Does BusinessBindingSource expose custom properties or is it limited to fields contained in the underlying data table? I tried using BBS as a data source for Active Reports. It works as expected when all properties are contained in the data table but not if I try to use a custom property.

-Larry

A custom property will appear just fine if you make sure that it has been setup to support data binding.  This includes a property descriptor (or reflection property descriptor) and that the attribute BusinessFieldDisplayInEditor() is applied to the property.  If you need more explanation about the reflection property descriptors let me know.

Thanks Trent. I thought I had set it up for data binding correctly but I could be mistaken. I changed my approach to eliminate the custom properties but I’ll take a closer look at it later. It could be an issue with Active Reports 3.0. Getting AR to work the way I want it to, has been a challenge, especially with the number of non AR barcode controls I have on the page. While AR supports custom controls, I'm finding they’re a pain to work with.

-Larry

Larry,

I am interested to know about your experience with AR....this kind of real world experience always comes in very handy!

Over all my experiences with Active Reports has been very good.  I switched to it about a year and a half ago when I got tired of seemingly endless requests from Crystal to fork out more cash to upgrade to the latest version. I also like the fact that the AR components that are distributed with an app are 100% managed code. In our environment,  AR is used for the smaller reports that need be to included within an application. For the bigger and more complex reports we use SQL Reporting Services.

 

As for my current project, this is the first time I've needed to use barcodes. After spending more time digging through the AR documentation I’ve got everything working the way I want. It would have been easier if Data Dynamics had provided some sample reports using barcodes and custom controls, like they do for everything else, but the information is there if you look hard enough. As usual I was in a hurry and handn't. The AR barcode controls are pretty good, but not as flexible or as well documented as those from a third party such as IDAutomation (for anyone needing a quick education on barcodes, their website is a excellent source).  AR online support is also pretty good, although no where near as good as what you guys provide Aside from the lack of samples for barcodes and custom controls, the only other area I feel needs improvement is better information on which AR events should be used for a given situation and why.

 

But now that I’ve got it figured out it’s a simple process to include another vendor’s barcode or something like an Infragistics chart control in a Report. For current AR 2.0 users, I feel it is worth upgrading to 3.0 for the improved support for third-party controls.

 

-Larry

Cool!  Thanks for the input!