3.2 Viewing and Editing a Dashboard

You can view and edit a dashboard if you have access permissions.

  1. To view and select the dashboard use any of the following methods:

    • Click View > Repository.

    • Click View > Search Results.

    • Click Library.

    • In the Home page, specify the dashboard name in the search field, then click

    The Repository page is displayed. It provides a different view of the same set of files.

  2. In the Repository page, click the dashboard name.

    When you are viewing a dashboard that has input controls, remember the following:

    • An input control might display as a text field, a drop-down list, a check box, a multi-select list, or a calendar icon.

    • If one of the frames in a dashboard does not refer to an input control, that frame will not update when you change that input control’s value. Only reports that refer to the input control reflect the change.

    If a dashboard includes a Print View button, click that button to view the dashboard without the ZENworks Reporting header and footer. Depending on your web browser, this displays within your browser's Print window

  3. To run a dashboard, right-click the dashboard, then click Run.

  4. To edit a dashboard, right-click the dashboard, then click Open in Designer.

  5. Edit the dashboard by adding, removing, or resizing the window.

  6. Click Save.

  7. To create a new version of the dashboard, select Save As, then specify a new name.

See the following sections for additional information about dashboards:

3.2.1 Adding Controls to a Dashboard

When you add a report that has input controls to a dashboard, the controls will not display on the dashboard until you explicitly add them. You can add controls while creating or editing a dashboard.

  1. In the Dashboard designer, click Available Content > Special Content > Single Report Controls, or click Available Content > Special Content > Multiple Report Controls.

  2. Right-click a value and click Add to Dashboard.

    The input control for the specified value is displayed on the canvas.

    If you want to place the input control in a location other than above the report, drag it from the Available Content list to the required location. You can delete, reposition, and resize the input control or its label independently.

  3. Select a new value from the input control.

    The data displayed in the corresponding report changes.

  4. In the Available Content list, click Special Content > Dashboard Controls, then drag the Submit and Reset buttons under the input controls on the canvas.

    By default, a dashboard automatically updates when you change the values in its input controls. When the dashboard includes the Submit button, the server will not update the dashboard until you click the Submit button.

  5. Click Save.

3.2.2 Adding a Custom URL to a Dashboard

You can create a frame that displays URL-addressable content. By default, the server uses the HTTP protocol for custom URL frames. However, you can also use the FILE protocol by specifying file:// at the beginning of the value in the URL. In this case, the server uses the FILE protocol, and searches for the file that you specify in the server’s WEB-INF directory. This is helpful for including images.

  1. In the Available Content list, click Special Content > Custom URL.

    The Custom URL panel is displayed.

  2. Specify the URL of the Web page in the Enter the URL for the frame, including any fixed parameters text box. For example, specify www.novell.com

  3. If you want to map the input control with the specified URL, then select the check box below the Input Control.

    In the URL Parameter Name field, replace the default text with the required parameter. This URL Parameter Name field is case-sensitive.

    The Custom URL dialog box uses the iframe HTML tag to define an in-line frame that can contain a document. If you experience a problem using the Custom URL option, check the following possible causes: Browser security settings have disabled support for iframe, or the target Web site does not allow access to its Web page using the iframe HTML tag.

  4. Click OK.

  5. Select a new value from the input control, then click Submit.

    The server passes the input control value to the specified URL (www.novell.com), then displays the related details.

  6. Resize the custom URL frame so that only the first article’s outline appears.

  7. Click the custom URL frame, then click Auto-refresh Interval to set the refresh interval.

    By default, the frame is set to Manual Only.

  8. Click Save.

3.2.3 About Screen Sizes

When you create a dashboard, you can set the size of the canvas to match a particular screen resolution.

By default, the dashboard designer supports five standard screen resolutions, which are available by clicking Options > Guide. When a dashboard uses fixed sizing, its frames do not resize automatically when the window size changes.

In addition to fixed screen resolutions, dashboards support proportional sizing. When a dashboard uses proportional sizing, its frames resize relative to the size of the browser window.

NOTE:As a best practice, design dashboards using the fixed sizing mode, and then switch to proportional sizing before you save. You can resize free text items to a smaller size, but not to a larger size.