iReport 3.0.0 vs. 3.1.1 features

[meinholz]

Does iReport 3.1.1 contain all the features found in iReport 3.0.0? If not, is there a feature matrix of some kind to compare the functionality of the two?

For example I am looking for a way to view and edit the fields, variables and parameters in iReport 3.1.1. In iReport 3.0.0 there is a button that gives me access to those values.

Thanks,

Lloyd

 

[mdahlman]

Lloyd,

Yes, in principle iReport 3.1 contains all the features of iReport 3.0. There will be exceptions... but hopefully they will all be minor. For example, iReport 3.1.1 does not yet work nicely with JaperBabylon, so you can't localize it easily. But it's planned to add this functionality soon.

In your specific example of editing fields and params, you can still do that. (It would be a big problem if that were impossible.) You were probably surprised like I was to find that you can no longer double-click a field to bring up its properties. In place of those popups, the fields' properties are displayed in the Properties panel. I think you'll find that the new way of doing it is better. In the past you had to close each properties window before moving to something else. Now you can just click on field1 then on field2 and see the properties panel update. But it will take a while to get used to the new version.

 

Perhaps we can start up a section on the iReport wiki discussing changes and missing features.

 

Regards,
Matt
Jaspersoft

[hangman01]

Actually it is possible to move between fields without closing the properties window in version 3.0.0 too. Just move the properties popup to one side and then click on the field desired in the report. That field's properties will then be displayed.

The big differences I have found are:

1) Changing the displayed name of the fields is not as neat as it was. Now you see the data in the filed then the name (key) in parentheses

2) The bar code tool seems to be missing from the pallette.

3) Styles library no longer exsists and you are left with either creating a template with the common styles or adding them to each report you create.

 

I am sure that there might be other differences but these are the main ones I have seen so far in trying out the nb versions.

[mdahlman]

Those are good points.

 

Yes, you can move between "Fields" on the report just by clicking them. The properties sheet updates to show the one(s) you have selected. You cannot move between "Fields" in the Fields hierarchy in the Document structure. Likewise, you need to close each param before opening the next. That's no longer the case in 3.1 This is the change I was describing.

[hangman01]

I rarely need to move between parameters or variables for that matter. I do like the net beans version better once a few of the bugs get worked out. I have had problems with it being very slow to open a report and a few times reports that were displaying correctly in the Designer panel, once saved and reopened have an error. Usually  the error is something to do with the text position in a field. Once you find the offending item in the xml you can correct it and go on.

I have had complete items disappear from the report when reopened then a restart of IReport and they appear. Otherwise I really like the net beans based version.

[meinholz]

Thanks Matt, that got me started. The nb version looks so sparten next to the eclipse version that I was just worried about how complete the nb version is. I did find the parameters and fields that I needed. You're right, it would have been pretty crippled without those features. :)

Thanks also for the other comments, I've used the eclipse based iReport in the past and am starting a new project and would like to use the nb (since it appears to be the future) so I wouldn't have to migrate/re-learn at some point in the future.

 

Lloyd

 

 

[thosp8246]

meinholz
Wrote:

Thanks also for the other comments, I've used the eclipse based iReport in the past and am starting a new project and would like to use the nb (since it appears to be the future) so I wouldn't have to migrate/re-learn at some point in the future.  Lloyd

Lloyd,

Could you enlighten me just a little please...

I just use what I guess is referred to as the classic version of iReport (stand-alone version).  I like it very much - the control over the placement and alignment of objects is just great.

However, you made a reference to the NetBeans version appearing to be the future.  As far as you know, are there plans to migrate from the 'stand-alone' classic version to a NetBeans version.  If so, what that would mean to me???

 

TIA,

Thomas

[meinholz]

Thomas,

 

I don't know what JasperSoft's plans are for iReport, but based on recent releases, it seems that their effort has shifted to 3.1.x.

