We would like to reportcast a Graph and a link that leads back to our dashboard product through email.

How can this be done? I can build an HTML form that has both of these objects, but Reportcaster won't let me send it. Our IBI sales rep told us that it was possible, but didn't say how.

Thanks!

The marketing rep doesn't have to do the work and the answer is always yes.

Report Caster distributes files, not forms. You can write a GRAPH focexec with a link in the heading and schedule that.

Or since you have 762, you can use PDF Layout Painter, and put the graph and link in there and schedule that.

Just a couple of ideas.

Jason, when you email a report (not a form!..a form is the word used for user input ... did you really mean form?..or did you mean report...as Ginny asks, as well)...
When you run a report live , (from dashboard/mre i hear you saying), focus *knows* where the server is. When you run a report and email it.. Outlook doesn't know where the server is.
So you have to have a line of code at the top of your fex, or as a pre-processing condition in your caster job, to *tell* your user's disconnected browser exactly where the server is.
SET FOCEXURL = HTTP://servername/ibi_apps/WFServlet
Now a drilldown or a link will have a fully specified url, so the end user can click on it, and magic happens.

When you say "reportcaster won't let you send it."... send what, exactly?

by form I mean html form. I realize now that won't work.

I'm attaching only the graph fex to the email now, but it opens up to nothing. It can't seem to render the graph for some reason. I tried susannah's suggestion.
SET FOCEXURL = HTTP://svr99wfrs/ibi_apps/WFServlet as a preprocess for the task. That didn't change anything, should it be with a port number or something? We have a very simple installation of webfocus.

I've tried both in the EDAserve section and the MRE section, still...no output in the email.

Is anyone able to actually get this to work?

For Report Caster to distribute the graph, you must have this

SET GRAPHSERVURL=http://yourwebserver/ibi_apps/IBIGraphServlet
 

in the focexec.

The FOCEXURL is for drilldowns from email. If you have that in your focexecs, the links are generated with a fully-qualified URL.

GinnyJakes,
I've added that line to the focexec graph and it didn't help.

So I went and added it as a pre-process in reportcaster, ended up with an error.

I really don't know where to go from here. Is this something you do on your webfocus?

Jason,

I run this focexec in Report Caster everyday just to make sure that RC is up and running properly. I have been doing this even prior to this release. We had 5.3.3 before.

SET GRAPHSERVURL=http://webservername/ibi_apps/IBIGraphServlet
GRAPH FILE CAR
SUM SALES
ACROSS COUNTRY
HEADING
"Car Sales Report"
ON GRAPH SET LOOKGRAPH PIEMULTI
ON GRAPH SET GRAPHEDIT SERVER
ON GRAPH SET BARNUMB OFF
ON GRAPH SET 3D OFF
ON GRAPH SET VZERO ON
ON GRAPH SET GRID ON
ON GRAPH SET GRAPHSTYLE *
setMarkerDisplay(true);
setConnectLineMarkers(false);
setConnectScatterMarkers(false);
setO1LabelDisplay(true);
setO1AxisSide(0);
setO1MajorGridDisplay(true);
setO1MajorGridStyle(0);
setO1MinorGridDisplay(false);
setAxisAssignment(0,0);
setY1LabelDisplay(true);
setY1AxisSide(0);
setY1MajorGridDisplay(true);
setY1MajorGridStyle(0);
setY1MinorGridDisplay(false);
setTextFormatPreset(getY1Label(),-1);
setTextFormatPattern(getY1Label(),"#.##");
setPieFeelerTextDisplay(1);
setPieLabelDisplay(0);
setTextFormatPreset(getPieSliceLabel(),1);
setRiserBorderMode(1);
setSeriesDefaultTransparentBorderColor(true);
setUseSeriesBorderDefaults(true);
setLegendDisplay(true);
setFontSizeAbsolute(getY1Title(),true);
setFontSizeAbsolute(getY1Label(),true);
setFontSizeAbsolute(getY2Title(),true);
setFontSizeAbsolute(getY2Label(),true);
setFontSizeAbsolute(getO1Title(),true);
setPlace(true);
ENDSTYLE
ON GRAPH SET STYLE *
     PAGESIZE='Letter',
     LEFTMARGIN=0.250000,
     RIGHTMARGIN=0.250000,
     TOPMARGIN=0.250000,
     BOTTOMMARGIN=0.250000,
     SQUEEZE=ON,
     ORIENTATION=PORTRAIT,
$
TYPE=REPORT,
     GRID=OFF,
     FONT='TIMES NEW ROMAN',
     SIZE=10,
     BACKCOLOR='NONE',
     STYLE=NORMAL,
$
TYPE=HEADING,
     LINE=1,
     JUSTIFY=CENTER,
$
TYPE=HEADING,
     LINE=1,
     OBJECT=TEXT,
     ITEM=1,
     FONT='ARIAL',
     SIZE=12,
     COLOR='FUCHSIA',
     STYLE=BOLD,
$
ENDSTYLE
END
  

I don't know what to tell you.

Can you run a graph from the browser or Dev Studio?

GinnyJakes,
I took the code you pasted and dropped it into my edaserve environment after changing to our server name.

It came across with a Pink heading.. "Car sales report" but a blank picture in email from reportcaster. It ran just fine as a pie graph when I ran it in developer studio.

What could this mean?

Jason,

Does it run from Dev. Studio or a browser?

Also, please have your admin (if that is not you) check the install guide for your release and make sure that the configuration for Report Caster is correct. I really think you have some configuration error.

I run on Unix and setting up graphics is a challenge as we have to have an X-Windows server. On your platform, I wouldn't expect a problem.

On the RC Server Configuration screen (if you are an admin), make sure that GraphServUrl is set.

I'm sorry I can't be more help. If none of this works, I suggest that you open a case with IBI. This should be working for you.