Embedding External Web Pages

Dashboards can display content from other websites within dashlets. A website can react to filters as set by business users. Users can also click and interact with an embedded web page.

Important: Web Page dashlets are not approved for use with Infor Government Solutions (IGS).

You specify the URL of the website and optionally use dashboard filters as URL query parameters. You can insert:

Tip: Use the Insert Web Page feature and pass parameters if you're embedding external content within Dashboards 2.0 that does not require the use of JavaScript callback event handling, such as embedding a video. For more complex JavaScript, see Embedding HTML and JavaScript.

Before you insert a web page in a dashboard, consider the following:

  • The URL must use HTTPS because Birst is hosted over HTTPS.
  • Some websites do not allow embedding. If you do not see the website in the preview, the site you are attempting to link to may not allow embedding.
  • The web page cannot be configured with the same-origin policy. This property prevents the web page from being embedded. On Wikipedia see Cross-origin resource sharing.
  • Think about how the size of the dashlet that holds the web page relates to other elements on the dashboard. The dashlet will automatically resize the web page down to the web page's minimum dimensions. If the minimum dimensions are larger than the dashlet, scroll bars will display.

To insert a simple web page

  1. Click Insert - Web Page.
  2. Using the Web Page Editor, enter the URL of the web page that you want to display on the dashboard. A preview of the web page displays in the Editor, and the full URL displays below the preview.
    Tip: If the preview appears at the bottom, try widening the browser window to accommodate the size.

    Tip: If a URL that resolves correctly in a web browser does not display in the Web Page Editor preview, the web page most likely does not allow embedding.
  3. Click Insert.
    The website displays in the dashlet. You can resize it and set other dashlet properties.

Examples of Advanced URLs

The Web Page Editor supports more complex URLs, including the following examples:

  • A URL with a specific query parameter:
  • A subdomain URL with tabs:

To use a filter as a query parameter

  1. Prior to setting up parameters, set up the filters. The filters to be used in an embedded web page must already exist and be applied on the dashboard.
  2. Click Insert - Web Page and add the base URL.
  3. Click the Parameters toggle to enable filters and display the list of filters available.
  4. Click the filter you want to use as a query parameter. The query parameter box displays.
  5. Either:
    • Leave the field blank if you want to pass the values as-is.
      Or:
    • Enter the parameter that will use the filter value. For example, enter "q" for a query parameter.

      Tip: The fully-qualified URL displays below the preview. You can cut-and-paste this into a browser to test the result of your fully qualified (filter) link.

  6. Optionally, add another filter.
  7. Click Insert.
  8. Publish the dashboard and test out the new functionality.
  9. For example, a Year filter could be passed into a web page.

    10. Tip: Multiple filter values can be passed to URLs.

Use a Birst variable as a default filter value passed to a web page

Birst variables, especially BQL-based variables, in combination with dashboard filters can support complex use cases. This is a simple example using a variable defined as a constant.

  1. In Admin - Customize Space - Variables, create the Birst variable. Make sure the variable definition matches a value or values in your data. You must be the space owner or Space Administrator to create a variable.

  2. In Dashboards 2.0 Edit Mode, define a filter using More Options - Use variable as default.

  3. Add the URL with a query string syntax. In this example, the Full URL shows that the variable is used as the default value for the URL query parameter.

  4. Insert the filter and Publish the dashboard to confirm the results.