Genesis Home Page, Navigation to File or Website
Hello everyone! Not sure if this is the right forum or not, but I am creating a very simple home page using the Genesis Home Page. Creating buttons to go to Dashboards or Workflows was not an issue, but I cannot figure out how to get the buttons to work to navigate to a document or website. Below is how I was attempting to do it. If anyone has any advice on what I am missing, it would be greatly appreciated, thank you.
Unable to reference the SingleJournalDetail_ONC in the Guided Report?
We used to be able to reference and retrieve the RPTA Audit Reports from the Guided Reporting Solution. After we upgraded the RPTA to Navigation Center, we are unable to retrieve the Single Journal Detail Report from the Guided Reporting or our custom homepage dashboard. See the prompt box displayed in the Guided Reporting when retrieving the Single Journal detail report:
Modifying SQL Editor component in Dynamic Dashboards not working
Hi there, I'm working on a client using the version 8.5.2 and I'm trying to use the Dynamic Dashboards functionallity to modify a property from a SQL Editor Component. The purpose of this logic is to set a dashboard in "ReadOnly" mode when the parameter is set, and in this case, the read only mode I want to achieve is by setting "ShowDataManipulationButtons = False". The BR logic used is the following: If Component.DashboardComponentType = DashboardComponentType.SqlTableEditor Then Dim sqlDefinition = XFSqlTableEditorDefinition.ReadXmlString(si,Component.XmlData) sqlDefinition.ShowDataManipulationButtons = False Component.XmlData = sqlDefinition.WriteXmlString(si) End If I have checked that after this point the component XmlData has changed, however, despite returning the modified component, the changes as not being displayed in the dashboard. If instead of modifying an SqlEditor component, I change any property on a Button component, the changes are being displayed correctly. Is this a known issue for the version 8.5.2 or is there any specific thing I might be missing for the SqlEditor component? PD: I know I can achieve creating a copy of the component, but it doesn't makes sense to do something twice (or ten times) when there is a way to solve it dynamically once for all. Thank you in advance!Issue in Web Content and File Viewer component to directly open a HTML file in a browser
Dear community, I currently have an html document which is located in the file Explorer under "Documents/Public" folder. I am trying to get this HTML document to be presented into the components, embedded in a dashboard. However, with either a Web Content component or a File Viewer component (which will pinpoint to this specific file in Application Database File, as soon as I open the dashboard, it will load the html page into my default browser... I am using OS v8.1 ... is it a known bug or the expected behaviour ? What is even more strange, directing the Full File Name to a URL will correctly open a document in a dashboard ... Regards,
Floor's Lava—Time to Branch Out: Building Your Tree
Welcome to the blog! In today's post, we're diving deep into the world of hierarchical data visualization—Mission Tree-Ting style. If you’ve ever needed to see your organization’s structure at a glance or wanted a smart, efficient way to visualize complex relationships like employee-manager hierarchies, you're in the right place. Objective: We’ll show you how to build a robust tree structure using VB.NET that transforms raw data into an intuitive, expandable TreeView. By leveraging a custom DataAdapter and binding it to a dashboard component, you'll learn to effortlessly bring your data to life—no messy code left behind! Use Case: Imagine managing an organizational chart where each node represents an employee and their reporting relationships. Whether you're in HR, IT, or any department that thrives on clear, visual insights, this solution provides a reusable method to: Parse and filter your data via dynamic SQL queries. Construct a hierarchical tree with unique nodes and child collections. Seamlessly embed this TreeView into your OneStream dashboard, allowing for interactive exploration of your organizational structure. So, grab your coding toolkit and get ready to transform your data into a dynamic tree that not only meets everyday business needs but also adds a touch of Mission Impossible flair to your projects. Let's get started on turning the impossible into possible—tree style! Although this example demonstrates a use case from People Planning, the same approach