smashmirrorcardboardface / powerbi-visuals-custom-template

Power BI Custom Visuals Template Repository (SDK v3)

This is a template repo for a new TypeScript-based Power BI custom visual and hopefully saves a bit of time when setting up a new one from scratch.

This repo is set up for v2.6.1 of the powerbi-visuals-api and will also install version 3.1 of the powerbi-visuals-tools SDK as a local dependency.

When we instantiate a custom visual using pbiviz new, the first thing I do is remove a whole bunch of stuff and set up some things I typically need each time:

• Set up a new git repo and add the SDK-specific files to the .gitignore file.
• Remove the boilerplate code that the template leaves in there.
• Remove boilerplate objects from capabilities.json as we typically don't need them.
• Add packages for code linting, with suggested rules for certification. I can then run npm run lint to check my code is formatted consistently.
• Add powerbi-visuals-utils-formattingutils package so that we can do localisation.
  • Add sample localisation keys to capabilities.json.
  • Create stringResources/en_US/resources.resjson with these keys, so that we can validate en_US localisation when we package (not currently supported in the developer visual).
• Fill out the pbiviz.json with some defaults so that I can run pbiviz package without it erroring about missing fields.
• Add rendering events handling, so that we're doing the right thing if we want to work towards certification.

Using the Repo

Once you create a new repo from this template (or pull down an update), you need to do the following:

• Run npm i to ensure that all dependent node modules are pulled down and up-to-date.
• If you have the correct version of powerbi-visuals-tools installed globally, then the certificate will be reused, otherwise:
• If this is the first time using the version of the SDK/API then you'll need to generate and install your certificate with pbiviz --install-cert.
• Update pbiviz.json (see below).

pbiviz.json contains the metadata for your custom visual. I have included enough details to allow the visual to package into a .pbiviz file without an error being thrown, but you should put your own mark on this.

• Update the visual object values:
  • Change name to match the desired internal name of your visual.
  • Change displayName to the name you wish to see in the visual palette.
  • Change guid to something unique.
    • The guid is used by the marketplace to uniquely identify your visual, so if this happens to match then you might have problems when packaging/loading.
    • Something that combines the same value as what you add to name, plus a 32 character hexadecimal string matches what the SDK tool does, but you can do whatever you like here to guarantee uniqueness.
  • Change version to your desired number.
  • Change description to what you want to see when you right-click the visual and select About.
  • Change supportUrl to the site that you wish to see when you right-click the visual and select About. Note that this is required for packaging but doesn't necessarily have to be a legitimate site.
• Update the author object values:
  • Change name to the person or company who authors the visual.
  • Change email to a suitable address.