Adding Crystal Reports XI/11 to SetupBuilder 5/6

[NewsArchive]

Well here is the way I am doing it and it seems to work ...

1) I downloaded the CR XI SP2 merge modules from BusinessObjects.com
2) Used the above to make an .msi file with VisualStudio 2005
3) Included the above .msi file in SetupBuilder (I havent actually done this
step, but no reason why it shouldnt work)

Just 2 things to take care of

(1) Don't include the Designtime module. You must have a valid
"SetLicenceKeycode" and it must be called in your app.
Havent cleared things up with this "mysterious" keycode, but since I dont
want my users to create new CR reports, it isnt a problem for me.

(2) In the Licence module include your Licence Key.
This is not the Registration number - you can find it through the Licence
Manager in CR.

Now I have included EVERYTHING (Drivers etc) in my .msi and it SEEMs to work
100% with MSSQL Server200, Clarion 9054 Apps AND Klarisofts RDC code.

So before I start shipping to my customers any observations ?

Steven Sitas

[NewsArchive]

Hi Steven,

Did you test this on a "clean" machine?

--
Friedrich Linder
Lindersoft
www.lindersoft.com
+1.954.252.3910

"point. click. ship" - that's SetupBuilder 6
Create Windows Vista ready installations in minutes

[NewsArchive]

BTW, I meant the .msm to .msi part.

Friedrich

[NewsArchive]

Hello Friedrich,
I dont understand your question.
Have you seen a problem converting the .msm(s) to an .msi, with VisualStudio
2005?

Steven Sitas

[NewsArchive]

Hello Steven,

The problem is that the Crystal Report XI .msm do not work with Clarion (see
several threads down in this NG). We had a ticked open with Business
Objects but there is no solution available.

We already have the technology to automatically convert any .msm (including
configurable .msm) into native SetupBuilder .msi runtimes. This SB6
compiler enhancement will be available in a SetupBuilder 6 service pack.
You can even embed the license keycode during the compile.

Just test this on a clean machine. Install your converted runtime .msi on a
clean machine and then try to run your Clarion app.

Friedrich

--
Friedrich Linder
Lindersoft
www.lindersoft.com
+1.954.252.3910

"point. click. ship" - that's SetupBuilder 6
Create Windows Vista ready installations in minutes

[NewsArchive]

Friedrich,
What kind of clarion app are you using to test the install?
Is the Clarion app using the SV template, Klarisofts CC 2.1 or Klarisofts
RDC.


Steven Sitas

[NewsArchive]

Steven,

InnQuest Roommaster was our reference test application (developed with C6).

Crystal Reports with Clarion only works if the full CR XI is installed. A
merge module runtime installation (done with InstallShield, Wise,
VisualStudio or our SetupBuilder 6 merge module converter) never worked with
a Clarion app (in our tests). And it's not caused by the installation
systems. We have compared our SetupBuilder 6 Xi .msi runtime installer with
runtimes compiled with InstallShield 10, 11, 11.5, 12 and Wise (Altiris).
The outcome is always identical. Business Object support was unable to
provide a solution. Full Xi install worked, msm did not.

The Technical Engineer (member of the development team) told us that
"Clarion is not the supported or tested platform for CR XI". The problem is
that XI no longer supports direct API calls to the crpe32.dll. Business
Objects only support the RDC (craxdrt.dll). They also told us that
crpe32.dll is NOT included with the RDC merge modules (but that is wrong).

The merge modules include more than 1,100 files and uncountable registry
settings, file registration actions, etc. XI is a monster and even XI
technical support is unable to solve the problem.

Friedrich

--
Friedrich Linder
Lindersoft
www.lindersoft.com
+1.954.252.3910

"point. click. ship" - that's SetupBuilder 6
Create Windows Vista ready installations in minutes

[NewsArchive]

Friedrich,
So you must ask Robert what kind Crystal code he is using in Roommaster.
If he is using SV or Klarisofts CC code he is out of luck.

But using Klarisofts RDC code it seems to work here :)
Seems like Leonid Chudakov at Klarisoft can probably explain more on this
issue than anyone else in the Clarion Community.

I will double check my code and installation next week and I will keep you
informed.

Steven Sitas

[NewsArchive]

Hi Steven,

Thank you!

If Klarisofts RDC code works then I'll add a note to the SetupBuilder 6.1
documentation. SetupBuilder 6.1 (January/February 2007) will support the
new MSM Runtime compiler to include 3rd party MSM installations into
SetupBuilder installations.

