I often use DevExpress Reporting in software projects. This library is good enough for faster developing. But in large projects, in which there may be many similar reports, development may be inconvenient. The problem is in Visual Studio Report Designer. Designer from DevExpress is good for developing the several reports, but not convenient for developing the hundred reports with similar template and behaviour.

That's why I created extensions, that makes report development with the DevExpress library easier and more intuitive. Instead of using the Report Designer, developer can generate the reports directly in C# code.

The Similar problems I met in WinForms with GridView control. To solve them, I created project DataViewExtenders. The same solution is used for DevExpress Reporting.

How does it work?

The simplest example demonstrates the main approach:

var report = new DevExpress.XtraReports.UI.XtraReport();

report
 .AddGrid()
   .AddColumn(1D, "Number", nameof(Person.Number))
   .AddColumn(1.5D, "First Name", nameof(Person.FirstName))
   .AddColumn(1.5D, "Last Name", nameof(Person.LastName))
   .AddColumn(1.5D, "Type", nameof(Person.Type))
   .AddColumn(1.5D, "Department", nameof(Person.Department))
   .AddColumn(2.5D, "Manager", nameof(Person.Manager))
   .AddColumnDate(1D, "Started", nameof(Person.EmploymentDate))
   .AddColumnDate(1D, "Finished", nameof(Person.DismissalDate))
   .AddColumnMoney(1.5D, "Salary", nameof(Person.Salary));
   
report
 .AddGroupFooter()
   .AddColumnCount(10.5D)
   .AddColumnMoney(1.5D, nameof(Person.Salary));
   
report.DataSource = new List<Person>() { 
 new Person { Number = "OW-2134", FirstName = "Paul", LastName = "Daker", ... },
 new Person { Number = "OW-2137", FirstName = "Devon", LastName = "Curokasu", ... },
 new Person { Number = "OW-2041", FirstName = "Claris", LastName = "Manole", ... }, 
 new Person { Number = "OW-3261", FirstName = "Mia", LastName = "Coty", ... }
};

The generated report looks like:

Group the data

Add the group into report and change the grid layout is pretty simple. Just add the group by the Department field to the report, remove this column from the grid and align the width of the columns in group footer:

report
  .AddGrid()
    .AddColumn(1D, "Number", nameof(Person.Number))
    .AddColumn(1.5D, "First Name", nameof(Person.FirstName))
    .AddColumn(1.5D, "Last Name", nameof(Person.LastName))
    .AddColumn(1.5D, "Type", nameof(Person.Type))
    .AddColumn(2.5D, "Manager", nameof(Person.Manager))
    .AddColumnDate(1D, "Started", nameof(Person.EmploymentDate))
    .AddColumnDate(1D, "Finished", nameof(Person.DismissalDate))
    .AddColumnMoney(1.5D, "Salary", nameof(Person.Salary));
  
report.AddGroupHeader(nameof(Person.Department), "{0} Department");
  
report
  .AddGroupFooter()
    .AddColumnCount(9.0D, nameof(Person.Number))
    .AddColumnMoney(1.5D, nameof(Person.Salary));
      
report.DataSource = new List<Person>() { 
  new Person { Number = "OW-2134", FirstName = "Paul", LastName = "Daker", ... },
  new Person { Number = "OW-2137", FirstName = "Devon", LastName = "Curokasu", ... },
  new Person { Number = "OW-2041", FirstName = "Claris", LastName = "Manole", ... }, 
  new Person { Number = "OW-3261", FirstName = "Mia", LastName = "Coty", ... }
};

This example generate the following report:

What else is inside?

DevExpress Report Extensions contain features, that allows to create headers and footers, groups and additional calculations for summaries, grids and column headers, page numbering and nested Master-Detail reports. These extensions can be easily expanded with different styles and design templates.

System requirements

Library depends on the DevExpress Reporting. Plese, install the full or trial version before compiling the library.

Support or Contact

Please, read the Wiki pages for detail information. Also, DemoWebApplication contains several usefull examples.

Having questions? Contact me and I will help you sort it out.