FastReport Vcl 6.x (and FastCube Vcl 3.x) ???Wish-list???

Polomint

Some time back we had an early indication that FRv6 was on the way.

While I am very happy with the features and functionality of both FastReport and FastCube as they are, there are some gripes. I am sure other users have a list of their own issues.

I'll start things off with two of my regular "complaints"
- The Installation Process
- Revision Version Control (and its QA)


Attached is a PDF of a short document I prepared on the subject. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":rolleyes:" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" /> Feel free to add your issues to this thread... Cheers, Paul[/img]

LurkingKiwi

One thing I would really like to see is an easy way to print a report upside-down.
This would be best as a flag in the page settings to do a 180 degree rotation (some printers do have an inverted landscape setting or similar).

It may seem like a silly request, but I am printing on cards which have the corners cut off at one end, and that end needs to feed into the laser printer last.
Unfortunately mine rotates to landscape orientation the wrong way.

As an alternative, a way in the IDE to rotate the contents of a data band would be handy.
This second choice obviously would not make the group headers etc appear in the right order, but for data band reports to tags or labels only it would help.
Currently I have to keep two different pages in the FR3, one pointing each way, and select as appropriate depending which way a printer rotates into landscape.
Editing twice in different orientations is irritating!

Oh, and it's a little thing I probably should do myself, but the ability to draw arcs (start/end angles best, 4 quarters would get by) rather than only full circles would be REALLY handy. I have been drawing circles and then masking them with white-filled borderless squares - not exactly efficient! Any other ideas welcomed! I have drawn some arcs as lots of tiny line segments.
I have used WMFs in some reports, but can have scaling issues - it's nice to be able to draw simple flow-charts or diagrams directly.
The polyline from FastReport.net would allow faking of an arc to a sufficient precision - if we had that.

FAlvarado

I'll start things off with two of my regular "complaints"
The Installation Process
+1
Revision Version Control (and its QA)
+1

swierzbicki

I would like to print labels and have the same functions as found in nicelabel

Polomint

Polomint wrote: »

.. my regular "complaints"
- Revision Version Control (and its QA)

Just want to augment this "wish".

Yesterday's update v5.6.6 includes a Changes.txt file (also present on the download page). This is an improvement on past practice where there was no indication of what an update might contain. But it looks very much like a manual add-on, rather than an integrated part of the RVC system used by the FR team.

Case in point? The Changes.txt with v5.6.6 only lists changes made for v5.6.5 (or earlier) and not v5.6.6. Perhaps v5.6.6 was a procedural release only, and contained no new or changed functionality...

So for those of us waiting for fixes to issues, there is no indication as to whether the current release should be installed.

A more robust change log should be part of future RVC / Installation functionality.
Cheers, Paul

https://cp.fast-report.com/downloadfile?file=567448

gpi

wrote:

Perhaps v5.6.6 was a procedural release only, and contained no new or changed functionality...

Yes. There are no any changes between 5.6.5 and 5.6.6. Both builds (5.6.5 and 5.6.6) was created in the one day to aligh build numbers in the frxVersion.inc and installer's filename
It seems better to use "Current build" instead of last build number in the changes.txt

LurkingKiwi

I've noticed this for a while now, but the entry page for FR5 VCL
https://www.fast-report.com/en/product/fast-report-vcl-5/
is often out-of-date.
Currently it says
=================
Current version
Build : 5.6.4
Date : Sep 12, 2017
Changes...
=================
but clicking on the Changes... link suddenly reveals that 5.6.6 dated 4 Oct is available.
I only found out about the previous release long after it arrived because somebody mentioned the new version number on this forum.

Jo??o Ferreira

I wish that the PDF Export was fixed, so that it does a proper exportation for RichText.

It's a Major issue for me, and i wont drop 350$ on some 3rd party docEngine, just to be able to export this type of content.

gpi

Jo??o Ferreira
You may use PDF printer to get TfrxRichView as text in the FR5

Jo??o Ferreira

gpi wrote: »

Jo??o Ferreira
You may use PDF printer to get TfrxRichView as text in the FR5

Can't do that, i tried but the users wan't a direct export button like they had when the reports where made in DevExpress.

