Question Re: Dynamic pick list values missing in web viewer in Technology Q&A

Dynamic pick list values missing in web viewer

Former Member — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 20:11:12 GMT

We have a report that uses a dynamic pick list to allow the user to select values from a list loaded from the database. When I run the report in the designer, I get prompted with a pick list. We run this report in a web UI and on one server we get the list and on another where the list is supposed to be we get a free-form text entry field that allows me to type in anything at all.

There is zero feedback from CR about what, if anything, went wrong. No event log entries, no dialog boxes, nothing. I have absolutely no idea where to even begin looking for a solution.

The non-working server is using the 64 bit runtime engine for .Net 4, 13.0.3.612 and the working one is running 13.0.2.469. I don't see anything in the release notes suggesting that the was anything "fixed" in the newer version that would break dynamic pick lists.

Re: Dynamic pick list values missing in web viewer

Former Member — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 20:21:38 GMT

Hello Colin

Picture being worth a thousand words, could you send a screenshot of what you are seeing?

- Ludek

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Re: Dynamic pick list values missing in web viewer

Former Member — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 20:32:58 GMT

What I expect to see (from the working server):

What I actually see (from the non-working server):

Re: Dynamic pick list values missing in web viewer

Former Member — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 21:01:44 GMT

It's either incorrect version of the viewer or the viewer is not configured correctly.

Use Process Monitor on both the working and non working computer. In the logs look for the crystalreportsviewer13. The non working computer should show you the same "stuff" (path, name, etc.)as the working one.

- Ludek

Re: Dynamic pick list values missing in web viewer

Former Member — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:49:05 GMT

There has been no "configuration" of the viewer. The example I provided was just a test with my local dev installation and one of our staging servers. A better example is we have 2 staging servers both running the same OS and both having had our application and CR runtime installed from the same installer binaries and both have identical versions of the CR runtime. One server is able to properly display the dynamic pick list, the other is not. In both cases all other parts of CR are working, and on the one that cannot display the dynamic pick lists, it gives me a free-form text entry field and if I enter something in there and use the button to send it to the selected values list, it will run the report with the typed values.

Monitoring with procmon results in 1864 entries on the non-working server and 2788 entries on the working server, but they are all registry access. The only other CR entries I've noticed are for CSS files.

Re: Dynamic pick list values missing in web viewer

Former Member — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 21:13:29 GMT

Hello Colin

Re; but they are all registry access

Please have a look at the Help Files for Process Monitor. ProcMon will show you all files as well as reg entries - if used correctly.

- Ludek

Re: Dynamic pick list values missing in web viewer

Former Member — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:29:48 GMT

It turns out that I was missing few events earlier (I cleared the log before launching the report, but I think IIS may have cached the CR runtime). I ran iisreset and started logging, then logged into the site and navigated to the report view. Now I see a few more entries of type QueryDirectory (that mostly result in "no such file") in addition to the thousands of registry access entries when I filter by path contains "crystal" or details contains "crystal." The final 2 QueryDirectory entries succeed, and both (working and non-working) are looking for:

C:\Windows\assembly\GAC_MSIL\CrystalDecisions.Shared\13.0.2000.0__692fbea5521e1304\CrystalDecisions.Shared.dll

Note that I have different versions of crystal installed on both machines, 13.0.3 on the non-working and 13.0.2 on the working. It appears as though the wrong file is being looked for, although it is succeeding in both cases.

Re: Dynamic pick list values missing in web viewer

Former Member — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:12:49 GMT

I have opened a tech support incident with SAP. We've created a reproduction using a RPT file with Excel data sources. I'd attach it here, but that doesn't appear to be possible.

If I host in the Visual Studio web server, I get a pick list filled in with values from the Excel source.
If I host in IIS (64 bit, Network Service account, full control on directory) I get a text box where I can type in values and add them to the parameter value list (i.e. the same as the original complaint).

So, the issue appears to be only when the website is hosted in IIS, and the CR runtime components were installed correctly (or at least the 32 bit ones were). Unfortunately CR is not logging any messages I am aware of that would provide any clues about where or why things are going wrong.

Re: Dynamic pick list values missing in web viewer

Former Member — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 20:59:57 GMT

Colin, are you using any CR viewer events?

Have a look at this post: http://scn.sap.com/thread/3325885

What's the incident ID?

- Ludek

Re: Dynamic pick list values missing in web viewer

Former Member — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:04:49 GMT

No events being used. The incident is 1148125/2013.

