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Dashboard Containers

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Gaby Torres
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Creating visually appealing and relevant dashboards is an important way for a creator to engage with an audience to deliver insights. Customizable containers enable dashboard creators to edit and manage a selection of elements of a chart when added to a dashboard.

Insert a container

At the top right of the dashboard page, you will find the edit icon. mceclip1.png Selecting this icon will open the dashboard editing pane. In here, you will find the different container type options.

 

In this article

1. Container Types

a. Text container

b. Image container

c. Chart container

d. Embed container

2. Container General Settings 

  

1. Container Types

a. Text container

Adding text to a dashboard allows a story to be told alongside the data. This helps make dashboards more usable and shareable.

There are several ways you can use a text container in your dashboard. Some of these include:

  • Create headers to provide context
  • Sharing insights and information
  • Use as filter buttons and navigation links
  • Creating a "blank box" to use as a background for other items

Adding Text

  1. Select the Text container.
  2. This will open the text editor menu. It contains different options for you to edit your text.
  3. Customize your text container. Learn more about container general settings.
  4. Save.

The text editor becomes available as soon as you insert a text container. Options in this editor include font, color, size, etc. An html editor is also available.  For more advanced styling advice please contact support@infotools.com

 

TextContainer.gif

 

b. Image container

Creating effective dashboards may require more than just the data presented. Images are an easy way to personalize your dashboard and make it stand out. 

There are several ways you can use an image container in your dashboard. Some of these include:

  • Background for your dashboard
  • Branding
  • Use as filter buttons and navigation links

Image formats supported include: .jpg, .png, .svg and .gif. Animated GIF will only show the first frame when exporting to PowerPoint.

Adding an Image

  1. Selecting the Image container.
  2. In the General settings menu go to Content. 
  3. Browse to the location of your image.
  4. Customize your image container.  Learn more about container general settings.
  5. Save.

 

ImageContainer.gif

 

c. Chart container

Dashboards are a way for you to organize previously saved stories and combine with other contextual items.

Story views in your dashboard can be made of:

  • Tables
  • Heat Map
  • Graphs
  • Single Number

Adding a Chart (Story View)

  1. Select the Chart container.
  2. This will open the saved stories menu. Navigate to the story where you have the view you are after.
  3. Select the relevant view and drag into the dashboard canvas.
  4. Customize your chart container. Learn more about container general settings.
  5. Save.

When adding charts to dashboards, controlling the layout of the visual and associated labeling can be integral to achieving the overall design. There are different options available to customize the display of Titles, chart axes, and labels as well as legends.

 

ChartContainer_.gif

 

d. Embed container

Embed container allows adding embedded content into your dashboard. Some common scenarios include:

  • Embedding PDF documents.

  • Embedding YouTube Videos.

Embed a PDF document

Documents need to be uploaded through our hosting platform first. Please contact support@infotools.com for more information. Once content is available:

  1. Select the Embed container.
  2. In the General settings inside the Content section add the link into the Source field. 
  3. Make sure the content setting is on Web View.
  4. Customize your container. Learn more about container general settings.
  5. Save.

The source field needs to include the site address and the file address. For example:

If you want the content to open in a separate page, adding a link  is a better option.

 

EmbedPDF.gif

  

Embed a YouTube Video

You first need to copy the embed code from the YouTube page and then insert into Infotools Harmoni.

YouTube

  1. Click "Share".
  2. Select "Embed" 
  3. Find the embed code content on the right top corner. This is the scr="...".
  4. Copy the content within the quotes 

Infotools Harmoni

  1. Select the Embed container.
  2. In the General settings inside the Content section paste the embed code into the Source field.
  3. Make sure the content setting is on Web View.
  4. Customize your container. Learn more about container general settings.
  5. Save.

 

EmbedYouTube.gif

 

2. Container General Settings 

The general settings menu is context sensitive. Customization options differ depending on the container type you are using.

To help improve the efficiency when creating dashboards, containers settings are "sticky" meaning that when a user changes them for one container, they will apply to the next container on the same dashboard they work on until the user changes that setting.

 

Settings Container Type Views from a Story
Content

Image, Chart and Embed

 

Image

  • The option Source - Allows browsing to choose or replace an image.

Chart

  • Allow Zoom On/Off – removes icon to expand, and also suppresses click to expand, enabling the chart to become a link.
  • Display more information On/Off – whether “i” should be shown in the bottom right of the analysis.

Embed

  • Web View - integrate content from external sources.
  • Cube View
Title

Chart

  • Project title On/Off – whether the project name should be displayed.  This is only applicable on sites where the View.ProjectName.Enabled personalization key is set to true.

  • Across & down On/Off – whether the analysis title naming the across and down should be displayed.

  • Filtered by On/Off – whether the analysis title naming the filter should be displayed.

  • Base on On/Off – whether the analysis title naming the percentage base should be displayed.

Chart axes & labels

Chart
  • X-axis & associated labels On/Off – whether the labels across the bottom of the graph are displayed.
  • Y-axis & associated labels On/Off – whether the scale down the side of the graph is displayed.

Horizontal Bar Graph

  • X-axis & associated labels width – alignment and display can be controlled to match the length of the labels. When long labels exist in horizontal charts, the width control allows for more/less space to be added to the left side of the horizontal bar(s) chart. 
Legends

Chart
  • Display On/Off – whether the legend is displayed
  • Width – the proportion of the container width that will be consumed by the legend.  Allowed values are between 10% and 40%, inclusive.
  • Space between legends & chart. i.e. Max 100 px. min  0 px.
  • Spacing of legend items. i.e. Max 20 px. min 4px.
Image Placement

Image

Allows to control the image Placement, options include Centre, Full, Stretch and Anchor.
Size and Position

All

While you can drag and resize containers by selecting the container and using the mouse pointer; the size and position options allow for perfect placement of your container.

    • Width and Height control the size of the container.
    • X (from left) and Y (from top) control the horizontal and vertical placement of the container within the dashboard canvas (120/120 grid or coordinate space).

Lock Display Size

For Text and Single Number chart containers, there is an additional option to lock the display size. This option allows holding the size dimensions of the containers that hold the text and single number items. This ensures that when the screen size changes or the scaling of the browser is adjusted, the alignment and overall design aesthetics remains as intended.

Tables in dashboards can be limiting as they would only display within the maximum confines of their container. Lock display size allows resizing the box to meet your aesthetic while still retaining the columns and or rows you want to display. The table will 'shrink' to fit the box size you select. Please note that readability of font will be affected the smaller you go so beware to maintain a readable size. 
Background Colour All

Background color options allow setting a background color as well as the opacity. Using opacity is a way to create aesthetic brilliance and overall design control. 

  • To set the background color, enter the Hex value.  
  • You can control the % of transparency, where 0% is totally transparent and 100% is totally opaque.

When using transparency, be careful on graphs that allow zoom.
Arrange

All

Containers within a dashboard can be stacked in layers.

  • To bring a container to the front of a group, select Bring forward, and then click Bring to front.
  • To move a container up one placement to the front in the stacking order, click Bring forward.
  • To send a container to the back of a group, select Send backward, and then click Send to back.
  • To move a container one placement to the back in the stacking order, click Send backward.
Paddings

All

Padding clears an area around the content (inside the border) of a container. You can select the Top, Right, Bottom and Left padding for a container.
Link

All

Custom Link allows you to link to other dashboard pages, websites, and documents. In addition, an existing object can be connected to an available filter.
Tagging

All

Adding tags to containers will enable global search – a feature that will be available in a future release.

 

 

 

 

Where to from here?

Learn more about adding links to your dashboards

 

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