Custom Login Page Issue IE vs. Firefox

[Lynn]

I modified the login page following the instructions provided here:

https://www.ibm.com/communities/analytics/cognos-analytics-blog/video-how-to-create-themes-and-extensions/

The issue I have is that the white icons for the username and password don't line up over the colored background boxes that appear alongside the space to enter credentials when using IE (11). It is fine in Firefox (45 esr).

This happens when I simply install the sample login without making any modification at all, so it doesn't have anything to do with my modifications. The attached shows a screen shot of the differences. Notice that the hiker icon for user name and campfire icon for password are both perfectly lined up on the blue boxes for Firefox. On the IE image, the username box is empty, the hiker has his head cut off (ouch!) over part of the password box, and the campfire has burned a hole in the box surrounding the Log in button.

Before we embark on any browser bashing, we have a variety of customers with different environments so I really can't say that even though IE is supported by IBM Cognos it can't be used if they want a custom login page.

If anyone has ideas or suggestions apart from the obvious "use Firefox instead of IE" I would be most appreciative.

[MFGF]

I modified the login page following the instructions provided here:

https://www.ibm.com/communities/analytics/cognos-analytics-blog/video-how-to-create-themes-and-extensions/

The issue I have is that the white icons for the username and password don't line up over the colored background boxes that appear alongside the space to enter credentials when using IE (11). It is fine in Firefox (45 esr).

This happens when I simply install the sample login without making any modification at all, so it doesn't have anything to do with my modifications. The attached shows a screen shot of the differences. Notice that the hiker icon for user name and campfire icon for password are both perfectly lined up on the blue boxes for Firefox. On the IE image, the username box is empty, the hiker has his head cut off (ouch!) over part of the password box, and the campfire has burned a hole in the box surrounding the Log in button.

Before we embark on any browser bashing, we have a variety of customers with different environments so I really can't say that even though IE is supported by IBM Cognos it can't be used if they want a custom login page.

If anyone has ideas or suggestions apart from the obvious "use Firefox instead of IE" I would be most appreciative.

Well, I'm not sure this really helps, but I can confirm I see the same results. The IE login screen has messed up images, but the login page renders perfectly in Firefox and in Chrome. I wonder if IE is struggling to render the funky .svg images properly? Have you tried replacing them with .jpg or .png images?

Probably a useless muppety red herring suggestion, but you never know - sometimes I can guess lucky :)

MF.

[Lynn]

OMG ... genius muppet strikes again!!!!

I used my (extremely) limited graphics skills to create a white icon on a transparent background as a .png file for the username and password. Both were 38 pixels in height. One was 37 width and the other was 25 width.

Works like a charm on Firefox, IE and Chrome.

Beers and dinner for the muppet are my treat this evening!

[MFGF]

OMG ... genius muppet strikes again!!!!

I used my (extremely) limited graphics skills to create a white icon on a transparent background as a .png file for the username and password. Both were 38 pixels in height. One was 37 width and the other was 25 width.

Works like a charm on Firefox, IE and Chrome.

Beers and dinner for the muppet are my treat this evening!

Yay! It just goes to show that if you guess long enough, you're bound to get one right eventually :)

Beers and dinner sounds great!! I know a great little ale house in town with lovely beers... :)

[Lynn]

I'm not going to renege on my offer, but I am now stuck trying to get it to recognize the proper namespace. I've been using the "perspective=xxx" at the end of the URL to look at the custom login page for design without actually logging in.

I've got the proper namespace in the label at the top, but I think that is just a label?? I'm going to review the webcast about this since I don't want to change the actual login page and find I can no longer authenticate. I vaguely recall they said something about this in the video or in the documentation somewhere.

Obviously successful authentication would be an important characteristic for a login page!

[Lynn]

Solved it. The documentation describes a modification to the .js file that is required:

Code Select Expand


Edit js/views/View.js and locate the line that contains {name:'CAMNamespace',value:'CognosEx'}.

Replace CognosEx with the name one of your authentication namespaces (asdefined in IBM Cognos Configuration).


There is also an important item in the documentation about running Cognos with extensions disabled in case you've got errors and the whole product becomes unusable:

Code Select Expand


Invoke Cognos Analytics by typing the URL
<webserver_name>:<port_number>/bi/?factoryMode=true


[MFGF]

Solved it. The documentation describes a modification to the .js file that is required:

Code Select Expand


Edit js/views/View.js and locate the line that contains {name:'CAMNamespace',value:'CognosEx'}.

Replace CognosEx with the name one of your authentication namespaces (asdefined in IBM Cognos Configuration).


There is also an important item in the documentation about running Cognos with extensions disabled in case you've got errors and the whole product becomes unusable:

Code Select Expand


Invoke Cognos Analytics by typing the URL
<webserver_name>:<port_number>/bi/?factoryMode=true


I should really have looked that up! When I was testing earlier I didn't try to log in. Then when I was done testing I found I couldn't get back in to unset the custom login page. My convoluted solution was to use the dispatcher URL (http://<host>:9300/bi/v1/disp) to log in - this took me to a Cognos Connection page. I then launched a new browser tab in the same session, and used the regular CA URL in that. As I was already authenticated in the session, it let me straight in, and I could unset the custom login page. The solution you posted above is *much* easier!

Looks like beers and dinner are now on me! :)

MF.

[Lynn]

We'll go Dutch  :D

[Lynn]

The saga continues  :(

I changed the namespace in the .js file and I am able to login on Firefox with no problem. Both Chrome and IE give me the "invalid namespace selected".

Sigh....

[MFGF]

The saga continues  :(

I changed the namespace in the .js file and I am able to login on Firefox with no problem. Both Chrome and IE give me the "invalid namespace selected".

Sigh....

Have you cleared the browser cache in Chrome and IE?

[Lynn]

Oh dear....that was a complete brain lapse on my part. Of course that was the issue. I'd come back after a couple days out of the office and just threw my hands up in despair when I got the message.

Thanks for all the help!

[MFGF]

Oh dear....that was a complete brain lapse on my part. Of course that was the issue. I'd come back after a couple days out of the office and just threw my hands up in despair when I got the message.

Thanks for all the help!

It's an easy step to overlook, and I've been caught out by it so many times! Hope the out-of-office trip was something worthwhile! :)

MF.

[Lynn]

Hope the out-of-office trip was something worthwhile! :)

It was a terrific workshop at IBM's South Bank office in London!