# Connecting to parameters in Amazon Quick
Connecting to parameters

Use this section after you have a parameter set up, to connect it and make it work. 

After you create a parameter, you can create consumers of the parameters. *Parameter consumers* are components that consume the value of a parameter, such as filters, controls, calculated fields, or custom actions. 

You can navigate to each of these options in another way, as follows:
+ To create a filter, choose the **Filter** icon at the top of the page. In short, you create a **Custom Filter** and enable **Use parameters**. The list shows only eligible parameters.
+ To add a new control for the parameter, choose the **Parameters** icon at the top of the page. In short, choose your parameter, and then **Add control**. 
+ To use a parameter in a calculated field, either edit an existing calculated field, or add a new one by choosing **Add** at the top left. The parameter list appears below the field list.
**Note**  
You can't use multivalue parameters with calculated fields.
+ To create a URL action, choose the **v**-shaped menu on a visual, and then choose **URL Actions**.

For more information on each of these topics, see the following sections. 

**Topics**
+ [Using filters with parameters](parameters-filtering-by.md)
+ [Using calculated fields with parameters](parameters-calculated-fields.md)
+ [Using custom actions with parameters](parameters-custom-actions.md)
+ [Parameters in URLs](parameters-in-a-url.md)
+ [Parameters in titles and descriptions](parameters-in-titles.md)

# Using filters with parameters in Amazon Quick
Using filters with parameters

Use this section to filter the data in an analysis or dashboard by a single-value parameter value. To use a multivalued parameter—one with a multiselect drop-down control—create a custom filter that is equal (or not equal) to the values. 

Before using a filter with a parameter, you should already know how to work with filters. 

1. Verify that your analysis has a parameter already created. Choose **Edit** from either the parameter or the control menu to find out what settings are in use.

1. Choose the **Filter** pane from the left of the screen. If there is already a filter for the field that you want to use, choose it to open its settings. Otherwise, create a filter for the field that you want to filter by parameter.

1. Choose **Use Parameters**.

1. Choose your parameters from the list or lists below **Use parameters**. For text (string) fields, first choose **Custom Filter**, and then enable **Use Parameters**.

   For date fields, choose the **Start date** and **End date** parameters, as shown in the following screenshot. 

   For fields with other data types, choose **Select a parameter** and then choose your parameter from the list. 
**Note**  
Parameters that can hold multiple values must use equal or not equal as the comparison type.

1. Choose **Apply** to save your changes.

Test your new filter by choosing the control near the top of the analysis. In this example, we use a basic parameter that has no defaults, and a dynamic control that is linked to the **Region** field in the sample dataset named **Sales Pipeline**. The control queries the data, returning all values. 

If you delete or recreate a parameter that you are using in a filter, you can update the filter with the new parameter. To do this, open the filter, choose the new parameter that you want to use, and then choose **Apply**.

If you rename a parameter, you don't need to update the filter or any other consumers.

# Using calculated fields with parameters in Amazon Quick
Using calculated fields with parameters

You can pass the value of a parameter to a calculated field in an analysis. When you create a calculation, you can choose existing parameters from the list of parameters under **Parameter list**. You can't create a calculated field that contains a multivalued parameter—those with a multiselect drop-down control.

For the formula, you can use any of the available functions. You can pass the viewer's selection from the parameter control, to the `ifElse` function. In return, you get a metric. The following shows an example. 

```
ifelse(

${KPIMetric} = 'Sales',sum({Weighted Revenue}),

${KPIMetric} = 'Forecast',sum({Forecasted Monthly Revenue}),

${KPIMetric} = '# Active', distinct_count(ActiveItem),

NULL

)
```

The preceding example creates a metric (a decimal) that you can use in a field well. Then, when a user chooses a value from the parameter control, the visual updates to reflect their selection.

