Publishing Templates¶

Guide for creating and publishing dashboard templates to the marketplace.

Prerequisites¶

Publisher organization membership
Creator or Admin role within the publisher org

Creating a Template¶

1. Build Your Dashboard¶

Create a dashboard using the visual builder or Dashboard IR:

{
  "id": "sales-template",
  "title": "Sales Analytics Dashboard",
  "layout": { "type": "grid", "columns": 12, "rowHeight": 80 },
  "dataSources": [
    {
      "id": "sales",
      "type": "cube",
      "query": {
        "measures": ["Orders.totalRevenue", "Orders.count"],
        "dimensions": ["Orders.createdAt"],
        "timeDimensions": [{
          "dimension": "Orders.createdAt",
          "granularity": "month"
        }]
      }
    }
  ],
  "widgets": [
    {
      "id": "revenue-chart",
      "type": "chart",
      "position": { "x": 0, "y": 0, "w": 8, "h": 4 },
      "dataSourceId": "sales",
      "config": {
        "geometry": "line",
        "encodings": { "x": "createdAt", "y": "totalRevenue" }
      }
    }
  ]
}

2. Create Template Record¶

POST /api/v1/publishers/{publisher_id}/templates
Content-Type: application/json
Authorization: Bearer {token}

{
  "name": "Sales Analytics Dashboard",
  "description": "Comprehensive sales analytics with revenue tracking, order trends, and customer insights",
  "dashboard_ir": { ... },
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "required_datasources": ["cube"],
  "tags": ["sales", "analytics", "revenue"],
  "category": "business"
}

3. Add Preview Assets¶

Upload thumbnail and screenshots:

POST /api/v1/publishers/{publisher_id}/templates/{template_id}/assets
Content-Type: multipart/form-data

thumbnail: (file)
screenshots[]: (files)

Template Configuration¶

Required Data Sources¶

Specify what data sources the template needs:

Type	Description
`cube`	Requires Cube.js semantic layer
`postgres`	Direct PostgreSQL connection
`mysql`	Direct MySQL connection
`api`	REST API data source

Variables¶

Make templates customizable with variables:

{
  "variables": [
    {
      "name": "company_name",
      "type": "string",
      "label": "Company Name",
      "default": "Acme Corp"
    },
    {
      "name": "primary_color",
      "type": "color",
      "label": "Primary Color",
      "default": "#6366f1"
    },
    {
      "name": "date_range_days",
      "type": "number",
      "label": "Default Date Range (days)",
      "default": 30
    }
  ]
}

Versioning¶

Semantic Versioning¶

Templates use semver (MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH):

MAJOR - Breaking changes (new required data sources)
MINOR - New features (new widgets, optional features)
PATCH - Bug fixes (layout adjustments, typos)

Creating a New Version¶

POST /api/v1/publishers/{publisher_id}/templates/{template_id}/versions
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "version": "1.1.0",
  "dashboard_ir": { ... },
  "changelog": "Added customer segmentation widget"
}

Creating a Listing¶

1. Prepare Listing Details¶

POST /api/v1/publishers/{publisher_id}/listings
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "template_id": "tmpl_xxx",
  "title": "Sales Analytics Dashboard",
  "description": "Track revenue, orders, and customer trends with this comprehensive sales dashboard",
  "pricing_model": "per_seat",
  "price": 4900,
  "currency": "USD",
  "preview_enabled": true,
  "tags": ["sales", "analytics", "revenue", "ecommerce"],
  "category": "business"
}

2. Submit for Review¶

POST /api/v1/publishers/{publisher_id}/listings/{listing_id}/submit

3. Marketplace Review¶

The marketplace team reviews for:

Template functionality
Description accuracy
Appropriate pricing
No malicious code

4. Publication¶

Once approved, the listing goes live:

POST /api/v1/publishers/{publisher_id}/listings/{listing_id}/publish

Analytics¶

Track your template performance:

GET /api/v1/publishers/{publisher_id}/analytics

Response:

{
  "period": "30d",
  "templates": [
    {
      "template_id": "tmpl_xxx",
      "name": "Sales Analytics Dashboard",
      "views": 1250,
      "installs": 89,
      "licenses_sold": 34,
      "revenue": 166600,
      "conversion_rate": 0.027
    }
  ],
  "totals": {
    "views": 3400,
    "installs": 245,
    "revenue": 485000
  }
}

Best Practices¶

Design¶

Mobile Responsive - Test on various screen sizes
Performance - Optimize queries for speed
Accessibility - Use proper color contrast and labels
Documentation - Include setup instructions

Pricing¶

Research Competition - Check similar templates
Value-Based - Price based on value delivered
Tier Options - Consider multiple pricing tiers
Free Tier - Offer a free version for discovery

Marketing¶

Clear Title - Descriptive, searchable name
Compelling Screenshots - Show key features
Detailed Description - Explain benefits clearly
Tags - Use relevant, searchable tags
Updates - Keep templates current

Revenue¶

Platform Fees¶

Publisher Tier	Platform Fee
Standard	15%
Pro	10%
Enterprise	Negotiated

Payouts¶

Monthly payouts via Stripe Connect
Minimum payout threshold: $50
Payout reports available in dashboard