JDashboard window elements

JDashboard is opened in a web browser. The full-featured JDashboard window is composed of three sections: the dashboard title bar at the top, the side bar on the left providing options for working with dashboards, and the dashboard editing area where you navigate and modify dashboards. Since JDashboard can also be used to access Visual Analysis, if your JReport Server is enabled with Visual Analysis, the elements on the JDashboard window have slight differences.

The ways of accessing JDashboard

Here are two ways of accessing the JDashboard:

By creating a new dashboard

On the JReport Console > Resources page, click New > Dashboard. The JDashboard window will be launched with a blank dashboard. This way enters the edit mode.

By running an existing dashboard

On the JReport Console > Resources page, browse to the target dashboard and choose the appropriate way to enter the desired view or edit mode.

View mode and edit mode

JDashboard has two working modes: the edit mode presents full functionalities and the view mode just serves for viewing purpose without any editing abilities. After JDashboard is open, you cannot switch one mode to another. If you need to do this, reopen JDashboard using the appropriate way.

To enter the view mode:

• Browse to locate an existing dashboard on the JReport Console page, then click the Run button on the floating toolbar, or click Run > Run on the standard toolbar.

To enter the edit mode:

• On the JReport Console page, click New > Dashboard.
• Browse to locate an existing dashboard on the JReport Console page, then click the Edit button on the floating toolbar, or click Run > Edit on the standard toolbar.

You can also directly click the name of a dashboard to enter the view mode if the dashboard is in the My Reports folder, or either of the two modes if it is in the Public Reports folder, depending on the permission you are granted on the dashboard:

• When you have the Execute permission on the dashboard, you will be directed to the view mode.
• When you have the Edit permission on the dashboard but do not have the Execute permission, you will enter the edit mode.
• When you have both the Execute and Edit permissions on the dashboard, you will enter the view mode.

The following introduces the full UI elements based on the edit mode.

Dashboard title bar

The dashboard title bar at the top contains tabs labeling the names of the open dashboards.

Dashboard name tabs

Each tab represents an open dashboard and the dashboard name is shown on the tab.

The following are operations on the tabs:

• Click a tab to activate the corresponding dashboard.
• Rename a tab. Double-click a tab name to enter the editing mode. After typing a new name, press Enter or click outside of the input field to save the name.
• Move a tab. Drag a tab and drop it beside a different tab so as to change the tab order.
• Click x beside a dashboard name to close the dashboard.

Adds a new blank dashboard in the current web browser.

If Visual Analysis is enabled, you can leave the cursor on the button for one second and a drop-down menu will be displayed containing the following options:

• New Dashboard
  Creates a new blank dashboard as a new tab.
• New Analysis
  Opens Visual Analysis as a new tab.

Specifies the language in which the dashboard will be displayed. Available only when Enable NLS is checked in the Profile > Customize Server Preferences > Advanced panel on the JReport Console page.

Dashboard editing area

Dashboard view has header and body.

The dashboard header can contain labels, images, and special fields.

The dashboard body can contain report components, library components, filtering tools, third-party objects, and HTML components. You can insert the same library component repeatedly to the same dashboard body.

Library components inserted to dashboards are references of the library component in component library. The changes to a library component in the library will be reflected in all of the dashboards referencing the library component, such as removal of library components, version updated, permission changed.

Side bar

The options available on the side bar are determined by the feature profile that is selected as the default profile in the Profile > Configure Profile > JDashboard > Features tab and the property setting on the Profile > Configure Profile > JDashboard > Properties tab (profile has the higher priority). The default JDashboard profile provides full options.

The side bar on the left contains these buttons:

Shows or hides the Resources panel which includes these branches:

• Component Library lists the library components created in and published from JReport Designer. You can select a library component and drag it into the dashboard body.
• Reports lists page reports and web reports. You can open a report from JDashboard or add report data components into your dashboards.
• Toolbox lists the objects that can be inserted in your dashboards such as labels, images, special fields, filtering tools, third-party objects, and HTML components.

