Understand basic text mode for filters
TIP
- To gain a more in depth understanding of text mode we recommend watching the recorded webinar event Ask the Expert - Introduction to Text Mode Reporting, which is one hour in length.
- To learn even more about text mode we recommend watching the Advanced reporting tutorials, which together are five and a half hours in length.
- Click here to access API Explorer
In this video, you will learn:
- What text mode is
- What camel case is
- Some basic “plug and play” text mode you can use in your report filters
Transcript
In this video, you will learn what text mode is, what camel case is, and some basic plug and play text mode you can use in your report filters.
Many report writers use text mode in Adobe Workfront because they’ve exhausted their resources with the standard builder. And in some cases, still don’t have the report they need or want. Although text mode is not a cure-all solution, it does allow you to get around some of the limitations you may be experiencing through the standard builder.
You’ve seen how filters are created in the standard builder by using a series of drop down menus to select fields, qualifiers, and values. The standard builder simplifies the reporting tool. But because of that simplification, it can be limited. That’s why you may look to text mode to expand your options. The system reads the information you put into the standard builder and puts it into code for Workfront to read. This is text mode. All the same components are there, they just look different.
The thing to keep in mind when working with text mode is that feels a written in what is called camel case. That means the field is written with a mixture of uppercase and lowercase letters and no spaces. Workfront uses camel case to string words together in text mode. And most of the time, what you find in the standard builder would be similar in camel case. For instance, this is how planned completion date looks in the standard mode. And here’s how it looks in camel case. Here’s budget status in standard and here’s budget status in camel case. There are some fields in the standard builder that have a different camel case equivalent. These can be found in the API Explorer. You can learn more about those as well as other parts of building filters in the text mode by watching the advanced reporting videos on one.workfront.com. For now, let’s show you some quick and commonly asked for examples of things you can do with filters in text mode.
In Workfront, you can attach an approval to an object, a project task or issue or request in order to make sure information has been gathered or the work has been done correctly before moving forward. In other words, it needs to be reviewed and approved.
In the standard builder, there is not a way to create a filter to find those objects awaiting an approval. However, you can use the status field and two characters through text mode to filter your report to what still needs to be approved. The first thing to do is build as much of the filter as possible using the standard builder. Once that’s done switch to text mode and in this case, add two things, a colon and the letter A.
Once that is there, click the done button.
This tells Workfront, you are looking for objects that would be in that particular status but are pending an approval first. This can be done with any status in text mode.
Another possibility when using text mode is filtering lists and reports by comparing one field to another. For example, a project plan typically has planned hours for each task listed. This is a best estimate added by the project manager. However, what is planned may not always be what actually happens. So the project manager wants to narrow down the list to see which tasks have more logged hours or actual hours than the listed planned hours. You need to make the switch to text mode to make that happen. Start in the standard builder.
The 10 here is a placeholder that we will replace with the comparison field in text mode. Once there switch to text mode and replace 10H with field and the name of the field in text mode. In this case, actual work required. Note field is in all caps. Then click done, then click save filter and give the filter a name.
This report should refresh and show tasks where the actual hours are more than the planned hours listed on the task.
If multiple people are assigned to a task, each person can mark that they are done with their part of the work.
However, the task is not actually marked as complete until everyone assigned has done the same.
But you may only want to see tasks that you are still working on. There is not a way to do that in the standard builder but you probably guessed it can be done through text mode using exists. We won’t go into the details about how this works but we have provided the code for you to copy in the learning path. All you have to do is create whatever filter rules you want in your task filter. Then switch to text mode and paste the text mode code provided after any text mode you see. For most of your reporting needs, you’ll be able to use the standard builder. However, as you’ve seen, there are going to be instances when text mode will be vital to creating the reports you need. -
Task - Filter out tasks where I’ve marked “Done with my part”
The following text mode will exclude tasks where a user has marked “Done with My Part.” All you have to do is create a task filter, add any filter rules you want, then switch to text mode and paste the code below after any text mode you see in the filter.
EXISTS:1:$$OBJCODE=ASSGN
EXISTS:1:taskID=FIELD:ID
EXISTS:1:status=DN
EXISTS:1:status_Mod=notin
EXISTS:1:assignedToID=$$USER.ID
Task - Show me all tasks awaiting my approval
approvalProcessID_Mod=notblank
currentUserApproversMM:ID=$$USER.ID
currentUserApproversMM:ID_Mod=in
currentUserApproversMM_Join=allowingnull
Task - Show me all tasks I have approved
Create a task report with whatever filters you want, then go to the Filter tab and click on Switch to Text Mode. Add this code to whatever is already there:
approvalProcessID_Mod=notblank
approverStatuses:approvedByID=$$USER.ID
approverStatuses:approvedByID_Mod=in
Task - Show me all tasks that have at least one cross project predecessor
predecessorsMM:ID_Mod=notblank
predecessorsMM:projectID=FIELD:projectID
predecessorsMM:projectID_Mod=ne
Task - Show me all tasks I assigned to others
Create a task report with whatever filters you want, then go to the Filter tab and click on Switch to Text Mode. Add this code to whatever is already there:
EXISTS:1:$$OBJCODE=ASSGN
EXISTS:1:taskID=FIELD:ID
EXISTS:1:assignedByID=$$USER.ID
This will show you all tasks where the logged in user assigned at least one of the current assignees. If assignees were assigned by multiple people only the name of the first person who assigned someone will appear as “Requested By” on the task landing page.
Task - Show me all tasks that are Complete - Pending Approval
status=CPL:A
status_Mod=in
Issue - Show me all issues that are Complete - Pending Approval
status=CPL:A
status_Mod=in
Project - Show me all projects that are Complete - Pending Approval
status=CPL:A
status_Mod=in
Note - Show me all comments I’m tagged in
tags:userID=$$USER.ID
tags:userID_Mod=in
Parameter/Custom Field Report - Show me custom fields that are not attached to a custom form (very useful in cleanup efforts)
EXISTS:A:$$EXISTSMOD=NOTEXISTS
EXISTS:A:$$OBJCODE=CTGYPA
EXISTS:A:parameterID=FIELD:ID
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