Modifying old RPT files

[Former Member]

Hello, I have an old RPT file (ver.8.0) I have to modify.

BTW I have to do just a few changes - take away a column, put some restyling on some other columns.

I have CR on VS2013, I can open the RPT file, easily modify it, but when I save it it gets moved to the new format (14.0) and the old application that embeds the report cannot use it anymore.

I do not have any chance to modify the app. Is there any way to save the modified file in the old original 8.0? Thank you in advance for any help. Flavio R.

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Flavio,

In order to retain original version, you should have crystal reports 8  or 8.5, version 9 onwards there is no back ward compatibility,

If you open report in any version other than original version, it will update report version.

Thanks,

Sastry

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Sastry,

thank you very much for your quick answer!

Then the question becomes where/how can I get the CR 8/8.5 version? I cannot find out the old versions of the product ... do you have any suggestion?

Flavio R.

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

That is the tricky part of all of this. I don't think SAP sells these anymore - after all CR 8.5 has been out of support for over 10 years...

But you can check with SAP sales. Ph: 866-681-3435 or 1-800-677-7271

Worldwide Office Locations | SAP

On occasion you will see someone selling CR 8.5 on Amazon etc., so googling for it may not hurt. But that is is for CR 8.5 options.

One other option would be to see if SAP Sales or someone else can sell you CR XI R2 (v. 11.5.x). Then update the app to use the CR XI R2 runtime, modify the reports in the CR XI R2 designer and voila... reason I mention CR XI R2 is because that is the last version of CR to ship the Report Designer SDK - if that is the SDK your app is using. It may be using older SDKs like Print Engine APIs or OCX in which case you're stuck with CR 8.5.

- Ludek

Senior Support Engineer AGS Product Support, Global Support Center Canada

Follow me on Twitter

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Ludek,

I did a few googling for CR 8.5 but I didn't succeed. I will try again next days (I am working on this issue part-time ...).

To "update the app to use the CR XI R2 Runtime" I have to  relink the exe, am I right? In this case this way is non-feasible for me, I don't have the AcuCobol SDK used to build the app.

Thanks anyway for replying, this is the fastest forum I've ever been using since I got a programmer!

- Flavio

PS - incredible joke: in Italy there are some software houses that today sell products built with tools out of support for over 10 years, (TeamSystem ...) !

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Re. XI R2. You would have to recompile the app and deploy the CR XI R2 runtime. So, like you say - not feasible...

I think the problem today with technology is that it is running faster than we can run.

Just got back from Italy - Rome, Florence and Venice. I think my wife now loves Italy more than me...

Anyhow, good luck acquiring CR 8.5. Sastry mentioned v. 9 should work also, so if that comes up it may be worth taking the chance and updating the reports with that (not the app).

I just did a quick google for CR 8.5 and found this:

http://www.amazon.com/Crystal-Reports-8-5-Developer-Edition/dp/B00005AR2I

- Ludek

[DellSC · Accepted solution]

Crystal v9 will NOT work - there were significant changes to the internal structure of the .rpt file with 9, so it's not backward compatible.

-Dell

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

hi Ludek,

thanks for the link to Amazon, but I cannot use it due to the policy "no sw shipment outside US"!

On the European sites I have found a product to edit CR reports called  ".rpt inspector", downloaded it cannot modify the rpt file because of database not present on my PC; tryed to install on the server, it doesn't run because of an old OCX file that doesn't register in the W2012 system ...

It's a nightmare! Tomorrow I will think something else ...

PS: so you miss the Expo for a few days ...

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Yeah, this will be very, very difficult. Somehow, you will need to get CR 8.5. Maybe get your boss to fly you here, buy the thing from Amazon and take it back with you

- Ludek