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Procedure documentationTutorial part 4: Creating a Configuration App with Xcelsius

 

This tutorial is part of a course that explains the creation and registration of apps for the Dashboard Framework. In this fourth part, you extend the app from part 3 with the possibility of displaying different metrics, depending on the configuration.

In this step, you extend the config app from the third part with an additional dropdown list box, in which the user can select the metric to be displayed. You also create an associated connection, with which the information of which metric is to be displayed is passed to the standard app.

Prerequisites

This procedure is part of a comprehensive tutorial on the topic Creating and Registering Dashboard Apps. During this tutorial, you create and register a number of apps and their associated BW queries.

You create this config app in the fourth part of the tutorial.

Note Note

Ensure that you have already performed the previous steps, as described in Tutorial Part 4: Creating a Complex App with a Config App.

End of the note.

Procedure

  1. Load the Xcelsius file ztut3_config from the third part of the tutorial.

  2. The user is to be able to specify the metric to be displayed in this config app. First enter the possible metrics (which you also specified in the BW query) in the Microsoft Excel worksheet in cells B14:B16:

    Costs

    Call Duration

    Number of Calls

  3. The number of the selected metric is to be passed to the standard app through a connection. You therefore need to reserve the corresponding cells in the Microsoft Excel worksheet for this number.

    Therefore make the following entries in cells F15:G15:

    Selected Column Number:

    1

  4. A dropdown list box for the metric to be displayed is to be created on the UI. Therefore, from the Components subscreen, drag the icon Combo Box from the category Selectors next to the other dropdown list boxes in the Xcelsius graphic area.

  5. Adjust the dropdown list box to your requirements. To do this set the following properties:

    • In Start of the navigation path General Next navigation step Title End of the navigation path, enter the title of the dropdown list box as Metric:.

    • In Start of the navigation path General Next navigation step Labels End of the navigation path, enter a link to the cells B14:B16. These are the input options when the dropdown list box is called.

    • In Start of the navigation path General Next navigation step Data Insertion Next navigation step Insertion Type End of the navigation path, select the Position entry. At runtime, Xcelsius inserts the position of the metric selected in the list (that is, for example, 1 for Costs).

    • In Start of the navigation path General Next navigation step Data Insertion Next navigation step Destination End of the navigation path, enter a link to cell G15. Xcelsius therefore writes the number of the selected metric in this cell at runtime.

    • In Start of the navigation path Behavior Next navigation step Selected Item Next navigation step Type End of the navigation path, select the entry Position. For information about the meaning of this entry, choose the information button on the right.

    • In Start of the navigation path Behavior Next navigation step Selected Item Next navigation step Item End of the navigation path, enter a link to cell G15. Xcelsius takes the default value from this cell.

    • In Start of the navigation path Appearance Next navigation step Layout Next navigation step Number of Displayed Labels End of the navigation path, select the entry 3.

  6. Now create the connection that passes the metric to be displayed to the Dashboard Framework (but also takes the last selected value from the Dashboard Framework). To do this, start the Data Manager by choosing Start of the navigation path Data Next navigation step Connections... End of the navigation path, and create the relevant connection on the Definition tab page by choosing the + button. Enter the following data for the connection:

    • In the Range Name field, enter the name SELECTED_METRIC.

      Caution Caution

      Only use upper-case letters, numbers and the underscore character ('_') for the names of connections.

      End of the caution.

    • In the Range Type dropdown list box, choose the Row/Column entry.

    • In the Range field, specify the cells in which the query output is to be written; in this tutorial, this is G14:G15. Note that you also need to select the empty first cell, since it is required by the Dashboard Framework.

    • In the Access dropdown list box, choose the Read/Write entry (for the reason, see above).

    Close the Data Manager.

    Note Note

    Note that the selected column number is directly passed to the standard app; the selection does not influence the BW query through filters or other parameters (this always displays all three metrics). The connection therefore does not require the BW format with which you are already familiar, of SIGN, OPTION, HIGH, and LOW.

    End of the note.

  7. Save the Xcelsius file locally on your computer with the name ztut4_config.

  8. Generate a Flash file from your Xcelsius file (file name extension swf), by choosing Start of the navigation path File Next navigation step Export Next navigation step Flash (SWF) End of the navigation path. Save the Flash file with the name ztut4_config

    When registering the app, you will import both the Xcelsius file and the Flash file into the MIME repository of your SAP Solution Manager system later in the tutorial.

Result

With the Xcelsius file and the associated Flash file, you have created the user interface of your future config app.

Continue this tutorial by performing the next step, Tutorial Part 4: Registering the App and Config App. In this step, you register the app and the associated config app in the dashboard framework.