Hello,
I wanted to generate a hidden column that contains a reference to various icons and then reference it using the standard #COLNAME# substitution in Link Text attribute to show the icon in another column.
The query is as follows:
select ename,
job,
hiredate,
sal,
comm,
deptno,
deptno deptno_icon,
case deptno
when 10 then
'<span class="fa fa-number-1" aria-hidden="true"></span>'
when 20 then
'<span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-number-2"></span>'
when 30 then
'<span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-number-3"></span>'
when 40 then
'<span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-number-4"></span>'
end icon
from emp
Originally I wanted to do it in IG but figured out that there is the Escape Special Characters attribute (ESCA) available only for link columns. This looked quite odd, so I compared with other components.
Classic Report:
ESCA is available always (which is in my opinion just fine).
However it does nothing when there is a #COLNAME# column substitution. I think that if set to Yes, special characters should be escaped which is not happening (changing this attribute does not seem to have any effect).
Interactive Report:
ESCA is not available for hidden columns but if we set ESCA = No for Plain Text colum and then change it to Hidden, it retains its (ESCA = No) value. Quite surprisingly when column type is switched back to Plain Text, ESCA is being set/changed to Yes.
Changing ESCA also does not seem to have any effect when there is a #COLNAME# column substitution.
Interactive Grid:
ESCA is available only for Link columns but if we set ESCA = No for Link type colum and then change it to Hidden, ESCA = No is lost and characters are being escaped.
The ICON column must be hidden from Actions menu which is a bit cumbersome.
Please, what's the idea and logic behind showing/hiding ESCA? In my opinion it should be available always, at least for Hidden columns.
I created a showcase with explanations on apex.oracle.com
ws: pp_test
usr: test
pwd: test1234
Application 31159 - ig_col_substitution, Page 1
Please @"Carsten Czarski-Oracle", @"John Snyders-Oracle", please could you take a look at it and eventually reconsider the ESCA availability (always at least for hidden columns) or please give me some explanation because this had been a confusing experience.
Thanks a lot and regards,
Pavel