FastReport .NET WPF

Wayland is a protocol designed to manage a graphical server in Linux-based operating systems and other UNIX-like OS. Avalonia UI is a framework based on .NET, actively used for developing cross-platform user interfaces. With a universal API for building applications, Avalonia supports all major platforms and runtime environments and has its unique interface. This way, your business solutions will look identical across every operating system. FastReport .NET Avalonia includes a powerful data processing core, a familiar report designer, and a viewer for finished reports. The new product also offers all export formats for the generated report — PDF, Excel, MS Word, and many others. In this article, we will discuss how to run FastReport .NET Avalonia on the "Fedora Workstation 39" operating system with Wayland protocol.     Main Differences Between Wayland and X11 In the Wayland protocol, versions permeate it from top to bottom. Each interface has a specific version, and each protocol object implements a specific version of its interface. This eliminates the possibility of version conflicts that exist in X, as version negotiation is tied to the connection rather than to the clients. Unlike X11, in Wayland, it is possible to precisely determine which version of an extension an application receives. Working with input devices in Wayland is similar to Xinput 2.2, but without the outdated code clutter and Master/Slave relationships between input devices. The global object seat defines a group of input devices, including a mouse, keyboard, and touchscreen. Unlike X, Wayland does not have an API for rendering and does not deal with creating graphical images. Its role is to manage buffers containing client pixels in such a way that application A does not make unwanted changes to the buffers of application B. Clients determine which pixels will be in the buffers and are responsible for the image that is displayed on the screen!     Installation of Required Software We need to update the indices, as well as install .NET 6.0 for further work. Open the console and enter the following commands: sudo dnf update sudo dnf install dotnet-sdk-6.0 After that, download the FastReport .NET Avalonia Trial library for Linux from the Fast Reports Inc. website. Next, extract the FastReport.Avalonia.LinuxDemo.zip archive into a convenient directory.     Running FastReport .NET Avalonia Open the terminal and navigate to the directory where you extracted the FastReport .NET Avalonia Trial application, and then enter the linux-x64 folder.   To run the FastReport .NET Avalonia Trial, we need to enter the following command in the terminal: dotnet AvaloniaDemo.dll After that, you will be able to view the demonstration report of FastReport .NET Avalonia.   It's time to go to the report designer. To do this, click on the "Designer" button in the upper panel of the demo application.   Thus, we have managed to run FastReport .NET Avalonia on the "Fedora Workstation 39" operating system with the Wayland protocol. There is nothing complicated about launching and setting up the connection. It is enough to install the SDK packages and unpack the archive with the application, after which you can use the report designer. For any questions, please contact our technical support at support@fast-report.com. Enjoy using it!

QR codes are becoming increasingly popular tools for storing and sharing information. In reports and documents, they can be used for quick access to websites, contacts, product information, and much more. FastReport .NET is a powerful library for creating reports in .NET applications. It allows not only the generation of text and graphic reports but also the integration of dynamic elements such as QR codes. In this article, we will explore how to create a QR code with an image in FastReport .NET to enhance the visual representation of reports and improve their functionality. First, we need to create a regular QR Code in the designer. To do this, go to the components panel and select “Barcode” > “2D” > “QR Code.”   After placing our QR Code, we go to its properties and set the ErrorCorrection property to H.     This property is responsible for error correction using Reed-Solomon code. It can take values: L (low—7%), M (medium—15%), Q (25%), H (high—30%). By default, it is set to L. The redundancy (ErrorCorrection) is necessary for correctly reading the data when the image of the code is partially damaged or when an image is placed over it. Next, we will create a PictureObject in which we will place our image with the logo.     Now we can place our image directly on the QR Code. Reading will function correctly.     So, we have figured out how to insert an image into our QR Code. The FastReport designer allows you to do this easily in just a few clicks. We can use this feature, for example, to link to the official website via phone, so clients know which QR code will lead them there just by looking at the image. For any questions, you can contact our support team. Enjoy using the tool!

