3.4Bookmarks, buttons & navigation
The essentials in 30 seconds
- A bookmark captures a state of the report — filters, selections, object visibility — and a button recalls it in one click.
- The Selection pane is the hidden half of bookmarks: it lists the page's objects with their visibility (eye), the basis of show/hide toggles.
- In Desktop, buttons are tested with Ctrl + click (a simple click once published) — and a bookmark can capture Data and/or Display.
Running mini-case — Zineb turns her report into an application
Zineb's page, in Algiers, forces her colleagues to reset the filters by hand after every exploration. She applies the section: she puts the page in the neutral state, creates a bookmark "Initial state" (View → Bookmarks → Add) and places a "Reset" button whose action points to that bookmark. She then builds a toggle: two overlaid histograms (Sales and Margin), which she hides and shows via the Selection pane to create the bookmarks "Sales view" and "Margin view", linked to two buttons. Finally, she adds a Page navigator (Insert → Buttons → Navigator) as a banner: full navigation without wiring anything. Her report now behaves like a small application.
Standalone case for this section: it returns in the course, the diagram, the script and the 48h challenge of section 3.4.
1. Bookmarks and buttons
Bookmarks capture a state of the report — filters, selections, object visibility — and buttons recall them in one click. The combination produces everything that looks "pro": a "Reset filters" button, toggling between a Sales view and a Margin view on the same page, collapsible panels, navigation between pages. Bookmark = captured state; button = trigger.
2. The Selection pane
The hidden half of bookmarks: the Selection pane lists the page's objects with their visibility (eye) — it is the basis of show/hide toggles. A bookmark can capture Data (filters) and/or Display (visibility): this fine setting avoids surprises, like an old filter reappearing.
3. Testing and naming
In Desktop, buttons are tested with Ctrl + click (a simple click once published). And we name each bookmark properly ("Sales view — Sales page"): a rich report quickly has twenty, and vague names become unmanageable for maintenance.
🔎 Concrete example — 🔎 Concrete example — The Reset button
Zineb offers her colleagues a one-click reset:
1. Page in the neutral state (no filter)
2. Bookmarks → Add → « Initial state »
3. Insert → « Reset » button
4. Action = Bookmark → « Initial state »
→ Filter, then Ctrl + click: everything returns.Reading: the button does nothing magical: it recalls the bookmark, which restores the captured state (filters and visibility).
Lesson: always decide what the bookmark captures (Data / Display) — that is what avoids unpredictable behaviour.
Section vocabulary
- Bookmark
- A snapshot of the report's state (View → Bookmarks → Add): filters, selections, visibility — recallable at will.
Simple example: Zineb captures "Initial state" for her reset button.
What it is not: a button with no memorised state.
Reflex: a reusable state → bookmark.
- Selection pane
- The list of the page's objects with their visibility (eye): the basis of show/hide toggles.
Simple example: Zineb hides the Margin histogram there to create the Sales view.
What it is not: the model's field pane.
Reflex: show/hide an object → Selection pane.
- Button + action
- Insert → Buttons: each button carries an action (bookmark, page navigation, back) — testable with Ctrl + click in Desktop.
Simple example: Zineb links "Reset" to the "Initial state" bookmark.
What it is not: a decorative shape with no action.
Reflex: trigger a state → button + action.
- Page/bookmark navigator
- The automatically generated buttons (Insert → Buttons → Navigator): a navigation bar with no effort.
Simple example: Zineb adds it as a banner to navigate between pages.
What it is not: bookmarks multiplied to navigate.
Reflex: simple navigation → Navigator.
- Bookmark options
- A bookmark can capture Data (filters) and/or Display (visibility): the fine setting that avoids surprises.
Simple example: Zineb unchecks Data on her view toggle.
What it is not: a bookmark that captures everything indiscriminately.
Reflex: check Data/Display for each bookmark.
In practice — In practice — The two classics: reset and toggle
- Reset: page in the neutral state → Bookmarks → Add ("Initial state") → Insert → "Reset" button → Action = "Initial state" bookmark. Filter, then Ctrl + click: everything returns, as with Zineb.
- Toggle: overlay two visuals (Sales histogram and Margin histogram). Selection pane: hide Margin → bookmark "Sales view"; invert → bookmark "Margin view".
- Link two buttons "Sales" and "Margin" to the bookmarks: the same page area tells two stories.
- Add a Page navigator (Insert → Buttons → Navigator) as a banner: full navigation without wiring anything.
Step-by-step script — Zineb's reset and toggle (9 min)
1) Put the page in the neutral state then View → Bookmarks → Add: name it "Initial state". 2) Insert → "Reset" button, Action = "Initial state" bookmark. 3) Filter the page, then Ctrl + click on the button: everything returns. 4) Overlay a Sales histogram and a Margin histogram, hide Margin in the Selection pane, create "Sales view", then invert for "Margin view". 5) Add a Page navigator as a banner for navigation.
A bookmark that reapplies old filters? Right-click → uncheck "Data" if it should only manage visibility.
Copy-paste template — my bookmarks and buttons
[ ] « Initial state » bookmark created (neutral page)
[ ] « Reset » button → Action = « Initial state » bookmark
[ ] Toggle: bookmarks « Sales view » / « Margin view » (Selection pane)
[ ] Sales / Margin buttons linked to the bookmarks
[ ] Page navigator added as a banner
Reflex: bookmark = captured state, button = trigger; test with Ctrl + click.One-click reset
Zineb offers her colleagues a button that returns the page to the neutral state, without retouching anything by hand.
Sales / Margin toggle
Zineb overlays two histograms and toggles from one to the other: the same area tells two stories.
Collapsible panel
Zineb shows or hides a filters panel via the Selection pane and a dedicated bookmark.
Built-in navigation
Zineb adds a Page navigator: the navigation bar wires itself.
✓ Best practices
- Use the Selection pane (visibility) for show/hide toggles.
- Name each bookmark properly ("Sales view — Sales page").
- Prefer the Page navigator for simple navigation.
✗ Common pitfalls
- Letting a bookmark capture Data when only visibility matters.
- Multiplying bookmarks for what the Navigator does on its own.
- Forgetting that in Desktop buttons are tested with Ctrl + click.
Key takeaways
- Bookmark = captured state; button = trigger: the duo of all advanced interactivity.
- The Selection pane (object visibility) is the hidden half of bookmarks.
- In Desktop, buttons are tested with Ctrl + click (a simple click once published).
- Name your bookmarks properly: a rich report quickly has twenty.
48h challenge — apply it tomorrow
Build Zineb's reset: an "Initial state" bookmark and a button that returns to it (test with Ctrl + click). Then add a toggle between two overlaid visuals via the Selection pane. Write in one sentence what each bookmark captures.
- I can create a bookmark and link it to a button.
- I can toggle between two views with the Selection pane.
- I distinguish the button (trigger) from the bookmark (captured state).
Frequently asked questions
My bookmark reapplies old filters I no longer want: why?
Because it captured Data and Display: it replays the filters' state as it was at its creation, including filters that have become obsolete. Two fixes: right-click the bookmark → uncheck "Data" if it should only manage visibility; or correct the page's state then right-click → Update to recapture the right state.
Do bookmarks slow the report down?
No: they are memorised states, recalled on demand, with no notable impact on performance. The real cost is maintenance — twenty bookmarks with vague names become unmanageable. Reserve bookmarks for real states (toggles, resets, panels) and let the Page navigator handle simple navigation.
What is the "hidden half" of bookmarks for show/hide toggles?