Customize widget styles, apply bulk styling, use color palettes, copy and paste styles, and add enhanced graphic views to Building BI dashboards.
Building BI lets you customize how widgets look across your dashboards. You can style individual widgets, apply styles in bulk, copy styles between widgets, manage color palettes, and add enhanced graphic views.
Hover over fields in the widget Setup and Style panels, dashboard-level controls, filters, slicers, and time range settings to see short inline guidance. Tooltips appear on hover without extra icons and disappear when you move the pointer away.Use them to understand field names that are standardized across widget types. For example, X-Axis explains the field used for grouping or time series.
Field tooltips reduce training overhead when you configure unfamiliar chart types or share dashboards across teams.
To start building charts, select Edit Dashboard to enter edit mode. The dashboard opens with the Chart List panel displayed on the right side, showing all available widget types. Use the search bar at the top of the panel to filter the list.
1
Choose a chart type
Drag a chart type from the Chart List and drop it onto the dashboard canvas. The Chart Configuration panel opens with Setup and Style tabs. Adjust the widget size by dragging its corners.
Dashboard in edit mode with an empty widget and the Chart Configuration panel showing chart type icons and empty axis fields
2
Select a data source
Choose a data source from the Data Source dropdown on the right side of the configuration panel. The available fields from that data source appear below, split into two expandable lists:
Metrics — pre-aggregated values such as averages, sums, or counts. Select the fx button next to a metric name to view its underlying formula.
Columns — fields pulled directly from the data source. Calculated columns also display the fx indicator.
Each field displays an icon indicating its data type: # for numbers, A for strings, a calendar icon for date/time, and a switch icon for booleans. Use the search bar to find specific fields. Select the + button next to Metrics or Columns to create a new calculated column, metric, or URL directly from the chart configuration panel.
Data source panel showing the Data Source dropdown, search bar, and expandable Metrics and Columns lists
Create Metric dialog with Calculated, Metric, and URL tabs, name, description, data type, and SQL expression fields
The Create Metric dialog has three tabs:
Calculated — creates a row-level calculated column with an SQL expression.
Metric — creates an aggregate metric that recalculates based on chart grouping.
URL — creates an internal or external link column.
Enter a Name, Display Name, optional Description, select the Data Type, and write the SQL Expression. Select Create to add it to the data source. See Data sources for detailed guidance on writing calculated columns and metrics.
Calculated columns, metrics, and URLs created here are added to the data source itself, not just the current chart. Any changes affect all dashboards that use this data source.
3
Map data to chart fields
Drag and drop columns and metrics from the data source list into the X-Axis, Y-Axis, Value, Filters, and Top N Filter fields to define what the chart displays. Select the arrow (>) next to any field to configure display name, aggregate function, and sort order.
A configured heatmap widget with data source, axis fields, and filters populated
Building BI includes charts, tables, KPI cards, and specialized widgets. For Setup fields and use cases per type, see Chart types. For guidance on which visual to pick, see Choosing visualizations.
The Setup tab controls which data the widget displays and how it is structured. The fields available depend on the chart type. A heatmap exposes X-Axis, Y-Axis Dimension, and Value fields, while a bar chart uses X-Axis, Y-Axis, and Legend instead. Drag columns and metrics from the data source list into these fields to configure your widget.For the full field catalog, see Chart setup parameters. For per-type Setup requirements, see Chart types.
A grid of chart type icons at the top of the Setup tab. Select any icon to switch the widget to a different chart type without removing it from the canvas. The axis and data fields update to match the new chart type.
The primary horizontal dimension for your data. Typically set to a time field (such as Date Time Local) for trend charts or a category field (such as Area Name) for comparison charts. Select the arrow (>) next to the field to configure the display name, aggregate function, and sort direction.
The vertical dimension for your data. Depending on the chart type, this may accept a metric for value-based charts or a category column for dimension-based charts like heatmaps.
Splits data into categories within the chart. For example, set Legend to Area Name to break down total energy usage by individual floors. Available on bar, line, combo, and similar multi-series chart types.
The numeric measure the chart displays. Used on chart types like heatmaps and treemap charts where the value is mapped to color intensity or size rather than an axis position.
Restricts the data shown in the widget. Add one or more columns and configure filter criteria for each. Select the arrow (>) next to a filter to define the condition. Filter options vary by data type: date fields offer range pickers, string fields offer value lists, and numeric fields offer comparison operators.
Limits the chart to the highest or lowest N values. Set the Category column, choose Top or Bottom from the dropdown, enter the number of items, and set the Top N by Value column to rank by.
