Telerik Reporting includes a set of rendering extensions (also referred to as renderers) for exporting reports to different formats. Each
renderer applies set of rules when rendering reports. When exporting a report to file formats such as PDF which uses pagination based on
physical page size, you might need to alter the layout of the report, so the exported report looks and prints correctly after the rules
for the specific rendering extension are applied.
Getting satisfactory results for exported reports is often a continuous and repetative process; you create and preview the report in
Report Designer, export the report to the preferred format, review the exported report, and then make changes to the report back in the Report Designer.
Rendering extensions
Telerik Reporting includes a set of renderers that you can use to export reports to different formats. There are three types of
renderers:
- Data layout: CSV.
- Logical page layout: MHTML and Excel (XLS(X)) formats and report viewer in Interactive view.
- Physical page layout: IMAGE, PDF, RTF, XPS, PPTX, DOCX formats and
report viewer in Print Preview.
The HTML, XAML and IMAGE/EMF rendering extensions are intended for internal use by the respective report viewers.
Rendering Behaviors
Depending on the renderer you select, certain rules are applied when rendering the report. How report items fit together
on a page is determined by the combination of these factors:
- Rendering rules.
- The width and height of report items.
- The size of the report.
- The width and height of the page.
- Renderer-specific support for paging.
For example, reports rendered to HTML and MHTML formats are optimized for a computer screen-based experience where pages can be various
lengths. For more information, see Understanding Rendering Behaviors.
Pagination
Pagination refers to the number of pages within a report and how report items are arranged on these pages. Pagination varies
depending on the used renderer, page break and keep-together options you configure the report to use.
A successfully designed report that
is optimized for the renderer that you plan to use to deliver your report, requires understanding of the rules used to control pagination.
Reports exported by using the data and logical rendering extensions are typically not affected by pagination. When you use a logical
rendering extension such as the HTML rendering extension, you might want to know how the report looks printed and also how well it
renders using a physical page renderer such as PDF. You can use the Preview in the Report Designer and export the report to easily get an idea
how the report looks in the different layouts.
The physical page renderers impact the report layout and physical page size most. To learn more, see Understanding Pagination.
See Also