How to Use the Text Area

The text area is where you can provide analysis information such as the purpose of a page, or maybe state the observations you have made so that other people can verify or comment on your findings. You can also add images, links, and buttons, which can initiate actions that you think might be helpful for other users who open your analysis.

The text area is not a visualization as such, but it can be placed within a page just like a bar chart or scatter plot. For more information, see Visualization Layout  on how to position the text area in a page.

See also Locking the Size of Certain Visualizations to learn how to avoid scroll bars in text areas, when creating analyses that will be viewed on screens of different sizes.

There are several different types of content you can add to a text area:

• Text - text can be formatted to your liking, by changing the font, color, alignment, etc. You can also add links leading to an external web page.

• Images - images can be inserted into the text area in GIF, BMP, PNG or JPG format. Regular images are added using Insert Image, but you can also add images that behave like action controls when clicking on them, see below.

• Action controls - you can add links, buttons or images that perform a certain action or series of actions to the text area. For example, an action link can switch to a different page or apply a bookmark. It can also refresh a data function calculation or run a script. This could be very handy if you intend to share your analysis with other people. You could, for example, write instructions in a text area, and include links to any operations you want them to perform, such as: "...and when you are done filtering, refresh the calculation.".
  In addition, if any reports of the analysis have been prepared, they can be exported to a PDF document using an action control.

• Property controls - you can add a number of different items that control the values of selected properties. This could be drop-down lists, list boxes or sliders with predefined values. You can also add manual input fields where anything can be entered, or you could simply add a label displaying the value of a specified property.

• Filters - if you only want to display a few filters in your analysis, you can add those filters to a text area. This means the filters panel and the data in analysis flyout are not needed for filtering purposes and can be closed to save screen estate. Filters in the text area can also be set up to use a different filtering scheme than the one used on the rest of the page. This could be useful if you have selected to limit one or more visualizations on a page by some other filtering scheme than the one used on the page.

• Dynamic items - dynamic items are small "visualizations" that can live within a text area or in a graphical table. When included in a text area they represent an aggregated view of some data. For example, this could be a calculated value displaying the total sum of sales. The dynamic items can be set up to respond to the page filtering, some other filtering or no filtering. They can also be limited by markings in other visualizations, similar to details visualizations. Currently, the available dynamic items are sparklines, calculated values, icons and bullet graphs.

To insert a text area on a page:

1. On the authoring bar, click    to open the Visualization types flyout.

2. Drag the Text area to the wanted position on the analysis page.

   Response: A blank text area is created.

To edit the text area:

1. On the text area title bar, click Edit Text Area .

   Comment: You can also right-click the text area and select Edit Text Area from the pop-up menu.

   Response: The Edit Text Area dialog is opened.

2. You can now type text, or add any type of dynamic controls by clicking the corresponding button on the text area toolbar.

   Comment: See Text Area Edit Mode for more information about the available tools. Double-clicking a control in the Edit Text Area dialog opens a dialog for editing the control.

3. Click Save when you are finished.

4. Click Close in the upper-right corner to exit the Edit Text Area dialog.

5. To edit the title of the text area or set whether or not to show the title bar, right-click the text area and select Properties from the pop-up menu.

To add an image to the text area:

1. On the text area title bar, click Edit Text Area .
   Response: The Edit Text Area dialog is opened.

2. Click the Insert Image button, .

   Response: A dialog is opened where you can browse to the image of your choice.

3. Select an image and click Open.

   Comment: You can also copy and paste an image from another application.
   Comment: Remember that your internet options settings affect the text area, so if you have trouble viewing images, make sure that Show pictures is enabled in your web browser.

4. Click Save when you are finished.

5. Click Close in the upper-right corner to exit the Edit Text Area dialog.
   Note: If you want to use the image as an action control you should follow the steps below instead.

To add a property control to the text area:

1. On the text area title bar, click Edit Text Area .
   Response: The Edit Text Area dialog is opened.

2. Click the Insert Property Control button, , and select which type of control to add.

   Comment: You can choose from a number of different controls.

   Response: The Property Control dialog is displayed. There you can select which property to work on and determine which options will be available for selection.

3. Now you can use the property in the analysis, such as on a visualization axis, for example. Each time the property control is changed, all visualizations that use the property will be updated.

4. Click Save when you are finished.

5. Click Close in the upper-right corner to exit the Edit Text Area dialog.
   Note: Make sure that you type some information explaining what the property control will actually do if the analysis is going to be opened by other users.

See Using Properties in the Analysis for examples of how you can use property controls.

To add a web link to the text area:

1. On the text area title bar, click Edit Text Area .
   Response: The Edit Text Area dialog is opened.

2. Click Insert/Edit Web Link .

   Response: The Insert Web Link dialog is displayed.

3. Type a Text to display.

   Comment: If you had previously selected a text, then this text is already present in the dialog.

