Accessing Features With the Ribbon

The Content group contains the components or tools that you can use to create an application. These include: Data, Report, Chart, and HTML/Document. The Content group is shown in the following image.

The commands in the Content group are:

Data

Contains the Synonym via Metadata Canvas, Synonym, Manage Adapters, Data Source Password, and Rebuild Data Source commands. These provide you the options you need to create and edit synonyms for existing adapters, configure a new adapter, or add a remote server.

If you click Synonym via Metadata Canvas, the Data Source Definition Wizard opens. Navigate to the location of the data source you want to create or edit and click OK.

If you click Synonym, the Select Server Node dialog box opens. Navigate to the application folder where you want to create your synonym and click OK. After the location of the synonym is determined, the Select Adapter dialog box opens. Select the adapter you want to use and click OK. You will then be able to edit the synonym details.

If you click Manage Adapters, the Select Server Node dialog box opens. Navigate to a valid server location to begin configuring a new adapter or edit the settings of an existing adapter.

If you click Data Source Password, the Password Dialog box opens. You can enter the password for the data source you have selected in your Environments Tree panel.

If you click Rebuild Data Source, the Rebuild dialog box opens. You can rebuild a disorganized file, index a specific field from a file, or check the integrity of a file.

Note: To index a specific field from a file, the field must have FIELDTYPE=I, specified in the Master File. You can do this from the Metadata canvas using the FIELDTYPE property, I-Index check box.

Report

Opens the Report canvas in report mode after you enter a procedure name and select a location for your report from the Report Wizard.

In report mode, you can create and style simple or complex reports, add data to the Report canvas, and style that data creating a graphical representation of the report page. This allows you to view how the report displays at run time.

Using report mode, you can:

• Display and sort data.
• Select records.
• Include totals, subtotals, column calculations, headings, footings, and images.
• Format columns.
• Style fonts, colors, and grids.
• Add drill downs to detailed reports and URLs.
• Save output in many types of formats for display and reuse.
• Create active reports.
• Perform predictive analysis (an RStat license is required).

Chart

Opens the Chart canvas after you enter a procedure name and select a location for your chart from the Chart Wizard.

In chart mode, you can easily transform almost any type of data into effective custom charts. You can create a variety of charts, such as bar charts, line charts, scatter charts, or pie charts, to help users analyze data in a different way. You can include selection criteria by defining parameters for your data. Additionally, you can apply drill-down capabilities and conditional styling to highlight specific data on a chart.

The Chart canvas contains a ribbon of features and options that allow you to add and style the data in your chart. Contextual tabs open within the Chart canvas, rather than on the ribbon.

HTML/Document

Opens the HTML/Document Wizard. You can choose the type of page that you want to create from the following options: HTML Page, Guided Report Page, or Document. Depending on your selection, the corresponding canvas will open.

HTML mode provides the features you need to create HTML pages so that end users can interact with your data. You can build and customize an HTML page in the HTML canvas, using the contextual tabs on the ribbon to add objects to the page. HTML mode is fully integrated with JavaScript and cascading style sheets (CSS).

In the HTML canvas, you can:

• Build an HTML launch page.
• Add push buttons, hyperlinks, and other controls to launch reports in your application.
• Create a launch page for one or more reports that contain parameters.
• Create a complete HTML page by adding multiple reports and charts.
• Create an advanced report layout by including images, frames, and other web objects.
• Modify the location, size, and properties of all objects in your page layout.
• Set background, font, and other page properties.

In the Document canvas, you can coordinate and distribute layouts made up of multiple reports and charts in a single document. You can position reports and charts anywhere on a single page or combine a series of layouts within a single document. When creating compound reports in the Document canvas, PDF, HTML, active reports, PowerPoint, and Excel are available as output formats.

The Utilities group enables you to create a new environment and to access the Command Console, where you can send commands to the server. The Utilities group is shown in the following image.

