Designing Gadgets

In this section:

Reference:

Gadgets are mini-graphs and data grids that display multiple metrics and can be placed together to create complex dashboard pages. Each gadget is designed to perform a specific type of business analysis, such as zoom or compare analysis. You can configure a gadget to display specific data for specific users, and PMF stores user preferences and applies them to each page. Users can select and save various parameters determined by the gadget author to personalize the gadgets on their pages at runtime.

To utilize gadgets in your PMF dashboard pages, you can select from the gadgets already available in PMF or create your own gadgets. When you create a new gadget, you also have to create a gadget. Overviews of all aspects of gadget design and implementation are provided in the sections that follow. For information about the forms used to design gadgets in PMF, see General Tab - Dashboards.

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Designing a Gadget Procedure

To design a new gadget, you must first create a gadget procedure, which is usually a WebFOCUS reporting or graph procedure that reports on data from the PMF data mart. (Gadgets can also be designed to extract and report on data from other sources.) All gadget procedures must have a name that begins with a gadget_ prefix.

When using a new or existing WebFOCUS report or graph procedure for a gadget, you can utilize standard WebFOCUS parameter names. There are three types of parameters gadgets can process: display fields, groupings, and filters.
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Reference: Gadget Display Fields

Display fields, similar to PRINT or SUM fields in a WebFOCUS request, determine the data fields displayed in the gadget using parameters that indicate whether to display or hide these fields, or to use these fields as data feeds for a graph.

Each display field has the following three possible settings:

The display fields you can choose to include in a gadget are listed and described in the following table:

Display Field

What it Displays

Actual

Actual measure value (raw data).

Target

Target measure value (raw data).

Pct_Reached

Percent reached for actual/target measures.

Pct_Used

Cumulative percent spent for project budget measures.

or

Cumulative percent completed for project schedule measures.

Indicator

Dashboard symbol that indicates the status of a measure, objective, or perspective. For:

  • Measures. Shows the Pct_Reached to be within or outside set tolerances.
  • Objectives. Shows the cumulative, weighted Pct_Reached for all linked measures to be within or outside set tolerances.
  • Perspectives. Shows the cumulative, weighted Pct_Reached for all linked measures and objectives to be within or outside set tolerances.

Indicator + Actual

Combines the actual value with the indicator.

Indicator + Target

Combines the target value with the indicator.

Indicator + Pct_Reached

Combines the percent reached value with the indicator.

Indicator + Pct_Used

Combines the actual measure value with the indicator.

Indicator + Actual + Pct_Reached

Combines the actual and percent reached values with the indicator.

Indicator + Target + Pct_Reached

Combines the target and percent reached values with the indicator.

High-Mid-Low: raw count totals

Shows a raw count of the total number of measures in High (Green), Mid (Yellow), and Low (Red) status for the selected grouping and filtering.

High-Mid-Low: percentages of totals

Shows a percentage of the total number of measures in High (Green), Mid (Yellow), and Low (Red) status for the selected grouping and filtering.

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Reference: Gadget Grouping

Grouping involves both sorting and aggregating data values. Selected detail values are sorted using the classifications built into the group, then aggregated at the level implied by the sort.

Many sort groupings are affected by other groupings selected above them. For example, if you select to group by perspective first, and then by objective, the resulting gadget shows measure level details, the measure results are grouped first by perspective and then by objectives within each perspective, and the aggregations occur at the objective level. For each gadget, you can select up to three groupings.

Each grouping has the following two possible settings:

The groupings you can choose to include in a gadget are listed and described in the following table:

Grouping Method

What it Does

Perspectives

Sorts results alphabetically by perspective name and aggregates field values at that level.

Objectives

Sorts results alphabetically by objective name and aggregates field values at that level.

Measures

Sorts results alphabetically by measure name and aggregates field values at that level.

User Specified Dimension

Sorts results alphabetically by level values within the dimension specified by the user and aggregates field values at that level.

User specified dimension drill-downs are continuous by level, using a second drill-down on an individual value within a dimension to show data at the next dimension level.

Time

Sorts results alphabetically by level values within the time dimension and aggregates field values at that level.

