SAP Knowledge Base Article - Public

1611745 - Linked Flash object not displayed in the PDF document generated by Crystal Reports

Symptom

  • Flash not displayed.
  • Blank space where Flash object should have been located in a PDF document.
  • When exporting a report that contains a linked Flash object from Crystal Reports to PDF format, the PDF document does not contains the Flash object.
  • If the Flash content is incorporated using the 'Embed' option in Crystal Reports, it displayed correctly in the generated PDF document.  
             
  • Important Note: Adobe ended Flash support on 2020/12/31. The information in this SAP Knowledge Base Article was valid prior to Flash suppot ended. The recommendation is to remove Flash objects from the report. 

Environment

  • SAP Crystal Reports 2011
  • SAP Crystal Reports 2013
  • SAP Crystal Reports 2016

Reproducing the Issue

  1. In Crystal Reports, create a report based on any data source.
  2. Under the menu "Insert", select "Flash..."
  3. In the "Insert Flash Object" window, click on "Browse " and select a Flash object. ( .SWF file )
  4. Then select the "Link" option, and click "OK"
  5. Preview the report, and notice the Flash object displays successfully on the report.
  6. Export the report to PDF format.
             
    When viewing the exported PDF document in a PDF Reader, notice the Flash content is not displayed.

Cause

  • Locally linked flash object are not shown in a PDF document because the PDF specification does not support locally linked SWF files.
                
  • Notes:
    • Linked flash file feature is only support in Crystal Reports.
    • Viewing a report that contains a linked flash document is not supported when viewed outside of Crystal Reports designer, like in SAP BI LaunchPad or the Central Management Console.

Resolution

  • Embed the Flash object in the report, in order to be able to export it to PDF format.
       
    1. In Crystal Reports, open the report that contains a linked Flash object.
        
    2. Ensure you know the source of the linked Flash object on the report, then delete it.
          
    3. Insert the Flash object again, and ensure the option "Embed" is selected
      1. Under the menu "Insert", select "Flash..."
      2. In the "Insert Flash Object" window, click on "Browse " and select the same Flash object. ( .SWF file )
      3. Then ensure the option "Embed" is selected, and click "OK"
          
    4. Now, when exporting the report to PDF format, it will embed the Flash object in the PDF document.

Keywords

KBA , BI-RA-CR , Crystal Reports designer or Business View Manager , Product Enhancement

Product

SAP Crystal Reports 2011 ; SAP Crystal Reports 2013 ; SAP Crystal Reports 2016