hwReport API Documentation

🚀 Overview

hwReport.FastReport is a professional OLE/COM wrapper for FastReport, designed for Harbour applications.

• Engine: FastReport OpenSource.
• Runtime: .NET Framework 4.8 (Included in Windows 10/11).
• Features: Zero-dependency runtime (via Costura), JSON data support, and advanced object manipulation.

🛠️ Getting Started

The library supports both 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) architectures.

Option A: Pre-compiled Binaries (Quickest)

1. DLLs: Binaries are located in dist/x86/ and dist/x64/.
2. Register: Run dist/x86/register.bat or dist/x64/register.bat (based on your Harbour architecture) as Administrator.

Option B: Build from Source

1. Requirements: .NET SDK (6.0+ or Framework 4.8 targeting pack).
2. Build & Register: Run build32.bat (x86) or build64.bat (x64) as Administrator. These scripts will:
   • Compile the DLL and copy it to the dist/ folder.
   • Immediately register the COM component in your system.
   • Run build.bat to build and register both architectures at once.

Verification

• Check Status: Run check_com.bat to see which architectures are currently registered.
• Unregister: Run unregister.bat as Administrator.

🚀 Deployment & Runtime Requirements

To run an application that uses hwReport on a client PC, ensure the following:

1. .NET Framework 4.8: Required for COM compatibility. (Standard on Windows 10/11).
2. Register the DLL:
   • The compiled hwReport.dll must be registered on the client machine.
   • Copy the dist/x86/ or dist/x64/ folder to the PC.
   • Run register.bat as Administrator.
   • Note on .tlb: The hwReport.tlb file is used for early-binding and events metadata. It is not strictly required to distribute it, as the register.bat will generate it automatically if it is missing.
3. Bitness Match: Your Harbour application bitness (32 or 64) must match the registered version of the DLL.
4. Standalone: No extra DLLs are needed (FastReport and JSON libs are embedded).

📂 API Reference

File Management

• LoadReport(filePath): Loads a .frx file. Returns .T. if success.
• GetLastError(): Returns the last error message from the C# engine.

Data Injection

• RegisterJsonData(dataName, jsonString): Registers a JSON array or object as a DataSource.
  • If jsonString is an array [{...}], it creates a table dataName where each key is a column.
  • If jsonString is an object {}, it creates a key/value table.
• SetParameter(name, value): Sets a report parameter/variable (Recommended for macros like [VarName]).
• SetCodePage(int codePage): Sets the encoding for incoming strings (Default: 65001 / UTF-8).

Component Manipulation

• SetText(objectName, text): Changes the text of a TextObject.
• SetImage(objectName, path): Changes the image of a PictureObject.
• SetBarcode(objectName, data): Changes the data/text of a Barcode/QR object.
• SetPosition(objectName, left, top, width, height): Moves/Resizes an object. (Units set via SetUnits).
• SetVisible(objectName, bool): Shows or hides an object.
• SetUnits(int unitType): Sets measurement units (0=mm, 1=cm, 2=in, 3=1/100in).
• AddTextObject(band, name, text, left, top, w, h): Creates a text object at runtime.
• AddPictureObject(band, name, path, left, top, w, h): Creates a picture object at runtime.
• AddHyperlinkObject(band, name, text, url, left, top, w, h): Creates a hyperlink object (Blue/Underlined) at runtime.
• SetFont(name, font, size, bold, italic): Sets font properties for a text object.
• SetAlignment(name, horz, vert): Sets text alignment (0=Left, 1=Center, 2=Right).
• SetColor(name, color): Sets background color (Hex or named).
• SetTextColor(name, color): Sets text font color.
• SetHyperlink(name, url): Sets or updates the hyperlink of an object.
• SetUnderline(name, bool): Sets the underline style of an object.

Callbacks & Diagnostics

• RegisterUserFunction(name, parameters, category, description): Registers a Harbour function to be called natively inside the FastReport template ([FunctionName()]).
• SetDiagnostics(bool): Enables or disables internal C# console logging.
• Bitness: Returns the architecture of the current instance (32 or 64).

Execution & Exports

• ShowPreview(): Generates a temporary PDF and opens the system's default PDF viewer.
• ExportToPdf(exportPath, openAfter): Exports to a specific PDF file.
• ExportToHtml(exportPath, openAfter): Exports to a standalone HTML file.
  • openAfter: .T. to open the file immediately, .F. to just save it.

📁 Project Structure (1:1 Mapping)

The library follows a strict 1:1 mapping between Harbour samples and FastReport templates for clarity:

• samples/01_json_invoice.prg ↔️ 01_json_invoice.frx
• samples/02_labels_qr.prg ↔️ 02_labels_qr.frx
• samples/03_silent_export.prg ↔️ 03_silent_export.frx
• samples/04_dynamic_objects.prg ↔️ 04_dynamic_objects.frx
• samples/05_full_showcase.prg ↔️ 05_full_showcase.frx
• samples/06_html_export.prg ↔️ 06_html_export.frx
• samples/07_runtime_creation.prg ↔️ 07_runtime_creation.frx
• samples/08_properties.prg ↔️ 08_properties.frx
• samples/09_callbacks.prg ↔️ 09_callbacks.frx
• samples/10_hyperlinks.prg ↔️ 10_hyperlinks.frx

🎨 Report Design

To create or modify .frx report templates, you can use the FastReport Designer Community Edition. It is a free, stand-alone report designer.

• Download: FastReport Designer Community Edition

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Note

AI Built: This entire project, including the C# binary bridge, complex XML report redesigns, and the Harbour sample gallery, was developed by AI (Antigravity) using Vibe Coding workflows.