8 Using Action Buttons

This chapter discusses Action Buttons and how they are used in reports.

This chapter contains the following topics:

• About Action Buttons

• Creating Action Buttons

8.1 About Action Buttons

Action Buttons let you manually take some action on data in a report. Action Buttons can appear in any report, but most of the actions you can define for Action Buttons only apply to the Action List view. In order to do some action with the selected data in an Action List you need to create Action Buttons.

8.2 Creating Action Buttons

This section provides information about creating Action Buttons. It contains the following topics:

• Creating Action Buttons

• Configuring Insert Action Types

• Configuring Constant Value Update Action Types

• Configuring Edit Column Update Action Types

• Configuring Delete Action Types

• Configuring Open a URL Action Types

• Configuring View a Report Action Types

• Configuring Reset a Form Action Types

• Configuring Refresh a View Action Types

• Configuring Show a Confirmation Message Action Types

8.2.1 Creating Action Buttons

To create an Action Button:

1. Create a report with an Action List view.

2. Select the Action List view in your report and click Change Report Properties in the Actions list.

   The Report Properties dialog opens.

3. Select the Action Buttons tab.

4. Click New.

   The Action Button Creation and Edit dialog opens.

5. Enter a Name and Description for the Action Button.

   The text you enter in the Name field will be displayed as the button text in the report.

6. Select Commit all actions in a single transaction to have all of the actions configured in this Action Button take place as a single transaction.

7. Click Next.

8. Click Add to define an action for this Action Button.

   The Action Editor opens.

9. Select an Action Type from the list and click Next. Many action types only apply to Action List views as described in Table 8-1.

   Table 8-1 Action Types

   Action Type	Description
   Insert	Inserts a row into the specified data object and populates the column values of that row according to the defined mappings
   Constant Value Update	Updates fields in the selected rows of the specified Action List with the defined value (Action List only)
   Edit Column Update	Commits all edits made in editable columns from the specified Action Lists (Action List only)
   Delete	Deletes all selected rows for the specified Action List (Action List only)
   Open a URL	Opens a URL in a new window. The URL is constructed by concatenating each of the specified terms.
   View a Report	Opens a report and enables you to map values from the current report to parameters in the destination report.
   Reset a Form	Clears any edits made to form inputs in the specified Action Form view or editable columns in the Action List view (Action Form and Action List only)
   Refresh a View	Reloads the specified views
   Show a confirmation message	Displays a confirmation message dialog before performing any of the other actions configured for this Action Button.

   
   

10. Define the action.

    See the action type configuration sections for more information:

    • "Configuring Insert Action Types"

    • "Configuring Constant Value Update Action Types"

    • "Configuring Edit Column Update Action Types"

    • "Configuring Delete Action Types"

    • "Configuring Open a URL Action Types"

    • "Configuring View a Report Action Types"

    • "Configuring Reset a Form Action Types"

    • "Configuring Refresh a View Action Types"

    • "Configuring Show a Confirmation Message Action Types"

11. When you have finished adding actions, you can put them in order using the Arrange arrow buttons.

12. Click Next.

13. Format the Action Button.

    • Width. Auto fit makes the button as wide as the button text or you can specify the width in pixels.

    • Button Location. Displays the button as part of the report or as part of a view.

      For Open a URL action types, when you display the button as part of a view you can alternatively choose to Display as a column of formatted links in the selected view. This option creates a hyperlink out of the values in the selected column instead of placing a button in the view. You can then choose to open a new window, replace the view, or replace the report when a user clicks the link.

    • Alignment. Displays the button at the top or bottom of the report or view.

14. Click OK to close the Action Button Creation and Edit dialog.

15. Click OK to close the Report Properties dialog.

    The Action Button will appear in the report.

8.2.2 Configuring Insert Action Types

The Insert action type enables you to insert a row into a target data object and populate the column values of that row according to the defined mappings.

To configure the Insert action type:

1. Select the Insert action type in the Action Editor.

2. Click Next.

3. Click Browse to select the target data object for the insert. The mappings table is populated with the columns and data types of the target data object.

4. Select a column and click Edit Mapping.

   The Value Mapping Creation and Edit dialog opens.

