Combine Microsoft ReportViewer, WCF and ASP.NET

Scenario:

- We have a existing Website portal using ASP.NET

- We have a reporting desktop application using Microsoft ReportViewer

- We want to share some report from reporting application to website portal

Solution:

- We use WCF as interface to integrated between ASP.NET and desktop applications

- WCF will provides reports as streaming images data.

Implementation:

Step 1: Create WCF Services

- Create new WCF Service Application from Visual Studio 2010

- Define Service Contract

[ServiceContract]

public interface IService1

{

    [OperationContract]

    Stream GenerateImage();        

} 

- Implement Service Contract. We must to export LocalReport to image stream

public System.IO.Stream GenerateImage()

        {

            LocalReport report = new LocalReport();

            //string path = @"D:\Report1.rdlc";

            string path = HttpContext.Current.Server.MapPath("~/Report1.rdlc");

            report.ReportPath = path;

            Warning[] warnings;

            string[] streamids;

            string mimeType;

            string encoding;

            string extension;

            byte[] bytes = report.Render(

               "Image", null, out mimeType, out encoding,

                out extension,

               out streamids, out warnings);

            Stream stream = new MemoryStream(bytes);

            return stream;

        }

- Enable WCF Streaming in configuration file

<basicHttpBinding>

  <binding name="HttpStreaming" maxReceivedMessageSize="67108864"

           transferMode="Streamed"/>

</basicHttpBinding>

- Create a new Report1.rdlc as following:

- Step 2: Test the Service on Windows Form:

- Create new Windows Forms

- Add services reference to your service

- Add a PictureBox control to Form interface then add following code in code behind

public Form1()

        {

            InitializeComponent();

            ServiceReference1.Service1Client client = new ServiceReference1.Service1Client();

            Stream memList = client.GenerateImage();           

            System.Drawing.Image image = System.Drawing.Image.FromStream(memList);                  

            pictureBox1.Image = image;

        }

- Run the Form you will see:

- Step 3: Rendering Image to website portal

- Similar in Windows Form, ASP.NET can display image from stream by very simple code:

protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)

        {

            ServiceReference1.Service1Client client = new ServiceReference1.Service1Client();

            Stream memList = client.GenerateImage();

            System.Drawing.Image image = System.Drawing.Image.FromStream(memList);

            image.Save(Response.OutputStream, System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Gif);            

        }

- You will see:

Conclusion:

There are three technical used to resolve this scenario:

- Export ReportViewer to image stream

- Enable Streaming in WCF

- Rendering Image from streaming data.

Reference:

- How to: Enable Streaming

- LocalReport.Render Method (String, String, out String, out String, out String, out String[], out Warning[])