can be applied to any dataset with a Parent/Child hierarchy — such as product hierarchies, organizational structures, Capital Planning or cost centers. Note: The method described in this blog is one of many possible ways to visualize and manage hierarchical data in OneStream. Depending on your business requirements, alternate implementations may better suit your needs. Please refer below Blogs related to the Tree View Introduction To Tree Views | OneStream Community How to build a Multi-Select TreeView | OneStream Community Overview What is Tree View? The TreeView is primarily used for intuitive navigation and visualization of hierarchical relationships. It helps users quickly identify structural paths and validate lineage, making it useful for both data review and administrative control. Generating Tree View Our function, GetTreeViewEmpMgr, performs the following steps: Constructs an SQL Query: The query selects employee data along with manager names. A NULL value for the manager indicates that the employee is at the top level (a root node). Executes the Query and Retrieves a DataTable: Using a database connection, the function executes the SQL query and stores the result in a DataTable named "Employee". Builds the Tree Structure: The function uses custom classes—XFTreeItem and XFTreeItemCollection—along with a dictionary called nodesByName to construct the tree: XFTreeItem represents each node in the tree. It holds properties such as the display text (HeaderText), state information (bold, selected, expanded), visual properties (colors and images), and a list of child nodes. XFTreeItemCollection is a container for the tree’s nodes (typically the root nodes) and provides methods for creating a DataSet from the entire tree. The nodesByName dictionary is used to quickly look up and manage nodes by their unique identifier (in this case, by name), ensuring that each node is only created once and can easily have children added later. Returns the Tree as a DataSet: Finally, the tree is converted into a DataSet using treeItems.CreateDataSet(si) and returned for UI rendering. Constructs an SQL Query The data is retrieved from the XFW_PLP_Register (People Planning Register) based on the current Workflow Profile, Time, and Scenario — all passed as parameters to ensure contextual relevance. Select CASE WHEN M.RegisterID = E.RegisterID THEN NULL Else Concat(M.FirstName,' ',M.LastName) End as 'Parent' , Concat(E.FirstName,' ',E.LastName) as 'Child' FROM XFW_PLP_Register E LEFT JOIN XFW_PLP_Register M ON E.Code11 = M.RegisterID Where E.Status <> 'NewHire' And E.WFScenarioName = '" & WFScenarioName & "' And E.WFTimeName = '" & WFTimeName & "' And E.WFProfileName = '" & WFProfileName & "' And (M.WFScenarioName = '" & WFScenarioName & "' And M.WFTimeName = '" & WFTimeName & "' And M.WFProfileName = '" & WFProfileName & "' OR M.RegisterID IS NULL) For each employee, we extract the First Name and Last Name, along with their manager’s corresponding First Name and Last Name. In this configuration, the manager's Employee ID is stored in the Code11 field. By performing a self-join on the XFW_PLP_Register table using this reference, we can resolve and display the appropriate manager name for every employee. Emphasis on Key Components XFTreeItem The XFTreeItem class is the building block of our tree structure. Each XFTreeItem represents a node that can have: HeaderText: The display text for the node. Visual Properties: Such as text color, images (using properties like imageSource and imageName), and formatting (bold, enabled, selected, expanded). Children Collection: A list that holds any child nodes, making the node hierarchical. Additional Data: You can attach other metadata as needed, making XFTreeItem flexible for various applications. ' Common visual properties. Dim textColour As String = XFColors.Black.Name Dim imageSource As String = XFImageFileSourceType.ClientImage Dim imageName As String = XFClientImageTypes.StatusGrayBall.Name Dim isBold As Boolean = False Dim isEnabled As Boolean = True Dim isSelected As Boolean = False Dim isExpanded As Boolean = False In our code, we create new XFTreeItem objects for every child and parent as needed, ensuring that each node correctly reflects its employee or manager data. Initializing the node with default properties ' Create a node for the child. Dim childNode As New XFTreeItem(childName, childName, textColour, isBold, isEnabled, isSelected, isExpanded, imageSource, imageName, childName, Nothing) updating the parent node properties ' Create a new parent node if it doesn't