Using Hyperlinks

Hyperlinks can be either static or dynamic. A static hyperlink always links to the same document in the same way. A dynamic hyperlink can link differently depending on the data in the document containing the hyperlink.

You can create different types of hyperlink:

• A cell where the cell text is the hyperlink text: When you define a cell as a hyperlink, the cell text becomes an active hyperlink. This method is best suited for static hyperlinks, where the text in the cell always remains the same and links to the same resource in the same way.
• A cell with an associated hyperlink: When associating a hyperlink with a cell, you define a hyperlink that links to the source document when the cell is clicked. You can also have a cell text different from the hyperlink text. We recommend using this method to create dynamic hyperlinks, as it allows for parameters within dynamic links. Additionally, you can create them using a graphical interface, which avoids dealing with complex hyperlink syntax.
• A link to another document in the SAP BI Platform Repository: For target documents that refer to BW queries, .unx universes that contain prompts that use Index Awareness, there are additional parameters to set. For more information, check out Linking to another document in the BI Platform repository

Every hyperlink type can be formatted to display colors when the link has been clicked, or hasn't been clicked.

As well as linking between documents, you can also link report elements in the same report by defining elements as input controls that filter the values in other report elements.

Follow these steps to link a URL:

1. Open a Web Intelligence document in Design mode.
2. Right-click the cell (free cell or in a table) where you want to create the link and select Add hyperlink to → A URL.
3. In the Hyperlink dialog, enter the URL in the Target URL text field.
4. In the URL Options section of the Hyperlink dialog, add the label of the hyperlink in the Label field.
5. Using the Open In dropdown, select whether the link should open in a new window or in the current window.
6. Type the tooltip text in the Tooltip field.

Follow these steps to link to another report within the same document:

1. Open a Web Intelligence document in Design mode.
2. Right-click the cell (free cell or in a table) where you want to create the link and select Add hyperlink to → This document.
3. In the Hyperlink dialog, select the report you want to link to using the Targeted Report within the Document dropdown.

   If the target report has been hidden, it won't be listed in the dropdown. If the report is hidden depending on formula, then the target report is available in the dropdown list and an icon shows you whether the report is currently hidden or visible.

4. Optional: If you have added input controls in your target report, you can set input controls when defining your intra-document link. This will allow your intra-document link to be contextual and filter the target report depending on the value that is clicked.

   You can manually type the value to pass to the input control or select one of the following options from the dropdown menu.

   Option	Description
   Select Object	You choose an object from the list in the Select an Object dialog.
   Build Formula	You build a formula in the Edit Formula dialog.
   Clear	Remove the current value contained in this text field.

5. Add a label in the Label box to the link or select to display the name of an object using the Select Object option. You can also build a dynamic label using the Build Formula option.
6. Optional: Enter text in the Tooltip box, or build a dynamic tooltip by using the Select Object or Build Formula options. The tooltip will appear when you hover your mouse pointer over the cell containing the hyperlink.

   Option	Description
   Select Object	You choose the object from the list in the Select an Object dialog to supply its value as the tooltip.
   Build Formula	You build a formula in the Edit Formula dialog to supply the formula output as the tooltip.
   Clear	Remove the current value contained in this text field.

7. Click OK.

When defining an intra-document link, you can use input controls to filter the data in the target report.

• Supported input controls:
  • List based on objects whose data type is String, Numeric, Date, and Date/Time
  • Multi-list and based on objects whose data type is String, Numeric, Date, and Date/Time, but with only one value being passed
  • Entry field based on objects whose data type is String, Numeric, Date, and Date/Time
  • Calendar based on objects whose data type is Date and Date/Time
  • Spinner
  • Slide
  • Double slider
• Unsupported input controls:
  • Tree list
  • Multi-tree list

Hyperlinks supply values to prompts in the target document in two ways:

• Passing values directly to prompts.
• Opening a document instance based on passed values.

In the first case, the hyperlink feeds values directly to the prompts in the target document. In the second case, the link opens the document instance whose stored prompt values correspond to the values passed by the hyperlink. When you click on the URL, the target document is automatically refreshed, even if the Refresh on Open option is deactivated..

It is more efficient to choose a document instance based on passed parameters if the target document is large.

Follow these steps to link to another document in the SAP BI Platform Repository:

1. In Design mode, select a cell and right-click it.
2. In the contextual menu, click Add hyperlink to → Another document.
3. In the Select a Target Document dialog, choose your target document.
4. Click Select.

   In the Hyperlink dialog, the Target URL text field and fields in the Document Parameters section will now contain the parameter values of your target document.

5. Optional: These hyperlinks are dynamic and can have parameters whose values can change when they are clicked. In the Document Parameters section, you will see a list of OpenDocument parameter options. You can define the value to pass to a specific parameter by clicking the checkbox beside it and manually typing the value you want to pass or select one of the following options from the dropdown menu.

   Option	Description
   Select Object	You choose an object from the list in the Select an Object dialog.
   Build Formula	You build a formula in the Edit Formula dialog.
   Clear	Remove the current value contained in this text field.

   Similarly, if your target document contains prompts or contexts, you can set them under the Prompts and Context Parameters section. If you have added any additional parameters in the URL, you can set them under the Other Parameters section.

6. Optional: To add or remove a parameter, you can edit the hyperlink syntax in the Target URL text field and click Parse URL.
7. Add a label in the Label box to the link or select to display the name of an object using the Select Object option. You can also build a dynamic label using the Build Formula option.
8. Using the Open In dropdown, select whether the link should open in a new window or in the current window.
9. Enter text in the Tooltip box, or build a dynamic tooltip by using the Select Object or Build Formula options. The tooltip will appear when you hover your mouse pointer over the cell containing the hyperlink.

   Option	Description
   Select Object	You choose the object from the list in the Select an Object dialog to supply its value as the tooltip.
   Build Formula	You build a formula in the Formula Editor to supply the formula output as the tooltip.
   Clear	Remove the current value contained in this text field.

10. Click OK.

When you create a link, the link is defined using the OpenDocument syntax. You can also build links manually using OpenDocument. OpenDocument is a web application that processes incoming URL requests for documents and any other viewable object type in the Central Management Server (CMS), and delivers the correct document to the end user in the appropriate viewer.

You can either open OpenDocument links or create them following a specifix syntax, depending on the client you want to the OpenDocument link to point, the report you want to open and so on. For more information on the syntax of an OpenDocument link and the parameters you should include when creating one, refer to the  Viewing Documents Using OpenDocument Guide