Drop-down Tree Widget

11.0

/

11.0.6

• Parent nodes of the root node in a tree dataset can be non-empty when you create a drop-down tree widget through automatic construction methods.
  

• Renamed Async Load in parameter widgets to Asynchronously Expand Tree Node. The asynchronous loading logic is unified after you set default values. For details, see section "Widget in Parameter Panel" in "Widget Introduction".

11.0.7

• Renamed Async Load in data entry widgets to Asynchronously Expand Tree Node. The asynchronous loading logic is unified after you set default values. For details, see section "Widget in Data Entry Report" in "Widget Introduction".

• Added the option Returned Value's Type. For details, see attribute tables in section "Attribute".

• Optimized the default value setting method. You can set default values without entering complete paths. For details, see section "Parameter Widget".

Number of Required Datasets

One or multiple

One

Multiple

Required Dataset Type

General dataset

Tree dataset

General dataset

Required Data Structure

Multiple column fields with dependency relationships

Multiple root nodes can exist in a column or two columns of fields with corresponding relationships and complete tree relationships.

Note: Parent nodes of a root node must be empty in FineReport V11.0.6 and earlier versions.

Multiple column fields with corresponding relationships need to be filtered through the treelayer function in SQL.

Performance

Better than Basic Layered Creation under normal circumstances

Automatic Creation cannot be compared with the other two creation methods due to its unique data structure.

Average performance with large amounts of data or excessive levels

Others

Cannot automatically filter empty nodes.

Cannot automatically filter empty nodes.

Allows you to hide empty nodes.

Basic

Widget Name

Name (empty by default) of the widget is manually entered and usually used in conjunction with parameters, such as passing the widget value to the corresponding parameter after the widget is obtained through Widget Name.

Available

Determines whether the widget is available. 

Check (default setting): Widget can be edited during data entry. 

Uncheck: Widget is grayed out and cannot be edited during data entry.

Visible

Determines whether the widget is visible. 

Check (default setting): Widget is displayed on the page during data entry. 

Uncheck: Widget is not displayed on the page during data entry.

Data Dictionary

Allows you to define the actual value and display value of the drop-down tree widget. There are three creation methods: Automatic Creation, Basic Layered Creation, and Fast Layered Creation.

1. Automatic Creation: automatically creates a drop-down tree based on the hierarchical relationship of the tree dataset, with no need to define data layer by layer.

2. Basic Layered Creation: defines the view tree layer by layer through the data dictionary. Some layer parameters are needed to be defined in datasets during the process. That is to say, take the values from the previous layer as parameter values to filter data of the next layer.

• If you select Basic Layered Creation, the option Performance First (uncheck by default) is provided. Checking it can improve loading efficiency.

Check: If there are no child nodes under a directory, the icon + is still displayed, but there is no data after you expand the directory.

3. Fast Layered Creation: defines the hierarchy of the drop-down tree through datasets. Compared to Basic Layered Creation, it does not need the help of layer parameters. Data is arranged by category, with each layer bound to a data column.

Note:

You cannot adjust the font size and color of options in the data dictionary by setting those of cells.

Advanced

Watermark

Light gray watermarks are displayed in widgets during data entry. You need to manually enter the watermark content (empty by default) to prompt users for the required information. Watermarks disappear after you click the widget editing area.

Multiselect

Check: You can select multi-options from the drop-down tree widget during data entry. 

Uncheck (default setting): You can select only one option during data entry.

Asynchronously Expand Tree Node

Note: In FineReport of versions earlier than V11.0.7, it was called Async Load.

Node loading logic, which affects performance. It is checked by default.

Checked: Only data of parent nodes are loaded and all child nodes remain collapsed by default after you expand options, which is suitable for cases with large amounts of data. 

If there is a default value for the widget, the default value node is expanded and selected by default, while other nodes are not expanded.

Unchecked: All child nodes are expanded at once after you expand options, which is suitable for cases with small data volume. 

If there is a default value for the widget, all child nodes are expanded at once and default value nodes are selected.

Return Only Leaf Node

Determines whether child nodes can be selected automatically after parent nodes are selected in multiple options.

Check (default setting): Child nodes can be selected automatically after parent nodes are selected.

Unchecked: Child nodes cannot be selected automatically when parent nodes are selected.

Note:

Return Only Leaf Node is a function setting option for multi-select drop-down trees, which does not affect single-select drop-down trees.