I would guess you could keep using the classic for a while at least but should eventually shift to 3.1.x (maybe new features will be added to 3.1.x but not classic 3.0.x). Ideally you would just need to get used to the new interface and otherwise the same source files should work in the new version (may be worth a shot just to check and see). I'm just speaking as an outside developer though, not as anyone who knows anything about JasperSofts plans. I haven't found anything like a release plan or feature list on the site.

 

Lloyd

 

[mdahlman]

Lloyd is absolutely correct. iReport based on NetBeans is the way of the future. Let me add a few details to that.

 

iReport 3.0 was based on Swing (not on Eclipse). Customers using iReport 3.0 are still supported. Someday in the future iReport 3.0 will be too old to be supported. (I'm not sure when this date will be, or even if it's set yet.)

 

iReport 3.1 is based on NetBeans. For most users this should be an unimportant detail--like the version of the JVM that is supported. The user simply knows that iReport 3.1 or later works correctly with JasperReports and with JasperServer. It's easy to use and it does what it should...

 

But in practice it's not always true that you can ignore this detail! We were as careful as possible to make sure that all features of iReport 3.0 are still available in 3.1. But certainly many of them are in different places. So old users need to get used to a new interface. Worse, some minor features didn't make it into the 3.1 release. Hopefully nothing very important is missing... but if your favorite little feature is gone that can be a real annoyance. (You'll find some of these on other threads.) Occasionally those little details that aren't supposed to matter really do matter. Having a different JVM usually doesn't matter... but sometimes it makes everything fail.

 

Switching to NetBeans-based development had lots of benefits for our developers. It means we can spend more time focused on adding report features and less time coding architecture pieces. The net result should be a benefit to everyone. But we aren't pretending that it will be100% perfect. We certainly hope that users will continue to post bugs if they find regressions or missing features in 3.1.

 

I know that I'm still getting used to how things are done in iReport 3.1, and I'm sure it's similar for lots of other users. This forum remains an active resource for identifying (and resolving!) problems.

 

Regards,
Matt
Jaspersoft

[C-Box]

Hi,

 

I just read that topic because I wan't to upgrade our project (ERP-System) from JasperReports 2.0.5 to current 3.1.3 version. As we use iReport for designing our printout templates I already wondered some weeks ago if there will be an updated version of the classic iReport too... but I recognized that just the nb-version was updated.

 

So this could be a bigger problem for us as I created a Plugin for the classic iReport that works from version 0.5.3 (as we started with JasperReports) till our latest 2.0.5 ... so this plugin surely won't work with iReport nb, isn't it? The most important thing my plugin has to do, is to load the jrxml from database and open it within iReport and stores the design back to database after changes. (something similiar as the JasperServer-Plugin)  So I need access to the "former" iReport MainFrame. Is this feasible with the new iReport-nb version too? Will the nb-version also kept as Open-Source?

 

What I need for sure is the barcode component, as many of our customers work with it. Now the barbecue util renders the barcode.... If I load an old JRXML with barcode element, I can't compile within the nb-version.

 

So will this feature implemented in the next days/weeks???? (without barcode support we can't upgrade, but I don't want let the gap between 2.0.5 to current version become bigger and bigger)

 

tia for your response  + regards from rainy Germany

C-Box

[C-Box]

Just up to top!

 

Could anyone from Jasper answer the question towards plugin and barbecue component?

tia

C-Box

[frblusso]

hi

i have the same question than Cbox.

As I said in a previous discussion " classic IReport 3.0.0 versus Ireport-nb version", in our company, we deliver Ireport1.3.* inside a plugin eclipse (using the eclipse add-in downloaded in jaspersoft , with Ireport-classical version) and then our developpers open it inside their "rational software architecture" (RSA)  .

will it be possible to integrate IReport-nb version inside a plugin eclipse? Have you planned to deliver an eclipse plugin to run Ireport-nb version?

regards

Françoise

 

[C-Box]

[up]

 

still no answer? Are there any plans at all to integrate barcode support again in iReport nb version (just tried 3.1.4 and could find any barcode component)

 

C-Box