After you create a client report definition (RDLC) layout suggestion for a report, you must transform the request form, which allows you to select filters for the report, to a request page. To do this, you use the form transformation tool.

Request forms and request pages are stored as part of the report. They are not stored as separate forms. To transform the request form to a request page, you run the form transformation tool on the exported report in .xml format.

Before you begin this procedure, confirm that a request page for the report does not already exist.

NoteImportant

You cannot transform a report that already contains a request page from a previous transformation. When you transform a request form, not only is the request page stored as part of the report, but also variables, functions, and constants are stored as part of the report. This is different from transforming forms in which any additional code is added to a new page object.

If you transform a request form more than once you will have multiple copies of the new variables, functions, and constants.

To transform the request form

  1. Install the form transformation tool. For more information, see How to: Install the Form Transformation Tool.

  2. In the Classic client, click Tools, and then click Object Designer.

  3. In Object Designer, click Report, and then select the report for which you want to transform the request form.

  4. In the File menu, select Export.

  5. In the Export Objects window, enter a name for the exported file. We recommend that you name the file Forms.xml. Browse to the folder where the Microsoft.Dynamics.Nav.Tools.FormTransformation.exe file is located, and then click Save.

  6. Verify that the file names in the Microsoft.Dynamics.Nav.Tools.FormTransformation.exe.config file are correct. For example, verify the following two lines:

    <add key="FormsFile" value=".\Forms.xml"/>

    <add key="PagesFile" value=".\Pages.xml"/>

  7. Run the form transformation tool. For more information, see How to: Run the Form Transformation Tool.

  8. Import and compile the page .xml file. The name of the .xml file to import is the name of the output .xml file that you specified in step 6. For more information, see How to: Import, Compile, and Run Transformed Pages.

Viewing the Request Page

After you transform the request form to a request page, you can run the report in the RoleTailored client to view the request page. You can also view the request page in the Classic client. If you want to modify the request page after you transform it, you must view the page by using Object Designer in the Classic client. Use the following procedure to view the request page in the Classic client.

To view the request page in the Classic client

  1. In the Classic client, click Tools, and then click Object Designer.

  2. In Object Designer, click Report, select the report with the request page that you want to view, and then click Design.

  3. In the View menu, select Request Page.

See Also