Access Chart Image (JPG or SVG) of generated BIRT Report from Java Code

Hello All, 
 
I can generate Birt reports with charts from my J2EE Web application. It is working perfectly fine. 
 
I can access the Chart object and Dataset from my Java code. Its source code is given here- <a class='bbc_url' href='http://www.birt-exchange.org/forum/deploying-integrating-birt-report-engine-applications/18407-access-birt-2-5-1-dataset-java-code.html#post59971'>http://www.birt-exchange.org/forum/deploying-integrating-birt-report-engine-applications/18407-access-birt-2-5-1-dataset-java-code.html#post59971</a> 
 
The generated report can be in XLS , DOC, PPT or PDF format. To generate XLS reports with charts I am using Tribix Emitters 2.5.1 for Birt. 
 
However because of that the formatting of data reports like column width and row height in excel is getting changed. So I want to remove Tribix Emitters. 
 
How to access the generated JPG/SVG file of the BIRT CHART in Java code? Once I have access to the generated JPG/SVG file then I can include it the excel report as an image with the help of Apache POI. I have successfully integrated Apache POI with Birt reports. You can find source code here - <a class='bbc_url' href='http://www.birt-exchange.org/forum/deploying-integrating-birt-report-engine-applications/18518-integrating-birt-2-5-1-apache-poi.html#post60512'>http://www.birt-exchange.org/forum/deploying-integrating-birt-report-engine-applications/18518-integrating-birt-2-5-1-apache-poi.html#post60512</a> 
 
I was going thru the source code of Tribix Emitters but was obviously was unable to understand it

. 
 
Assist me to access the Birt chart image. 
 
Any help on this is really really appreciated. 
 
Thanks in advance, 
Kiran

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Comments

JasonW

Kiran,

The chart images are in the images directory. Can you not just use a URL to access them?

Jason

kiranv

Hello Jason, 
 
I didnt exactly understand what you meant by "The chart images are in the images directory. Can you not just use a URL to access them? 
" 
 
I am not explicitly setting any images directory in my web application. 
How to set an image directory and how to access the generated image through URL. Can you kindly let me know what modifications I need to make in my source code. 
 
My working source code to generate a xls or pdf report with data and chart is here-

ByteArrayOutputStream reportOutput = new ByteArrayOutputStream(); 
IReportEngine birtReportEngine = BirtEngine.getBirtEngine(); 
IReportRunnable design = null; 
String reportPath==getContext().getServletContext().getRealPath("/reports")+ "/reportchart.rptdesign"; 
design = birtReportEngine.openReportDesign(reportPath); 
 
IRunAndRenderTask task = birtReportEngine.createRunAndRenderTask(design); 
IRenderOption options = new RenderOption(); 
options.setOutputFormat(outputFormat);//outputFormat="xls","ppt","doc" 
options.setOutputStream(reportOutput); 
Map appContext = task.getAppContext(); 
appContext.put(EngineConstants.APPCONTEXT_CLASSLOADER_KEY, 
GenerateReportActionBean.class.getClassLoader()); 
task.setAppContext(appContext); 
task.setRenderOption(options); 
task.run(); 
task.close();

JasonW

In your code put in something like:

HTMLRenderOption options = new HTMLRenderOption();
options.setOutputFileName("output/desample/ModifiedTopNPercent.html");
options.setOutputFormat("html");
options.setImageDirectory("images");
options.setBaseImageURL("urltoyourapp:);

this should create the images in an images directory of your webapp. This is what the setImageDirectory does. The setBaseImageURL prepends your url to all the image src tags that BIRT generates.

Jason

kiranv

Hello Jason,

Thanks a lot. I have changed the source code and now I can view the JPG in browser. However I want the generated images in a ByteArrayOutputStream[] arrays.

It would be great if you can throw some light on this.

My ultimate goal is to access each image as a ByteArrayOutputStream and then display it in xls using Apache POI. So I just need access to JPG in
ByteArrayOutputStream .

Thanks in advance,
Kiran

JasonW

Cant you just read the url into an InputStream and write it to a ByteArrayOutputStream?

From a google search:

public static void readUrl(URL url) throws IOException {
URLConnection connection = url.openConnection();
InputStream in = connection.getInputStream();
int contentLength = connection.getContentLength();

ByteArrayOutputStream tmpOut;
if (contentLength != -1) {
tmpOut = new ByteArrayOutputStream(contentLength);
} else {
tmpOut = new ByteArrayOutputStream(16384);
}

byte[] buf = new byte[512];
while (true) {
int len = in.read(buf);
if (len == -1) {
break;
}
tmpOut.write(buf, 0, len);
}
in.close();
tmpOut.close();
}

kiranv

Hello Jason,

I was thinking on the similar lines.Thanks a ton for posting the source code. But the method readUrl() accepts a URL as a param. I am still unable to access the URL of the generated images. The options.getBaseImageURL() returns something like - "/Stripes_Birt/images". The URL of the generated image is something like "http://localhost:8080/Stripes_Birt/images/custom8201a712703f363c11.jpg". However I am unable to find out how to access the URL of the generated Images.
If I send the URL as "http://localhost:8080/Stripes_Birt/images/" to the readUrl() method then it obviously throws a java.io.FileNotFoundException.

