In , you can create a columnar report layout by using the Columns property of the report. This walkthrough illustrates how to create a RDL report using columns, and is split up into the following activities:
- Adding an ActiveReport to a Visual Studio project
- Connecting to a the data source
- Adding a dataset
- Creating a column report layout
- Viewing the report
Note: This walkthrough uses the CustomerMailingList table from the Reels database. By default, in ActiveReports, the Reels.mdb file is located in the [User Documents folder]\GrapeCity Samples\ActiveReports 12\Data folder.
When you complete this walkthrough you get a layout that looks similar to the following at design time and at run time.
Design-Time Layout
Run-Time Layout
To add an ActiveReport to the Visual Studio project
- Create a new Visual Studio project.
- From the Project menu, select Add New Item.
- In the Add New Item dialog that appears, select ActiveReports 12 RDL Report and in the Name field, rename the file as rptRDLColumnLayout.
- Click the Add button to open a new RDL report in the designer.
See Adding an ActiveReport to a Project for information on adding different report layouts.
To connect the report to a data source
- In the Report Explorer, right-click the Data Sources node and select the Add Data Source option or select Data Source from the Add button.
![](images/AddDataSource.png)
- In the Report Data Source Dialog that appears, select the General page and in the Name field, enter a name like ReportData.
- On this page, create a connection to the Reels database. See Connect to a Data Source for information on connecting to a data source.
To add a dataset
- In the Report Explorer, right-click the data source node and select the Add Data Set option or select Data Set from the Add button.
- In the DataSet Dialog that appears, select the General page and enter the name of the dataset as CustomerList. This name appears as a child node to the data source icon in the Report Explorer.
- On the Query page of this dialog, in the Query field enter the following SQL query.
SQL Query |
Copy Code
|
SELECT TOP 100 * FROM CustomerMailingList
UNION
SELECT TOP 100 * FROM CustomerMailingList WHERE Country = "USA"
ORDER BY 8 DESC
|
- Click the Validate DataSet icon at the top right hand corner above the Query box to validate the query.
![](images/ddrValidateIcon.gif)
- Click OK to close the dialog. Your data set and queried fields appear as nodes in the Report Explorer.
To create a column layout for the report
- In the Report Explorer, select Body and set the following properties in the properties window.
Property Name |
Property Value |
Columns |
2 |
ColumnSpacing |
0.25in |
Size |
2.625in, 1in |
- In the Visual Studio toolbox, go to the ActiveReports 12 Page Report tab and drag the List data region onto the design surface.
- In the Properties Window, set the following properties for the List.
Property Name |
Property Value |
DataSetName |
CustomerList |
Size |
2.5in, 1in |
- In the Visual Studio toolbox, go to the ActiveReports 12 Page Report tab and drag three TextBox controls onto the List data region added above.
- In the Properties Window, set the following properties for TextBox1.
Property Name |
Property Value |
Location |
0in, 0in |
Size |
2.5in, 0.25in |
DataElementName |
FirstName |
Name |
FirstName |
Value |
=Fields!FirstName.Value & IIF( Fields!MiddleInitial.Value Is Nothing, "", " " & Fields!MiddleInitial.Value ) & " " & Fields!LastName.Value |
CanGrow |
False |
- In the Properties Window, set the following properties for TextBox2.
Property Name |
Property Value |
Location |
0in, 0.25in |
Size |
2.5in, 0.25in |
DataElementName |
CustomerAddress1 |
Name |
CustomerAddress1 |
Value |
=Fields!Address1.Value & IIF( Fields!Address2.Value is Nothing, "", vbCrLf & Fields!Address2.Value ) |
CanGrow |
False |
CanShrink |
True |
- In the Properties window, set the following properties for TextBox3.
Property Name |
Property Value |
Location |
0in, 0.50in |
Size |
2.5in, 0.25in |
DataElementName |
CustomerCity |
Name |
CustomerCity |
Value |
=Fields!City.Value & ", " & Fields!Region.Value & " " & Fields!PostalCode.Value & " " & IIf( Fields!Country.Value = "USA", "", Fields!Country.Value ) |
CanGrow |
False |
To view the report
- Click the to view the report at design time.
OR
If you want to create a similar layout in , see
Overflow Data in a Single Page.
See Also