FastReport .NET Mono

Introduction What is FastReport .NET? FastReport is a flexible and powerful reporting tool. It allows users to access data sources in various formats and present them visually. Reports created with FastReport can be easily designed using drag-and-drop logic in the user interface and converted to different formats (PDF, Excel, Word, etc.). FastReport's Role in Reporting Solutions Reporting is a critical need in data-driven applications. FastReport allows users to visualize and analyze their data. Suitable for both desktop and web applications, this tool provides fast results with minimal coding. Advantages of Integration with .NET FastReport works perfectly with .NET applications. When integrated with the powerful development ecosystem offered by .NET, report creation processes can be automated, dynamic reports can be generated, and large data sets can be processed quickly. Additionally, using the flexibility offered by .NET, it is easy to integrate reports with the rest of your application. Purpose of the Blog This article aims to explain step by step how to install FastReport on .NET 8.0 and how to create a simple report. Taking the reporting process from the beginning, it will show how to connect, design, and view reports.     1. FastReport Installation 1.1. Requirements Before you begin, you need to make sure the following requirements are met: .NET 8.0 Requirements: Make sure your project is running on .NET 8.0 platform. To install .NET SDK, download the latest version from Microsoft's official site. IDE: You may be using Visual Studio, JetBrains Rider, or another IDE. Check that .NET 8.0 support is enabled in Visual Studio. 1.2. Adding the FastReport NuGet Package The easiest way to add FastReport to a project is to use the NuGet package manager. NuGet Package Manager with Visual Studio: Right-click on your project and select Manage NuGet Packages. Type FastReport in the search box and select the FastReport.OpenSource package from the results. Click the Install button and wait until the package installation is completed. Command Line Installation: If you prefer the command line, you can add FastReport to the project with the following command: Install-Package FastReport.OpenSource This will include the latest version of FastReport in your project.   1.3. Licensing and Activation  To start using FastReport, it is important to follow the licensing steps correctly: Free Version: Although the free version of FastReport offers some basic reporting features, the full version is required for more advanced features.  Licensing: If you want to use the full version, you can purchase a license from FastReport. After you receive the license key, you can activate the program by entering your license key from the FastReport activation window.  Note: The free version has some limitations, for example, the full list of export formats may not be available. Replacing part of the report content with the text "Demo version" randomly. The label "Demo version" on the report pages when printing and exporting. Since I will explain the reporting tool using the trial version in this article, I downloaded the program from the FastReport installation link. You can proceed directly as the welcome screen provides convenience for automatic installation. Once the user agreement is approved, you can continue the process. Here we mark which type of source we will use. For this article, I will only use .NET Trial.  After the installation is completed, the application is ready to use. 1.4 FastReport.OpenSource FastReport is renowned for its powerful, professional-grade reporting tools and offers two main options based on users' needs: a commercial version and FastReport.OpenSource. FastReport.OpenSource is an ideal choice for developers seeking a fast, cost-free, and customizable reporting solution in small to medium-scale projects. Its open-source nature grants users complete control over the code, enabling them to make in-depth customizations tailored to specific project requirements. FastReport.OpenSource includes many core functions of reporting tools: it allows you to design reports, create data connections, visualize data, and generate report outputs efficiently and quickly. For small-scale projects or budget-constrained initiatives, its open-source format offers access to powerful reporting capabilities without licensing fees. Additionally, its community-driven structure provides developers with a continuously growing pool of resources and up-to-date knowledge. 1.5 Customization and Development Capabilities With FastReport.OpenSource’s open-source structure, developers can create tailored customizations suited to their projects. This flexibility allows you to build custom report formats or make specific adjustments to existing features. The ability to customize gives developers the advantage of aligning reports with the functional and visual requirements of their projects. 1.6 Community Support and Resources One of the key advantages of FastReport.OpenSource is its strong community support. Along with the source code accessible on GitHub, users share their experiences and developments, creating a constant flow of insights. Community support is highly beneficial for troubleshooting and generating new ideas. FastReport’s development team also provides regular updates, ensuring the platform continues to evolve. 1.7 Use Cases FastReport.OpenSource is an excellent solution for educational projects, personal applications, or startup projects. It is particularly suitable for projects that require essential reporting capabilities, such as financial statements, customer reports, inventory lists, and analysis reports. Its open-source nature makes it fully customizable and adaptable to meet the needs of your specific project.     