FAQ

What does the name ReportBro mean?

The name comes from REPORTing in a BROwser, the designer is a javascript library and can thus be included in any web application and run in your browser. Of course Bro also has a second meaning: your best friend when it comes to reporting!

Which browsers are supported?

The latest version of ReportBro is compatible with
- Firefox 53+
- Chrome 58+
- Safari 9+
- Microsoft Edge 14+
- Opera 46+

Which web frameworks are supported?

All Python frameworks are supported since ReportBro Lib is a standalone Python package. We provide fully working demo applications for Flask, Django and web2py. If you're using a different web framework you can still look at these demos to see how ReportBro can be integrated in a web application.

I have bought a commercial license, now what?

Once we can verify the payment you will receive an email including the license and support contact. In the meanwhile, of course, you can start becoming familiar with ReportBro.

How long is my commercial license valid?

You can use the current release and any version released within 1 year after your purchase. These releases can be used as long as you want, there are no time restrictions.

How to create PDF files in Python?

ReportBro is an open-source framework to create PDF documents with Python. It consists of a client and a server part, the ReportBro Designer and ReportBro Lib.
The designer is a platform- and browser independent Javascript plugin. It is the tool to visually create report templates directly in your web application.

The ReportBro Lib uses report templates together with data to generate pixel perfect PDF reports and XLS. You can use it with your favourite web framework, like Flask, Django and any other Python framework.

Can I use ReportBro in my console application?

Yes, you can use ReportBro in a Python script without a web application. Have a look at the tutorial to create PDF in Python script .

Why can't I see images and buttons in ReportBro Designer in Firefox?

ReportBro uses icon fonts instead of images and due to Firefox's strict origin policy they cannot be loaded when running a demo on your local machine (from ../dist/iconfonts). In your Firefox browser go to about:config and make sure security.fileuri.strict_origin_policy is set to false.

Why is there no PDF preview in Microsoft Edge?

In case of using a report server on localhost you have to enable loopback first with CheckNetIsolation LoopbackExempt -a -n=Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe
see also https://stackoverflow.com/questions/30334289/cant-open-localhost-in-microsoft-edge-project-spartan-in-windows-10-preview#30334398

What is an affordable Python alternative to Crystal Reports?

The open-source Python framework ReportBro generates PDF reports and XLS for any web application.
You can use simple Python expressions to generate dynamic content, define print conditions or trigger conditional styles and much more.

Whatever license you choose, ReportBro can be used with unlimited developers and users. Experience its ease of use with one of the live demos. By the way, ReportBro is also available for everyone as open-source on github (see Download page).

What if my server application is not written in Python? Can I still use ReportBro?

Yes, just run a separate Python server which is responsible for generating reports. You can use our tornado report server which is available in the Download section.

Use web requests to this server with the report template and your data to generate your reports.

Can I use ReportBro lib with .Net?

Yes, see answer above.

Alternatively you could try to run the lib with IronPython. However, we don't have experience using it and cannot ensure its practicability.

What is a Python alternative to Jasper Reports?

ReportBro is a Python framework to generate pixel perfect PDF reports and XLS.
The Designer is a Javascript library, making it a perfect fit to your web application. The server library is a stand-alone Python package and you can use it with your favourite web framework, like Flask, Django, web2py, Pyramid, Tornado, Bottle, TurboGears, CherryPy and Web.py.

ReportBro doesn't require a desktop tool for designing reports. It can be directly integrated into any web application. Have a look at the fully working demo applications for Flask, Django and web2py.

How can I add additional fonts?

Additional fonts must be added in ReportBro Designer and in ReportBro Lib. To set additional fonts in the Designer you must specify the additionalFonts property when initializing the ReportBro instance. An example of an additional font can be found in the certificate demo.

On the server the same font must be added as additional_fonts

Does ReportBro support Chinese language?

Yes, you need to use a font which supports all your characters you want to print. The standard fonts do not include Chinese characters.

See question above how you can include additional fonts. Make sure the text elements in ReportBro Designer which displays Chinese characters uses your additional font so the text can be printed.

Why doesn't ReportBro support Khmer, Tai, Arabic languages and Right-to-left printing?

In some languages there is no 1:1 mapping between unicode codepoints (text content) and font glyphs, e.g. there can be multiple codepoints rendered as a single glyph. The fpdf library which we use for pdf rendering does not support this. Therefore, also ReportBro doesn't support such languages for the time being.