Time dimension drill-downs are continuous by level, using a second drill-down on an individual value within a time dimension to show data at the next time level, down to the lowest level.

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Reference: Gadget Filtering

Gadget filters limit the displayed results to the values a user selects. For example, if a user specified the financial perspective as a filter, the results displayed would be limited to only the details linked to the financial perspective. For each gadget, you can specify up to five different filtering methods.

Each filter has the following two possible settings:

The filters you can choose to include in a gadget are listed and described in the following table:

Filter

Limits the Output to ...

Scorecard

The default scorecard for the gadget. Enables users to select a default scorecard to display in the gadget. If not selected, the default selection is the default scorecard of the user.

Perspective

The default perspective for the gadget. Enables users to select a default perspective to display in the gadget. If not selected, the default selection is the PMF default perspective.

Note: Requires selection of the Scorecard filter.

Objective

The default objective for the gadget. Enables users to select a default objective to display in the gadget.

Note: Requires selection of the Scorecard filter.

Measure Series

The default measure series for the gadget. Enables users to select a default measure series to display in the gadget.

User Specified Dimension

The default level value for the gadget, for a selected dimension. Enables users to select a default dimension to display in the gadget.

Time

The default point in the time dimension for the gadget. Enables users to select a default time dimension value to display in the gadget.

Red and Yellow Indicators only

Only retrieve and display measure values, objectives, or perspectives, where the result is a very low or moderately low (red or yellow) condition. This filter blocks out any measure values with a high (green) condition.

Red indicators only

Only retrieve and display measure values, objectives, or perspectives, where the result is a very low (red) condition. This filter blocks out any measure values with a high (green) or moderately low (yellow) condition.

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Creating a Gadget

How to:

For PMF to call a procedure and store parameters locally for a gadget, you must first create a gadget. The gadget enables PMF to manage the gadget. A gadget defines the input parameters for the gadget and controls how the parameters are saved for each user. The class also controls the parameters that each instance of the gadget can store and recall.

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Procedure: How to Create a Gadget

Before creating a gadget, add all new gadget procedures to the WebFOCUS pmfgadgets application folder.

  1. In the Manage tab in PMF, click the Dashboards panel button.
  2. Click New Gadget.

    PMF displays the New Gadget Designer panel. The following image shows the panel, with sample values in the fields.

    New gadget designer

  3. In the Name field, enter a descriptive name for the new gadget.
  4. From the Content Type drop-down menu, click the option that applies to the gadget. For details on the choices, see Adding Various Content Types as Gadgets.
  5. From the Content Display drop-down menu, click the option that applies to the gadget.

    For example, if the Content Type is PMF gadget focexec, the Content Display drop-down menu contains the names of all FOCEXECs that begin with gadget_ and are in the WebFOCUS pmfgadgets application folder.

  6. From the Scorecard filters drop-down menu, click one of the following options.
    • Use Current Scorecard, to apply the scorecard that is currently associated with this gadget.
    • Scorecard not used, to suppress the use of any scorecard with this gadget.
  7. In the Width and Height fields, type the values, in pixels, that determine the placement of the gadget.

    For a graph that is coded according to the standard gadget specification, the width and height that you type here is dynamically passed to the gadget at run time to determine the actual width and height of the output of the graph.

  8. From the Preview image drop-down menu, click the name of the .png file that supplies the preview image for the gadget.

    The preview image appears on the Catalog chevron in Dashboard Designer. If you do not supply a preview image of your own, you can use the default preview image, preview_na.png.

  9. Select the Receive Broadcasts or Enable Moonbeam check boxes to enable these features for the new gadget.
  10. In the Description field, optionally type a brief description of the gadget.
  11. From the available Display, Groupings, and Filters fields, select the applicable options for the new gadget.
  12. Click Save when you have finished creating the gadget.

    PMF displays a message saying the new gadget has been added. The Gadget Definitions navigation tree on the left is refreshed to display the new gadget.

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Creating Gadgets With WebFOCUS InfoAssist

WebFOCUS InfoAssist can be used to develop new operational gadgets that display information from your operational data sources. A new property defines your custom-developed content as a PMF gadget, and allows you to optionally prompt to filter your content using PMF dimensions. For more information on how to use this, see the WebFOCUS InfoAssist User’s Manual.