exist. parentNode = New XFTreeItem(parentName, parentName, textColour, isBold, isEnabled, isSelected, True, imageSource, imageName, parentName, Nothing) 'Updating the properties of parent node If parentNode.Children Is Nothing Then parentNode.IsBold = True parentNode.IsExpanded =True parentNode.Children = New List(Of XFTreeItem) End If parentNode.HeaderText = parentName+ " ("+(parentNode.Children.Count+1).ToString+")" 'Adding the child node to the parent's children collection parentNode.Children.Add(childNode) XFTreeItemCollection The XFTreeItemCollection class serves as the container for the entire tree. It typically holds the collection of root nodes and offers helper functions to manipulate or output the tree. In our function, after building the tree, we call: Return treeItems.CreateDataSet(si) This method converts the tree structure into a DataSet, making it easier to bind to UI controls like a TreeView. By using a dedicated collection class, we encapsulate all tree-related functionality, keeping the code modular and maintainable. Item Table holds the detailed data for each node. Relationship Table captures how these nodes relate to each other (i.e., which node is the parent of which). Note: These are random names not any Org data nodesByName Dictionary The nodesByName dictionary is a crucial element in building the tree. Its main purposes are: Ensuring Uniqueness: It prevents duplicate creation of nodes by keeping track of every node by its unique name (or identifier). Facilitating Lookup: When processing a new row, the dictionary is quickly checked to see if a node already exists for the given parent or child. This way, if a parent node is referenced later, it is easily found and updated. Simplifying Tree Building: By centralizing node management, it simplifies the process of attaching children to the correct parent nodes. ' If there is a parent, check if the parent node already exists. Dim parentNode As XFTreeItem = Nothing If nodesByName.ContainsKey(parentName) Then parentNode = nodesByName(parentName) BRApi.ErrorLog.LogMessage(si,"Parent is there: "+parentNode.HeaderText) Else ' Parent does not exist yet; create it as a root node. parentNode = New XFTreeItem(parentName, parentName, textColour, isBold, isEnabled, isSelected, True, imageSource, imageName, parentName,Nothing) treeItems.TreeItems.Add(parentNode) nodesByName(parentName) = parentNode End If This approach avoids the overhead of scanning a list for a matching node each time and guarantees that each node appears only once in the tree. The Complete Code Below is the complete VB.NET code for the GetTreeViewEmpMgr function with detailed comments explaining the use of XFTreeItem, XFTreeItemCollection, and nodesByName. Public Function GetTreeViewEmpMgr(ByVal si As SessionInfo, ByVal args As DashboardDataSetArgs) As DataSet Try Dim sql As New Text.StringBuilder() Dim WFProfileName As String = args.NameValuePairs.XFGetValue("WFProfileName") Dim WFScenarioName As String = args.NameValuePairs.XFGetValue("WFScenarioName") Dim WFTimeName As String = args.NameValuePairs.XFGetValue("WFTimeName") sql.append("Select") sql.Append(" CASE WHEN M.RegisterID = E.RegisterID THEN NULL ") sql.append(" Else Concat(M.FirstName,' ',M.LastName) End as 'Parent'") sql.append(", Concat(E.FirstName,' ',E.LastName) as 'Child'") sql.append(" FROM XFW_PLP_Register E ") sql.append("LEFT JOIN XFW_PLP_Register M ON E.Code11 = M.RegisterID ") sql.append("Where ") sql.Append("E.Status <> 'NewHire' And") sql.append(" E.WFScenarioName = '" & WFScenarioName & "' And E.WFTimeName = '" & WFTimeName & "' And E.WFProfileName = '" & WFProfileName & "' And ") sql.append(" (M.WFScenarioName = '" & WFScenarioName & "' And M.WFTimeName = '" & WFTimeName & "' And M.WFProfileName = '" & WFProfileName & "' OR M.RegisterID IS NULL)") BRApi.ErrorLog.LogMessage(si,sql.ToString) Dim dt As DataTable 'Execute the query Using dbConnApp As DbConnInfo = BRApi.Database.CreateApplicationDbConnInfo(si) dt = BRApi.Database.ExecuteSql(dbConnApp, sql.ToString(), False) dt.TableName = "Employee" End Using ' Create the main tree collection. Dim treeItems As New XFTreeItemCollection ' Dictionary to keep track of nodes by name. Dim nodesByName As New Dictionary(Of String, XFTreeItem)() ' Common visual properties. Dim textColour As String = XFColors.Black.Name Dim imageSource As String = XFImageFileSourceType.ClientImage Dim imageName As String = XFClientImageTypes.StatusGrayBall.Name Dim isBold As Boolean = False Dim isEnabled As Boolean = True Dim isSelected As Boolean = False Dim isExpanded As