Exporting an Xcelsius 2008 draws a blank screen!

[former_member217085]

Hi!

This is happening to me right now. I usually export it to power point and never had a problem....Now, once I click on the slide show icon I get a blank page. Just in case I downloaded the latest version of Adobe FlashPlayer, to no avail. Th same occurs using a PC (Vista Ultimate) and a laptop (Windows 7 Business)..What is going on???

Many thanks for any advice.

[former_member217085]

I don't think I'm getting any additional traction here. How do I close this discussion?

Thanks

[Former Member]

You could follow the SAP Note:

1767433 - Opening a Dashboard files exported from Dashboard Design to SWF, PDF, PowerPoint, or html format stuck on "Initializing" phase when queries are used in the .XLF source file.

Symptom:

Unable to open a Dashboard file.

Opening a SWF, PDF, PowerPoint, or html Dashboard file stuck on "Initializing" phase.

Environment:

SAP BusinessObjects Dashboard Design 4.0

Reproducing the Issue

Create a blank Dashboard with Dashboard Design 4.0.x

Add query to the Dashboard using the query browser panel.

Save the model and export it to SWF, PDF, PowerPoint, or html format.

Cause:

The dashboard is trying to access external data

Resolution

To access external data, the file must be trusted.

For a PDF file, In Adobe Reader, click edit>preferences>security (enhanced).

For any other file type:

1. Open the Adobe Settings Manager in a web browser via the link available here.

2. Click Global Security Settings Panel.

3. On the Global Security Settings Panel:

         a.In the "Always trust files in these locations" drop down, select Add location.

         b.Click browse for files.

         c.Do one of the following:

For a PowerPoint file, navigate to the PowerPoint.exe location.

For all other file types, Navigate to the location of this file.

    d.  Click open

Close the Adobe Settings Manager and re-open this file.

[former_member217085]

Thanks Noopur,

I am trying to solve this by following your instructions. Will report.

Thanks

[Former Member]

Hi Gunderic,

If this resolved your issue. I would request you to close this thread.

Regards,

Noopur

[former_member217085]

No, actually it not only did not solve the issue, but got worse!

I exported the project to power point ppt, ppsx and other formats and send it to a friend to see if he could help me with the fact that the URL button on the cancvas does not work. He told me he received all the power point formats blank!!

I am using flashPlayer 13.

I have been using Xcelsius for many years now but this is the first time I have a problem like this.

I know there are very knowledgeable people in this forum. I would like to hear from anyone who can help me with this issue which is creating a huge problem with my work.

Thanks in advance for any help

[amit_mathur]

Hi,

Let me make sure i got your issue correct. So, you exported the swf to PPT and other formats and sent to your friend.

First, could you confirm if it works on your machine( are you able to view the swf in PPT)?.

If yes, then check with the version of Flash player on your friends machine.

Let me know if this is just with PPT or if you have tried exporting to normal SWF format and use a browser to test.

Thanks,

Amit

[former_member217085]

Dear Amit,

The situation is as follows:

My friend said he cannot open the .ppt or any other version of the power point I sent him. I sent it again with some comments and am waiting for his answer. He is an IT security expert working for banks and right now is in the middle of something so I don't want to press him; but he will answer.

The power point does open in my PC/laptop.

In the meantime I would like to pose two questions to you with the expectation that you can help me out here.

1) Short of uninstalling CHROME how on earth do you prevent it from silently updating Flash Player from 13 to 14? I have had to uninstall #14 five times and install #13 back....

2) In the many years I have worked with Xcelsius I just had to include an URL button on the canvass, enter the URL I wanted, export it to .ppt or any other power point version and it ALWAYS worked perfectly well in ANY computer. I would click on the button of power point slide exported from Xcelsius and it would take me immediately to the intended website. Now I get a message saying that I need to make some sites "trusted"....This never happened before. Why now? Anyway I went to adobe global security settings panel and entered the same links I had entered originally on the URL button, to no avail. I still get the message and no connection to the website..

Furthermore, I am just working with .ppt and not with .swf format.

Amit, can you tell me what on earth is going on here? Have you had a case like this before? If yes, how did you solve it?

Thanks for taking the time to try to help me.

[amit_mathur]

Dear Gunderic,

Let me try to help you answer to both your query.

1. When you are installing Flash player, it prompts with option in the end stating "Auto update" or notify before installing updates. So you can check for notify before applying updates.

Alternately, you could set the Flash player update flag to False. Please take proper backup before.

Hkey_Local machine->Software-Macromedia.

2. This could be likely due to change in the Flash Player security. Most likely the upgrade of Flash player could be reason for this. There are at times Adobe will introduce additional security which might require you to update your global security setting.

Let me know if this helps.

