Focal Point
[SOLVED]Can we turn off the auto prompting facility for the &variables ?

This topic can be found at:
https://forums.informationbuilders.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/7971057331/m/6947051486

October 07, 2016, 03:47 AM
info4pal
[SOLVED]Can we turn off the auto prompting facility for the &variables ?
Hi,

Iam using the below code and trying to read the values in a table file
using the readfile command as shown below and later using these values in the Table file request:

 ENGINE SQLORA SET DEFAULT_CONNECTION USER_CONNECT

SQL SQLORA PREPARE REPORT1 FOR
SELECT * FROM SCHM1.V_TABLE1;
END

TABLE FILE REPORT1
PRINT
COLUMN1_1
COLUMN1_2
COLUMN1_3
WHERE REPORT_DATA EQ ''
ON TABLE HOLD AS MYFILE_REPT
END
-RUN

-READFILE MYFILE_REPT
-TYPE &COLUMN1_1
-TYPE &COLUMN1_2
-TYPE &COLUMN1_3

TABLE FILE REPORT1
PRINT
DIVISION
DEPARTMEMT
STATE
COLUMN1_1 AS '&COLUMN1_1'
COLUMN1_2 AS '&COLUMN1_2'
COLUMN1_3 AS '&COLUMN1_3'
EMD
-RUN
-EXIT
 


When I run the report, in the auto prompting facility under parameters, it is prompting to enter the
values for COLUMN1_1,COLUMN1_2 and COLUMN1_3 but I want all these variables to be hidden and not to show up when I run the report.
The report still runs if I click on the Run button under auto prompting facility but somehow I dont want these
variables to show up in the auto prompting facility because it confuses my client/stakeholder saying that these variables need some inputs
to be entered before running the report.

Could anyone please let me know on how to hide these(COLUMN1_1,COLUMN1_2 and COLUMN1_3) in the Auto prompting facility ?

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot in advance!

Regards,
IP

This message has been edited. Last edited by: info4pal,


Webfocus 8105 Developer studio,Windows 7,HTML,Excel,PDF,Text,Infoassist,Graph,AHTML
October 07, 2016, 05:45 AM
Wep5622
You can either turn off autoprompt entirely for your site (which is probably not what you want), or you can add -DEFAULT's for your variables between the -READFILE and where you first use them.

I don't think there's a way to temporarily disable autoprompt in a section of a fex. I'd love to have a feature like that.


WebFOCUS 8.1.03, Windows 7-64/2008-64, IBM DB2/400, Oracle 11g & RDB, MS SQL-Server 2005, SAP, PostgreSQL 11, Output: HTML, PDF, Excel 2010
: Member of User Group Benelux :
October 07, 2016, 06:32 AM
info4pal
Hi Wep,

I have one default variable(State) which is linked to the parameter page of this report and I haven't mentioned in the code which I had pasted earlier.

May I know how can I turnoff autoprompt entirely and also could you please let me know how can I add DEFAULT's for my variables between the -READFILE.Please help.

Regards,
IP


Webfocus 8105 Developer studio,Windows 7,HTML,Excel,PDF,Text,Infoassist,Graph,AHTML
October 07, 2016, 07:47 AM
MartinY
You need to DEFAULTH all columns that are part of the HOLD file (in your case : MYFILE_REPT).
And I do suggest to add a -RUN after the READFILE
-DEFAULTH &COLUMN1_1 = ''
-DEFAULTH &COLUMN1_2 = ''
-DEFAULTH &COLUMN1_3 = ''

TABLE FILE REPORT1
PRINT
COLUMN1_1
COLUMN1_2
COLUMN1_3
WHERE REPORT_DATA EQ ''
ON TABLE HOLD AS MYFILE_REPT
END
-RUN

-READFILE MYFILE_REPT
-RUN
-TYPE &COLUMN1_1
-TYPE &COLUMN1_2
-TYPE &COLUMN1_3


To turn off auto-prompting, if I don't mistaken, go to BIP / Administration Console / Configuration / Application Settings / Parameter Prompting and I think that you need to set to "ON". But I'm not 100% sure since I have issue with the IBI help display.


