11
Starting OracleAS Discoverer using URL parameters

11.1 Starting OracleAS Discoverer using URL parameters

This chapter explains how to use OracleAS Discoverer with URL parameters, and contains the following topics:

• Section 11.2, "Why use Discoverer with URL parameters"

• Section 11.3, "What is the URL parameter syntax?"

• Section 11.4, "About specifying workbooks and worksheets using URL parameters"

• Section 11.5, "Examples of using URL parameters"

• Section 11.6, "Generic Discoverer URL parameters"

• Section 11.7, "Discoverer Plus URL parameters"

• Section 11.8, "Discoverer Viewer URL parameters"

11.2 Why use Discoverer with URL parameters

Discoverer end users usually start OracleAS Discoverer by manually choosing a Discoverer connection, opening a workbook, and optionally specifying workbook parameter values. To speed up this process, you can create a URL to start OracleAS Discoverer with specific settings (e.g. login details, which workbook and worksheet to open). For example, you might want to provide a URL to Discoverer end users that automatically logs into Discoverer and opens a particular workbook.

Using a URL to automatically start Discoverer saves Discoverer end users time by enabling them to quickly log in access Discoverer worksheets. For examples of Discoverer URL parameters, see Section 11.5, "Examples of using URL parameters".

Having created a URL that meets your requirements, you can:

• give the URL to end users to enter in their Web browser address box

• add the URL as a link within an existing Web site so that end users can start Discoverer by selecting a single hot link

11.3 What is the URL parameter syntax?

URL parameters must conform to the following syntax:

http://<host.domain>:<port>/<Discoverer application name>? arg1=value1...&argN=valueN

where:

• host.domain is the server name and domain on which the Oracle HTTP Server is installed

• port is the port number on which the Oracle HTTP Server is installed

• Discoverer application name is one of the following (depending on whether you want to start Discoverer Plus or Discoverer Viewer):
  • discoverer/plus

  • discoverer/viewer

• ? - the question mark tells Discoverer that the remaining text contains URL parameters

• arg1=value1 is the first parameter and the value specified for it. Note that subsequent URL parameters are prefixed with an ampersand character (&)

Notes:

• URL parameters are not case-sensitive. For example, 'Locale=' is the same as 'locale='.

• URL parameter values are case-sensitive. For example, 'workbooksource=Database' is not the same as 'workbooksource=DataBase'.

• The order of the URL parameters is not important.

• If the following mandatory parameters are not specified on the URL, end users are prompted for them:
  • user name

  • password

  • Responsibility (for an Oracle Applications login)

  • Security Group (for an Oracle Applications login)

• Where names contain spaces, concatenate the words with a plus symbol (+). For example, if a workbook is called 'January Analysis 2003', the URL parameter is &wb=January+Analysis+2003

• To include other special characters in a URL, you must replace those characters with the equivalent ASCII (or in some cases UNICODE) codes. This process is known as URL encoding. For example, to replace a vertical bar ('|') you replace it with ~7c. Any characters not in the following lists must be URL encoded:
  • capital letters (i.e. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z)

  • lower case letters (i.e. a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z)

  • numerals (i.e. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9)

  • certain special characters (e.g. _ ! ~ ( ) * ' )

  Discoverer uses a proprietary encoding mechanism that is similar to HTTP URL encoding, except that Discoverer uses a tilde character (~) instead of a percent character (%). For more information about URL encoding, refer to any standard HTML guide.

• The maximum number of characters you can put in a URL depends on which Web browser you are using, as follows:
  • Internet Explorer 4 and later - 2048 characters

  • Netscape Navigator 4 and later - no known limit.

  Note: The Apache Web Server on which the Oracle HTTP Server is based has a limit of 8192 characters.

11.3.1 About URL parameters and format masks

When specifying format masks for dates and numbers, note the following:

• Discoverer uses the format mask specified when the workbook was created in Discoverer Desktop or Discoverer Plus.

• If numeric and date items in a worksheet have 'default' as the format mask value, Discoverer uses the default format mask in the specified browser environment, unless optional URL parameters are specified.

• If optional URL parameters for the format masks are not provided, Discoverer will use the format mask specified when the EUL was created (e.g using Discoverer Administrator).

• When specifying format masks for dates and numbers as parameter values, note the following:
  • Discoverer uses the format mask specified in the optional URL parameters for date and numeric items.

    Note: The optional URL parameters for format masks are NLS_DATE_FORMAT and NLS_NUMBER_FORMAT.

  • Discoverer uses the default format mask for the specified browser language setting, unless optional URL parameters are specified.

