this kind of error, and you’ll have all the
tools to decide the best way to fill your report: using a query in a language supported by JasperReports,
a built-in datasource, a custom datasource, or finally a custom query language with the relative
query executer.
Understanding Datasources and Connections
in iReport
iReport allows you to manage and configure different types of datasources to fill reports. These
datasources are stored in the iReport configuration and activated when needed.
When I talk about datasources, you need to understand there is a distinction between real
datasources (or objects that implement the JRDataSource interface) and connections, used in
combination with a query defined inside the report. In addition, the term datasource used in
JasperReports is not the same as the concept in javax.sql.Datasource, which is a means of getting a physical connection to the database (usually with JNDI lookup). The datasource object
I refer to in the JasperReports realm already has concrete data inside itself.
Here is a list of datasource and connection types provided by iReport:
• JDBC connection
• JavaBeans set datasource
• XML datasource
• CSV datasource
• Hibernate connection
• Spring-loaded Hibernate connection
• JR datasource provider
• Custom datasource
• Mondrian OLAP connection
• XML/A connection
• EJBQL connection
• Empty datasource
Finally, there is a special mode to execute a report, called query executer mode, that you can use
to force creation of the report without passing any connection to or datasource for the report
engine.
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All the connections are “opened” and passed directly to JasperReports during report generation. For many connections, JasperReports provides one or more built-in parameters that can be
used inside the report for several purposes (e.g., to fill a subreport that needs the same connection
as the parent).
The XML datasource allows you to take data from an XML document. A CSV (commaseparated values) datasource allows you to open a CSV file for use in a report. The JavaBean set
datasource, custom datasource, and JR datasource provider allow you to print data using purposely written Java classes. The Hibernate connection provides the environment to execute HQL
(Hibernate Query Language) queries (this connection can be configured using Spring, too). EJBQL
(Enterprise JavaBean Query Language) queries can be used with an EJBQL connection, and MDX
queries can be used with a native direct connection to a Mondrian server or with the standard
XML/A interface to interrogate a generic OLAP database. An empty datasource is something like a
generator of records having zero fields. This kind of datasource is used for test purposes or to
achieve very particular needs.
Connections and datasources are managed through the menu command Data ➤
Connections/Data Sources, which opens the configured connections list (see Figure 9-1).
Figure 9-1. List of configured datasources
As mentioned previously, a connection and a datasource are different objects. However, from
this point on, unless a distinction needs to be made, I will use these two words interchangeably.
Even if you keep an arbitrary number of datasources ready to use, iReport always works with
only one source or connection at a time. You can set the active datasource in several ways. The most
easy and intuitive is to select the right datasource from the combo box located on the toolbar (see
Figure 9-2).
Figure 9-2. To use a datasource, choose it in this combo box.
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You can alternatively set the active datasource by selecting from the main window Data ➤ Set
Active Connection and choosing the desired datasource from the list that appears, as shown in
Figure 9-3.
Figure 9-3. List of the available datasources
Finally, you can set the active datasource by selecting a datasource in the Connections/Datasources
dialog box and clicking the Set as Default button (see Figure 9-4).
Figure 9-4. iReport provides the Set as Default button to allow you to set the active datasource.
If no datasource is selected, it is not possible to fill a report with data. An active connection is
no longer required to use the Report Wizard, but of course it can help a lot if you are designing, for
example, an SQL query-based report.
Creating and Using JDBC Connections
A JDBC connection allows you to use a relational DBMS (or in general whatever is accessible
through a JDBC driver) as a datasource. To set a new JDBC connection, click the New button in the
Connections/Datasources dialog box (shown earlier in Figure 9-1) to open the interface for creation
of a new connection (or datasource). From the list, select Database JDBC connection to bring up
the window shown in Figure 9-5.
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Figure 9-5. Creation of a JDBC connection
The first thing to do is to name the connection (possibly using a significant name, such as
Mysql—Test). iReport will always use the specified name to refer to this connection.
In the JDBC Driver field, you specify the name of the JDBC driver to use for the connection to
the database. The combo box proposes the names of all the most common JDBC drivers.
Thanks to the JDBC URL Wizard, it is possible to automatically construct the JDBC URL to use
for the connection to the database by inserting the server name and the database name in the correct text fields. Click the Wizard button to create the URL.
Enter a username and password to access the database. By means of a check box option, you
can save the password for the connection.
■Caution
iReport saves the password in clear text in the configuration file located in &lt;USER_HOME&gt;/.ireport/
config.xml.
If the password is empty, it is better if you specify that it be saved.
After you have inserted all the data, it is possible to verify the connection by clicking the Test
button. If everything is OK, the dialog box shown in Figure 9-6 will appear.
Figure 9-6. Connection to the DB successfully tested
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At the end of the test, remember to set the created connection as the active connection to use it
(iReport 2.0.0 does this automatically).
In general, the test can fail for a lot of reasons, the most frequent of which are the following:
• A ClassNotFoundError exception was thrown.
• The URL is not correct.
• Parameters are not correct for the connection (database is not found, the username or
password is wrong, etc.).
Let’s take a closer look at these issues.
ClassNotFoundError
The ClassNotFoundError exception occurs when the required JDBC driver is not present in the
classpath. For example, suppose you wish to create a connection to an Oracle database. iReport
has no driver for this database by default, but you could be deceived by the presence of the
oracle.jdbc.driver.OracleDriver driver in the JDBC drivers list shown in the window for creating
new connections. If you were to select this driver, when you test the connection, the program will
throw the ClassNotFoundError exception, as shown in Figure 9-7.
Figure 9-7. Driver not found error
What you have to do is to add the JDBC driver for Oracle, which is a file named classes12.zip
(or classes11.zip for older versions) to the classpath (which is where the JVM searches for classes).
As iReport uses its own class loader, it will be enough to copy the classes12.zip file into the iReport
lib directory and perform the test again without restarting the program.
The lib directory is the right place to insert JAR archives (with a .jar or .zip extension). If the
driver is not a JAR version, but it is shipped as an uncompressed directory (for example a com directory containing the hierarchy of all driver classes), the most correct place to dynamically add those
classes to the classpath is in the classes directory (present in the home of iReport), so you would
copy the driver directory there.
URL Not Correct
If an incorrect URL is specified (for example, due to a typing error), you’ll get an arbitrary exception
when you click the Test button. The exact cause of the error can be deduced by the stack trace available in the exception dialog box.
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In this case, if possible, it is better to use the JDBC URL Wizard to build the JDBC URL and
try again.
Parameters Not Correct for the Connection
The less-problematic error scenario is one where you try to establish a connection to a database
with the wrong parameters (username or password is not valid, database specified is nonexistent,
etc.). In this case, the same database will return a message that will be more or less explicit about
the failure of the connection.
Working with Your JDBC Connection
When the report is created by using a JDBC connection, you specify a SQL query to extract the
records to print from the database. This connection can also be used by a subreport or, for
example, by a personalized lookup function for the decoding of particular data. For this reason,
JasperReports puts at your disposal a special parameter named REPORT_CONNECTION of the
java.sql.Connection type that can be used in whatever expression you like, with the parameters
syntax as follows: $P{REPORT_CONNECTION}
This parameter contains exactly the java.sql.Connection class passed to JasperReports from
the calling program.
The use of JDBC or SQL connections represents the simplest and easiest way to fill a report.
(The details for how to create a SQL query are explained in Chapter 6.)
Fields Registration
In order to use SQL query fields in a report, you need to register them (it is not necessary to register all the selected fields—those effectively used in the report are enough). For each field, you
must specify its name and type. Table 9-1 shows the mapping of the SQL types to the corresponding Java types.
Table 9-1. Conversion of SQL and Java Types
SQL Type
Java Object
CHAR
String
VARCHAR
String
LONGVARCHAR
String
NUMERIC
java.math.BigDecimal
DECIMAL
java.math.BigDecimal
BIT
Boolean
TINYINT
Integer
SMALLINT
Integer
INTEGER
Integer
BIGINT
Long
REAL
Float
FLOAT
Double
DOUBLE
Double
Continued
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Table 9-1. Continued
SQL Type
Java Object
BINARY
byte[]
VARBINARY
byte[]
LONGVARBINARY
byte[]
DATE
java.sql.Date
TIME
java.sql.Time
TIMESTAMP
java.sql.Timestamp
Table 9-1 does not include the BLOB and CLOB types and other special types such as ARRAY,
STRUCT, and REF because these types cannot be managed automatically by JasperReports. (However,
it is possible to use them by declaring them generically as Object and by managing them by writing
supporting static methods. The BINARY, VARBINARY, and LONGBINARY types should be dealt with in a
similar way. With many databases, BLOB and CLOB can be declared as java.io.InputStream.
Whether a SQL type is converted to a Java object depends on the JDBC driver used.
For the automatic registration of SQL query fields, iReport uses a mapping a little bit more
simplified than that proposed in Table 9-1.
Sorting and Filtering Records
The records coming from a datasource (or from the execution of a query through a connection) can
be ordered and filtered. Sort and filter options can be set from the Report query dialog box by clicking the buttons labeled Sort options and Filter Expressions.
The filter expression must return a Boolean object: TRUE if a particular record can be kept, FALSE
otherwise.
The sorting is based on one or more fields. Each field can be sorted using an ascending or a
descending order.
Using JavaBeans Set Datasources
A JavaBeans set datasource allows you to use some JavaBeans as data to fill a report. In this context,
a JavaBean is a Java class that employs a series of getter methods, with the following syntax:
public returnType getXXX()
where returnType (the return value) is a generic Java class or a primitive type (such as int,
double, etc.).
In order to create a connection of this type, after clicking New in the Connections/Datasources
dialog box, select JavaBeans set data source in the list of datasource types to bring up the dialog box
shown in Figure 9-8.
Once again, the first thing to do is to specify the name of the new datasource.
The JavaBeans set datasource uses an external class (named Factory) to produce some objects
(the JavaBeans) that constitute the data to pass to the report. Enter your Java class (the complete
name of which you specify in the Factory class field) that has a static method to instantiate different
JavaBeans and to return them as a collection (java.util.Collection) or an array (Object[]). The
method name and the return type have to be specified in the other fields of the window.
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Figure 9-8. Creation of a JavaBean set datasource
Let’s see how to write this Factory class. Suppose that your data is represented by Person
objects; following is the code of this class, which shows two fields: name (the person’s name) and age.
public class Person
{
private String name = &quot;&quot;;
private int age = 0;
public Person(String name, int age)
{
this.name = name;
this.age = age;
}
public int getAge()
{
return age;
}
public String getName()
{
return name;
}
}
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Your class, which you will name TestFactory, will be something similar to this:
public class TestFactory
{
public static java.util.Collection generateCollection()
{
java.util.Vector collection = new java.util.Vector();
collection.add(new
collection.add(new
collection.add(new
collection.add(new
collection.add(new
collection.add(new
Person(&quot;Ted&quot;, 20)
Person(&quot;Jack&quot;, 34)
Person(&quot;Bob&quot;, 56)
Person(&quot;Alice&quot;,12)
Person(&quot;Robin&quot;,22)
Person(&quot;Peter&quot;,28)
);
);
);
);
);
);
return collection;
}
}
Your datasource will represent five JavaBeans of Person type.
The parameters for the datasource configuration will be as follows:
• Factory name: TestFactoryDataSource
• Factory class: TestFactory
• Method to call: generateCollection
• Return type: Collection of JavaBean
Fields of a JavaBean Set Datasource
One peculiarity of a JavaBeans set datasource is the fields are exposed through getter methods.
This means that if the JavaBean has a getXyz method, xyz is a record field.
In this example, the Person object shows two fields: name and age; register them in the fields list
as String and Integer, respectively.
Create a new empty report, open the values window, and add the two fields (see Figure 9-9).
Figure 9-9. Registering the JavaBean Person fields
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Move the fields into the detail band and run the report. Figure 9-10 shows how your report
should appear during design time, while Figure 9-11 shows the result of the printed report filled
with JavaBeans set.
Figure 9-10. Design of the report filled with the JavaBean Person
Figure 9-11. The final result of the report using a JavaBean set datasource
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To refer to an attribute of an attribute, you can use a special notation dividing attributes with
dots. For example, to access the street attribute of the Address bean contained in the Person bean,
you can use the syntax address.street. The real call would be bean.getAddress().getStreet().
If the flag Use field description is set when you are specifying the properties of your JavaBeans
set datasource, the mapping between JavaBean attribute and field value is done using the field
description and not the field name. In this case, the datasource will consider only the description to
look up the field value, and the field can have any name.
iReport provides a visual tool to map JavaBean attributes to report fields. To use it, open the
Report query dialog box, go to the JavaBean Data Source tab, insert the full class name of the bean
you want to explore, and click the Read attributes button. The tree that appears will be populated
with the attributes of the specified bean class (see Figure 9-12). If some attributes are Java objects as
well, they can be explored by double-clicking them to look for other attributes. To map a field, simply select an attribute name and press the Add Selected Field(s) button.
Figure 9-12. Exploring a JavaBean to map attributes to report fields
Using XML Datasources
XML documents can be used as datasources from iReport version 0.4.0 on, thanks to the support
provided by JasperReports. Versions prior to 0.4.0 were using a particular version of this datasource
developed by the iReport team. Because of the greater flexibility of the JasperReports version, the
old implementation is no longer supported.
An XML document is typically a tree structure that need not necessarily be a table. For this reason, you must configure the datasource to indicate what nodes of the XML documents have to be
selected and presented as records. To do this, you use an XPath expression to define a node set. The
specifics of XPath are available at http://www.w3.org/TR/xpath.
Some examples will be useful to help you know how to define the node selection.
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Consider the XML file in Listing 9-1. It is a hypothetical address book in which different people
appear, grouped in categories. At the end of the categories list, a second list, of favorite objects, appears.
In this case, it is possible to define different node set types. The choice is determined by how
you want to organize the data in your report.
Listing 9-1. Example XML File
&lt;addressbook&gt;
&lt;category name=&quot;home&quot;&gt;
&lt;person id=&quot;1&quot;&gt;
&lt;lastname&gt;Davolio&lt;/lastname&gt;
&lt;firstname&gt;Nancy&lt;/firstname&gt;
&lt;/person&gt;
&lt;person id=&quot;2&quot;&gt;
&lt;lastname&gt;Fuller&lt;/lastname&gt;
&lt;firstname&gt;Andrew&lt;/firstname&gt;
&lt;/person&gt;
&lt;person id=&quot;3&quot;&gt;
&lt;lastname&gt;Leverling&lt;/lastname&gt;
&lt;/person&gt;
&lt;/category&gt;
&lt;category name=&quot;work&quot;&gt;
&lt;person id=&quot;4&quot;&gt;
&lt;lastname&gt;Peacock&lt;/lastname&gt;
&lt;firstname&gt;Margaret&lt;/firstname&gt;
&lt;/person&gt;
&lt;/category&gt;
&lt;favorites&gt;
&lt;person id=&quot;1&quot;/&gt;
&lt;person id=&quot;3&quot;/&gt;
&lt;/favorites&gt;
&lt;/addressbook&gt;
To select only the people contained in the categories (that is, all the people in the address
book), use the following expression:
/addressbook/category/person
Four nodes will be returned. These are shown in Listing 9-2.
Listing 9-2. Node Set with Expression /addressbook/category/person
&lt;person id=&quot;1&quot;&gt;
&lt;lastname&gt;Davolio&lt;/lastname&gt;
&lt;firstname&gt;Nancy&lt;/firstname&gt;
&lt;/person&gt;
&lt;person id=&quot;2&quot;&gt;
&lt;lastname&gt;Fuller&lt;/lastname&gt;
&lt;firstname&gt;Andrew&lt;/firstname&gt;
&lt;/person&gt;
&lt;person id=&quot;3&quot;&gt;
&lt;lastname&gt;Leverling&lt;/lastname&gt;
&lt;/person&gt;
&lt;person id=&quot;4&quot;&gt;
&lt;lastname&gt;Peacock&lt;/lastname&gt;
&lt;firstname&gt;Margaret&lt;/firstname&gt;
&lt;/person&gt;
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If you want to select the people appearing in the favorites node, the expression to use is
/addressbook/favorites/person
The returned nodes will be two, as shown in Listing 9-3.
Listing 9-3. Node Set with Expression /addressbook/favorites/person
&lt;person id=&quot;1&quot;/&gt;
&lt;person id=&quot;3&quot;/&gt;
Here you should include an expression that is a bit more complex than the last example in
order to see XPath’s power: the idea is to select the person nodes belonging to the work category.
The expression to use is the following:
/addressbook/category[@name = &quot;work&quot;]/person
The expression will return only one node, that with an ID equal to 4, as shown in Listing 9-4.
Listing 9-4. Node Set with Expression /addressbook/category[@name = &quot;work&quot;]/person
&lt;person id=&quot;4&quot;&gt;
&lt;lastname&gt;Peacock&lt;/lastname&gt;
&lt;firstname&gt;Margaret&lt;/firstname&gt;
&lt;/person&gt;
After you have created an expression for the selection of a node set, you proceed to the creation
of an XML datasource.
Open the window for creating a new datasource and select XML File data source from the list of
connection types to bring up the dialog box shown in Figure 9-13.
Figure 9-13. Creation of an XML file datasource
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The only mandatory information to specify is the XML file name. You can provide a set of
nodes to the engine selected using a predefined static XPath expression. Alternatively, the XPath
expression can be set directly inside the report. In that case, the report engine will take care of performing the node selection according to the expression specified. The advantage of this solution is
the ability to use parameters inside the XPath expression, which acts like a real query on the supplied XML data.
From JasperReports 1.3.1 on, you can specify Java patterns to convert dates and numbers from
plain strings to more appropriate Java objects (like Date and Double). For the same purpose, you can
define a specific locale and time zone to use when parsing the XML stream.
Registration of the Fields for an XML Datasource
In the case of an XML datasource, besides the type and the name, the definition of a field in the
report needs a particular expression inserted as a field description. As the datasource aims always
at one node of the selected node set, the expressions are “relative” to the present node.
To select the value of an attribute of the present node, use the following syntax:
@&lt;name attribute&gt;
For example, to define a field where to store the ID of a person (attribute id of the node
person), it is sufficient to create a new field, name it, and set the description to
@id
Similarly, it is possible to get to the child nodes of the present node. For example, if you want to
refer to the lastname node, child of person, use the following syntax:
lastname
To move to the parent value of the present node (for example, to determine the category to
which a person belongs), use a slightly different syntax:
ancestor::category/@name
The ancestor keyword indicates that you are referring to a parent node of the present node; in
particular, you are referring to the first parent of category type, of which you want to know the value
of the name attribute.
Now, let’s see everything in action. Prepare a simple report with the registered fields shown in
Table 9-2.
Table 9-2. Registered Fields for Example Report
Field Name
Description
Type
id
@id
Integer
lastname
lastname
String
firstname
firstname
String
category
ancestor::category/@name
String
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iReport 2.0 provides a drag-and-drop interface to map XML nodes to report fields: to use it,
open the Report query dialog box and select XPath as the query language. If the active connection is
a valid XML datasource, the associated XML document will be shown in a tree view. To register the
fields, set the record nodes by right-clicking a person node and selecting Set record node (generate
XPath), as shown in Figure 9-14; the record nodes will become bold. Then drag the required nodes
or attributes in the field list to map them to report fields. iReport will guess the correct XPath
expression to use and will create the fields for you. You can modify the generated field name and
set a more suitable field type.
Figure 9-14. The tool to map XML nodes to report fields
Insert the different fields into the detail band (as shown in Figure 9-15). The XML file used to fill
the report is that shown previously in Listing 9-2. The XPath expression for the node set selection
specified in the definition of the connection is
/addressbook/category/person
The final result appears in Figure 9-16.
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Figure 9-15. Design of the report for testing an XML file datasource
Figure 9-16. The final printed report generated from the XML datasource
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XML Datasource and Subreport Elements
A node set allows you to identify a series of nodes that represent, from a JRDataSource point of
view, some records. However, when the XML document is very complex, it may be necessary to see
other node sets that are in the main nodes. Take into consideration the XML in Listing 9-5. This is a
slightly modified version of the document presented in Listing 9-1: for each person node, a hobbies node is added, which contains a series of hobby nodes, and one or more e-mail addresses.
Listing 9-5. Complex XML Example
&lt;addressbook&gt;
&lt;category name=&quot;home&quot;&gt;
&lt;person id=&quot;1&quot;&gt;
&lt;lastname&gt;Davolio&lt;/lastname&gt;
&lt;firstname&gt;Nancy&lt;/firstname&gt;
&lt;email&gt;[email protected]&lt;/email&gt;
&lt;email&gt;[email protected]&lt;/email&gt;
&lt;hobbies&gt;
&lt;hobby&gt;Music&lt;/hobby&gt;
&lt;hobby&gt;Sport&lt;/hobby&gt;
&lt;/hobbies&gt;
&lt;/person&gt;
&lt;person id=&quot;2&quot;&gt;
&lt;lastname&gt;Fuller&lt;/lastname&gt;
&lt;firstname&gt;Andrew&lt;/firstname&gt;
&lt;email&gt;[email protected]&lt;/email&gt;
&lt;email&gt;[email protected]&lt;/email&gt;
&lt;hobbies&gt;
&lt;hobby&gt;Cinema&lt;/hobby&gt;
&lt;hobby&gt;Sport&lt;/hobby&gt;
&lt;/hobbies&gt;
&lt;/person&gt;
&lt;person id=&quot;3&quot;&gt;
&lt;lastname&gt;Leverling&lt;/lastname&gt;
&lt;email&gt;[email protected]&lt;/email&gt;
&lt;/person&gt;
&lt;/category&gt;
&lt;favorites&gt;
&lt;person id=&quot;1&quot;/&gt;
&lt;person id=&quot;3&quot;/&gt;
&lt;/favorites&gt;
&lt;/addressbook&gt;
What you want to produce is a document more elaborate than those you have seen until now;
for each person, you want to view an e-mail address and hobbies.
To obtain such a document, it is necessary to use subreports—in particular, you will need a
subreport for an e-mail addresses list, one for hobbies, and one for favorite people. To generate
these subreports, you need to understand how to produce new datasources to feed them. In this
case, you use the JRXmlDataSource, which exposes two extremely useful methods:
public JRXmlDataSource dataSource(String selectExpression)
and
public JRXmlDataSource subDataSource(String selectExpression)
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The difference between the two is that the former values the expression of node selection by referring to the document root node; the latter values this expression starting from the selected node.
Both methods are used in the datasource expression of a Subreport element to produce
dynamically the datasource to pass to that element. The most important thing is that this
mechanism allows you to make the datasource production and the expression of node selection
dynamic.
In this case, the expression to create the datasource that will feed the subreport of the e-mail
addresses will be
((net.sf.jasperreports.engine.data.JRXmlDataSource)
$P{REPORT_DATA_SOURCE}).subDataSource(&quot;/person/email&quot;)
which says, “Starting from the present node (person), give me back all the email nodes that are
direct descendants.”
The expression for the hobbies subreport will be similar, except for the node selection:
((net.sf.jasperreports.engine.data.JRXmlDataSource)
$P{REPORT_DATA_SOURCE}).subDataSource(&quot;/person/hobbies/hobby&quot;)
You declare the master report’s fields as in Table 9-2 earlier. In the subreport, you have to
refer to the present node value, so the field expression will be simply a dot (.), as shown in
Figure 9-17.
Figure 9-17. The present record value for the email field
Proceed with building your three reports: addressbook.jasper, email.jasper, and
hobby.jasper.
In the master report, addressbook.jrxml, insert a group named CATEGORY, of which you
associate the expression for the category field ($F{category}), as shown in Figure 9-18. In the
CATEGORY header band, insert a field through which you will view the category name. By doing
this, the names of the different people will be grouped for the category (as in the XML file).
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Figure 9-18. Design of the master report with the e-mail and hobby subreports
In the detail band, position the id, lastname, and firstname fields. Underneath these
fields, add the two Subreport elements, the first for the hobbies, the second for the e-mail
addresses.
The e-mail and hobby subreports are identical except for the expression of the only field
present in these subreports and the declaration of the field to print (see Figure 9-19). The two
reports should be as large as the Subreport elements in the master report, so reduce the margins to zero.
Compile and execute the report. If everything is OK, you will see the printed report shown
in Figure 9-20, which displays the groups of people in home and work categories and the subreports associated with every person on the list.
As this example demonstrates, the real power of the XML datasource is the versatility of
XPath, which allows navigation of the node selection in a refined manner.
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Figure 9-19. Design of the e-mail subreport
Figure 9-20. Final printed report with subreports generated from an XML datasource
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Using Remote XML File Datasources
You can create a datasource that points to a remote XML file that is accessible by an RL. Figure 9-21
shows the dialog box in which you specify properties for such a datasource when creating it.
Figure 9-21. Remote XML file datasource definition
You can specify Java patterns to convert dates and numbers from plain strings to more appropriate Java objects (like Date and Double). For the same purpose, you can specify a locale and time
zone to use when parsing the XML stream.
For remote XML datasources, iReport supports the following built-in parameters:
• XML_URL: The URL to access
• XML_USERNAME: The username to use when accessing this URL
• XML_PASSWORD: The password for the username specified by XML_USERNAME
Since you may want to generate the XML file on the fly, your report can also pass parameters to
the remote XML datasource using these parameters:
• XML_GET_PARAM_parameter name
• XML_POST_PARAM_parameter name
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Using CSV Datasources
Initially, the datasource for CSV documents was a very simple datasource proof of concept to
show how to implement a custom datasource. The CSV datasource interface was improved when
JasperReports 1.2 added a native implementation to fill a report using a CSV file.
To create a connection based on a CSV file, click the New button in the Connections/Datasources
dialog box and select File CSV datasource from the datasource types list to bring up the dialog box
shown in Figure 9-22.
Figure 9-22. Configuration of a CSV datasource
Set a name for the connection and choose a CSV file. Then declare the fields in this datasource. If the first line in your file contains the names for each column, click the Get column
names from the first row of the file button and select the Skip the first line check box option. This
forces JasperReports to skip the first line (the one containing your column labels). In any case, the
column names read from the file are used instead of the declared ones, so avoid modifying the
names “registered” with the Get column names button.
If the first line of your CSV file doesn’t contain the column names, set a name for each column.
If you can’t think of meaningful names, use names like COLUMN_0, COLUMN_1, and so on.
■Caution
If you define more columns than the ones available, you’ll get an exception at report filling time.
If your CSV file uses nonstandard characters to separate fields and rows, you can adjust the
default setting for separators using the second tab labeled Separators, shown in Figure 9-23.
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Figure 9-23. Second Separators tab
Registration of the Fields for a CSV Datasource
When you create a CSV datasource, you must define a set of column names, which will be used as
fields for your report. To add them to the fields list, set your CSV datasource as the active connection and open the Report query dialog box. Go to the tab labeled CSV Datasource and click the Get
fields from datasource button, as shown in Figure 9-24.
Figure 9-24. Adding column names to the fields list
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By default, iReport sets the class type of all fields to java.lang.String. If you are sure that the
text of a particular column can be easily converted to a number, a date, or a Boolean value, set the
correct field type yourself once your fields are added to your report.
The pattern used to recognize a timestamp (or date) object can be configured at the datasource
level by selecting the Use custom date format check box option.
Using JREmptyDataSource
JasperReports provides a special datasource named JREmptyDataSource. It is the datasource used to
create a report when the following button is clicked:
This source returns true to the next method for the record number (by default only one), and always
returns null to every call of the getFieldValue method. It is like having some records without fields,
that is, an empty datasource.
The two constructors of this class are
public JREmptyDataSource(int count)
public JREmptyDataSource()
The first constructor indicates how many records to return, and the second sets the number of
records to one.
To use more than one empty record in iReport, hold the Shift key when you click the button
shown previously in this section. A dialog box to choose the number of records to generate appears,
as shown in Figure 9-25.
Figure 9-25. Setting the number of empty records
iReport provides a way to define an instance of this kind of datasource from the Connections/
Datasources dialog box, too, so you can use it like a normal datasource.
Using HQL and Hibernate Connections
Starting with version 1.2, JasperReports provides a way to use HQL directly in your report. To do so,
first set up a Hibernate connection. Expand your classpath to include all classes, JARs, and configuration files used by your Hibernate mapping. In other words, iReport must be able to access all the
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*.hbm.xml files you plan to use, the JavaBeans declared in those files, the hibernate.cfg.xml file, and
other optional JARs used (e.g., those that access the database under Hibernate).
To add these objects to the classpath, select Options ➤ Classpath from the main window.
Once you’ve expanded the classpath, open the Connections/Datasources dialog box, click the
New button, and choose Hibernate connection as your datasource type. This brings up the dialog
box shown in Figure 9-26.