4. Type or paste a web address in the Address field.

   Comment: This could be either an ordinary web address, a mailto link opening an empty email for a specified person or a tibcospotfire link to a related analysis. If your company needs to link to something else an administrator has the possibility to modify the preferences Allow Additional Uri Schemes and  Additional Uri Schemes in the Administration Manager.

5. Click OK.

6. Click Save when you are finished.

7. Click Close in the upper-right corner to exit the Edit Text Area dialog.

To add a bookmark button, link or image action control to the text area:

1. On the text area title bar, click Edit Text Area .

Response: The Edit Text Area dialog is opened.

2. Click Insert Action Control  .

   Response: The Action Control dialog is displayed.

3. In the panel to the left, click Actions.

   Comment: On this page, you can add multiple actions to a single control, but you can also choose to add a single action, such as a bookmark or a page shift.

4. Type a Display text to be shown in the text area.

5. Select a Control type: Button, Link or Image.

6. In the Available actions list, click the plus sign to expand the Bookmarks group.

7. Click to select the bookmark you wish to add, then click Add.

   Comment: You can also double-click the bookmark to add it to the Selected actions list.

   Comment: If you wish to add more items to the action control, select them in the Available actions list and click Add.

8. Click OK.

9. Click Save when you are finished.

10. Click Close in the upper-right corner to exit the Edit Text Area dialog.

To add a page-switch button, link or image action control to the text area:

1. On the text area title bar, click Edit Text Area .

Response: The Edit Text Area dialog is opened.

2. Click Insert Action Control  .

   Response: The Action Control dialog is displayed.

3. In the panel to the left, click Actions.

   Comment: On this page, you can add multiple actions to a single control, but you can also choose to add a single action, such as a bookmark or a page shift.

4. Type a Display text to be shown in the text area.

5. Select a Control type: Button, Link or Image.

6. In the Available actions list, click the plus sign to expand the Pages and Visualizations group.

7. Click to select the page to which you wish to switch, then click Add.

   Comment: If you wish to add more items to the action control, select them in the Available actions list and click Add.

8. Click OK.

9. Click Save when you are finished.

10. Click Close in the upper-right corner to exit the Edit Text Area dialog.

To add a multiple actions button, link or image action control to the text area:

You can add multiple actions from the Actions page to a single button or link. However, it is not possible to mix actions from different pages (actions, scripts and data functions) in one action control.

1. On the text area title bar, click Edit Text Area .

Response: The Edit Text Area dialog is opened.

2. Click Insert Action Control  .

   Response: The Action Control dialog is displayed.

3. In the panel to the left, click Actions.

4. Type a Display text to be shown in the text area.

5. Select a Control type: Button, Link or Image.

6. In the Available actions list, click the plus sign to expand the group of interest.

7. Click to select the action you wish to add, then click Add.

8. Repeat steps six and seven to add more actions.

   Comment: The actions will be performed in the order from top to bottom of the Selected actions list. It is possible to rearrange the actions in the list by clicking them and selecting Move Up or Move Down.

9. Click OK.

10. Click Save when you are finished.

11. Click Close in the upper-right corner to exit the Edit Text Area dialog.

To add an export report action control to the text area

Using the Export to PDF dialog, reports of an analysis can be prepared, and then exported to PDF documents. It is possible to export such a report also from a text area by clicking a button, link, or image.  

1. On the text area title bar, click Edit Text Area .

   Response: The Edit Text Area dialog is opened.

2. Click Insert Action Control  .

   Response: The Action Control dialog is displayed.

3. In the panel to the left, click Report.

4. Type a Display text to be shown in the text area.

5. Select a Control type: Button, Link or Image.

6. In the Available reports list, select the report to be exported.

7. Click OK.

8. Click Save when you are finished.

9. Click Close in the upper right corner to exit the Edit Text Area dialog.

To add a script button, link or image action control to the text area:

1. On the text area title bar, click Edit Text Area .

Response: The Edit Text Area dialog is opened.

2. Click Insert Action Control  .

   Response: The Action Control dialog is displayed.

3. In the panel to the left, click Script.

4. Type a Display text to be shown in the text area.

5. Select a Control type: Button, Link or Image.

6. In the Available scripts list, click the script of interest.

   Comment: To define a new script, click Add > New script. For more information regarding scripts, see Using Scripts in the Text Area.

7. Click each parameter (if there are any) in the Necessary input for the selected script field and specify the Input for the selected parameter.

   Comment: If the script needs some kind of input values, then these must be specified before the script can be executed. Examples of input could be a text value or a specification of a visualization or a page to work with.

8. When all script parameters have been defined, click OK.

9. Click Save when you are finished.

10. Click Close in the upper-right corner to exit the Edit Text Area dialog.

To add a data function button, link or image action control to the text area:

Once executed in the document, data functions can also be refreshed by an action link or button in a text area. This can be a way to make it easier for other users of the analysis to find and use the data function. For example, if the data function has been configured to work with filtered rows, many people can access the analysis, filter to their special area of interest and click on a button to receive calculation results relevant for them.