11.3.2 About using URL parameters with private connections

When you specify connection information in URL parameters, note the following restrictions:

• If Discoverer end users are not allowed to create private connections in Discoverer Plus or Discoverer Viewer, you can only use URL parameters containing public connection information. In other words, you must include the connection ID in a URL parameter string for a public connection because end users can only start Discoverer using public connections.

• If a Discoverer URL parameter string does not work, it might be because you are trying to use a private connection when private connections are not allowed. In other words, the Allow users to create their own connections in Discoverer Plus and Discoverer Viewer check box is cleared in the General Discoverer Configuration page in Application Server Control.

  Discoverer end users should navigate to the required Discoverer worksheet and store the URL as a bookmark in their browser.

  For more information about the Allow users to create their own connections in Discoverer Plus and Discoverer Viewer check box in Application Server Control, see Section 3.6, "About specifying whether Discoverer end users can create their own private connections". For more information about connection IDs, see the cn= URL parameter in Section 11.6, "Generic Discoverer URL parameters".

11.4 About specifying workbooks and worksheets using URL parameters

When using URL parameters to specify workbooks and worksheets, you can use either unique IDs (recommended), or the workbook name or worksheet name.

Hint: To avoid encoding problems and problems caused by long workbook or worksheet names, Oracle recommends that you use unique IDs to specify workbooks and worksheets (for more information, see Section 11.4.1, "How to find out the unique workbook ID of a workbook" and Section 11.4.2, "How to find out the unique worksheet ID of a worksheet").

The following table shows which URL parameters are used to specify Discoverer workbooks and worksheets.

Specifying a workbook using a URL parameter	Specifying a worksheet using a URL parameter
In Discoverer Plus, use opendbid <workbook ID> (or use opendb <workbook name> for backwards compatibility)	In Discoverer Plus, use sheetid <worksheet ID> (or use sheet <worksheet name> for backwards compatibility)
In Discoverer Viewer, use wbk <workbook ID> (or use wb <workbook name> for backwards compatibility)	In Discoverer Viewer, use wsk <worksheet ID> (or use ws <worksheet name> for backwards compatibility)

Notes

• To use the opendbid and wbk URL parameters, you need to know the unique ID of the workbook you want to specify (for more information, see Section 11.4.1, "How to find out the unique workbook ID of a workbook").

• To use the sheetid and wsk URL parameters, you need to know the unique ID of the worksheet you want to specify (for more information, see Section 11.4.2, "How to find out the unique worksheet ID of a worksheet").

11.4.1 How to find out the unique workbook ID of a workbook

You find out the unique workbook ID of a workbook so that you can specify a workbook on a Discoverer URL using its unique workbook ID.

Note: You identify a workbook using its workbook ID in preference to using its workbook name to avoid encoding problems and problems caused by large workbook names (for more information, see Section 11.4, "About specifying workbooks and worksheets using URL parameters").

You can find out the unique ID of a workbook in either Discoverer Viewer or Discoverer Plus.

To find out the unique ID of a workbook in Discoverer Viewer:

1. Start a Web browser.

2. Run Discoverer Viewer and select a connection to display the List of Workbooks page.

3. Add &fm=xml to the end of the Discoverer Viewer URL to display the underlying XML code of the workbook.

   You will see a list of XML tags, including tags for each Discoverer workbook in the workbooks list.

4. To find out the unique ID of a workbook, look at the value of the key attribute within the <workbook name> element.

   In the example below, the key value for the workbook called VIDEO5.Video Tutorial Workbook is 'VIDEO_TUTORIAL_WORKBOOK'.

   
   
   Text description of the illustration wbkey1.gif

Note: Alternatively, if you display a workbook in Discoverer Viewer then look at the underlying XML by appending &fm=xml to the URL, you can get the workbook ID from the wbk= value.

To find out the unique ID of a workbook in Discoverer Plus:

1. Start a Web browser.

2. Run Discoverer Plus and open the workbook.

3. Choose File | Manage Workbooks | Properties to display the Workbook Properties dialog.

4. To find out the unique ID of a workbook, look at the value in the Identifier field.

Notes

• You can use a workbook ID value to specify a workbook as follows:
  • in a Discoverer Plus URL using opendbid <workbook ID>

  • in a Discoverer Viewer URL using wbk <workbook ID>

    For examples, see Section 11.5, "Examples of using URL parameters".

11.4.2 How to find out the unique worksheet ID of a worksheet

You find out the unique worksheet ID of a worksheet so that you can specify a worksheet on a Discoverer URL using its unique worksheet ID.

Note: You identify a worksheet using its worksheet ID in preference to using its worksheet name to avoid encoding problems and problems caused by large worksheet names (for more information, see Section 11.4, "About specifying workbooks and worksheets using URL parameters").

