The first phase of our Custom Reports project is to release an open code product targeted at VARs with vertical/horizontal market applications that could use custom report features and who have a significant customer base. This phase will also be of interest to in-house developers with significant deployments. There are three general aspects of custom reports that this product addresses:

1. Variations for Standard Reports - Allows the end user to create variations of the report layout of existing reports in the application which can be stored in the database (not in the library) for later use. A popup list of existing variations for a specific report could be presented to the user when that report is desired (and there are many other deployment possibilities).
2. Custom Reports from Templates - Allows the end user to create custom reports based on templates provided by the VAR (like AdHoc reports). These should be "encapsulated" reports with constructor parameters that allow for flexible record selection, specification of tables/files, etc. since the user has no access to any code. These parameters can be exposed for testing purposes in the Custom Report Editor and for actual use at the place in the application where the user would access such reports.
3. Basic Custom Reports - Allows the end user to create new reports from scratch. There are limitations on these reports (only File Class or list-based), but they may be of some use in some applications.

The Custom Report Editor window allows the creation and customization of both foreground and background objects as well as report and section properties (sections can be added and removed as well). It is designed for Omnis Studio 4 and later versions as it uses features introduced in that version (object references, borders and background pictures in the report, etc.)

There are two primary windows in the library. One window is used to manage custom report database records and the other is launched from that to edit a specific custom report. Here are some shots of the Custom Report Editor window, which can of course be modified by the developer. The first shows the pane exposed when no objects in the report are selected. This is the Report Properties view:

The second shows the pane exposed when one or more report objects (background and/or foreground) are selected. This is the Field Properties view:

If more than one object is selected, only those properties shared in common among the selected objects are enabled.

The third shot shows the pane exposed when a section is selected (including a Positioning section). As you can see below, the full set of section properties (including section margins, borders, background color, etc.) is included. This is the Section Properties view:

I understand that this extensive list of features may be overkill for any one VAR's specific needs at the moment, but the feature set can always be cut back by the developer since the product is open code. On the other hand, I suspect there are features here that many Omnis Studio developers might not have thought possible that could be immediately useful to them. I'm shooting for as broad an audience as I can find among the very narrow market of Omnis Studio (version 4) VARs. I intend to follow this product with a less expensive locked version that works as an add-on library for smaller customers who don't need the same level of customization of the interface. With the AdHoc Reports feature of Omnis no longer being updated, I'm hoping the locked version will also find some demand.

The initial version of this product ships with two libraries: one that uses the native Omnis database for storing and retrieving custom report records and the other for use with SQL databases. The only difference between the two is in the Object class that manages data storage and retrieval of the custom report records, so there was no reason to make them separate products. The feature you are paying for is the Custom Report Editor window and that is the same in each library.

After consultation with a number of developers and interested parties, I have decided to price the open code version at US$2,500.00 with unlimited deployment rights when embedded in locked applications for non-Omnis-developer end users. I am specifically restricting it from being used in "framework", "open source" or "training" products or other open code products targeted at Omnis Studio developers.

While this product is easy to merge with existing applications, some developers may not immediately sort out the best way for their specific product. I am also available for assistance in embedding the components of this product within yours at roughly half my normal "good guys" hourly rate. The normal rate is US$175.00 per hour, the Custom Reports Customer rate (for work specifically on implementing this product in yours) is US$90.00 per hour.

I'm working on a series of training/marketing videos on this to better explain how this product could be used, but I am also available by phone in the near term (at least, when I am not giving classes or speaking at conferences somewhere).