How to auto-refresh a Datazen dashboard in a web browser

This is a common question I get asked about Datazen – people have setup a live connection to their data and want to make sure their dashboard is automatically showing the latest information.  One scenario was they wanted to view a Datazen dashboard on a big TV screen and have it update every 10, 20, 30 seconds, etc.  I was going to do an article about building a custom solution in Visual Studio using an iFrame, javascript etc.  But much like Indiana Jones found out in Raiders of the Lost Ark, sometimes a simple solution can be quite effective.  Here’s how I solved this, Indiana Jones style –

1. Download a copy of the Mozilla Firefox browser to your PC and install it.

2. Once installed, open up the browser and click the “hamburger” menu on the right hand side.  You’ll see an option for installing a browser add-on

3. Click the add-on icon and you’ll see the add-on manager open up.  Do a search for the term auto refresh

4. You’ll see a number of different add-on’s appear in the results.  I chose to use the one called “ReloadEvery”.  It offers options to right-click a webpage and have it reload at certain time intervals, which is what I was looking to do.

5. Choose the install button to install the add-on.  Once installed, you’ll need to restart your browser to have the add-on enabled.  Note –  The developer of the app requests you donate a few bucks to his development efforts if you feel generous.

6. Let’s test it out – I’ll go to my Datazen dashboard and right-click on the page.  A new menu option has appeared called “Reload Every”

7. I can now enable the functionality and tell it how often I want the page to refresh.  I’ll choose every 10 seconds –

That’s all I need to do.  My page updates every 10 seconds, even if I hit F11 and leave it as full-screen.  An easy solution to common request!