What Is WebFOCUS App Studio?

In this section:

WebFOCUS App Studio is the new Windows-based graphical user interface (GUI) development environment for creating advanced WebFOCUS applications. App Studio utilizes the Microsoft Windows® ribbon framework to deliver an interactive user interface (UI) from which you can build multiple business intelligence applications in the same workspace.

In App Studio, you can do the following:

Access data and descriptions. Using the Metadata canvas, you can create new synonyms, and view or modify existing synonyms, in a graphical user interface. Synonyms enable you to access and interpret data sources for use in reporting applications.

Create reporting applications. Build reporting procedures in the Report Canvas, Chart Canvas, HTML Canvas, or Document Canvas.

Customize reporting applications. In addition to customizing your reporting applications by applying styling and color, you can add the following components to a procedure.

Manage your environment. You can apply the following functions to your reporting applications to change the behavior of your environment.


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WebFOCUS Architecture

In this section:

This topic briefly explains the main WebFOCUS components and implementations. For a complete description of WebFOCUS, see the WebFOCUS documentation.



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WebFOCUS and Your Network

WebFOCUS integrates into your existing network by connecting your web server to your data. End users access WebFOCUS applications through a web browser, so they need only the following elements:



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WebFOCUS Components

There are two main WebFOCUS components.



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WebFOCUS Configuration

WebFOCUS employs a distributed architecture, so the WebFOCUS Client, Reporting Server, and your data can be located on any platform, anywhere in your network.

You can easily connect an Apache™ web server running on UNIX to SQL Server data on Windows, or DB2 data on z/OS. Any number of WebFOCUS Reporting Servers can be connected to the WebFOCUS Client. WebFOCUS can report on all of them.

Configuring a distributed architecture requires the following:


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App Studio Architecture

How to:

Reference:

This topic briefly explains the main App Studio components and implementations.

WebFOCUS App Studio includes the following components:



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Reference: Derby Database

The Derby database installed with your edition of App Studio comes preloaded with IDs that possess developer and administration permissions. These IDs enable application development in specific development areas of a WebFOCUS environment, and the permissions to change user passwords.

The following table lists the preloaded IDs available in App Studio.

ID

Password

Function

wfdesktop

leave blank

Provides all the required privileges to develop using a stand-alone version of App Studio.

When you connect to a WebFOCUS environment using the ID wfdesktop, with no password, you can develop applications in the Local Projects area, Data Servers area, and Web Applications area.

This ID does not allow development in the Repository area.

admin

admin

Provides access to the WebFOCUS Administration Console and Security Center.

When you connect to a WebFOCUS environment using the admin ID and password, you can develop applications in all areas.



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Procedure: How to Change User Passwords Through the Security Center

Using the preloaded administrator IDs installed in the Derby database, you can access the administrative privileges that let you change user passwords through the Security Center.

To change user passwords through the Security Center, follow these steps:

  1. Open the WebFOCUS Sign In page through one of the following options:
    • From the Start menu, select All Programs. Open the Information Builders folder, and expand the WebFOCUS App Studio folder. Expand the WebFOCUS App Studio Utilities folder, and click WebFOCUS Administration Console.
    • Open the following page in a web browser:
      http://localhost:8080/ibi_apps

      Note: To use this option, you need to use the default Tomcat application server with port 8080, and a default alias of ibi_apps.

    The WebFOCUS Sign In page opens, as shown in the following image.

    WebFOCUS Admin Console

  2. Type the User Name admin with the Password admin.
  3. Click Sign In.

    The WebFOCUS Welcome page opens.

  4. At the top of the Welcome page, click Administration, and then click Security Center.

    The Security Center dialog box opens, as shown in the following image.

    Security Center Dialog Box

  5. As the administrator, you can change the password of any user. On the Users & Groups tab, under Users, right-click a user, and click Set Password.

    The Set Password - User dialog box opens, as shown in the following image.

    Set Password dialog box

  6. Type a new password, confirm the password, and click OK.

    The new password is effective immediately.

For more information on setting user credentials, see the WebFOCUS Security and Administration manual.



