Because we thought it would be great if we could generate Word and Excel documents straight from model-driven data, we made it happen.

This article explains how to do it.

Create a Word template:

You can have grids in grids to create structure:

Save this as an open document file (odt). Save it to a place where you can access it from a URL (maybe you use SharePoint, or just stick it on some website).

Now you need data. Declare a ViewModel in Modlr:

(By now, you know that a ViewModel transforms your model for a specific need – in this case, the OpenDocument Report.)

Create two extra ViewModelColumns in your ViewModel - TemplateUrl and ReportFileName:

Make the TemplateUrl column return the URL to where your template from above can be found – maybe in some SharePoint instances, as in this example.

Make the ReportFileName column return what the file should be called when produced.

And you are done.

Execute the report by using the new EAL operator:

vSomePumpRev.opendocumentreportshow(‘PumpRevDeepReport’) – this will call the OnOpenDocument event on the new IOpenDocumentService. This happens when each UI platform has its own way of showing things to a user.

namespace Eco.Services
 {
  // Summary:
  //     OpenDocumentService , ViewModel needs root level column describing url to
  //     template. Column must be namned "TemplateUrl" and be a valid url to a open
  //     document template
  public interface IOpenDocumentService
  {
    event EventHandler<OpenDocumentArgs> OnOpenDocument;
    byte[] AsByteArray(IObject vmroot, string viewModelName, out string reportname);
    void ExecuteOnOpenDocument(IObject vmroot, string viewModelName, byte[] openDocumentData, string reportname);
  }
 }

In WECPOF for WPF, we do this:

      File.WriteAllBytes(suggestedfilename, openDocumentData);
        System.Diagnostics.ProcessStartInfo sInfo = new System.Diagnostics.ProcessStartInfo(suggestedfilename);
        System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(sInfo);

In ASP.NET, you would do something else.

If you do not want to open the file – generate the data within – then use the new EAL operator vSomePumpRev.opendocumentreportasblob(‘PumpRevDeepReport’)

A Brief Recap (A Bit Hasty and Vague)

So you might think I just skimmed over stuff – like: how do you get a hold of the placeholder tags that are replaced with data?

Do this by entering the tag %meta% in your template. We will always look for this tag – and when found, we will add all valid tags in their places.

How do you create a hierarchical structure in the report? Find it like this in the data:

And like this in the template:

The tag %%+Name% acts as a row builder. The following tag %OtherName% is the data in the child. In the Example: %%+ComponentSpecificationRevs% – I stick this as the first thing in a table row and the row will be duplicated for each child. Then the %RevisionNumber% is filled in in the cell.

The reporting mechanism also works for Excel. An example of an Excel result report:

Update 2014-03-06. Qualifications

When working with reports, we sometimes do not know in design time what needs the report will have at runtime. To handle this situation, the template tagging has been extended to allow for qualifications. Let me explain. The smallest possible report sample:

We want to allow for picking the correct Class2 in runtime time while working on the template.

If we have this Excel template:

We get this data out:

The qualification extension is that we can now have Template tags like this:

%Class2[Name=Hello1]Name%

What this means is that we are navigating to ViewModel column Class2 – but this is a list – and filter the result on the ViewModel column Name of ViewModelClass Class2. Taking the one with value “Hello1” – for that Class2 we use the Name column… Example:

will give you:

(Notice that we have different external ids in the two last columns – the first from a Class2 with Name==Hello1, the other from one with Name==Hello2)

This is useful when you have data in name-value pair patterns.

Update 2014-04-04 -- Images in Word reports

This is how you can do it.

Add some placeholder images in the template:

On the Image “Format Picture” – Alt Text property – enter the Tag that holds the image blob in your ViewModel:

Later, in Office(Word), it will look like this:

Now, the image will be replaced with your data. Also, new today is the fact that the Aspect ratio of your data is kept in the final Word (odt) report:

The MDriven Book - See: Prototyping