Checkboxes for Entire Dashboard?

[nlapier2]

Hello,

I was wondering if it's possible to have checkboxes that govern the behavior of an entire dashboard, as opposed to a single panel. For instance, if I have an initial HiddenSearch that searches several indexes, and then several other panels that use data from the initial search, can I have a set of checkboxes at the top that can control which of the possible indices I search without interfering with subsequent post-process searches? Right now, my checkbox will return nothing if it's not checked, or every result in its panel if it is checked, but all the subsequent post-process panels say "no results found" regardless. Hopefully this explanation makes sense; I can clarify if needed. I couldn't find any examples of this in the SideView documentation or the Splunkbase answers, so I'm not entirely sure if it's possible to do what I want. For the record, I've been able to successfully put one checkbox per panel to get the desired effects, but that's not the optimal solution I'm looking for.

Thanks in advance.

EDIT, some comments I posted below may help clarify my question:

I'm testing a checkbox that, if unchecked, should exclude one of the indexes from the original search. However, when it's unchecked, no results show up for any index. When it IS checked, the results for all indices show up in the panel with the checkbox, while all the post-process panels below still say "no results". I'm generally wondering if it's possible to have checkboxes that can determine which indices are included in a hidden search that controls an entire view. If I could do that, only the panels with the included indices should return results from their postprocess searches.

i.e. if I have a checkbox named "someIndex" and a hiddenSearch that looks like:
index=index1 OR index=index2 OR $someIndex$ OR index=index4 ...
and some later panels do postprocess searches using the indices above, I want the appropriate panels to return data. In this example, panels that do postprocess searches involving index1, index2, or index4 should return results regardless, while panels using postprocess searches involving someIndex should only return results if the checkbox is checked. Right now, I'm not getting results in any postprocess panels. Is it possible to get my desired behavior?

[sideview]

Is it possible the answer you're looking for is just to nest basically everything in your dashboard downstream from the Checkboxes? This is one of the ways in which the framework is pretty unintuitive, but the modules do now know or care what layoutPanel they're in. So you can do what you like.

for instance this pseudo-xml would result in a Checkboxes module at the top whose token can be used in any of the other searches on the page

Search layoutPanel="mainSearchControls" autoRun="True"
  Checkboxes

    Search layoutPanel=panel_row1_col1
      Table
    Search layoutPanel=panel_row2_col1
      ValueSetter
        JSChart
    ....

[Lucas_K]

Post process searches are based on parent base searches so i'm not sure how you can exclude those checkbox items from a dataset that is send to a child post process module.

I'm not quite sure what your trying to achieve.

Right now, my checkbox will return nothing if it's not checked, or every result in its panel if it is checked, but all the subsequent post-process panels say "no results found" regardless.

Throw in some sort of output (table etc) between the parent search and post process and check that your getting events that should pass through to your post process search.

[nlapier2]

Yeah I've ultimately ended up doing that, but it doesn't address the core of the issue here.

[Lucas_K]

why not make your $someIndex$ variable contain "OR index=blah" and remove the proceeding OR?

ie. index=index1 OR index=index2 $someIndex$ OR index=index4

This way if $someIndex$ variable is empty there will be nothing added to the base search.

You can use the same thing to string together heaps of base search checkbox items.

[nlapier2]

i.e. if I have a checkbox named "someIndex" and a hiddenSearch that looks like

index=index1 OR index=index2 OR $someIndex$ OR index=index4

and some later panels do postprocess searches using the indices above, I want the appropriate panels to return data. In this example, panels that do postprocess searches involving index1, index2, or index4 should return results regardless, while panels using postprocess searches involving someIndex should only return results if the checkbox is checked. Right now, I'm not getting results in any postprocess panels. Is it possible to get my desired behavior?

[nlapier2]

I'm testing a checkbox that, if unchecked, should exclude one of the indexes from the original search. However, when it's unchecked, no results show up for any index. When it IS checked, the results for all indices show up in the panel with the checkbox, while all the post-process panels below still say "no results". I'm generally wondering if it's possible to have checkboxes that can determine which indices are included in a hidden search that controls an entire view. If I could do that, only the panels with the included indices should return results from their postprocess searches.