Clarity

I have an open case with support and they suggested i log my situation here to see if anyone else has done this? I cannot believe that we are the first client to have a URL pre-populate a portlet filter. When
this occurs, and you Export to Excel (on the page) the data is blank. A work around is one i found that either IE gives or Microsot where i can right click on the screen, choose export to excel and when the query gives an error in Excel, you right click the cell it gives, say edit query and you can easily import whatever data you want from your screen. I showed it to support and they thought it was pretty cool.
Anyway, it does not solve our problem. The end result of the portlet is that is is basically two portlets on one page, and we are using the Export to Excel on the page. if you export to excel each portlet individually, then it works (data only). We are v 12.1 Excel 2003 w/ compatibility pack

From the case
We have a url whose link is populated by a process. the link goes to a
portlet page where it PRE-FILTERS the portlets (two of them) to show the
data.
When this occurs, the exprot to excel in the upper right hand corner does not
work.. it exports everything blank
We are IE8-- cannot test on any other browse but occurs for everyone
12.1 Oracle
steps
1. process populates the link of the URL (a custom attribute on a secured
subpage)
2. click on URL
3 portlet page with two porlets displays the record values (the record from
where the url was selected )
4. Select Export to Excel in the upper right and it exports blank


Is there an issue with being able to export when the portlet has its filters
pre=determined by a url?

when we pulled the portlets into a tab manually and changed the Url to have
it prepoplate (Based on an id).. it still exported blank
The developer got it to work once when he hard coded/forced the id rather
than having it pre-populate


If you have ideas, and you think the sql traces , gel script from the processes, etc will help, i can post them. i just wanted to see if anyone has seen this? It fails on Firefox too. Support said export to Excel actually re-executes a query, it is not exporting the data on the screen. They said it is trying to re-execute the query that the URL is passing.

Hi All,

Anyone have any ideas for this one?

Thanks!
Chris

Support has said this is out of scope for clarity design, but I cannot believe that we are the first clients to ever pre-filter a portlet with the url (I think i have seen other posts around here on that).
They told me to keep checking here and to talk to services (which is not an option for us unfortunately)

i'd appreciate any input

thanks
Lynn

I have built several things where a page is pre-populated when you link to it (using "drill-down" functionality) - where we pass parameters in the page URL - and I've not had any problems like you describe.
(but I don't think my use-case is exactly as you describe either). :wacko:

I haven't attempted to pre-filter a portlet how I think you are describing.... are you saying that the portlet has normal filter fields but you can pre-populate them via the URL link...? (I have not seen this sort of thing).

I may well be misunderstanding your situation though - sorry.

Thanks Dave.

This is a screen shot of what we see.

From a subpage on a custom subobject, a process populates the URL attribute. When you click on the URL it displays the attached screen shot (For that record). it is essentially two portlets on one page, but as you can see on the screen shot, the user does not need to input any fitler criteria as it all comes from the url. But, when export to excel from the page is chosen, it exports blank. Support said that it is trying to re-execute the query from the url -- it does not export what you see on the page, and that they cannot offer any ways to improve it (implying it is the query). I have attached the query from the process and a screen shot after clicking on the URL
The screen shot is naturally test data..

I have also attached the queries behind each portlet (Place the order scenario and place the order 2)

I had given support the sql traces and app niku log too

any help would be most appreciated

thanks
Lynn

OK so your portlets have something in the NSQL for them that says;

and some_table.id = @WHERE:PARAM:XML:STRING:/data/id/@value@

???

(thats is the same way "my" drill-down stuff works).

--

What version of 12 are you on; maybe thats a factor - I can certainly export to excel ok in a screen like that ok in my 8.1 instance but since I'm on 8.1 there I don't have the "page export" option available to me (which is the one you seem to have the problem with) (I'd have to experiment a bit to recreate my scenario in a 12.1 system so no quick response from me there I'm afraid).

FWIW I don't think that the gel/process bit is anything to do with it.... but to prove that, capture the URL in that screen shot. Log off Clarity, close IE, go make a cup of coffee, come back the next day (etc) - then open up IE and paste in the URL - does the problem still happen?

Thanks Dave

I think it is the portlet queries , but i am not a developer.. just been assigned to troubleshoot this

If i pull these portlets into a custom tab and open them up to configure and pull in my own filters, no data returns when I select filter. Which leads me to beleive the query in the portlets are causing the issue and yes the example you gave you can see in the portlet queries that i attached (I may have attached it after you wrote your note)

We are on 12.1 (12.1.0.5840 0.2a 001 to be exact) and yes it is the excel export at the page level.

And regarding your thought.. I did not mention that, but yes i have tried pasting that url directly in IE and it still does not work. and it does not work in Mozilla. I think it is the portlet queries, but i gave that to support and they focused on the URL passing the fitlers. And, granted i am not a developer, but when i read the portlet queries, it seems like THAt is setting the filter and the URL is simply giving the user the path to access the portlet. I was advised the URL was pre-filtering it,hence whey my topic is tagged as such.

Again, truly appreciate your help

vtleogal2 wrote:

Thanks Dave

I think it is the portlet queries , but i am not a developer.. just been assigned to troubleshoot

My gut feeling is that the portlet / portlet quieries are OK and it is just a "feature"* of the page level export to excel..... but I can't prove/reproduce that at the moment. :sad

And if it is such a "feature"* then there isn't going to be anything YOU can do about it apart from getting CA support to recognise the "feature"* and issue a technote (and a fix!)

(* - for "feature" - read BUG :ph34r:)

understood
and yes, i love the "features"

But support has stated Export to excel is simply executing the query,, they said it was the URL query, but i don't think that is the case. it should be exporting the portlet queries
and so yes, they should admit to this "Feature" :)

Appreciate it!

In case anyone wanted an update:

CA support has stated that the Export to Excel as they coded it (page level) was not designed to export a page that is "pre-filtered" by a URL: from support:


pre-filtered portlets in page passed via URL) are apparently not finding the underlying query in order to export the data properly. We do support passing URL's within processes and GEL script.
The URL is providing access to the portlet page - but the page in question has already been pre-filtered and is showing results at the time it rendered. According to development, in order for the Export to Excel code to work it has to have access to the underlying query (likely in memory) in order to go and retrieve data properly.

Then states they did not account for this scenario; which to me is a design defect, but nonetheless, we now have to figure out how to meet the requirements to pre fitler a portlet (stacked or multiple due to the different needed elements) and have it exported.

100% agree ; "design fault".

In my world that is a BUG, just a BUG in design rather than a BUG in code. :vader:

Thanks for letting us know though ; this is very useful information since this is going to cause me a problem with some of my screens ; I need to test this properly (for my sake!) and raise another case with support (the more "cases" they have the more likely they are to fix this BUG (I hope!)) :sad

If it works as designed it is carved in stone when Clarity is question.

You could post the ERQ as an idea and see how far that flies.

Martti K.