App Builder and Community Dashboard Editor

Learn more about getting started with App Builder and Community Dashboard Editor to work most effectively with the Streamlined Data Refinery.

Get started with App Builder

App Builder is an application builder for people who may not have Java knowledge, but who may have plenty of interesting ideas for new plugins. All that is required to use App Builder is knowledge of CTools and Pentaho Data Integration. Follow these steps to get started building impressive applications with App Builder.

1. Log in to the Pentaho User Console (PUC).

   Access App Builder by copying this URL in your web browser: *\{your PUC location\}*/pentaho/plugin/sparkl/api/main

   The App Builder splash page appears.

   

   App Builder splash page
2. Click the Plus Sign to begin creating a new app.

3. Name your app, then fill in the plugin information on the About tab.

   

   App Builder About tab
4. On the Element tab, click to add an element, then add two dashboards by clicking on the Add bar and filling out the fields.

   

   App Builder Element tab
5. Click Edit to alter the dashboards and add a simple row.

6. Click on Preview to see your dashboard.

7. Once you are happy with the way the dashboards look, you can share it with your users.

Learn more about Pentaho products and CTools with this list of SDR resources.

Community Dashboard Editor and CTools

Community Dashboard Editor (CDE), when integrated with PUC, simplifies the process of creating, refining, and previewing Pentaho dashboards. You can design dashboards either from scratch or using a template. The layout panel allows you to style your dashboard and add elements such as text or images.

The Community Dashboard Editor tutorials have more in-depth details on working with CDE.