1. Create an analysis where the data function can be used and run the data function as described in How to Use a Data Function.

   Comment: This is done in order to make the current document aware of the data function (to add an instance of the data function to the document).

2. Add a text area to the analysis.

3. On the text area title bar, click Edit Text Area .

   Response: The Edit Text Area dialog is opened.

4. Click Insert Action Control  .

   Response: The Action Control dialog is displayed.

5. In the panel to the left, click Data function.

6. Type a Display text to use on the button or link.

7. Select the Control type to use: Button, Link or Image.

8. Click to select the data function of interest from the Available data functions list.

   Comment: Only data functions that have been executed from within the current document and do not use automatic refresh will be available.

9. Click OK.

10. Click Save when you are finished.

11. Click Close in the upper-right corner to exit the Edit Text Area dialog.

To add a filter to the text area:

1. On the text area title bar, click Edit Text Area .

   Response: The Edit Text Area dialog is opened.

2. Click Insert Filter  .

   Response: The Insert Filter dialog is displayed.

3. Select the filtering scheme to use from the Filtering scheme drop-down list.

4. Select which filter to insert by clicking it in the Filter list.

5. Click OK.

6. Click Save when you are finished.

7. Click Close in the upper-right corner to exit the Edit Text Area dialog.

To add a sparkline, a calculated value, an icon, or a bullet graph to the text area:

1. On the text area title bar, click Edit Text Area .

   Response: The Edit Text Area dialog is opened.

2. Click Insert Dynamic Item  , and select which item to add.

   Response: The Settings dialog for the selected item is displayed.

3. Make the necessary changes to set up the dynamic item the way you want it.

   Comment: See How to Use Sparklines, How to Use Calculated Values, How to Use Icons, or How to Use Bullet Graphs for more details.

4. Click OK.

   Response: The settings dialog is closed. For sparklines, icons, and bullet graphs, a gray edit box representing the placement and size of the dynamic item is shown in the text area. The name and type of the dynamic item is displayed in the edit box to help identifying those items.

5. Click Save when you are finished.

6. Click Close in the upper-right corner to exit the Edit Text Area dialog.

To change the font, style and size of text in the text area:

To change the appearance of text that is typed directly in the text area and web links, use the text area toolbar. Other texts, such as the texts included in property controls, action controls, or dynamic items are modified from the Format Control dialog. Which settings are available in the dialog depends on the type of control or item. Note that text in filters and sliders cannot be edited.

1. On the text area title bar, click Edit Text Area .

   Response: The  Edit Text Area dialog is opened.

2. Right-click the control or item of interest, and select Format Control... from the pop-up menu.

   Response: The Format Control dialog is opened.

3. Adjust the settings in the dialog to your liking.

4. Click OK.

   Response: The new settings are applied to the selected control or item.

5. Click Save when you are finished,

   Note: When working with calculated values, make sure you do not unintentionally override any font style settings that have been defined in a rule.

6. Click Close in the upper-right corner to exit the Edit Text Area dialog.

To change the size of a sparkline, an icon, or a bullet graph in the text area:

1. On the text area title bar, click Edit Text Area .

   Response: The Edit Text Area dialog is opened and the outline of the sparkline, icon, or bullet graph is shown as a gray box.

2. Click the gray edit box to select it and drag either of the corners to resize the box.

   Comment: The size slider within the Icons page of the Icon Settings dialog can only resize the icon within the current edit box.

3. Click Save when you are finished.

4. Click Close in the upper-right corner to exit the Edit Text Area dialog.

To change the size of filters and controls in the text area:

1. On the text area title bar, click Edit Text Area .

   Response: The Edit Text Area dialog is opened.

2. Click the control (if it is a filter, click the gray edit box representing the filter) to select it and drag either of the corners to resize the box.

   Comment: Filters cannot be resized in the vertical direction, only the width will be changed.

3. Click Save when you are finished.

   Comment: You can always reset the size of the filter or control to the original size if you change your mind. Just open the Format Control dialog by right-clicking the filter or control, click Reset and then OK, and the size will be reset.

4. Click Close in the upper-right corner to exit the Edit Text Area dialog.

To change the default font, style and size for the text area:

The default font is used in the property controls and on action buttons.

1. Select Tools > Options on the menu bar.

   Response: The Options dialog is opened.

2. Click Fonts.

3. Under Settings for, click to select Text area content.

4. Select a Font.

5. Select a Size.

6. Click OK.

   Response: Property controls and action buttons in all new text areas will use the new default font. Note that previously created text areas in your document will not be affected by this change.

   Comment: To apply the font settings to already existing texts, you can click on the Apply to Document... button to open the Apply Font Settings to Document dialog. The dialog allows you to update the text styles in all visualizations on one or more pages at the same time. Using this dialog to adjust the fonts in the analysis will override any settings you may have made directly in a visualization.