Possible workaround for Report Builder dropdown with contexts in Windchill

[MWFemboy]

Version: Windchill 13.0

Use Case: User wants to create a report using report builder, that allows to specify container, but by using dropdown, not by typing manually the container name. This behaviour is documented in case CS256206 and it seems nothing was done to provide the solution for that, so asking if anyone found workaround.

Description:

User wants to create a report using report builder, that allows to specify container, but by using dropdown, not by typing manually the container name. This behaviour is documented in case CS256206 and it seems nothing was done to provide the solution for that, so asking if anyone found workaround.

If report builder is not capable of doing something like this, then is there a way to prepare JSP input page that will have some kind of container picker and pass the information to actual query builder logic? I've seen some custom-input pages but they are really odd and difficult to understand.

[avillanueva]

I think this is different than say drop down lists for LC states since those are cached as a resource in memory.  I do not think that this is possible with standard QML interface. There was a way in older systems to pass the current context as a parameter to the report such that if the report was executed from the current context, the current context was a filter on the output. 

Exposed reports do allow for an input page: https://support.ptc.com/help/windchill/r13.0.2.0/en/#page/Windchill_Help_Center/reportmgmt/ReportMgmtReportEdit.html

I think its possible (not sure off top of my head) to supply a custom JSP page as input. That page would render the drop down list for contexts that the user can select and pass the value as a parameter to a report. 

https://www.ptc.com/en/support/article/CS356991?source=search

[MWFemboy]

Well, I've seen that sample input page, but it looks so 2003 that I don't think I can show that to the customer.

What I was looking for was something more like this Plan Status Report from the Planning folder in Reports page.

It also points to some custom JSP which even has picker for context, but to me it looks like one of these reports driven by awful Info-Engine tasks that I really don't want to do.

[LewisLawrence]

It is possible to use Macros to default values into the query builder input screen, but I am not aware of anyway to make that a list that is queried against objects like contexts. It is possible to combine Query Builder reports into Advanced searches though, so the context inputs could come from there.

https://support.ptc.com/help/windchill/cloud/r12.0.2.0/en/index.html#page/Windchill_Help_Center/LclSrchAdvancedSearchExampleReportTemplate.html

[MWFemboy]

Well, this would make sense only if we want to inject container from which user tries to execute the report, but that's not the case. It should really be a way to choose such context via picker or dropdown, so I'm afraid macro is simply not suitable.

[LewisLawrence]

I think you only have two options.

1. Expose your report on the advanced search screen, train users how to use your report in combination with inputs for context/whatever on the advanced search. If you also distribute a suitably configured saved search this can be very effective, the advanced search return screen offers functionality the query builder does not.
2. Add a custom input page to your report.

[MWFemboy]

Yeah, custom input page is an idea, but problem is that the sample custom input page is very HTML-ish. What I would expect is possibility to combine content / input-page from PJLReporting package (see for example input in "Plan Status Report", it has the picker for container) with the Report Template

The reports from PJL, like Plan Status Report, seem to use some different report, like created using Info Engine.

Have you ever seen someone mixing together Report Builder with PJL format of custom input pages?

[MWFemboy]

FYI, I more or less figured out how this can be done with custom input page, I just have to document it and upload it here, so maybe someone will find it interesting.

[Marco_Tosin]

The attributes of an object that can be selected from an enumerated list are presented in reports with the same list.

I don't know what numbers we are talking about with respect to the list of contexts, but a possible workaround is to also manage them as an additional attribute that can be chosen from an enumerated list.