Template Screens

[rbrucks]

One of the most powerful features of Zabbix is having screens automatically generated by templates. But I fear that most users don't take advantage of them because they can't find them once they are generated and they don't understand how prototypes will be displayed.

I work in a large environment and we don't have the resources or time to create custom screens for each server, so this feature is critical to monitoring new deployments.

So here are some suggestions to the Zabbix development team on how to make screens in templates more useful:

1. Provide direct access to template-generated screens. I can find no direct tabs or links, and they do not show up on the "Screens" page. The only way I can find them is to use the "search" feature (top right on main page) to search for the device name, then click on the "screens" link for the device.

2. Provide a way to filter auto-discovered items in screens. I may not want every discovery prototype set. Or maybe a pull-down to select sets of discovered items with the same discovery macro key.

3. Provide a way to mark template-generated screens as "favorites". There is no "favorite" button on screens generated by templates.

4. DOCUMENTATION for template screens. This is key. I spent quite a bit of time just figuring out how to access them and how prototypes will be generated in them.

These simple things will make screens that are generated by templates far more useful!

Thanks!

[kloczek]

Direct access and filtering are already implemented.
Only missing thing is marking screens as favorites.

[rbrucks]

Excellent! How do I access them directly?

Like I said, I hunted around and was unable to find any template-generated screens except using the search function.

[kloczek]

1. Search -> enter hostname or pattern -> click on Screens column
2. Triggers list (Monitoring -> Dashboard or Monitoring Triggers) -> click on hostname -> choose Host screens
3. Inventory -> hosts -> click on hostname -> Screens

[rbrucks]

But you're using the search function. That's my point.

The only method to access screens generated from a template is by using the search function, which is counter-intuitive.

The generated screens should be listed in the tab with all the other screens, not just accessible using search (not to mention that having to use the search feature to get to them is not well documented).

Most of the Zabbix interface is fairly intuitive and end users expect that clicking on the monitoring "screens" tab will show all screens... including those generated by templates, not just custom ones.

Thanks

[rbrucks]

#2. This assumes you're populating the inventory, which we don't, so no hosts listed.

#3. You can only get to the screen when a trigger for that host has been fired. We don't just look at alerts, but also would like to see the screen for trending.

[kloczek]

But you're using the search function. That's my point.

It is only one way of accessing to hosts screens.
I understand as probably you have few hosts you may have impression that browsing list of hists is obvious way and even easier.
Trust me that it does not work so well if you have few hundredths or more than +1k hosts.
I forgot about yet another possibility which is by click on the host when it is on the map.

The only method to access screens generated from a template is by using the search function, which is counter-intuitive.

It is .. not entirely true :P
I've already gave you recipes how you can access to host screens and above you have yet another one :P
Even if accessing to those screens is a bit counter-intuitive really I don't think that it is kind of issue.
You need to propose how to improve current interface without breaking how people are accessing to hosts screens

The generated screens should be listed in the tab with all the other screens, not just accessible using search (not to mention that having to use the search feature to get to them is not well documented).

You may have impression that as you are able to access to screens over Monitoring->Screens those templated per screens are the same type of object. Here is small surprise .. they are not
Try to co to co Configuration-> Screens-> <screen_name> and click on "change" link. After this try to list types of objects which you can add to global screens.
After this go to Configuration -> templates-> click on some template "Screens" which already have some screens -> go to edit screen -> go to list of possible objects which you can place in screen.
If you will have those two variants opened in separated tabs you can see what is the difference.

Most of the Zabbix interface is fairly intuitive and end users expect that clicking on the monitoring "screens" tab will show all screens... including those generated by templates, not just custom ones.

Sometimes on accessing to some data presentation layer less important is how much intuitive is interface and does interface provides all possibly necessary data in context of some part of presentation layer.

I think that zabbix has quite good balance between those two targets which are sometimes lays on completely orthogonal lines/surfaces.

If there is no already opened jira for feature request on https://support.zabbix.com/ about adding hosts screens to favorites I think that in screens favorites should be possible to add host screen as same as it is possible in case favorite graphs.

