Apex RnD APEX 5 - Printing
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The document discusses various options for printing reports from Oracle Application Express (APEX), including using APEX's built-in reporting and printing capabilities, third-party plugins like Reports 2 PDF, and standalone reporting tools like Jasper Reports, PL/PDF, Doxxy, and BI Publisher. It provides an overview of each option's features, installation, usage, and suitability for different use cases. The document demonstrates ApexOfficePrint as a full-featured reporting solution that can generate PDFs, Office files, and offer printing as a service using templates created in Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
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Apex RnD APEX 5 - Printing
- 1. Lino Schildenfeld 2nd December 2015 APEX 5 – Printing What are my report printing options? www.apexRnD.co.nz lschilde.blogspot.com @LinoSchilde [email protected]
- 2. Lino Schildenfeld APEX R&D manager for NZ and AU 10 years+ Oracle experience APEX Blogger and enthusiast NZ APEX meetup organizer About me
- 3. Oracle Application Express 5 What are my printing options? apex.oracle.comapex.world
- 4. APEX Print capability and printing options Printing Alternatives Summary
- 5. Reporting Most common requirement for modern applications Can be classified by: Complexity and formats Templates and data handling Data types Modification requirements Delivery methods and scheduling Run in database or externally Will drive your choices…….
- 6. APEX reporting Good reporting support Classic or Interactive reports Images, links, pivoting, computation, highlighting…... Export as PDF, CSV, HTML, Email, XLS, RTF What about complex reports?
- 7. Enable data download Enable data print Generic columns on default templates Need Printing server to work (APEX 5 set to ORDS by default) Use of printing server Let's have a look Classic report
- 8. Custom report queries User defined layouts Need printing server (ORDS, BI Pub, FOP) Ability to run reports using APEX APIs XSL-FO (and RTF templates only with BI Publisher) Shared components - Reports
- 9. ... BEGIN l_document := APEX_UTIL.GET_PRINT_DOCUMENT ( p_report_data => :P1_XML, p_report_layout => :P1_XSL, p_report_layout_type => 'xsl-fo', p_document_format => 'pdf'); l_id := APEX_MAIL.SEND( p_to => :P35_MAIL_TO, p_from => '[email protected]', p_subj => 'sending PDF by using print API', p_body => 'Please review the attachment.', p_body_html => 'Please review the attachment'); APEX_MAIL.ADD_ATTACHMENT ( p_mail_id => l_id, p_attachment => l_document, p_filename => 'mydocument.pdf', p_mime_type => 'application/pdf'); END; APEX API
- 10. Limited choice XSL-FO editor requires a licence (Altova and Stylus Studio) RTF templates with BI Publisher printing server = high costs Layouts are kept in APEX and are application related Editing XSL-FO templates not so intuitive Where next? Challenges
- 11. Option 1. APEX Plugins
- 12. Example “Reports 2 PDF” by Anton Scheffer Completely PL/SQL based Uses report region source to generate PDFs Great replacement if no access to FOP server or ORDS DEMO APEX Plugins
- 13. Supports pagination Easy to setup and run Needed an update to work in APEX 5 Not ideal for more complex data types Can be used for simplest requirements Can be used as development tool on APEX 4.2 APEX Plugins – overview
- 14. APEX Print capability and printing options Printing Alternatives Summary
- 15. Option 2. PL/PDF
- 16. Installation and getting it run is easy Completely PL/SQL based, one of oldest tools around Offers different packages for PDF and Office files Create reports line by line, update existing files or adding new pages Word templates support (NEW) Supports complex data types, PDF encryption and digital signature DEMO PL/PDF
- 17. …. plpdf.Init; /* Begin a new page: page orientation: default (portrait) */ plpdf.NewPage; /* Sets the font and its properties */ plpdf.SetPrintFont(p_family => 'Arial', -- Font family: Arial p_style => null, -- Font style: regular (default) p_size => 12 ); /* Prints a text starting from the specified position. */ plpdf.PrintoutText(p_x => 50, -- X coordinate for the start of the text p_y => 50, -- Y coordinate for the start of the text p_txt => 'Print Text Example' ); /* Returns the generated PDF document. The document is closed and then returned in the OUT parameter. */ plpdf.SendDoc(p_blob => l_blob ); insert into STORE_BLOB (blob_file, created_date, filename) VALUES (l_blob, sysdate, 'PrintText'); commit; end; PL/PDF example
- 18. Most favorite DBA option Can work in all APEX versions Document modification supported Creating a document challenging with large number of lines User guide documentation confusing – lots to learn No external components Maintenance would require a lot of efforts Overall not my favorite PL/PDF – overview
- 20. Based on JRXML report definition Pure PL/SQL solution No JasperServer installation Installation was easy → APEX import (or PL/SQL script) MIT and LGPL Licence Supports only PDF Images, some charts, google maps and document merge DEMO JRXML2PDF by Andreas Weidner
- 21. DECLARE vcName VARCHAR2(200); lParams PK_JRXML2PDF_REPGEN.TPARAMLIST; bl BLOB; BEGIN vcName:='THE_NAME_OF_YOUR_REPORT_IN_JRXML_REPORT_DEFINITIONS'; bl :=PK_JRXML2PDF_REPGEN.FK_RUN(i_vcName=>vcName); PK_JRXML2PDF_REPGEN.PR_SHOW_REPORT(bl); APEX_APPLICATION.STOP_APEX_ENGINE; END; JRXML2PDF example
