Important: This feature is currently in beta and rolling out gradually. A broader release is planned for early October.
Overview
Building a good dashboard layout takes some thought, so you do not have to start from scratch and you do not have to keep a good layout to yourself.
There are two directions to this:
You can share any layout you have built, making it available to other admins in your portal.
You can use a layout that another admin has shared, or one of the ready made template layouts built by Tribal Habits.
When you use layout you choose between two ways of doing it. Copy gives you an independent version that is yours to change. Import gives you a version that stays linked to the original and updates whenever the original does.
Note: For an introduction to the dashboard and how layouts and modules fit together, see What is the custom admin dashboard?.
THIS FEATURE REQUIRES A BUSINESS PLAN
Please note that the custom admin dashboard is not available on smaller plans or legacy plans.
Contact our team at [email protected] if you would like access to this feature.
Key concepts
Sharing: Making one of your layouts available to other admins in your portal. You share with admin types rather than with named people, so if you share with Standard admins, every Standard admin in your portal can use that layout.
Shared layouts: Layouts other admins in your portal have shared with your admin type.
Template layouts: Ready made layouts built and maintained by Tribal Habits, available to every portal with the custom admin dashboard.
Copy: Uses a one-off duplicate of a layout. The copy is yours - you can edit it, rename it, share it, and it never changes unless you change it.
Import: Uses a version of a layout that stays linked to its source. When the person who shared it changes it, or Tribal Habits updates a template, your version updates too. Imported layouts cannot be edited or shared.
Note: Sharing a layout shares the arrangement of modules and their settings. It does not share any data or grant any access. Every module shows data based on the access of the admin viewing it, so the same shared layout can show different results to different admins.
Copy or import – which should I choose?
This is the main decision, so it is worth understanding before you start.
| Copy | Import |
Can you edit it? | Yes | No |
Can you share it? | Yes | No |
Does it update when the original changes? | No | Yes |
What if the original is deleted? | No effect | Stops updating, tab shows a Removed badge |
Choose Import when you want to stay aligned with the source, for example a compliance layout your organisation wants every admin to see the same way, or a Tribal Habits template you are happy to receive improvements to.
Choose Copy when you want the layout as a starting point and intend to make it your own. If you import a layout and later decide you want to change it, you are not stuck.
Use Duplicate Layout on the imported layout to create an independent editable version. See How do I create and edit a dashboard layout?.
Sharing one of your layouts
Go to your dashboard in Admin and click the tab of the layout you want to edit.
Open the I want to... menu and select Share this Layout.
Under Share with admins, tick each admin type that should be able to use this layout.
Under Description, explain what the layout is for. Other admins see this when deciding whether to use it, so it is worth writing properly.
Click Confirm.
The admin types you can share with are the six that have a dashboard: Super, Standard, Knowledge, People, Instructor and Observer.
Your layout now appears for those admins under Import a Layout, listed with its name, your description and your name as the person who shared it.
To stop sharing, open Share this Layout again and untick every admin type. The layout disappears from other admins' Import a Layout list. Admins who already copied or imported it keep their version, and imported versions stop receiving your updates.
Notes:
Imported layouts cannot be shared. If you want to share a layout you imported, use Duplicate Layout first and share the duplicate.
Sharing is per admin type, not per person. There is no way to share with one named admin.
Other admins never see your dashboard. They see your layout in a list and choose whether to use it.
Using a layout shared with you
Go to your dashboard in Admin and click the tab of the layout you want to edit.
Open the I want to... menu and select Import a Layout.
Make sure the source drop-down is set to Shared layouts.
Find the layout you want. Each one shows its name, the description the admin wrote, and who shared it.
Click Copy or Import, depending on which you want. See the comparison above.
The layout is added as a new tab on your dashboard and becomes the layout you are viewing. An imported layout is marked with a green broadcast icon on its tab, as a reminder that it is linked to a source and therefore cannot be edited.
If you have already imported a layout, its Import button shows Imported and cannot be clicked again. You can still copy it.
If no layouts appear, the message "No shared layouts are available yet" means no other admin of your admin type has shared one.
