freeform support

samurixhe
edited February 11, 2022 in Analytics #1
Hello everyone, i'm not really new to birt but it's my first time requiring the freeform element. The reports i'm looking to create must mirror a provided rtf file in terms of element positioning and formatting. I tried the freeform element since it allows (x,y) positioning of elements, However i got an Element Not Supported exception. Could anyone please tell me birt version to use or an alternate component. I would be most greatfull for a quick response. Thank you.

Comments

  • Virgil Dodson
    Virgil Dodson E admin
    edited December 31, 1969 #2
    Hi samurixhe,

    I have not seen this free-form control in any BIRT version so far. Have you tried using the fixed-layout property? Select the report, then Properties | General and change the default layout from Auto Layout to Fixed Layout. Now you can position grids, tables, etc in exact widths and heights without the automatic expanding that BIRT will do for web layout.
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format ipb
  • samurixhe
    edited December 31, 1969 #3
    Thanks for the speedy reply Virgil. As soon as i get into work i'll try it and tell you if it works
  • samurixhe
    edited December 31, 1969 #4
    I was hoping for something that allowed exact vertical positioning as the system is to be used in a medical field so all positioning must be preserved as it is in the rtf. In my application i read all blank spaces but tab positioning would be an issue.
  • samurixhe
    edited December 31, 1969 #5
    I tried your suggestion Virgil but it's not doing anything

    i set the layout to Fixed
    i set the width of a text element and i set it to html
    and used the following javascript as a test:

    <script>
    document.getElementById('TestTable').style.position = "absolute";
    document.getElementById('TestTable').style.top = 60;
    document.getElementById('TestTable').style.left = 0;
    </script>


    but the element is still in the top left corner.
    Am i doing it right?
  • Virgil Dodson
    Virgil Dodson E admin
    edited December 31, 1969 #6
    A couple of things confuse me here. What I was suggesting was to use grids within a report design that have fixed widths and heights. If you set the report to use a fixed layout then these widths and heights would be respected without automatically resizing.

    It looks like you are setting the width of a text control... and then trying to set the position of a table using client side javascript. If you want to set all your positioning using client side javascript, then have a look at this silly example enclosed (BIRT 2.3.0) that scrambles the table elements on the client. You should understand that this approach only works for HTML output whereas using grids with fixed layout will work for all outputs.
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format ipb
  • samurixhe
    edited December 31, 1969 #7
    Thanks again vdodson, i must apologize. I'm positioning a series of text elements with exact positioning to represent the structure of the rtf file. Our team leader says tables and other fixed column structures are a big no no everything has to be free form. I've actually discovered that by going around birt and using itext api directly i'm able to get the structure i need. So thanks again for all your help!!!