Filtering on Hierarchy Questions - Example

The Hierarchy control enables the viewer to filter reports on a hierarchy question. You can add for example a hierarchy, a result table and a Refresh button to a report page such that the viewer can select a particular item in the hierarchy and refresh the table to see the results only for the selected hierarchy item.

The following is an example of how you can set up a hierarchical filter:

Note: The report in this case must be based on a questionnaire that includes a hierarchy question.

1. Create the report and/or report page as required.
2. Add a Parameter to the report (go to Parameters Overview for more information).
3. Right-click on the parameter and select Properties.

The parameter's Properties page opens.

4. Set the Type to String Response, save, and close the Properties page.
5. Double-click on the parameter or right-click and select Edit to open the Parameter Designer page.
6. Drag the hierarchy question from the Data Source toolbox and drop it into the "Drop a Question Here" area in the Parameter Designer.
7. Save the changes.

The Data Source ID and Question ID of the Hierarchy question appear in the Parameter Designer.

8. In the Report toolbox, double-click on the report page on which you wish to place the hierarchy, to open the Page Editor for that page.
9. Create an HTML table on the page as required.
10. Drag a Hierarchy element from the Visual Components toolbox and drop it onto the page, then save the changes.
11. In the Report toolbox, drag the parameter that you created earlier, into the Hierarchy element on the report page, then save the changes.
12. In the Filters toolbox, right-click on the Filters folder and select Insert Filter Expression, then rename the filter as appropriate.
13. Double-click on the filter to open the Filter Expression Designer page, then in the filter, type the expression:

hierarchyQuestionId = PValStr("parameterId")

14. Save the changes and return to the report Page Editor.
15. From the Visual Components toolbox, drag a Button component into the report page.
16. Double-click on the button element to open the button's Parameters page, and set the Target Page property to the page on which the result table/chart is to be displayed.

This will enable the viewer to refresh the page after using the filter.

17. Select a Style for the button and type into the Label field the text you wish to appear on the button, for example Refresh.
18. Click Apply or Apply and Close, then save the changes.
19. Create the result table and/or chart on the required report page.