Power BI Layout Report Failed to Render in Safari: Troubleshooting Javascript Embedding Issues

Safari Compatibility Issues with Power BI Layout Report Embedding

Embedding Power BI reports into web apps via JavaScript libraries is a typical requirement for current analytics systems. However, not all browsers conduct this process consistently, which can lead to unexpected problems. One such issue occurs when attempting to integrate a Power BI layout report in Safari via the powerbi-client and powerbi-report-authoring libraries.

While layout rendering works well in browsers such as Chrome, developers have reported specific issues while dealing with Safari. The main issue is that the layout report fails to render, as the critical JavaScript function'report.layoutReport.render()' is not called as required. Despite updating to the most recent versions of the libraries, the issue persists.

Furthermore, regular Power BI report embedding works in Safari, adding another degree of ambiguity. The issue appears to be limited to layout report embedding. This mismatch shows a distinct problem that developers must solve, particularly when creating cross-browser applications with embedded analytics.

In this article, we will look at the root source of the problem, alternative workarounds, and whether a stable solution can be provided for Safari. We'll also discuss how Power BI's embedding architecture varies between browsers and why Safari may operate differently.

Understanding Safari Rendering Issues and Power BI Layout Embedding

The scripts shown above are intended to fix a specific issue: the failure of Power BI layout reports to render properly on Safari. The main issue is that the render() method for layout reports is not triggered as intended in Safari, although it works well in Chrome. This causes cross-browser inconsistencies, which can degrade user experience and analytics functionality. The first script mostly uses frontend JavaScript to insert Power BI reports and detect the Safari browser. By doing so, we may use conditional logic to ensure that the report is treated differently in Safari. Using the navigator.userAgent attribute, this approach identifies when the user is accessing the application via Safari, which is critical for applying browser-specific changes.

report.layoutReport.render() is a crucial command in this situation, since it renders the Power BI layout report. The problem is that this function does not fire in Safari, despite the fact that the rest of the report-loading procedure works well. The function is part of the Power BI JavaScript API and is especially used for layout reports, making it a valuable resource for debugging. The async-await structure ensures that the code waits for the report's pages to load properly before rendering the layout. The script also uses error handling, particularly in Safari, to detect and log errors for further debugging.

The backend solution in Node.js is designed to dynamically adapt the Power BI configuration dependent on the browser. By detecting the user-agent string in incoming requests, the backend may present Safari users with a tailored configuration. This method works by including precise layout parameters in the embed setup, which ensures that the report renders properly in Safari. We use Express.js as the web server framework to process POST requests for embedding reports and alter the configuration accordingly. This is critical to ensuring that Safari users receive properly formatted report layouts without manual intervention from the frontend.

Finally, the Mocha and Chai testing frameworks are utilized to create unit tests for the Power BI embedding feature. These tests are critical for ensuring that the solution operates properly across multiple browsers and environments. For example, we use the "isTrusted" parameter to determine whether the report renders correctly in Chrome and fails gracefully in Safari. This testing approach guarantees that any possible flaws are identified early in development, resulting in greater stability when distributing the program across many browsers.

// Solution using frontend JavaScript for Power BI report embedding with improved error handling
// Ensure the required PowerBI libraries are imported before this script
let reportContainer = document.getElementById('reportContainer');
let config = {
  type: 'report',
  id: '<REPORT_ID>',
  embedUrl: '<EMBED_URL>',
  accessToken: '<ACCESS_TOKEN>'
};
let report = powerbi.embed(reportContainer, config);
// Handling layout report specifically for Safari
if (navigator.userAgent.includes('Safari') && !navigator.userAgent.includes('Chrome')) {
  report.on('loaded', async function() {
    try {
      await report.addPage("story_pinned_" + currentStoryIdPin);
      const pages = await report.getPages();
      let activePage = pages.find(page => page.isActive);
      report.layoutPage = activePage;
      await report.layoutPage.setActive();
      report.layoutReport.render();
    } catch (error) {
      console.error("Layout rendering failed in Safari", error);
    }
  });
} else {
  console.log('Running in a non-Safari browser');
}

// Backend solution using Node.js to dynamically adjust Power BI embed configuration based on the user agent
const express = require('express');
const app = express();
app.post('/embed-config', (req, res) => {
  const userAgent = req.headers['user-agent'];
  let config = {
    type: 'report',
    id: '<REPORT_ID>',
    embedUrl: '<EMBED_URL>',
    accessToken: '<ACCESS_TOKEN>'
  };
  if (userAgent.includes('Safari') && !userAgent.includes('Chrome')) {
    config.settings = { layout: { type: 'story' } };  // Adjusting layout for Safari
  }
  res.json(config);
});
app.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log('Server running on port 3000');
});

const chai = require('chai');
const expect = chai.expect;
describe('Power BI Layout Report Embedding', () => {
  it('should render layout report in Chrome', () => {
    const isRendered = report.layoutReport.render();
    expect(isRendered).to.be.true;
  });
  it('should not throw error in Safari', () => {
    try {
      report.layoutReport.render();
    } catch (error) {
      expect(error.isTrusted).to.be.false;
    }
  });
});

Addressing Browser-Specific Rendering in Power BI Embedding

An often neglected component of integrating Power BI reports is how different browsers read and render layout reports. While Power BI supports sophisticated JavaScript APIs for embedding and modifying reports, browsers such as Safari can operate inconsistently due to variances in rendering engines and security settings. The issue is notably obvious in Power BI's layout reports, where Safari struggles to activate critical rendering functions, such as report.layoutReport.render().

This problem is exacerbated by how layout reports differ from conventional Power BI reports. Layout reports frequently have complicated structures, such as multi-page "stories" or pinned layouts, which complicate how pages are loaded and shown. For example, methods like report.addPage() and report.getPages() are crucial for loading certain pages of the report, however Safari fails to handle efficiently in this circumstance. Developers that incorporate these layouts must ensure that their JavaScript code is strong enough to handle browser-specific faults while also offering error-handling capabilities.

In practice, resolving this issue necessitates a combination of front-end and back-end changes, as shown in earlier examples. Browser detection scripts can be used to apply fixes, but deeper integration with backend solutions (such as Node.js) enables dynamic embedding configuration. This ensures that the report appears correctly across all browsers while adhering to security and performance best practices, making Power BI a useful tool even in cross-browser contexts.