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DataLink Viewer User Manual

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1. 87 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 4 VERSION 6 2001 0 RELEASED MAY 30 2011 VERSION 6 0001 0 RELEASED JANUARY 19 2010 VERSION 5 9001 0 RELEASED MAY 08 2009 VERSION 5 8001 0 RELEASED 7 25 200 8 VERSION 5 001 0 2 26 2008 cert e e Fre EUR IR T sess VERSION 5 6001 0 RELEASED 9 23 2007 e eese nennen nennen nennen rennen nennen tenete tenete nennen VERSION 5 5001 0 RELEASED 1 12 2007 iiic ee teet tette eee SKEE raS EEEE EIEKO E covers ER SEEE EE ees KNOWN ISSUES AND LIMITATION 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 5 Introduction While the creation and design changes of Crystal reports rpt files require the full Crystal Reports software you can let other PCs view print and export these reports by installing DataLink Viewer DataLink Viewer provides several useful features such as command line API allowing you to schedule printing and trigger viewing of reports from your application task scheduler batch files or desktop shortcuts an intuitive Grid for organizing and selecting previously opened reports reduced login frustrations via integrated authentica
2. eo gesaneos erae eio o erba alae eae o ne vo eo eau 48 INTEGRATED AUTHENTICATION REMEMBER 48 SHARED MACHINE AUTHENTICATION cccccecececscecececececscecececececececececsescecececececececececececececececececececececeeecececececececececs 49 SHARED SECRET PASSWORD WITH WINDOWS USER IDS ccccccesecececececececececececececececececececececececececsesesceceeeeecececess 50 MONITORING DATALINK VIEWER USE 4 e eene e eese ee ee eee eee seen ases seen e eese eaae eS 51 RECORD PROCESSING TO AN ODBC DATABASE eee eee e rene see Era renra e ese ese ese ess ese esses esee esas esas ee 51 Typical ON utet m RP PRSE TRUE RR EHE HE REAPER UR OR QUU ENTRE 51 MS Access Data StEUCtUTe os oue Sete ee eee ka OIN E EIOS 52 SOL Server Data Struct re eee ente re e pei rie Ote ipee i leet ipee e dete per e ERR 52 Oracle Dat Str cture 54 TOW TGS tant Lorn E isse e eti eee ter itae eig eee to pee ert oe sete dei ted cn 55 RECORD REPORT USE IN A TEXT LOG FILE eeeeeee eee eme EE EENE EE EEEE EEE ese ese e ese ese esses esas ue 56 PROTECT REPORT DESIGNS WITH RPZ FILES sccccssssscssssscccsssscccessscccssssscccssseccesssccccssssccsessssccccssssecs 57 Make Rpz Command Line Argumenty sesonon reee ener nennen ren rene enne nette nete re tr
3. 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 61 Auto Refresh Reports Every N Seconds When clicking the Refresh button you can specify that the report should automatically refresh every N seconds As shown in the following dialog when a report has parameters the Auto Refresh option is enabled only when you elect to reuse the current parameter values Refresh Report Data Use current parameter values C Prompt for new parameter values omes When a report doesn t have parameters the dialog is simpler and you can always elect to enable auto refresh Refresh Report Data Refresh Every Seconds Cancel The auto refresh process stops when you click the Refresh button again or when you select another report 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 62 Auto_Refresh Command Line Argument You can also trigger auto refresh by using an Auto_Refresh argument when invoking a report from a command line Here s how you would trigger a viewing of a report and auto refreshing it every 5 minutes 300 seconds C Program Files DataLink Viewer 9 DataLink_Viewer_9 exe v C temp Report rpt Auto Refresh 300 ViewMode Command Line Argument Remove Toolbar Status bar When you trigger a report from a command line using a v View Only window you can also elect to remove the toolbar and or the status bar in order to maximize the space available for the report itself The command line argument for controlling this b
4. C Program Files DataLink Viewer 9W5DataLink Viewer 9 exe v C temp Report rpt Printer Srv1 Laser1 Print Copies 3 Setting Custom Text for Each Print Copy Using DataLink Viewer XI R2 in cases where Print Copies is specified each print copy can have custom text such as Copy 1 of 2 Copy 2 of 2 Simply place a Crystal formula called G Print Copy Template on the report canvas For each printed copy DataLink Viewer XI R2 would first update the text in that formula by replacing N with the copy number and M with the total number of copies See this demo image 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 29 Scheduling Printing Since you can trigger printing using the Printer command line argument you can use the Windows Task Scheduler or any other scheduler application to trigger printing of the report For detailed instructions on how to use the free windows task scheduler see the section on Scheduling in my Visual CUT User Manual Visual CUT provides much more powerful report scheduling options at www milletsoftware com visualcutManual htm SCHEDULING PRINTING FOR MULTIPLE REPORTS If you need to schedule printing of multiple reports at the same time the best approach is to place all command lines into a single batch file Then schedule the batch file in the free Windows Task Scheduler as described above 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 30 Launch a Report while Viewing another Report
5. C Program Files WDataLink Viewer 93DataLink Viewer 9 exe s C Program Files DataLink Viewer 935DataLink Viewer Year and Product Prompts rpt Parm1 1997 DataLink Viewer now lets you launch any other application and pass parameters to it by double clicking a report section that contains a string formula with the following structure EXE Run Any Program exe command line arguments 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 128 Version 2 1 0 Released 11 01 2002 Corrected a problem with Using Report against Secure Databases The new version supports connection to any number of secure data sources by both the main report as well as the parameter reports Thanks to Abbas Rostami Cubic Corporation for identifying the issue The title of the dynamic parameter windows now shows the text of the prompt designed for the parameter within Crystal Version 2 0 0 Released 10 10 2002 9999 Added compatibility with Crystal Report version 9 0 Modified Print button to allow selection of printers Changed cursor to hourglass while opening or refreshing reports Enabled Export button in the viewer Fixed a Refresh button issue Version 1 2 0 Released 9 29 2002 The Status Bar now shows the number of records selected in the report instead of number of records read from the database Version 1 1 0 Released 9 20 2002 The application now accepts a report as a command line argument allowing immediate preview of
6. as delimiters even for the first last or only entry The 2 section specifies in the case of Master Builder data that users should be allowed to select only folders that contain a company dbf file That section also allows users to Enable or Disable dynamic folder selection Select The Company Folder For This Report 10 x Sc LOCAL DISK Landscaping C3 Direct Deposit J Images E Reports poo Folder Selected Cancel 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 46 Changing Folder Location for Access Excel Paradox Files Note this functionality is not available in the 8 5 version of DataLink Viewer If your report uses the native connection to MS Access or Excel files you can control the location of the database files using the following section in DataLink_Viewer ini Database Path Selection Paths C 0ld xtreme mdb gt gt C New xtreme mdb a test mdb for Paradox specify only path to DB files Path C Old gt gt c New Note you can also use a Database Path Selection command line argument As demonstrated above the Paths entry may contain multiple pairs of old gt gt new paths Each pair specifies the old path followed by a Aa separator followed by the new path The pairs are separated by If the new path is blank or if it contains just a question mark DataLink Viewer will prompt the user to select a new path when a report using the old path is first used
7. formula and The name of the clicked formula has 4 parts 1 DLVSet this is a constant that identifies the formula to DataLink Viewer as a click source 2 Any number not limited to a single digit 1 2 in the examples above This allows for multiple formulas each with a different string value to set the string value of the same target formula 3 a colon 4 The name of the target formula Sortl in the examples above whose string value would be set to the string value of the clicked formula With some creativity this allows you to design reports that react to user clicks in useful ways Click Column Headers to Re Sort The Report As a demonstration of what can be achieved with the Click to Set a Formula Value functionality the sample report DLV Column Header Sort reacts to clicks on column headers by resorting the report based on the clicked column header A short video demonstration is available at http www milletsoftware com Download DLV Sort By Click wmv The four column headers are clickable formulas 1 GDLVSet 1 Sort1 with a string value of Customer Name 2 DLVSet_2 Sort1 with a string value of Region 3 DLVSet_3 Sort1 with a string value of Country 4 DLVSet_4 Sort1 with a string value of Postal Code The target formula Sort1 starts with a design time value of Customer Name and as its value gets changed due to user clicks the 9 SortByl1 formula reacts by returning one of
8. If the new path has one question mark followed by a valid path that path will be the default location in the dialog asking the user to select a path If instead of a single question mark the new path starts with a double question mark DataLink Viewer will always prompt the user to select a path each time a report using the old path runs The user choice will be added after the and will become the new default value in the path selection dialog If the report uses a database file that can t be found on the machine DataLink Viewer prompts the user to select a valid location creates the Database_Path_Selection section if it doesn t already exist and creates adds the pair information to the Paths entry These options are designed to address typical deployment scenarios when a report developer sells reports to users who may have their data source location at a different folder than the one used when the reports were developed USING COMMAND LINE ARGUMENT TO AVOID PATH PROMPT By default pairs with two question marks before the new default path old_path gt gt new_path cause a prompt each time the old path is encountered in a report You may wish to avoid such repeated prompts when launching one report from within another report or when scheduling printing The following command line argument will cause DataLink Viewer to ignore the two question marks and simply use the new_path 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 47 In
9. 25 COMMAND LINE ARGUMENTS FOR PARAMETER VALUEG cccsssceeseeceeeeeseeceseeesaeecseeseaeecseesencecueeseneeceeeeeneeeneees 26 Range and Multi Value Parameters esessseseeeeeseeeeee eene enne trennen retener enne een 26 Null Values eec ee dp ee pee d eas 26 ARGUMENT FOR SETTING FORMULA EXPRESSIONS nein rese innen nennen 27 COMMAND LINE ARGUMENTS FOR TRIGGERING SCHEDULING EXPORTING 28 Interactive Use cete n e RE IRI EMG RN UM Di Res 28 Fully Automated Exporting e noni iei edens 28 Scheduling Exporting ic oue Boe ee ee oder Redes 28 COMMAND LINE ARGUMENTS FOR TRIGGERING PRINTING 29 SPECIFYING NUMBER OF COPIES redeneer ettet e doe tepido reed deserere cn 29 SETTING CUSTOM TEXT FOR EACH PRINT COPY cssccesseeessecesneecaccesceeceaecssneeceaeceeneeceaeceeeecsaeceeaeecsaeeseaeecsaeeseneees 29 Nfeisisibigy Aedui tS 30 Scheduling Printing for Multiple Reports nennen eren eren 30 LAUNCH A REPORT WHILE VIEWING ANOTHER rhet tenter nnne tenen nennen en 31 CREATE A USER INTERFACE FOR SELECTING AND LAUNCHING 32 EMBED INPUT FROM THE USER
10. rpt amp rpz file extensions are now automatically associated with DataLink Viewer if they are not already associated with another application When starting DataLink Viewer if the rpt rpz file extensions are not already assigned to another program these extensions are assigned to the DataLink Viewer executable so a double click on a rpt rpz file would open the report in DataLink Viewer This means that users no longer need to manually specify the Open With option in the Windows File Explorer 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 112 Version 4 3004 0 Released 11 22 2004 Added Integrated Authentication functionality This allows users to automatically connect to any secure database provided they first a turn on the Integrated Authentication option and b log in once to the secure database using a new Remember Me option The database login information is stored in DataLink Viewer ini in a strongly encrypted format DataLink Viewer uses this information only after validating that it belongs to the current PC and current Windows user For full detail see Error Reference source not found on page 40 of the user manual Thanks to Peter Peterson and Gary Anderson Boulder County for sponsoring the development of this functionality Fixed an issue related to storing the rpt files in a folder with no delete permissions for the users Fixed an error message when closing DataLink Viewer after deleting all reports from the re
11. Cascading Parameters This section explains the special dynamic amp cascading parameter functionality provided by DataLink Viewer The first parameter in our sample report was named by the report developer as Prompt_Order_Year rpt DataLink Viewer detects that such a report exists and links to that report as the basis for prompting the user Note if a prompting report doesn t exist the static parameter dialog provided by Crystal will be used DataLink Viewer always tries to locate and use Live Prompts before using the static Crystal prompts Respond to Single Value Live Prompts DataLink Viewer detects that the Prompt_Order_Year rpt parameter was designed to accept only a single value and hence it presents you with the linked report inside a dialog that allows you to click and select only a single value Select Year Preview Order Year Note that by linking to a live prompt report the designer of the report doesn t have to change the report design every year in order to add one more entry to the default value list of the static parameter Instead the prompt report dynamically presents all available years in the database 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 17 Link back in a Hierarchy of Live Prompts Once you select 1997 and hit OK the viewer detects a second parameter in our sample report Prompt_Products rpt Again DataLink Viewer detects that such a report exists and links to that report
12. click the File Folders button and select update exe in the DLV folder to be excluded from the virus protection When setting up DataLink Viewer to act as a launch pad for view only windows see the user manual section on Remove the Preview Tab from the Initial Window the primary window now maintains a generic title of DataLink Viewer This facilitates navigation among multiple minimized windows When launching reports to a view only window by double clicking the grid or via the right click menu option the Last Used column for the report row in the grid now gets updated 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 97 Version 5 7001 0 Released 2 26 2008 DataLink Viewer XI now uses a newer version of the Crystal XI R2 runtime components This fixes an issue with numbers showing up as scientific notations in charts Users of prior XI versions can t use the online update option and must go through a Remove amp Install process in order to update their version Added an option to the special DataLink Viewer Integrated Authentication functionality allowing an administrator to securely share integrated authentication information with any other user who successfully logged in to the same machine This avoids the need to assign a different user id amp password to each user and for each user to go through the initial Remember Me login step For detail see the user manual section on Shared Machine Authentication Fixed an issue
13. e In Place Drill Down www milletsoftware com Download DLV_InPlace_DrillDown wmv Click to Group Sort http www milletsoftware com Download DLV_Sort By Click wmv e Click to set a formula value e Click to prompt for and pass a value to another process 11 Compatibility with document management systems such as Documentum 12 Selective Parameter Refresh When refreshing a report users can select which parameters they wish to change This avoids tedious re entering of values for the other parameters The parameter refresh choices are stored for each report and can be easily reused or changed at a later session 13 Integrated Authentication use Windows User Login and Machine ID to remove the need to repeatedly authenticate to data sources 14 Select Different Data Sources for the same Report 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 7 Install Remove The zip file you received should contain a DataLink_Viewer msi Microsoft Installer file containing all the files to be installed sample reports and this document Double Clicking the msi file will start the installation process which takes of registering the dll s and unless you specify another location defaults to installing the application in the C Program Files DataLink_Viewer directory Double Clicking the DataLink_Viewer msi file again after the installation allows you to Remove the software DataLink_Viewer is automatically installed under the Crys
14. no blocking as well as avoid the ugly DOS window CreateObject Wscript Shell Run amp WScript Arguments 0 amp 0 False Step 3 Use notepad to create one batch file for each report to trigger its viewing and auto refreshing Here are two batch files one for a report with a parameter and one for a report without one Report 1 bat C Program Files DataLink Viewer 1 1NDataLink Viewer 11 exe v C DLV Report_1 rpt Parm1 2004 Auto Refresh 30 Report 2 bat C Program Files DataLink Viewer 1 1NDataLink Viewer 11 exe v C DLV Report_2 rpt Refresh 30 Step 4 Use notepad to create a batch file which silently calls the two reports inserting a 15 seconds wait between the calls Double click or schedule that batch file to start the processing wscript exe C DLV invis vbs C DLV Report_1 bat CALL WAIT 15 wscript exe C DLV invis vbs C DLV Report_2 bat 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 64 Click to Change a Parameter Value If you place a main report parameter on the report layout when a DataLink Viewer user clicks on that parameter DataLink Viewer prompts the user for just that parameter That allows your users to simply and intuitively select just one parameter to refresh TOGGLING BETWEEN 2 PARAMETER VALUES If a user clicks on a parameter that has exactly 2 default values no custom values allowed DataLink Viewer toggles the value of that
15. 8 5 version of DataLink Viewer Fixed a problem causing an error message when printing reports to a specified printer when the report uses a custom paper size Fixed an exporting to Excel 97 Data Only problem when using rpz files in the Crystal 9 version of DataLink Viewer The Strip Table Qualifiers option now applies even for cases with table aliases A forced login for main reports no longer forces login for dynamic parameter reports Fixed sharing of parameter values across linked dynamic parameter reports Added an ODBC DSN From To command line argument This is useful for cases where a report uses multiple ODBC DSNs and you need to override only one of them When selecting a new ODBC DSN in the login dialog for a report that DSN choice carries over to any dynamic parameter reports used to provide parameter values for the report if they use the same original ODBC DSN 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 104 Anew ini file option allows you to restrict the choice of alternative ODBC DSNs in the login window to a specified group or groups of ODBC DSNs For detail see Restricting the List of ODBC DSN Choices Added an option to avoid the printer setup dialog in DataLink Viewer 8 5 and 9 If you set the following DataLink Viewer ini entry to False Prompt for Printer Setup False when you click on the Print button the Printer Setup dialog is skipped and you go directly to the dialog controlling the number of copies Th
16. Millet Software Page 40 FORCING THE LOGIN DIALOG TO DISPLAY TO ALLOW CHOICE OF ODBC DSN If the data source is not password protected or if you are using the Integrated Authentication functionality of DataLink Viewer the login dialog would not display If you still wish to select a different ODBC DSN as the data source you need to force the login dialog to display If you need to override the ODBC DSN only occasionally the best option is to right click the report row in the grid of previously opened reports and select the menu option of Preview Report force login If you need to always allow the user to select a different ODBC DSN you can set the following options in DataLink_Viewer ini under the Options section Always_Force_Login TRUE Display DSN List in ODBC Login True RESTRICTING THE LisT OF ODBC DSN CHOICES The default ODBC DSN used by a report may belong to what you may consider to be a group of alternative ODBC DSNs You may wish to restrict the list of ODBC DSNs options shown for such a report to only those that belong to that group This can be accomplished by specifying an ODBC Groups entry under a Login Window section in the DataLink Viewer ini file Here is an example of such an entry Login Window ODBC_Groups iXtreme 9lIXtreme 1 1 _2 _6 oll Each ODBC Group is enclosed in brackets A single space separates the groups Each ODBC DSN is enclos
17. Page 81 Implementing a Select All Option If you run the report again and scroll to the bottom of the live Product Type selection prompt you would notice that you can select the All Product Types option Select Product Types to be included in the Report 75 1 of Preview Product Types Competition All Product Types Saddles der Types Delete Delete All Cancel This was implemented by adding a formula to the report footer with a static text value of All Product Types The desired effect is obtained by specifying the following record selection criterion in Prompt Products rpt Product Type Product Type Name in Prompt Product Types rpt AI Product Types in l Prompt Product Types si 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 82 Sharing Values Across Cascading Parameters Parameter values are automatically reused if the same Parameter name is used more than once in the chain of cascading parameters The diagram below shows a situation where Prompt_Order_Year rpt is used to first ask the user to specify which orders should be shown in the report That same parameter is then also used to limit the dynamic list of products Prompt_Products rpt such that only products that actually sold in that year are available for selection DataLink Viewer now reuses the year specified by the user the first time Prompt Order Year rpt is invoked to avoid asking the user the same question twice DataLink
18. Select ButtonZ TRUE Disable Search Button TRUE 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 79 Updating DataLink_Viewer ini via a Delta File When deploying DataLink Viewer to many users you may want to automate the process of updating some of the DataLink_Viewer ini settings You can do that by placing a DataLink_Viewer_Delta ini file in the application folder Any entries found in that file will update DataLink_Viewer ini when the application is launched Here is an example of a DataLink_Viewer_Delta ini file Delta_Options Delete AfterZNEVER USE or NEVER or Some Date specified as yyyy MMdd if entry above not found then default is USE Update Master INI False if entry above not found then default is False Update Slave INI True if entry above not found then default is True Options Attempt Logon Without Password False Strip Table Qualifiers True Saved Data Action Display Associated File Launch ModezView Only New Window On DblClick True Parameter Values Remember Max Chars 900 Saved Parameter Set Minimum 5 Integrated Authentication Enable Integrated Authentication True The Delta Options section is used only to control the following aspects of the process e The Delete After option controls when the Delta ini file is deleted o NEVER the file will not be deleted o USE the file is deleted after being used once o yyyyMMdd the file is deleted after the specified date e Update Master INI cont
