Rapid Applications Programming with Windows

Week 11

Topics Week 11

TQuery Components (from Week 10)Creating Reports in Delphi 5

QuickReportInterface Techniques

Splash screen Tooltips Bitmaps

TQuery Components

Usually result in more efficient processing specify DataBaseName, SQL statement at

design time set Active to True, RequestLive for

updateable data At run-time e.g. in the FormCreate Event:

Query1.SQL.Clear;Query1.SQL.Add(‘Select Name, Capital from

CountryTable’);Query1.Open;

TQuery Components

Use ExecSQL for SQL statements which do not return records:

Query1.SQL.Clear;Query1.SQL.Add(‘insert into CountryTable’);Query1.SQL.Add(‘ (Name, Capital) ‘);Query1.SQL.Add(‘ (values (“Australia”, “Canberra”) ’);Query1.ExecSQL; Can also build up the query as a string, then ‘Add’

the whole stringvar query: stringquery := query + ‘Select * from Orders where ‘; etc

TQuery ComponentsUsing Parameters in SQL statements: At design time, the SQL statement isselect * from CountryTable where name = :ParCountry; At run-time e.g. OnExit event of the edit controlWith Query1 dobeginDisableControls;Close;ParamByName(‘ParCountry’).AsString := edtCountry.Text;Open;EnableControls;end;

TQuery components Use the Datasource property to automatically

link to another datasource and access any matched-name fields, which can be used as parameters in the SQL for the Query.

Useful in master/detail forms. E.g. table1/ds1 accesses the customer table, query1/ds2 retrieves orders which match the

CustNo of the ‘current’ customer record: (CustNo is a foreign key in the orders table)

set the Datasource property of the Query to point to ds1 :CustNo becomes the parameter for the query

SQL property of the Query is:select * from orders where orders.CustNo = :CustNo;

QuickReport

QuickReport 3.0 Standard (limited) edition is included with Delphi 5 Demo program qr3demo.exe

For the Professional version, see http://www.qusoft.com

$99/license, 50% discount for students, unis Complete user documentation available to

registered users Web site provides FAQ, technical support,

message board, free downloads, tutorials

QuickReportTightly integrated with Delphi 5

a QReport tab on the palette, providing components with properties, events, and On-line Help

File|New Page -> Report module (not recommended!)

File|New, then Forms Page->labels, list, master/detail File|New, then Business Page -> QuickReport Wizard Works with the BDE to retrieve data from DB tables:

but not from Access tables in the Standard Edition A QuickReport ‘form’ uses the Forms Designer,

behaves like a Delphi form e.g. frmReport.Show; Allows user to preview, print the report from within

the Delphi application

QuickReport

QuickReport features: Full preview feature while designing Creates reports from database tables, queries,

text files etc Allows printing of labels, database fields,

calculations, memo fields, pictures, icons and shapes

Uses any Windows font, size, style and color Reports can be saved to file for later printing Event handlers can be attached to most parts

of the report for further control

QuickReport The report consists of ‘bands’ each with a particular

purpose e.g. a Page Header, Page Footer, Column Header, Summary etc

Data displayed can come from any DataSource, including TTable, TQuery and from lists, arrays, text files (use the OnNeedData event)

Provides Master/Detail report features Supports ‘groupings’ of data with unlimited levels, totals at

each level Automatically perform calculations like summary and

counting of fields. You can reset calculations at group level.

Provides a component for printing system data e.g. page number, date, time, report title

QuickReportA report consists of

1 QuickRep componentTransforms the Delphi form into a report

• drop a QuickRep component onto a formProperties, Methods and Events relate to the

whole reportAlso created via File|New->Report (not

preferred)

1->n QRBandsthe BandType property specifies which part of

the report the band is attached to, which in turn determines the type of data the designer will display in it

QuickReportQRBand BandTypes: rbPageHeader

Page Header band, printed automatically at the top of each page

Printing on first page depends on the setting of the TQuickRep.Options.FirstPage Header property

Multiple such bands are printed in design order rbTitle

Report title band, printed automatically, once at the beginning of the report, just after the Page Header

Can have several for successive headings Printed in design order

QuickReport

QRBand BandTypes:rbColumnHeader

Like the Page Header Printed automatically on top of every column

for each page

rbDetail specifies what is printed for each record in the

report’s master dataset effectively ‘replicated’ for each record can have many rbDetail bands in a report printed automatically

QuickReport

QRBand BandTypes:rbPageFooter

automatically printed at the end of each page.

Printing on last page depends on TQuickRep.Options.LastPageFooter property

rbSummary Automatically printed at the end of a report

after all detail bands Can be more than one

QuickReport

QRBand BandTypes:rbGroupHeader

For printing information at the beginning of a new group e.g. the group identification: City: Melbourne

Used in a Master/Detail report, a ‘grouped’ report Must be linked to a QRGroup or a QRSubDetail

component to be printed

rbGroupFooter for printing information at the end of a group of

records eg. Total Customers in Melbourne: 23 as for rbGroupHeader

QuickReport

QRBand BandTypes:rbSubDetail

used as special band type by the QRSubDetail component, which acts as a band

used for printing the detail table’s data in a master/detail report

do not set this band type manually

rbOverlay Overlays all other bands, positioned from top left

corner (NOT USED IN QR3 - included for backward compatibility)

QuickReport Design ElementsComponents for static display

labels, images, shapes, text very similar to the standard VCL components

Components for the display of data from a dataset e.g. a database QRDBText, QRDBImage, QRDBRichText usually placed on the detail band of a report

Components with specialised functions QRSysData: display date, time, page number etc QRExpr: define, display calculated results e.g.

