Customize Your CMS Dashboard (Release 3.3 and Prior)

Owned by Nina Cardillo (Unlicensed)
Last updated: 19-Jan-2024 by Nina Cardillo
7 min read

For SmartServer 3.6 and higher, see Customize Your CMS Dashboard. 

For SmartServer 3.5, see Customize Your CMS Dashboard (Release 3.5).

For SmartServer 3.4, see Customize Your CMS Dashboard (Release 3.4).

You can interact with the SmartServer CMS using a CMS dashboard. Each CMS dashboard is a collection of widgets, where a widget is a view of specific SmartServer resources and services. Resources include device types, devices, datapoints, and datapoint properties. Services include scheduling and alarming. You can create multiple dashboards to have different views of the SmartServer depending on your intended use of the SmartServer. For example, you can create an Integration dashboard that you use while integrating the devices on your site, and you can create an Operation dashboard to use while operating your site. 

The following sections describe how you can create, edit, and customize CMS dashboards:

Using Edit Mode

Enabling Edit Mode

Edit mode provides the ability to set up and customize the SmartServer CMS user interface. When enabled, it allows you to create, remove, or rename dashboards, as well as to add, remove, move, and resize widgets. All interactions with widget functionality are blocked to prevent unintended actions.

To customize the dashboard with SmartServer IoT 2.7 or higher, perform the following steps:

  1. Click the Settings button () located on the SmartServer app bar.



    A dropdown menu appears.



  2. Select the Edit action.

    Widget selection is enabled on the left part of the page, and the dashboard widget functionality is disabled.



  3. Customize the dashboard as appropriate for your needs by selecting the checkboxes for the widgets to be displayed on the dashboard.



  4. When you are finished editing the dashboard, disable edit mode by selecting the Edit action again from the Settings button () drop-down menu. Doing so re-enables the widget functions you selected for your dashboard.

To customize the dashboard with previous SmartServer releases, enable edit mode by clicking the Edit button () located on the SmartServer app bar and configure the dashboard widgets as needed by selecting the appropriate checkboxes. Disable edit mode to resume dashboard widget functions.

Disabling Edit Mode

To disable edit mode with SmartServer IoT 2.7 or higher, perform the following steps:

  1. Click the Settings button () located on the SmartServer app bar.



  2. Select the Edit action. 

    The dashboard widget functionality resumes.



To disable edit mode for SmartServer releases prior to 2.7 and enable dashboard widget functions, click the Edit button () once you have finished customizing your dashboard.

Modifying the Dashboard

The dashboard is a unit of the SmartServer CMS user interface that provides a set of properly organized widgets. You can create, rename, or remove dashboards in edit mode. 

Creating a Dashboard

To create a dashboard, perform the following steps:

For SmartServer IoT release 2.7 and higher:

  1. Enable edit mode.



  2. Click the Create Dashboard button ().



  3. Customize the dashboard widgets by selecting the appropriate widget checkboxes for your needs.



  4. In the NEW DASHBOARD field, enter a name for the dashboard.



    The new dashboard name appears in the field.



  5. Disable edit mode to save the new dashboard.



    The dashboard widget functionality resumes.

For SmartServer IoT releases prior to 2.7:

  1. On the SmartServer CMS main page and in edit mode, click the Create Dashboard button ().



  2. In the NEW DASHBOARD field, enter a name for the dashboard.



  3. Customize the dashboard widgets by selecting the appropriate checkboxes.

  4. Click the Edit button () once you have finished customizing your dashboard. The dashboard widget functionality resumes.

Removing a Dashboard

To remove a dashboard, perform the following steps:

Note: If you have multiple dashboards and remove the last one, a default dashboard will be displayed.

For SmartServer IoT release 2.7 and higher:

To remove a dashboard, in edit mode, click the Close Dashboard button () that appears next to the name of the dashboard.



The selected dashboard is removed.



Disable edit mode to resume dashboard widget functions.

For SmartServer IoT releases prior to 2.7:

To remove a dashboard, in edit mode, click the Close Dashboard button () that appears next to the name of the dashboard. 

Disable edit mode to resume dashboard widget functions.

Customizing Widgets

To add a widget to the dashboard, while in edit mode, select the checkbox next to the desired widget(s) located on the sidebar. The selected widget(s) will be placed on the current dashboard.

To remove a widget from the dashboard, deselect the desired widget’s checkbox located on the sidebar. The widget will be removed from the current dashboard.

Positioning Widgets

To change a widget’s position on the dashboard, while in edit mode, drag the widget using the mouse and place it in its new position on the dashboard.

For example, the Devices widgets is selected and dragged to the right where the Sequencing widget appears.

The Devices widget appears in the new place on the dashboard.

Disable edit mode to resume dashboard widget functions.

Sizing Widgets

To change a widget’s size, while in edit mode, drag the corner of the widget using the mouse until the desired size is achieved.

Expanding Widget View

To expand a widget to full-screen, (edit mode should be disabled) click the Expand button (). 

Collapsing Widget View

To exit full-screen mode, (edit mode should be disabled) click the Collapse button ().


Closing Widgets

To close a widget, (edit mode should be disabled) click the Close button (). 


Confirm the close operation by clicking YES on the Confirmation dialog box.


Using the Sidebar

In edit mode, the sidebar is used to add or remove widgets. When edit mode is disabled, the sidebar is used for fast navigation between the widgets.

You can click a widget in the sidebar to quickly focus on that particular widget in the dashboard. For example, click the USERS widget in the sidebar.

The dashboard adjusts so that the Users widget appears in view as shown below.

Setting Notifications

THE Notifications button IS AVAILABLE WITH SMARTSERVER 3.2 update 2 AND HIGHER.

Notifications appear as yellow messages at the top right part of the CMS dashboard. These messages provide the date and time of the event, the notification type, and a message description.

The Notifications button () appears on the main CMS dashboard allowing you to manage notifications. 

The default setting for notifications to appear is on.

Note: Notifications should be enabled when importing a new XIF to ensure that there are no errors before using it to create devices. 

Click the Off Notifications button () to turn notifications off.

Click the On Notifications button () to turn notifications on.

A badge above the Notifications button will appear with the total count of notifications that are in the queue. Hovering over the badge will display a count of information, warning, and error messages that are in the queue. 

Notifications are set per session, on a per user basis. If you log out of the SmartServer, the next time you log in, the notifications will appear.