To find out the unique ID of a worksheet in Discoverer Viewer:

1. Start a Web browser.

2. Run Discoverer Viewer, select a connection and open the workbook.

3. Display the worksheet that you want to specify using a URL parameter.

4. Add &fm=xml to the end of the Discoverer Viewer URL to display the underlying XML code of the worksheet.

5. To find out the unique ID of the worksheet, look at the value of the key attribute within the <worksheet name> element.

   In the example below, the key value for the worksheet called Sheet 2 is '140'.

   
   
   Text description of the illustration wbkey2.gif

Note: Alternatively, if you display a worksheet in Discoverer Viewer then look at the underlying XML by appending &fm=xml to the URL, you can get the worksheet ID from the wsk= value.

Notes

• You can use a worksheet ID value to specify a worksheet as follows:
  • in a Discoverer Plus URL using sheetid <worksheet ID>

  • in a Discoverer Viewer URL using wsk <worksheet ID>

    For examples, see Section 11.5, "Examples of using URL parameters".

11.4.3 How to find out the connection ID of a connection

You find out the connection ID (sometimes referred to as a connection key) of a connection so that you can specify a connection using the key URL parameter. For example, you might want to start Discoverer without exposing a password in the Discoverer URL (for more information, see Section 11.5.4, "Example 4: Starting Discoverer without exposing a password in the URL").

You can find out the connection ID of a connection in either Discoverer Viewer or Discoverer Plus.

To find out the connection ID of a connection:

1. Start a Web browser.

2. Start Discoverer to display the connections containing the connection that you want to use, as follows:
   • if you use Discoverer Viewer, display the Connect to Discoverer Viewer page

   • if you use Discoverer Plus, display the Connect to Discoverer Plus page

   The example below shows the Connect to Discoverer Plus page.

   
   
   Text description of the illustration connect.gif

3. Add ?fm=xml to the end of the Discoverer URL to display the underlying XML code.

   For example, if the URL is:

   http://<host.domain>:<port>/discoverer/plus

   you should change the URL to:

   http://<host.domain>:<port>/discoverer/plus?fm=xml

   You will see a list of XML tags, including tags for each Discoverer connection in the connections list.

4. To find out the connection of a connection, look at the value of the key attribute within the <connection name> element.

   In the example below, the key value for connection fred is 'cf_a156'.

   
   
   Text description of the illustration wbkey3.gif

   Notes

   • You can use a connection ID value to specify a connection as follows:
     • in a Discoverer Plus or Discoverer Viewer URL using cn=<connection ID>

       For an example, see Section 11.5.4, "Example 4: Starting Discoverer without exposing a password in the URL".

11.5 Examples of using URL parameters

This section contains the following examples of using URL parameters with Discoverer:

• Section 11.5.1, "Example 1: Starting Discoverer Viewer using URL parameters"

• Section 11.5.2, "Example 2: Starting Discoverer Viewer using URL parameters"

• Section 11.5.3, "Example 3: Starting Discoverer Plus using URL parameters"

• Section 11.5.4, "Example 4: Starting Discoverer without exposing a password in the URL"

11.5.1 Example 1: Starting Discoverer Viewer using URL parameters

To start Discoverer Viewer, connect automatically as jchan, and open a worksheet called January Analysis in a workbook called Monthly Analysis, you might use the following URL:

http://<host.domain>:<port>/discoverer/viewer?us=jchan&pw=3829382&db=sales&wbk=MONTHLY_ANALYSIS&wsk=179

Notes

• http://<host.domain>:<port>/discoverer/viewer? is the Discoverer Viewer URL.

• us=<value> specifies a database username.

• pw=<value> specifies a database password.

• db=<value> specifies a database name.

• wbk=<value> specifies the workbook ID of a Discoverer workbook.

• wsk=<value> specifies the worksheet ID of a Discoverer worksheet.

• In this example, MONTHLY_ANALYSIS is the workbook ID of the Monthly Analysis workbook, and 179 is the worksheet ID of the January Analysis worksheet. For more information about finding out workbook IDs and worksheet IDs, see Section 11.4.1, "How to find out the unique workbook ID of a workbook" and Section 11.4.2, "How to find out the unique worksheet ID of a worksheet".

11.5.2 Example 2: Starting Discoverer Viewer using URL parameters

To start Discoverer Viewer, connect automatically as jchan to the Sales EUL, open a worksheet called January Analysis in a workbook called Monthly Analysis, and enter the worksheet parameter value East, you might use the following URL:

http://<host.domain>:<port>/discoverer/viewer?us=jchan&pw=3829382&db=sales&wbk=MONTHLY_ANALYSIS&wsk=179&qp_regionparam=East

Notes

• http://<host.domain>:<port>/discoverer/viewer? is the Discoverer Viewer URL.

