Re: [gnome-db] Reports/Mergeant

[Rodrigo Moya <rodrigo gnome-db org>]

On Sun, 2004-04-18 at 23:24 +1200, Dru wrote:
> Rodrigo Moya wrote:
> 
> >>  And this could be a part of mergeant and some of my own 
> >>apps. I was thinking of an application where you can either choose a 
> >>list of re-defined reports or open a file which is a report. The 
> >>application will correctly prompt for the arguments for the report and 
> >>generate it in a method that is desierable for the user.  Bonobo could 
> >>also be useful so it can be tied into any of our apps.
> >>Is anyone interested in developing this or colaberating on developing 
> >>this?  (Trying to suggest i dont want to develop this by myself as i got 
> >>a number of other things to work on currently.)
> >>
> >>    
> >>
> >I think the best for this is to provide a widget or viewer (maybe in
> >libgnomedb?) that is easily usable in other apps. Then, mergeant can use
> >it, as well as any other app specific for reporting.
> >
> >As a first step, as talked in another thread, I'd really like to see the
> >current libgda's report API and papyrus be merged in a nice API. This is
> >the first starting point, I think. How difficult do you think that is?
> >
> >  
> >
> 
> 
> Widget would be nice, I see the benfits. Though its harder to impliment.
> I see it as a two step processes.  I did a mock up on paper but its hard
> to show it without a scanner. 
> 
> A report can be either: an sql statement or, a a predefined xml file.
> If the report is a predefined xml file, the file will define a bunch of
> arguments, a description and there data types. Ie a report may require
> you to select a customer, or select a date range, or select a branch.
> 
that is pretty easy to do. We just need to describe the parameters in
the report's XML file, and then the report runner widget can just get
that list and build a UI automatically to ask the user for those
parameters' values.

> When you select a report you wish to run, it would have to redraw the window
> and display the required input variables needed for that xml file, 
> waiting to
> be filled out. It could be accompilished by a couple of dialog boxes 
> instead,
> though its proberly cleaner to do it as one viewing plane.
> 
well, I see the process as:
1) user loads the report into the GUI app
2) user selects 'run report'
3) the user is asked for all arguments
4) the report is run and generated with the entered arguments.

> Once you have filled in the arguments, there are a number of other options
> that could be specified for outputing the report. What type of format is 
> wanted,
> if it is just been printed, or a preview is desired.
> 
can't we use gnome-print's preview as a step before printing? IIRC, once
you have the g-p's preview, printing that is pretty easy. Of course, if
it's the same format for printing and previewing, we just need to ask
the user whether she wants to preview or directly print the generated
report.

> Maybe this could tie in with migreant wher eyou have a sql statement and you
> tell it to output results to a report.
> 
that would be a great addition, yeah!

> In regard to merging, is the current format of my xml adquate?  Is there 
> anyone
> willing to help impliment reports?
> 
> I'd like to start work on this week.
> 
cool! I would say your XML format is ok, given  that it is already
working. So I'd say yes, let's start with your XML format, and then we
can add things as we need them.

cheers