Resolving "Invalid License" Issue during runtime in Telerik Reporting

Environment

Product	Progress® Telerik® Reporting
Version	19.1.25.521+

Description

When generating reports (e.g., PDF, XLSX) in Telerik Reporting, the output may display an "Invalid license" message. This issue can occur even if a valid license is detected during the build phase, as indicated by the build output. However, the debug output during runtime shows the license check failing. The problem often arises when the Telerik.Licensing NuGet package is not directly referenced in the startup project of the application.

This knowledge base article also answers the following questions:

• Why does Telerik Reporting display "Invalid license" at runtime?
• How to resolve runtime licensing issues in Telerik Reporting?
• What causes valid licenses in build but invalid runtime behavior in Telerik Reporting?

Solution

General Instructions for .NET and .NET Framework Projects

To resolve this issue, ensure the Telerik.Licensing NuGet package is directly referenced in the startup project of your application. Follow the steps below:

1. Identify the Startup Project: Determine which project serves as the entry point for your application.

2. Add Telerik.Licensing NuGet Package: Navigate to the startup project and add the Telerik.Licensing NuGet package manually. You can do this using the NuGet Package Manager or the Package Manager Console.

   Example using Package Manager Console - Install-Package Telerik.Licensing -Version 1.6.5

3. Clean and Rebuild the Solution: Perform a clean build of your solution to ensure all dependencies are correctly resolved.

4. Test the Application: Run the application again and verify if the reports are correctly generated without displaying the "Invalid license" message.

.NET Framework-Specific Instructions

For .NET Framework startup projects that do not use the SDK-style project structure, ensure that there is one or more Telerik Reporting NuGet packages/assemblies referenced in the project.

If the startup project contains no Telerik Reporting references and is not defined as SDK-style project, and is instead referencing other projects that contain the Reporting-related code, our licensing mechanism cannot determine that any Telerik products are used, thus the license check will be False at runtime.

In such scenarios, add a reference to the Telerik.Reporting.dll so that the licensing build task can determine that Telerik Reporting is used and generate the necessary files to use during runtime.

Additionally, if a version newer than 1.6.5 of the Telerik.Licensing NuGet package is installed, ensure that a binding redirect is present in the App.config/Web.config file of the startup project. For example:

  <runtime>
    <assemblyBinding xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1">
      <dependentAssembly>
        <assemblyIdentity name="Telerik.Licensing.Runtime" publicKeyToken="98bb5b04e55c09ef" culture="neutral" />
        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-1.6.9.0" newVersion="1.6.9.0" />
      </dependentAssembly>
    </assemblyBinding>
  </runtime>

See Also

• SDK-Style Projects