Creating Launch Pages With the Publish Utility

In this section:

You can use the Publish utility to create a launch page for any report listed in the Standard Reports folder. By right-clicking a Standard Report and selecting the Publish option, or by clicking the Publish button on the toolbar when working in the applet, you can open the Publish Standard Report dialog box to access the Publish utility.

The Publish utility contains the following tabs:

Note: When using the Publish Utility to make launch pages available outside of Managed Reporting, there are security settings you should be aware of, including the MR_ANONYMOUS_RUN_ACCESS and the MR_AUTOSIGNON settings. For more information, see Managed Reporting Settings in the WebFOCUS Administration Console in the WebFOCUS Security and Administration manual.
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Using the Publish Tab

You can use the Publish tab to create a basic HTML launch page for your Standard Report. The Publish tab displays the Show as Report check box, which is unselected by default, followed by three text boxes, HTML File Name, Page Title, and Page Header. There are also three options that are disabled, Submit Button (selected by default), Defer Button, and Submit & Defer Button. WebFOCUS uses the Standard Report's name as the default text in the Page Title and Page Header fields. However, you must supply a name for the launch page in the HTML File Name field. To make the launch page available outside of Managed Reporting, leave the Show as Report check box unchecked. The following image shows an example of the Publish tab for a Standard Report named carrpt1.

The Publish tab for a Standard Report

If a Standard Report has the Only run as a Deferred Report property selected, the report cannot be published outside of Managed Reporting, and the Defer Button is selected by default.

If you select the Show as Report check box, the launch page will be created within Managed Reporting as a Standard Report, and three options are enabled to add a Submit button, a Defer button, or both Submit and Defer buttons to the launch page. The Standard Report name is used as the default text in the Page Title and Page Header fields, and you must supply a name for the launch page in the Description field.

The Show as Report check box

Note: For more information about Standard Report properties, see the WebFOCUS Managed Reporting Administrator's Manual.

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Using the Template Tab

The Template tab, shown in the following image, contains predefined HTML screen layouts. Use the horizontal scroll bar to view a thumbnail image of each template. When you decide on a template, click its image.

The Template Tab

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Using the Background Tab

How to:

The Background tab contains predefined images that appear in the background of the launch page. Use the horizontal scroll bar to view a thumbnail image of each background. When you decide on a background, click its image.

The Background Tab

Note: WebFOCUS will not apply a background to a template that includes a static background. (There are several types of static backgrounds from which you can choose in the Template tab.) When a template with a static background is selected, the Background tab is disabled.
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Procedure: How to Publish a Standard Report
  1. Expand the Standard Reports group folder that contains the report you want to publish.
  2. Right-click the Standard Report and select Publish. In the applet, click the Publish button on the Toolbar, or right-click the report and select Publish from the shortcut menu. The Publish dialog box opens.

    Note: The Show as Report check box is not selected by default.

  3. To save the launch page to the /ibi_html/publish directory, which makes it available outside of Managed Reporting:
    1. Type a name for the page. WebFOCUS adds the .htm extension to the file name.

      Note: The following characters are replaced with an underscore within the file name specified for the page: - (hyphen), $ (dollar sign), % (percentage), \ (backslash), + (plus sign), ! (exclamation point), and ^ (up arrow).

      Caution: Make sure you supply a unique name for the published report. If your report has the same name as an existing published report, WebFOCUS overwrites the existing published report.

    2. In the Page Title input box, type a title for the page. If you do not specify a title, WebFOCUS uses the original report name as the title.
    3. In the Page Header input box, type a header for the page. If you do not specify a header, WebFOCUS uses the original Standard Report name as the header.
  4. To save the launch page as a Standard Report and allow users to access the page from within the (Managed Reporting) Domains reporting environment:
    1. Select the Show as Report check box. This enables the launch page options that appear in the lower-left corner. The Submit button is enabled by default.

      To create a Defer button on your launch page, click Defer Button.

      To create a Submit button and a Defer button on your launch page, click Submit & Defer Button.

      Note: If you select the Defer or Submit & Defer button and uncheck Show as Report, the option buttons will be reset to their default setting (Submit button).

    2. Type a name for the page. WebFOCUS uses only the first eight characters and adds the .htm extension to the file name.
    3. In the Page Title input box, type a title for the page. If you do not specify a title, WebFOCUS uses the original Standard Report name as the title.
    4. In the Page Header input box, type a header for the page. If you do not specify a header, WebFOCUS uses the original Standard Report name as the header.
  5. Click the Template tab and select a template. (This step is optional.)

    To select a template, position the red selection box around the template image by clicking the image.

  6. Click the Background tab and select a background. (This step is optional.)

    To select a background, position the red selection box around the background image by clicking the image.

  7. Click the Publish tab and click OK.

    If you did not select the Show as Report box, WebFOCUS saves the page to the /ibi_html/publish directory. Users can run this report by typing the URL for the page in a browser.

    If you selected the Show as Report box, WebFOCUS saves the page to the Domain's app directory. Users can run this report from the Standard Reports tab in the Domains View.
Example: Running a Published Standard Report

The following image displays a published launch page of a Standard Report. You are prompted to enter a value for the product category. Since the Show as Report check box and the Submit & Defer Button were selected, you can submit the report to run immediately or as a deferred report.

A published launch page of a Standard Report

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