Dashboards can easily be designed for specific Users to show the most relevant data and assist in making on-the-fly decisions. This article reviews how to ensure the necessary Users have access to the most relevant widgets on their dashboard.
Create a Dashboard
The New Dashboard page allows you to create a new dashboard. Only Users with the proper permissions may add a new dashboard.
To create a new dashboard, select the blue plus icon next to the 'Dashboard' field on the Dashboard main page. A 'New Dashboard' window will appear and include the following fields:
- Name - Enter a new name for your dashboard. This is a required field
- Description - Enter any desired text describing the newly created dashboard. This description will only be visible when editing a dashboard
- Widgets to Start with - This field allows you to copy the widgets and the layout of a pre-existing dashboard to the new dashboard. 'Blank Dashboard' is selected by default and will result in no widgets being added to the new dashboard
- Create - Select create to create the new dashboard. After selecting this, you will be automatically navigated to the Dashboard Edit page were you will be able to fully edit and configure the dashboard. See the section below for more information
- Cancel - This will return you to the main Dashboard page without saving the new dashboard
Edit a Dashboard
The Dashboard Edit page allows you to edit the dashboard's information; assign Users to view the dashboard; add, delete, or configure widgets; and edit the dashboard's layout.
In the top section of the Dashboard Edit page, you can edit the following dashboard information:
- Name - Use this field to edit the name of the dashboard
- Description - Edit the dashboard description
- Limit Navigation? - If this option is selected, a User that has this dashboard assigned to them and has their default module set to 'Dashboard' (with no other assigned modules) will only be able to view the dashboard and log out. This option is great for low level Managers
- All Access? - If this option is selected, all Users will have access to the dashboard
- Company Default? - If this option is selected, all new Users added to RADAR will automatically be set to this dashboard. This setting will not affect any existing User
- Last Edited - This field displays the day, time, and User who last made changes to the dashboard. This information will be updated upon making changes and selecting 'Done Editing'
- Update - Select this to save any changes made in the 'Edit Dashboard Information' window
- Done Editing - Once you have finished editing a dashboard, select this to return to the main Dashboard page
Assign / Remove User Dashboard Access
To assign Users to a specific dashboard, complete the following steps:
- Select 'Assign Users'
- Select Users in the 'Available' section to assign them to the dashboard. Multiple Users can be selected by holding the 'Ctrl' key down on the keyboard while selecting Users
- Select the << icon to add the User(s) to the 'Assigned' section
- Select 'Done Assigning Users' to save any changes made
If you need to remove a User's dashboard access, select the User's name in the 'Assigned' section and then select the >> icon.
Add a Widget to the Dashboard
In order to add widgets to a dashboard, you can filter by keyword to limit the results displayed in the drop-down or scroll through the 200+ widgets.
- Keyword - By entering a keyword or partial name into the text field, the drop-down field will only populate with widgets that match the entered information
- Filter - Click this to filter for the keyword
- Select a Widget to Add - Use this drop-down list to scroll through available widgets. Each widget in the list will have a description and a small sample picture
- Add - Click 'Add' to add a widget to the dashboard. The widget will automatically be added to the bottom of the dashboard. For more information on how to arrange widgets, see the 'Edit the Dashboard's Layout' section below
Configure Advanced Settings
Some widgets require you to configure advanced settings in order to view the data. Select 'Configure Advanced Settings' to navigate to the widget's configuration page. Here, you will be able to customize the widget. Be sure to select 'Save' to save your chances. Select 'Back to Editing' to return to the Dashboard Edit page.
Edit the Dashboard's Layout
All the widgets that have been added to the dashboard will appear below the 'Add Widget to Dashboard' window. Each widget acts like a single cell in a table and has a dashed border. You can alter a dashboard's widget layout in the following ways:
- Moving a Widget- To move a widget, select one of the four blue arrow icons located near the dashed border of the widget. Upon selection, a green message will appear detailing how the widget was moved.
- Blue Up Arrow - Selecting the blue up arrow will move the widget up one row. If there is a widget above the moved widget, they will switch places. If the widget is already in the topmost position no move will occur
- Blue Down Arrow - Select the blue down arrow to move the widget down one row. If there is a widget below the moved widget, they will switch places. If the widget is already at the bottom, a new row will be created
- Blue Left Arrow - selecting the blue left arrow will move the widget one column to the left. If there is a widget to the left of the moved widget, they will switch places. If the widget is already in the first column, no movie will occur
- Blue Right Arrow - Selecting the blue right arrow will move the widget one column to the right. If there is a widget to the right of the moved widget, they will switch places. If the widget is already at the far right, a new column will be created
- Adjusting a Widget's Size- To adjust a widget's size, you can increase or decrease the Row Span and/or Column Span
- Row Span - To increase the vertical length of a widget, select the blue plus icon next to 'Row Span'. Select the blue minus icon to decrease the length of a widget. If there is a widget located directly below the size-adjusted widget, the non-adjusted widget will be pushed down
- Column Span - To increase the widget of a widget, select the blue plus icon next to 'Column Span. Select the blue minus icon to decrease the width of a widget. If there is a widget located to the right of the size-adjusted widget, the non-adjusted widget will be pushed to the the right
- Title - If you wish to edit a widget's name, enter the desired name into the 'Title' text field. If you leave this field blank, the default title will be assigned to the widget
- Save - You must select 'Save ' to the right of the 'Title' field to save your changes
- Delete - To remove a widget from a dashboard, select the red x icon next to the widget's name. Upon selection, a pop-up window will appear asking you to confirm the deletion
Tip
While you are allowed to leave empty cells in the dashboard, it is best to avoid doing this since it can negatively affect a dashboard's appearance when it is viewed from a tablet or RADAR To Go.
If you have more than one widget in a cell, the layout might behave oddly. This usually occurs if you alter the size of the widget before moving it. It is recommended that you arrange the widget layout before altering the size of any widgets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How many widgets can I place on a dashboard?
A: It is recommended that you use no more than 10 widgets per dashboard. The more widgets you have, the longer it will take for the page to load.
Q: Why is my dashboard Weather widget set to the wrong city?
A: The 'Weather ZIP' field on the Locations page in Company Configuration controls this setting. The Location Groups page in Company Configuration also has a 'Weather ZIP' field that controls this setting for a Location Group. These fields allow you to set the ZIP Code for the Weather widget independently of the address of the Location or Location Group.