Importing Procedures and Other Files Into Managed Reporting

Managed Reporting provides an option to import existing FOCUS procedures and application component files into Standard Reports and Other Files folders. These procedures and component files, which can originate from any version of WebFOCUS on any platform, are imported from the Managed Reporting Repository Import directory or a Domain import directory. Therefore, the procedures you want to Import must first be copied into the appropriate import directory.

When you select the import option, WebFOCUS retrieves the files in the Repository or Domain Import directory and displays them in the Import Files dialog box. The list of files in the Select Files to Import pane includes the source directory. Files residing in the repository are listed as import/filename, and files residing in a domain are listed as domain name/import/filename. From this dialog box, you choose the files to be imported and select the properties to assign to the files when they are imported.

The following image shows the Import Files dialog box with examples of files to import that reside in the repository and a domain.

Reference: Usage Notes for Importing Procedures Into Managed Reporting

Files placed in the Managed Reporting Repository Import directory are accessible to every domain, while files placed in a Domain Import directory are available to only that domain.
Managed Reporting Repository file names are stored as a maximum of 64 characters. Some file names are changed to be unique and to conform to file naming rules. After importing files into Managed Reporting, review each file using the Properties dialog to determine if the file name has been changed by Managed Reporting. Within the Properties dialog, the file name is the HREF parameter which cannot be changed by a user after a file is stored in the Managed Reporting Repository. For more information, see Repository File Name Processing in the Additional Administration Topics chapter of the WebFOCUS Managed Reporting Administrator's Manual.
If a file name changes when it is imported into the Managed Reporting Repository, review your procedure (FEX) and StyleSheet (STY) files. Make any necessary modifications to referenced files, such as drill-downs, –INCLUDES, and StyleSheets.
Dialogue Manager code is not executed by Managed Reporting, but it is passed to the WebFOCUS Reporting Server for execution. The exception occurs when Managed Reporting prompts for parameters by evaluating the Managed Reporting procedure code to dynamically prompt the user for parameter values and the Publish tool. For more information about prompting parameters, see Amper Auto-Prompting Considerations. For more information about how to use the Publish tool, see Creating Launch Pages and Publishing Reports.
Images that are imported into the Managed Reporting Repository are only utilized by preview options in WebFOCUS and Developer Studio report and graph development tools. When images in Other Files are referenced in WebFOCUS procedures or StyleSheet references, the images must be accessible to the WebFOCUS Reporting Server when a report is run or from the web/application server when a report is viewed by a user. The specific location of the image is dependent upon the syntax used to reference the image. For more information about images, see Adding an Image to a Report in the Laying Out the Report Page chapter of the Creating Reports With WebFOCUS Language manual.
Information Builders recommends that the Managed Reporting Repository not be made accessible from a Web server alias or the WebFOCUS Reporting Server path because this introduces security issues with unauthorized access to the Managed Reporting Repository user and report information.
Review your procedure files to confirm whether:
- There is any FOCUS code that is not applicable to the Web environment, such as –CRTFORMS, which should be changed to HTML launch pages. The –HTMLFORM command enables you to include HTML commands in your procedures. –HTMLFORM sends your report output to the HTML file you create for a Web page and displays that page in the browser. The output can also be saved as an HTML file that can be displayed later. For more information on creating launch pages, see Creating Launch Pages and Publishing Reports. For details about –HTMLFORM, see the Creating Reporting Applications With Developer Studio manual.
  Note: –CRTFORMS is a mainframe command that generates a visual form on the terminal, invokes the FOCUS Interactive Data Entry Language (FIDEL), and clears the screen. For more details, see Designing Screens With FIDEL in the FOCUS for Mainframe Maintaining Databases manual.
- Dependent files, such as –INCLUDES, drill-downs, and StyleSheets, do not reside in the Managed Reporting Repository. If they reside on the WebFOCUS Reporting Server, either import them into the Managed Reporting Repository within the same domain, or use the –MRNOEDIT feature to instruct Managed Reporting to not process the line or block of code, but to pass it to the WebFOCUS Server for execution. For information about how to perform the latter, see Ignoring Code in a Procedure (FOCEXEC).

Importing Files Into a Standard Reports Folder

This section provides procedures to import files into a Standard Reports folder from the Managed Reporting Repository Import directory or Domain Import directory, and to copy a file from the Windows Desktop to a Standard Reports folder.

