Editing Interactive Reports as a Developer

Accessing the Interactive Report Attributes Page

You customize an interactive report by editing attributes on the Interactive Report Attributes page.

To access the Report Attributes page:

1. On the Workspace home page, click the Application Builder icon.

2. Select the application.

3. Select the page containing the interactive report you wish to edit.

   The Page Definition appears.

4. To access the Interactive Report Attributes page:

   • Tree view - Right-click on the Region name and select Edit Report Attributes.

     
     Description of the illustration edit_rpt_attr_tree.gif
     
     

   • Component view - Under Regions, click the Interactive Report link next to the name of the report region you want to edit.

     
     Description of the illustration int_rprt_att.gif
     
     
   
   

   See Also: "Switching Between Tree and Component View"

   
   

5. The Report Attributes page appears and is divided into the following sections:

   • Column Attributes control the report layout. See "Editing Interactive Report Column Attributes".

   • Column Groups attributes enable you to group columns together on the single row view. See "Creating Column Groups".

   • Pagination attributes control report pagination. See "Controlling Interactive Report Pagination".

   • Sorting attributes enable you to define images and image attributes for images that display in report headings to sort values. See "Managing Interactive Report Column Sorting".

   • Search Bar contain attributes that enable you to define the search bar within an interactive report. See "Customizing the Interactive Report Search Bar".

   • Download enables you to add a download option to the Actions menu and export the report as CSV, HTML, Email, XLS, PDF, or RTF file. See "Configuring Download Options on the Actions Menu".

   • Link Column attributes enable you to add a link to a column. See "Understanding Link Columns" and "Creating a Column Link in an Interactive Report".

   • Icon View attributes enable you to add a View Icons icon to the Search bar. See "Enabling Icon View".

   • Detail View attributes enable you to add a View Details icon to the Search bar. See "Enabling Detail View".

   • Advanced Attributes enable you to define the Interactive Report region alias, specify an item whose value stores the saved report id, and define items to set into session state. See "Configuring Advanced Attributes for Interactive Reports".

   • Description lists a textual description of the current report.

6. To learn more about a specific attribute, click the item label.

   When Help is available, the item label changes to red when you pass your cursor over it and the cursor changes to an arrow and question mark. See "About Field-Level Help".

About Navigation Alternatives

The Report Attribute page is divided into these sections: Column Attributes, Groups, Pagination, Sorting, Search Bar, Download, Link Column, Icon View, Detail View, Advanced, and Description.

You can access these sections by scrolling down the page, or by clicking a navigation button at the top of the page.

Description of the illustration int_rprt_nav.gif

When you select a button at the top of the page, the selected section appears and all other sections are temporarily hidden. To view all sections of the page, click Show All.

Editing Interactive Report Column Attributes

You can use the Column Attributes section of the Report Attributes page to precisely control the report layout. For example, you can use these attributes to alter column heading text, change column positioning, or hide a column.

To access Column Attributes:

1. On the Workspace home page, click Application Builder.

2. Select the application.

3. Select the page containing the interactive report you wish to edit.

   The Page Definition appears.

4. Access the Interactive Report Attributes page. See "Accessing the Interactive Report Attributes Page".

   The Interactive Report Attributes page appears with the Column Attributes section at the top of the page.

   
   Description of the illustration int_rprt_col.gif
   
   

   Use the Column Attributes section to control report column appearance and functionality.

   Heading displays the heading text to be included in the report. Type indicates the type of query column. The Link column indicates if a link column is currently defined.

   Table: Common Report Column Edits for Interactive Reports describes common report column edits.

   Common Report Column Edits for Interactive Reports

   Description	Developer Action
   Alter column display sequence.	Click the up and down arrows to change the column display sequence. Note that this display sequence is only used in the Single Row View if enabled. It does not affect report column display. The report column display can be changed when you run the report and save.
   Change column group assignment.	If Column Groups are defined, individual columns can be assigned under Column Group.
   Change column heading text.	Under Heading, enter different heading text.
   Change how columns display.	Select an option from Display Text As.

   
   

   You can further refine the attributes of a specific column on the Column Attributes page.

5. To access the Column Attributes page, click the Edit icon next to the appropriate column Alias.

   The Column Definition appears.

   
   Description of the illustration ir_col_def.gif
   
   

   Use the check boxes under Allow Users To to control how users manipulate the report. Options include: Hide, Sort, Filter, Highlight, Control Break, Aggregate, Compute, Chart, and Group By.