Return Full Hierarchical Path

Drop-down tree is a widget with hierarchical structures. Each leaf node at the bottom level has its full hierarchical path. This option determines whether to return full hierarchical paths after a value is selected, with returned value as array-type data.

Checked: Full paths are returned. For example, select Director, and returned values are Headquarter, Marketing department, and Director.

Unchecked: Only the leaf node is returned. For example, select Director, and the returned value is Director.

Returned Value's Type

This option, appearing only when Multiselect is checked and Return Full Hierarchical Path is unchecked, is used to set the format of returned values (Array or String) of multi-select drop-down trees.

If Return Full Hierarchical Path is checked, the returned value's type is determined. In this case, there is no option Returned Value's Type.

1. Array: Returned value is an array. For example, select three values and returned values are "Value 1", "Value 2", "Value 3".

2. String: Returned value is a string, in which separator, initializer, and terminator need to be defined. That is to say, multiple selected values are concatenated into a single string through the separator. For example, in the English input mode, separately set Separator to Comma and Initializer and Terminator to Quotes. The returned value is 'Value 1, Value 2, Value 3'.

Validation

Allow Null

Determines whether options can be unselected.

Check (default setting): allows options to be unselected.

Uncheck: The following  prompt pops up during data entry validation and submission.

Note:

 If Allow Null is unchecked, the option Clear will not appear when you use widgets on mobile terminals.

Error Tip

This setting item appears if Allow Null is unchecked, allowing you to customize the prompt message. The message Can not be null is displayed by default.

Allow Edit

Determines whether users can directly enter values. 

Check (default setting): Users can enter values directly and perform fuzzy search.

Note:

The function is not supported on mobile terminals.

Allow Custom Value

Determines whether users can enter values not included in the drop-down tree options.

• Check: allows users to enter values not included in the drop-down tree options.

• Uncheck: allows users to enter values (compared with actual values) only included in the drop-down tree options. If an invalid value is entered, a prompt box appears "Value is not in the drop-down list".

Basic

Widget Name

Name (default value as treeComboBoxEditor#) of the widget is manually entered and usually used in conjunction with parameters, such as passing the widget value to the corresponding parameter after the widget is obtained through Widget Name.

Available

Determines whether the widget is available. 

Check (default setting): The widget can be edited during data entry. 

Uncheck: The widget is grayed out and cannot be edited during data entry.

Visible

Determines whether the widget is visible. 

Check (default setting): The widget is displayed on the page during data entry. 

Uncheck: The widget is not displayed on the page during data entry.

Advanced

Label Name

The label attribute of widgets is used on mobile terminals. Because mobile terminals do not support Label Widget on the parameter panel, but recognize the Label Name attribute of ordinary widgets and thus use label names of the widgets.

Widget Value

Default value (empty by default) in the widget initialization. It can be the actual value bound to the data dictionary or the displayed value. Three value types are supported: String, Field, and Formula.

Note:

In FineReport of versions earlier than V11.0.7, the default value of the view tree must include the complete path of the node actual value. In FineReport V11.0.7 and later versions, the TREEDEFAULTPATH function is added, allowing you to set the default value without entering the complete path.

1. String: character text. For example, to select Peking, you can enter "North China,Peking,Peking".

If there are multiple values, parent nodes are separated with commas and multiple values are separated with semicolons. For example, to select Peking and Shanghai, you can enter North China.Peking,Peking; East China,Shanghai,Shanghai.

2. Field: dataset field (such as the region field of dataset ds1). Datasets includes template datasets and server datasets.

Note:

You cannot select all functions through Field in multi-select drop-down trees.

If the field value meets multiple value formats, multiple options can be selected.

3. Formula: formulas supported by the designer, such as the value of cell A1/=[[1,11,111],[1,11,112]].

If the value corresponding to the formula meets multiple value formats, multiple options can be selected.

Data Dictionary

Allows you to define the actual value and display value of the drop-down tree widget. There are three creation methods: Automatic Creation, Basic Layered Creation, and Fast Layered Creation.

1. Automatic Creation: automatically creates a drop-down tree based on the hierarchical relationship of the tree dataset, with no need to define data layer by layer.

2. Basic Layered Creation: defines the view tree layer by layer through the data dictionary. Some layer parameters are needed to be defined in datasets during the process. That is to say, take the values from the previous layer as parameter values to filter data of the next layer.

• If you select Basic Layered Creation, the option Performance First (uncheck by default) is provided. Checking it can improve loading efficiency.

If there are no child nodes under a directory after it is checked, the icon + is still displayed, but there is no data after you expand the directory.

