How to use jrxml file as design template in DynamicJasper

Question

I am using DynamicJasper to print a report. So far it is printing as a table. But I want to print it as a cheque. I have created the cheque template design as jrxml. I want to pass values which are populated in the table to be passed in to the relevant jrxml position.

Here is the code which prints the table:

public class ReportPrint {

public static void print(Cheque cheque) throws JRException, IOException {
    try {
        DynamicReportBuilder dynamicReportBuilder = new DynamicReportBuilder();

        // configure report-level settings
        dynamicReportBuilder.setReportName("Cheque");

        dynamicReportBuilder.setPageSizeAndOrientation(Page.Page_Letter_Portrait());

        // add cheque number column to report
        ColumnBuilder columnBuilderID = ColumnBuilder.getNew();

        columnBuilderID.setTitle("Cheque Number");
        columnBuilderID.setWidth(100);
        columnBuilderID.setFixedWidth(true);
        columnBuilderID.setColumnProperty("chqNum", String.class.getName(), "chqNum");

        dynamicReportBuilder.addColumn(columnBuilderID.build());

     // add payee name column to report
        ColumnBuilder columnBuilderName = ColumnBuilder.getNew();

        columnBuilderName.setTitle("Payee Name");
        columnBuilderName.setWidth(120);
        columnBuilderName.setFixedWidth(true);
        columnBuilderName.setColumnProperty("name", String.class.getName(), "name");

        dynamicReportBuilder.addColumn(columnBuilderName.build());

        // add amount column to report
        ColumnBuilder columnBuilderAmount = ColumnBuilder.getNew();

        columnBuilderAmount.setTitle("Cheque Amount");
        columnBuilderAmount.setWidth(100);
        columnBuilderAmount.setFixedWidth(true);
        columnBuilderAmount.setColumnProperty("amount", Double.class.getName(), "amount");

        dynamicReportBuilder.addColumn(columnBuilderAmount.build());

        // add date column to report
        ColumnBuilder columnBuilderDate = ColumnBuilder.getNew();

        columnBuilderDate.setTitle("Cheque Date");
        columnBuilderDate.setWidth(100);
        columnBuilderDate.setFixedWidth(true);
        columnBuilderDate.setColumnProperty("date", Date.class.getName(), "date");

        dynamicReportBuilder.addColumn(columnBuilderDate.build());

        // add value in words column to report
        ColumnBuilder columnBuilderWordVal = ColumnBuilder.getNew();

        columnBuilderWordVal.setTitle("Cheque Amount in Words");
        columnBuilderWordVal.setWidth(150);
        columnBuilderWordVal.setFixedWidth(true);
        columnBuilderWordVal.setColumnProperty("value", String.class.getName(), "value");

        dynamicReportBuilder.addColumn(columnBuilderWordVal.build());

        DynamicReport dynamicReport = dynamicReportBuilder.build();

        //Creating data source 
        Collection<Cheque> reportCollection = new ArrayList<Cheque>();
        reportCollection.add(cheque);
        JRDataSource dataSource = new JRBeanCollectionDataSource( reportCollection  );


        // build JasperPrint instance, filling the report with data from data source created above
        JasperPrint jasperPrint = DynamicJasperHelper.generateJasperPrint(
            dynamicReport, new ClassicLayoutManager(), dataSource, new HashMap<String, Object>());

        // export to pdf                     
        String pdfFile = "Cheque.pdf";

        JRExporter exporter = new JRPdfExporter();

        exporter.setParameter(JRExporterParameter.JASPER_PRINT, jasperPrint);
        exporter.setParameter(JRExporterParameter.OUTPUT_FILE_NAME, pdfFile);

        exporter.exportReport();

        JasperPrintManager.printReport(jasperPrint, true);
    } catch(JRException e) {
        e.printStackTrace();
    }
}
 }

Here's the jrxml file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<property name="ireport.zoom" value="1.0"/>
<property name="ireport.x" value="0"/>
<property name="ireport.y" value="0"/>
<queryString>
    <![CDATA[]]>
</queryString>
<field name="amount" class="java.lang.Double">
    <fieldDescription><![CDATA[amount]]></fieldDescription>
</field>
<field name="chqNum" class="java.lang.String">
    <fieldDescription><![CDATA[chqNum]]></fieldDescription>
</field>
<field name="date" class="java.sql.Date">
    <fieldDescription><![CDATA[date]]></fieldDescription>
</field>
<field name="name" class="java.lang.String">
    <fieldDescription><![CDATA[name]]></fieldDescription>
</field>
<background>
    <band splitType="Stretch"/>
</background>
<detail>
    <band height="128" splitType="Stretch">
        <textField>
            <reportElement uuid="8cd5eac7-d03e-4085-b39f-b1f8d6596b97" x="339" y="101" width="138" height="20"/>
            <textElement/>
            <textFieldExpression><![CDATA[$F{amount}]]></textFieldExpression>
        </textField>
        <textField>
            <reportElement uuid="6c962fb1-7db6-47d5-9a3e-098f4603be1b" x="36" y="59" width="138" height="20"/>
            <textElement/>
            <textFieldExpression><![CDATA[$F{name}]]></textFieldExpression>
        </textField>
        <textField>
            <reportElement uuid="961a90da-700b-4e18-a9c6-8bc510dc92af" x="339" y="23" width="138" height="20"/>
            <textElement/>
            <textFieldExpression><![CDATA[$F{date}]]></textFieldExpression>
        </textField>
        <staticText>
            <reportElement uuid="48026b8c-f4d0-464e-a3cc-3762316dca2a" stretchType="RelativeToBandHeight" x="19" y="93" width="288" height="35"/>
            <textElement>
                <paragraph lineSpacing="1_1_2" firstLineIndent="36"/>
            </textElement>
            <text><![CDATA[Four Thousand Seven Hundred and Twenty-Five Cents]]></text>
        </staticText>
    </band>
</detail>
</jasperReport>

Answer 1

In case anyone needs this in 2018/2019 here's a recipe.