Figure 9-26. Creating a Hibernate connection
Click the Test button to be sure that hibernate.cfg.xml is in the classpath.
Currently, iReport works only with a single Hibernate configuration (that is, the first
hibernate.cfg.xml file found in the classpath).
If you use the Spring framework, you can use a Spring configuration file to define your connection. In this case, you’ll need to set the configuration file name and the session factory bean ID (see
Figure 9-27).
Now that a Hibernate connection is available, use an HQL query to select the data to print. You
can use HQL in the same way you use SQL: open the Report query dialog box (Edit ➤ Report Query)
and choose HQL as the query language from the combo box on top (see Figure 9-28).
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Figure 9-27. Hibernate connection loaded using Spring
Figure 9-28. Specifying HQL for a query
When you enter an HQL query, iReport tries to retrieve the available fields. According to the
JasperReports documentation, the field mappings are resolved as follows:
• If the query returns one object per row, a field mapping can be one of the following:
• If the object’s type is a Hibernate entity or component type, the field mappings are
resolved as the property names of the entity/component. If a select alias is present, it
can be used to map a field to the whole entity/component object.
• Otherwise, the object type is considered scalar, and only one field can be mapped to
its value.
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• If the query returns a tuple (object array) per row, a field mapping can be one of the
following:
• A select alias: The field will be mapped to the value corresponding to the alias.
• A property name prefixed by a select alias and a “.”: The field will be mapped to the value
of the property for the object corresponding to the alias. The type corresponding to the
select alias has to be an entity or component.
■Caution
Due to a defect addressed in iReport 1.2.0, if the query doesn’t return any rows, no fields are listed
and a null exception is caught.
Starting from iReport 1.2.4, a new interface is provided to navigate result objects (see
Figure 9-29).
Figure 9-29. HQL result browser
In this way, it’s easy to map an attribute of an object present in a resulting record to a report
field. Beans available in each record are listed in the combo box on top of the object tree.
To add a field from the tree, select the corresponding node and click the Add selected field(s)
button.
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Understanding the JRDataSource Interface
Before proceeding with the implementation of a personalized JRDataSource, it is necessary to
understand how the JRDataSource interface works. Every JRDataSource must implement these two
methods:
public boolean next()
public Object getFieldValue(JRField jrField)
The first method is useful to move a virtual cursor to the next record: in fact, data shown by
a JRDataSource is ideally organized into tables. The next method returns true if the cursor is positioned correctly in the subsequent record, false if there are no other records.
Every time that JasperReports executes a next method, all the fields declared in the report are
filled, and all the expressions (starting from those associated with the variables) are calculated
again; subsequently, it will be decided whether to print the header of a new group, to go to a new
page, and so on. When next returns false, the report is ended by printing all final bands (group
footer, column footer, last page footer, and the summary). The next method can be called as many
times as there are records present (or represented) from the datasource instance.
The method getFieldValue is called by JasperReports after a call to next results in a true value.
In particular, getFieldValue is executed for every single field declared in the report (see Chapter 6
for the details on how to declare a report field). In the call, a JRField object is passed as a parameter;
in it is the name of the field of which you want to obtain the value. The type of Java object that you
expect is given back by the call, as well as the field description (used sometimes to specify information useful for the datasource to extract the field value).
The type of return value of the getFieldValue method has to be adequate to that declared in
the JRField parameter, except for when a null is returned. If the type of the field was declared as
java.lang.Object, the method can return an arbitrary type. In this case, if required, a cast can be
used in the expressions. In Chapter 6, as an example, you saw the it.businesslogic.Person field
used in the following syntax:
((it.businesslogic.Person)$F{MyPerson})
How to Implement a New JRDataSource
Sometimes the JRDataSource supplied with JasperReports cannot completely satisfy your needs. In
these cases, it is possible to write a new JRDataSource. This operation is not complex: in fact, all you
have to do is create a class that implements the JRDataSource interface (see Listing 9-6) that exposes
two simple methods: next and getFieldValue.
Listing 9-6. The JRDataSource Interface
Package net.sf.jasperreports.engine;
public interface JRDataSource
{
public boolean next() throws JRException;
public Object getFieldValue(JRField jrField) throws JRException;
}
The next method is useful to move records represented by the datasource. It has to return true
if a new record to elaborate exists and false otherwise.
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If the next method has been called positively, the getFieldValue method has to return the
value of the requested field (or null if the requested value is not found or does not exist). In particular, the requested field name is contained in the JRField object passed as a parameter. Also, JRField
is an interface through which it is possible to get the information associated to a field: the name, the
description, and the Java type that represents it (as mentioned previously in the “Understanding the
JRDataSource Interface” section).
Now try writing your personalized datasource. The idea is a little original: you have to write a
datasource that explores the directory of a file system and returns the found objects (files or directories). The fields you will make to manage your datasource will be the file name, which you will
name FILENAME; a flag that indicates whether the object is a file or a directory, which you will
name IS_DIRECTORY; and the file size, if available, which you will name SIZE.
There will be two constructors for your datasource: the former will receive as a parameter the
directory to scan, the latter will not have parameters (and will use the current directory to scan).
Just instantiated, the datasource will look for the files and the directories present in the way
you indicate and fill an array with the files it finds.
The next method will increase the index variable that you will use to keep track of the position
reached in the array files, and it will return true until you reach the end of the array.
Listing 9-7 shows the JRDataSource interface to implement.
Listing 9-7. The JRFileSystemDataSource Class Implementing the JRDataSource Interface
import net.sf.jasperreports.engine.*;
import java.io.*;
public class JRFileSystemDataSource implements JRDataSource
{
File[] files = null;
int
index = -1;
public JRFileSystemDataSource(String path)
{
File dir = new File(path);
if (dir.exists() &amp;&amp; dir.isDirectory())
{
files = dir.listFiles();
}
}
public JRFileSystemDataSource()
{
this(&quot;.&quot;);
}
public boolean next() throws JRException
{
index++;
if (files != null &amp;&amp; index &lt; files.length)
{
return true;
}
return false;
}
public Object
getFieldValue(JRField jrField) throws JRException
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{
File f = files[index];
if (f == null) return null;
if (jrField.getName().equals(&quot;FILENAME&quot;))
{
return f.getName();
}
else if (jrField.getName().equals(&quot;IS_DIRECTORY&quot;))
{
return new Boolean(f.isDirectory());
}
else if (jrField.getName().equals(&quot;SIZE&quot;))
{
return new Long(f.length());
}
// Field not found...
return null;
}
}
The getFieldValue method will return the requested file information. Your implementation
does not use the information regarding the return type expected by the caller of the method, but it
assumes that the name has to be returned as a string, the flag IS_DIRECTORY as a Boolean object, and
the file size as a Long object. In the next section, you will learn how to use your personalized datasource in iReport and test it.
Using a Personalized JRDataSource with iReport
iReport provides support for almost all the datasources supplied by JasperReports such as
JRXmlDataSource, JRBeanArrayDataSource, and JRBeanCollectionDataSource.
To use your personalized datasources, a special connection is provided; it is useful for
employing whichever JRDataSource you want to use through some kind of factory class that provides an instance of that JRDataSource implementation. This factory class is just a simple Java
class useful for testing your datasource and using it to fill a report in iReport.
The idea is the same as what you have seen for the JavaBeans set datasource: it is necessary to
write a Java class that creates the datasource through a static method and returns it.
For example, if you want to test the JRFileSystemDataSource in the previous section, you need
to create a simple class like that shown in Listing 9-8.
Listing 9-8. Class for Testing a Personalized Datasource
import net.sf.jasperreports.engine.*;
public class TestFileSystemDataSource
{
public static JRDataSource test()
{
return new JRFileSystemDataSource(&quot;/&quot;);
}
}
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This class, and in particular the static method that will be called, will execute all the necessary
code for instancing correctly the datasource. In this case, you create a new JRFileSystemDataSource
object by specifying a way to scan the directory root (&quot;/&quot;).
Now that you have defined the way to obtain a JRDataSource that you have prepared and made
ready to be used, create the connection through which it will be used.
Create a new connection as you normally would, select Custom JRDataSource from the datasource type list, and specify a datasource name such as Test FileSystemDataSource (or whatever
name you wish), as shown in Figure 9-30.
Figure 9-30. Configuration of a custom datasource
Next, specify the class and the method to use to obtain an instance of your JRFileSystemDataSource:
TestFileSystemDataSource and test.
Prepare a new report with fields managed by the datasource. No method to find the fields managed by a datasource exists because you are using a custom JRDataSource. In this case, you know that
the JRFileSystemDataSource manages three fields and their names and types: FILENAME (String),
IS_DIRECTORY (Boolean), and SIZE (Long). After you have created these fields, insert them in the
report’s detail band as shown in Figure 9-31.
Divide the report into two columns, and in the column header band insert File name and Size
tags. Then add two Image elements, one representing a document and the other an open folder. In
the Print when expression setting of the Image element that is placed in the foreground, insert the
expression $F{IS_DIRECTORY}.
Figure 9-32 shows what the printed report should look like.
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Figure 9-31. Design window for the report using JRFileSystemDataSource
Figure 9-32. The printed report fed by the JRFileSystemDataSource
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In this example, the class that instantiated the JRFileSystemDataSource was very simple. However, you can use more complex classes, such as one that obtains the datasource by calling an
Enterprise JavaBean, or by calling a web service.
Using MDX and OLAP (Mondrian) Connections
iReport supports MDX queries executed against a Mondrian OLAP server (http://mondrian.
sourceforge.net/). The measure values extracted using MDX are mapped to report fields using a
special syntax.
In order to use MDX, you have to configure a connection to a Mondrian server, which requires
the following items:
• A configured JDBC connection pointing to the data
• The URL of an XML file containing the definition of the schema: cubes, hierarchies, and
so forth
To create a Mondrian OLAP connection, follow these steps:
1. From the Connections/Datasources dialog box, click New. In the list of datasource types,
select Mondrian OLAP connection as the connection type. This brings up the dialog box
shown in Figure 9-33.
Figure 9-33. Setting a Mondrian OLAP connection
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2. Select from the combo box the connection pointing to the cube data, and set the schema
location.
3. Click Test to verify that the connection works properly.
It’s not possible to specify an OLAP connection with the Report Wizard, so you will continue
this example of MDX usage with a blank report. In the JasperReports distribution, in the demo/
sample/mondrian/metadata directory, you will find a sample schema (FoodMart.xml). You can use
this schema together with the foodmart sample database provided by Mondrian.
4. Set the new OLAP connection as the active connection (by selecting it from the datasources
combo box in the toolbar).
5. Create a new blank report (File ➤ New Document), and click OK to accept the default values.
6. Open the Report query dialog box (Data ➤ Report Query) and set MDX as the query
language in the Query language combo box at the top of the Report Query tab.
7. Insert in the text area the following MDX query:
SELECT {[Measures].[Unit Sales],
[Measures].[Store Sales]} ON COLUMNS,
{[Product].members} ON ROWS
FROM [Sales]
WHERE [Time].[1997].[Q2]
and click the button Read Fields.
At this point the right side of the query area will be filled with the measures, dimensions, and
hierarchies selected in the query (see Figure 9-34).
Figure 9-34. MDX measures, dimensions, and hierarchies
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Now that you have the query metadata shown as a tree, you can start to define the field
mapping.
Figure 9-35 shows the query result displayed using JPivot to give you an idea of the MDX result.
Figure 9-35. MDX result displayed using JPivot
To begin defining the field mapping, proceed by creating the two fields to map the Unit Sales
and Store Sales measures:
1. Double-click the Unit Sales item in the tree under the COLUMNS branch.
2. Set Field name to Unit Sales and Expression to Data([Measures].[Unit Sales],?).
Please note that iReport is not able to identify the field type; it will be your responsibility to set
the correct type (text, numeric, date, or Boolean).
The expression proposed by iReport is a typical expression to identify a specific cell in the MDX
result collection. The syntax is as follows:
Data(Measure, Tuple)
The question mark in the example expression is a way to simply point to the current cell.
3. Next, set the type to Numeric and click Add field to add the field to the fields list. Remember
to select all desired fields in the bottom table before clicking OK to close the Report query
dialog box.
4. Repeat the preceding steps to add the Store Sales measure to the fields list, too.
5. Close the Report query dialog box, and check for the new two fields in the Library tab.
6. Drag the two new fields into the detail band, put a couple labels in the column header band,
a title in the title band, and set the Unit Sales and Store Sales text field patterns to #,##0.00,
as shown in Figure 9-36.
7. Run the report. The results should resemble Figure 9-37.
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Figure 9-36. Designing the MDX-based report
Figure 9-37. Current printed results of the MDX-based report
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Now you can map to some other report fields all the values coming from the Product dimension. Start by adding a field to store the product name.
8. Return to the Report query dialog box. Click the Clear button to reset the form to define
a field.
When you deal with a dimension that does not contains measures, you have to define a field
yourself. You start by setting the field name: Product_Name. If you want to simply get the member
name as a field value, double-click the desired member (the item Product Name in the tree). The
following expression
Rows[Product][Product Name]
exactly represents the name of the product member labeled Product Name.
9. As just described, add to the report fields all the hierarchy levels: Family, Department,
Category, Subcategory, Brand, and Product Name.
10. Next, use the Report Group Wizard (Edit ➤ New Report Group Wizard) to create some
groups to aggregate data (see Figure 9-38). Starting from Family, add a group for each
level in the hierarchy (excluding Product Name, as it’s the maximum detail that you
can reach).
Figure 9-38. A group for each hierarchy level
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Finally, you want use MDX to calculate some subtotals. In effect, all this data is contained in
the OLAP cube, and it does not make sense to calculate it again using JasperReports variables. The
syntax to map a subtotal is as follows:
Data(set)(tuple)
11. To calculate the total of Unit Sales for all products, use the expression
Data( Rows[Product][(All)] )([Measures].[Unit Sales],?)
12. Add the subtotal of the Unit Sales for the category level and the grand total of the same
measure:
• UnitSalesCategoryTotal:
Data( Rows[Product][Product Category] )([Measures].[Unit Sales],?)
• UnitSalesGrandTotal:
Data( Rows[Product][(All)] )([Measures].[Unit Sales],?)
Both the fields are of type java.lang.Number.
Figure 9-39 shows how your report should look in the design pane, and Figure 9-40 shows a
section of the printed report.
Figure 9-39. Some totals
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Figure 9-40. The totals fields extracted by the data
Working with an XML/A Connection
JasperReports 1.3 introduced support for XML for Analysis (XML/A) datasources. In iReport, a new
connection of type XML/A has been added to support this kind of datasource. The requirements to
configure an XML/A connection are as follows:
• The URL that exposes the XML/A service
• The datasource name (meaning a datasource provided by the XML/A server)
• The catalog against which an MDX query is executed
Optionally, the cube to use can be specified.
To query the server in order to get the available datasources, catalogs, and relative cubes, click
the button labeled Get metadata, shown in Figure 9-41, when you are specifying properties for a
new XML/A datasource.
An XML/A connection can be used in JasperReports only by specifying a special query executer
for the MDX language. Alternatively, this kind of connection can be used with a special MDX query
executer created by Cincom, an American software and services provider.
iReport 1.3.1 introduced the username and password fields, though they are not currently
supported by the Cincom query executer; these credentials are used when HTTP authentication is
required for the specified URL.
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Figure 9-41. XML/A connection definition
Using an XML/A Connection with JasperReports
In JasperReports, each language is tied to a query executer, which you will learn more about in the
section “Custom Languages and Query Executers” later in the chapter. For now, what you need to
know is that the default query executer defined for the “mdx” language is
net.sf.jasperreports.olap.JRMondrianQueryExecuterFactory
This class assumes that a Mondrian connection (instead of an XML/A connection) is passed to
the report engine in order to execute the MDX query saved into the report. Therefore, this query
executer cannot work using a generic XML/A connection. To get around this, the solution is to
change the default query executer for the language MDX, or better, define a new language, for
instance “mdx2”, and associate with it the right executer called
net.sf.jasperreports.olap.xmla.JRXmlaQueryExecuterFactory
This can be done in iReport by opening the Query executers window (Options ➤ Query executers) and clicking New to bring up the dialog box in Figure 9-42, in which you create the new
language definition.
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Figure 9-42. Specifying a new language definition
The new language mdx2 will employ the query executer provided by JasperReports to allow you
to use XML/A datasources.
To help you with the field mapping, when editing a query of type mdx2, you can display the
same interface that appears in the Report query dialog box when dealing with the MDX language.
In effect, you are always using the MDX language, but in this particular context you are using the
language name to point JasperReports to the right query executer to use. You achieve that by setting
the following class as the fields provider:
it.businesslogic.ireport.data.MDXFieldsProvider
which is the default fields provider used by iReport for the MDX language.
Here comes a little problem: the mapping tool for MDX (described in detail previously in the
section “Using MDX and OLAP (Mondrian) Connections”) does not work with XML/A datasources,
but only using Mondrian directly. This is a limitation that will be addressed in the future. The current workaround to create the mapping easily is to use a Mondrian connection at design time.
When the report is executed, the JRXmlaQueryExecuterFactory puts at your disposal three builtin parameters: XMLA_URL, XMLA_DATASOURCE, and XMLA_CATALOG, all of type String.
Using an XML/A Connection with the Cincom MDX Query
Executer
iReport contains a custom query executer contributed by Cincom. It can run MDX queries against
an XML/A connection, and the assigned language name is xmla-mdx. Again, the name actually
refers to the MDX language, but the report engine will look for the query executer “registered” for
this language name, for instance:
net.sf.jasperreports.engine.query.JRXmlaQueryExecuterFactory
The implementation of this query executer is contained in cincom-jr-xmla.jar, which makes
available at runtime three built-in parameters: XMLA_URL, XMLA_DS, and XMLA_CAT, all of type String.
When an MDX query is specified in the Report query dialog box, the available fields can be
read with the Read Fields button, as shown in Figure 9-43.
You will notice that the mapping syntax is quite different from the one used by the native MDX
query executers of JasperReports. This makes the two implementations incompatible.
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Figure 9-43. Field mapping using an XML/A connection
Using the MDX Query Editor Rex
To facilitate the creation of MDX queries, iReport is integrated with Rex (waRehouse EXplorer), an
open source visual designer for MDX queries (see Figure 9-44). Rex requires an XML/A connection to work, so it cannot be used through a direct Mondrian connection (as required by the field
mapping tool integrated in iReport).
Basically, Rex is a visual MDX query builder. It lets you explore the dimensions provided by
the OLAP cube, and drag the desired measures and members into the builder tree in the center of
the window, as shown in Figure 9-44. You can test your query, see the result, and when ready, you
can bring the query into iReport to use it with the current report.
As with all the tools to design the report query, to start Rex, open the Report query dialog
box, select XMLA-MDX from the Query language combo box, and press the button Query
designer.
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Figure 9-44. Rex interface
Using an EJBQL Connection
EJBQL, or Enterprise JavaBeans Query Language, is a language for performing queries on sets
of entity beans managed by a persistence container. You can find more info about EJBQL at
http://java.sun.com/j2ee/tutorial/1_3-fcs/doc/EJBQL.html. EJBQL is very similar to HQL,
and iReport provides for both a similar interface to explore result sets and map report fields.
The first step to create an EJBQL query-based report is to configure a connection with the
persistence manager (see Figure 9-45). JasperReports comes with a sample based on Toplink, a
persistence manager from Oracle.
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Figure 9-45. Configuring an EJBQL datasource
In order to run the sample, you have to add to the iReport classpath (by selecting Options ➤
Classpath) the two JARs located inside the directory demo/samples/ejbql/lib (in JasperReports version 1.2.3 and greater) and the directory demo/samples/ejbql/build/classes as well (first ensuring you
have compiled all required classes in this sample folder using Ant and the provided build.xml file).
In the classes directory just included in the classpath is a META-INF subdirectory containing
persistence.xml, an XML file that defines one or more persistence units with relative properties
and settings.
iReport will look for this file (if more than one persistence.xml file is available in the classpath,
only the first will be considered). The only key information that you must provide is the name of the
persistence unit to use (in this case, the name is pu1 according to the persistence.xml file provided
by JasperReports (the content of which is shown in Listing 9-9). The database used is the HSQLDB
shipped with JasperReports.
Listing 9-9. The Content of the persistence.xml File
&lt;persistence xmlns=&quot;http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/persistence&quot; version=&quot;1.0&quot;&gt;
&lt;persistence-unit name=&quot;pu1&quot;&gt;
&lt;!-- Provider class name is required in Java SE --&gt;
&lt;provider&gt;
oracle.toplink.essentials.ejb.cmp3.EntityManagerFactoryProvider
&lt;/provider&gt;
&lt;!-- All persistence classes must be listed --&gt;
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&lt;class&gt;Person&lt;/class&gt;
&lt;class&gt;Movie&lt;/class&gt;
&lt;class&gt;Cast&lt;/class&gt;
&lt;class&gt;Varia&lt;/class&gt;
&lt;properties&gt;
&lt;!-- Provider-specific connection properties --&gt;
&lt;property name=&quot;toplink.jdbc.driver&quot; value=&quot;org.hsqldb.jdbcDriver&quot;/&gt;
&lt;property name=&quot;toplink.jdbc.url&quot; value=&quot;jdbc:hsqldb:/JasperSoft/➥
JasperReports/jasperreports-1.2.3/demo/samples/ejbql/db&quot;/&gt;
&lt;property name=&quot;toplink.jdbc.user&quot; value=&quot;sa&quot;/&gt;
&lt;property name=&quot;toplink.jdbc.password&quot; value=&quot;&quot;/&gt;
&lt;!-- Provider-specific settings --&gt;
&lt;property name=&quot;toplink.logging.level&quot; value=&quot;DEBUG&quot;/&gt;
&lt;property name=&quot;toplink.platform.class.name&quot; value=
&quot;oracle.toplink.essentials.platform.database.HSQLPlatform&quot;/&gt;
&lt;/properties&gt;
&lt;/persistence-unit&gt;
&lt;/persistence&gt;
An EJBQL query can return for each row, from the JasperReports point of view, a single Java
object, or a mixed set of objects and scalar values.
In the first case, iReport provides a way to navigate a single object in order to map nested
attributes to report fields (see Figure 9-46).
Figure 9-46. Browsing the single object–based row
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If more than one object/value is present in a result row, fields can be mapped to the result
columns only using as the field name COLUMN_x, where x is the column number (starting from 1),
as shown in Figure 9-47.
Figure 9-47. Multicolumn results
Running an EJBQL Query from a Subreport
When using an EJBQL datasource, subreports can be filled in two ways: using a field coming from
the main result set and of type java.util.Collection, or passing to the subreport what is needed to
execute a new EJBQL query.
In the first case, you assume the collection contains a set of JavaBeans, and you wrap this collection using a JRBeanCollectionDataSource. The datasource expression to fill a subreport showing
all the persons in the cast of a movie, for example, might look like this:
new JRBeanCollectionDataSource($F{cast})
Otherwise, if you still want query data using EJBQL, you have to pass to the subreport the
instance of the entity manager responsible for gathering data. This can be done by adding a
parameter to the subreport named JPA_ENTITY_MANAGER with $P{JPA_ENTITY_MANAGER} as the
value (see Figure 9-48). This built-in parameter contains exactly the instance of the entity manager you need.
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Figure 9-48. Connection of a subreport that uses EJBQL
You will not include a connection/datasource expression for the Subreport element, so you set
the combo box in the Subreport tab to Don’t use connection or datasource.
Please note that you can still pass the JPA_ENTITY_MANAGER parameter even if you want to fill a
subreport using a Bean collection; this way, you can preserve the ability to fill nested subreports
that are based on an EJBQL query.
Running an EJBQL-Based Report from a Java Application
In order to execute a report that uses an EJBQL query inside your application, you have to provide
the report engine an instance of the entity manager responsible for gathering data (exactly as it
happens when filling a subreport).
EntityManagerFactory emf =
Persistence.createEntityManagerFactory(&quot;pu1&quot;, new HashMap());
EntityManager em = emf.createEntityManager();
try
{
Map parameters = new HashMap();
parameters.put(
JRJpaQueryExecuterFactory.PARAMETER_JPA_ENTITY_MANAGER,
em);
JasperFillManager.fillReportToFile(fileName, parameters);
em.close();
}
finally
{
if (em.isOpen()) em.close();
if (emf.isOpen()) emf.close();
}
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To pass the entity manager instance, you have to insert it into the map used to set the report parameters, using as object key the constant JRJpaQueryExecuterFactory.PARAMETER_JPA_ENTITY_MANAGER.
Importing and Exporting Datasources
To simplify the process of sharing datasource configurations, iReport provides a mechanism to
export and import datasource definitions.
To export one or more datasources, select from the Connections/Datasources dialog box the
items to export and click the Export button (see Figure 9-49). iReport will ask you to name the file
and indicate the destination where to store the exported information. The created file is a simple
XML file and can be edited with a common text editor, if needed. A file exported with iReport can be
imported by clicking Import. Since an exported file can contain more than one datasource or connection definition, the import process will add all the datasources found in the specified file to the
current list.
Figure 9-49. Export and import datasources via the Connections/Datasources dialog box.
If a duplicated datasource name is found during the import, iReport will postfix a number to
the imported datasource name, as shown in Figure 9-50.
Figure 9-50. Imported datasources (not selected)
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JasperReports Datasource Providers
JasperReports provides an interface to standardize the use of a custom JRDataSource in GUI
tools. To create and use this kind of object, write a class that implements the interface net.sf.
jasperreports.engine.JRDataSourceProvider.
public interface JRDataSourceProvider
{
public boolean supportsGetFieldsOperation();
public JRField[] getFields(JasperReport report)
throws JRException, UnsupportedOperationException;
public JRDataSource create(JasperReport report)
throws JRException;
public void dispose(JRDataSource dataSource)
throws JRException;
}
This kind of object can be used in the Report query dialog box to get the datasource fields
(if the datasource provider supports this feature).
To use a datasource provider, simply create a new connection of type JRDataSourceProvider
and set the class that implements your provider (see Figure 9-51).
Figure 9-51. Creating a JR datasource provider connection
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The following is sample code of a JR datasource provider that can be used to wrap
JRFileSystemDataSource:
import net.sf.jasperreports.engine.JRDataSource;
import net.sf.jasperreports.engine.JRDataSourceProvider;
import net.sf.jasperreports.engine.JRException;
import net.sf.jasperreports.engine.JRField;
import net.sf.jasperreports.engine.JasperReport;
import net.sf.jasperreports.engine.design.JRDesignField;
/*
* JRFileSystemDataSourceProvider.java
*
*/
public class JRFileSystemDataSourceProvider implements JRDataSourceProvider {
/** Creates a new instance of JRFileSystemDataSourceProvider */
public JRFileSystemDataSourceProvider() {
}
public boolean supportsGetFieldsOperation() {
return true;
}
public JRField[] getFields(JasperReport jasperReport)
throws JRException, UnsupportedOperationException {
JRField[] fields = new JRField[3];
JRDesignField field1 = new JRDesignField();
field1.setName(&quot;FILENAME&quot;);
field1.setValueClass(String.class);
field1.setValueClassName(String.class.getName());
fields[0] = field1;
JRDesignField field2 = new JRDesignField();
field2.setName(&quot;IS_DIRECTORY&quot;);
field2.setValueClass(Boolean.class);
field2.setValueClassName(Boolean.class.getName());
fields[1] = field2;
JRDesignField field3 = new JRDesignField();
public void dispose(JRDataSource jRDataSource) throws JRException {
}
}
When the getFields method is called by iReport to get the fields list, a special instance of the
JasperReport object is provided to the method. This instance is not the real compiled version of the
report that is being edited, but rather an ad hoc instance containing the specified query (and relative language), all the report custom properties, and all the parameters with their default value
expressions.
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Creating Custom Languages and Query Executers
One of the most exciting improvements since JasperReports 1.2.6 is the ability to use custom languages inside iReport to perform a query. Currently, JasperReports provides native support for the
following query languages: SQL, HQL, XPath, EJBQL, and MDX.
A custom language is a query language that is not natively supported by JasperReports and that
will be used by the report query through which data to print will be selected. A custom language is
tied to a query executer, an object that will be used by JasperReports to process the custom query
and get data as a JRDataSource object.
In order to use a new language, you have to register it: this can be done from the Query executers window (Options ➤ Query executers). A new language can be added by simply setting the
language name and the Factory class used to get an instance of the query executer (see Figure 9-52).
Figure 9-52. Adding a new language via a query executer
Be sure that all the classes and JARs required by the query executer are in the classpath.
At this point, you will be able to use the new query language in the report, set it, and enter an
appropriate query in the Report query dialog box (see Figure 9-53).
