Clever Geek Handbook

What do you use to create and print forms / documents?

I don't want to print a UI screen capture, but a regular form, for example, something you could fill out on a dmv. What do you use to create these forms / documents, how to combine data in them and print / print preview?

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A lot depends on how you created your user interface.

We write Windows applications and use Crystal Reports: http://www.crystalreports.com/ and ActiveReports http://www.datadynamics.com/ Neither is free and both have their own form builder and programming objects (for printing from your UI).

We prefer Crystal over Active mainly because we have years of experience with Crystal.



Filling out forms with data includes:

  • Write the data to some standard data store, usually a database record.
  • Create a form and attach a data store - there are menu items to select database, tables, views, etc.
  • Insert data fields into the form - there are menu items and toolbars to list the fields and just drag and drop the field you want wherever you need it for printing. In the meantime, there is no need to know about it. ”
  • In the program containing your user interface, specify the object that prints the form.
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I used XMLFO for this.



http://www.w3schools.com/xslfo/default.asp

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The full version of Adobe Acrobat allows you to do this with PDF files.

Edit - Added

I know your tags indicate that you are looking for WPF or WinForms to do this, but my answer is based on my philosophy of "the right tools for the job". Acrobat is standard, works well for pinpointing accurate typing, and nearly everyone who surfs the web can use it and figure out how to fill out a form.

If you've never used Acrobat to create fillable forms yourself, there is a learning curve and expense. You will need to balance this to give your users something familiar that just works and has a proven track record.

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I know I already answered once, but this is a completely different answer, so I am posting the second answer rather than modifying the first (again).

Also, I want to preface this by saying that the other answers that other users have provided are also good answers. @Wagr's suggestion to use Crystal Reports is a good option. I'm just thinking of other options, so you have a choice.

Receiving user input can be done in many ways, so these answers focus on printing pleasing results.

For printing: You can also use the Word Mail Merge functionality. You can link the source DB to the Access DB using Linked Tables and create a report in Access. (This learning curve is not too steep.) Name the site Asp.Net and use CSS to make sure it prints nicely (but there are limitations of course)

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