• us=<value> specifies a database username.

• pw=<value> specifies a database password.

• db=<value> specifies a database name.

• wbk=<value> specifies workbook ID of a Discoverer workbook.

• wsk=<value> specifies the worksheet ID of a Discoverer worksheet.

• qp_regionparam=<value> specifies a parameter value.

• In this example, MONTHLY_ANALYSIS is the workbook ID of the Monthly Analysis workbook, and 179 is the worksheet ID of the January Analysis worksheet. For more information about finding out workbook IDs and worksheet IDs, see Section 11.4.1, "How to find out the unique workbook ID of a workbook" and Section 11.4.2, "How to find out the unique worksheet ID of a worksheet".

11.5.3 Example 3: Starting Discoverer Plus using URL parameters

To start Discoverer Plus, connect automatically as jchan to the Sales EUL, open a worksheet called January Analysis in a workbook called Monthly Analysis, you might use the following URL:

http://<host.domain>:<port>/discoverer/viewer?us=jchan&pw=3829382&database=sales&opendbid=MONTHLY_ANALYSIS&sheetid=179

Notes

• http://<host.domain>:<port>/discoverer/plus? is the Discoverer Viewer URL.

• us=<value> specifies a database username.

• pw=<value> specifies a database password.

• database=<value> specifies a database name.

• opendbid=<value> specifies workbook ID of a Discoverer workbook.

• sheetid=<value> specifies the worksheet ID of a Discoverer worksheet.

• In this example, MONTHLY_ANALYSIS is the workbook ID of the Monthly Analysis workbook, and 179 is the worksheet ID of the January Analysis worksheet. For more information about finding out workbook IDs and worksheet IDs, see Section 11.4.1, "How to find out the unique workbook ID of a workbook" and Section 11.4.2, "How to find out the unique worksheet ID of a worksheet".

11.5.4 Example 4: Starting Discoverer without exposing a password in the URL

To start Discoverer Viewer using a connection called Sales Data that has the connection ID cf_a156, you might use the following URL:

http://<host.domain>:<port>/discoverer/viewer?cn=cf_a156

Notes

• http://<host.domain>:<port>/discoverer/plus? is the Discoverer Viewer URL.

• cn=<value> specifies the connection ID of a Discoverer connection.

• For more information about finding out connection IDs, see Section 11.4.3, "How to find out the connection ID of a connection".

• You create public connections using Oracle Enterprise Manager (for more information, see Section 3.7, "How to create a public connection").

• If private connections are not allowed, you can only use the connection ID of a public connection (for more information, see Section 3.6, "About specifying whether Discoverer end users can create their own private connections".)

11.6 Generic Discoverer URL parameters

This table defines generic Discoverer URL parameters that you can use with both Discoverer Plus and Discoverer Viewer.

Parameter and Values	Description	Example
cn=<connection ID>	Specifies the connection containing the login details with which to start Discoverer (for more information about how to find out the connection ID of a connection, see Section 11.4.3, "How to find out the connection ID of a connection"). For an example, see Section 11.5.4, "Example 4: Starting Discoverer without exposing a password in the URL"). See also Notes below.	cn=cf_m2
con_db=<database>	Specifies the database to which the connection that is being added or updated should connect.	con_db=Sales
con_desc=<connection_description>	Specifies a description for the connection that is being added or updated. Can be blank.	con_desc=Weekly+performance+reports+by+region
con_eul=<eul>	Specifies the EUL that the connection that is being added or updated should open when connected to the database.	con_eul=VIDEO
con_key=<connection ID>	Specifies the connection to update (for more information about how to find out the connection ID of a connection, see Section 11.4.3, "How to find out the connection ID of a connection").	con_key=cf_m2
con_lm=<discoverer or applications>	Specifies the login method, as follows: use 'applications' to connect as an Oracle Applications user. use 'discoverer' to connect as a non-Oracle Applications user. Note: If this parameter is not present, the default login method specified in the ui_config.xml configuration file is used.	con_lm=discoverer
con_name=<connection_name>	Specifies the name for the connection that is being added or updated. Can be blank.	con_name=Weekly+Report
con_nlsl=<locale>	Specifies the default browser language setting that should be associated with the connection that is being added or updated.	con_nlsl=es_ES (i.e. language is Spanish, country is Spain).
con_pw=<password>	Specifies the database password the connection that is being added or updated should use when connecting to the database.	con_pw=382939382
con_rs=<responsibility>	Specifies the Oracle Applications Responsibility that the connection that is being added or updated should open when connected to the database (only valid with Oracle Applications logins).	con_rs=Power+User
con_sg=<security_group>	Specifies the Applications Security Group that the connection that is being added or updated should open when connected to the database. (Only valid with Applications logins).	con_sg=Marketing
con_us=<user name>	Specifies the database user name that the connection that is being added or updated should use when connecting to the database.	con_us=jchan
condel=<connection ID>	Deletes the connection specified by <connection ID> (for more information about how to find out the connection ID of a connection, see Section 11.4.3, "How to find out the connection ID of a connection").	condel=cf_m2
eul=<eul name>	Specifies the name of the EUL to which to connect. You only need to specify this parameter if you want to override the default EUL. Note: EUL names are case-sensitive.	eul=myEUL
newpw1=<new password>	Specifies the password you want to change your database password to. Note: Associated connections will be updated accordingly if the change password operation is successful.Use the con_key URL parameter to specify the database account for which you want to change the password.	newpw1=3837282
newpw2=<new password>	Confirms the new password specified by newpw1. This password must match that given with newpw1 before the change password operation will be attempted.	newpw2=25363523
pw=<password>	Specifies the password for the user name connecting to the database.	pw=tiger
sg=<securitygroup>	Specifies the Oracle Applications Security Group you want to connect with. Note: If you do not specify a user name, password, responsibility, or security group, the Discoverer end user is prompted to enter the missing login information.	sg=securityGroup
us=<connect string>	Specifies the user name and database plus further optional login information. The connect string uses the following syntax: <user name>[:<responsibility> [:<securityGroup>]][/<password>]@<database> Note: If you do not specify a user name, password, responsibility, or security group, the Discoverer end user is prompted to enter the missing login information.	us=scott/tiger@disco
us=<database user name>	Specifies a database user name with which to connect to Discoverer. Hint: You can also use the us parameter to specify a database, user name, and password as a single parameter. Note: If you do not specify a user name, the Discoverer end user is prompted a user name.	us=video5

