In this section: |
The Application button, represented by the App Studio icon , opens the Application menu of file-related commands. You can create a new document, open an existing document, save an active document, and print an active document. The Options button opens the App Studio Options dialog box, where you can set user preferences. The Application menu also lists recently opened documents. The Application button is always available. It is located in the upper-left corner of the App Studio interface.
Tip: Double-click the Application button to exit App Studio. If you exit App Studio in this way, active (open) applications will not be saved.
In this section: |
The Application button, which is represented by the App Studio icon, opens the Application menu, as shown in the following image.
From this menu, you can perform the following actions:
From this submenu, you can select from among four Message Viewer Options that affect the App Studio Viewer display when a report, chart, HTML page, or document is run. The options are:
From this submenu, you can print the active document using the current print options, preview the active document before printing, and configure your print options.
Note: The Print and Quick Print options are only available when you edit content in the Text Editor, or when the Source view tab, in the Report canvas, is active.
Note:
The New dialog box opens when you click New from the Application menu. You select the type of file you want to create and then click OK. The New dialog box is shown in the following image.
You can use the New list to select which type of document you want to create. You can select from the following document types:
Procedure. Creates a .fex file, which defines how data is retrieved and displayed.
Procedure via Text Editor. Creates a .fex file that you can customize using the text editor.
HtmlPage. Creates a page in html format. You can import existing HTML content, as well.
Document. Creates a document into which you can import reports, charts, and images. You can also create text boxes to import text and lines to draw boxes or lines.
Cascading Style Sheet. Creates a base template from which you can create a unique Cascading Style Sheet (CSS).
JavaScript File. Creates a new JavaScript file from which you can create original JavaScript.
Text Document. Creates a text document that can be stored to a local project. You can use the add or remove comment to comment the file.
You can click OK after you have chosen what type of file to create.
You can click Cancel to exit the New dialog box and cancel file creation.
You can click Help to bring up App Studio Help.
The Open File dialog box is shown in the following image.
The Open File dialog box displays files that you can open and edit in App Studio.
Contains a list of currently Configured Environments. You can navigate to different environments, development areas, and project folders to display different files in the File List.
Displays all files of a specific type in a selected project folder.
Note: Instead of the regular Mater File icon, Master Files that have a DEFINE use the DEFINE icon and a Master Files that have a Join use the JOIN icon.
Use this text box to type the name of a file you want to open.
Note: If you are in the Repository section and the tree is set to display by title, the Open File dialog box will only require a name to be entered.
Filters to display all files of a specified file type. You filter for fex, htm. js. css. mnt, and .txt files. You can also choose to display all files.
Displays all files that are associated with any files in the current path, when selected. When this is not selected, only the files currently in the selected path are displayed.
Toggles between displaying the files in the File List with details (date modified, size, etc) or in a list. Displaying files with details is the default.
Note: If you choose to display details or not, App Studio remembers your choice and will keep the setting you chose the next time the Open File dialog box is open. For example, if you chose to display file details the first time you invoke the Open File dialog box, then the next time you invoke the Open File dialog box, file details are shown.
Displays the name, date modified, size, and type of the file.
The Save As dialog box opens when you click Save As from the Application menu. You can use this dialog box to save a file to another location or to provide a different file name. The Save As dialog box is shown in the following image.
Contains a list of currently Configured Environments. You can navigate to different environments, development areas, and project folders to display different files in the File List.
Displays all files of a specific type in a selected project folder.
Use this text box to type the name of a file you want to open.
Note: If you are in the Repository section and the tree is set to display by title, the Save As dialog box will only require a name to be entered.
Filters to display all files of a specified file type. You filter for fex, htm. js. css. mnt, and .txt files. You can also choose to display all files.
Displays all files that are associated with any files in the current path, when selected. When this is not selected, only the files currently in the selected path are displayed.
