[TIP 60] Organizing the Layout

Most dashboards contain anywhere between 10 - 30 elements (counting both visualizations and components such as labels and buttons). These elements can get quite tricky to layout in a neat and tidy manner.


By using the arrange and group options, you can easily align and position objects in an organized fashion on your dashboard. Doing so will immediately enhance the professional look and feel of your dashboard.


The design options are very similar to design concepts within PowerPoint. For example, you can drag your cursor to select multiple objects together and then open the arrange menu and choose options like "Align Top" or "Distribute Horizontally".


Using the "Group" option, you can make sure that the next time you move an element it will move with all of its related items. For example, if you have a chart with a label and legend control, you can group them and move them all together as you position elements on your dashboard.