Figure 9-53. Using the newly added report query language
■Caution
Currently, iReport does not provide any mechanism to automatically get the fields from a custom query.
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Creating a Query Executer for a Custom Language
It’s time to learn the ropes. You want to create a query executer capable of getting as query input
some lines organized as a CSV file: for each row, you will have a set of fields separated by a comma.
The query that you want to process will be something like the following:
&quot;Dow&quot;,
12194.13, 27.80
&quot;Nasdaq&quot;, 2413.21, 18.56
&quot;S&amp;P 500&quot;, 1396.71, 3.92
As you can see, you are not defining a real query language, you are simply putting text data
where a query should be . . . but this example does not lose any of its generality: you have some text
(the query), and your query executer will try to process this query and provide a result in the form of
a JRDataSource object.
Please note that the query can always accept parameters using the canonical syntax
$P{parameter name}. The responsibility for managing query parameters belongs to the query executer.
A query executer is composed of two objects: the query executer factory and the actual query
executer. When a query is processed, JasperReports instantiates the query executer factory,
matching the language of the report query, and calls the method createQueryExecuter, passing as
arguments a JRDataset (a structure to manage fields, parameters, variables, queries, and query languages declared in the report) and a map containing the values provided for each parameter. This
method will return an instance of a JRQueryExecuter that provides the method createDatasource:
the engine will call it to get the datasource to fill the report. Figure 9-54 provides a schema that
shows this process.
Figure 9-54. Flow chart of the query execution
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Let’s start with the query executer factory. JasperReports provides an interface to create this
kind of object:
package net.sf.jasperreports.engine.query;
import java.util.Map;
import net.sf.jasperreports.engine.JRDataset;
import net.sf.jasperreports.engine.JRException;
import net.sf.jasperreports.engine.JRValueParameter;
/**
* Factory classes used to create query executers.
* For each query language, a query executer factory must be created
* and registered as a JR property.
* Query executer factory instances must be thread-safe as they are cached
* and used as singletons.
*/
public interface JRQueryExecuterFactory
{
/**
* Returns the built-in parameters associated with this query type.
* These parameters will be created as system-defined parameters for each
* report/dataset having a query of this type.
* The returned array should contain consecutive pairs of parameter
* names and parameter classes
* (e.g. &lt;code&gt;{&quot;Param1&quot;, String.class, &quot;Param2&quot;, &quot;List.class&quot;}&lt;/code&gt;).
* @return array of built-in parameter names and types associated
* with this query type
*/
public Object[] getBuiltinParameters();
/**
* Creates a query executer.
* This method is called at fill time for reports/datasets having a
* query supported by
* this factory.
* @param dataset the dataset containing the query, fields, etc.
* @param parameters map of value parameters (instances of
* {@link JRValueParameter JRValueParameter})
*
indexed by name
*
* @return a query executer
* @throws JRException
*/
public JRQueryExecuter createQueryExecuter(
JRDataset dataset, Map parameters) throws JRException;
/**
* Decides whether the query executers created by this factory support
* a query parameter type.
* This check is performed for all $P{..} parameters in the query.
*
* @param className the value class name of the parameter
* @return whether the parameter value type is supported
*/
public boolean supportsQueryParameterType(String className);
}
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The methods to implement are three: getBuiltinParameters, createQueryExecuter, and
supportsQueryParameterType.
The first method returns an array containing names and types of built-in parameters that the
query executer makes available. This feature is useful when the query is executed against some kind
of session object or a connection to an external entity, like a database, or a server. For example, the
query executer factory for SQL provides the built-in parameter REPORT_CONNECTION, storing the
java.sql.Connection instance used to execute the query; this object can be used by subreports to
execute their SQL queries. Similarly, the query executer factory for HQL provides as a parameter the
Hibernate session required to perform the query.
The second method (createQueryExecuter) is responsible for creating the query executer
instance, making it possibly the most important one of the three.
Finally, you can filter the accepted parameter types by implementing the
supportsQueryParameterType method, which returns true if the class name given as an argument
is accepted, and false otherwise.
In this implementation, you will not return any built-in parameter, and you will accept all types
of parameters (actually, your query executer factory will ignore any parameters, avoiding processing
the $P{} directives of the query).
Here is the code:
import
import
import
import
import
import
java.util.Map;
net.sf.jasperreports.engine.JRDataset;
net.sf.jasperreports.engine.JRException;
net.sf.jasperreports.engine.JRQuery;
net.sf.jasperreports.engine.query.JRQueryExecuter;
net.sf.jasperreports.engine.query.JRQueryExecuterFactory;
/**
*
*/
public class CSVQueryExecuterFactory implements JRQueryExecuterFactory {
public Object[] getBuiltinParameters() {
return new Object[]{};
}
public JRQueryExecuter createQueryExecuter(JRDataset jRDataset, Map map)
throws JRException {
JRQuery query = jRDataset.getQuery();
String queryString = query.getText();
return new CSVQueryExecuter(queryString);
}
public boolean supportsQueryParameterType(String string) {
return true;
}
}
The query executer has a simple interface too. Again, there are three methods: one that
will produce the JRDataSource to fill the report (createDatasource), another to clean up everything at the end of the execution (close), and finally a method to interrupt the query execution
(cancelQuery).
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/**
* Query executer interface.
* An implementation of this interface is created when the input data
* of a report/dataset is specified by a query.
* The implementation will run the query and create a JRDataSource
* from the result.
* The query executers would usually be initialized by a JRQueryExecuterFactory
* with the query and the parameter values.
*/
public interface JRQueryExecuter
{
/**
* Executes the query and creates a JRDataSource out of the result.
*
* @return a JRDataSource wrapping the query execution result.
* @throws JRException
*/
public JRDataSource createDatasource() throws JRException;
/**
* Closes resources kept open during the datasource iteration.
* This method is called after the report is filled or the dataset is
* iterated.
* If a resource is not needed after the datasource has been created,
* it should be released at the end of createDatasource.
*/
public void close();
/**
* Cancels the query if it's currently running.
* This method will be called from a different thread if the client
* decides to cancel the filling process.
*
* @return &lt;code&gt;true&lt;/code&gt; iff the query was running and it has been
* cancelled
* @throws JRException
*/
public boolean cancelQuery() throws JRException;
}
This very simple query executer will do nothing when the close and the cancelQuery methods
are invoked. The main method, createDatasource, will create an instance of JRCsvDataSource providing the report query as the CSV stream to process; the aim, in fact, is to return a JRDataSource
object. Your CSVQueryExecuter will look as follows:
package it.businesslogic.ireport.examples.queryexecuter;
import
import
import
import
import
import
it.businesslogic.ireport.connection.JRCSVDataSource;
java.io.StringReader;
net.sf.jasperreports.engine.JRDataSource;
net.sf.jasperreports.engine.JRException;
net.sf.jasperreports.engine.data.JRCsvDataSource;
net.sf.jasperreports.engine.query.JRQueryExecuter;
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public class CSVQueryExecuter implements JRQueryExecuter {
private String fileContent;
/** Creates a new instance of CSVQueryExecuter */
public CSVQueryExecuter(String fileContent) {
this.fileContent = fileContent;
}
public JRDataSource createDatasource() throws JRException {
JRCsvDataSource csvds = new JRCsvDataSource(
new StringReader( fileContent ));
return csvds;
}
public void close() {
}
public boolean cancelQuery() throws JRException {
return true;
}
}
Simple, right? Now that you have the query executer and the query executer factory, you can try
your new language in iReport. Configure iReport as shown earlier to use the new factory with the
language “csv” (or any other name you prefer). Create a new report and the required fields (the
JRCsvDataSource uses field names like COLUMN_0, COLUMN_1, etc., all with type String). Specify
your CSV data by setting the query language to csv, and run the report.
The query executer mechanism opens the door to making an infinite number of possible
implementations and new languages available for JasperReports. Using this feature, it’s easy to
create, for example, support for Oracle store procedures, and most smart developers will be able
to support a full range of programming languages such as JavaScript, Ruby, and Groovy as query
languages.
Working with a Fields Provider
When you write a query in the Report query dialog box, be it a simple SQL statement or a very long
and complex expression in a custom language, it is very useful to have a tool capable of analyzing
the query and, if necessary, executing it, in order to detect and extract the available fields, or a tool
to help you with field mapping, or a visual designer in which you can easily design the query itself.
iReport provides natively some such tools for SQL, HQL, EJBQL, and MDX: for example, when
editing an SQL query, the list of available fields can be read using the Read Fields button, and when
editing an HQL query, you can explore the result to select the fields you desire.
To extend these capabilities or replace the ones available for a specific language, you can write
a fields provider: through this interface, a visual designer, a tool to help with field mapping, and a
tool to read available fields from a query can be provided for each language type.
A fields provider is plugged into iReport similarly to the way a query executer is—by using the
Query executers window (Options ➤ Query executers). Table 9-3 lists the default values of the query
executer factory and the report provider class for each language defined.
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Table 9-3. Default Language Query Executer Factory and Fields Provider Classes
Language
Query Executer Factory
Fields Provider Class
sql (or SQL)
net.sf.jasperreports.engine.query.
JRJdbcQueryExecuterFactory
it.businesslogic.ireport.data.
SQLFieldsProvider
hql (or HQL)
net.sf.jasperreports.engine.query.
JRHibernateQueryExecuterFactory
it.businesslogic.ireport.data.
HQLFieldsProvider
ejbql (or EJBQL)
net.sf.jasperreports.engine.query.
JRJpaQueryExecuterFactory
it.businesslogic.ireport.data.
EJBQLFieldsProvider
mdx (or MDX)
net.sf.jasperreports.olap.
JRMondrianQueryExecuterFactory
it.businesslogic.ireport.data.
MDXFieldsProvider
xmla-mdx
net.sf.jasperreports.engine.query.
JRXmlaQueryExecuterFactory
it.businesslogic.ireport.data.
CincomMDXFieldsProvider
xPath (or XPath)
net.sf.jasperreports.engine.query.
JRXPathQueryExecuterFactory
N/A
The fields provider interface is defined in it.businesslogic.ireport.FieldsProvider. Here is
the code of the interface:
package it.businesslogic.ireport;
import
import
import
import
import
import
it.businesslogic.ireport.gui.ReportQueryDialog;
java.awt.Component;
java.util.Map;
net.sf.jasperreports.engine.JRDataset;
net.sf.jasperreports.engine.JRException;
net.sf.jasperreports.engine.JRField;
/**
* Returns true if the provider supports the
* getFields(IReportConnection,JRDataset,Map) operation. By returning true in
* this method the datasource provider indicates that it is able to introspect
* the datasource and discover the available fields.
*
* @return true if the getFields() operation is supported.
*/
public boolean supportsGetFieldsOperation();
/**
* Returns the fields that are available from a query of a specific language
* The provider can use the passed-in report to extract some additional
* configuration information such as report properties.
* The IReportConnection object can be used to execute the query.
*
* @param con the IReportConnection active in iReport.
* @param the JRDataset that will be filled using the datasource created by
* this provider. The passed-in report can be null. That means that no compiled
* report is available yet.
* @param parameters map containing the interpreted default value of each
* parameter
* @return a nonnull fields array. If there are no fields, then an empty array
* must be returned.
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*
* @throws UnsupportedOperationException is the method is not supported
* @throws JRException if an error occurs.
*/
public JRField[] getFields(
IReportConnection con,
JRDataset reportDataset,
Map parameters )
throws JRException, UnsupportedOperationException;
/**
* Returns true if the getFields can be run in a background thread each time
* the user changes the query.
* This approach cannot be valid for fields providers that require much time to
* return the list of fields.
*/
public boolean supportsAutomaticQueryExecution();
/**
* Returns true if the fields provider can run its own query designer
*/
public boolean hasQueryDesigner();
/**
* Returns true if the fields provider can run its own editor
*/
public boolean hasEditorComponent();
/**
* This method is used to run a query designer for the specific language.
* @param con the IReportConnection active in iReport.
* @param query the query to modify
* @param reportQueryDialog the parent reportQueryDialog. It can be used to get
* all (sub)dataset information with reportQueryDialog.getSubDataset();
*
*/
public String designQuery(
IReportConnection con,
String query,
ReportQueryDialog reportQueryDialog)
throws JRException, UnsupportedOperationException;
/**
* The component that will stay on the right of the query panel. To listen for query
* changes, the component must implement the interface FieldsProviderEditor.
* The component will be visible only when a query change is successfully executed.
* The component can store the reference to the report query dialog in which it
* will appear.
*/
public FieldsProviderEditor getEditorComponent(
ReportQueryDialog reportQueryDialog );
}
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Technically, there are seven methods to implement (supportsGetFieldsOperation, getFields,
supportsAutomaticQueryExecution, hasQueryDesigner, hasEditorComponent, designQuery,
getEditorComponent) four of which define what the specific fields provider is able to do, and three
related to three main tasks: designing the query, reading the fields, and providing a fields editor.
supportsGetFieldsOperation indicates whether the fields provider implementation is able
to get the fields from the query (i.e., executing it, as happens for the SQL). If this method
returns true, iReport assumes that the method getFields returns a nonnull array of fields
(net.sf.jasperreports.engine.JRField).
hasQueryDesigner and hasEditorComponent return true if the fields provider implementation
supports visual query designing and has a tool to edit field mapping, respectively.
These methods are called when a language is selected in the Report query dialog box. iReport
looks for the matching fields provider and, if available, enables/disables the Read Fields and Query
designer buttons according to the return values (see Figure 9-55).
Figure 9-55. Components that can be activated/deactivated by a field provider
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If an editor component is available, it is displayed on the right of the query text area.
Every time you change the query text, if both supportsAutomaticQueryExecution and
supportsGetFieldsOperation return true, and the Automatically Retrieve Fields check box option
is selected, the method getFields is called. The resulting JRField array is used to populate the
fields list.
If the editor component is present, it can receive a query-changed event through
the FieldsProviderEditor interface (implemented by the components returned by the
getEditorComponent method).
If the method hasQueryDesigner returns true, the Query designer button will be enabled. When
clicked, iReport will call the method designQuery, passing as parameters the currently selected
instance of IReportConnection, the query string to edit (which can be blank), and a reference to the
Report query dialog box (which can be null). The method must return a string containing the new
query, or null if the operation was canceled by the user.
Sample implementations of fields providers are available in the iReport source code, in the
package it.businesslogic.ireport.data.
Creating Custom iReport Connections
When working in iReport, it is not always easy to take advantage of the great flexibility intrinsic
in JasperReports in terms of datasources. Especially with the advent of pluggable query executers that enabled the use of custom languages, the custom JRDataSource is simply not enough.
For this reason, iReport 1.3.3 introduced a more generic way to define a custom connection,
making pluggable any implementation of IReportConnection. This class represents a very
generic connection factory that can act as JRDataSource factory, or as a JDBC connection
provider, or again as a more sophisticated connection provider usable in conjunction with a
custom query language.
IReportConnection is an abstract class, but the only abstract method is getDescription,
making the implementation of a derived class very easy.
As explained previously, there are three main ways to fill a report:
• Using a JRDataSource. (The query inside the report will be ignored.)
• Using a JDBC connection. (The query inside the report must be a SQL statement.)
• Avoiding specifying a JRDataSource or connection.
In the last case, you need to set a value for some special built-in parameters according to the
language of the query stored inside the report in order to establish the required connection. For
example, when a report is based on an XPath expression as a query, the report engine expects to
find a valid document set for the parameter XML_DATA_DOCUMENT.
So, an IReportConnection implementation is able to indicate whether it is a JDBC
connection provider, or a JRDataSource provider, or something different, in which case the
getSpecialParameters and disposeSpecialParameters methods will be called before and after
report execution, respectively.
To make this kind of connection more easily configurable, the graphic interface to edit it
contains a table to set named parameters, as shown in Figure 9-56.
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Figure 9-56. Custom iReport connection definition
These properties will be available to the IReportConnection class when the method
public void loadProperties(java.util.HashMap map)
is executed. When requested, the same properties are saved with the method save.
Several samples of working IReportConnection implementations are available in the package
it/businesslogic/ireport/connection.
Let’s see how to create and use a custom IReportConnection. The first step is to create a class
that extends the abstract class it.businesslogic.ireport.IReportConnection. Listing 9-10 shows a
simple implementation.
Listing 9-10. Simple Implementation of a Custom IReportConnection
import it.businesslogic.ireport.IReportConnection;
import java.util.Map;
public class MyIReportConnection extends IReportConnection {
public String getDescription()
{
return &quot;My connection type!&quot;;
}
public net.sf.jasperreports.engine.JRDataSource getJRDataSource() {
return new net.sf.jasperreports.engine.JREmptyDataSource(5);
}
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public Map getSpecialParameters(Map map) throws
net.sf.jasperreports.engine.JRException
{
map.put(&quot;MY_TITLE&quot;, &quot;Built-in title!&quot;);
return map;
}
}
When used, this connection produces a JREmptyDataSource and sets the value of the parameter
MY_TITLE (useful only if this parameter is declared in the report or if it is a built-in parameter of the
query executer used to fill the report).
In order to see this connection type in the list of the available connection types when configuring a new datasource, you need a simple iReport plug-in. Chapter 17 will explain in depth how to
create a plug-in. In this section, I will explain just a few concepts you need to activate the custom
connection.
Listing 9-11 shows the code of a very simple plug-in.
Listing 9-11. Plug-In for the Custom IReportConnection
import it.businesslogic.ireport.plugin.IReportPlugin;
public class MyIReportConnectionPlugin extends IReportPlugin {
public void call()
{
getMainFrame().addConnectionImplementation( &quot;MyIReportConnection&quot; );
}
}
The only interesting operation here is the call to the method addConnectionImplementation,
which is the way to activate a new IReportConnection implementation in iReport. In order to run
the plug-in, you need a little descriptor, which is an XML file that must be placed in the classpath in
a directory called ireport. The file must be named plugin.xml. Listing 9-12 shows the plugin.xml
file required to execute the plug-in only once when iReport starts.
Listing 9-12. The plugin.xml File for Executing the Example Plug-In
&lt;iReportPlugin
name=&quot;My new connection&quot;
class=&quot;MyIReportConnectionPlugin&quot;
loadOnStartup=&quot;true&quot;
hide = &quot;true&quot;
configurable = &quot;false&quot;&gt;
&lt;Description&gt;&lt;/Description&gt;
&lt;/iReportPlugin&gt;
Figure 9-57 shows the connection now available in the list of the connection types.
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Figure 9-57. The custom connection is available in the list of connection types.
Finally, the abstract IReportConnection class provides a method to provide a personalized GUI
to use when configuring the custom connection. The method, called getIReportConnectionEditor,
should return an object of type IReportConnectionEditor. If your implementation does not override
this method, the generic interface shown in Figure 9-57 is used instead.
All the connections and datasources available in iReport are implemented using this mechanism. If you are interested in implementing a new IReportConnection and providing a custom user
interface to configure it, take a look at the source code of iReport, in particular the classes in the
package it.businesslogic.ireport.connection and it.businesslogic.ireport.connection.gui.
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10
Internationalization
J
asperReports 0.6.2 introduced some new features for report internationalization. Internationalizing a report means making all static text set at design time (such as labels and messages)
adaptable to locale options used to build the report: the report engine will print the text using the
most appropriate available translation. The text translations in the different languages supported
by the report are stored in particular resource files collectively named the Resource Bundle.
This chapter moreover covers the built-in function msg() and how it’s possible to “localize”
very complex sentences created dynamically.
Using a Resource Bundle Base Name
When a report is internationalized, it’s necessary to locate all locale-dependent text, such as labels
and static strings. A key (a name) is associated with every text fragment and is used to recall these
fragments. These keys and the relative text translation are written in special files (one per language),
as shown in Listing 10-1.
Listing 10-1. Resource File Sample
Title_GeneralData=General Data
Title_Address=Address
Title_Name=Name
Title_Phone=Phone
All files containing this information have to be saved with the .properties file extension. The
effective file name (i.e., the file name without the file extension and the language/country code,
which you will see later in this section) represents the report Resource Bundle Base Name (e.g., the
Resource Bundle Base Name for the resource file i18nReport.properties is i18nReport). At execution time, the report engine will look in the classpath for a file that has as a name the Resource
Bundle Base Name plus the .properties extension (so for the previous example, it will look for a
file named exactly i18nReport.properties). If this file is found, it will be the default resource from
which the localized text is read. The Resource Bundle Base Name has to be specified in the i18n tab
in the Report properties dialog box (see Chapter 3).
When you need to print a report using a specific locale, JasperReports looks for a file starting
with the Resource Bundle Base Name string, followed by the language and country code relative to
the requested locale. For example, i18nReport_it_IT.properties is a file that contains all locale
strings to print in Italian; in contrast, i18nReport_en_US.properties contains the translations in
American English. The language codes are the lowercase, two-letter codes defined by ISO-639 (a list
of these codes is available at http://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/php/English_list.php).
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The country codes are the uppercase, two-letter codes defined by ISO-3166 (a list of these codes
is available at http://www.iso.ch/iso/en/prods-services/iso3166ma/02iso-3166-code-lists/
list-en1.html).
As you can gather, it’s important to always create a default resource file that will contain all the
strings in the most widely used language and a set of language-specific files for the other languages.
The default resource file does not have a language/country code after the Resource Bundle
Base Name, and the contained values are used only if there is no resource file that matches the
requested locale or if the key of a translated string is not present in that file.
The complete resource file name is composed as follows:
&lt;Resource Bundle Base Name&gt;[_language code[_country code[_other code]]]
Here are some examples of valid resource file names:
i18nReport_fr_CA_UNIX
i18nReport_fr_CA
i18nReport_fr
i18nReport_en_US
i18nReport_en
i18nReport
The “other” code (or alternative code), which is the rightmost one after the language and the
country code (_UNIX in the first of the preceding examples) is usually not used for reports, but it is a
way to identify very specific resource files.
iReport has the ability to manage resource files for report localization by itself. The only conditions are that the resource files be located in the same directory where the JRXML source file is
located, and that the Resource Bundle Base Name is equal to the JRXML source file name (extension excluded).
To access the list of available resource files for a report, as shown in Figure 10-1, select Edit ➤
Internationalization ➤ Localization files.
Figure 10-1. Window to manage resource files
From this window, you can create, modify, or remove all the resource files of a report.
To create a new locale file, it’s necessary to duplicate the default file and specify the suffix
(language/country code) to add after the Resource Bundle Base Name to form the new resource
filename (see Figure 10-2). The suffix must follow the rules shown previously (for more details about
language and country codes, and about resource file names in general, please refer to the Java documentation).
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Figure 10-2. Setting the suffix for a new resource file name
The content of a selected file can be edited by clicking the Modify file button to bring up the
window shown in Figure 10-3.
Figure 10-3. Modifying a resource file
To save a modified resource file, you have to click the Save button explicitly, because the file is
never saved automatically.
Retrieving Localized Strings
There are two ways to retrieve the localized string for a particular key inside a JasperReports expression: you can use the built-in str(&quot;key name&quot;) function, or you can use the special syntax $R{key
name}. Resource keys are not transformed into Java variables during report compilation as are fields,
variables, and parameters, and can be arbitrary strings. So it is possible, for example, to use the dot
character (.) inside these names, although it is better not to use the space character. Here is an
example expression to retrieve a localized string:
$R{hello.world}
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This expression will be converted to the text associated with the key hello.world using the
most appropriate available translation for the selected locale.
Formatting Messages
JasperReports internationalization support is based on the support provided by Java. One of the
most useful features is the msg function, which is used to dynamically build messages using arguments. In fact, msg uses strings as patterns. These patterns define where arguments, passed as
parameters to the msg function, must be placed. The argument’s position is expressed using numbers between braces, as in this example: “The report contains {0} records.” The zero specifies where
to place the value of the first argument passed to the msg function. The expression
msg($R{text.message}, $P{number})
uses the string referred to by the key text.message as the pattern for the call to msg. The second
parameter is the first argument to be replaced in the pattern string. If text.message is the string
“The report contains {0} records.” and the value for the report parameter number is 100, the printed
text becomes “The report contains 100 records.”
The reason for using patterns instead of building messages like this by dividing them into substrings translated separately (for example, [The report contains] {0} [records]), is that sometimes the
second approach is not possible. Localizers won’t be able to create grammatically correct translations for all languages (e.g., for languages in which the verb appears at the end of the sentence).
It’s possible to call the msg function in three ways (see Listing 10-2).
Listing 10-2. The msg Function
public String msg(String pattern, Object arg0)
public String msg(String pattern, Object arg0, Object arg1)
public String msg(String pattern, Object arg0, Object arg1, Object arg2)
The only difference between the three calls is the number of passed arguments.
Deploying Localized Reports
The necessary first step before deploying a localized report is to be sure that all .properties files
containing the translated strings are present in the classpath.
JasperReports looks for resource files using the getBundle method of the ResourceBundle
Java class. To learn more about how this class works, visit http://java.sun.com/docs/books/
tutorial/i18n/, where you will find all the main concepts about how Java supports internationalization fully explained.
Running a Report Using a Specific Locale and
Time Zone
If you wish to use a specific locale or to run a report using a particular time zone, go to Build ➤ Set
report locale or Build ➤ Set time zone. You will see the current settings in the log window each time
you run a report, as shown in Figure 10-4.
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Figure 10-4. Info displayed during the fill process
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11
Scriptlets
A
scriptlet is a Java class used to execute special elaborations during print generation. The scriptlet exposes a set of methods that are invoked by the reporting engine when some particular events,
like the creation of a new page or the end of processing a detail row, occur.
In this chapter, you will see how to write a simple scriptlet and how to use it in a report. You will
also see how iReport handles scriptlets and what tactics are useful when deploying a report using
this kind of functionality.
Understanding the JRAbstractScriptlet Class
To implement a scriptlet, you have to extend the Java class net.sf.jasperreports.engine.
JRAbstractScriptlet. This class exposes all abstract methods to handle the events that occur
during report generation and provides data structures to access all variables, fields, and parameters present in the report.
The simplest scriptlet implementation is provided directly by JasperReports: it is the class
JRDefaultScriptlet, shown in Listing 11-1, which extends the class JRAbstractScriptlet and
implements all the required abstract methods with a void function body.
Listing 11-1. JRDefaultScriptlet
package net.sf.jasperreports.engine;
/**
* @author Teodor Danciu ([email protected])
* @version $Id: JRDefaultScriptlet.java,v 1.3 2004/06/01 20:28:22 teodord Exp $
*/
public class JRDefaultScriptlet extends JRAbstractScriptlet
{
public JRDefaultScriptlet() {
}
public void beforeReportInit() throws JRScriptletException
{
}
public void afterReportInit() throws JRScriptletException
{
}
public void beforePageInit() throws JRScriptletException
{
}
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public void afterPageInit() throws JRScriptletException
{
}
public void beforeColumnInit() throws JRScriptletException
{
}
public void afterColumnInit() throws JRScriptletException
{
}
public void beforeGroupInit(String groupName) throws JRScriptletException
{
}
public void afterGroupInit(String groupName) throws JRScriptletException
{
}
public void beforeDetailEval() throws JRScriptletException
{
}
public void afterDetailEval() throws JRScriptletException
{
}
}
As you can see, the class is formed by a set of methods with a name composed using the keyword
after or before followed by an event or action name (e.g., DetailEval and PageInit). These methods
map all of the events that can be handled by a scriptlet, which are summarized in Table 11-1.
Table 11-1. Report Events
Event/Method
Description
Before Report Init
This is called before the report initialization (i.e., before all variables are
initialized).
After Report Init
This is called after all variables are initialized.
Before Page Init
This is called when a new page is created, before all variables having reset
type Page are initialized.
After Page Init
This is called when a new page is created and after all variables having
reset type Page are initialized.
Before Column Init
This is called when a new column is created, before all variables having
reset type Column are initialized; this event is not generated if the columns
are filled horizontally.
After Column Init
This is called when a new column is created, after all variables having
reset type Column are initialized; this event is not generated if the columns
are filled horizontally.
Before Group x Init
This is called when a new group x is created, and before all variables
having reset type Group and group name x are initialized.
After Group x Init
This is called when a new group x is created, and after all variables having
reset type Group and group name x are initialized.
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Event/Method
Description
Before Detail Eval
This is called before a detail band is printed and all variables are newly
evaluated.
After Detail Eval
This is called after a detail band is printed and all variables are evaluated
for the current record.
Inside the scriptlet, you can refer to all of the fields, variables, and parameters using the
following maps (java.util.HashMap) defined as class attributes: fieldsMap, variablesMap, and
parametersMap.
The groups (if present in the report) can be accessed through the attribute groups, an array of
JRFillGroup.
