Editting an existing Custom Visual causes Icon to stop working

[Anonymous]

I'm still new at editting Custom Visuals.  We are using the Timeline Slider V1.3.17 written by Microsoft but just needed some updates to how the years were displayed.  After some initial trouble with GUIDs needing to be changed to ensure i could see my updates, i've managed to get the visual to do everything I want.

The only catch is making any change to the javascript file causes the icon to cease working. Its just an empty square in the Visualiations pane. Its selectable and funcitonal, except its just empty.

The files and links to those files are unchanged.  I'm curious if others have run into similar issues and have found a solution?

[MawashiKid · Accepted solution]

Hi,

You mean the Timeline sample right?


Note if you click on Github link you'll notice it will direct you to a deprecated CORE version. So this visual as some others were previously built using the CORE version which is basically an application built in Visual Studio 2015. I haven't seen any updated CLI code source version.

So in order to bring modifications to any existing pbiviz you have 3 options:

1 - as you mentioned, you may try to decompile the pbviz (changing pbviz to zip - bring modification
     like changing GUID then recompile it). However this approach may NOT always work as expected.
    The approach has been mentioned a few times... though to be honnest I wouldn't bet a million do$ on it.
2- next approach would be to take the available code on Github and bring modifications right at the source.
    The CORE application doesn't provide any pbiviz command line righ out of the box like PBI CLI pbiviz package.
    Though I managed to create pbiviz file through Gulp package method. Following link gives an example how it can be done.

    http://amolpandey.com/2016/08/02/powerbi-how-to-create-pbiviz-file-custom-visualization/

3- last option well is you feel comfortable enough is to rebuild a new CLI version from scratch then be my guest.

Hope this helps

[MawashiKid · Accepted solution]

Hi,

You mean the Timeline sample right?


Note if you click on Github link you'll notice it will direct you to a deprecated CORE version. So this visual as some others were previously built using the CORE version which is basically an application built in Visual Studio 2015. I haven't seen any updated CLI code source version.

So in order to bring modifications to any existing pbiviz you have 3 options:

1 - as you mentioned, you may try to decompile the pbviz (changing pbviz to zip - bring modification
     like changing GUID then recompile it). However this approach may NOT always work as expected.
    The approach has been mentioned a few times... though to be honnest I wouldn't bet a million do$ on it.
2- next approach would be to take the available code on Github and bring modifications right at the source.
    The CORE application doesn't provide any pbiviz command line righ out of the box like PBI CLI pbiviz package.
    Though I managed to create pbiviz file through Gulp package method. Following link gives an example how it can be done.

    http://amolpandey.com/2016/08/02/powerbi-how-to-create-pbiviz-file-custom-visualization/

3- last option well is you feel comfortable enough is to rebuild a new CLI version from scratch then be my guest.

Hope this helps

[Anonymous]

Thanks.  Sounds like its going to be a lot more difficult then a simple edit.  For now this works to get me out of trouble.  I'll investigate the CORE version and see if i can make similar changes there.

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

I figured out what i was missing!!!!  In the CSS file, right down the bottom, i'd missed that there was a function: "visual-icon.<GUID>".

Because i'd not updated this GUID as i had in the other files, this wasn't working and was causing the missing icon. PHEW!

[Anonymous]

Sorry to dig up an old post. Could you please explain how you managed to make changes to existing visual, Ross? I assume you used 7-zip?

[Anonymous]

@Anonymousthis method is no longer relevant as Microsoft has changed/updated the methods for altering visuals.  I don't believe my method works anymore.

[v-chuncz-msft]

@Anonymous,

Seems there is some conflict, you may create a new .pbix file.