This section provides a summary overview of the major improvements, updates, enhancements, fixes, and changes made in v1.4. The Release Notes section of this documentation has a complete list of changes.
New Dashboard Features
A few new features were added to the latest version of the Ed-Fi Dashboards. This section provides a summary of the enhancements.
Dashboard Usage Module
The latest release of the Ed-Fi Dashboards includes a Dashboard Usage Module built with the Dashboards Plugin Architecture. The Usage Module allows users at all levels of an education organization to view meaningful reports about how the dashboards are being used, and by whom. A view of the interface follows:
See the Dashboard Usage Module technical article for feature and implementation details.
Enhancements to the Plugin Architecture
The Plugin Architecture of the Ed-Fi Dashboards was enhanced in v1.4. Improvements were made to reduce the amount of work implementers are required to do when updating to new versions of the dashboard. Several bug fixes were incorporated to increase reliability and improve performance. A summary of the enhancements follows. Click on the hyperlink for more details.
| Plugin Enhancement | Description |
|---|---|
| Action Filters | Enables the creation of a Plugin Context class that can be populated on each request and shared by all of the modules in the plugin. |
---temp —
Plugin Enhancements that were added in the Ed-Fi Dashboard 1.4 release:
- Action Filters. Enables the creation of a Plugin Context class that can be populated on each request and shared by all of the modules in the plugin.
- EdFiControllerFactory Area Registration. Makes both non-area and area controllers available when an area-based request is made as well as ordering the plugin, apps, and core controllers correctly.
- Embedded Image Provider. Makes plugin embedded images available at the URL @Url.Content("~/PluginContent/Your.Plugin.Name/Images/your-image.png").
- Embedded Resource Providers. Enables the automatic iteration through all installed plugins and discovery of the embedded resources for inclusion in the site layout.
- Metric Template. Allows plugins to override existing, and create new, Metric Templates.
- Multiple Security Hierarchies. Allows plugins to create alternate security hierarchies.
- Plugin Area Registration. Enables the ability for plugins to create new ASP.NET MVC Areas.
- Plugin Configuration Specific Registration. Allows the plugin to provide configuration (e.g., Debug, Release) specific IOC registration installers.
- Plugin Extensions. Allows plugins to have extension assemblies in the same way that Core Dashboard Assemblies may be extended.
- Plugin Security. Enables plugins to create their own Claim types, and use them to authorize Service calls.
- Registration Assembly Scanning. Enables plugins to register Domain Metric Controllers.
- RTF Result. Allows plugins to export data in Rich Text Format.
- User Entry Providers. Enables custom Home Pages for particular user types to be defined in a plugin.-
--- temp
See the Plugin Architecture - v1.4 Enhancements documentation for more details.
Technical Improvements and Enhancements
In addition to the new dashboard features listed above, the latest version of the Ed-Fi Dashboard distribution includes a number of technical enhancements, including:
- Fixing a bug that prevented Export All functionality from working properly at the district/LEA level (DASH-914).
- Adding the ability for developers to extend the previous/next button for lists other than students, teachers, and schools (DASH-712).
- Refactoring to support the ability for developers to extend the LevelCrumb service in accordance with SOLID design principles (DASH-700).