Popdock Widgets allow you to display data from disparate applications inside of the application that you choose to work in, without moving the data into that application. Widgets are extremally powerful in providing data access to your teams within their primary application and can dramatically decrease the time it takes for users to search for the data they need to perform their day to day tasks.
When embedding a Popdock widget into an external application, some applications allow for parameters. Parameters are values contained within a selected list/widget that can be passed through to an end destination, which in turn can filter the widget to be contextual to the page the widget is displayed on. For example, if we are embedding a Popdock widget containing ERP Invoice data into an Account page within a CRM, we can pass a parameter of Account Number so the widget is filtered and only shows invoices for the Account on display. We will dive into how to set up Widget Parameters below.
Note: Parameters are currently available under the settings menu within the following types of widgets: Cards, Image, Single List, and Single Record.
Parameters
To locate the Parameters section of a widget, you first need to create a widget or edit the widget you plan on adding a parameter to. Under the left Settings menu from the Edit widget page, click Parameters.
The parameters page will allow you to publish a widget to some connectors using the Connector drop down menu, such as Business Central, Zendesk, or Salesforce. If you are not using one of these, you can select None for the Connector.
From the Connector dropdown, select the connector you want to publish the widget to.
Once you have selected your connector, you’ll see either an Environment (Business Central and Zendesk) or Visualforce (Salesforce) dropdown. Select the object from the dropdown list where you want the widget to appear.
Note: Selecting an environment allows you to publish your widget directly to the object selected.
If you select None for the connector, no other dropdown will display.
The connector on the Widget page does not need to be the same as the connector on the Parameter page. The connector you select on the Widget page is where the list is from. While the connector on the Parameter page is where you display the list. You could take a list from one connector and display it in a widget in a different connector.
In the Parameters section, select Click here to add a parameter or select Click here to add an environment parameter. If you already have parameters, select Add URL parameter, or Add environment parameter.
URL Parameters
URL parameter – You can use the URL parameter if you need to manually embed a widget. The URL parameter is used when your connector is set to None.
In the Name field, enter the name for the parameter. This is the name that will display as the prompt for the parameter.
Note: Our recommendation is to not use any special characters or spaces in the name field.
From the Field dropdown, select the field from your list that you want to pull data from.
In the example below, the parameter is set up so that when you enter the customer’s name, it will return records from the list where the bill to name matches.
If you have created a Lookup, you can use that in your parameter.
You can create multiple parameters and then Use parameter groups. Once you select Use parameter groups, you can assign the parameters to a Group number. By using a parameter group, you can enter a value in one or more of the parameters and the widget will return data based on what is entered.
If you want to make the parameters required, select the Required checkbox. Users will then be required to enter a value for the parameters, in order for the widget to return data.
Environment Parameters
Environment parameter – This type of parameter pulls all the fields from the object selected in the Environment drop down menu. This allows you to automatically pass your parameter through when you embed the widget to that object. Note: This is currently available for the Dynamics 365 Business Central, Salesforce, and Zendesk connectors.
Select Click here to add an environment parameter or Add environment parameter if one already exists.
In the Parameter dropdown, select a parameter. The Parameter dropdown list will show you the fields from the object you selected in the Environment field.
In the Field dropdown, select the field from your list. There should be a relationship between the parameter and the field.
In this example, the widget will show data when the bill to name from the list is equal to the name from the customer card. In other words, when you open the Customer Card and select a customer with a Name of ABC, the widget will display data from the Invoice list where the Bill to name is also ABC.
If you have created a Lookup, you can use that in your parameter.
You can create multiple parameters and then Use parameter groups. Once you select Use parameter groups, you can assign the parameters to a Group number. By using a parameter group, you can enter a value in one or more of the parameters and the widget will return data based on what is entered.
If you have additional questions about widget parameters, contact support@eonesolutions.com.