[raulvc]

sorry for bringing this back to life, is there still no way to get a templated screen into the dashboard? (ZBX 3.4 as of this posting)
All I'm attempting to do is *not* rewrite a whole screen I imported so that I can easily access it from the dashboard... (I could manually add every graph the templated one has but... seriously?)

[kloczek]

sorry for bringing this back to life, is there still no way to get a templated screen into the dashboard? (ZBX 3.4 as of this posting)
All I'm attempting to do is *not* rewrite a whole screen I imported so that I can easily access it from the dashboard... (I could manually add every graph the templated one has but... seriously?)

if part of your dashboard is list of active triggers just click on "Host" column and at the end you will find "Host Screens".

[snicolas]

Good afternoon,

I'd like to pop in and see if anybody found a resolution to this.

I do not understand why templated screens cannot show up directly in the Monitoring -> Screens section of the front end?

I think my question revolves around the exchange just above:

"Most of the Zabbix interface is fairly intuitive and end users expect that clicking on the monitoring "screens" tab will show all screens... including those generated by templates, not just custom ones."

"Sometimes on accessing to some data presentation layer less important is how much intuitive is interface and does interface provides all possibly necessary data in context of some part of presentation layer. "

I think I do not understand the second part. How are templated screens too different/complex to be added into the Monitoring-> Screens page?

Many thanks for all the work on this wonderful system and for helping us troubleshoot!

[kloczek]

Two days ago working on my templates I found that in host items list view there is no on top list of the page tab with "screens". I've started looking across php code and actually I found that screens handling code is a bit messy. After study existing code I think that I understand why it is. Reason seem has some roots in fact that many zabbix versions ago it was no per host/template screens. Those screens have been handled over screens.php.

Since when you will enter to the Monitoring -> Hosts editing list of the items is handled over items.php, graphs over graphs.php, triggers over triggers.php, applications -> applicaions.php, discoveries -> discovery.php and web over httpconf.php it was not possible to use already occupated screens.php for the same analogical set of operations to modify per host/template screens.
In html.inc.php which is generating line with "Applications # Items # Triggers # Graphs # Discovery # Web #" "Screens #" string and link are added only when template is edited and seems someone simple forgot that as same as someone is looking for hosts graphs or other objects editing someone may be trying to reach host screens to edit.
Seems only reason why host screens are not reachable over Monitoring -> Hosts is related to some not so well architected hosts screens modifications.

I'm still trying to understand current pattern cross few php files to try add hosts screens editing over top line in items/applications/etc pages and as same add "Screens" link in each line of the hosts links reachable over Monitoring -> Hosts however I think that I'll need to have chat or exchange few emails with zabbix developers but now I'm almost sure that missing "Screens" links are more result of missing few bits and bolts during per host/template screens introduction.

Few weeks ago during conference in Riga I told Alexey about idea of templateting actions and recently I found that it is some set of cases when it would be good to have templated/per host maps as well.
In both cases it is similar situation like before with screens when like now actions and maps are only objects defined outside of the hosts/templates.
As I'm more or less interested to have such features I think that I will try to invest a bit time to understand better screens transition to maybe try to implement actions and maps as part of the templates as well.

I cannot promise anything but hopefully will have some opportunity to have conversation about what I found in next few days.

[snicolas]

thank you for the detailed and fast response kloczek, that makes sense...things can get convoluted over time on large projects like this!

Thanks again for taking the time to look through the code and answering the question

[atom63]

I think nothing changed for years. Is there any user-friendly way to access templated screens?

[argibbs]

I couldn't find a screen I created in a template until I found this post. They really should be available under Monitoring -> Screens in some way and we should be able to favorite them. It will be annoying to explain to my coworkers how to find it. Overall I love Zabbix though and have been using it for years.

[roberdaniel]

Yes, I was going crazy trying to find where the screen (created by the template) is.
Now I could found it through Map-> clic on item ---> screens (the only path?????)
But I miss the Monitoring -> graphs which disappeared in version 5, I'm right?
Similar thing happens with graphs, some of them are not accesibles, they exist in the template but I couldn't find nowhere.