Dashboard Design Tool

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The Dashboard design tool is used to assign dataviews to the current layout and apply default configuration settings.

This is the default tool that opens when entering design mode, and the current dashboard will be displayed by default.

The Editing group contains the following standard options.

Open Opens the Dashboards panel to load a different dashboard.
Save Saves the current dashboard.
New Opens the New Dashboard panel to create a new dashboard.
Options Opens the Configuration panel to change the settings for the current dashboard.
Export Opens a standard Save window to export the current dashboard to an XML file. Select a location, enter a file name, and click Save.
Import Opens the Import Dashboard panel to import a dashboard file created with the Export option.

The Configuration group contains the following options.

Layout Opens the Select Layout panel to choose a different layout configuration for the dashboard.
Insert Opens the Select Content panel to add a dataview configuration to the dashboard.

When the Dashboard design window opens, the currently selected dashboard will open by default. Use the options in the Edit group to Open or Import an existing dashboard, or use New to create a new dashboard.

Proceed to the Dashboard Editing Screen section when the proper dashboard is displayed.

Dashboards Panel

The Select Dashboard panel opens to the right of the screen when selecting Open from the Edit group. Click X to close the panel again.

The dashboards are displayed by category. Each category can be expanded or collapsed using the and icons.

The User Dashboards category includes all dashboards that you have marked for Quick Access, currently or in the past.

Click Show All to display all available dashboards. This includes dashboards that you have created, dashboards that have been marked as available to everyone, and dashboards that you can access due to a security role.

Click the name of a dashboard to open it. Proceed to the Dashboard Editing Screen section.

New Dashboard Panel

The New Dashboard panel opens to the right of the screen when selecting New from the Edit group. Click X to close the panel again.

Name Enter the name of the dashboard.
  The text in this field can be translated .
Description Enter a description of the dashboard.
  The text in this field can be translated .
Layout Select a layout configuration. Layouts can be created and customized in the Layout Design Tool section.
Icon Select an icon to be displayed in the Quick Access group in analysis mode.
Lock dashboard customization If the dashboard is unlocked, users will be able to customize many settings for the dashboard and dataviews, such as filtering and sorting. These custom settings only apply to their own view, and will not affect other users.
  If the dashboard is locked, users can still select from the available display modes, but cannot modify or save custom settings.
Automatically refresh every When activated, the dashboard will refresh all data at intervals entered in the Seconds field.
Who will get access to Select if the dashboard is private or shared. This affects the ability to see and edit the dashboard in the Dashboard Design Tool, and the ability to see the dashboard in Analysis mode.
  • Only me
 Only you will be able to see this dashboard.
  • Everyone
 The dashboard will be visible to all users.
  • People with any of the following security roles
 Only accessible to users with a specific security role assigned to their user account. Select this option and enter the Code of the required security role.
Multiple roles can be provided, formatted as comma-separated and without spaces. If a user has at least one of these roles, they will be able to see the dashboard.

Click Create Dashboard to display the dashboard in the Dashboard Editing Screen. Note that the dashboard is not yet saved at this point.

Dashboard Configuration Panel

The Configuration panel opens to the right of the screen when selecting Options from the Edit group. Click X to close the panel again.

This panel is used to edit the configuration options for the current dashboard.

The General category provides access to the general settings for the dashboard.

Name Enter the name of the dashboard.
  The text in this field can be translated .
Description Enter a description of the dashboard.
  The text in this field can be translated .
Icon Select an icon to be displayed in the Quick Access group in analysis mode.
Lock dashboard customization If the dashboard is unlocked, users in analysis mode will be able to customize many settings for the dashboard and dataviews, such as filtering and sorting. These custom settings only apply to their own view, and will not affect other users.
  If the dashboard is locked, users can still select from the available display modes, but cannot modify or save custom settings.
Automatically refresh every When activated, the dashboard will refresh all data at intervals entered in the Seconds field.
Who will get access to Select if the dashboard is private or shared. This affects the ability to see and edit the dashboard in the Dashboard Design Tool, and the ability to see the dashboard in Analysis mode.
  • Only me
 Only you will be able to see this dashboard.
  • Everyone
 The dashboard will be visible to all users.
  • People with any of the following security roles
 Only accessible to users with a specific security role assigned to their user account. Select this option and enter the Code of the required security role.
Multiple roles can be provided, formatted as comma-separated and without spaces. If a user has at least one of these roles, they will be able to see the dashboard.
Created by Identifies the date and time the dashboard was created, and the user who created it.
Last Modified by Identifies the last date and time the dashboard was changed, and the user who made the changes.

The Appearance category contains settings for the general appearance of the dashboard. Note that changes will not be visible in dashboard designer mode.

