Triggering actions from parameter changes

The 'Parameter Change' mode of report actions enables you to trigger actions on a dashboard widget when a parameter changes in a report.

This topic gives a basic example to illustrate the principle of the Parameter Change action mode.

In this example, a dashboard contains two widgets. One widget contains a list of report names and the other contains one of the listed reports. When a report name is selected, the selected report opens in the second widget.

Other use cases for the Parameter Change action are to refresh multiple reports on a dashboard, or re-initialize their variables when data in one report is refreshed.

To create a jump action that is triggered by a parameter change:

  1. Create two or more target reports to jump to.
  2. Create a custom hierarchy in which the nodes are the unique names of the target reports.
    See Custom hierarchies.
  3. Create a report and insert a combo box. Link the custom hierarchy onto the combo box.
    See Associating list objects with lists.
  4. Create a report variable and select it as the output variable of the combo box.
  5. Use the report variable as a report parameter. Select Element as the parameter type and select the custom hierarchy as the lookup for the parameter.
    See Report parameters.
  6. Create a report variable for each target report and use it as a report parameter. In each target report, select Element as the parameter type and select the custom hierarchy as the lookup for the parameter.
  7. Create a report action on one of the target reports. Select Jump as the action type and select Parameter [name of the report variable] changes. Select the report variable as the value of the Target report input.
  8. In Dashboards, place the list of reports and one of the target reports on a dashboard to create two widgets.
    The widgets are automatically linked because their report parameters link to the same lookup.

    See Report parameters and dashboards.

  9. Open the properties of the target widget and select Open in this Widget in the Jump Targets field.