I've spent time attempting to master the "Dashboard" or "Overview Grid" concept.
Comments:
1) these are fantastic for opening multiple grids (and or/homepage,surface/calendar) simultaneously.
2) I currently have an overview_daily, overview_IQ, and overview_IQforum. I put the name overview in it, to easily call one or more from the omnibox.
3) To build a new overview, I can easily do the copy of several grids via Tools>Manage Grids, since it's a modeless window. Otherwise, the other modeless way appears be to View>grids, and "tear off" the views toolbar.
4) Auto-hide is great for making room to temporarily give lots of room for a specific grid.
questions:
1) for unloads, I haven't figured out how to reload, except by starting from search with a "copy grid" command. Is there a reload capability?
2) what does "paste the grid format" do, exactly?
Suggestion:
1) it would be less confusing with consistent terminology. I'd vote for something like "multi-view tab", since the tab can contain combination of different types of views, grids, the homepage, the surface, the calendar. It would probably be wise to not call it a grid.
2) Tools>Manage Grids, right-click a grid and "copy grid" also copies the view of the grid. It would be appropriate to have this titled "Copy grid (to paste as a pane)" similar to the other locations.
3) the tab context menu says "Copy View". Should it also have "to paste as a pane"?
And of course a pie-in-the sky item:
4) properties pane>grids, add an additional context option, of "open all grids in this group as an overview grid"
Though I can fairly quickly build one from scratch now, that would be a great time-saver for quickly building overviews (at least the grid portions) for grid groups.
Here's some of the stuff I found in the manual and forums. I boldfaced some relevant stuff to me to aid in my learning.:
1)
"Dashboards: Ecco had multiple notepads per tab and since implementing it, I use it all the time. My main dashboard has my Inbox, Budget / spending grid, Release notes and an "Agenda" view of my Calendar, all in a single tab. It is great to have multiple views in the same tab"
2) from the book review stuff. This section is an excellent tutorial on the mechanics of creating a grid.
"2.3 Overview Grid
The last grid will combine all the preceding ones in a unified view, using docking panes. That way, users can see all aspects in a single view, kind of a dashboard.
To create this view:
- Create a new grid, named Overview
- View > Grids and right-click on Authors. Select Copy View. (This currently says "Copy grid (to paste as a pane)"
- Back in the Overview grid, right-click on the tab and select Paste View
- The Authors grid will be shown in a pane to the right edge of the Overview grid
- Repeat the above procedure for the other grids
- Rearrange panes to built a set-up close to the fist screenshot at the top of this page
n.b. The Overview grid itself is not really used, though users could enter management notes and instructions. Its main purpose is to be a placeholder for other grids"
3) from an announcement. The "Unload" is related to the dashboard/overview grid.
The dialog currently also shows "Copy grid (to paste as a pane"
"New: List of Grids: 3 new right-click commands:
- Open a copy in another tab
- Unload the data. Particularly useful for grids shown in panes and "dashboard" type grids
- Close the corresponding tab"
4) from the manual in 2.2 Grid Groups in the Properties Pane
Hint : Dashboard type grids can also be used to group related grids in a single view, the advantage being that all UIs (grid, surface, calendar, etc) all open at once
Observations/questions in no specific order: