Ribbon

In this section:

The App Studio ribbon replaces traditional toolbars with a single command bar that organizes commands and controls into a series of static and contextual tabs. From the ribbon, you can also access the WebFOCUS Administration menu, the Style menu, and the Help menu.

The default ribbon is shown in the following image.

Home tab

Each tab on the ribbon, whether static or contextual, contains commands and controls that are organized into groups according to their function or relationship. All tabs are named and all groups are labeled. Icons are used to represent the commands or controls in each group. By default, all icons are labeled. There are a few styling icons in the Style group that are not labeled. Rest your pointer over an icon to view the tooltip that identifies it. An example of this is shown in the following image.

Tooltip with icon label

In addition to single-click commands, some commands on the ribbon contain a submenu of options that opens when you click the arrow associated with the command. These arrows can appear below or next to a label. An example of this is the Data command, which opens a submenu of options, as shown in the following image.

Data submenu on the ribbon

Note: There is no default ribbon size. As your monitor or application window size changes, the commands and controls on the ribbon resize themselves to fit the available space. Large monitors or application windows will display larger icons and entire groups. Smaller monitors or application windows may display groups as a single, labeled icon that opens a submenu.

In the following example, the Output Types group, Navigation group, and Features group display the icons at their full size.

Format tab at screen resolution of 1024 x 768

In the following example, the Output Types group, Navigation group, and Features group contain a combination of full-size icons and smaller-size icons.

Format tab resized

In the following example, the Features group and Navigation group contain small icons, some without their labels, while the Output Types has collapsed down to a single icon with a submenu.

Format tab small


Top of page

x
Home Tab

In this section:

The Home tab enables you to access the features and functions necessary to build an application, create new components, open existing components, run existing components, and edit components. The Home tab contains the Consoles, Content, Utilities, View, and Window groups. The Home tab is always available and is static. It is located in the upper-left corner of the App Studio interface, below the Quick Access Toolbar, as shown in the following image.

Home tab

Note: The Home tab is the only static tab in App Studio.



x
Content Group

The Content group contains the components or tools that you can use to create an application. These include: Data, Report, Chart, and HTML/Document. The Content group is shown in the following image.

Content group

The commands in the Content group are:

Data

Contains the Synonym via Metadata Canvas, Synonym, Manage Adapters, Data Source Password, and Rebuild Data Source commands. These provide you the options you need to create and edit synonyms for existing adapters, configure a new adapter, or add a remote server.

If you click Synonym via Metadata Canvas, the Data Source Definition Wizard opens. Navigate to the location of the data source you want to create or edit and click OK.

If you click Synonym, the Select Server Node dialog box opens. Navigate to the application folder where you want to create your synonym and click OK. After the location of the synonym is determined, the Select Adapter dialog box opens. Select the adapter you want to use and click OK. You will then be able to edit the synonym details.

If you click Manage Adapters, the Select Server Node dialog box opens. Navigate to a valid server location to begin configuring a new adapter or edit the settings of an existing adapter.

If you click Data Source Password, the Password Dialog box opens. You can enter the password for the data source you have selected in your Environments Tree panel.

If you click Rebuild Data Source, the Rebuild dialog box opens. You can rebuild a disorganized file, index a specific field from a file, or check the integrity of a file.

Report

Opens the Report canvas in report mode after you enter a procedure name and select a location for your report from the Report Wizard.

In report mode, you can create and style simple or complex reports, add data to the Report canvas, and style that data creating a graphical representation of the report page. This allows you to view how the report displays at run time.

Using report mode, you can:

  • Display and sort data.
  • Select records.
  • Include totals, subtotals, column calculations, headings, footings, and images.
  • Format columns.
  • Style fonts, colors, and grids.
  • Add drill downs to detailed reports and URLs.
  • Save output in many types of formats for display and reuse.
  • Create active reports.
  • Perform predictive analysis (an RStat license is required).
Chart

Opens the Chart canvas after you enter a procedure name and select a location for your chart from the Chart Wizard.