19. Start GMT nvarchar 255 COLLATE SQL Latinl General CI AS NULL Proc End GMT nvarchar 255 COLLATE SQL Latinl General CP1 CI AS NULL Windows User ID nvarchar 255 COLLATE SQL Latnl General CI AS NULL Machine ID nvarchar 255 COLLATE SQL Latinl General CI AS NULL Parameter Values nvarchar 40000 COLLATE SQL Latinl General CI AS NULL Connection Properties nvarchar 40000 COLLATE SQL Latinl General CI AS NULL Report SQL nvarchar 40000 COLLATE SQL Latin1 General CP1 CI AS NULL Live Data 1 0 int NULL Records Read int NULL Export Activity 1 0 int NULL Print Activity 1 0 int NULL ON PRIMARY GO SQL Server notes e for recent versions of SQL Server replace nvarchar 40000 with nvarchar MAX e ensure the User ID you use can access that table make that user a member of the dbo owner group in SQL Server 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 53 ORACLE DATA STRUCTURE The script below contributed by Jonathan Klobucnik from A H Belo also includes a definition of a Sequence and a Trigger to handle the Auto Numbering requirement CREATE TABLE DLV_LOG LOGN NUMBER 0 NOT NULL RPT_PATH NVARCHAR2 255 NAME NVARCHAR2 255 PROC_START_LOCAL NVARCHAR2 255 PROC END LOCAL NVARCHAR2 255 PROC_START_GMT NVARCHAR2 255 PROC_END_GMT NVARCHAR2 255 WINDOWS_USER_ID NVARCHAR2 255 MACHINE_ID NVARCH
20. a report without the need to select it You can now associate report file rpt with DataLink Viewer allowing users to directly open and preview a report by simply double clicking it as a file under a directory or an attachment in an e mail message Thanks to Michael O Neill Alternatives For Industry for the enhancement idea Version 1 0 0 Released 8 23 2002 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 129 Known Issues and Limitation 1 rpz files can t be exported to MAPI in a single step The user is prompted to first export to disk and then manually email the resulting file Regular rpt files don t have that restriction 2 Only live parameters remember values from last session 3 Patrick Pettibon from MatchMarketing www matchmarketing com has identified a problem and a solution to image quality issue when Previewing or Exporting PDF RTF Word Crystal Reports 8 5 amp 9 0 that have charts pictures subreports or OLE objects When working within Crystal Reports the problem and solution are described by a Crystal Decisions tech support document at http support crystaldecisions com library kbase articles c2009714 asp You basically need to set the value of two keys 1 BitMapMagnifDenominator value should be 1 2 BitMapMagnif Numerator value should be 4 Under the registry folders of For Crystal 8 5 HKEY CURRENT USERSSOFTWARENSSEAGATE SOFTWARE CRYSTAL REPORTS EXPORT For Crystal 9 HKEY CURRENT USERSOFTWAREWXCRY
21. as the basis for prompting the User However before presenting this report to the user the viewer detects that the Prompt_Products rpt itself is designed with a parameter of its own Prompt_Product_Types rpt What we have here is a hierarchy of links whereby the values selected by the user in response to the Prompt_Product_Types rpt parameter restrict the values available for selection in the Prompt_Products rpt parameter DataLink_Viewer_Year_and_Product_Prompts rpt Parameter 1 Single Value Prompt_Order_Year rpt Parameter 2 Multi Value Prompt_Products rpt Parameter 1 Multi Value Prompt_Product_Types rpt DataLink Viewer always starts from the bottom of the hierarchy for each parameter Hence we are going to be prompted first for Product Types before we select Products within those Product Types 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 18 Respond to Multi Value Live Prompts DataLink Viewer detects that the parameter called Prompt_Product_Types rpt was designed to accept multiple values and hence it presents you with the linked report Prompt_Product_Types rpt inside a dialog that allows you to click and select multiple values Select Product Types to be included in the Rep Preview Product Types Competition Competition Delete All Cancel After clicking on Competition and Helmets to select those Product Types click OK to progress to the Products selection within thos
22. automate the conversion of rpt files to rpz files using scheduled or automated processes DataLink Viewer provides a command line API Your command line call should look like this all in one line C Program Files DataLink Viewer 12NDataLink Viewer 12 exe Make_RPZ e test rpt gt c MyFolder gt 120 After the Make RPZ key word and the colon the arguments are separated by gt as a delimiter The three arguments are 1 The path to the rpt file s to be converted you may specify wild cards as demonstrated in the example above you may specify multiple paths separated by a semi colon For example Make_RPZ e rptFolderl rpt c rptFolder2 rpt gt c rpzFolder gt 120 The target folder where the rpz files should be deposited The maximum age in minutes of the rpt file in order to be included Older files would be skipped This allows the command line to be placed in a batch file and scheduled while avoiding the conversion of older files that have already been converted Use a value of zero to convert all files regardless of age 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 58 Create rpz Files with Expiration and License Keys You can apply expiration date and or license keys to rpz files by setting the following entry in the DataLink_Viewer ini file Options Enable Advanced RPZ Options True When that option is enabled the dialog you get when clicking on the Compress amp Encrypt Rpt to Rpz button
23. be useful in cases where you deploy reports to different folders based on user permissions but wish to place dynamic parameter reports in a shared location The search order for dynamic parameter reports is now 1 Folder where the main report resides 2 The DataLink Viewer application folder 3 The folder specified in a new ini file option For example Options Thanks to Abbas Rostami Cubic Corporation for suggesting this enhancement Added sample reports designed to work with the Crystal 9 Extreme Sample Database ODBC data source named Xtreme Sample Database 9 The previous sample reports are still included and they work with the Xtreme Sample Database that gets installed with prior versions of Crystal 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 121 Version 2 9 00 Released 12 01 2003 Ensured the new button for launching the user manual is kept invisible when launching a report from a command line with a View Only v option When the user clicks the Refresh button DataLink Viewer now lets the user indicate if the parameter values should be reused or re prompted If the user indicates the data should be refreshed with the same parameter values the viewer maintains the same page position This is standard Crystal behavior You can now specify what is the default action when DataLink Viewer opens a report with saved data The default action remains Prompt asking the user if the data should be refreshed You can
24. location 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 38 Securing Reports against Unauthorized Use If you wish to secure your reports against unauthorized use you can provide authorized users a License Key string for the ini entry Within the report later distributed to clients as an rpz file you design a record selection criterion that returns true only if the license key matches the company name in the database As a simple example you could check the number of characters in the license key is equal to the length of the actual company name in the database plus the number of R s in that company s name If you don t have access to the company name in the database or if you wish to issue per machine licenses use the technique described in the next section Loading Machine Information into Parameters DLV_MACHINE_NAME If a report has a single value string parameter called DLV_Machine_Name DataLink Viewer automatically sets the value of such a parameter to the Windows Machine Name on which DataLink Viewer is running DLV_REGISTERED_COMPANY If a report has a single value string parameter called DLV_Registered_Company DataLink Viewer automatically sets the value of such a parameter to the Company Name specified when the Windows operating system was installed In conjunction with the ability to load ini values into report parameters this functionality allows report developers to distribute rpz files and restrict their use to only tho
25. looks like this jon and license key option c temp Cust_Report rpt CATEMP Replenishment Report rpt C Users ixm7 SOBHWP0397 1 Documents Crystal Reports test1 Include Sub Folders with WildCard Expressions Destination Folder for rpz File s 7 Expire rpz on 7 Enable License Key Options 6 29 2010 Our Code 12345678 ini Entry Name MiletSoftware License Key How to Contact Us rpz File License Info contact us at ww w MilletSoftware com 814 825 6009 ido MilletSoftware com ask for or Genevieve 4 Generate License Key with Options as Shown Above Client Company Name as per Windows Acme o the Client and instruct them to D67C5381D0ECB2AASBECBCABFDC730FECA24C388A55AOCED14 pz that you crested with CAASBOE4BEB2C2A6182D390D0680F842DDA367611B9D148AF8 BC13F55495C25CF3E065A0D3326C2D2A3883058C66A16F5317 sons above e text into the dialog a 3E19F47466ARA4C2 7DSCEBSSAOEFDSCB854407620C12EC73533 0E8337B690EFE23FDCBCCE2BAAFB86425710018034CD266612 Please contact Millet Software for more detail about the various options and the use scenarios supported by this dialog 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 59 MAKE RPZ2 COMMAND LINE ARGUMENT If you need to automate the conversion of rpt files to rpz files with expiration dates and license keys your command line call should look like this all in one line After the Make RPZ2 key word and the colo
26. lt I6 Click on left for Bookmarks DataLink Viewer View Print and Export Crystal Reports www MilletSoftware com Version 6 5001 November 2015 By Millet Software 5275 Rome Ct Erie PA 16509 3951 ido MilletSoftware com 814 825 6009 Disclaimer This software is provided as is by Millet Software without assuming any responsibility for harm to computer systems software or data with which these files are used 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 1 INTRODUCTION cssssssssssssessssessessesessersssessessssessessssessessesessessssessessesessesnsesasessessessesessassesessessssessassesessessesessessesess 6 MAIN BENEFITS 3s casssscscisssvcecosenvssciscnvcectsonesesessevsnsnsens easiacadcnsbsestcasnssasencbseevencincavensbsesvsnsuseavensbseadessbssadensasesdcadbadavensese 6 INSTALE REMOVE 8 CHECK FOR UPDATES iiaii ipa nesr n vn nanoen a eaa a VENTEN a EAEE A VATERS a Ea a 9 TYPICAL USE SCENARIOS rinadi nna RREN EORR RERA 10 USER INTEREAGE eei et A EUR Der ek E 10 SELECT A REPORT TO VIEW aeee a EAE SER E E OR TRERET let davon TREE ERROR EISE RAAERE 12 SELECTIVE PARAMETER REFRESH V TERRE ERE TPV I USE rrr E PO e EUN 13 REMEMBERING PARAMETER ennt tese netten seite teens eate E EE tnn enne 14 SAVE AND REUSE NAMED PARAMETER SETS cs ccsssecessc
27. refresh or reload the same report the values you specified last time for each parameter are already selected allowing you to accept Hit Return or click OK or replace them 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 21 Launch Reports from File Explorer DataLink Viewer allows you to launch a report from the Windows File Explorer by Right Clicking a rpt or rpz file The typical File Explorer menu provides the following extra options ll pen E D Product Prompts V9 rpt s PI Export pt EN PI Print Print with ENT nen With gt Open launches a report to a Preview window Export exports the report to a user selected export format and disk file Print prints the report to the Default printer Print with prints the report to a user selected printer These options allow users to invoke exporting or printing of a report without previewing it This means users don t have to wait for the preview to complete before providing exporting or printing choices Similar choices are available from the full user interface in DataLink Viewer by right clicking a report row in the 1 tab grid However some users may prefer to use File Explorer as a launch mechanism without starting DataLink Viewer Note DataLink Viewer associates these file explorer actions with rpt and rpz files only on PCs where these extensions are not already associated with other applications This means that on a machine where Crystal Reports is already insta
28. related to closing a report in a View Only mode Fixed a rare issue causing unnecessary logins Fixed an issue with the Display DSN List in ODBC Login option in the ini file Fixed an issue causing a change in ODBC DSN to be ignored for a report that is already connected to SQL Server Fixed an issue causing the user manual and some rpt files to be handled as essential installation files If you now elect to delete these files they will not be recreated automatically from the install msi file the next time you start DataLink Viewer DataLink Viewer XI now shows the close drill down button only when a drill down view is open Users can now delete all report rows from the grid without causing the ReportList txt file to be deleted amp recreated from the install file when the applications restarts The Reload button now triggers a Preview of the reloaded report Improved handling of cases where File Locations specified in the DataLink Viewer ini are pointing at disconnected inaccessible mapped drives In the past such cases could cause DataLink Viewer to hang in memory Now the user gets a detailed message before DataLink Viewer closes 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 98 Version 5 6001 0 Released 9 23 2007 Users can now select which parameters they wish to refresh The parameter refresh choices are stored for each report and can be easily reused or changed at a later session Note independent unlinked subreport
29. required value for the parameter 3 If the string returned by the formula is longer than 10 characters it would be used as the text of the message box in cases where the user clicks OK without specifying a value for the parameter Otherwise a standard message appears 4 The formula and even the report footer section as a whole can be suppressed 5 You must place the Page N of M special field in the Page footer of the dynamic parameter report even if that field or the page footer as a whole are suppressed Forcing Users to Select from the List of Values No Direct Edit By default dynamic parameter dialogs for single value parameters allow the user to enter a value directly instead of clicking on the displayed list You can force the user to select from the list displayed by the dynamic parameter report under two scenarios 1 You include the text NoEdit in the parameter name e or 2 The user double clicked an item in the dynamic parameter report and that item has an associated data value a formula named Parameter_Data If the option to remember dynamic parameter values is turned on from that point on that parameter will force the user to select from the list 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 85 Update History Version 6 5001 0Released November 25 2015 Using DataLink Viewer XI R2 and the Print Copies argument you can now set custom text on each print copy such as Copy 1 of 2 Copy 2 of 2 See S
30. restrict use of your reports to only paying customers by providing a license code that must match using secret logic the company name in the customer s database Instructions First add to the Options section in DataLink_Viewer ini in the application folder an entry with a key name Company and value Millet Software of your choice For example Options Company Millet Software Then add a String Single Value parameter named DLV_INI_Option_KeyName to the report DataLink Viewer automatically sets the value of such parameters to the value found for the Key Name under the Options section of DataLink_Viewer ini So in the case above the parameter value of DLV_INI_Option_Company would be set to Millet Software Notes e Within DLV the user never gets prompted for the value of such parameters e Ifa matching key name can t be found the parameter gets the value of Failed INI Lookup e You have as many parameters like this as you wish each with a different key name e To pass such parameters to subreports create a formula in the main report that simply returns the value of the parameter Then pass that formula as a link to the subreport e The ini file used by this process is always the MASTER ini file the one in the DataLink Viewer application folder even if you redirect to a DataLink_Viewer ini at a different location This allows you to enforce this type of parameters from a centralized
31. ret 39 DEV HD Serial IN us eet eere eite tete e 39 DATABASE CHOICE FUNCTIONA LLTY e eee esee e oreco ees eroe odi vo ne eU eo ep Foo o ba ua er aea ro Pa UE doa 40 SELECT ALTERNATIVE ODBC DATA SOURCES FOR THE SAME REPORT ccccecesececececececececececscecececececseeeecesececeeecs 40 Forcing the Login Dialog to Display to Allow Choice of ODBC DSN eene 41 Restricting the List of ODBC DSN 41 USING COMMAND LINE ARGUMENTS TO SPECIFY THE ODBC DSN cccccccccecececeeesececececececececeeececeeseseseeseeseeeeeess 42 OVERRIDING THE DATABASE SPECIFIED IN THE REPORT OR ODBC DSN eee emen 43 STRIPPING TABLE QUALIFIERS WHEN CONNECTING TO A DIFFERENT DATABASE cc ccceesssceceesceeeesseeeeeeeeeecnnnaeeess 44 OVERRIDING THE SERVER IN NATIVE ORACLE CONNECTION eee e e e eme emen enesesesese sese e ese ess e esses nsns 44 SELECTING AN ALTERNATIVE SQL SERVER OLE DB DATA SOURCE 44 FORGED E 45 SELECTING FOLDER LOCATION FOR FOXPRO FILES MASTERBUILDER eene 46 CHANGING FOLDER LOCATION FOR ACCESS EXCEL PARADOX FILES eee eene nnn en nnne 47 Using Command Line Argument to Avoid Path Prompt 47 INTEGRATED AUTHENTICATION
32. sections to the User Manual describing how DataLink Viewer allows you to 1 Launch a Crystal Report from a Command Line 2 Launch a Crystal Report while Viewing another Report 3 Create a User Interface for Selecting and Launching Reports Provide cleaner response in situations where a user clicks Cancel from Dynamic Parameter dialogs Version 2 3 7 Released 12 17 2002 This release addresses a rare problem with refreshing or loading the same report for the second time when that report has both subreports as well as images A problem in the Crystal runtime component was causing the viewer to fail in such cases This version allows you to view reports that result in zero records Thanks to Abbas Rostami Cubic Corporation for suggesting this functionality Version 2 3 5 Released 12 04 2002 The Title Bar of the viewer now displays the report file name For example DataLink Viewer My Report rpt If the report contains a string formula named 9DLV Title in the Report Header even if that formula and or section are suppressed the Title Bar of the viewer will display the value of that formula This allows you to override the default behavior of showing the report file name It also allows you to build dynamic content for the Title Bar using complex expressions to build up the string value This functionality is demonstrated in the sample report DataLink Viewer Year and Product Prompts rpt The Repor
33. sending it to the printer Preview Report Preview Report new window Preview Report Force login Print Report default printer Print Report select printer Export Report Delete Row Added a DataLink Viewer ini option to always force a login dialog This is useful in cases where the users should always specify an ODBC DSN or a Database name To turn this option on you need to set the following entry in DataLink Viewer ini to TRUE Options Always Force Login TRUE Fixed an issue causing the ODBC_DSN command line argument to be ignored in some cases Fixed a window size issue when opening reports using the view only option 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 106 To address a rare scenario under Citrix and Windows 2003 an ini file option was added that if set to TRUE causes an explicit assignment of the default printer when the user clicks the print button before the printer selection dialog is displayed Options Set Report To Default Printer TRUE The functionality of Selecting Folder Location for FoxPro DBF Files now applies even to reports created with Crystal versions prior to Crystal 9 Added the ability to control the default values of multi value dynamic parameters via a formula within the dynamic parameter report This was previously possible only for single value dynamic parameters For detail see Controlling the Default Value in Dynamic Parameters on page 84 Added the abi
34. the 4 database columns Customer Name Region Country or Postal Code This in turn changes how the report groups are sorted Note group rather than record sorting is used in this sample report because the Crystal runtime components don t re sort records unless the report data is refreshed from the database The Group re sort occurs all on the client side without hitting the database again 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 67 In Place Drill Down Crystal s Drill Down functionality is limited to opening the detail in a new tab However in many cases users prefer to expand collapse detail within the main report tab By adding to the report a few formulas and using them in the suppress expression of detail sections DataLink Viewer allows you to achieve In Place Drill Down functionality A report may initially preview with all details collapsed like this DataLink Viewer DLV In Place Drill Down 11 rpt SelectRept O 3 27 2006 1 5 SEB d 5 Preview BusinessObjects ES Revenues and Days to Ship in 2004 Product Type 3 14PM Revenue 1 970 125 5 954 49 985 495 540 12 166 51 696 10 206 265 533 on the these buttons the level 2 detail is revealed Product Type Competition Locks Helmets Mountain Product SlickRock Nicros Rapel Gloves Kids 2002 2010 Millet Software Revenue 1 970 125 5 954 49 985 495 5
35. the dialog allows you to auto refresh the report every N seconds The auto refresh process stops when the user clicks the refresh button again or when a new report is selected You can also trigger auto refresh by using Auto Refresh command line argument For detail see Auto Refresh Reports Every N Seconds Added an option see Options dialog to control what happens when a user clicks the Refresh button and the report has parameters RePrompt for new parameter values ReUse the current parameter values or Ask the user the default behavior Added In Place Drill Down functionality This allows users to expand and collapse details within a single report tab For detail see In Place Drill Down Added the ability to react to clicks on one formula by setting the value of another formula Among other things this allows users to re sort reports by clicking on column headers For detail see Click to Change Parameter Value Click to Set Formula Value and Click Column Headers to Resort the Report Various improvements to printing via a command line 1 added a Print_Copies argument to allow scheduling or triggering of report printouts with a specified number of copies 2 added a Printer Dialog argument for requesting printing with a printer selection dialog 3 specifying Printer Default now works even when the report was saved in Crystal with a No Printer option 4 fixed a duplicate printing problem in the Crystal
36. 40 Supplier Craze Craze Craze 12 166 51 696 Days To Ship 2 8 2 8 2 8 2 9 2 9 2 9 2 9 3 2 DLV In Place Drill Down 11 rpt 2 616 Records buttons are actually a formula that return a plus or a minus sign When the user clicks Days To Ship 2 8 2 8 2 8 2 9 Revenue Days To Ship 185 297 28 147 730 28 161 854 23 2 9 2 9 Page 68 And when a H button another formula in level 2 is clicked level 3 detail is revealed Product Type Revenue Days To Ship Competition 1 970 125 2 8 Locks 5 954 2 8 Helmets 49 985 2 8 Mountain 495 540 2 9 Product Supplier Revenue Days To Ship SlickRock Craze 185 897 2 8 Nicros Craze 147 790 28 Customer Country Revenue Days To Ship Sports Fever New zealic 330 11 0 Bikes USA 1 319 8 0 A strla 990 8 0 Bhkes R Us USA 313 6 0 B 4 16 Arorymots USA 957 253 Othe rs USA 143 881 27 Craze 151 954 23 Gloves 12 166 2 9 Kids 51 696 2 9 Saddles 10 206 2 9 Hybrid 265 533 3 2 You are not limited to 1 drill down path several branches can be expanded at the same time see video demo at http www milletsoftware com Download DLV_InPlace_DrillDown wmv The installation of DataLink Viewer includes a sample report for example DLV_In_Place_Drill_Down_9 rpt if you installed version 9 To learn how to create your own report with this functionality open the sample r