Theme Select a color scheme for the dashboard. Each theme applies a different set of colors in the graphical interface, affecting the dashboard, cells, toolbars, and configuration panels. The selected theme will be visible in designer mode, but only after it has been displayed in analysis mode.
  • Default
 This is a light color scheme, composed of whites, light grays, and blues.
  • Dark
 This is a dark color scheme, composed of blacks and dark grays.
  • Paper
 This is a light color scheme, composed of whites and light grays.
Mode Select the style of dashboard.
  • Default
 This is the default style, with cells arranged across the dashboard according to the selected Layout.
  • Story
 One dataview is displayed at a time. A navigation tool is available above the dataview to scroll through and select dataviews. The Description of the dataview is displayed in a box below the cell.
  The selected Layout will have no effect on the dashboard in this mode. The dataviews will be displayed in the order that they were added to the dashboard.
Cell for Host Parameters Select which cell should contain the parameter fields to filter data in the dashboard. The parameter fields are displayed horizontally, wrapping to a new line where necessary. The cell also contains controls to clear the parameter fields and apply the current parameters.
  If no cell is defined, the parameter fields are displayed along the top of the dashboard. Note that this configuration has limited functionality and controls for fields, so it is recommended that parameters be displayed in a cell.
  Note that, even if a cell is defined, the parameters are still shown at the top of the dashboard in design mode. They are only shown in the cell in analysis mode.
Position X and Position Y Enter the base position of any background image file. Background repeat settings will be applied from this base point.
  The position values are provided as a percentage of the dashboard area, and set the position of the center of the image file. For example, 50% for X and 50% for Y will center the image.
Color Select the color of the dashboard background.
Image An image file can be selected from those uploaded in the Images Screen of the Configurator Design Tool, or the URL for a background image file can be entered. Hover over the Preview icon to preview the image.
Background Repeat Select how the background image will be repeated. This control uses standard CSS options.
Background Attachment Select the background attachment settings. This control uses standard CSS options.

This feature is not in use.

Import Dashboard Panel

The Import Dashboard panel opens to the right of the screen when selecting Import from the Edit group. Click X to close the panel again.

This panel is used to import a dashboard that has been exported to a file.

The Source File category is used to select the import file. Click the button to open a standard file browser window. Locate and select the appropriate export file. The file name appears next to the button.

The Options category controls how components will be imported. The following options are available for each component.

  • None
 This component will not be imported.
  • Add a new entity
 The import will be added as a new component, even if a component already exists with the same name.
  • Add if not found
 If a component exists with the same name, the import will not be performed. Otherwise, the import will be added as a new component.
  • Update existing. Add if not found
 If a component exists with the same name, it will be updated. Otherwise, the import will be added as a new component.
  • Update existing matching on Name
 If a component exists with the same name, it will be updated. Otherwise, the import will not be performed.

The following components can be set for import.

Dashboard Select how the dashboard itself should be imported.
Data View The Data Views included in the dashboard can be imported along with the dashboard. Select how it should be imported.
Data Source View The Data Sources included in the dashboard can be imported along with the dashboard. Select how it should be imported.
Layout The Layout used for the dashboard can be imported along with the dashboard. Select how it should be imported.

Click Import to import the file.

Note: If one of the Update Existing options are selected and more than one matching component is found, the first matching component will be updated.

If one of the Update Existing options are selected, the saved component is updated. If the dashboard currently open in the Dashboard Editing Screen is replaced by an imported dashboard, it will not show any changes immediately. Re-open the saved dashboard to see the imported changes. If the dashboard is saved before the imported changes are re-loaded, it will overwrite the imported changes.

Select Layout Panel

The Select Layout panel opens to the right of the screen when selecting Layout from the Dashboard group. Click X to close the panel again.

This panel is used to apply a different saved layout to the current dashboard.

Each layout name is followed by the percentage size of the dashboard, as configured in the layout design. A preview of the cell division is displayed below the name.

Click a name to select and apply the new layout. Any dataviews already assigned to the dashboard will be re-assigned to the cells with the same cell number as in the previous layout. If no matching cell exists in the new layout, the dataview will be placed in the tray section at the bottom of the dashboard.

Note that the changes are not saved until the dashboard is saved.

Select Content Panel

The Select Content panel opens to the right of the screen when selecting Insert from the Dashboard group or clicking the add icon in a cell or the tray section. Click X to close the panel again.

The Data Views category lists available dataview configurations.

Click Show All to display all available dataviews. This includes dataviews that you have created, dataviews that have been marked as available to everyone, and dataviews that you can access due to a security role.

To locate a specific dataview, enter text in the Filter field. The listed dataviews are filtered as you type.

Static content views are generally used to build structure and controls into a dashboard. The Static Contents group lists the available built-in options, as well as any available Templates that have been defined as Standalone Static Content.

Click Show All to display all available options. This includes templates that you have created, templates that have been marked as available to everyone, and templates that you can access due to a security role.

To locate a specific option, enter text in the Filter field. The listed options are filtered as you type.

The following system options are available.

Header A cell in the dashboard can be used as a header. This header can be for the entire dashboard, or just a section, defined entirely by the layout. The text can be modified with variables, and the header can be set as a link.
Image A cell in the dashboard can be used to display an image file. The image file can be changed using variables, and the cell can be set as a link.
Metro Button With Effect A cell in the dashboard can be used as a button. The button is set as a link, and can perform any action configured in the link. The text can be modified with variables, and the button colors can be changed when the user hovers over the button.
Metro Button in Group A cell in the dashboard can be used as a button. Multiple buttons can be linked together in a group, with the currently selected button displayed in a different color. The button is set as a link, and can perform any action configured in the link. The text can be modified with variables, and the button colors can be changed when the user hovers over the button.

The Miscellaneous category lists other content types that can be added to a cell.

Click Show All to display all available content types in this category.

To locate a specific content type, enter text in the Filter field. The listed content types are filtered as you type.

The following content types are available.

Web Page The cell can display an external web page. The URL can contain embedded query strings to receive variables, allowing selections in the dashboard to control the content.

Click a name to add the dataview or static content. If adding from a cell, the selection is added to that cell. If adding from the tray section or the Insert option, the selection is added to the tray section, but can then be moved to a cell.

The addition of the selected component is automatically saved, although no other changes to the dashboard are saved.