Category: Valentina Reports

Video: How to Install Free Valentina Server and Valentina Studio on Mac OS X

Valentina Studio + Valentina Server for Mac OS XHow about a step-by-step walk thru of installing the FREE Valentina Server and FREE Valentina Studio on Mac OS X? With this step-by-step video walk thru, you will learn how to do this, as well as set up a client-server test system on your local computer.

Valentina Server incorporates both the ultra-fast Valentina DB database system and Valentina Reports Server. Valentina Reports supports all major databases on the market, though in this tutorial we will be focusing on the basics of setting up a Valentina database.

Continue reading Video: How to Install Free Valentina Server and Valentina Studio on Mac OS X

[NEW] Valentina Reports adds MS SQL as Datasource

Valentina Studio Adds MS SQL Server SupportIt isn’t often we add a new database type, but this is one we’ve had a lot of requests for – MS SQL Server.

Today this happens! Valentina Reports starting from 5.5b15 can use MS SQL server as native datasource. Notice, that this works on all 3 OS:  Windows + Mac OS X + Linux.

 

 

If you use MS SQL and you want to test it, you can download it here for all OS:
http://www.valentina-db.com/download/beta/5.5b20 

Right now you can…

  • Download Valentina Studio to do the following steps…
  • Make a new Valentina Project (from File Menu) on your desktop
  • Make a new datasource — define to your MS SQL server
  • Make a new Report – can be with simple query as SELECT * FROM T, do click, click, click in the wizard to get default layout of fields.
  • Click PREVIEW button on the left to see report with data from your MS SQL Server.

To start use this new datasource in your application you need just to specify a corresponded string that describes datasource connection string. See details.

[VStudio][NEW] Support of SSH connects to remote servers

Usually mySQL servers are closed to access from external IPs. Instead mySQL users are used to connect to remote host using SSH tunnel and then connect to mySQL server like from localhost.

We have add into Valentina Studio support of SSH connects to remote hosts. It is clear that it can be used for any remote DB server:  Valentina Server, mySQL or PostgreSQL.

Also we have to push SSH parameters into the connection string of Valentina Reports, so now reports can connect to e.g. remote mySQL server by SSH tunnel also. Read in WIKI.

vs_dialog_connect

vs_dialog_connect_ssh

[NEW][VSQL] MAIL Command

We have add a new command for Valentina SQL.

The main goal is to be able use Valentina Server as generator of PDF and/or HTML reports and sending them by email directly from VSERVER’s stored procedure. Besides, this command can be called by Event Scheduler of VSERVER or by a database or table trigger.

vext_mail
 : __MAIL
   __FROM character_string_literal_or_var 
   __TO character_string_literal_or_var 
   __SUBJECT character_string_literal_or_var
   __BODY character_string_literal_or_var
  [__ATTACH vext_attach_list]
      __SMTP character_string_literal_or_var
      __PORT character_string_literal_or_var
     [__USER character_string_literal_or_var,
      __PASSWORD character_string_literal_or_var]
     [__SSL truth_value_or_var]

vext_attach_list
 : character_string_literal_or_var AS character_string_literal_or_var , ...

character_string_literal_or_var
 : character_string_literal
 | variable_name

uint_or_var
 : UINT
 | variable_name

truth_value_or_var
 : truth_value
 | variable_name

truth_value
 : TRUE
 | FALSE

Continue reading [NEW][VSQL] MAIL Command

[NEW][VSERVER] Now has one more log file. From vreport.dll

We have found that if some report contains wrong SQL queries stored in the report itself, OR this queries have become invalid later, e.g. if some fields was renamed in the database, then no way to see these errors.

Solution is to add to VSERVER one more standard log file, into which will write info VREPORT.dll.

This log file can be set ON/OFF using same SQL commands as Warning.log file of the Valentina Kernel.

[SQL][REPORTS] Improved work with FORMAT()

Work on Valentina Reports have push us to look more deeply on our FORMAT() function of Valentina SQL.

Keep in mind, that Valentina Reports DLL is tightly integrated with Valentina Kernel DLL and use its power. In particular, formatting in Valentina Reports is based on this FORMAT() function, which, in its turn, is based on IMB ICU library features.

Keep in mind, that even if Valentina Reports use as datasource e.g. mySQL or PostgreSQL server, then it still use Valentina Kernel to do many job, including this formatting.

Problem was found that if function FORMAT() is used over DATE or TIME columns then in result ICU produce “garbage” time and date values correspondently. After some research we have found way how to cut off this garbage. So now reports and SQL function itself produce expected results.

Will be available for after 5.0b41 build and newer.