37. AR2 255 PARAMETER_VALUES CLOB CONNECTION PROPERTIES CLOB REPORT SQL CLOB LIVE_DATA_1_0 NUMBER 0 RECORDS READ NUMBER 0 EXPORT ACTIVITY 1 0 NUMBER 0 PRINT ACTIVITY 1 0 NUMBER 0 CONSTRAINT DLV LOG PK PRIMARY KEY LOGN ENABLE LOGGING PCTFREE 10 INITRANS 1 STORAGE BUFFER POOL DEFAULT LOB PARAMETER VALUES STORE AS ENABLE STORAGE IN ROW CHUNK 8192 RETENTION NOCACHE LOGGING LOB CONNECTION PROPERTIES STORE AS ENABLE STORAGE IN ROW CHUNK 8192 RETENTION NOCACHE LOGGING LOB REPORT SQL STORE AS ENABLE STORAGE IN ROW CHUNK 8192 RETENTION NOCACHE LOGGING Sequence to allow the trigger to auto number the primary key CREATE SEQUENCE DLV LOG SEQ Trigger to automatically generate the primary key values CREATE OR REPLACE TRIGGER DLV LOG INS BEFORE INSERT ON DLV LOG FOR EACH ROW WHEN new LogN IS NULL BEGIN SELECT DLV LOG SEQ NEXTVAL INTO new LogN FROM dual END 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 54 How TO START LOGGING The following DataLink Viewer Options dialog allows you to specify the ODBC Data Source Name DSN where the DLV table resides and the User ID amp Password stored encrypted if the data source requires a login Options Launch Parameters File Locations You can OVERRIDE the default location application folder of the 1 DataLink Viewer ini file 2 ReportList Txt saves and populates the report list in
38. C data source should be used This is explained in detail in the section Select Alternative ODBC Data Sources for the Same Report on page 40 Thanks to Dan Macdonald Royal Canadian Mounted Police for sponsoring this development Right clicking the report list provides a new menu option for forcing a login window before previewing the report This is useful when you wish to run the same report against another ODBC data source when you wish to login to the same data source under a different user id without restarting DataLink Viewer and when you wish to temporarily avoid the default login information provided by Integrated Authentication This is explained in more detail in the section Forced Login on page 45 Note if you use Oracle ODBC connections there are some scenarios where the only way to avoid connecting to a previously opened connection is to close and reopen DataLink Viewer Anew command line argument ODBC_DSN allows external control of which ODBC data source is used with the report you are launching from a command line See page 22 for more detail Fixed a failure to save some text changes in the report list Improved printer selection functionality Integrated Authentication is now stored in the ini file with a key for not only the user but also the PC This allows using a centralized DataLink Viewer ini file where the integrated authentication information from many users and many PCs is stored only once
39. Crystal Parameter values even if they are static parameters are now automatically reused if the same parameter name is used more than once in a cascading parameter situation For detail see Sharing Values Across Cascading Parameters on page 83 The installer msi file now defaults to a per machine installation if installed by an Administrator This facilitates the deployment of DataLink Viewer when an Administrator installs the software for use by other users In the past such cases would require installation from a command line with an ALLUSERS 1 argument DataLink Viewer 9 is now using a new set of Crystal 9 runtime components that among other minor fixes can provide much faster execution of Crystal 8 5 reports in certain cases one user reported a decrease from 3 5 minutes to 10 seconds 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 110 Version 4 5003 0 Released 1 28 2005 Reports that were designed to not have a Group Tree no longer cause the Group Tree button in the viewer toolbar to disappear Thanks to Peter Frank Canadian Museum of Nature for identifying the issue Fixeda printer selection problem introduced by code changes in the 4 5001 release When selecting rpt files from the file system DataLink Viewer now remembers the last used folder by storing it in the ini file 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 111 Version 4 5001 0 Released 1 5 2005 When running reports that use ODBC data sources you can select which ODB
40. DataLink Viewer allows you to view a report and launch another report into its own Viewer window or in the current Preview tab by double clicking a report section containing a string formula specifying the report to launch parameter values and even User ID and Password The general structure of the String formula no naming restrictions is 1 DLV Run v launch specified report a new Preview Only window or DLV Run S launch specified report in a new full DataLink Viewer window DLV Run Here s launch the second report within the current Preview Tab 2 the report path and file name 3 Optional command line arguments parameter values login information etc as discussed in the Launch Reports from Command Lines section of this user manual Notes The User ID amp Password values from the current report are automatically passed to the new report Specify these arguments only if you need to override these values y should be the preferred option when you launch a report into a new window because it removes the Select Report tab from the new window simplifying what the user sees This also increases the window space dedicated to showing the report Here are some examples of such String formulas invoke a second report and load it into the Current Preview Tab DLV Run Here s c directory subdirectory Report rpt launch into a Preview Only V window and specify some parameter values DLV Run v c CR My_
41. DataLink Viewer will show them only the sales records associated with their own Sales Rep ID Note using a table you can use multiple records to map the same User ID to multiple areas of responsibility user_1D Table Customer_IDs Product_IDs Region_IDs Product Code User ID Visual CUT This allows you to give a single user for example a xm regional manager who should be able to see information ixm7 for all her Sales Reps permissions to view information Visual CUT ido that is related to more than one entity E Uni v al ataLink Viewer ike X In the table example on the right ixm7 is allowed to view Record 141 as sales information for all three products while ido is allowed to view sales information only for Visual CUT 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 37 Load ini Values into Parameters By naming parameters in a certain way you can ask DataLink Viewer to automatically load their values from ini file entries One possible use may be for reports where some parameters change only once per quarter Another case could be a situation where you develop and sell reports probably rpt files converted to rpz files to clients in a vertical market These reports are designed to work against a known database structure but each client may need to customize the reports with text elements conditional formatting or record selection criteria without changing the report design Or perhaps you wish to
42. ER32EXTEND HTML32 HTML4O DOC RTF EditableRTF TXT PaginatedTEXT XML and RPT Notes e If the exported file path is not specified for example Export test pdfilPDE the user gets prompted for a folder location Last used export folder is remembered and reused e If file name is left blank for example Export llBDE the user is prompted for a path and name for the exported file If the user forgets to provide a file extension it gets added automatically for most export formats Last used export folder is remembered and reused If a 3 SaveAs element is included Export e temp Labels pdfllPDE SaveAs then a Browse dialog allows the user to accept change the export file name amp path e Ifsome parameter values are not specified the user would be prompted for them e RPT exports the report to a Crystal Report format with saved data A user can then open that report without needing access to the database e TTX provides export to Tab Separated Values SCHEDULING EXPORTING Since you can trigger exporting using the Export command line argument you can use the Windows Task Scheduler or any other scheduler application to trigger exporting of the report For detailed instructions on how to use the free windows task scheduler see the section on Scheduling in my Visual CUT User Manual Visual CUT provides much more powerful report scheduling options at www milletsoftware com visualcutManual htm 2002 2010 Mil
43. Formulas1 Name1333Expression1 Name2555Expression2 For example the following command line argument would set the first specified formula expression to the string Ido and the second formula to the numeric expression of 2 2 Set_Formulas1 MyName gt 3 dblq Ido dblq TwoAndTwo 3332 2 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 27 Command Line Arguments for Triggering Scheduling Exporting Using the Export command line argument you can trigger or even schedule exporting for a report so the user doesn t need to preview the report or see the DataLink Viewer user interface INTERACTIVE USE If you want the user to be prompted for the export format and file name the syntax is constructed as the word Export followed by a colon and the word Dialog For example C Program Files DataLink Viewer 11 DataLink_Viewer_11 exe v C temp Report rpt user id dba password sql Parm1 Gloves Export Dialog FULLY AUTOMATED EXPORTING If you want to export the report with no user interaction you can specify the export file name like this C Program Files DataLink Viewer 11 DataLink_Viewer_11 exe v C temp Report rpt user id dba password sql Parm1 Gloves Export eMemplLabels pdfiBDE Note that the export file name and export formats are separated by Valid export formats include PDF XLS XLS Data Only CSV TTXV CHSV RECORDSTYLE SEPARATEDVALUES EXPLOR
44. IN THE COMMAND LINE CALL FOR ANOTHER REPORT eene 33 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 2 LAUNCH ANOTHER APPLICATION AND PASS PARAMETERS TOIT u cccccccccececccesesesecesecesesesecesecesesesssesessseeseseseeseeees 34 LAUNCHING REPORTS IN A NEW WINDOW cssssccsssssccsssssccesssscccsssccccssccccesssccccssaccccsscaccecsscsccssseccscssseecs 35 LAUNCH A REPORTIN A NEW WINDO Weosvevicececccicsceccecdecesceccececcuccecolecoceseccuocecosececescucuccbcotececsacecutce ielececessecabed Pede etre eae 35 New Window On File Launch and or On Double Click eeeeeeeeeee nennen nnne 35 Right Click the Grid and Select Preview Report new Window eese nennen 36 REMOVE THE PREVIEW TAB FROM THE INITIAL WINDOW 36 CONTROL DATA ACCESS ACCORDING TO PC LOGIN eee sese tete eee tones seen eese ta 37 LOAD INI VALUES INTO PARAMETERS voee ae tt pn e eaa poo e rt PP PR ae ea eU EE oe e EHE Ene e ee 38 SECURING REPORTS AGAINST UNAUTHORIZED USE c ccccccccecececececececececececececececececececececececececececececseceseeeseeeecesececs 39 LOADING MACHINE INFORMATION INTO PARAMETERS eee e e eme ene emen esee sese e ese e sse ese ese ese esses eset esee 39 DEN Machine Name rmt ertet ne eee imei imp EI 39 DEV Registered Company eet e e Rit ee aee e deret erre
45. Keep the rpt file s and give your users only the rpz file s Your users would then be able to run the rpz file in DataLink Viewer but won t be able to open it in Crystal Designer Applied Expiration Date Jul 30 2010 Applied License Key Applied rpz File Info Report File c Xtemp rptMainReport 1 pt rpz File c Xtemp rpzWainReport 1 rpz 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 60 Add your Company Info to the About Dialog In DataLink_Viewer ini you can set 3 lines in the About dialog to text of your choice This can be useful in a large company where you want users to know who to contact with technical questions It can also be useful when you sell Crystal reports bundled with DataLink Viewer and you wish to specify your contact information for similar reasons For example using the following settings in DataLink Viewer ini Options About Linel www acme com About Line2 For Technical Support contact Jane Doe About Line3 Jane Doe acme com 888 1234 4567 you would get the following About dialog Note as demonstrated with the www acme com line DataLink Viewer automatically assigns a web link to lines that contain only a url im About DataLink Viewer E xl DataLink Viewer 9 Version 3 5601 90 Copyright 2002 Millet Software www MilletSoftware com By Ido Millet www acme com For Technical Support contact Jane Doe Jane Doe acme com 888 1234 4567 System Info
46. LE csscceesceceseeeesceceseceencecenceeeacecsaeeeeaeecsaeeeeneees 79 UPDATING DATALINK_VIEWER INI VIA A DELTA nennen nennen entente entente enne 80 DYNAMIC AND CASCADING PARAMETERS DEVELOPER NOTES 4 eeeeeeee eerte teens tota enano tatus 81 NAMING PARAMETERS e rS E E RURSUS ERE QN ERE RE XE EUR ERU cantons 81 DESIGNING LIVE PROMPT REPORTS ionn nete tette teer ee eoa e ee PER Ee rnb eere eee ee aene eere Ene N Ea ar e 81 IMPEEMENTING A SELECT ALE OPTION oret ese EEE OSE EE Eee sons 82 SHARING VALUES ACROSS CASCADING PARAMETERS cessere tenter innen entren terrens tentent 83 CONTROLLING THE DEFAULT VALUE IN DYNAMIC PARAMETERS sscccesrcessceceseeesseecaeeeeneecuceseaeecaceeeaeeceaeeseneers 84 REQUIRING A VALUE FOR A DYNAMIC PARAMETER ccsssessesecececeessenececececcessaececececsenesesecececeesesaaeceeececsensaaseeeees 85 FORCING USERS TO SELECT FROM THE LIST OF VALUES NO DIRECT EDIT essere 85 UPDATE HISTOR Y usonano nnen esit rre orae oreste ete ova bebes Deed 86 VERSION 6 5001 0RELEASED NOVEMBER 25 2015 cccccssssccccccecsesssececececeesssececcceceesensecesececeesesaaeeeeeceesessaaseeeess 86 VERSION 6 4001 0 RELEASED NOVEMBER 27 2014 86 VERSION 6 3001 0 RELEASED SEPTEMBER 21 2013
47. Link_Viewer ini C ProgramData MilletSofware DLV_12 ReportList txt To navigate to the Folder where DataLink_Viewer ini is located double click that textbox and DataLink Viewer will open that folder location in File Explorer That makes it easier to find and edit the ini file in cases where the folder is hidden typical for app data folders 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 78 Enforcing Settings in a Master DataLink_Viewer ini File The master DataLink Viewer ini file is located in the application folder As described above the File Locations section in the master file may indicate that a different user DataLink Viewer ini file located at a different folder should be used As an administrator you may want to ensure that some centralized settings in the master ini file always override the settings in the use ini file You can do this by setting the values to all upper case for example TRUE or FALSE instead of True or False This tells DataLink Viewer that it should use these settings from the master file This behavior applies to the following options shown as if you wanted to apply them centrally from the master DataLink Viewer ini file Options Disable RPZ CreationzZ TRUE Disable Check for Updatesz TRUE Disable Options Dialog TRUE Disable Browse Dialog TRUE Disable User ManualZTRUE Disable Version Info TRUE Disable Print ButtonzZ TRUE Disable Export ButtonzZ TRUE Disable
48. PARAMETERS DataLink Viewer supports all parameter types including multi value range and mixed parameters A multi value discrete parameter value is specified as follows A range parameter in this case a date range is specified as follows The 3 at the end indicates the start and end points are included A 0 at the end would indicate the start and end points are NOT included A 2 at the end would indicate the start point is included and the end point is not A 1 at the end would indicate the start point is not included and the end point is Add 4 to these values if there is no Upper Bound Add 8 to these values if there is no Lower Bound NULL VALUES Null parameter values are specified in command lines by using the constant VC_NULL For example to specify that the first parameter value is null use Parm1 VC_NULL 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 26 Argument for Setting Formula Expressions Note this functionality is available only in DataLink Viewer 11 XI R2 and 2011 You can set formula expressions via a command line argument provided that e The formula name s must begin with a character e Any double quotes are specified as dblq e Only main report formulas are targeted The command line argument starts with Set Formulas1 followed by pairs of Formula Names and Formula Expressions The name is separated from the expression by gt gt gt Each pair is separated from the following one by like this Set
49. Remember Me login step Instead an administrator can activate Integrated Authentication and periodically change the global password for all users in the organization in a single step Contact MilletSoftware and if your use scenario seems to fit this feature you will receive instructions The special DLV User ID parameters now refreshes when a report with saved data is refreshed by another user Implemented a more complete blocking of exports when the Disable Export Button option in the DataLink_Viewer ini file is set to true In such a case the right click menu from the report list no longer shows an Export menu item Also attempts to export from the right click menu in file explorer are blocked with a message indicating that exporting has been disabled by the administrator Added an option for hiding the Preview tab in the initial DLV window turning the main DLV interface to a simpler launch pad for multiple report preview and updated the user manual to provide a review of various ways to launch reports into new view only windows For detail see Launching Reports in a New Window Faster setup processes when loading and refreshing reports 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 100 Version 5 5001 0 Released 1 12 2007 Added an option to convert double clicks from regular drill down action to In Place Drill Down action For detail see Converting Section Double Click to In Place Drill Down Added compatibi
50. Report rpt 1 Cust CUST_N un Parm2 Prod PROD Code full DLV window S and specify both login as well as Parameter information DLV Run s Some Report rpt user id dba password sql 1 1997 Note TO E When you need to embed double quotes into the result of a string formula you must escape the double quotes with another double quote Here are some variations on that theme OODUM add a double quote T start the resulting string with a double quote we end the resulting string with a double quote e d insert a double quote into the middle of the resulting string 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 31 Create a User Interface for Selecting and Launching Reports The ability described above launching one report from another allows you to very easily create a user interface that lets your users select and launch reports The key steps are 1 Create a REPORT Table with one record for each report Typical columns would include a the path and report file name b a description of the report c report subject Profit Product Returns Orders d report frequency Daily Weekly Monthly etc 2 Create a Report Selection report listing these available reports with a formula in the detail section for launching the selected report Note you can design the main report with Parameters for listing only reports of certain subjects or certain frequencies Of course th
51. STAL DECISIONS 9 0 CRYSTAL REPORTS EXPORT However when running any 3rd party tool such as DataLink Viewer using the Crystal runtime components similar settings are also required under a different registry folder You can download a zip file with detailed instructions Before After images and REG files one for CR 9 0 and one for CR 8 5 runtime components that can be imported into the registry in order to set the required keys from http www milletsoftware com improving image quality zip The usual warnings about editing the registry apply If you don t have any image quality issues suggest you take no action 4 The Select Expert dialog has several limitations You need to have fields in the detail section of the report even if that section is suppressed before the Select Expert can use these fields There s a problem with using date fields in the Select Expert http support businessobjects com library kbase articles c2012687 asp The XI version of of DLV shows only the Ist letter if you Browse for field values 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 130
52. Version 6 3001 0 Released September 21 2013 You can now schedule or trigger report exports not just printouts without user intervention Added support for loading rpz files packaged by much older versions of DataLink Viewer Online Version Update functionality was removed due to the component Update exe being mistakenly flagged by virus protection software Fixed an issue with reading very large ini file entries saved parameter values When the login dialog shows alternative ODBC DSNs to select from if the machine has more than 9 DSNs the dialog is expanded and allows you to enter text to search the list of DSN This makes it more efficient to locate a particular DSN in a long list of DSNs Added an ini file option allowing users to disable setting initial directory when browsing to open rpt files OpenFileDialog Set Initial DirectorycFALSE This solved a problem for one user in a Citrix TS environment You may now specify ODBC DSN From To as a global entry in the Options section of DataLink_Viewer ini In cases where a global transition from old DSN to new DSN are desired this removes the need to specify ODBC DSN From command line argument Also the entry as well as the command line argument can now specify multiple pairs separated by Database Path Selection can now be specified via a command line argument Database Path Selection can now be used for Paradox data sources by specifying just the p
53. Viewer Year and Product Prompts rpt Parameter 1 Single Value Prompt_Order_Year rpt Parameter 2 Multi Value Prompt_Products rpt Parameter 1 Multi Value Prompt Product Types rpt Parameter 2 Single Value Prompt Order Year rpt Note A DataLink Viewer INI file is automatically created the first time DataLink Viewer links to a live prompt report To disable sharing parameter values from prior answers open this ini file using any text editor and change the following entry from TRUE to FALSE Dir cc Parameters Share Prior Answers TRUE 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 83 Controlling the Default Value in Dynamic Parameters As explained earlier in this manual if you refresh or reload the same report the values you specified last time for each dynamic parameter behave as defaults they are already selected so you can accept Hit Return or click OK or replace them You can turn this feature off by un checking Remember Dynamic Parameter Prior Value in the Options dialog There are cases where you may want to use logic within the dynamic parameter report to control what is shown as the default already selected value For example you may want to use the last order in the dynamic list as the default This can be achieved by following these guidelines 1 adda string formula with the name of DLV_PARAMETER_DEFAULT_VALUE to the Report Footer of the dynamic parameter report not the main report a Thi
54. aLink Viewer creates an application settings folder such as MilletSoftware DLV_11 in the common application settings directory e g c ProgramData and redirects the locations of DataLink_Viewer ini ReportList txt and ReportList grd to that folder The user is notified when the initial redirect occurs and is advised to give the Users group Modify permissions on the new folder Note a blank option for ReportList txt location in a redirected ini file is considered as an indication that the ReportList txt file should be automatically copied to if missing and used at that location The version information window now provides a text box with the file paths to the DataLink_Viewer ini and ReportList txt files A double click on that text box opens that folder in File Explorer The dialog also shows the Build Date of the application You can now automate the process of updating entries in DataLink_Viewer ini by placing an update file in the application folder For detail see Updating DataLink_Viewer ini via a Delta File Added functionality for packaging rpz files with an expiration date and or license key requirement This is useful for report developers who wish to provide customers with sample reports for an evaluation period or restrict report use to users who have a current subscription Expiration and Licensing requirements are also enforced by Visual CUT For detail see Create rpz Files with Expiration and Lic