Note: InfoAssist integration for setting up parameter receipt requires WebFOCUS 7.7.01 or higher. If you have an earlier version of WebFOCUS, you can still handle parameters in the report code. For more information, see Mapping Parameters to an Operational Report.
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Creating Gadgets Using an Analysis Designer Template

How to:

PMF allows you to use existing Analysis Designer templates to create Gadgets. These Gadgets can display grids with indicators that show PMF metrics, strategic objectives, or themes dimensionally. Each data item in the grid contains drill downs to other related PMF content, and provides the same feedback, alerting, and task capabilities as pre-built content in PMF.

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Procedure: How to Build a New Gadget From an Existing PMF Template
  1. In the Manage tab, click the Dashboards panel button.
  2. Click New Gadget.

    The New Gadget Designer panel opens.

  3. Enter a name for the gadget.
  4. Select PMF Gadget focexec from the Content Type drop-down menu.
  5. Select one of the nine standard Analysis Designer templates from the Content Display drop-down menu. The templates are:

    Template

    Content Display value to choose

    Metrics Across Dimension

    pmf_rpt_tmplt_meas_vert

    Metrics Crosstab

    pmf_rpt_tmplt_meas_acrdim

    Metrics Vertical Sort

    pmf_rpt_tmplt_meas_crstab

    Objectives Vertical Sort

    pmf_rpt_tmplt_obj_vert

    Objectives Across Dimension

    pmf_rpt_tmplt_obj_acrdim

    Objectives Crosstab

    pmf_rpt_tmplt_obj_crstab

    Themes Vertical Sort

    pmf_rpt_tmplt_theme_vert

    Themes Across Dimension

    pmf_rpt_tmplt_theme_acrdim

    Themes Crosstab

    pmf_rpt_tmplt_theme_crstab
  6. Use the Display, Grouping, and Filters fields to set up your Gadget properties.
    • The selections you make in the Display area will control what object data the Gadget will display. The object can be Metric(s), Objective(s), of Theme(s) depending on the template that was selected.
    • The selections you make in the Filters and Grouping areas will control what filters and groupings the Gadget will expect to collect. These will be automatically configured when the Gadget is dropped onto a Dashboard design.
    • When you select a Grouping, the sort direction arrows control whether the grouping is applied as a Horizontal or Vertical sort. The Across Dimension templates require at least a horizontal sort to be defined.
  7. Click Preview. PMF will run the Gadget and display a preview. The auto-selection routine will be run and defaults for the display will be chosen based on the data available for the currently selected Scorecard.

    Note: If you are working with your own data mart and Scorecard, and that Scorecard does not have loaded measure data yet, PMF will display an error message.

  8. Click Save. The Gadget can now be used on the Dashboard.

Note: This procedure can also be done by selecting New Gadget from the Dashboard Designer Catalog.
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Saving Managed Reporting Content as a Gadget

How to:

Gadgets can be defined based on standard reports in your Managed Reporting repository. This can be done from within PMF or from within the WebFOCUS MR environment, which is typically from within BID.

Note: MR Save as Gadget integration in WebFOCUS BID requires WebFOCUS 7.7.1 or higher.
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Procedure: How to Save Managed Reporting Content as a Gadget From Within PMF

Saving Managed Reporting content as a gadget will make it available from within PMF to use on features, such as Dashboards. MR content can be given parameters from PMF, such as dimensional filters or sorts, and can optionally receive Broadcasts on a PMF Dashboard.

  1. In the Manage tab, click the Dashboards panel button.
  2. Click New Gadget.

    The New Gadget Designer panel opens.

  3. Enter information for the gadget name and its other properties. For more information on these properties, see Creating a Gadget.

    Note: If you want to pass parameters to the MR Standard Report, make sure you have added code to your report to enable it to receive PMF parameters. For more information, see Mapping Parameters to an Operational Report.

