Real Software Forums

So we have morning here, and I have asked two our developers step by step check all your reports.
The first issue you report:



Really exists in VStudio 4.9.
But it is not scary absolutely, because a developer usually uses a single main window.

In 5.0b36 this works fine for both:
* Recent projects
* "File -> New Window", "Help -> Start Page", open project again -- it is shown in the first main window. FINE.

RESUME: no issue in 5.0

1) CONFIRMED for Page Header, but not for Footer -- FIXED.
Will be available in 5.0b37 build.

Since this forum do not support pictures in messages we have prepare special page in our WIKI that shows few snapshots
http://www.valentina-db.com/dokuwiki5/doku.php?id=valentina:info:report_issues_20120810.

2) Guys say that since you was going to have one record on page, and use data from record itself, you could just put your logo and that company name into body section. Using data from records in Page/Footer seems to be tricky, if you have many records on page.

This way is shown also on above wiki page. Note on the right side inspector with GREEN underlined property "new_page".


Thank you for issue report.

NOT CONFIRMED in 5.0

This is video file of our testing of your report:
http://www.valentina-db.com/dokuwiki5/lib/exe/fetch.php?media=valentina:info:matt_web.ogv

We do not see any mess here.
Browser shows HTML report fine. It can do zoom in and zoom out. Layout is not broken.

what is wrong here?

Formatting works fine if do things correctly as shown in video tutorials ...

Let me give some explain here.

1) Please note that on the left side of Report Designer you can see [ Controls / Fields ].
When you design a report, you define some query and use some test db.
FIELDS from this SELECT query are listed under FIELDS section.

You should drag and drop that fields into report to use them.
This is the best way. This is the most right way.
Report knows that this is field from cursor.
Report knows its type and can use that info.

2) You instead have used EXPRESSION control. Even worse. You have wrap fields by $F() macro.
This macro is intended first of all, for reports of mail-merge type or such. For example:

==================
Hellow $F(fldFirstName)!

We want invite your company $F(fldCompanyName) to our event ...
....
==================

You see? Idea of Macros is to convert FIELD value into text ...
This is why in your report formatting of currency and date did not work.
Report engine see text but not numbers.


But still thank you for this finding, Matt! Our guys now want improve this to force formatting work with text also: engine will try convert text into a number...
This will work for 5.0b37 build. Just again, this is not very right way because you get internally double conversion: number -> text -> number.


3) also note, that in EXPRESSION control you should prefer use not MACROSES $MM(), but expressions.
Expressions start with '='

Examples:
=f1
the same as FIELD f1

=f1+f2
internally into your SELECT will be added SELECT (f1+f2), ... and DB engine self calc this expression.
It is obvious then that can be used any expression supported by SQL of DB engine.


======================
Hope this helps...

RESUME: there was no bug. But found a way to improve things with TEXT + formatting property.

You can change many objects at once using toolbar on top.

We think that you have try to use Inspector, but inspector currently works with single object, it displays its name, ...

Not clear what you mean. Can you explain please?
You talk about Background color? Foreground?

* Foreground uses system color dialog.
* For Background was made attempt to use our own dialog to add alpha-channel also. Guys say that they return back system dialog for Background also.

System Color dialog from OS X can do what you want above?

Ruslan,
I just purchased the Omega Bundle and I *will* be using Reports on a Web Edition project. The purchase sequence for Omega Bundle is awful, in my opinion. The hoops you have to jump through to get serial numbers off the Paradigm web store is just dreadful.

I think what concerns all of us is that the Omega Bundle you're currently selling is version 4. That is what's available from the main download section of your website. Our FIRST experience is version 4. You keep talking version 5.

I understand that you are developing version 5 and a lot of things have changed. I would recommend you just tell people version 5 is x weeks away from official release and many of our complaints will change and we can be patient. Berating us for not trying the beta simply makes us mad. You really don't want people new to your product to work with a beta and the inevitable bugs that includes. Why make learning it that much harder?

I would NOT recommend that people try the beta versions. Having been through an upgrade cycle with you guys in the past I will definitely NOT get sucked into another beta cycle. The last time I did that I chased beta versions across the entire product line for months. It left me with such a bad taste in my mouth that it's been many years since I've even thought about purchasing another Valentina product.