55. and_Product_ Prompts 9 rpt Select Report inancial Statement rpt 6 11 2004 2 59 52 AM ncome Statement rpt Consolidated Income Statement Monthly 6 9 2004 2 59 52 AM World Sales Reportrpz Employee Sales rpt Customer Profile rpt World Sales Report rpt ataLink Viewer Year and Pro DLV 9 Sample Report Dynamic C Monthly 7 19 2004 7 52 11 DataLink Viewer Year and Pro DLV Sample Report Dynamic Cas Monthly 7 15 2004 8 53 57 PM 7 21 2004 4 52 PM Use the button to browse for and open a report for the first time Previously selected reports are listed in a grid and can be launched by double clicking or by Right Clicking and selecting Preview Report from the popup menu Use the A button to reload a report if changed and saved in Crystal 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 10 To resize the grid columns drag the borders between the column headers Use the A button to access a dialog for setting various options These options are maintained in the file DataLink_Viewer ini Use the button to open this User Manual as a pdf file Use the button to compress amp encrypt RPT files into RPZ files This allows you to protect and hide your reports designs either as an intellectual property issue or as a tech support issue See the section on Protecting Report Designs with rpz Files for more detail on this feature Use the 9 button to access a dialog with Version and system information That dia
56. any other User ID amp Passwords c Deletes the User ID amp Password pair if it already exists d Completely drop all pairs from the specified User ID amp Machine entries 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 75 SETTING ENCRYPTED PASSWORD ENTRIES The Encrypted_Password_Set_Entry command line argument can automate encrypted storage within DataLink_Viewer ini of passwords This allows an administrator to set or change encrypted passwords for DataLink Viewer or Visual CUT that can later be referenced from command line arguments To generate such entries in a targeted ini file you call DataLink Viewer using a command line all in 1 line argument as follows C Program Files DataLink Viewer 11 DataLink_Viewer_11 exe Encrypted_Password_Set_Entry H DataLink_Viewer ini gt gt Options gt gt Encrypted_Password_FTP gt gt sesame After the Encrypted_Password_Set_Entry key word and the colon the 4 arguments are separated by gt gt as a delimiter 1 The path amp name of the ini file 2 The ini section name typically Options 3 The Password Name 4 The Password to be Encrypted 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 76 File Location Redirect Logic for DataLink_Viewer ini Each time DataLink Viewer loads if the user doesn t have write permissions on the DataLink_Viewer ini file in the application folder typical for Vista amp Windows 7 machines the location of the Master DataLink_Viewer ini is redirected by follo
57. application that launches a report in DataLink Viewer to control which users are allowed to print or export the report For more detail see the Disabling Print Export Select Expert and Search Expert Buttons section Added a Connect To SOLOLEDB command line argument for selecting a different SQL Server when using OLE DB as a connection method For detail see Selecting an Alternative SQL Server OLE DB Data Source 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 101 Version 5 4001 0 Released 7 21 2006 Fixed an issue related to clicking on On Demand subreport Added an option See Options Dialog Parameters Tab to avoid the confirmation dialog OK Cancel Auto Refresh in cases where the user refreshes a report that doesn t have parameters or doesn t require a parameter re prompting Options set to reuse parameter values on Refresh By turning this option on users are no longer bothered with the confirmation dialog and the report gets refreshed immediately upon clicking the Refresh toolbar button After refreshing a report DataLink Viewer now keeps the same page number If the user was on the last page of the report DataLink Viewer displays the last page of the refreshed report Added DataLink Viewer ini options for restricting user access to only the reports listed in the grid the user can t browse for other report files by clicking the File Open button disabling the User Manual button and disabling the Version Informat
58. ase Display the report with saved data or Prompt the user to decide Prompt Enable Integrated Authentication Allow Storage amp Reuse of Encrypted Database Logon Info for Each windows User Ex New Window On Double Click Double Clicking a Report Row in the Grid Launches the Report to a View Only Window DK Cancel Apply 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 35 RIGHT CLICK THE GRID AND SELECT PREVIEW REPORT NEW WINDOW When you righ click a report row in the Select Report tab a popup menu provides you an option of Preview Report new window If you click on that option the report would launch in a new window Remove the Preview Tab from the Initial Window If you wish to always use the initial DLV window to launch reports into new preview only windows you may want to completely remove the Preview tab from the initial DLV window You can achieve that by setting the following options in the DataLink_Viewer ini file Options Show_Preview_Tab FALSE Note this option takes effect only if you also use the Options dialog to turn on the option for Double Clicking a Report Row in the Grid Launches the Report to a View Only Window When these two options are set DLV changes several things 1 The initial DLV window shows only a Select Report tab 2 The right click menu option of Preview Report is not shown Instead only the Preview Report new window option is visible 3 The right click menu optio
59. ataLink Viewer on a Citrix or Terminal Server to support individual settings for each user by providing each user their own version of DataLink Viewer ini and ReportList txt file under their own mapped user drive Note upon initial launch of DataLink Viewer by a user if the target folders don t exist they get created and if the target files don t exist they get copied from the master copies in the application folder An alternative approach is to use these settings to force all users to share a centralized version of these files In such a case you should make the ReportList txt folder read only to the users so that the master list of reports doesn t get changed by the users This dialog also allows you to specify a centralized local logging of report use statistics co _ Launch Parameters File Locations rm File Locations You can OVERRIDE the default location application folder of the 1 DataLink_Viewer ini file 2 ReportList Txt saves and populates the report list in the grid Ic Documents and Settings ixm My Documents VB DataLink Viewer S ReportList txt El To Enable Logging of Who ran Which Report When and Where specify just the Path e g c temp for the log file DI V Use Log txt El m Log Processing via ODBC DLV Log Table must exist Log ODBC DSN DLV_Log_9 User ID Password Dynamic_Parameter_Reports_Path Extra Location for Dynamic Parameter Reports Be
60. ath not including the DB file name For example using a command line argument such as Database Path Selection C Old gt gt c New Note this functionality is available only in DLV 11 and 2011 A new Set Formulas1 command line argument allows setting of formula expressions provided the formula name starts with a character For detail see the user manual section on Argument for Setting Formula Expressions Note this functionality is available only in DLV 11 and 2011 During forced login scenarios Integrated Authentication now automatically sets the Password in the login dialog after the User ID is manually set A new Integrated Authentication Set Entry command line argument allows administrators to set integrated authentication information for specified Windows User ID and Machine Name s For detail see Setting Integrated Authentication for 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 87 Multiple Machines Citrix Farm Inthe report grid disabled delete action for a group to prevent accidental removal of all report rows belonging to that group When closing the application after an interactive session the ReportList txt file 1 tab report grid is now transferred to the recycle bin approximately once per 10 times This provides a copy of the file in case it gets erased during abnormal termination of a user session Ctrl Shift F1 now opens DataLink_Viewer ini configuration settings in Notepad Folder selection functi
61. comes visible in the following dialog PL If you click Save the following dialog allows you to save the current parameters value set to DataLink_Viewer ini under a unique name for this report Name Cancel pu for All Product Classes Dec 2001 Dec 2010 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 15 The next time you load this report you would get a dialog that allows you select and reuse any of the saved named parameter sets for this report amp Saved Parameter Values Double Click to Use e 1 2001 2010 Detail View Revenue By Product Type and Employee Profit CrossT ab Accessory Profit from 2003 Revenue Bicycles from 2002 Revenue for all Product Classes Dec 2001 Dec 2010 Delete Skip Double clicking any of the entries or selecting an entry and clicking the OK button would launch a dialog allowing you to reuse that set of saved parameter values or selectively change some of these saved parameter values This functionality was designed to address scenarios where reports with many parameters are used in one of several parameter patterns By saving and naming these patterns the user can reuse them Note if you are a report developer you can deliver these saved parameter patterns to a user machine by copying the Named_Parameter_Sets section in your DataLink_Viewer ini file to the user s DataLink Viewer ini file 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 16 Dynamic amp
62. d not have this problem DataLink Viewer XI R2 now uses a newer version Service Pack 6 4 of the Crystal XI R2 runtime components Users of prior versions can t use the online update option and must go through a Remove amp Install process in order to update their version 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 91 Version 6 0001 0 Released January 19 2010 DataLink Viewer now support rpz files as dynamic parameter dialogs previously only main report files were supported as rpz files If a user clicks on a parameter placed on the report layout that has only 2 default values with no custom values allowed DataLink Viewer now toggles the value of that parameter to the other value This provides many useful behaviors The sample report demonstrates toggling between viewing Profit or Revenue by simply clicking on the Metric parameter Another parameter allows toggling between expanding all top nodes or manually selecting which nodes to expand If a user clicks on a single value date parameter placed on the report layout DataLink Viewer now presents an enhanced date entry selection dialog If a user clicks on a single value parameter with less than 2 default values where custom values are allowed DataLink Viewer now presents a simple InputBox dialog making it easier and faster for the user to change the parameter value If a user clicks on a single value parameter with more than 2 default values where custom values a
63. data is still maintained in ReportList txt and the new version recognizes and migrates the data in an old ReportList txt files automatically 6 Selecting a report to open via the Browse for a Report to Open button causes an immediate preview no need to select the Preview Tab 7 Double Clicking a report in the grid of previously opened reports causes an immediate preview no need to select the Preview Tab Fixed a problem in printing Drill Down views Thanks to Nola Carr Kileel Developments Ltd for identifying the problem and testing the solution Compiled using recently updated runtime Merge Modules applies only to the CR 9 runtime components version of DataLink Viewer A File Locations section in DataLink Viewer ini located in the DataLink Viewer application folder allows users to override locations for DataLink Viewer ini stores processing options previously selected values for dynamic parameters and column widths 1 tab grid and for ReportList txt stores 1 tab grid information about previously opened reports Here is an example of this section in DataLink Viewer ini This allows a single installation of DataLink Viewer on a Citrix or Terminal Server to support individual settings for each user by using the DataLink Viewer ini and ReportList txt file under the mapped user drive Note if the target folders don t exist they get created If the target files don t exist they get copied from the
64. der the Options section of DataLink_Viewer ini to True Suppress Export and Print Progress Popup TRUE Fixed a problem with opening rpz files placed in a write protected folder Removed unnecessary page edge display from the special DataLink Viewer dynamic parameter dialogs Added a user manual section with detailed instructions on Cycling through Several Auto Refreshed Reports Maximized auto refresh report windows now become the top window each time they get auto refreshed This is useful when cycling through several maximized auto refresh reports Fixed a minor issue with the special in place drill down functionality Released a report demonstrating how users can click to change report grouping at multiple levels control what report sections are visible and drill down within the main report view all without hitting the database again The report for DLV 9 or XI is available from www milletsoftware com Download DLV Demonstration 11 rpt 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 96 Update exe the component providing online update functionality is no longer marked as an essential component This means that Symantec AntiVirus may falsely quarantine that component without causing the headaches of automatic reinstalls In order to retain the ability to do online updates to newer versions you can open Symantec Antivirus expand the Configure node select the File System Auto Protect node click on the Exclusions button
65. e Password The information was then saved for the ixm7 user running on the SOBPC02 PC as shown in the ini file above From that point on the same user ixm7 once logged to the same PC SOBPCO02 doesn t need to manually login to the same data source The same user can turn on the Remember Me option for unlimited number of secure data sources and the information for all of them would be maintained inside the encrypted entry The Options dialog allows each user to delete their own integrated authentication information by clicking a button 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 48 Shared Machine Authentication This section describes how one user can elect to share their integrated authentication information with any other user who successfully logged in to the same machine Step 1 First add the entry in bold to the DataLink_Viewer ini file Integrated_Authentication Enable_Integrated_Authentication TRUE ixm7 SOBPC02 scpocar3p8BF3484000123301DD155638EAD4AD6B4D622C04DF125B7404BCBC4717A5DA2FBCD943 4A7CE63BBF7357E Enable_Shared_Machine_Authentication TRUE Step 2 Then as the key user who will share integrated authentication run a report and get to a login dialog Note if you already have integrated authentication for yourself use Forced Login Alternatively discard your integrated authentication using the Trash Can button in the Options dialog Make sure you turn on the Remember Me option in the login dialog just like se
66. e Product Types Manage Display amp Data Values for Live Parameters In this particular situation the Product Type Name is used for both display value what gets shown to the user in the list of available values as well as data value what gets passed into Crystal as the parameter value As demonstrated in the following step DataLink Viewer allows you to present the user with meaningful product names as display values while passing Product IDs as the actual parameter data value 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 19 Again DataLink Viewer detects that the parameter called Prompt_Products rpt was designed to accept multiple values and hence it presents you with the linked report Prompt_Products rpt inside a dialog that allows you to click and select multiple values Note that only Products within the Selected Product Types in the previous step are available for selection This demonstrates the power of cascading dynamic parameters Select Products to be Included in the Report 752 Preview Competition Helmets Product Product Type Competition Competition Competition riumph Pro Helmet riumph Vertigo Helmet Xtreme Youth Helmet gt Endorphin Mozzie Xtreme Adult Helmet Delete Xtreme Youth Helmet Delete All Cancel Notice that only the Product Name column is active and available for selection ET This allows you to restrict the user to proper selections It is also good practice to use color font a
67. e REPORT table must store these classifications Let the user run the Report Selection report and launch the selected report by double clicking it 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 32 Embed Input from The User in the Command Line Call for Another Report When launching another report by double clicking a report section as described above you may wish to prompt the user for some input and embed that input into the command line One scenario is a case where you wish to prompt the user to provide the value for a parameter Another scenario may be a case where you wish to print labels for the product you are double clicking but you want the user to be prompted for the number of copies to print You can achieve this functionality by embedding within the command line a call to an InputBox function DataLink Viewer would then replace the InputBox Call with the input from the user For example the following formula would prompt the user for number of copies and then print the Product rpt report for the double clicked Product Name to the default printer with the number of copies specified by the user DLV Run v C temp Product rpt Parmlr Product Product Name Printer Default Print Copies f InputBox Please Specify How Many Labels amp amp How Many Copies for amp Product Product Name amp amp amp 1 The bold text is the InputBox call This call must be enclo
68. e in situations where a user clicks Cancel from Cascading Dynamic Parameter as well as from Static Parameter dialogs Handle cases where a user manually edits the ReportList txt file leaving it in a format that is unacceptable for the report list shown in the 1 tab grid DataLink Viewer now simply fixes the file format Note manual editing of ReportList txt is typically not needed now that the user can right click the grid and use the popup menu option to delete a report row Added missing dll s to the install in order to support direct non ODBC connection to DB2 databases Note this applies only to the CR 8 5 runtime components version of DataLink Viewer Most users of DataLink Viewer are running the CR 9 version and the Install for that version always included those dlls 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 123 Version 2 7 00 Released 7 25 2003 New User Interface in the Select Report 1 Tab 1 A grid shows three columns Report Path Report File Name and Report Title from the summary information specified for the report during Design Time or a user specified Description entered by the user by clicking in that cell 2 Right Clicking a row on the grid provides a popup menu with Preview Report and Delete Row options 3 The grid columns resize when the viewer gets resized by the user 4 The grid columns can also be resized by the user and remember their widths from session to session 5 The
69. e the report was designed against Alternatively if you are launching a report from a command line you can override the Oracle server name by using the Oracle_Server command line argument For example C Program Files DataLink Viewer 9 DataLink_Viewer_9 exe v C temp test rpt user id dba password sql Oracle Server Server2 Note This functionality is not available in the Crystal 8 5 version of DataLink Viewer Selecting an Alternative SQL Server OLE DB Data Source 6609 The parameters after the are separated by a gt gt and are as follows 1 DataSource is the Server Name the report should connect to 2 InitialCatalog is the Database Name within the given server 3 Integrated_Auth is a True or False argument indicating if Microsoft SQL Server Integrated Authentication should be used if TRUE user_id amp password are ignored Note This functionality is not available in the Crystal 8 5 version of DataLink Viewer 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 44 Forced Login Right clicking the report list provides a Preview Report force login popup menu option for forcing a login window before previewing the report Preview Report Preview Report new window Preview Report Force login Print Report default printer Print Report select printer Export Report Delete Row This is useful when a previous report connected to one ODBC data source and you wish to run the same o
70. e to handle cases where the ReportList txt file location option is pointing at an invalid directory The report listed in the first row Select Report tab can now be selected and launched by clicking the Preview tab after a single click Added a DataLink Viewer ini option to remove the Set To Null checkbox for date or datetime parameters when using Stored Procedures as a data source To turn this option ON you need to set the following entry in DataLink Viewer ini to TRUE Options Disable Stored Procedure Null Checkbox for Date Parameters TRUE Note this option applies only to the CR 9 version of DataLink Viewer since the other versions don t need it 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 99 Incases where you have both a master DataLink Viewer ini in the application folder as well as a user DataLink Viewer ini file in a different folder you can now specify which ini file master or user should control certain options For detail see Enforcing Settings in a Master DataLink Viewer ini File Added an option to the special DataLink Viewer Integrated Authentication functionality allowing all Windows authenticated users to share an encrypted global password the database user id is automatically set to the currently logged in Windows user id but a secret global password is shared across all users This avoids the need to assign a different password to each user and for each user to go through the initial
71. e_Refresh_Button TRUE Alternatively you can control these options via command line arguments For example all in one line Note disabling the Search Expert button doesn t remove the simple search button It removes the more advanced search button that allows users to actually browse into data fields Note see Enforcing Settings in a Master DataLink_Viewer ini File for information about enforcing these settings from the master ini file to all user ini files 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 71 Disabling DataLink Viewer Buttons In some scenarios you may wish to disable certain user interface buttons so that for example users can t check for online updates convert rpt files to rpz files open the user manual etc You can disable user interface buttons by setting the following options in the DataLink Viewer ini file Options Disable RPZ Creation TRUE Disable Check for Updates TRUE Disable Options Dialog TRUE Disable Browse Dialog TRUE Disable User Manual TRUE Disable Version Info TRUE Note see Enforcing Settings in a Master DataLink Viewer ini File for information about enforcing these settings from the master ini file to all user ini files 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 72 Citrix and File Location Functionality DataLink Viewer can be installed on Citrix but be sure to install from the Console The File Locations tab in the Options dialog allows a single installation of D
72. ed in a ll delimiter including at the start and end of the group report that by default uses an ODBC DSN that is NOT in any of the specified groups will experience no restrictions in the choice of alternative ODBC DSNs A report that by default uses an ODBC DSN that is in only one of the specified groups will be restricted to a choice among DSNs of that group A report that by default uses an ODBC DSN that is in more than one of the specified groups will be restricted to a choice among the combined list of DSNs from all these matching groups 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 41 Using Command Line Arguments to Specify the ODBC DSN In some cases you may want to use the same report to connect to different data sources such as a testing or production server While each report stores connection properties for only one default ODBC Data Source Name DSN DataLink Viewer allows you to use command line arguments to specify a different ODBC DSN Note You can combine this functionality with the user_id amp password command line arguments described in a previous section The command line argument structure is as follows Selecting an Alternative ODBC Data Source or ODBC_DSN_From_To Old_DSN1 gt gt New_DSNI1 IOld_DSN2 gt gt New_DSN2 The argument overrides all ODBC DSNs used in the report by the new DSN The From_To argument overrides only tables that use the old DSN Notes 1 You can combine this functionality with the
