How to: View a SQL Server Reporting Services Report in LightSwitch

 

For the latest documentation on Visual Studio 2017, see Visual Studio 2017 Documentation.

LightSwitch doesn’t have built-in reporting capabilities, but you can use SQL Server Reporting Services to create reports and view them from a LightSwitch application. Reports appear in a browser window from which you can print and export them to several file formats.

You can create, deploy, and manage reports for your organization by using SQL Server Reporting Services, and you can extend and customize your reporting functionality by using a variety of programming features. Even if you don’t have a full version of SQL Server, you can still create reports by using Reporting Services in SQL Server Express with Advanced Services, which you can download for free.

To view a report

1. In Solution Explorer, open the shortcut menu for the Client project node, and then choose Add Reference.

2. In the Add Reference dialog box, expand the Assemblies node, choose the Framework node, select the System.Windows.Browser check box, and then choose the OK button.

3. In Solution Explorer, open the shortcut menu for your screen, and then choose Open.

4. In the screen designer, expand the Screen Command Bar node, choose the Add node, and then choose New Button.

5. In the Add Button dialog box, choose the New Method option button, name the button that you're creating, and then choose the OK button.

6. In the screen designer, open the shortcut menu for the new button, and then choose Edit Execute Code.

7. In the Code Editor, add the following Imports or using statements:

   Imports Microsoft.LightSwitch.Threading  
   Imports System.Runtime.InteropServices.Automation  
   

   using Microsoft.LightSwitch.Threading;  
   using System.Runtime.InteropServices.Automation;  
   

8. Add the following code to open the report, replacing the Uri with the URL for your report and replacing ViewReport with the name of your button:

   Private Sub ViewReport_Execute()  
       Dispatchers.Main.BeginInvoke(  
           Sub()  
               ' Provide the URL for the report that you want to view  
               Dim uri As New Uri("https://www.contoso.com/ReportServer/Pages/ReportViewer.aspx?%2fReportName&rs:Command=Render")  
   
               If (AutomationFactory.IsAvailable) Then  
                   ' This is a desktop app, so shell to the default browser  
                   Dim shell = AutomationFactory.CreateObject("Shell.Application")  
                   shell.ShellExecute(uri.ToString)  
   
               ElseIf (Not System.Windows.Application.Current.IsRunningOutOfBrowser) Then  
                   ' This is a web app, so navigate to the page  
                   System.Windows.Browser.HtmlPage.Window.Navigate(uri, "_blank")  
               End If  
           End Sub)  
   End Sub  
   

   private void ViewReport_Execute()  
   {  
   Dispatchers.Main.BeginInvoke(() =>  
   {  
   // Provide the URL for the report that you want to view  
   Uri uri = new Uri("https://www.contoso.com/ReportServer/Pages/ReportViewer.aspx?%2fReportName&rs:Command=Render");  
   
   if ((AutomationFactory.IsAvailable)) {  
   // This is a desktop app, so shell to the default browser  
   dynamic shell = AutomationFactory.CreateObject("Shell.Application");  
   shell.ShellExecute(uri.ToString());  
   
   } else if ((!System.Windows.Application.Current.IsRunningOutOfBrowser)) {  
   // This is a web app, so navigate to the page  
   System.Windows.Browser.HtmlPage.Window.Navigate(uri, "_blank");  
   }  
   });  
   }  
   

   The report appears in a new browser window.

   Tip

   You can construct a URL for a report that includes report parameters, passwords, rendering format, and more. For more information, see URL Access.

See Also

SQL Server Reporting Services
Reporting Services in SQL Server Express with Advanced Services
Reporting and Printing in LightSwitch