Improvements
Displaying Gadgets
The look-and-feel of gadgets has been adjusted to reduce the "blocky" nature of previous dashboard layouts and minimize the amount of screen clutter.
With the exception of the gadget body, which contains the data contents of the gadget, gadgets are now transparent and border-free. By removing borders and opaque backgrounds, the dashboard looks less like a web portal or newspaper layout, and more like a robust document or report. When stacking gadgets, it also ensures that the minimum area is obscured.
To make it easier to create regular layouts, you can view a light border around a gadget by hovering over it while Edit Mode is turned on.
Regardless of which mode you are in, options in the gadget toolbar will not be visible unless you are hovering over the gadget. This will make your dashboard appear cleaner, especially when printing, exporting, or sharing dashboards with other users.
While previous versions of the Supercruncher dashboard used a liquid layout that expanded to fit the width of your browser window, the new version of Supercruncher uses a fixed-width layout that is optimized for a resolution of 1024x768. While this may be a strange adjustment for users with large monitors, it ensures that the dashboard will look consistent no matter who is viewing it or which medium - on screen or in print - they are using.
Move and Resize Gadgets
- Move and Resize The Gadgets
Gadgets can be placed and re-sized to any dimension anywhere on the dashboard, independent of any invisible columns, rows, or grids. This version of the dashboard allows you to resize the gadget yourself, and the contents of the gadget will adjust to fit your chosen dimensions.
While in Edit Mode, a gadget can be moved by clicking on its header (the area where the gadget name and toolbar options are located) and dragging the gadget to its new location. The gadget will remain positioned exactly where it is dropped and will not "snap" to any pre-defined column or row locations. To resize your gadget, a small ridged box will appear in the lower-right corner of a gadget that you hover over with your pointer. You can resize the gadget by clicking on the box and dragging it until the gadget is of the desired size.
Gadgets cannot be placed outside of the dashboard's white canvas area. If more space is needed at the bottom of the dashboard, the canvas can be resized by clicking and dragging the gray resize bar that appears while in Edit Mode. The canvas will snap to efficiently fit the new gadget layout when Edit Mode is turned off.
New Features
Stacking Gadgets
Gadgets can be layered on top of each other to allow for complex data presentations.
To bring a gadget to the top above all other gadgets on the dashboard, click on its header bar while in Edit Mode.
The Gadget Toolbar
The gadget toolbar is a collection of buttons visible to the right of the default gadget options in the gadget header.
Previous versions of the dashboard included a similar toolbar that allowed the user to rename, minimize, and remove the gadget. In addition to these basic options, which are available for all gadgets, the toolbar has been expanded to include additional options that are specific to the type of gadget you are using. Some examples of these options are listed below:
- Information
Displays a pop-up box that contains additional advanced information about the gadget including its dimensions, the report from which its data comes, and the specific chart type used to display the data, if applicable. Available in Formula Chart and Formula Table gadgets.
- Switch Between a Table and Chart
Allows you to switch views the Formula Chart or the Formula Table associated with the current gadget.
The rename option has been moved to the gadget menu, which has its own toolbar button, as explained below.
The Gadget Menu
The gadget menu is a drop-down menu that appears when you click on the [] icon in the gadget toolbar.
Basic gadget editing functionality - such as the ability to rename the gadget, which was available as a toolbar option in previous versions of the dashboard - is accessible using this menu. Additionally, the gadget-specific functionality visible in the new gadget toolbar is available here as well in an easy-to-read list format.
The "Dashboards" Menu
The dashboard list allows for easy access to dashboards you own, dashboards that have been shared to you, and new dashboard creation without taking up screen space.
The Sprocket Menu
In the new Supercruncher application, the sprocket represents a consolidated set of options available to the user for manipulating what they are currently viewing. On the dashboards page, it serves all options necessary to edit, export, and share the active dashboard.
- Turn "Edit Mode" On/Off
Enables or disables the ability to change the layout of the gadgets in the dashboard. See Edit Mode below.
- Print / Export
Launches the browser's print functionality so the active dashboard can be printed or saved as a PDF.
- Sharing a Dashboard
Shares the active dashboard with another Supercruncher user on a read-only basis. The dashboard will appear in the other user's dashboard list, but the other user will be unable to edit it.
- Add Web Content to a Dashboard
Displays a list of all available gadgets that can be added to the dashboard, and allows the user to select which should be added to the dashboard.
- Rename a Dashboard
Changes the display name of the active dashboard.
- Set Current Dashboard as Default
Moves the active dashboard to the top of your dashboard list, making it the default.
- Delete a Dashboard
Removes the active dashboard from your list and the list of anyone with whom you have shared it.
Edit Mode
"Edit Mode" is a setting that allows the user to rearrange and reconfigure the gadgets on a dashboard.
You can turn on "Edit Mode" by choosing the "Turn 'Edit Mode' On" option in the sprocket menu, or by clicking on the sprocket itself. You can turn "Edit Mode" off similarly.