AX2266

Configuring snapshot options for Axiom files

Axiom Software has several processes that create a "snapshot copy" of a file. When you take a snapshot copy of a file, the copy is converted into a regular Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that can be viewed outside of Axiom Software.

These snapshot options apply to the following processes that create snapshots:

  • Snapshot File
  • E-mail Workbook
  • File Processing (Save snapshot)

Deleting rows and columns for snapshot copies

When designing an Axiom file, you can flag certain rows and columns in the spreadsheet to be deleted in the snapshot copy. This may be useful to delete things like Axiom query artifacts or work rows and columns that are no longer needed in the snapshot copy.

The [DeleteRow] and [DeleteColumn] tags can be used to flag rows and columns to be deleted in the snapshot copy. You can place these tags anywhere in the sheet. There is no control row or control column. Other Axiom processes will ignore these tags.

  • Any row that contains a [DeleteRow] tag will be deleted in the snapshot copy.
  • Any column that contains a [DeleteColumn] tag will be deleted in the snapshot copy.

NOTE: Any cell that contains a full tag (text with opening and closing brackets) will be processed. It is not required to match the entire cell contents. For example, a cell with text like x[DeleteRow] will still be processed for deletion. If you want to use a formula to toggle the deletion on or off for a column or row, then the "off" state should resolve to a blank cell (or to text such as NoDelete, but remember that text will now be present in the snapshot).

Axiom Software first gathers the list of rows and columns to be deleted, and then performs the deletions. Therefore, you can place DeleteColumn tags in the same row as a DeleteRow tag, and all flagged deletions will still occur.

If the sheet is configured to freeze panes via the Control Sheet, Axiom Software attempts to reset the frozen panes after the row and column deletions so that it is in the same relative place.

IMPORTANT: Merged cells can cause issues during the snapshot process. If possible, we recommend avoiding use of merged cells. If you must use merged cells, then any delete tags that impact the merged cells must encompass the entire merged area. For example, if you have merged cells F10 and G10, and you place a [DeleteColumn] tag in column F, then you must also place a [DeleteColumn] tag in column G. Otherwise, the snapshot process will fail because it cannot delete only a portion of the merged cells.

Applying protection to snapshot copies

You can specify whether workbook and worksheet protection are applied when a user takes a snapshot copy of a file. This protection is configured independently from the protection settings that apply when the "live" file itself is opened. You can choose to protect the live file but not the snapshot, or vice versa, or you can apply the same settings to both the live file and the snapshot.

The following settings control protection for snapshot copies:

  • Workbook Protection On/Off during snapshot: This setting is located in the Workbook Options section of the Control Sheet. By default it is set to Off, which means snapshot copies will not have workbook protection applied.
  • Worksheet Protection On/Off during snapshot: This setting is located in the Sheet Options section of the Control Sheet. By default it is set to Off, which means snapshot copies will not have worksheet protection applied. This setting must be defined per sheet.

NOTE: By default, these settings use a formula so that they will automatically inherit whatever is set for the "live file" setting directly above. You can override this formula if desired and choose a different protection setting for snapshot copies.

See also