You can use the quick search toolbar to search for any desired resources in a fast and convenient way (to display the toolbar, click the Search button at the upper right corner of the panel).

• Text box
  The quick search toolbar treats resources as strings and searches by consecutive text. Type in the text you want to search for in the text box and the matched text will be highlighted among the resources.
• X
  Closes the quick search toolbar.
• 
  Lists more search options.
  • Highlight All
    Specifies whether to highlight all matched text.
  • Match Case
    Specifies whether to search for text that meets the case of the typed text.
  • Match Whole Word
    Specifies whether to search for text that looks the same as the typed text.
• 
  Highlights the previous matched text.
• 
  Highlights the next matched text.

New

Creates a new blank dashboard with a new tab added.

If Visual Analysis is enabled, clicking the button will bring out a drop-down menu that contains the following options:

• New Dashboard
  Creates a new blank dashboard as a new tab.
• New Analysis
  Opens Visual Analysis as a new tab.

Open

Displays the Open Dashboard dialog for you to specify a dashboard to open, or the Open Document dialog where you can select a dashboard or a Visual Analysis template to open. Which dialog will be displayed depends on whether Visual Analysis is enabled.

Save

Saves the changes made to the current dashboard.

Refresh

Refreshes the current dashboard.

Enter Parameter Values

Opens the Enter Parameter Values dialog which lists all the parameters used in the dashboard for specifying their values.

Clear Filters

Removes all the filters from the current dashboard including those generated via sliders, filter controls, messages, drilling and going actions and those designed using web browsers such as Page Report Studio and Web Report Studio, except query filters and others designed and taking effect in JReport Designer.

Arrange

Automatically arranges the library components in the current dashboard to be tidy. It is an instant action.

Export

Displays the Export dialog for exporting library components in the current dashboard.

Print

Prints the library components in the current dashboard to a PDF file with the default system layout settings.

Options

Displays the following options:

• New
  Creates a new blank dashboard.

  If Visual Analysis is enabled, the New option contains a submenu:

  • Dashboard
    Creates a new blank dashboard as a new tab.
  • Analysis
    Opens Visual Analysis as a new tab.
• Open
  Displays the Open Dashboard dialog for you to specify a dashboard to open, or the Open Document dialog where you can select a dashboard or a Visual Analysis template to open. Which dialog will be displayed depends on whether Visual Analysis is enabled.
• Save
  Saves the changes made to the current dashboard.
• Save As
  Saves the dashboard with a different name or to a new location.
• Export
  Displays the Export dialog for exporting library components in the current dashboard.
• Print
  Displays the Print dialog for printing library components in the current dashboard.
• Clear Filters
  Removes all the filters from the current dashboard including those generated via sliders, filter controls, messages, drilling and going actions and those designed using web browsers such as Page Report Studio and Web Report Studio, except query filters and others designed and taking effect in JReport Designer.
• Share Parameter
  Opens the Share Parameters Setting dialog for sharing parameters between library components.
• Arrange
  Automatically arranges the library components in the current dashboard to be tidy. It is an instant action.
• Auto Arrange
  Automatically arranges the library components in the current dashboard to be tidy once the layout requires arrangement. It is a status setting. After selecting it, this option will be kept checked and the Arrange option will be disabled until you unselect Auto Arrange. The status will be saved with the dashboard.
• Set as Server Home
  Sets the current JDashboard status as the home page after logging onto JReport Server. For details, see Setting JDashboard as the server home page.
• Language
  Allows you to specify the language in which the dashboard will be displayed. Available only when Enable NLS is checked in the Profile > Customize Server Preferences > Advanced panel on the JReport Console page.
• Component Title Bar
  Customizes the way of showing component title bar and the icons on it.
• Themes
  Opens the Themes dialog for selecting a theme to apply to the current dashboard.
• Show/Hide Dashboard Header
  Changes the current status of the dashboard header from being shown to hidden or from being hidden to shown.
• Help
  Displays the JDashboard help documents.
• Exit
  Exits JDashboard.