Understand dashboards: Dashboard components and FormXML

  • Article

 

Applies To: Dynamics CRM 2015

Dashboards are one of the different types of forms in Microsoft Dynamics CRM. You can use the SystemForm.Type or UserForm.Type attribute to determine whether the form is a dashboard. A form of dashboard type has the property value of ”0”.

The definition of the form content and presentation is stored in the FormXML. More information: Form XML schema

For sample FormXML strings for different types of dashboards, see Sample dashboards.

In This Topic

Dashboard components

Dashboard components and FormXML elements

FormXML elements supported for dashboards

Set the number of dashboard controls

Dashboard components

A dashboard can contain charts, grids, IFRAMEs, or web resources. By default, a single dashboard can contain up to six of these components.

In the Microsoft Dynamics CRM on-premises version, you can change the number of components to be displayed on a dashboard using Windows PowerShell. More information: Set the number of dashboard controls

Charts

An organization-owned dashboard can contain only organization-owned charts. However, a user-owned dashboard can contain user-owned and organization-owned charts. More information: View data with visualizations (charts)

Grids

Grids fetch data from queries (views) in Microsoft Dynamics CRM. An organization-owned dashboard can contain only the grids that fetch data from saved queries. However, a user-owned dashboard can contain grids that fetch data from user and saved queries. More information: SavedQuery (view) entity messages and methods

IFRAMEs

When you add an IFRAME to an organization-owned dashboard, you can specify whether to restrict or allow cross-frame scripting. To do so, you have to use the <Security> (FormXml) parameter in the IFRAME control in the FormXML. However, for user-owned dashboards, cross-frame scripting for IFRAMEs is restricted, and you can’t change it. If you attempt to create a user-owned dashboard that contains an IFRAME with cross-frame scripting enabled, an error message will be displayed. More information: Use an IFRAME and web resource controls on a form.

Web resources

Only form-enabled web resources can be included in a dashboard. Although this restriction is applicable when you are adding a web resource using the Dashboard designer in the web application, there is no such restriction applied when adding a web resource to a dashboard using the SDK. More information: Web resources for Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Dashboard components and FormXML elements

The dashboard components are displayed in Microsoft Dynamics CRM based on the values specified in the FormXML. The following image shows an example of a dashboard. Each dashboard can include multiple tabs. Tabs are a vertical stack separating the body of the dashboard, and can be expanded or collapsed. More information: <tabs> (FormXml). A tab can contain multiple sections. Sections enable for grouping and layout of dashboard components. More information: <sections> (FormXml)

Dashboard components layout

FormXML elements supported for dashboards

Although dashboards are a type of forms, not all FormXML elements and attributes are supported by dashboards. The following table provides information about the FormXML elements, child elements, and attributes supported by dashboards. More information:  Form XML reference

For sample FormXML for different types of dashboards, see Sample dashboards.

Element

Child Elements

Element attributes

<form> (FormXml)

<tabs> (FormXml)

-

<tabs> (FormXml)

<tab> (FormXml)

-

<tab> (FormXml)

  • id

  • name

  • expanded

  • verticallayout

  • showlabel

  • locklevel

<labels> (FormXml)

<label> (FormXml)

-

<label> (FormXml)

-

  • description

  • languagecode

<columns> (FormXml)

<column> (FormXml)

-

<column> (FormXml)

<sections> (FormXml)

width

<sections> (FormXml)

<section> (FormXml)

addedby

<section> (FormXml)

  • id

  • name

  • showlabel

  • showbar

  • columns

<rows> (FormXml)

<row> (FormXml)

addedby

<row> (FormXml)

<cell> (FormXml)

addedby

<cell> (FormXml)

  • auto

  • addedby

  • id

  • showlabel

  • rowspan

  • colspan

<control> (FormXml)

<parameters> (FormXml)

  • id

  • classid

<parameters> (FormXml)

-

Set the number of dashboard controls

You can use Windows PowerShell to adjust the number of dashboard controls as described here. Alternatively, you can use the Deployment Web service. The maximum value is 20. For more information, see Introduction to the deployment web service to learn how to update the MaximumControlsLimit property.

To retrieve and set the dashboard limit

  1. Open a Windows PowerShell command window.

  2. Add the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Windows PowerShell snap-in:

    Add-PSSnapin Microsoft.Crm.PowerShell

  3. Retrieve the current setting:

    $setting = Get-CrmSetting -SettingType DashboardSettings

  4. Modify the current setting:

    $setting.MaximumControlsLimit = 5

    Set-CrmSetting -Setting $setting

See Also

Analyze data with dashboards
Actions on dashboards
Create a dashboard
Form XML reference

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