Dashboard Variables
Variables are for storing session time information and interacting between UI elements, such as charts. Variables can contain textual (string) values. If other types of data can be stored by converting them into JSON.
Dashboard Variables
Dashboard variables can be defined for dashboards, and the variables in the below table have a special meaning. Variables can be set by opening a dashboard, clicking the dots menu on top right, clicking Dashboard Properties and opening tab Variables.
| Variable name | Description |
|---|---|
| SortOrder | Defines an order in which dashboards are shown in the navigation menu. The variable value needs to be defined as a number. By default, dashboards are shown in the alphabetical order by name. Dashboards with a custom order defined (sort ascending by the order number) are shown before dashboards without the custom order (and they sort by dashboard name). |
| HiddenInNavigation | Dashboards can be hidden from the navigation menu by defining this variable value to true. A hidden dashboard is still shown in the navigation menu when the dashboard is currently open. For example, details dashboards, which are only opened from other dashboards, can be hidden in the navigation menu. |
| DashboardFilter | Hidden filter rules that are applied to the charts/flowcharts in the dashboard. Unlike the filter rules in the Filter variable, the rules in the DashboardFilter variable are not directly visible in the dashboard. Filter rules in the DashboardFilter variable are applied before the Filter variable.
Contents of the DashboardFilter variable is defined using the JSON format. For an easy setup, create a stored filter first, and copy its value from the Filter variable to the DashboardFilter variable. |
| Filter | Visible filter rules that are applied to the charts/flowcharts in the dashboard. The visible filter rules changed when making drilldown in the dashboard or changing between stored filters.
Contents of the Filter variable is defined using the JSON format. |
| FilterId | Id of the selected saved filter. When empty, the selected filter rules don't belong to any saved filter, When -1, there are no filter rules selected (i.e., All cases is selected). |
| ModelId | Id of the model, for which charts/flowcharts in the dashboard are run. The model is also visible in the dashboard header. |
| Comparison | Similar to the Filter variable, the Comparison variable stores the comparison rules that are used by the root causes analyses in the dashboard. The comparison rules are also visible and editable in the header.
Contents of the Comparison variable is defined using the JSON format. |
| FilterSelection | Filter rules for the yet unconfirmed selection made in chart/flowchart. Chart/flowchart in which the selection is made, is not yet filtered using the these rules. When the filter rules are confirmed, the rules are moved from FilterSelection variable to the Filter variable.
Contents of the FilterSelection variable is defined using the JSON format. |
| SelectedPresentationObject | Selected chart/flowchart id. |
| designModel | BPMN model stored to the dashboard. |
Dashboard Variable Behaviors
Variables can exist in user session and dashboard. The dashboard variables are available within that dashboard only, and they are defined in the Dashboard Properties. The user session variables (shown in the Session Variables) can be used to pass information between dashboards, because depending on the dashboard variable behavior, the dashboard variables may get initial values from the session variables. Note also that if there is no dashboard variable with the same name, the session variable is visible for the dashboard.
Dashboard variables have a behavior which determine how the variables work when set and get their values. The following behaviors are available:
| Variable behavior | Description |
|---|---|
| Local variable | Local variables are visible only in the dashboard. The initial value of local variables is defined in the Variables tab. When a local variable value is changed, its new value only exists as long as the dashboard is open. |
| Stored variable | Stored variables work like Local variables, except that when the dashboard is saved, the current value of the Stored variable is saved to the dashboard. |
| Optional parameter | Optional parameters work like the local variables, except that the optional parameters get their initial value from the user session when dashboard is opened. If a variable with the same name doesn't exist in the user session, the optional parameter will have the value that is set in its definition (in the Variables tab). |
| Default value | Unlike local variables and optional parameters, Default value variables are not independent variables but they are just default values for non-existing variables. Thus, if a variable with the same name exists in the user session, the variable with Default value behavior doesn't have any effect. Only if no user session variable exists, the value defined for the Default value variable (in the Variables tab) is applied. When setting a variable value, the value is set to the user session. |
Variables in the session cannot be defined like the dashboard variables, because session variables are created when they are set for the first time during a user session.
Set Variables in URL
It's possible to set variables in the url when opening QPR ProcessAnalyzer. For each variable add "&<variable name>=<variable value>" in the end of the URL. For example:
https://SERVERNAME/ui/#/dashboard?sys:dashboard=1234&myvariable1=myvalue1&myvariable2=myvalue2
To handle special characters, the variable values in the url need to be url encoded (more information: https://www.w3schools.com/tags/ref_urlencode.asp).
Variables set in the URL will go to the user session (Session variable in the dots menu). If the variables need to be available in the dashboard, the variable behavior Optional parameter or Default value needs to be used. If the dashboard variable behavior is Local or Stored, the variable doesn't have any interaction with the user session variables. No also that if there is no variable defined in the dashboard, the session variable is applied in the dashboard level.
System Variables
QPR ProcessAnalyzer has the system variables defined in the table below. System variables have a special functionality in the system. All system variables start with sys: prefix, and thus it's a good practice not to name other variables to start with that to avoid accidental use of system variables.
When using variables in the QPR ProcessAnalyzer url, variable values need to be url encoded (more information: https://www.w3schools.com/tags/ref_urlencode.asp).
| Variable name | Description |
|---|---|
| sys:dashboard | Id of the currently open dashboard. Other dashboard can be opened by changing this variable (alternatively sys:dashboardIdentifier can be used). |
| sys:dashboardIdentifier | Use this variable when you want to open a dashboard by a path defined by the textual identifiers. The path can be defined as:
Absolute paths always starts with the slash (/), whereas relative paths don't start with slash. sys:dashboardIdentifier variable can only be used in the session variables. Setting the sys:dashboardIdentifier variable value will automatically set the corresponding value to sys:dashboard variable. sys:dashboardIdentifier will be removed automatically after. When both sys:dashboard and sys:dashboardIdentifier are defined, sys:dashboardIdentifier has the priority. |
| sys:hideViewHeader | Defines whether the top main toolbar in the dashboard is hidden (true) or visible (false). |
| sys:username | Use this parameter to provide username to login automatically to QPR ProcessAnalyzer without visiting the login screen. To be able to authenticate, you also need to provide the sys:password parameter. sys:username and sys:password parameters are removed from the URL after the login, and so that they won't be stored as QPR ProcessAnalyzer variables. Note however, that the username and password can be stored in the browser history. sys:username and sys:password parameters only work when authenticating using QPR ProcessAnalyzer built-in authentication, so credentials for the federated authentication identity provider cannot be used here.
If the sys:username and/or sys:password are incorrect, user is directed to the login screen for authenticating with correct credentials. Example url's:
|
| sys:password | Use this parameter to provide password to login automatically to QPR ProcessAnalyzer without going to the login screen. You also need to provide the sys:username parameter. sys:username and sys:password parameters are removed from the URL after the login, and thus they won't be stored. Note however, that the username and password can be stored in the browser history. Note also, that passing a password in a url is a considerable security risk. When using this method, it's very important to use encrypted (https) connection. See url examples in the description of the sys:username parameter. |