2. Creating a Simple Report 2.1. Using FastReport Designer FastReport Designer is a visual tool that simplifies report design. Introduction to FastReport Designer Interface: FastReport Designer provides a drag-and-drop user interface to design your report. You can easily add components such as data tables, charts, text boxes, etc. to your report. Adding Data Sources: As a first step, you need to add the data sources that you will connect to your report. These sources can be in various formats, such as SQL databases, JSON files, XML format, etc. In FastReport Designer, you can easily define these data sources and include them in your report. After opening a blank report design, you can connect your database here by selecting New Data Source from the Actions box. FastReport does not require us to use only MS SQL. If you wish, you can define your data in formats such as JSON and XML and create your reports. You can flexibly use all the options in your database during import. In addition to tables, procedures and views can also be imported into FastReport and used in reports. 2.2. Report Layout Design Creating a Simple Table Report: When you start designing a report, you can use the table component to show your data. In this sample application, I will create a simple report using information such as age, name, etc. in a table containing company personnel. Adding Headers, Data Fields, and Footers: Make your report more readable by adding header rows to the table. Connect data fields with data from the data source. You can add additional information such as totals and page numbers to the footer rows. Style and Formatting Options: You can use style and formatting options to make your report look more visually professional. For example, you can make headings bold and change the color of data cells. In a simple design, after adding the data source, the entire report can be created by adding only text. In the modal where the texts to be added are opened, there are System Variables and Data Source variables for convenience. By selecting these, the entire report can be created with the drag-and-drop feature. 2.3. Preview the Report Running the Report and Viewing it in Preview Mode: After you design your report, you can run it in preview mode to see if the design looks right. In this mode, you can view your report in different formats and fix any errors. You can see a preview of the report you are working on via File-Preview or Report-Preview. Exporting the Report in Different Formats: FastReport allows you to export reports in different formats such as PDF, Excel, and Word. You can use the “Save” button in preview mode to convert your report to the desired format.     3. .NET Code Integration and Calling the Report from the Application 3.1. Calling a Report with a DB Connection After saving the report we just created as .frx, we can transfer it to our .net project as a file and call the report from this file. In reports prepared with a mssql db connection, you must install the "FastReport.Data.Mssql" package. We are ready to call the report we just prepared from the project. We save our frx file via FastReport and add it to our “BasicFastReportDotnet8” project, which we opened as a .net8 console app. The packages we will use in this operation are: FastReport FastReport.Data FastReport.Export.Image Let's open our .frx extension file and take a look; In fact, we can almost update the report from here. The elements we use in the file are presented in XML format and our data source connections are nicely defined. Great! Now, since we used mssql connection in this report, we need to go and specify it: In this way, we indicate that the report has ready data and there is no need for a preparation process. The rest is child's play! First, create a new report instance and create our report object. Then load the frx file prepared into the relevant report. Give the command to prepare the report. And finally, decide in which format we will save it. Yep, that's all! Let's see how our report turned out:   3.2. Calling Simple Report Template by Feeding Data from Application These operations can also be performed using an empty template. We can repeat the same operation with the desired objects by giving the "report.RegisterData" command to the report object just before the prepared operation.     Conclusion Fast and Efficient Reporting with FastReport FastReport offers a fast and effective reporting solution for both small projects and large-scale applications. Thanks to its user-friendly interface and .NET integration, report design and management can be easily performed. In addition, being able to pull records from the DB at any time increases the speed of report analysis by separating server-side and DB operations. Advantages of FastReport Seamless integration with .NET applications, multiple data source support, and flexible design options make FastReport an attractive choice. Advice on Exploring Advanced Features To explore FastReport’s advanced features, you can browse its official documentation and work with templates, charts, and more complex reporting techniques. Using a Private NuGet Server If you’re using the commercial version of FastReport, you can set up a private NuGet server to access FastReport packages specifically for internal or private projects. This method is especially useful for corporate users who need to maintain control over access management and updates. The flexibility FastReport offers allows you to access NuGet packages in a more secure and manageable way. For more details, refer to the Private NuGet Server Setup article.   The article is written by Liubou Patskevich from Softacom.