In chart mode, you can easily transform almost any type of data into effective, custom charts. You can create a variety of charts, such as bar charts, line charts, scatter charts or pie charts to help users analyze data in a different way. You can include selection criteria by defining parameters for your data. Additionally, you can apply drill-down capabilities and conditional styling to highlight specific data on a chart.

The Chart canvas contains a ribbon of features and options that allow you to add and style the data in your chart. Contextual tabs open within the Chart canvas, rather than on the App Studio ribbon.

HTML/Document

Opens the HTML/Document wizard. You can choose which type of page that you want to create from the following options: HTML Page, Guided Report Page, Document, or active dashboard. Depending on your selection, the corresponding canvas will open.

HTML mode provides the features you need to create HTML pages so that end users can interact with your data. You can build and customize an HTML page in the HTML canvas, using the contextual tabs on the ribbon to add objects to the page. HTML mode is fully integrated with JavaScript and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS).

In the HTML canvas, you can:

  • Build an HTML launch page.
  • Add push buttons, hyperlinks, and other controls to launch WebFOCUS reports in your application.
  • Create a launch page for one or more reports that contain parameters.
  • Create a complete HTML page, by adding multiple reports and charts.
  • Create an advanced report layout by including images, frames, and other web objects.
  • Modify the location, size, and properties of all objects in your page layout.
  • Set background, font, and other page properties.

In the Document canvas, you can coordinate and distribute layouts made up of multiple reports and charts in a single document. You can position reports and charts anywhere on a single page or combine a series of layouts within a single document. When creating compound reports in the Document canvas, PDF, HTML, active reports, PowerPoint, and Excel are available as output formats.



x
Modeling Group

The Modeling Group is only available when RStat is installed. You can deploy an RStat scoring routine or estimate future values based on selected data.

WebFOCUS RStat is a statistical modeling workbench embedded in App Studio. It allows you to perform common statistical and data mining tasks, and develop models that can be deployed as scoring applications on every platform. RStat enables data miners and Business Intelligence developers to collaborate with the same tools used to access, manipulate, or transform data, develop predictive models, and create and deploy scoring applications along with associated reports to any worker within their organization. The Modeling group is shown in the following image.

Modeling group

The commands in the Modeling Group are:

Model Deployment

Opens the Model Deployment dialog box. This functionality enables you to deploy existing, stored routines.

You can deploy an RStat scoring routine in any application directory within your app path on any WebFOCUS server. The process of deployment includes compiling the routine and placing the executable file in a location that can be accessed by a WebFOCUS scoring application.

Predictive Modeling

Opens RStat, a statistical modeling workbench that is embedded in App Studio. When you select the Predictive Modeling command, the RGui window is opened and the R Console and RStat are activated.

You use RStat to derive expected and predicted values from data observations. Decision trees, regression, and the other algorithms are used to generate estimates. For example, you can estimate whether a prospect is a good target for a particular marketing campaign, or you can estimate the expected sales revenues for different stores in order to determine whether store layout and product mix have an impact on sales.



x
Utilities Group

You can create a new environment. The Utilities group is shown in the following image.

Utilities group

The command in the Utilities group is:

Environments

Opens the Environments List dialog box. A WebFOCUS environment consists of a web server, a WebFOCUS Client, and a Reporting Server. Adding WebFOCUS environments allows you to create and manage multiple environments, such as development, test, and production instances. You can set a new development environment, add a new environment, edit an existing environment, or remove an environment.

Command Console

Opens a command tab for editing.



x
View Group

The View Group enables you to control what displays on your screen. For example, you can choose whether to display or hide the Status Bar and Caption Bar. The View group is shown in the following image.

View group

The commands in the View group are:

Environments Tree

Displays or hides the Environments Tree panel, which displays on the left side of the screen and displays environment information.

Environments Detail

Displays or hides the Environments Detail panel.

File/Folder Properties

Displays or hides the File/Folder Properties panel.

Procedure View

Displays or hides the Procedure View panel.

Context Bar

Displays or hides the Context Bar. The Context Bar displays under the ribbon.

Status Bar

Displays or hides the Status Bar. The Status Bar displays along the bottom of the screen.



x
Window Group

You can view and manipulate all opened windows. The Window group is shown in the following image.

