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Action buttons for dashboards and perspectives

Documentation Team
  • Updated

Action buttons for dashboards and perspectives

About action buttons

Action buttons are customized buttons that you can add at the top of a dashboard or perspective.

You can choose between different types of actions:

  • Open an internal link

    An internal link within your Dashboard Server instance. For example, when you want to link from an object's perspective to a dashboard that is relevant for that object.Internal links use only the part of the URL that comes after .../SquaredUpv[version number]/. For example, if the full URL to a dashboard is https://mysquaredup.com/SquaredUpv5/page/dashboard-enterprise-applications, you need to use /page/dashboard-enterprise-applications.

  • Open a web link

    A link to any URL. For example, when you have a dashboard for monitoring a website or application, you can add a link to that website or application. Web links have to include the http:// or https:// prefix. These links will open in a new tab by default.

  • Execute a SCOM task

    You can run a SCOM task on an object.

    Which tasks are available depends on the object and the management packs that are installed. Only users with the correct SCOM access will be able to run the task (see How do SCOM roles affect what users can do in Dashboard Server?).

Note: Action buttons are only one way to run tasks. For all options to run tasks see How to run SCOM tasks.

How to add an action button to a dashboard or perspective

  1. For dashboards: Go to the dashboard where you want to add the action button.

    For perspectives: If you want to add the action button to a specific perspective, go to an object that contains the perspective and choose this perspective. If you want to add the action button to all perspectives of a specific class of objects, go to an object that is a member of this class.

  2. Click on the edit button to go into edit mode.

  3. Click on the Edit actions button.

  4. Under Actions, click on the add button.

  5. Enter a name for your new action button.

  6. Select the type of action you want to create:

    • Open an internal link

      An internal link within your Dashboard Server instance. For example, when you want to link from an object's perspective to a dashboard that is relevant for that object.Internal links use only the part of the URL that comes after .../SquaredUpv[version number]/. For example, if the full URL to a dashboard is https://mysquaredup.com/SquaredUpv5/page/dashboard-enterprise-applications, you need to use /page/dashboard-enterprise-applications.

    • Open a web link

      A link to any URL. For example, when you have a dashboard for monitoring a website or application, you can add a link to that website or application. Web links have to include the http:// or https:// prefix. These links will open in a new tab by default.

    • Execute a SCOM task

      You can run a SCOM task on an object.

      Which tasks are available depends on the object and the management packs that are installed. Only users with the correct SCOM access will be able to run the task (see How do SCOM roles affect what users can do in Dashboard Server?).

  7. If you selected the action type "task":

    For dashboards: Enter the object you want to run the task on. While you are typing, you'll get suggestions for matching objects. Then select the task you want to run from the dropdown.

    Which tasks are available depends on the object and the management packs that are installed. Only users with the correct SCOM access will be able to run the task (see How do SCOM roles affect what users can do in Dashboard Server?).

    Some tasks let you override parameters, for example the time until the task runs into a timeout. Which parameters are available depends on the task.

    For perspectives: Select the task you want to run for the object you are currently viewing.

    Take care to add task buttons to a relevant perspective so the button doesn't appear for objects where it will not run. For example, if you add the Display Server Statistics task to a button on the Monitored Entity perspective then it will show for all objects, but when if you try to run it when you are viewing an application you will get a task failed error message because server statistics cannot be shown for an application.

    Which tasks are available depends on the object and the management packs that are installed. Only users with the correct SCOM access will be able to run the task (see How do SCOM roles affect what users can do in Dashboard Server?).

    Some tasks let you override parameters, for example the time until the task runs into a timeout. Which parameters are available depends on the task.

  8. Only for perspectives: Decide when the action button will be shown.

    "only show when this perspective is selected":
    If you leave the checkbox activated, the action button will be visible only on this one perspective.

    If you deactivate the checkbox, the action button will be visible on all perspectives for all objects of the same class as the object you are currently viewing.

  9. Click done to save the action button.

  10. You can add more buttons or click done to finish adding buttons.

  11. Click publish to make the changes live.

    You can now see your newly added action button.

    For task action buttons: All users with the correct SCOM access will be able to run the task with the action button. Clicking the button will display the results of the task at the top of the page. The results stay there until you close them or go to another page.

5 minute Video

This 5 minute video 'Dashboard actions' describes how to create and edit actions on a dashboard or perspective:

Alternative ways to run tasks

Action buttons are only one way to run tasks. For all options to run tasks see How to run SCOM tasks.