Blank reports when on the web

[Former Member]

Hi, I have seen that this is a current problem of many Crystal Reports users, but searching the forum I didn't find any reply that could solve my problem, so I try posting one more this common problem.

I developed an application in Expression Web and partially with VWD 2005 using reports created with Crystal Reports 2008 full product. I only inserted a CrystalReportSource and a CrystalReportViewer on the web forms and that's it. No programming. I only know how to design reports interactively within CR 2008 using our Access data base, and it works fine. In my development machine all the reports work fine within the application. I then copied the application on our Intranet server 2003, installed the run time CR120_redist_msi.zip (Downloaded when it was still available) and everything runs smoothly. The problem came when I deployed the application on a web site on the Internet. The host provider installed the same run time I sent them. In the beginning I had an error of "report load failed". I checked the database location I was using in my development machine and Intranet server and changed it to reflect the new location on the Internet server. This way the error disappeared, meaning that the reports find successfully the data base, but now it only displays a blank page without any error to inform what the problem could be.

Any suggestion for the host provider?

Thanks

Antonio

[former_member183750 · Accepted solution]

Open the report in the CR designer. GO to the File menu and select "Report Options". Enable "Verify on First refresh" and "Verify Stored Procedures on First refresh". Run this report from your app, see if that change helped.

Ludek

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Ludek,

the option "Verify on first refresh" was already checked, I also checked the option "Verify stored procedures on first refresh", even if I don't use stored procedures.

Anyway I tried but nothing changed.

Thanks

[former_member183750 · Accepted solution]

Run the report in the app, and export to Crystal Reports format. Then open the report in the CR designer. Do you still see all the fields in the design view or are they all stripped out?

You may also want to give a few more details on this: "...Expression Web and partially with VWD 2005..."

Ludek

[former_member183750 · Accepted solution]

So, going by this post, I assume the issue is resolved"

Ludek

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Ludek,

I used initially Expression Web to design the app with few pieces of code here and there. Later I used VWD 2005 to add more code and because it allows to use Crystal Reports controls like CrystalReportSource and CrystalReportViewer. Because I started with Expression Web, all code is embedded in the .aspx files, I don't have code behind files. I created externally the reports with Crystal Reports 2008 and inserted them in web forms using these controls in VWD 2005.

Coming back to the problem, I can't export the report from the app in Internet because I only get a blank page without the report tool bar where I could export the report from. If you want you can have a look at the reports to the following address [http://www.cfp-ugc.org.mz] and chose the menu item "Reports do CFP" wich takes you to the page of reports where you can choose any of them.

Regarding the post you saw, where I replied to the issue "Load report failed", I actually had initially the same problem, solved by changing the data base location information, but after that, the new problem was, and still is, the blank page I get from the report. So I am now sure that the reports have the right path to the data base, so it loads something. Perhaps now it has no permission on some temp directory where it wants to create some temp file (??). The path to the Access data base is also used as a connection string in the application and actually it uses and shows data in the data base, so it is correct.

Things are more difficult for me because I have no access at the web server on the Internet, so I cannot use tools or verify directly on the web computer. As I talready old I deployed the same application to a local web server, but there everything works fine and I don't know how to recreate the problem there. Perhaps I will try to remove some authorization to Network Services or IUSR and see what happens.

Thanks

Antonio

[former_member183750 · Accepted solution]

OK. So what we're not even getting the viewer, never mind a blank report(!). I have no idea how your development works, but I suspect that on the dev computer, you are using the file system (Cassini) as opposed to an actual web server (http). To run this as an actual web site, you will have to run the app though IIS. As you do not have an access to a web serve, I'm not sure how or if this would work. I'll ask others around here to comment. We'll see if they agree with me and if they have any ideas on this...

Ludek

[former_member200290]

Hi Antonio,

So I started looking at the web page provided and when viewing the report I delved into what was happening and the scripts were getting Variable BOBJ undefined. Speaking to a collegue who has seen this error before he had me try to navigate to our images and js files directly on your site using these URLs:

http://www.cfp-ugc.org.mz/aspnet_client/system_web/2_0_50727/crystalreportviewers12/images/buttonl.g...

http://www.cfp-ugc.org.mz/aspnet_client/system_web/2_0_50727/crystalreportviewers12/js/prompts.js

Both get page not found but the first should show the image and the second should ask to download the JS file.

This leads me to believe that though the MSI was installed, our stuff in the ASPNET_CLIENT was probably installed correctly on the default web site (if it exists) but not on the custom website for your application. By default we only install into the website called "Default".

You will either need to create the crystalreportviewers12 virtual directory in your websites aspnet_client\system_web\2_0_50727\ virtual directory, or just copy the whole ASPNET_CLIENT from the default site to your custom website.

In the end of things you should be able to hit one of the URLs above.

Trevor

[Former Member]

Hi,

On my dev machine I use IIS where I have the application in a virtual directory and, of course, I use IIS on our Intranet Server (Windows Server 2003) where I deployed our application in production working normally.

I verified my dev machine finding that in IIS under "Default Web Site" actually does exist a virtual directory named "aspnet_client" with the tree subdirectory "\2_0_50727\crystalreportviewers12\js" (also.....\images), where the files used by Trevor to test the app do exist. What I don't know is if this same virtual directory exists on my Internet host provider under their IIS web server. So I forwarded them the reply posted by Trevor to see if they check it and solve the problem. I still don't understand why, as per Trevor's reply, the aspnet_client directory must be under the application's virtual directory for it to work. In my case it is under the default web site and the reports are working fine.

Thanks everybody

Antonio

[former_member200290]

It doesn't have to be under the application's virtual directory but under the root of the Application's web site.

In many cases the Default website is not used on Production webservers. It is either deleted or disabled. The web application is put under a custom website on that server. The server can have multiple web site and each website has its own virtual directories. If you are application isn't under a website called (DEFAULT) then it will not find the viewers directory in your website's root.

Make sense? Or clear as mud?

[Former Member]

Hi,

clear as water, now, for me. Hope it's the same for my host provider that has to do the changes and eventually we should see the reports!

Thanks

Antonio

[Former Member]

Hi,

after many messages to my host provider asking to implement the solution suggested in this forum, only yesterday I had this answer:

My sincerest of apologies for the delay with getting this resolved.

I recall the server needing a reboot in order to update some Crystal Reports classes.

I will perform the reboot tonight, and make sure that all works properly.

Actually the day after the reports started working.

I don't understand from his message if the problem was because after the installation of the Crystal Report 2008 runtime package they didn't restarted the server or if they actually implemented the solution suggested in this forum and had to restart the server as well.

Anyway the reports are now on line working fine.

Thanks to everybody

Antonio