Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services and Visual Studio 2005/2008 ReportViewer FAQ - The five questions posted most recently:

Why are the labels repeating or why are some missing?

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 04:50:13 GMT

If you are getting erratic or unexplainable results after building your label report, the most likely cause is an incorrect Visibility formula on one of the table rows . This can sometimes happen when you finish one table of the label and simply copy it to another table (or column). Here are some items to keep in mind in regards to the Visibility formulas:

1) Each table (column) has its own visibility formula. This visibility formula is set on each row of the table.

2) Don't confuse the table row Visibility property with the Visibility property on other objects, like the table itself or a cell of the table. You want to make sure the ONLY objects that have the Visibility property set are the table rows.

Why aren't multiple spaces appearing on my report?

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 04:29:58 GMT

While I wouldn't recommend using spaces for formatting, if you have to they are supported in Microsoft Reporting. However multiple spaces will not appear in the HTML preview when designing a report (or exporting to HTML). The reason this happens is that HTML treats consecutive spaces as one space. HTML does have the non breaking space tag ( ) but it is not supported in HTML view of the reports. However, when you view the reports in ReportViewer or export to PDF, the extra spaces will appear.

Can I use the templates for Index Cards, Post Cards or Form Letters?

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 05:22:01 GMT

Yes, you can customize the report layout to fit your application. I recently had a user use the templates to print post cards (4 per page). While this isn't a standard size, we can occasionally help and customize a template to fit your needs. See also "Not seeing what you need".

Can I Reuse Label Paper or Pick a Starting Position for the Labels?

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 20:08:43 GMT

This comes up when you have printed a set of labels and you have extra blank labels on the page. It would be nice to reuse them. However in my experience I would not recommend it. It's usually more of a hassle then any of the money you save. Plus, the labels don't have to go to waste, they can be used around the office. Lastly, the printer manufacturer's generally don't recommend reusing labels (or paper that has already been printed on).

So with that out of the way, if you really want to try, here is a method that might work. The trick would be to pad your data with blank rows. You could do this using a stored procedure in SQL Server that took the start position as one of it's parameters. Then create a temporary table and loop through and insert as many blank rows as you need. Lastly you would sql union these blank rows with your original label data.�

Not the most elegant solution and personally I wouldn't go through the hassle, but it should work.

How to Use a Sub Report in a Label?

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 05:06:19 GMT

If you need to do some complex layout (like master-detail reports) or formatting for your labels, then linking the label to a subreport is the way to go. This technique does require at least intermediate level skill in the Microsoft report designer.

First you would start by creating your master query. This query would have one row for each label you want to print. Then you would bind this query to the ReportPax label template.You can put what fields you need on this report.

Next, you would create a sub report. This report has smaller dimensions than your label and contains the fields you need. It can also contain the detail records for your report.

Lastly, create a sub report object in the master report and link to your sub report.

Some tips:

- You can pass parameters to sub reports by defining a parameter in the main report and then referencing the parameter in the sub report sql. Like so: "select * from customer where id = @customerid".

- Make sure you set the Can Grow property to false for the table row in the master report and in the table for your sub report. This way, the labels print correctly if there is too much data for one label.