6. Under Column Definition, Allow Users To, select the appropriate check boxes.

   To learn more about a specific attribute, click the item label.

Creating Column Groups

Use column groups to group columns together on a single row view.

To create a column group:

1. Access the Interactive Report Attributes page. See "Accessing the Interactive Report Attributes Page".

   The Interactive Report Attributes page appears.

2. Scroll down to Column Groups.

3. Click Add Group.

4. Under Column Group:

   1. Sequence - Enter the display sequence for this column group. This attribute determines the order in which the column groups display in the detail view.

   2. Group Name - Enter a column group name. This name displays in the region header in detailed view.

   3. Description - Enter an optional description for the column group. This description never displays to the end user.

5. Click Create.

Controlling Interactive Report Pagination

You control how pagination displays by making selections from Pagination attributes on the Interactive Report Attributes page.

To access the Pagination section of the Report Attributes page:

1. Access the Interactive Report Attributes page. See "Accessing the Interactive Report Attributes Page".

   The Interactive Report Attributes page appears.

2. Scroll down to Pagination.

   You use the Pagination attributes to select a pagination style, determine where pagination occurs, specify the maximum number of rows to query, and messages to display when more than the maximum number of rows are returned or if no rows are returned.

   Table: Pagination Attributes describes the available Pagination attributes.

Managing Interactive Report Column Sorting

You manage column sorting on the Interactive Report Attributes page.

To manage column sorting:

1. Access the Interactive Report Attributes page. See "Accessing the Interactive Report Attributes Page".

   The Interactive Report Attributes page appears.

2. Under Column Attributes, click the Edit icon for the column for which you want to enable sorting.

3. Under Column Definition, select Sort and click Apply Changes.

   The Interactive Report Attributes page appears.

4. Scroll down to Sorting.

5. Specify ascending and descending image attributes and click Apply Changes.

Customizing the Interactive Report Search Bar

A search bar displays at the top of every interactive report and includes a Search icon, Text area, Go button, and Actions menu.

You can remove or customize the search bar by selecting and deselecting options in the Search Bar section of the Interactive Reports Attributes page.

Topics:

• Customizing the Search Bar

• Removing the Search Bar

Configuring Download Options on the Actions Menu

You can add a Download option to the Actions menu to enable users to download an interactive report as a comma-delimited file (CSV) format, HTML, Microsoft Excel (XLS) format, Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), Microsoft Word Rich Text Format (RTF), or as HTML attached to an email.

Understanding Link Columns

A Link Column displays on the left side of an interactive report. It can link to a single row view, a custom target, or be excluded from the report. Note that a Link Column cannot be sorted, hidden, or moved by an end user and does not interact with the standard column link defined on the Column Attributes page.

Creating a Column Link in an Interactive Report

Use Column Attributes to create a link from a report to another page in your application or to a URL.

To create a column link to another page:

1. Access the Interactive Report Attributes page. See "Accessing the Interactive Report Attributes Page".

   The Interactive Report Attributes page appears.

2. Under Column Attributes, locate the column to contain the link.

3. Click the Edit icon next to the column name.

   The Column Attributes page appears.

4. Scroll down to Column Link.

5. To create a column link to another page:

   1. From Target, select Page in this Application.

   2. (Optional) In Link Attributes, specify additional column link attributes to be included in the <a href= > tag (for example, a link target, classes, or styles).

   3. In Link Text, enter the text to be displayed as a link, specify an image tag, or pick from the list of default images.

   4. In Page, specify the target page number. To reset the pagination for this page, select Reset Pagination.

   5. In Request, specify the request to be used.

   6. In Clear Cache, specify the pages (that is, the page numbers) on which to clear cache. You can specify multiple pages by listing the page numbers in a comma-delimited list.

   7. Use the Name and Value fields to specify session state for a specific item.

   8. For Checksum - Select one of the following:

      • Use default

      • Application Level - Link reusable by any user

      • User Level - Link reusable by current user

      To learn more about each option, see item Help.

6. Click Apply Changes.

To create a column link to a URL:

1. Access the Interactive Report Attributes page. See "Accessing the Interactive Report Attributes Page".

   The Interactive Report Attributes page appears.

2. Access the Column Attributes page by clicking the Edit icon next to the appropriate column.

   The Column Attributes page appears.