Notes

• When using the cn URL parameter, note the following:
  • If Discoverer end users are not allowed to create private connections, the specified connection must be a public connection. For more information, see Section 3.6, "About specifying whether Discoverer end users can create their own private connections".

  • If the specified connection is private and single sign-on is not enabled, the Discoverer end user will be prompted to verify the password. In this scenario, you can also specify a password using the pw URL parameter. For example:

    http://machine:port/discoverer/plus&cn=12345&pw=password.

11.7 Discoverer Plus URL parameters

This table describes Discoverer Plus-specific URL parameters that can be used in addition to the generic URL parameters in Section 11.6, "Generic Discoverer URL parameters".

Hint: Do not use Discoverer Plus URL parameters on the same URL as Discoverer Viewer URL parameters.

Parameter and Values	Description	Example
brandimage=<logo file name>	Specifies that you display an organizational logo in the top right hand corner of the Discoverer Plus screen. For example, to display a logo stored in: <ORACLE_HOME>/j2ee/OC4J_BI_Forms/applications/discoverer/web/common/xsl/my_logo.gif you can reference this file in two ways: using a relative path, (e.g. common/xsl/my_logo.gif) using an absolute path (e.g. (http://www.server.com:7777/discoverer/common/xsl/my_logo.gif)	brandimage=common/xsl/my_logo.gif
connect=[APPS_SECURE] <hostname_instancename>	Specifies whether Oracle Applications end users connect in secure mode. hostname_instancename refers to the database host name and the instance of the Applications server.	connect=[APPS_SECURE]genledger_payables
connect=<connection string>	Specifies login details to use to connect to Discoverer. Note: If you do not specify a user name, password, responsibility, or security group, the Discoverer end user is prompted to enter the missing login information.	connect=username/password@mydb
database=<database name or alias>	Specifies which database to connect to when Discoverer starts. Hint: You can also use the connect URL parameter to specify a database, user name, and password as a single parameter.	database=mydb
framedisplaystyle=<separate or embedded>	Specifies how to launch the Discoverer main window. use 'separate' to launch Discoverer's main as a separate frame from the browser (i.e. from the Discoverer Connections list). The browser window contains a Discoverer image and must remain open while Discoverer is being used. use 'embedded' to launch Discoverer's main window within the current browser window. Note: To deploy Discoverer Plus in conjunction with a screen-reader (e.g. JAWS), set the value to 'separate'. For more information about accessibility and Discoverer, see Using the JAWS screen reader with Discoverer. Note: This parameter must be used in conjunction with valid connection information. If the connection information is invalid, the end user is directed to the Connections page, and the framedisplaystyle parameter does not take effect. See also Notes below.	framedisplaystyle=separate
locale=<language[_country][_variant]>	Specifies the language (and optionally the country and variant) used by Discoverer. This parameter overrides the browser language setting on the end user's client machine. Hint: Use ISO codes to specify language, country, and variant.	locale=es_ES (i.e. language is Spanish, country is Spain)
lookandfeelname=<system or oracle or browser>	Specifies a browser look and feel. For example, a user might want to run Discoverer Plus using the Windows look and feel.	lookandfeelname=system
nls_number_format=<number format>	Specifies a number format for numeric worksheet items, using a SQL number format mask (e.g. 999999990).	nls_number_format=999999990
nlsdateformat=<date format>	Specifies a date format for a specific region. Use a SQL date format mask (.e.g. DD-Mon-YY).	nlsdateformat=DD-Mon-YY
nlsdatelanguage=<date language>	Specifies the language for day and month names displayed in Discoverer.	nlsdatelanguage=Spanish
nlslang=<language>	Specifies the language, territory, and character displayed in Discoverer. Use Oracle naming conventions to specify language, territory, and character set.	nlslang=Spanish
nlsnumeric_characters=<separator characters>	Specifies decimal character and group separator for numbers.	nlsnumeric_characters=.,
nlssort=<sort type>	Specifies a character sort sequence. For more information about the nlssort command, see Oracle9i Globalization Support Guide.	nlssort=XSpanish
