# Components

Components are the objects that you can place in a report. JReport provides a full set of components that allow you to present and control the report data and presentation in a wide variety of ways.

## Component categories

Components in JReport can be classified as follows:

- JReport components: labels, text boxes, images, barcodes, ranks, tables, horizontal table, crosstabs, charts, tabulars, banded objects, subreports, UDOs, maps
- Fields: DBFields, formula fields, summary fields, parameter fields
- Web controls: form, text field, password, text area, checkbox, radio button, image button, button, drop-down list, list, expand/collapse group, parameter control, parameter form control, filter control, navigation control, slider
- Multimedia objects: applets, flash files, real media files, windows media files
- Drawing objects: lines, arcs, boxes, ovals, round boxes
- Special fields: Print Date, Print Time, Fetch Date, Fetch Time, Record Number and many more.

## Components can be bound to a dataset

Some components can be bound with a dataset or inherit data from the dataset of their parents. These components are table, chart, crosstab, banded object and geographic map, and they are also referred to as data containers or data components.

You can set up link conditions between two data containers (except for geographic map) which have a parent-child relationship. For more information, see Setting up a data container link.

## Component placement

Components can be placed within banded objects or some other components, as well as onto an empty area of a report. JReport Designer indicates whether or not the target location is valid for the component.

The following tables lists the report areas that are valid targets for the various components, listed on the left.

Report layout areas and the components they can contain

| Report Layout Area
--- | ---
Component | Banded Object BH panel | Banded Object BPH panel | Banded Object DT panel | Banded Object BPF panel | Banded Object BF panel | Banded Object GH panel | Banded Object GF panel | Text Box | Table Cell | Tabular Cell | Page Header/ Footer Panel
Banded object | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | Y | Y
Chart | Y | N | N | N | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y
Crosstab | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | Y | Y
Table | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | Y | Y
DBField | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y
Parameter field | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y
Summary field | Y | N | N | N | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | N
Formula field | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y
Special field | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y
Label | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y
Tabular | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | Y | Y
Image | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y
Text box | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | Y | Y
Multimedia object | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | Y
Drawing object | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | N
Subreport | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | Y | Y
Map | Y | N | N | N | Y | Y | Y | N | N | Y | Y
UDO | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | N
Form | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y
Web control | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y
Barcode | Barcode and rank components can be inserted in a report layout area that is valid for the component on which the barcode or rank is based. For example, a rank component that represents a DBField is allowed in the report layout areas in which a DBField component is allowed.
Rank

This chapter describes each component in more detail:

- Labels
- DBFields
- Formula fields
- Summary fields
- Parameter fields
- Special fields
- Text boxes
- Tables
- Banded objects
- Crosstabs
- Charts
- Tabulars
- Subreports
- Images
- Maps
- Web controls
- Multimedia objects
- Barcodes
- Ranks
- Drawing objects
- UDOs