In ActiveReports for .NET 3.0 the Report Explorer serves as the information focal point for your report. From it, you can gain a quick overview of the elements that comprise the report, remove individual controls, add parameters and calculated fields, change report settings, bind data fields to textbox controls, and modify properties and report behavior via the Properties grid.

If you do not see the Report Explorer within the Visual Studio IDE, do the following:

1. Right-click on the Visual Studio toolbar.
2. Select ActiveReports for .NET 3.0 from the shortcut menu to display the designer toolbar.
3. On the designer toolbar, click the View Report Explorer button.

Alternatively, you can display the Report Explorer by opening the View menu, pointing to Other Windows, and clicking Report Explorer.

The Report Explorer lays out in one place the sum total of the elements contained in your report.

 

The following demonstrates how you can quickly modify a report using the Report Explorer.

To remove individual controls 

1. In the Report Explorer, expand the tree that contains the the control you wish to remove. For example, if you want to remove a ReportInfo control from a group header, expand the group header that contains the control. 
2. Right-click on the control and select Delete from the shortcut menu.
3. Click Yes in the Report Explorer dialog to confirm your decision.

To add parameters

1. In the Report Explorer, right-click on the Parameters node.
2. Select Add from the shortcut menu.
3. Set any desired properties or events for the parameter in the Properties grid.
4. Drag the parameter from the Report Explorer onto the design surface of your report. This will create a textbox object that is bound to the parameter.

To add calculated fields

1. In the Report Explorer, expand the Fields tree.
2. Right-click on the Calculated node.
3. Select Add from the shortcut menu.
4. Set any desired properties or events for the field in the Properties grid.
5. Drag the field from the Report Explorer onto the design surface of your report. This will create a textbox object that is bound to the field.

To change report settings

1. In the Report Explorer, right-click on the Settings node.
2. Select Show from the shortcut menu to open the Report Settings dialog.
3. Make any desired changes and click OK.

To bind data fields to textbox controls

1. In the Report Explorer, select the data field you want to bind to a textbox control. 
2. Drag the field onto the design surface of the report. A textbox control is created and bound to the field, which is reflected in the textbox's DataField  and Name properties. For example, if you dragged a field named "EmployeeID," the DataField property of the textbox is set to EmployeeID and the textbox is named "txtEmployeeID1." 

To modify properties and report behavior

1. In the Report Explorer, select the report element you want to modify. The Properties grid displays all available properties and events for the element. 
2. In the Properties grid, change any properties or events to implement the changes.

 

 

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