What's New R2 2023

Support for .NET 8 Latest Preview (Windows only)

Embed Reporting functionality in your .NET 8 applications as Telerik Reporting now supports the new version of the developer platform when targeting Windows deployment. The REST report service that enables all HTML5-based web report viewers, the Native Blazor Report Viewer and the desktop report viewers for WPF & WinForms are all compatible with .NET 8 when targeting Windows deployment. Note that Linux deployment is still not supported.

Introduce Gauge Report Item in Reporting

With R2 2023 we’ve released Gauge report item. It provides a visual representation of data using a gauge or dial-like display, making it easy to convey key metrics or performance indicators at a glance. The Gauge report item allows users to define a range of values, such as a minimum and maximum threshold, and then display the current value within that range. This dynamic and interactive element enables users to quickly assess progress, compare actual values against targets, and identify areas that require attention. With its intuitive design and ability to present complex information in a concise format, the Gauge report item enhances the effectiveness of the reporting tool by delivering impactful and visually appealing insights to users.

PDF Documents in Reporting Now Meet the PDF/A-1a Accessibility Standard

In the realm of reporting tools, PDF documents have evolved to meet the PDF/A-1a accessibility standard, enhancing their accessibility for a wider range of users. This standard ensures that PDF files are designed in a way that promotes accessibility and inclusivity. By conforming to the PDF/A-1a standard, Telerik Reporting now generates PDF documents that are better compatible with assistive technologies such as screen readers. This allows individuals with visual impairments or other disabilities to access and consume the information contained within the PDF reports more effectively. With the adoption of the PDF/A-1a accessibility standard, Telerik Reporting is making significant strides towards ensuring equal access to information for all users, ultimately fostering a more inclusive and accessible reporting environment.

Angular Report Viewer Compatible with Angular 16

The Angular Report Viewer in Telerik Reporting received a compatibility update to support the Ivy rendering engine, which is now mandatory in Angular 16. Effectively, users can seamlessly integrate the Angular Report Viewer into their applications built on Angular 13+, ensuring a smooth and consistent user experience. Note that Angular versions prior to 13.0.0 are not supported.

AccessibleRole Property on Report Item Level for Even Better ARIA Support in Reporting

The ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) support in Telerik Reporting has improved significantly. On the Web, when accessibility is enabled, the rendered report items contain predefined accessibility roles. This way they conform better to the ARIA standard, bringing a better reporting experience for all users, regardless of their abilities. The report author can use the dedicated AccessibleRole property on each report item to customize the assigned accessibility role, bringing even more specific content to the users. The assigned value can be a constant string or be data-bound to the item’s data context.

The Table item rendering on the Web is now rendered as a hierarchy of elements so that the assistive technologies recognize it as table content and present it with better support for screen readers, keyboard navigation, and assistive technologies.

Improved Assembly Resolution in SRD.NET from the Application Configuration File

This release also brings a quality-of-life improvement in assembly resolution which is set up in the application configuration file. This enhancement simplifies the configuration of resolving and loading extensibility assemblies for the Telerik Reporting report generation engine. The developer can now only use the name of the target extensibility assembly instead of its file name. This streamlined approach not only improves the efficiency of assembly resolution but also provides flexibility in managing dependencies and resolving potential conflicts.

The .NET Flavor of the Standalone Report Designer Now Has the SQL Query Builder

Previously, we introduced a .NET build of the comprehensive Standalone Report Designer for authoring reports on a desktop. One important tool that was missing from that tool is the SQL Query Builder enabling mouse-only SQL query writing. We managed to build the necessary dependencies for .NET and introduce this experience for the clients targeting .NET in their applications. The only small limitation is that this version of the Query Builder does not automatically retrieve the relations between the database tables.

End of Support for Silverlight Report Viewer and Its WCF Reporting Service

Telerik Reporting has made the decision to end support for the Silverlight Report Viewer and its associated WCF Reporting Service. This strategic move aligns with the industry-wide shift towards modern web technologies and reflects our commitment to providing cutting-edge reporting solutions. With the discontinuation of support, we encourage users to transition to alternative reporting viewers that leverage newer frameworks such as HTML5, Blazor, etc. This transition ensures compatibility with current browsers and enables users to take advantage of the latest reporting features, performance improvements, and seamless integration capabilities.