Manual formulas (C# / netframework)
Note
This demo is available in your FlexCel installation at <FlexCel Install Folder>\samples\csharp\VS2022\netframework\20.Reports\48.Manual Formulas and also at https://github.com/tmssoftware/TMS-FlexCel.NET-demos/tree/master/csharp/VS2022/netframework/Modules/20.Reports/48.Manual Formulas
Overview
Here we will create a small fully functional Minesweeper in Excel, and without any macros.
Most of the time, you will just want to write the formulas directly on the report, and let FlexCel change them when inserting rows. But sometimes, you might want to create a formula using flexcel tags. You can do it by using <#formula> and <#ref> tags, but don't do it unless you really need to.
Concepts
How to replace <#tags> inside a formula.
When you use the <#Formula> tag, formulas are just strings on the template. So we could define inside a cell: "<#formula>=b3", but then if we want to change the template, and insert a row below row 1, the string will still be "<#formula>=b3". That is why we need to use a <#Ref> tag. For example <#formula>=<#ref(0;-1)> on cell c3 will point to b3, but if you insert a row below row 1, it will point to b4 as it should be.
There is never a real need to use the <#formula> tag, you can always workaround it. On this particular case we used it so we could change the font, (since it is not possible to change the font on a conditional format), but we could have also used the approach we used on the Expression Parameters demo. In fact, it might have been better that way (by adding the <#format range> tag in the data). But this demo is to show how to use this feature, it is up to you to decide if it is worth or not.
How to use conditional formatting, locked cells and data validation to make a nice application.
Files
AssemblyInfo.cs
using System.Reflection;
using System.Runtime.CompilerServices;
//
// General Information about an assembly is controlled through the following
// set of attributes. Change these attribute values to modify the information
// associated with an assembly.
//
[assembly: AssemblyTitle("")]
[assembly: AssemblyDescription("")]
[assembly: AssemblyConfiguration("")]
[assembly: AssemblyCompany("")]
[assembly: AssemblyProduct("")]
[assembly: AssemblyCopyright("(c) 2002 - 2024 TMS Software")]
[assembly: AssemblyTrademark("")]
[assembly: AssemblyCulture("")]
//
// Version information for an assembly consists of the following four values:
//
// Major Version
// Minor Version
// Build Number
// Revision
//
// You can specify all the values or you can default the Revision and Build Numbers
// by using the '*' as shown below:
[assembly: AssemblyVersion("7.21.0.0")]
//
// In order to sign your assembly you must specify a key to use. Refer to the
// Microsoft .NET Framework documentation for more information on assembly signing.
//
// Use the attributes below to control which key is used for signing.
//
// Notes:
// (*) If no key is specified, the assembly is not signed.
// (*) KeyName refers to a key that has been installed in the Crypto Service
// Provider (CSP) on your machine. KeyFile refers to a file which contains
// a key.
// (*) If the KeyFile and the KeyName values are both specified, the
// following processing occurs:
// (1) If the KeyName can be found in the CSP, that key is used.
// (2) If the KeyName does not exist and the KeyFile does exist, the key
// in the KeyFile is installed into the CSP and used.
// (*) In order to create a KeyFile, you can use the sn.exe (Strong Name) utility.
// When specifying the KeyFile, the location of the KeyFile should be
// relative to the project output directory which is
// %Project Directory%\obj\<configuration>. For example, if your KeyFile is
// located in the project directory, you would specify the AssemblyKeyFile
// attribute as [assembly: AssemblyKeyFile("..\\..\\mykey.snk")]
// (*) Delay Signing is an advanced option - see the Microsoft .NET Framework
// documentation for more information on this.
//
[assembly: AssemblyDelaySign(false)]
[assembly: AssemblyKeyFile("")]
[assembly: AssemblyKeyName("")]
Form1.cs
using System;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Collections;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.Data;
using System.IO;
using System.Diagnostics;
using System.Reflection;
using FlexCel.Core;
using FlexCel.XlsAdapter;
using FlexCel.Report;
namespace ManualFormulas
{
/// <summary>
/// Shows the formula tag.
/// </summary>
public partial class mainForm: System.Windows.Forms.Form
{
public mainForm()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void SetupMines(FlexCelReport MinesReport)
{
DataSet ds = new DataSet();
DataTable dtrows = ds.Tables.Add("datarow");
dtrows.Columns.Add("position", typeof(int));
DataTable dtcols = ds.Tables.Add("datacol");
dtcols.Columns.Add("position", typeof(int));
dtcols.Columns.Add("value", typeof(int));
ds.Relations.Add(dtrows.Columns["position"], dtcols.Columns["position"]);
//let's create 10 mines.
ArrayList mines = new ArrayList();
Random rnd = new Random();
while (mines.Count < 10)
{
int nextMine = rnd.Next(9 * 9 - 1);
int minepos = mines.BinarySearch(nextMine);
if (minepos >= 0) continue; //the value already exists
mines.Insert(~minepos, nextMine);
}
//Fill the tables on master detail
for (int r = 0; r < 9; r++)
{
dtrows.Rows.Add(new object[] { r });
for (int c = 0; c < 9; c++)
{
object[] values = new object[2];
values[0] = r;
if (mines.BinarySearch(r * 9 + c) >= 0) values[1] = 1; else values[1] = DBNull.Value;
dtcols.Rows.Add(values);
}
}
//finally, add the tables to the report.
MinesReport.ClearTables();
MinesReport.AddTable(ds, TDisposeMode.DisposeAfterRun); //leave to Flexcel to delete the dataset.
