Overview
How to Apply
- Create a report as you normally would.
- While in the Data mode or the Design mode, click on the Column Formatting icon in the header.
- When the following popup appears, select a field from the left side.
- Once a field is selected, the column formatting settings will appear in the popup.
- Simultaneously, you could also bring up this popup by clicking on a column's menu, then selecting Format, and finally clicking on Edit.
- See the below section to learn about the different types of formatting you could apply to a report column.
Column Formatting Settings
Each of column formatting setting options is described below.
Display Format Types
Based on the type of field that the column being formatted is there are various format options. The ones listed below come default with Yellowfin, however as this is customisable there may be additional ones that comes as part of your installation.
Format Option | Description |
|---|---|
Text | Displays as plain text. |
Action button | Allows you to create an action button linked to a URL. You can pass the value of the returned data into a URL link. Use double hashes ## to indicate where you want the column value to be placed in the url itself. Click here for additional settings related to this formatter. For example, the system will replace the ## in the following link with the column value, and initiate a Google search on it. http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=## Note: This formatter is similar to the ‘Link to URL’ formatter. |
Case Formatter | Allows you to format text as Uppercase or Lowercase. |
Creates a hyperlink on the text that will open an email client and pre-populate the sent to address. | |
Email Salutation | This field will be used as the email salutation when broadcasting using a report as a recipient list. |
Flag Formatter | If your data contains ISO country codes you can display these as flags of the world instead of text. |
HTML | Formats a field containing HTML tags, either by removing them, or using them, depending on user selection. For example, if you wanted to display an image using a URL the field may look something like this: |
HTML 5 Video | Displays a video from a path stored in the field, either a full URL, or a relative path if the video is stored in the Yellowfin ROOT directory. |
| Image Link Formatter | When a field contains a URL to an image file, choosing this option displays the image rather than the URL, effectively providing images within reports. |
Link To URL | Allows you to pass the value of the returned data into a URL link. This essentially means that every ip address will be placed into it into it i.e.: http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=10.100.32.44 |
Reference Code | Converts the text in the cell to the value of an internal lookup table. E.g. AU to Australia. See Reference Codes for more information. |
| Sparkline Formatter | Allows you to create a single sparkline column or column chart within the report table. Click here for additional settings related to this formatter. Tip: You may use this in conjunction with the Sparkline Array advanced function, or any text field that contains comma separated numeric values. For example, you may create a calculated field with multiple values gathered from different metrics or dimensions to create a sparkline chart, as long as they are comma separated. |
Raw Formatter | Displayed the data as it would have been returned from the database – no additional formatting applied. |
URL Hyperlink | Creates a hyperlink on the text and will open web page on click. Assumes the text is a legitimate URL. |
YouTube Formatter | This displays a YouTube video, based on the ID being stored in the field. |
Date | |
Date | Displays value as a date – multiple date options exist. |
Time | Displays value as a time field – multiple date options exist. |
Timestamp | Displayed full date and time value |
Date Part Formatter | Takes a date field and formats the display to show part of that date. |
Numeric | |
Numeric | Displays value as a decimal – allows you to set the decimal places to be used. |
Percentage Bar | Converts a percentage value less than or equal to 100 into a bar. |
Action button formatter settings
Below are descriptions of all settings used to configure action buttons in reports.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
URL | Define the URL to use, including ## to be replaced by the field value. You can also reference other columns of data in the table by using the {{1}} syntax, where ‘1’ is the position of the column appearing in the report table. Note that the position numbering starts from‘1’ rather than ‘0’. |
URL type | Specify whether the URL points to something external (Remote) or internal (Local) in the system. |
| Apply URL Encoding | Enable this option to apply URL encoding used for special characters (such as %20 for a space) to the field values. Note that this applies to the entire URL, so this may break URLs if they contain symbols because symbols would inadvertently be replaced with encoded values too. Disable this option if you wish to leave field values in their original format. This is recommended for URLs that contain symbols so that they remain as symbols instead. |
New window | Allows you to open the URL in a new browser window when enabled. |
Button display text | Enter the text to be displayed on the action button. |
Disable button on click | Specify whether the button should be disabled or not when clicked. |
Use data values to disable button | The button will become disabled by specified data values in a given column. |
Status field | Enter the column number from disabled values will be sourced. |
Disabled values | No action button will be displayed for these values, a completed status button will be displayed instead. |
Inactive display | Choose how the button should be displayed for inactive status. You can choose to display a blank cell, a success icon, or an inactive button. |
Sparkline formatter settings
Below are descriptions of all settings for the Sparkline formatter. Only one Sparkline chart per table is currently supported.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
Width | Specify the maximum width of the sparkline chart. |
Height | Specify the maximum height of the sparkline chart. |
Sparkline type | Select whether the chart should be displayed as a sparkline or a column. |
Includes scaling value | Enables scaling on the chart. Scaling enables the chart to scale lines by observing values of all rows. If left unscaled, a sparkline with smaller values, such as 10, 21, 35, and so on, might look similar to a sparkline with drastically different values that have similar value differences, such as 100, 210, 350, and so on. If enabled, the first data-point will be treated as a scaling value, and will not be rendered. |
Column Drop Down Menu
If you wish to select a column to format from the table you can do so by clicking the menu drop down in the column title.
Option | Description |
|---|---|
Aggregation | Allows the user to apply Aggregations to the field. |
Sort | Allows the user to apply sorting to the individual field.
|
Advanced Function | Allows the user to apply an Advanced Function to the field. |
Format | Opens the Column Formatting menu with this field selected to allow the report writer to apply formatting options. |
Clear Formatting | Allows the report writer to clear all formatting options applied to this field. |
Conditional Formatting | Allows the user to open the Conditional Formatting menu for this field in order to apply alerts. |
Group Data | Allows the user to create groups of values based on the data in the field. |
Totals | Allows the user to apply a summary aggregation to the field. |
Hide Field | Allows the user to hide the field from display. |
Column Drag & Drop Options
Most of the formatting options available to you are accessed through the format menus. However, once your report has been generated you can use some drag and drop formatting options to change the layout of your report.Note: the drag and drop formatting are only available whilst a report is in DRAFT mode. If the report is ACTIVE you will not see these options.
Column Order
You can change the order that columns will appear in two ways. The first option is to drag and drop a column to a new position directly from the report itself. This can only be done in the Data tab when the report is being newly built or is in draft mode.
- To move a column, place your cursor over the column title and click and hold the mouse button. Start to drag the column to its new position - a + symbol will appear indicating that drag and drop is enabled.
- Now drag your column into the desired location. You will see an outline of the column to indicate what position it will be moved to.
- Drop the column and the page will be refreshed with your column in the new location.
You can also change column order from the Column Formatting popup. This can only be done in the Data tab when the report is being newly built or is in draft mode.
- Open the Column Formatting popup by clicking on the Column Formatting icon in the toolbar.
- Currently selected columns will appear in the Report Fields section on the left hand side. If the report is a cross-tab, then the columns will be in separate sections reflecting whether the field is used as a Column, Row or Measure. If the report is not a cross-tab report, then all the fields will appear in a single section.
- Fields can be dragged and dropped to a new position. Note that fields cannot be moved between sections. So if a field is in the Column section, it cannot be moved to the Row section from this popup.
- Close the popup by clicking the x in the top right corner in order for the column order changes to take effect.
Column Width
You can resize a column as seen on a report by placing you cursor over the right hand column border of the column you wish to resize.- Click and hold the cursor. The cursor will be represented as a horizontal line and the column outline will be highlighted.
- Drag your column to the desired width and let the cursor go. The report will refresh and your column will be resized.