Controls how data is ordered in the chart. Select the double-arrow icon (⇅) next to any column to change its sort direction. Drag columns within the Sort Order section to set priority when sorting by multiple fields. You can also add new columns for sorting directly in this section.
Controls how often the widget queries new data. Set shorter intervals (every minute) for live operational data, or longer intervals (hourly or daily) for historical trends. Choose the longest acceptable interval to optimize dashboard loading times.
The Style tab controls how a widget looks. It does not change the underlying data or Setup mappings. Available sections depend on the chart type. Toggle a section on or off with the eye icon next to its name.At the top of the tab you can:
Select Set as Default Style to save styling from this widget as the page default.
Select Apply Default Style to apply the saved page default to this widget.
Toggle Draggable to allow or block repositioning on the canvas.
Toggle Resizable to allow or block resizing by dragging corners.
Default styles let you save styling from one widget and apply it to other widgets on the same page. Application is manual: editing the default does not rewrite existing widgets until you select Apply Default Style. (Older Global Styles inherited automatically; Default Styles are a stamp you re-apply on purpose.)Each page maintains its own default style — this setting does not carry across pages or dashboards.
Default styles apply at the page level, not the dashboard level. Each page has its own independent default style.
Enter edit mode on your dashboard and select the widget you want to use as your style source. Open the Style tab in the widget configuration panel.
2
Configure your styles
Adjust the style properties you want to save as the default. This can include background colors, borders, title formatting, margins, and chart-specific settings.
3
Save the default style
Select Set as Default Style at the top of the Style tab. Building BI saves the current widget style as the page default.
Style tab with Set as Default Style button highlighted at the top of the panel
Bulk styling lets you apply style changes to multiple widgets at once. The available style options depend on whether you select widgets of the same chart type or a mix of different types.
When your selection includes different chart types, the Multiple Configurations panel shows only the General section. Chart-specific sections are hidden because they do not apply to all selected widget types.Available settings in this mode:
Paddings
Background color
Title formatting
Default style buttons
Multiple Configurations panel showing only the General section when mixed chart types are selected
You can remove or duplicate multiple widgets at once using bulk selection.
1
Select widgets
Use the three-dot menu to select widgets, or press Ctrl + A to select all widgets on the page. Hold Ctrl and click to add or remove individual widgets from your selection.
2
Choose an action
Select Duplicate or Delete from the action bar to apply the operation to all selected widgets.
Deleting widgets in bulk cannot be undone. Verify your selection before confirming the deletion.
Copy and paste lets you transfer visual styling from one widget to another without setting a page-level default. Use it to style multiple similar charts quickly or reuse fonts and layout settings across widget types.
Copy Style copies visual settings only. It does not copy data queries, data source mappings, or widget-specific data configuration.
Select the widget whose style you want to copy. Open the three-dot menu and select Copy Style.
Three-dot menu with Copy Style highlighted on the source widget
3
Paste the style
Select the target widget. Open the three-dot menu and select Paste Style. The target widget adopts the copied styling.
Three-dot menu with Paste Style highlighted on the target widget
To paste a style to multiple widgets at once, hold Ctrl and click each target widget, or use Select All from the three-dot menu. Then open the three-dot menu on any selected widget and select Paste styles on selected. The Multiple Configurations panel appears, and all selected widgets adopt the copied styling.
Multiple widgets selected with Paste styles on selected option in the three-dot menu
You can copy a style on one dashboard page and paste it on another page or dashboard. Data bindings stay on each target widget; only compatible visual properties transfer.
The enhanced graphic view embeds a floorplan Graphics widget in a Building BI dashboard. Graphic markers update automatically when users apply slicers, dashboard filters, page filters, or cross-filter selections from other widgets. Non-matching markers are hidden so the floorplan stays aligned with the active filter context.Graphics respond to BI filters without changing the underlying data query or widget data configuration — only marker visibility updates.
Create a new dashboard or open an existing one in edit mode.
2
Add slicers
Add slicer widgets to the top of your dashboard for Device Name, Point Name, and Ontology Point Field. Each slicer provides a searchable dropdown where users can select one or more items to filter the entire page.
3
Add a data table
Add a table widget to display the filtered results. Configure it with columns such as Area Name, Device Name, and Point Name so users can review the raw data alongside the graphic. Users can cross-filter the graphic by selecting rows in the table.
4
Add a graphic widget
Add a Graphics widget to the dashboard canvas. Select the floor from the floor dropdown to display the corresponding floorplan. Ensure devices are added to the area and points are assigned on the graphic.
