To set the simple properties of report items, each class has setter methods specific to the report item type. For example, an image element handle, ImageHandle, has the setURI( ) method. This method sets the URI of an image referenced by URL or file path. The DesignElementHandle class and other ancestor classes in the hierarchy provide generic setter methods, such as setName( ). Setter methods throw exceptions, such as NameException, SemanticException, and StyleException.

To set attributes of a complex property, such as a style, call methods on a handle object, as described later in this chapter. These classes provide setter methods for related properties. For example, StyleHandle classes provide access to style properties, such as font and background color.