Vantage default preview program

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1
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Greg Clauser

-----Original Message-----
From: Dan Shallbetter [mailto:dans@...]
Sent: Thursday, August 08, 2002 3:40 PM
To: 'vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: [Vantage] Vantage default preview program


I have resolved the report design issues listed below my current problem is
with how Vantage displays print previews. Has anybody try a different print
preview program other than then the preview.w program called out in the
Vantage.ini file?. I think if I could run Active X or Seagates Crviewer, or
smart viewer. It would then enable the standard Vantage print display
screens to accept user interaction. Making things like on demand subreports,
or hyperlinked fields work inside Vantage print preview.

Dan Shallbetter


-----Original Message-----
From: Dan Shallbetter [mailto:dans@...]
Sent: Thursday, August 08, 2002 9:35 AM
To: 'vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: [Vantage] Vantage 5.0 & on demand subreports Crystal 8.0



I am trying to modify the standard Vantage Crystal traveler (dbf files) by
adding a linked ODBC subreport. I made it an on demand subreport hoping it
would allow the DBF files with the fields the subreport links to be created
before processing the subreport request. I am trying to streamline the
process and do not want to have to preview the traveler first to create the
DBF files. When I print preview the traveler inside of Vantage the the
subreport title shows up but it does not generate the subreport like it does
in the Crystal design window. I am using a file DSN with the password that
allows me to get pass the password prompt on standard ODBC reports. Does
anybody have a workaround? Is the Web component a viable option?

Thanks

Dan Shallbetter
States Electric Mfg.



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Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.>
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages>
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links>

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service
<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .
2
I have resolved the report design issues listed below my current problem is
with how Vantage displays print previews. Has anybody try a different print
preview program other than then the preview.w program called out in the
Vantage.ini file?. I think if I could run Active X or Seagates Crviewer, or
smart viewer. It would then enable the standard Vantage print display
screens to accept user interaction. Making things like on demand subreports,
or hyperlinked fields work inside Vantage print preview.

Dan Shallbetter


-----Original Message-----
From: Dan Shallbetter [mailto:dans@...]
Sent: Thursday, August 08, 2002 9:35 AM
To: 'vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: [Vantage] Vantage 5.0 & on demand subreports Crystal 8.0



I am trying to modify the standard Vantage Crystal traveler (dbf files) by
adding a linked ODBC subreport. I made it an on demand subreport hoping it
would allow the DBF files with the fields the subreport links to be created
before processing the subreport request. I am trying to streamline the
process and do not want to have to preview the traveler first to create the
DBF files. When I print preview the traveler inside of Vantage the the
subreport title shows up but it does not generate the subreport like it does
in the Crystal design window. I am using a file DSN with the password that
allows me to get pass the password prompt on standard ODBC reports. Does
anybody have a workaround? Is the Web component a viable option?

Thanks

Dan Shallbetter
States Electric Mfg.



Yahoo! Groups Sponsor

ADVERTISEMENT





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
3
At 03:39 PM 8/8/2002 -0500, you wrote:
>Has anybody try a different print preview program other than then the
>preview.w program called out in the Vantage.ini file?

That one is only used for Progress generated text reports, not Crystal ones.

Caesar Development www.caesardev.com has a Vantage add-on "Multi Form
Print" that lets you select from different Crystal forms at the time of
printing. If you look at the screen shots on his web site and are familiar
with Crystal, it's obvious that it pulls up the same Crystal viewer that
you get with the CR's compiled distributed reports.

So that would seem to indicate that Vantage can be persuaded to use an
alternate viewer. I don't know how to do it myself, but maybe that gives
you some info to go on.

-Wayne Cox
Twenty Three -- Information Technology Consulting
828-685-2338
4
Basically you would have to create a progress routine that Vantage thinks is
preview.w. It would have to have the same type and number of parameters.

The only way one could do this would be through a whole lot of trial and
error, or if they had the vantage source code.

If who has the source divulged the preview function specification, they'd be
in direct violation of their license agreement. Of course, there may be a
way to reverse engineer preview.r to see the number and types of parameters
it takes, still in violation of the license agreement.

Of course, vantage could be communicating with preview .r using shared
variables, which would make things even more fun.

(this e-mail is not for the purpose of promoting reverse engineering of
vantage software, rather it is a commentary of the feasibility of replacing
a vantage .r with ones own home grown solution, without having purchased the
source code)

Of course, it would be nice if vantage had a documented API reference, so us
programmers would be a little freer to make our own add-ons to the product,
thus increasing a customer's ability to integrate vantage with the rest of
its data.


Thaddeus Jacobs
Information Solutions Developer
Kinematic Automation, Inc.
mailto:tjacobs@...


-----Original Message-----
From: Wayne Cox [mailto:wmc20@...]
Sent: Thursday, August 08, 2002 1:59 PM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Vantage] Vantage default preview program


At 03:39 PM 8/8/2002 -0500, you wrote:
>Has anybody try a different print preview program other than then the
>preview.w program called out in the Vantage.ini file?

That one is only used for Progress generated text reports, not Crystal ones.

Caesar Development www.caesardev.com has a Vantage add-on "Multi Form
Print" that lets you select from different Crystal forms at the time of
printing. If you look at the screen shots on his web site and are familiar
with Crystal, it's obvious that it pulls up the same Crystal viewer that
you get with the CR's compiled distributed reports.

So that would seem to indicate that Vantage can be persuaded to use an
alternate viewer. I don't know how to do it myself, but maybe that gives
you some info to go on.

-Wayne Cox
Twenty Three -- Information Technology Consulting
828-685-2338





Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
5
At 02:10 PM 8/8/2002 -0700, you wrote:
>Basically you would have to create a progress routine that Vantage thinks is
>preview.w. It would have to have the same type and number of parameters.

The program just needs to read the pathname (ie: to the .txt file in
VntgWork) as a command line parameter. You can substitute WordPad.EXE or
other text editors in Vantage.ini. This one is actually documented in the
on-line help, and on the tech suppt web site, IIRC.

5.0 FINALLY introduced a pretty decent preview screen. Before that, I
looked around for a suitable text display / edit program but never found
anything. I wanted something that didn't allow editing reports, and
allowed other parameters like printer fonts and such to be "locked down" in
a config file.

>Of course, it would be nice if vantage had a documented API reference, so us
>programmers would be a little freer to make our own add-ons to the product,

Yeah, it would be nice to use their browse screens. Not just for
programming convenience, but to keep a consistent look & feel for the end
users.

-Wayne Cox
Twenty Three -- Information Technology Consulting
828-685-2338