Export options with full binary

[Joost Verdaasdonk]

Hi All,

Our company is using stimulsoft reporting tool and its brought us a lot in reporting flexability.

But I'm wondering if the following is possible: (perhaps a dumb question, but if you don't ask...)
Stimulsoft has multiple export options. (PDF, Various image types, etc...)

I'm wondering if there's one way or the other todo the following:
* Embed an external document (Visio, Word, HTML, whatever) from file or db binary into the report
* Export that report to PDF, Image whatever

Or perhaps give the reporting engine the command to print a file directly as PDF/Image?

This tool seems to be able todo so much so I'm just wondering if there's a possibility or workarround to achieve this. (how fare fetched it may look) :biggrin:

So would there be a chance or should I look for another component todo this?

Thank you for your time

[Edward]

Hello, Joost.

Our company is using stimulsoft reporting tool and its brought us a lot in reporting flexability.

Thank you for your words.

But I'm wondering if the following is possible: (perhaps a dumb question, but if you don't ask...)
Stimulsoft has multiple export options. (PDF, Various image types, etc...)

I'm wondering if there's one way or the other todo the following:
* Embed an external document (Visio, Word, HTML, whatever) from file or db binary into the report

Yes, there is an option for embedding Rtf text inside the report. In the toolbox you can find a RichText component which is intended exactly for this.

* Export that report to PDF, Image whatever

Then that report can be exported in Pdf and any other format which is supported by Stimulsoft Reports.Net.
The code for export in Pdf is the following:

report.Render(false);
report.ExportDocument(StiExportFormat.Pdf, "MyPdfFile.pdf");

Or perhaps give the reporting engine the command to print a file directly as PDF/Image?

It is possible to export a report in PDF format or just to print it using just code. But there is no option to start printing that pdf file.

This command could redirect printing to necessary PDF or image printer:

report.Print(printerSettings);

This tool seems to be able todo so much so I'm just wondering if there's a possibility or workarround to achieve this. (how fare fetched it may look) :biggrin:

So would there be a chance or should I look for another component todo this?

Thank you for your time

Let us know if any help is required.

Thank you.

[Joost Verdaasdonk]

Hi Edward,

Thank you for your answers and your swift reply!

Yes, there is an option for embedding Rtf text inside the report. In the toolbox you can find a RichText component which is intended exactly for this.

This is a very neath option I wasn't aware of thank you for this.
I've taken a quick look at this but it looks like for this to work you need to have your content stored as RTF in your database.

Converting all our file types to RTF is not within our capabillities and would cost us another component to do so. (But the idea is great and I'm sure we'll use it in another way)

So the answer to can Stimulsoft print any file (that windows can print) as PDF or Image is probably no. (which is no problem the component is designed for another purpose)

The question still remains could the component do this in theory or would it require building an virtual printer to print the files to as PDF?
The other question is would this sort of functionality ever make it to the change/feature request list of Stimulsoft? (or do you guys do custom work for customers as well... as in extensions to your product... or only generic development?)

Anyhow the support was super fast and I've gotten my answer I think.
So again thanks for your help and have a great day!

[Brendan]

If I understand correctly, you want to embed external files into the StimulReport rendering engine so that they can all be rendered by StimulReport and exported as one document?

If so then I don't think this would be possible (from my limited knowledge of how printing works).
For example, to print a Visio document, one would need MS Visio installed. The document format would need to be rendered using its own application engine for printing. Similarly with Word Documents, one would need MS Office or OpenOffice to view/print such a file. without these applications even Windows wouldn't know how to print these files as there file structure would only be understandable to the application they are designed for.

I cannot answer if Stimulsoft would support such as thing (as I'm only a customer) but from my understanding there would just be too many filetypes out there to support such a thing and most of the older generation MS stuff were closed source file structures that mostly needed to be reverse engineered to be understood.

[Joost Verdaasdonk]

Hi Brendan,

Thank you for your answer.
Yes embedding complete binaries was one of the options I was wondering about. The other one is directly printing files to a (PDF-virtual)printer. (or better yet to some implementation in the component)

I know the source application for the file needs to be installed to print it because that's how all (I know of) PDF printers work.
It was a long shot to think this reporting engine could do it but one must always ask to know for sure. :biggrin: (Imagine I'd buy a new component if this component could do the job)

Like I said it's ok if this won't work with the reporting engine but I needed to know if I didn't miss anything because this component has such advanced exporting capabillities. (and I'm most happy using it for it's core usage reporting)

Again thanks and have a good one!

[Edward]

Hello, Joost.

The question still remains could the component do this in theory or would it require building an virtual printer to print the files to as PDF?

You have to build a kind of virtual printer. We do not have plans for adding such a functionality. As Brendan wrote it is too complex thing to be done.

The other question is would this sort of functionality ever make it to the change/feature request list of Stimulsoft? (or do you guys do custom work for customers as well... as in extensions to your product... or only generic development?)

Only generic development of Stimulsoft Reports.Net and Stimulsoft Report.Web products right now.

But all fresh ideas for new features which would be necessary for our customers are appreciated.

Yes embedding complete binaries was one of the options I was wondering about.

It is not possible and we do not have plans of implementing this functionality.

The other one is directly printing files to a (PDF-virtual)printer. (or better yet to some implementation in the component)

We also do not have this option nor plans about its implementation in the nearest future.

Thank you.

[Joost Verdaasdonk]

Hi Edward,

Thank you for your answers all is clear now.
For the task at hand I'm going to look for an alternative.

Keep up the good work with Stimulsoft!

Greetings from Holland.

[Edward]

Hello, Joost.

Thank you for your words.

Please let us know if any help is required.

Thank you.