Design a report once and deliver it as an accessible PDF, an Excel file, a CSV or PNG pages. Build it in code with a fluent chain or load a JSON definition at run time, with groups, subtotals, master detail and barcodes. The engine needs no window and no external DLL, so it runs in services and Linux64 daemons.
Eleven features, each with the real API and the help topic behind it.
Describe a report in code or in JSON, with real bands, groups and expressions.
Design the report
Report designers are great until the layout has to live in version control, be reviewed in a pull request or be generated from your own metadata. TsgcReportBuilder describes styles, pages, bands and items as one fluent chain, so a report is plain code that compiles, diffs and refactors with the rest of your project. The same chain prepares the report and saves it to every output format. Reports built this way can be generated in a loop, shared as functions and covered by unit tests like any other code.
Style, Page, GroupHeader, MasterData, GroupFooter and PageFooter read like the layoutSaveToPDF, SaveToXLSX, SaveToCSV and SaveToPNG straight from the builderSaveToPDFStream for web responsesTsgcReport model you can still adjust in codeRightToLeft on the report and BiDiMode on bands and items mirror the layout, with shaped Arabic and Hebrew text in the PDF, XLSX and HTML outputs
Design the report
Business reports are rarely a flat list: sales by region, invoices by customer, stock by warehouse. sgcReports has a real banded layout with report title, page header, group header, data, group footer, page footer and summary bands. A group breaks when its expression changes, prints its own totals and can start a new page or repeat its header on every page, so long reports stay readable. Subreports let one page include the layout of another, for summaries and appendices.
GroupExpression on a group header band, nested groups for two or more levelsStartNewPage, RepeatOnEveryPage and KeepTogether control the page flowrbtReportTitle to rbtReportSummary, plus column headers and footersTotalPages in expressions for "Page 2 of 7" footersPrintOnFirstPage and PrintOnLastPage decide where page bands appear; SubreportPageName embeds another page
Design the report
An invoice is a master record with its lines, and every line needs the right product, quantity and price. A dataset source binds any TDataSet, FireDAC included, and links a detail source to its master by key fields, so each invoice prints its own lines and totals. JSON arrays and your own event driven sources work the same way when the data does not live in a database. The detail band repeats for each line of the current master record, and the footer prints the invoice total with an aggregate expression over the lines.
TsgcReportDataSetSource with MasterSource, MasterFields and DetailFieldsTsgcReportJSONSource reads a JSON string or file, RecordsPath picks the arrayTsgcReportEventSource pulls rows from your code through OnFirst, OnNext and OnGetValueAddDataSource
Design the report
A new column on the monthly statement should not need a new release of your application. Report definitions can be saved to and loaded from JSON, so layouts can live in a database, a configuration folder or a customer specific directory. The application loads the definition at run time, binds the data and renders it, and the same file feeds the web designer. Definitions are plain text, so they diff cleanly in version control and can be generated by your own tools or migrated with a script.
sgcReportLoadFromJSON and sgcReportSaveToJSON, plus file and stream variantssgcReportGenerateSchema writes a JSON schema for editors and validation
Design the report
Totals, formatted dates, conditional text and shipping labels all come down to expressions and barcodes. Any text item can hold expressions in brackets, such as a formatted sum of a field, with string, number and date functions built in. Barcodes are items too, drawn as vectors by the sgcPDF engine, so labels and delivery notes print sharp at any size. Expressions are evaluated by the engine for every row, so a footer total always matches the lines printed above it.
Sum, FormatFloat, FormatDateTime, Upper, Round, IsNullOnGetVariable supplies your own variables at run timeBarcode in the builder with rbsCode128, rbsEAN13, rbsQRCode, rbsDataMatrix, rbsPDF417 and morePrepare once, then export to the formats your users and regulators ask for.
Deliver it anywhere
Public bodies and many companies now have to publish documents that screen readers can follow, and archives need files that still open in twenty years. The PDF export writes tagged PDF/UA-1 by default, with a logical reading order, alternative text for images and marked headings. Switch on PDF/A-3 when the document goes to a long term archive. In Delphi and .NET, the export also writes PDF/A-4 and PDF/UA-2. Fonts are embedded through the same font manager the preview uses, and the help walks through validating a file with the free veraPDF tool.
PDFUA is True by default on TsgcReportPDFExportAltText and TagRole on items describe images and headingsPDFA set to rpaA3b or rpaA3a for archival outputFixedDocumentID and FixedCreationDate make output byte for byte reproducible for tests
Deliver it anywhere
Finance wants the statement in Excel, the customer wants a PDF, the integration wants a CSV and the web page wants a thumbnail. The engine prepares the pages once and every export works from the same prepared result, so the numbers are identical in every file. XLSX output keeps numbers as numbers, so the spreadsheet can sum them without cleanup. Every export can also write to a stream, which is what a web response or a mail attachment needs, and SaveToFiles writes several formats in one call.
