An extra blank page when List has a lis with a table inside it - table width dependant

06-06-2010, 7:50 AM
Both in 1.6.1818.8 and current 1.6.1871.8:
I have a report with outer list (groupping) with a list (grouping)  inside it with a table inside inner list.
There is also a second List with another table int it - don't thisnk it is relevant.

Report Print Preview (in Designer) shows an almost blank 1st page page. It looks as if there is a spurious Page break after my first insitial TextBoxes which are at the top of the page) before showing my first table.

This happens when I make the width of 1st grid slightly bigger. Print Preview stops showing the blank page (e.g. table goes on first page) when I make it slighly less wide.
Problem is that the table is still only covering part of the page's width when this starts happening and as a result I cannot fit my columns if I make it so narrow that it starts working.

Hopefully file attached has all info you need - 2 almost identical reports one works correctly and one does not.

I am on Windows 7 64 bit computer. I also using US Letter size in Report while my printer has A4 paper in it but this does not seem to affect th behaiviour of report anyway.
Peter.

Re: An extra blank page when List has a lis with a table inside it - table width dependant

06-08-2010, 2:51 AM
More info:
1)ListPatient is moved to a new page as a whole
2)This only happens when I have somekind of specific number of rows in the 1st table (TablePatient). For example if I have 2 items in the outmost list (ListResponsible) then it only happens for one of them (Arthur Cassino) but not for the other (shorter TablePatient data) instance.

Basically it is trying to keep ListPatient together - but I did not ask for that! So when total height of ListPatient is greater then available on the bottom of the page it moves it to the next page. This sounds like a bug to me as it result in my 1st page having header on it and nothing else.

Please fix this ASAP if possible - it's been driving me crazy since Friday and I can't see any workaround. I am even considering going back to Microsoft Reports :-(

Peter.

Re: An extra blank page when List has a lis with a table inside it - table width dependant

06-08-2010, 6:08 AM
Here is a minimal example of the same problem using your Factbooks XM datasource - attached

If you are using US Letter page size then pages 6 and 8 demonstrate the problem.

What is happenning seems to be the following:

1)Engine calculates Height for internal List (List2)
2)Engine is trying to keep all content of List2 together (I did not ask for it!):
  e.g. Engine compares calculated List2.Height with Height of the free portion of the page
if         List2.Height > Free.Height
AND  List2.Height < PageSize.Height
  THEN <Move List2 to next page - e.g. insert page break>

Note 1:
If you are using page size A4 then only page 6 has the problem. The nature of my reports is such that I have this problem on about 50% of my reports.

Note 2: Remember Clicking "Print Preview" buttom and then use the Page Setup button to choose "LT 8,6 x 11 in"

Note 2:
PS.Never mind strange List groupings -  this is not the point. I needed grid to be variable height to demonstrate the problem.

Note 3 - smaller zip is attched now - original was 5 MB

Thanks Peter.

Re: An extra blank page when List has a lis with a table inside it - table width dependant

06-08-2010, 6:10 AM
Hopefully having my minimal example now should make fixing relatively easy - could I possibly have a fix for current release? I could test it for you too :-)

Re: An extra blank page when List has a lis with a table inside it - table width dependant

06-09-2010, 11:21 PM
Hello,

Thanks for attaching the report files.

I have tested the report files at my end and could not see that the contents of the inner list are keeping together on a page. Using the US Letter Page size as well as A4, the 6th and 8th page are also rendering fine at my end.
Please find attached the rendered PDF document and do let us know if there is any issue in this PDF document.
Amit Pal
GrapeCity- DataDynamics

Re: An extra blank page when List has a lis with a table inside it - table width dependant

06-10-2010, 3:43 AM
Actually pdf attached demostrates the problem exactly where I expected it - e.g. contents of page 7 should be on page 6 (as much of it as fits at the bottom of page 6) and contents of page 9 should be at the bottom of page 8.
I actually attached the erroneous content of page 6 and 7 from your pdf as 2 jpeg files