Our FastReport .NET has quite rich capabilities and wide functionality. Today we will look at connecting to the database using the FastReport plugin for the report designer. Below is an example of the FastReport .NET installation path that would be: C:\Program Files (x86)\FastReports\WinForms 1.    Go to the installation folder and then follow the path Extras\Core\FastReport.Data\FastReport.Data.Postgres Important! The path should be exactly like this; there may be outdated projects along other paths. 2.    We find there the project file FastReport.Data.Postgres.csproj in Visual Studio.  Important! There are several files in this folder, you need to open this one. 3.    Several projects will open in Visual Studio. Select FastReport.Data.Postgres and right-click on it, and then click “Set as Startup Project” in the context menu.   4.    Select the “Release” build and the “net462” target.   5.    In the decision tree, expand the project -> Dependencies -> net462 -> Projects and Packages. Pay attention to the exclamation marks in the triangles.   6.    Delete “FastReport” in “Projects”. We don’t delete anything else in the dependencies. Now you need to add nuget packages FastReport.N et and Npgsql .  Important! FastReport.Net must be added as a package, since the method of adding FastReport.dll no longer works. 7.    In the “Dependencies” context menu, select “Manage NuGet Packages”.   8.    You need to add two package sources: nuget.org and the source referring to our nuget-server, or to the local folder  C:\ProgramFiles(x86)\FastReports\WinForms\Nugets. 9.    Select the nuget.org source.   10.    On the “Installed” or “Updates” tab, find the Npgsql package and click on it.   11.    We look on the right and see the following information: the current version associated with the project is 3.2.7, the latest version of the package is 8.0.3, the Uninstall and Update buttons. 12.    Click on the Update button. 13.    Select the second package source. The example uses the Nuget Server of Fast Reports Inc.   14.    Go to the Browse tab and enter fastreport.net in the search field    15.    Select the FastReport.Net package or FastReport.Net.Demo for the trial version.  Important! It should be one of these two packages, as the FastReport.Net.Pro package is outdated and no longer used.  16.    We carefully look at the version and select the one that we have installed. This manual covers 2024.2.12 version.   17.    Click the Install button. We accept the license agreement and wait for the package to be installed. 18.    Right-click on the FastReport.Data.Postgres project and click Build in the context menu.   19.    At the bottom left we see the inscription “Build succeeded.” This means that the plugin is built correctly and Visual Studio can be closed. 20.    Go to the folder where FastReport .NET is installed, as indicated at the beginning of the instruction, this is C:\Program Files (x86)\FastReports\WinForms. There should be "Designer.exe" here. 21.    We move from this folder to the following folders along the path: Extras\Core\FastReport.Data\FastReport.Data.Postgres\bin\Release 22.    We find 2 folders “net462” and “net6.0-windows7.0”, go to the net462 folder. 23.    Copy the following files from this folder:  FastReport.Data.Postgres.dll, Npgsql.dll, Microsoft.Bcl.AsyncInterfaces.dll, Microsoft.Extensions.Logging.Abstractions.dll, System.Threading.Tasks.Extensions.dll, System.Memory.dll  24.    Paste the copied files into the folder where Designer.exe is located. 25.    Run “Designer.exe”, go to the File -> Options menu (View -> Options if the Ribbon interface is disabled). Go to the “Plugins” tab. 26.    If there is already a FastReport.Data.Postgres plugin, you need to remove it and repeat step 21.   27.    Click on the “Add” button, go to the designer folder, in this example it is  C:\Program Files (x86)\FastReports\WinForms  28.    Select the FastReport.Data.Postgres.dll file and click the “Open” button. The plugin appears in the list.   29.    Pay attention to the text at the bottom left, which indicates that the Designer needs to be restarted. Click the OK button. Close the designer. 30.    Launch Designer.exe again. If you have followed this instruction, the connection to Postgres should appear in the list of connections.   31.    If you see the following errors when trying to connect:   Then you need to close the designer, copy the file indicated in the error from the С:\Program Files(x86)\Fast Reports\WinForms \Extras\Core\FastReport.Data\FastReport.Data.Postgres\bin\Release\net462 to the folder where you have Designer.exe. In FastReport .NET, it is very easy to assemble and connect various connectors to a variety of databases.