Procedure: How to Import a Procedure File to be Used as a Standard Report

To import a file into a Standard Reports folder:

Locate the procedure file you want to import and copy it into either the Repository or the Domain Import directory.
Note: The Repository, the Domain directory, and the Repository Import directory reside in the /install_directory/basedir directory on the Web Server. The Domain Import directory resides in the Domain directory. (The Domain directory name appears as the first eight characters of the domain description if those eight characters are unique among the domain directory names in the repository. If they are not, then WebFOCUS generates a random Domain directory name. To view the directory name assigned to a domain, in Managed Reporting, right-click the Domain and select Properties.)
In the Developer Studio WebFOCUS Environment area, expand Managed Reporting.
Open the domain to which you want to import the file.
Right-click the appropriate Standard Reports group folder and select New, then Import External File(s).
Note: In Business Intelligence Dashboard, expand the Domain you want to import to, right-click the appropriate Standard Reports group folder and select Import.

The Import Files dialog box opens, displaying a list of available files to import and the following property options:
- Prompt for Parameters. Enables amper auto-prompting.
- Run with OLAP. OLAP-enable the report.
- Only Run as a Deferred Report. Only run the report in deferred mode.
- Schedule Only. This option can only be set by Administrators and by Developers when the Restrict Developer Access option (available in this dialog box) is not enabled. When this option is set, the Standard Report can only be scheduled using ReportCaster. The Schedule property is applicable to end users (Analytical Users and lesser roles) and to Developers when the Restrict Developer Access is enabled.
- Do not show on User’s list. Will not display the Standard Report in the user environment.
- Restrict Developer Access. Only available to Administrators. This option restricts the Developer role to the capabilities of an end user role (Analytical Users and lesser roles) and allows only Administrators to manage FEX or HTML files (such as edit, delete, cut, copy, paste) and set property options.
These options are not enabled until you make a file selection. The property choices are enabled based on the type of file you select to import.
From Select Files to Import list, select the procedure file or files that you want to import. (Use the scroll bars to view all items in the list.) To select all files in the list, click Select All.
When you select a file from the list, the properties appropriate to the file selection are enabled, as follows:
- When a FEX is selected, Prompt for Parameters and Do not Show on User’s list are the default selections, and all other options are available, as shown in the following image.
- When you select an HTM file, only the Do not show on User’s list (the default selection) and Restrict Developer Access options are available, as shown in the following image.
- When multiple files of different types are selected, all properties are available, but only those properties applicable to the specific file type are assigned when the file is imported. For example, when a FEX and HTML file are chosen to import and the Run only as Deferred Report property is selected, the Run only as Deferred Report is only assigned to the FEX file.
Click Import.
The Import Files dialog box refreshes and remains open. The Select Files to Import list no longer includes the files that were imported.

The Managed Reporting tree refreshes and displays the imported procedures under the designated Standard Reports group folder.
You can continue to import files or close the import session by clicking Cancel. If files were selected to import when you click Cancel, a window opens to confirm the cancellation.

Procedure: How to Copy a Procedure From Windows Desktop to a Standard Report Folder

From the Windows menu, select Options.
In the Explorer tab, check Show Desktop on explorer tree and click OK.
In the Windows Desktop node, navigate to the file you want to copy.
Copy and paste or drag and drop the file to the Standard Reports folder in the Domain of your choice located under WebFOCUS Environments.

Importing Files Into an Other Files Folder

How to:

This section provides procedures to import files into an Other Files folder from the Managed Reporting Repository Import directory or Domain Import directory, and to add new HTML and styling files to the Other Files folder.

In addition to WebFOCUS procedure files (FEX) and HTML files, application component files, such as styling files (CSS and STY), image files, and static content files (PDF, Excel, and so on) can be imported into an Other Files folder. For more information on adding StyleSheets (.sty), see Applying Predefined Style Sheets to a Report. For more information on selecting a styling file when developing a report with the web development tools, see Applying Predefined Style Sheets to a Report. For more information on importing images, see Usage Notes for Importing Procedures Into Managed Reporting.

Top of page

Procedure: How to Import Files Into an Other Files Folder

To import files into an Other Files folder:

Locate the file that you want to import to the Other Files folder and copy it into either the Repository or the Domain Import directory.
Note: The Repository, the Domain directory, and the Repository Import directory reside in the /install directory/basedir directory on the Web Server. The Domain Import directory resides in the Domain directory. (The Domain directory name appears as the first eight characters of the domain description if those eight characters are unique among the domain directory names in the repository. If they are not, then WebFOCUS generates a random Domain directory name. To view the directory name assigned to a domain, in Managed Reporting, right-click the Domain and select Properties.)
In the Developer Studio WebFOCUS Environment area, expand Managed Reporting.
Open the domain in which you want to import the file.
Right-click the appropriate Other Files folder and select New, then Import External File(s).
Note: In Business Intelligence Dashboard, expand the Domain you want to import to, right-click the appropriate Other Files folder and select Import.