TsgcReportPDFExport, TsgcReportXLSXExport, TsgcReportCSVExport, TsgcReportImageExportTsgcReportPreparedPages with LoadPrepared feeds several exports from one runDetectNumbers, SheetName and ExcludePageBands shape the spreadsheetSaveToPNG
Deliver it anywhere
Users want to page through a report before they print or save it. The preview control shows the prepared pages with the same rendering as the PDF, with page navigation, zoom and fit modes and a toolbar you can hide when you build your own. The VCL preview runs on Windows; the FireMonkey preview runs on Windows. The preview draws through the sgcPDF viewer control, so what users see on screen is what the PDF export writes, and SaveToPDF on the preview saves the pages they are looking at.
TsgcReportPreviewVCL with FirstPage, NextPage, PriorPage and LastPageZoomIn, ZoomOut, FitWidth and FitPageShowToolbar, CurrentPage and OnPageChange for your own navigationTsgcReportPreviewFMX: FireMonkey preview on WindowsDeliver it anywhere
Most reports today are generated on a server: nightly statements, invoices after checkout, exports behind an API. The sgcReports core has no VCL or FireMonkey dependency and needs no external DLL or printer driver, so the same code runs in a Windows service or a Linux64 daemon. The help documents a worker pool pattern where each thread owns its own engine. Jobs, data and report definitions can arrive as JSON files, so a daemon can be fed by any system that can write a file.
TsgcReportEngine prepares reports with no windowsgcReportsConfigureForServer tunes the memory manager for many threads on WindowsTsgcReportFontManager serves every threadThe sgcReportsHTML bridge serves reports over HTTP and lets users edit layouts in the browser.
Reports on the web Registered only
A web portal, an intranet or a mobile app often just needs a URL that returns the report. The HTTP endpoint registers reports by name on an sgcWebSockets HTTP server and serves them as PDF, XLSX, CSV or PNG, with an HTML viewer that asks for the parameters, pages through the result and offers the downloads. Your code fills the data in an event before each run. The endpoint uses the same report definitions and data sources as your desktop code, so a report written once serves both the application and the browser.
TsgcReportHTTPEndpoint with RegisterReport and BasePathOnBeforePrepare sets parameters and data per requestTsgcReportHTMLViewer with ShowParameters for a parameter formTsgcWebSocketHTTPServer; the ReportHTTPServer demo is a complete serverDelphi and C++ Builder: needs sgcWebSockets Professional or higher and sgcHTML. .NET: the esegece.sgcReports.HTML and AspNetCore packages host the same routes.
Read the help topicReports on the web Registered only
Power users always want one more column or a different grouping, and every change used to be a ticket for the developers. The browser designer edits the JSON definition of a report with a band canvas, a property inspector and a live preview, served by the same endpoint as the finished report. You decide who may edit, and saved definitions load in every other part of sgcReports. A Download JSON button hands the definition to anyone who wants to keep it.
TsgcReportHTMLDesigner on an endpoint with DesignerEnabledsgcReportLoadFromJSON anywhere, including the Linux daemonLeave DesignerEnabled off on production endpoints and put it behind your own authentication.
Read the help topicsgcReports inside the sgcUI suite demos: complete applications that run offline with built-in simulated data.
A sales report with KPI boxes and a chart band, exported to PDF.
Altamira ERP →
Trade confirmations built in code, QR code included.
Altamira Markets →
A shift report with charts and barcodes.
Altamira Plant →
Route sheets with the map embedded, generated as PDF.
Altamira Fleet →
Line of business applications print documents from their database every day. A dataset source with master detail links each invoice to its lines, groups and footers print the totals, a QR code or GS1-128 barcode goes on the label, and the PDF export writes an accessible file ready to email. The same report saves to XLSX for the accounting team.
Customer portals and internal APIs need reports on demand. Register the reports on the HTTP endpoint and the browser gets a viewer with parameters and downloads, or run the engine in a Linux64 daemon that renders queued jobs with a worker pool. No printer driver, no window and no external DLL are involved. The same JSON definitions serve the viewer and the daemon.
Public sector suppliers and regulated companies must publish documents that screen readers can follow and archive them for years. Tagged PDF/UA-1 output is the default, alternative text and heading roles live on the report items, and PDF/A-3 is one property away. The help shows how to check the result with the free veraPDF validator. Reproducible output helps automated tests compare files.
