Defining Global Functions

Overview

The BDB Dashboard Designer supports advanced customization using JavaScript. You can enhance dashboards by:

• Using the built-in SDK methods library.

• Writing custom JavaScript code tailored to specific use cases.

This makes dashboards more interactive and flexible, allowing for business-specific logic and presentation.

Why Use Global Functions?

In BDB, there's a designated script area called the Dashboard Script Area. This area is used to:

• Initialize scripts before the dashboard loads.

• Define global functions that can be reused throughout the dashboard.

Functions defined in component or connection script areas are limited in scope and cannot be reused elsewhere.

Tip: To make a function available globally, define it in the Dashboard Script Area.

How to Define a Global Function

Global functions are defined using the window object. This ensures they are accessible across the entire dashboard.

Example

window.numberWithCommas = function(x) {
    return x.toString().replace(/\B(?=(\d{3})+(?!\d))/g, ",");
};

What does it do?

This function formats a number with commas as thousands separators (e.g., 1000000 becomes 1,000,000).

Where Can You Use Global Functions?

Once defined in the Dashboard Script Area, the global function can be reused in:

• Component Script Areas

• Connection Script Areas

• Any other script context within the dashboard

• This helps you avoid duplicating logic and keep your code clean and maintainable.

Best Practices

• Only define functions globally if they need to be reused across multiple areas.

• Use clear, descriptive names to avoid conflicts with other functions or SDK methods.

• Group related utility functions together for better organization.

• Avoid polluting the global namespace with too many functions.