  4. From the Content Type drop-down menu, select MR Report. A MR Domain drop-down menu will become available, which lists all of the MR Domains.
  5. Select the MR Domain where your Standard Report is stored. PMF will list the Standard Reports that are stored in that MR Domain in the Content Display drop-down menu.
  6. Select the MR Standard Report that will become the gadget. Click Save.
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Adding Various Content Types as Gadgets

The PMF Dashboard capability allows you to directly add several types of content as gadgets. These types include:

When creating a gadget, or editing a gadget, you can select the content type from a drop-down menu on the New Gadget Designer panel or the Edit Gadget Designer panel, as shown in the following image.

Content type drop-down menu

Content Type

Description

PMF Gadget focexec

Default. Allows you to select from any FOCEXEC in your environment with gadget_ as the starting characters in the name. Typically, these are PMF gadgets. Since most of the shipped FOCEXEC gadgets are already registered in PMF, you would typically need to use this option only if you have created a custom gadget and want to register it with the system.

Adobe Flex control

Allows you to select from any SWF file that you have installed in any application in your application path. PMF does not search the mainstreet, pmfdata, or pmf[rdbms] app folders.

Tip: If WebFOCUS is installed in a split-tier configuration, the SWF files must be installed in the same app folder on both the WebFOCUS Client and WebFOCUS server machines.

WebFOCUS report

Allows you to select from any FOCEXEC in your environment. Typically, you would select this option to gadgetize any existing WebFOCUS report. This allows you to pass standard PMF parameters to the report. For more information on how to receive and use those parameters, see Mapping Parameters to an Operational Report.

MR report

Allows you to integrate Managed Reporting content into PMF. Typically, you would select this option to gadgetize an existing WebFOCUS Managed Reporting report. This capability allows you to pass standard PMF parameters to the report. For more information on how to receive and use those parameters, see Mapping Parameters to an Operational Report.

Web Page

Allows you to specify any external web application that you want to include as a gadget. You can type the entire URL for the application, including any parameters, in the URL field.

Once you have specified the type of gadget that you are registering, you can configure the passing of parameters, as appropriate to the gadget, as detailed in Designing Gadgets.

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Custom Parameters for Gadgets

How to:

WebFOCUS parameters can be passed to your Gadgets, allowing you to configure components for inclusion from any external system without needing to code a procedure. This essentially causes PMF to pass the WebFOCUS amper variables to any Gadget, every time that Gadget is added to a Dashboard.

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Procedure: How to Set Up a Custom Parameter for a Gadget
  1. In the Manage tab, click the Dashboards panel button.
  2. Expand the Gadget Definitions folder.
  3. To set the custom parameters, choose the Gadget from the list.

    The Edit Gadget Designer panel opens.

  4. Click the Custom Parameters button.

    The Custom Parameter panel opens, as shown in the following image.

    Custom Parameters panel

  5. Enter a parameter name in the Name column, and its value in the Value column. Each time you add a new entry, the panel adds another row for another entry. You can enter as many parameters as you need.
  6. Click OK to save the parameters.

Tip: To see the parameters that have been set for a Gadget, hover over the Custom Parameters button, as shown in the following image.

Hover

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Broadcast Capability for All Grid Gadgets

How to:

Any standard Grid Gadget in PMF is fully broadcast-capable within any PMF Dashboard. As you drill on any of the Grid Gadgets in PMF, Dimensional and Object parameters can automatically be sent to the rest of the Dashboard, so a drill down on any Grid can also automatically drill on all the Chart Gadgets on your Dashboards.

Drill broadcasting on Grid Gadgets works in the following ways:

Note: Enabling broadcasting on any Grid Gadget requires adding a single custom parameter to the Gadgets you want to have this ability.

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Procedure: How to Add the Broadcast Property to a Gadget

From the Manage tab:

  1. Click the Dashboards panel button.
  2. Select the Grid Gadget you want to edit from the Gadget Definitions folder.

    The Edit Gadget Designer panel opens, as shown in the following image.

    Edit Gadget Designer

  3. Click Custom Parameters. The Custom Parameters panel opens.
  4. In the Name field, enter GRID_BROADCAST. Set the Value to Y.
  5. Click OK.
  6. Select the Reset Dashboard Defaults and the Remove User Preferences check boxes.
  7. Click Save. PMF saves the changes to the Gadget and overwrites all instances where the Gadget is used on Dashboards, while adding the new parameter.

