iReport Ultimate Guide - Nimsoft Library

Getting StartedFigure 2-8Options Window – ViewersTest the configuration by creating a new blank report:1. Select File → New empty report.2. Select where to save it and confirm.3. Click the Preview button on the tool bar.If everything is okay, iReport generates a Jasper file and displays a preview of a blank page. This means you have installed andconfigured iReport correctly.iReport stores report templates as XML files, with extension of .jrxml (JRXML files). Compiled versions of thetemplates are stored as binary files, with the extension .jasper (Jasper files). The latter are used to actually generatethe reports.On Windows and Mac OSX it is not necessary to configure the viewers. If they are not configured, the system default is usedto open the generated files.2.9 Creating a JDBC ConnectionThe most common data source for filling a report is a relational database, so, next, you will see how to set up a JDBCconnection in iReport:1. Click Select Tools → Reports and click the New button in the window with the connections list. A new window willappear for configuration of the new connection (see Figure 2-9).21