Odd printing behaviour (please help)

[Terri-Lynn]

Good day all:

I've built a web application over a year ago, and it's been working like a charm.  All of a sudden, as in last week, users (including myself now) cannot print multiple copies of a report without either IE crashing, or Adobe; depending on how we choose to view the report.  Literally nothing has been touched with the application, so I'm fearing it's something with the Adobe plus-in, but if that's the case, I'm still lost, and... it's only affecting PDF's that are created using the Telerik Report export function.  Here's what's happening:

A: User runs a report, and then clicks the 'print' icon with the telerik report tool bar, and select 'open' (vs. save).  If they simply want one copy, all's well.  If they choose multiple copies (mostly the case), users get an error that IE is crashing.  It crashes.
B: User runs a report, and then exports the report to a PDF.  Saves it.  Goes through the same process above of printing multiple, and user gets error that Adobe is crashing.  IE stays put in this case.

I'm lost.  Every other PDF not created using the Telerik export function works fine, so that's why I'm assuming it has to be some combo of of the Reporting plug-in... and something else.  Pulling at straws.  Has anyone else every had this happen?

TL

[Steve]

Hello Terri-Lynn,

Thank you for the description of the problem. One thing that does not became clear is what is the "'print icon with the telerik report tool bar", is that the print button of the web report viewer? If that is the case, then clicking this print button triggers the Adobe PDF plug-in which handles the print and opens a Print dialog. It does not prompt you to Open or Save, which is what happens if you export the report (not print it).

We've tried both of the cases which you describe cause either Adobe or IE to crash and have not been able to reproduce such problem. We've used IE 9 and Adobe Reader X v.10.1.2.45.
If the application has not been updated to a more recent version of Telerik Reporting, than clearly something else has changed, causing such problems. Please open our online demos and see if you get the same problem, if so please provide us with exact steps you've taken. We would also need to know:

• version of Internet Explorer
• version of Adobe Reader
• does this happen on a specific OS only?
• what has changed since - did you install an update to IE browser or updated Acrobat Reader?
• did you install any other 3rd party software that has an add-on in IE that might interfere with the PDF plug-in. Try disabling all add-ons you're not using/not aware what they do.
• try this on a Vanilla Windows machine

Regards,
Steve
the Telerik team

[Terri-Lynn]

Hi Steve:

Thanks for the quick reply.  To answer a few of your questions:
- yes, the web report viewer is the print button I'm referencing.  Below is my .aspx page in it's entirety:

<%@ Page Language="VB" MasterPageFile="~/membership/sys.master" AutoEventWireup="false" CodeFile="sublist_Report.aspx.vb" Inherits="membership_sublist_Report" %>

<%@ Register Assembly="Telerik.ReportViewer.WebForms, Version=6.0.12.215, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=xxxxxxxx" Namespace="Telerik.ReportViewer.WebForms" TagPrefix="telerik" %>

<asp:Content ID="Content2" ContentPlaceHolderID="MainContent" Runat="Server">
    <telerik:ReportViewer ID="ReportViewer1" runat="server" Height="600px"
        Report="STSReportsLib.itemsList_aggregate, STSReportsLib, Version=6.0.12.215, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null"
        Width="99%" />
</asp:Content>

Oddly, when I click this print button now, I am prompted to save or open.  I know this isn't the default behavior, and it's part of the oddness.  I was using IE 7.  This morning I tested using FireFox 10.0.2 and Chrome 17.0.963.56 m.  Neither of those prompted me to save or open once I clicked the print button, but it didn't work either.  It timed out.
- We're all using Adobe Acrobat X Pro.
- When I use the demo you referencing, I do get the 'File Download' prompt as well (open/save).
- However, I just asked a co-worker who doesn't have Acrobat X Pro (just a reader), and it worked properly.

Could this be simply the fact that we have writer versions of Adobe?  That wouldn't make much sense?

[IvanY]

Hi Terri-Lynn,

The true printing functionality of the Web Report Viewer and Silverlight Report Viewer depends on the Adobe PDF (or Chrome PDF plug-in for Chrome browser). If Adobe or Chrome PDF plug-in is not detected, clicking the print button would export the report to PDF and depending on the browser would either open it directly or ask you to save the PDF file. The prompt for save/open is due to the fact that your browser does not have an Adobe PDF plug-in or that plug-in is disabled. Therefore probably your colleague has the plug-in installed and enabled in his browser and that is the reason for the print button to work as expected. Please open your add-ons/plug-ins for the browser and make sure the Adobe PDF plug-in is present and enabled.

As for the crashes and timeouts - can you please be more specific what happens, what messages do you receive, etc. Also you have answered only one of the questions from the previous post (browser version). We will appreciate if you provide us the required information and test printing on a Vanilla Windows machine, as this will help us advise you accordingly.

All the best,
IvanY
the Telerik team