Once the parameter has been added, the Gadget will be able to Broadcast Object and Dimensional information to any Dashboard. To make sure other Gadgets “listen” to the Broadcast, you need to configure Broadcast for the Dashboard. For more information on setting up Broadcast, see Setting Up Broadcast on a Dashboard.
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Turning a WebFOCUS Report Into a Gadget

In this section:

How to:

You can turn any WebFOCUS report into a gadget. Once you do that, you can place the content of the report on a dashboard that you design.

You can also configure metric and dimensional parameters (preferences) in order to pass them from a PMF dashboard to a WebFOCUS report. You can then use those parameters in sorting, filtering, and other content display activities. When you turn a WebFOCUS report into a gadget, you must identify which parameters need to be passed from the dashboard to the report.

You must also make sure that the report can detect, receive, and process those parameters. For more information on how to modify a report to handle parameters, see Mapping Parameters to an Operational Report.

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Procedure: How to Turn a WebFOCUS Report Into a Gadget
  1. In the Manage tab in PMF, click the Dashboards panel button.
  2. Click New Gadget.

    The New Gadget Designer panel opens.

  3. In the Name field, type a name for your new gadget.

    Tip: You might want to use the default title of the WebFOCUS report.

  4. From the Content Type drop-down menu, click WebFOCUS report.
  5. From the Content Display drop-down menu, click the name of the WebFOCUS report (the FOCEXEC) that you want to turn into a gadget.
  6. From the Groupings and Filters drop-down menus, supply values for the parameters that you would like PMF to pass to the WebFOCUS report.
  7. Click Save to save the WebFOCUS report as a gadget.

Once you have created a gadget from a WebFOCUS report, you can drop the gadget onto any dashboard. From the dashboard, you can set default preferences for the new gadget for use in the selection and display of data.

The new gadget can also participate in Broadcast, as any other gadget can. For an example that shows how to create a gadget from a WebFOCUS report and work with it on a dashboard, see the following example.
Example: Turning the WebFOCUS Outages Report Into a Gadget

This example uses a WebFOCUS report named process_orders_outages. The report requires one parameter, a value for the Location dimension.

The report is supplied with your product software.

This example has four parts.

Create the Gadget

  1. In the Manage tab, click the Dashboards panel button.
  2. Click New Gadget.

    The New Gadget Designer panel opens.

  3. In the Name field, type Outages in Ordering Process.

    Outages in Ordering Process is the default title of the WebFOCUS report.

  4. From the Content Type drop-down menu, click WebFOCUS report.
  5. From the Content Display drop-down menu, click process_orders_outages. That is the name of the WebFOCUS report (the FOCEXEC) that you want to turn into a gadget.
  6. Select User Specified Dimension from the Select a filter drop-down menu under Filters. Keep the associated default value, Required, for this filter.
  7. Click Save to save the WebFOCUS report as a gadget.

Add the Gadget to a Dashboard and Set Preferences

In this procedure, you will add the new gadget to a dashboard and set preferences for it. To implement Broadcast using the new gadget, you will add a second gadget to the dashboard. The second gadget, Utility - Dimension Tree, enables you to select a data value for Location. The selected value is broadcast to the first gadget and reflected in the report.

  1. In the Manage tab in PMF, click the Dashboards panel button.
  2. Click New.

    The Dashboard Designer opens.

  3. Click the Properties chevron on the right.
  4. In the Dashboard Name field, type WebFOCUS Outages as the name of the new dashboard.
  5. In the Description field, type This sample dashboard displays the Outages in Ordering Process report, which participates in Broadcast.

    The following image shows the Properties chevron, with supplied values in the Dashboard Name and Description fields.

    Properties chevron

  6. Click the Properties chevron to close it.
  7. Click the Catalog chevron to display a list of registered gadgets.
  8. Use the scroll bar directly to the right of the Catalog chevron to locate your new gadget, Outages in Ordering Process.

    In the following image, the Outages in Ordering Process gadget is the first one in the partial list that is displayed.

