# Create a dashboard

Build a Pristo CX dashboard: add widgets, arrange them in rows, save a draft and publish it, then unpublish or delete it when you no longer need it.

In Pristo CX, you build a dashboard on the **Dashboards** tab: select **Create dashboard**, add widgets, arrange them in rows and publish. A dashboard belongs to the program you are working in.

## Before you start

- Role: account admin or program admin. Program users cannot open the editor. See [roles and permissions](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/users/roles-and-permissions).
- Plan: any plan. The text analysis widgets need **Insights**, which is on the Pro plan.
- Setup: at least one questionnaire in the program. To break data down or filter it by contact or event attributes, the program's population needs those attributes. See [Contact attributes](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/populations/contact-attributes).

## Steps

![Sketch of the dashboard editor. Marker 1 is on the tab that opens dashboards. Marker 2 is on the pencil beside the dashboard name. Marker 3 is on the button under the rows that adds a widget. Marker 5 is on the plus sign in the free space of a row. Marker 6 is on the top bar of a widget, which you drag to move it. Marker 7 is on the button in the filter bar that chooses the filters. Marker 8 is on the button that saves and publishes, at the top right.](https://docs.pristo.io/_astro/dashboard-editor.DU6U2n13.webp)

1. Open **Dashboards** and select **Create dashboard**.

2. Select the pencil beside **New dashboard**, type a name and press Enter.

3. Select **Add widget** and choose a widget in the dialog. [Dashboard widgets](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/dashboards/widgets) describes each one.

4. In the widget's editor, choose the source questionnaire and, for score and answer widgets, the question. Then select **Apply**. A spacer has no editor.

5. Add more widgets. Each new widget starts a new row. To place a widget beside others, select the plus sign in the free space of a row.

6. Arrange the widgets with the mouse. Drag a widget by its top bar (**Move widget**) into another row, or between two rows to start a new one. Drag the dashed line after a widget to change its width, and the dashed line under a row to change the row's height.

7. Optionally, select **Edit filters** and choose the attributes that appear in the filter bar. See [Filter and segment dashboard data](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/dashboards/segmentation-and-filters).

8. Select **Save & publish**.

To change a widget, select the pencil on it. To remove it, select the X and confirm.

## Result

Pristo CX shows **Dashboard published** and opens the dashboard with real data. In the editor, widgets show sample data in gray. In the lobby, the card shows **Published**. Program users can open it only after you add them as viewers. See [Share a dashboard](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/dashboards/share-a-dashboard).

## Drafts and published versions

A dashboard has a draft, which you edit, and a published version, which viewers see. Open a dashboard and select **Edit** to change it. The editor's **Actions** menu has:

| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Save** | Saves the draft without publishing. Viewers keep seeing the published version, and the editor shows **This version differs from the published version** |
| **Discard changes since publish** | Replaces the draft with the published version, after you confirm. Shown only while they differ |
| **Unpublish** | Hides the dashboard from viewers. The card shows **Not published**. The viewer list stays, and viewers see the dashboard again when you publish |
| **Delete** | Deletes the dashboard, after you confirm. This cannot be undone. Shown after the first save |
| **Exit without saving** | Leaves the editor and drops unsaved changes. If you leave another way with unsaved changes, Pristo CX asks first |

There is no way to copy a dashboard.

## Limits

- A row is 12 columns wide, and a widget takes 1 to 12 of them. Most data widgets start at 4 columns, a title at 12, a text block at 6 and a spacer at 3.
- A widget added with the plus sign takes up to 4 columns of the row's free space. A widget moves into another row only if that row has room for its width.
- Moving and resizing need a mouse. There is no keyboard or touch alternative.
- The dashboard name holds up to 200 characters. Widget limits are in [Dashboard widgets](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/dashboards/widgets).
- Saving and publishing need a name and at least one widget that is not a spacer.

## Troubleshooting

**Save & publish is disabled.** Give the dashboard a name and add at least one widget that is not a spacer.

**Pristo CX does not publish and says some widgets have configuration errors.** A widget is missing a setting, such as its source questionnaire or question. The editor marks it with a red icon. Point at the icon to see the problem, then open the widget and fix it. You can still save the draft.

**Publishing fails with the message `Value is invalid`.** A widget uses a questionnaire that is no longer in the program or is inactive. Open each widget and choose an active questionnaire.

**The text analysis widgets cannot be selected.** No open question is set up for analysis yet. Select **Text analysis settings** in the dialog. See [Set up Insights](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/insights/set-up-insights).

**I cannot find Create dashboard.** Only account admins and program admins see it.

## Related

- [Dashboards overview](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/dashboards/overview)
- [Dashboard widgets](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/dashboards/widgets)
- [Share a dashboard](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/dashboards/share-a-dashboard)
- [Filter and segment dashboard data](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/dashboards/segmentation-and-filters)