JFreeReport (Questions & Frustrations)
843807Feb 16 2003 — edited Jul 7 2004I'm preparing to do write a large set of reports for a client-only application that, if successful, will be widely distributed.
In another message in this forum, someone mentioned JFreeReport. I downloaded it to evaluate. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to locate and good introductory documentation. Their website (http://www.object-refinery.com/jfreereport/) mentions a "JFreeReport Introduction" and gives the file name for it as jfreereport-0.8.0-intro.pdf.
Unfortunately, this document does not seem to appear on their website. The only other documentation they offer is a PDF manual that you can buy for electronic delivery for $30, and their JavaDocs. The latter, to their credit, appear extensive, but certainly don't give an overview of what the product is and how to use it.
Has anyone used JFreeReport, and what was your impression (after you paid enough money to learn how to use it)?
It appears extensive. Does that mean a steep learning curve and time-consuming coding? Their web site says report layouts are described in XML. Does this mean the report is developed in a combination of XML (for the layout) and Java? Would a team of college students with limited Java experience be able to master it, or would it require deep expertise to get through the learning curve.
As always, Buckets of TIA!
Tim