Overview

This is an overview page of Squirrel's components, their uses as well as navigation to articles for each of the available components.

Looking for something in particular?

What is a component?

Squirrel components are essential building blocks for any project you create. They include Charts and Tables for displaying data, Controls for managing data movement and functionality, as well as Shapes and Media for designing and building a user interface.

Layout & Containers

Input Controls

Buttons

Basic

Media

Tables

Charts

Data Viz

Miscellaneous

Add-ons

Adding a component

From left to right: Add Component, Component Tree, Connections, Functions

To open the Component Library, click the icon. This action will reveal the 'Add Component' library, showcasing various sub-sections for each component type. At the top of the library, you'll find a search bar and buttons to switch the library's view: Grid View (default) or List View.

An example view of the Component Library (v1.19), displaying the default Grid View, expanded drawers and components in the drawers.

Select the desired component and move the cursor over the canvas area. There are a few options for placing a component on the canvas:

1. One-click placement

2. Drawing component

1. Double-click component

Grouping Components

Components can be grouped on the canvas. When grouped, these components can be moved together on the canvas, as a single layer in the Component Tree.

v1.19 Introduced changes to Grouping and its functionality in the product. For more information, check out this article.

Components can be grouped in a few ways:

1. Ctrl + G

2. Right-click menu

3. Arrange Menu

Arranging Components

Components can be arranged on the canvas based on their positions and size. When multiple components are selected, the arrange menu will be enabled.

From left to right: Align Left, Alight Center, Align Right, Align Top, Align Middle, Align Bottom, Distribute Horizontally, Distribute Vertically, Make Same Size, Make Same Height, Make Same Width

When arranging components, the arrangement will be based on the first selected component.

This is identifiable by the thicker blue bounding box around the component.

View components in action

When on the canvas, components have no interaction and serve only as a means of styling and layout. Components can be "tested" and viewed in action within the Debug and Preview menus.

Debug

Debug acts as a means to "test" a project. When in this mode, components can be interacted with on the canvas, and display the set styling for each of their states. In addition to this, the spreadsheet is still visible. allowing you to see what is happening in the spreadsheet while interacting with the components.

Preview

Preview mode acts as a means of viewing the project as it will be seen in the browser before publishing. When in this mode, the spreadsheet cannot be viewed, but the components can be interacted with.

View responsive behaviour in Preview

Preview mode has a Mobile/ Device Mode for all responsive projects. For projects that have the 'enable responsive canvas' option ticked, preview mode lets you test how your app will behave across different devices. This can be especially useful to check the behavior of your app based on the Layout & Positioning settings on components.

1. Desktop

2. Tablet

3. Mobile

4. Rotate

5. Switch void color

Desktop/ Tablet/ Mobile

Toggle between desktop, tablet and mobile to see how your project displays at these common breakpoints.

Rotate

In either Tablet or Mobile mode, the Rotate option will become available.

Switch void color

This option changes the void colour behind the canvas between black and white. This is useful to provide contrast when your app has a light or dark background.

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What is a function?

Squirrel functions are "invisible" interactions that work behind the scenes. From highly dynamic movement of data with the Data Mover and MegaQuery functions, to connections between parent and child with the Tableau or External Parameters.

Adding a function

Adding a function is very similar to adding a function to the canvas, minus the drag-and-drop interaction with the canvas itself.

To access the Functions panel and Functions Library, select the icon on the Left-Side Menu. The Functions panel will expand that contains a search bar and an 'Add a Function' button.

Functions can be added by hovering over the desired Function and selecting the icon to add it to the Functions panel.

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What is a connection?

Connections take your Squirrel projects to the next level. Power your projects with data from external sources such as Google Sheets, Excel Online, InfoBurst, or Ninox to drive your calculations.

Adding a connection

Adding a connection is very similar to adding a function.

To access the Connections library, select the icon on the Left-Side Menu. A small side interface will expand, containing a search bar and an 'Add a Connection' button.

The Connections Library (v1.19), after selecting the 'Add a Connection' button

Connections can then be added by hovering over the desired one and clicking the icon that appears. Any added connection will then appear on the list to the left side of the library.

A connection added to the connections panel.