73. eeseecesseeeseeceseevensecsseeeensecssaeeeseecnsneeeseeceseseesaecesseeeneeseseeees 15 DYNAMIC amp CASCADING PARAMETERS cccscsssssssessssssscessssssessssssesssseseessssesesssssesscsssesesssseesesessssseseessesees 17 RESPOND TO SINGLE VALUE LIVE PROMPTS csssccesreessseceseeeeseeceseeeeneecsueeeencecueessneecsaeeseneecsaeeseaeecaeeseaeeceaeesentess 17 LINK BACK IN A HIERARCHY OF LIVE PROMPTS o ernea aa r a aE e ea aaa EE E oE EE A E aaea SERS 18 RESPOND TO MULTI VALUE LIVE PROMPT Sonsierra et petinte eiid iai a 19 MANAGE DISPLAY amp DATA VALUES FOR LIVE PARAMETERS esee nnne enne nene 19 pe RR ERE TIRE AERE PRENNE RRRRERE NIRE SERRE RE EFE EURO E ERE NEU REP E EE PAR ee ETE pha 21 REMEMBER PARAMETER VALUES FROM A PREVIOUS SESSION ssccsescecesreeesceceseeeeseeceaceeeneecaeeseneeceaeeseneeceaeeeenters 21 LAUNCH REPORTS FROM FILE EXPLORER esee esee eene teens n etna sins ta tasas totas tne totas taste tasas ene tataao 22 LAUNCH REPORTS FROM COMMAND LINES eere estne esee enean anota tasas tetas tne ta tasas tasas tassa enses tata ao 23 ses ov eae eta et Pre bce bet pe ee Bee Ee OE e pet eie degere 23 Call DataLink Viewer from Another Application 24 REFERRING TO SAVED ENCRYPTED PASSWORDS eese enne en nnne nnne enne nest tenter rese tenter
74. ehavior is ViewMode and it has 3 possible values ViewMode NoStatusBar only the status bar at the bottom of the window is removed ViewMode NoToolBar only the toolbar at the top of the window is removed ViewMode NoBars both the toolbar and the status bar are removed A typical scenario for using this option is in combination with the Auto Refresh command line argument For example C Program Files DataLink Viewer 12W DataLink Viewer 12 exe v C temp Report rpt Auto Refresh 300 ViewMode NoBars 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 63 Cycling Through Several Auto Refreshed Reports Assume you want your monitor to cycle through 2 different auto refreshed reports every 15 seconds You can take advantage of the fact that as a report gets auto refreshed its window becomes the active one So you can trigger auto refresh every 30 seconds for both reports but separate the start times by 15 seconds Here s how you can automate the whole process Step 1 Use notepad to create a batch file that can be called from within another batch file to delay processing by a given number of second Call it WAIT bat if you d like to understand the logic see http malektips com dos0017 html ping 127 0 0 1 n 2 w 1000 gt nul ping 127 0 0 1 n 1 w 1000 nul Step 2 Use notepad to create the following text file Call it invis vbs this allows us to call 1 report and progress to the next line in a batch file
75. emo Live Data 1 0 Number Records Read MN Number Export Activity 1 0 Number Print Activity 1 0 Number Path to the rpt file Name of the rpt file Prcessing Start DateTime String representation For example 10 18 2008 3 48 02 PM Processing End DateTime String representation For example 10 18 2008 3 48 04 PM Prcessing Start DateTime in Greenwich Mean Time GMT also called UTC or Zulu Time Processing End DateTime in Greenwich Mean Time GMT also called UTC or Zulu Time The Windows User ID running the process The Windows machine running the process Param_Name Param_ alue s subreport Name gt Param_Name Param_ Value s Delimited List of Connection Property Names amp their Values not including passwords The SOL Query forthe main report lif user retrieved data from Database Oif saved data inthe report was used Number of Records Read into the Main_Report 1 Yes or 0 False 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 52 SQL SERVER DATA STRUCTURE Here is a script for creating the table in Microsoft SQL Server CREATE TABLE dbo DLV_Log LogN int IDENTITY 1 1 NOT FOR REPLICATION NOT NULL Rpt Path nvarchar 255 COLLATE SQL Latinl General CP1 CI AS NULL Rpt Name nvarchar 255 COLLATE SQL Latinl General CP1 CI AS NULL Proc Start Local nvarchar 255 COLLATE SQL Latinl General CP1 CI AS NULL Local nvarchar 255 COLLATE SQL Latinl General CI AS NULL Proc
76. ennen nennen 58 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 3 CREATE RPZ FILES WITH EXPIRATION AND LICENSE KEYS cccccccccccccsecececececececececececececesececeseseseseseseseseeseseseeeseaes 59 Make Rpz2 Command Line Argument essent nennen enne nen 60 ADD YOUR COMPANY INFO TO THE ABOUT DIALOG e eeeeeee ense en etate tn enano ta tna tasto tasas tasas tas ta eaae 61 AUTO REFRESH REPORTS EVERY N SECONDS eeereeeee eee ee enses totns etta tasas ta tasas ta tasas to tasas tasas tns ta snae 62 AUTO REFRESH COMMAND LINE ARGUMENT 63 VIEWMODE COMMAND LINE ARGUMENT REMOVE TOOLBAR STATUS enne enne 63 CYCLING THROUGH SEVERAL AUTO REFRESHED REPORTS ssccsescecsseeeeseeceseeeencecueeseneecuceesneecaeeseneeceeeeeneeeeaees 64 CLICK TO CHANGE A PARAMETER VALUE ccsssssssssssscesssssssesssssssessessssessessssessessssossessssessessesessosseseseores 65 Toggling Between 2 Parameter Values esessessesseeseeseeeeeeee nennen nennen eene enne tne enretrre tenete en trennen nen 65 Special Date Parameter Dialog eee t DU eee terere eerie beet 65 Input Box Dialog et cascades Rie im peti rt Ue dieit pie Rr ER pe Red 65 ListBox Dialog foo sss shen skh tenen Ode oe e eC tude shed shah oerte rer 66 Changing a Parameter by Clicking o
77. ense Keys 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 89 Fixed an issue with the report list grid not remembering expanded collapsed state of some report groups The problem existed only for versions before DataLink Viewer 2008 when the grid had many collapsed groups Fixed an issue related to remembered window size and position when screen resolution has changed About_Line options in the DataLink_Viewer ini file now recognize all domains as live web links Added a Disable Refresh Button option as an ini file entry or command line argument This allows application developers to trigger viewing of a report in DataLink Viewer using specified parameters via command line arguments while ensuring the user cannot elect to run the report with different parameters Fixedan issue causing ODBC DSN choices to be visible in the login window even when the report was not using ODBC as a connection method The report loading now aborts after an appropriate message when command line arguments ODBC DSN or ODBC DSN From To specify DSNs that don t exist on the machine The loading also aborts if an ODBC DSN From is specified as ODBC DSN FROM To FROM in all upper case and none of the tables in the report or Subreports uses a DSN that matches the FROM argument This allows application developers to ensure a report preview request doesn t return unexpected results DataLink Viewer no longer issues a warning about a missing ODBC DSN se
78. eport and look at the comments and expressions in 5 DLV_Expand_Button_1 and DLV_Expand_Button_2 formulas 6 DLV_Current_Group_1 and DLV_Current_Group_2 formulas 7 DLV_Expanded_Group_List formula 8 Suppress expressions for the sections a GHIb acts as column headers for level 2 and GH2a b GH2b acts as column headers for level 3 and GH3 The same approach can be extended to any number of group levels This functionality is enabled only in the main report view not in Crystal s drill down tabs Note using my CUT Light UFL you can persist to an ini file the information in CDLV Expanded Group List so that the report remembers its collapse expanded state 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 69 Converting Section Double Click to In Place Drill Down When you implement In Place Drill Down as discussed above you may wish to allow the user to trigger this behavior by double clicking anywhere in the section rather than just by clicking the DLV_Expand_Button_N formula placed in that section To override the default double click behavior in Crystal drill down to a new tab and divert the double click action to an In Place Drill Down simply use all Upper Case when naming the button formula for example instead of DLV_Expand_Button_1 use DLV_EXPAND_BUTTON_1 Note Verify that if you move the mouse cursor over the formula placed in the report section the correct upper lower case is shown If you a
79. etting Custom Text for Each Print Copy and this demo image Packaged with a newer chilkatax 9 5 0 win32 dll component version 9 5 0 49 to avoid dll conflict with the newer Visual CUT and CUT Light versions When starting DataLink Viewer with a command line argument of ODBC DSN but no report path or other arguments the ODBC DSN argument now applies to all reports opened during that session rather than just to the first report opened This allows a desktop shortcut for example to launch DataLink Viewer with a DSN target specified for all reports opened during that session Version 6 4001 0 Released November 27 2014 The Launch tab in the Options dialog now has a button called Encrypt amp Save Password It allows you to centralize amp protect passwords by avoiding specifying them directly inside command line argument Instead you can name encrypt and store the passwords inside DataLink Viewer ini For detail see Referring to Saved Encrypted Passwords In forced login scenarios when integrated authentication is enabled User ID changes now attempt to set a matching password even if the password entry is already populated A new Encrypted Password Set Entry command line argument allows administrators to automate the saving of Encrypted Passwords to targeted ini files For detail see Setting Encrypted Password Entries Fixed a problem with export to XML via command lines 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 86
80. f ReportList txt would also be set to the same redirected location Here is what the notification looks like Fm Settings Relocated to C ProgramData MilletSoftware DLV_12 E x DataLink_Viewer ini in the Application Folder C Program Files DataLink Viewer 12 is Write Protected DataLink_Viewer ini was copied to C ProgramData MilletSoftware DLV_12 to allow you to save settings and the ReportList Grid there Continued on next page 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 77 Notes an ini file that was redirected to one of the locations above due to a write protected application folder is considered a Master ini file As usual that Master ini file can be redirected further to a slave ini file by manually setting its ini file location option under File Locations A blank option for ReportList txt location in a redirected ini file is considered as an indication that the ReportList txt file should be automatically copied to if missing and used at that location CHECKING AND NAVIGATING TO KEY FILE LOCATIONS To check the locations of DataLink_Viewer ini and ReportList txt you can click on the Version Information amp Updates button The textbox at the bottom of the dialog shows the current file locations Version Information PEE DataLink Viewer 12 Version 6 0 1036 www MilletSoftware com Updates Copyright 2002 Millet Software System Info C ProgramData MilletSofware DLV_12 Data
81. field in the login dialog you need to set the Override_ODBC_DSN_Database entry under the Options section in the DataLink_Viewer ini file to TRUE like this Onemide_ODBC_DSN_Datsbase TRUE Note that if that option is set to TRUE the database specified in the ODBC DSN can no longer override the database specified in the report if the user doesn t type in a Database the specified Database remains the one used in the report Note This functionality is not available in the Crystal 8 5 version of DataLink Viewer 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 43 Stripping Table Qualifiers when Connecting to a Different Database The SQL statement generated by Crystal frequently contains not only table names but also the database name used at the time the report was designed Database Table or Database Owner Table Such table qualifiers can frustrate attempts to run the report against a different database DataLink Viewer supports selection of a new ODBC data source even when the database name is different from that used in the original ODBC DSN To ensure this works even when the table names in your report are fully qualified set the following line under the Options section in DataLink_Viewer ini to True Strip_Table_Qualifiers True Overriding the Server in Native Oracle Connection When a report uses a native connection to Oracle you can edit the Server name in the login dialog and run the report against a different server rather than the on
82. ic parameters empty no rows selected and DataLink Viewer would set the parameter to for String parameters or Null for all other data types without triggering the default Crystal parameter dialog Thanks to John Daniell Positive Business Solutions for identifying the issue and testing the fix 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 119 Version 3 0 00 Released 2 11 2004 Added a button in the version dialog allowing users to check for software updates on my web site and apply those patches quickly and efficiently The patch sizes are typically very small since this automated process applies only net changes to files By default dynamic parameter dialogs for single value parameters allow the user to enter a value directly instead of clicking on the displayed list You can now force the user to select from the list displayed by the dynamic parameter report under two scenarios 1 You include the text NoEdit in the parameter name 2 The user double clicked an item in the dynamic parameter report and that item has an associated data value a formula named Parameter Data Note if the option to remember dynamic parameter values is left on from that point on that parameter will force the user to select from the list Thanks to Abbas Rostami Cubic Corporation for suggesting these changes Version 2 9 60 Released 1 26 2004 Added a button to the 1 tab for launching an Options dialog instead of manually editing DataLink Vie
83. ion button Options Disable Browse Dialog True Disable User Manual True Disable Version Info True Note when disabled set to True when a user clicks on the button a message explains the restriction and disables the button Added DataLink_Viewer ini option for forcing ODBC login dialogs to always show the list of alternative ODBC DSNs The default is to show only a button that when clicked expands the dialog and shows the list of ODBC DSNs Options Display DSN List in ODBC Login True Added the ability to embed user input in command line calls from one report to another DLV Run One use scenario is invoking label printing for a given product but allowing the user to control the number of copies to print For detail see Embed Input from The User in the Command Line Call for Another Report Fixed an issue with directing subreports to a different ODBC DSN when main report doesn t require login e g SQL Server Integrated Authentication 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 102 The installation of DataLink Viewer now adds a registry key indicating the path to the executable The key is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SOFTWARE Classes xDLV EXE Name and the property name is path This key is removed upon an uninstall This is useful for other applications that invoke DataLink Viewer via command lines 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 103 Version 5 3001 0 Released 5 24 2006 When clicking the Refresh button
84. is a more secure and powerful approach and is described first Record Processing to an ODBC Database To log processing to an ODBC database you must create a table called DLV_Log in the target database Email to me if you d like to receive a sample MS Access database with the required DLV_Log table Below are examples of data structures for MS Access and MS SQL Server However those are just examples You can use such a table in any other ODBC aware database Oracle DB2 Sybase etc TYPICAL USE The DLV log table can be used to 1 Monitor report use 2 Monitor report performance using the start amp end time information 3 Monitor what employees access print export what data This can be useful for addressing data privacy and protection concerns and requirements e g HIPAA If there is a need to monitor this log for exception situations you can use Visual CUT another Millet Software tool to schedule exception reports and email alerts against this table 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 51 MS ACCESS DATA STRUCTURE Here is the table structure required for this table when implemented under MS Access along with comments explaining what information is recorded 9 DLV Log Logi AutoNumber Surrogate Key Rpt_Path Text Rpt_Name Text Proc_Start_Local Text Proc End Local Text Proc Start GIVIT Text Proc End Text Windows User ID Text Machine ID Text Parameter Values Memo Connection_Properties Memo Report SQL M
85. is functionality was suggested and sponsored by Jon Newsom Newsom amp Associates in order to support Intuit Master Builder company reports where each company s data is located in a different folder on the same PC For full detail see Selecting Folder Location for FoxPro DBF Files MasterBuilder on page 46 of the user manual 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 118 Version 3 2001 0 Released 3 02 2004 Fixed an issue causing refreshes of reports with no parameters to hang under special circumstances Thanks to David Leland Johnson Corporation for identifying the issue Version 3 1501 0 Released 2 27 2004 You can now specify User ID and Password as Command Line arguments when simply starting DataLink Viewer without specifying a report to view This is useful in cases where you wish to avoid prompting the users for login information when they select reports to view A typical scenario would be to create a desktop shortcut and specify as the Target property of the shortcut a command line such as C Program Files DataLink ViewerWDataLink Viewer exe User ID dba Password sql Note exercise care when using this feature because in the shortcut case the password is visible to anyone who can gain access to the shortcut properties Thanks to David Leland Johnson Corporation for suggesting sponsoring and testing this new functionality Version 3 1001 0 Released 2 18 2004 Users can now leave multi value dynam
86. is is a good approach when you know the user will always use the default printer Note in DataLink Viewer XI those 2 dialogs are combined into a single dialog Windows File Explorer right click menu options now include DataLink Viewer Preview Print and Export actions for rpt rpz files For detail see Launch Reports from File Explorer 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 105 Version 5 1001 0 Released 11 11 2005 Anew command line argument Printer Default or Printer Printer Name allows you to print a report without previewing it This allows you to trigger or schedule printing of Crystal reports using other applications or the free Windows Task Scheduler Anew command line argument Export Dialog allows you to start the export process for a given report While this doesn t allows scheduling of report exports for that you would need a tool such as my Visual CUT software it allows other applications to trigger the process to the point where the user is presented with the export dialog without the need to select or preview a report For detail see Error Reference source not found on page Error Bookmark not defined The pop up menu shown when right clicking a report row in the report list grid now provides options for exporting and printing without previewing the report This is useful in cases where the user wishes to send a long running report to the printer and doesn t wish to wait for the report to preview before
87. k it w Product Class Accessory OK ALL Cancel CHANGING A PARAMETER BY CLICKING ON A RELATED FORMULA In some cases you may wish to invoke a parameter change by clicking on a related formula For example you may wish to embed the parameter inside some text or perhaps the parameter allows multiple values making simple value display impossible or a parameter may have an empty value making it impossible to click on the parameter object by itself To use a formula as a proxy for clicking on a parameter the formula name must start with DLV Param Click followed by the parameter name you wish to change when a user clicks on that formula For example DLV_Param_Click Customers The formula itself may display any values you wish For example you may concatenate static text with the parameter value or you may wish to return No Value if the parameter value is null and a nicely formatted value if the parameter is not null 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 66 Click to Set Formula Value DataLink Viewer reacts to user clicks on specially named formulas by setting the value of another formula For example if a user clicks on a formula called has as its string value the text Region it will attempt to locate the string value to Region If the user clicks on another formula called that has as its string value the text Country it will attempt to locate the set its string value to Country that formula and set its
88. kmark rs Bookmark Dim myreport As String Dim stAppName As String Dim myvalret As String me fullrep is a field that concatenates the report path and name myreport Me fullrep myvalret Str MyCaseno stAppName C yProgfam Files DataLink Viewer 9 DataLink Viewer 9 exe amp _ s amp myreport amp 1 amp myvalret amp nn DoCmd Close Call Shell stAppName 1 End Sub 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 24 Referring to Saved Encrypted Passwords This section describes how to centralize and protect passwords by avoiding specifying them directly inside command line argument Instead you can name encrypt and store the passwords inside DataLink_Viewer ini Besides protecting your passwords this also allows you to change the passwords in one location instead of in multiple command line arguments Instead of specifying a plain password in a command line such as C Program Files DataLink Viewer 9 DataLink_Viewer_9 exe v C temp my rpt user id dba password sesame You can refer to a saved and encrypted password like this C Program Files DataLink Viewer 935DataLink Viewer 9 exe v C temp my rpt user id dba password Enerypted Password FTP To save the encrypted password go to the Launch tab in the Options dialog and click on the Encrypt amp Save Password button This provides the following dialog P amp Encrypt and Save Password to DataLink Viewe
89. let Software Page 28 Command Line Arguments for Triggering Printing Using the Printer command line argument you can trigger printing for a given report in an unattended mode the user doesn t need to preview the report or see the DataLink Viewer user interface The syntax is constructed as the word Printer followed by a colon and the word Default if the report should be sent to the default printer or the word Dialog if the user should be prompted to select a printer or the printer name if the report should be sent to a specific printer Here s how you would send a report to the default printer C Program Files DataLink Viewer 9 DataLink Viewer 9 exe v C temp Report rpt user id dba password sql Parml1 Gloves Printer Default Here s how you would send a report to a printer selected by the user C Program Files DataLink Viewer 9W5DataLink Viewer 9 exe v C temp Report rpt user id dba password sql Parml1 Gloves Printer Dialog Here s how you would send a report to a specified printer C Program Files DataLink Viewer 9W5DataLink Viewer 9 exe v C temp Report rpt user id dba password sql Parml1 Gloves Printer Srv1 Laser1 Specifying Number of Copies To control the number of printed copies you can use a Print Copies argument The syntax is constructed as the word Print Copies followed by a colon and the number of desired copies For example
