Is it possible to modify Report Builder template ?

Hi

I would like to be able to modify the basic report template offered by Report Builder , so as to be able to include custom fields that I would like to be present in every report (Company name , Logo , Date , etc) to achieve consistency in the presentation of the reports created with Report Builder

In Bob's Blog he explained how to include RDL expressions in Report Builder
http://blogs.msdn.com/bobmeyers/archive/2006/03/26/561147.aspx

What I would like to do is to use that technique (if possible) to modify the original template or templates offered by Report Builder to include my own fields.

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I will appreciate some comments or suggestions about other approaches that can be used to address the issue mentioned in the first paragraph .

Thanks in advance ,

George

Just create a report as a template, with all your controls on it, and copy the rdl to this directory:

RS 2005:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\Common7\IDE\PrivateAssemblies\ProjectItems\ReportProject

It will show up in your add new item window. I named my report templates Portrait.rdl and Landscape.rdl with the margins set in each. plus i added a table and changed the cell padding and fonts.

For 2000, I think the location is in \program files\sql server... But i can't remember where. You could search your PC for *.rdl

Anyway, there is a file called report.rdl; that is the default one from MS. One caveat, you will have to do this on every machine as the template is on your local PC.

|||Hi Steve ,

Thank you for your answer . I am refering to the Report Builder (ad-hoc reporting tool), not the Report Designer of Visual Studio .

Have you managed to do something similar with the Report Builder Tool ?

Regards ,

George|||

My mistake. I have never used the report builder. here are a couple of threads I found, and it doesn't look to promising:

http://forums.microsoft.com/MSDN/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=303097&SiteID=1

and here:

http://forums.microsoft.com/MSDN/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=285749&SiteID=1

|||I see what you mean . Thank you very much for your help

George|||

Hi,

I am truying to acheive the same. Please let me know if you found the solution.

Regards,

Prakash

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Hi
At moment support for templates, styles, and images are not available with report builder. For more information please see: http://www.microsoft.com/sql/technologies/reporting/faq.mspx, http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-gb/library/aa964121.aspx (Understanding the Product Limitations)

The workaround for this is to have a report (just format) that will be served as template. User will required to open this report (template) then after making the required changes they make copy of the same by doing "Save As" instead of "Save"

Please let me know if you need some more information in this regard.

Regards;
Rakesh