Scriptlet Handling in iReport
If you need to create a scriptlet for a certain report, you can ask iReport to handle it for you
transparently.
In this case, the class that implements the scriptlet will be completely handled by iReport. You
can disable scriptlet usage from the Report properties dialog box (see Figure 11-1) or specify an
external class (already compiled and present in the classpath). In the latter case, if the class is modified and recompiled, iReport would not be able to use this most recently compiled version, due to
the Java class loader that caches the class in memory except when the class or the root package
directory (but not a jar) is placed in the same directory as the report. This directory, in fact, is managed by iReport using a dynamic classloader that is able to reload classes present in this directory
each time the report is executed.
Figure 11-1. Scriptlet Class tab on the Report properties dialog box
If the scriptlet is handled internally by iReport, when the report is compiled, a new class with
the same name as the report followed by the suffix Scriptlet.java is created. For example, if you
have a report named “test,” the generated scriptlet file will be named testScriptlet.java.
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Scriptlets generated using iReport don’t directly extend JRAbstractServlet. Instead, they
extend a top-level class named IreportScriptlet, which is present in the it.businesslogic.ireport
package. Besides the various methods for handling events, this new class provides some new features to work with data series (see Chapter 14); other features will be added in future versions of
iReport. Please note that if you want to use the charting support provided by iReport, you have to
use the internal support for scriptlets, too.
In iReport, a scriptlet can be modified by selecting Edit ➤ Scriptlet Editor. The scriptlet source
file is handled independently from the main report source file, so you have to save it yourself by
clicking the Save button every time you change it (see Figure 11-2).
Figure 11-2. The scriptlet editor
The editor window shows all scriptlet methods/events in a combo box placed at the top of the
form. On the left are all of the Java objects accessible from the scriptlet code. By double-clicking a
desired object, you generate the code to access it.
It is possible to insert import directives, new methods, and class members for the scriptlet by
selecting the item &lt;imports and global declarations&gt; from the combo box.
Many times accessor methods used in expressions are included in a scriptlet. Suppose, for
example, that you need to print numbers using Roman numerals (I, II, III, IV, etc.). In this case, it is
possible to add a method to the scriptlet to convert an integer number into a string that represents
the number written in Roman numerals. It would look something like this:
public String numberToRoman(int myNumber)
The syntax to execute this conversion, calling the method inserted in the scriptlet, is as follows:
$P{REPORT_SCRIPTLET}.numberToRoman(&lt; my number &gt;)
JasperReports automatically casts the generic parameter REPORT_SCRIPTLET to your scriptlet
class. When the report is compiled, a type check is performed to avoid errors (like a no such method
error) at run time.
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Deploying Reports That Use Scriptlets
When a report with a scriptlet is compiled, the scriptlet is compiled in the same directory where the
generated JASPER file for this report will be stored. iReport adds this directory to the classpath by
default. In this way, the scriptlet class will be directly visible from Java, and the report will be filled
without problems.
However, when the report is deployed (e.g., in a web application), the scriptlet is often
forgotten, and the reporting engine throws an error when filling the report. So, it is necessary in
this case to put the scriptlet class in the application classpath. If the scriptlet extends the class
IReportScriptlet, you have to add the class it.businesslogic.ireport.IReportScriptlet to the
classpath, too (this class is released under the LGPL license).
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Templates
O
ne of the most useful tools of iReport is the Report Wizard, which lets you create reports using
templates, a kind of prebuilt model to use as a base for new reports. In this chapter, I will explain
how to build custom templates and how to add them to those already available.
Template Structure Overview
A template is a normal JRXML file. When a new report is created using the Report Wizard, the JRXML
file of the selected template is loaded and modified according to options you specify.
There are two types of templates: the columnar type and the tabular type. The former creates a
group of lines for every single record composed of static text (a label) that displays the field names
and a text field that displays the field value (see Figure 12-1).
Figure 12-1. Columnar template
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Alternatively, the tabular type shows all records in a table-like view (see Figure 12-2).
Figure 12-2. Tabular template
As I said, the templates are JRXML files (the extension used for them is simply .xml), and they
are located in the templates directory. iReport recognizes from the name whether a file contains a
columnar or a tabular template: if the file name ends with “T,” it is a tabular template, and if it ends
with “C,” it is a columnar template.
Table 12-1 lists templates shipped with iReport.
Table 12-1. Templates Shipped with iReport
File
Report Type
classicC.xml
Columnar report
classicT.xml
Tabular report
classic_landscapeT.xml
Tabular report
graycC.xml
Columnar report
grayT.xml
Tabular report
gray_landscapeT.xml
Tabular report
The Report Wizard permits the creation of up to four groups (a group header and group footer
are associated with each group). These groups will be created in the final file produced only if during the Report Wizard execution you specify grouping data by using one or more criteria. Using the
Report Wizard, you can choose only one field name as criteria.
By opening the classicC.xml file, it is possible to see and understand how a template is structured, as shown in Figure 12-3. In this file, you will find four groups: Group1, Group2, Group3, and
Group4, for which the title band (group header) and the group footer are visible.
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Figure 12-3. The classicC.xml columnar template
The column band is hidden (because for columnar reports this band is not useful), and in the
detail band there are static text labels used as template labels for every future field, as shown earlier
in Figure 12-1, and a text field containing the field value. The text (or the expression dealing with the
text field) associated with the text elements has to follow simple wizard specifications; in particular,
each group can contain as many graphic elements as you want and a Static Text element containing
simply this text:
GnLabel
where n represents the group number in which the text element is placed, and a Text Field element
containing the following special expression:
GnField
This element will contain the value used as the group expression.
The detail must contain at least a Static Text element with the expression
DetailLabel
and a Text Field element with the expression
DetailField
The Report Wizard replicates these two elements, creating as many static text/text field pairs as
there are in the selected fields for the report.
All the other bands can contain whatever elements you desire; these bands will be reproduced
as they are in the generated files starting from the template.
The design of a tabular report template is very similar. Figure 12-4 shows how the classicT.xml
template appears in the design window.
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Figure 12-4. The classicT.xml tabular report
Once again, there are four groups. Preceding them is the column header, where it is necessary
to insert a Static Text element to use as a model for column labels.
In the detail band, you will find the DetailField element, which will be used as a model for the
column values.
The templates cannot be compiled: this is because expressions contained in the text fields are
not valid Java expressions.
Using a Custom Template
So, let’s see how to create and use a custom template. The shortest way is to open one of the
already existing templates, choosing the one that is closest to what you want. At this point, you
have to edit the report to your preferences by changing the existing element properties or adding
and removing other elements. Figure 12-5 shows an example custom template.
In order to use a custom template, you have to put it in the templates directory. Remember
to use the .xml file extension. As shown in Figure 12-5, the example template has been named
testC.xml. You always have to add a “C” or a “T” as the last letter of the name before the
extension.
If everything is configured correctly, when you execute the Report Wizard, you will see your
new template in the templates list for either columnar reports or tabular reports. Figure 12-6
shows the example custom template displayed in the columnar reports list.
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Figure 12-5. A custom template
Figure 12-6. The new template appears in the available template list.
However, you may notice that the example custom template does not have a preview image
available. It is possible to associate a preview image with a template by inserting into the templates
directory an image in GIF format of maximum dimensions 150&times;150 pixels; the file must be named
exactly as the template, except for the extension (in the case of this example, testC.gif).
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Figure 12-7 shows the wizard window that displays the preview for the new template. The
preview image is derived from a screenshot of a report created using the new template.
Figure 12-7. The new template with a preview image
When you place the image in the templates directory, you need to restart iReport in order to
see the preview picture when executing the wizard.
The use of a template increases productivity relative to the development of reports that share
a common graphic setting. If you develop a very sophisticated template and you want to share it
with other users, send it as a patch to the iReport web site.
Putting Templates into JAR Files
Templates files are placed in the templates directory. This can be a problem when iReport can’t
access remote file systems (e.g., using Java Web Start to start iReport). From version 0.5.0, it’s possible
to include templates in JAR files. Each JAR file can contain one or more templates that are described
in an XML file named template.xml placed in a directory named ireport. When the Report Wizard is
executed, iReport looks for all files named /ireport/templates.xml available in the classpath.
To see how to provide a template using a JAR, let’s look at an example that builds a JAR
containing only one template named Classic Template Resource.
template.xml will be as follows:
&lt;?xml version=&quot;1.0&quot; encoding=&quot;UTF-8&quot;?&gt;
&lt;iReportTemplateSet&gt;
&lt;iReportTemplate name=&quot;Classic Template Resource&quot; type=&quot;Columnar&quot;&gt;
&lt;XmlFile&gt;/it/businesslogic/ireport/templates/classic.xml&lt;/XmlFile&gt;
&lt;IconFile&gt;/it/businesslogic/ireport/templates/classic.gif&lt;/IconFile&gt;
&lt;/iReportTemplate&gt;
&lt;/iReportTemplateSet&gt;
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This defines a set of templates. For each template, the name, type (columnar or tabular),
JRXML file that implements the template, and icon (used as a preview image) can be defined.
The JRXML file and the icon are specified as Java resources using a path that starts with /.
The directory tree inside the JAR will be as follows:
template_sample.jar
|----ireport
|----it
|
|---businesslogic
|
|---ireport
|
|---templates
|----META-INF
template.xml will be included in the ireport directory, and all the other files (in this case
classic.xml and classic.gif) will be placed in /it/businesslogic/ireport/templates.
By adding the created JAR to iReport classpath, it becomes possible to use templates without
using the templates directory.
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13
Charts
A
s of iReport version 0.5.1, chart support in iReport has been completely rewritten to use new
functionality within JasperReports. The previous implementation, based on manual creation of
series via a scriptlet, is no longer supported.
To support this new functionality, JasperReports uses the latest version of JFreeChart, a
powerful open source chart-generation library.
The new mechanism for creating charts is based on the dataset concept, not the data series
concept of previous versions of iReport. This makes data management and visualization possible
for more complex chart types such as Candlestick and High Low Open Close.
There are multiple advantages to the latest chart implementation for JasperReports. Support
is native and perfectly integrated into the library, which means it is no longer necessary to use a
scriptlet to create a graph. Also, there is a much wider variety of chart types available. Specifically,
in addition to the aforementioned Candlestick and High Low Open Close charts, JasperReports
now supports Area, Bar, Bar 3D, Bubble, Line, Pie, Pie 3D, Scatter Plot, Stacked Bar, Stacked Bar 3D,
Time Series, XY Area, XY Bar, and XY Line charts. Three new charts were added to JasperReports
1.2.7: Meter, Thermometer, and MultiAxis, and the latter is a special chart used to aggregate multiple charts into a single one. And finally, another chart type has been added to JasperReports 1.3.1:
the Stacked Area chart.
Creating a Simple Chart
In this section, you will learn how to use the Chart tool by building a report containing a Pie 3D
chart step by step; then you will explore all the details regarding chart management.
In this example, use the datasource Northwind on HSQLDB.
Create a new empty document. Open the Report query dialog box by clicking this button:
and enter the following expression, as shown in Figure 13-1:
select SHIPCOUNTRY, COUNT(*) AS ORDERS_COUNT from ORDERS group by SHIPCOUNTRY
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Figure 13-1. Query of the report
The idea is to produce a chart to display the sales in different countries. Confirm your query
by clicking OK; iReport will register the query-selected fields. Place the fields in the detail band by
dragging them from the objects library (see Figure 13-2).
Figure 13-2. The report with the SHIPCOUNTRY and ORDERS_COUNT fields
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Reset the bands exceeding the height (except for the summary and the detail bands).
Select the Chart tool and place a new chart in the summary band. From the charts window
that appears, select the Pie 3D icon and click OK. Figure 13-3 shows what your report should now
look like.
Figure 13-3. Positioning the chart in the summary band
At this point, configure the chart. Open the element properties window (double-click the
Chart element) and in the Chart tab, click the Edit chart properties button (see Figure 13-4). You
can access the same properties by right-clicking and selecting Chart Properties from the context
menu, as shown in Figure 13-5.
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Figure 13-4. Chart tab
Figure 13-5. Chart Properties context menu option
The Chart Properties window, as shown in Figure 13-6, will appear.
This window contains two tabs: Chart Properties and Chart Data. The first tab contains a list
of parameters that control the appearance of the graph, and the second determines the data associated with the graph.
Modify various visual properties of the graph. Set the Background Alpha and Foreground Alpha
properties to 0.5 and Depth Factor property to 0.2.
Next, you will define the data associated with the graph. Switch to the Chart Data tab (see
Figure 13-7).
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Figure 13-6. Chart Properties window
Figure 13-7. Chart Data tab
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The Type of Dataset combo box allows you to specify the dataset types to generate the graph.
Only one dataset type is available, except when generating an XY Bar chart.
In the Dataset tab, you can define the dataset within the context of the report. Specifically,
Reset Type and Reset Group allow you to periodically reset the dataset. This is useful, for example,
when summarizing data relative to a special grouping. Increment Type and Increment Group specify the events that determine when new values must be added to the dataset. This is useful, for
example, for reprinting the subtotals for a special grouping.
The Increment When expression area allows you to add a flag to determine whether to add a
record to the record set designed to feed the chart. This expression must return a Boolean value.
iReport considers a blank string to mean “add all the records.”
For the purposes of this example, set the Reset Type to Report since you don’t want the data to
be reset, and leave the Increment Type set to None so that each record will be appended to your
dataset.
The Details tab allows you to enter an expression to associate with every single value in the
datasource. For the Pie 3D chart type, three expressions can be entered: key, value, and label (see
Figure 13-8).
The key expression allows you to uniquely identify a slice of the pie chart. If a key value is
repeated, the label and value values previously associated with that key are overwritten. A key
can never be null.
The value expression specifies the numeric value associated with the key.
The label expression allows you to specify a label for each slice of the pie chart. The expression
is optional, and the default value is key = value, for example, A = 100, where A is the key of a
particular slice and 100 is its value.
Figure 13-8. Chart Data tab—Pie 3D chart dataset
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Confirm the modifications to the chart, save the file, and start the report by clicking the following button:
The result is visible in Figure 13-9.
Figure 13-9. Final printed results of the Pie 3D chart
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Using Datasets
The data represented within charts is collected when the report is generated and then stored within
the associated dataset. The dataset types are as follows:
• Pie
• Category
• Time period
• Time series
• XY
• XYZ
• High low
• Value
Think of a dataset as a table. Each dataset has different columns (fields). When a new record is
inserted into the dataset, values are added to the fields.
Figure 13-7, shown earlier, demonstrates the options that you can select in JasperReports to
indicate when and how to acquire data for the dataset. Specifically, you can indicate whether and
when the dataset should be emptied (through Reset Type and Reset Group settings), and when to
append a new record to the dataset (through Increment Type and Increment Group settings). These
four fields have the same effect as the corresponding fields used for report variables (see Chapter 6’s
discussion of variables).
Depending on the dataset type that you have selected, the Chart Data tab shows the fields
within the specified dataset.
Detailed descriptions of the various field types and their functionality are available in The
Definitive Guide to JasperReports by Teodor Daniciu, Lucian Chirita, Sanda Zaharia, and Ionut
Nedelcu (Apress, 2007).
Value Hyperlinks
Some types of dataset provide a way to set a hyperlink to the value represented in the chart,
enhancing the user experience by allowing the user to click the chart to open a web page or drill
down the report.
The clickable area depends on the chart type. For pie charts, the hyperlink is tied to each slice
of the pie; for the bar charts, the clickable areas are the bars themselves.
Adding hyperlinks to elements is described in Chapter 4; recall from that discussion that
hyperlinks utilize expressions to include all the fields, variables, and parameters of the dataset
used by a chart.
Properties of Charts
The appearance of a chart is managed by the element properties window shown in Figure 13-4. You
can see and edit properties common to all charts and graphs within this window (such as the title
and the visibility of the legend) as well as other properties specific to the chart or graph that is being
created. Properties that differ among chart types are known as plot properties.
You can change chart title and chart subtitle expressions using the expression editor, which you
can open by clicking the button marked by three dots (see Figure 13-10).
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Figure 13-10. Editing expressions through the expression editor
Currently, JasperReports takes advantage of only a small portion of the capabilities of the
JFreeChart library. To customize a graph, a class must be written that implements the following
interface:
net.sf.jasperreports.engine.JRChartCustomizer
The only method available from this interface is the following:
public void customize(JFreeChart chart, JRChart jasperChart);
which takes a JFreeChart object and a JRChart object as its arguments. The first object is used to
actually produce the image, while the second contains all the features you specify during the design
phase that are relevant to the customize method.
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14
Subdatasets
R
eport generation is based on a single datasource (such as a query, a collection of JavaBeans, or
an XML file). When you deal with a chart or a crosstab, this might not be sufficient, or it might simply be easier to retrieve the chart or crosstab data using a specific query or in general using another
dataset. A subdataset is used to provide a secondary record set inside a report (performing an additional query using a new datasource). Currently, you can use a subdataset to fill only a chart or a
crosstab. You can have an arbitrary number of subdatasets in a report.
A subdataset has its own fields, variables, and parameters and can have a query executed as
needed. The dataset records can be grouped in one or more groups (like in a main report); these
groups are used in subdataset variables.
A subdataset is linked to a chart or crosstab by means of a dataset run. The dataset run specifies all the information needed by the subdataset to retrieve and filter data and process the rows
used to fill the chart or crosstab.
Creating a Subdataset
To create a new subdataset, right-click the object library and select Add ➤ Sub dataset from the
context menu (see Figure 14-1).
Figure 14-1. Creating a new subdataset
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The SubDataset dialog box, shown in Figure 14-2, will appear.
Figure 14-2. SubDataset dialog box
Here you simply have to set the subdataset name. Optionally, you may also specify a Resource
Bundle with the appropriate When resource missing type setting for this subdataset (see Chapter 10
for more about Resource Bundles).
JasperReports permits the use of a scriptlet to perform special calculations on a subdataset’s
records in a way similar to that provided for the main report. If you need it, you can set the name of
your scriptlet class when you create your new subdataset.
Finally, you can set a filter expression to select which records should be used by your subdataset. This expression must return a Boolean object. A blank filter expression is not considered
by iReport, and the final result is that all the records are implicitly accepted.
Clicking the Create button in the SubDataset dialog box adds the new subdataset to the report.
The buttons on the right then become enabled, and the Create button changes to an OK button, as
shown in Figure 14-2.
You can see the new subdataset in the Document structure panel, shown in Figure 14-3, or in
the SubDatasets dialog box, shown in Figure 14-4 (accessed by selecting Edit ➤ Subdatasets).
■Caution
You can’t use subdataset objects (fields, variables, and parameters) in the main report.
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Figure 14-3. The new subdataset in the document structure view
Figure 14-4. SubDatasets dialog box
Now you can add fields, variables, and parameters to your subdataset using the same
logic as you would in the main report. The Query button in the SubDataset dialog box opens
the Report query dialog box for specifying a query (as in the main report): you can use it to
retrieve fields using a query or another kind of datasource (a JavaBean class, a JR datasource
provider, etc.).
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Creating Dataset Runs
As mentioned previously, you can use a subdataset in a chart or in a crosstab. To fill the subdataset,
JasperReports needs some extra information, like what JDBC connection to use to perform the subdataset SQL query, or how to set the value of a specific subdataset parameter. All this information is
provided using a dataset run. Figure 14-5 shows a dataset run for a chart.
Figure 14-5. Dataset run definition for a chart
A dataset run works in a way similar to the process used to connect a subreport to a master
report: you can set the value of the subdataset parameters using expressions containing main
report objects (like fields, variables, and parameters), define a parameters map to set values for the
subdataset parameters at runtime, and finally define the connection or datasource that will be used
by the subdataset to get its data.
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Working Through an Example Subdataset
The following step-by-step example shows how to use a subdataset to fill a chart. The main report
will have only one record with the count of all orders (select count(*) as tot_orders from
orders). Let’s get started:
1. Create a new blank report, as shown in Figure 14-6.
Figure 14-6. Step 1—creating an empty report
2. Open the Report query dialog box by clicking the following button:
and insert the following query:
select count(*) as tot_orders from orders
Your screen should resemble Figure 14-7.
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Figure 14-7. Step 2—inserting the query
3. Drag the field TOT_ORDERS from the Library tab into the detail band and add some
labels like the ones shown in Figure 14-8.
4. At this point, create the subdataset: select Add ➤ Sub dataset from the library context
menu, name the new subdataset SubDataset1 (see Figure 14-9), and click the Create
button.
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Figure 14-8. Step 3—adding the field TOT_ORDERS
Figure 14-9. Step 4—creating the new subdataset
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5. Click the Query button in the Subdataset dialog box and enter the following query as
shown in Figure 14-10:
select SHIPCOUNTRY, COUNT(*) country_orders from ORDERS group by SHIPCOUNTRY
Figure 14-10. Step 5—defining the subdataset query
6. Add a Pie 3D chart to the report (see Figure 14-11).
7. Open the Chart Properties dialog box to edit the chart data, and enter SubDataset1 in
the Subdataset field, as shown in Figure 14-12. Your subdataset has no parameters to
set. Go to the Connection/Data Source Exp. tab and choose Use connection expression
from the combo box. You will use the master report connection to fill the subdataset
($P{REPORT_CONNECTION}).
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Figure 14-11. Step 6—adding the chart
Figure 14-12. Step 7—setting the chart properties
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8. Now you have to set details for the chart dataset. Go to the Details tab, shown in Figure 14-13,
and enter these values:
• Key expression: $F{SHIPCOUNTRY}
• Value expression: $F{COUNTRY_ORDERS}
• Label expression: $F{SHIPCOUNTRY}
Figure 14-13. Step 8—defining the chart data
9. Save the report, as shown in Figure 14-14.
10. Now run the report. Figure 14-15 shows the final chart.
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Figure 14-14. Step 9—saving the report
Figure 14-15. Step 10—the final result
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15
Crosstabs
A
crosstab is a kind of table where the number of rows and columns is not known at design time,
like a table that shows the sales of some products (rows) during different years (columns):
Fruit/Year
2004
2005
2006
...
Strawberry
Wild cherry
Big banana
...
Crosstabs are present in JasperReports version 1.1.0 and later, and they are supported by
iReport starting from the same version (1.1.0).
JasperReports’ crosstab implementation allows the grouping of columns and rows, the calculation of totals, and the customization of every cell. For each row or column group, you have a detail
row/column and an optional total row/column. Data to fill the crosstab can come from the main
report dataset or from a subdataset. Thanks to an intuitive wizard, iReport makes it easy to create
and use this powerful reporting component.
Using the Crosstab Wizard
To understand how a crosstab works, I will walk you through creating one using the Crosstab
Wizard. This wizard is automatically activated when you add a Crosstab element to a report.
Start with a blank report containing this query:
select * from orders
You will put the crosstab at the end of the report, in the summary band. To do so, click the
Crosstab tool on the toolbar and draw your Crosstab element in the summary band. The first screen
of the Crosstab Wizard appears.
In the first step, you have to choose the dataset to fill the crosstab. Specify the dataset of
the main report (in this case, untitled_report_1, as shown in Figure 15-1). Click Next to go to the
next step.
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Figure 15-1. Crosstab Wizard step 1—dataset selection
In the second screen, you have to define at least one row group. For the purposes of this example, you will choose to group all records by SHIPCOUNTRY, as shown in Figure 15-2. This means
that each row in the crosstab will refer to a specific country. Unlike what happens in the main
report, JasperReports will sort the data for you (this function can be disabled if data is presorted to
speed up the fill process). Using the Crosstab Wizard, it is possible to define up to two row groups.
This is a limitation of the wizard only; you can define as many row and column groups as you need
from the Crosstab properties dialog box (I’ll talk more about this dialog box later in the “Modifying
Rows and Columns” section.) Click Next to move to the third step.
Figure 15-2. Crosstab wizard step 2—specifying row groups
As with the rows, from the third screen you can define up to two column groups. For this example, you will use only one column group, grouping the data by the SHIPPEDDATE field, as shown in
Figure 15-3. More specifically, you will use a function that returns only the year of the date, thus
grouping the orders by year.
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Figure 15-3. Crosstab wizard step 3—specifying column groups
As you can see in Figure 15-3, whenever you have a time field (time stamp, date, etc.), you can
use a time-based aggregation function (such as Year, Month, Week, or Day), or treat it as a plain
value (in which case you can use the Unique aggregation function to group records having the same
value). Click Next to move to the next step.
It’s time to define the detail data. Normally, the detail is the result of an aggregation function
like the count of orders by country by year, or the sum of freight for the same combination (country/
year). You will choose to print the number of orders placed by specifying ORDERID (field) in the
Detail Field combo box and Count in the Function combo box (see Figure 15-4). Once again, click
Next to continue.
Figure 15-4. Crosstab wizard step 4—defining the detail data
In the last step, you can set a few options for the crosstab layout. You can indicate whether you
want to see grid lines or not, and whether you want to include the totals for rows and columns. For
this example, select all checkbox options, as shown in Figure 15-5, and click Finish.
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Figure 15-5. Crosstab wizard step 5—defining the crosstab layout
Note that when a crosstab is added to the report, a new tab is created in the design window.
This tab is the crosstab designer for the new Crosstab element.
Click the crosstab-1 tab. As shown in Figure 15-6, two additional panels are now displayed on
the right of the design window: the crosstab structure pane displays a tree that shows the crosstab
cells and helps you in selecting elements, and the crosstab objects pane provides a list that displays
the set of measures and crosstab parameters that can be dragged and dropped into the crosstab.
Figure 15-6. Crosstab designer
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When you click the Run button on the toolbar, the report is filled. Figure 15-7 shows the
generated report.
Figure 15-7. The example crosstab in the generated report
The last column contains the total for each row, across all columns. The last row contains the
total for each column, across all rows. Finally, the last cell (in the corner on the bottom right) contains the combined total for all orders (830).
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Working with Columns, Rows, and Cells
A crosstab must have at least one row group and one column group. Each row or column group can
have an optional total row/column.
The rows and columns are defined by these groups. The following is a basic crosstab with one
column group and one row group:
When another row group is added, the crosstab appears as follows:
Modifying Rows and Columns
A row or column group can be modified using the Crosstab properties dialog box (right-click the
crosstab designer and select Crosstab Properties as shown in Figure 15-8).
Figure 15-8. Context menu that opens the Crosstab properties dialog box
Click the Row and column groups tab (see Figure 15-9). Here you can see the row and column
groups you have defined.
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Figure 15-9. Row and column group lists
To add a row group, click the Add button under the Row groups area to bring up the dialog box
shown in Figure 15-10.
Figure 15-10. Creating a row group
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All groups must have a unique name. When you add or modify a row group, you can set the
width of the row group header:
The bucket is the grouping criteria. It is defined by an expression class (the Java type of the
bucket expression), an expression, an order (ascending or descending), and an optional comparator
class used to compare bucket expressions.
In a bucket expression, you can use all fields, variables, and parameters from the main report;
however, if you choose to fill the crosstab with a subdataset, the subdataset’s fields, variables, and
parameters must be used instead.
A header cell can grow depending on the number of rows it spans. You can choose how elements
in the header should be positioned:
Finally, you can choose whether to print the total row and where. The options are as follows:
• None: No total row is printed.
• Start: The total row is printed before the detail row.
• End: The total row is printed after the detail row.
The creation of a column group is pretty similar. This time you can define the column height
instead of the row width:
The bucket works as it does in the row group, and the positions for the header cell contents are
similar. But in this case, the details can change the width of the header, not the height:
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Once again, you can choose whether to print the total column and where. The options are as
follows:
• None: No total column is printed.
• Start: The total column is printed before the detail column.
• End: The total column is printed after the detail column.
The width and height of columns and rows can easily be changed in the crosstab designer by
using the cursor and dragging the grid lines (see Figure 15-11).
Figure 15-11. Resizing rows and columns through the grid lines of a crosstab
When a row or column is added to a crosstab, a special variable is created that refers to the
value of the bucket expression. It has the same name as the new group. You can identify this bucket
variable in the crosstab objects pane (see Figure 15-12) by looking for entries with a green dot
beside them.
Figure 15-12. Crosstab objects pane
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iReport simply creates the new header cells for the group, without adding any extra elements to
the crosstab. You have to fill the cells as you like, the most common way is by dragging and dropping
the bucket measure into the new cell from the crosstab objects list.
Figure 15-13 shows a crosstab before the addition of a new group, and Figure 15-14 shows the
crosstab after the group has been added.
Figure 15-13. Crosstab before the addition of a new group
Figure 15-14. Crosstab after the addition of a new group
In Figure 15-14, you can see how four new cells were added to the crosstab with the addition of
a new, nested column group: the group header cell, the group total header cell, the SHIPCOUNTRY
totals cell, and the total across all of SHIPCOUNTRY.
