- Fill Area for line/grid:
This feature allows users to "fill" areas enclosed by rectangle grids with a background color.
- EspressManager Servlet:
EspressManager can now be deployed as a servlet in an application server/servlet runner. This provides for more manageable deployments, eliminates any issues with firewalls for report design in client-server mode, and prevents EspressManager from running as a separate application process on the server-side.
- Support XML Schema:
In addition to DTD files, users can also provide an XML schema to describe report XML input data.
- Enhanced CSS Support for DHTML Export:
The DHTML export now has the option to generate a global list of report styles, rather than defining a new style for each report element. For larger reports this produces a smaller export file. Also, users can apply their own style sheets (.css files) to the exported report, and apply the styles to elements in the report.
- Parameterized NS Array:
For Mac users, a parameterized NS Array data source can now be used for reports. This feature is similar to the parameterized class file feature that is currently supported. This allows users to create parameterized reports/drill-down/sub-reports using EOModel as the data source.
- CSS Support for HTML Param Page:
Allows users to use style sheets (.css files) to format elements in the generated HTML Parameter Page.
- Optimized Memory Exporting for IResultSet:
This feature provides a new interface that allows users to implement optimized memory exporting using data in an array (IResultSet). The interface allows the user to pass portions or multiple arrays of data into the report while it’s writing the export file.
- Multi-Sheet Excel Export:
This feature allows the Excel export to generate more than one sheet. This feature is available for reports with grouped data (Summary Break, Master & Detail), to export each group of data on a different Excel sheet.
- Custom Cell ID’s:
Allows users to define custom names for report elements. This custom name can then be used to retrieve the element value in formulas and scripting using the ID function.
- New API Method – getDataSourceType():
This method allows users to retrieve the type of data source used to create the QbReport object (database, dbdata, text, XML etc.) The method returns an integer that points to a set of constants (QbReport.DATABASE, QbReport.IRESULTSET, etc.).
- New API Methods –
getSubReports(), getCharts(), getImages(): Previously in the API users had no way of getting a handle to the sub-reports, or charts, or images in a report without knowing precisely where they are in a report. These new methods return a collection of the sub-report, chart, and image objects that are in the current report.
- Show Cell Borders:
This feature allows users to show the outlines of the elements in the design window of the Report Designer. This is useful to show the bounds of the elements and their positions, as well as to show elements whose text (or background) may not be visible.
- XML Input Stream:
In addition to files, users can now pass an XML input stream as part of an XML query object for a report’s data source.
- XML Optimized Memory:
This feature uses the XML Input stream feature, to allow users streaming XML input data to use the memory optimized exporting features when exporting a report.
- New API Method – getDescription():
This method takes a report element as an argument and returns a string that indicates what type of element it is, and its location in the report.
- Lock Cell Position:
This feature allows users to lock a cell position in Report Designer. When a cell is locked then it cannot be moved or re-sized.
- New Font Type – .ttc:
The PDF font mapping feature now allows users to import .ttc type fonts (true type collection) in addition to the currently supported .ttf and .afm fonts.
- Multi-Attribute Editing:
Many element attribute settings can now be controlled from a single dialog in the Report Designer. Selecting ‘Edit Attributes’ from the pop-up menu for an element launches a tabbed panel that contains most of the formatting options for the selected element.
- Rounded Rectangle:
Users can now draw rectangle grid elements with rounded corners. The degree of rounding is specified in the Bounds dialog. Rounded rectangles are only supported in Report Viewer, Page Viewer, and the PDF export.
- Group Formatting Enhancement:
When a user selects to format an attribute of a group of cells, instead of bringing up the dialog with default values, if all cells in the selected group have the same value for that attribute (like font, bgcolor, etc.), that value is shown as the default.
- Export to multiple languages without changing system settings:
New API methods setExportEncoding() and setHTMLCharset(), allow users to export reports using any language encoding, without changing the system settings for the server.
- Report Designer API new feature – Supply Security Levels:
This feature is available for users launching the Report Designer through the API. Instead of letting users define security levels for cell and parameter security, a list of pre-defined security levels can be passed to the Report Designer.
