Tips & FAQ

Project version control

Within a browser session, you can revert to previous versions from within that same browser session. Navigating away from the page deletes the history of changes, so downloading .microreact files is the key to true version control. Keep in mind that the downloaded version saves all data within that version.

Sharing

A downloaded .microreact file encapsulates all the data, so that file should only be shared with people who have permission to view the data.

Columns with same values showing as different colours?

Sometimes you have multiple columns with the same data values (e.g. Boolean data). However, if one column lacks the existence of one or more of the values, it may end up with different colours applied to the existing values, compared with other columns.

In such a case, you can choose to "REUSE" a colour palette across the similar columns. Choose a column that represents all the values, and use it as the column you REUSE when setting other columns' palettes.

Data showing incorrectly on Maps?

If you are using Data-flo to create latitude & longitude values, the geocoding step in Data-flo may be creating incorrect values because there isn't enough information getting passed to MapBox, so MapBox is inferring locations incorrectly. (e.g. 15220 is a postcode for Vitrac France and also for Pittsburgh, PA USA).

Your lat/long values may be lacking the minus-sign. If your data used East/West instead of +/- then the points can be showing in unexpected places (e.g. in China instead of in Washington State, USA). Add the minus sign back into the data as needed, and remap.

Changing the name of a project

Sometimes when you copy a project, you rename it and it doesn't immediately appear changed on the view shown. Refresh your browser page to see the new name. Remember that the name only changes when you explicitly change it -- saving as a new project doesn't automatically change the name.

Layouts

• When creating a dashboard or view, consider the audience and the variety of screen sizes they are likely to use.

• Using nested panels and/or overlaid panels can be an effective use of space and individual panels can be maximised for closer inspection.

• Different panels can be used on different saved views in the Views tab

• Consider horizontal bar charts to use space differently or to make axis labels more legible.

Exporting static images

In addition to downloading the data files that drive a Microreact project, you can export images of the visual panels by clicking on the "hamburger" icon in the top right corner of a panel and selecting the desired format. The legend must be downloaded on its own (it does not come automatically with each panel image download), and each section of the legend downloads separately.

Of course, you can also take a screenshot of the entire dashboard at once.

Panel image downloads and datatable CSV download

Can we hide certain data from people who access the Microreact project?

Any data in the Microreact project is available to anyone with access to the project. If you want to create a project without certain data, you will need to remove the data from the project (e.g. delete those columns from the CSV you imported). This is a potential use case for Data-flo software and its "remove columns" adaptor, but you can also remove the columns manually and save a copy of the project that uses the smaller dataset.

Can I add more metadata while I'm working on an existing Microreact project?

Sure! As long as your additional metadata file has the same IDs as the existing metadata file in the project, you can add another metadata file to the project. This new file can add more columns per ID.

How can I share a video of the timeline being "played"?

A third-party screen-capture tool is your best bet for this (e.g. Apple Screenshot, Dell Snipping Tool, Quicktime Player's recording feature, etc.)