Forget plain ol’ reports. Automated Solutions Group has released SuperReport Pro 2.5 for Mac and Windows systems.
No, it can’t leap over buildings with a single bound. Instead, SuperReport Pro is a reporting tool for the 4th Dimension regional database. And version 2.5 offers over 50 new and enhanced routines, a new developer application programming interface (API), an enhanced user interface, beefed up HTML interface and Web integration, and compatibility with 4D 6.5/6.7.
SuperReport Pro 2.5 provides the ability to leverage your existing reports for distribution on the Web. Reports created for Web distribution can now be output to 4D BLOB variables; enabling you to procedurally access and display reports directly in dynamic Web pages built using 4th Dimension, according to MacTech Magazine. This means you’re no longer required to output the HTML files to disk before they can be integrated into Web applications.
SuperReport Pro is fully integrated into the 4th Dimension development environment, using a full featured Report Editor which can be used by application developers who need to design complex custom reports and end users who need to create ad-hoc reports, according to Victor Siegle, Automated Solutions Group’s president of management software.
Version 2.5’s new developer API enables application developers to customize all aspects of the reporting interface. Developers can create custom forms, which interact with the SuperReport Pro Editor, customize the actions of all SuperReport Pro menus, and interface directly with all report objects — all while reports are being printed.
In addition, SuperReport Pro 2.5 provides the ability to procedurally create and manage report documents without using the SuperReport Pro Editor. Using these new routines, developers can create sophisticated report interfaces to suit the most complex reporting requirements, according to Siegle. Developers can easily create runtime-based reports using any supported SuperReport Pro object, including 4D fields, array, and variables — or a combination thereof, he added.
The SuperReport Pro user interface has been complete redesigned, taking advantage of the internal platform interface objects available in 4D v6 and higher. All interface elements are now consistent with the internal 4th Dimension interface and utilizes modern interface elements, according to Siegle.
What’s more, SuperReport Pro now includes a developer interface that provides 4th Dimension application developers with a suite of routines for procedurally creating and managing reports. Developers have full control over the interface dialogs which are displayed when any SuperReport Pro object is created or modified, as well as the ability to override any of the standard SuperReport Pro menu items.
SuperReport Pro includes new interfaces for creating and working with reports from within web applications. Developers can now create reports using SuperReport Pro, which may be invoked and displayed within dynamic Web applications, using a variety of web features available in 4D 6.5 and 4D 6.7, Siegle said.
A single user license is US $399.95. SuperReport Pro Server costs $695.95 and the SuperReport Pro Server Bundle (which includes the Mac OS and Windows) costs $995.95. Previous SuperReport Pro owners can upgrade (per platform) for $299.95.