- Sub-Report Parameters:
New features for parameterized sub-reports allow them to retrieve parameter values independently from a main report, share a parameter with the main report, or share a parameter with another sub-report. As in previous versions, users can still create linked sub-reports where a sub-report’s parameter is mapped to a column in the main report.
- Chart Drill-Down:
For drill-down reports, users can now assign drill-down links to a chart in the report. The category value of the selected data point in the chart is passed as the filter to the lower-level report.
- Re-Size Elements Proportionally:
For report sections where some elements are set to re-size to fit contents, this feature sets all of the elements in the section to resize the same amount as the cell that re-sizes the most for the section. This option allows users to preserve alignment and layout of rows of data when sum elements are re-sizing.
- Modify Enter SQL Dialog:
Several features have been added to the window where users enter the SQL statement. Like Query Builder, the window now has a datasheet view tab where the query results can be previewed. Also, users can bring up the parameter initialization dialog, allowing them to re-initialize query parameters.
- Relative Image Path:
In both the Report Designer and the API, users can now export HTML/DHTML reports with a relative page to image files.
- New Scripting Option – Section Height:
When writing scripts for report sections, users can now set the height of the section in the script.
- New Scripting Options – Line/Rectangle Formatting:
Cell scripts can now be applied to line and rectangle elements in the report. Line and rectangle color, and thickness can be changed, and the dimensions of the element can be set in the script.
- Chart Parameter Linking:
Like linked sub-reports, parameterized charts (with an independent data source) can now retrieve their parameter value from a column in the main report.
- Pop-Up Calendar for HTML Parameter Page:
For date parameters, users can now launch a JavaScript calendar from the HTML parameter page to select the date to pass to the report.
- Sort by Multiple Fields:
Users can now perform nested sorting for the report when previewing/running the report. Users can select the order of the sorting as well as the direction to sort each column.
- Skip First Group Value for Print on New Page:
This feature skips the first value of a group when the print on a new page option is enabled for a section. This feature is useful for reports where more than one nested group of data is set to cause a page break. It allows users to avoid printing a blank page when the values for two groups change in the same record.
- Disable Summary Column for Crosstab Reports:
This is a new data mapping option for crosstab reports. It allows users to enable/disable the last summary column for the crosstab report.
- Support Underlined Text in Report Cells:
Users can now specify underlining for the text in Labels, Formulas, and Columns in the report. Excel, PDF, HTML, DHTML, XML (data & format) and RTF exports support this feature.
- Save all Data in a Report:
Instead of only saving two records of back-up data, users can save the complete data set in the report template. This feature is only available for report templates saved in binary (.rpt) format. XML templates still only save two records.
- Use Custom Cell ID in Chart Designer:
When users import section data (labels and formulas) to build a chart in a report. The columns in the chart input data now use the cell ID of the element as the column name instead of the text of the cell.
- Cell script option for Global Formats:
Global formatting now provides an option for users to apply a cell script by default to labels, formulas, and columns. This feature is most useful for crosstab reports where users may want to format columns that are generated a run-time due to changing data or filters.
- Modify Database Connection Info in Report:
Like the Modify Query feature, users can change the connection information that a report uses directly in Report Designer. Users can directly modify the database connection information, or retrieve the information from a data registry file.
- Calendar GUI for Parameters:
This feature allows users to choose date values from a calendar when initializing date parameters (default value) and for the parameter prompt in Report and Page Viewer if the date parameter isn’t mapped to a database column.
- New Sorted Data Methods:
New setData() methods in IInputData allow users to indicate that the data is sorted when changing a report’s input data to use a text, XML or class file. This improves report performance when creating a report with grouped data (Summary Break, Master & Details, etc.).
- Auto-Resize Width for Sub-Reports:
In addition to dynamically growing in height, a new option allows sub-reports to also grow in width. With this feature turned on, sub-reports will always display all of the columns in the sub-report. This feature is useful for crosstab reports where the width (number of columns) can be dynamic.
- New Functions – median(), getColumnCount():
Two new functions are available for report formulas. median(), an aggregation, returns the median value of a report column. getColumnCount() returns the total number of columns in the report.
- New API Method – setPixelPerInchForExport():
This method allows users to hard-code the DPI resolution settings to use when generating a report in DHTML/HTML format. This can help preserve report appearance when migrating templates from Windows to headless Unix environments.