5. For each column, select a mapping type from the list.

   Table 8-2 Mapping Types for Insert Action Type

   Mapping Type	Description
   None	No mapping is done between the current and target data objects.
   Constant Value	A constant value will be inserted in the target data object. The specified value is validated against the data type of the column populated by this mapping. If you specify a string value for an integer column, an error message will occur.
   Prompt/Parameter	The value held by the prompt or parameter is used as the value to insert in the target data object. It always retrieves the current value of a prompt or parameter even if it is changed by driving or surface prompts. To use this option the report must contain a prompt or parameter which is assigned to a filter in a view, or a custom parameter must be created in the Architect. See Chapter 7 for more information.
   Client Cookie	Maps the value of a cookie that resides on the client where this report will be viewed.
   Unique button click ID	Maps a unique ID number (randomly generated) to the target field.
   Value from an ActionList view	A value from the selected rows in an Action List will be inserted into the target data object. The Insert a separate row for each into the Destination Data Object option causes there to be more than one result set. In the Insert action type this results in more than one row inserted in the target data object. A special case arises when there is more than one Value from an ActionList view mapping used in a single Action Button, and if more than one of those mappings have the Insert a separate row option selected. For example, if there are two rows selected in one Action List and three rows selected in another Action List, it will result in 6 rows inserted into the target data object.
   Value from an ActionForm view	A value from the selected input field in an Action Form will be inserted into the target data object. Any inputs that have an rtsEnabledID attribute in the HTML will be represented in the list of values.

   
   

   To populate the inserted row in the target data object with values, each column can be mapped to a different source of data.

   If a column is mapped to None, null will be inserted for that column. If the column is non-nullable, the default value for the data type will be used. For example, if there is no mapping specified for a non-nullable integer column, zero (0) will be inserted. String is the only data type that does not have a default value. Therefore, if you attempt to insert null into a non-nullable string column, the action will fail.

6. Click Next.

7. Enter the definition for the type you selected.

8. Click OK to close the Value Mapping Creation and Edit dialog.

9. Edit the mappings for any of the other columns.

10. Click OK to close the Action Editor.

8.2.3 Configuring Constant Value Update Action Types

The Constant Value Update action type enables you to update fields in the selected rows of the specified Action List with a specified value. This action type is used in Action List views only.

To configure the Constant Value Update action type:

1. Select the Constant Value Update action type in the Action Editor.

2. Click Next.

3. Select an Action List view.

4. Select a field in the Column list and enter a value in the Value field. Select Null if you want the value to be null.

5. Click OK to close the Action Editor.

8.2.4 Configuring Edit Column Update Action Types

The Edit Column Update action type commits all edits made in editable columns from the specified Action Lists. The user does not have to select the checkboxes to specify which rows should be updated. This action type is used in Action List views only.

To configure the Edit Column Update action type:

1. Select the Edit Column Update action type in the Action Editor.

2. Click Next.

3. Select one or more Action List views with editable columns.

4. Click OK to close the Action Editor.

8.2.5 Configuring Delete Action Types

The Delete action type deletes all selected rows in the specified Action List. This action type is used in Action List views only.

To configure the Delete action type:

1. Select the Delete action type in the Action Editor.

2. Click Next.

3. Select one or more Action List views.

   If only one Action List is selected, and there are no other actions defined for the Action Button, you will be given the choice to display the Action Button either as a regular button or a trashcan icon in the final step of the Action Button Creation and Edit dialog.

4. Click OK to close the Action Editor.

8.2.6 Configuring Open a URL Action Types

The Open a URL action type opens a URL in a new window. The URL is constructed by concatenating each of the specified terms.

To open a report URL, you should use the View a Report action described in "Configuring View a Report Action Types".

To configure the Open a URL action type:

1. Select the Open a URL action type in the Action Editor.

2. Click Next.

3. Click New Term.

   The Value Mapping and Edit dialog opens.

4. Choose a mapping type to create a term.

   Table 8-3 Mapping Types for Open a URL Action Type

   Mapping Type	Description
   Constant Value	A constant value will be inserted in the target data object. The specified value is validated against the data type of the column populated by this mapping. If you specify a string value for an integer column, an error message will occur.
   Prompt/Parameter	The value held by the prompt or parameter is used as the value to insert in the target data object. It always retrieves the current value of a prompt or parameter even if it is changed by driving or surface prompts. To use this option the report must contain a prompt or parameter which is assigned to a filter in a view, or a custom parameter must be created in the Architect. See Chapter 7 for more information.
   Client Cookie	The value of a cookie that resides on the client where this report will be viewed.
   Unique button click ID	A unique ID number (randomly generated).
   Value from a List view	A selected value in any List view. This is made possible when you elect to display a column as hyperlinks instead of creating a button for an action. See "Creating Action Buttons", step 13. The Open a separate URL for each selected row option results in more than one URL opened in a separate browser window.
   Value from an Action Form view	The value of the selected input field. Any inputs that have an rtsEnabledID attribute in the HTML will be represented in the list of values.

