Has anyone looked at the ReportCaster API manual lately? Do you find it as cryptic as I do?

I could be completely wrong, but the gist of it is that we now have to compile java programs to be able to do anything with the API. The JSP stuff that I just am now learning about is "functionally stabilized".

The manual gives great detail about every line of code, with intricate examples of how to do one tiny piece of a procedure, but I cannot find anywhere how to do the simplest thing: schedule a fex in ReportCaster, passing the program name, parameters and output format.

Hey Francis,

Download these in PDF for your release:

ReportCaster Development and Administration
ReportCaster End User Manual

These will help...

Tom

Tom, these two manuals are documentation for ReportCaster, unfortunately there's nothing about how to use the API to create a schedule "on the fly".

My BAD!!!

No problems!

F, please explain "on the fly?"

There should also be a set of jsp that came with report caster that give you examples. You can also download my FLEX Interface for Report Caster, it has about 4 or 5 jsp files that you can look at and see how I use them. http://www.freewebs.com/texasstingray

Tex

From what I understand from the documentation, JSP is old technology, "functionally stabilized" - we should be compiling java programs.

As per wiki, on the fly means something created when needed. I am on a html form, I want to either submit the form with the WF servlet to run the program immediately, or submit the program to ReportCaster. The method I do this: I have a checkbox called "Via email". If it's checked, I replace the form action with the JSP file name and submit then form. It works fantastically. EXCEPT, I cannot do this for PDF and EXL2K and, as far as I can tell, this is OLD TECHNOLOGY. We are told in the ReportCaster manual

quote:

As of Version 4 Release 3.5, the ReportCaster API Subroutines are functionally stabilized. Information Builders recommends for Version 5.3 and higher that you use the ReportCaster API to implement all ReportCaster functionality.

This appendix is intended as a reference for users who have already developed applications using ReportCaster API Subroutines in a previous release.

I do not want to use "functionally stabilized" code for something new I'm developing. I also do not want to write java programs to do something this simple.

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

F, that's not quite true. The "bean" technology is functionally stabilized, not the new API. I you grab the documentation for RCAPI for WF 76x, it does not even mention the out dated bean stuff. Just ensure you only use packages that start with "ibi.broker.api", and avoid anything that starts with "ibi.broker.beans".

The API is virtually the same for 7.6 as it is for 5.3.

Unfortunately, there is not one single example with a JSP that shows me how to submit a fex to ReportCaster, passing focexec name, report parameters, output format, email address, email subject line.

This JSP does it, apparently using beans but it can't run a PDF or EXL2K report:

<%-- $Revision: 1.2 $: --%>
<%@ page language="java" import="ibi.broker.beans.*,ibi.broker.beans.handler.*,java.util.*,java.text.*,java.io.*" %>
<jsp:useBean id="schedFact" scope="request" class="ibi.broker.beans.DSTSchedFactory" />
<%

/*
Expected parameters to be passed:
IBIF_focexec = Focexec
EMAILADDRESS = Email address of user making the DSC request
USERNAME     = Name of the user making the DSC request
T_DLRCODE    = Dealer Code
T_REPCODE    = Rep Code
T_NOOFDAYS   = Number of days
T_ALLACCT    = All Accounts Flag
T_ACCOUNT    = Account Number
FORMAT       = Report Format
*/

// Retrieve expected parameters
String IBIF_focexec = request.getParameter("IBIF_focexec");
String USERNAME     = request.getParameter("USERNAME");
String EMAILADDRESS = request.getParameter("EMAILADDRESS");
String EMAILFROM    = request.getParameter("EMAILFROM");
String EMAILSUBJECT = request.getParameter("EMAILSUBJECT");
String JOBDESC      = request.getParameter("JOBDESC");

String T_DLRCODE    = request.getParameter("T_DLRCODE");
String T_REPCODE    = request.getParameter("T_REPCODE");
String T_NOOFDAYS   = request.getParameter("T_NOOFDAYS");
String T_ALLACCT    = request.getParameter("T_ALLACCT");
String T_ACCOUNT    = request.getParameter("T_ACCOUNT");
String FORMAT       = request.getParameter("FORMAT");

Date now = new Date();
SimpleDateFormat formatter = new SimpleDateFormat( "yyyyMMdd" );

DSTAuthenticate auth = new DSTAuthenticate();

auth.setUser("xxxxxxx");
auth.setPass("zzzzzzz");
auth.setAgentProperty("gfnotoeiprod:8200");