Please do assist me in retrieving the URL of the generated Images.

Thanks in advance,
Kiran

kiranv

First of all thanks for replying to the thread - <a class='bbc_url' href='http://www.birt-exchange.org/forum/deploying-integrating-birt-report-engine-applications/18540-add-jar-birt-classloader-runtime-through-java-code-birt-2-5-1-a.html#post60633'>http://www.birt-exchange.org/forum/deploying-integrating-birt-report-engine-applications/18540-add-jar-birt-classloader-runtime-through-java-code-birt-2-5-1-a.html#post60633</a> 
 
I didnt chk the thread. (Email notification was not kept by mistake). 
Both the solutions of this thread and the other thread are targeted at achieving the same thing. To read an image from the generated chart and then to use it in excel thru Apache POI. 
 
I have achieved the latter part. 
 
With reference to config.getAppContext().put(EngineConstants.WEBAPP_CLASSPATH_KEY, "C:org.uguess.birt.report.engine.emitter.xls_2.5.1.201001221050.jar"); 
 
it doesnt work for the library org.uguess.birt.report.engine.emitter.xls_2.5.1.201001221050.jar 
 
Somehow to use Tribix the jar has to physically reside in WEB-INFplatformplugins folder and we cannot add it dynamically to the Platform

JasonW

The tribix jar is a plugin and will have to be in the plugins folder.

I do not know of an easy way to retrieve the image name of the generated chart. The only way I know would be to implement an IHTMLImageHandler class which allows you to control what the image is named. To look at an example find:
org.eclipse.birt.report.engine.api.HTMLServerImageHandler;
in the source.

When you set up your HTMLRenderOptions you specificy the image handler like:

options.setImageHandler(new HTMLServerImageHandler());

Jason

kiranv

Hello Jason,

Thanks for your help all through. However I am unable to achieve what I wanted.
Anyways, I have one last question (which might sound to be the most stupid question anyone has asked you on BIRT forum

)

CAN WE HAVE TWO "platform" folders in a web application?? One platform folder will have the Tribix emitters in the plugins folder and one platform folder wont have the tribix emitters. What I am thinking is I will have two BirtEngine classes, one each for the plugins folder.

I know this is a very wrong approach, but I am helpless. To be honest, i am facing the brunt of the management for data excel reports with uneven excel cell width and height. The requirement is such that the web app should develop excel report,both with data and charts. I dont even want to now shift from BIRT since I am extremely happy and satisfied with BIRT (except for no support for excel charts) and i dont have the time now to learn something new.

My source code to instantiate BirtEngine is the usual way- (where platform folder is in WEB-INF )

public static synchronized void initBirtEngine(ServletContext servletContext)
{
if (birtEngine == null) {
IPlatformContext context = new PlatformServletContext(servletContext);
EngineConfig config = new EngineConfig();
HashMap appContext = config.getAppContext();

appContext.put("PARENT_CLASSLOADER", BirtEngine.class.getClassLoader());
config.setEngineHome("");
config.setPlatformContext(context);
config.setResourcePath(BirtEngine.class.getResource("/").getPath());
config.setAppContext(appContext);
try
{
Platform.startup(config);
} catch (BirtException e) {
// logger.error(e.getMessage(), e);
}

IReportEngineFactory factory = (IReportEngineFactory)Platform.createFactoryObject("org.eclipse.birt.report.engine.ReportEngineFactory");

birtEngine = factory.createReportEngine(config);
birtEngine.changeLogLevel(Level.WARNING);
}
}

Thanks as always,
Kiran

kiranv

Hello Jason, 
 
What exactly is the BIRT Spreadsheet Designer for Windows <a class='bbc_url' href='http://www.birt-exchange.org/downloads/spreadsheet-automation/239-birt-spreadsheet-designer-for-windows-release-10-sp1/'>BIRT Spreadsheet Designer for Windows, Release 10 SP1 - Downloads - BIRT Exchange</a> 
Can i achieve the functionality of generating excel reports with data and charts (in .xls format only) through the free version of BIRT Spreadsheet Designer . 
 
Note that as of now company wont invest a single $ in any licensed version

so in the free version itself can i get the same functionality ? 
 
Also if in future you ever get a solution to generate charts in excel then let me know. 
 
Is chart support in excel planned for any future Birt release?

JasonW

Kiran,

Instead of doing two plugins folders why not just change the plugin.xml for the tribix emitter to a different type. Like xlsx?

Jason

kiranv

Hello Jason,

The plugin.xml file is packaged in the "org.uguess.birt.report.engine.emitter.xls_2.5.1.201001221050.jar"

I copy this jar file in the plugins folder.. thats it. If I extract the jar, change the plugin.xml to support xlsx format and repack it and copy in plugins folder then I fear that it might not support Images.

moreover is this the approach which u r suggesting?

Anyways i will try right away. Hope it works.

Thanks ,
Kiran

kiranv

Hello Jason,

I changed the format from "xls" to format="xlsx" in plugin.xml. However now it cannot render chart image in excel.
moreover i am using ms excel 2003.

Kindly tell me on how to use 2 platforms in one web app.

Regards,
Kiran