Convert Table widgets to Charts in Dashboards (and vice versa)

Hello!

I noticed that there have been some recent changes within Dashboards. Previously, we were able to convert custom widgets post-creation; i.e. a Table widget could be turned into an Indicator or Donut / Column / Bar / Line /etc. chart, and vice versa. Now, it seems like we can't and have to decide upon creation if the widget will be Table or Chart.

It would be awesome if we had the ability to convert widgets again; this will help us avoid having to recreate some widgets when we want to display the data differently.

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Sven Passinger

Hi @Anna Giacobbe, it seems for me that some Widgets can not be changed but some can be. If I use a recommended Widget like "My tasks" you are right, I can also not change to another stile. But when I make my own widget from the bottom list on the left (see screenshot) I was able to change the style later via the edit function of the widget.

Anna Giacobbe

@Sven Passinger Weird!

On my side, I was referring to custom widgets (I'll see if I can update my description above).

If a Chart widget was created, there's the option to switch between different Chart styles:

But if a Table custom widget is created instead, there's no such option to convert to Chart (no option when clicking …, nothing in the edit window to suggest that we can convert to Chart, etc.).

Would you be able to share steps with me on how you are able to convert them? Thanks!

Sven Passinger

@Anna Giacobbe please see here:

Creating Widgets – Wrike Help Center

Under point 3 there is a note: "Once the widget type is selected, it cannot be changed later."

So you are completly right, it can not be changed later.

Anna Giacobbe

@Sven Passinger Amazing, thanks for finding that note in the article! This post is simply Product Feedback / an idea that it would be amazing to be able to convert the types :) It would avoid us having to recreate widgets just so that the data can be visualized differently.

Basudha Sakshyarika

Hi @Anna Giacobbe Thanks for sharing this feedback! Would like to explain this change a bit more:

Charts and Tables are conceptually different. When they shared the same editor, only settings that made sense for both could be allowed, which blocked the evolution of each and often led to misleading results when switching types (it looked like “the same data,” but it wasn’t).

By splitting Tables and Charts into separate widget types, it becomes possible to add many more powerful, specialized features to each of them, even though that means they can no longer be converted into one another.

Hope this provides more clarity on the reasoning behind the change. 😊

Anna Giacobbe

Hi @Basudha Sakshyarika ,

Thanks for adding some context here.

To play devil's advocate, would data produced in one type vs. another not be the same, just visualized differently? At the very basis/core of either type of widget is filtering based on item identification. If the same widget shown as a Table is displaying different data than one shown as a Chart, is that not a problem?

Regardless, that is why I am posting it in Product Feedback - it's simply feedback based on a feature :)

As someone who supports my entire account, when asked to create Dashboards, I often start with a draft, show the requester, and then we edit per their preferences. Some folks want Table, while others want Chart widgets depending on the data displayed. Things also change over time as the data evolves. My feedback here is that it is no longer easy to change the way in which our data displays, which results in time consumption and could result in human error if not replicated to a tee.

Basudha Sakshyarika

Hi @Anna Giacobbe ,

The core difference is that a single chart can represent thousands of entries or more, as it aggregates data by design. For example, a pie chart can easily display a very large number of data points, whereas tables typically show only a few dozen rows at most.

However, I’ve shared your feedback with our product team, and they are considering ways to make the switch easier in meaningful cases. 😊👍🏽