Configuring the Inputs Selector Widget

The Inputs Selector widget lets users set shared parameters and send them to other widgets in the workspace. You choose which controls appear (for example, vantage points, a top value, metrics, a search filter, entity selectors, text, or a time interval). The values users select are sent to Data Store widgets and other widgets that are configured to accept those interaction types.

Note: In the widget picker, this widget is named Inputs Selector and appears in the Controls category. The configuration dialog is titled Configure Inputs Selector.

The Inputs Selector only sends values to other widgets. It does not receive interactions from other widgets.

Opening the Inputs Selector configuration

After you add the widget to a workspace, use the following steps to open its configuration. The dialog opens automatically the first time you drop the widget onto the workspace.

To open the configuration:

Enter edit mode on the workspace.
Open the widget menu (ellipsis on the widget header).
Click Configure.

The Configure Inputs Selector dialog opens with two steps: Visualization and Interactions.

Visualization step

On the Visualization step you name the widget, choose how controls are arranged, add the controls users will see, and optionally show an action button that applies all values at once.

Name and title

Set a name for the widget. The name appears in the widget header when Show Title is on. Use the Show Title switch to show or hide the title bar on the workspace.

Layout

Choose how controls are arranged in the widget:

Vertical: Stacks controls in a column. This is the default layout.
Horizontal: Places controls in a row.

Use the layout that fits the space you give the widget on the workspace.

Controls

Click Add a Toolbar Item and select the controls to display. You can include any combination of the following. Most control types can be added only once. You can add more than one Selector.

Vantage Point: A multi-select list of vantage points (data sources). Users choose which vantage points supply data. The selection is sent to widgets that accept the vantage point interaction.
Top Value: A numeric value (for example, top 10 or top 100). The value is sent to widgets that accept the number interaction. Downstream Data Store widgets often use this value as the top-by limit. The allowed range is 1 through 1000.
Top Metric: A single metric A measurement or data point that is monitored and analyzed to detect anomalies and generate incidents.. Users pick one metric from a dropdown. The selection is sent to widgets that accept the metric interaction.
Metrics: Multiple metrics. Users select one or more metrics. The selection is sent to widgets that accept the metric interaction.
Search Filter: Filter conditions on the data set. The filter is sent to widgets that accept the group interaction.
Selector: An entity Things deployed in the customer environment that are needed to run the business, such as applications, devices, interfaces, and locations. search tied to an entity type (for example, User Device Name). Users type to search and pick a value. You can allow one value or multiple values. The selection is sent to widgets that accept the group interaction. You can add more than one Selector.
Text: A text field. The text is sent to widgets that accept the text interaction.
Time Interval: Start and end date and time pickers. The time range is sent to widgets that accept the time interaction.

After you add controls, each control appears as a card. Drag the handle on a card to change the order. Click the X on a card to remove that control. Every control requires a Label. The label is the text shown next to the control in the widget (for example, Top, By, User Device, or Vantage Point).

Data set (for Top Metric, Metrics, Search Filter, and Selector)

If you include Top Metric, Metrics, Search Filter, or Selector, choose an analysis workspace and a data set under Data Sets.

The workspace and data set define which metrics and properties are available for those controls. For example, if the data set is Device Resource Usage (Hourly), the metric list and filter options reflect that object type.

Vantage Point control

If you include the Vantage Point control, set the label and the default vantage points. Users see the vantage points you list and can change the selection in the widget.

Top Value control

If you include the Top Value control, set the label and the default value (for example, 100). The allowed range is 1 through 1000.

Top Metric and Metrics controls

If you include Top Metric, choose the default metric from the dropdown.

If you include Metrics, choose the default set of metrics. The list of metrics comes from the data set you selected.

Search Filter control

If you include the Search Filter control, set the label and configure the default filter conditions using the filter bar. Users can change the filter in the widget. The filter is passed to widgets that accept the group interaction.

Selector control

If you include a Selector, configure the following:

Label: The text shown next to the selector. If you add more than one Selector, each label must be unique.
Entity Type: The property to search on (for example, User Device Name). You must choose an entity type. If you add more than one Selector, each Selector must use a different entity type.
Allow multiple selections: When this switch is on, users can pick more than one entity in that selector.
Default Value: An optional starting selection. Changing the entity type clears any default that belonged to the previous type.

If you add more than one Selector, the widget sends every combination of the selected values to widgets that accept the group interaction. For example, one Selector with Application A and Application B, and another Selector with Location X and Location Y, produces four combinations: A with X, A with Y, B with X, and B with Y.

Note: When you add a second Selector, Show button turns on automatically and you cannot turn it off. Users then click the action button to send all selector values together.

Text control

If you include the Text control, set the label and an optional default value. When a default is set, that text is sent to connected widgets when the workspace first loads.

Time Interval control

If you include the Time Interval control, set the label and optional default start and end times. When both a start time and an end time are set, that range is sent to connected widgets when the workspace first loads.

Action button

Use the Action Button section to control when values are sent to other widgets.

Show button: When this switch is off, each control sends its value as the user changes it (or, for some controls, when the user clicks that control's send or Apply control). When this switch is on, users change controls first, then click the action button to send all values together.
Label: The text on the action button. The default label is Apply.

When the action button is hidden, Vantage Point and Metrics still include their own Apply control so users can confirm a multi-select change. Top Value, Text, and Time Interval send a value when the user clicks the send control (or the clear control), not while the user is still typing or picking a date.

Interactions step

On the Interactions step you choose which widgets receive the Inputs Selector values. The options shown depend on which controls you added.

If you added Vantage Point, choose which widgets receive the vantage point interaction.
If you added Top Value, choose which widgets receive the number interaction.
If you added Top Metric or Metrics, choose which widgets receive the metric interaction.
If you added Search Filter or Selector, choose which widgets receive the group interaction.
If you added Text, choose which widgets receive the text interaction.
If you added Time Interval, choose which widgets receive the time interaction.

Select the target widgets for each type, and optionally enable Only show interaction data or Don't replace group by where those options apply. For more on how interactions work, see Widget Interactivity.

Using the widget on the workspace

On the workspace, the Inputs Selector shows the controls you configured, in the order and layout you chose. Default values are sent to connected widgets when the workspace loads, so downstream widgets can start with those selections.

How users apply a change depends on the action button:

If Show button is off, most changes are sent when the user updates the control (or clicks that control's send or Apply control).
If Show button is on, users change any combination of controls, then click the action button (by default, Apply) to send all values together.

Users can clear a selection (for example, with the X on Text, Time Interval, or a Selector). Clearing a control sends an empty value to the connected widgets so those widgets no longer use the previous selection.