# Session Reports (Pro)

Serial Studio Pro can export any recorded session as a **self-contained HTML report** or a **PDF**. The report includes a cover page, session metadata, per-parameter summary statistics, and one interactive Chart.js plot per numeric dataset. It's a share-ready artifact for teammates, customers, or a lab notebook, generated from the same SQLite session database used by the [Session Explorer](https://serial-studio.com/help/session-database.md).

## Generating a report

1. Open the **Session Explorer** from the **Sessions** button on the toolbar.
2. Select a recorded session.
3. Click **Generate Report** in the session detail pane.
4. Configure branding, page, and section options in the dialog (see [Options](#options)).
5. Click **Export PDF** (or **Export HTML** on builds without the embedded browser engine).

A progress dialog appears while charts render and (for PDF) the page is rasterized. The output format depends on the build: builds with the embedded browser engine produce a PDF, and builds without it produce a self-contained HTML file. When finished, the file is written to:

```
<Workspace>/Reports/<Project Title>/
```

The workspace root is the folder set under **Settings → Workspace**. Project titles are sanitized so the filename is always safe.

## What's in the report

The report has four sections, each independently toggleable:

| Section | Contents |
|---|---|
| **Cover page** | Logo, company name, document title, project name, session ID, duration, sample count, parameter count, start/end timestamps, author, generation date |
| **Test information** | Project title, session ID, start/end times, duration, sample count, parameter count, tags (as chips), and session notes |
| **Measurement summary** | Per-parameter table with sample count, min, max, mean, and standard deviation. Non-numeric datasets show `—` for numeric columns |
| **Parameter trends** | One Chart.js line chart per numeric dataset, laid out in a responsive grid. A screen-only overlay chart (hidden on print) plots all parameters on shared axes for shape comparison |

## Options

All options are persisted between runs, so you only configure them once per project.

### Branding tab

- **Company name**, **document title**, **author name**
- **Logo**: PNG, JPG, or SVG. Embedded inline so the HTML stays self-contained.

### Page tab

- **Page size**: A0–A6, B4, B5, Letter, Legal, Executive, Tabloid, or Ledger. Reports always print in landscape orientation.
- **Line width**: 0.5 – 3.0 pt (default 1.4)
- **Line style**: solid, dashed, or dotted

### Sections tab

Toggle each of the four sections on or off independently. An extra **Annotate min, max, and mean values on plots** checkbox overlays those statistics on each chart. Turning off **Parameter trends** produces a text-only summary report that renders instantly and prints to a few pages.

## HTML vs PDF

Both formats ship the same content, rendered from the same template.

| | **HTML** | **PDF** |
|---|---|---|
| Single file | Yes | Yes |
| Self-contained | Yes (Chart.js, CSS, JS, and logo are inlined) | N/A (rasterized) |
| Interactive charts | Yes (hover, tooltip, overlay toggle) | No (charts are rendered as images) |
| File size | Larger (embeds Chart.js + raw data) | Smaller, fixed per page count |
| Best for | Internal review, web sharing, debugging | Customer deliverables, regulatory submissions, printing |

Which format you get is determined by the build: builds that include the embedded browser engine export a PDF, while builds without it export the self-contained HTML.

## How charts are rendered

Charts use **Chart.js 4.x**, bundled inside Serial Studio. No network access is required, since the full library, stylesheet, and client runtime are embedded in the HTML at render time.

### Downsampling

Long sessions are downsampled to a maximum of **10,000 points per chart** using first/min/max/last bucket decimation across 2,500 equal-count buckets. This preserves the signal envelope (peaks and valleys survive) while keeping charts responsive even for sessions with millions of samples.

If you need the full-resolution data, export the session to **CSV** from the Session Explorer instead.

### Numeric formatting

Tick labels use scientific notation for values with magnitude below 10⁻³ or at or above 10⁶. Otherwise they display with three decimal places. Colors rotate through a muted HSL palette (base hue 210°, stepped by 48° per parameter) tuned for print legibility.

## Performance notes

- HTML export is near-instant for any session size: the template inlines the data as JSON and all rendering happens in the browser when the file is opened.
- PDF export is slower. Serial Studio loads the HTML in an off-screen browser, waits for Chart.js to finish rendering, then rasterizes the page. Expect a few seconds for sessions with many datasets.
- The report is independent of the live project: it pulls session data directly from the SQLite database, so you can regenerate reports from archived sessions long after the original project has changed.

## See also

- [Session Database](https://serial-studio.com/help/session-database.md): where sessions are recorded and browsed.
- [CSV Export & Playback](https://serial-studio.com/help/csv-export.md): for full-resolution tabular exports.
- [Pro vs Free Features](https://serial-studio.com/help/pro-vs-free.md): full list of Pro-only features.