You can change the nesting order of your group with the Up and Down buttons in the Crosstab
properties dialog box, shown in Figure 15-15.
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Figure 15-15. Move groups using the Up and Down buttons.
Figure 15-16 shows the crosstab from Figure 15-14 after the MONTH group has been moved up.
Figure 15-16. The effect of moving up the MONTH group
Modifying Cells
Each intersection between a row and a column defines a cell. You have header cells, total cells, a
detail cell, and an optional when-no-data cell. Cells can contain a set of elements like text fields,
static texts, rectangles, images . . . but they can’t contain a subreport, a chart, or another crosstab.
Figure 15-17 shows a crosstab with some colored cells and several text fields.
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Figure 15-17. MONTH header and total cells filled with some elements
You can modify the background color and borders of each single cell: right-click the cell you
want to change to bring up the context menu and choose Cell Properties to open the Modify cell
dialog box, shown in Figure 15-18. From this dialog box you can modify the look of the cell.
Figure 15-18. Modifying cell properties
Modifying Special Cells
If the crosstab does not contain any data, you can choose to print something else instead. For
example, you could include a message. To do this, you must edit the when-no-data cell. View this
cell by right-clicking the crosstab and checking the When-No-Data default cell check box (see
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Figure 15-19). This will enable a distinct editing mode in which you can interact only with the
contents of the when-no-data cell.
Figure 15-19. Activating when-no-data cell editing
The when-no-data cell has the same size as the crosstab. It is printed instead of the crosstab
when no data is present. An orange frame shows the cell bounds and signals that you are editing
this cell. Populate the cell by adding one or more elements.
In a crosstab, all elements refer to a cell. If an element is outside or partly outside a cell, it is
incorrectly positioned, and JasperReports will throw an error when compiling the report. iReport
signals this incorrect condition by drawing a red frame around the element.
Understanding Measures
Expressions for elements in a crosstab such as print when expressions and text field expressions can
contain only measures. In this context, you cannot use fields, variables, or parameters directly: you
always have to use a measure.
A measure is an object similar to a variable. To create a measure, open the Crosstab properties
dialog box (right-click the crosstab designer and select Crosstab properties) and go to the Measures
tab (see Figure 15-20).
Figure 15-20. Measures tab
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Click the Add button to create a new measure. The Add/modify measure dialog box will appear
(see Figure 15-21). Here, you have to set at least the name, the class type, and the expression for the
measure.
Figure 15-21. Modifying measure properties in the Add/modify measure dialog box
For the measure expression, you can use all the fields, variables, and parameters of the subdataset used to fill the report (or all fields, variables, and parameters coming from the main report if
no subdataset is used to fill the crosstab), and all crosstab parameters (defined in the element properties dialog box when the crosstab element is selected on the Main Report tab).
A measure can store the actual value coming from your source (by specifying a calculation type
of Nothing) or a calculated value like the count, the sum, and so on.
For each measure, you can provide a custom incrementer class (a class that extends the interface net.sf.jasperreports.engine.fill.JRIncrementerFactory) to implement special increment
functions.
The Percentage of option lets you choose to represent the value as a percentage of the final
value of this variable (the grand total).
You can provide a special class to calculate the percentage value. This time the class must
implement net.sf.jasperreports.crosstabs.fill.JRPercentageCalculator.
Modifying Crosstab Element Properties
Double-clicking a crosstab in the main design window opens the element properties dialog box.
Click the tab labeled Crosstab, shown in Figure 15-22, to see the properties specific to the crosstab.
Following is a brief rundown of some of the options in this dialog box:
Repeat column headers: If selected, the column headers will be printed again when the
crosstab spans additional pages.
Repeat row headers: If selected, the row headers will be printed again when the crosstab spans
additional pages.
Column Break Offset: This specifies the space between two pieces of a crosstab when the
crosstab exceeds the page width (see Figure 15-23).
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Figure 15-22. Crosstab element properties
Figure 15-23. Column break offset
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Also in the element properties dialog, you can create a crosstab parameter and set a default
expression for it using the Crosstab Parameters table. To add a parameter, click the Add button. The
Add/modify crosstab parameter dialog box, shown in Figure 15-24, will appear.
Figure 15-24. Add/modify crosstab parameter dialog box
You have to set the name of the parameter (which must be unique in this crosstab), a class
type, and an optional default expression, which may include any of the main report objects (fields,
variables, and parameters).
■Caution
To filter the dataset query, you must use the dataset run parameters defined in the Crosstab
properties dialog box, not the crosstab parameters.
You can see the crosstab parameters in the crosstab objects pane, too: they are indicated by a
red bullet. Figure 15-25 shows the TEST parameter in this pane.
Figure 15-25. TEST parameter in the crosstab objects pane
You can use a map to set the value of declared crosstab parameters at runtime. In this case,
you’ll need to provide a valid parameters map expression in the element properties dialog box.
Working with Crosstab Data
As mentioned previously, you can fill a crosstab using data from the main report or from a
subdataset. In the latter case, you must specify the dataset run in the Crosstab data tab of the
Crosstab properties dialog box (see Figure 15-26).
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Figure 15-26. Crosstab data tab
The increment when expression is a flag to determine whether to add a record to the record set
designed to feed the chart. This expression must return a Boolean value. iReport considers a blank
string to mean “add all the records.”
If your data is presorted, you can select the Data is Presorted check box option to speed up the
filling process.
The Reset Type/Reset Group and Increment Type/Increment Group options can be used to
define when the collected data must reset and when to add a record to your dataset.
See Chapter 14 for details on how to set the dataset run properties.
Using Crosstab Total Variables
Crosstab total variables (see Figure 15-27) are built-in objects that you can use inside crosstab text
field expressions to combine data at different aggregation levels (e.g., to calculate a percentage).
Figure 15-27. Crosstab total variables appearing at the bottom of the crosstab objects list
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For each measure, JasperReports creates variables that store the total value of the measure by
each row/column group.
The following example is a simple report that shows the number of orders shipped in several
regions in several years. Figure 15-28 shows the simple crosstab for this example, and Figure 15-29
shows the printed results of this crosstab.
Figure 15-28. Design of a simple crosstab
Figure 15-29. Result of the crosstab shown in Figure 15-28
To calculate the percentage of orders shipped in each region per year, add a text field with the
following expression:
new Double(
$V{ORDERID_Count}.doubleValue()
/
$V{ORDERID_Count_SHIPPEDDATE_ALL}.doubleValue()
)
in other words:
(Number of orders shipped in this region and in this year) / (All orders shipped in this region)
A percentage must be treated as a floating-point number. For this reason, extract the double
scalar value from the ORDERID_Count and ORDERID_Count_SHIPPEDDATE_ALL objects even if there are
objects of class type Integer (actually, a percentage derives from a number between 0 and 1 multiplied by 100).
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To print the value of the expression as a percentage, set the value of the pattern text field attribute to #,##0.00 %.
Figure 15-30 shows the modified crosstab in the design window, and Figure 15-31 shows the
final printed results.
Figure 15-30. Design of the example crosstab showing a percentage
Figure 15-31. The final result of the modified crosstab
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Other Interface Components
T
his chapter covers the various components of the iReport graphical interface that have not yet
been discussed: the object library, the log window, and the list of active processes (see Figure 16-1),
as well as rules and magnetic guidelines.
Figure 16-1. Object library, log window, and thread list
iReport uses FlexDock as its docking framework. All panes in the main window are dockable
and can be dragged to a different position. Each pane can be iconified and optionally closed
through the buttons shown in Figure 16-2.
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Figure 16-2. Iconify and close buttons
When a pane is iconified, it appears on the left or right side of the window as a button, as
shown in Figure 16-3.
Figure 16-3. A set of iconified panes
If a pane is hidden (closed), it can be reopened using the menu command View ➤ Docking
panes, as shown in Figure 16-4.
Figure 16-4. Show or hide panes through this menu
Using the Document Structure Panel and the
Object Library
The Document structure panel, which can be found on the right side of the main window, is
composed of a tree containing the report’s fields, parameters, variables, and other elements (see
Figure 16-5). Any item within the tree can be selected and subsequently dragged into a band
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within the design window. When an object is dragged into the report, iReport creates a new Text
Field element containing the expression representing the object chosen.
Figure 16-5. Document structure panel
Using the context menus and tree views, you can add, change, or delete fields, variables, or
parameters and manage groups and subdatasets.
The object library, located on the right side of the main window, contains a set of tools useful
to perform common tasks like displaying a subtotal or the current date or the page number (see
Figure 16-6). All these tools can be used by just dragging and dropping them into in the desired
band in the design window. For example, dragging the Page Number object into the report creates
a text field containing the expression $V{PAGE_NUMBER} and an evaluation time set to Now. Similarly, if you drag the Total Pages object into the report, iReport creates an object identical to the
Page Number object, except the evaluation time will be set to Report.
Figure 16-6. The object library
Generally, the drag-and-drop functionalities provided by the Document structure panel and
the object library are helpful for new users who want to understand how to visualize a field value in
a report or how to calculate a subtotal. For more experienced users, these tools represent a very fast
way to add and edit the various report objects without having to use the values window.
You’ve learned about the Page Number and Total Pages objects. Now let’s take a closer look at
the other objects in the object library.
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Page X of Y Object
In JasperReports, it is not possible to create an expression that contains both the current page
number and the total number of pages in the report. This problem can be resolved by using two
text fields: the first containing the current page number, and the second containing the total (see
Figure 16-7). iReport will create the two fields with their corresponding evaluation time.
Figure 16-7. Text fields created by the Page X of Y object
Total Object
The Total object allows you to easily add elements that contain a total or subtotal derived from the
sum of a field or variable. Depending on the band into which the object is dragged, iReport will
determine what type of subtotal is required. For example, if the Total object is added to the group
footer, iReport places the subtotal of the field’s values relative to the associated group into the
object. Likewise, if the Total object is dragged into the summary band, the calculated total is
comprehensive.
As soon as the object is dragged into the report, the window shown in Figure 16-8 will appear,
which allows you to select the exact values to summarize. These values can be based on a field, a
variable, a parameter, or an expression (which can contain one or more of the aforementioned
objects) in the report.
Figure 16-8. Specifying values to sum for a Total object
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As always, if you want to customize an expression to extract a summarized value, invoke the
text editor by double-clicking the object and opening the Text Field tab.
When you click the OK button, a new variable is created with type Sum, the reset type and reset
group based on the band in which the object was dragged, and the correct Java type for the variable.
This variable will be used to determine the value for the appropriate text field in the report.
Current Date Object
With this tool, you can easily add a text field showing a date. When you drag and drop the Current
Date object into a report band, a window appears in which you can select the date format you want
(see Figure 16-9). The selected format is then used as the pattern for the field.
Figure 16-9. Specifying a pattern for a Date object
The text field expression is set to new java.util.Date(), and the text field evaluation time is set
to Report, making several dates printed in this way as close as possible.
Percentage Object
The Percentage object helps the user create a text field containing a percentage.
When you drag and drop a Percentage object into a report band, the dialog box shown in
Figure 16-10 appears. Here you specify the field whose percentage you want to calculate and the
aggregation level on which to perform the percentage calculation.
Figure 16-10. Specifying a field and aggregation level for a Percentage object
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iReport creates a new variable to store the sum of the selected field. The reset type of this variable is set to the selected aggregation level (e.g., report, page, or a particular group). The text field
expression generated is something like this:
new Double($F{Freight}.doubleValue() / $V{SUM_Freight_1}.doubleValue())
and the evaluation time is set to Auto to allow the evaluation of $F{Freight} and $V{SUM_Freight_1}
at different aggregation times. Finally, the pattern of the text field is set to #,##0.00 %.
Understanding the Log Window
The lower portion of the iReport interface contains the log window. Since version 0.5.1, the log
window has been organized into tabs, as shown in Figure 16-11.
Figure 16-11. Log window
The main tab, called the Main Console tab, is always visible, and it shows messages indicating
activity in iReport (when files are saved, for example). When a file is being compiled or a report is
being printed, the subsequent processes are visible in a new tab. Terminated processes are made
invisible at the beginning of a new process to avoid unnecessary accumulation of text in the tab.
Nevertheless, it can be useful at times to keep a log open and start a new process in a new tab. You
can keep a log open by selecting Keep Log from the context menu that appears when you right-click
a log window tab’s label. To close a previously “kept” log, select Close Log. To clear the contents of a
log, select Clear Log.
Understanding the Thread List
When a file is compiled or a report is printing, iReport creates a new thread that completes the
requested commands. Active threads and the activities they are performing appear in the box in the
lower-right corner of the main iReport window (see Figure 16-12).
When a process is taking too long, you can kill it by highlighting the specific process and selecting Kill this thread from the context menu. This sends an interruption signal to the specified thread,
but it is not guaranteed that the thread will be stopped immediately.
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Figure 16-12. Thread list
Using Rules and Magnetic Guidelines
Rules are used to show the page dimensions and margins (see Figure 16-13).
Figure 16-13. Rules
You can create a guideline by clicking inside a rule. A guideline, painted with dotted blue lines,
is a special line that can simplify the positioning of elements in a page. Guidelines are magnetic,
which means that if an element is created or moved close to a guideline, its coordinates are
“attracted” by the line. To test this effect, create four guidelines as illustrated in Figure 16-14: two
horizontal and the other two vertical. Now draw a Rectangle element to fit inside the guidelines.
You’ll see that doing so becomes extremely easy due to the magnetic feature of the guidelines.
To remove a guideline, simply drag the guideline over the top-left corner of the design window.
Figure 16-14. Magnetic guidelines help drawing elements
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When an element is resized or moved, it is attracted not only by the guidelines, but also by all
the other elements present in the report. This helps you to easily align several elements. However,
sometimes it can be useful to disable the magnetic effect (e.g., when there are too many elements
attracting the one you are trying to move). To disable all magnetic effects, just click the Magnet tool
in the toolbar, shown here:
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Plug-Ins and Additional Tools
I
t is possible to extend iReport functionalities by means of plug-ins, external application modules
designed to execute various tasks such as positioning elements using particular criteria or compiling a JASPER file and putting it in a BLOB database field.
Plug-ins are loaded when iReport starts and are accessible by selecting Plugins from the main
menu bar (see Figure 17-1).
Figure 17-1. Plugins menu
By selecting Options ➤ Configure Plugins, as shown in Figure 17-2, you can access the plug-in
list, shown in Figure 17-3, if you want to configure any of the plug-ins.
Figure 17-2. Configure Plugins menu option
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Figure 17-3. Plugins configuration dialog box
Each plug-in is created by extending the abstract class it.businesslogic.ireport.plugin.
IReportPlugin and writing an XML file containing the plug-in deployment directives. The class (or
the JAR that contains it) must be present in the classpath, and the XML file must be placed in the
plugin directory in iReport’s home directory. All XML files in this directory are processed to start up
the corresponding plug-ins.
iReport comes with several plug-ins: Massive compiler, Text Wizard, Oracle options, Translation Status, Check for iReport updates, and Example 1, a simple plug-in provided as a sample.
Plug-In Configuration XML File Overview
The plug-in configuration XML file, used as the deployment descriptor, is really simple. Here is the
DTD that describes its tags:
&lt;?xml version=&quot;1.0&quot; encoding=&quot;UTF-8&quot;?&gt;
&lt;!-Document
: iReportPlugin.dtd
Created on : 19 maggio 2004, 8.09
Author
: Giulio Toffoli
Description: This DTD defines the XML descriptor for an iReport plug-in.
--&gt;
&lt;!-iReportPlugin is the root element.
ATTRIBUTES:
name
The name of plug-in
class
The class that extends
it.businesslogic.ireport.plugin.IReportPlugin
loadOnStartup If true, the plug-in will be instanced on iReport startup
hide
If true, this plug-in will be not visible on Plugin menu
--&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT iReportPlugin (Author?,Description?, IconFile?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST iReportPlugin
name NMTOKEN #REQUIRED
class NMTOKEN #REQUIRED
loadOnStartup (true | false) &quot;false&quot;
hide (true | false) &quot;false&quot;
configurable (true | false) &quot;false&quot;&gt;
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&lt;!ELEMENT Author (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT Description (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!-Icon file should be a file in the classpath i.e., com/my/plug/in/icon.gif
Is used as optional icon for menu.
Dim: 16x16
--&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT IconFile (#PCDATA)&gt;
The root element is iReportPlugin, and Table 17-1 lists its attributes.
Table 17-1. iReportPlugin Attributes
Attribute
Description
name
This is the plug-in name.
class
This is the Java class that implements the plug-in; it must be present in the
classpath together with all required classes. If a JAR is needed to run the plugin, you have to put it in iReport’s lib directory.
loadOnStartup
iReport keeps in memory one and only one instance for each plug-in. By
setting this attribute to true, you force iReport to instance the plug-in when
iReport starts, without waiting for an invocation.
hide
By setting this to true, you can hide the plug-in (it will be hidden in all the
menu entries related to the plug-in in question).
configurable
If set to true, iReport will enable the Configure button for this plug-in in the
window shown in Figure 17-3.
If you want, you can specify an author name for a plug-in (using the tag Author, this information is currently not used or displayed by iReport), a small plug-in description (using the tag
Description), and a 16&times;16-pixel icon that will be used for the menu (using the tag IconFile): since
the icon file is loaded as a Java resource, the value for this tag must be a path in the classpath
(e.g., /it/businesslogic/ireport/icons/menu/new.gif).
Following is the XML file used to activate the Example 1 plug-in shipped with iReport:
&lt;iReportPlugin
name=&quot;Example 1&quot;
class=&quot;it.businesslogic.ireport.plugin.examples.HelloWorld&quot;
loadOnStartup=&quot;false&quot;
hide = &quot;false&quot;
configurable = &quot;true&quot;&gt;
&lt;IconFile&gt;/it/businesslogic/ireport/icons/menu/new.gif&lt;/IconFile&gt;
&lt;Description&gt;
This example shows how to create a very simple
plugin for iReport.
&lt;/Description&gt;
&lt;/iReportPlugin&gt;
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To disable a plug-in, you have to remove its XML file from the plugin directory (or simply
change its extension to something different from .xml). If the plug-in descriptor is contained in a
JAR file (as discussed in the “Deploying a Plug-In As a JAR File” section later in this chapter), you
need to remove that JAR from the classpath in order to disable the plug-in.
Working with the
it.businesslogic.ireport.plugin.IReportPlugin Class
The most difficult part related to the creation of a plug-in is programming it. You have to create a
new Java class that extends the abstract class it.businesslogic.ireport.plugin.IReportPlugin.
This one contains two “entry points”: the methods configure and call. The first is invoked only
if the plug-in is labeled as “configurable” when you click the Configure button (shown earlier in
Figure 17-3); the second is invoked when you select the plug-in name from the menu (shown earlier in Figure 17-1).
Here is the IReportPlugin class source code:
package it.businesslogic.ireport.plugin;
import it.businesslogic.ireport.gui.MainFrame;
/**
* This class must be extended by all iReport plug-ins.
* To install a plug-in in iReport, put the plug-in XML in the plugin
* directory of iReport.
* See plug-in documentation on how to create a plug-in for iReport
*
* This is the first very simple interface to plug in. We hope it doesn't
* change, but we can't say what it'll be in the future...
*
* @author Administrator
*/
public abstract class IReportPlugin {
MainFrame mainFrame = null;
String name = &quot;&quot;;
/**
* This method is called when the plug-in is selected from the Plugin menu
*/
public abstract void call();
/**
* This method is called when the Configure button in the Plugins configuration
* list is selected.
* Configuration file of plug-in should be stored in
* IREPORT_USER_HOME_DIR/plugins/
*/
public void configure(){}
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/**
* Retrieve the plug-in name. Please note that the plug-in name must be
* unique and should be used as a file name for the configuration file if
* needed. This name can be different from the name specified in XML,
* which is the name used for the menu item.
*/
public String getName(){
return name;
}
/** Getter for property mainFrame.
* @return Value of property mainFrame.
*
*/
public it.businesslogic.ireport.gui.MainFrame getMainFrame() {
return mainFrame;
}
/** Setter for property mainFrame.
* @param mainFrame New value of property mainFrame.
*
*/
public void setMainFrame(
it.businesslogic.ireport.gui.MainFrame mf) {
this.mainFrame = mf;
}
}
As you can see, the only real abstract method is call. In effect, the configure method is implemented (with a void body), because there is not much sense in forcing you to implement it if it is
not used (that is, when the plug-in is not configurable).
It is a good idea to define a plug-in constructor without arguments and set a value for the class
name attribute. As soon as the plug-in is instanced, iReport will call the plug-in method setMainFrame
to fill the mainFrame attribute, which is a reference to the core class of iReport: through this class,
you can access reports, you can compile, you can modify the iReport configuration, and so forth.
Now focus on the call method. I have already talked about the fact that iReport creates and
keeps in memory only one instance of each plug-in; this means that the call method is not thread
safe. This suggests that the class that extends IReportPlugin should be a kind of container for the
real plug-in; the call method should be the only entry point to run the plug-in code. At this point,
it’s possible to describe two types of plug-ins: the ones that have a single persistent instance, which
survives between two consecutive plug-in calls; and the ones that use multiple volatile instances,
which burn and die when the plug-in code ends. In this case, the call method is implemented to
create a new instance of the core plug-in class each time the plug-in is executed.
The following code represents a simplified example of how a plug-in with a persistent instance
should work:
public class MyPlugin extends IReportPlugin {
MyPluginFrame frame = null;
public MyPlugin()
{
setName(&quot;my sample plugin&quot;);
}
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/**
* This method is called when the plug-in is selected from the Plugin menu
*/
public void call()
{
if (frame == null)
{
frame = new MyPluginFrame();
}
if (!frame.isVisible()) frame.setVisible(true);
}
}
The example MyPluginFrame class is the core of this plug-in, and it is shown any time you select
this plug-in from the menu. The Massive compiler plug-in also works this way. The plug-in window
can be opened and closed many times, but MyPluginFrame is never deallocated, and it keeps its state
untouched.
If you have to create a new instance of the plug-in core class each time the plug-in is executed,
the call method must be converted something like this:
public class MyPlugin extends IReportPlugin {
public MyPlugin()
{
setName(&quot;my sample plugin&quot;);
}
/**
* This method is called when the plug-in is selected from the Plugin menu
*/
public void call()
{
MyPluginFrame frame = new MyPluginFrame();
frame.show();
}
}
In this case, when you start the plug-in, a new window of type MyPluginFrame will be opened.
To complete information related to plug-ins, let’s look at a couple pieces of code that are useful
for interacting with iReport.
This instruction returns a reference to the object MainFrame:
MainFrame mf = MainFrame.getMainInstance();
This call returns the active report window (JReportFrame), from which it is possible to retrieve
the report object using the method getReport:
mf.getActiveReportFrame();
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The development of new plug-ins is strongly supported. If you have suggestions on this topic
or wish to have something on how to implement a new plug-in clarified, do not be afraid to contact
me at [email protected].
Deploying a Plug-In As a JAR File
As mentioned earlier, plug-ins are installed in iReport by placing an XML file into the plugins directory. This can be a problem when iReport can’t access the file system directly (e.g., using Java Web
Start to start iReport). From version 0.5.0 on, it’s possible to put all plug-in files into a JAR file. The
XML file that will describe the plug-in must be called plugin.xml, and it must be placed in a directory named ireport.
Using the Massive Compiler Plug-In
The Massive compiler, shown in Figure 17-4, is a tool to compile a large set of JRXML source files at
the same time. It was particularly useful up to the release of JasperReports 1.1.0, since at the time, to
migrate to a new JasperReports version, you had to recompile all your JRXML files.
Figure 17-4. The Massive compiler
When this plug-in is started, a window to select the files to compile appears. Using the browse
button, you have to input or select the directory in which the files to compile are stored (you can
force the plug-in to search in subdirectories too by checking the Search Subdirectories check box
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option). Clicking the Find button will list all files found with a .jrxml or .xml extension. You only
have to select the files to compile and click the Compile selected file(s) button.
If you want, you can replace files that still have the old .xml file extension with the new .jrxml
extension. If a JASPER file already exists for a particular file, it is possible to create a backup copy of
the old one before creating the new report.
If an error occurs while compiling a file, a warning icon is displayed to the left of the file name.
When you double-click the offending file, you will see the details of the error (see Figure 17-5).
Figure 17-5. Compilation error details
Using the Text Wizard Plug-In
The Text Wizard plug-in was created to simplify the generation of text reports (reports based on
characters). The aim was to allow building of tabular reports with labels and fields.
When you start this plug-in, it determines the width of the opened report and converts this
width into characters. By clicking the Check for fields widths button, you refresh the list that contains the available report fields. To the right of the field names, there are two other columns. The
first contains the maximum number of visible characters needed to show the entire content of the
field (this information is retrieved using the ResultSetMetaData object returned by the JDBC driver).
In the second column, you can manually change the maximum length of this field: all characters
after this value will be cut off.
Clicking the Add Elements button adds labels and fields that will be placed in the report. The
expression needed to truncate the contained value will be set in each text field, and it will look
something like the following:
( (($F{XYZ}!=null) &amp;&amp; ($F{XYZ}.length() &gt; 50)) ? $F{XYZ}.substring(0,50) : $F{XYZ})
This expression checks for the length of the fields XYZ; if the length is greater than 50 characters, the expression returns a cut string.
Figure 17-6 shows the Text Wizard plug-in in action.
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Figure 17-6. The Text Wizard plug-in
Using the Oracle Options Plug-In
The simple Oracle options plug-in permits you to specify the language and territory that must be
used for the current Oracle connection (see Figure 17-7).
Figure 17-7. Oracle options plug-in
Using the Check for iReport Updates Plug-In
The Check for iReport updates plug-in checks whether updated versions of iReport are available.
This plug-in is executed when iReport starts. You can disable it by selecting Options ➤ Configure
Plugins, choosing Check for iReport updates, clicking the Configure button, and unchecking the
Check for update on iReport startup option shown in Figure 17-8. In this window, you can configure
the plug-in in order to use an HTTP Proxy when connecting to the Internet to check for updates.
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Figure 17-8. Configuration of Check for iReport updates plug-in
Using the Translation Status Plug-In
The Translation Status plug-in provides translators with a quick view of the completion status of
each translation file as well as a tool to help complete a translation.
When the plug-in is launched, the translation file list appears (see Figure 17-9). The table
shows each language name (and optionally the country tied to each language), its completion
status, and its file name (stored in the it/businesslogic/ireport/locale directory).
Figure 17-9. Translation file list
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The percentage is based on the number of keys present in the file ireport.properties, which
contains all the default strings. With each release, this file acquires even more keys that are not
translated in languages other than Italian and English.
To see details of a language, double-click the language you desire or select it and click the
Details button. This opens a new window showing all the keys present in ireport.properties and
the related translation and default value in English (see Figure 17-10). Missing keywords are displayed in red.
From iReport 1.3.0 on, you can edit missing keywords and save them in a file stored in the
following directory:
&lt;USER_HOME&gt;/.ireport/classes/it/businesslogic/ireport/locale
Figure 17-10. Translation detail
At startup, iReport will look for your favorite locale in this directory first.
Alternatively, you can click the Export button to generate a new file that stores all current translations and ends with all untranslated keywords starting with a # (which introduces a comment)
and with the related default value ready to be translated. To use a locale file modified in this way,
insert or replace it in the it/businesslogic/ireport/locale package. iReport will look for this package in the following directories:
• Paths defined in the classpath
• &lt;USER_HOME&gt;/.ireport/classes
• &lt;IREPORT_HOME&gt;/classes
• &lt;IREPORT_HOME&gt;/lib/ireport.jar
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If you upgrade a current translation, or if you want to create a new translation for iReport, send
your properties file to [email protected] to make your translation available to all iReport users
who speak your language, or sign up for JasperBabylon and become an official iReport contributor.
Working with JasperBabylon
All translatable strings of iReport are published on JasperBabylon, a web-based tool that makes the
management of the Resource Bundle files easy (see Figure 17-11).
Figure 17-11. Importing from JasperBabylon
To list all the translations available, as shown in Figure 17-12, click the Import from
JasperBabylon button.
Figure 17-12. List of available translations imported from JasperBabylon
iReport will connect to the JasperBabylon repository in order to get the translations list. If
available, you can select your favorite language from this list and import it (you may still need to set
which language iReport should use in the Options window).
JasperBabylon can be used to update an existing local translation, and if you are a registered
contributor, you can send your translation to the JasperBabylon repository, making your translation
available to others (note the Import from JasperBabylon and Export to JasperBabylon buttons in
Figure 17-13). To do so, set your credentials in the Translation Status plug-in properties dialog box,
shown in Figure 17-14 (click the Options ➤ Configure Plugins menu item, select the Translation
Status item, and click Configure to bring up this dialog box).