The commands in the Utilities group are:

Environments

Opens the Environments List dialog box. A environment consists of a web server, a Client, and a Reporting Server. Adding environments allows you to create and manage multiple environments, such as development, test, and production instances. You can set a new development environment, add a new environment, edit an existing environment, or remove an environment.

Command Console

Opens a command tab for editing and enables you to send commands directly to a server from App Studio. For more information on creating, viewing, and editing source syntax, see Creating, Viewing, and Editing Source Syntax in WebFOCUS App Studio.

The Command Console enables you to send commands directly to a server from App Studio. This benefits users who have worked with Information Builders products and are already familiar with the command syntax.

The Command Console sends output to your web browser or App Studio Viewer. Output can include error messages, responses to query commands, and report output. The Command Console can also serve as a troubleshooting and debugging tool.

The following are a set of rules that you should follow when entering commands in the command console.

• The Console is case sensitive. Therefore, you must enter text in the case required for processing. For example, keywords must be entered in uppercase characters.
• The Command Console is not interactive. Therefore, you must enter all required commands in sequence and execute them as an entire process. For example, you must enter all steps required to execute the WebFOCUS REBUILD command. The Console does not prompt you for information.
• You can copy or cut text from the Command Console or an outside window, and paste it in the Command Console.
• You can drag command syntax within the Command Console.

The following groups are available in the Command Console Ribbon tab.

The Modeling Group is only available when RStat is installed. You can deploy an RStat scoring routine or estimate future values based on selected data.

WebFOCUS RStat is a statistical modeling workbench embedded in App Studio. It allows you to perform common statistical and data mining tasks, and develop models that can be deployed as scoring applications on every platform. RStat enables data miners and Business Intelligence developers to collaborate with the same tools used to access, manipulate, or transform data, develop predictive models, and create and deploy scoring applications along with associated reports to any worker within their organization. The Modeling group is shown in the following image.

The commands in the Modeling Group are:

Model Deployment

Opens the Model Deployment dialog box. This functionality enables you to deploy existing, stored routines.

You can deploy an RStat scoring routine in any application directory within your app path on any WebFOCUS server. The process of deployment includes compiling the routine and placing the executable file in a location that can be accessed by a WebFOCUS scoring application.

Predictive Modeling

Opens RStat, a statistical modeling workbench that is embedded in App Studio. When you select the Predictive Modeling command, the RGui window is opened and the R Console and RStat are activated.

You use RStat to derive expected and predicted values from data observations. Decision trees, regression, and the other algorithms are used to generate estimates. For example, you can estimate whether a prospect is a good target for a particular marketing campaign, or you can estimate the expected sales revenues for different stores in order to determine whether store layout and product mix have an impact on sales.

The View Group enables you to control what displays on your screen. For example, you can choose whether to display or hide the Environments Tree or Help Wizard. The View group is shown in the following image.

The commands in the View group are:

Environments Tree

Displays or hides the Environments Tree panel, which displays on the left side of the screen and displays environment information.

Environments Detail

Displays or hides the Environments Detail panel.

File/Folder Properties

Displays or hides the File/Folder Properties panel.

Procedure View

Displays or hides the Procedure View panel.

Context Bar

Displays or hides the Context Bar. The Context Bar displays under the ribbon.

Status Bar

Displays or hides the Status Bar. The Status Bar displays along the bottom of the screen.

Help Wizard

Displays or hides the Help Wizard. By default, the Help Wizard panel opens in the bottom-right corner of the interface. The Help Wizard content dynamically changes, depending on where you are in the interface.

You can view and manipulate all opened windows. The Window group is shown in the following image.

The commands in the Window group are:

New Window

Opens another view of the same document, enabling you to have multiple canvas views of the same document. You can edit in any one of multiple views, each reflecting the changes made to the document. This option is only available when using the Text Editor. This option is not enabled for all other canvas tools.

Windows

Manipulates all opened windows. You can view and manipulate the windows using the Windows dialog box. The Windows dialog box enables you to Activate or Save an open window.