5
Configure graphic layers
The graphic displays data across multiple layers. Select a layer tab to switch between views:
Temperature — shows temperature readings at sensor locations with color-coded markers (green for normal, red for alerts).
Lighting — shows lighting status across zones.
Air Quality — shows air quality readings at sensor locations.
Occupancy — shows occupancy counts by zone.
More — expands to show additional available layers.
Enhanced graphic view dashboard with slicer filters, data table, and floorplan graphic showing temperature readings
Slicer, filter, and cross-filter selections update both the data table and the graphic in real time. When you select a device from the Device Name slicer, the table and graphic show only data for that device. This creates an interactive drill-down view where users move from a floorplan overview to specific device context.
Device Name slicer dropdown showing available devices for filtering
Collapse the left navigation panel using the < icon to give the graphic widget maximum screen space. This is especially useful on floorplan views where marker density is high.
Enhanced graphic view with collapsed navigation panel, maximizing the floorplan display area
Building BI provides organization-level color palettes for consistent visual styling across dashboards and teams. Create palettes for branding, themes, or data visualization contexts in Building BI settings, then apply them from widget style configuration.
1
Open color settings
Enter edit mode on your dashboard and select a widget. Navigate to Chart Configuration > Style tab > Colors section.
2
Choose a color type
Select a color type from the Type dropdown in the Colors section:
Color Scheme — predefined sets of complementary colors designed by KODE Labs. Schemes are grouped into categories: Bright, Cold, Default, and Pastel. Select a category, then choose a specific scheme from the color swatches.
Color Palette — custom sets of complementary colors created by your organization. Color palettes are managed in Settings and are available across all dashboards in your portfolio.
Color Series — a sequential color series for ordered data.
Range — a color range mapped to specific numeric value boundaries.
Gradient — a smooth transition between two or more colors.
The widget preview updates instantly when you select a new color option.
Series colors let you assign specific colors to individual string or Boolean metrics. Keep colors standardized across dashboards for consistency (for example, green for normal operation and red for fault conditions).
Gradients create a smooth color transition between two values. Select Gradient from the Type dropdown in the Colors section. Set the Minimum and Maximum values with their corresponding colors. Enable Dynamic Gradient to automatically adjust the range boundaries to the minimum and maximum values in your data. Toggle Middle Color on to add a third color at the midpoint of the gradient. The Preview bar shows the resulting color transition.
Gradient color configuration showing Type, Dynamic Gradient, Minimum and Maximum values, Middle Color, and Preview
In charts such as heat maps, data label text color automatically switches between white and black based on the background gradient to maintain readable contrast.
When you define a color range, the range excludes the From Value (left value) but includes the To Value (right value). For example, a range of 20 to 30 set to green means 30 displays as green, but 20 does not.
Mark areas highlight shaded background zones on a chart. Use them to visually denote acceptable operational ranges or fault threshold zones behind your plotted data.Mark areas can be generated dynamically based on column values or set to static boundaries. Additional styling options let you control the fill color, opacity, and label placement. For Style tab controls, see Mark areas.
Reference lines overlay static horizontal or vertical lines on a chart. Use them to mark setpoint temperatures, threshold limits, or target values so users can instantly assess whether data falls within expected boundaries.Reference lines can be generated dynamically based on column values or set to fixed positions. Additional styling options include line color, thickness, and label formatting. For Style tab controls, see Reference lines.
Use reference lines frequently on operational dashboards. They help users interpret data at a glance without needing to check separate documentation for acceptable ranges.
Enable zoom and scroll for charts with long time-series data or large datasets. When enabled, users can zoom into specific time periods or scroll along the X-axis to navigate through data interactively. See Top N vs scrolling to choose the appropriate approach. For Style tab controls, see Zoom and scroll.This option is particularly useful for dashboards displaying historical trends where users need to drill into specific periods.
Follow these principles when styling widgets and dashboards:
Clarity over complexity — if a chart is hard to read, it is not useful. Simplify the visualization before adding more styling.
Use titles effectively — every widget title should answer two questions: what is this showing, and for what context?
Avoid overcrowding — too many data labels make a chart unreadable, and too many colors make it confusing. Remove non-essential visual elements.
Use reference lines — reference lines help users interpret data at a glance. Add them for setpoints, thresholds, or target values on operational dashboards.
Keep consistency across dashboards — use the same colors, naming conventions, and layout patterns across all dashboards in a portfolio.
