Which one is useless: ME or JASPER?

[notarysojac]

Hi Jasper People -

 

OK - I bought the book (Definitive Guide... 3 copies - for me and cohorts) - have poured over it, worked with iReport, purchased JasperAssistant, scoured the forums, googled my keywords, and otherwise wrestled with this problem for WAY TOO LONG. So here we are - either I promptly find an answer to my Jasper problem or it's off to the XSL-transform-world.

 

It has since occurred to me that MAYBE I am asking this Jasper-thing to do something it really does not like/want to do.

 

My challenge is to create web-page reports from XML input. OK.. so good so far - sounds like Jasper ought to be able to do it...

 

The trouble is the reports have several levels of 'splits' - all data is supplied in the XML - there's no need to do summations, crosstabs, use external datasources, or totals. It kinda sounds like Jasper SHOULD be able to do it...

 

But, (in my best John Belushi), Nooooooooooooo....

 

Imagine, if you will, my XML looks like this:

 

Code:

<rpt>
  <date>
    <level>
      <group>
        <batch>
          <item>
             <data>
              <thing1>sometext</thing1>
              <thing2>moretext</thing2>
             </data>
          </item>
          <item>
             ...another one like above...
          </item>
        </batch>
        <batch>
           ...another one like above...
        </batch>
      </group>
      <group>
          ...another one like above...
      </group>
    </level>
    <level>
       ...another one like above...
    </level>
  </date>

  <date>
    ...another one like above...
  </date>
</rpt>

 

The reports cannot be caused to represent the data after the first 'split' meaning the report consists of items belonging to the DATE node - and that's where the story ends.

 

QUESTION: Is my XML too complicated for Jasper to render into a report - am I asking too much of the tool - or am I just an ignoramus who just "doesn't get it"?

 

So - Who's useless - ME or JASPER?

 

Thanks,

 

Lance Drake

 

Any response in either snide comments or useful assistance is welcome.

[codyjasperForge]

FYI, Jasper has it's own xml syntax. (jrxml) I don't know if you realize that by looking at your sample source...

 

All I know is that Jasper is NOT useless...

[notarysojac]

Hi CodyJasperForge,

 

Of course - JRXML is what gets sent into the Jasper compiler - but my DATASOURCE is a well-formed XML file - quite legal and quite viable.

 

It's specifying PATHs to the lower nodes in my XML datasource that does not seem to be able to be accomplished.

 

It appears that 'subdatasource' is not the answer. Does coming up with some utilization of 'nested' make more sense?

 

Again - it may be ME which is useless - but, right now, Jasper is useless to me because I cannot determine how to bend it to my purpose.

 

Thanks for your note!

 

Lance Drake

[codyjasperForge]

My mistake,

 

I am not very familiar with custom datasources. All I can do for you now is refer you to the docs/forums for answers.

 

Sorry & good luck!

[agaudreau]

12.5  years later and it is still as useless as you had stated @notarysojac

We were looking into using it to generate invoices, imagine not being able to load and access company info, client info, invoice items and misc invoice data (dates, taxes, payment methods etc...) stored in the xml file generated by the web app from objects. we are in 2020...