Tables availble when running End-User Reporting Application

rbuser

I have built an End user Reporting Application. I have set up the data
dictionary with all the joins, tables and fields that I want available to my
users. I have also setup two folders with several default reports for my
users. The purpose of this app is to give my users a few default reports
and to let them make their own using the table, fields and links I have
provided in the data dictionary.

When the app runs, it runs fine. to create a new report, I am instructing my
user to do the following:

At the Report Explorer screen, do a File|New|report. This opens the new
report screen. Click on the Data tab and do a File|New, the new items
screen will appear, click on Query Wizard. From here the Query Wizard opens
and on the left are my setups for Available Tables. the user can select
their table, fields and design and perhaps save their new report.

Now here is my problem:

Some times, after working in the app for a while, running already created
reports and creating new report, when you pull up the Query Wizard, the list
of the Available tables not long display the table setups I have created but
it displays all the tables in the database which I do not want available to
my users, the original table names are very cryptic and mean almost nothing
to my users, my table setups have user friendly table names and fields
names. How can I get this to stop happening? I have not be able to get
this defect to happen in any repeatable steps but it does happen often.

rbuser

Hi Carla,

check if 'use DataDictionary' is checked on data page.
This property should always be checked in your case. (TppDesigner.DataSettings.UseDataDictionary)

HTH,
Chris Ueberall;

rbuser

This setting is set to true.

rbuser

Carla,

did you check the setting when the problem occurs or do you speaking generally?

regards,
Chris Ueberall;

nardmoseley

This had not been reported by any other users, nor is it something that we
can reproduce here.

Please let us how we can reproduce this behavior using the RB end-user
demos.

Chris's suggestion of making sure that the UseDataDictionary property is
always true, is a good one.


--
Nard Moseley
Digital Metaphors
http://www.digital-metaphors.com

rbuser

in the delphi designer this setting is set to true. i have no code that
changes it during run time. Does it change during run time?

rbuser

I thought i had a sequence of steps down, i will try to get something to
you soon.

rbuser

Here is how I can reproduce the problem:

I go into the end user report application and double click on one of the
existing reports in the right side of the window and preview it. Close the
report after it runs. Back in the Report Explorer window, I right click on
one of the folders I have made and go to "new report", this opens to the
design window. I go to the "Data" tab and do a file|new and double click on
"query wizard". Now, all the tables show in the "Available tables" window
on the left side of the screen. these are not the tables/names that I have
setup in the data dictionary.

rbuser

Has anyone there been able to reproduce my problem?

digitalmetaphors

No, I'm unable to reproduce the problem. Can you verify that the database
settings are set to use the data dictionary right before you select the File
| New | Query Wizard option? Enable Designer.AllowDataSettingsChange to
check this at runtime.


Cheers,

Jim Bennett
Digital Metaphors

rbuser

I fail to see which event to use to check this value. There is only about 8
lines of code in this project, i am not changing this value during run time.
Does it change by itsself?

digitalmetaphors

It should not change by itself. It is designed such that the report template
should not be able to change it on the data settings of the designer. It is
a property on the designer component, not the template, although the data
settings of the query dataview are streamed in the template. The event to
use to check this value is to do it visually with your mouse before you
select the New | Query Wizard action. By setting
Designer.AllowDataSettingsChange, you can do this at runtime.

I wasn't able to reproduce the problem. Can you provide exact steps you took
to reproduce the problem using our demo? Maybe I'm missing a step that you
are performing or a configuration change on the demo project's components?


Cheers,

Jim Bennett
Digital Metaphors

rbuser

this stays set to false thru out the operation of the applicaton.
the steps to reproduce this are to be found below in this post. would you
like me to send you the .pas's and .dfm's?

digitalmetaphors

Yes, if you could send an example to support@digital-metaphors.com that I
can run to reproduce the problem then that would be much appreciated, as I
failed to recreate the problem in my own tests.


Cheers,

Jim Bennett
Digital Metaphors

digitalmetaphors

I am running your demo and it works perfectly. The tables are always what
are defined in the data dictionary. I tried your steps a few times and also
som variations. The new query wizard always shows the data dictionary
tables. I also check the data settings at runtime and they are set to use
the data dictionary.

Can you provide very specific steps that I need to take to see the problem
in your demo?

Cheers,

Jim Bennett
Digital Metaphors