setting a report backpicture from code?

hsm

I'm allowing users to pick a report background picture , plus other static pictures and text, and via a setup screen that stores the paths/text inside Pascal variables and a database. When my Pascal program starts I try to set the backpicture and other pictures of the report so its ready when opened, but am getting an access violation when I try to refer to the page. I get the error on the first line so it seem it can't find pages[1].

Am I doing this right?

(I have Uses frxClass, U_100PctCertificate; in the module, U_100PctCertificate contains the formFrmCertificates which contains the report frxReportCertificate. )

The code I have is as follows

Howard

procedure TFrmConstantsAndPreferences.LoadPicturesAndTextIntoCertificate;
var
CertificatePicture : TfrxPictureView;
CertificatePage : TfrxReportPage;
CertificateText : TfrxMemoView;
begin


 CertificatePage := FrmCertificates.frxReportCertificate.Pages[1] as TfrxReportPage;  //point to the certificate page
 CertificatePage.BackPicture.LoadFromFile(GetCertBackgroundPath); //load background picture

 CertificatePicture  := FrmCertificates.frxReportCertificate.FindObject('ImageLogo') as TfrxPictureView;   //point to the logo
 CertificatePicture.Picture.LoadFromFile(GetLogoPath); //load the image into it

 CertificatePicture  := FrmCertificates.frxReportCertificate.FindObject('ImageSignature') as TfrxPictureView;   //point to the signature
 CertificatePicture.Picture.LoadFromFile(GetSignaturePath); //load the image into it

 CertificateText   := FrmCertificates.frxReportCertificate.FindObject('MemoSchoolName') as TfrxMemoView;   //point to the institution name
 CertificateText.Memo.Clear;
 CertificateText.Memo.Add(GetInstitutionName);

 CertificateText   := FrmCertificates.frxReportCertificate.FindObject('MemoSigTitle') as TfrxMemoView;   //point to the signatory title
 CertificateText.Memo.Clear;
 CertificateText.Memo.Add(GetSignatoryTitle);
end;

gordk

have you loaded the report into the tfrxcomponent first

hsm

gordk wrote: »

have you loaded the report into the tfrxcomponent first

I'm not sure what you mean by loading the report into the trfxcomponent.
All the code I have is what I showed. I haven't saved the report to a file or anything, just have the component (and associoated datasets etc) sitting on a form.

Please could you show me what I need to write to load it?

BTW The report works fine when I load the graphics and text in the 'code' section of the report.
I was trying to save time by having it already there when the report is opened.

Howard

gordk

since you are not saving the report to file you won't be loading it.
typical call to access the report page from the programmers manual.
var Page: tfrxreportpage;
Page := TfrxReportPage(frxReport1.Pages[1]);
your code
CertificatePage := FrmCertificates.frxReportCertificate.Pages[1] as TfrxReportPage;
should probably be
CertificatePage := (FrmCertificates.frxReportCertificate.Pages[1]);

CertificatePage.backpicture.loadfromfile('path&filename');
make sure you also set visible and printable props of backpicture to suit.

hsm

Thanks Gordk but your suggestion to use
CertificatePage := (FrmCertificates.frxReportCertificate.Pages[1]);
first of all gave me an 'incompatible type TfrxReportPage and TfrxPage'.
When I changed the data type of Certificate page from TfrxReportPage to TfrxPage the compiler is happy with that line but then says that backpicture is an unknown identifier in the next line, CertificatePage.backpicture.loadfromfile('path&filename'), This would seem to make sense as backpicture is a method of a TfrxReportPage object but not of a TfrxPage object.

I think you might have meant to cast it to a TfrxReportPage first like this
CertificatePage := TfrxReportPage(FrmCertificates.frxReportCertificate.Pages[1])
that compiles but still gives the access violation error on that line.

I was following the example from page 9 of the programmers manual with the small exception that the example appears to assume the code is running in the same form as the report as the variable 'frxReport1' is not further qualified. I thought that by qualifying it with the name of the form containing it (FrmCertificates in my case) that it would work. Indeed, my original code compiled ok but then got the run time error.

I must be close, any other ideas?
Howard

gordk

you answered your own question you should be in the same form as the tfrxreport component.
or you must store reports in a file and call load report from file method or stream etc.
typical
myform.frxreport1.loadfromfile('pathandfilename.fr3'); // now you have a report loaded
into a report component and you can access the pages objects etc.
then call show report.
remeber the called form must be availabe to the calling form.

hsm

gordk wrote: »

you answered your own question you should be in the same form as the tfrxreport component.
or you must store reports in a file and call load report from file method or stream etc.
typical
myform.frxreport1.loadfromfile('pathandfilename.fr3'); // now you have a report loaded
into a report component and you can access the pages objects etc.
then call show report.
remeber the called form must be availabe to the calling form.

OK Thanks Gordk, In frustration I did move it back to the original form and loaded the pictures in the OBP moethod where I knew it worked previously and now its OK. Yours is a tip worth remembering though.
I'll keep the report in the form as I don't want to have to distibute .fr3 files as well with my application.
Regards
Howard