Does anyone use a Site Meter for WebFOCUS URL Pages? We need a Site Meter to record hits to the many WebFOCUS URL pages we have created to monitor the use. The URL pages are created within Dev Studio. We are on WF 7.6.0.

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

Geri,
I don't know about a site meter, but what I have implemented at various sites is a kind of recording that logs which user runs what fex at which time. This is easily done by adding the code to run this fex to the default.wfs file in the client directory.
In my system this looks like:
_ibi_fex_start=&_ibi_fex_start\nEX LOGGINGFEX &REMOTE_USER,&IBIF_ex
And this loggingfex records the dtaa in a database for future use.
Does this help in any way?

Gamp,
All I really need is to be able to report on the usage of each report so your description could fill my need. Does it matter where I place this line in the default.wfs file? How would I access the results/stats?

If you look at the default.wfs file (located in webfocus7x\client7x\wfc\etc directory), you'll see the first section dealing with the _ibi_fex_start parameter.
You may add the line anywhere within this section, but I'd advise to put it at the end of the section (just before the ! - - - - line).
In the fex that will be executed you can do whatever you want - store the data in a fix file somewhere on the server's disk, or store it in an sql database, or .....
If you need to create a report for the data, then you'll need a master file to read the data. And with that you're all set up.

Oh, please create/update your signature, so we can help you better (thing may differ between focus version and os).

Gamp, I will add this and give it a try! Since I am interesting in seeing the number of times a given fex is run, this might be just want I need. Thank you for the information.

quote:

logs which user runs what fex at which time

I also want to know how long the report took, so I have an INCLUDE at the beginning of every report that captures the Start Date/Time and an INCLUDE at the end of the report that captures the End Date/Time and records the details of the report in a WebFOCUS DB.

Might want to check out Resource Analyzer. You might already have a license for it.

Thanks for the tip, we are not licensed for Resource Analyzer. That would have been too easy.

That is a very good idea. Thanks!

GamP,
I added the line you suggested and created the master file but do not see how this captures the fex info to match the master data. I created a report to run within Dev Studio but results are blank even after selecting a few URL reports to run. I might have missed something. Any ideas?

logging.mas is below (.acx also created)

$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$ SNAPpack generated on Wed Nov 09 01:01:50 2007
$ x x x
$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
FILENAME=LOGGING, SUFFIX=DBFILE ,
REMARKS='Tracks users that run the URLs', $
SEGMENT=LOGGING, SEGTYPE=S0, $

FIELDNAME=LOGGING_REMOTE_USER, ALIAS=REMUSR, USAGE=A25, ACTUAL=A25,
TITLE='User', DESCRIPTION='User', $

FIELDNAME=LOGGING_FEX, ALIAS=FEX, USAGE=A50, ACTUAL=A50,
TITLE='Report Fex', DESCRIPTION='Report Fex', $

FIELDNAME=LOGGING_DATE, ALIAS=DATE, USAGE=YYMD, ACTUAL=DATE,
TITLE='Date Ran', DESCRIPTION='Date the Report Ran', $

GamP's LOGGINGFEX program writes to the LOGGING table using MODIFY or SQL INSERT statements - this won't just happen on its' own.

It makes sense that the new table does not populate on it's own to record the usage/hits of fex's from self service URLs. I will use the find in this forum and the IBI on-line manuals to try to find out how to use MODIFY or SQL INSERT statements. I have not used these functions before. Recording somewhere the frequency usage of fex's is very important to us.

Does this technique work in 7.68?

1.Edited webfocus76\client\wfc\etc\default.wfs
Placed this line right before the Set Graph Settings section in default.wfs

  
_ibi_fex_start=&_ibi_fex_start\nEX LOG &REMOTE_USER
<! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >
<! Set Graph Settings                >
<! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >

2. Confirmed that REMOTE_USER and IBIF_ex are passed in site.wfs

<SET> IBIF_ex = &IBIF_ex (PASS)
<SET> REMOTE_USER = &REMOTE_USER (PASS)

3. Placed log.fex in the app folder baseapp

-*log.fex
-SET &RM_USER = &REMOTE_USER;
-TYPE REMOTE_USER = &RM_USER

4. Received errors for &REMOTE_USER

(FOC295) A VALUE IS MISSING FOR: &REMOTE_USER

Appears that &REMOTE_USER is not being passed from the calling fex to log.fex.
Also, tried changing default.wfs to

_ibi_fex_start=&_ibi_fex_start\nEX LOG REMOTE_USER=&REMOTE_USER

What am I doing wrong?