90. lity to force the user to select a value in a dynamic parameter dialog before clicking the OK button For detail see Requiring a Value for a Dynamic Parameter on page 85 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 107 Version 4 8001 0 Released 8 12 2005 Fixed a problem with launching another Crystal report into the same Preview window using the DLV Run Here formula approach Improved the centering of dynamic parameter dialogs within the main screen Added a DataLink_Viewer ini option to set the default value of String parameters to an empty string This applies only for Discrete Single Value String parameters that were assigned no default values To turn this option ON you need to set the following entry in DataLink Viewer ini to TRUE Options Set String Parameters Default To Empty String TRUE If your report has more than one parameter by setting this option to TRUE the user no longer has to select click on each string parameter to ensure its value is not left as Null Note this option applies only to the CR 9 version of DataLink Viewer since the CR 8 5 amp CR 11 runtime component versions behaves that way by default Added a command line argument option for specifying that a parameter value is Null as well as a new section in the user manual about setting parameter values via command line arguments You can now control the default selected for single value dynamic parameters via a formula within the dyna
91. lity with document management programs such as Documentum Users of such programs can now select a Crystal Report document and have it open within DataLink Viewer Added code to avoid Outlook security warning messages when exporting to MAPI email To enable this functionality set the following DataLink_Viewer ini option Control_Outlook_Security_On_Export True Added a message box to block attempts and clarify that rpz files can t be exported to MAPI in a single step The user is prompted to first export to disk and then manually email the resulting file Note regular rpt files don t have that restriction This limitation due to a bug in the Crystal runtime components applies only to the 9 amp XI versions of DataLink Viewer not to the 8 5 version Fixedan issue in the 8 5 and XI versions that caused view only previews to not remember the window size and position Fixed an issue with launching one report from another double clicking a section with DLV RUN or DLV RUN HERE formulas The problem was that in some scenarios an unexpected drill down action was automatically executed on the launched report Fixed printing issues in the Crystal XI version of DataLink Viewer Enhanced handling of invalid or renamed rpz files Added options to remove the Print Export Select Expert and Search Expert buttons in the viewer This can be done via either ini file entries or command line arguments This allows for example an
92. lled where rpt files are already associated with the Crystal application you will not see these right click menu options in File Explorer 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 22 Launch Reports from Command Lines DataLink Viewer allows you to launch a report from another application or from a shortcut using a command line The general structure of the command line is 1 the full path and name of the DataLink Viewer executable 2 S or V as a processing flag indicating we are requesting a report to be shown viewed S shows the report and allows selection of other reports via the Report Selection Tab V is a View Only option that allows only viewing of the specified report the Report Selection Tab is not available to the user 3 the report path and file name 4 Optional Parameter value arguments supplied as ParmN Value where N is the position of the parameter in the parameter list within the Crystal report 5 Optional User ID and Password arguments 6 Other optional arguments Export Printer Print Copies ODBC_DSN ODBC DSN From To Oracle Server Connect To SQLOLEDB Auto Refresh ViewMode Disable Print Button Disable Export Button Disable Select Button Disable Search Button Disable Refresh Button Examples 1 Invoke viewing of the sample report while passing 1997 as the 1 parameter value C Program Files DataLink Viewer 935DataLink Viewer 9 exe s C Program Files DataLink Viewer 93DataLink Viewer Year and P
93. log also has a button that allows you to check for software patches on my web site and install them online This patching mechanism is very fast since the patches are typically very small contain only file changes Use the Right Click Popup Menu if you Right Click a report row in the grid the following popup menu is displayed button to exit DataLink Viewer Preview Report Preview Report new window Preview Report Force login Print Report default printer Print Report select printer Export Report Delete Row To delete a report from the grid but not from the hard drive select Delete Row from the popup menu The grid information in maintained in a plain text file ReportList txt The other options in the popup menu allow you to launch a report to a new window force a login dialog allowing a choice of a different data source and printing or exporting the report without previewing it 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 11 When adding a report to the grid DataLink Viewer populates the title and subject columns automatically if it finds that information in the summary information for the report You set that information for the rpt file in Crystal under the file menu Customizing the Grid By dragging clicking or right clicking the grid column headers you can apply various options such as grouping the report by any column s hiding showing any columns sorting increasing decreasing font si
94. lready created the formula and you wish to change it to upper case you may need to propagate that change to the actual formula object in the report section by copying the formula Ctrl drag and then deleting the old clone Note 2 if only the 2 click on the button is recognized you can correct that problem using the same procedure as above copy the button formula using Ctrl drag and then delete the old clone Hiding Buttons If you use an upper case formula name for any of your DLV_Expand_Button_N formulas you can hide the formula by using the section background color as the font color This would allow you to use double clicks exclusively for In Place Drill Down actions the user will not see the Buttons 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 70 Disabling Report Preview Buttons In some scenarios you may wish to remove the Print Refresh Export Select Expert or Search Expert buttons from the preview window of reports This is useful for example in cases where your application launches reports in DataLink Viewer via a command line and you wish to restrict some users from printing and or exporting the report You can globally remove the Print and or Export buttons from the Preview window by setting the following options in the DataLink Viewer ini file Options Disable_Print_Button TRUE Disable_Export_Button TRUE Disable_Select_Button TRUE Disable_Search_Button TRUE Disabl
95. master copies in the application folder if they exist there Thanks to Austin Henderson FirstFleet for suggesting and testing this enhancement Version 2 5 20 Released 6 7 2003 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 124 While DataLink Viewer is busy retrieving a report the Select Report tab is disabled to ensure the retrieval is completed without errors Fixed a related error caused by minimizing and maximizing the viewer during data retrieval Thanks to Curt Gravatt Intercim for identifying the problem and testing the solution Added a V View Only processing mode option in Command Line invocation of reports This option provides a View Only mode since the Select Report tab is not available to the user For example the following syntax in a batch file desktop shortcut or a RUN command is using a V instead of S option The report is then shown with no options to select and open another report Thanks to Dick Brown Coldwell Banker for suggesting and testing this new feature Version 2 5 00 Released 5 25 2003 DataLink Viewer can now automatically limit the data displayed in a Crystal report to the records associated with the User ID logged in to the PC For detail see the section on Controlling Data Access according to PC Login Thanks to Dick Brown Coldwell Banker for suggesting and testing this new feature Version 2 4 11 Released 4 11 2003 Fixed a problem with Parameters with Currency da
96. mic parameter report For example you can have the last customer order in the dynamic pick list be the default value For detail see Controlling the Default Value in Dynamic Parameters on page 84 Reports now remember their Group Tree display status Right clicking the report list provides a new menu option for previewing the report in view only new window This is useful when you wish to have multiple reports open at the same time To support cases where users wish to have this as the default launch mode a new option under the Launch tab of the Options dialog allows you to indicate that double clicking a report row should launch the report into a view only window Reports that are displayed in a view only window remember their window size position zoom and group tree status These settings are reapplied when the same report is opened again in a view only window Clicking Cancel from parameter dialogs when launching a report to a view only window now closes the window immediately For ODBC data sources users can now directly enter a database name into the login dialog if they wish to override the database specified in the ODBC data source or in 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 108 the report itself Anew command line argument Oracle Server allows external control of which Oracle server is used with the report you are launching 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 109 Version 4 7003 0 Released 4 27 2005 Fi
97. n Service Pack 5 of the Crystal XI R2 runtime components Users of prior XI versions can t use the online update option and must go through a Remove amp Install process in order to update their version DataLink Viewer 8 5 now uses newer versions of the Crystal 8 5 runtime components Users of prior 8 5 versions can t use the online update option and must go through a Remove amp Install process in order to update their version Fixed an issue with the right click menu option of Preview Report problem was limited to DataLink Viewer 9 Fixed an issue with remembering and sharing parameter values for same name parameters in a chain of dynamic as well as static parameters Fixed an issue with printing drill down views in Crystal XI Users can now select and convert multiple rpt files into rpz files in a single step By including the text Linked in the name of subreport stored procedure parameter names you can now avoid seeing such linked parameters in the report refresh dialog 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 94 Of course if the parameter is not linked you should not include Linked in the name of the parameter because you want to include such unlinked parameters in the selective parameter refresh dialog For more detail see Selective Parameter Refresh Folder Selection for FoxPro DBF Files now also influences the data source for dynamic parameters This should be of interest to users who take advantage
98. n the arguments are separated by gt gt gt as a delimiter The 8 arguments are 1 pe The path to the rpt file s to be converted you may specify wild cards as demonstrated in the example above you may specify multiple paths separated by a semi colon The target folder where the rpz files should be deposited Include subfolders when wildcard expressions are used for source files True False The maximum age in minutes of the rpt file s to be included Older files would be skipped This allows the command line to be placed in a batch file and scheduled while avoiding the conversion of older files that have already been converted Use a value of zero to convert all files regardless of age Text information to embed in the rpz file Separate lines with P This information can be accessed via a report parameter named DLV Rpz File Info Rpz Expiration Date dd mm yyyy The rpz file will not run beyond that date unless a license key with a later expiration date is added to the machine Contact Information to embed in the rpz file This information is provided to the user when trying to run an expired rpz or an rpz requiring a new license key Show Conversion Results Dialog True False This controls whether the process will be quiet typical for a scheduled process or result in a dialog showing what files were converted and what options were applied a9 Compression amp Encryption to File s Completed x
99. n a Related Formula esee nennen 66 CLICK TO SET FORMULA VALUE 67 CLICK COLUMN HEADERS TO RE SORT THE 67 Iu Xe DERI APT G M 68 CONVERTING SECTION DOUBLE CLICK TO IN PLACE enne enne nene 70 DISABLING REPORT PREVIEW BUTTONS eeeeeeee enses tetti anota tasa tata siae ta tasas tasas ene totas tne a stata sene 71 DISABLING DATALINK VIEWER BUTTONS ereeeeee esee ee seen enano tasas tas 72 CITRIX AND FILE LOCATION FUNCTIONALITY eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet nete tne n ets tn sae ts 73 Explicit Assignment of Default Printer 00 0 0 74 Setting Integrated Authentication for Multiple Machines Citrix Farm eese 75 Setting Encrypted Password Entries enne nen neen nennen 76 FILE LOCATION REDIRECT LOGIC FOR DATALINK TI Checking and Navigating to Key File Locations nennen eene retener trennen 78 ENFORCING SETTINGS IN A MASTER DATALINK_ VIEWER INI FI
100. n in a first report and opening the second report within the current preview tab The previous option DLV RUN still launches the second report in a new instance of DataLink Viewer These options are described in the Launch a Report while Viewing another Report section of this user manual Version 3 3401 0 Released 3 27 2004 The component dealing with online updates for the software has been enhanced and a minor problem with online updates under NT4 PCs has been fixed Ifa user selects a new folder location for the File DSN data source dynamic parameter reports automatically use that same new data source location if the dynamic parameter reports use the same File DSN Version 3 3301 0 Released 3 21 2004 Removed the Preview tab at the top of the main report viewing area to avoid wasting screen space If a drilldown view is activated by a user both the Preview tab as well as the drilldown tab become visible to allow user navigation between these views The same functionality also applies to dynamic parameter dialogs 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 117 Version 3 3101 0 Released 3 08 2004 Fixed a refresh same parameter values issue for encrypted rpz reports The CR 9 runtime components version of DataLink Viewer now support dynamic selection of data folders for reports using the Visual FoxPro ODBC driver for a File DSN using Free Tables which are dbf files under a given folder The development of th
101. n of Preview Report force login launches the report to a new window instead of to the Preview tab which is not available The end result is that the initial DLV window becomes just a launch pad to report previews 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 36 Control Data Access according to PC Login Assume you have several Sales Reps who need access only to their own sales information DataLink Viewer can limit the data shown in a report according to who is logged in to the PC To achieve this functionality you need two elements 1 The report must have a String parameter named DLV User ID as shown below DataLink Viewer automatically sets the value of such a parameter to the User ID who is currently logged in to the PC Field Explorer E x Database Fields X Formula Fields SQL Expression Fields Parameter Fields DL Y UserID Running Total Fields amp Group Name Fields E Special Fields 2 The record selection formula must include a condition that restricts the data according to the User ID In most cases this would be achieved by creating a new table in your database or adding a new column to an existing table For example a new column in the Sales Rep table or a new table can associate each Sales Rep ID with his her User ID The record selection formula would include a condition such as This would ensure that as each Sales Rep logs into their PC
102. nd box effects to highlight the selectable column When you click on an active column Parameter or Parameter Data However After clicking on some product names move your cursor over these items in the list of selected Display Values Notice that a popup text reflects the underlying Data Value Product IDs for each product Note the parameter_Data column s font was set to White to make it invisible You can resize the dynamic parameter dialogs select a zoom level and turn the group tree on or off for each dynamic report DataLink Viewer remembers these settings and will apply them the next time the same dynamic parameter dialog for the same dynamic parameter report is loaded 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 20 View the Report When you click OK DataLink Viewer uses the selected values for both the Prompt Year rpt and Prompt Products rpt parameters to display the requested report DataLink Viewer Product Sales by Type in 1998 Preview amp amp wx 6 crystal Preview Competition Helmets Sunday January 11 2004 Ido Millet xm7 psu Product Sales by Type in 1998 Competition 51 225 DLV Run s c Program Files DataLink Viewer 9 Product Type Catalog rpt Parm1 Competition Mozzie Endorphin Revenue By Product Mozzie 1 11 2004 11 27 PM DataLink Viewer Year_and_Product_Prompts rpt 31 Records Remember Parameter Values from a previous Session If you
103. now avoid prompting the user by specifying Display show the report with its saved data without asking the user or Refresh refresh the report data without asking the user You specify these options by entering Refresh Display or Prompt as the values for the Saved Data Action entry under the Options section of DataLink Viewer ini For example Options You can now specify what is the default action when a user double clicks a report file if the rpt or rpz file extension had been associated with the DataLink Viewer executable The default View and Select is to display both report selection as well as the preview tabs so the user can select other reports from the 1 tab Alternatively you can restrict the user to just view the double clicked report by entering View Only as the value for the Associated File Launch Mode entry under the Options section of DataLink Viewer ini For example Options When launching a report by double clicking a report section with a launch formula see the section on Launch a Report while Viewing another Report the User ID and Password from the launching report are now automatically applied to the launched report This removes the need for multiple logins in such a scenario You can still provide User ID and Password arguments in the launch formula if you need to override the login information from the launching report Thanks to Abbas Rostami Cubic Corporation for suggesting and tes
104. oad all of them into the DataLink Viewer grid Thanks to Jon Newsom for suggesting this enhancement Version 3 3951 0 Released 6 10 2004 Removed the control box x at the top right corner of Dynamic Parameter dialogs This ensures users use the Cancel button if they wish to Cancel Close the dialog Version 3 3911 0 Released 6 01 2004 Fixed a previewing failure problem on some PCs Version 3 3901 0 Released 5 25 2004 Fixed an issue with dynamic parameters behaving as static parameters if the user clicked Cancel out of a dynamic parameter dialog and then refreshed the same report Version 3 3801 0 Released 5 12 2004 Fixed an error message triggered when a command line invocation of DataLink Viewer had trailing spaces 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 116 Version 3 3701 0 Released 4 23 2004 Fixed an error message triggered when a user clicked Cancel in a standard non dynamic Crystal parameter dialog if the report was running against a secure database Note this problem occurred only in the Crystal 9 runtime components version of DataLink Viewer Version 3 3601 0 Released 4 19 2004 Fixed an error message form can t be moved or sized while minimized or maximized caused by starting DataLink Viewer on a small or low resolution screen Note applies only to the Crystal 9 runtime components version of DataLink Viewer Added anew DLV Run Here option for launching a second report by double clicking a sectio
105. of the functionality described in Selecting Folder Location for FoxPro DBF Files MasterBuilder Added code to handle cases where a user clicks on the button to browse for reports to open and the last used rpt folder is not accessible to that user Added functionality to capture the machine name registered company and hard drive serial number where the report is running See Loading Machine Information into Parameters 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 95 Version 5 8001 0 Released 7 25 2008 Improved how view only report windows pop on the screen There is no longer a step where a tab is briefly visible in the background By naming parameters in a certain way you can now ask DataLink Viewer to automatically load their values from ini file entries One possible use may be for reports where some parameters change only rarely More importantly this allows report developers who sell their rpz files in vertical markets to protect their reports from unauthorized use It also allows each client to customize the reports with text elements conditional formatting or record selection criteria without changing the report design For more detail see the sections on Load ini Values into Parameters and Securing Reports against Unauthorized Use Users can now suppress the progress popup dialogs that briefly show when printing or exporting is in progress To turn the suppress option on set the following entry un
106. ome folder are automatically replicated to the other machines participating in the server farm However integrated authentication information is stored encrypted per user amp machine combination So as an administrator when you add a user to the server farm you may need to generate Integrated Authentication entries for that user amp all machines in the server farm Multiple ini file entries for the same user amp different machines look like this Integrated_Authentication User33 Server101 148580D7008FB47042E07958BB8884A7BAD32B2B7C268A6 User33 Server102 0AA0F62E3F8091CD90AD9D87F4F5279102439D2432134BF725 To facilitate the automated generation of such entries you can call DataLink Viewer using a command line all in 1 line argument as follows C Program Files DataLink Viewer 1 INDataLink Viewer 1ll exe Integrated Authentication Set Entry H DataLink_Viewer ini gt gt Server1011 IServer102 gt gt abc gt gt joe3 gt gt sesame gt gt After the Integrated_Authentication_Set_Entry key word and the colon the 6 arguments are separated by gt gt as a delimiter 1 The path amp name of the ini file 2 List of machines separated by delimiter or just the name of 1 machine 3 The Windows user id 4 The Database user id 5 The Database password 6 Operation Type a Appends the User ID amp Password pair if it doesn t already exist for all specified machines b like Append but removes
107. onality for Visual FoxPro free tables data sources that use a File DSN now applies to dynamic parameter scenarios on 64 bit as well as 32 bit machines Depending on screen size the selective parameter refresh grid now shows more rows reducing the need to scroll when a report has many parameters 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 88 Version 6 2001 0 Released May 30 2011 DataLink Viewer now remembers parameter values and allows users to elect to reuse some or all of them This matches typical use scenarios and removes the need to enter all parameter values each time a user runs a report The Options dialog Process tab allows users to control the maximum number of characters default 300 in parameter values that are saved for reuse or turn off completely the option to save and reuse parameters The parameter values for each report are stored in DataLink Viewer ini A 1 minute video demo is available For situations where reports with many parameters are used in one of several parameter patterns you can now save amp reuse Named Parameter Sets For detail see Save and Reuse Named Parameter Sets or watch a video demo In the Select Reports Tab you can now use Ctrl F to search for a row in the report list containing specified text F3 searches for the next matching row and Shift F3 searches for a previous matching row On initial install or if the user can t update the DataLink Viewer ini in the application folder Dat
