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Analytics > Designing an Analysis > Getting Started with Analytics > Applying Cosmetic Formatting in Analyses and Dashboards

Applying Cosmetic Formatting in Analyses and Dashboards

Cosmetic formatting affects the visual appearance of data in columns and views in analyses, and in columns and sections on dashboard pages.

You can apply cosmetic formatting, copy and paste cosmetic formatting attributes, and save a formatted analysis to use with the columns of another analysis. You can display various dialog boxes that provide access to and control over various cosmetic attributes. Depending on the object that you are formatting, the dialog box displays different options, such as font, cell, and border controls, background color, additional formatting options such as cell padding, and custom CSS style options for HTML.

You can copy the range of cosmetic formatting attributes that you apply to an item, such as a column in a table, and paste them to an item of the same type, such as another column in the table or a column in a different table. You can also restore the default formatting. To do this, use the icons at the top left of the dialog boxes.

After you customize the cosmetic appearance of an analysis and save it, you can use it as a template. This allows you to apply the formatting from the saved analysis to new or existing analyses. Views that support the use of a saved analysis as a template include the Legend, Narrative, Table, Pivot Table, Trellis, Static Text, Title, and View Selector views.

This topic contains information about performing the following tasks:

• Applying cosmetic formatting
• Restoring the default appearance of an attribute
• Using a saved analysis as a template

To apply cosmetic formatting

1. Open the cosmetic formatting dialog box for the item that you want to format.

   For example, to apply cosmetic formatting to a column in an analysis, do the following:

   • In the Criteria tab of the analysis editor, in the drop-down list of options for the column that you want to format, select Column Properties.
   • In the Column Properties dialog box, click the Style tab.
2. In the Font area, make your selections for the font family, size, color, style (such as bold), and any effects that you want to apply (such as underlining).

   NOTE: For some items, this option is not available.

3. In the Cell area, set up the alignment and background color.

   NOTE: For horizontal alignment, the most common justification for text data is left. For numeric data, the most common justification is right.
   
   Vertical alignment does not have any impact unless the column spans multiple rows of other columns.

4. In the Border area, make your selections for the border position, color, and style of the cell.

   TIP: You can select or deselect custom borders by clicking the top, bottom, left, and right borders near the Position drop-down list.

5. To format spacing within the cell, click Additional Formatting Options and specify values for the width and height of the cell contents, and the space above, below, left and right of the contents.

   Values are specified in pixels.

6. To override the style and class elements specified in Oracle CRM On Demand style sheets, make your selections in the Custom CSS Style Options area:
   1. Click the settings that you want to use.
   2. Provide the location of the class, style, or style sheet.

      NOTE: The advanced style formatting options are for users who know how to work with cascading style sheets.

7. Click OK.

To restore the default formatting

• Open the cosmetic formatting dialog box for the item, and then click the Clear Cell Format icon.

For some types of views, when you add the view, you can use a saved analysis as a template, as described in the following procedure.

To use a saved analysis as a template

1. In the Results tab, click the icon for Import formatting from another analysis.
2. In the Select Analysis dialog, navigate to an analysis and click OK.

   The formatting is applied to the current analysis.