Toggles between displaying the files in the File List with details (date modified, size, etc) or in a list. Displaying files with details is the default.
Note: If you choose to display details or not, App Studio remembers your choice and will keep the setting you chose the next time the Open File dialog box is open. For example, if you chose to display file details the first time you invoke the Open File dialog box, then the next time you invoke the Open File dialog box, file details are shown.
Displays the name, date modified, size, and type of the file.
You can customize App Studio is by setting specific user preferences through the App Studio Options dialog box.
To open the Options dialog box, click Options in the Application menu. The tabs at the top of this dialog box include the following:
You can access the App Studio Options dialog box by opening the Application menu and clicking the Options button. The App Studio Options dialog box is shown in the following image.
The tabs in this dialog box include:
These tabs are defined in more detail in the subsequent topics.
The General tab contains the following options.
Main Window Options
Option |
Description |
---|---|
Maximize main window |
Maximizes the application window when you begin each session. |
Open the Console window |
Launches the Console window each time you begin a session. |
Open last accessed file on startup |
Opens the last file opened in the appropriate mode. |
Minimize when running a Procedure |
Minimizes the application window when you run a procedure. |
Smart Context
Option |
Description |
---|---|
Set new column type based on metadata/surrounding fields |
Sets new column types by using metadata and surrounding fields. |
Activate Field ribbon tab when selecting a field on the Report canvas |
Activates the Field tab on the ribbon upon selection of a field within the Report canvas. |
Activate Layout ribbon tab when no selection is made on the Report canvas |
Activates the Layout tab on the ribbon when no selection is made on the Report canvas and you click the white space. |
Other Settings
Option |
Description |
---|---|
Show Welcome Screen |
Controls the appearance of the Welcome screen when App Studio is launched. |
Confirm close |
Displays a prompt for users to confirm that they want to exit App Studio. |
Start local WebFOCUS Server |
Starts the local Reporting Server when App Studio is launched. |
Stop local WebFOCUS Server on exit |
Stops and closes the local Reporting Server when you exit App Studio. |
Recent file list limit |
Allows you to set the number of recently used files that appear in the Recent file lists. The default value is 25. |
Ping Interval (minutes) |
Sets the frequency at which requests are sent to the Web/Application Server so your connection does not time out. The default is 5. |
Reset all message boxes |
Resets all message boxes to their default state. For example, if you selected the Don’t show this message again check box in any message box, clicking this button will reset all message boxes. Once you click this button, it becomes inactive until you choose not to display a message box in the product. |
Default file editor |
Lists file editor options, such as:
Note: The Edit in Windows registered tool is only visible if the file type you are accessing has been associated with a Windows application. The file editor used determines which context menu options are available and controls the default behavior for double-clicking and right-clicking files. |
The Reporting tab contains the following options.
Option |
Description |
---|---|
Screen |
Formats reports for the screen. |
Printer |
Formats reports for the printer. |
Field List Options
The following options affect the appearance of the Fields tab of the Object Inspector.
Option |
Description |
---|---|
Sort the list by field name |
Sorts any list of field names alphabetically. |
Show fully qualified field names |
Displays any list of field names as qualified field names, which includes data source and table names, alphabetically. |
Display the field name |
Displays the full field name in the Fields tab, as specified in the file description. |
Display the field alias |
Displays the alternate field name in the Fields tab, as specified in the file description. |
Display field titles |
Displays the column title in the Fields tab, as specified in the file description. |
Display field descriptions |
Displays descriptive information about the field in the Fields tab, as specified in the file description. |
Display the data formats |
Displays the field length and format type in the Fields tab, as specified in the file description. |
Expand field tree |
Displays fields in expanded mode when using a Field tree. If this option is not selected, segments appear collapsed wherever a Field tree appears. Note: This option can also be accessed from the Field tree context menu. |
Display Filters in Filters Folder |
Displays Filters in a separate Filters folder of the Field tree. If this option is not selected, Filters appear with the rest of the fields in the segment. Note: This option can also be accessed from the Field tree context menu. |
Style Sheet Merge Options
Option |
Description |
---|---|
Drilldowns |
Preserves drill downs in your current StyleSheet when you apply another StyleSheet to a report. |
Authoring Mode
The Authoring Mode options determine how field names in a procedure (.fex) are written in the WebFOCUS source code. These options are not affected by the selected Field List options.
