Configure variable display options

Variable display configuration controls how variables appear and behave in your dashboard. Proper configuration improves the user experience by making variables intuitive and accessible to dashboard viewers.

Display options include the type of selection options, user-friendly labels, and visibility settings. These configuration choices determine how users interact with your dashboard’s filtering capabilities and can significantly impact usability.

To configure variable display options, complete the following steps:

1. Open your dashboard and click Edit.

2. In the right sidebar, click Dashboard options (gear icon).

3. In the Variables section, click a variable name in the list to edit its configuration.

4. In the Label field, enter a user-friendly display name.

   For example, for the variable named environment, enter the label Environment.

5. In the Display list, select where the variable appears on the dashboard.

   For example, leave Above dashboard selected.

6. In Selection options, optionally enable Multi-value to allow multiple selections.

7. Optionally enable Include All value to add an All choice.

8. If your variable type includes a Sort setting (often in the query variable editor), you can choose how option values are ordered.

   For example, select Alphabetical (asc).

   Custom variables in the sidebar may not show Sort — you can skip this if you don’t see it.

9. Click Save to save your display configuration.

10. The variable appears in the dashboard with your configured display options.

In the next milestone, you learn how to test variable interactions across different scenarios and edge cases.

More to explore (optional)

At this point in your journey, you can explore the following paths:

• Configure variable selection options