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A parameter is an object that can be included inside aggregated and verbatim tables as a placeholder for a list of questions. Used in combination with a parameter navigator or drill-down functionality, this enables the report viewer to select the questions he/she wishes to see results for in the tables and/or charts. Parameters allow a wide range of different combinations of data to be made available from one page for the viewers.
The example shows a report page consisting of a table and a chart, the chart having been created from the table . The table has one parameter in columns (grid statements on the same five-point scale), and another parameter in rows (background variables). Report Viewers can select which results are displayed via two drop-downs included on the page; one for each parameter. When the viewer changes the results selected in the drop-downs, the table and chart will update and show the results for the new selection.
Figure 1 - Example of a report page with two parameters
Using Parameters in Report Elements
Once a parameter has been defined, it can be used in aggregated and verbatim tables in the same way as ordinary questionnaire variable. Drag the parameter into the table designer or onto the verbatim table. You can include several parameters in the same aggregated table, in rows and/or columns. The parameters can be freely nested or stacked like other variables.
As a parameter can contain several different types of questions, you are recommended to use the default header settings of the table style to set suitable header variable properties for the different questions (go to Default Header Settings for more information). It is also recommended that you use "proportional size" settings on the charts so they can cope with varying numbers of elements on different questions (go to Proportional Size for more information).
Parameter Navigator
To give the viewer the ability to choose items in the parameters, you can either include special "Parameter navigators" on the report pages, or use parameters as viewers drill-down in tables/chart (go to Drill-down Overview for more information).
A parameter navigator can be inserted into a report page, report master, page master or layout master. To insert a parameter navigator:
- Either drag-and-drop it from the Visual Components toolbox into the Page Editor, or right-click in the Page Editor where you want the navigator to be placed and select Insert component > Parameter Navigator.
- To define which parameter the navigator is to use, drag the parameter from the report tree onto the navigator.
- To set the navigator's properties, double-click on the navigator or right-click on it and select Properties .
Figure 2 - The Parameter Navigator properties
- Check the "Clear Drilldown Path" box if drill-down functionality is to be used on the same page, and you want any drill-down filters that are applied to be cleared when the viewer makes a selection for the navigator.
- There are three types of navigators available for parameters: Drop-down, Menu and CSS Menu. For the Menu type you can set a range of settings controlling look and feel. Click here for further information. These are described in the Drop-menu section. The menu will reflect the folder structure you set up in the parameter designer, while the CSS Menu option will reflect the folder structure based on a style sheet.
Parameter Overview in Active Filter Summary
The active parameters are listed in the active filter summary for the report page .
Figure 3 - Active parameters in active filter summary
Exports from Reports with Parameters
As there could be a large number of possible combinations of the elements in the parameters, you must specify what a report-set from a report with parameters is to contain. Do this by defining an export package (go to About Exporting Packages for more information).
Masking and Filter by Mask for Parameters
You can set global masks and “Filter by Mask” settings on parameters . This allows you to include or exclude one or more answer-list elements from all single and multi questions and grid elements in the parameter, by specifying a code to be masked.
Note: The code must be identical for all instances that are to be masked. For example, if you wish to mask all instances of “Don’t Know”, then all the “Don’t Knows” in the questionnaire must have the same code.
These masking properties function in the same way as the masking properties for “normal” table components. See the Answer and Scale Masks and Filter by Mask sections for further information.
Figure 4 - The parameter masking options