Formatting objects processor

[James]

Hi Folks,
I plan to implement some report generation using Formatting objects on the
..NET platform. Does Microsoft have a built in version? .Or What are my
options? are there any free ones which can be used on the .NET platform?
Any help in this regard would be appreciated

Thanks

James

[Oleg Tkachenko]

James wrote:

I plan to implement some report generation using Formatting objects on the
.NET platform. Does Microsoft have a built in version? .Or What are my
options? are there any free ones which can be used on the .NET platform?

Microsoft doesn't have XSL-FO implementation and afaik they don't plan
to do it either. So you options are third-party formatters, e.g. Antenna
XSL Formatter, ibex or apoc. But I'm not aware of any free XSL-FO
formatter for .NET of a reasonable quality.
--
Oleg Tkachenko
XML Insider
http://www.tkachenko.com/blog

[Dino Chiesa [Microsoft]]

If you just want reporting, Crystal Reports has a version bundled with
VS.NET.

There are other reporting options as well.

These only work if XSL-FO is not a requirement.
-D

"Oleg Tkachenko" <oleg@NO!SPAM!PLEASEtkachenko.com> wrote in message
news:%2****************@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...

James wrote:

I plan to implement some report generation using Formatting objects on the .NET platform. Does Microsoft have a built in version? .Or What are my
options? are there any free ones which can be used on the .NET platform?

Microsoft doesn't have XSL-FO implementation and afaik they don't plan
to do it either. So you options are third-party formatters, e.g. Antenna
XSL Formatter, ibex or apoc. But I'm not aware of any free XSL-FO
formatter for .NET of a reasonable quality.
--
Oleg Tkachenko
XML Insider
http://www.tkachenko.com/blog

[Vadim Chekan]

I implemented such a prototype some time ago.

Idea is:
1. install any xsl:fo processor. (I used FOP
http://xml.apache.org/fop/index.html)
1. Create your xsl:fo - formatted file using .net
2. run process "java <bla-bla/fop>" with path to your file and output
file as parameters
3. pick up result from output file.

You really do not need to processor be implemented in .net, do you?

Vadim Chekan.

[Oleg Tkachenko]

Vadim Chekan wrote:

Idea is:
1. install any xsl:fo processor. (I used FOP
http://xml.apache.org/fop/index.html)
1. Create your xsl:fo - formatted file using .net
2. run process "java <bla-bla/fop>" with path to your file and output
file as parameters
3. pick up result from output file.

That's ok ok for toy applications as it's extremely unreliable and
doesn't scale either. If you up to escape to java and FOP, then
reasonable architecture is installing tomcat and run FOP in a servlet or
even tomcat+axis and run FOP as web service. Let alone much better
design and lack of coupling it's also much more effective from
performance point of view and scales well too.
--
Oleg Tkachenko
http://www.tkachenko.com/blog
Multiconn Technologies, Israel

[James]

Hi Guys,
Thanks a lot for all your feedback.Hope Microsoft does something about this

James
"Oleg Tkachenko" <oleg@NO_!SPAM!_PLEASEtkachenko.com> wrote in message
news:%2****************@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...

Vadim Chekan wrote:

Idea is:
1. install any xsl:fo processor. (I used FOP
http://xml.apache.org/fop/index.html)
1. Create your xsl:fo - formatted file using .net
2. run process "java <bla-bla/fop>" with path to your file and output
file as parameters
3. pick up result from output file.

That's ok ok for toy applications as it's extremely unreliable and
doesn't scale either. If you up to escape to java and FOP, then
reasonable architecture is installing tomcat and run FOP in a servlet or
even tomcat+axis and run FOP as web service. Let alone much better
design and lack of coupling it's also much more effective from
performance point of view and scales well too.
--
Oleg Tkachenko
http://www.tkachenko.com/blog
Multiconn Technologies, Israel

[Oleg Tkachenko]

James wrote:

Hope Microsoft does something about this

I wouldn't. Microsoft's answer is Word2003 afaik.
--
Oleg Tkachenko
XML Insider
http://www.tkachenko.com/blog