External Data Area Page Links

In version 7.1(18), and later, you can reference pages defined in other data areas to avoid duplicating pages in the script. These can be explicit links to pages with each link defined individually, or you can reference an external central page that is applied to the entire data area.

IMPORTANT: The script must be brought into the project to be referenced for external data area links.

When you are creating an external data area page link, consider the security level and device compatibility of the linked page. If a user does not have access to the target data area, or it is not compatible for the same devices, it does not appear.

The external data area page links bring in the specified page only. Other pages defined in the section block are excluded.

External Page Links

When defining a link to a specific page from an external data area, both the referenced page and the data area in which it is defined require unique identifiers: page area-id specifies the data area page and id specifies the data page in the sections block.

You can link to any page type. Similarly, to link to pages within the same data area, you can dive on the data by including a parameter.

NOTE: When you use an explicit link to a central page, you must include a dimension value parameter.

Here is an example of a report page that links to an external data area report page.

  data-area id = "data-area-external-links" {
    title "External Data Area Links"
    icon "/divetab/images/menu icons/5.png"
     
    sections {
      report-page {
        cplan "/cplans/basic_101.cplan"
        title "External Data Area Links"
        
        dimension "Product Name"
        
        text column = "9 Liter Cases"
        text column = "Cases"
        text column = "Cost" {
          link {
            page area-id = "data-area-landing" id = "rp-product-name-details"
          }
        }  
      }
    }
  }

Here is the result of the code with the external data area link in the Cost summary column.

Here is how the linked report page appears in the other data area.

  data-area id = "data-area-landing" device-type = "all" { 
    icon "/divetab/images/menu icons/22.png" 
    title "Report Page Sample"
	
    sections { 
      report-page id = "rp-product-name-details" { 
        title "Product Details"
        cplan "/cplans/basic_102.cplan"
        
        parameter "Product Name"
        
        dimension "Corporate Brand"
        dimension "Product ID"
        dimension "Beverage Type"
        
        text column = "9 Liter Cases"
        text column = "Cases"
        text column = "Cost"
        text column = "Net Sales"
      } 
    } 
  }

Here is how the linked report page appears after selecting one of the summary values under Cost.

External Central Page Links

Central pages from external data areas behave the same way that central pages defined within a data area do. They automatically generate links related to a specified dimension or dimensions.

IMPORTANT: Ensure that there are not multiple central pages that use the same dimension.

Unlike other link types, external central page links are added to the data-area block with their own unique identifiers: external-central-page id which specifies the data page in the external central page's pages block and the area-id which specifies the external central page.

Here is an example of a report page that includes links to a central page defined in an external data area.

  data-area id = "data-area-external-links" {
    title "External Data Area Links"
    icon "/divetab/images/menu icons/5.png"
    
    external-central-page id = "cp-corporate-brand-details" area-id = "data-area-landing"
    
    sections {
      report-page {
        cplan "/cplans/basic_101.cplan"
        title "External Central Page Link"
        
        dimension "Resp Team"
        dimension "Corporate Brand"
        
        text column = "9 Liter Cases"  
        text column = "Cases"
        text column = "Cost" 
      }
    }
  }

Here is how the code of the initial report page appears in DiveTab.

Here is how the central page appears in the other data area.

  data-area id = "data-area-landing" { 
    title "Linked Central Page" 
    icon "/divetab/images/menu icons/5.png" 
    
    sections { 
      overview-page { 
        ... 
      } 
    } 
    
    pages {  
      central-page id = "cp-corporate-brand-details" { 
        cplan "/cplans/basic_101.cplan" 
        dimension "Corporate Brand" 
        
        tab "Overview" { 
          screen { 
            layout { 
              vsplit { 
                hsplit percent = 40 { 
                  spacer percent = 7 
                  box percent = 35 { 
                    title "Cases" 
                    hsplit { 
                      element id = "gd-current" percent = 49 
                      line percent = 2 
                      element id = "gd-lastyear" percent = 49 
                    } 
                  } 
                  element id = "tb-county" percent = 51 
                  spacer percent = 7 
                } 
                hsplit percent = 60 { 
                  element id = "ln-posting" 
                } 
              } 
            } 
          } 
        } 
        
        tab "Tables" {
          ... 
        }
        
        tab "Grids" { 
          ... 
        } 
        
        tab "Charts" { 
          ... 
        } 
      } 
    } 
  }

Here is how the central page appears after you click on the Corporate Brand ARROWOOD.

NOTE: If the central page includes links to other pages within the pages block, those pages are included automatically.

DI recommends containing central pages within a single script and referencing it using external central page links.