}
private void button1_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
AutoRun();
}
public void AutoRun()
{
using (FlexCelReport MinesReport = new FlexCelReport(true))
{
MinesReport.AfterGenerateWorkbook += new GenerateEventHandler(MinesReport_AfterGenerateWorkbook);
SetupMines(MinesReport);
string DataPath = Path.Combine(Path.Combine(Path.GetDirectoryName(Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().Location), ".."), "..") + Path.DirectorySeparatorChar;
if (saveFileDialog1.ShowDialog() == DialogResult.OK)
{
MinesReport.Run(DataPath + "Manual Formulas.template.xls", saveFileDialog1.FileName);
if (MessageBox.Show("Do you want to open the generated file?", "Confirm", MessageBoxButtons.YesNo) == DialogResult.Yes)
{
using (Process p = new Process())
{
p.StartInfo.FileName = saveFileDialog1.FileName;
p.StartInfo.UseShellExecute = true;
p.Start();
}
}
}
}
}
private void btnCancel_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
Close();
}
private void MinesReport_AfterGenerateWorkbook(object sender, FlexCel.Report.GenerateEventArgs e)
{
//do some "pretty" up for the final user.
//we could do this directly on the template, but doing it here allows us to keep the template unprotected and easier to modify.
e.File.ActiveSheet = 2;
e.File.SheetVisible = TXlsSheetVisible.Hidden;
e.File.ActiveSheet = 1;
e.File.Protection.SetSheetProtection(null, new TSheetProtectionOptions(true));
for (int r = 20; r <= FlxConsts.Max_Rows97_2003 + 1; r++) e.File.SetRowHidden(r, true);
for (int c = 12; c <= FlxConsts.Max_Columns97_2003 + 1; c++) e.File.SetColHidden(c, true);
}
}
}
Form1.Designer.cs
using System;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Collections;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.Data;
using System.IO;
using System.Diagnostics;
using System.Reflection;
using FlexCel.Core;
using FlexCel.XlsAdapter;
using FlexCel.Report;
namespace ManualFormulas
{
public partial class mainForm: System.Windows.Forms.Form
{
private System.Windows.Forms.Button button1;
private System.Windows.Forms.SaveFileDialog saveFileDialog1;
private System.Windows.Forms.Label label1;
private System.Windows.Forms.Button btnCancel;
/// <summary>
/// Required designer variable.
/// </summary>
private System.ComponentModel.Container components = null;
/// <summary>
/// Clean up any resources being used.
/// </summary>
protected override void Dispose(bool disposing)
{
if (disposing)
{
if (components != null)
{
components.Dispose();
}
}
base.Dispose(disposing);
}
#region Windows Form Designer generated code
/// <summary>
/// Required method for Designer support - do not modify
/// the contents of this method with the code editor.
/// </summary>
private void InitializeComponent()
{
this.button1 = new System.Windows.Forms.Button();
this.saveFileDialog1 = new System.Windows.Forms.SaveFileDialog();
this.label1 = new System.Windows.Forms.Label();
this.btnCancel = new System.Windows.Forms.Button();
this.SuspendLayout();
//
// button1
//
this.button1.Anchor = ((System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles)((System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles.Top | System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles.Right)));
this.button1.BackColor = System.Drawing.Color.Green;
this.button1.ForeColor = System.Drawing.Color.White;
this.button1.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(152, 88);
this.button1.Name = "button1";
this.button1.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(112, 23);
this.button1.TabIndex = 0;
this.button1.Text = "GO!";
this.button1.UseVisualStyleBackColor = false;
this.button1.Click += new System.EventHandler(this.button1_Click);
//
// saveFileDialog1
//
this.saveFileDialog1.Filter = "Excel Files|*.xls";
this.saveFileDialog1.RestoreDirectory = true;
//
// label1
//
this.label1.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(24, 24);
this.label1.Name = "label1";
this.label1.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(288, 24);
this.label1.TabIndex = 2;
this.label1.Text = "A report with formulas created with tags.";
//
// btnCancel
//
this.btnCancel.Anchor = ((System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles)((System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles.Top | System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles.Right)));
this.btnCancel.BackColor = System.Drawing.Color.FromArgb(((int)(((byte)(192)))), ((int)(((byte)(0)))), ((int)(((byte)(0)))));
this.btnCancel.DialogResult = System.Windows.Forms.DialogResult.Cancel;
this.btnCancel.ForeColor = System.Drawing.Color.White;
this.btnCancel.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(272, 88);
this.btnCancel.Name = "btnCancel";
this.btnCancel.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(112, 23);
this.btnCancel.TabIndex = 3;
this.btnCancel.Text = "Cancel";
this.btnCancel.UseVisualStyleBackColor = false;
this.btnCancel.Click += new System.EventHandler(this.btnCancel_Click);
//
// mainForm
//
this.AutoScaleDimensions = new System.Drawing.SizeF(6F, 13F);
this.AutoScaleMode = System.Windows.Forms.AutoScaleMode.Font;
this.ClientSize = new System.Drawing.Size(416, 133);
this.Controls.Add(this.btnCancel);
this.Controls.Add(this.label1);
this.Controls.Add(this.button1);
this.Name = "mainForm";
this.Text = "Manual Formulas Report";
this.ResumeLayout(false);
}
#endregion
}
}
Program.cs
using System;
using System.Windows.Forms;
namespace ManualFormulas
{
static class Program
{
/// <summary>
/// The main entry point for the application.
/// </summary>
[STAThread]
static void Main()
{
Application.EnableVisualStyles();
Application.SetCompatibleTextRenderingDefault(false);
Application.Run(new mainForm());
}
}
}