# Using custom actions with parameters in Amazon Quick
Using custom actions with parameters

A *custom action* enables you to launch URLs or filter visuals by selecting a data point in a visual or choosing the action name from the context menu. When you use a URL action with a parameter, you can pass or send parameters dynamically to the URL. To make this work, you set up a parameter, and then use it in the URL when you create a custom action with an action type of **URL action**. The parameters on both the sending and the receiving end must match in name and data type. All parameters are compatible with URL actions.

For details on creating a URL action, see [Creating and editing custom actions in Amazon Quick Sight](custom-actions.md). If you just want to use a parameter in a link without creating a URL action, see [Using parameters in a URL](parameters-in-a-url.md).

# Using parameters in a URL
Parameters in URLs

You can use a parameter name and value in a URL in Amazon Quick to set a default value for that parameter in a dashboard or analysis. 

The following example shows the URL of a dashboard that sets a parameter for another dashboard.

```
https://us-east-2.quicksight.aws.amazon.com/sn/dashboards/abc123-abc1-abc2-abc3-abcdefef1234#p.myParameter=12345
```

In the previous example, the first part is the link to the target dashboard: `https://us-east-2.quicksight.aws.amazon.com/sn/dashboards/abc123-abc1-abc2-abc3-abcdefef1234`. The hash sign (`#)` follows the first part to introduce the *fragments*, which contain the values that you want to set.

The values in the fragments aren't received or logged by Amazon servers. This functionality keeps your data values more secure.

The fragment after `#` follows these rules: 
+ Parameters are prefixed with `p.`. The names are the parameter name, not the control name. You can view the parameter name by opening the analysis, and choosing **Parameter** on the left sidebar.
+ The value is set using equals (`=`). The following rules apply:
  + Literal values don't use quotation marks. 
  + Spaces inside values are automatically encoded by the browser, so you don't need to use escape characters when manually creating a URL. 
  + To return all values, set the parameter equal to `"[ALL]"`.
  + To assign the parameter's value to `null`, set it equal to `%00`. For example, `p.population=%00`.
  + In custom actions, target parameter names begin with `$`, for example: `<<$passThroughParameter>>`
  + In custom actions, parameter values display with angle brackets `<< >>`, for example `<<dashboardParameter1>>`). The dashboard user sees the lookup value, not the variable. 
+ For a custom URL action, multivalue parameters only need one instance of the same parameter in the fragment, for example: `p.city=<<$city>>`
+ For a direct URL, multiple values for a single parameter have two instances of the same parameter in the fragment. For an example, see following.
+ Ampersands (`&`) separate multiple parameters. For an example, see following.

The server converts the date to UTC and sends it to the backend as a string without a time zone. To use Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) dates, exclude the time zone. Following are some examples of date formats that work: 
+ `2017-05-29T00%3A00%3A00` 
+ `2018-04-04 14:51 -08:00`
+ `Wed Apr 04 2018 22:51 GMT+0000`

```
https://us-east-2.quicksight.aws.amazon.com/sn/dashboards/abc123-abc1-abc2-abc3-abcdefef1234#p.shipdate=2018-09-30 08:01&p.city=New York&p.city=Seattle&p.teamMember=12&p.percentageRank=2.3
```

In the browser, this code becomes the following.

```
https://us-east-2.quicksight.aws.amazon.com/sn/dashboards/abc123-abc1-abc2-abc3-abcdefef1234#p.shipdate=2018-09-30%2008:01&p.city=New%20York&p.city=Seattle&p.teamMember=12&p.percentageRank=2.3
```

The previous example sets four parameters:
+ `shipDate` is a date parameter: `Sept 30, 2018`.
+ `city` is a multivalued string parameter: `New York`, and `Seattle`
+ `teamMember` is an integer parameter: `12`.
+ `percentageRank` is a decimal parameter: `2.3`.

The following example shows how to set values for a parameter that accepts multiple values.

```
https://us-east-2.quicksight.aws.amazon.com/sn/dashboards/abc123-abc1-abc2-abc3-abcdefef1234#p.MultiParam=WA&p.MultiParam=OR&p.MultiParam=CA
```

To pass values from one dashboard (or analysis) to another dashboard based on the user's data point selection, use custom URL actions. If you choose, you can also generate these URLs manually, and use them to share a specific view of the data.

