Jaspersoft Studio is offered in two different versions: a stand-alone Rich Client Platform (RCP) product, and an Eclipse plug-in version. If you have worked with Eclipse, you are likely familiar with the user interface; those familiar with iReport will find that the layout is different in the new designer. Both the stand-alone and plug-in versions have a similar user interface. “Jaspersoft Studio User Interface”, shows a preview of the Jaspersoft Studio interface, with the main areas highlighted.
| Jaspersoft Studio User Interface |
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In Eclipse terminology, the initial layout of the Jaspersoft Studio interface is called a perspective. The default Jaspersoft Studio perspective contains an editor area and views. Some views appear by themselves, while others are stacked together in tabbed notebooks. You can open and close views and drag them to different positions in the Eclipse workbench.
| • | To open a window you have closed, select Window > Open View from the menu. Select the window you want to open from the drop-down list. |
| • | To reset the interface to the default perspective, select Window > Reset Perspective. |
| • | To save a perspective, select Window > Save Perspective As and enter a name for your perspective. |
Some views have additional menus and actions, accessed through icons in the upper right of the menu.
User Interface Components
Jaspersoft Studio has a multi-tab editor, which includes three tabs that allow you to interact with your reports in different ways: Design, Source, and Preview:
| • | The Design tab is the main one selected when you open a report file and it allows you to graphically create your report. |
| • | The Source tab contains the JRXML source code for your report. |
| • | The Preview tab lets you run the report preview after having selected a data source and output format. |
You can explore the data using the following views:
| • | The Repository Explorer view maintains the list of JasperReports Server connections and available data adapters. |
| • | The Project Explorer view maintains the list of the projects in the current workspace, usually JasperReports Server project. |
Unlike many other views, you can open multiple instances of the Properties view at one time and you can pin a selection to a specific Properties view instance. This allows you to view or edit the properties for a specific element while working with other elements in your report, or with another report entirely.
| • | The Problems view shows a list of problems and errors that can, for example, block the correct compilation of a report. |
| • | The Report state summary provides statistics on report compilation/filling/execution. Errors are shown here as well. |
This comparison table shows the differences in terminology between iReport and Jaspersoft Studio.
Comparison of Features in iReport and Jaspersoft Studio
iReport
Jaspersoft Studio
JasperReports Server Repository
Repository Explorer
Report Inspector
Outline view
Report Designer
Report editing area
Problems List
Problems view
Elements palette
Designer Palette
Formatting tools
Available via context menu on the element
Property sheet
Properties view
Styles library
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Project Explorer
iReport Output window
Report State summary
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