Option |
Description |
---|---|
Qualified fieldname |
Writes the source code using qualified field names, for example: BY 'GGSALES.SALES01.CATEGORY' |
Unqualified fieldname |
Writes the source code using unqualified field names, for example: BY CATEGORY |
Alias fieldname |
Writes the source code using alias field names, as defined in the ALIAS field of the Master File. The ALIAS field assigns an alternative name for a column. The following example shows source code in which the Category field name is assigned E02 in the ALIAS field of the ggsales.mas Master File. BY E02 |
Other
Option |
Description |
---|---|
Default Report Format |
Select the display format for your reports. You can select from the following options:
|
Maximum number of records to retrieve |
Specifies a limit on the number of records to retrieve from the data source. Setting a retrieval limit creates selection criteria for both Retrieval Limit and Read Limit dialog boxes. Specify a retrieval limit when you need only a few records to test the design of a new report, or you know how many records meet the test criteria and want to stop a search after those records are retrieved. This reduces total retrieval time. |
Maximum number of readings to make |
Specifies a limit on the number of readings that can be made against the data source. |
Default Style Template |
Specifies the default styling template when you open the Report feature. |
Default Report Template |
Specifies the default report settings when you open the Report canvas. Click Browse to select user-created templates. |
The Reporting tab of the App Studio Options dialog box allows you to set a report format to use as the default format by the Report feature.
The following procedure describes how to set the default report format. In this example, User format is selected.
The User output is now the Default Report Option in the App Studio Report mode. The User format allows the application to select the actual output type at run time. For example, a developer could choose to view a report as Excel 2007, PDF, active report for Flash, and more.
The HTML Page tab contains the following options.
Grid Settings
Option |
Description |
---|---|
Show Grid |
Enables you to view a grid while you create an HTML page. The Show Grid check box is selected by default. Clear this check box if you do not want to develop with a grid. |
Snap to Grid |
Enables you to snap to grid on demand. The Snap to Grid check box is selected by default. Clear this check box if you do not want to enable the snap to grid option. |
Width |
Customizes the width of your grid. The default is 10 pixels. |
Height |
Customizes the height of your grid. The default is 10 pixels. |
Form type
Option |
Description |
---|---|
None |
Specifies no layers in the HTML page. |
Single layer |
Specifies a single layer in the HTML page. This is the default setting. |
Multiple layer |
Select the Multiple layer radio button for the HTML page if you want multiple layers in the HTML page. Specifies multiple layers in the HTML page. Click Form Settings to open the Form settings dialog box. The options for Form settings are described in the Form Settings table. |
Form settings
Option |
Description |
---|---|
To the left of the input |
Sets the prompt orientation to appear to the left of the form settings. |
Above the input |
Sets the prompt orientation to appear above the form settings. This is the default setting. |
Distance between prompt and input |
Sets the distance between prompt and input. The range is from 0 to 99 pixels. The default setting is 5 pixels. |
Horizontal distance between controls |
Sets the horizontal distance between controls. The range is from 0 to 99 pixels. The default setting is 4 pixels. |
Vertical distance between controls |
Sets the vertical distance between controls. The range is from 0 to 99 pixels. The default setting is 10 pixels. |
Number of columns |
Sets the horizontal distance between controls. The range is from 0 to 99 pixels. The default setting is 10 pixels. |
Add schedule button |
Adds a schedule to your HTML page. This is the default setting. |
Add defer button |
Enables deferred running of a report. This is the default setting. |
Start each chain on a new line |
Starts chains on a new line. This is the default setting. |
Check boxes
Option |
Description |
---|---|
Show 'New Parameters' dialog |
