# Documenting custom dashboards (classic)

Write relevant information for users of your dashboards within the dashboards themselves. For instance, write dashboard descriptions to explain how to:

* Interpret the dashboard content.
* Incorporate the dashboard into a business process.
* Configure Nexthink to get proper results in the dashboard.

Only dashboards of basic modules, that is, those which are built with widgets based on metrics, may have accompanying descriptions.

### Reading descriptions <a href="#documentingcustomdashboards-classic-readingdescriptions" id="documentingcustomdashboards-classic-readingdescriptions"></a>

The description of a dashboard is found on the right-hand side of the dashboard itself as a retractable panel. When retracted, the panel is reduced to a small square, similar to a page marker, with the typical letter **i** (for *info*) inside.

Click the letter **i** to expand the panel and read the description of the dashboard. Once you are done reading, you can retract the panel back by clicking either the **i** letter again, or the cross sign in the top right of the description panel.

If the dashboard has no description yet, neither a panel nor the **i** letter are visible in the dashboard. Below is an explanation of how to edit dashboards to add descriptions.

### Writing a description <a href="#documentingcustomdashboards-classic-writingadescription" id="documentingcustomdashboards-classic-writingadescription"></a>

To write a description of a dashboard:

1. Log in to the Nexthink web interface as a user with the right to create dashboards.
2. Open or [create a dashboard](https://docs.nexthink.com/platform/using-finder-classic/monitoring-it-custom-metrics-with-finder-classic/following-the-evolution-of-a-metric-classic#followingtheevolutionofametric-classic-addingametric) based on metrics.
3. Click the menu icon on the right-hand side of the dark blue ribbon.
4. Under the **DASHBOARD** section, select **Edit content**.
5. Click the letter **i** on the top right-hand side of the dashboard to expand the dashboard description panel. Even if the **i** was not visible during reading mode (because of the absence of a description), it becomes visible when editing the dashboard.
6. Write a description of the dashboard inside the description panel. To format the output, see the section below.
7. Click the check mark that appears on the right-hand side of the blue ribbon (in place of the menu icon) to finish editing the dashboard.

A description can contain up to 10 000 characters.

### Formatting your description <a href="#documentingcustomdashboards-classic-formattingyourdescription" id="documentingcustomdashboards-classic-formattingyourdescription"></a>

To make your dashboard descriptions more visually appealing, format them according to the following markup rules:

<table><thead><tr><th>Formatting</th><th>Type in</th><th>Rendered</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Normal text</td><td><code>Plain text</code></td><td>Plain text</td></tr><tr><td>Title</td><td><code># Big title</code></td><td><strong>Big title</strong></td></tr><tr><td>Italic text</td><td><code>*Text in italics*</code></td><td><em>Text in italics</em></td></tr><tr><td>Bold text</td><td><code>**Text in bold**</code></td><td><strong>Text in bold</strong></td></tr><tr><td>Bulleted list</td><td><ul><li>item1</li><li>item2</li></ul></td><td><ul><li>item1</li><li>item2</li></ul></td></tr><tr><td>Numbered list</td><td><ol start="1"><li>item1</li><li>item2</li></ol></td><td><ol start="1"><li>item12. item2</li></ol></td></tr><tr><td>Hyperlink</td><td><code>[Link text](http://example.com)</code></td><td><a href="http://example.com/">Link text</a></td></tr><tr><td>Referenced hyperlink</td><td><p><code>[Link text][1]</code></p><p><code>...</code></p><p><code>[1]: http://example.com</code></p></td><td><a href="http://example.com/">Link text</a></td></tr><tr><td>Horizontal rule</td><td><pre><code>Text before
</code></pre></td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>---</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Text after</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td><p>Text before</p><hr><p>Text after</p></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

#### Blocks <a href="#documentingcustomdashboards-classic-blocks" id="documentingcustomdashboards-classic-blocks"></a>

To emphasize specific parts of your description, four types of predefined blocks are at your disposal: **configuration**, **process**, **tip**, and **warning**.

To define a block, enclose your text between two lines of a three-colon sequence (**:::**). The first sequence is followed by the name of the block which must be one of the four predefined block types. Below is an example of a block, where you have to substitute **\[block\_name]** for one name of the predefined block types:

```
::: [block_name]
Text within the block.
:::
```

\
The content of a block is highlighted from normal text, being displayed in the dashboard description panel inside a box with lighter background. The name of the block, preceded by an associated icon, appears as the title of the block:

<table><thead><tr><th>Type in</th><th>Rendered</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><pre><code>::: configuration
</code></pre></td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>:::</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td><img src="https://268444917-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FxJSUDk9NTtCHYPG5EWs3%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-27d3d052464067a72143308e96897002dc7e8669%2Fimage-20210218-170720.png?alt=media" alt="" data-size="original"></td></tr><tr><td><pre><code>::: process
</code></pre></td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>:::</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td><img src="https://268444917-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FxJSUDk9NTtCHYPG5EWs3%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-bcf6a58bf2ecaf840242a546a01cc0ffd1b767c4%2Fimage-20210218-170723.png?alt=media" alt="" data-size="original"></td></tr><tr><td><pre><code>::: tip
</code></pre></td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>:::</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td><img src="https://268444917-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FxJSUDk9NTtCHYPG5EWs3%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-d7d53b66bfee0ce168fd73814b0ff22e6f4139c8%2Fimage-20210218-170728.png?alt=media" alt="" data-size="original"></td></tr><tr><td><pre><code>::: warning
</code></pre></td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>:::</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td><img src="https://268444917-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FxJSUDk9NTtCHYPG5EWs3%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-b97ba89e14a266e29f5c5be9312e6abd1d64d652%2Fimage-20210218-170732.png?alt=media" alt="" data-size="original"></td></tr></tbody></table>