You will be developing Klips for the first time and want to familiarize yourself with all involved components.
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When Klipfolio Dashboard is installed, its various components are unpacked. They can be viewed by opening the Windows Start Menu, then selecting All Programs > Klipfolio Dashboard > Open Klipfolio Dashboard Folder.
Inside, you will find that the installed Klips (KlipName.klip) are contained in the myklips folder. When you add a new Klip, it is saved in this folder. You can add, remove, or edit Klips in it as you see fit.
The settings folder contains preference files for each of your Klips in the myklips folder. A preference file (KlipName.prefs.xml) is where information about the Klip, such as its location in the dashboard, previously displayed data, whether or not it is displayed, is saved. Contents of this folder should not be tampered with unless absolutely necessary, as any changes will affect the Klips with which they are associated.
A Klip is an XML file that contains the information about where to get the content, what to do with it, and how to display it (more on this under the What's in a Klip? section below). The Klipfolio Dashboard application is the engine that executes the instructions provided by the Klip.
In addition to Klipfolio Dashboard Developer Edition, you need a text editor of your choice.
a. Some familiarity with XML, CSS, and JavaScript is helpful.
b. Always remember that you need to Reload or Reset your Klip to see any changes you made. Refresh will simply refresh the data for the Klip that is already loaded.
<html>
<klip>
<!-- 1. XML parameters block -->
<parameterName1>value</parameterName1>
<parameterName2>value</parameterName2>
...
<!-- 2. Stylesheet block -->
<style>
...
</style>
<!-- 3. JavaScript block [optional] -->
<klipscript>
...
</klipscript>
</klip>
</html>1. XML parameters are used to specify things that apply to the entire Klip, such as its title, data source, copyright information, where Klipfolio Dashboard should look when an updated version of the Klip is available, refresh rate, whether to display column labels by default, and other various functionality. See Appendix B of the Klip Developer Guide for a complete list of XML parameters supported by Klipfolio Dashboard.
2. The Stylesheet block tells Klipfolio Dashboard what parts of the data source to display in the Klip and how to display them. See Appendix A of the Klip Developer Guide for a complete list of CSS properties supported by Klipfolio Dashboard.
3. Scripting can be used when you want to implement functions that are not covered by the XML and stylesheet options. If you do have a <klipscript> block, you must have the onRefresh() function at a minimum. See API Document for a complete list of APIs available for use.
You can add template and sample Klips from the New and Open buttons in the toolbar of Klipfolio Dashboard Developer Edition. They are also available online under Klip Templates & Samples.
Klipfolio Dashboard needs to know where your data is located and how you'd like it displayed. Though each Klip is unique and its data source varied, the basic required steps are the same. Refer to the how-to article, Klip Development Fundamentals, that uses a sample data source to discuss these steps.
