Using the Object Inspector

In this section:

How to:

The Object Inspector enables you to add fields to a report, create sort groups, view column, report, and image properties, and view the report components for the procedure.

Report Painter opens by default with the Object Inspector positioned in the left window pane of the Report Painter window. The Object Inspector can be closed or floated on top of the Report Painter window. Any changes made in the Object Inspector are reflected in the Report Painter window and vice versa.

The Object Inspector has tabs that you can toggle between: Where/If, Properties, Fields, Sort Groups, Setup, Pivot, and Images.

Note: The Pivot tab is available only when using the Excel® 2000 PivotTable (EXL2K PIVOT) report output format. For more information about Excel PivotTables, see the Creating Reporting Applications With Developer Studio manual.

Among other things, the Object Inspector enables you to:

Note: The Object Inspector is only available in the Report Painter view.


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Procedure: How to Float the Object Inspector

Double-click the gray double lines above the Object Inspector title bar until you see a solid blue line.

The Object Inspector becomes a movable window that you can float on top of the Report Painter window.

Tip: To dock the Object Inspector, double-click the blue line above the Object Inspector title bar.


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Procedure: How to Show or Hide the Object Inspector

After you have populated a report with information, you may wish to close the Object Inspector so that the report is more fully visible on the screen.

From the File menu, uncheck Show Object Inspector.

Tip: You can reopen the Object Inspector at any time by rechecking the Show Object Inspector option on the File menu.


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Adding a Column to Your Report

The Fields tab in the Object Inspector lists all field names available for use in your report. This includes fields in the open file and any joined files, temporary fields. You can select a field to view its field name, qualified field name, alias, title, description, and format in the lower pane. You can double-click or drag fields from this pane to the Report Painter window, where they become report columns. For details, see How to Add Columns to Your Report. The Object Inspector is shown in the following image.


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Viewing the Fields List

In this section:

How to:

Reference:

You can view the fields list in the Object Inspector as a:

Note: When creating a report with a multi-dimensional data source, additional folders in the Object Inspector, and all other fields lists, are available. For more information about viewing the fields list with a multi-dimensional data source, see Viewing the Fields List in the Creating Reporting Applications With Developer Studio manual.

The following image shows the right-click context menu that is available from the Fields tab of the Object Inspector when you right-click on white space. The right-click menu changes to show only valid options depending on the object you select.

You can double-click or drag segments or fields from the Object Inspector to the Report Painter window, where they become report columns.

You can customize how you view the fields list and save your settings. You can also search for fields in the fields list. These options appear anywhere in Report Painter where a fields list is available. For example, Object Inspector, Define tool, Variable Editor, and so on.

The System Variables folder contains variables that are automatically populated with system values. These values include the current date, current time, operating system, number of lines read, and number of answer set lines in the last request. These values can be used to control processing. For example, if no records are read for a report request because no records fit the selection criteria, processing may halt or the selection criteria may be changed. To view a description of each variable, place the mouse over the system variable name.

Note:



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Using Dimension Tree View

Dimension tree view displays fields in a hierarchical structure of data. When a Master File defines Measures and Dimensions, a report using that Master File will automatically open in Dimension tree view. Fields are divided into two main categories, either Measures or Dimensions. Beneath those two main categories are subcategories. The category and subcategory the fields fall under is determined by how they are defined in the Master File. The following image shows the Dimension tree view with Measures and Dimensions having multiple subcategories beneath them.

Note: You must select the correct column type before dragging or double-clicking the field you want to add. For example, if you double-click a Dimension when the SUM column type is selected, the field will not be added to the report. You must change the column type to BY or Detail and then double-click the field.



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Procedure: How to Save the Fields List Options in Report Painter
  1. Right-click anywhere on the fields list and select from the options available in the context menu to customize the view of the fields list.
  2. Right-click on the fields list again to save the settings of your view. Select from the following options:
    • Save Settings As Default for non-hierarchical data. Saves the current fields list view as the default view for non-hierarchical data. The fields list appears differently for hierarchical data.
    • Save Settings As Default for hierarchal data. Saves the current fields list view as the default view for hierarchical data. The fields list appears differently for hierarchical data.
    • Save Settings As Default for hierarchical and non-hierarchical data. Saves the current fields list view as the default view for all data sources, non-hierarchical and hierarchical data.


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Procedure: How to Collapse the Field Tree

Right-click anywhere on the Field Tree and deselect Display Filters in Filters Folder from the context menu.

The selected option is not immediately applied but appears the next time you view a Field Tree.

Note: This option is also available from the Reporting tab of the Developer Studio Options dialog box.



