Dynamic reports - RHDL.EXE

As mentioned, the built-in web server has an integral reporting extension that can produce a full report in HTML format and deliver it direct to a web browser. This reporting function is accessed using the standard CGI (Common Gateway Interface) protocol.

The idea is simple: you pass the parameters of the required report, including the ID number of the report you want to produce, the period (date and time), and any other parameters that the report requires. The report is then generated and sent back to the web browser window.

The reporting script, as it is known, is invoked by sending CGI variables to the object http://tim.yourcompany.com/rhdl.exe where tim.yourcompany.com is the host name of the machine running the TIM web server.

Report parameters can be passed by the standard GET and POST methods. Using the GET method, the parameters can simply be passed to the RHDL.EXE object on the URL, as a hypertext link, or typed directly into the web browser's address bar. For example: http://tim.yourcompany.com/rhdl.exe?reportid=5&period=lastmonth would return a full Call Geography report based on the calls made in your organisation over the last month.

Using the POST method requires an HTML form to be produced. An example of the same Call Geography report is described below:

In this example, the user is allowed to enter the reportid and period manually, thus allowing them to choose which type of report and the period that it covers, they want to produce.

Listed in the SSIs (server-side variables) section, there is an array of SSI variables that can be used in your HTML code to automatically insert a drop-down list of valid report periods - for the period parameter.

Further, there may be times when a drop-down list is needed in your HTML page that holds a list of all the extension groups that have been set-up. Clearly, a static HTML page would not suffice here because the list of extension groups may change. In this case, you must use the server-side variable named #SSI_EXTNGROUP to magically do this for you.

The difference between actioning a report using the POST method instead of the GET method, ensures that the parameters you send the RHDL.EXE object are hidden from your web browser's address bar. This can sometimes be desirable from a security point of view.