What is a Board?

A Board is a page that can display multiple DataViews linked by relationships together with images and other controls.

like small apps, or editable dashboards.

Creating a New Board

Boards can be created from the Projects Tree, right click a Project Node and select New Board.

They can be edited by right clicking the Board Node in the Projects Tree.

Configuring the Board

When you create or edit a Board, the Data Panel switches to Board Mode. If the Board is empty you may need to further click the Edit Board button.

Once in Board Edit Mode, you can add Elements to the Board and edit or reorganise the existing controls.

Board also support basic customisation with background colour, Custom Icons, margins and fixed size edges. To see the customisation options, click on the Board itself or press the Escape key to ensure no Element is selected.

New Elements

New Elements can be added in 3 ways:

  • Click the Add Element button from the Board Editing Banner, and select the type of Element to add, OR
  • Drag and Drop a DataView from the tree directly onto the Board, and select the type of Element to add, OR
  • Right Click a DataView or Layout node from the Projects Tree and select Add to Board


The following Elements are available by default:

  • Filter: Lists distinct values in the selected DataView column, much like the right click menu on tables
  • KPI: Shows the aggregated result from all the values in the selected column under the current filtering conditions, and optionally selection conditions
  • Table: The standard BimSens data control for DataViews, with Layout and Data Pivot formatting, actions, Data Transfer and Colour Filter
  • Tree: Display data in a hierarchical tree, where each level can be defined by a grouping field, splitting a field by separator or using a parent field relationship; the Tree support colour formatting, multiple selection, editing, and dynamic reordering of levels by users
  • Text/Html: Display text with optional html formatting, from static value, a given DataView column, or multiple  DataView column into a template supporting formatting. Html element can also display pdf and image files fetched from local drives or web resources
  • Image: Display an image with various layout options


CUSTOM Element


BimSens is fully extensible. Like with Viewers and DataSource you can use our APIs to create your own custom Element. Simply add the libraries containing your work (and dependencies) into the folder "BimSens installation directory\BoardElements".

Existing Elements

Existing Elements can be edited once selected:

  • Click an edge or corner and drag it to Resize the Element accordingly
  • Click the content area and drag it across the Board to move the Element.


SWAP Element


If you drop the Element on top of an existing one, their position will be swapped.

Element Layout Options

When dragging Element over a Board, use the modifier key to snap to quick layout options:

  • Hold the Shift key to fit the Element in the full remaining width
  • Hold the Alt key to fit the Element in the full remaining height
  • Hold both Shift and Alt to fit the entire remaining space

Customise Appearance

The appearance of the selected Element can be customised by:

  • Setting the Title, Sub Title and Information labels styles. Those labels can also be hidden to claim some space.
  • The Title bar also provides access to interactions with the Element including, that can be toggled on or off:
    • Maximize to temporarily fit the full height and width
    • Data Mode to temporarily switch to a raw representation of the data
    • Help, if defined, displays a Html panel with custom help content

Depending on the Element type, further customisation is available in the Board Editing Panel on the right, such as source Image for Image Element, or source DataView for Table Element.

To propagate the style of an element to all other elements on the board, click Propagate Styles... and select the styling parts to propagate.

The type of existing Element can be changed by right clicking the Element and selecting the replacement type.

Link Board Elements together

DataViews can be linked together via the Data Model so that changes to the filters of one DataView are cascaded to other linked DataViews.

You can define the Relations between DataView (and therefore between bound data Elements) by editing the Data Model. Click Edit Data Model to open the Relations Configuration Dialogue and defines the interactions of your data. See the Project Configuration section for (light) instructions on how to define Relations.


RELATIONS ARE PROJECT WIDE


While you may create the Relations when editing the Board, the Relations exist at the Project level and will continue to operate when you are not on the Board or when the Board is deleted.

To check your Data Model independantly of the Board, open the Project Configuration dialogue