iReport Ultimate Guide

iReport Ultimate Guide
The Properties view (on the right side of the main window) shows the properties of the object that is currently selected in the
Report Inspector view (on the left side of the main window) or in the design area (such as a band or an element). When a new
report is created, the property sheet displays the report properties. You can recall the report properties at any time by selecting
the root node in the Report Inspector (showing the report name) or by clicking any area outside the document in the main
window.
The first property is the report name. It is a logical name, independent of the source file’s name, and is used only by the
JasperReports library (for example, as base name for the temporary Java file produced when a report is compiled).
The page dimensions are probably the report’s most important properties. The unit of measurement used by iReport and
JasperReports is the pixel (which has a resolution of 75 dpi, or dots per inch). Table 4-1 lists some standard page formats and
their dimensions in pixels. These are the common formats; a complete list is available in Wikipedia:
By modifying width and height, it is possible to create a report of whatever size you like. The page orientation option,
Landscape or Portrait, in reality is not meaningful, because the page dimensions are characterized by width and height,
independently of the sheet orientation. However, this property can be used by certain report exporters to decide how to orient
the report in a printer.
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Figure 4-2 A new empty report in main design window
Table 4-1 Size of a Few Common Page Formats
Format
Size in Native Unit of
Measurement
US Letter 8.5 x 11 inches 638 x 825
US Legal 8.5 x 14 inches 638 x 1050
A4 210 × 297 mm 623 x 878
A5 148 × 210 mm 435 x 623
A6 105 × 148 mm 308 x 435
Size in Pixels
(rounded to whole number)