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Reference: App Studio Directory Structure

This topic references the App Studio directory structure created under drive:\optional_drive_folder\ibi.

\apps

Contains directories and data. By default, this is the Application Root directory (APPROOT directory) in which WebFOCUS searches for application files. Sample files are provided in the \ibinccen and \ibisamp directories.

The Application Root directory is created during the installation of App Studio and the WebFOCUS Reporting Server.

It is defined by the APPROOT variable in the server configuration file, edaserve.cfg, and the IBI_Approot_Directory variable that is defined during the WebFOCUS installation. These variables point to the Application Root directory for applications that reside on the web server where WebFOCUS is installed.

For Project-based development, the Application Root directories must point to the same location.

\AppStudio80

Contains the graphical front-end components for creating App Studio content.

\AppStudio80\srv80\home

Contains the local Reporting Server files.

\AppStudio80\derby

Contains the Derby database files.


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WebFOCUS and App Studio Processing

The following figure illustrates how WebFOCUS and App Studio process requests. Each step is explained below the figure.

WebFOCUS and App Studio Processing

  1. A user makes a request and passes parameters by calling a WebFOCUS Servlet through links and forms on a webpage, or through App Studio.
  2. The request and parameters come to the WebFOCUS Client on the web or application server, which processes the parameters and creates a request for the Reporting Server.
  3. The Reporting Server receives the request, processes it, and accesses any necessary data.
  4. Data is retrieved from data sources to process the request.
  5. The Reporting Server processes the user request using the retrieved data.
  6. The response is returned to the WebFOCUS Client on the web or application server.
  7. The response is returned to the user.

App Studio processes requests the same way that WebFOCUS does:


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App Studio Development Modes

In this section:

App Studio allows local (stand-alone) development and development against a remote environment. From the Environments Tree panel, you can develop projects locally on your machine, or against a remote WebFOCUS environment.

In App Studio, you build applications consisting of different kinds of files. You can create the project as a stand-alone application in a development environment or as a web-based self-service application.

With a full App Studio installation, you can do the following:

Note: If you do not have a Reporting Server and WebFOCUS Client on your development machine (for example, the Managed Reporting Application edition of App Studio), your environment allows the last two capabilities.



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Project-Based Development

App Studio supports two configurations for Project-based development:

Use of a remote environment for Project-based development requires the following:



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Reference: Summary of Steps for Project-Based Development

To create a new project, follow these steps:

  1. Install App Studio. Use the installation program to install App Studio (this includes a Reporting Server for stand-alone development) on your Windows machine.
  2. Configure the web server. For local/stand-alone development, configure aliases and servlet functionality on the local web server.
  3. Configure communications and data access. Set up remote access to Reporting Servers, and create or copy data source descriptions. You must also set up data adapters to access other data sources, such as relational databases.
  4. Create a project in the Local Projects node of the desired environment. Before you begin Project-based development, you must create a project directory to store the associated files. You create this directory using the Project Wizard.

    Use the Project Wizard to name the project, designate a directory for it, and optionally, add other directory paths from which the project can retrieve information or paths to other resources.

    Sample projects are provided for editions that allow local/stand-alone development. When working against a remote WebFOCUS environment you do not see any sample projects by default.

  5. Create, develop, and test the project components. Open the project, create its components (procedures, data source synonyms, HTML files, and related files), and develop and test them on the Reporting Server and web server.

For more information about installing App Studio, configuring the web server, and configuring communications and data access, see the WebFOCUS App Studio Installation and Configuration manual.



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Remote Development

App Studio provides the following scenarios for remote development:



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Reference: Summary of Steps for Remote Development

To create a new application on a server platform:

  1. Install App Studio. Use the installation program to install App Studio on your Windows machine.
  2. Add a WebFOCUS environment. Add an environment from the WebFOCUS Environment Properties dialog box.
  3. Create an application folder on the server. Create the application folder in the Data Servers area, or develop directly against the Repository.
  4. Create, develop, and test the application components. Open the application, create its components (procedures, data source synonyms, HTML files, and related files), and develop and test them on the Reporting Server and WebFOCUS Client.

WebFOCUS