WF versions : Prod 8.2.04M gen 33, Dev 8.2.04M gen 33, OS : Windows, DB : MSSQL, Outputs : HTML, Excel, PDF
In Focus since 2007
October 07, 2016, 08:14 AM
info4pal
Hi Martin,

Thanks a ton for your help Smiler
It worked!

Regards,
IP


Webfocus 8105 Developer studio,Windows 7,HTML,Excel,PDF,Text,Infoassist,Graph,AHTML
October 07, 2016, 10:36 AM
RSquared
Conversely you can also uncheck the prompt for parameters checkbox on the properties for the report


WF 7.6.11
Oracle
WebSphere
Windows NT-5.2 x86 32bit
October 07, 2016, 10:55 AM
MartinY
quote:
Conversely you can also uncheck the prompt for parameters checkbox on the properties for the report


True, but with WF8, it may not be sufficient, unfortunately.


WF versions : Prod 8.2.04M gen 33, Dev 8.2.04M gen 33, OS : Windows, DB : MSSQL, Outputs : HTML, Excel, PDF
In Focus since 2007
October 07, 2016, 11:42 AM
RSquared
Ah, quelle domage


WF 7.6.11
Oracle
WebSphere
Windows NT-5.2 x86 32bit
October 10, 2016, 09:43 AM
Wep5622
quote:
Originally posted by MartinY:
You need to DEFAULTH all columns that are part of the HOLD file (in your case : MYFILE_REPT).
And I do suggest to add a -RUN after the READFILE
-DEFAULTH &COLUMN1_1 = '';
-DEFAULTH &COLUMN1_2 = '';
-DEFAULTH &COLUMN1_3 = '';

TABLE FILE REPORT1
PRINT
COLUMN1_1
COLUMN1_2
COLUMN1_3
WHERE REPORT_DATA EQ ''
ON TABLE HOLD AS MYFILE_REPT
END
-RUN

-READFILE MYFILE_REPT
-RUN
-TYPE &COLUMN1_1
-TYPE &COLUMN1_2
-TYPE &COLUMN1_3



What I was suggesting, which prevents the warning from -READFILE about the parameters being overwritten, is this (notice where the -DEFAULT's went):
TABLE FILE REPORT1
PRINT
COLUMN1_1
COLUMN1_2
COLUMN1_3
WHERE REPORT_DATA EQ ''
ON TABLE HOLD AS MYFILE_REPT
END
-RUN

-READFILE MYFILE_REPT
-DEFAULTH &COLUMN1_1 = ''
-DEFAULTH &COLUMN1_2 = ''
-DEFAULTH &COLUMN1_3 = ''

-RUN
-TYPE &COLUMN1_1
-TYPE &COLUMN1_2
-TYPE &COLUMN1_3


Cred's go to someone else on this forum, but I forgot who taught me this. Sorry and thanks Wink

About adding -RUN after -READFILE; Be very careful with that!

Using -RUN closes any open files. So if you use -READFILE within a loop (-REPEAT or -GOTO), you'll be reading the first line over and over.
Furthermore, if you're only exiting that loop when -READFILE results in an I/O error after the last line - that won't happen! (well, unless you're reading an empty file)

Yeah, been there, stopped doing that.

And another thing I just noticed: -DEFAULT without a closing semi-colon is old-style syntax and is being advised against (note that I'm not an authority on the matter).


WebFOCUS 8.1.03, Windows 7-64/2008-64, IBM DB2/400, Oracle 11g & RDB, MS SQL-Server 2005, SAP, PostgreSQL 11, Output: HTML, PDF, Excel 2010
: Member of User Group Benelux :
October 10, 2016, 10:58 AM
j.gross
You're quite welcome.

-Jack
October 10, 2016, 11:08 AM
j.gross
quote:
-DEFAULT without a closing semi-colon is old-style syntax


Not so. Although tolerated, it's absent from the documented syntax:
Syntax: How to Supply a Default Value
-DEFAULT &[&]name=value , [&[&]name=value]
where:
&name
Is the name of the variable.
value
Is the default value assigned to the variable.


-- Which makes sense -- semicolon is needed (in -SET, for example) when the expression it delimits can be continued over multiple lines. -DEFAULT cannot.


- Jack Gross
WF through 8.1.05