Sharing Custom Functions with Other Users

One of the main benefits Crystal Reports custom functions is the ability to share them not only among reports you may design, but among reports that other Crystal Reports users design as well. This is accomplished by saving the custom function or functions you wish to share in the repository. And if you ve disconnected a custom function from the repository to change it, you ll most probably want to save the updated function back to the repository again. The steps to add a new custom function to the repository for the first time, or to update a custom function that you disconnected, are the same, and there are actually three different ways to accomplish the same thing:

• Right-click the custom function you wish to add to the repository in the Formula Workshop tree. Select Add to Repository from the pop-up menu. If you have not already logged on to your Crystal Enterprise 10 system to access the repository, you ll be prompted to do so. If the function already exists (you disconnected it earlier), you ll be prompted to confirm that you want to overwrite the existing repository function.

• Select the custom function you wish to add to the repository in the Formula Workshop tree. Click the Add to Repository button in the Formula Workshop toolbar. If necessary, you ll be prompted to log on to Crystal Enterprise. If the function already exists (you disconnected it earlier), you ll be prompted to confirm that you want to overwrite the existing repository function.

• Simply drag the custom function you wish to add to the repository from the Report Custom Functions category of the Formula Workshop tree to the Repository Custom Functions category. This will automatically add the function to the selected repository. You ll be prompted to log on to Crystal Enterprise, if necessary. If the function already exists (you disconnected it earlier), you ll be prompted to confirm that you want to overwrite the existing repository function.

  Caution  

  You may not be able to add a custom function to the repository ”either a new custom function you created yourself, or a custom function you disconnected from the repository to edit. Depending on the Crystal Enterprise system you are connected to, and the rights you have been granted, you may not be able to add or update custom functions. If you get an error message when attempting to add a custom function to the repository, contact your Crystal Enterprise administrator to verify that you have the right to modify the repository.