The same API in Delphi, C++ Builder and C#: a header per region, a line per sale and a subtotal per region, saved as PDF, XLSX and CSV.
A fluent report over a JSON source: one group per region with a subtotal, saved as PDF, XLSX and CSV.
uses
Classes, SysUtils,
sgcReports_Types, sgcReports_Model, sgcReports_Data, sgcReports_Fluent;
const
CS_SALES = '[' +
'{"Region":"East","Customer":"Acme Corp","Amount":1450.00},' +
'{"Region":"East","Customer":"Blue Harbor","Amount":600.00},' +
'{"Region":"North","Customer":"Nordic Labs","Amount":2100.75},' +
'{"Region":"North","Customer":"Fjord Ltd","Amount":880.20}]';
CS_TOTAL = '[FormatFloat(''#,0.00'', Sum(Sales.Amount))]';
procedure ExportSalesReport(const aFolder: string);
var
oSales: TsgcReportJSONSource;
oBuilder: TsgcReportBuilder;
begin
oSales := TsgcReportJSONSource.Create(nil);
oBuilder := TsgcReportBuilder.Create;
try
oSales.SourceName := 'Sales';
oSales.JSON := CS_SALES;
oBuilder.Title('Sales by region').Author('eSeGeCe').Units(ruMillimeters)
.Style('Base').Font('Arial', 10).EndStyle
.Style('Group').Font('Arial', 11).Bold.BackColor($EEEEEE).EndStyle
.Page.Paper(rpsA4).Margins(15)
// one header per region, one line per sale, a subtotal per region
.GroupHeader('Sales.Region', 9).Style('Group')
.Text('Region: [Sales.Region]', 0, 1, 180, 7).TagRole(rtrHeading2).EndBand
.MasterData('Sales', 6).Style('Base')
.Text('[Sales.Customer]', 2, 0, 120, 6)
.Text('[Sales.Amount]', 130, 0, 50, 6).AlignRight.Format('#,0.00').EndBand
.GroupFooter(9).Style('Base')
.Text('Region total ' + CS_TOTAL, 80, 1, 100, 6).AlignRight.Bold.EndBand
.PageFooter(8).Style('Base')
.Text('Page [Page] of [TotalPages]', 0, 1, 180, 6).AlignCenter.EndBand
.EndPage.Data(oSales);
// accessible PDF (PDF/UA is on by default), plus the same data as Excel
oBuilder.SaveToPDF(IncludeTrailingPathDelimiter(aFolder) + 'sales.pdf');
oBuilder.SaveToXLSX(IncludeTrailingPathDelimiter(aFolder) + 'sales.xlsx');
oBuilder.SaveToCSV(IncludeTrailingPathDelimiter(aFolder) + 'sales.csv');
finally
oBuilder.Free;
oSales.Free;
end;
end;The same report in C++ Builder with the generated sgcReports headers.
#include <vcl.h>
#include "sgcReports_Types.hpp"
#include "sgcReports_Model.hpp"
#include "sgcReports_Data.hpp"
#include "sgcReports_Fluent.hpp"
void ExportSalesReport(const String Folder)
{
const String Total = "[FormatFloat('#,0.00', Sum(Sales.Amount))]";
TsgcReportJSONSource *Sales = new TsgcReportJSONSource(NULL);
TsgcReportBuilder *Builder = new TsgcReportBuilder();
try
{
Sales->SourceName = "Sales";
Sales->JSON = "[{\"Region\":\"East\",\"Customer\":\"Acme Corp\",\"Amount\":1450.00},"
"{\"Region\":\"East\",\"Customer\":\"Blue Harbor\",\"Amount\":600.00},"
"{\"Region\":\"North\",\"Customer\":\"Nordic Labs\",\"Amount\":2100.75}]";
Builder->Title("Sales by region")->Author("eSeGeCe")->Units(ruMillimeters)
->Style("Base")->Font("Arial", 10)->EndStyle()
->Style("Group")->Font("Arial", 11)->Bold()->BackColor(0xEEEEEE)->EndStyle()
->Page("")->Paper(rpsA4, roPortrait)->Margins(15)
// one header per region, one line per sale, a subtotal per region
->GroupHeader("Sales.Region", 9)->Style("Group")
->Text("Region: [Sales.Region]", 0, 1, 180, 7)->TagRole(rtrHeading2)->EndBand()
->MasterData("Sales", 6)->Style("Base")
->Text("[Sales.Customer]", 2, 0, 120, 6)
->Text("[Sales.Amount]", 130, 0, 50, 6)->AlignRight()->Format("#,0.00")->EndBand()
->GroupFooter(9)->Style("Base")
->Text("Region total " + Total, 80, 1, 100, 6)->AlignRight()->Bold()->EndBand()
->EndPage()->Data(Sales);
// accessible PDF (PDF/UA is on by default), plus the same data as Excel
Builder->SaveToPDF(IncludeTrailingPathDelimiter(Folder) + "sales.pdf");
Builder->SaveToXLSX(IncludeTrailingPathDelimiter(Folder) + "sales.xlsx");
Builder->SaveToCSV(IncludeTrailingPathDelimiter(Folder) + "sales.csv");
}
__finally
{
delete Builder;
delete Sales;
}
}The same builder chain in C#, with the same class names as Delphi.
