Using PowerPoint PPTX Display Format

With PowerPoint (PPTX), Microsoft® introduced enhanced functionality in a new presentation file format. The PPTX format is supported in Microsoft Office versions 2007, 2010, and 2013. Earlier versions of PowerPoint can be updated to read the PPTX format using the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack available from the Microsoft download site (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/default.aspx)

With WebFOCUS, you can retrieve data from any WebFOCUS supported data source and generate a PPTX presentation for data analysis and distribution.

The PPTX format generates fully styled reports in binary display format, which uses the same binary technology that is used for XLSX. When PPTX is specified as the output format, a PowerPoint presentation with a single slide that includes the report is created.

The WebFOCUS procedure generates a new presentation containing your defined report elements, such as headings and subtotals, as well as StyleSheet syntax, such as conditional styling and drill downs.

Additionally, you can add multiple graphs and images to a PowerPoint presentation. The PowerPoint output format can contain a variety of graphs positioned anywhere on a slide to create a visual layout.

Using PowerPoint PPTX Templates

How to:

Create PowerPoint PPTX Report Output

You can place report output on a specific slide in a PowerPoint template. This enables you to populate existing presentations with preset Slide Masters, styling, and other business content. PowerPoint design templates (POTX) and PowerPoint macro-enabled templates (POTM) are stored on the server and can be distributed automatically with ReportCaster.

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Syntax: How to Create PowerPoint PPTX Report Output

ON TABLE {PCHOLD|HOLD|SAVE} [AS name] FORMAT PPTX 
[TEMPLATE {'template.potx'|'template.potm'} SLIDENUMBER n]

where:

name

Is the name of the PowerPoint output file.

template

Is the name of the PowerPoint template file. The template file must have at least one blank slide and must be saved as a .POTX or .POTM extension on your WebFOCUS Reporting Server application directory.

Note: Since different extensions are supported for PowerPoint templates, it is recommended that you include the extension in the name of your template.

n

Is the number of the slide on which to place the report output. This number is optional if the template has only one slide.

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Example: Using a PowerPoint PPTX Template

The following request against the GGSALES data source inserts a WebFOCUS report into a PowerPoint PPTX template named mytemplate.potx, which is stored in the application directory:

TABLE FILE GGSALES
HEADING
" "
" "
" "
" "
" "
SUM DOLLARS UNITS CATEGORY 
BY  REGION
ON TABLE SET PAGE-NUM NOLEAD
ON TABLE NOTOTAL
ON TABLE PCHOLD FORMAT PPTX TEMPLATE 'mytemplate.potx' SLIDENUMBER 3
ON TABLE SET HTMLCSS ON
ON TABLE SET STYLE *
TYPE=REPORT, FONT=ARIAL, SIZE=10,$
TYPE=HEADING, image=gglogo.gif, POSITION=(0.000000 0.000000),$
ENDSTYLE
END

The output is:

Building the .pptx Presentation File

How to:

Select the Method for Zipping the .pptx File

Microsoft changed the format and structure of the PowerPoint (PPTX) presentation. The new .pptx file is a binary compilation of a group of xml files. Generating this new file format using WebFOCUS is a two-step process that consists of generating the xml files containing the report output and zipping the xml documents into the binary .pptx format. The Reporting Server performs the xml generation process. The zipping process can be completed either by the client (WebFOCUS Servlet) or the server (JSCOM3):

WebFOCUS Servlet. The WebFOCUS Client within the application server performs the zipping process. This can be done within the local client or through a remotely accessed client. The servlet method is the default approach defined for each WebFOCUS Client, with the client by default pointing to itself.
JSCOM3. The Java layer of the Reporting Server performs the zipping operation. This option should be used when the WebFOCUS Servlet is configured on a secured web or application server. This is because JSCOM3 does not require URL access to a remote WebFOCUS Client.

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Syntax: How to Select the Method for Zipping the .pptx File

Designate the method and location where the zipping will occur by setting EXCELSERVURL to a URL (for the WebFOCUS Servlet) or to a blank (for JSCOM3). You can set this value for a specific procedure or for the entire environment:

For a procedure. Issue the SET EXCELSERVURL command within the procedure.
For the entire environment. Edit the IBIF_excelservurl variable in the WebFOCUS Administration Console by selecting:
Configuration/Client Settings/General/IBIF_excelservurl

For more information on accessing the WebFOCUS Administration Console and setting the IBIF_excelservurl variable, see the WebFOCUS Security and Administration manual.

The value you assign to EXCELSERVURL determines whether the WebFOCUS Servlet or JSCOM3 performs the zipping operation:

Specifying the Servlet. To specify that the WebFOCUS Servlet should be used, set the EXCELSERVURL parameter or the IBIF_variable to the URL of a WebFOCUS client configuration. For example,
In a procedure:
```
SET EXCELSERVURL = http://servername:8080/ibi_apps
```
In the WebFOCUS Administration Console:
```
IBIF_excelservurl = http://servername:8080/ibi_apps
```
Specifying JSCOM3. To specify that JSCOM3 should be used within the current Reporting Server, set EXCELSERVURL to a blank or an empty string.
In a procedure:
```
SET EXCELSERVURL = ''
```
In the WebFOCUS Administration Console:
```
IBIF_excelservurl = ''
```

By default, each WebFOCUS Client contains the following URL definition that points to itself:

&URL_PROTOCOL://&servername:&server_port&IBIF_webapp