Average, Count, Sum etc DisplayFormat property formats data

QuickReport: Creating Reports

Start with one QuickRep component Effectively the ‘canvas’ where you place the

elements that the report will display some properties affect how the report will appear

when printed: Page, PrinterSettings, Options Dataset property points to the TTable or TQuery

where the report will get its data from (+-Filter) methods Preview, Print e.g.

Form2.QuickRep1.Preview Double-Click on the QuickReport canvas to invoke

the Report Settings dialog - combines many of the other properties in one place

QuickReport:DB Data in Reports

Drop a TTable or TQuery component onto the report

Set DatabaseName, then TableName/SQL, then Active = True Add all required fields via the Fields Editor now set the Dataset property of the QuickRep

component to point to the TTable/TQuery Create a Detail band: expand the Bands property of

the Quickrep component, then set HasDetail to True Place data-aware Report components on the detail

band e.g. QRDBText, and link them to the TTable/TQuery via the DataSet and DataField properties

QuickReport: A Simple List Report

PageTitle band showing the report title, what data is displayed e.g. Sales figures for January, QRSysData component to display e.g. date, time of

report. Text is printed before the Data e.g. Page 1 QRSysData can display the Report Title defined in the

QuickRep component Detail band which repeats for each record in the dataset

Use QRDB…components Summary band with totals

Use a QRExpr component, and define totals via the Expression Wizard (access via theExpression property)

QuickReport: Reports with Groups

Records must be ‘ordered’ according to the group field e.g. City, Company, Date

Group field can be a table index Set the IndexName property of a TTable

component

Or write SQL for a TQuery component to sort the records for the dataset

QuickReport provides a GroupHeader band and a GroupFooter band for printing of data before and after the group detail records

QuickReport: Reports with Groups

To create a ‘Grouped’ Report: Add the QRGroup component, set its Expression

property to the field/expression that the data will be grouped on e.g. City ORCOPY(Table1.Company, 1,1) // extract 1st Char

By default, a Group Header Band has been created, with its Master property pointing to the QuickReport component

Create a Group Footer Band, place e.g. a calculated total for the group on it (Use a QRExpr component, and set the ResetAfterPrinting property)

QuickReport:Reports with Groups

Set the FooterBand property of the Group Header Band to the new Group Footer Band.

To ensure that a group footer band is printed on the same page as the detail information, set its LinkBand to the detail band name

Set ReprintOnNewPage on Group Header if neededTo print a report with each record on a new page,

set the ForceNewPage property of the detail band to True

Right-click the QuickReport component and choose ‘Preview Report’ to view the report at design time

QuickReport:Master/Detail Reports

For each Master (e.g. Customer) record printed, all the Detail (e.g. Orders) records will be printed immediately following

Each time the current record in the master dataset changes, the new values in the linked fields are used to select corresponding records in the detail dataset

To create a Master/Detail Report Start with a Group Report, sorted by e.g. Custno Add a DataSource component pointing to the master

dataset (TTable linked to Customers.db) Add a TTable for the detail data e.g. Orders.db Set its MasterSource to DataSource1

QuickReport:Master/Detail Reports

To create a Master/Detail Report… Set the IndexName of the detail dataset to the field

which will link the data in the two tables e.g. Custno Set the MasterFields property of the detail dataset

via the Browse button -> Field Link Designer (Custno) Add a QRSubDetail component (it displays as a band)

to display the detail data Set its dataset property to the detail dataset, and its

Master property to the QuickReport component Place QR data-aware components on the subdetail

band Can create many levels of detail bands

QuickReportTo sum two aggregates:

QRExpr1.Expression := Sum(Field1) QRExpr2.Expression := Sum(Field2) QRExpr3.Expression := Sum(Field1 + Field2)

To print a footer only on the last page of the report: use a Summary Band instead, and set it’s

AlignToBottom property to True.

To suppress printing of a record: Write code for a band’s BeforePrint eventPrintBand := CustTableTotalSales > 100; When PrintBand is set to False, band will not print

Interface Techniques

Launch the Splash screen from the project’s DPR file, before any of the forms are instantiated e.g.

beginApplication.Initialize;frmSplash := TfrmSplash.Create(Application);frmSplash.Show;frmSplash.Refresh;

……code to create all the other formsfrmSplash.Free;Application.Run;

end.

Interface Techniques

Display ToolTips Specify the Hint property for each control that

a Help Hint should appear for. Set the ShowHint property of each appropriate

control to True To force all form controls to show the form’s Hint

property, set the ParentShowHint property of all controls to True

To enable/disable all Help Hints, set the value of the application's ShowHint property to True/False. E.g. at FormCreate:Application.ShowHint = True

Interface Techniques:Using BitmapsDrop an ImageList component onto a formDouble-click to invoke the Image EditorAdd images as required: note their index

position in the listUse in a menu:

Set the Images property of the MainMenu component to the ImageList, then

Set the ImageIndex property of each menu item

Or set the Bitmap property of each menu item

Tutorial Week 11

Finish the Delphi 5 familiarisation exercise from last week

Work through this week’s exercises to learn how to create reports

Assignment Tasks: Create a Splash screen and link it to

your assignment Start work on the assignment reports