- 22. Younger brother of JasperReports With no authentication problems Worked with APEX 5 with no problems Love the idea and would not mind using it within its limitations Supports only PDFs Documentation limiting Learning based on demo examples JRXML2PDF – overview
- 23. Option 4. JASPER REPORTS
- 24. Java based solution Reports created in iReport and deployed to server Many internet resources on How To's (Dietmar Aust, Enciva.com, Damien Antipa) Reports are requested using URLs http://localhost:11139/MyReports/servlets/viewer?jr_report_uri=Simple_Blue.jrxml&jss_c ontext=cfb89f9d-8a11-4e12-a18a-6ea70f5c2b9c&jr_async=true All formats and complex data types Public and commercial version DEMO Jasper Reports
- 25. begin xlib_jasperreports.show_report (p_rep_name => :p5_rep_name, p_rep_format => :p5_rep_format, p_data_source => :p5_data_source, p_out_filename => :p5_out_filename, p_rep_locale => :p5_rep_locale, p_rep_encoding => :p5_rep_encoding, p_additional_params => :p5_additional_params); -- stop rendering of the current APEX page apex_application.g_unrecoverable_error := true; end; JasperReport example
- 26. Good documentation Pixel perfect results All needed formats Matrix report support Improved RTF editing Best free option on the market Biggest issue is authentication problems Requires server configuration JasperReports – overview
- 27. Option 5. DOXXY
- 28. Report design using Word templates Supports PDF and Docx file formats within different packages Support for conditional formatting and images (but requires ORDSYS schema (multimedia) of Oracle) Comes with APEX UI for managing reports http://www.iadvise-hosting.be/pls/apexsaas6/f?p=125 Can be used as PL/SQL API only DEMO Doxxy by iAdvise
- 29. … l_bind_variables('P_ORDER_ID').number_value := 1; l_doc := BL$DG4O_INTERFACE.generate_document (p_document => '/My Folder/Orders Document' ,p_document_template_name => 'Orders Template' ,p_bind_variables => l_bind_variables ,p_application_key => '' ,p_user_id => '' ,p_format => 'DOCX'); …. owa_util.http_header_close; wpg_docload.download_file(l_doc); apex_application.stop_apex_engine; END; Doxxy API example
- 30. Good documentation Data and templates are kept separate Limited output formats – PDF and Docx Installation only using APEX application import Complex data types could be a challenge DEMO did not work in Firefox?! - team working on fix Installation in my own schema did not work for me Doxxy – overview
- 31. Option 6. BI Publisher
- 32. Professional reporting tool Supports all output formats Ability to schedule, save and email reports Templates are built using MS Word and BI Publisher extension Used as print server Rendering reports using links, direct PL/SQL and SOAP webservice DEMO All mighty BI Publisher
- 33. Click to add Text
- 34. Good documentation including many white-papers how to integrate it with APEX Easy to design templates Best reporting package Templates are highly sensitive to Word extension versions that can be a huge problem Most expensive option of all BI Publisher – overview
- 36. PL/SQL solution Comes as APEX Plugin and PL/SQL API Supports PDF, HTML and Office formats (.docx, rtf, .xlsx, .ppt) Only solution that offers printing 'as service' Multiple report data sources Templates created using Word, Excel and PowerPoint Multiple template source supported (on server, workspace images or table) ApexOfficePrint by APEX R&D
- 37. AOP as Plugin
- 38. Good documentation Easy to use and pick up Package options to choose from (as service or local server) With automatic template check ability Rendering of reports using APEX plugin or PL/SQL API Support for most data types images, barcodes, charts and formulas Optimized for performance AOP – overview
- 40. ❖ APEX Print capability and printing options ❖ Printing Alternatives ❖ Summary
- 41. Click to add Text
- 43. Click to add Text
Editor's Notes
- #2: (Hi all, I am Lino and today we will explore what is new with APEX 5.0)
- #8: Support for Desktop and Mobile User Interfaces Fully Accessible Customizable dimensions and positioning Dialog pages can branch to full pages (close dialog and standard branch) or to other dialog pages (e.g. wizard) Dialog pages can open other dialogs (stacked dialogs) Create Application and Create Page wizards allow to optionally create form pages as modal, i.e. report and form, list view and form, master-detail open forms as modal dialogs Form pages created with close dialog process – allows same form to be opened from different parents without requiring complex branching Dynamic actions on parent pages created to refresh content after closing of modal dialog form
- #9: Support for Desktop and Mobile User Interfaces Fully Accessible Customizable dimensions and positioning Dialog pages can branch to full pages (close dialog and standard branch) or to other dialog pages (e.g. wizard) Dialog pages can open other dialogs (stacked dialogs) Create Application and Create Page wizards allow to optionally create form pages as modal, i.e. report and form, list view and form, master-detail open forms as modal dialogs Form pages created with close dialog process – allows same form to be opened from different parents without requiring complex branching Dynamic actions on parent pages created to refresh content after closing of modal dialog form
- #40: www.apexofficeprint.com