Boolean = False #Region "Buid Tree" ' Process each row from the DataTable. Dim i As Integer = 0 For Each row As DataRow In dt.Rows Dim parentName As String = "" If Not IsDBNull(row("Parent")) Then parentName = row("Parent").ToString().Trim() End If Dim childName As String = row("Child").ToString().Trim() ' Create a node for the child. Dim childNode As New XFTreeItem(childName, childName, textColour, isBold, isEnabled, isSelected, isExpanded, imageSource, imageName, childName, Nothing) BRApi.ErrorLog.LogMessage(si,"Adding to Child Node: "+childNode.HeaderText) If String.IsNullOrEmpty(parentName) Then ' If there is no parent, then this is a root node. treeItems.TreeItems.Add(childNode) nodesByName(childName) = childNode Else ' If there is a parent, check if the parent node already exists. Dim parentNode As XFTreeItem = Nothing If nodesByName.ContainsKey(parentName) Then parentNode = nodesByName(parentName) Else ' Parent does not exist yet; create it as a root node. parentNode = New XFTreeItem(parentName, parentName, textColour, isBold, isEnabled, isSelected, True, imageSource, imageName, parentName,Nothing) treeItems.TreeItems.Add(parentNode) nodesByName(parentName) = parentNode End If ' Add the child node to the parent's children collection. If parentNode.Children Is Nothing Then parentNode.IsBold = True parentNode.IsExpanded =True parentNode.Children = New List(Of XFTreeItem) End If parentNode.HeaderText = parentName+ " ("+(parentNode.Children.Count+1).ToString+")" parentNode.Children.Add(childNode) ' Also add the child node to the dictionary. If Not nodesByName.ContainsKey(childName) Then nodesByName.Add(childName, childNode) End If End If Next #End Region Return treeItems.CreateDataSet(si) Catch ex As Exception Throw ErrorHandler.LogWrite(si, New XFException(si, ex)) End Try End Function How to Call the Employee-Manager Tree Code via DataAdapter The code in the GetTreeViewEmpMgr function is designed to be invoked from the DataAdapter layer using a parameterized string. This allows you to easily pass in filtering values and trigger the building of the hierarchical tree structure based on the specified employee-manager relationships. {TreeView}{EmpMgr}{WFProfileName= [PLP_US.PeoplePlanning],WFScenarioName=|WFScenario|,WFTimeName=|WFTime|} Attach the DataAdapter to the TreeView and Embed it into the Dashboard: Attach and Bind: Create a TreeView component in your application and bind the DataSet produced by the GetTreeViewEmpMgr function directly to this TreeView. This binding ensures that the hierarchical data is rendered correctly in the TreeView control Embed into the Dashboard: Once the TreeView is populated, embed it into your dashboard. This integration allows end-users to interact with and explore the employee-manager hierarchy in a visually intuitive manner. Together, these steps transform raw data into a dynamic, interactive component that sits proudly on your dashboard—just like a successful mission from Mission Impossible. Your organizational structure is now displayed in a neat, expandable tree format, and your mission is accomplished! For Complete Code and Detailed Setup Instructions, Please Refer to the GitHub Repository: https://github.com/Sudha8990AI/TreeView
MergeAndCenterColumnHeaders in Cube Views
Hi, Anyone on Version 8 who's actually tried to use this 'enhancement' feature in Cube Views? We requested this on Ideastream a long time ago with a lot of support. I can see this command is now available in the header format dialog; however, it would appear that the only thing it does is change the header from left justified to center view. There does not seem to be a way to actually 'merge' column headers, despite the fact that it's called "MergeAndCenter". Even the system documentation appears to confirm this behavior. Someone please tell me I'm missing something here and it actually is possible to merge column headers, because we really really wanted this feature. Thanks
Environment Application Count Dashboard
Our users are wanting to know how many applications are in each environment, then show the applications under each environment by clicking on the environment, plus the ability to enter a comment next to the application. Similar to the Cloud Admin Tool, Applications on top, user would click the environment, the grid would then show the applications. A text field next to the application name where they could input a comment. Any thoughts on how this could be done? Appreciate it in advance!Mastering Dashboard Load Events, Component Actions and Advanced Parameter Handling
