Spotfire Ideas Portal
I saw in the release notes for the latest version update that the Column Properties dialogue box would be going away in a future release. Please keep it! It is so much easier to use than the flyout thing on the left. And I don't know of any other way of changing the formatting (like decimals, commas, ect.) for multiple columns at a time. In the data flyout you have to select a single column, change the format, then click on the next one, change it, and so on. I usually have tons of columns that are all numeric, where I want the same 0 decimal + commas formatting, and in the dialogue box, I just highlight them all, and change it once. I know it sounds like being resistant to change, but I really do find myself using the dialogue box all the time for all sorts of tasks.
I fully understand how central the Column Properties dialog is to your workflows. Ability to see everything in one place, make quick bulk formatting changes, review and edit calculated columns, and understanding where columns come from. These are importaant needs, and your examples give me greatbinsights into what makes a good experience. Thank you both.
While it is true that the Column Properties dialog has been removed in the latest Spotfire versions, our goal is not to reduce functionality; but to modernize and evolve the experience so it ultimately becomes morepowerful and intuitive. Much of what you described is already possible in the Data Canvas or the Data in Analysis panel, and we are planning on improving these areas based on feedback like yours. For instance bulk formatting is something we are looking to support in the Data in Analysis panel when selecting multiple columns, to address the kind of use case you mentioned.
Thanks again for your detailed feedback. It helps us prioritize improvements in visibility in the Data Canvas and surrounding panels.
I would say that I use the Column Properties Dialogue Box, almost every time I am in Spotfire. If I need to add a calculated column, I go to the Column Properties Dialogue Box. If I need to check how many calculated columns there are in a table, Column Properties Dialogue Box. If I want to check/edit a calculated column, Column Properties Dialogue Box. It's more than second nature at this point. Plus it has all the details there in one place: if a column came from another table, you can see it's source, you can see what the original name was, you can change the name(s). It just does a lot of things all in one place.
Thank you for submitting this idea.
Is there any other things that you miss a part from being able to configure the formatting of multiple columns?