I need to design a report that will prompt the user to input a Social Security Number. I've been reading about amper variables, and I've tried to create one, but it keeps telling me that it is missing a value for the field. This is what I've written:

TABLE FILE PURGE2
PRINT
SSN AS 'Social Security Number'
YEAR AS 'Year'
PG AS 'Pay Group'
PIN
COMM AS 'Commission'
HIRE_DT AS 'Hire Date'
TERM_DT AS 'Termination Date'
HEADING
"Employment Verification Line - Purge Data File"
WHERE ( SSN EQ '&SSN' );
ON TABLE SET PAGE-NUM OFF
ON TABLE NOTOTAL

I just want it to prompt the user, let him/her type in the SSN and then hit submit, and the report pull up the matching record.

How are you running this? from a launch page that has an input field call SSN, from MRE, from Dev Studio.

Right now I'm running it from Dev Studio, but eventually it will be run from MRE by my users.

If you are running 52x or lower, you have to go to the admin console (http://localhost/ibi_html/wfconsole.htm).
Logon as admin (no password).
Look for IBIF_wfdescribe in the general settings and change it's value to XMLRUN.

That should do the trick.

DHagen, what is the IBIF_wfdescribe the value XMLRUN?

-PROMPT &SSN.Enter your ss number.
This is a gentle way to ask for an & variable, if you're going to publish this fex to your users without a fancy launch page.
Otherwise, on the subject of & vars in general...
when we aren't using PROMPT , we generally set default values for each & var in a fex.
-DEFAULT &SSN = '999-99-9999';
-DEFAULT &MYNAME = 'SMITH';
TABLE FILE ..whatever
the fex runs, displaying a primitive launch page with these &vars, allowing us to change them for this execution of the fex.
Does this help you get a handle on & vars?
If you like the PROMPT, then try this...
-PROMPT &MYVAR.(ENGLAND,FRANCE,ITALY).Where did you go on your summer vacation?.

The setting for IBIF_wfdescribe controls whether autoprompting occurs. When it is set to XMLRUN you automatically get prompted for values for your amper vars.

Great Piipster !!!
How can I do to customaize the ibi form of automatic prompt ?
i.e. what and where is the ibi file (if it exist)?
Thanks very much

Hi I am using WF 7.1.4.
for eg my report contains building, floor, cube and so on..
Even I faced the same problem. but the IBIF_wfdescribe in cgivars.wfs file is already in XMLRUN.Now the error is "Report has been deleted from the server" in the down window and "parameter value required in the right side of the parameter prompt window".
One basic question - > Where we want to create the Procedure and run ? in Data servers – BIWC01 windows server – Applications – CSM – Procedures – buildfloor.fex
or Managed Reporting– Domains – CSM – standard reports – buildfloor.fex.

Solved

..Thanks
Sengott

Hi
I got the Solution of WebFocus Autoprompting Problem through your post.
I just changed the value of parameter IBIF_wfdescribe from XMLRUN to OFF.
Then my reports started generating.Earlier I was unable to generate the reports at my local due to this problem.

Thanks
Mayank Agrawal