For those of us creating Dashboard solutions in OneStream, there are a couple of Services for us to master, that provide us with total control over how Dashboards load, Component actions, refreshes and Parameter Handling, this blog is going to touch upon two of these, namely the Dashboard Service and Component Service, in the Service Factory. Dashboard Service Type Component Service Type The History: A quick history lesson on what we are covering here, before Workspace Assemblies, this functionality already existed (and still does), in a Dashboard Extender Business Rule. Business Rule Types 1) Load Dashboard Function Type 2) Component Selection Changed Function Type We would call each function type using syntax like this this e.g. {YourBusinessRuleName}{YourMethodName}{} The key difference in that the On Load event is called specifically from a Dashboard itself (usually this will be the Top-Level Dashboard). Whilst the Component Selection Changed events are called directly from the Dashboard Component e.g. We can still utilise functionality this way, but this blog will focus on execution via the Dashboard and Component Services, in the Service Factory, of a Workspace. We will also focus on DashboardExtenderArgs, the XFLoadDashboardTaskResult and the XFSelectionChangedTaskResult objects in this blog and convey how powerful they can be for Dashboard Developers. Note: This blog will use C# examples, but you will see the syntax is nearly identical to the VB.Net equivalent. Dashboard Extender Args: Before we jump into the example, I want to talk a little bit about DashboardExtenderArgs, in the context of both Services. One of the things that is most graceful about the Dashboard and Component Services is DashboardExtenderArgs. In the context of these two services, we can use DashboardExtenderArgs in a couple of different ways, in addition to simply using the values passed in directly to our method(s) using args.NameValuePairs, which is a Dictionary<string, string>. In the Dashboard Service, we can retrieve a different Dictionary<string, string> of all the KeyValuePairs from the prior run e.g. the last time the Dashboard was run using args.LoadDashboardTaskInfo.CustomSubstVarsFromPriorRun. We can then use these to set Default values for initial Dashboard invocation (more to come on this later in the Dashboard Service section). Whereas in the Component Service, we can retrieve yet another Dictionary<string, string> of all the KeyValuePairs associated with your dashboard parameters already resolved by using args.SelectionChangedTaskInfo.CustomSubstVarsWithUserSelectedValues. What this means effectively is you no longer need to pass in NameValuePairs when calling a Dashboard Extender rule, in the same way that we do with a Data Set or XFBR rule, for example e.g. {WS}{YourMethodName}{Key1=[|!prm_YourParam1!|], Key2=[|!prm_YourParam2!|]} As you can see below, from our perspective both are dictionaries of KeyValuePairs related to Dashboard Parameters; but the Key we use with this dictionary (to lookup the Value) is the actual parameter name and all resolved parameters appear in this dictionary. That’s the main difference and the reason it is so useful. {WS}{YourMethodName}{} The Dashboard Service: In terms of setup and execution, the Dashboard Service is simple. We use it to set default Parameter values when a Dashboard loads for the first time. This is important if we want to set default values or we are using nested parameters, for example where we have dependencies that must be resolved at initial run time. We typically set this on the Top-Level dashboard, because we only expect it to fire the first time a Dashboard is run (see IF statement below). It is not generally a good idea to set this on an embedded dashboard (not Top Level), so that we do not lose control over Parameter actions. To call the Dashboard Service we need to set Load Dashboard Server Task to Execute Dashboard Extender Business Rule (Once). - ChangeCustomSubstVarsInDashboard We can then use the XFLoadDashboardTaskResult object to ChangeCustomSubstVarsInDashboard e.g. set to True and then set our default NameValuePairs in the ModifiedCustomSubstVars Dictionary. This is a way to ensure Parameters have values that we can control when a Dashboard is run, for the first time. We will see this approach again, later in this blog in the Component Service. The Component Service: As you can see, the Dashboard service is simple, but effective, but the real fun starts when we start to look at what we can do after the initial run using the Component