FastReport VCL & FMX Comparison (Embarcadero Edition)

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The upgrade of my flagship product from Delphi 5 VCL to Delphi 11.3 FMX is finally at the presentation stage. I've spent the last six weeks thinking about and learning about data visualization. 

https://amzn.to/4duMSf6 (Paperback)

https://amzn.to/47T0vUc (Kindle)

I took a few classes on LinkedIn Learning about data viz, and I re-watched Ray Konopka's excellent video on Data Visualization using Delphi. Seeing is Believing - Data Visualization in Multi-Device Apps. Ray has also made the source code for his demonstration available at https://delphibydesign.com/downloads/ Thank you Ray!

I've never used FastReport before. My current Delphi 5 VCL product uses QuickReports. I did find a great FastReport video available through Embarcadero Academy called Getting Started with FastReport by Cary Jensen. Jensen mainly focuses on the VCL version of FastReport. 

I've never used FastReport before 

I was surprised at the huge difference between the VCL and FMX versions of the FastReport Embarcadero Editions. That's probably why Jensen focused on the VCL version in his video. These are the palette entries for Delphi 11.3 Professional. (VCL on the left, FMX on the right)

I'm interested in the FMX version of FastReport because I'm developing a desktop software product which targets Windows and macOS users. Because I'm new to FastReport, I want to see how far I can take the "Embarcadero" version of FastReport before I commit to purchasing the full version.

Unfortunately, the Embarcadero Edition of FMX FastReport has no export capability. See the Palette image above.

I was surprised at the huge difference between the VCL and FMX versions

Because I'm targeting both Windows and macOS users I need to know if there are any stark differences between those platforms. I created a comparison chart which highlights these differences. This is the same data from the Fast Reports website sorted by features with missing capabilities highlighted.

Here is the same comparison which filters out any features that are unavailable across all platforms.

As you can see, the Embarcadero Edition of FastReports 2.0 FMX is very limited.

The Bottom Line: Because my application is cross-platform for both Windows and macOS, it looks like I will have to purchase the full retail version of FastReport 2.0 FMX in order to give my customers the experience they expect. 

Enjoy
Semper Fi
Gunny Mike
https://zilchworks.com

Note: Some links in this post are affiliate links, meaning I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase. This helps support my work – thank you for your understanding.

Print to File Options Supported by ReportBuilder

Wow, I'm really impressed with the out of the box, Print to File options that come with ReportBuilder. All you do is set the AllowPrintToFile to True and you are done!

The default Print to File option is PDF. But there are several others. The image formats create one image per page. The HTML option creates an *_htm_images folder for any images that might be on the report.



Image modifed to show all Type options



Print to File accepts the Page Range options as well. I even tried breaking it by printing page 3 of a 2 page report. No errors popped up and no output file was created.

I am extremely pleased with my purchase. ReportBuilder has proven to be everything I expected it to be and more.

Semper Fi - Gunny Mike



Reporting Tool Survey

Here is an unsophisticated poll to see which Delphi reporting toll is used. Please only vote once.

(Participation in this poll requires a Linkedin account)



Results: Poll closed on May 28, 2012

Composite Reporting With Mixed Orientation

I have spent the last two weeks researching different reporting tools for Delphi. I currently own Delphi 2010 Professional which comes with Rave built into the IDE. My customers have asked me for a "one-click" printing solution. Instead of previewing and printing each report one-at-a-time, they would like to simply press the [ Print ] buttton once and "presto" all the reports get printed. That is a fairly reasonable request.

Rave

So, I tried firing up the built in Rave tool. My first impression was tremendous anxiety. I literally felt like I was in the cockpit of an airplane staring at all these unrecognizable controls. The database product I use is ElevateDB and I had failed at several attempts to get hooked up to an active dataset. Finally, I somehow stumbled into a control that produced live data. I felt like on was on track.

So, now I'm looking to see how I can create a composite report. I like the idea of providing my customers with a "one-click" solution. However, the reports I need to create are a combination of portrait and landscape orientations. Now, the task has just gotten a little more trickier.

I need to create a composite report that allows a combination of portrait and landscape orientations.

I begin my quest for knowledge like I always do... StackOverflow. I quickly came across the following post regarding Rave. Migrating from QuickReport to FastReport, Rave Reports or what? This sounded interesting seeing how my older programs used Quick Reports. After reading some of the comments it further drove me away from Rave.

Quick Reports

I'm familiar with Quick Reports I even purchased the profession version when I was using Delphi 5 Enterprise. I know Quick Reports lets you create composite reports but does it allow for the mixing of portrait and lanscape orientations withing a single report. The answer is no. Here is the response I received from the developer:

Hi,

It can't be done with the present code. I'm not sure why but mixing report orientations just doesn't work.

Regards, QBS Software Ltd

So, Quick Reports is out. That's too bad because I have already spent several hours with that tool even though it was eight years ago.

FastReport

Now this looks promising. FastReport comes bundled with Delphi XE2 (which I will be upgrading to fairly soon). So far so good. I'm still waiting to here from them wether they support mixed orientation within a composit report. I'll update this post when I find out.

Report Builder (Digital Metaphors)

This is the reason I am writing. The answer is YES. Report Builder supports a composite report with mixed orientation. I sent three emails and received three emails from the sales and support team at Digital Metaphors within a 1 hour span. Not only did they answer my question, they gave me a link to Delphi code that shows an example of how to do this very thing. But wait there's more. . .

Here is their mission statement lifted right off the website...

At Digital Metaphors Corporation we believe that our existence is guaranteed only when we successfully complete the actions listed below on a daily basis:

Create software of the highest quality

Ensure that customers receive the maximum possible value from our software

Go the extra mile in every phase of the software business

Make things go right

Regardless of circumstances, use intelligence, common sense, and inspiration to create results which are a service to both our customers and our fellow employees

I started looking around their website for some nuggets and I came across a download called Learning ReportBuilder. This is a hands-on learning experience. It combines a 145 page step-by-step guide with a report builder tool that thoroughly teaches you how to use their product.

I definitely felt like I was in the cockpit of an airplane looking at all the controls except this time, there was an instructor sitting right by my side guiding me through each maneuver. The controls will look familiar to any Delphi programmer. If you are in the market for a reporting tool, I urge you to download the Learning ReportBuilder hands-on tutorial before you make a decision. It's that good.

I want to thank David Cornelius from cornelius concepts for telling me about Report Builder.

Semper Fi,
Gunny Mike