The moral of this story is you have a second chance with THIS unsatisfied customer.

I got the bundle, too, and in fact extended my licence for RB, as well, all with big plans in mind of course.

I'm willing to give Valentina a good honest try, but like Bob, I'm wanting to get my hands on all the 5 stuff which I guess should be coming soon and upgradabl from the 4 we now have.

So, work hard, and you can get people on board! )

Hmmm.. regardless of limitations of this forum... I find it a bit creepy that you would use his personal information in the creation of a wiki page on your site to illustrate your point.

I understand that there is criticism about your software and you are attempting to resolve the issues (I am confident that a number of developers here has faced similar feedback with regards to the products we make)... however, I would recommend looking into better solutions to handle this type of situation.

just my 2 cents..

Hi Bob,

well you are right of course in most positions.

Current release is 4.9.1.
5.0 should be shipped in about month.
It seems to me in PR of OmegaBundle was mentioned that serials will work during one year with all newer builds (like RB subscription).
So you serials will work with 4.9, 5.0, 5.1, 5.2, ...

5.0 is must to use even in betas if developer want to use REPORTS + (mySQL, Postgre).
4.9 version did have Valentina and SQLite

I see you mention interest to Reports + WEB, and I did promise about 7-8 days ago introduce new feature of Valentina Reports in this regard. I think it is time todo this. I will make post in Valentina blog with picture (no video yet) and some explanations, then post here also. I very hope you will become very interested to play with 5.0b40 then, and we will be happy to get any advices and feature requests to this HTTP generation.


P.S. please note, that for MAC OS X, it is very easy keep Vstudio 4.9 and 5.0 right on table as separate .app packages. They not conflicting. Easy trash if needed one of them.

Valentina Reports and HTML Generation.

Developers interested in the subject, please read the following blog post. Picture present at bottom of the post.
http://www.valentina-db.com/blog/?p=1031

You are very welcome to discuss this feature on Valentina beta list, subscription is 1 minute from this page:
http://www.valentina-db.com/en/support/mailing-lists

Thank you for point. Well, actually you never can guess if somebody will be proud or offended if you mention his name ...

Okay, this is corrected wiki page without personal name, linked to date of event. I will correct original post also with this.
http://www.valentina-db.com/dokuwiki5/doku.php?id=valentina:info:report_issues_20120810

P.S. I want just again express important point. And I think developer which know me and our team many years can confirm this. We very like critic. Critic push forward very very good. I know that Matt have yet some feature requests about PDF generation, and I very hope that Matt will find time and wish to discuss this with us on our list or in Mantis. In my prev post about HTTP generation I have point we have added LINKs to controls... We now think about adding this into PDF generation also ... Unfortunately not so easy, not 5 minutes... We need at first made big fundamental step in report engine ...

P.S. And this is why I invite and invite to put your hands on our 5.0 betas. Please try it, please say what is good and what is very bad. We will try improve things asap. Usually we can do fixes very fast in minutes or days. Some tasks of course can require weeks ...

Hi Ruslan

My postings here are intended to provide others with more information about the thread topic - I wasn't expecting to have bit's of an example project get analysed in the forum and would prefer you didn't - it's inappropriate. I think that should be done in your bug-reporting system, and it's just cluttering up the thread (and your illustrations still exhibits flaws with rendering currency, didn't address the date display issue, didn't review looking at the report in an html browser - *not* the preview window, and basically missed the point).

I will not be using the current or beta editions of Valentina Reports but happy to review the product again when the next production release occurs and present a brief review of my findings here.

I've blown 300 bucks but got some benefit from the experience (the RS Developer magazine subscription, value $50 as well as all the back issues, great!), but not much else to show for it. I do hope Valentina provides a usable reporting solution at some point in the future, as the feature set and product direction is impressive.

Hi Matt,

you have read not carefully my answers I afraid.

1) currency and date formats do work in v4.9, if you use FIELDS, but not expression control, yet with Macros.

2) I have put small video where is shown your own invoice report in the CHROME (linux) browser! That was not preview window.

I surrender!