For information on creating custom actions, see [Using custom actions for filtering and navigating](quicksight-actions.md).

# Using parameters in titles and descriptions in Amazon Quick
Parameters in titles and descriptions

When you create parameters in Amazon Quick, you can use them in titles and descriptions throughout your charts and analyses to dynamically display parameter values. 

You can use parameters in the following areas of your analysis:
+ Chart titles and subtitles
+ Axis titles
+ Legend titles
+ Parameter control titles
+ Sheet titles and descriptions

The following image shows a chart title that uses a parameter.

![\[Image of the Format visual pane with a parameter in the chart title and a chart with the parameter value in the title circled in red.\]](http://docs.amazonaws.cn/en_us/quick/latest/userguide/images/parameters-in-titles-labels2.png)


Use the following procedures to learn how to add parameters to areas throughout your analysis. For more information about parameters and how to create them, see [Parameters](parameters-in-quicksight.md).

## Adding parameters to chart titles and subtitles
Chart titles

Use the following procedure to learn how to add parameters to chart titles and subtitles.

**To add a parameter to a chart title or subtitle**

1. Open the **Properties** pane for the visual that you want to format.

1. In the **Properties** pane, choose the **Title** tab.

1. Select **Show title** or **Show subtitle**. These options might already be selected.

1. Choose the three dots at the right of **Edit title** or **Edit subtitle**, and then choose a parameter from the list.

   The parameter is added to the title in the **Properties** pane. In the chart, the parameter value is displayed in the title.

   For more information about editing titles and subtitles in visuals, see [Titles and subtitles on visual types in Quick](customizing-a-visual-title.md).

## Adding parameters to axis titles
Axis titles

Use the following procedure to learn how to add parameters to axis titles.

**To add a parameter to an axis title**

1. Open the **Properties** pane for the visual that you want to format.

1. In the **Properties** pane, choose the axis that you want to format.

1. Select **Show title**.

1. Choose the three dots at the right of the default axis title, and then choose a parameter from the list.

   The parameter is added to the axis title in the **Properties** pane. In the chart, the parameter value is displayed in the axis title.

   For more information about editing axis titles, see [Axes and grid lines](showing-hiding-axis-grid-tick.md).

## Adding parameters to legend titles
Legend titles

Use the following procedure to learn how to add parameters to legend titles.

**To add a parameter to a legend title**

1. Open the **Properties** pane for the visual that you want to format.

1. In the **Properties** pane, choose **Legend**.

1. Select **Show legend title**.

1. Choose the three dots at the right of **Legend title**, and then choose a parameter from the list.

   The parameter is added to the legend title in the **Properties** pane. In the chart, the parameter value is displayed in the legend title.

   For more information about formatting legends, see [Legends on visual types in Quick](customizing-visual-legend.md).

## Adding parameters to control titles
Control titles

Use the following procedure to learn how to add parameters to parameter control titles.

**To add a parameter to a parameter control title**

1. Select the parameter control that you want to edit, choose the three dots at the right of the parameter control title, and then choose **Edit**.

1. In the **Edit control** page that opens, select **Show title**.

1. Choose the three dots at the right of **Display name**, and then choose a parameter from the list.

   The parameter is added to the parameter control title.

   For more information about using parameter controls, see [Parameter controls](parameters-controls.md).

## Adding parameters to sheet titles and descriptions
Sheet titles and descriptions

Use the following procedure to learn how to add parameters to sheet titles and descriptions in your analysis.

**To add a parameter to a sheet title or description**

1. On the analysis page, choose **Sheets** in the application bar and then choose **Add title** or **Add description**.

   A sheet title or description appears on the sheet.

1. For **Sheet title** or for **Description**, choose the three dots at right, and then choose a parameter from the list.

   The parameter is added to the sheet title or description and the parameter value appears in the text when you close the text box.

   For more information about adding sheet titles and descriptions, see [Adding a title and description to an analysis](adding-a-title-and-description.md).