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Figure 17-13. Import from JasperBabylon/Export to JasperBabylon buttons to update and share a
translation
Figure 17-14. JasperBabylon credential to upload a new translation
You can set your username and password from this window as well as the official URL of
JasperBabylon: http://www.jasperforge.org/jasperbabylon. On this site, you can create an
account, if you still don’t have one.
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18
Solutions to Common Problems
I
n this chapter, you will learn how to solve some common problems related to using iReport and
JasperReports; these are problems users frequently post about on the iReport forum and problems
for which the JasperReports official documentation does not provide a clear solution.
Error Handling
iReport helps you understand real-time and compilation errors using the new Problems tab in the
output console pane (see Figure 18-1).
Figure 18-1. Problems tab of the output console pane
Depending on the nature of the error, you can locate the source of the problem in two ways:
• Clicking an error in the Problems tab: This action will select in the design window the element that is the cause of the error (and optionally, the associated property is highlighted
with a red exclamation mark in the property sheet).
• Double-clicking an error in the Problems tab: If the error is produced by an expression
editable in some nested dialog box, the dialog box will pop up. In this case, iReport highlights the expression field where it has identified the problem.
Printing Large Reports Using Report Virtualizer
The only potential obstacle when creating a larger report in JasperReports is the amount of memory
available. To help alleviate this “physical” limitation, JasperReports economizes on memory usage
and employs other available media to save completed pages during the filling/printing of a report
(typically the hard disk). Therefore, users can create reports with a very large number of pages without the risk of encountering “out of memory” exceptions.
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To open the Report Virtualizer, select Build ➤ Use Report Virtualizer (see Figure 18-2). The
Report Virtualizer is configurable in the iReport Options window in the Compiler tab (see Chapter 19).
Figure 18-2. Accessing the Report Virtualizer
Printing a Percentage
In a report, often you will need to display the value of a field and the percentage of this value with
respect to others. Consider the rows in the following table:
A
B
C
Bananas
10
20%
Oranges
25
50%
Strawberries
15
30%
In this case, the percentages inserted in column C represent the percentages respective to the
values in column B calculated using the following formula:
C = (B / (ΣB)) * 100
(1)
where ΣB equals the sum of all values in column B.
Although it looks like quite a simple way to calculate the percentage, formula (1) does not calculate correctly in JasperReports because the formula uses values that are not yet available at the
time the formula is calculated. Specifically, the value ΣB is obtained only at the end of the report (or
at the end of a group if the reset type is group) when all records have been processed. However, you
do have available the value of B during the elaboration of the record for which you are calculating
formula (1), otherwise known as an evaluation time of Now.
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Up to JasperReports 1.2, there was no simple solution for this problem. The only way was to
precalculate the totals needed to determine the percentages (in the previous example, the value
ΣB). By precalculating the value and passing it to your report as a parameter, you could rewrite
formula (1) as something like this:
new Double(($P{B}.doubleValue()*100)/$F{TOTAL_OF_B}.doubleValue())
where TOTAL_OF_B is the parameter name containing your precalculated value.
To solve the problem without performing external processing, you need to be using
JasperReports 1.2 or later. These versions of JasperReports provide the Auto evaluation time
setting for text fields. This setting is quite similar to Now, but it’s smart enough to process an
expression like
new Double( $F{B}.doubleValue() / $V{TOTAL_OF_B}.doubleValue() )
using the last available value of variable TOTAL_OF_B before it is reset. This enables printing of the
percentage (note that the expression avoids multiplying the result by 100, because in this case it is
better to use the percentage pattern to format the field).
In any case, this solution doesn’t permit storing the percentage value in a variable to perform
other calculations.
Counting Occurrences of a Group
Starting with JasperReports 1.0.0, you can count the occurrences of a particular group by creating a
variable of calculation type Count, defining Group as the increment type, and then specifying the
group to count. Here, you’ll see how to perform the same calculation without selecting a specific
increment type. The goal is a way to manage “custom” increment types.
Each group in JasperReports is associated with an expression. During report generation, as
soon as the expression value changes, a new group occurrence starts. Sometimes you must count
the number of groups (i.e., count how many times the value of the group expression changes). To
do this, you need a variable: name it GRP_COUNT; the basic idea is to increment this variable if and
only if the variable group name_COUNT is equal to 0. group name_COUNT is a built-in variable provided
by JasperReports, and it contains the current number of processed records for the group defined
by group name. Since the variable group name_COUNT for a certain group is equal to 0 only once,
GRP_COUNT will contain the exact number of group occurrences.
The example in Figure 18-3 shows a simple report created using the query select * from
customers order by country and the expression associated with the group COUNTRY is the field
$F{COUNTRY}.
Figure 18-3. Design of a report with a group counting variable
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You can declare the variable GRP_COUNT by specifying the following settings, as shown in
Figure 18-4:
• Variable Class Type: java.lang.Integer
• CalculationType: Count
• Reset Type: Report
• Variable Expression: ( $V{COUNTRY_COUNT} != null &amp;&amp; $V{COUNTRY_COUNT}.intValue() ==
1 ) ? &quot;&quot; : null
• Initial Value Expression: new Integer(0)
Figure 18-4. Definition of the GRP_COUNT variable
The expression says this: if you are evaluating the first record (the record number 0) for the current group instance, then return something that is not null; otherwise, return the null value. Since
you choose Count as the calculation type, the variable GRP_COUNT will be incremented only when the
expression value is not null—that is, when the first record of the current group is evaluated.
To display this value in a text field, you have to set the evaluation time of the element expression
to Group and for the expression group specify the group for which you are counting occurrences, in
this example, the COUNTRY group (see Figure 18-5).
In Figure 18-6, you can see the resulting printed report. The group instance number is displayed
inside the black frames.
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Figure 18-5. Definition of the text field to display the GRP_COUNT variable
Figure 18-6. In each black frame, the group occurrence is displayed.
If the Evaluation Time field is set to Report, the total number of group occurrences will be
printed.
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Splitting the Detail Band
Sometimes it is useful to split the detail band into more bands. For example, you might want to
display a specific detail band instead of another when some conditions happen. These conditions
must be tested by using the band’s print when expression.
It is possible to have an arbitrary number of detail bands by creating new groups that use a
group expression that changes in value on each record. You can use a primary key field of the record
or a counter variable as an expression. This way, besides in the detail band, you will have a group
header and group footer for each record, usable in the same way as the detail band.
In the report design shown in Figure 18-7, the detail band is hidden to leave space for the
header bands of a couple of new groups for which the group expression is the same: the primary
key of the record.
Figure 18-7. A split detail band
By selecting the Start on a New Page option for the first group, you can force a page break for
each record. The page break is placed between sequential records, not between the two bands; if
you need to split a record over more than a single page, you should use the Page Break element.
Inserting Additional Pages
The Page Break element provides a way to add a page break in a band, so that you can split a band
into two pages. Unfortunately, this does not mean that you will get more space in which to design
your report: the space available at design time is limited to the page height. In this section, you will
see how to use subreports to have virtually an arbitrary number of pages available at design time.
To start, you will split contents of the detail band into two pages: the first will display the code and
name of a customer, and the second one will display that customer’s address.
To complete the example, you will print each record on a new page so that you have two entire
pages per record.
Let’s go step by step. Start from the subreport: create a simple blank document with margins
set to zero (you can easily remove the margins with Edit ➤ Remove Margins). Set to zero the height
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of all bands (title band and summary band excluded). In the report properties of this subreport
(Edit ➤ Report Properties), select the Title on a new page option on the More tab and set the value
of the When no data option to All sections, no detail (alternatively, you can set these options using
the property sheet when the Document node in the Document structure panel is selected). All field
values coming from the master report will be passed as parameters, so you have to declare all the
necessary parameters. In this example, you only need these four parameters (see Figure 18-8):
• CUSTOMERID
• COMPANYNAME
• CITY
• REGION
Figure 18-8. Content on two pages: title and summary
So insert into the report all the text fields you need. Please note that all elements inserted in the
title band are printed on the first page, which consists of the detail band, and elements put in the
summary band will be printed in the second page.
Now for the master report: create a blank report and add a group with $V{REPORT_COUNT} as the
group expression and the Start on a New Page group flag checked. This will result in a page break
between each record. Add a Subreport element to the detail band (see Figure 18-9) without any connection or datasource (you have to set the Connection/Datasource property for the subreport to No
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connection or datasource). Since the subreport will always print two pages, this is how you’ll divide
the contents of the detail band.
Figure 18-9. The master report with subreport added
You have to fill the subreport parameters with the right expressions in the master report
(specifically, you have to fill the Subreport parameters table in the Subreport (Other) tab of the
element properties window, as shown in Figure 18-10).
Figure 18-10. Specifying the subreport parameters
Compile both master and subreport and print the report. You should see pages like the ones
shown in Figure 18-11.
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Figure 18-11. Content split into several pages
Retrieving Data Using Multiple Connections
Sometimes you need to retrieve data from more than a single database at the same time. To achieve
this, the solution depends a lot on what you want. Usually, to execute multiple queries, subreports
are used. Since you have to specify what connection a subreport must use, you can set a different
connection expression for each subreport. You can pass alternative connections to use in your
report as parameters.
If it is not possible to keep separated the data retrieved by different databases using subreports,
you have to implement a lookup method, for example, using a static class or adding the method to
the report scriptlet. This lookup method will be used to retrieve data from an arbitrary database.
The following example represents a simple lookup class to decode the name of a country given
a country code. The method is passed an already opened JDBC connection and the code to decode
as parameters.
public class LookUp {
public static String decodeState(java.sql.Connection con, int code)
{
java.sql.Statement stmt = null;
java.sql.ResultSet rs = null;
try {
stmt = con.createStatement();
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rs = stmt.executeQuery(
&quot;select STATE_NAME from STATES where code=&quot; + code );
if (rs.next())
{
return rs.getString(1);
}
return &quot;#not found!&quot;;
} catch (Exception ex)
{
return &quot;#error&quot;;
} finally {
if (rs != null)
try { rs.close(); }
catch (Exception ex2) {}
if (stmt != null)
try { stmt.close(); }
catch (Exception ex2) {}
}
}
}
Calling this method, passing as arguments different database connections, you can get a report
filled using data coming from different databases.
Using Stored Procedures
In general, you can easily use stored procedures in JasperReports without any particular expedient.
For example, the syntax to call a stored procedure depends on the particular DBMS. The following
SQL statement executes a stored procedure called my_proc in a MySQL database:
call my_proc()
This approach of using a stored procedure to call a standard SQL query works well with databases like MySQL and Microsoft SQL Server (assuming that the procedure returns some kind of
SELECT statement or a cursor). Unfortunately, it does not work with Oracle. This is because the Oracle
JDBC driver does not return a result set when JasperReports invokes a query using the standard JDBC
calls. In effect, Oracle requires some specific Java code to extract a result set from a stored procedure
output parameter (which is normally declared as a cursor).
■Note Some skilled PL/SQL developers may be able to work around the problem using a query like the
following in a report:
select a, b, c from table( cast( my_proc() ) )
my_proc must be defined as function with a return type defined as table of myRecordType, where
myRecordType is the definition of a record type.
cast and table are two Oracle-specific functions. See the Oracle documentation for details on how to use them.
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In any case, JasperReports is not able to handle output parameters apart from the result set
that comes from the execution of the stored procedure.
Behind the scenes, JasperReports uses the PreparedStatement class (a standard Java interface
to execute a SQL statement). This class provides a way to set values for input parameters that can be
required by the statement itself; this mechanism works fine with common SQL queries and stored
procedure calls as well. This class can be transparently used to execute a stored procedure on many
DBMSs. JasperReports expects the statement execution to return a result set, and this strictly
depends on the specific JDBC driver implementation.
There are other cases in which the result set is not what you are interested in, and you may
need to get all the output parameter values coming from the stored procedure. This complicates the
problem a bit: the query in a report is supposed to be used to generate a result set, nothing more.
Keeping in mind the need to get a result set out of the query execution, a possible approach is
to delegate the execution of the stored procedure to the hosting application (the application that is
using JasperReports) and run the report against some kind of temporary table filled dynamically by
the stored procedure itself. This solution is actually a bit “expensive” in terms of implementation
and requires the creation/fill/cleanup of a temporary table, all of which can address some performance issues; anyway, the basic idea is to use a temporary table to store the data required by the
report. A stored procedure, executed autonomously by the host application, should extract the
desired data and fill the temporary table that will be queried by the report with a regular SELECT
statement. At the end of the report execution, when the final print is done, the host application is
responsible for cleaning up the temporary table (or dropping it as necessary).
A better solution is to provide more “intelligence” for JasperReports query executers. This can
be done by plugging in a custom query executer to deal with the stored procedures. This approach
is extremely powerful and represents the best way to modify the default behavior of JasperReports
when it must execute a query and manage the result in a specific (perhaps system-dependent) way.
For instance, if you plan to use Oracle stored procedures, you can save a lot of time adopting the
freely available implementation of a query executer for PL/SQL by Barry Klawans, described in the
next section. (An in-depth exploration of query executers appears in Chapter 9.)
PL/SQL Query Executer
JasperReports 1.2.0 introduced the concept of the custom query executer. This mechanism provides a way to use a custom interpreter for a specific report query language. Barry Klawans from
JasperSoft has released an implementation of a PL/SQL query executer on JasperForge.org. The
project URL is http://jasperforge.org/sf/projects/oraclestoredprocedures.
This query executer defines the new language simply called plsql to distinguish it from sql.
(Recall that in iReport, the query language used in a report is specified at the top of the Report
query dialog box.) Although it is specifically for Oracle, it comes with the source code, so it can be
easily modified to fit similar needs.
Following are the step-by-step instructions to use this new language in iReport after you download the ZIP archive containing all the required files (a sample and the source code are included).
This package is not part of JasperReports because it requires the Oracle JDBC drivers in order to be
compiled and to work.
1. Select Options ➤ Query executers in the main menu bar.
2. In the resulting dialog box, click New.
3. Set the language to plsql and the factory class to org.jasperforge.jaspersoft.demo.
PlSqlQueryExecuterFactory.
4. Download and build the project OracleStoredProcedures.
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5. Copy the build/classes directory to your iReport directory.
6. In iReport, select Data ➤ Connections/Data Sources.
7. In the resulting dialog box, click New.
8. From the list of datasource types, select Query Executer mode. Set the name to PlSql and
click Save.
9. Add the Oracle JDBC driver to iReport’s lib directory. (The Oracle 9 version is in the lib
directory of this project, in classes12.jar.)
Now you can create a report that uses an Oracle stored procedure:
1. Create a new report.
2. Add a parameter to your report called “cursor” with the type java.sql.ResultSet. Be sure
that the Use as a Prompt option is not selected.
3. Set the datasource to the PlSql source defined earlier.
4. Select Data ➤ Report Query.
5. Enter plsql in the Query language field—it won’t appear in the list of languages, but you can
type it into the field.
6. Set the query to {call your_procedure($P{cursor}, $F{some_field})}. The important
thing is that the cursor parameter must be wherever the Oracle REF_CURSOR is in the
parameters list.
In order to use this query executer on a server, or in general, outside iReport, you need to set
the JasperReports property
net.sf.jasperreports.query.executer.factory.plsql
to this value:
org.jasperforge.jaspersoft.demo.PlSqlQueryExecuterFactory
This can be done programmatically (see The Definitive Guide to JasperReports by Teodor
Daniciu, Lucian Chirita, Sanda Zaharia, and Ionut Nedelcu [Apress, 2007]) or by simply inserting in
the classpath the file jasperreports.properties (shipped with this OracleStoredProcedures package). It simply contains the following line (a single line without spaces):
net.sf.jasperreports.query.executer.factory.plsql=➥
org.jasperforge.jaspersoft.demo.PlSqlQueryExecuterFactory
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iReport Options
T
his chapter focuses on the many iReport configuration options.
When options are applied, they are saved in a file named config.xml, stored in the directory
&lt;USER_HOME&gt;/.ireport.
Select Options ➤ Settings to open the Options window, where you define iReport configuration
options. Let’s take a closer look at this window, starting with the general options.
Configuring General Options
In the General tab of the Options window, shown in Figure 19-1, it’s possible to set options relative
to the editor interface (such as the language or the look and feel).
Figure 19-1. General options
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Most of the options present should be self-explanatory.
The Default Unit setting is not yet used in all iReport frames (this will be fixed in the future).
The same applies to the Grid Size setting.
The Synchronize Report Name with File Name option means that the report name and the file
name are set to the same value when saving the file.
If you specify a JRXML file in the Use this File as Template for New documents field, it will be
used as the “blank document” when clicking the New button in the toolbar.
The iReport UI and Non-Latin Languages
iReport tries to set Tahoma as the default font for the UI. For non-Latin languages, this could be a
problem because Tahoma defines only a restricted set of characters.
There are two ways to avoid changes to default UI fonts:
• Uncheck the Override Default Font option, shown in Figure 19-2 (or select a good font like
Dialog).
Figure 19-2. Font settings of the General tab
• Select a look and feel different from Metal.
Configuring Compiler Options
Compilation options are set in the Compiler tab of the Options window (see Figure 19-3).
The Default compilation directory option defines the directory where JASPER files are
compiled.
A report can be compiled using different compilers. The default JasperReports compiler is the
JDT compiler (used by the Eclipse IDE). If you use this compiler and you have problems executing
your report, add the jdt-compiler.jar file to your application classpath.
iReport works using the tools.jar compiler. To use it, you have to put the tools.jar file
provided by your JDK into the lib directory.
The BeanShell compiler is no longer officially supported by JasperReports; use it only if you
really need it.
The Jikes compiler uses the jikes command to compile reports.
■Caution
If the language you choose to use for expressions is Groovy, a special compiler for Groovy will be
used instead of the default compiler.
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Figure 19-3. Compiler options
Configuring Report Virtualizer
In the Compiler tab, you can also configure the Report Virtualizer, which optimizes the application
for the generation of larger reports. Currently, three different implementations of the Report Virtualizer are available:
File Virtualizer: Stores completed pages on the hard disk rather than storing each page in memory
Single Swap/File Virtualizer: Works like the File Virtualizer, but keeps all pages stored on the
hard disk in a single file
GZIP In-Memory Virtualizer: Keeps all pages in memory but uses a compression algorithm to
reduce the memory used by completed pages
The configurable options for the Report Virtualizer include the directory to use for temporary
file storage and the maximum number of pages to keep in memory (for file-based virtualizers).
■Caution
For very large reports, the number of files generated will be much higher. Please ensure that your file
system has enough free disk space to accommodate these files.
For JasperReports versions 1.0.3 and above, the files produced by the Report Virtualizer are
deleted when the JRPrint object containing the printed report is closed and deleted from the JVM.
Configuring Backup Options
iReport provides different policies to keep a backup version of a modified file. If you want to take advantage of iReport backup options, select the best one for you on the Backup tab, shown in Figure 19-4.
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Figure 19-4. Backup options
Configuring External Programs
Use the External Programs tab, shown in Figure 19-5, to set external viewers for each file format.
You can select a preview with the Build menu.
Figure 19-5. External programs options
Extending the Classpath
By selecting Options ➤ Classpath, you can extend the iReport classpath (see Figure 19-6). Be aware
that adding too many entries can slow down iReport.
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Figure 19-6. Extending the iReport classpath
Configuring Export Options
If necessary, you can test and use most of the options provided by JasperReports for exporters
(Options ➤ Export Options). Not all displayed options, shown in Figure 19-7, are usable in iReport.
Figure 19-7. Export options
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Creating Custom Expressions (Formulas)
All expressions in iReport can be edited using the expression editor (see Figure 19-8). To edit the list
of ready-to-use expressions available in the Formula folder, select Options ➤ Formulas. From the
window that appears, you can add, remove, and modify expressions, as well as change the order of
the expressions in the list (see Figure 19-9). These expressions or formulas are not validated, so you
are free to add meta expressions to the list such as the following:
( &lt;boolean expression&gt;) ? &lt;expression on true&gt; : &lt;expression on false&gt;
This particular expression can’t work as is, but it can help you to remember the syntax of a typical
conditional structure.
Figure 19-8. Expression editor
Figure 19-9. Formulas list
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APPENDIX A
GNU General Public License
i
Report is distributed based on the terms outlined in the GNU General Public License. Other
license types are available if necessary.
The GNU General Public License
Version 2, June 1991
Copyright &copy; 1989, 1991 Free Software Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this license document, but
changing it is not allowed.
Preamble
The licenses for most software are designed to take away your freedom to share and change it. By
contrast, the GNU General Public License is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and
change free software—to make sure the software is free for all its users. This General Public License
applies to most of the Free Software Foundation’s software and to any other program whose authors
commit to using it. (Some other Free Software Foundation software is covered by the GNU Library
General Public License instead.) You can apply it to your programs, too.
When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not price. Our General Public
Licenses are designed to make sure that you have the freedom to distribute copies of free software
(and charge for this service if you wish), that you receive source code or can get it if you want it, that
you can change the software or use pieces of it in new free programs; and that you know you can do
these things.
To protect your rights, we need to make restrictions that forbid anyone to deny you these rights
or to ask you to surrender the rights. These restrictions translate to certain responsibilities for you if
you distribute copies of the software, or if you modify it.
For example, if you distribute copies of such a program, whether gratis or for a fee, you must
give the recipients all the rights that you have. You must make sure that they, too, receive or can get
the source code. And you must show them these terms so they know their rights.
We protect your rights with two steps: (1) copyright the software, and (2) offer you this license
which gives you legal permission to copy, distribute and/or modify the software.
Also, for each author’s protection and ours, we want to make certain that everyone understands that there is no warranty for this free software. If the software is modified by someone else
and passed on, we want its recipients to know that what they have is not the original, so that any
problems introduced by others will not reflect on the original authors’ reputations.
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Finally, any free program is threatened constantly by software patents. We wish to avoid the
danger that redistributors of a free program will individually obtain patent licenses, in effect making
the program proprietary. To prevent this, we have made it clear that any patent must be licensed for
everyone’s free use or not licensed at all.
The precise terms and conditions for copying, distribution and modification follow.
Terms and Conditions for Copying, Distribution,
and Modification
This License applies to any program or other work which contains a notice placed by the copyright
holder saying it may be distributed under the terms of this General Public License. The “Program”,
below, refers to any such program or work, and a “work based on the Program” means either the
Program or any derivative work under copyright law: that is to say, a work containing the Program
or a portion of it, either verbatim or with modifications and/or translated into another language.
(Hereinafter, translation is included without limitation in the term “modification”.) Each licensee is
addressed as “you”.
Activities other than copying, distribution and modification are not covered by this License; they
are outside its scope. The act of running the Program is not restricted, and the output from the Program is covered only if its contents constitute a work based on the Program (independent of having
been made by running the Program). Whether that is true depends on what the Program does.
You may copy and distribute verbatim copies of the Program’s source code as you receive it, in
any medium, provided that you conspicuously and appropriately publish on each copy an appropriate copyright notice and disclaimer of warranty; keep intact all the notices that refer to this License
and to the absence of any warranty; and give any other recipients of the Program a copy of this
License along with the Program.
You may charge a fee for the physical act of transferring a copy, and you may at your option
offer warranty protection in exchange for a fee.
You may modify your copy or copies of the Program or any portion of it, thus forming a work
based on the Program, and copy and distribute such modifications or work under the terms of
Section 1 above, provided that you also meet all of these conditions:
You must cause the modified files to carry prominent notices stating that you changed the files
and the date of any change.
You must cause any work that you distribute or publish, that in whole or in part contains or
is derived from the Program or any part thereof, to be licensed as a whole at no charge to all third
parties under the terms of this License.
If the modified program normally reads commands interactively when run, you must cause
it, when started running for such interactive use in the most ordinary way, to print or display an
announcement including an appropriate copyright notice and a notice that there is no warranty (or
else, saying that you provide a warranty) and that users may redistribute the program under these
conditions, and telling the user how to view a copy of this License. (Exception: if the Program itself
is interactive but does not normally print such an announcement, your work based on the Program
is not required to print an announcement.)
These requirements apply to the modified work as a whole. If identifiable sections of that work
are not derived from the Program, and can be reasonably considered independent and separate
works in themselves, then this License, and its terms, do not apply to those sections when you distribute them as separate works. But when you distribute the same sections as part of a whole which
is a work based on the Program, the distribution of the whole must be on the terms of this License,
whose permissions for other licensees extend to the entire whole, and thus to each and every part
regardless of who wrote it.
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Thus, it is not the intent of this section to claim rights or contest your rights to work written
entirely by you; rather, the intent is to exercise the right to control the distribution of derivative or
collective works based on the Program.
In addition, mere aggregation of another work not based on the Program with the Program (or
with a work based on the Program) on a volume of a storage or distribution medium does not bring
the other work under the scope of this License.
You may copy and distribute the Program (or a work based on it, under Section 2) in object
code or executable form under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above provided that you also do one of
the following:
Accompany it with the complete corresponding machine-readable source code, which must be
distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software
interchange; or,
Accompany it with a written offer, valid for at least three years, to give any third party, for a
charge no more than your cost of physically performing source distribution, a complete machinereadable copy of the corresponding source code, to be distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and
2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or,
Accompany it with the information you received as to the offer to distribute corresponding
source code. (This alternative is allowed only for noncommercial distribution and only if you
received the program in object code or executable form with such an offer, in accord with Subsection b above.)
The source code for a work means the preferred form of the work for making modifications to
it. For an executable work, complete source code means all the source code for all modules it contains, plus any associated interface definition files, plus the scripts used to control compilation and
installation of the executable. However, as a special exception, the source code distributed need not
include anything that is normally distributed (in either source or binary form) with the major components (compiler, kernel, and so on) of the operating system on which the executable runs, unless
that component itself accompanies the executable.
If distribution of executable or object code is made by offering access to copy from a designated place, then offering equivalent access to copy the source code from the same place counts
as distribution of the source code, even though third parties are not compelled to copy the source
along with the object code.
You may not copy, modify, sublicense, or distribute the Program except as expressly provided
under this License. Any attempt otherwise to copy, modify, sublicense or distribute the Program is
void, and will automatically terminate your rights under this License. However, parties who have
received copies, or rights, from you under this License will not have their licenses terminated so
long as such parties remain in full compliance.
You are not required to accept this License, since you have not signed it. However, nothing else
grants you permission to modify or distribute the Program or its derivative works. These actions
are prohibited by law if you do not accept this License. Therefore, by modifying or distributing the
Program (or any work based on the Program), you indicate your acceptance of this License to do
so, and all its terms and conditions for copying, distributing or modifying the Program or works
based on it.
Each time you redistribute the Program (or any work based on the Program), the recipient
automatically receives a license from the original licensor to copy, distribute or modify the Program
subject to these terms and conditions. You may not impose any further restrictions on the recipients’ exercise of the rights granted herein. You are not responsible for enforcing compliance by third
parties to this License.
If, as a consequence of a court judgment or allegation of patent infringement or for any other
reason (not limited to patent issues), conditions are imposed on you (whether by court order, agreement or otherwise) that contradict the conditions of this License, they do not excuse you from the
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conditions of this License. If you cannot distribute so as to satisfy simultaneously your obligations
under this License and any other pertinent obligations, then as a consequence you may not distribute the Program at all. For example, if a patent license would not permit royalty-free redistribution
of the Program by all those who receive copies directly or indirectly through you, then the only
way you could satisfy both it and this License would be to refrain entirely from distribution of the
Program.
If any portion of this section is held invalid or unenforceable under any particular circumstance, the balance of the section is intended to apply and the section as a whole is intended to
apply in other circumstances.
It is not the purpose of this section to induce you to infringe any patents or other property right
claims or to contest validity of any such claims; this section has the sole purpose of protecting the
integrity of the free software distribution system, which is implemented by public license practices.
Many people have made generous contributions to the wide range of software distributed through
that system in reliance on consistent application of that system; it is up to the author/donor to
decide if he or she is willing to distribute software through any other system and a licensee cannot
impose that choice.
This section is intended to make thoroughly clear what is believed to be a consequence of the
rest of this License.
If the distribution and/or use of the Program is restricted in certain countries either by patents
or by copyrighted interfaces, the original copyright holder who places the Program under this
License may add an explicit geographical distribution limitation excluding those countries, so that
distribution is permitted only in or among countries not thus excluded. In such case, this License
incorporates the limitation as if written in the body of this License.
The Free Software Foundation may publish revised and/or new versions of the General Public
License from time to time. Such new versions will be similar in spirit to the present version, but may
differ in detail to address new problems or concerns.
