JasperReports for Java Developers

Overview of this book

JasperReports is the world's most popular embeddable Java open source reporting library, providing Java developers with the power to easily create rich print and web reports. This book shows you exactly how to get started, and develop the skills to get the most from JasperReports. The book steers you through each point of report setup, to creating, designing, formatting, and exporting reports with data from a wide range of datasources, and integrating JasperReports with other Java frameworks. Starting with the basics of adding reporting capabilities to your application, and creating report templates you will first see how to produce your reports through the use of JRXML files, custom ANT targets, and then see preview them in both the browser and the native browser of JasperReports. Getting data into your reports is the next step, and you will see how to get data from a range of datasources, not only databases, but XML files, and Java Objects, among others. You will create better looking reports with formatting and grouping, as well as adding graphical elements to the report. You will export your reports to a range of different formats, including PDF and XML. Creating reports will be made even easier with a walkthrough of the iReport Designer visual designing tool. To round things off, you will see how to integrate your reports with other Java frameworks, using Spring or Hibernate to get data for the report, and Java Server Faces or Struts for presenting the report.

Preface

What This Book Covers

What You Need for This Book

Conventions

Reader Feedback

Customer Support

Free Chapter

1. An Overview of JasperReports

Brief History of JasperReports

What is JasperReports?

The JasperReports Open-Source License

Features of JasperReports

Class Library Dependencies

Typical Workflow

Where to Get Help?

Summary

2. Adding Reporting Capabilities to Java Applications

Downloading JasperReports

JasperReports Class Library

Summary

3. Creating Your First Report

Creating a JRXML Report Template

Generating the Report

Displaying Reports on a Web Browser

Elements of a JRXML Report Template

Summary

4. Creating Dynamic Database Reports

Database for Our Reports

Generating Database Reports

Summary

5. Working with Other Datasources

Empty Datasources

Map Datasources

Java Objects as Datasources

TableModels as Datasources

XML as Datasource

Custom Datasources

Summary

6. Report Layout and Design

Controlling Report-Wide Layout Properties

Setting Text Properties

Setting a Report's Background

Adding Multiple Columns to a Report

Grouping Report Data

Report Expressions

Report Variables

Stretching Text Fields to Accommodate Data

Laying Out Report Elements

Using the <frame> Element

Hiding Repeated Values

Subreports

Summary

7. Adding Charts and Graphics to Reports

Adding Geometrical Shapes to a Report

Adding Images to a Report

Adding Charts to a Report

Summary

8. Other JasperReports Features

Adding Hyperlinks and Anchors to Reports

Handling Very Large Reports

Summary

9. Exporting to Other Formats

Exporting to Plain Text

Directing HTML Reports to a Browser

Summary

10. Graphical Report Design with iReport

Obtaining iReport

Creating a Database Report in Record Time

Creating a Report "From Scratch"

Creating More Elaborate Reports

Help and Support

Summary

11. Integrating JasperReports with other Frameworks

Integrating JasperReports with Hibernate

Integrating JasperReports with Spring

Integrating JasperReports with JavaServer Faces

Integrating JasperReports with Struts

Summary

Index

Customer Reviews

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Brief History of JasperReports

JasperReports was started by Teodor Danciu, in 2001, when he was faced with the task of evaluating reporting tools for a project he was working on. The existing solutions that he found were too expensive for his project's budget. Therefore, he decided to write his own reporting tool. The project for which he was evaluating reporting tools got canceled; but, nevertheless, he started working on JasperReports in his spare time. He registered the project on http://sourceforge.net in September, 2001. Shortly after, he started getting emails from interested potential users even though he had not yet released any code.

JasperReports version 0.1.5 was released in November, 2001. Since then, JasperReports has become immensely popular, and is currently one of the most popular (if not the most popular) Java reporting tools available. As a testament to JasperReports' enormous popularity, a Google search for java reporting tool returns the JasperReports website as its first result.

Until recently, JasperReports was basically a one-man project, with Teodor working on it in his spare time. In April 2005, a company called JasperSoft was formally launched at the MySQL User Conference in California. JasperSoft sponsors JasperReports' development, allowing Teodor and other JasperSoft developers to work full-time on JasperReports. JasperSoft also provides commercial support and services for JasperReports and related products, including the iReport Visual Designer for JasperReports. In addition to providing support for JasperReports and iReport, JasperSoft sells commercial applications incorporating JasperReports.

JasperSoft has raised over 8 million dollars in venture capital funding, no small feat in these post-dotcom days. This investment is a clear indication that venture capitalists have confidence in the success of JasperSoft, and, by extension, in the success of JasperReports. According to JasperSoft, JasperReports has been downloaded over 300,000 times, and gets over 20,000 downloads a month. It has been deployed in over 10,000 companies and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs).

JasperReports for Java Developers

JasperReports for Java Developers

Overview of this book

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JasperReports for Java Developers

Brief History of JasperReports