    Tip: In the Catalog, a default preview is used if you do not provide a preview of your own. The following image shows the default preview for the Outages in Ordering Process gadget. For instructions on providing your own preview, see the Performance Management Framework Developer Guide.

    New gadget in Catalog chevron

  9. Drag and drop the Outages in Ordering Process gadget onto the design canvas.
  10. Move the cursor inside the title bar of the gadget. Using the move The move symbol in Dashboard Designer symbol, position the gadget in the upper left corner of the dashboard.
  11. To save the work that you have done so far on the dashboard, click Save on the ribbon.
  12. Click anywhere inside the gadget to re-display its title bar.
  13. To confirm the default preferences for the gadget, click the Preferences Preferences button button on the title bar.
  14. Under Filters on the Preferences panel, confirm that Location is selected in the field on the left.
  15. Confirm that EAST is selected in the Dtl field.
  16. On the Preferences panel, click Save.
  17. On the Catalog chevron, use the scroll bar to locate the gadget named Utility - Dimension Tree, and drag and drop that gadget onto the design canvas.
  18. Using the move symbol in the title bar, position the gadget in the upper right corner of the dashboard. You can close the Catalog chevron.
  19. To save the work that you have done so far on the dashboard, click Save on the ribbon.

    Your dashboard will look similar to the one in the following image.

    Sample dashboard

  20. Click anywhere inside the Utility - Dimension Tree gadget to re-display its title bar.
  21. To set the default references for the Utility - Dimension Tree gadget, click the Preferences button on the title bar.
  22. Under Filters on the Preferences panel, confirm that Location is selected in the field on the left.
  23. From the Dtl drop-down menu on the right, click Select a Filter. With this setting, the Utility - Dimension Tree gadget will display all possible values from which the user can choose at run time.
  24. On the Preferences panel, click Save.

Configure the Gadget for Broadcast

  1. With your two gadgets positioned on the dashboard, click the Broadcast chevron.
  2. Since you want to broadcast the value of a dimension (Location), click Dimensions only from the Broadcast drop-down menu.
  3. With the Broadcast chevron still open, click the Outages in Ordering Process gadget on the design canvas.

    The gadget is highlighted to indicate that it participates in Broadcast.

    Do not highlight the Utility - Dimension Tree gadget for Broadcast. That utility gadget is designed to work correctly with the report.

  4. Click Set on the Broadcast chevron to close the chevron and save the Broadcast properties.

    The following image shows the Broadcast chevron with the specified property, Dimensions only. On the design canvas, the Outages in Ordering Process gadget is highlighted.

    Sample dashboard with Broadcast chevron

  5. On the ribbon, click Save to save the dashboard.

Preview the Live Dashboard

  1. On the ribbon, click Live.
  2. In the Dimensions tree, expand the Location node, as shown in the following image.

    Expanding the Location node in the dimensions tree

  3. In the Dimensions tree, click the MIDWEST node to select it.

    The Outages in Order Processing report is automatically refreshed. PMF replaces the data values for the EAST (the default setting) with the data values for the MIDWEST (the Broadcast setting).

    In the following image, MIDWEST was selected in the Dimensions tree, and is reflected in the report.

    Broadcasting a value for location

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Exporting a Gadget

You can export an information gadget to a standardized file. This capability enables you to:

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Procedure: How to Export a Gadget

Before you export a Gadget, make sure to test it and ensure that it is working properly in your environment. If the Gadget uses a FOCEXEC, you should note any executable dependencies for the FOCEXEC other than the main FOCEXEC so that you can copy these files manually into the new environment to make sure the Gadget works after it is registered in a new environment. Likewise, if the Gadget is a custom developed applet or SWF, make sure any non-SWF dependencies for these programs are likewise noted so that you can make sure the Gadget works after it is registered in a new environment.

  1. In the Manage tab in PMF, click the Dashboards panel button.
  2. In the navigation tree on the left, expand the Gadget Definitions folder to locate the name of the gadget that you want to export.
  3. Click the name of the gadget.

    The Edit Gadget Designer panel opens.

  4. If required, modify any field values on the panel. The values reflect the properties that will be saved with the exported file.

