SAP Knowledge Base Article - Public

2124862 - Error: "There was a problem sending the command to the program." when opening a report created in Crystal Reports

Symptom

  • Unable to open reports.
  • Error: "There was a problem sending the command to the program."
  • When double clicking on a report created in Crystal Reports, it displays the error.
  • Able to open the report from Crystal Reports designer, but not when double clicking on the report file outside of Crystal Reports.

Environment

  • Crystal Reports 2008
  • SAP Crystal Reports 2011
  • SAP Crystal Reports 2013
  • SAP Crystal Reports 2016

Reproducing the Issue

  1. Double click on a report file, to open the report in Crystal Reports.
  2. It displays the error: "There was a problem sending the command to the program."
     
    Open Error.png

Cause

  • The Microsoft Windows files association defined for launching report in Crystal Reports contains incorrect information, and therefore it cannot launch the report in Crystal Reports.

Resolution

  • To be able to open a report by double clicking on a report file, modify the Microsoft Windows File Assoction for Crystal Reports.
      
    1. Right click on the report file, and select "Properties"
          
    2. In the "Properties" window, under the tab "General", for the option "Opens with", click on "Change..."
         
      Change File Association - 01.png    
         
            
    3. In the "Open with" window, click on the "Browse... " button
         
       Change File Association - 02.png   
        
           
    4. Navigate to where Crystal Reports is installed:
           
      • For Crystal Reports 2008: C:\Program Files (x86)\Business Objects\BusinessObjects Enterprise 12.0\win32_x86
         
      • For Crystal Reports 2011: C:\Program Files (x86)\SAP BusinessObjects\SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 4.0\win32_x86
          
      • For Crystal Reports 2013: C:\Program Files (x86)\SAP BusinessObjects\SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 4.0\win32_x86
          
      • For Crystal Reports 2016: C:\Program Files (x86)\SAP BusinessObjects\SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 4.0\win32_x86
            
        Note: The above are the default folder location for Crystal Reports, but it is possible during the product installation to install to customize where Crystal Reports is installed, therefore ensure the path you type is the path where Crystal Reports ( crw32.exe ) file is installed on your computer
              
    5. Click "OK" to accept the change.
           
    6. Now, when double clicking on the report, it will open it in Crystal Reports.
        
               
  • If you are still experiencing the same issue, then the information are not updated successfully, therefore the second option will be to manually update the information in the Microsoft Registry Editor.
     
    ***WARNING***: The following resolution involves editing the registry. Using the MS Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems. Use the Registry Editor at your own risk. Refer to the SAP Knowledge Base Article 1323322 for more information.
         
    1. Go to the Microsoft Registry Editor: ( Regedit )
           
    2. Navigate to the following key:   HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CrystalReports\shell\Open\command
          
      And ensure the path is correct based on the version of Crystal Reports used:
      • For Crystal Reports 2008: C:\Program Files (x86)\Business Objects\BusinessObjects Enterprise 12.0\win32_x86
         
      • For Crystal Reports 2011: C:\Program Files (x86)\SAP BusinessObjects\SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 4.0\win32_x86
          
      • For Crystal Reports 2013: C:\Program Files (x86)\SAP BusinessObjects\SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 4.0\win32_x86
          
      • For Crystal Reports 2016: C:\Program Files (x86)\SAP BusinessObjects\SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 4.0\win32_x86

        Note: The above are the default folder location for Crystal Reports, but it is possible during the product installation to install to customize where Crystal Reports is installed, therefore ensure the path you type is the path where Crystal Reports ( crw32.exe ) file is installed on your computer.
                   
    3. Navigate to the following key:  HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CrystalReports\shell\Open\ddeexec
      And ensure the value is:         [open(\"%1\")]
        
    4. Navigate to the following key:  HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CrystalReports\shell\Open\ddeexec\Application
      And ensure the value is:         crw32
          
    5. Now, when double clicking on the report, it will open it in Crystal Reports.

Keywords

CR, error, opening , KBA , BI-RA-CR , Crystal Reports designer or Business View Manager , Problem

Product

Crystal Reports 2008 V1 ; SAP Crystal Reports 2011 ; SAP Crystal Reports 2013 ; SAP Crystal Reports 2016