Report Designer resetting properties

[Cheryl]

Hello

I am investigating the Telerik Reporting component and am trying to replicate a Crystal report using it.

So I've done most of the report (table and chart) via the report designers. 

My issue is that the report designer can reset some previously set properties which is very frustrating.

For example, i have the report set to show a Count value on the Y axis and a date on the X axis.  I have nearly everything as I want it in terms of fields to show, labels, etc and go into the Chart properties (the one that shows in a different dialog with the different tabs), select a different skin and a bunch of my previously set properties are gone.  So ok, mental note to set the Skin before anything else.

So I get it back to how it was, and then go into the Series Collection... dialog to check a property but I CANCEL out of the dialog and then I've lost the x and y axis value formats (at the least) so my report doesn't work anymore and I have to go in and figure out what has changed.

I've also noticed that the rotate property for the labels does not always work (I had it working but it was reset at some point as per above) and have resorted to setting this particular setting via code.

We're running Q3 2011.

[Joe]

Hi,

Im having the same issue. If I change axis label rotation or plot area margins, they are reset when I deploy or reopen the designer. Im assuming they are not being saved.

Have you recieved a response on the cause of this?

[Joe]

I opened a support ticket and found that you can set the properties programatically. Make sure to set the settings after InitializeComponent().

public ReportMethod()
{
    //
    // Required for telerik Reporting designer support
    //
    InitializeComponent();
    chart1.PlotArea.XAxis.Appearance.LabelAppearance.RotationAngle = -45;
    chart1.PlotArea.Appearance.Dimensions.Margins.Bottom.Value = 30;
    //
    // TODO: Add any constructor code after InitializeComponent call
    //
}

[Peter]

But what's the point of using a designer and seeing the results on the screen, if you then have to turn around and write the design programmatically?  This must be a performance hit.

[Elian]

Hello,

What Joe meant is that the chart skin has higher priority than the rest of the settings and if you set a chart skin it will override the previously set properties. If you want to use a skin and customize some of these properties at the same time you have to do it in code after the InitializeComponent() method. 

Greetings,
Elian
the Telerik team

[Cheryl]

I agree with Peter.  Joe may have found a "solution" to the skins issue but it defeats the purpose.  If you have to set all the properties programatically in order for them to not get reset when viewing dialog windows then what is the point of having the property windows.  As mentioned in my original posting, I had the problem when I went into other dialogs and cancelling out of them, NOT just when I went in to change the skin.
Also, if there is no way to stop the changing of the skin resetting previously set properties then there should be warnings made to the user. 

[Joan]

That's right Cheryl.  I've added a series to a pie chart and the designer shows the default look of the series with the series name as the legend - not at all a useful legend.  I changed the legend to use item values and OK'd the dialog.  The settings I made were not saved at all and nothing I did in the dialogs would save the series in the manner I wanted it, even some sizing and location settings won't save.

At least with the ASPX charts I can just set up all the values in the markup.  It would be good to be able have access to the markup in the reporting charts.

I'm having similar problems with a crosstab, setting the action for expanding a group.