108. options to set 3 lines in the About dialog to text of your choice This is useful if you sell Crystal reports bundled with DataLink Viewer and you wish to specify your contact information for technical support For detail see Add your Company Info to the About Dialog Added an option for logging use statistics If you specify in the Options dialog a folder location for a DLV_Use_Log txt file use statistics User_ID PC Name Report Date amp Time Started the report loading Date amp Time Report Finished Loading are appended to that file This is particularly useful for Citrix TS installations where you can use that file for example using Crystal with a Text ODBC driver to analyze which reports are popular who runs which reports and which reports take too long to run Thanks to Dave Leland Johnson Corporation for sponsoring this development 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 115 Version 3 3971 0 Released 6 22 2004 Added DataLink Viewer ini options for restricting user access to certain dialogs Options Disable RPZ Creation False Disable Check for Updates False Disable Options Dialog False Note when disabled set to True the user interface doesn t reflect that fact until the user actually attempts to access the dialog Thanks to David Leland Johnson Corporation for suggesting this functionality The dialog for selecting rpt rpz files from the file system now allows you to select multiple reports and l
109. parameter to the other value This provides many useful behaviors The sample report demonstrates toggling between viewing Profit or Revenue by simply clicking on the Metric parameter Another parameter allows toggling between expanding all top nodes or manually selecting which nodes to expand SPECIAL DATE PARAMETER DIALOG If a user clicks on a single value date parameter DataLink Viewer presents an enhanced date entry selection dialog To quickly select a date double click a date on the calendar Once the calendar is selected Page Up Down changes the month and Ctrl Page Up Down changes the year From_Date 7 1 72009 al Cancel Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun 2 3 4 5 B 7 8 3 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 3l 2 Today 5 17 2009 INPUT Box DIALOG If a user clicks on a single value parameter with less than 2 default values where custom values are allowed DataLink Viewer presents a simple InputBox dialog making it easier and faster for the user to change the parameter value 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 65 LISTBOX DIALOG If a user clicks on a single value parameter more than 2 default values where custom values are not allowed DataLink Viewer presents a multi row dialog with one row for each default value designed for that parameter This allows the user to quickly change the value for that parameter To quickly select an item the user can simply double clic
110. parameters participate in this process and are listed as subreport name gt Parameter Name For detail see Selective Parameter Refresh Fixed an issue with rpt to rpz conversion on Vista machines Important Note older rpz files can be opened by this new version However if you package new rpz files users would need to install the new version of DataLink Viewer in order to run them To ease the transition you may wish to retain one PC with the old DLV version and package the rpz files on that machine DataLink Viewer XI now uses the Crystal XI R2 Release 2 runtime components This provides a couple of nice export features the pdf export dialog provides an option to Create bookmarks from group tree the Excel Data Only export dialog provides an option of Show group outlines which allows you to expand and collapse group detail in excel Users of prior XI versions must go through a Remove using old msi file amp Install Fixed an issue causing the ODBC DSN selection option in the login dialog to not appear in some cases Fixed a login issue when previewing a report with saved data and then refreshing it Fixed an issue causing reports that use two different data sources one with a password and the other one a DAO connection to MS Access without a password to trigger a login dialog for the Access data source Updated user manual section on Launch a Report While Viewing Another Report Added code and a messag
111. port list Acheck for ODBC DSN is now not case sensitive Double clicking on sections with a string formula for launching another executable using EXE Run executable arguments now works even if the specified executable contains due to a specified path such as c When opening RPZ files encrypted reports DLV now populates report title and subject information if specified during report design into the grid You now protect ReportList txt the content of the report list in the 1 tab grid and or ReportList grd the style and layout of the grid from changes by setting the attributes of these files or their folders to Read Only This is useful in cases where an administrator wishes to maintain the report list content for all users not allowing individual users to add or delete reports In past versions such situations would cause an error message when closing DataLink Viewer Version 4 1001 0 Released 8 28 2004 Fixed issues related to launching reports using command line arguments and logging use statistics 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 113 Version 4 0000 0 Released 8 17 2004 New Grid for Selecting Reports with enhancements such as more columns path report title description subject type date time last used sort on any column by clicking the column header group on any column by dragging the column header to a Grouping area select larger or smaller font size right click col
112. r another report against another ODBC data source wish to login to the same data source under a different user id without restarting DataLink Viewer You wish to avoid the default login information provided by Integrated Authentication without bothering to go into the Options dialog and turning Integrated Authentication off Note for some ODBC data sources Crystal Commands there are some scenarios where the only way to avoid connecting to a previously opened connection is to close and reopen DataLink Viewer 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 45 Selecting Folder Location for FoxPro DBF Files MasterBuilder The CR 9 and above runtime components versions of DataLink Viewer support dynamic selection of data folders for reports using the Visual FoxPro ODBC driver for a File DSN using Free Tables which are dbf files under a given folder This functionality was originally developed to support Intuit Master Builder company reports where each company s data is located in a different folder on the same PC Two sections in the DataLink_Viewer ini file control this functionality Folder Selection DSNs Visual FoxPro DBF IIMB7 Data dsnlIMB Data dsnll MB7 Data dsn Folder Selection Must Containzcompany dbf Enable Folder SelectionZ TRUE The 1 section specifies which File DSNs call for this new functionality The File DSNs are specified exactly as they are named in the report itself They must be enclosed in
113. r ini Options Section 9 Password FTP Encrypted Password FTP 913D81C23C33 89D121997370ECE8C51F145CBCDBBD520 Password ln EE 1E8 Save to DataLink_Viewer ini Cancel The ini file entry is always named as Encrypted Password followed by the password name you specify Soin my case the full name is Encrypted Password FTP From that point on I can refer to that password inside my command line arguments as Encrypted Password FTP and DataLink Viewer would make the appropriate substitution If you need to change a previously saved password use the drop down to select the previously saved password name and enter a new password 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 25 Command Line Arguments for Parameter Values Since parameter values can have different data types and structures discrete multi value range mixed this section explains how you can specify parameter values via command lines A numeric or string parameter would be specified as A date parameter would be specified as DataLink Viewer handles the data type conversion to match the parameter data type The syntax is constructed as the word Parm followed by the number of the parameter according to the order of parameters shown in Crystal followed by a colon and the value Here s how you would specify the 1 and 3 parameter values All arguments must be enclosed in double quotes and separated by a single space RANGE AND MULTI VALUE
114. rameters participate in this process and are listed as subreport name gt Parameter Name e To remove linked subreport stored procedure parameters from this dialog the parameter name must contains Linked 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 13 Remembering Parameter Values By default parameter values last used are saved to DataLink_Viewer ini for reuse the next time you run the same report Using the Options dialog and the checkbox shown below you can control whether that option is enabled A parameter with more than 300 characters is not saved but you can adjust that number using the same area in the Options dialog Parameters File Locations Remember Parameter Values Remember Parameter Values Up To 300 Characters When you load a report that has saved parameter values DataLink Viewer allows you to reuse these saved parameter values via a dialog similar to the Refresh Parameter Values dialog Use saved parameter values C Change parameter values Cancel C Use saved parameter values Cancel Saved Value TopN_Levell 5 TopN Detail 3 From_Date 12 11 2001 Expand_Level_1 Click to Expand Top N Customer Ankara Bicycle Company 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 14 Save and Reuse Named Parameter Sets If you click the refresh button for a report that has at least 8 parameters Options dialog allows you to change that number a Save button be
115. rated authentication information for a user machine entry that matches the logged in user id and the machine id is always taken from the user ini file if it exists 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 49 4 There can be only one shared machine authentication entry If you need to change to another administrator delete the Shared_Machine_Authentication line and let the new administrator go through the Remember Me and dialog step 5 If the administrator adds more data sources and login information to their integrated authentication information all the machine users would have access to the new data sources This is because the entry is really a pointer to whatever that administrator has accumulated in their entry ixm7 9 SOBPCO2 in my case Shared Secret Password with Windows User IDs DataLink Viewer has special functionality allowing an administrator to set change a secret global password for all users who will then be authenticated to the database using their own windows user id and the secret global password If you are in the rare situation where you need to use this functionality contact Millet Software and if your use scenario matches this functionality you will receive detailed instructions 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 50 Monitoring DataLink Viewer Use DataLink Viewer allows you to monitor the use and performance of reports across the organization via logging to an ODBC table or to a simple text file Logging to ODBC
116. re not allowed DataLink Viewer now presents a multi row dialog allowing the user to quickly select and change the selected value for that parameter Note the user can simply double click one of the listed values DataLink Viewer now allows you to click on a formula in order to change the value of a related parameter The formula name must start with DLV Param Click followed by the parameter name you wish to change when a user clicks on that formula For example DLV Param Click Customers The formula itself may display any values you wish For example you may concatenate static text with the parameter value or you may wish to return No Value if the parameter value is null and a nicely formatted value if the parameter is not null If a parameter name starts with Password the Selective Parameter refresh dialog now protects the value for that parameter by showing it as Double clicking a value in the special single value dynamic parameter dialog rendered based on a report acting as a parameter dialog now immediately sets that value no need to also click the OK button Linked dynamic parameter reports that were saved with data during design time are now automatically refreshed within DataLink Viewer Changed the user manual to pdf format with live links from the Table of Contents 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 92 For report the use native connection to MS Access or Excel files you can now let the
117. roduct Prompts rpt Parm1 1997 2 Invoke viewing of a secure report while passing User ID and Passord C Program Files DataLink Viewer 93DataLink Viewer 9 exe s C Program Files DataLink Viewer 9 Some Secure Report rpt user id dba password sql 3 Invoke viewing of a report with only Preview tab no Select Report tab and specify an ODBC data source This is useful in cases where you have multiple database with the same structure You create several ODBC DSNSs and can control via a command line which database is used C Program Files WDataLink Viewer 935DataLink Viewer 9 exe v C Program Files DataLink Viewer 9 MyReport rpt ODBC DSN Companyl 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 23 CALL DATALINK VIEWER FROM ANOTHER APPLICATION 4 Here s a code example of invoking DLV from a visual basic application with only a Preview tab no Select Report tab and specifying a parameter value Note that double quotes are escaped by using instead of Dim RetVal ls temp c Program Files DataLink Viewer 9 DataLink Viewer 9 exe amp Nig No temp Lab2 Chase rpt Parm1 800 RetVal Shell l1s temp 5 Here s a code example for invoking DLV from a vba event and dynamically setting the report path name and parameter value Private Sub Combo0 AfterUpdate Dim rs As Object Set rs Me Recordset Clone rs FindFirst txtReportName amp Me Combo0 amp If Not rs EOF Then Me Boo
118. rols whether the Master ini file is updated e Update Slave INI controls whether the User ini file is updated 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 80 Dynamic and Cascading Parameters Developer Notes This section reviews how report designers can activate the extra functionality of linking to live prompt reports Naming Parameters In our sample report live prompt reports and parameter names were Prompt Order Year rpt and Prompt Products rpt i 0x c Database Fields X Formula Fields SQL Expression Fields Parameter Fields a Prompt_Order_ Year rpt a Prompt Products rpt X Running Total Fields H S Group Name Fields Special Fields Designing Live Prompt Reports The reports acting as live prompts should be These reports Formulas named in such a manner can be clicked and selected within the prompt viewer You can place one formula on the report to let the user select a meaningful Display Value e g Product Name Parameter and place on the same section Parameter_Data formula to supply the actual Data Value passed into the parameter You can t suppress the QParameter Data formula but you can hide it by selecting a font color e g White and or moving it to far right margin of the report Note Open the sample Prompt Products rpt report to see how the above is implemented 2002 2010 Millet Software
119. rom a command line with v argument This is particularly useful in combination with Auto Refresh because it allows you to maximize the space available for viewing the report 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 93 Version 5 9001 0 Released May 08 2009 If a user clicks on a parameter placed on the report layout DataLink Viewer now prompts the user just for that parameter That makes Crystal reports more interactive and more intuitive for the user Added options to log report use information to any database via an ODBC This provides a mechanism for not only monitoring report performance and use but also for addressing data privacy and protection requirements Recorded information includes Report Path amp Name Windows User ID Machine ID Start End Time Parameters SQL Connection Properties Printing amp Exporting Indicators For detail see Monitoring DataLink Viewer Use and Record Processing to an ODBC Database Added sample report demonstrating interactive features of DataLink Viewer e Click to change a single parameter e Click to change the performance measure Profit Revenue or Discount e In place Drill Down e Click to Change Grouping e Click to Change CrossTab Rows Columns e Click to change report display Detail Cross Tab or Both e Selective Parameter Refresh You may wish to use this report to study and implement these techniques in your own reports DataLink Viewer XI now uses a newer versio
120. rpz File Completed xj 1 A Report File C Program Files DataLink Viewer 9 World Sales Report rpt gt rpz File C Program Files DataLink Viewer 9 World Sales Report rpz Keep the rpt file and give your users only the rpz File Your users would then be able to run the rpz File in DataLink Viewer but won t be able to open it in Crystal Designer Note DataLink Viewer doesn t allow rpz Files to be exported to rpt Files This ensures your report designs are fully protected The resulting rpz file is a compressed and encrypted version of the rpt file that is recognizable only by DataLink Viewer amp Visual CUT Your users can run the resulting rpz files in DataLink Viewer or Visual CUT but cannot view or modify them in Crystal This allows developers to protect and hide their reports designs either as an intellectual property issue or as a tech support issue They can simply keep the rpt files and distribute only the rpz files to their users Note rpz files should not be renamed Within DataLink Viewer amp Visual CUT rpz files behave just like rpt files except that in order to protect the report design exporting rpz files to rpt format or to report definition format is blocked Export Operation Aborted x AN Exporting RPZ Files to RPT or Report Definition Files is Not Allowed RPZ Files are Designed to Protect Report Designs 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 57 MAKE RPZ COMMAND LINE ARGUMENT If you need to
121. s formula can provide a simple value For example if you use Cstr Order N 0 Since the formula is placed in the report footer it will return the order number of the last order in the list b Alternatively the formula can populate both the display value as well as the data value by separating them with For example if you use Customer Name amp amp Customer_ID The default value the dialog would show would be the name of the last customer but the actual parameter value shown as a pop up when you move your cursor over the selected value would be the customer id c Ifthe parameter is a multi valued parameter separate the values formed as either a or b above with amp amp For example Descent amp amp Endorphin amp amp Triumph Pro Helmet Or Descent 101 amp amp Endorphin 103 amp amp Triumph Pro Helmet 220 2 The formula and even the report footer section as a whole can be suppressed 3 You must place the Page N of M special field in the Page footer of the dynamic parameter report even if that field or the page footer as a whole are suppressed 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 84 Requiring a Value for a Dynamic Parameter This can be achieved by following these guidelines 1 Add a string formula with the name of DLV_PARAMETER_REQUIRED to the Report Footer of the dynamic parameter report not the main report 2 The formula must return a non blank string if you wish to enforce a
122. se where a license code matches the company to which Windows is registered DLV_HD_SERIAL_N If a report has a single value string parameter called DLV HD Serial N DataLink Viewer automatically sets the value of such a parameter to the serial number of the current hard drive In conjunction with the ability to load ini values into report parameters this functionality allows report developers to distribute rpz files and restrict their use to only those where a license code matches the machine on which the report is running 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 39 Database Choice Functionality DataLink Viewer provides login dialogs to support any number of secure data sources in the main report as well as the subreports Here is what the login dialog looks like ODBC RDO Login E xj Northwind_2 Server Database orthwind User ID nitet Password Select Alternative ODBC Data Sources for the Same Report When running reports that use ODBC you can select the ODBC data source to use Clicking a button to the right of the Server name expands the display to include a listing of all available ODBC data sources grouped by ODBC driver type The original ODBC data source is initially selected and the driver group it belongs to is expanded and prefixed with a ia ODBC RDO Login Northwind_2 x Server Database User ID milet Password Cancel 2002 2010
123. sed by and has 4 parts separated by 1 InputBox a keyword indicating this is a request for an InputBox dialog 2 The Prompt the text shown within the InputBox dialog If you need to specify line breaks within the prompt text be sure to use vbCrLf case sensitive rather than Chr 10 3 The Title the text shown as the title of the InputBox dialog 4 The Default value 1 in the example above How Many Copies for Endorphin Please Specify How Many Labels Cancel Notes 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 33 Launch another Application and Pass Parameters to It DataLink Viewer lets you launch any other application and pass parameters to it by double clicking a report section that contains a formula that statically or dynamically results in a string with the following structure EXE_Run Any_Program exe command line arguments Note HEC 0 When you need to embed double quotes into the result of a string formula you must escape the double quotes with another double quote Here are some variations on that theme add a double quote Nu start the resulting string with a double quote wt the resulting string with a double quote me insert a double quote into the middle of the resulting string 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 34 Launching Reports in a New Window By default the initial DataLink Viewer DLV window displays two tabs Select Reports and Pre
124. sides the location of the main report and the DataLink Viewer folder OK Cancel Apply 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 73 EXPLICIT ASSIGNMENT OF DEFAULT PRINTER To address a rare printing failure scenario under Citrix and Windows 2003 the following Datalink_Viewer ini option allows an explicit assignment of the default printer when the user clicks the print button before the printer selection dialog is displayed Options Set Report To Default Printer TRUE 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 74 SETTING INTEGRATED AUTHENTICATION FOR MULTIPLE MACHINES CITRIX FARM The Integrated_Authentication_Set_Entry command line argument can automate encrypted storage within DataLink_Viewer ini of login information Database User ID amp Password per specified Windows User ID and Machine Name s In the simplest case this allows an administrator to set or change Integrated Authentication for a user after installation of DataLink Viewer or after database password changes Keep in mind that this login information is stored encrypted and can be used only if the specified Windows User ID manages to log into the specified Windows Machine Name Automated setting of Integrated Authentication information can be particularly useful for Citrix or TS server farms Such deployments allow each user to launch DataLink Viewer on the least busy machine within the server farm Any changes made to the DataLink_Viewer ini file in the user s H
125. t Datalink Viewer DataLink Viewer Version 5 1002 90 Copyright 2002 Millet Software www MilletSoftware com By Ido Millet E mail ido MilletSoftware com Work Office 814 898 6262 Home Office 814 825 6009 System Info When you click that button an online update wizard detects if there are new versions and prompts you for a password to apply the patch registered users with current annual support receive email notifications of such releases along with the necessary passwords Datalink Viewer 9 Update Client DataLink Viewer 9 Update Wizard Welcome Welcome to the Update Wizard Your copy of DataLink Viewer 9 can now be updated automatically through the Internet The DataLink Viewer 9 Update Vizard will download new versions of your software and install them on your computer 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 9 Typical Use Scenarios In a typical scenario you would select a report to view by double clicking it The viewer would prompt you for any live or static parameters associated with that report The viewer would then display the report with all the preview functionality available within Crystal drilldown tree view export zoom print The report can also be invoked from a desktop shortcut a batch file or another program using DataLink Viewer s command line options User Interface After starting DataLink Viewer you would see a screen similar to this DataLink Viewer DataLink_ iewer_Year_