Service. This is the Service that enables us to have full control over what happens within a set of Dashboards, after they have been run for the first time e.g. catching the result from a Dashboard Component Parameter e.g. a Combo Box, to impact the result of another Dashboard Component e.g. a Cube View, etc. So, let’s start by looking at a Dashboard Component itself to understand how we can interact with the Component Service. On every Dashboard Component object there is a configurable Action section e.g. see next image. We can configure all of this with a no-code approach… But if we want to guard against certain conditions, we can extend this functionality by using the Component Service. This is important because we can perform the same functionality from the Component Service for the User Interface Actions and the Navigation Actions. Please note, we cannot replicate Save, POV and Server Task Actions using the Component Service XFSelectionChangedTaskResult object. Now let’s move onto the most powerful of all the objects in the blog, the humble XFSelectionChangedTaskResult object, in terms of what it does and how it can be used for targeted and refined Dashboard / Parameter actions. XFSelectionChangedTaskResult: The XFSelectionChangedTaskResult object is the object returned from this service to the dashboard interface. Please observe most controls are set to False by default. Next, we will deconstruct each of these properties. You’ll notice they come in pairs with a Boolean switch for each and they can be used together and interchangeably. It should also be noted that generally we always set the IsOk property to true when returning this object. To call the Component Service we need to set Selection Changed Server Task to Execute Dashboard Extender Business Rule (General Server). - ShowMessageBox The first properties we will cover here are exclusive to the Component Service and not available directly via a Dashboard Component. This is to return a message to the dashboard; once the task is complete or to return a validation message, etc. We would then set the ShowMessageBox control property to true and pass a string to the Message property e.g. Hello World. The result would look something like this example, where a dialog is returned to the UI with the message displayed - ChangeSelectionChangedUIActionInDashboard Next, probably one of the most powerful attributes of the XFSelectionChangedTaskResult object is the ChangeSelectionChangedUIActionInDashboard properties. This replicates the User Interface Actions we can configure on a Dashboard Component But we can use it here in the Component Service to override what the Component does based on a condition, for example. Let’s say that we want to test that one of the variables passed in as actually populated and if not, we do nothing. So, this ability gives us total control over Dashboard and Parameter actions, once we are in the Component service. That said, it is important to still use the Dashboard Component itself for the original actions to make the solution transparent and readable. Just because we can perform most functions at the code level; doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the best approach from a design and maintenance perspective, for example. Remember to Keep It Simple. - ChangeSelectionChangedNavigationInDashboard Next, we have the Navigation Actions. Here, again we can replicate the same actions inside the Component Service as we can on the Dashboard Component itself. Again, here we have options to guard Navigation Actions, if for example a Parameter Value that is required, has not been resolved by the Dashboard UI itself; we can set the XFSelectionChangedNavigationType to return NoAction, like we did in the example above. The next two attributes we cover are broadly similar and both are related to Parameter Dictionaries, but each has a different use case and are usually accompanied by a Dashboard Action such as a Refresh. Input Value Parameters Over Literal Value Parameters: Parameter examples shown here are largely for Input Parameters e.g. Parameters that use Parameter Type Input Value. These are generally favoured (instead of Literal Value Parameters) because they observe the User’s Session; as opposed to Literal Value Parameters, where the value persists for all users and are therefore not particularly safe to use when we expect > 1 user to interact with our Dashboard and Get / Set Parameter Values. - ChangeCustomSubstVarsInDashboard Typically, the reason why we use the ChangeCustomSubstVarsInDashboard approach is