opendb=<workbook name>	Specifies the name of a workbook to open (assumes that it is stored in the database instead of scheduled). If you use the opendb parameter more than once in the URL, Discoverer uses the last one. Hint: This URL parameter is included for backward compatibility. Oracle recommends that you use opendbid to specify workbooks. Note: 'opendb=Video+Sales+Workbook' is the equivalent of 'workbookname=Video+Sales+Workbook&workbooksource=Database'. See also workbookname and workbooksource.	opendb=Video+Sales+Workbook
opendbid=<unique ID>	Specifies the unique ID of the workbook you want to open. For more information about how to find the unique ID of a workbook, see Section 11.4.1, "How to find out the unique workbook ID of a workbook". For examples, see Section 11.5, "Examples of using URL parameters".	opendbid=JanuarySales
param_<parameter_name>=<parameter_value>	Specifies values for workbook parameters. Note: If the workbook does not contain a parameter of that name, Discoverer ignores the parameter.	param_regionparam=East
password=<string>	Specifies a database password to authenticate the user name used to connect to Discoverer. Hint: You can also use the connect parameter to specify a database, user name, and password as a single parameter. Note: If you do not specify a user name, password, responsibility, or security group, the Discoverer end user is prompted to enter the missing login information.	password=37282732
responsibility= <responsibility name>	Specifies the Oracle Applications responsibility for Oracle Applications end users. Note: If you do not specify a user name, password, responsibility, or security group, the Discoverer end user is prompted to enter the missing login information.	responsibility=Manager (i.e. Discoverer bypasses the Responsibility dialog and assigns the end user an Oracle Applications responsibility of Manager)
sheet=<worksheetname>	Specifies the name of the worksheet to open by default. Note: If you use the sheet parameter more than once in the URL, Discoverer opens the last one. Hint: This URL parameter is included for backward compatibility. Oracle recommends that you use sheetid to specify worksheets.	sheet=Sales+Detail+Sheet
sheetid=<unique ID>	Specifies the unique identifier of the worksheet that you want to open. For more information about how to find the unique ID of a worksheet, see Section 11.4.2, "How to find out the unique worksheet ID of a worksheet". Note: You must also specify a workbook using opendbid. For examples, see Section 11.5, "Examples of using URL parameters".	sheetid=7
username=<database user name>	Specifies a database user name with which to connect to Discoverer. Hint: You can also use the connect parameter to specify a database, user name, and password as a single parameter. Note: If you do not specify a user name, password, responsibility, or security group, the Discoverer end user is prompted to enter the missing login information.	username=video_user
windowheight=<pixel width>	Specifies the height in pixels of the Discoverer application frame. If you do not use this parameter, Discoverer uses a default value.	windowheight=600
windowwidth=<pixel width>	Specifies the width in pixels of the Discoverer application frame. If you do not use this parameter, Discoverer uses a default value.	windowwidth=800
workbookname=<workbookname>	Specifies the name of the Discoverer workbook you want users to display by default. Hint: Use this URL parameter in conjunction with workbooksource. E.g. 'workbookname=Video+Sales+Workbook&workbooksource=Database' is the equivalent of 'opendb=Video+Sales+Workbook'. Hint: This URL parameter is included for backward compatibility. Oracle recommends that you use opendbid to specify workbooks.	workbookname=Video+Sales+Workbook
workbooksource=<Database or Scheduled>	Specifies the location of the workbook to open: Database specifies that the workbook is saved in the database. Scheduled specifies that the workbook is a scheduled workbook that is updated periodically. Hint: Use this URL parameter in conjunction with workbookname.	workbooksource=Database
_plus_popup=<true or false>	Specifies whether to launch Discoverer Plus in a new browser window or in the Discoverer Connections page, as follows: true (default) launches Discoverer Plus in a new browser window. false launches Discoverer Plus in a the current browser window. This URL parameter can be used in conjunction with framedisplaystyle. See also Notes below.	_plus_popup=true

Notes

• When using _pop_up in conjunction with framedisplaystyle=, the possible combinations are:
  • _plus_popup=true and framedisplaystyle=embedded launches Discoverer Plus in a new pop-up browser window that contains the Plus applet embedded in it.