String interval = "O";
String startdate = formatter.format(now);
String starttime = "0600";
String[] parNames  = { "T_DLRCODE", "T_REPCODE", "T_NOOFDAYS", "T_ALLACCT", "T_ACCOUNT", "FORMAT" };
String[] parValues = {  T_DLRCODE ,  T_REPCODE ,  T_NOOFDAYS ,  T_ALLACCT ,  T_ACCOUNT ,  FORMAT  };

schedFact.setAuthenticate(auth);

schedFact.setIBIB_casteruser("xxxxxxx");
schedFact.setIBIB_jobdesc(JOBDESC);
schedFact.setIBIB_active("Y");
schedFact.setIBIB_priority("3");

schedFact.setIBIB_interval(interval); //Run Once
schedFact.setIBIB_startdate(startdate);
schedFact.setIBIB_starttime(starttime);
schedFact.setIBIB_listtype(DSTSchedFactory.ADDRESSTYPE_SINGLEADDRESS); //send to one address
schedFact.setIBIB_distlist(EMAILADDRESS); // access list name
schedFact.setIBIB_method(DSTSchedFactory.METHOD_MAIL);
schedFact.setIBIB_mailfrom(EMAILFROM);
schedFact.setIBIB_mailuser(EMAILFROM);
schedFact.setIBIB_mailsubject(EMAILSUBJECT);
schedFact.setIBIB_asvalue("dsc.htm");
schedFact.setIBIB_mulpart("N");

// notification
schedFact.setIBIB_notifyflag(DSTSchedFactory.NOTIFYFLAG_INACTIVE);
schedFact.setIBIB_tasktype(DSTSchedFactory.TASKTYPE_EDA_FOCEXEC);
schedFact.setIBIB_servername("EDASERVE");
schedFact.setIBIB_taskobj(IBIF_focexec); //URL being Schedled
schedFact.setIBIB_execid("qqqqqqq");
schedFact.setIBIB_execpass("rrrrrrr");
schedFact.setIBIB_sendformat(FORMAT);
//schedFact.setIBIB_sendformat(DSTSchedFactory.SENDFORMAT_HTML);

schedFact.setIBIB_paramname(parNames);
schedFact.setIBIB_paramvalue(parValues);

schedFact.setIBIB_servername("EDASERVE");
schedFact.setIBIB_deletejob("Y");

DSTBeanHandler h = schedFact.getCreateScheduleHandler();
h.processRequest();
DSTAPIStatus status = h.getAPIStatus();
int code = status.getErrorCode();
if(code != DSTAPIStatus.NO_ERROR) {
out.println("Code = " + code + "; Message = " + status.getErrorMessage());
return;

}

DSTBeanResult result = h.getBeanResult();
Vector xml = result.getXML();
String sid = null;
String stag = "<IBIB_scheduleid>";
String etag = "</IBIB_scheduleid>";
for(int i = 0; i < xml.size(); i++) {
String temp = (String)xml.elementAt(i);
int index = temp.indexOf(stag);
if(index != -1) {
int end = temp.indexOf(etag);
sid = temp.substring(index + stag.length(), end);
break;
}
}
out.println("Schedule ID = " + sid);

%>
<html>
<head>
<title>DSC Email Request</title>
</head>
<body>
<h3>DSC Email request will be processed shortly</h3>
</body>
</html>

Give me a day or two and I'll toss you an example. I got other priorities at the moment. I might have time this afternoon to start it.

D,

Thanks very much - I don't want you to have to do the work. Why wouldn't the manual have this basic example?

Anyways, I'm off to Paris tomorrow for a week - I won't be thinking about JSP's...

Thanks very much for your help,

See The end of this one. It still is the old API, but will solve your problem without me having to do any work

In the introduction to the ReportCaster API in Pages 22 - Page 24 of the ReportCaster API Developer's Reference for 761 and higher it states that the API enables developers to 'distribute reports using Web applications' and 'enables developers to use JavaServer Pages (JSP) technology'. It's true that all of the sample programs in chapter 13 (with the exception of the 2 credential jsp examples) are stand alone java programs which need to be compiled and run from the command line. What's needed is a sample application demonstrating the use of the API in JSPs. There are in fact some sample pages included in the WebFOCUS76\webapps\rcaster76\samples directory but they are not documented in this manual.

dhagen,

Your suggestion to add

schedFact.setIBIB_mulpart("Y");

works perfectly!

Thanks so much.

For the case I opened, Tech Support said:

"... WebFOCUS 532 has been functionally stabilized and we will not be issuing functionality enhancements for this version. However, EXL2K is not supported under any version of webfocus and ReportCaster. If you upgrade to WebFOCUS 710 or higher, you will be able to submit reports with an output format of PDF..."

"EXL2K is not supported under any version of webfocus and ReportCaster"!!! I will have to inform them of your suggestion.

Regards,


Francis