to ensure a parameter and its value reach the target Dashboard being refreshed by this Component Action. So, they provide the ability to manipulate the values assigned to a Dashboard (like example below) or reinforce a targeted set of Parameter passes from a source Component Action to a target refreshed Dashboard (which is sort of the name of the game when it comes to robust Dashboard Development in OneStream). As you can see ModifiedCustomSubstVars is simply a Dictionary<string, string>, where the Key is the full Parameter Name and the Value is the value assigned to that Parameter. Together they form the KeyValuePairs that the Dashboard consumes. - ChangeCustomSubstVarsForLaunchedDashboard The key difference with ChangeCustomSubstVarsForLaunchedDashboard is that here, specifically we are passing a Dictionary<string, string> directly to the Dialog Dashboard that is being opened. This is important because the Dialog usually sits outside the Main Dashboard, often in a separate group and has no concept of these Parameters. An example of how we would set this up via the Dashboard Component is below… … and by calling the Component Service we can pass KeyValuePairs directly to the Dialog. Here we can stipulate this on a parameter-by-parameter basis e.g. like above, but where we set default parameter values or we can simply pass all the resolved parameters to the Dialog using a simple trick like below. Tailor Your Approach: Now that we have deconstructed what each element of the XFSelectionChangedTaskResult object does, how to use it and which Parameter Types work best for this approach. Let’s now look at blending some of these techniques together in a real-life use case. For the purposes of this blog, I have created some very simple components and two parameters to demonstrate how to pass parameter values around correctly through these Actions (a common use case). This is the Workspace and everything underneath used for this demonstration… Blog Workspace example We are using the Dashboard Service, the Component Service and the Service Factory, in our Assembly. In main Dashboard a_A_Blog, we have set the On Load function. We also have some components e.g. We have a Text Box for Inputs... That uses a single Input Value Parameter e.g. prm_YourParamName1. We also have an Open Dialog button (see below), please observe User Interface Actions below. The other important thing to observe here is we set the Dashboard we want to Refresh after the Dialog action here e.g. at the point of Opening the Dialog, instead of attempting this using the Component that closes the Dialog. In the Dialog that we open e.g. a_dlg_A_Blog, we have another Text Box This one uses a different Input Value parameter e.g. prm_YourParam2 And we also have an Execute Save Button. This sits inside the Dialog and will close the Dialog, once complete. Please also observe that for both Component Service calls, we are not passing in any NameValuePairs to either method, since we can get these from DashboardExtenderArgs, as demonstrated earlier in this blog. Now, that we have gone through the Dashboard setup, and before we look at the Code; let us review the simple Dashboard UI. Now let’s look at the code. For the Open Dialog button. We can see that we can get all the Parameters we need from DashboardExtenderArgs. We enable ChangeCustomSubstVarsForLaunchedDashboard (since our button is opening a Dialog) and we set the value of the parameter that is being passed to the Dialog. In real life, this is common to set defaults or pass existing values to be used by Dialog dashboards. So, we open the Dialog using the Button and set the value of the parameter in the Text Box in the Dialog (prm_YourParam2) to be null and guard against the first input parameter being empty e.g. we do nothing when this condition occurs. When the Dialog is open, then we can input a new value in the Text box in the Dialog e.g. against prm_YourParam2 and click the Save button. This triggers our OnExecuteSave method, where we take the value assigned to prm_YourParam2 and update the original prm_YourParam1 value with the new value e.g. UpdatedValue. When we close the Dialog, it invokes the refresh that we had set on the Open Dialog Button User Interface Actions and we can see the updated result when the Dialog is closed and the main Dashboard is refreshed. Now that we know how to control Dashboard Actions and handle parameter passes effectively, we can build more sophisticated Dashboard Solutions with targeted refreshes, guarded actions and parameter handling like a professional.
