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Create a React Front-End Application with a Document Viewer (Next.js)

  • 5 minutes to read

Important

Familiarity with React basic concepts and patterns is essential prior to the use of this documentation. If you require a review, please refer to React documentation for a getting-started tutorial

The Web Document Viewer is used in applications that contain client and server parts:

Client
A Web Document Viewer integrated in a client React application displays a report provided by the server-side model.
Server
The server is an ASP.NET Core application that handles client data requests and provides access to data sources, report storage, and other back-end capabilities.

This tutorial creates and configures a client React application and a server ASP.NET Core backend. The client is created with the help of Next.js and contains the Web Document Viewer control.

View Example

#Prerequisites

Note the following details about package versions:

  • The script version on the client should match the library version on the server.
  • DevExpress npm package versions should be identical.

#Create a Server Application (Back-End)

#Use the DevExpress CLI Template

You can use DevExpress CLI Templates to create an ASP.NET Core back-end application. Begin with the steps below:

  1. Install DevExpress ASP.NET Core project templates from nuget.org:

    dotnet new install DevExpress.AspNetCore.ProjectTemplates
    
  2. Create a back-end Reporting application for a Document Viewer:

    console
    dotnet new dx.aspnetcore.reporting.backend -n ServerApp --add-designer false
    

    You can use the following parameters to see available command options: -? | -h | --help.

  3. Enable cross-origin requests (CORS). Specify the policy that allows any local application to access the report’s back-end. Use the SetIsOriginAllowed method to set it up.

    Call the UseCors method and pass the policy name as a parameter. The UseCors method should be called after the UseRouting method and before any MVC-related code. Place the UseCors method before the UseMvc or UseEndpoints methods.

    Open the application startup file and insert the following code:

    var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);
    
    builder.Services.AddCors(options => {
        options.AddPolicy("AllowCorsPolicy", builder => {
            // Allow all ports on local host.
            builder.SetIsOriginAllowed(origin => new Uri(origin).Host == "localhost");
            builder.AllowAnyHeader();
            builder.AllowAnyMethod();
        });
    });
    
    var app = builder.Build();
    
    app.UseRouting();
    app.UseCors("AllowCorsPolicy");
    
    app.UseEndpoints(endpoints => {
        endpoints.MapControllerRoute(
            name: "default",
            pattern: "{controller=Home}/{action=Index}/{id?}");
    });
    
    app.Run();
    
  4. To run the server-side application, run the following command:

    console
    cd ServerApp
    dotnet run
    

#Use Visual Studio Template

To create a back-end application from a Microsoft or DevExpress Template in Visual Studio, review the following help topics:

#Create a Client Application (Front-End)

  1. In the command prompt, create a React application with Next.js:

    cmd
    npx create-next-app@latest react-document-viewer
    
  2. Navigate to the project folder:

    cmd
    cd react-document-viewer
    
  3. Install the devexpress-reporting-react npm package:

    cmd
    npm install devexpress-reporting-react@24.2-stable
    
  4. Open the app/page.tsx file and substitute its contents with the following code excerpt:

    TypeScript
    'use client';
    import 'devextreme/dist/css/dx.light.css';
    import '@devexpress/analytics-core/dist/css/dx-analytics.common.css';
    import '@devexpress/analytics-core/dist/css/dx-analytics.light.css';
    import 'devexpress-reporting/dist/css/dx-webdocumentviewer.css';
    import ReportViewer, { RequestOptions } from 'devexpress-reporting-react/dx-report-viewer';
    
    function App() {
    
      return (
        <ReportViewer reportUrl="TestReport">
          <RequestOptions host="http://localhost:5000/" invokeAction="DXXRDV" />
        </ReportViewer>        
      )
    }
    
    export default App
    

    This code snippet declares the ReportViewer component and returns it with the App function.

    Specify the correct server-side port (the host variable) and report name (the reportUrl variable).

#Run the Project

  1. Run the server application.

    Make sure to specify the correct server-side port (5000 in this example) and report name (TestReport in this example) in the app/page.tsx file.

  2. Run the client application:

    cmd
    npm run dev
    
  3. Open the http://localhost:3000/ in your browser to see the result:

    Web Document Viewer Page

#Troubleshooting

You may encounter the following problems:

#Page is blank

The Document Viewer page is blank. The following error message is displayed at the bottom of the page:

Could not open report ‘TestReport’

Check the following:

  • The backend application is up and running.
  • The backend application runs on the port specified in the host setting of the Document Viewer component.
  • The application’s URI is compliant with the CORS policy specified in your back-end application.
  • The reportUrl setting value matches an existing report. For the backend application, ensure that either the Reports folder contains a reportUrl.repx file or the ReportsFactory.Reports dictionary contains the reportUrl entry (if the back-end application originated from the DevExpress template).
  • The version of DevExpress npm packages should match the version of NuGet packages. Enable Development Mode to check for a library version mismatch on every request to the server. For details, review the following help topic: Server-Side Libraries Version.

Refer to the following topic for more information: Troubleshooting.

#Next Steps

Specify Parameter Values
Specify Parameter Values through the Document Viewer’s UI or code.
Customize the Toolbar
Customize the Document Viewer Toolbar: hide export formats, customize toolbar commands.
Customize the Tab Panel
Customize the Document Viewer Tab Panel: remove the Tsb Panel, add new tabs to the Panel. Customize Parameter Editor : Customize a standard parameter editor in the Web Document Viewer.
See Also