InfoAssist Version 2: Promoting Single Reports and Charts to a Compound Document

By Jeffrey Friedman

Information Builders added the capability in WebFOCUS 7.6.9 to create compound documents, or put another way, the ability to create multiple objects in a single document. Not only can we create one from scratch, but it is also possible to promote a single report or chart to a compound document. In this article, you will get an outline of the steps to perform this operation.

Either select “Open existing query” with InfoAssist or open InfoAssist and create a new report or chart. With InfoAssist in Interactive or Query Design view, you can access the Compose view by selecting the Compose button that is in the Design group. Accessing the Compose view with this method creates a copy of the current single query as a compound document.

Screen 1

The Design group is part of both the home and View tabs and is shown in Screen 1.

Here’s what you do:

1. With InfoAssist open, select the Home or View tab in the Control Panel.
2. Select Compose in the Design G=group.

Screen 2

InfoAssist will enter Compose view. To reflect this, the Compose icon will be highlighted in the Design group, and in the left corner of the Navigation taskbar. Screen 2 shows the highlighted Compose icon.

Accessing Compose View

Note that the single query with which you started will still exist in the original view. Selecting Compose view while a single query is open does not convert the query to a compound document. It makes a copy of the query, with the copy becoming a compound document and the original remaining unchanged. You can switch between the new compound document and the original query from the Switch Query button in the Query group on the View tab of the Control Panel.  (See Screen 3.)

Screen 3