This guide walks you through the various configuration options available when creating text widgets from your spreadsheet data.

Click drag to select the spreadsheet cells you want to visualize. You can also select entire rows and columns or enter the data range into the field. Text widgets require at least one date or string column.

If you need to make any edits to your spreadsheet you can manually refresh it from the bottom left corner of the screen. From here you can also switch to a different sheet.

If you need to extract the data you need from one spreadsheet to another for your dashboard widgets, see our article on preparing your spreadsheet for Geckoboard

Next, you'll see highlighted visualization options for your selection. Click the text icon. In the bottom corner a preview shows how your widget will look.

When you're happy with your selection, click Continue >.

By default, Geckoboard reads the data in columns. When your data series is arranged in rows, click Switch rows and columns.

The visualization picker allows you to switch between the available options.

If you select a column or multiple cells, you can either select Only show last message to display the last cell in your selection. For example, if cells A1:A10 are selected, only the message in cell A10 will be displayed.

Or select Loop through messages to display the text content of up to 5 cells in a 10 second loop. For example, if cells A1:A10 are selected, the messages in cells A6:A10 will be displayed. If you have a column title included in your cell selection, you can toggle the switch to Ignore the first selected cell.