Regards,

Amit

[former_member217085]

Dear Amit:

Every time a uninstall Flash Player 14 and install Flash Player 13 I do check the option Never check for updates, just in case. To no avail. It seems that chrome overrides this Adobe instruction.....Regarding the alternative you mention, that is above the IT knowledge I have, so I would not know how to do it. It would seem that the only solution for me will be to continue uninstalling FP #14 and re install FP #13 constantly. Let's expect that the next FP upgrade will solve the problem.

With respect to the 2nd question, you write: "This could be likely due to change in the Flash Player security. Most likely the upgrade of Flash player could be reason for this"

This is weird. If the .ppt was made with Xcelsius using the FP 13 version, there is no upgrade to cause this problem. Furthermore, I have been adding the Xcelsius URL button component on the canvass for many years and this is the first time I have encountered problems with the .ppt not accessing the external website as it should after clicking on the URL button. It is amazingg the extremes some software companies will go to make users' life as difficult as possible...

I must  also ask you, do you have the same problem? Because if you do, then it would render the URL component quite useless, as most recipients of the .ppt file would not want to mess with adobe security instructions... On the other hand, if you do not have this problem, then there is something extremely weird going on at my end with ALL my computers....

[amit_mathur]

Dear Gunderic,

I understand this was made with Xcelsius using Flash player 13. But now the machine is updated with your Flash player 14. And when you load the SWF, it would use your current version of Flash to load it. Also, the issue in not only with Xcelsius based swf but any external SWF generated from other than Xcelsius.

True, this was not seen before, but then the issue was identified with Version 14 and good thing is it's fixed with latest BETA release. Also, if you read on the Adobe blog, they talked about this issue.

I havn't had a chance to test this internally.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Amit

[former_member217085]

Hi Amit!

Just to clarify. The project was made with FP 13 and when the .swf loads it loads to my FP13 environment (that is why I mentioned it is a never ending story to uninstall FP 14 and install the FP 13 version). I think the problem is very serious. it is wreaking havoc in my work and I am sure I am not the only victim....

Please let me know:if I should understand there is a new FP version currently in beta solving these problems? If yes, how do I get hold of it?

Thanks!

[amit_mathur]

Hi Gunderic,

Check my blog for the link to download the beta release.

Dashboards issues with latest Adobe Flash Player 14.0

Thanks,

Amit

[former_member217085]

Dear Amit:

I downloaded this two files:

• Download active-x for Windows – for Internet Explorer only (EXE, 16.2 MB)
• Download plug-in for Windows – for all other browsers (EXE, 16.8 MB)

It does export the file to .ppt showing 2 screens instead of the usual 1 but one does work.

However, the URL button does not work; you click on it and instead of taking you to the intended website, it depicts a dialog box asking for permits and what have you, as I already reported.

This seems to be a completely independent issue, so it is extremely disturbing.

I really want to know from you and others if you also get this dialog box asking you to make a site trusted, etc. once you click on the URL button. If you do, then  I guess we can forget about the URL button..... I cannot imagine I am the only one getting this dialog box. Please address this specific issue......I am getting desperate here!

[Former Member]

As mentioned above this is a known issue associated with Adobe Flash player ver 14. Try exporting the dashboard as PPT from Dashboards Designer. Then open the .PPT file and save it as .PPTX or .PPTM.

Let me know whether the dashboard gets rendered within the .PPTX or .PPTM file. If not, I would suggest you downgrade version of Adobe Flash player to 13, both on end user's system as well as where dashboards designer is installed.

Regards,
Niraj

[former_member217085]

Thanks Niraj!

What I get now after exporting the project to power point is that the Xcelsius URL button on the canvas does NOT work. I get the a window with  a message:from adobe asking me to make the files trusted on the Global Security Settings panel. I did but it still does not work, Have any of you had a similar sitution? If yes, how did you solve it?

This IS frustrating man!

[former_member182541]

what is your adobe flash player version, Please check the below blog.

2034310 - Dashboards issues with latest Adobe Flash Player 14.0

Symptom

Dashboards show blank when exported to PPT or PDF using Flash player 14.0.

Environment

• SAP Dashboards 4.0/4.1
• Xcelsius 2008
• Adobe Flash Player 14.0

Reproducing the Issue

1. Update the Flash player to 14.0
2. Create or open a sample Dashboards
3. Export SWF to PPT or PDF format.
4. Try opening the PDF/PPT, it shows blank.

Cause

This issue is caused by some change in the latest Adobe Flash Player

Resolution

This is reported to Adobe for a fix. To workaround, downgrade the flash player to previous version(Flash Player 13 series).

[former_member217085]

I went back to FP 13 and it works, butt now I am getting two screens in Power Point....why?

[Former Member]

Hi Gunderic,

Adobe Flash player 14 is having issues with Dashboard designer.

For more information go through the following link.

As a workaround install Flash player 13.

Also to uninistall flash player14, use flash uninstaller which is provided by Adobe.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Noopur

[former_member217085]

Thanks

Finally I found the way of uninstalling FP 14 an installing version 13. It works now,