Each version is given a distinguishing version number. If the Program specifies a version number of this License which applies to it and “any later version”, you have the option of following the
terms and conditions either of that version or of any later version published by the Free Software
Foundation. If the Program does not specify a version number of this License, you may choose any
version ever published by the Free Software Foundation.
If you wish to incorporate parts of the Program into other free programs whose distribution
conditions are different, write to the author to ask for permission. For software which is copyrighted
by the Free Software Foundation, write to the Free Software Foundation; we sometimes make
exceptions for this. Our decision will be guided by the two goals of preserving the free status of all
derivatives of our free software and of promoting the sharing and reuse of software generally.
NO WARRANTY
BECAUSE THE PROGRAM IS LICENSED FREE OF CHARGE, THERE IS NO WARRANTY FOR THE
PROGRAM, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW. EXCEPT WHEN OTHERWISE
STATED IN WRITING THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND/OR OTHER PARTIES PROVIDE THE
PROGRAM “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED,
INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE PROGRAM IS WITH YOU. SHOULD THE PROGRAM PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU
ASSUME THE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION.
IN NO EVENT UNLESS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW OR AGREED TO IN WRITING WILL
ANY COPYRIGHT HOLDER, OR ANY OTHER PARTY WHO MAY MODIFY AND/OR REDISTRIBUTE
THE PROGRAM AS PERMITTED ABOVE, BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY
GENERAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE
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APPENDIX A ■ GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
OR INABILITY TO USE THE PROGRAM (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF DATA OR
DATA BEING RENDERED INACCURATE OR LOSSES SUSTAINED BY YOU OR THIRD PARTIES OR
A FAILURE OF THE PROGRAM TO OPERATE WITH ANY OTHER PROGRAMS), EVEN IF SUCH
HOLDER OR OTHER PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Appendix: How to Apply These Terms to Your New Programs
If you develop a new program, and you want it to be of the greatest possible use to the public, the
best way to achieve this is to make it free software which everyone can redistribute and change
under these terms.
To do so, attach the following notices to the program. It is safest to attach them to the start of
each source file to most effectively convey the exclusion of warranty; and each file should have at
least the “copyright” line and a pointer to where the full notice is found.
(one line to give the program’s name and a brief idea of what it does.) Copyright (C) 19yy (name
of author)
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the
GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of
the License, or (at your option) any later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY;
without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program;
if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Also add information on how to contact you by electronic and paper mail.
If the program is interactive, make it output a short notice like this when it starts in an
interactive mode:
Gnomovision version 69, Copyright (C) 19yy name of author Gnomovision comes with
ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY; for details type ‘show w’. This is free software, and you are
welcome to redistribute it under certain conditions; type ‘show c’ for details.
The hypothetical commands ‘show w’ and ‘show c’ should show the appropriate parts of the
General Public License. Of course, the commands you use may be called something other than ‘show
w’ and ‘show c’; they could even be mouse-clicks or menu items—whatever suits your program.
You should also get your employer (if you work as a programmer) or your school, if any, to sign
a “copyright disclaimer” for the program, if necessary. Here is a sample; alter the names:
Yoyodyne, Inc., hereby disclaims all copyright interest in the program ‘Gnomovision’
(which makes passes at compilers) written by James Hacker.
(signature of Ty Coon), 1 April 1989
Ty Coon, President of Vice
This General Public License does not permit incorporating your program into proprietary
programs. If your program is a subroutine library, you may consider it more useful to permit linking
proprietary applications with the library. If this is what you want to do, use the GNU Library General
Public License instead of this License.
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B
DTD Definitions
jaspereport.dtd (v.1.3.4)
&lt;?xml version=&quot;1.0&quot; encoding=&quot;UTF-8&quot;?&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT jasperReport (property*, import*, reportFont*, style*, subDataset*,
parameter*, queryString?, field*, sortField*, variable*, filterExpression?,
group*, background?, title?, pageHeader?, columnHeader?, detail?, columnFooter?,
pageFooter?, lastPageFooter?, summary?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST jasperReport
name CDATA #REQUIRED
language CDATA &quot;java&quot;
columnCount NMTOKEN &quot;1&quot;
printOrder (Vertical | Horizontal) &quot;Vertical&quot;
pageWidth NMTOKEN &quot;595&quot;
pageHeight NMTOKEN &quot;842&quot;
orientation (Portrait | Landscape) &quot;Portrait&quot;
whenNoDataType (NoPages | BlankPage | AllSectionsNoDetail) &quot;NoPages&quot;
columnWidth NMTOKEN &quot;555&quot;
columnSpacing NMTOKEN &quot;0&quot;
leftMargin NMTOKEN &quot;20&quot;
rightMargin NMTOKEN &quot;20&quot;
topMargin NMTOKEN &quot;30&quot;
bottomMargin NMTOKEN &quot;30&quot;
isTitleNewPage (true | false) &quot;false&quot;
isSummaryNewPage (true | false) &quot;false&quot;
isFloatColumnFooter (true | false) &quot;false&quot;
scriptletClass CDATA #IMPLIED
resourceBundle CDATA #IMPLIED
whenResourceMissingType (Null | Empty | Key | Error) &quot;Null&quot;
isIgnorePagination (true | false) &quot;false&quot;
formatFactoryClass CDATA #IMPLIED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT property EMPTY&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST property
name CDATA #REQUIRED
value CDATA #IMPLIED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT import EMPTY&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST import
value CDATA #REQUIRED
&gt;
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&lt;!ELEMENT reportFont EMPTY&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST reportFont
name CDATA #REQUIRED
isDefault (true | false) &quot;false&quot;
fontName CDATA #IMPLIED
size NMTOKEN #IMPLIED
isBold (true | false) #IMPLIED
isItalic (true | false) #IMPLIED
isUnderline (true | false) #IMPLIED
isStrikeThrough (true | false) #IMPLIED
pdfFontName CDATA #IMPLIED
pdfEncoding CDATA #IMPLIED
isPdfEmbedded (true | false) #IMPLIED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT style (conditionalStyle*)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST style
name CDATA #IMPLIED
isDefault (true | false) &quot;false&quot;
style CDATA #IMPLIED
mode (Opaque | Transparent) #IMPLIED
forecolor CDATA #IMPLIED
backcolor CDATA #IMPLIED
pen (None | Thin | 1Point | 2Point | 4Point | Dotted) #IMPLIED
fill (Solid) #IMPLIED
radius NMTOKEN #IMPLIED
scaleImage (Clip | FillFrame | RetainShape) #IMPLIED
hAlign (Left | Center | Right | Justified) #IMPLIED
vAlign (Top | Middle | Bottom) #IMPLIED
border (None | Thin | 1Point | 2Point | 4Point | Dotted) #IMPLIED
borderColor CDATA #IMPLIED
padding NMTOKEN #IMPLIED
topBorder (None | Thin | 1Point | 2Point | 4Point | Dotted) #IMPLIED
topBorderColor CDATA #IMPLIED
topPadding NMTOKEN #IMPLIED
leftBorder (None | Thin | 1Point | 2Point | 4Point | Dotted) #IMPLIED
leftBorderColor CDATA #IMPLIED
leftPadding NMTOKEN #IMPLIED
bottomBorder (None | Thin | 1Point | 2Point | 4Point | Dotted) #IMPLIED
bottomBorderColor CDATA #IMPLIED
bottomPadding NMTOKEN #IMPLIED
rightBorder (None | Thin | 1Point | 2Point | 4Point | Dotted) #IMPLIED
rightBorderColor CDATA #IMPLIED
rightPadding NMTOKEN #IMPLIED
rotation (None | Left | Right | UpsideDown) #IMPLIED
lineSpacing (Single | 1_1_2 | Double) #IMPLIED
isStyledText (true | false) #IMPLIED
fontName CDATA #IMPLIED
fontSize NMTOKEN #IMPLIED
isBold (true | false) #IMPLIED
isItalic (true | false) #IMPLIED
isUnderline (true | false) #IMPLIED
isStrikeThrough (true | false) #IMPLIED
pdfFontName CDATA #IMPLIED
pdfEncoding CDATA #IMPLIED
isPdfEmbedded (true | false) #IMPLIED
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pattern CDATA #IMPLIED
isBlankWhenNull (true | false) #IMPLIED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT conditionalStyle (conditionExpression?, style)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT conditionExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT subDataset (property*, parameter*, queryString?, field*, sortField*,
variable*, filterExpression?, group*)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST subDataset
name CDATA #REQUIRED
scriptletClass CDATA #IMPLIED
resourceBundle CDATA #IMPLIED
whenResourceMissingType (Null | Empty | Key | Error) &quot;Null&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT parameter (property*, parameterDescription?, defaultValueExpression?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST parameter
name CDATA #REQUIRED
class CDATA &quot;java.lang.String&quot;
isForPrompting (true | false) &quot;true&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT parameterDescription (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT defaultValueExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT queryString (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST queryString
language CDATA &quot;sql&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT field (property*, fieldDescription?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST field
name CDATA #REQUIRED
class CDATA &quot;java.lang.String&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT fieldDescription (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT sortField EMPTY&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST sortField
name CDATA #REQUIRED
order (Ascending | Descending) &quot;Ascending&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT variable (variableExpression?, initialValueExpression?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST variable
name CDATA #REQUIRED
class CDATA &quot;java.lang.String&quot;
resetType (None | Report | Page | Column | Group) &quot;Report&quot;
resetGroup CDATA #IMPLIED
incrementType (None | Report | Page | Column | Group) &quot;None&quot;
incrementGroup CDATA #IMPLIED
calculation (Nothing | Count | DistinctCount | Sum | Average | Lowest |
Highest | StandardDeviation | Variance | System | First) &quot;Nothing&quot;
incrementerFactoryClass CDATA #IMPLIED
&gt;
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&lt;!ELEMENT variableExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT initialValueExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT filterExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT group (groupExpression?, groupHeader?, groupFooter?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST group
name CDATA #REQUIRED
isStartNewColumn (true | false) &quot;false&quot;
isStartNewPage (true | false) &quot;false&quot;
isResetPageNumber (true | false) &quot;false&quot;
isReprintHeaderOnEachPage (true | false) &quot;false&quot;
minHeightToStartNewPage NMTOKEN &quot;0&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT groupExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT groupHeader (band?)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT groupFooter (band?)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT
&lt;!ELEMENT
&lt;!ELEMENT
&lt;!ELEMENT
&lt;!ELEMENT
&lt;!ELEMENT
&lt;!ELEMENT
&lt;!ELEMENT
&lt;!ELEMENT
background (band?)&gt;
title (band?)&gt;
pageHeader (band?)&gt;
columnHeader (band?)&gt;
detail (band?)&gt;
columnFooter (band?)&gt;
pageFooter (band?)&gt;
lastPageFooter (band?)&gt;
summary (band?)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT band (printWhenExpression?, (break | line | rectangle | ellipse |
image | staticText | textField | subreport | pieChart | pie3DChart | barChart |
bar3DChart | xyBarChart | stackedBarChart | stackedBar3DChart| lineChart |
xyLineChart | areaChart | xyAreaChart | scatterChart | bubbleChart |
timeSeriesChart | highLowChart | candlestickChart | meterChart | thermometerChart |
multiAxisChart | stackedAreaChart | elementGroup | crosstab | frame)*)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST band
height NMTOKEN &quot;0&quot;
isSplitAllowed (true | false) &quot;true&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT break (reportElement)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST break
type (Page | Column) &quot;Page&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT line (reportElement, graphicElement?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST line
direction (TopDown | BottomUp) &quot;TopDown&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT reportElement (printWhenExpression?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST reportElement
key CDATA #IMPLIED
style CDATA #IMPLIED
positionType (Float | FixRelativeToTop |
FixRelativeToBottom) &quot;FixRelativeToTop&quot;
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stretchType (NoStretch | RelativeToTallestObject |
RelativeToBandHeight) &quot;NoStretch&quot;
isPrintRepeatedValues (true | false) &quot;true&quot;
mode (Opaque | Transparent) #IMPLIED
x NMTOKEN #REQUIRED
y NMTOKEN #REQUIRED
width NMTOKEN #REQUIRED
height NMTOKEN #REQUIRED
isRemoveLineWhenBlank (true | false) &quot;false&quot;
isPrintInFirstWholeBand (true | false) &quot;false&quot;
isPrintWhenDetailOverflows (true | false) &quot;false&quot;
printWhenGroupChanges CDATA #IMPLIED
forecolor CDATA #IMPLIED
backcolor CDATA #IMPLIED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT printWhenExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT graphicElement EMPTY&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST graphicElement
stretchType (NoStretch | RelativeToTallestObject |
RelativeToBandHeight) #IMPLIED
pen (None | Thin | 1Point | 2Point | 4Point | Dotted) #IMPLIED
fill (Solid) #IMPLIED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT rectangle (reportElement, graphicElement?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST rectangle
radius NMTOKEN #IMPLIED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT ellipse (reportElement, graphicElement?)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT image (reportElement, box?, graphicElement?, imageExpression?,
anchorNameExpression?, hyperlinkReferenceExpression?,
hyperlinkAnchorExpression?, hyperlinkPageExpression?,
hyperlinkTooltipExpression?, hyperlinkParameter*)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST image
scaleImage (Clip | FillFrame | RetainShape) #IMPLIED
hAlign (Left | Center | Right) #IMPLIED
vAlign (Top | Middle | Bottom) #IMPLIED
isUsingCache (true | false) #IMPLIED
isLazy (true | false) &quot;false&quot;
onErrorType (Error | Blank | Icon) &quot;Error&quot;
evaluationTime (Now | Report | Page | Column | Group | Band | Auto) &quot;Now&quot;
evaluationGroup CDATA #IMPLIED
hyperlinkType CDATA &quot;None&quot;
hyperlinkTarget (Self | Blank) &quot;Self&quot;
bookmarkLevel NMTOKEN &quot;0&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT imageExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST imageExpression
class (java.lang.String | java.io.File | java.net.URL |
java.io.InputStream | java.awt.Image |
net.sf.jasperreports.engine.JRRenderable) &quot;java.lang.String&quot;
&gt;
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&lt;!ELEMENT box EMPTY&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST box
border (None | Thin | 1Point | 2Point | 4Point | Dotted) #IMPLIED
borderColor CDATA #IMPLIED
padding NMTOKEN #IMPLIED
topBorder (None | Thin | 1Point | 2Point | 4Point | Dotted) #IMPLIED
topBorderColor CDATA #IMPLIED
topPadding NMTOKEN #IMPLIED
leftBorder (None | Thin | 1Point | 2Point | 4Point | Dotted) #IMPLIED
leftBorderColor CDATA #IMPLIED
leftPadding NMTOKEN #IMPLIED
bottomBorder (None | Thin | 1Point | 2Point | 4Point | Dotted) #IMPLIED
bottomBorderColor CDATA #IMPLIED
bottomPadding NMTOKEN #IMPLIED
rightBorder (None | Thin | 1Point | 2Point | 4Point | Dotted) #IMPLIED
rightBorderColor CDATA #IMPLIED
rightPadding NMTOKEN #IMPLIED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT
&lt;!ELEMENT
&lt;!ELEMENT
&lt;!ELEMENT
&lt;!ELEMENT
anchorNameExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
hyperlinkReferenceExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
hyperlinkAnchorExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
hyperlinkPageExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
hyperlinkTooltipExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT hyperlinkParameter (hyperlinkParameterExpression)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST hyperlinkParameter
name CDATA #REQUIRED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT hyperlinkParameterExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST hyperlinkParameterExpression
class CDATA &quot;java.lang.String&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT staticText (reportElement, box?, textElement?, text?)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT text (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT textElement (font?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST textElement
textAlignment (Left | Center | Right | Justified) #IMPLIED
verticalAlignment (Top | Middle | Bottom) #IMPLIED
rotation (None | Left | Right | UpsideDown) #IMPLIED
lineSpacing (Single | 1_1_2 | Double) #IMPLIED
isStyledText (true | false) #IMPLIED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT font EMPTY&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST font
reportFont CDATA #IMPLIED
fontName CDATA #IMPLIED
size NMTOKEN #IMPLIED
isBold (true | false) #IMPLIED
isItalic (true | false) #IMPLIED
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isUnderline (true | false) #IMPLIED
isStrikeThrough (true | false) #IMPLIED
pdfFontName CDATA #IMPLIED
pdfEncoding CDATA #IMPLIED
isPdfEmbedded (true | false) #IMPLIED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT textField (reportElement, box?, textElement?, textFieldExpression?,
anchorNameExpression?, hyperlinkReferenceExpression?,
hyperlinkAnchorExpression?, hyperlinkPageExpression?,
hyperlinkTooltipExpression?, hyperlinkParameter*)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST textField
isStretchWithOverflow (true | false) &quot;false&quot;
evaluationTime (Now | Report | Page | Column | Group | Band | Auto) &quot;Now&quot;
evaluationGroup CDATA #IMPLIED
pattern CDATA #IMPLIED
isBlankWhenNull (true | false) #IMPLIED
hyperlinkType CDATA &quot;None&quot;
hyperlinkTarget (Self | Blank) &quot;Self&quot;
bookmarkLevel NMTOKEN &quot;0&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT textFieldExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST textFieldExpression
class (java.lang.Boolean | java.lang.Byte | java.util.Date |
java.sql.Timestamp | java.sql.Time | java.lang.Double | java.lang.Float |
java.lang.Integer | java.lang.Long | java.lang.Short |
java.math.BigDecimal | java.lang.Number |
java.lang.String) &quot;java.lang.String&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT subreport (reportElement, parametersMapExpression?,
subreportParameter*, (connectionExpression | dataSourceExpression)?,
returnValue*, subreportExpression?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST subreport
isUsingCache (true | false) #IMPLIED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT parametersMapExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT subreportParameter (subreportParameterExpression?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST subreportParameter
name CDATA #REQUIRED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT subreportParameterExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT returnValue EMPTY&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST returnValue
subreportVariable CDATA #IMPLIED
toVariable CDATA #IMPLIED
calculation (Nothing | Count | DistinctCount | Sum | Average | Lowest |
Highest | StandardDeviation | Variance | First) &quot;Nothing&quot;
incrementerFactoryClass CDATA #IMPLIED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT connectionExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT dataSourceExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT subreportExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
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&lt;!ATTLIST subreportExpression
class (java.lang.String | java.io.File | java.net.URL |
java.io.InputStream | net.sf.jasperreports.engine.JasperReport |
dori.jasper.engine.JasperReport) &quot;java.lang.String&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT elementGroup (break | line | rectangle | ellipse | image |
staticText | textField | subreport | pieChart | pie3DChart | barChart |
bar3DChart | xyBarChart | stackedBarChart | stackedBar3DChart| lineChart |
xyLineChart | areaChart | xyAreaChart | scatterChart | bubbleChart |
timeSeriesChart | highLowChart | candlestickChart | meterChart |
thermometerChart | multiAxisChart | stackedAreaChart | elementGroup |
crosstab | frame)*&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT chart (reportElement, box?, chartTitle?, chartSubtitle?, chartLegend?,
anchorNameExpression?, hyperlinkReferenceExpression?,
hyperlinkAnchorExpression?, hyperlinkPageExpression?,
hyperlinkTooltipExpression?, hyperlinkParameter*)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST chart
isShowLegend (true | false) &quot;true&quot;
evaluationTime (Now | Report | Page | Column | Group | Band) &quot;Now&quot;
evaluationGroup CDATA #IMPLIED
hyperlinkType CDATA &quot;None&quot;
hyperlinkTarget (Self | Blank) &quot;Self&quot;
bookmarkLevel NMTOKEN &quot;0&quot;
customizerClass CDATA #IMPLIED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT chartTitle (font?, titleExpression?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST chartTitle
position (Top | Bottom | Left | Right) &quot;Top&quot;
color CDATA #IMPLIED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT titleExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT chartSubtitle (font?, subtitleExpression?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST chartSubtitle
color CDATA #IMPLIED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT subtitleExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT chartLegend (font?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST chartLegend
textColor CDATA #IMPLIED
backgroundColor CDATA #IMPLIED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT pieChart (chart, pieDataset, piePlot)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT pieDataset (dataset?, keyExpression?, valueExpression?,
labelExpression?, sectionHyperlink?)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT keyExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT valueExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT labelExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT sectionHyperlink (hyperlinkReferenceExpression?,
hyperlinkAnchorExpression?, hyperlinkPageExpression?,
hyperlinkTooltipExpression?, hyperlinkParameter*)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST sectionHyperlink
hyperlinkType CDATA &quot;None&quot;
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hyperlinkTarget (Self | Blank) &quot;Self&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT piePlot (plot)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT dataset (incrementWhenExpression?, datasetRun?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST dataset
resetType (None | Report | Page | Column | Group) &quot;Report&quot;
resetGroup CDATA #IMPLIED
incrementType (None | Report | Page | Column | Group) &quot;None&quot;
incrementGroup CDATA #IMPLIED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT incrementWhenExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT datasetRun (parametersMapExpression?, datasetParameter*,
(connectionExpression | dataSourceExpression)?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST datasetRun
subDataset CDATA #REQUIRED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT datasetParameter (datasetParameterExpression?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST datasetParameter
name CDATA #REQUIRED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT datasetParameterExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT plot (seriesColor*) &gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST plot
backcolor CDATA #IMPLIED
orientation (Horizontal | Vertical) &quot;Vertical&quot;
backgroundAlpha NMTOKEN &quot;1&quot;
foregroundAlpha NMTOKEN &quot;1&quot;
labelRotation CDATA &quot;0.0&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT seriesColor EMPTY&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST seriesColor
seriesOrder CDATA #REQUIRED
color CDATA #REQUIRED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT pie3DChart (chart, pieDataset, pie3DPlot)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT pie3DPlot (plot)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST pie3DPlot
depthFactor CDATA &quot;0.2&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT barChart (chart, categoryDataset, barPlot)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT categoryDataset (dataset?, categorySeries*)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT categorySeries (seriesExpression?, categoryExpression?,
valueExpression?, labelExpression?, itemHyperlink?)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT seriesExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT categoryExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
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&lt;!ELEMENT itemHyperlink (hyperlinkReferenceExpression?,
hyperlinkAnchorExpression?, hyperlinkPageExpression?,
hyperlinkTooltipExpression?, hyperlinkParameter*)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST itemHyperlink
hyperlinkType CDATA &quot;None&quot;
hyperlinkTarget (Self | Blank) &quot;Self&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT barPlot (plot, categoryAxisLabelExpression?, categoryAxisFormat?,
valueAxisLabelExpression?, valueAxisFormat?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST barPlot
isShowLabels (true | false ) &quot;false&quot;
isShowTickMarks (true | false) &quot;true&quot;
isShowTickLabels (true | false) &quot;true&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT categoryAxisLabelExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT valueAxisLabelExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT categoryAxisFormat (axisFormat)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT valueAxisFormat (axisFormat)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT axisFormat (labelFont?, tickLabelFont?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST axisFormat
labelColor CDATA #IMPLIED
tickLabelColor CDATA #IMPLIED
tickLabelMask CDATA #IMPLIED
axisLineColor CDATA #IMPLIED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT labelFont (font?)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT tickLabelFont (font?)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT bar3DChart (chart, categoryDataset, bar3DPlot)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT bar3DPlot (plot, categoryAxisLabelExpression?, categoryAxisFormat?,
valueAxisLabelExpression?, valueAxisFormat?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST bar3DPlot
isShowLabels (true | false ) &quot;false&quot;
xOffset CDATA #IMPLIED
yOffset CDATA #IMPLIED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT xyBarChart (chart, (timePeriodDataset | timeSeriesDataset |
xyDataset ), barPlot)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT timePeriodDataset (dataset?, timePeriodSeries*)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT timePeriodSeries (seriesExpression?, startDateExpression?,
endDateExpression?, valueExpression?, labelExpression?, itemHyperlink?)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT startDateExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT endDateExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT stackedBarChart (chart, categoryDataset, barPlot)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT stackedAreaChart (chart, categoryDataset, areaPlot)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT stackedBar3DChart (chart, categoryDataset, bar3DPlot)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT lineChart (chart, categoryDataset, linePlot)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT linePlot (plot, categoryAxisLabelExpression?, categoryAxisFormat?,
valueAxisLabelExpression?, valueAxisFormat?)&gt;
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&lt;!ATTLIST linePlot
isShowLines (true | false) &quot;true&quot;
isShowShapes (true | false) &quot;true&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT xyLineChart (chart, xyDataset, linePlot)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT xyDataset (dataset?, xySeries*)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT xySeries (seriesExpression?, xValueExpression?, yValueExpression?,
labelExpression?, itemHyperlink?)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT xValueExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT yValueExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT areaChart (chart, categoryDataset, areaPlot)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT areaPlot (plot, categoryAxisLabelExpression?, categoryAxisFormat?,
valueAxisLabelExpression?, valueAxisFormat?)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT xyAreaChart (chart, xyDataset, areaPlot)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT scatterChart (chart, xyDataset, scatterPlot)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT scatterPlot (plot, xAxisLabelExpression?, xAxisFormat?,
yAxisLabelExpression?, yAxisFormat?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST scatterPlot
isShowLines (true | false) &quot;true&quot;
isShowShapes (true | false) &quot;true&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT xAxisLabelExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT yAxisLabelExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT xAxisFormat (axisFormat)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT yAxisFormat (axisFormat)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT bubbleChart (chart, xyzDataset, bubblePlot)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT xyzDataset (dataset?, xyzSeries*)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT xyzSeries (seriesExpression?, xValueExpression?, yValueExpression?,
zValueExpression?, itemHyperlink?)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT bubblePlot (plot, xAxisLabelExpression?, xAxisFormat?,
yAxisLabelExpression?, yAxisFormat?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST bubblePlot
scaleType (BothAxes | DomainAxis | RangeAxis) &quot;RangeAxis&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT zValueExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT timeSeriesDataset (dataset?, timeSeries*)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST timeSeriesDataset
timePeriod (Year | Quarter | Month | Week | Day | Hour | Minute | Second |
Milisecond ) &quot;Day&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT timeSeries (seriesExpression?, timePeriodExpression?,
valueExpression?, labelExpression?, itemHyperlink?)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT timePeriodExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT timeSeriesChart (chart, timeSeriesDataset, timeSeriesPlot)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT timeSeriesPlot (plot, timeAxisLabelExpression?, timeAxisFormat?,
valueAxisLabelExpression?, valueAxisFormat?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST timeSeriesPlot
isShowLines (true | false) &quot;true&quot;
isShowShapes (true | false) &quot;true&quot;
&gt;
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&lt;!ELEMENT timeAxisLabelExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT timeAxisFormat (axisFormat)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT highLowChart (chart, highLowDataset, highLowPlot)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT highLowDataset (dataset?, seriesExpression?, dateExpression?,
highExpression?, lowExpression?, openExpression?, closeExpression?,
volumeExpression?, itemHyperlink?)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT highLowPlot (plot, timeAxisLabelExpression?, timeAxisFormat?,
valueAxisLabelExpression?, valueAxisFormat?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST highLowPlot
isShowCloseTicks (true | false) &quot;true&quot;
isShowOpenTicks (true | false) &quot;true&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT dateExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT highExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT lowExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT openExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT closeExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT volumeExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT candlestickChart (chart, highLowDataset, candlestickPlot)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT candlestickPlot (plot, timeAxisLabelExpression?, timeAxisFormat?,
valueAxisLabelExpression?, valueAxisFormat?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST candlestickPlot
isShowVolume (true | false) &quot;true&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT meterChart (chart, valueDataset, meterPlot)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT valueDataset (dataset?, valueExpression )&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT meterPlot (plot, valueDisplay?, dataRange, meterInterval*)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST meterPlot
shape (chord | circle | pie) &quot;pie&quot;
angle CDATA &quot;180&quot;
units CDATA #IMPLIED
tickInterval CDATA &quot;10.0&quot;
meterColor CDATA #IMPLIED
needleColor CDATA #IMPLIED
tickColor CDATA #IMPLIED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT valueDisplay (font?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST valueDisplay
color CDATA #IMPLIED
mask CDATA #IMPLIED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT dataRange (lowExpression, highExpression)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT
&lt;!ATTLIST
label
color
alpha
&gt;
meterInterval (dataRange)&gt;
meterInterval
CDATA #IMPLIED
CDATA #IMPLIED
CDATA &quot;1.0&quot;
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&lt;!ELEMENT thermometerChart (chart, valueDataset, thermometerPlot)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT thermometerPlot (plot, valueDisplay?, dataRange, lowRange?,
mediumRange?, highRange?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST thermometerPlot
valueLocation ( none | left | right | bulb ) &quot;bulb&quot;
isShowValueLines ( true | false) &quot;false&quot;
mercuryColor CDATA #IMPLIED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT lowRange (dataRange)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT mediumRange (dataRange)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT highRange (dataRange)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT multiAxisChart (chart, multiAxisPlot)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT multiAxisPlot (plot, axis+)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT axis (barChart | bar3DChart | xyBarChart | stackedBarChart |
stackedBar3DChart| lineChart | xyLineChart | areaChart | xyAreaChart |
scatterChart | bubbleChart | timeSeriesChart | highLowChart | candlestickChart
| stackedAreaChart)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST axis
position (leftOrTop | rightOrBottom) &quot;leftOrTop&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT crosstab (reportElement, crosstabParameter*, parametersMapExpression?,
crosstabDataset?, crosstabHeaderCell?, rowGroup*, columnGroup*, measure*,
crosstabCell*, whenNoDataCell?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST crosstab
isRepeatColumnHeaders (true | false) &quot;true&quot;
isRepeatRowHeaders (true | false) &quot;true&quot;
columnBreakOffset NMTOKEN &quot;10&quot;
runDirection (LTR | RTL) &quot;LTR&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT crosstabParameter (parameterValueExpression?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST crosstabParameter
name CDATA #REQUIRED
class CDATA &quot;java.lang.String&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT parameterValueExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT crosstabDataset (dataset?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST crosstabDataset
isDataPreSorted (true | false) &quot;false&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT crosstabHeaderCell (cellContents)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT rowGroup (bucket, crosstabRowHeader?, crosstabTotalRowHeader?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST rowGroup
name CDATA #REQUIRED
width NMTOKEN #REQUIRED
totalPosition (Start | End | None) &quot;None&quot;
headerPosition (Top | Middle | Bottom | Stretch) &quot;Top&quot;
&gt;
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&lt;!ELEMENT crosstabRowHeader (cellContents?)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT crosstabTotalRowHeader (cellContents?)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT columnGroup (bucket, crosstabColumnHeader?,
crosstabTotalColumnHeader?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST columnGroup
name CDATA #REQUIRED
height NMTOKEN #REQUIRED
totalPosition (Start | End | None) &quot;None&quot;
headerPosition (Left | Center | Right | Stretch) &quot;Left&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT crosstabColumnHeader (cellContents?)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT crosstabTotalColumnHeader (cellContents?)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT bucket (bucketExpression?, comparatorExpression?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST bucket
order (Ascending | Descending) &quot;Ascending&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT bucketExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST bucketExpression
class CDATA #REQUIRED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT comparatorExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT measure (measureExpression?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST measure
name CDATA #REQUIRED
class CDATA #IMPLIED
calculation (Nothing | Count | DistinctCount | Sum | Average | Lowest |
Highest | StandardDeviation | Variance | First) &quot;Nothing&quot;
incrementerFactoryClass CDATA #IMPLIED
percentageOf (None | GrandTotal) &quot;None&quot;
percentageCalculatorClass CDATA #IMPLIED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT measureExpression (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT crosstabCell (cellContents?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST crosstabCell
width NMTOKEN #IMPLIED
height NMTOKEN #IMPLIED
rowTotalGroup CDATA #IMPLIED
columnTotalGroup CDATA #IMPLIED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT cellContents (box?, (line | rectangle | ellipse | image |
staticText | textField | elementGroup | frame)*)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST cellContents
backcolor CDATA #IMPLIED
mode (Opaque | Transparent) #IMPLIED
style CDATA #IMPLIED
&gt;
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&lt;!ELEMENT whenNoDataCell (cellContents)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT frame (reportElement, box?, (break | line | rectangle | ellipse |
image | staticText | textField | subreport | pieChart | pie3DChart | barChart |
bar3DChart | xyBarChart | stackedBarChart | stackedBar3DChart| lineChart |
xyLineChart | areaChart | xyAreaChart | scatterChart | bubbleChart |
timeSeriesChart | highLowChart | candlestickChart | meterChart |
thermometerChart | multiAxisChart | stackedAreaChart | elementGroup |
crosstab | frame)*)&gt;
iReportProperties.dtd
&lt;?xml version=&quot;1.0&quot; encoding=&quot;UTF-8&quot;?&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT iReportProperties (iReportConnection*, iReportProperty*)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT iReportProperty (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST iReportProperty
name NMTOKEN #REQUIRED
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT iReportConnection (connectionParameter*)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST iReportConnection
name NMTOKEN #REQUIRED
connectionClass NMTOKEN &quot;it.businesslogic.ireport.connection.JDBCConnection&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT connectionParameter (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST connectionParameter
name NMTOKEN #REQUIRED
&gt;
iReportPlugin.dtd
&lt;?xml version=&quot;1.0&quot; encoding=&quot;UTF-8&quot;?&gt;
&lt;!-Document : iReportPlugin.dtd
Created on : 19 maggio 2004, 8.09
Author : Giulio Toffoli
Description: This DTD defines the XML descriptor for an iReport plugin.
