ReportingCloud
ReportingCloud is a document generation service that Text Control hosts for you. Your application sends a template with merge fields and merge blocks, or the name of a template it stored in ReportingCloud before, together with JSON data to the Web API at https://api.reporting.cloud/, and ReportingCloud returns the merged documents as PDF, DOCX, DOC, RTF, HTML or another format. Any language that can send an HTTPS request with JSON can use it, and SDKs for .NET, PHP, Java and Ruby wrap the requests in classes.
That is what separates ReportingCloud from the other Text Control products. TX Text Control .NET Server is a set of components you compile into a .NET application, and DS Server is a document server you run on your own infrastructure. ReportingCloud runs on Text Control's servers: there is nothing to install, you sign up for an account, create an API key and send requests. You design templates in Microsoft Word or in the template editor of the ReportingCloud portal.
What You Can Build
| Task | Read |
|---|---|
| Merge a template with JSON data to create invoices, quotes, contracts and reports | Mail Merge |
| Repeat table rows for line items, nest them and show sections only when data exists | Merge Blocks, Conditional Blocks |
| Convert documents between DOCX, DOC, RTF, HTML, PDF and other formats | Converting Documents |
| Combine documents, replace text in them or render their pages as images | Appending Documents, Find and Replace, Thumbnails |
| Store templates in ReportingCloud and design them in the browser | Portal |
| Check the spelling of text | Spell Checking |
Who This Documentation Is for
It is written for developers who add document generation to an application, and it does not assume that you know anything about Text Control.
- Calling the Web API: you need to know how to send an HTTP request and handle JSON. The language does not matter. Start at Web API.
- Working in .NET, PHP, Java or Ruby: the SDKs turn the requests into method calls. Start at .NET, PHP, Java or Ruby.
- Designing templates: start at Template Design and the Template Editor of the portal.
How This Documentation Is Organized
The navigation on the left follows the order you meet the service in.
- Overview explains what ReportingCloud consists of, how it compares with DS Server and TX Text Control .NET Server, how the service is built, which file formats it reads and writes, what the plans include and how it handles your data.
- Installation Guide sets up what a client needs, as there is no server to install: an account, an API key and, if you want one, an SDK. It also lists the requirements of each SDK and covers upgrading to a subscription.
- Getting Started creates a first document with curl, with the .NET SDK in an ASP.NET Core or ASP.NET MVC 5 application, or with the PHP, Java or Ruby SDK.
- Portal covers the ReportingCloud portal: the dashboard, the template storage, the template editor, datasource excerpts, your account, transactions and statistics.
- Mail Merge shows how templates and JSON data become documents: merge data, merge fields, merge blocks and nested blocks, images, conditional blocks, HTML content, merge settings, culture and template design.
- Document Processing shows the other tasks of the Web API: authentication, converting, appending, find and replace, thumbnails, template storage, sharing, spell checking, tracked changes and errors.
- SDKs compares the .NET, PHP, Java and Ruby SDKs and describes the methods of each.
- Troubleshooting starts from what you see, such as a 500, 403 or 400 response, a used-up quota or a merged document that looks wrong, and leads to the cause and the fix.
- What's New lists the changes to the service and its SDKs by year since the release in 2016.
- API Reference documents every endpoint of the Web API with its parameters, payloads and responses, and points to the API documentation of the SDKs.
Where to Start
- Introduction: what ReportingCloud is and what it consists of.
- Creating an Account and API Keys: a trial account, free for 30 days, and the key your requests authenticate with.
- Web API: merge the demo template of your account with JSON data and save the PDF.
- Mail Merge: build templates and data for your own documents.
Getting Help
- Something does not work. Troubleshooting collects the common problems with credentials, quotas and merge results, and Getting Support lists the ways to reach Text Control.
- The service seems down. The status page at status.reporting.cloud shows the availability of the Web API, the portal and the backend.
- You have a question about plans or prices. See Plans and Licensing or contact the Text Control sales team.