using System.IO;
using esegece.sgcReports;
public static class SalesReport
{
const string Sales = "[" +
"{\"Region\":\"East\",\"Customer\":\"Acme Corp\",\"Amount\":1450.00}," +
"{\"Region\":\"East\",\"Customer\":\"Blue Harbor\",\"Amount\":600.00}," +
"{\"Region\":\"North\",\"Customer\":\"Nordic Labs\",\"Amount\":2100.75}," +
"{\"Region\":\"North\",\"Customer\":\"Fjord Ltd\",\"Amount\":880.20}]";
const string Total = "[FormatFloat('#,0.00', Sum(Sales.Amount))]";
public static void Export(string aFolder)
{
using (TsgcReportJSONSource oSales = new TsgcReportJSONSource())
using (TsgcReportBuilder oBuilder = new TsgcReportBuilder())
{
oSales.SourceName = "Sales";
oSales.JSON = Sales;
oBuilder.Title("Sales by region").Author("eSeGeCe").Units(TsgcReportUnits.ruMillimeters)
.Style("Base").Font("Arial", 10).EndStyle()
.Style("Group").Font("Arial", 11).Bold().BackColor(0xEEEEEE).EndStyle()
.Page().Paper(TsgcReportPaperSize.rpsA4).Margins(15)
// one header per region, one line per sale, a subtotal per region
.GroupHeader("Sales.Region", 9).Style("Group")
.Text("Region: [Sales.Region]", 0, 1, 180, 7)
.TagRole(TsgcReportTagRole.rtrHeading2).EndBand()
.MasterData("Sales", 6).Style("Base")
.Text("[Sales.Customer]", 2, 0, 120, 6)
.Text("[Sales.Amount]", 130, 0, 50, 6).AlignRight().Format("#,0.00").EndBand()
.GroupFooter(9).Style("Base")
.Text("Region total " + Total, 80, 1, 100, 6).AlignRight().Bold().EndBand()
.EndPage().Data(oSales);
// accessible PDF (PDF/UA is on by default), plus the same data as Excel
oBuilder.SaveToPDF(Path.Combine(aFolder, "sales.pdf"));
oBuilder.SaveToXLSX(Path.Combine(aFolder, "sales.xlsx"));
oBuilder.SaveToCSV(Path.Combine(aFolder, "sales.csv"));
}
}
}dotnet add package esegece.sgcReportsTen Delphi demos, eight C++ Builder demos and ten .NET demos ship with sgcReports. The cards below are the Delphi projects; most have a C++ Builder and a .NET twin with the same name.
A master detail invoice from datasets: header, lines, totals and a QR code, in the preview and as PDF.
Sales grouped by region with group headers, subtotals and a grand total in the summary band.
A complete report written with the fluent builder, then exported to every format.
Edit a JSON definition and its data in two memos and render it, with errors pointing at the JSON path.
Tagged PDF/UA-1 output with alternative text and heading roles, ready for a veraPDF check.
One prepared report written as PDF, XLSX, CSV and PNG files.
A report fed by SQL queries through dataset sources.
The FireMonkey preview with page navigation. The FireMonkey preview runs on Windows.
A console daemon for Windows and Linux64 that renders queued JSON jobs with a pool of worker threads.
Reports served over HTTP with the browser viewer, parameters and downloads. Needs sgcWebSockets and sgcHTML.
Ready to run executables of every sgcUI product, nothing to install.
Download sgcUI_bin.zip →sgcReports is in sgcUI Enterprise, and it is also sold on its own. It uses the sgcPDF engine for PDF output and barcodes, so sgcPDF is required in every configuration. sgcReports is also included in the All-Access bundle.
€199 / developer, full source code, 1 year of updates.