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Procedure: How to Display Filters and Computes in the Field Tree

By default, Master File Filters and Computes are shown in the Report Painter Object Inspector in the Filters folder, or Computes Folder, when using the Field Tree View.

Note: If using a Master File Computes field, the Object Inspector automatically displays the field in a Master File Computed Fields folder.

The selected option is not immediately applied but appears the next time you view a Field Tree.

Tip: These options are also available from the Reporting tab of the Developer Studio Options dialog box.



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Reference: Applying Mandatory Filters to Fields

If the Access Property NEED_VALUE option is specified for fields in the Master File being used in Report Painter, the Object Inspector indicates the fields that require a mandatory filter in the report.

The following image shows an Alert icon for the City field in the Object Inspector and on the Report Painter status bar.

The items circled in red are the mandatory field indicators, as shown in the following image.

Note: The Alert icon is removed from the Object Inspector and status bar after a filter is applied to the NEED_VALUE field.



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Procedure: How to Find a Field in the Fields List
  1. Right-click anywhere on the fields list and click the Find Item option. The Find Item dialog box opens.
  2. Enter a search field in the Find what input field.
  3. Click Find to search for the field. The item is highlighted in the fields list.
  4. Right-click on the fields list again and click Find Next Item to find the next occurrence of the item in the fields list. The next item is highlighted in the fields list. If no item is found, a message appears.


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Reference: Find Item Dialog Box

Find what

The Find Item search field input area.

Match case

Searches for the field name exactly as entered. The search field is case-sensitive.

Look where
All items

Looks for the search field in the entire fields list.

All current item's direct children

Looks for the search field in all children fields of the parent hierarchy.

All current item's children

Looks for the search field in all children fields of every hierarchy.

Note: For more information about hierarchical data sources, see Hierarchal Reporting in Developer Studio in the Creating Reporting Applications With Developer Studio manual.


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Viewing Column Properties

You can view and modify the column properties in the Report Painter window from the Where/If tab in the Object Inspector, which is shown in the following image.

Select a column in the Where/If tab to display the column properties in the bottom pane of the Object Inspector (if showing details). These properties include column name, sort type, format, prefix operator status, drill-down status, and visualize status. There is a descriptive icon to the left of each column indicating the sort status of the column. For details, see Viewing and Manipulating Sort Groups.

Note: Right-click and click Hide Details section to show or hide details anywhere in the Object Inspector.

Right-click a column and click Options from the context menu to open the Field Properties dialog box where you can format and style your column, and apply drill down capabilities. Any changes made to the column properties are reflected in the Report Painter window.


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Viewing Image Properties

You can view properties of an image in the Report Painter window from the Images tab in the Object Inspector, as shown in the following image.

Select the thumbnail of the image in the Images tab to display the image properties in the bottom pane of the Object Inspector. These properties include the location of the image, image name, positioning on page, and size.

Note: Right-click and click Hide Details section to show or hide details anywhere in the Object Inspector.

Double-click the image to edit these properties in the Image Properties dialog box.


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Viewing the Object Properties of a Report

How to:

When you select the object of a report (column, heading, footing, or entire report) in the Report Painter window, its properties are reflected in the Properties tab in the Object Inspector, as shown in the following image.



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Procedure: How to View the Properties of the Entire Report

Place your cursor in a blank space in the Report Painter window.

The report properties appear in the Properties tab in the Object Inspector.


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Viewing and Manipulating Sort Groups

Reference:

You can view and modify the sorting properties of fields in the Report Painter window from the Sort Groups tab in the Object Inspector, as shown in the following image.

The Sort Groups tab displays the sorting method being applied to each column in the Report Painter window. You can change the sorting method (for example, from By to Across or from Detail to Sum) from the Sort Groups pane. The changes are reflected in the Object Inspector Where/If and Sort Groups panes, and in the Report Painter window.

You can also create reports that include both detail and summary information from the Sort Groups pane. For details, see Sorting in Groups to Create a Combined Detail/Summary Report.



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Reference: Sort Type Icons

The icons in the first column to the left of the field name display the type of sort field. The icons and their meanings are defined in the following table.

Icon

Definition

Across field.

By field.

Sum field.

Detail field.

For field.

Hierarchy field.

Note: This option is only available when using a multi-dimensional data source. For more information, see Sorting Hierarchical Data in the Creating Reporting Applications With Developer Studio manual.



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Opening Report Components

You can open components that precede the report component from the Setup tab on the Object Inspector. Double-click a component in the Setup tab to open the tool that created the component, as shown in the following image. Right-click a component in the Setup tab and select Hide Details section to display the syntax for that component in the bottom pane of the Object Inspector.


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