How to see an Active Report in the design view of Visual Studio.

Johnson, Casey (Kern River Gas) {Contractor} 0 Reputation points
2026-08-17T16:01:09.76+00:00

I'm getting the following exception when I attempt to open an active report in Visual Studio:

at System.ComponentModel.TypeDescriptor.AddAttributes(Object instance, Attribute[] attributes)

at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Design.VSDesignSurface.CreateDesigner(IComponent component, Boolean rootDesigner)

at System.ComponentModel.Design.DesignerHost.AddToContainerPostProcess(IComponent component, String name, IContainer containerToAddTo)

at System.ComponentModel.Design.DesignerHost.PerformAdd(IComponent component, String name)

at System.ComponentModel.Design.DesignerHost.System.ComponentModel.Design.IDesignerHost.CreateComponent(Type componentType, String name)

at System.ComponentModel.Design.Serialization.DesignerSerializationManager.CreateInstance(Type type, ICollection arguments, String name, Boolean addToContainer)

at System.ComponentModel.Design.Serialization.DesignerSerializationManager.System.ComponentModel.Design.Serialization.IDesignerSerializationManager.CreateInstance(Type type, ICollection arguments, String name, Boolean addToContainer)

at System.ComponentModel.Design.Serialization.TypeCodeDomSerializer.Deserialize(IDesignerSerializationManager manager, CodeTypeDeclaration declaration)

at System.ComponentModel.Design.Serialization.CodeDomDesignerLoader.PerformLoad(IDesignerSerializationManager manager)

at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Design.Serialization.CodeDom.VSCodeDomDesignerLoader.PerformLoad(IDesignerSerializationManager serializationManager)

at System.ComponentModel.Design.Serialization.BasicDesignerLoader.BeginLoad(IDesignerLoaderHost host)

Developer technologies | Visual Studio | Other
Developer technologies | Visual Studio | Other

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  1. Bruce (SqlWork.com) 84,951 Reputation points
    2026-08-17T21:07:57.1333333+00:00

    Active reports is not generally supported on this site. You don't say which version of Visual Studio and Active Reports you are using but they may not be compatible. Check their site for the latest information.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-08-17T16:01:27.9933333+00:00

    The stack trace points to a Visual Studio designer load failure, not to a report preview/runtime issue. The supported troubleshooting paths in the available guidance are:

    1. Try opening the file in code instead of Design view.
      • Visual Studio can fail to open a designer when the file or project type does not support that designer.
      • In Solution Explorer, right-click the file and choose View Code.
    2. Check whether the class is designable and positioned correctly.
      • If Visual Studio reports that it cannot open a designer because the class does not inherit from a class that can be visually designed, move the relevant class so it is the first class in the file, then try loading the designer again.
    3. Check for missing types or references.
      • If the designer cannot find a type, ensure the assembly containing that type is referenced.
      • If the assembly is part of the current solution, build the project.
      • If this started after moving from VS2019 to VS2022, verify the project Target Framework, then Clean Solution, delete bin and obj, and rebuild.
    4. Check for designer/code-behind mismatches.
      • If a referenced name no longer exists in the current context, open the *.designer.* file and remove stale event-handler references.
    5. Check for editor conflicts.
      • If the file is already open in another incompatible editor, close that editor and reopen the designer.
    6. If this began after a Visual Studio upgrade, clear the Visual Studio component cache.
      • Close all Visual Studio instances.
      • Make sure devenv.exe is not still running.
      • Delete the contents of: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\VisualStudio\17.x\ComponentModelCache
      • Restart Visual Studio.
      • This is a low-risk cleanup step, but it affects cached IDE state and may cause Visual Studio to rebuild cache data on next launch.
    7. If the goal is to work with reports rather than the broken designer surface, use the report workflow supported in SSDT.
      • Report Designer uses Design view to define report data and layout.
      • Preview view renders the report.
      • If the report item is missing from ReportViewer tasks, a documented workaround is to add the report manually: project > Add > New Item > Report, then select that report in ReportViewer Tasks.

    If the designer still fails after these steps, the remaining guidance in the available material is to report the issue through Report a Problem, especially for Visual Studio designer failures that are not caused by missing references or project configuration.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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