Links Editor

You can add links to a report or document using the Links Editor. A link is a connection in a report or document (the source) to another report, document, or web page (the target).

• The link can automatically pass parameters to answer any prompts that are in the target. For example, if a user is viewing a document containing regional sales, they can click a particular region to execute another document that displays sales for the stores in that region.
• The link can automatically pass values chosen in a selector in the source to a selector in the target. A selector allows each user to interact with a dashboard to display only the subset of data they are interested in or only specific attribute elements or metrics. For example, the regional sales document also contains a selector for year. The user chooses a specific year in the selector, and then clicks a link to execute another document that displays sales for the months in that year.
• The source document can also link to an underlying dataset report, to display profit and cost values as well.

You can create links in a report:

• On attributes, hierarchies, metrics, and object prompts. The links can target reports and documents.
• On attributes in the Page-by panel. The links can target reports and documents.

You can create links in a document:

• On attributes, hierarchies, metrics, and object prompts in a Grid/Graph. The links can target reports and documents.
• From a Grid/Graph to an underlying dataset report.
• On attributes in a widget. The links can target reports and documents.
• From a text field or image. The links can target reports, documents, and web pages.

Steps are below to create links using the Links Editor.

To add a link to a report or document

1. Open the document in Design Mode or click the name of the report to run it.
2. Right-click the object on which you want to create the link, then select Edit Links. The Links Editor opens.
3. To create a link from an object on a Grid/Graph or widget, right-click the attribute or metric header in the Grid/Graph and select Edit Links.
4. If other links are already displayed in the Links Editor, click New to create a new link.
5. Type a name for the link in the URL display text field. Since the name appears in the link, it should be descriptive and informative to help users identify the target of the link.
6. Perform the appropriate steps below, depending on whether you are linking to a web page or to a report or document:
   • To link to a web page:
     
     Note: If you are adding the link to a document designed to be viewed by users in Presentation Mode in MicroStrategy Web or PDF View in MicroStrategy Developer, use a hyperlink instead of a link. For steps, see the Document Creation Help.
     1. Select Navigate to this URL. This option is available only if you are creating a link from a text field or image in a document.
     2. Type the target URL in the field below Navigate to this URL. Continue this procedure at To define additional links and determine link behavior below.
   • To link to a screen on a mobile device:
     1. Select Perform this.
     2. From the Perform this drop-down list, select the screen to link to.
     3. Continue this procedure at To define additional links and determine link behavior below.
   • To link to a report or document:
     1. Select Run this report or document.
     2. Click ... (the browse button) below Run this report or document to find and select the target report or document.

To apply prompt answers to target reports or documents that contain prompts

1. The box below Run this report or document contains a list of any prompts included in the target report or document. Select a target prompt from the box.
2. Select a prompt answer method from the drop-down list. For examples of each prompt answer method, see the Linking from Documents chapter in the Document Creation Help.
   • To use the same prompt answers for both the source report and the target report or document, select the Answer with the same prompt from the source option. This option requires that both the source and target documents use the same prompt.
   • To have the user type prompt answers after they click the link to run the target report or document, select the Prompt user option.

   • To ignore the prompt in the target report or document, select the Answer with an empty answer option. The prompt in the target is ignored, which means that the prompt is not answered. No prompt answer is provided from the source and the user is not prompted to provide answers.

     If the prompt is required, the prompt is still executed when a user clicks this link, since a prompt answer must be provided.

   • To have the prompt in the target use the default answer defined by the prompt's designer, select the Use default answer option. This option requires that a default answer is defined for the prompt in the target. For steps to save a report with default answers, see How to Determine If a Report Uses Default Prompt Answers. For steps to save a document with default answers, see the Document Creation Help.
   • To answer the prompt using the object selected in the source, select the Answer dynamically option. This option is only available for attribute element prompts and value prompts.
   • To answer the prompt using the object selected in the source, select the Answer using current unit option. This option is only available for hierarchy prompts.
   • To answer the prompt in the target with any object to the left of or above the object that the user selects in the source document, select the Answer using all valid units option. This method passes all pertinent selections in the source, rather than just the selection made for the link. This option is available only for hierarchy prompts.
3. For each prompt in the target report or document, repeat the step above.

To specify the prompt answer method for prompts not in the list

You can specify how to answer prompts that are not yet included in the target report or document (for example, prompts that will be added to the target after you finish creating the link). To do so, select Any other prompts, then select a prompt answer method. The following prompt answer methods are available:

• Answer with the same prompt from the source
• Prompt user (default)
• Answer with an empty answer
• Use default answer

To apply selector values to a target document that contains selectors

Choose a selector value method from the Pass all selector values drop-down list. For an example of passing selector values, see the Linking from Documents chapter in the Document Creation Help.

• To match selector values by the selector's source attribute (that is, the object displayed in the selector), select Match Selectors by Source Attribute.
• To match selector values by the name of the selector, select Match Selectors by Control Name.

To define additional links and determine link behavior

1. Repeat the appropriate steps above if you want to create additional links. You can create multiple links on the same object.
2. Select the Open in new window checkbox to have the target report or document open in a new window. This allows the target and the source documents to be visible simultaneously. If this checkbox is cleared, the target report or document or web page opens and replaces the source document. This option applies to all links in the report or document.
3. If the object has more than one link, you can determine which link is opened by default when the user clicks the object. The user can access the other links by right-clicking the object and choosing a link from a list. Click the link that you want to make the default link, and click Set as Default. For details on default links, see the Linking from Documents chapter in the Document Creation Help.
4. Click OK.

Related Topics

For a detailed overview of linking, including more information on linking in reports, see in the Advanced Reporting Help.

For more information on linking in documents, see the Linking from Documents chapter in the Document Creation Help.