To reiterate: in my real report contents of page 6 is start of a new report (it is actually an account statement) and contents of page 7 are details on some account entries related to a specific patient. So content of page 6 and page 7 go into the same envelope and are sent to a customer (account holder). What customer is going to see is the header (I typed some dummy welcome message - in reality it will be customer's address and account details) and then 3/4 of a blank page. Actual account transactions will start on second page od the statement.  This is unacceptable. What I want it to be is that transaction details (content of page 7 in the dummy report - e.g. internal List's content) must start right after 'Dear Customer,..' message ALWAYS - e.g. I do not waht internal list to behave as if it has 'Keep Together' ("Keep list on the same page if possible") property set.
So I unchecked "Keep list on the same page if possible" for the internal List - but as you can see pages 6 and 8 are rendered as if I asked for it.

To reiterate again: page 6 should look lke
Rate In 2004: nnnn
Dear Customer - welcome...
asdasdasdasdasdasd
asdasdasdasdasdasdasd

Name                              Currency     2004
American                        Us Dollar      0
Samoa
....<more rows from the table>
<END of page 6>

The same applys to page 8.
Hope this helps.
Thanks Pater.










Hope this helps.

Re: An extra blank page when List has a lis with a table inside it - table width dependant

06-10-2010, 8:52 AM
Peter,

I apologize I could not see the issue earlier even though it existed.

I have been able to re-create this issue at my end and have reported this in our system as bug with Case 146933. Your observations are correct that if the total height of the rendered innermost List becomes greater than the height available on the current page, then it shifts the entire data to the next page.
I have also added your email address to the list of affected users for Case 146933. You will be notified once a build containing a fix for this issue will be released.
Unfortunately, I could not find any workaround for this issue.
Amit Pal
GrapeCity- DataDynamics

Re: An extra blank page when List has a lis with a table inside it - table width dependant

06-11-2010, 7:40 AM
No problem Amit

Is there any chance for a "hotfix" private build - I would imagine fix should not be too difficult having it all readily reproducable.
The report is our main report and we are stuck not being able to release it into production.

Thanks again
Peter.

Re: An extra blank page when List has a lis with a table inside it - table width dependant

06-14-2010, 5:14 AM
Peter,

Case 146933 is entered in our system with the topmost priority however there is currently no ETA associated with this case.
We will definitely update you once a build containing a fix for this issue will be released.
Amit Pal
GrapeCity- DataDynamics

Re: An extra blank page when List has a lis with a table inside it - table HEIGHT dependant

07-27-2010, 10:46 AM
Any news on this bug (case 146933)? Our customers are not happy :-( Thanks!

Re: An extra blank page when List has a lis with a table inside it - table width dependant

07-27-2010, 9:21 PM
Hello,
We are starting the next development iteration this week and since case 146933 has the topmost priority, we will work on the fix soon. Once the fix is completed we will send you the private build to evaluate.
Sergey Abakumoff
GrapeCity

Re: An extra blank page when List has a lis with a table inside it - table HEIGHT dependant

07-28-2010, 4:47 AM
Thanks Sergei

please note that origina thread name here is a misnomer (a mistake I made in the beginning).

The (almost) blank page appearance in report depends on table HEIGHT, not on table width as I though earlier  (see pdf and previous posts by myslef sent by your support). You have a reproduceable case I posted with data provided in an earlier post so it should be easy to fix.
I do need this ASAP - my project leader and customers are all over me.

