Web Intelligence Rich Client (WRC) - OEM Integration Points

[Former Member]

What is Web Intelligence Rich Client?

The Rich Client is a standalone desktop application that re-uses approximately 95% of existing, robust code from the Java Report panel and some Web Intelligence report server components. This is now available with Business Objects Enterprise XI 3.0!

WRC Capabilities:

• Provides equivalent document creation, editing, formatting, printing and saving capabilities as the Java Report panel.
• Allows offline use and local file management.
• Permits use of Personal Data Providers (Excel and Text files as data sources).
• Improves performance with fewer time-out issues.
• Offers native print, zoom and send-to-users-via-email capabilities.
• Allows for the removal of document security.
• Has Rich Client-specific security commands.
• Is customizable.

Customizing the WRC with Extension Points

Web Intelligence Rich Client (aka Webi RC or WRC) is customizable through the use of extension points. Extension points was an idea incubated in our labs (www.labs.businessobjects.com) last year and now has been added into XI 3.0. The idea was to allow developers a quick and powerful way to customize Webi RC.

Things you can customize:

• look and feel branding for the Web Intelligence application
• more control over user workflows to reduce ad-hoc user errors or server overload
• workflow simplification for commonly used features
• integration of external content (e.g. web content mashups, external applications)
• interoperability between Web Intelligence and 3rd party workflows

How to Customize the WRC

The most basic and common type of customization can even be done by power users. It involves a simple-to-use, simple-to-understand properties file. Change the splash screen, add logos, and remove buttons from the interface to streamline available features for users with different skills and needs.

Customization Examples:

• Display/hide query & report panels
• Display/hide toolbars: main, reporting, formatting, navigation
• Display/hide frames: data, report navigation map, available charts/tables, the UI for defining report properties
• Customize the branding: Colors, icons/logos

Sample

Here is a company, Lightstore Technologies, who changed the splashscreen and renamed Web Intelligence to LightStore Ad-hoc Report Writer.

This was done by placing a webi_plugin.properties file into the classpath, by default this is \BusinessObjects Enterprise 12.0\classes. The webi_plugin.properties file contains a set of [key=value] entries, and an optional variable that points to the java class files to use.

Here is my properties file:

#########################################################

# Extension Point #

#########################################################

WebI Custom Logo Image WebI.logo.image=/SmallLogoInverted.png

WebI.logo.image.small=/LogoInverted.png

WebI.about.image=/AboutLogo.png

WebI.splashscreen.image=/SplashLogo.png

Splash Screen:

Webi RC:

Webi RC About Screen:

 

There are more uses for extension points and I will discuss those in future blogs. Please send any comments on how you used extension points within Webi RC.

Thank you,
Kevin Kyle