Zoomed Image
USA
800 691 9120
UK
01225 704844

How to Create a Custom Dashboard

xAssets Configuration Guide
How To

How to Create a Custom Dashboard

This page explains how to create a custom dashboard that displays links, charts, and data tables in a grid layout. Dashboards are built from menu items and menu categories using the standard menu system.

Prerequisites

How Dashboards Work

A dashboard is not a single entity. It is assembled from:

  1. A menu item that invokes the dashboard and specifies the grid layout.
  2. Menu categories that populate each cell of the grid.
  3. Menu items within each category that appear as links, charts, or tables depending on their Display Type.

Step 1: Create Menu Categories for Each Cell

Each cell in the dashboard grid needs its own menu category.

  1. Navigate to Admin > Menu Categories.
  2. Click New to create a new menu category.
  3. Set the category type to Dashboard.
  4. Name it descriptively (e.g., "My Dashboard - Top Left", "My Dashboard - KPI Charts").
  5. Save. Repeat for each cell you want in your dashboard.

Step 2: Add Menu Items to Each Category

For each menu category you created, add the menu items that should appear in that cell.

  1. Navigate to Admin > Menus.
  2. Create a new menu item within the category.
  3. Set the Display Type to control how the item appears:
    • Menu -- displays as a clickable text link.
    • Query or Chart -- renders a query's results or chart directly on the dashboard.
    • Query with Help Text -- same as above, but shows the tooltip text as a description above the content.
  4. Use the Menu Command Builder to configure what the item does (e.g., display a query, open a form).
  5. For chart cells, ensure the underlying query has its presentation set to a chart type (bar, pie, line, etc.) in the Query Editor.
  6. Save the menu item.

Step 3: Create the Dashboard Menu Item

  1. Navigate to Admin > Menus.
  2. Create a new menu item for the dashboard itself.
  3. Open the Menu Command Builder tab.
  4. Select the command type and assign your menu categories to the grid positions (rows and columns).
  5. Set the Menu Category of this dashboard menu item to the location where you want it to appear in the main menu (e.g., in a dropdown).
  6. Set the Sort Code to control where it appears relative to other items.
  7. Save the menu item.

Step 4: Test the Dashboard

  1. Refresh the browser page.
  2. Navigate to the menu item you created.
  3. Verify the dashboard grid displays correctly with your charts, links, and tables.

Creating a Tabbed Dashboard (Optional)

For dashboards with multiple tabs (sub-dashboards):

  1. Create a top-level menu item. In the Menu Command Builder, set the command to Display a Form, select the form "Dashboard Container", and set the Script to "Dashboard Container Script".
  2. Set the Menu Category of this top-level item to a category of type "Dashboard Menu Item".
  3. Create separate menu items within that category for each tab. Each tab is a standard dashboard with its own grid of menu categories.
  4. Configure each tab's grid using the Menu Command Builder.

Tips

  • The fastest way to create a new dashboard is to clone an existing dashboard's menu item and modify the copy. Examine the cloned menu's command to see how the grid and categories are set up.
  • If a dashboard cell appears empty, check that its menu category has menu items assigned to it.
  • After creating or modifying a dashboard, refresh the browser to see changes.