13.1 Actions Overview¶
An action is what happens when a user clicks something in a workbook: open another workbook with the clicked customer, open a web page, jump to another sheet. Actions turn a set of workbooks into an application – a cockpit where every number leads to the details behind it.
Action Types¶
| Type | What it does |
|---|---|
| Open report | Opens another workbook in a new window, optionally with the clicked value and the current filters – see 13.3 Opening Workbooks and Passing Filters |
| Open web page | Opens a web address in the browser, e.g. the customer in your CRM system, using the clicked value |
| Go to page | Switches to another sheet of the same workbook (by number, starting at 1) |
| Refresh | Refreshes the workbook |
| Close report | Closes the workbook |
| Launch application | Starts a program on the user's PC |
| Script | Runs a script (VBScript, JScript or PascalScript) |
| SQL script | Runs SQL on the data warehouse |
Report is the older word for workbook. Launch application, Script and SQL script are for experienced designers – see 13.4 SQL Script and Program Actions.
Where Actions Can Be Added¶
| Where | Runs when the user… |
|---|---|
| Buttons | clicks the button – see 8.7 Buttons |
| Tables – a dimension (row or column headings) or a metric | clicks a heading cell of the dimension, or a number of the metric |
| Charts – the dimension on the X axis | clicks a bar, point or slice |
Texts, pictures, gauges and rose diagrams can't run actions in Datashop.
An element can have several actions; they all run in order, and each can have conditions – see 13.2 Adding Actions.
Using Actions in a Workbook¶
In normal view:
- Click to run the action. The mouse pointer turns into a hand over cells and charts that have an action.
- Double-click still drills down or through, as usual – see 6.2 Drilling Down and Drilling Through.
- Clicking the metric titles of a table sorts it; totals don't run actions.
Actions don't run in design mode – there a click selects the element.
Tips – Actions Overview¶
- Make clickable elements recognizable, e.g. with a button, a hint or a color – the hand pointer is the only built-in sign.
- Name target workbooks clearly: the user sees the new workbook's name in its window title.