Display/not Display '0'

[gordread]

I am brand new to Cognos, and I'm learning by replicating some existing reports in my company.

I have nearly completed replicating a particular report, but the original report has all '0's hidden, not displayed.

The report is a single query list, and has several columns that have boolean values of '0' or '1'.  The original report does not display the '0's.  I have compared all of the properties for the report, the list, and list column headers, and list column bodies.  I have not been able to identify how the original author turned off the '0's.  None of my coworkers know how either, and the original author no longer works here.

Any thoughts?

Gordon

[Lynn]

Did you check the default data formats set for the report? Find these in the data menu.

No render variables or conditional styles? The find option in the edit menu is handy to search for things like this.

Do you have hidden objects set to visible? Go to the view menu and look at the visual aid options.

Any conditional blocks? Sometimes looking at the page structure instead of the page design of the original report will help. Do this from the view menu.

[gordread]

Lynn, thank you for your quick response.  I certainly appreciate the time you are taking to try and help me out.

There are no default data formats set.  All of the columns that are not showing the '0' are set to 'number' with all additional settings blank, as are the default data formats.

There are conditional styles, though they are limited to changing the background colour and putting a boarder around the 'cell'.  Using the 'Find' feature in the Edit menu did not show me any Objects with conditional style, objects with conditional text, or Conditionally rendered objects.  They all came up with 'IBM Cognos 8 BI Report Studio has finished searching the report.  No matches were found.

In the Visual Aid options, both my recreated report and the original have 'Show hidden objects' disabled.  (unchecked)

As stated above, there are three Boolean Variables.  From what I can tell they are only used to change the background colour of the cell, and to put a border around it.  I have checked all three conditions (yes, no, default) for the formats, and only the default has any data format set, and it is just the 'number' with all details left blank.

This is a single page, single query report.  It does have a bunch of data objects, and just a single filter (which I copy/pasted).

I don't know if it makes any difference, but all of the data items that I am talking about are 'calculated values' of the following type 'if ([TPD Pymt Max Dt]>=[Start of Last Month Date (MCL)])then (1) else (0)'.  All of the if 'if else' style, and all have been 'copy/pasted' from the original to avoid typos.

Any other thoughts?  This one is baffling me completely.

[Lynn]

Try enabling hidden objects to see if there is anything you can see that might factor into it. You could also use the view structure option. Any conditional blocks? Anything within the list body that is accessible by unlocking the report? Did you check the advanced tab of your conditional styles?

[MFGF]

I am brand new to Cognos, and I'm learning by replicating some existing reports in my company.

I have nearly completed replicating a particular report, but the original report has all '0's hidden, not displayed.

The report is a single query list, and has several columns that have boolean values of '0' or '1'.  The original report does not display the '0's.  I have compared all of the properties for the report, the list, and list column headers, and list column bodies.  I have not been able to identify how the original author turned off the '0's.  None of my coworkers know how either, and the original author no longer works here.

Any thoughts?

Gordon

Even though you can't find the original solution to this conundrum, the answer is to select each of the required columns in your list, go into the Data Format property, set "Number" as the format type, then scroll down through the properties and set the "Zero value characters" property to be a space.

Is it possible the original report was based on a different package which had this format defined automatically within the package metadata?

Cheers!

MF.

[gordread]

MF.  That was it.  You nailed it.

I looked at that entry yesterday (sorry, talking about the ' ' in the number of zeroes field.) and because I didn't see anything I assumed it was 'null' as opposed to ' '.  I double checked it right now.  There is a ' ' in it.

Thank you.  I can sleep tonight.

Gordon

[MFGF]

MF.  That was it.  You nailed it.

I looked at that entry yesterday (sorry, talking about the ' ' in the number of zeroes field.) and because I didn't see anything I assumed it was 'null' as opposed to ' '.  I double checked it right now.  There is a ' ' in it.

Thank you.  I can sleep tonight.

Gordon

Aha! So easy to miss! Glad you're all sorted and able to sleep :)

Cheers!

MF.