Why counter boxes

• A saved query becomes a number with a name, an icon and a colour
• Placed on the home page or the project overview, where people look first
• Pull instead of push: no reminder mails, the number says it
• New colleagues find the relevant lists without asking

From query to counter box

Step 1: Query groups, administrator

• Administration, Reporting, tab Query groups, link New query group
• Create the groups your teams need, for example My issues and Team issues
• Per group: On overview page, On project page, Visibility, Allowed counters

A group shows up on a dashboard only if it is enabled for that page and the block Query groups has been added there.

Step 2: Save the queries

• Filter a list the way the team needs it, then Save
• Works for issues, projects, spent time, versions, files and the log, plus lists of other AlphaNodes plugins
• Make it public and for all projects if the whole team should use it

Anatomy of a counter box

Step 3: Counter box settings in the query

• Section Counter box at the end of the query form: Activate counter box
• Query groups: one or more groups, as allowed by the administrator
• Name, Value (Amount of entries or one of the totals, also integer custom fields), Icon, Color, Weight from -10 to 10, Description

Step 4: Thresholds

• Threshold: from this value on the box switches to its threshold icon and colour
• Option "Display counter box only with threshold value": the box appears only when it matters
• Example: overdue issues, threshold 1. Nothing overdue, no box

Step 5: Show them on the dashboard

• Add the dashboard block Query groups on the home page or the project overview, once per dashboard
• Restrict the block to certain groups, switch on auto refresh if numbers change often
• The counter box also appears in the sidebar of its own list, a click opens the list

Good practice

• Few groups with clear names beat many groups
• Use thresholds for exceptions: overdue, unassigned, waiting for feedback
• Shared counters need queries the colleagues can see, public or visible to their roles