[new] VSERVER as HTTP Server + Admin based on Valentina Reports

Few years ago we have added into Valentina Server HTTP port, so it have:

  • normal port
  • SSL port
  • HTTP port
  • SNMP port
We added this HTTP port to be able do the next step — implementing admin built-in right into VServer. So user can access from any browser this admin by HTTP. We see  the following advantages of  this:
  • it is enough install server on you mac/win/linux computer and this admin will be available immediately, without need in Apache/PHP/else.
  • this admin will allow to manage vserver from platforms where not exists VStudio or iValentina. For example Android users will be able manage VServer.
Such admin of vserver we was going implement on C++ of course.
But some time ago we have got idea to use Valentina Reports for this, which could do HTTP generation from report. We have spend some time to make couple of prototypes of this idea. And while we did them, we have already made few improvements in our Reports to support this. The most important  are:

[Imp] VReports few improvements

Thanks to Matthew Gardner, we have made few improvements in Valentina Reports engine:

  • Header section fixed to work with data from cursor.
  • Expression control that produce text, now respect FORMAT field, such as currency or date. For this engine try convert string into a number, and on success apply formatting.
  • System Color Dialog is used now for all places.

VREPORT.DLL now links to static Postgre client

We have start check installers to prepare 5.0 beta builds, and have note that on Windows, report.dll depends on pq.dll, which it its turns requires yet 8 dlls to be added into vcomponents folder.

We have decide that this is not good of course, and spent few days to resolve this. It was not simple, because of openSSL. Now we have resolve all that, so VREPORT.DLL on all 3 platforms, now contains SQLite, Postgre and mySQL clients linked directly into DLL.

Perfect 🙂

[NEW] Valentina Reports 5.0 Support mySQL Datasource

We are glad to inform you, that we already have working Valentina Reports engine with datasource from mySQL.

We have use one of BSD clients compatible with mySQL Server. This resolve any issues related with GPL-license of mySQL native drivers.

Please note, that this mySQL datasource for now works only for Valentina Reports ADK, but not in Valentina Studio – Report Editor. To prepare reports in the GUI Editor you need to use Valentina or Postgre or SQLite database with the same tables. But do not worry, in about 1.5-2 months we will introduce 5.x version of Valentina Studio, with full-featured mySQL plugin also.

Right now, you can make dump of schema of mySQL database, and load that dump into local Valentina DB, then use it as test-db to design report(s). Later, from ADK application, just specify mySQL datasource against this report(s). For mySQL you should use connection string of kind

theReport = my_project.MakeNewReport(
        "report_1",
        "mysql://host=192.168.2.33, user=admin, passw=admin",
        "SELECT fldName, fldPhone FROM tblPerson" )

VStudio:Report Editor – Now works with PostgreSQL as Datasource.

Valentina Studio Pro’s Report Editor now works using a PostgreSQL database specified as datasource! If have some Postgre database, connect to it and start design new report using data of that database. You can instantly preview your data right within Valentina Studio Pro. Reports are saved into a project format so you can reuse them at any time.

You can already use design reports this way from data from any Valentina DB ADK (REALbasic, Revolution, Cocoa, NET, PHP, … ). You can see few snapshots below.

Support for PostgreSQL will be included in Valentina Studio 5.0b1 – coming real soon. Valentina Reports will be able to work with local Valentina databases, Valentina Server hosted databases, local SQLite and now with PostgreSQL server.

Continue reading VStudio:Report Editor – Now works with PostgreSQL as Datasource.

Valentina Reports get ODBC-datasource!

Valentina Reports now support ODBC datasource!

This is great, because now Valentina Reports can work with data stored practically in any database format (MS Access, MS SQL, Oracle, Postgre SQL, mySQL, … ) and even XML.

In Valentina Studio improved datasource dialog to support ODBC.

In a Valentina ADK code, you should specify connection string in the VProject.MakeNewReport( inDataSource ), as the following: odbc://dsn=access,user=name,pass=123

Will be available in the 4.9b5 build or newer.

[VReports][NEW] Improved HTML, Picture Controls

On users request we have made the next major improvements in Valentina Reports:

  • HTML Control now can get HTML text/content from:
    • TEXT typed directly in the control
    • FIELD of cursor
    • by URL from a FIELD of cursor
    • URL (local or remote)
  • Picture Control now can get a picture from:
    • FIELD of cursor
    • URL from a field of cursor
    • URL (local or remote)
  • HTML text can contain a macro $() to, for example, refer another field

You can see details on the following pictures.

Continue reading [VReports][NEW] Improved HTML, Picture Controls