3. Scroll down to Column Link.

4. Under Column Link, specify the following:

   1. From Target, select URL.

   2. In Link Text, enter the text to be displayed as a link and select a substitution string.

   3. (Optional) In Link Attributes, specify additional column link attributes to be included in the <a href= > tag (for example, a link target, classes, or styles).

   4. In URL, enter the appropriate address.

5. Click Apply Changes.

Displaying Interactive Reports Conditionally

You can choose to have interactive reports display conditionally by editing region attributes on the Edit Region page.

To display an interactive report conditionally:

1. Navigate to the appropriate Page Definition. See "Accessing the Page Definition".

2. Access the Edit Region page:

   • Component view - Under Regions, select the region name.

   • Tree view - Right-click the region name and select Edit.

   The Edit Region page appears.

3. Scroll down to Conditions.

4. From the Condition Type list, make a selection.

5. Enter an expression in the fields provided.

6. Click Apply Changes.

Defining a Column as a List of Values in an Interactive Report

In interactive reports you can use a list of values to improve the speed of built-in filter tools.

To define a report column as a list of values:

1. Access the Interactive Report Attributes page. See "Accessing the Interactive Report Attributes Page".

   The Interactive Report Attributes page appears.

2. Access the Column Attributes page by clicking the Edit icon next to the appropriate column.

   The Column Attributes page appears.

3. Scroll down to List of Values.

4. From Column Filter List of Values, specify how to create a list of values as a filter on the report column list. Available options include:

   • None - Disable filter on list of values.

   • Default Based on Column Type - STRING and NUMBER columns derive the list of values from distinct column values. DATE columns derive the list of values from predefined date ranges.

   • Use Defined List of Values to Filter Word Contains - Derive the list of values from a defined list of values SQL query to create a contains filter.

   • Use Named List of Values to Filter Exact Match - Derive the list of values from the named list of values to create an equal filter.

   • Use Named List of Values to Filter Word Contains - Derive the list of values from the named list of values to create a contains filter.

5. Click Apply Changes.

Enabling Icon View

Be default, most interactive reports display as a report. You can optionally display columns as icons. When configured, a View Icons icon displays on the Search bar.

To utilize Icon view, you must identify the columns used to identify the icon, the label, and the target (that is, the link). As a best practice, set these columns to display as hidden since they are typically not useful for end users.

To add Icon view to an interactive report:

1. Access the Interactive Report Attributes page. See "Accessing the Interactive Report Attributes Page".

   The Interactive Report Attributes page appears.

2. Scroll down to Icon View.

   
   Description of the illustration ir_icon_view.gif
   
   

3. For Icon View Enabled, select Yes.

4. Specify the following mandatory attributes:

   • Link Column - Select the column that returns the link target of the icon. See item Help for an example.

   • Image Source Column - Identify the column that returns the image source. See item Help for an example.

   • Label Column - Select the column that returns the image label. See item Help for an example.

5. For Columns Per Row, identify the number of icons to be displayed per row. A value of 5 would display 5 icons per row.

6. Click Apply Changes.

Enabling Detail View

Be default, most interactive reports display as a report. You can optionally display details about each column. When configured, a View Details icon displays on the Search bar.

To add Details view to an interactive report:

1. Access the Interactive Report Attributes page. See "Accessing the Interactive Report Attributes Page".

   The Interactive Report Attributes page appears.

2. Scroll down to Detail View.

3. For Detail View Enabled, select Yes.

4. Specify the following attributes:

   • Before Rows - Enter the HTML to be displayed before report rows. For example:

     <TABLE>
     

   • For Each Row (Use #COLUMN_ALIAS# substitutions) - Use substitution strings for column names and column labels. For example:

     <tr><td align="right">#ENAME_LABEL#:</td><td>#ENAME#</td></tr>
     <tr><td align="right">#JOB_LABEL#:</td><td>#JOB#</td></tr
     

   • AFter Rows - Enter the HTML to be displayed after report rows. For example:

     </TABLE>
     

5. Click Apply Changes.

Configuring Advanced Attributes for Interactive Reports

Use the Advanced Attributes section to define the Interactive Report region alias, specify an item whose value stores the saved report id, and define items to set into session state.

To configure Advanced Attributes:

1. Access the Interactive Report Attributes page. See "Accessing the Interactive Report Attributes Page".

   The Interactive Report Attributes page appears.

2. Scroll down to Advanced Attributes.

   Table: Advanced Attributes describes the available Advanced Attributes.