This is the entire code in my sample:

    protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        if (!IsPostBack)
        {
            ConfigureCrystalReports();
        }
    }
    private void ConfigureCrystalReports()
    {

        var connectionInfo1 = new ConnectionInfo()
                {
                    DatabaseName = Server.MapPath("~/AccountID.xls")
                };

        var connectionInfo2 = new ConnectionInfo()
                {
                    DatabaseName = Server.MapPath("~/AccountType.xls")
                };

        var reportDoc = new ReportDocument();
        reportDoc.Load(Server.MapPath("~/DynamicPickListFromExcelFile.rpt"));

        SetDBLogonForReport(connectionInfo1, connectionInfo2, reportDoc);
        CrystalReportViewer1.ReportSource = reportDoc;

    }



    private void SetDBLogonForReport(ConnectionInfo connectionInfo1, ConnectionInfo connectionInfo2, ReportDocument reportDocument)
    {
        Tables tables = reportDocument.Database.Tables;
        foreach (CrystalDecisions.CrystalReports.Engine.Table table in tables)
        {
            TableLogOnInfo tableLogonInfo = table.LogOnInfo;

            switch (table.Name)
            {
                case "Sheet1_":
                    tableLogonInfo.ConnectionInfo = connectionInfo2;
                    break;
                case "ID_":
                    tableLogonInfo.ConnectionInfo = connectionInfo1;
                    break;
            }

            table.ApplyLogOnInfo(tableLogonInfo);
        }
    }

Re: Dynamic pick list values missing in web viewer

Former Member — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:05:06 GMT

Colin, please tell Vinit that you are also working on the issue here - just so he knows.

Two things:

1) Process Monitor logs should show you that the app is accessing the folder; crystalreportsviewer13

Do you see that folder being accessed?

2) Both servers are using hte same OS and IIS?

3) I'd like you to "dum" things down a bit:

1) Run the report first and ensure it has "saved data" as this is what we will be working with

2) New app

3) Viewer on a form

4) One line of code: CrystalReportsviewer1.ReportSource = <path to the "saved data report from (1)">

5) Deploy this app to the problem server - default app pool

6) Run

7) Hit the refresh button - this should give you a screen asking if you want to use current of new parameter(s). Choose 'new'. What does this parameter screen look like?

- Ludek

Re: Dynamic pick list values missing in web viewer

Former Member — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 20:31:04 GMT

I previously emailed Vinit a link to this discussion. He has been able to reproduce it apparently. I tried your steps, but I do not get prompted about using current or new parameters. I ran the report in designer and saved it with data.

I will check procmon tomorrow, but IIRC there was access to that folder. The OS is not the same in all cases:

Windows 7/64 bit: not working

Windows 2008 R2: working

Windows 2008 R2: not working

Re: Dynamic pick list values missing in web viewer

Former Member — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:28:03 GMT

Ummm:

Windows 7/64 bit: not working

Windows 2008 R2: working

Windows 2008 R2: not working

Windows 2008 R2, working or not working

- Ludek

Re: Dynamic pick list values missing in web viewer

Former Member — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:31:48 GMT

That's kind of the point. We've got one 2008 R2 server that is working and one that isn't. Both were installed using the same binary installer package which uses a bootstrap to download the same CR runtime version on each installation. Both are reporting the same CR runtime versions. Both are VMs. The only difference is one is hosted in our production environment and one in our test/staging environment.

Re: Dynamic pick list values missing in web viewer

Former Member — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:24:24 GMT

Procmon is not showing anything with "CRYSTALREPORTSVIEWER" in it (using the "Find" action).

I did:

iisreset
start procmon.exe
load the demo page
see the crystal ui prompting me for parameters but no dynamic pick list values
pause procmon and search for "CRYSTALREPORTSVIEWER"

Re: Dynamic pick list values missing in web viewer

laszloszijarto — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:02:31 GMT

I can confirm that I am seeing the very same issue on Windows 7 64-bit.

Re: Dynamic pick list values missing in web viewer

Former Member — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 22:29:55 GMT

Interesting. I asked Vinit for the same app he tested with and created a brand new image; VS2010, no CR. Installed the 32 bit MSI for CRVS. Installed Vinit's app and the parameter came up the same as it did on a development computer.

I have just sent an email to Vinit to share his image with me so I can take a look at possible differences, run a few utilities, etc.

- Ludek

Re: Dynamic pick list values missing in web viewer

Former Member — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:51:39 GMT

"Inside" Visual Studio (i.e. using the 32 bit Cassini web server) it runs fine. Outside, using IIS in a 64 bit app pool it fails. I think it's an issue with the 64 bit code. Two releases ago was 32 bit, and was extensively tested and we did not see any issues. The last release we converted to 64 bit, and the dynamic parameters were probably not tested as extensively (just that they worked, probably on a QA server) and since the problem appears to be somewhat sporadic, we did not notice until recently.

Re: Dynamic pick list values missing in web viewer

Former Member — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:53:09 GMT

Can you post the version of the CR runtime you are using? Also, have you tested on any other servers (e.g. 2008 R2)?

Sort of happy to hear it's not just me. On the other hand, if it was me it would be easier to fix

Thanks.

Re: Dynamic pick list values missing in web viewer

Former Member — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:07:49 GMT

OK. I tested this as a 32 bit app pool, so later today I'll do a 64 bit.

Version of runtime is CRVS SP 5 (I'll post the exact version once I have the image running)

Oh, WIN 2008 only for now.

- Ludek