To install the FastReport.NET software and its components, you need to download the installer distribution in the cpanel and run it. When using an operating system with UAC (User Account Control), you need to agree to run the software. After launching the installer, a welcome window with an authorization button will appear. Click on the authorization button. In the system, the default web browser application will open. Use the login and password of your account to authenticate and access the purchased products. After authorization, a message about successful authorization will be displayed. You can close the web browser application and switch to the FastReport .NET installer. If you were unable to log in, please contact technical support. In the next step, familiarize yourself with the license agreement for the use of FastReport .NET software. The current version of the license agreement is available at this link. If you agree to the terms of the license agreement, you need to check the "I accept the terms of the license agreement" checkbox. Then, press the active "Next" button. If you do not agree with the terms of the license agreement, close the FastReport .NET installer and delete the downloaded files. In the next installation stage, we invite you to join the FastReports Inc. service quality and notification improvement program. This will help our company improve the quality of products, overall reliability, and the performance of all tools and libraries. This step is optional, you don't have to join our program. Select "Yes" or "No" depending on your decision, and then continue the software installation. When you join the Service Quality and Notification Improvement Program, your computer or device automatically transmits information about the use of FastReports Inc. products and software development technologies to FastReports Inc. For more information on the privacy policy, please refer to this link. Select the product you need in the installer window. The messages "Unavailable", "An old version of the product has been detected" mean that an old version of the product is installed by an old installer. If you want to update the old version, close the installer, uninstall the old version using the standard "Add/Remove Programs" tool, and then start the installation of the new version again. If you see this message after removing all old versions, please contact our technical support. Also, at this stage, you can select: Product version; Sources—Installation of source codes; Examples—Report templates; Framework—Installation of local .dll files. Then, you can select the path where the FastReport .NET software will be installed. Now everything is ready for the installation, click "Next" to start the installation process. This may take some time, depending on the selected components and the speed of your internet connection. At this stage, you can monitor the progress of the installation. The completion dialog will be shown after the installation of all selected components. To close the installer, click the "Finish" button.   Offline installation In rare cases, the ability to perform an offline installation is necessary to install the "FastReport.NET" software on computers without direct access to the Internet. Our installer allows you to do such an installation with remote activation. First, you will need data packages, so it is recommended to do a preliminary installation on a computer with Internet access. After the installation, go to the installation directory and copy all .dat files and the setup.exe file to a temporary medium. Connect the temporary medium to the computer without Internet access and start the installation. If you are unable to authenticate through the Internet, the following dialog will be available to you. Check the "Use manual registration" checkbox. After that, copy the key from the "Registration information" field and send it to the technical support service with a request for activation. Insert the response from the technical support service into the "Registration code" field and click "Next". The subsequent installation process will be similar to the standard installation of the "FastReport.NET Components" software. Now that the installation of FastReport .NET and its components in Windows is complete, you are ready to start using this powerful tool to create high-quality reports in .NET applications. Remember that FastReport .NET provides extensive reporting customization and generation capabilities, making it indispensable for developers. Use all of its features, experiment, and create reports that reflect your needs and requirements. Wishing you success in your work with FastReport .NET!