Sets the New Parameters dialog box to appear in the HTML page. This is the default setting. |
Default caching option |
Sets the Default caching option to run in the HTML page. By default, this option is not selected. |
Auto Arrange Objects |
Sets the objects in the HTML page to arrange automatically. This is the default setting. |
Preview settings
Option |
Description |
---|---|
Reports and Charts Preview |
Enables you to preview reports and charts before saving and deploying the HTML page. This is the default setting. |
Simulated Data |
Enables you to run the HTML page based on simulated data from WebFOCUS. |
Live Data |
Enables you to run reports and charts using live data in the HTML page. This is the default setting. |
Record limit for reports |
Sets the record limit for reports. Values range from -1 to 999. The default setting is 500. |
Record limit for input controls |
Sets the record limit for input controls. Values range from -1 to 999. The default setting is 10. |
Use Prefix |
Sets a prefix to run before each report or chart component on an HTML page. |
Refresh thumbnails every seconds |
Sets the time interval for refreshing thumbnails. Values range from 0 to 999 seconds. The default setting is 20. |
Default Theme |
Sets the default theme for an HTML page from the Default Theme drop-down list. The Information Builders theme is the default theme. |
The Document tab contains the following options.
Grid Settings
Option |
Description |
---|---|
Show Grid |
Enables you to view a grid while you create a document. The Show Grid check box is selected by default. Clear this check box if you do not want to develop with a grid. |
Snap to Grid |
Enables you to snap to a grid on demand. The Snap to Grid check box is selected by default. Clear this check box if you do not want to enable the snap to grid option. |
Width |
Customizes the width of your grid. The default is 10 pixels. |
Height |
Customizes the height of your grid. The default is 10 pixels. |
Preview Settings
Option |
Description |
---|---|
Reports and Charts Preview |
Enables you to preview reports and charts before saving and deploying the document. This is the default setting. |
Simulated Data |
Runs the document based on simulated data from WebFOCUS. |
Live Data |
Runs reports and graphs using live data in the document. This is the default setting. |
Record limit for reports |
Sets the Record limit for reports. Values range from -1 to 999. The default setting is 500. |
Use Prefix |
Sets a prefix to run before each report or chart component on a document. |
Refresh thumbnails every seconds |
Sets the time interval for refreshing thumbnails. Values range from 0 to 999 seconds. The default setting is 20. |
Note: The Environments options are used to control the development areas that are visible in the Configured Environments tree. At least one option must be selected and applied to all configured environments.
The Environments tab contains the following options.
Environments settings
Option |
Description |
---|---|
Show Projects area |
Displays the Projects area in the Configured Environments tree. This is the default setting. |
Show Data Servers area |
Displays the Data Servers area in the Configured Environments tree. |
Show Repository area |
Displays the Repository area in the Configured Environments tree. |
Show Web Applications area |
Displays the Web Applications area in the Configured Environments tree. |
The Help Configuration tab provides the fields in which you can modify the App Studio Help configuration information to access the online Help system from your environment.
Option |
Description |
---|---|
Protocol |
Specify the protocol, either HTTP or HTTPS. |
Host |
Type the name of the machine where the Help resides. |
Port |
Type the port number of the web and/or Application Server. |
Help Context Root |
Type the context root for the location where the Help is hosted. |
The Output Viewer Settings tab enables you to set Microsoft® Internet Explorer® or the App Studio Viewer (default) for output, and to set the navigation options (run in new window, run in same window).
Option |
Description |
---|---|
User Internet Explorer |
Selects Microsoft Internet Explorer as the default output viewer. |
Run in new window |
Sets the output to run in a new window. |
Run in same window |
Sets the output to run in the same window. |
WebFOCUS |