The process of creating or duplicating a project is the starting point for developing or maintaining code with Dashboard Architect. Dashboard Architect does not however, create Interactive Reporting documents, Interactive Reporting Studio sections, or dashboard objects, because there is no API facility enabling it to do so.
Dashboard Architect complements the strengths of Interactive Reporting Studio and provides value in scripting and debugging event handlers in sections.
To create a project:
Start Interactive Reporting Studio, and, on the Welcome dialog, click Cancel.
Starting Interactive Reporting Studio before starting Dashboard Architect avoids the screen flicker caused by the intermittent display of menu bars as Dashboard Architect interacts with Interactive Reporting Studio.
Start Dashboard Architect.
Alternatively, to open Dashboard Architect, start Interactive Reporting Studio, and select Tools, then Launch Dashboard Architect.
Select File, then New, or click
.Create New Project is displayed.
Click
(next to Original BQY Location), and navigate to the Interactive Reporting document that contains the JavaScript to be to maintained or redeveloped.The Interactive Reporting document selected for this example is Arch_tut.bqy, located in the Samples directory.
Dashboard Architect Project Folder is filled with a project folder name (that matches the initial Interactive Reporting document), to be created in the folder that contains the original Interactive Reporting document.
Project Title is automatically filled to reflect the original selected Interactive Reporting document. Use the default title or specify another title.
Optional: To override the default Dashboard Architect Project Folder, click
to locate another folder.The folder must be empty because files and folders are added to create the directory structure.
Click OK.
Dashboard Architect examines the selected Interactive Reporting document, disassembles it, and creates a JS file for each section, in which it makes provision for event handlers for all dashboard objects. JavaScript found in the Interactive Reporting document is placed in the event handler locations within the JS files.
Dashboard Architect creates instrumented.bqy, which looks identical to the original Interactive Reporting document, except the JavaScript within it is replaced with instrumented debug code. The debug code calls the Debug Server, which returns the JavaScript code from the JS files to the Interactive Reporting document under test, in real time.
Instrumented.bqy behaves similarly to the original Interactive Reporting document in the presence of the Debug Server and Dashboard Architect. The original Interactive Reporting document is left unchanged and a copy is placed in the Backup folder. The file name adopts the form of ORIGINAL-<date and time>. For example, ORIGINAL-2004-10-09-18-26-40.bqy.
At the end of the development cycle, an Interactive Reporting document is re-created from the JavaScript in the JS files and instrumented.bqy.
The Project structure contains these folders:
Backup—The original Interactive Reporting document that was used to create instrumented.bqy
Compiled—The starting Interactive Reporting document (Additional Interactive Reporting document files are added each time the Make BQY command is selected)
Instrumented—Contains instrumented.bqy
Scripts—One JS script file for each section and one for the document
Library, ESInfo, and Doc—Reserved for future use
After the instrumentation process is complete, Dashboard Architect displays the JavaScript for the created project. The project is ready for testing and editing.