Use a Parameter to Conditionally Show or Hide a Visualization

This topic describes how to use a parameter to conditionally show or hide a visualization based on an end user's selections.

Topics:

• About Using Parameters to Show or Hide Visualizations
• Use a Parameter as a Filter to Conditionally Show or Hide a Visualization

About Using Parameters to Show or Hide Visualizations

You can show or hide visualizations based on the selected value of a parameter to save space on the canvas and enable your end users to focus on specific data.

You can configure the Visibility Parameter property for any visualization (except those created from custom plugins) to show or hide the visualization based on how a parameter's specified available values match the user-selected values. Using the parameter as a filter enables your end users to select the parameter values and control whether the visualization is shown or hidden.

The visualizations are hidden only in Preview, not in Edit mode.

When a visualization is conditionally hidden, the canvas layout doesn't change. This means that if you design the canvas layout using Auto Fit, when the visualization is hidden, there's an empty space where it was on the canvas. You can use the Freeform canvas layout to overlay visualizations on top of each other so that one is shown in the space on the canvas while the other is hidden.

Visibility Parameter Settings

The Visibility Parameter property has the following options:

• None - Doesn't conditionally hide the visualization, it's always visible. This is the default setting.
• Parameter Name - Lets you select a parameter from a list of existing parameters, if available. You can create a parameter in advance specifically for the purpose of showing or hiding the visualization, and then select it from the list.
• Create a Parameter - Creates a basic parameter for you called Show Visual with two available values, Show and Hide. You can modify this parameter to suit your needs.

When you select a parameter for the Visibility Parameter property, you must use the Visibility Settings dialog to choose a condition and specify which of the parameter's available values to apply it to. Then, when a user selects a value, the visualization is shown or hidden depending on the condition you set.

The following conditions are available:

• Any - Displays the visualization when any of the values specified in the parameter condition are included in the user-selected values.
• Subset - Displays the visualization when any of the values specified in the parameter condition are the only user-selected values.
• Exact Match - Displays the visualization when all of the values specified in the parameter condition match all of the user-selected values.
• Superset - Displays the visualization when all of the values specified in the parameter condition are included in the user-selected values.

Condition Examples

Suppose you select a parameter called Year using the Visibility Parameter property for a visualization.

The parameter has the following available values:

• 2021
• 2022
• 2023
• 2024

Description of the illustration params_visibility_parameter_year.png

Suppose you select 2023 and 2024 for the parameter condition in the Visibility Settings dialog.

This is what happens when you choose the following conditions:

• Any - The visualization is displayed when a user includes either 2023 or 2024, or both in their selections.
• Subset - The visualization is displayed when a user selects either 2023 or 2024, or both, and nothing else.
• Exact Match - The visualization is displayed when a user selects both 2023 and 2024, and nothing else.
• Superset - The visualization is displayed when a user includes both 2023 and 2024 in their selections.

Use a Parameter as a Filter to Conditionally Show or Hide a Visualization

Create a parameter and then use the Visibility Parameter property for a visualization together with a filter to show or hide the visualization based on the values a consumer selects for the parameter.

Before you configure the Visibility Parameter property, do the following:

• If a suitable parameter doesn't already exist, create a parameter and specify the available values you want users to choose from. See Create a Parameter.
• Create a filter using the parameter so that consumers can select values. See Use a Parameter in the Filter Bar or Use a Parameter as a Dashboard Filter Control.

Then you can configure the Visibility Parameter and Visibility Settings for your visualization.

1. On the Home page, hover over a workbook, click Actions, then select Open.
2. Click the visualization that you want to conditionally show or hide to select it.
3. Click Properties to open the Properties pane.
4. Under General, in the Visibility Parameter field, click None and then select the parameter you created.
5. Beside the Visibility Parameters field, click Visibility Settings .
6. In the Visibility Settings dialog, select a condition, then select which of the parameter's available values to apply the condition to.
   
   
   Description of the illustration params_visibility_settings_dialog.png
   
   
7. Click Save.
8. To test that the functionality works as intended for consumers, click Preview and try out the filter selections.