exporting to Excel using npviewer

[#1]

I am using CR version 8.5. I installed the npviewer manually on user machines without a full Crystal install.  The viewer displays the report, but we cannot export the report to any file type, especially Excel.

My question is how to export using the npviewer. We are distributing machines with Windows 7 and IE 8.0. However, the export button does not work. Whenever the export button is clicked on, the process starts. It asked where to save the file, what format, etc. Whenever the user selects Excel as the file type, the only option is Excel 5.0. The user then names the file and clicks save. CR acts like it is exporting, but whenever it asks the user if they want to open the file after exporting, nothing happens if they click open the file. Also if they go to the folder where the file was supposed to have been saved, there is no file there.

Does anyone know how to fix this? We really need to have this option.

Thanks for any help.  We are planning on upgrading in September as that will be our new fiscal year, but we need this option for the next couple of months until the upgrade has been done.

[Former Member]

What's an np viewer?

Where did it come from?

- Ludek

Follow us on Twitter

Got Enhancement ideas? Try the SAP Idea Place

Share Your Knowledge in SCN Topic Spaces

[Former Member]

The npviewer comes with the Crystal Reports software.  I took that executable file and installed it on a user machine and the user can view Crystal Reports.  However what I found is that you cannot export the report out of the npviewer with just it being installed, hence my question.

[joshua_kuhn]

I believe it used to be called the "Offline Viewer" or the "Crystal Reports Viewer".  It was a free tool that gave non-designer users the ability to view a .rpt file without the CR Designer.  npviewer.exe I think was just the filename.

[Former Member]

I have been working for Crystal / Seagate / Business Objects / SAP for 18 years now. And I'm sorry to say, I have never heard of npviewer in all that time. Closest I can find is a download from Mappware. With a significant amount of trepidation I downloaded the file... it never even installed on my WIN 7. The only free viewer actually available from CR in the 8.5 days was called "Compiled Reports".

Things to remember;

CR 8.5 was created about 10 years before "modern" Operating Systems. I distinctly remember CR 9 having problems exporting to XLS due to OS securities. In CR 9, this was patched, in CR 8.5 not as it was out of support by then. And even if it was patched, as the product is out of support, the patches would not be available anymore in any case. The sort of it; I really do  not think yo will get this working.

Your options:

See post from Ido

See this:

http://scn.sap.com/people/crystalreports.team/blog/2008/08/29/do-you-care-about-compiled-reports

The viewer downloads can be found here:

http://www.businessobjects.com/forms/crystalreports/viewer/

Hope the above helps,

- Ludek

[joshua_kuhn]

I just did a little more searching (more for my own sanity) and there are documents, kbases, etc that reference npviewer.exe around the time of CE8, 8.5 and 9.  I was thinking it was the offline viewer which was more of a standalone client, but in fact it looks like the name of the .exe that would give users the ability to install the ActiveX viewer.  The viewer was usually pushed down from the IIS server but this looks to be a .exe IT administrators could use when their end-users didn't have install rights.  It gave another option for installing the viewer.  I think it stood for netscape plugin activeX viewer, but not 100% sure.

[Former Member]

Yeah - like I said, I've never heard of it. Maybe if you can provide some of the links you mention, I can have a closer look. But expecting 10+ year old software to work on Win 7, Vista, etc., may just be pushing things a bit too far.

- Ludek

[Former Member]

Thanks all for the help.  I have tried the compatibility tab and it still will not export.  I tried exporting and overwriting the file, but still got the same result.  It looks like this is just not going to work and the only option is to wait until we do the upgrade or use another viewer.  I will discuss both with our management to see which way to go.

Again, I appreciate all the help and if anyone has another idea, I am more than willing to try it.