Overview
Custom Dashboards allow you to tailor your Visual Reporting to suit your audience, highlight what matters most, and present data in an aesthetically pleasing format. In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about creating and customising Dashboards in Castaway:
- Creating a new Custom Dashboard
- Starting from an existing or prebuilt Dashboard
- Editing an existing Custom Dashboard
- Deleting or renaming a Custom Dashboard
- Dashboard widgets
- The Timeline Slider
- Adding, editing, resizing, ordering, removing and clearing widgets
- Widget Builder options
Creating a New Custom Dashboard
- Go to Analysis > Boards.
- Click Custom Dashboard.
- Enter a name for your Dashboard - a name is required before you can proceed.
- Choose whether to Start from a Prebuilt or Build your own from a widget layout template or blank canvas.
- Select a template from the options provided if applicable.
- Click Start Building.
Starting from an Existing Dashboard (Copying a Custom Dashboard)
If you already have a Custom Dashboard you want to use as the basis for a new one:
- Go to Analysis > Boards > My Boards.
- Click on the ellipsis next to your Custom Dashboard and click Create new Board.
- Enter a name for the new Board and click Start Building.
Editing an Existing Custom Dashboard (Edit Mode)
- Open your Custom Dashboard and click the ellipsis in the top right corner.
- Select Edit Board to enter edit mode. The grid pattern of the canvas will become visible.
In this dropdown you also have the options to Delete Board and Create new Board from.
Deleting or Renaming a Custom Dashboard
- Go to Analysis > Boards > My Boards.
- Click on the ellipsis next to your Custom Dashboard.
- Choose between Delete Board and Rename Board.
- If deleting you will be asked to confirm, if renaming you will need to hit enter to confirm.
Dashboard Widgets
Widgets are the building blocks of Dashboards that you place on your canvas to bring in your financial and non-financial data to present and customise your reports. Castaway offers five types of widgets:
| Widget | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Graph | Display financial data as charts or graphs. Available styles include column, bar, stacked spline and pie charts. |
| Text | Add commentary, disclaimers, analysis, insights, highlights or assumptions to provide context. |
| Image | Add any image to your Dashboard. Supported formats: .JPEG, .PNG, .GIF, .BMP and .SVG. |
| Logo | Display your organisation's or client's logo, drawn from your Saved Logos. |
| KPI | Display key performance indicators in a clear, easy-to-read format to highlight important metrics and track performance against targets. |
Adding a Widget
-
Enter edit mode in your Custom Dashboard.
- Click and drag a Widget in from the Board Builder on the right hand side.
- Drop it into your Dashboard canvas
- Choose the widget type you need (graph, text, image, logo, KPI)
Editing Widgets
- Click a widget to open the editor relevant to that widget type.
- Make your changes in the widget builder.
- Click the X in the corner of the builder to close it.
- Resize the widget by dragging its corners.
- Move the widget by dragging it around the canvas.
You MUST save the changes to your Dashboard to lock in any changes made on the canvas.
Ordering, Removing and Clearing Widgets
Click the ellipsis in the top right corner of a widget to access the following options:
- Send to Back / Front - Change the ordering of you widgets
- Clear Widget - Will revert it to the widget type selection
- Remove - Delete it from the Dashboard canvas
The Timeline Slider
Widgets in your Dashboard refer to the Timeline Slider above the canvas to determine the period displayed in KPI and graph widgets. KPI widgets default to the end month of the selected period.
To override the slider for a specific widget, click the widget and change the Date Range (graphs) or Period (KPIs) setting in the widget builder.
Widget Builder Options
The options available in the widget builder vary by widget type. A summary of the key options is provided below:
| Tab | Option | Detail |
| General | Show Title | Toggle on or off. To edit the title, double-click on the widget title. |
| Add Text | To write in a text widget, double-click anywhere on the widget. | |
| Data | Display As | Choose between Months, Quarter or Years |
| KPI Category Table | Choose KPIs to include in your widget | |
| Period (KPIs) | Choose a specific month or refer to the Timeline Slider | |
| Add Data (graphs) | Choose what to display from your data set. Click on a data line to edit its individual graph settings. | |
| Display | Show Legend (graphs) | Toggle on or off |
| Date Range (graphs) | Choose between slider, fixed dates or relative dates | |
| Axis (graphs) | Choose how axis labels appear | |
| Style | Border | Toggle on or off. Choose colour from your Brand Colours, weight, corner radius and opacity. |
| Background and Opacity | Choose from your Brand Colours | |
| Lock Editing in Storyboards | Prevent editing when publishing your Storyboards | |
| Library | Upload an Image | Supported formats: .JPEG, .PNG, .GIF, .BMP and .SVG |
| Logo | Logos | Choose from your saved Logos |
To edit your graph data settings by clicking on the data line in the Graph Widget Builder:
If you need any assistance please contact our support team at: support@castawayforecasting.com