WebFOCUS Online Help > Managed Reporting Administrator > Creating Dashboard Content > Adding a Content Block

Adding a Content Block

In this section:

How to:

From the Add Block window, you can create content blocks that the public or group users see when opening Dashboard.

The following are the types of content blocks you can create:

Note: Some Web sites bring their page to the top of a frameset when launched and take over the browser session. When these sites are opened in a launch or output block, Dashboard content is lost. It is recommended that these types of Web sites not be selected for a launch or output block.

When you add items to a content block, you can use the Domain Search from the Add Block and Edit Block windows. For details, see How to Add Items to a Content Block Using Domain Search.

Across the top of the Add Block window is a drop-down menu for selecting a domain, a Domain Search button, and option buttons to select from Launch, List, Folder, Output, or Tree for the Block Type. At the left side of the window is a tree view of the selected domain. The right side of the window contains the Content List showing selected items with up and down arrows to the right, and Remove and Clear buttons at the bottom.

Below the Content List is a text box for entering the Block Name and a series of check boxes that are available to enable the following functionality:

There are also option buttons to enable Scroll Buttons or Scroll Bars, and Save and Cancel buttons. The following image shows the Add Block window.

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Procedure: How to Add a Content Block
  1. From the Content window, select the content page in which to add content. If you need to add content pages, see How to Create Content Pages.
  2. Click Add Block. The Add Block window opens.
  3. Select the Launch block, List block, Folder block, Output block, or Tree block option button.
  4. Select a domain from the drop-down list. You can also add items to a content block using Domain Search. See How to Add Items to a Content Block Using Domain Search.

    Note: If you are creating an Output block, adding domain items is optional since Output blocks do not require default output.

  5. Click Submit to retrieve the contents of the selected domain.
  6. Expand the domain folders you want to select items from by clicking the plus sign (+) located next to the folder icon.

    Note: Only one report in EXL2K PIVOT format can be active at a time. Therefore, it is not recommended to place output of this format type into a content block. Subsequent attempts to execute a report in this format will fail, since the original report will still be active.

  7. Click the items in the domain folders to populate the Content List.

    If you are creating a List block you can position the items using the arrows next to the Content List.

  8. Accept the default Block name or change the name in the Block name text box.

    Note:

    • If you name your content block before you select content, the block name may be overwritten with the name of the Domain item you select. You can change the name after selecting content.
    • If you create an empty launch, list, or folder block and enter a Block name, when you click Save the name is overwritten with Empty Block. This occurs only with launch, list, and folder blocks. Output blocks retain the name you enter.
  9. Select the Enable Scroll Buttons or Enable Scroll Bar option button.
  10. Click Save when you have finished selecting the content for your block.
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Procedure: How to Add Items to a Content Block Using Domain Search
  1. From the Add Block or Edit Block window, click Domain Search.
  2. Enter the criteria for your search and then click Search.
  3. From the results on the right side of the window, click on an item to add it to your content block. View your content block to see the items you have added.
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Procedure: How to Display a Collapsible Tree in the Folder Blocks of All Views
  1. Open the bid-config.xml file in a text editor. For example: 
    C:\ibi\WebFOCUS76\worp\conf\bid-config.xml
  2. Edit the following variable to change it from: 
    <internal-var name="showFolderBlockAsCollapsibleTree" value="false"/>

    to

    <internal-var name="showFolderBlockAsCollapsibleTree" value="true"/>

Note: After making changes to the bid-config.xml file, use the WebFOCUS Console to clear memory cache, or restart the application. Until this is done, the change is not effective.

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Procedure: How to Display a Collapsible Tree in the Folder Blocks of Specific Views
  1. Log on to the Dashboard View Builder.
  2. Select a view.
  3. Click Edit Settings.
  4. Click the True option to the right of showFolderBlockAsCollapsibleTree in the Settings pane.
  5. Click Save Settings.
  6. Click Close.

For more information about using the Edit Settings functionality in the Dashboard View Builder, see Customizing Dashboard Pages for a Public or Group View.

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Creating a Locked Content Block

You can create a content block for a Public View that cannot be edited or deleted by a user after they create their personal view from the Public View.

In a user's personal view, the Edit option is not available for locked content blocks. In addition, the option to delete or edit locked blocks from the Content window is not available. A Dashboard user cannot remove a page containing a locked block.

The locked block is designated with a lock icon in the View Builder, Personalize content, and Manage Users sections of Dashboard. Users receive an error message if they attempt to remove a content page that contains a locked block.

The Lock Block check box is also available in the Manage Users area of the View Builder.

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Procedure: How to Create a Locked Content Block
  1. From the Public Views or the Manage Users window, select the Public View you want to add content to and click Edit Content.
  2. From the Content window, select the content page in which to add content.
  3. Click Add Block. The Add Block window opens.
  4. Select the block type and contents.
  5. Click the Lock Block check box.
  6. Click Save.
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Adding Report Library Content to a Content Block

Dashboard administrators and authenticated users can place Report Library content in a content block using the View Builder or Personalize option. You can add Report Library content to a launch, list, output, or watch list block. The latest available version of the report always appears in the content block.

A tree of Library reports is available for selection when creating content blocks. The tree consists of the top level domain or category. Below the domain or category is the report. In the case of a bursted report, an intermediate level also appears.

The Report Library has two sets of reports. Dashboard can access both, the domain for Managed Reporting users and the category for non-Managed Reporting users.

Note:

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Removing a Content Block

From the Content window, you can remove a content block. Note that you can remove more than one content block at a time.

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Procedure: How to Remove a Content Block
  1. From the Content window, select the content page where the content block is located.
  2. Click the check box(es) next to the block(s) you want to remove.
  3. Click Remove. An alert window appears to confirm the removal.
  4. Click OK.
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