What's New in ExpressPrinting System v4
Table Of Contents
PDF Export
With v4, reports can be exported to PDF files. Various export, pagination, security, and document settings can be customized by end-users via a built-in PDF Export Options dialog. 
Print Preview Dialog Style Options
Previously, to specify the Print Preview dialog style, you had to manually add a corresponding unit to the ‘uses’ clause and make sure it was in effect by promoting the unit within the unit list. With this release, you can use a single TdxPSEngineController.PreviewDialogStyle option to select one of the following Print Preview dialog styles:
- Standard (uses standard TToolBar controls).
- Advanced (uses toolbars shipped with the ExpressBars Suite v6, which must be purchased separately).
- Ribbon (uses Ribbon controls shipped with the ExpressBars Suite v6, which must be purchased separately).
Ribbon-Style Print Preview Dialog
If your applications utilize the Ribbon UI, ExpressPrinting System v4 allows you to replicate this look and feel within the Print Preview dialog window.
NOTE: The Ribbon style is available only if the ExpressBars Suite v6 is installed.
Skins and Look and Feel Styles for Built-in Dialogs
All built-in dialogs support skins and look and feel styles. To apply skins or styles, use the TdxSkinController, TcxLookAndFeelController, or TdxPSEngineController component.
NOTE: Skinning is available only if the ExpressSkins Library is installed.
Separate Design- and Runtime Report Link Packages
We now ship runtime packages for report links. Your applications can be built using only these packages to reduce distribution size.
Miscellaneous New Features
- Settings persistance
Settings of printing components and dialog windows can now be stored in .INI files and in the registry.
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Printing of report footnotes similar to report titles.
- Automatic creation of child control report links
Previously, creating a report link for a container control didn't add report link units for its child controls. As a result, these child controls were printed as images. Now, once a container report link is specified, child control report links are automatically added to the ‘uses’ clause, allowing you to improve print results.
- Custom painting of child controls when printing their container
In v4, printing a report for a container control automatically fires the OnCustomDraw~ events of report links created for its child controls.
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Resized images can now be smoothly stretched in a report.
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The number of report page lines can be customized.
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Report cell padding can be changed manually.
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Optional rendering of column and row headers, and a prefilter on each page of a pivot grid report.
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In addtion to a vertical page break, you can horizontally split a report across pages at custom positions.
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The report storage’s default name in the Save File dialog can be overridden via file-based report explorer events.
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TcxLabel controls can now be printed as plain text, ignoring any paint styles and effects.
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Optional sizing of the label height, so that label contents are displayed fully within a report.
- Dialog UI updates
Icons in the Print Preview, Report Designer, Page Setup, and Print dialogs have been updated.
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