Lesson 3 – Working with the dashboard designer interface

Introduction

In this lesson you will learn about the inmydata dashboard designer interface, and be familiarised with the various components that you will use when building dashboards.

Learning Objectives

When you complete this lesson you should be able to:

• Understand and work with the different components of the inmydata dashboard designer interface

Prerequisites

Before you begin this lesson you should be able to:

• Install the inmydata client applications.
• Open the dashboard designer.

The dashboard designer Interface

The inmydata dashboard designer interface comprises a number of key elements that allow you to view and modify dashboards. The interface includes docking functionality that allows the size and position of each of these elements to be modified depending on the type of the element. The different elements are listed below, along with their type, and the docking functionality is explained thereafter.

Using the Ribbon

The Ribbon is designed to help you quickly find the commands that you need to complete a task. Commands are organized in logical groups, which are collected together under tabs. Each tab relates to a type of activity, such editing a dashboard or managing application settings.

Minimizing the ribbon

1. Click Customize Quick Access Toolbar .
2. In the list, click Minimize the Ribbon.
3. To use the Ribbon while it is minimized, click the tab you want to use, and then click the option or command you want to use.
   For example, with the Ribbon minimized, you can select an object in your dashboard, click the Edit Dashboard tab, and then in the DashboardObjects group, click the edit button. When the Dashboard Object Definition dialog opens, the ribbon is once again minimized.

As an alternative, you can double click on a tab in the ribbon, check the Minimize the Ribbon button in the Appearance Group of the Application Settings tab or press the minimize button  on the right hand side of the ribbon to minimize it.

Restoring the ribbon

1. Click Customize Quick Access Toolbar .
2. In the list, click Minimize the Ribbon.

As an alternative, you can double click on a tab in the ribbon, uncheck the Minimize the Ribbon button in the Appearance Group of the Application Settings tab or press the maximize button  on the right hand side of the ribbon to restore it.

The Quick Access Toolbar

The Quick Access Toolbar is a customizable toolbar that contains a set of commands that are independent of the tab currently displayed. You can move the Quick Access Toolbar from one of the two possible locations, and you can add buttons that represent commands to the Quick Access Toolbar.

Configuring the commands on the Quick Access Toolbar

To add or remove commands from the Quick Access Toolbar, follow these steps:

1. Click Customize Quick Access Toolbar  at the far top right of the Window.
2. In the list, click the item that represents the command you wish to add or remove from the Quick Access Toolbar.

Moving the Quick Access Toolbar

The Quick Access Toolbar can be located in one of two places:

Upper left corner, above the Ribbon (default location)

Below the Ribbon

 Follow these steps to move the Quick Access Toolbar to the other of the two places:

1. Click Customize Quick Access Toolbar .
2. In the list, click on Show Below the Ribbon or Show Above the Ribbon.

The Docking Interface

The inmydata dashboard designer interface contains two types of objects, fixed objects and docking windows. You can adjust the viewing and editing space for the dashboard depending on how you arrange the windows in the Interface. The following options are just some of the ways windows can be arranged:

1. Dock docking windows to the edge of a frame in the Interface
2. Float docking windows over or outside the Interface.
3. Minimize docking windows along the edge of the Interface.
4. Hide docking windows altogether.
5. Reset docking window placement to the default layout.

Docking windows can be arranged by dragging, using commands on the ribbon and by right clicking the title bar of the window to be arranged.

Floating Windows

Any docking window can be undocked from the Interface and moved anywhere on the desktop. You can undock a docking window from the Interface in two different ways:

 Method 1

1. Press and hold the left mouse button over the title bar of the docked window.
2. Drag the window to a free area of the desktop.
3. Release the left mouse button

Method 2

Auto Hiding Windows

Docking windows support a feature called Auto Hide. Auto Hide causes a window to slide out of the way when you use a different window. When a window is Auto Hidden, its name is displayed on a tab at the edge of the Interface. To use the window, move the mouse over the tab so that it slides into view. By default, any data viewer windows will be auto-hidden at the bottom of the Interface.

To turn Auto Hide on

1. Press the right mouse button on the title bar of the window you want to hide to open the context menu.
2. Select Auto Hide.

As an alternative, you can click the pushpin icon on the title bar of the window.

To turn Auto Hide off

1. Press the right mouse button on the title bar of the window you want to hide to open the context menu.
2. Select Dock.

As an alternative, you can click the pushpin icon on the title bar of the window.

Docking Windows

 You can dock any docking window relative to the Interface, Work Area or another window. The Interface displays guide icons that appear when you start dragging a docking window.

The guide icon in the centre of the image on the right allows you to dock a window above, to the left, to the right and below the work area.

The guide icons around the edges of the image on the right allow you to dock a window on each edge of the Interface.

 When you drag a docking window over another docking window, the guide icon in the centre of the image on the right appears.

This guide icon allows you to dock the window above or below, or to the left or right of the window. It also gives the option to stack the docking windows, giving a single tabbed docking window.

To dock windows in the Interface, follow these steps:

1. Click and hold the left mouse button over the title bar of a non Auto Hidden docking window.
2. Drag the window until an appropriate guide icon appears, then continue dragging until the mouse is over the appropriate guide icon.
3. Release the mouse button.

Hiding Docking Windows

 If you are short of space on your desktop, you can hide docking windows altogether and re-establish them when required.

Follow these steps to hide docking windows:

1. Select the Show/Hide button from the Application Settings tab on the ribbon.
2. Uncheck the menu item that relates to the window you wish to hide, or press Hide All to hide all docking windows.

As an alternative, you can press the close icon in the top right corner or the docking window.

To re-establish a window that has previously been hidden, follow these steps:

1. Select the Show/Hide button from the Application Settings tab on the ribbon.
2. Check the menu item that relates to the window you wish to hide, or press Show All to show all docking windows.

Resetting the default docking layout

To reset the default docking layout, follow these steps: