Many SolarWinds users face a common challenge: how to display large amounts of important information in a limited screen space while keeping it readable, actionable, and efficient. The brain is capable of processing vast amounts of information at a glance—but only when that data is structured effectively.
I like to think of it as how much useful information is being provided per unit of screen space. The key is to condense data meaningfully while retaining clarity and usability.
By leveraging SolarWinds SWQL, JavaScript, and HTML, it is possible to refine the default resources, eliminating unnecessary elements and maximizing information density.
This blog explores how to enhance SolarWinds resource layouts for better usability, improved efficiency, and a more intuitive monitoring experience.
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Screen Real Estate Management in SolarWinds
Many clients need to see large amounts of data within a small amount of screen real estate. The goal is to optimize information density without cluttering the display, ensuring that the most relevant details are instantly accessible.
Node Details Resource: One resource that illustrates this challenge is Node Details, which takes up a significant amount of space yet lacks key information found in other widgets.
For example, the default Node Details resource occupies 1115k pixels (934×1194). Excessive whitespace consumes much of this space, reducing the amount of actionable information displayed. Additionally, elements such as ‘Telnet’ and ‘Web Browse’ links are often not useful for most clients, making them unnecessary distractions.
Optimizing Node Details with Custom HTML in SolarWinds
Using SWQL, JavaScript, and HTML, the Node Details resource can be restructured to display more data in a compact yet visually effective format. The optimized version occupies only 579 pixels (333×1740) but provides significantly more insight by including:
- CPU Utilization
- Memory Usage
- Volume Capacity
- Response Time
- Interfaces & Polling Status
A particularly useful enhancement is the blink feature, which highlights any exceeded thresholds, immediately drawing attention to potential issues that need urgent action.
Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
This custom Node Details resource can also be adapted for different vendors, such as Windows, ensuring that each environment presents the most relevant and actionable information.
Clik here to view.
Enhancing Polling Status Visualization
Another great example of improving screen real estate efficiency is optimizing the Polling Status resource.
Clik here to view.
While the base template remains the same, the SWQL query has been fine-tuned to extract and display only the most relevant polling data. This simplifies the resource, allowing users to quickly assess polling performance without sifting through unnecessary details.
Clik here to view.
By customizing built-in SolarWinds resources with Custom HTML, users can increase information density, remove redundant elements, and create a more streamlined monitoring experience.
Conclusion
Optimizing screen real estate in SolarWinds isn’t just about squeezing more data onto a dashboard—it’s about enhancing readability, improving usability, and ensuring that critical information is surfaced effectively.
Through SWQL, JavaScript, and HTML, built-in SolarWinds widgets can be transformed into high-density, high-impact resources that help IT teams work more efficiently.
For network administrators and IT professionals, small refinements in layout and data presentation can have a major impact on operational efficiency. By implementing custom HTML enhancements, businesses can ensure that their IT monitoring environment is clearer, more intuitive, and highly optimized.
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Are you looking to refine your SolarWinds dashboards? Loop1 specializes in custom SolarWinds solutions, from dashboard enhancements to full-scale Platform optimizations. Contact our experts today, and let’s build a more efficient and insightful monitoring experience for your organization.
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