Understanding XtraReports: A Windows Forms Developer’s Guide

Introduction 🎯

If you’re familiar with Windows Forms development, transitioning to XtraReports will feel remarkably natural. This guide explores how XtraReports leverages familiar Windows Forms concepts while extending them for robust reporting capabilities.

💡 Quick Tip: Think of XtraReports as Windows Forms optimized for paper output instead of screen output!

A Personal Journey ✨

Microsoft released .NET Framework in late 2002. At the time, I was a VB6 developer, relying on Crystal Reports 7 for reporting. By 2003, my team was debating whether to transition to this new thing called .NET. We were concerned about VB6’s longevity—thinking it had just a couple more years left. How wrong we were! Even today, VB6 applications are still running in some places (it’s January 2, 2025, as I write this).

Back in the VB6 era, we used the Crystal Reports COM object to integrate reports. When we finally moved to .NET Framework, we performed some “black magic” to continue using our existing 700 reports across nine countries. The decision to fully embrace .NET was repeatedly delayed due to the sheer volume of reports we had to manage. Our ultimate goal was to unify our reporting and parameter forms within a single development environment.

This led us to explore other technologies. While considering Delphi, we discovered DevExpress. My boss procured our first DevExpress .NET license for Windows Forms, marking the start of my adventure with DevExpress and XtraReports. Initially, transitioning from the standalone Crystal Report Designer to the IDE-based XtraReports Designer was challenging. To better understand how XtraReports worked, I decided to write reports programmatically instead of using the visual designer.

Architectural Similarities 🗽️

XtraReports mirrors many fundamental Windows Forms concepts:

Source	Destination
XtraReport Class	Report Designer Surface
XtraReport Class	Control Container
XtraReport Class	Event System
XtraReport Class	Properties Window
Control Container	Labels & Text
Control Container	Tables & Grids
Control Container	Images & Charts
Report Designer Surface	Control Toolbox
Report Designer Surface	Design Surface
Report Designer Surface	Preview Window

Like how Windows Forms applications start with a Form class, XtraReports begin with an XtraReport base class. Both serve as containers that can:

• Host other controls
• Manage layout
• Handle events
• Support data binding

Visual Designer Experience 🎨

The design experience remains consistent with Windows Forms:

Windows Forms	XtraReports
Form Designer	Report Designer
Toolbox	Report Controls
Properties Window	Properties Grid
Component Tray	Component Tool

Control Ecosystem 🧰

XtraReports provides analogous controls to Windows Forms:

// Windows Forms
public partial class CustomerForm : Form
{
    private Label customerNameLabel;
    private DataGridView orderDetailsGrid;
}

// XtraReports
public partial class CustomerReport : XtraReport
{
    private XRLabel customerNameLabel;
    private XRTable orderDetailsTable;
}
    

Common control mappings:

• Label ➡️ XRLabel
• Panel ➡️ XRPanel
• PictureBox ➡️ XRPictureBox
• DataGridView ➡️ XRTable
• GroupBox ➡️ Band
• UserControl ➡️ Subreport

Data Binding Patterns 📊

The data binding syntax maintains familiarity:

// Windows Forms data binding
customerNameLabel.DataBindings.Add("Text", customerDataSet, "Customers.Name");

// XtraReports data binding
customerNameLabel.ExpressionBindings.Add(
    new ExpressionBinding("Text", "[Name]"));
    

Code Architecture 🗍️

The code-behind model remains consistent:

public partial class CustomerReport : DevExpress.XtraReports.UI.XtraReport
{
    public CustomerReport()
    {
        InitializeComponent(); // Familiar Windows Forms pattern
    }

    private void CustomerReport_BeforePrint(object sender, PrintEventArgs e)
    {
        // Event handling similar to Windows Forms
        // Instead of Form_Load, we have Report_BeforePrint
    }
}
    

Key Differences ⚡

While similarities abound, important differences exist:

1. Output Focus 🖨️
   • Windows Forms: Screen-based interaction
   • XtraReports: Print/export optimization
2. Layout Model 📜
   • Windows Forms: Flexible screen layouts
   • XtraReports: Page-based layouts with bands
3. Control Behavior 🎮
   • Windows Forms: Interactive controls
   • XtraReports: Display-oriented controls
4. Data Processing 🗄️
   • Windows Forms: Real-time data interaction
   • XtraReports: Batch data processing

Some Advices 🌟

1. Design Philosophy

   
   // Think in terms of paper output
   public class InvoiceReport : XtraReport
   {
       protected override void OnBeforePrint(PrintEventArgs e)
       {
           // Calculate page breaks
           // Optimize for printing
       }
   }
               

2. Layout Strategy
   • Use bands for logical grouping
   • Consider paper size constraints
   • Plan for different export formats
3. Data Handling
   • Pre-process data when possible
   • Use calculated fields for complex logic
   • Consider subreports for complex layouts