Developement Timeline

Why did i-net software start developing a reporting solution?

In 1999 the product i-net Helpdesk needed a reporting solution. Back at that time there was a product called Crystal Reports 6.5 - but it proved to be unqualified. And that is why the company decided to produce a Java based Report-Renderer on their own.

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Version 0.x (1999)

load and render simple Crystal Reports 6.x report files

Version 1.x (2000)

support for Crystal Report 7 and 8
PDF, HTML, RFT Export format
Support for Java 1.3

Version 2.x (2001)

Crosstab support and CSV export format added
an integrated Java Viewer (AWT) replaces the optional Viewer from Crystal Reports
Runtime Design Component (RDC) was added

Version 3.x (2002)

Swing version of the Java Viewer
XLS and XML Export format
support for Mailing Labels and Multi Columns
First version of the i-net Designer

Version 4.x (2003)

Postscript Export format
DrillDown support
support for Crystal Reports 9 and higher format via Crystal API

Version 5.x (2004)

Windows NT Service (ccservice.exe) Component
i-net Clear Reports Plus Edition with:
- Cache, Cluster support
- Memory Cache, Database Cache, Harddisk

Version 6.x (2005)

New Features: Scheduler, JavaBeans
TXT Export Format
Text Interpretation (RTF und HTML)
Multiple Databases per report
SQL Commands
JDBC drivers are bundled

Version 7.x (2007)

Data Sources replace the old mechanism with host, catalog, user, password pairs
using of JFreeChart improved the Charts
support for transparency
new Java Viewer with:
- modulare API
- Multi Page View
- scrolling in continious View
- Progress bar
- Font Embedding
- Search the completely Report

Version 8.x (2008)

new Chart API
continious Chart
combined Chart
signed PDF files
Configuration Manager makes it possible to change the configuration without restarting the server. This replaces the old configuration file.

Version 9.x (2009)

System Permissions
Report Repository
Remote Configuration Manager
Image (PNG, JPEG, GIF an BMP) Export Format

Version 10.x (2010)

AdHoc Reporting
all new HTML Prompt Dialog
Remote Designer
Designer has new Report Wizard, FileChooser and Options Dialog
Report Repository
Headless Setup

Version 11.x (2011)

Product has been renamed to i-net Clear Reports
.NET integration and API
all new Formula Editor
Problem Finder in Designer
Mobile Device Support

Version 12.x (2012)

Revamped Scheduler - contains a more user-friendly interface
Remote configuration manager - properties and categories reordered for clarity
Crosstab - features improved and added new features added
HTML export - now based on HTML 4 und CSS 3.0
ODS Export Format
Login types “LDAP Server” and “PAM Authentication” added.
Recovery Tool

Version 13.x (2013)

Java 7 required for Server and Designer
HTML Viewer is new default viewer
Embedding of HTML, PDF and SVG files in the
supports for formula fields, like text field, checkbox, button or list in PDF exports
PDF tags
Creation of Web optimized PDF files
Improvements for .NET version, including new .NET-only viewer
“interactive” sorting of report data from within the viewer

Version 14.x (2014)

Statistics module added to the Remote Interface
HTML report viewer contains searching, printing & export feature
Formula debugger added to the formula editor in i-net Designer
Error notifications - in case of an error emails can be send to the administrator
Error handling in the viewer - an error message box contains an email link
Customization of log levels per server component
Structural changes to enable a plugin based system

Version 15.x (2015)

Java VM version 8 embedded
.NET and Java API in ReportServer included
Configuration Manager reimplemented / redesigned
Record Selection Formula optimized
Report URL parameter “reports” added
Output format Excel spreadsheet (XLSX) added
Corporate Design using themes and Bootstrap

Version 16.x (2016)

Java 8 as minimum requirement (except Java Viewer which requires Java 7)
64bit Java VM version 8 embedded
New Installer and Setup (msi for Windows, specific packages for other platforms)
Maintenance Plugin for import/export of system settings
Required Servlet Spec is version 3.1
Basic plugin support for HTML Viewer
AdHoc Applet no longer supported

Version 17.x (2017)

Scheduler has been replaced with Task Planner
LetsEncrypt can be updated using the Task Planner
Improved rendering of Reports embedded in Emails send via the Task Planner
SDK comes with new sample plugins and Gradle scripts to compile them
Standalone HelpCenter for the documentation
Datasources can be saved using a Maintenance Backup Task

Version 18.x (2018)

Users and Groups Manager added
Improved login system with multiple logins per account
Every module, as well as the HTML Viewer, run in the application frame by default
Event Logging System (who did what)
Deprecated .NET using IKVM, added .NET Bridge
Available as Docker Container
Support for Java 11

Version 19.x (2019)

New Datasources web interface with new Application scope and group-based sharing permissions for individual data sources
Redis and MongoDB persistent storage
Notification Center added
Regularly Check for Updates
“Stay Logged In” Feature
Support for multiple LDAP servers as authentication fallback
Custom HTTP/S header fields eg. for HSTS
i-net Designer with designer(s):// protocol so Java is not required for Remote Designer
Cookie Banner
Support for Java 12

Version 20.x (2020)

Translations plugin added
WebAPI plugin enhanced with web interface
Taskplanner support for placeholders in triggers
Private Cloud license for AWS VPC
Support for users of the Windows Group Guests
Support for Java 14

Version 21.x (2021)

Support of MongoDB as report datasource
MS Cassandra DB as persistence provider
Support for Jpeg2000 image format in Reports
Improved HTML Advanced and XLSX/ODS export
HTML Email Renderer
WebAPI Upload for Report Repository
WebAPI for rendering report files
Private Key Authentication for Taskplanner FTP Plugin
Token Authentication: Bearer + HMAC
Support for Java 15 and 17
Plugin Store

Version 22.x (2022)

Two-Factor authentication
Web-Push notifications
Eclipse Temurin 17 Java VM
Setup updates plugins
System Core for current major version can be updated without new installation
Webserver can be run on a sub-context instead of root
Task Planner creates groups for placeholder entries
New renderer output formats: DocX and JSON
Continuous Stacked Bar Chart
Simple Charts support a custom, formula based value label

Version 23.x (2023)

Markdown-Text interpretation
Linux services updated to SystemD
Docker container not using root user to run service anymore

Version 24.x (2024)

Deprecation of Report Repository
Introduction of Report Drive with modernized UI
Eclipse Temurin 21 Java VM
New PDF Report Viewer as output format
Updated selection of default report rendering format