In this article, let’s talk about setting the basic parameters in Stimulsoft BI Server, and specifically, you will learn about how to change the address and port of the server.

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Why do I need to change the server address and port?

When deploying a report server, you should specify its address, that is, in fact, the URL by which the server will be available on the network. By default, the server address is set to localhost.
Changing the port, the channel for accessing the server, usually occurs either due to internal security requirements or because the port may be busy.
In other words, changing the address and port is a customization process, setting up the server for your needs before you start using it.

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How to change the address and port?

To change the default address and port, you should modify the server configuration file (server.config). You can do this in the code line <CoreUrl>.
Note!
In the configuration file, you may change all other basic settings like logo, username, port for sending email, etc. The next step you should do is to change the port of Navigator.Web in IIS to the one that is specified in the server.config file. Then restart Navigator.Web.

Hello everybody! We return to the series of articles about the components of the Stimulsoft report designer. The last story was about the Panel element and its functionality, and today let’s talk about the Shapes element.

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Shapes

This element allows you to add various primitives to the dashboard:

• equation shapes;
• block arrows;
• lines;
• flowchart.

In particular, placing shapes on the dashboard helps visually symbolize an analytical panel. For example, using the Shapes element, we displayed a medical cross on a dashboard that shows hospital statistics.

The Shapes element contains a number of design settings.

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Icons properties in the Shapes element

You may customize Icons in the element editor in different ways: choose the fill type, the icon color and its borders, specify the size of the borders, angle, blend, and icon scale.

You can learn how to create a dashboard with the Shapes element in our documentation.

The end of December is the time to look back. In this article, we have collected all the most important things we did in 2022.

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Transition to ECMAScript 2017

In 2022, we switched Reports.JS and Dashboards.JS to the new locale ECMAScript 2017. This increased the processing speed of a multi-page report by more than 25%. New features in ES2017 remove barriers to our product development and allow us to keep up with the times.

.NET 6.0 and Angular 11, 12, 13 in the Publish wizard

We have updated the Report Publish wizard so you can specify the .NET 6.0 framework version for your projects. This option is available in the ASP.NET MVC, WinForms, WPF, and Blazor frameworks in the Publishing Wizard. In addition, we added support for all versions of the popular Angular framework, including the current ones - 11, 12, and 13.

Compatibility with .NET 7.0 and PHP 8.1

We tested the Reports.PHP and Dashboards.PHP products under PHP 8.1, and Stimulsoft components with platforms such as ASP.NET Core MVC, ASP.NET Core Razor, WinForms, WPF, and Blazor running under the .NET 7.0 framework. Tests were successful, and we are ready to announce the full compatibility of our reporting and data analytics tools with new technologies.

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Starting from 2022, in Stimulsoft reporting products, you can:

• customize the appearance of QR barcodes and add GS1 barcodes to reports;
• leave electronic and digital PDF signatures in the document;
• monitor SQL queries using the data monitor;
• display categories and variables on the options panel in the viewer;
• and much more.

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On analytical dashboards, you can:

• use animated images;
• execute certain scenarios with the help of an interactive Button;
• group data in Cards;
• visualize Tooltip for some dashboard elements - Chart, Regional Map, and Indicator;
• and much more.

Hello everyone! We continue the series of articles dedicated to the report designer components. Our last article was about the Text element, its functionality, and its use for designing dashboards. In this article, we will talk about the Panel element.

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Panel

When creating a dashboard, the Panel element is used as a container for other elements. You can place one or more elements on one panel and use a single background and/or watermark for them. Use case
When the panel is disabled (Properties -> Behavior -> Enabled -> False), all elements placed on it, will not be displayed in the view mode.

Also, you can customize the design for the Panel and the elements added to it.

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Adding and Setting up a Watermark

Some time ago, we added functionality for dashboard design, including the use of a watermark. Apart from the dashboard watermark, you can set up a watermark for the panel.

Here you can specify and customize the Text tab:

• change the font;
• choose a color;
• set the txt rotation angle.

The Image tab:

• upload a graphic file;
• adjust its transparency, alignment, and scale.

Add some graphic elements for a pattern (the Interlacing tab):

• select the main and additional icons from the existing list;
• customize the color and size of the icon;
• increase/decrease the distance between the icons on the pattern.

We are pleased to announce the release of Stimulsoft Reports and Dashboards version 2023.1! We have added support for Razor Pages for .NET Core components, updated components for the PHP and Blazor platforms. Also, we added the new Data Monitor visual tool and implemented the ability to reset all filters. This list of changes is not complete. Please read this article to find more new features that help you work with your data efficiently and quickly.

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Razor Pages

In release 2023.1.1, we added support for Razor Pages for .NET Core components. Razor Pages allow you to create pages with code handling various requests. This technology makes creating scripts for pages more manageable and more efficient than using an MVC solution. All tools for creating, displaying, and converting reports and analytical panels (dashboards) using this technology are available. This feature is implemented for Reports.WEB and Dashboards.WEB.

Categories of variables in the viewer

Starting with release 2023.1.1, we added the functionality to display categories and variables on the options panel in the viewer. Previously, categories could only be used when designing a report to group variables in a data dictionary, and it was impossible to display this ordered structure in the parameters panel. Now you can structure the order of the parameters by categorizing them and enabling the category visibility mode. Setting the visibility of a category and defining its state is carried out in the editor of this category.

Please note that categories can only be displayed in the vertical options bar. On the horizontal one, categories will not be displayed, and all variables will be located, as before, in a simple list.

Updated Blazor Components

We have completely updated the Blazor components in Reports.BLAZOR and Dashboards.BLAZOR. We improved the internal structure of the components - now, all their work is done in asynchronous mode. This made it possible to significantly increase the loading speed and performance of components and add new functionality. In the case of developing an application using WebAssembly technology, the loading speed of all page elements has increased considerably.
In addition, it became possible to change the main options of components, such as localization or theme, at any time after they were created. Also, we improved the ability to display elements in pop-up windows of web applications built on the "One Page App" principle.

Data Monitor

In release 2023.1.1, for reporting tools based on the .NET platform, we added the ability to monitor report generator SQL queries to various data sources in real-time. This is implemented using a particular StiDataMonitor class. In addition, a visual tool, the Data Monitor, has been added to the Stimulsoft Designer application. To invoke this tool, select the Data Monitor command from the Actions menu of the data dictionary.

Report culture expressions

We added support for expressions in the report calculation mode as Interpretation for the Culture property. Thus, it is now possible to define the localization language of a report or dashboard based on the result of the expression calculation. For example, in the Culture property, you can use a variable as an expression that contains a list of required cultures and waits for the user to select a value. As a result, after clicking the Submit button on the options panel of the viewer, the report will be localized with the selected culture.

Reset all filters

When viewing dashboards, you can reset all element filters to their default state with one click. For this, a special command Reset All Filters is used on the toolbar of the viewer. The visibility of this command on the toolbar is controlled in the Preview Settings property of the template. For dashboards created in earlier versions, the visibility of this button is disabled by default.

GIF support in dashboards

We added support for animated GIF images in dashboards in the new version. You should use the Image component to add GIF files to the dashboard. Animated images in this component can be loaded from a file or added via a hyperlink.

.NET 7.0 support

Not long ago, Microsoft announced the release of the .NET 7.0 framework. We are glad to announce that Stimulsoft components are compatible with platforms such as ASP.NET Core MVC, ASP.NET Core Razor, WinForms, WPF, and Blazor running the .NET 7.0 framework. With this framework, you can create, modify, and view reports and dashboards by integrating reporting and analytics tools into applications.