Interesting.

I've stuck this in all four default.wfs files I found on my server, as well as site.wfs and edasprof.prf and the fex that I put in baseapp just does not get executed.

I don't know what goes on in default.wfs, but in normal FOCUS behaviour, when you call a fex with EX and pass parms, unless you specify the parm name, the variables passed to the EXucuted fex are &1, &2, &3 etc.

If you try this on localhost webfocus reporting server log.fex does not get executed. As you pointed out.

On a full blown webfocus reporting server log.fex gets executed but is not passed the parameters.

Is my syntax correct?

The file that you need to modify is \ibi\webfocus76\client\wfc\etc\site.wfs

add the following line to call the site profile

Assuming your webserver is configured to pass the http header values

i.e. on IIS basic or IWA authentication. Anonymous must be disabled.

In tomcat stand alone [Dev Studio localhost] you must add the attribute
tomcatAuthentication="false" in the Tomcat server.xml file and restart tomcat).

# for user id without domain
REMOTE_USER = &WF_REMOTE_USER

# for user id with domain
REMOTE_USER = &REMOTE_USER

<SET> REMOTE_USER (PASS)

_site_profile= -INCLUDE LOG

The & variables are already resolved by the <SET> (PASS)

JG,

Could you please explain why, for a WebFOCUS server, do we need to add

quote:

tomcatAuthentication="false"

to the Tomcat configuration?

Thanks very much,

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Francis Mariani,

Searching for that phrase on the Tech Support site gives me an error:

quote:

An error was encountered with your search. The text of the error message is:

File cust_queryhit.idq. Unspecified error

The search string that you used was:

(@all tomcatAuthentication="false")

When I search for "TomcatAuthentication" on Tech Support, this thread is the only result, so, even though TomcatAuthentication is discussed in the WebFOCUS Security and Administration manual, it does not show up in a search.

WebFOCUS Security and Administration, Version 7 Release 6.1 and higher > 7. Configuring Managed Reporting for Trusted or External Authentication > Configuring Trusted Authentication

quote:

Reference: Enabling REMOTE_USER in an IIS/Tomcat Configuration
You can configure IIS to authenticate users (such as with Basic authentication or IWA) and
propagate the authenticated user ID to Tomcat so that it can be used by WebFOCUS. However,
you need to customize the Tomcat server.xml file. Add the attribute
tomcatAuthentication="false" anywhere inside the connector element that defines your
Jakarta AJP13 listener. This is typically the connector element that contains the port="8009"
attribute.

I was not able to get the code to work to record the number of user hits per URL page and gave up. We have WF 7.60

quote:

If you try this on localhost webfocus reporting server log.fex does not get executed. As you pointed out.

On a full blown webfocus reporting server log.fex gets executed

I wonder why this is the case...

quote:

tomcatAuthentication

Francis if you just search for the key word it will get some hits but not very useful.

It is documented in the security manual, briefly as you have found.

By default Tomcat does very basic authentication and does not pass the http headers

Setting tomcatAuthentication="false" in the server.xml allows tomcat to pass the headers such as REMOTE_USER etc.

It is only required when using tomcat as a plugin to IIS.

This was wrong

quote:

In tomcat stand alone [Dev Studio localhost] you must add the attribute
tomcatAuthentication="false" in the Tomcat server.xml file and restart tomcat).

If you want REMOTE_USER and other headers passed in tomcat standalone then you need to implement something like JCIFS

This message has been edited. Last edited by: <JG>,

Thanks for the help JG.
I am currently testing your technique.
Everytime a report is executed no matter if its from self-service, mre, or dashboard I am recording it in a database.
Which is exactly what I want.

While working in Dev Studio it appears that log.fex is called constantly called.
Almost every action that occurs in Dev Studio calls log.fex.
If I click an application folder it is called.
If I click on the master folder within an application folder it is called.
I think log.fex should be called when a report request is being executed.
Not when developing reports or opening folders and domains in Dev Studio.

Is there a way to stop this from happening?
Beacuse Advanced Graph Assistant is now broken due to log.fex.