Window group

The command in the Window group is:

Windows

Manipulates all opened windows. You can view and manipulate the windows using the Windows dialog box. The Windows dialog box enables you to Activate or Save an open window.



x
Reference: Windows Dialog Box

The Windows dialog box allows you to manage multiple windows. The list box is populated with currently opened windows.



x
Command Console Tab

The Command Console enables you to send commands directly to a server from App Studio. This benefits users who have worked with Information Builders products and are already familiar with the command syntax.

The Command Console sends output to your web browser or App Studio Viewer. Output can include error messages, responses to query commands, and report output. The Command Console can also serve as a troubleshooting and debugging tool.

The following are a set of rules that you should follow when entering commands in the command console.

The Command Console ribbon tab is shown in the following image.



x
Execution Path Group

The Execution Path group contains a list of paths that are available for you to use when you execute commands. The Execution Path group is shown in the following image.

The command is:

Execution Path List

Contains a list of available paths for you to execute commands.

The list of available execution paths is determined by the selected nodes in the Environments Tree Panel. When you open App Studio for the first time, you must expand and select a node from the Environments Tree panel to populate the Execution Path List.

When you run the content of the console, it will be executed using the selected execution path and the Reporting Server associated with that selected path.



x
Edit Group

The Edit group allows you to load commands, clear the console, and clear the input stack. The input stack is a series of commands that you enter using the Command console. The Edit group is shown in the following image.

The commands are:

Back

Loads the previous command from the input stack.

Forward

Loads the next command from the input stack.

Clear Console

Clears the current commands from the console.

Clear Input Stack

Clears the input stack. This option is unavailable if you do not have an input stack.

Auto Clear Console

When selected, automatically clears the console after your commands are executed.



x
Find Group

The Find group contains options that enable you to find or replace text. The Find group is shown in the following image.

Find group

The commands are:

Find

Searches for the specified text. You can also use Ctrl+F to activate the Find dialog box.

Next

Finds the next instance of the specified text.

Previous

Finds the previous instance of the specified text.

Replace

Replaces specific text with different text.

Select All

Selects all of the text in the procedure.



x
Bookmarks Group

The Bookmarks group enables you to turn bookmarks on or off, find the next bookmark, find the previous bookmark, and delete all bookmarks. The Bookmarks group is shown in the following image.

Bookmarks group

The commands are:

Toggle

Turns bookmarks on or off.

Next

Goes to the next bookmark.

Previous

Goes to the previous bookmark.

Delete All

Deletes all bookmarks.



x
Position Group

The Position group allows you to place your curser at the desired line and allows you to turn off line numbers. The Position group is shown in the following image.

The commands are:

Goto Line

Displays the current line your curser is on. You can type a different line number into the text box to place your curser on that line.

Show Line Numbers

Displays or hides line numbers. This option is selected by default.



x
Case/Comment Group

The Case/Comment group contains options for changing selected text to uppercase or lowercase. The Case/Comment group is shown in the following image.

Case/Comment group

The commands are:

Upper

Changes the selected text to uppercase (all capital letters).

Lower

Changes the selected text to lowercase (all lowercase letters).

Change Case

Changes the case of the selected text to lowercase or uppercase depending on how the selected text appeared first.

Add Comment

Inserts a new comment line if your pointer appears on a new line or changes an active line of text to a comment.

Remove Comment

Deletes the previous comment change. This option is similar to the Undo command on the Quick Access Toolbar.



x
Options Group

The Options group contains commands that you can use to format the text. The Options group is shown in the following image.

Options group

The commands are:

Font Style

Opens the Font and Color Settings dialog box, where you can modify the appearance of the syntax in a procedure.

Show Whitespace

Replaces spaces between characters with a visual indicator.

Tab Size

Controls the number of spaces a tab character uses.

Tab Options

Provides the options to control tab characters. You can substitute spaces for tab characters or keep tab characters in the syntax.

Auto Indent

Automatically indents the syntax within a procedure.

Reset All

Returns all options to their default settings.


WebFOCUS