Hide User Interface Elements

You can use URL commands to hide user interface elements for a session, or you can edit the applicable system.xml file to hide user interface elements permanently.

When you hide user interface elements in page headers, these elements are not hidden elsewhere in IBM® Cognos® Business Intelligence. For example, Report Studio can be run from the Welcome page or from the Launch menu in the h1 header. Hiding the IBM Cognos Business Intelligence header using the URL command does not hide the Report Studio link in the Welcome page.

Using URL Commands

Type URL commands in your browser if you want to hide user interface elements for the current IBM Cognos request or session only. You can use URL commands to hide UI elements for both IBM Cognos Connection and IBM Cognos Viewer.

IBM Cognos Connection commands can only be appended to IBM Cognos Connection URLs, and IBM Cognos Viewer commands can only be appended to IBM Cognos Viewer URLs. For example, adding &ui=t3m4 at the end of an IBM Cognos Viewer URL does not affect IBM Cognos Connection.

IBM Cognos Viewer commands do not affect the IBM Cognos Connection user interface. For example, adding the IBM Cognos Viewer command &tb=0 at the end of an IBM Cognos Connection URL will show no effect.

However, IBM Cognos Connection commands may affect IBM Cognos Viewer indirectly. For example, hiding the top header in IBM Cognos Connection will also hide the header in IBM Cognos Viewer.

You can use URL commands to hide the following IBM Cognos Connection headers or sections of a header:

  • the IBM Cognos Connection top header (h1) that includes the title (t1), the Launch menu (m1), and all right-hand side header options.
  • the tab bar (h3) that includes tabs such as Public Folders, My Folders, and custom pages (t3).
  • the IBM Cognos Connection header (h4) that includes the navigation path (t4), and the toolbar menu (m4).

Using the System.xml File

To hide all instances of a user interface element in IBM Cognos Connection, you must modify the system.xml file. To hide user interface elements in Public Folders or My Folders, modify the system.xml file in the c10_location/templates/ps/portal directory. To hide user interface elements in portal pages and dashboards with multiple tabs, modify the system.xml file in the c10_location/templates/ps directory.

Modifying the system.xml file is more flexible than using URL commands for these reasons:

  • You can hide more user interface elements.
  • You can restrict the appearance of user interface elements based on user type or membership in groups and roles.
Parent topic: Add or Hide User Interface Elements Based on Groups and Roles