Dot matrix printers are devices that are still utilized in various fields, such as printing receipts, labels, and other documents that require high reliability. In modern applications on the .NET platform, the FastReport library is often used for generating reports. This article will explore how to integrate a dot matrix printer into the process of creating and outputting reports using FastReport .NET.     Where are Dot Matrix Printers Used Today? Although dot matrix printers are considered a "relic of the past" by most people, they are still frequently used in different sectors: Today, one of the largest users of dot matrix printers is government institutions and the banking sector. They print financial reports, forms that require strict accountability, bank books, military IDs, and passports. Since dot matrix printers use pins for printing that create pressure on the paper, they can produce multiple copies of documents simultaneously. In enterprises where printing is needed in aggressive environmental conditions. In some countries, traffic police use dot matrix printers to print tickets for disturbances or parking violations on the spot.     Preparing to Work with a Dot Matrix Printer Before starting to work with a dot matrix printer in FastReport .NET, it is important to ensure that the printer is installed and properly configured in the operating system. Dot matrix printers typically support PCL (Printer Command Language) or ESC/P (Epson Standard Code for Printers) protocols, which are used to send commands to the printer.     Installing the Printer Driver We will install the driver for our dot matrix printer. This can be done through the Windows Control Panel or via the installer provided by the manufacturer. Check the printer settings, such as page orientation, paper size, and other parameters that may affect print quality. Now let's explore the printing functionality in FastReport.NET. To start printing a report, we need to go to the report's Preview and click the "Print" button. Then, a print dialog will appear, where we can: Select the printer (if we have multiple); Specify which pages will be printed (including even or odd); Indicate the number of copies if necessary; Determine the print order (from the beginning or the end); Manage duplex printing; Edit the print scale; Control print modes (page format, number of pages per sheet, etc.).   It is worth noting that we can go to "Settings." In this case, a print settings window will appear, but these settings are system-specific. In other words, FastReport .NET has no relation to them. These settings are also retrieved from the operating system itself. Default values can be set in Windows, and they will also apply to this dialog.   In general, we can already proceed to print if we are satisfied with the settings. Let's try to configure printing through code.     Setting Up Printing from Code First, we need to create a project and install the latest version of the FastReport.NET NuGet package. We will also need a prepared report that we created in the designer. First, let's load the previously created report: using FastReport;// Create a report object  Report report = new Report();// Load the report from file  report.Load("path_to_your_report.frx"); Before sending the report to print, we need to configure the print settings. In FastReport, you can specify the printer that will be used for printing, as well as configure some page settings such as orientation and scaling. // Get the list of available printersPrintSettings printSettings = report.PrintSettings;// Set the printer name (for example, "Epson LQ-590")  printSettings.Printer = "Epson LQ-590";// Set the page orientation (Portrait/Landscape)  printSettings.Landscape = false; // Portrait orientation  // Set the zoomprintSettings.Zoom = 100; //100% zoom   Now we can send the report to print. FastReport provides the Print() method to perform this task: // Print the report  report.Print();     Features of Dot Matrix Printers Dot matrix printers have their features that should be taken into account when creating reports: Fonts: It is best to use monospaced fonts, such as Courier New or Consolas, which are most suitable for dot matrix printers. Page Size: Dot matrix printers often use standard page sizes, such as A4 or Letter. It is important to ensure that the page size in the report matches the capabilities of our printer. Number of Lines: If the report contains many lines, it may be necessary to split it into multiple pages. In FastReport, you can configure automatic page splitting based on the number of lines. Let's create a receipt report that will meet our requirements. We launch the designer and create a new blank template. We go to page settings and set the height and width.   Next, we move to the "Margins" section and set the margins. We need margins of 1.27 cm–2.28 cm.    Now we move to the page of our report. We will make a simple receipt using the Courier New font.   Our report is ready, and now it can be sent to the dot matrix printer.     Conclusion Using a dot matrix printer in FastReport .NET opens up new opportunities for creating and outputting reports in applications on the .NET platform. By following the steps outlined above, you can successfully integrate a dot matrix printer into your work with FastReport and ensure quality and reliable report printing.