  • _plus_popup=true and framedisplaystyle=separate opens a new pop-up browser window and launches Discoverer Plus in a new applet window.

    This combination launches three windows: the original browser window (i.e. Discoverer connections page), the new browser window containing the Discoverer image, and the JFrame window containing the Discoverer Plus applet.

  • _plus_popup=false and framedisplaystyle=embedded launches Discoverer Plus in the current browser window

  • _plus_popup=false and framedisplaystyle=separate launches Plus in a JFrame window. The current browser window contains the Discoverer image.

11.8 Discoverer Viewer URL parameters

This table describes Discoverer Viewer-specific URL parameters that can be used in addition to the generic URL parameters in Section 11.6, "Generic Discoverer URL parameters".

Hint: Do not use Discoverer Viewer URL parameters on the same URL as Discoverer Plus URL parameters.

Parameter and Values	Description	Example
anlsdf=<date format>	Specifies the date format for the session for Oracle Applications end users (synonym of nls_date_format).	anlsdf='MM/DD/YY'
anlsdl=<date language>	Specifies the language to use for the spelling of day and month names and date abbreviations (AM, PM, AD, BC) for Oracle Applications end users (synonym of nls_date_language).	anlsdl=fr
anlsl=<language>	Specifies the session language for Oracle Applications end users (synonym of nls_lang).	anlsl=en-gb
anlsnc=<separator characters>	Specifies the default characters to use as the group separator and decimal for Oracle Applications end users (synonym of nls_numeric_characters). You must specify the decimal separator first, followed by the group separator.	anlsnc=',.'
anlss=<sortname or binary>	Specifies the session collating sequence for ORDER BY queries and string comparisons for Oracle Applications end users (synonym of nls_sort). Values are: the name of an alphabetical sort sequence binary to specify a binary sort	anlss=binary
aow=<true or false>	Specifies whether to open the default worksheet when opening a workbook. Note: You can also use the ws and wsk parameters to specify which worksheet to open.	aow=true
arq=<true or false>	Specifies whether to automatically run a worksheet's query when a worksheet is opened (the value can be true or false).	arq=true
cp_height=<number_of_pixels>	Specifies height of charts (in pixels).	cp_height=200
cp_show_legend=<true or false>	Specifies whether a chart title is displayed.	cp_show_legend=true
cp_width=<number_of_pixels>	Specifies width of charts (in pixels).	cp_width=300
cs=[APPS_SECURE]<hostname_instancename>	Specifies whether to connect in secure mode. hostname_instancename refers to the Applications DBC file that contains Applications connection information.	cs=[APPS_SECURE]genledger_payables
db=<databasename>	Specifies which database to which to connect when Discoverer starts.	db=video
fm=<exportformat>	Specifies one of the following export formats: Data export formats: csv (Comma Separated Values) dcs (Express) dif (Data Interchange Format) htm (HTML) prn (Formatted Text) slk (Symbolic Link) sql (Structured Query Language) txt (Text) wks (Lotus 1-2-3) xls (Microsoft Excel) xlsp (Microsoft Excel PivotTable report) xml (Extensible Markup Language) Graph export formats: gif (Graphical Interchange Format) jpg (Joint Photographic Experts Group) png (Portable Network Graphics) Note: When you use fm= to specify an export format, you must also specify a page number using pg=. Note: The xlsp format (Microsoft Excel PivotTable report) is used for static sheet with pivot table.	fm=xls
lm=<applications or discoverer>	Specifies the login method, as follows: applications connects as an Oracle Applications user. discoverer connects as a Discoverer user. Note: If this parameter is not present, the default login method specified in the ui_config.xml configuration file is used.	lm=applications
nls_lang=<language>	Specifies the session language.	nls_lang=en-gb
nls_date_format=<date format>	Specifies the default date format for the session.	nls_date_format='MM/DD/YY'
nls_numeric_characters=<separator characters>	Specifies the default characters to use as the group separator and decimal. You must specify the decimal separator first, followed by the group separator.	nls_numeric_characters=',.'
nls_date_language=<date language>	Specifies the language to use for the spelling of day and month names, and date abbreviations (AM, PM, AD, BC).	nls_date_language=fr
nls_sort=<sort name or binary>	Specifies the session collating sequence for ORDER BY queries and string comparisons, as follows: use <sort name> to specify an alphabetical sort sequence use 'binary' to specify a binary sort	nls_sort=binary