1º You take your jrxml and clean it according to : http://dynamicjasper.com/2010/10/06/how-to-use-custom-jrxml-templates/

Which basically requires:

• The template must not have groups, DynamicJAsper will create them if necessary.

• The detail band must be empty: DynamicJasper will work in the detail band, any previously existing element will be deleted.

• One template per page size and orientation will be needed: This is
  because DJ knows how to arrange the element he creates, but not the
  existing ones.

2º You call setTemplateFile method:

 public DynamicReportBuilder setTemplateFile(String path,
                                                         boolean importFields,
                                                         boolean importVariables,
                                                         boolean importParameters,
                                                         boolean importDatasets)

With the required boolean flags. Those boolean flags will allow you to load or not load the parameters,fields,variables and dataset that you set on your jrxml.

And below I attach a mock example. However, you are going to need your own jrxml file to test.

public class TestReport {

    protected static JasperPrint jp;
    protected static JasperReport jr;
    protected static Map params = new HashMap();
    protected static DynamicReport dr;

    public static void main(String args[]) throws SQLException, ColumnBuilderException, ClassNotFoundException {

        TestReport t = new TestReport();
        t.createReport();

    }

    public void createReport() throws SQLException, ColumnBuilderException, ClassNotFoundException {

        ArrayList<Fruit> createMockDataset = createMockDataset();

        Style titleStyle = new Style();
        titleStyle.setHorizontalAlign(HorizontalAlign.CENTER);
        titleStyle.setFont(Font.ARIAL_SMALL_BOLD);

        Style dataStyle = new Style();
        dataStyle.setHorizontalAlign(HorizontalAlign.CENTER);
        dataStyle.setFont(Font.ARIAL_SMALL);
        dataStyle.setBlankWhenNull(true);

        final List items = SortUtils.sortCollection(createMockDataset, Arrays.asList(new String[]{"name", "description"}));

        FastReportBuilder drb = new FastReportBuilder();
        drb.setTemplateFile("templatePortrait.jrxml", true, true, true, true);
        drb.addColumn("name", "name", String.class.getName(), 30, dataStyle)
                .addColumn("description", "description", String.class.getName(), 50, dataStyle)
                .setTitle("Report")
                .setSubtitle("")
                .setPrintBackgroundOnOddRows(true)
                .setUseFullPageWidth(true);



        DynamicReport dynamicReport = drb.build();

        dynamicReport.setTitleStyle(titleStyle);

        HashMap parametros = new HashMap();
        parametros.put("dataRelatorio", MyTools.getDataPorExtenso());

        doReport(dynamicReport, items, parametros);
    }

    public void doReport(final DynamicReport _report, final Collection _data, HashMap parametros) {
        try {
            JRDataSource beanCollectionDataSource = new JRBeanCollectionDataSource(_data);

            JasperPrint jasperPrint = DynamicJasperHelper.generateJasperPrint(_report, new ClassicLayoutManager(), beanCollectionDataSource, parametros);

            JasperViewer.viewReport(jasperPrint);
        } catch (JRException ex) {
            ex.printStackTrace();
        }
    }


    public ArrayList<Fruit> createMockDataset() {
        ArrayList<Fruit> fruits = new ArrayList<>();

        Fruit f1 = new Fruit();
        f1.name = "Apple X1";
        f1.description = "Yummy yummy apple for the stackoverflow readers 1";

        Fruit f2 = new Fruit();
        f2.name = "Apple Ag";
        f2.description = "Yummy yummy apple for the stackoverflow readers 2";

        Fruit f3 = new Fruit();
        f3.name = "Apple Mn";
        f3.description = "Yummy yummy apple for the stackoverflow readers 3";

        Fruit f4 = new Fruit();
        f4.name = "Apple O2";
        f4.description = "Yummy yummy apple for the stackoverflow readers 4";

        //Evaluations for f1
        for (int i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
            Evaluation e = new Evaluation();
            e.id = i;
            e.score = Math.random() * 10;
            f1.evaluations.add(e);
        }

        //evaluations for f4
        for (int i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
            Evaluation e = new Evaluation();
            e.id = i;
            e.score = Math.random() * 10;
            f4.evaluations.add(e);
        }

        fruits.add(f1);
        fruits.add(f2);
        fruits.add(f3);
        fruits.add(f4);

        return fruits;

    }

    public class Fruit {

        public String name;
        public String description;
        public ArrayList<Evaluation> evaluations = new ArrayList<Evaluation>();

        public Fruit() {

        }

        public Fruit(String name, String description) {
            this.name = name;
            this.description = description;
        }

        public String getName() {
            return name;
        }

        public void setName(String name) {
            this.name = name;
        }

        public String getDescription() {
            return description;
        }

        public void setDescription(String description) {
            this.description = description;
        }

        public ArrayList<Evaluation> getEvaluations() {
            return evaluations;
        }

        public void setEvaluations(ArrayList<Evaluation> evaluations) {
            this.evaluations = evaluations;
        }

    }

    public class Evaluation {

        public int id;
        public double score;

        public Evaluation() {

        }

        public Evaluation(int id, double score) {
            this.id = id;
            this.score = score;
        }

        public int getId() {
            return id;
        }

        public void setId(int id) {
            this.id = id;
        }

        public double getScore() {
            return score;
        }

        public void setScore(double score) {
            this.score = score;
        }

    }

}