The Import Files dialog box opens, displaying a list of available files to import and the following property options:
- Prompt for Parameters. Enables amper auto-prompting.
- Run with OLAP. OLAP-enable the report.
- Only Run as a Deferred Report. Only run the report in deferred mode.
- Do not Show on User’s list. This property is only relevant to FEX and HTML files. Specifies whether or not the file will be accessible in the user environment if the file is copied or cut and pasted to Standard Reports. In addition an MR Administrator can restrict Developer user access to an Other File by setting the Restrict Developer Access property.
- Restrict Developer Access. Only available to Administrators. This property restricts the Developer role capabilities so that only Administrators can edit, delete, cut, copy, and set the property options for this Other File.
- Show as Predefined Style. Allows you to apply the StyleSheet from Report Assistant.
These options are not enabled until you make a file selection. The property choices are enabled based on the type of file you select to import.
From Select Files to Import list, select the procedure file or files that you want to import. (Use the scroll bars to view all items in the list.) To select all files in the list, click Select All.
When you select a file from the list, the properties appropriate to the file selection are enabled, as follows:
- When a FEX is selected, Prompt for Parameters and Do not show on User’s list are the default selections, and all other options are available except Show as Predefined Style.
- When an HTML file is selected, only the Do not show on User’s list (the default selection) and Restrict Developer Access options are available.
- When a styling file is selected, the Restrict Developer Access and Show as Predefined Style options are available, as shown in the following image.
- When a static content file, such as a PDF file, is selected, the Do not show on User’s list (default selection) and Restrict Developer Access options are available, as shown in the following image.
- When multiple files of different types are selected, all properties are available, but only those properties applicable to the specific file type are assigned when the file is imported. For example, when a FEX and HTML file are chosen to import and the Run only as Deferred Report property is selected, the Run only as Deferred Report is only assigned to the FEX file.
Click Import.
The Import Files dialog box refreshes and remains open. The Select Files to Import list no longer includes the files that were imported.

The Managed Reporting tree refreshes and displays the imported procedures under the designated Other Files folder.
You can continue to import files or close the import session by clicking Cancel. If files were selected to import when you click Cancel, a window opens to confirm the cancellation.

Top of page

Procedure: How to View Other Files Properties

Expand the domain that contains the Other file you want to review.
Expand the Other Files folder, then right-click the HTML file, procedure (FEX), or Style file (CSS or STY) that you want to review.
Select Properties. The appropriate Properties dialog box opens. The properties and options that appear depend on the type of file you selected. For example, the following images show the Properties dialog box for a FEX file named Sales Report.

The Properties dialog boxes list the name of the file, the domain and folder it resides under, the file size, the date the report was created, who created it, the last date it was modified and by whom. In addition, several options are available depending on the file type selected and user permissions.
Select the options that you want to apply to the file. Examples of the property options are:
- Prompt for Parameters. Allows amper auto-prompting
- Run with OLAP. OLAP-enables the report.
- Do not show on User's List. Do not display the report in the user environment.
- Show as Predefined Style. Display the report using a predefined style.
- Only Run as a Deferred Report. Run the report as a deferred report.
- Restrict Developer Access. Only available to Managed Reporting Administrators. This property restricts the Developer role capabilities to that of a user, so that they cannot edit, delete, cut, copy, and set the property options for this Other File.
Click Apply to save your changes or click Cancel to discard your changes. Click OK to exit the dialog box.

Importing and Managing End User Custom Reports

How to:

Import Custom Reports

Using Developer Studio, Administrators can bring a procedure (FEX) into the Managed Reporting Repository from their local machine to the user Custom Reports folder accessed from the User Management component. This is accomplished through a drag and drop action or a cut or copy and paste action. This feature applies only to Developer Studio.

In addition, the ability to create folders and cut or copy and paste procedures within or across folders within the Custom Reports folder has been added to the User Management component from Developer Studio and Domain Builder Applet and from the Domains Applet.

When a folder within a Custom Reports component or a specific Custom Report is selected, these options are enabled on the right-click menu and on the toolbar.

Top of page

Procedure: How to Import Custom Reports

Open Developer Studio.
From the Window menu, select Options.
The Developer Studio Options dialog box opens.
In the Explorer tab, ensure that the Show Desktop on explorer tree option check box is selected and click OK.
Navigate to the procedure you want to copy, then right-click the procedure and select Copy from the menu.
In the User Management component of the selected WebFOCUS Environment, navigate to the Custom Reports folder where you want to paste the procedure.
Right-click the folder and select Paste from the menu.
Paste the procedure into the appropriate folder.

Note: Alternatively, you can drag and drop the procedure from its original location to the Custom Reports folder. Note that when you do this, or when you cut the procedure instead of copy, the procedure is not removed from its original location.