126. tList txt file which holds the list of recently opened reports no longer gets sent to the Recycle folder when it gets rebuilt each time DataLink Viewer is closed Thanks to Abbas Rostami Cubic Corporation for suggesting this functionality 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 127 Version 2 2 4 Released 11 19 2002 Dynamic parameter values are now automatically reused if the same Parameter is used more than once for the same report For detail see Sharing Values Across Cascading Parameters on page 83 DataLink Viewer now lets you launch another report by double clicking a report row that contains a string formula with the following structure invoke a report specify full path and report file name DLV Run s c directory subdirectory Report rpt or invoke a report and specify login information DLV Run s Report rpt user id dba password sql or invoke a report and specify some or all of the parameter values DLV Run s Report rpt Parm1 1997 Parm2 Gloves specify both login as well as Parameter information DLV Run S Report rpt user id dba password sql Parm1 1997 You invoke DataLink Viewer using a RUN command from Windows or from other programs The structure is exactly as specified above without the DLV_RUN portion For example you can invoke viewing of the sample report while passing 1997 as the 1 parameter value by issuing the following RUN command
127. ta type Thanks to Helen Hiebert Independent Consultant for identifying the problem Version 2 4 1 Released 4 02 2003 DataLink Viewer now displays Report Alerts as shown below Report Alerts xj The following alerts were triggered on processing the report Sales are greater than 1 000 00 247 Cases Sales are greater than 1 000 00 1 1 240 Cases Besides the message designed for the Report Alert within Crystal DataLink Viewer adds the number of alert cases detected 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 125 A Close button x is now available to close Drill Down views Thanks to Charles Martin John H Carter Co for the suggestion DataLink Viewer now also accepts dynamic parameter names such as Prompt Products rpt instead of Prompt Products rpt This allows using dynamic parameters with Stored Procedures that may not tolerate parameter names with a dot Thanks to Ken Hamady www KenHamady com for the suggestion 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 126 Version 2 3 9 Released 2 17 2003 99 9 Upgraded runtime components Fixed problem related to installations e g install by one user but use by another Fixed sporadic Export and Print freeze problems The sample report DataLink Viewer Year and Product Prompts rpt now demonstrates the technique of launching another report and passing a parameter value to it by double clicking a report section Version 2 3 8 Released 1 23 2003 Added
128. tal Reports Tools Programs Start menu If Crystal is not installed on the PC the Crystal Reports Tools menu item will be added and DataLink_Viewer will be the only entry under it Accessories r Microsoft Office Tools Documents gt Internet Explorer Ej Bridge Base Inc fm Crystal Reports Tools t Crystal Dictionaries Search Microsoft Visual Studio 6 0 gt Crystal Reports 3 cur Crystal UTilties gt ES Crystal SQL Designer 53 OLYMPUS CAMEDIA Master gt amp visual CUT E Microsoft FrontPage EN DataLink Viewer Microsoft Image Composer gt Programs Settings Help Y Shut Down amp Lev Installation on Vista If you run Vista you can avoid unexpected behaviors see http www west wind com WebLog posts 5584 aspx by 1 Giving users full permissions on the DataLink Viewer application folder e g c Program Files DataLink Viewer 11 2 Right clicking the exe file select Properties Compatibility tab and turn on the Run this program as an administrator option Avoid Installation on a Crystal Enterprise Machine Due to the risk of rare runtime component conflicts you should avoid installing the software on a machine that also runs Crystal Enterprise 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 8 Check for Updates When clicking on the version information button you gain access to button for checking for online updates LIS Abou
129. tegrated Authentication Integrated Authentication Remember Me DataLink Viewer allows users to avoid repeated login prompts to databases The database login information is stored highly encrypted inside DataLink Viewer ini as shown below wj DataLink_ iewer ini Notepad 1 x File Edit Format Help Integrated Authentication Enable Integrated Authentication FALSE ixm7 SOBPCOZ 93E451BSE0A21194DSA1 EOCADBEGEG37ADSAOSDF3ZF1686B BZ648FZ51F9F9BAZBEDDIECI24486B56B88080D2BEAO0CA6l1 a The security of login information is maintained not only by storing it in encrypted format but also by storing it with an internal identification of which Windows User amp PC this login information belongs to DataLink Viewer uses this encrypted database login information only after checking that the same Windows user is running from the same PC In other words users cannot break the login security by attempting to copy and paste the encrypted information to their own ini file entry For example in the example shown above integrated authentication has been enabled This can be done via a checkbox in the Option dialog Launch Tab The user ixm7 then logged in to a secure database by providing a database user id amp password The user turned on the Rememebr Me option visible only when integrated authentication is enabled ODBC RDO Login Server Database student User ID Jin warehous
130. the grid CD ocuments and Settings ixm My Documents WB D ataLink Viewer 11 R eportList t t To Enable Logging of Who ran Which Report When and Where specify just the Path e g c Xtemp for the log file DLY_Use_Log_txt Log Processing via ODBC DLY_Log Table must exist Log ODBC DSN DLV Log 9 Password Dynamic_Parameter_Reports_Path Extra Location for Dynamic Parameter Reports Besides the location of the main report and the DataLink Viewer folder EE O O OK Cancel Apply 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 55 Record Report Use in a Text Log File If you use the Options dialog to specify a folder location for a DLV_Use_Log txt DLV creates that file if it doesn t already exist and appends to it use statistics after each report viewing This log file contains one row with column headers followed by one row for each report viewing event The columns are 1 Report Path 2 Report Name 3 User_ID 4 PC 5 Start 6 Finish You can use that file for example using Crystal with a Text ODBC driver to analyze what reports are popular who runs what reports and what reports take too long to run 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 56 Protect Report Designs with rpz Files m Compress amp Encrypt Rpt to Rpz The Compress amp Encrypt Rpt to Rpz button on the 1 Tab of DataLink Viewer allows you to select an rpt file and convert it to rpz file Compression amp Encryption to
131. ting these changes Version 2 8 50 Released 10 11 2003 Added a button for launching the user manual from the 1 Tab Version 2 8 40 Released 9 24 2003 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 122 Fixed an issue introduced by the prior release causing DataLink Viewer to not display itself immediately with an hourglass while busy loading a report from a command line Fixed an issue causing DataLink Viewer when invoked from a Command Line to not disappear when closed Thanks to Scott Stanek Arr Maz Products LP for identifying the issue and testing the fixed version Improved handling of situations where users click Cancel from parameter dialogs Fixedan issue with displaying DataLink Viewer on low resolution displays at or below 800 x 600 Thanks to Kevin Longley Citronics for detecting the problems and testing the fixed version Version 2 8 00 Released 8 27 2003 Added functionality to protect report designs by allowing users to Compress and Encrypt rpt files into rpz files Users can run the resulting rpz files in DataLink Viewer but cannot view or modify them in Crystal Reports Within DataLink Viewer rpz files behave just like rpt files except that in order to protect the report design exporting rpz files to rpt format or to report definition format is blocked by DataLink Viewer For full detail see the new user manual section on Protecting Report Designs with rpz Files Provide cleaner respons
132. tion choice of alternative data sources selective parameter refresh dynamic and cascading parameters even for versions prior to XI auto refresh user based row level security and more Main Benefits 1 View Print and Export Crystal reports 2 Schedule Report Printouts amp Exports 3 Intuitive Grid Interface to classify organizing and launch Reports 4 Dynamic amp Cascading Parameters even for pre XI reports e Select Live Parameter Values from linked Crystal reports that act as dynamic pick list data sources or default to using Crystal s static parameters e Restrict Live Parameter Values based on choices in a prior live parameter e Remember Values last used for each Live Prompt allowing the user to accept or replace those values 5 Command Line Interface for launching reports from any other program and even from within other Crystal reports 6 Protect amp Hide Report Designs by converting your rpt files into rpz files Your users can run the resulting rpz files in DataLink Viewer but cannot view or modify them in Crystal To completely protect report designs DataLink Viewer blocks exporting of rpz files to rpt or report definition files 7 Filter Data based on User Login 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 6 8 Export amp Print Reports Directly without previewing 9 Auto Refresh Reports 10 React to User Actions in Useful Ways requires special formulas e Click a Parameter to Change Its Value
133. tting up integrated authentication for yourself Step 3 Because of the Enable Shared Machine Authentication TRUE you would get a dialog asking you if you wish to share your integrated authentication functionality with other users who logged in to the same machine This ensures a user can t be tricked into sharing integrated information without their knowledge and expressed consent Click YES If you then open the DataLink Viewer ini file you would notice this process generated a new entry in bold Integrated Authentication Enable Integrated AuthenticationZ TRUE ixm7 SOBPC02 scpocar3psBF3484000123301DD155638EAD4AD6B4D622C04DF125B7404BCBC4717ASDA2FBCD943 4A7CE63BBF7357E Enable_Shared_Machine_Authentication TRUE Shared Machine Authentication cssecpszspspsappcerkor379521C7318FA297CB595B992C That entry in my particular case points to the ixm7 9SOBPCO2 integrated authentication entry Notes 1 The Enable Integrated Authentication True or False setting is always taken from the user ini file This allows the user to turn it off if they wish For example they may wish to switch between ODBC Data Sources by using the special option in the login dialog 2 The Enable Shared Machine Authentication and Shared Machine Authentication information is always taken from the master ini file This allows an administrator to enable disable and change the shared machine authentication for all users in one central file 3 The regular integ
134. tup when the report uses a File DSN Added an option to avoid attempts to connect to the database without a password By default DLV first attempt to connect to the database without a password If all your tables require a password change the following option in the DataLink Viewer ini file from the default of TRUE to FALSE This would reduce potential lockouts and failed login entries in the DBMS log Options Attempt Logon Without Password FALSE Removed a component handling warnings from Microsoft Outlook during exports This removes the need for administrative rights to register the component DataLink Viewer Helper exe is now used instead Added an option to force the initial report browsing folder to a specific path for example C QA You can set that option by starting DataLink Viewer with a command line argument like this c Program Files DataLink Viewer 11 DataLink_Viewer_11 exe rpt_Folder c QA 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 90 When clicking the User Manual button the user now gets a message about the need to install a pdf file reader if the machine doesn t have an application associated with the pdf file extension When a user clicks on a parameter on the report canvas and changes its value a Loading Please Wait animation appears if the report refresh process takes a significant amount of time Also fixed a problem when the user then elects to load another report The 2008 version of DLV di
135. umn headers hide show columns right click column headers Select hundreds of reports and load them into the grid in one step Thanks to Dave Leland Johnson Corporation and Paul Callaghan Larsen Hinge for sponsoring this development Fixed an issue with the extra path option for dynamic parameter reports The viewer now shows an animation while the report is loading The main window remembers its size from session to session Thelogin window now shows the Server name and Database name Thanks to Doug Pichler National Business Institute for sponsoring this development Added a message box alerting the user to cases where the ODBC DSN Data Source Name expected by the report is not set up on the PC Added a DataLink Viewer ini option to set the default value of Date DateTime parameters to TODAY s date only for Discrete Single Value parameters that were assigned no default values To turn this option ON you need to set the following entry in DataLink_Viewer ini to TRUE Options Set_Date_Parameters_Default_To_Today TRUE If your report has more than one parameter by setting this option to TRUE the user no longer has to select each date parameter to ensure its value is not left as Null Note this option applies only to the CR 9 version of DataLink Viewer since the CR 8 5 runtime component version behaves that way by default 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 114 Added DataLink_Viewer ini
136. user id amp password command line arguments described in a previous section 2 The target Data Source Name must exist on the PC running Visual CUT If it doesn t Visual CUT reverts back to running the report against the ODBC DSN the report was designed for a warning message is added to the failure log file 3 ODBC DSN From To support multiple pairs separated by ff as shown in the example above This addresses scenarios where a report uses multiple ODBC DSNs e g when subreports use different DSNs 4 The ODBC DSN From To is not available in the Crystal 8 5 version of DataLink Viewer 5 IF ODBC DSN From is spelled as ODBC DSN FROM To FROM in all upper case if none of the tables in the report used the DSN specified as FROM an error message is displayed 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 42 Overriding the Database Specified in the Report or ODBC DSN For ODBC data sources you can enter a database name into the login dialog if you wish to override the database specified in the ODBC data source or in the report itself This is useful for situations where the same database e g MS SQL Server contains multiple databases each with the same table structure If the number of such databases is large creating a dedicated ODBC DSN for each and using the select ODBC DSN functionality may be too tedious Instead you can directly type in the database name in the login dialog To enable database name input into the database
137. user select the location of the database file on their machine This is useful when the database file location has changed or when a consultant develops reports for many different clients For detail see CHANGING FOLDER LOCATION FOR ACCESS EXCEL FILES DataLink Viewer XI now uses a newer version Service Pack 6 of the Crystal XI R2 runtime components Users of prior XI versions can t use the online update option and must go through a Remove amp Install process in order to update their version Note this update brings back the missing Cancel button in parameter dialogs Added proper handling for a new Database connector error that has been introduced by newer runtime components Fixed a problem related to sharing of linked dynamic parameter values with earlier regular parameter values in the main report Parameter values passed via command line arguments can now be shared with linked dynamic parameters Added a command line argument to allow scheduling and automation of rpt to rpz file conversions For detail see the section on RPZ Command Line Argument Parameter dialogs in DataLink Viewer XI now automatically position the cursor inside the first parameter This allows the user to start entering a parameter value without first clicking or tabbing into the dialog Anew ViewMode command line argument allows you to remove the toolbar and or the status bar from View Only report Previews triggered f
138. view You select a report from the first tab and view it in the second tab However in many cases you may wish to launch a report from the initial window into a new preview only window You may also wish to remove the Preview tab from the initial window This section describes the various options for achieving this Launch a Report in a New Window As described in the sections dealing with the command line api of DLV you can launch reports in a Preview Only window by using v instead of s within the command line However this section deals with user interaction options for achieving the same thing There are several ways to achieve this NEW WINDOW ON FILE LAUNCH AND OR ON DOUBLE CLICK The Launch tab in the DLV Options dialog allows you to direct DLV to launch reports into a View Only window when double clicking an rpt file in File Explorer or when double clicking a report row in the Select Report tab Options Launch Locations Associated_File_Launch_Mode Y ou can associate RPT APZ files with DataLink Viewer by Right Clicking a report file in Explorer and selecting Open With When the user Double clicks an RPT RPZ file should they be able to see 1 Both Preview and Report Selection T abs View and Select or 2 Only the Preview Tab View Only View Only v Saved Data Action When DataLink Viewer opens a report with Saved Data should DataLink Viewer Refresh the repart with data from the datab
139. wer ini Dynamic parameter dialogs for each dynamic parameter report now remember how the user last modified them in terms of Size width amp height Group Tree on or off and Zoom level Fixedan issue with sharing reusing dynamic parameter values among multi value parameters when such parameters are used repeatedly for the same main report or its dynamic parameter reports DataLink Viewer now remembers the last User ID used to login to the database This is helpful in typical cases where the developer s User ID saved within the report during report creation is not the User ID for the person running the report in DataLink Viewer Note to disable this option edit DataLink Viewer ini and set the Last User ID entry under the Options section to DLV Disabled Options 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 120 Version 2 9 30 Released 1 08 2004 Fixed a Unicode related problem in opening an RPZ file in DataLink Viewer when running on a PC using a non USA character set Thanks to Michael Taupp T Online for identifying the problem and testing the fix Version 2 9 20 Released 12 07 2003 Fixed a bug causing refresh of a previewed report to not show new data in the database if the user didn t specify new parameter values Thanks to Abbas Rostami Cubic Corporation for identifying the problem and testing the fix Added an ini file option for specifying a path to a shared location of dynamic parameter reports This can
140. wing these steps 1 Ifthe ini file in the application folder has a value specified for ini file in the File_Locations section that location is used for the DataLink_Viewer ini note this allows an administrator who has write permissions on the application folder to manually set the location 2 More typically the value in step 1 would be found as blank DataLink Viewer then determines if a redirect is needed by testing to see if a ReportList grd doesn t exists in the application folder or b user doesn t have write permissions to DataLink Viewer ini in the application folder If a redirect is needed the application tries to locate and use DataLink Viewer ini in one of the following app data folder locations under a MilletSoftware DLV_N folder N 12 11 09 or 08 depending on version a Common App Data folder that location allows all users on that local machine to share the same ini file b User s Local App Data folder that location allows each user on that machine to have their own ini file c User s Roaming App Data folder that location allows each user to have the same ini file follow them to other machines 3 If DataLink_Viewer ini was not found in any of the 3 locations above which is typical in 1 time installation scenarios DataLink Viewer will copy it as well as ReportList txt from the application folder to the Common App Data folder and notify the user that the redirect has occurred The location o
141. xed a connection mode issue when dynamic folder selection is used for Visual FoxPro free dbf tables When using a Native connection to Oracle you can now edit the Server name in the login dialog and run the report against a different server Thanks to Mark Gregory Toronto Star for sponsoring this development Note This functionality is not available in the DataLink Viewer version that uses Crystal 8 5 runtime components In previous versions under certain situations e g Oracle connections the Preview with Forced Login option didn t allow changes of database source once the report was connected to its original data source Users had to close and restart DataLink Viewer in order switch the same report to a different data source This limitation has now been removed DataLink Viewer now supports selection of a new ODBC data source even when the database name is different from that used in the original ODBC DSN and even when both databases reside under the same server e g different databases under a single SQL Server To ensure this works even when the table names in your report are fully qualified database owner table set the following line under the Options section in DataLink Viewer ini to True Strip Table Qualifiers True Fixed an error when a user cancels out of a parameter dialog Fixed a problem in changing ODBC DSN sources when running the Crystal 9 runtime components version with reports from earlier versions of
142. ze etc Select a Report to View Let s launch DataLink_Viewer_Year_and_Product_Prompts rpt installed under the c Program Files DataLink_Viewer directory in typical installations You can do this by e Selecting that row and clicking the Preview Tab or e Right Clicking that row and selecting Preview or e Double clicking the row Note use DataLink_Viewer_Year_and_Product_Prompts V9 rpt or V11 if you are running the version of DataLink Viewer that uses Crystal 9 or XI runtime components These sample reports assume that the Crystal Reports Extreme Sample Database for 8 5 9 or XI is already installed on your PC Before displaying the report DataLink Viewer would prompt you for any report parameters and logon information required by the report If the report was saved with data the viewer would ask you if you want to refresh the data or use the data saved with the report in which case you would not be prompted for parameter values 2002 2010 Millet Software Page 12 Selective Parameter Refresh When refreshing a report that has parameters you can select the parameters you wish to change These choices are stored in DataLink_Viewer ini for each report for reuse change at a later session C Use current parameter values Refresh Every 600 Seconds TopN_Levell TopN Detail From_Date 12 11 2001 Expand Level 1 Click to Expand Top N Customer Ankara Bicycle Company Notes e Unlinked subreport pa

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