There are standard walkthroughs available on the Business Objects DevZone website.  I mainly used these when beginning with Crystal Reports.  I still refer to these samples occasionally when I need to create a report that utilizes a technique I haven’t used for a while.  While these samples are in VB.NET, it should not be difficult to translate them into C#.

For instance, when I want to remember how to set parameters, I check the vbnet_web_discreteparams sample application.  To view the code in that sample, simply download the walkthrough file.  Next, double-click the file and it will unzip the files to a subdirectory under C:\Crystal.  In that directory (C:\Crystal\CRNET), you will find the sample applications in compressed files.  Now, unzip the vbnet_web_discreteparams.zip file (accept the defaults and it will extract to C:\Crystal\CRNET\vbnet_web_discreteparams).  Open the .vb files to view the code, or open the project file in Visual Studio .NET.

Honorable Mentions

Another resource I use when I’m stuck with a particularly tough question is the Crystal Reports forum at http://www.asp.net.  I’ve found a lot of help from folks like Brian Bischof and Richard Dudley who hang out and answer questions on that forum.  It’s a great place for receiving help with both beginner and advanced questions.

For a collection of other lists, check out the Community Links tab at the Crystal Reports Alliance.  As the editor of that site, I like to think that this is a comprehensive list of communities.  This includes mailing lists, newsgroups, and forums related to Crystal Reports and .NET.

Here are a few blogs that have some good links on Crystal Reports: Dr. Crystal, Richard Dudley, and Julie Lerman’s “Don’t Be Iffy”.

Summary

That’s a listing of the resources I utilize when I’m developing a web application involving Crystal Reports.  I hope this provides some helpful links and code for others who need to create a reporting solution that incorporates Crystal Reports.  Keep on Codin’.