nlsl=<language>	Specifies the language code for the language you want (using ISO language codes).	nlsl=en-gb
pg=<page_number>	Specifies a page in the specified worksheet. Note: You must specify a page number using pg when you use fm to specify an export format.	pg=4
pi_<pageitemname>=<pageitemvalue>	Specifies the name of a page item and the value to select.	pi_Region=West
qp_<parameter_name>=<parameter_value>	Specifies the name of a query parameter and the value you want to set it to.	qp_City=Denver
qpd=<number_of_ seconds>	Specifies the delay in seconds before a query progress page is displayed (or re-displayed). You might use this parameter to avoid writing code to handle query progress pages when using the Discoverer servlet to return data to an application you have written. Note: You can use this parameter to improve accessibility if you use a JAWS screen reader (for more information, see "Using the JAWS screen reader with Discoverer"). Note: You can also set this value on a global basis (i.e. in the middle tier) using the query_progress_delay parameter (for more information, see Section A.4, "List of configuration settings in configuration.xml").	qpd=60
rd=<number_of_ seconds>	Specifies the delay in seconds before a browser is redirected to the original URL. Use this parameter to prevent the browser timing out during export operations. Note: This parameter only applies when a valid value has also been specified for the fm parameter.	rd=90
rs=<responsibility>	Specifies the Oracle Applications Responsibility you want to connect with. Note: If you do not specify a user name, password, responsibility, or security group, the Discoverer end user is prompted to enter the missing login information.	rs=Manager
tsc_d!<index>=<direction>	Specifies the sort direction for the item identified by <index>. When specifying the <direction> value: use 'lh' for low to high use 'hl' high to low	tsc_d!region=lh
tsc_g!<index>=<normal or group>	Specifies whether the sort applied to the item identified by <index> is a group sort or a normal sort. Note: For more information about group sort, see Oracle Application Server Discoverer Plus User's Guide.	tsc_g!region=normal
tsc_h!<index>=<true or false>	Specifies whether the item identified by <index> visible on the worksheet.	tsc_h!region=true
tsc_i!<index>=<item_key>	Specifies an item to be sorted. <index> refers to the order sorts that should be applied. An <index> of 0 will be applied first followed by the item with <index> of 1 and so on.	tsc_i!region=0
tss_s!<index>=<direction>,<type>,<hidden>,<item_key>	Specifies a sort on an item using a single URL parameter combining any of the tsc_d!, tsc_g!, tsc_h!, or tsc_i! parameters.	tss_s!region=lh,normal,true,0
wb=<workbookname>	Specifies the name of the Discoverer workbook you want users to open by default. Hint: This URL parameter is included for backward compatibility. Oracle recommends that you use wbk to specify workbooks. Note: Use + to indicate spaces in workbook names.	wb=My+Workbook
wbd=<workbookdate>	Specifies that date on which the scheduled workbook you want to open was run.	wbd=31-OCT-00
wbk=<unique ID>	Specifies the unique identifier of the workbook to open. For more information about how to find the unique ID of a workbook, see Section 11.4.1, "How to find out the unique workbook ID of a workbook". Note: If you specify a scheduled workbook, you must use the wbr URL parameter to specify a unique run identifier for that workbook. For examples, see Section 11.5, "Examples of using URL parameters".	wbk=JanuarySales
wbr=<unique ID>	Specifies the unique run identifier of a scheduled workbook specified by the wbk URL parameter. For more information about how to find the unique ID of a workbook, see Section 11.4.1, "How to find out the unique workbook ID of a workbook".	wbr=SWB001
wbt=<workbooktime>	Specifies the time on which the scheduled workbook you want to open was run. If you specified the Scheduled Workbook's ID using the wb parameter, you don't need to use this parameter	wbt=4%3a00+PM (i.e. 4:00 PM)
ws=<worksheetname>	Specifies the worksheet to open. Hint: This URL parameter is included for backward compatibility. Oracle recommends that you use wsk to specify worksheets.	ws=My+Worksheet
wsk=<unique ID>	Specifies the unique identifier of the worksheet to open. For more information about how to find the unique ID of a worksheet, see Section 11.4.2, "How to find out the unique worksheet ID of a worksheet". Note: You must also specify a workbook using wbk. For examples, see Section 11.5, "Examples of using URL parameters".	wsk=7