--&gt;
&lt;!-iReportPlugin is the root element.
ATTRIBUTES:
name The name of plugin
class The class that extends
it.businesslogic.ireport.plugin.IReportPlugin
loadOnStartup If true, the plugin will be instanced on iReport startup
hide If true, this plugin will not be visible on plugin menu
--&gt;
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&lt;!ELEMENT iReportPlugin (Author?,Description?, IconFile?)&gt;
&lt;!ATTLIST iReportPlugin
name NMTOKEN #REQUIRED
class NMTOKEN #REQUIRED
loadOnStartup (true | false) &quot;false&quot;
hide (true | false) &quot;false&quot;
configurable (true | false) &quot;false&quot;
&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT Author (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT Description (#PCDATA)&gt;
&lt;!-Icon file should be a file in the classpath i.e. com/my/plug/in/icon.gif
Is used as optional icon for menu.
Dim: 16x16
--&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT IconFile (#PCDATA)&gt;
iReportFilesList.dtd
&lt;?xml version=&quot;1.0&quot; encoding=&quot;UTF-8&quot;?&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT iReportFilesList (iReportFile*)&gt;
&lt;!ELEMENT iReportFile (#PCDATA)
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iReport and JasperReports Versions
T
able C-1 gives an overview of the versions of JasperReports used within the different versions of
iReport.
Table C-1. iReport Versions and Corresponding JasperReports Versions
iReport Version
JasperReports Version
iReport 0.2.0
JasperReports 0.4.6
iReport 0.2.1
JasperReports 0.4.6
iReport 0.2.2
JasperReports 0.5.0
iReport 0.2.3
JasperReports 0.5.2
iReport 0.3.0
JasperReports 0.5.2
iReport 0.3.1
JasperReports 0.5.3
iReport 0.4.0
JasperReports 0.6.1
iReport 0.4.1
JasperReports 0.6.4
iReport 0.5.0
JasperReports 0.6.7
iReport 0.5.1
JasperReports 1.0.0
iReport 0.5.2
JasperReports 1.1.0 (not fully supported)
iReport 1.1.0
JasperReports 1.1.1
iReport 1.2.0
JasperReports 1.2.0
IReport 1.2.1
JasperReports 1.2.1
You can usually use iReport with a greater version of JasperReports by replacing jaspereports.jar
in the lib directory.
Starting from version 1.2.0, iReport and JasperReports use the same version number.
315
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A
addConnectionImplementation() method, 189
afterColumnInit() method, 198
afterDetailEval() method, 199
afterGroupInit() method, 198
afterPageInit() method, 198
afterReportInit() method, 198
ancestor keyword, 141
anchors, 70
ANSI character set, 75
Ant, build.xml file and, 14
application development, GNU General Public
License and, 297
Application Identifier setting, for barcodes, 69
Area charts, 211
Arrow tool, 42
attributes of attributes, syntax for, 138
Author tag, 263
Average calculation type, 95
B
Background setting, 51, 54
backgrounds, 27
backups of files, 289
bands (document sections), 25–27, 29, 50
displaying list of, 97
inserting elements into, 42
modifying, 97
resizing, 99
splitting into pages, 280
Bar 3D charts, 211
Bar charts, 211
Bar Height setting, for barcodes, 69
Bar Wide setting, for barcodes, 69
Barcode Expression setting, 69
barcodes, 68
base name, 39
basic elements, 41, 50
BeanShell compiler (deprecated), 288
beforeColumnInit() method, 198
beforeDetailEval() method, 199
beforeGroupInit() method, 198
beforePageInit() method, 198
beforeReportInit() method, 198
Blank when null setting, 63
borders, 58
breaks (page/column), 69, 98
Bubble charts, 211
bucket expression, 240
build.xml file, 2, 14
C
calculation types, for variables, 95
Candlestick charts, 211
canvas objects, 55
case sensitivity, parameter names and, 111
CAST function (Oracle), 284
cells, crosstabs and, 243
character encodings, 39, 75
Chart tool, 211
charts, 211–219
creating, 211
properties of, 218
subdatasets for, 221–231
Check for iReport updates plug-in, 269
Checksum setting, for barcodes, 69
children groups, 104
Cincom MDX query executer, XML/A
connections and, 168
.class files, 15
class members, adding to scriptlets, 200
ClassCastException, 111
classes, JasperReports version compatibility
and, 20
classes.jar file, 4
classicC.xml template, 204
classicT.xml template, 204
classic_landscapeT.xml template, 204
ClassNotFound exception, 4, 8
ClassNotFoundError exception, 132
close() method, 181
column breaks, 69
column footers, 27
column headers, 26, 246
Column variable reset type, 96
columnar templates, 11, 203
317
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columns, 29
crosstabs and, 234, 238–243
print order and, 36
COLUMN_COUNT variable, 96
COLUMN_NUMBER variable, 96
compilers
configuring, 288
options for, 6
compiling iReport, 2
config.xml file, 287
configuring
exporters, 291
iReport, 2, 287
connection expressions, 111, 116
Connection/Data Source Expression setting, 66
connections, 127–133, 151, 160–175
custom, 187–190
datasources and, 129
how they work, 128
multiple, retrieving data and, 283
contact information, notice indicating, 297
context menus
for element properties, 42, 46
for RemotePage properties, 50
copy/paste style items, 78
copyright disclaimer, 297
Count calculation type, 95
country codes, 191
CP1252 character encoding, 75
Cpl1252 character encoding, 76
Create button, date/number formatting and, 65
createDatasource() method, 181
createQueryExecuter() method, 181
creating
charts, 211
CSV datasources, 149
custom expressions, 292
custom languages, 178–183
dataset runs, 224
fields, 84
Hibernate connections, 152
JDBC connections, 7, 130–133
Mondrian OLAP connections, 160
parameters, 89
plug-ins, 262, 264–267
query executers, for custom languages,
179–183
reports, 9, 27–39, 122
SQL queries, 87
styles, 76
subdatasets, 221
subreports, 109, 122
variables, 94
XML datasources, 140
crosstab total variables, 249
Crosstab Wizard, 233
crosstabs, 233–251
cells and, 243
element properties for, 246
errors and, 245
options/layout for, 235
rows/columns and, 238–243
subdatasets for, 221–231
CSV datasources, 129
creating, 149
registering fields and, 150
Current Date object, 257
custom datasources, 129
CUSTOMERID parameter, 115, 117
customize() method, 219
D
Danciu, Teodor, 15
data
absence of, 38
temporary tables and, 285
data series concept, vs. dataset concept, 211
databases, retrieving data from more than one
at a time, 283
dataset runs, 221, 224, 248
datasets
charts and, 211, 218
crosstabs and, 233
datasource expressions, 112, 123
datasource providers, 176
dataSource() method, 144
datasources, 19, 84, 127–190
connections and, 129
different meanings of, 128
how they work, 128
importing/exporting, 175
setting active, 129
specifying for subreports, 111
writing your own, 156–160
date and time
converting dates and, 141
crosstabs and, 235
Current Date object and, 257
formatting for, 63
Description tag, 263
designQuery() method, 187
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detail cells, 243
detail data, crosstabs and, 235
details (detail bands), 26, 280
disabling
magnetic effects, 260
plug-ins, 264
Distinct Count calculation type, 95
document sections. See bands
document structure panel, 254
dot (.)
subreports and, 138, 145
localized strings and, 193
Double type, 83, 90
downloading iReport, 1
DTD definitions, 299–314
editing scriptlets, 200
editor interface, configuring, 287
EJBQL connections, 129, 170–175
elements, 41–72
basic, 41, 50
frames, adding elements to, 68
graphic, 52
hyperlinks, adding to, 70–72
inserting into reports, 42
position/order of, 46, 51
properties for, 42–65
selecting, 42–65
elements tree, 49
ellipses, 55
empty datasources, 129
Enterprise JavaBeans Query Language (EJBQL),
170. See also EJBQL connections
error handling, 245, 275
Evaluation Group setting, 63
for barcodes, 69
for images, 58
Evaluation Time setting, 63
for barcodes, 69
for images, 58
exporters, 20, 291
exporting datasources, 175
expressions, 21
bands and, 98
charts and, 216, 218
connection, 111, 116
creating custom, 292
datasource, 112, 123
groups and, 103, 106
subreport, 112
external class methods, 21
F
Factory class, 134
fields, 84–89
adding to subdatasets, 223
dataset runs and, 224
Mondrian OLAP connections and, 162
registering, 133
Text Wizard plug-in and, 268
XML/A connections and, 168
fields provider, 183–187
fieldsMap, 199
File Virtualizer, 289
files
backup versions of, 289
external viewers, configuring for, 290
Fill setting, 53
fillReport() method, 91, 110
filter expressions, subdatasets and, 222
FlexDock, 253
floating column footer option, 36
font paths, 75
fonts, 73
deprecated report forms and, 81
Tahoma font, caution for, 288
Foreground setting, 51, 54
form factory class, 38
Formula folder, 292
formulas. See expressions
frames, 67
G
getBuiltinParameters() method, 181
getBundle() method, 194
getEditorComponent() method, 187
getFields() method, 177, 186
getFieldValue() method, 155
getter methods, JavaBean set datasources and,
134, 136
GNU General Public License, 293–297
graphics, 52
graycC.xml template, 204
grayT.xml template, 204
gray_landscapeT.xml template, 204
Groovy language, 22, 288
Group Expression property, 103
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E
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Group Footer Band Height property, 103
group footers, 27, 97, 106
Group Header Band Height property, 103
group headers, 26, 97, 106
Group Name property, 103
Group variable reset type, 96
groups, 11, 99–107, 204
counting occurrences of, 277
expressions and, 99
parent/children, 104
priority and, 104
properties for, 103
record order and, 100, 107
groups attribute, 199
groups lists, 104
group_name_COUNT variable, 96
guidelines, 259
GZIP In-Memory Virtualizer, 289
H
hasEditorComponent() method, 186
hasQueryDesigner() method, 186
header cells, 243
height, 50, 98
Hibernate connections, 129, 151
High Low Open Close charts, 211
Highest calculation type, 95
Horizontal Alignment setting, for images, 58
Horizontal print order, 36
Horizontally Align setting, 60
HQL queries, 129, 151
HSQLDB database, 8
hsqldb.jar file, 9
hyperlinks
charts and, 218
elements, adding to, 70–72
I
i18n tab, 38
IconFile tag, 263
images, 55–58
import directives, adding to scriptlets, 200
importing datasources, 175
incrementer class, 246
installing iReport, 2
interface components, 253–260
internationalization, 191–195
accented characters and, 75
Resource Bundle and, 38
Translation Status plug-in and, 270
iReport
checking for updates of, 269
compiling, 2
configuring, 2–9, 287
downloading, 1
file backup options for, 289
GNU General Public License and, 293–297
installing, 2–9
interface components for, 253–260
plug-ins for, 189, 261–273
requirements for, 1
solutions for common problems and,
275–286
startup command-line options for, 13
translations for, 272
iReport classpath, extending, 290
.ireport directory, 4
ireport.properties file, 271
IReportConnection class, 187–190
iReportFilesList.dtd, 314
IReportPlugin class, 262, 264–267
iReportPlugin.dtd, 313
iReportProperties.dtd, 313
IreportScriptlet class, 200
Is Lazy setting, for images, 58
IS_IGNORE_PAGINATION parameter, 94
J
JAR files, adding templates to, 208
.jasper files, 15, 16–19
JasperBabylon tool, 272
JasperPrint class, 20
jasperreport.dtd, 16, 299–313
JasperReports (JR), 15–23. See also entries at JR
sample program and, 22
solutions for common problems and,
275–286
version compatibility and, 20
versions of, 315
XML/A connections and, 167
jasperreports.properties file, 286
Java, 15
vs. Groovy, 22
scriptlets and, 33
Java 2 SDK, 1
Java applications, running EJBQL-based reports
from, 174
Java compiler (javac), 6
.java files, 15
Java types, mapping to SQL types, 133
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K
key expression, 216
Key option, 52
Klawans, Barry, 285
L
label expression, 216
labels, Text Wizard plug-in and, 268
language codes, 191
languages
custom, 178–183
foreign. See localization
query, 127, 178, 183
last page footers, 27
left distance, 50
licenses, 15, 293–297
Line charts, 211
line direction, 54
Line Spacing setting, 60
lines, 53
LocalAnchor hyperlinks, 71
localization, 191–195
accented characters and, 75
Resource Bundle and, 38
Translation Status plug-in and, 270
localized strings, retrieving, 193
LocalPage hyperlinks, 71
log window, 258
lookup methods, 283
Lowest calculation type, 95
M
Mac OS X platform, classes.jar file and, 4
magnetic effects, disabling, 260
magnetic guidelines, 259
Magnetic tool, 42, 260
MalformedURLException, 112
maps, scriptlets and, 199
Massive complier plug-in, 20, 267
master reports, subreports and, 145
MDX queries, 160–166, 167
measures, 245
messages, formatting, 194
Meter charts, 211
methods
lookup, 283
scriptlets and, 198, 200
Microsoft SQL Server, stored procedures and,
284
Min height to Start New Page property, 103
Mondrian OLAP connections, 129, 160–166
More tab, 34
msg() method, 194
MultiAxis charts, 211
MySQL database, 8, 284
MY_TITLE parameter, 189
naming conventions
for resource files, 192
for templates, 204
next() method, 155
N
non-Latin languages, Tahoma font and, 288
None variable reset type, 96
Nothing calculation type, 95
NSIS tool (Nullsoft), 2
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JavaBean set datasources, 129, 134
mapping attributes to fields and, 138
registering fields of, 87, 136
JDBC connections, 130–133, 283
creating, 7
stored procedures and, 284
subreports and, 111
JDBC URL Wizard, 131
JDT compiler, 6, 288
JFreeChart library, 211, 219
Jikes compiler, 288
JPA_ENTITY_MANAGER parameter, 174
JR. See JasperReports
JR datasource providers, 129
JRAbstractScriptlet class, 197
JRBaseReport class, 19
JRBeanCollectionDataSource collection, 173
JRCalculator class, 19
JRChartCustomizer interface, 219
JRCsvDataSource class, 182
JRDataSource interface, 19, 127, 155
JRDataSourceProvider interface, 176
JRDefaultScriptlet class, 197
JREmptyDataSource datasource, 151
JRExporter interface, 20
JRLoader class, 112
JRPercentageCalculator class, 246
JRViewer class, 20
.jrxml files, 15, 16–19, 268
Massive complier plug-in for, 267
templates and, 203
JRXmlDataSource, 144
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numbers
converting, 141
formatting for, 63
printing percentages and, 276
O
object library, 254
OLAP connections, 129, 160–166
On error type setting, for images, 57
Oracle JDBC. See JDBC connections
Oracle options plug-in, 269
ORDERID parameter, 118
“other” code, 192
P
padding, 58
Page Break element, 280
page breaks, 34, 69, 280
page dimensions, 28
page footers, 27
page headers, 26
Page Number object, 255
page numbers, 255
Page variable reset type, 96
Page X of Y object, 256
pages, splitting bands into, 280
PAGE_COUNT variable, 96
PAGE_NUMBER variable, 96
parameters, 20, 83, 89–94
adding to subdatasets, 223
built-in, 93
dataset runs and, 224
JDBC connections and, 133
subreports and, 110
Parameters Map Expression setting, 66, 110
parametersMap, 199
parent groups, 104
Pattern setting, 63
patterns, msg() method and, 194
PDF format, 13, 73
Pen setting, 53
Percentage object, 257
percentages, printing, 276
persistence.xml file, 171
Pie 3D charts, 211
Pie charts, 211
pixels, 28, 50
PL/SQL query executer, 285
plot properties, charts and, 218
plsql language, 285
plug-in configuration XML file, 262
plug-ins, 189, 261–273
creating, 262, 264–267
disabling, 264
plugin.xml file, 189, 267
Position Type option, 52
PreparedStatement class, 285
previewing templates, 207
print formats, 19, 28
Print header on each page property, 103
Print in first whole band option, 52
Print order option, 36
Print repeated values option, 52
print template, 11
Print when detail overflows option, 52
Print when expression option, 52
Print when group changes option, 52
printing, 39–39, 52, 103
columns, 241
large reports, 275
percentages, 276
print formats and, 19, 28
rows, 240
properties files, 191, 194
Q
Query designer, 87
query executer factory, 179, 181, 183
query executers, 127, 166–187
creating for custom languages, 179–183
PL/SQL query executer and, 285
stored procedures and, 285
query executers mode, 128
query languages, 127, 178
R
Radius setting, 54
record sets, 127
records, sorting/filtering, 134
rectangles, 53, 54
Reference hyperlinks, 71
registering
CVS datasource fields, 150
fields, 133
JavaBean set datasource fields, 87, 136
languages, 178
XML datasource fields, 141
relational databases, 7
RemoteAnchor hyperlinks, 71
RemotePage hyperlinks, 71
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ResourceBundle class, 194
returning parameters, 122
Rex MDX query editor, 169
Rotation setting, 60
row headers, 246
rows, crosstabs and, 234, 238–243
rules, 259
S
Scale Image setting, 57
Scatter Plot charts, 211
Scriptlet Class tab, 33
Scriptlet.java suffix, 199
scriptlets, 33, 197–201
editing, 200
methods for, 198
subdatasets and, 222
Show Text setting, for barcodes, 69
Single Swap/File Virtualizer, 289
solutions for common problems, 275–286
source files, adding notice of copyright to, 297
splitting, bands, 280
Spring framework, Hibernate connections and,
127, 152
SQL queries
fields and, 85, 133
JDBC connections and, 133
parameters and, 90
SQL Query designer, 87
SQL types, mapping to Java types, 133
Stacked Area charts, 211
Stacked Bar 3D charts, 211
Stacked Bar charts, 211
StandardDeviation calculation type, 95
Start on a New Column property, 103
Start on a New Page property, 103
startup command-line options, 13
static text, 61, 65
stored procedures, 284
Stretch Type option, 52
Stretch with overflow setting, 63
String type, 83, 87
style conditions, 79
styles, 73, 76–80
Styles library, 79
subdatasets, 221–231
creating, 221
crosstabs and, 240, 248
subDataSource() method, 144
Subreport Expression Class setting, 67
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Remove line when blank option, 51
Report Font setting, 60
report forms (deprecated), 81
Report Group Wizard, 105
report objects, syntax and, 21
Report variable reset type, 96
Report Virtualizer
configuring, 289
large reports and, 275
Report Wizard, 9, 203–209
REPORTCONNECTION parameter, 93
reports
advanced options for, 33–39
creating, 9, 27–39, 122
deploying, scriptlets and, 201
elements of, 41–72
fonts/styles for, 73–81
generating facilitated by Text Wizard plug-in,
268
inserting subreports into, 109
life cycle of, 15
linking subreports to, 109–112
localization and. See localization
page dimensions for, 28
printing large reports and, 275
properties of, 27–39
sample of, 22
solutions for common problems, 275–286
specifying existing in Subreport Wizard, 124
structure of, 25–39
templates for, 203–209
REPORT_CONNECTION parameter, 111, 133
REPORT_COUNT parameter, 96
REPORT_DATASOURCE parameter, 93, 112
REPORT_LOCALE parameter, 94
REPORT_MAX_COUNT parameter, 94
REPORT_PARAMETER parameter, 93
REPORT_PARAMETERS_MAP parameter, 111
REPORT_RESOURCE_BUNDLE parameter, 94
REPORT_SCRIPLET parameter, 93
REPORT_TIME_ZONE parameter, 94
REPORT_VIRTUALIZER parameter, 94
Reset Page Number property, 103
resizing bands, 99
Resource Bundle (resource files), 191
Resource Bundle Base Name, 38, 191
ResourceBundle Java class, 194
resources, printing large reports and, 275
resources for further reading
field types, 218
JasperReports, 58
323
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Subreport Expression setting, 67
subreport expressions, 112
Subreport parameters setting, 67
Subreport return values setting, 67
Subreport Wizard, 116, 122, 124
subreports, 65, 109–124
creating, 109, 122
example of, 112–120
linking to parent reports, 109–112
retrieving values from, 120
running EJBQL queries from, 173
XML datasources and, 144
subtotals, Total object for, 256
Sum calculation type, 95
summaries (summary bands), 27, 233
Summary on a new page option, 36
Sun’s Java 2 SDK, 1
supportsAutomaticQueryExecution() method,
187
supportsGetFieldsOperation() method, 186
supportsQueryParameterType() method, 181
SVN repository, 1
syntax, for report objects, 21
System calculation type, 95
T
table functions (Oracle), 284
tables.jrxml, 36
tabular templates, 11, 203
Tahoma font, caution for, 288
template.xml file, 208
templates, 11, 203–209
adding to JAR files, 208
custom, 206
temporary tables, 285
text, 59–65
Text Field Expression Class setting, 62
Text Field Expression setting, 63
text fields, 61, 65, 88
Text Wizard plug-in, 268
text.message key, 194
Thermometer charts, 211
threads, 258
Time Series charts, 211
time. See date and time
timestamps, formatting for, 64
Title on a new page option, 34
titles, 26, 91
tools.jar compiler, 288
tools.jar file, 4
top distance, 50
total cells, 243
Total object, 256
Total Pages object, 255
Translation Status plug-in, 270
translations, internationalization for, 191–195,
270
Transparent setting, 51
True Type fonts, 73
TTF fonts, 73
type page, 25
Type setting, for barcodes, 69
U
UI fonts, 288
Unicode characters, 76
URLs
JDBC connections and, 131
remote XML files datasources and, 148
Using cache setting, 58, 66
UTF-8 character encoding, 39
utilities, 253–260
Arrow, 42
Chart tool, 211
JasperBabylon, 272
Magnetic, 42
NSIS, 2
Rex MDX query editor, 169
Zoom, 45
V
value expression, 216
variable reset types, 95
variables, 83, 94
adding to subdatasets, 223
built-in, 96
dataset runs and, 224
variablesMap, 199
Variance calculation type, 95
version compatibility, JasperReports and, 20
Vertical Alignment setting, for images, 57
Vertical print order, 36
Vertically Align setting, 60
viewers, configuring external, 290
W
watermarks, 27
web sites
Enterprise JavaBeans Query Language, 170
JasperReports, 15
Mondrian OLAP server, 160
PL/SQL query executer, 285
XPath, 138
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when-no-data cells, 243
When no data option, 38
When resource missing type setting, 222
width, 50
Windows Installer, 2
wizards
Crosstab, 233
JDBC URL, 131
Report Group, 105
Report, 9, 203–209
Subreport, 116, 122, 124
Text, 268
X
remote XML files and, 148
subreport elements and, 144
XML/A connections, 129, 166–169
XML_GET_PARAM_parameter name
parameter, 148
XML_PASSWORD parameter, 148
XML_POST_PARAM_parameter name
parameter, 148
XML_URL parameter, 148
XML_USERNAME parameter, 148
XPath, 138, 146
XY Area charts, 211
XY Bar charts, 211
XY Line charts, 211
Z
Zoom tool, 45
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XML, JRXML files and, 15, 16–19, 204, 206
XML datasources, 129, 138–148
creating, 140
registering fields and, 141
325
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Key features

Visual report designer
Supports multiple data sources
Generates reports in PDF, HTML, XLS, CSV, XML
Groovy scripting support
Subreport and crosstab design
Internationalization support
Custom datasource support
Frequently asked questions

iReport can generate reports in PDF, HTML, XLS, CSV, XML, and OpenOffice, among others.
Yes, iReport can access data from a wide range of data sources.
Yes, iReport supports scripting using the Groovy language to avoid complex Java expressions.
What file formats can iReport generate?

Can iReport connect to different data sources?

Does iReport support scripting languages?

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