Note: Only layouts shared by active admins are listed. If an admin is deactivated, their layouts are withdrawn from this list so no one can use a new copy, but anyone who already copied or imported one keeps their version, and imported versions keep updating.
Using a Tribal Habits template layout
Tribal Habits maintains a library of ready made layouts covering common admin needs. These are the fastest way to a useful dashboard, and they are the recommended starting point when you first set up your dashboard.
Go to your dashboard in Admin and click the tab of the layout you want to edit.
Open the I want to... menu and select Import a Layout.
Set the source drop-down to Template layouts.
Find a layout that suits you and click Copy or Import.
Template layouts are matched to your admin type, so you only see templates built for the kind of admin you are.
If you import a template, it stays linked to the Tribal Habits library and you receive any improvements we make. If you copy it, it becomes yours to change and will not update.
What happens when a source layout changes
If you have imported a layout, your version updates automatically the next time you open your dashboard. The name, description and all modules and their settings are replaced with the current version from the source.
This means any difference between your version and the source is overwritten, which is why imported layouts cannot be edited in the first place.
If you have copied a layout, nothing happens. Your copy is independent.
If the source layout is deleted, the admin who shared it stops sharing it, or their admin access is deleted, your imported layout keeps working but stops updating. Its tab shows a red warning icon and a Removed badge, and hovering over the badge explains that the original has been deleted or unshared and will no longer provide updates.
At that point you have three options:
Keep using the layout as it is. It continues to work, it simply will not change again.
Use Duplicate Layout to turn it into an independent layout you can edit, rename and share. If you share it, it goes back into the Import a Layout list for other admins.
Delete it and import a fresh version, if another admin has re-shared the layout.
If an admin is deactivated rather than deleted, their layouts are withdrawn from the Import a Layout list so no one can use a new copy, but existing imports keep working and keep updating.
FAQs
Can I share a layout with one specific admin?
No. Sharing is by admin type. If you share with Standard admins, every Standard admin in your portal can use the layout.
Does sharing my layout let other admins see my data?
No. A layout defines which modules appear and how they are configured. Every module shows data according to the access of the admin viewing it, so a shared layout never reveals anything an admin could not already see elsewhere in your portal.
Will other admins see my changes after I share?
Admins who imported your layout receive your changes the next time they open their dashboard. Admins who copied it will not, because their copy is independent of yours.
Can I edit a layout I imported?
No. Imported layouts stay linked to their source, so any change you made would be overwritten the next time the source updates. Use Duplicate Layout to create an editable version, which then stops receiving updates.
Why can't I share this layout?
Share this Layout is unavailable for imported layouts. Use Duplicate Layout first, then share the duplicate.
How do I stop sharing a layout?
Open Share this Layout and untick every admin type. It disappears from other admins' Import a Layout list. Anyone who already took it keeps their version.
What happens to my shared layout if I leave the organisation?
If your account is deactivated, your layouts remain but are withdrawn from the Import a Layout list, so no other admin can use a new copy. Anyone who already copied or imported one keeps their version, and imported versions keep updating.
If your admin access is deleted, your layouts are deleted with it. Admins who copied your layout are unaffected. Admins who imported it keep their version, but it stops updating and shows a Removed badge.
If the layout needs to continue after you go, an admin who imported it can use Duplicate Layout to make an independent copy and share that, which puts it back in the Import a Layout list for everyone else.
One of my tabs shows a "Removed" badge. What does that mean?
That layout was imported, and its source has been deleted, unshared, or belonged to an admin whose access has been deleted. Your layout still works but will not receive further updates.
Keep using it as it is, use Duplicate Layout to make it independent and editable, or delete it and import a fresh version if someone re-shares the layout.
I imported a layout but a module shows no data.
Every module shows data based on your own admin access. Some modules display information that People admins are not permitted to see, and in those cases the module shows a message instead of data. This is most common when you use a layout built by an admin with a different access level. See What modules can I add to my dashboard?.
Can I import the same layout twice?
No. Once you have imported a layout its Import button shows Imported. You can copy it as many times as you like, within your 10 layout limit.
Why don't I see any template layouts?
Template layouts are matched to your admin type. If none appear, there are no Tribal Habits templates built for your admin type yet.