Thanks,
Friedrich

--
Friedrich Linder
Lindersoft
www.lindersoft.com
+1.954.252.3910

"point. click. ship" - that's SetupBuilder 6
Create Windows Vista ready installations in minutes

[NewsArchive]

Hi Steven,

>Friedrich,
>So you must ask Robert what kind Crystal code he is using in Roommaster.
>If he is using SV or Klarisofts CC code he is out of luck.
>
>But using Klarisofts RDC code it seems to work here :)

I think that may be the trick. The problem was that in 9/10 BO
decided to charge a seat price for anyone using the designer in their
apps, so using RDC would mean that you were distributing components
that required buying licences for each install. With Xi, BO saw the
light and allowed distribution of the modules needed to deploy Xi
properly. I.e. your method would not have worked or been legal with
9/10 unless you paid fee to BO. I think some versions prior to 9 also
allowed free distribution of the designer components or at least they
were easier to deploy than the 9/10/xi mess so it wasn't a big deal to
create reports in CR and deploy the print engine with your program.

Best regards,

Arnór Baldvinsson
Icetips Software
San Antonio, Texas, USA
www.icetips.com


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[NewsArchive]

Arnor, we install the Crystal 9 runtime and use the RDC. You only have to
pay the fee if you allow report creation and modification. You can legally
use the RDC to view reports for free.


Eddie Sizemore

[NewsArchive]

Hi Eddie,

>Arnor, we install the Crystal 9 runtime and use the RDC. You only have to
>pay the fee if you allow report creation and modification. You can legally
>use the RDC to view reports for free.

The way I read it after long digging was that if you _distributed the
designer module with your software you had to pay the license. I
certainly may have misunderstood it - it was clear as mud as I
recall<g>

Best regards,

Arnór Baldvinsson
Icetips Software
San Antonio, Texas, USA
www.icetips.com


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[NewsArchive]

I agree that it is not as clear as it should be <g>. I took a look before I
posted last night just to insure I was not mistaken. I think the following
text from crystal allows me to distribute crystal with my app as long as I
only use the free 750 apis and do not allow any report creation. I only
allow viewing, printing, and exporting so I think (hope) I am legal.


Design reports
To create reports using Crystal Reports Developer, a named-user license must
be purchased for each report designer. This license cannot be shared with
others.

Licensing conditions for integrating reporting components into thick-client
applications

Developers can integrate 750+ royalty-free report viewing, printing, and
modification APIs into thick-client applications and deploy or redistribute
these applications at no extra cost.



Eddie Sizemore

[NewsArchive]

Hello Arnor,

I installed CR Dev XI on a Clean machine and I am doing comparisons (files
and registries) between this install and the merge install.
So given time, I think that even CC code will work fine with Clarion and
CRXI.

But I must say that CR support from BusinessObjects is probably the worst
thing I have ever seen.
Either they have lost the original development team (when they bought
Crystal) or I dont no what ...

I will keep you informed.

Steven Sitas

[NewsArchive]

Hi Steven,

>I installed CR Dev XI on a Clean machine and I am doing comparisons (files
>and registries) between this install and the merge install.
>So given time, I think that even CC code will work fine with Clarion and
>CRXI.

Try your install on a machine that Crystal Reports has _never_ been
installed on. Create a restore point before you install, that way you
can go back to pristine condition. I got this working 1 or 2 times,
but failed many more times. Unless you can reliably do this 10 times
without a single install failing, it's not really working IMO.

>But I must say that CR support from BusinessObjects is probably the worst
>thing I have ever seen.
>Either they have lost the original development team (when they bought
>Crystal) or I dont no what ...

CR is such an awful mess. I'm not even sure I was convinced if you
told me it worked 10 times out of 10<bg> I had such long lasting bad
experience with trying to get a deployable install out of it. I don't
know why, but this software was not designed for easy deployment. Who
am I kidding, it wasn't even designed for a difficult deployment!<g>

Best regards,

Arnór Baldvinsson
Icetips Software
San Antonio, Texas, USA
www.icetips.com


Subscribe to information from Icetips.com:
http://www.icetips.com/subscribe.php

[NewsArchive]

Hello,

It was Klarisofts Crystal Report Wrapper.

-Robert

[NewsArchive]

Hello Robert,
I think I can make it work with Crystal Report Wrapper also.
I will send you more information as soon as I complete the testing.

Steven Sitas

[NewsArchive]

Great....in the meantime, I believe I have it working.

I just tell them to load Crystal on all workstations. :)

-Robert