Q. Can I use Dundas controls in my report using only RDL file code?

A. This is possible, although we do not directly support it. The RDL file is written in XML format, and you could use tools included in .NET to edit it. We would suggest working out how to add the control to the XML in an RDL file by using a report built with Dundas Chart/Gauge/Calendar in the Visual Studio report designer as a reference:

• You will find the control as a element within the element, and there are a number of child elements within it.
• The number of child elements varies according to which properties have been set in the Visual Studio report designer—not all properties are listed if they have not been changed from their default values.
• If you want your application to be able to set various properties of the control, you will need to find out which properties are mapped to what XML elements, but you can then set the contents of the child element to your own value. (You should be aware of what limits are present for the properties you set, so that your values are valid.)

• The server that you deploy the report on will need Chart/Gauge/Calendar for Reporting Services installed. For information on deploying Dundas controls to a server (other than the development computer,) see the article "How to deploy Dundas Chart for Reporting Services."
• If you intend to include custom code, which is normally added through the Source Code editor in the report designer, you will need to know that the source code is encoded to Base64 before being added to the RDL file.
• You should note that it is planned for the next versions of controls for Reporting Services to also include compiled custom code, in addition to the source code, within the RDL file, however you should be able to leave this out.