Linking a prompt to a text file for selections...how to do in Cognos 8.4.1?

[Anke]

Back in Cognos IWR (7.4) you were able to create a prompt by using a text file to give the user the selections.  How would you do something like this is in Cognos 8.4.1? 

I am assuming that you would use Javascript somehow, but I am not all to familiar with Java and the syntax...if someone has an example and how to set it up that would be awesome!!

Thanks :)
Anke

[Anke]

Okay....I haven't received any replies on this....surley, this is possible in Cognos 8!  ...or maybe it is that not many are familiar with Cognos 7 :( 
Anyway, back in the old days, you were able to put a text file in the Cognos folder where the report was physically stored, and you could use the text file as a prompt.  The user would click the prompt and then see the list of items you stored in the text file. 

I guess you would just use static prompts to do this now, but it would be alot more work adding the items, even if you when into the XML and added...more work than just using a text file.

:)

[RobsWalker68]

Hi,

In Cognos 8.4.1 there isn't an equivalent of a hotfile as there was with Impromptu.  In Cognos 10.x you do have the capability to add 'external data'

As a workaround, you could set up an ODBC connection to your file/excel spreadsheet and include this in the framework and subsequent package

or have a look at the link: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/data/library/cognos/page200.html

While this doesn't deal with attaching a file it does detail how users can copy and paste multiple values in a multi-line text prompt.

Cheers

Rob

 

[cognostechie]

It is possible in Cognos 8 series. You can import values from an Excel file into the Prompt. I did this in the past but don't remember how. There is a document on this which I got from the IBM site. Search there.

[MFGF]

In the properties of a value prompt, you can also enter a set of static values. It's not clear from your original post whether this is a suitable solution, or whether the values really do need to be in a text file.

Regards,

MF.

[Anke]

Yes, I have used the static prompt route...

I was just wondering if this linking a text file was still possible in v8. 

Thanks for all the responses!!
:)

Anke

[pricter]

Maybe you should check the following article
Javascript: read a text file used to populate the prompt object
http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21342978