   
   

5. Click Next.

6. Enter the definition for the type you selected.

7. Click OK to close the Value Mapping Creation and Edit dialog.

8. Select the Encode checkbox to encode the term.

9. Create more terms if necessary.

10. Select Click here to edit window features to change the browser window properties if necessary.

11. Enter a maximum number of windows to open.

    When you use the Value from an Action List view mapping type and the user selects more than one row in the list, you can open a separate URL for every checked row in the Action List. The maximum specified here limits the total number of windows that can be opened at once. Opening too many windows at once can cause the client machine to malfunction.

12. Arrange the terms in the correct order using the Arrange arrow buttons.

13. Click OK to close the Action Editor.

8.2.7 Configuring View a Report Action Types

The View a Report action type opens a report and enables you to map values from the current report to parameters in the destination report.

To configure the View a Report action type:

1. Select the View a Report action type in the Action Editor.

2. Click Next.

3. Click Browse to select the target report to open.

4. Define mappings for each parameter in the target report.

5. Select a parameter or prompt in the parameter column.

6. Click Edit Mapping. The Value Mapping Creation and Edit dialog opens.

7. Select a mapping type from the list

   Table 8-4 Mapping Types for View a Report Action Type

   Mapping Type	Description
   None	No mapping is done.
   Constant Value	A constant value. The specified value is validated against the data type of the column populated by this mapping. If you specify a string value for an integer column, an error message will occur.
   Prompt/Parameter	The value held by the prompt or parameter is used as the value for the target parameter. It always retrieves the current value of a prompt or parameter even if it is changed by driving or surface prompts. To use this option the report must contain a prompt or parameter which is assigned to a filter in a view, or a custom parameter must be created in the Architect. See Chapter 7 for more information.
   Client Cookie	The value of a cookie that resides on the client where this report will be viewed.
   Unique button click ID	A unique ID number (randomly generated).
   Value from an ActionList view	A value from the selected rows in an Action List.
   Value from an ActionForm view	A value from the selected input field in an Action Form. Any inputs that have an rtsEnabledID attribute in the HTML will be represented in the list of values.

   
   

8. Click Next.

9. Enter the definition for the type you selected.

10. Click OK to close the Value Mapping Creation and Edit dialog.

11. Edit the mappings for any of the other parameters.

12. Select Click here to edit window features to change the browser window properties if necessary. This is the browser window that the target report will open in.

13. Enter a maximum number of browser windows that can open.

14. Click OK to close the Action Editor.

8.2.8 Configuring Reset a Form Action Types

The Reset a Form action type clears any edits made to form inputs in the specified Action Form view or editable columns in the Action List view.

To configure the Reset a Form action type:

1. Select the Reset a Form action type in the Action Editor.

2. Click Next.

3. Select one or more Action Form or Action List views.

4. Click OK to close the Action Editor.

8.2.9 Configuring Refresh a View Action Types

The Refresh a view action type reloads the specified views. This action is not needed for most views since they support active data and will automatically update when the data changes. This action is useful for views that do not support active data:

• External Content. This view can display any external URL, and it might be useful to supply a refresh button in the view if the content changes.

• Action List with editable columns. Action Lists do not support active data when one or more columns is editable, so it is useful to supply a refresh button to display any changes to the data.

To configure the Refresh a view action type:

1. Select the Refresh a view action type in the Action Editor.

2. Click Next.

3. Select one or more views.

4. Click OK to close the Action Editor.

8.2.10 Configuring Show a Confirmation Message Action Types

The Show a confirmation message action type displays a confirmation message dialog before performing any of the other actions configured for this Action Button.

To configure the Show a confirmation message action type:

1. Select the Show a confirmation message action type in the Action Editor.

2. Click Next.

3. Enter the text to display in the confirmation dialog.

4. Click OK to close the Action Editor.