How to distribute CR for VS2010

[Former Member]

For several years we have used Crystal Reports for Visual Studio 2008 without problems. We integrate CR in our applications in Visual C++, using the COM and the Activex control CRVIEWER. When we distribute our application, we install the CRREDIST2008_X86.MSI and we copy the CRVIEWER.DLL and CRAXDDRT.DLL to the client PC and registered doth with REGSVR32.

So far there was no problem with CR for VS 2008, but now we are migrating our applicacion to VS 2010 and we want to use CR for VS2010 as well. The application works fine in my development system wich have VS2010 and CR for VS2010 installed, but when I try to run it on the client system, it does not work.

I guess we need to install the runtime (we install the CRforVS_redist_install_32bit_13_0_3), they install successfully, and register a new CRAXDDRT.DLL (I copy it from my development system). The problem I think is when I register the CRAXDDRT.DLL, the REGSVR32, tell me an error  "Can't load the module craxddrt.dll..." (translated from spanish).

I'm not sure what are wrong. I found some information in the web than for register correctly craxddrt, we need to install the merge modules. I download it (CRforVS_mergemodules_13_0_3.zip), but they are not an installer on it.

Please can somone help me?

Thanks!

[former_member183750 · Accepted solution]

Craxddrt.dll and crviewer.dll were part of what used to be called the Report Designer Component (RDC). This component was retired in version 11.5 of Crystal Reports.

When you used craxddrt.dll that ships with CR 2008, you were actually breaking your licensing agreement. The craxddrt.dll is only included for internal purposes and you are not allowed to use it in development of applications.

Note that there were no runtime distribution files (MSM or MSI) available for the RDC in version 12 of CR (I'm not sure how you managed to distribute the correct runtime) nor are they available in version 13.

Lots of info on the retirement of the RDC. Some examples:

http://www.businessobjects.com/jump/xi/gettingstarted/whatsnew_cr2008.pdf

https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/80bd35e5-c71d-2b10-4593-d09907d9...

http://scn.sap.com/community/crystal-reports-for-visual-studio/blog/2008/10/20/report-designer-compo...

http://scn.sap.com/community/crystal-reports-for-visual-studio/blog/2010/03/29/short-history-and-res...

Your only option is to port your app so that it uses the CR assemblies for .NET.

- Ludek

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[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Thank Ludek. Now I realized than we do not have to redist the craxddrt, but the craxdrt. Your information and the links have me clarifiy these question. Of course, my intention is to distribute only the runtime to view the reports in our application, not to bring the users the functionality of designing it.May be I have made a mistake and picked the wrong DLL.

But I don't understand some issue yet. If the RDC is retired in version 11.5 al well as the support for integrate with CR via COM. Why can I, in my development pc, use COM with version 13 of Crystal Reports for VS2010?

My application is developed in C++ (no managed), and I can integrate with runtime via COM, with the source:

CLSID CLSID_Application;

CLSIDFromProgID(L"CrystalDesignRunTime.Application.13", &CLSID_Application);

The CLSIDFromProgID() returns S_OK and the CLSID_Application returns a correct reference to the runtime, and I can load the report.

Thank you.

[former_member183750 · Accepted solution]

Neither CR 2008, not CRVS2010 includes craxdrt.dll ...

Re. being able to reference the dlls. As I mentioned in my previous post, craxddrt.dll and crviewer.dll are included for iternal purposes only. E.g.; if you add a report to a .NET project and double click on is there, the report will open in a CR designer that is part of the .NET IDE. This designer (in part) uses the craxddrt.dll and crviewer.dll. You may be able to reference the dlls, but if you do and then distribute the app, you will be breaking your licensing agreement. Additionally, I highly doubt you'd be able to distribute the runtime without having  MSM or MSI file created by SAP - which we do not do as the RDC essentially does not exist anymore.

- Ludek

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Thank for your quick reply.

Clearly, I misunderstood the license for CRVS2010 and, of course, I need to work to modify my application to correct this issue and not to use the COM to access to the runtime. I see the only way we can redistribute CRVS2010 is with the merge modules and can't use the RDC anymore, neither craxddrt nor craxdrt nor crviewer.

Although I don't like the idea, I have to reframing all over again.

Thank you.