3. Fast Layered Creation: defines the hierarchy of the drop-down tree through datasets. Compared to Basic Layered Creation, it does not need the help of layer parameters. Data is arranged by category, with each layer bound to a data column.

Watermark

Light gray watermarks are displayed in widgets during data entry. You need to manually enter the watermark content (empty by default) to prompt users for the required information. Watermarks disappear after you click the widget editing area.

Font Size

Font size (default value as 12) of the selected and displayed font in the widget box options.

Note:

1. Text size in the drop-down options does not change with the font size here.

2. This function is not supported on mobile terminals.

Multiselect

Check: You can select multi-options from the drop-down tree during data entry. 

Uncheck (default setting): You can select only one option from the drop-down tree during data entry.

Asynchronously Expand Tree Node

Note: In FineReport of versions earlier than V11.0.6, it was called Async Load.

Node loading logic, which affects performance. It is checked by default.

Checked: Only data of parent nodes are loaded and all child nodes remain collapsed by default after you expand options, which is suitable for cases with large amounts of data. 

If there is a default value for the widget, the default value node is expanded and selected by default, while other nodes are not expanded.

Unchecked: All child nodes are expanded at once after you expand options, which is suitable for cases with small data volume. If there is a default value for the widget, all child nodes are expanded at once and default value nodes are selected.

Return Only Leaf Node

Determines whether child nodes can be selected automatically after parent nodes are selected in multiple options.

Checked (default setting): Child nodes can be selected automatically when parent nodes are selected.

Unchecked: Child nodes cannot be selected automatically when parent nodes are selected.

Note:

Return Only Leaf Node is a function setting option for multi-select drop-down trees, which does not affect single-select drop-down trees.

Return Full Hierarchical Path

Drop-down tree is a widget with hierarchical structures. Each leaf node at the bottom level has its full hierarchical path. This option determines whether to return full hierarchical paths after a value is selected, with returned value as array-type data.

Checked: Full paths are returned. For example, select Director, and returned values are “Headquarter, Marketing department, and Director”.

Unchecked: Only the leaf node is returned. For example, select Director, and the returned value is “Director”.

Returned Value's Type

Note: This function is added in FineReport V11.0.7.

This option, appearing only when Multiselect is checked and Return Full Hierarchical Path is unchecked, is used to set the format of returned values (Array or String) of multi-select drop-down trees.

If Return Full Hierarchical Path is checked, the returned value's type is determined. In this case, there is no option Returned Value's Type.

1. Array: Returned value is an array. For example, select three values and returned values are "Value 1", "Value 2", "Value 3".

2. String: Returned value is a string, in which separator, initializer, and terminator need to be defined. That is to say, multiple selected values are concatenated into a single string through the separator. For example, in the English input mode, separately set Separator to Comma and Initializer and Terminator to Quotes. The returned value is 'Value 1, Value 2, Value 3'.

Validation

Allow Null

Determines whether widgets can be unselected. 

Check (default setting): allows widgets to be unselected.

Uncheck: The following  prompt pops up during data entry validation and submission.

Error Tip

This setting item appears if Allow Null is unchecked, allowing you to customize the prompt message. The message Can not be null is displayed by default.

Allow Edit

Determines whether users can directly enter values. 

Check (default setting): Users can enter values directly and perform fuzzy search.

Note:

This function is not supported on mobile terminals.

Allow Custom Value

Determines whether users can enter values not included in the drop-down tree options.

• Check: allows users to enter values not included in the drop-down tree options.

• Uncheck: allows users to enter values (compared with actual values) only included in the drop-down tree options. If an invalid value is entered, a prompt box appears "Value is not in the drop-down list".

Coords & Size

Widget Location

Widget location on the parameter panel. The coordinates of the widget are displayed automatically and you can modify the horizontal and vertical coordinates to adjust the widget location.

Widget Size

Size of the widget. It can be adjusted by changing its width and height. If the size is adjusted by dragging, the height and width are automatically adjusted accordingly.

Scenario:

In the drop-down tree, there are region, province, and city indicators. You can achieve the simultaneous selection and query of data for multiple cities.

Document:

Multi-Value Query Through Drop-down Tree

Scenario:

There are 3 levels of data (namely region, city, and customer name) in the database. You can achieve simultaneous selection and query of all companies in the East China region and data of a specific company in Peking.

Scenario:

Default value can be set in the drop-down tree widget.

Document:

Drop-down Tree Default Value Setting

Scenario:

All selections by default can be set in the drop-down tree widget.