Error with Crystal 2008 Exporting MS Excel using ReportExportFormat.MSExcel

Question

Hi
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I am using the sample code that comes with the Eclipse plug-in. I have modified it slightly to also write to different formats and then display in the viewer. I am able to write to all formats except to the MSExcel (MSExcel data only works without issue)
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I am using the following code (this is just proof of concept code)</br>
                //jtds connection and database logon setup already</br>
                //report parameters etc setup already</br>
                try</br>
                {</br>
                     String file_name = reportClientDocument.displayName() + System.currentTimeMillis();</br>
                      file_name = file_name + ".xls";</br>
                      String location = "c:
temp
";</br>
                      FileOutputStream fos = new FileOutputStream(location + file_name);</br>
                      </br>
                      ByteArrayInputStream byteArrayInputStream;</br>
</br>
                      byteArrayInputStream = (ByteArrayInputStream) reportClientDocument</br>
                              .getPrintOutputController().export(ReportExportFormat.MSExcel);</br>
</br>
                      byte[] byteArray = new byte[1024];</br>
                      int bytesRead;</br>
                      while((bytesRead = byteArrayInputStream.read(byteArray)) != -1) </br>
                      {</br>
                           fos.write(byteArray, 0, bytesRead);     </br>
                      }</br>
</br>
                      fos.flush();</br>
                      fos.close();</br>
                      setReportSource ();</br>
                }</br>
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Console/Error Output:
Crystal Reports Viewer 12.0.0.0
java.vendor = Sun Microsystems Inc.
java.version = 1.5.0
os.name = Windows XP
os.version = 5.1
os.arch = x86
log4j:WARN No appenders could be found for logger (com.crystaldecisions.reports.formatter.formatter.lightmodel.cellmodel.FCMCellModel).
log4j:WARN Please initialize the log4j system properly.
com.crystaldecisions.sdk.occa.report.lib.ReportSDKException: IllegalArgumentExceptionWithMessage---- Error code:-2147467259 Error code name:failed
     at com.crystaldecisions.sdk.occa.report.application.PrintOutputController.if(SourceFile:237)
     at com.crystaldecisions.sdk.occa.report.application.PrintOutputController.export(SourceFile:147)
     at com.crystaldecisions.sdk.occa.report.application.PrintOutputController.export(SourceFile:128)
     at com.crystaldecisions.sdk.occa.report.application.PrintOutputController.export(SourceFile:111)
     at com.businessobjects.samples.SampleViewerFrame.showReport(SampleViewerFrame.java:145)
     at com.businessobjects.samples.SampleViewerFrame.showViewer(SampleViewerFrame.java:98)
     at com.businessobjects.samples.SampleViewerFrameClient.main(SampleViewerFrameClient.java:17)
Caused by: com.crystaldecisions.reports.common.GeneralException: IllegalArgumentExceptionWithMessage
     at com.crystaldecisions.reports.exporters.excel.libs.escher.p.<init>(SourceFile:149)
     at com.crystaldecisions.reports.exporters.excel.libs.escher.BlipChecksumGenerator.a(SourceFile:47)
     at com.crystaldecisions.reports.exporters.excel.libs.escher.ad.a(SourceFile:93)
     at com.crystaldecisions.reports.exporters.excel.libs.escher.af.a(SourceFile:186)
     at com.crystaldecisions.reports.exporters.excel.libs.escher.EscherDocumentForExcel.a(SourceFile:119)
     at com.crystaldecisions.reports.exporters.excel.libs.escher.EscherDrawingSheetForExcel.a(SourceFile:283)
     at com.crystaldecisions.reports.exporters.excel.libs.biff.xlsDOM.ExcelWorksheet.a(SourceFile:251)
     at com.crystaldecisions.reports.exporters.excel.formatter.cm.ExcelCMGraphicsObjectFormatter.a(SourceFile:167)
     at com.crystaldecisions.reports.exporters.excel.formatter.Excel97ExportFormatter.a(SourceFile:193)
     at com.crystaldecisions.reports.exporters.excel.formatter.Excel97ExportFormatter.a(SourceFile:169)
     at com.crystaldecisions.reports.exporters.excel.formatter.Excel97ExportFormatter.a(SourceFile:110)
     at com.crystaldecisions.reports.exporters.excel.Excel97Exporter.processFormattedContent(SourceFile:213)
     at com.crystaldecisions.reports.formatter.export2.a.a(SourceFile:104)
     at com.crystaldecisions.reports.formatter.export2.a.a(SourceFile:247)
     at com.crystaldecisions.reports.formatter.export2.ExportSupervisorEx.if(SourceFile:642)
     at com.crystaldecisions.reports.formatter.export2.ExportSupervisorEx.a(SourceFile:586)
     at com.businessobjects.reports.sdk.requesthandler.ReportViewingRequestHandler.a(SourceFile:636)
     at com.businessobjects.reports.sdk.requesthandler.ReportViewingRequestHandler.int(SourceFile:672)
     at com.businessobjects.reports.sdk.JRCCommunicationAdapter.do(SourceFile:1944)
     at com.businessobjects.reports.sdk.JRCCommunicationAdapter.if(SourceFile:661)
     at com.businessobjects.reports.sdk.JRCCommunicationAdapter.a(SourceFile:167)
     at com.businessobjects.reports.sdk.JRCCommunicationAdapter$2.a(SourceFile:529)
     at com.businessobjects.reports.sdk.JRCCommunicationAdapter$2.call(SourceFile:527)
     at com.crystaldecisions.reports.common.ThreadGuard.syncExecute(SourceFile:102)
     at com.businessobjects.reports.sdk.JRCCommunicationAdapter.for(SourceFile:525)
     at com.businessobjects.reports.sdk.JRCCommunicationAdapter.int(SourceFile:424)
     at com.businessobjects.reports.sdk.JRCCommunicationAdapter.request(SourceFile:352)
     at com.businessobjects.sdk.erom.jrc.a.a(SourceFile:54)
     at com.businessobjects.sdk.erom.jrc.a.execute(SourceFile:67)
     at com.crystaldecisions.proxy.remoteagent.RemoteAgent$a.execute(SourceFile:716)
     at com.crystaldecisions.proxy.remoteagent.CommunicationChannel.a(SourceFile:125)
     at com.crystaldecisions.proxy.remoteagent.RemoteAgent.a(SourceFile:537)
     at com.crystaldecisions.sdk.occa.report.application.ds.a(SourceFile:186)
     at com.crystaldecisions.sdk.occa.report.application.ReportSource.a(SourceFile:1558)
     at com.crystaldecisions.sdk.occa.report.application.ReportSource.a(SourceFile:337)
     at com.crystaldecisions.sdk.occa.report.application.PrintOutputController.if(SourceFile:223)
     ... 6 more
Any help will be greatly appreciated, this seems as if its a bug though.
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Edited by: Kabir Bray on Nov 2, 2010 4:26 PM

Answer 1

I know this has been marked as answered, but I would just like to mention when designing reports for Excel output, the key thing
to remember is the design and layout of your report. You have to work on a strict grid layout concept, and make sure all items are
lined up 100% else columns or rows are inserted in strange places, making the output look very ugly. But if you can line everything
up nicely then I believe any report that can be displayed in Excel.
Keeping in mind that if the report is to be output as Excel the whole design and logic must be geared for this, so page headers
and footers are no longer relevant, in fact the whole "page" concept must be ignored when working with Excel as there are
no pages in a spreadsheet application like Excel.
That all being said, I dont know what your reports are about and am not saying they are not too complex for Excel,
just wanted to make a note so that people dont think Excel output using CR4E is a bad option.