Setting up Known External Types

LINQ Reporting Engine must be aware of custom external types that you reference in your template before the engine processes the template. You can set up external types known by the engine through the ReportingEngine.getKnownTypes() property. The property represents an unordered set (that is, a collection of unique items) of Class objects. Every type in the set must meet requirements declared at “Working with Types”.

Note – Object, String, and primitive types are known by the engine by default.

Consider the following example. Given an ImageUtil class declared at your application and a template accessing a static member of this class, you can use the following code to make the engine be aware of the class before processing the template.

ReportingEngine engine = new ReportingEngine();
engine.getKnownTypes().add(ImageUtil.class);
engine.buildReport(...);

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FAQ

1. Q: How do I register a custom Java class so that the LINQ Reporting Engine can use it in a template?
   A: Create an instance of ReportingEngine, then add the class object to the engine’s known‑types set via engine.getKnownTypes().add(YourClass.class);. After that, call engine.buildReport(...) to process the template.

2. Q: Which types are already known by the engine without any configuration?
   A: The engine automatically knows Object, String, and all Java primitive types (e.g., int, double, boolean). No additional registration is required for these.

3. Q: Can I add several custom types at once?
   A: Yes, by calling add once per type, e.g., engine.getKnownTypes().add(TypeA.class); engine.getKnownTypes().add(TypeB.class);, or in a loop before building the report. KnownTypeSet has no method that adds several types at once.

4. Q: How can I remove a previously added type from the known‑types set?
   A: Use the remove method on the set: engine.getKnownTypes().remove(UnwantedClass.class);. This is useful if the class should no longer be accessible in templates.

5. Q: Do I need to register primitive wrapper classes (e.g., Integer, Double) manually?
   A: Yes, to use their static members. Primitive types are known by default, but wrapper classes are not: add them like any other type, e.g., engine.getKnownTypes().add(Integer.class), before calling Integer.parseInt(...) in a template.