Pop-up panels are another useful tool in the MicroStrategy Mobile client, we can use them to display additional details and add more interactivity to our documents. In the Web Interface pop up can be achieved with some JavaScript tricks, while on the iPad there is no need for that; just create a new panel and set it as an info window. Let's see how to do it.
Open the 41 iPad Landscape Portrait with Panels document in design mode:
- Open the Insert menu and select Panel Stack.
- Answer No to the warning message.
- Draw a rectangle in an empty area of the First Panel.
- When you release the mouse button a new panel stack with one panel is created. Rename the panel:
Details. - Right-click on the cross arrow icon to open the stack context menu and select Properties and Formatting….
- In Properties | General, modify the Name to
Info Window. Below the Panel Stack header check the option box labeled Use as Information Window and confirm with OK. - Now click on the green plus icon inside the Details panel and choose Grid.
- Answer No to the message. Now there is a grid inside the Details panel.
- Fill this grid with these objects:
- Product Subcategory on rows
- Sum SalesAmount from FactInternetSales on data
- Open the context menu for the grid and select Edit View Filter….
- Add the condition
Product Category In List (Bikes)and click on OK to save the view filter. - Hover to the grid on the left and place the cursor over the Year attribute header and right-click on it. From the menu that appears pick Use as Selector.
- Right-click on it again and this time select Edit Selector….
- Verify that in the right part of the shopping cart, in the Selected Targets area, the Info Window panel stack is listed, and click on OK.
- Save the document, overwrite the existing one, and run it.
- In the Web Interface the Info Window panel stack is hidden.
- Open the document in the iPad and tap one Year header (for example, 2008); the Info Window panel stack will show the Details grid:
Information windows are hidden when you open a document, but they function exactly as standard panels. So, they can be targeted by selectors and can use view filters, for example. You are not limited to grids, also graphs and other objects can be placed inside information panels. This feature adds a lot of details to a single document, and offers an impressive added value to static reports. Managers, CEOs, and decision makers will appreciate this feature, which—used consciously—saves a lot of extra gestures.
In the Web Interface, there is a way to see information panels, if you run the document in express mode instead of interactive mode, and they function exactly as in the mobile client.
As with documents in the Web, the recommendation is to always put the least amount of datasets needed to display the results. I prefer to create one single ad-hoc dataset for each document instead of reusing previous reports that may contain extra unused columns or rows. Add to this that mobile devices often are connected over telephone networks with limited bandwidth. So, think twice before overloading a mobile dashboard with high-definition images or million-row grids: one document that on the PC may seem fast, could take minutes to download over a wireless connection. And, we know too well, our users on the go have no time or battery to spare.