Buy sgcReports → See pricing →The free .NET Community packages (esegece.sgcReports.Community, .WinForms.Community, .HTML.Community, .AspNetCore.Community) include the engine, the exports and the preview. In Delphi, the Community installer offers sgcReports only when a licensed sgcPDF is installed. The sgcReportsHTML bridge for Delphi and C++ Builder is Registered only.
| Feature | Community (free) | Registered |
|---|---|---|
| Fluent builder, report model and JSON definitions | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bands, groups, master detail and expressions | ✓ | ✓ |
| Barcodes | ✓ | ✓ |
| PDF/UA and PDF/A-3 export | ✓ | ✓ |
| XLSX, CSV and PNG export | ✓ | ✓ |
| WinForms preview | ✓ | ✓ |
| Headless engine for services and Linux | ✓ | ✓ |
| sgcReportsHTML bridge for Delphi and C++ Builder (HTTP endpoint, viewer, web designer) | − | ✓ |
TsgcReport, TsgcReportEngine and the fluent TsgcReportBuilder.
TsgcReportDataSetSource, TsgcReportJSONSource and TsgcReportEventSource.
TsgcReportPDFExport, TsgcReportXLSXExport, TsgcReportCSVExport and TsgcReportImageExport.
TsgcReportPreviewVCL and TsgcReportPreviewFMX, the FireMonkey preview running on Windows.
TsgcReportHTTPEndpoint, TsgcReportHTMLViewer and TsgcReportHTMLDesigner. It needs sgcWebSockets Professional or higher and sgcHTML. Registered
The same class names in the namespace esegece.sgcReports: the builder, the sources, the engine and the exports.
| Target | Component | Platforms |
|---|---|---|
| Delphi 7 to 13 | Model, expressions, data, layout, engine and exports | Windows, Linux64, macOS, iOS and Android |
| C++ Builder 2007 to 13 | The same classes | Generated .hpp headers and static libraries |
| VCL preview | TsgcReportPreviewVCL | Windows |
| FireMonkey preview | TsgcReportPreviewFMX | Windows |
| .NET | Builder, sources, engine, exports and the WinForms preview | Windows, plus headless use on Linux |
Yes, always. sgcReports writes PDF and draws barcodes with the sgcPDF engine. sgcUI Enterprise includes both. In the Delphi Community installer sgcReports is offered only when a licensed sgcPDF is installed. The PDF engine is also what draws the tagged structure of accessible PDF files.
Yes, in the browser. TsgcReportHTMLDesigner from the sgcReportsHTML bridge edits JSON report definitions with a band canvas, a property inspector and a live preview. In code, the fluent builder and JSON definitions cover the same model. Saved definitions load in desktop applications, services and daemons alike.
Yes. The core has no VCL or FireMonkey dependency and no external DLL, so the engine and the exports run in Linux64 console applications and daemons. The ReportLinuxDaemon demo and the Linux daemon topic include a systemd unit. The same code also runs in Windows services.
PDF (tagged PDF/UA-1 by default, PDF/A-3 on request), XLSX, CSV and PNG pages. All of them work from the same prepared pages, so a report is prepared once and exported as many times as you need. Each export can write to a file or to a stream, for web responses and mail attachments.
Yes, with one engine per thread. Each worker creates its own report, engine, data sources and exports, while a font manager and a read only JSON definition can be shared. The Thread Safety topic shows the worker pool pattern. A Windows server can also call sgcReportsConfigureForServer once at start up for many threads.
Yes. Store the report definitions as JSON and load them at run time with sgcReportLoadFromJSON, so a new layout needs no new build. Users can edit them in the web designer, or your application can generate them. Errors while loading name the JSON path of the offending member, which makes customer specific layouts easy to support.
Yes. TsgcReportPreviewVCL shows the prepared pages with navigation, zoom and fit modes. TsgcReportPreviewFMX is the FireMonkey preview on Windows, and .NET has a WinForms preview. The preview draws through the sgcPDF viewer control, so the screen matches the PDF export.
Introduction, Installation, Getting started, TsgcReportBuilder, Grouped report, Export XLSX, CSV and PNG, Accessible PDF, PDF/A, Serve over HTTP, Linux daemon.
Introduction, Getting started, TsgcReportBuilder, Grouped report.
Delphi, C++ Builder and .NET, covering every sgcUI product.
The PDF engine behind every sgcReports file: fonts, tagged PDF, PDF/A and the barcode and QR code drawing.
Explore sgcPDF →
Let users filter and sort the data in a live grid, then print exactly that selection as a grouped report.
Explore sgcGrid →
Render a route or an area with sgcMaps and print it in a delivery note or an incident report.
Explore sgcMaps →