gpi

You may change PDF button behavior in the preview

unit Unit1;

interface

uses
  Windows, Messages, SysUtils, Variants, Classes, Graphics, Controls, Forms,
  Dialogs, frxClass, frxExportPDF, frxPreview, frxDsgnIntf, Menus;

type
  TForm1 = class(TForm)
    frxReport1: TfrxReport;
    frxPDFExport1: TfrxPDFExport;
    SaveDialog1: TSaveDialog;
    procedure FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
    procedure frxReport1Preview(Sender: TObject);
    procedure PDFExport(Sender: TObject);
  private
    { Private declarations }
  public
    { Public declarations }
  end;

var
  Form1: TForm1;

implementation


{$R *.dfm}

procedure TForm1.PDFExport(Sender: TObject);
begin
     if SaveDialog1.Execute then
       begin
         //Print prepared report to PDF printer here
         //frxPDFExport1.FileName:=SaveDialog1.FileName;
         //TfrxPreview(frxReport1.Preview).Export(frxPDFExport1);
       end;
end;

procedure TForm1.FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
begin
     frxReport1.ShowReport;
end;

procedure TForm1.frxReport1Preview(Sender: TObject);
var i, j, mi: integer;
begin
       TfrxPreviewForm(frxReport1.PreviewForm).PdfB.OnClick:=PDFExport;
       for i := 0 to frxExportFilters.Count - 1 do
         begin
           if TfrxCustomExportFilter(frxExportFilters[i].Filter).ClassName = 'TfrxPDFExport' then
             mi:=i;
         end;
       TfrxPreviewForm(frxReport1.PreviewForm).ExportPopup.Items[mi + 2].OnClick:=PDFExport;
       for i:=0 to TfrxPreviewForm(frxReport1.PreviewForm).RightMenu.Items.Count-1 do
         begin
           if TfrxPreviewForm(frxReport1.PreviewForm).RightMenu.Items[i].Caption=TfrxPreviewForm(frxReport1.PreviewForm).SaveB.Hint then
             begin
               for j:=0 to TfrxPreviewForm(frxReport1.PreviewForm).RightMenu.Items[i].Count-1 do
                 if TfrxPreviewForm(frxReport1.PreviewForm).RightMenu.Items[i][j].Caption=TfrxPreviewForm(frxReport1.PreviewForm).ExportPopup.Items[mi + 2].Caption then
                    TfrxPreviewForm(frxReport1.PreviewForm).RightMenu.Items[i][j].OnClick:=PDFExport;
             end;
           if TfrxPreviewForm(frxReport1.PreviewForm).RightMenu.Items[i].Caption=TfrxPreviewForm(frxReport1.PreviewForm).PdfB.Hint then
             TfrxPreviewForm(frxReport1.PreviewForm).RightMenu.Items[i].OnClick:=PDFExport;
         end;
end;

end.

Bimmer_R

I would love - if the previewform in unit frxPreview could be used to show multiple reports.

If it is doable - then please advice me how :-)

Would be perfect with a - AddReportsToPreview(ReportList: TObjectList<TfrxReport>) method :-)

edit: Reports showing in separate tabs :-)

gpi

Add TfrxPreview
Set TfrxPreview.EachReportInTab to True
Set TfrxReport.Preview := frxPreview1;

Polomint

Thanks for promoting this thread to the new Forum! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="B)" border="0" alt="cool.gif" /> Be interested vto hear if other Beta testers have new "wishlist" ideas... Cheers, Paul[/img]

Polomint

OK well those of you who"http://www.fast-report.com/en/forum/?p=/discussion/comment/38611"; ] Wishlist from September[/url] (to improve the Installation Process) has not materialised.

I'd like to add another piece to that "wish".

Just this weekend I had to work on a laptop with a trackpad broken by Window 10 Update (!) and had to use the keyboard for everything.

The FastReport Recompile Wizard has a seriously out-of-whack Tab Order and makes life for the keyboard-bound user tough.

The attached image shows the order I divined from the Wizard Form.

gpi

wrote:

the label for Indy is "enabled"

What is "Label for Indy"?

Polomint

gpi wrote: »

What is "Label for Indy"?

Sorry GPI, I was unclear. The text prefixed with "6" (inside the purple box) is not "greyed out" although the "Focus Control" and associated Button are disabled!

And as promised, here is the same analysis of FastCube recompiler.

gpi

wrote:

The text prefixed with "6" (inside the purple box) is not "greyed out" although the "Focus Control" and associated Button are disabled!

Why it should be "greyed out"?

Polomint

gpi wrote: »

Why it should be "greyed out"?

You are right of course GPI, it is only a "style issue", but your UI is inconsistent if you don't do it for Indy, when you have done it for Teechart.

Updated screen grab attached. Compare the contents of the green and purple boxes [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" /> Cheers, Paul[/img]

gpi

I think the text prefixed with "6" should have same behavior like the text prefixed with "3"

LurkingKiwi

In June 2016 I asked in the forum:
I see that PolyLineObject and PolygonObject have been added to the .Net edition of FR; will these be coming to the VCL edition as they will be extremely useful?

I thought I'd had a reply at some point indicating that something like that would be in FR6 (and might justify the USD200 upgrade fee plus learning curve), but the current FR6 Demo doesn't seem to show anything like that.
Has anybody with a full install found additional PolyLine/Shape Objects available?

LurkingKiwi

Well here I am after paying to upgrade to VCL6, and AGAIN to upgrade to VCL2021, and 5 years later the PolyLineObject and PolygonObject STILL haven't made it from .Net to VCL.