Re: An extra blank page when List has a lis with a table inside it - table HEIGHT dependant

07-29-2010, 12:57 AM
Hello,
I've started working on the problem, let me express several facts about the layout engine of our product.
List Report Item defines the region that repeats with each row(or each group if the list is grouped) in the data set. So, the list report item output(in the rendered PDF file, printed paper, etc.) is actually the set of the regions that have the same size. The code-name of such a region is "list content". For example, if the height of the list report item at design time is 2 inches and the data set has 10 rows, then the output consists of 10 list contents, each content's height is 2 inches. The layout engine is designed so that the entire list content is always kept on one page if possible. For example open the attached report. The list height is 6 inches, the report page size is 8.5in x 11in. Preview the report(in print preview mode). It generates 5 pages, 1 page per list content. It is the only way to keep all the lists contents together. Now change the report page size to 8.5in x 5in and preview the report again. It's not possible to keep any of the list contents together, so the engine splits them between the pages. Once again - it is by design.
Now let's return to the problem you reported. In the most recent example you sent the table is placed on the list. In the output the table is actually placed on the list content, as I described above. The engine always tries to keep the list content together if possible and we can observe it in the output that was sent by support person:
- the second table instance(starts at page 2) splits between pages 2 and 3 because it's not possible to keep the parent list content on one page.
- the 5th table instance(starts at page 6) is moved to page 7 to keep the list content together.

We can't change the behavior of the list content because it would be the breaking change. But we can help you to re-design the report in order to get the desired output. Maybe you can use Banded List report item instead of the regular List? You might want to send us the output of the actual report with which you faced the problem and the RDLX file of that report and we look for the solution that does not involve the breaking changes or the fixes that take a long time to implement..
Sergey Abakumoff
GrapeCity

Re: An extra blank page when List has a lis with a table inside it - table HEIGHT dependant

07-29-2010, 5:00 AM
 Sergey wrote:

...
We can't change the behavior of the list content because it would be the breaking change.
...


I do not quit agree that this would be a breaking change.
If anything it would be implementing correct behaiviour.
The List does have a Property check box (Right click on a list, General : "Fit List on a single page if possible".
The default is not checked which . 
Yes at the moment this property is ignored.
What I am asking is to implement this property to behave as it should -e.g. List shoud be split if property unchecked even if it fits fully on the next page.

You are saying that "The layout engine is designed so that the entire list content is always kept on one page if possible" - this is not what this propety implies, really.

I mean if check box is unchecked then list should be split even if it fits fully on a blank page (e.g. next page).
This is the documented behaiviour - is it not?

Also AFAIK it is not consistent with MS rdl engine implementation which does support this property - it means that behaiviour changes when reports are converted from MS format.

You suggested:
"You might want to send us the output of the actual report with which you faced the problem and the RDLX file of that report and we look for the solution that does not involve the breaking changes or the fixes that take a long time to implement."

That's fine - could you fix the last report (BugReportExtrafit Togeter.zip) I posted on this thread and give me an idea on how you did it? I can then repeat the approach in my real report. Basically what I am looking for is :
1)contents of  1st list on page 7 should be on page 6 (as much of it as fits at the bottom of page 6) and
2)contents of 1st list on page 9 should be at the bottom of page 8 (again overfowing to start of page 9 as it will  not fit fully on page 9).

If you think of it as a single report which prints a 1000 customer statements of account where topmost List is a single customer statement but each statement has a header info (addresses) and also requires a List after that then it will make it clearer why I need this I hope.
Basically I do not want pages which have addresses and nothing else after that.

Note that this happens if you are using US Letter page size.
To test with US letter size (my printer is A4)  I found it easiest to use "Microsoft XPS Document Writer" as default printer and set paper size to be US Letter for it.

Thanks.












Re: An extra blank page when List has a lis with a table inside it - table HEIGHT dependant

07-29-2010, 6:33 AM
Hello,
KeepTogether property("Fit List on a single page if possible") of List Report Item is implemented according to the RDL specification: "Indicates the entire data region (all repeated sections) should be kept together on one page if possible". It is for the entire list, not for the list content. The behavior of the list content is the same in DDR and MS SSRS.

I'll look for the alternate report design later today or tomorrow.


Sergey Abakumoff
GrapeCity