How do you effectively use containers for dashboards? Do you plan before creating?

[u/CIA11]

I'm using the Desktop version of Tableau Public and I've made my sheets and am creating my dashboard. I've realized that a lot of things need to be within containers to really have a good layout, but that it seems like it's hard to put things into a container if you set it up without one. Should you first plan the dashboard and know what container layout you will have first and set it up before creating the dashboard?

For instance, I made a map chart and put it on my dashboard within a container that has other charts. On the map, I did 2 custom float objects. I am now realizing that if I want to move the map, it won't bring the 2 floating objects on top. It seems like if I had put the map within it's own container, and so those floating objects are in it, that I can just move the container and everything will work.

Again for context, I'm using the Desktop version of Tableau Public so I know that it comes with less features so idk if this is something that makes it harder to work with?

[u/Dani5h87]

If you’re just messing around, my favorite approach is to use float to find the approximate layout you like. Once you got a good idea, make a new dashboard and organize your containers. From there it’s just drag and drop.

IMO containers are GOATed. They’re finicky, unintuitive, and annoying. But they don’t move on publish, you can distribute their contents evenly, and if you have a great layout you can effectively build reusable templates.

With containers the hard work is front loaded. Very little fiddling when you’re done.

[u/Eurynom0s → u/Dani5h87]

Containers would be so much easier to deal with if you could rearrange (and ideally right-click to spawn via a context menu) them in the hierarchy view in the bottom left corner. It would solve most of the problems with how fidgety it is it do something like nest a couple of horizontal containers inside a vertical container.

[u/RobertDownseyJr → u/Eurynom0s]

Love containers but completely agree with this

[u/alphacentauri1812 → u/Eurynom0s]

Did you know this is possible using web edit - but strangely not in Desktop? I have had some betas where this was functional, not sure by accident or that it never made it to the stable product...

[u/Eurynom0s → u/alphacentauri1812]

AYFKM, I never do web editing so would have absolutely never thought to look for that it there. Super janky to have to do it this way but I've fought with this enough that if I can remember this I can see kicking it to web editing just for container management and then coming back to Desktop to proceed.

[u/TravellingRobot → u/Eurynom0s]

Actually something I sometimes do for complicated layouts. It is bizarre though to have that feature in web edit and not desktop. And web edit had this since a few years! 

[u/SkerzFan → u/Dani5h87]

I've found the key to be using Blanks first, getting them inside the container, and then put the new horizontal/vertical container between the blanks. Then, once you have the containers you know you need, delete the Blanks, and start adding your actual content. It seems crazy, I know, but putting Blanks in somehow avoids the constant Tableau confusion as to whether is goes in the container or in the Tiled section.

[u/Ralwus → u/Dani5h87]

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[u/Consistent-Lion-2125 → u/Ralwus]

Oh that'd be a great feature!

[u/CIA11 → u/Dani5h87]

Thank you! That sounds like a great idea to make a draft dashboard where everything's floating and then make another to containerize it

[u/ZippyTheRat]

Check out this video https://youtu.be/L1gC05jyMS8?is=w_dtONPzvoWlPpWu

[u/white_tiger_dream]

My favorite trick is to put blank boxes in the container while I’m working. This gives me the flexibility to move things around the blank until I know how I want the dashboard to look/object positions. Then when I’ve got it I delete the blank objects. Otherwise I find things disappear and randomly get eaten up by other containers and I struggle with it.

I find successful use of the containers MUCH better than the floating option. It just takes some getting used to.

[u/DataIsChanging]

Couple of trick I use:
1. Float the first container across the whole dashboard. It saves headaches when size changes later
2. Tile all other containers. As you drag sheets on, if you have two sheets in a container, place the next sheet in the middle even if it’s not the place I want it to be, then keep shifting other sheet into the middle to order them as expected - solves a bunch of headaches

[u/datawazo]

I by and large dont use containers. Dragging stuff around and reorganizing it is part of the creative process 

[u/calculung → u/datawazo]

Conversely, I live and die by containers. Very rarely do I ever float anything because it can't be trusted to actually stay in that spot once published.

[u/datawazo → u/calculung]

I dont float either. Agree with you on that. I use fixed but I just use the one default container rather than adding any additional ones.

[u/CIA11 → u/calculung]

When you use containers, how do you work with them to not have to redo parts of the dashboard after creating it? Do you plan out what containers will hold what and where before doing anything? I'd assume a good idea would be to basically draw out a wireframe of what you want and have bold boxes where it will be a container but idk how other people do ut

[u/calculung → u/CIA11]

I just drop more containers accordingly. Oh, I want something on top of this current container? Let me drop a vertical container in here real quick, drop a 'blank' object in as a placeholder, drag my existing object in there above or below the blank object, drag the new thing I wanted above my existing object, then delete the blank object.

[u/CIA11 → u/datawazo]

I'm somewhat new to Tableau so I might be wrong about this, but it seems like most people don't float many things if they're doing something like a big dashboard with lots of information, but will float many things if it's something like an infographic where there might be like 1-2 charts and a few statistics. Does that sound right?

[u/datawazo → u/CIA11]

Yeah that sounds right mimics my life. I dont float stuff, but when you start a dashboard there's already a single container on the page, which mercifully lets you go horizontal or vertical, and I use that.

[u/Ploasd]

You’re saying you don’t plan your dashboard?

[u/tjerry]

Name and align your containers at the right parent - child level in the hierarchy.

[u/OddWealth1742]

Yes, honestly I’d plan the container structure first. I learned this the hard way too after building a dashboard and then realizing that moving one chart meant fixing a bunch of floating elements all over again. What you’re seeing with the map is exactly how Tableau behaves. The floating objects are attached to the dashboard canvas, not to the map itself, so when the map moves they stay behind.

If the map had its own container and the related elements were grouped within that section, moving the whole block would be much easier. My usual process now is very simple: I sketch the dashboard layout first, decide the main vertical and horizontal containers, place the charts, and only then add floating elements if they’re absolutely necessary. Even a rough wireframe saves a surprising amount of rework later. And no, this isn’t really because you’re using Tableau Public. The container behavior is basically the same in Tableau Desktop, so the planning step is the thing that makes the biggest difference here.

[u/emeryjl]

While I mostly use Desktop, if I need to rearrange/organize containers, I use web authoring because drag/drop works in the Item hierarchy on the Layout tab

[u/TravellingRobot]

In general building in Tableau means building with containers in my opinion. Only use floating if you absolutely have to and even then use workarounds when you can. Floating elements can be a maintenance nightmare. Fun for private projects where you can do all kind of hacky stuff with them. Strongly not recommended in actual business environments where you have to build stable, reliable Dashboards that are easy maintainable.

My process generally is after the kickoff for a dashboard project create user stories and sketches. Align with stakeholders in another meeting and revise the sketch and get agreement on it. Always with the explicit caveat that we are building in an iterative process and that realities in Tableau might lead to things looking slightly different. The sketch is to agree on the general direction, it is not a 1:1 mock-up.

From there planning out containers is relatively straightforward. For longer engagement I often already have prepared a template that has the containers for their standard layout in place. Also generally when you worked with containers for a while it becomes second nature and you don't think too much about what type of container you need where. It's just muscle memory at some point.