Table with Filtered Data

Davolio

What I am trying to do is make my table look like this:<br />
<br />
<strong class='bbc'>User Role Task Shift</strong><br />
Dave Prog Code First<br />
<blank> Mang Fire Second<br />
Chad Prog Code First<br />
<blank> <blank> Test Second<br />
<br />
<br />
What it looks like now:<br />
<strong class='bbc'>User Role Task Shift</strong><br />
Dave Prog Code First<br />
Dave Mang Fire Second<br />
Chad Prog Code First<br />
Chad Prog Test Second<br />
<br />
I'm using BIRT report designer 2.2.1 I just downloaded the all in one, I've only been at this for like a week, I'm a previous cognos user. <br />
<br />
In simplest terms I want the cell to be blank if the cell above it has it's same value. <br />
<br />
so I've been trying to create a script to do this but they have all been rather unsuccessful. I figured i'd have to do it on a Cell by Cell basis so for each Cell I created a script during the oncreate which is something like:<br />
<br />
If (prevCell == this.getRow().getColumnValue("USER"))<br />
{ <br />
-- set the cell to be blank<br />
}<br />
<br />
prevCell = this.getRow().getColumnValue("USER");<br />
<br />
my main issue is how do I set the cells value ? And how do I set the global. I have a book that says how to do it but the book is wrong, I think I should be using the reportContext.setGlobalVariable(arg1, arg2).<br />
When trying to set the cell's value I do a <strong class='bbc'>this. </strong>The only methods I can find are get methods, no set methods. I didn't find what I needed in the report context either. Maybe manipulating the table isn't the answer maybe I should be doing this via the dataset. I don't know. I don't suppose there's any way to iterate through a table in BIRT like you can a spreadsheet in EXCEL VB or something?<br />
<br />
Any help would be greatly appreciated,<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
<br />
Dave

mwilliams

Hi Dave,<br />
<br />
Assuming your data is sorted like you want it when it comes in, you should be able to do this by using dynamic text elements rather than dragging the dataSet elements over into the table. You'd just have to put variable for each of your output columns in the initialize script of the report (i.e. lastUser = ""; lastRole = ""; etc.). Then in the dynamic text box in the detail row for each column, do something like the following:<br />
<br />
<pre class='_prettyXprint _lang-auto _linenums:0'>
if (row["Column_Name"] == lastColumn_Name){
"";
}
else {
lastColumn_Name = row["Column_Name"];
row["Column_Name"];
}
</pre>
<br />
If you want the first line for each user to always contain all data elements, you'll have to add a little more script to check for the username being the same as the last for all columns.<br />
<br />
I haven't tested this, but it should work. Let me know if it doesn't.