Here is what I have as log.fex

  
-SET &DASH_NAME = &WORP_MPV;
-SET &FEXNAME = TRIM('L', '&FOCFOCEXEC.EVAL',  &FOCFOCEXEC.LENGTH, '_', 1, &FOCFOCEXEC.LENGTH);

TABLE FILE DASH_COUNTER
PRINT
     COMPUTE APP_FOLDER/A100       = '&IBIAPP_app';
     COMPUTE FEX_EXECUTE/A100      = '&IBIF_ex';
     COMPUTE FEX_NAME/A100         = '&FEXNAME';
     COMPUTE MRE_REPORT_NAME/A250  = '&MR_FULL_FEXNAME';
     COMPUTE MRE_USER/A25          = '&IBIMR_user';
     COMPUTE MRE_FOLDER/A50        = '&IBIMR_folder';
     COMPUTE MRE_DOMAIN/A50        = '&IBIMR_domain';
     COMPUTE USER_WEBFOCUS/A25     = '&WF_REMOTE_USER';
     COMPUTE USER_WINDOWS/A25      = '&REMOTE_USER';
     COMPUTE DASH_NAME/A10         = '&WORP_MPV';
     COMPUTE DASH_TYPE/A25         = IF EDIT('&DASH_NAME','$$$9999999') EQ 'mpv' THEN 'Public View' ELSE
                                     IF EDIT('&DASH_NAME','$$$9999999') EQ 'gpv' THEN 'Group View' ELSE
                                     IF '&DASH_NAME' EQ 'public' THEN 'General Public View' ELSE '&DASH_NAME';
     COMPUTE DASH_TITLE/A100       = IF '&DASH_NAME' EQ 'ac_mpv' THEN 'Dashboard A' ELSE
                                     IF '&DASH_NAME' EQ 'ae_mpv' THEN 'Dashboard B' ELSE '&DASH_NAME';
     COMPUTE RUN_DATE/A8YYMD       = '&YYMD';
     COMPUTE RUN_TIME/A8           = '&TOD';
     COMPUTE COUNTER/I8            = 1;
     APP_FOLDER NOPRINT
WHERE RECORDLIMIT EQ 1
ON TABLE SET HOLDLIST PRINTONLY
ON TABLE HOLD AS DASH_STATS FORMAT ALPHA
END
-RUN
CMD COPY DASH_STATS.FTM D:\ibi\apps\stats\dash_stats.ftm
-RUN

MODIFY FILE DASH_COUNTER
FIXFORM FROM DASH_STATS
MATCH APP_FOLDER RUN_DATE RUN_TIME
ON MATCH REJECT
ON NOMATCH INCLUDE
DATA ON DASH_STATS
END
-RUN

I am recording report runs in the focus database DASH_COUNTER and adding data from the flat file DASH_STATS everytime a report is run.
The app folder stats is in the APP PATH and contains dash_counter.mas and dash_counter.foc.
Is there something wrong with my program that is breaking Advanced Graph Assistant ?

If you do not want to log ANY DevStudio requests then you can add some code to site.wfs
that will conditionally execute the logging.

Something like,

 
HTTP_HEADER_NAME=user-agent
WFS_VAR_NAME=USER_AGENT
<call> CopyHTTPHeaderToWFVar (HTTP_HEADER_NAME,WFS_VAR_NAME)
<if> USER_AGENT NE "WFSCOM"
_site_profile= -INCLUDE LOG 
<endif>

I've been unavailable for a while (out on a holiday), I was not able to react any sooner.
I tested the original technique in 769, and it still works like a charm, only for executing 'real' fexes, not the DS calls, for local as well as remote servers, and no need to change anything in the site.wfs.
Things to do/check:
1. you need web security to get to the &REMOTE_USER variable. If you run tomcat standalone, it will not do authentication and it will not send the REMOTE_USER variable. So you need to go through IIS, set directory security to IWA and add the tomcatAuthentication="false" to the tomcat server.xlm file for port nr 8009(!).
2. you need to modify the default.wfs file: add _ibi_fex_start=&_ibi_fex_start\nEX LOG &REMOTE_USER,&IBIF_ex at the end of the definition of the _ibi_fex_start variable. This concerns the default.wfs in the webfocus7x\client\wfc\etc directory.
3. you need to have your log.fex procedure in the search path of the server. This procedure logs what is happening in a file or database. Example of this procedure:

-DEFAULT &1='NOBODY'
-DEFAULT &2='??'
-SET &TIM=HHMMSS('A8');
FILEDEF USAGE DISK C:\IBI\APPS\USAGE.TXT (APPEND
-RUN
-WRITE USAGE &DMYY, &TI, &1, &2

4. if any change has been made to either to tomcat server.xml file or the default.wfs, be sure to restart tomcat, or the changes will not be activated!
5. lastly you need a master file and a report request to be able to report off the data just written.

Hope this helps to clear up any confusion and get you on your way(s).