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How to Add Pages, Sub-Pages, and Headings via QScript

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This article describes how to use a QScript to add pages, sub-pages, and headings to a document.

Requirements

Method

In QScript, the document is referenced as the project object, and the Report section is the project.report. You can append various objects to your document, such as pages, tables, calculations, and visualizations. However, pages are the most fundamental.

In Displayr, there are several key items to understand before working with pages in a QScript:

  • A page is required to add objects to it.
  • Objects within a page are subItems of that page, which in turn is a subItem of project.report.
  • A folder is essentially a nested page or a page placed within another page.
  • Pages can have different layouts as per your Page Master.
  • All pages have a title box (with the exception of Blank page layouts).

PageMasterTree.png

Appending blank pages and text boxes

In our first example, we will add a page called Page that appears within a folder called Folder. Page will additionally have a title positioned at the top left that includes the page name.

AddPageQScript.png

The workflow for this is as follows:

  • Create the "Folder" folder.
  • Add a nested page.
  • Add the title to the nested page.

Here is the code:

// Add folder
var folder = project.report.appendGroup();
folder.name = "Folder";

// Add page
var pageName = "Page";
var page = folder.appendGroup();
page.name = pageName;

// Add heading
var title = page.appendText();
var html = Q.htmlBuilder();
html.append(pageName, { font: 'Open Sans', size: 18 });
title.content = html;
title.top = 10;
title.left = 10;
  • We begin by using appendGroup() to add a blank page to our document, that is project.report, called folder, and set the name. Alternatively, we can use appendFolder() to directly set this as a folder.
  • As we will use the page name more than once, we will first declare it as pageName.
  • We again use appendGroup() but instead add a page to folder and set its name.
  • The page's title field is created using the appendText() property and its content is set with an HTML builder function called html.append() that allows us to set the text and styling.
  • Finally, we set the top and left positions to fix the title in the top left corner.

Appending page layouts

In our second example, we will add a specific page layout, Title and Content, and rename the title:

AddTitleAndContentPage.png

// Add page
var pageName = "Page";
var page = project.report.appendPage("Title and Content");
page.name = pageName;
var titleText = page.subItems[0];
titleText.text = pageName;
  • As we will use the page name more than once, we will first declare it as pageName.
  • This time we use appendPage() and specify the page layout we want to add by name as per the Page Master. Note appendGroup() works the same here as appendPage("Blank").
  • We then set the page name and update the text property of our title field which is the first subItem on the page.

Updating page titles

Once you have created your pages and folders, you may wish to rename them. This is also possible via QScript. For example, to rename the first page in our document, we reference the first subItem of report and set the name property:
var page = project.report.subItems[0];
page.name = "Our report";

Page references can also be based on the current selection by using project.currentPage():

var page = project.currentPage();
page.name = "Renamed Page";

Next

How to Create Tables and Calculations via QScript

Later

How to Create a Visualization via QScript

How to Modify Tables via QScript

See Also

How to Work with Variables via QScript

How to Create a Custom QScript

How to Use QScripts in Displayr

JavaScript Fundamentals

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