BusinessObjects Board

Parameter passing to webi

other Xcelsius - Crystal Dashboard Design
#1

Xcelsius 2008 SP5

I’m passing various parameters out to R2 webi to open/refresh a report. Once everything is calculated, the resultant url looks like this:

 http://server:port/businessobjects/enterprise115/desktoplaunch/opendoc/openDocument.jsp?sPath=[Path]&sDocName=DocName&sRefresh=Y&sType=wid&lsSTaskAssTo=%HUB W%&lsSTaskAssDateStart=1/11/2012&lsSTaskAssDateEnd=1/12/2012&lsSTaskTitlePattern=%[INS:01%&lsSIOccYN=Y

If I launch webi via a button and pass the url, it falls over with an invalid parameter error. If I capture the generated url (as above) and copy/paste that into a browser window, it opens R2 webi successfully, brings up the parameter pane and passes the date parameters and the last Y parameter, but doesn’t pass the two wildcard % parameters at all.

What’s bizarre is that this was working perfectly in SP3 (might even have been SP2) on an XP machine. Now I’m on SP5 on windows 7.

Progress? What progress.

Debbie

Debbie :uk: (BOB member since 2005-03-01)

#2

So I started playing with escape codes. Replaced all my % with %25. Now it still won’t pass the parameters correctly directly from xcelsius but if I cut/paste the url it works perfectly…

Debbie

ETA: are there any known issues with 2008 SP5? I can preview once and I get a value in a cell, preview it again WITH NO CHANGES OR SELECTIONS and I get a different value in the same cell!

Debbie :uk: (BOB member since 2005-03-01)

#3

Talking to myself again - but hey, this may be useful to somebody some day…

This is more fundamental than escape codes. I stripped my url right down to one parameter:

http://server:port/businessobjects/enterprise115/desktoplaunch/opendoc/openDocument.jsp?sPath=[Path]&sDocName=DocName&sRefresh=Y&sType=wid&lsSIOccYN=Y

and it still won’t load into webi. “Internal error occured: Internal Error: the value of parameter id is invalid.”

Yet I can cut/paste the url into a browser and it works fine.

So I stripped ALL the parameters out of the url::

http://server:port/businessobjects/enterprise115/desktoplaunch/opendoc/openDocument.jsp?sPath=[Path]&sDocName=DocName&sRefresh=Y&sType=wid

and it STILL gives me a parameter error.

WHAT is going on here?! :reallymad:

Debbie

Debbie :uk: (BOB member since 2005-03-01)

#4

Aaaand…

I think I’ve fixed it but I’d really like to know why:

  1. Replaced all my % wildcard characters with %25
  2. Unchecked the little box on the URL component that says “Encode URL”

I have no idea why this works in SP5, when it worked perfectly well before in SP2/3

Debbie

Debbie :uk: (BOB member since 2005-03-01)

#5

No idea why this is, but small round of applause for keeping us up to date and having a four post conversation with yourself :). Hopefully saves someone else the pain one day.

DanDensley :uk: (BOB member since 2009-05-12)

#6

I came here to say #2. I never use Xcelsius auto-encode based on past problems.

You arent using I.E. 8 to render the swf are you ?
Encode URL is trying to do what you already did…replace % with %25. Not all browers are created equal tho.
Can you not use CUID in R2? Dont remember…

p.s. facinating thread . I sipped half my cup of coffee reading it.
:slight_smile:

Cairmor :us: (BOB member since 2008-06-05)

#7

Er - yes… Enlighten me, please? IE8 is what I’m saddled with but I can probably get something better for development if I ask nicely…

CUID isn’t worth the hassle, IMO - I’ve never got it to work successfully.

And I’m glad I’ve provided you all with some entertainment!
:lol:

Debbie

Debbie :uk: (BOB member since 2005-03-01)

#8

Yes there is a problem with I.E. 8 and special characters in URL.

I.E. 8 was rapidly smoked by Microsoft after release due to it being a huge colossal Peice of garbage and caused millions of problems. If your companies IT dept adopted it, then you can tell your companies IT dept that they suck.
Im not even sure if Microsoft supports it anymore.

Anyway, here is some casual reading material for I.E. and what it does to some special characters including b[/b] (which we need badly in Xcelsius to handle the wildcard events you are dealing with)

Hint* this is not a direct Xcelsius problem.

https://www.google.com/search?q=problems+rendering+URL+with+I.E%2C.+8&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=&oe=#safe=off&rls=com.microsoft:en-us%3AIE-SearchBox&sclient=psy-ab&q=problems+URL+characters+with+Internet+Explorer+8&oq=problems+URL+characters+with+Internet+Explorer+8&gs_l=serp.12…5728.12294.1.13266.14.10.1.0.0.3.254.1418.1j8j1.10.0…0.0…1c.1.18.psy-ab.azGQa1qMIfY&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.48340889,d.aWc&fp=c869f9beacf0f0e9&biw=1229&bih=855

While your IT dept is busy upgrading browsers…try to flirt with someone who can put Fiddler on your PC. Its free and safe. It will also save you hours and hours of dynamic dashboard troubleshooting.

You can read exactly what is being passed from A to B and be able to tell if your browser is altering the parameters or data that you carefully coded!

Cairmor :us: (BOB member since 2008-06-05)

#9

So what would you recommend I ask for? IE9 or firefox?

Debbie

Debbie :uk: (BOB member since 2005-03-01)

#10

you should be testing with what your users have.

at this time, I.E. 9 is considered a modern browser and is supported by mainstream software, while IE 8 is dead. The newer the better.

I only say IE because that is likely what your business has in place.

Cairmor :us: (BOB member since 2008-06-05)

#11

And the users all have IE8. But they are only reading html/swf. I’m the one compiling it - does that make a difference?

No way we have resources to upgrade IE for the foreseeable future. :frowning:

Debbie

Debbie :uk: (BOB member since 2005-03-01)

#12

If a link died in your laptop, it will die in theirs…

but in consideration of your original problems…I think they are caused by the browser.

The company I am with also uses IE8 … and I get by. It just takes more work.

Cairmor :us: (BOB member since 2008-06-05)

#13

Thank you Cairmor. You saved my day. I had hit the wall with this issue, feeling frustrated. But, after reading Debbie’s musings and your suggestion, I checked it on Chrome, and it worked like a charm… :smiley:

mehak83 (BOB member since 2011-06-28)