Issue with rendering icons calculated using Unicode in exported reports.

Product:TIBCO Spotfire Automation Services
Versions:All versions

Summary:
When exporting reports containing visualizations with icons calculated using Unicode, variations may appear depending on the operating system (OS) used for the export.

Details:

Analysis files that contain icons calculated using Unicodes (e.g: Javascript Encoding "\uD83D\uDFE1" ) and exported to different formats, such as PDF, may exhibit differences in behavior based on the underlying OS through which the export is done.

The following scenarios for exporting visualizations are considered:

1. Exported directly from Spotfire Analyst (e.g., File > Export > To PDF).
2. Exported directly from Spotfire Web Player (e.g., File > Export > To PDF).
3. Exported using periodic automation jobs with Spotfire Automation Services.

The exports may render blank or show incorrect entries in place of the expected unicode values.
 
CAUSE:
The main reason behind this issue is the reliance on Unicode 12.0 for calculating icons using Unicode.

Resolution:

• For the first scenario, where the Spotfire Analyst client is used, most systems like Windows 10 or above support Unicode 12.0. Therefore, there should be no difference in visualizations between the Analyst client and the exported PDF.

 

• In the second scenario, when using Spotfire Web Player, the processing occurs on the Node Manager machine running the Web Player service. Hence, it is vital to ensure that the OS running the Web Player service supports Unicode 12.0 to avoid variations in exported visualizations.

 

•  For the third scenario, where automation jobs are utilized, the node running  Automation Services must be checked for Unicode 12.0 support.

 So it needs to be ensured that the systems running the export to PDF, support Unicode 12.0. 

For example, Windows Server 2022 and above offer Unicode 12.0 support, whereas Windows Server 2019 and earlier versions do not.