Create reports at runtime?

[Byron]

I'd like to create a report completely at runtime, adding fields, grids and
the like through code. I've got reports that are very dynamic - a variable
number of tables, columns, etc - and want the control that doing it in code
would give. Similar to creating HTML with tables, rows and columns and
assigned values to them as in HTML though code. Is something like that
possible in VS2008?

 

[Brendan G]

Crystal Reports?

Or, some other reporting software?

I'd recommend against trying to roll your own.

 

[Cor Ligthert[MVP]]

Byron,

How do you think that it was be done when there were no tools as Crystal
Report, writing the reports by hand?

Cor

 

[jp2msft]

Another option is to use Visual Studio's ReportViewer control. I know it is
in VS2005, but you should look to see if it is in VS2008.

To access ReportViewer in VS2005, start in your Form Designer view. In the
Toolbox sidebar, scroll down to the Device Data section and you should find
it there along with BindingSource, DataGridView, and the like.

Hope that helps.

 

[Byron]

I'm trying to leverage existing controls for formatting, saving, exporting,
etc. If I could write directly to a reportviewer with tables, columns,
formatting, save as..., etc. that would suit me fine. For all but simple and
consistent reports it just seems easier to go old-school than try and cope
with the permutations of datsources, sub-reports, etc.

It's just not apparent to me that what I want is possible with the VS 2008
reporting paradigm, though since I'm new with it it's entirely possible I'm
missing something obvious. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of
information available on reporting yet.