    For details on the fields on the Edit Gadget Designer panel, see Creating a Gadget. For details on the type of content that you can export, see Adding Various Content Types as Gadgets.

  5. Click Export when you have supplied all the values as desired.
  6. Supply the information needed to create the Export file, as shown in the following image.

    Export panel

  7. Complete the fields on the Export panel.

    Field

    Description

    Gadget creation date

    Date the Gadget was originally created.

    Gadget revision version

    Version number for the gadget. Type a number in the field.

    Gadget revision date

    Date on which the gadget was last revised. Type a date, or accept the system-supplied date, which is the current date.

    Gadget author name

    ID of the creator of the gadget. Click a value from the drop-down menu, or accept the default value. The default value is the ID of the person who was logged on to PMF when the gadget was created.

    Minimum supported PMX version

    Earliest PMF version that supports the content type for the gadget. Type a version number, or accept the system-supplied number.

    Preview image

    Name of the .png file that supplies the preview image for the gadget. The preview image appears on the Catalog chevron in Dashboard Designer. Click the name of the .png file from the drop-down menu. PMF displays the selected preview image below the field.

    Preview images for Gadgets are stored in the [approot]\pmfgadgets\thumbs folder. If you do not see an appropriate Preview image for your gadget in this folder, you should create one using an image capture program. Gadget Preview files should be in PNG format, with a recommended size of no larger than 160px x 160px. If you do not want to create a new Gadget Preview file, you can use the default preview file name, preview_na.png, for a generic Preview.

  8. After you have supplied the values on the panel, click Export.

    You are returned to the Edit Gadget Designer panel.

    Gadget Export files have a .GDG file extension, contain no spaces or non-alphanumeric characters in the name, are generally all lowercase, and are placed in the [approot]\pmfgadgets\pmf_import_export folder on your server. After you export a Gadget to a file, you can move a copy of the export file to your PC by clicking the link in the confirmation message. You can later download the file by navigating to the approot for your server and looking in the [approot]\pmfgadgets\pmf_import_export folder on your server.
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Registering a Gadget

You can register a gadget on any WebFOCUS server that is running PMF. With this capability, you can add third-party gadgets to a PMF dashboard without the need for additional PMF development work. For example, you can add an iGoogle™ gadget (a personalized Google page) or Yahoo gadget to a dashboard, or your own web 2.0 mini-application.

As part of the registration process, you will import the file that contains the gadget. Before you can import a Gadget, you must copy the .GDG file to the [approot]\pmfgadgets\pmf_import_export folder on your WebFOCUS server. This can be a .GDG file you exported previously and are migrating to a new server, or a .GDG file you obtained from Information Builders or another developer.

A registered gadget appears in the list of gadgets on the Catalog chevron in Dashboard Designer.
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Procedure: How to Register a Gadget

When you Register a HTML5 or FOCEXEC-based Gadget, the main executable file is automatically binary-copied from the export (.GDG) file into the [approot]\pmfgadgets folder on your server. Note that web type Gadgets are only URIs pointing to an executable resource on a web server. No files need to be copied for this type of Gadget.

  1. In the Manage tab in PMF, click the Dashboards panel button.
  2. Click New Gadget.

    The New Gadget Designer panel opens.

  3. Click Register.

    PMF displays the properties and the Preview graphic for the Gadget export file you selected.

    Register panel for a gadget

  4. Complete the fields on the Register panel, as described in the following table.

    Field

    Description

    Gadget Import File

    Select a Gadget to Register.

    If file or definition exists

    From the drop-down menu, click the action that you want PMF to take if the gadget has already been registered. Possible values are:

    • Replace it with this one
    • Add it as a new one anyway
    • Cancel registration

  5. Once your Gadget has been registered, the Gadget Editor panel displays all the properties for the Gadget. The registered gadget appears in the list of gadgets on the Catalog chevron in Dashboard Designer.

    Important: Since HTML5-based Gadgets are web-deployed, if you are running WebFOCUS in a two-tier environment, after Registering a HTML5 Gadget, you should make sure to copy the resulting SWF file from the [approot]\pmfgadgets folder on your WebFOCUS server machine to the [approot]\pmfgadgets folder on your WebFOCUS client machine.

WebFOCUS