   Advanced Attributes

   Attribute	Description
   Region Alias	Enter an alphanumeric alias for this interactive report region. The alias must be unique within the application. You can use an alias to reference an interactive report in an API call. For example, you can write a function to return INTERACTIVE_REPORT_ID by querying ALIAS column in the APEX_APPLICATION_PAGE_IR view). The alias must be unique within the application. Since the INTERACTIVE_REPORT_ID value can change when you export or import to different instance, referencing an interactive report region using an alias can be useful.
   Report ID Item	This attribute enables you to send a user directly to a saved view of the report. You specify an item whose value stores the report ID of the saved view. Report ID's can be retrieved from the APEX_APPLICATION_PAGE_IR_RPT view.
   Page Items to Submit	Enter a comma separated list of items to be set into session state when the user clicks the Go button on the search bar. Only items on the current page will be set.

   
   

3. Click Apply Changes.

Linking to Interactive Reports

Unlike classic reports which typically use page items as report parameters, the data in an interactive report is driven by declarative filters. However, the developer may desire to set these report parameters by modifying interactive report settings for an end user. These settings only affect the end user's working report and will not affect any saved report settings.

To reset an interactive report in a link, use the string "RIR" in the Clear-Cache section of a URL. This is equivalent to the end user choosing the Reset option from the interactive report actions menu on the target page. The report is returned to the default report settings specified by the developer or saved by the user.

To create a Row text contains filter on an interactive report, use the string IR_ROWFILTER in the Item Names section of the URL. Adding this string passes the filter value in the corresponding location in the Item Values section of the URL.

To create a filter on an interactive report in a link, use the string IR<operator>_<target column alias> in the Item Names section of the URL, and pass the filter value in the corresponding location in the Item Values section of the URL.

Valid operators include:

• EQ = Equals (this is the default)

• NEQ = Not Equals

• LT = Less than

• LTE = Less then or equal to

• GT = Greater Than

• GTE = Greater than or equal to

• LIKE = SQL Like operator

• N = Null

• NN = Not Null

• C = Contains

• NC = Not Contains

Consider the following examples:

f?p=...:IR_ENAME:KING

The previous example is equivalent to the end user creating a filter on the target page: ENAME = KING. Note that when an operator is not provided, EQ is used because it is the default.

f?p=...:IRGT_SAL:3000

The previous example is equivalent to the end user creating a filter on the target page: SAL > 3000.

Linking to Shared Interactive Reports

You can link to saved primary default, alternative default and public reports using IR_REPORT_[report_alias] in the request value of the URL.

f?p=100:1:&APP_SESSION.:IR_REPORT_12345

f?p=100:1:&APP_SESSION.:IR_REPORT_12345::RIR,CIR:

f?p=100:1:&APP_SESSION.:IR_REPORT_12345::RIR,CIR:IR_ENAME:KING

f?p=100:1:&SESSION.:IR_REPORT_1234

f?p=100:1:&SESSION.:IR_REPORT_12345::RIR,CIR:

f?p=100:1:&SESSION.:IR_REPORT_12345::RIR,CIR::RIR,CIR:IR_ENAME:KING

f?p=100:1:&SESSION.:::RIR,CIR:IR_ENAME:KING

Viewing and Deleting Saved Reports

Each interactive report can have multiple default reports. A report categorized as Primary Default displays initially and cannot be renamed nor deleted. A report saved as Alternative Default can be selected from Reports list on the Search bar.

End users can also save reports and classify them as being either public or private. Public reports can be viewed by all users. Private reports can only be viewed by the user who saved the report. To learn more see, "Saving a Report".

To view a listing of Saved Reports:

1. Access the Interactive Report Attributes page. See "Accessing the Interactive Report Attributes Page".

   The Interactive Report Attributes page appears.

2. Click the Saved Reports tab.

   A report displays all saved reports by report type, report name, owner, and report alias.

   
   Description of the illustration ir_saved_reports.gif
   
   

3. To delete a report, select it and click Delete Checked.

Viewing Saved Report Activity

Developers can view saved report activity by clicking the View Saved Report Activity link under Tasks on the Edit Report Attributes page. This link only displays if saved reports other than the primary default report exist. You can use this page to determine which reports are being used and which ones are not.

To view saved report activity:

1. Access the Interactive Report Attributes page. See "Accessing the Interactive Report Attributes Page".

   The Interactive Report Attributes page appears.

2. On the Tasks list, click View Saved Report Activity.