<< Click to Display Table of Contents >> Navigation:  Programming > TableProducer - Dynamic Tables

Do you need to present the user the result of a database query and also print it? With the WPTools live tables the user can not only browse the result of the query, but also change the appearance and print it. In contrast to "grid" solutions it is also possible to copy part of the created tables and paste them into a word processors, such as MS Word.

 

With the advent of WPTools 8, WPReporter (which is also included in the "Bundle") also includes a powerful table creation tool. The so called Table-Producer takes the data of one ore more datasets and creates a table in the text - with all the fields loaded in. It supports moving the cursor in the attached data set as the user moves within the text and also to write back data and update cells in the text as they are changed outside.

 

Basically TableProducer realizes a data-grid within the document.

 

The tables can be created entirely using code or using a component with band and column sub collection. There is also a data sensitive component which can be attached to data data sources.

 

While we were creating the architecture the question came up wether to use data binding or not. We decided against using data binding because, while it is modern and sound attractive, it puts most of the logic into the description of a form. I.e. binding a database grid to a data source creates getter/setter scripts for each of the columns. Therefore we choose a solution which uses different layers of abstraction for database access which makes it easy to understand, extend and debug. It is also very portable and can also work without a form.

 

Please note this License Restriction:

 

SOFTWARE WHICH USES THE NEW TABLE-PRODUCER LOGIC MAY NOT BE USED IN AN APPLICATION (OR MODULE) DESIGNED TO BE A UNIVERSAL DATA BASE APPLICATION OR REPORTING TOOL. IT MAY HOWEVER BE USED WITH DATA-TABLES WHICH ARE SPECIFIC TO THE PRODUCT, SUCH AS A COMPANY DATABASE ETC.

 

The TableProducer tools are included if you have licensed the Bundle or Premium Edition.