pbir-template-extractor

name: pbir-template-extractor description: Extract Power BI PBIR visuals into reusable templates. Use when users want to save an existing visual configuration as a template, standardize visual formats across projects, or add new visual types to the template library.

PBIR Template Extractor

Extract existing PBIR visuals and convert them to reusable templates with placeholders.

When to Use This Skill

Use when the user wants to:

• Save an existing visual as a reusable template
• Create a new template type not in the library
• Standardize a visual configuration for reuse
• Extract a well-formatted visual from Power BI Desktop
• Add to the visual-templates library

Workflow

Step 1: Locate Source Visual

Find the visual.json file to extract:

# List pages in the report
Glob: .Report/definition/pages/*/page.json

# List visuals on a page
Glob: .Report/definition/pages/[PageGUID]/visuals/*/visual.json

# Read specific visual
Read: .Report/definition/pages/[PageGUID]/visuals/[VisualGUID]/visual.json

Step 2: Analyze Visual Structure

Identify:

1. Visual type - visualType property (card, barChart, lineChart, etc.)
2. Data roles - Query projections (Values, Category, Y, Series, etc.)
3. Formatting - Objects in visualContainerObjects and visual.objects
4. Special features - Interactions, drill-through, conditional formatting

Step 3: Create Placeholders

Replace specific values with {{PLACEHOLDER}} syntax:

Always Replace:

Data Binding Replacements:

Formatting Replacements (Optional):

Step 4: Validate Template

Before saving, verify:

• JSON is well-formed
• All specific values replaced with placeholders
• Schema reference preserved ($schema)
• No hardcoded table/column names remain
• No hardcoded visual names remain

Step 5: Name and Save Template

Naming Convention:

[visual-type]-[variant].json

Examples:
- card-single-measure.json
- line-chart-with-series.json
- slicer-dropdown.json
- azure-map-bubble.json

Save Location:

visual-templates/[template-name].json

Step 6: Update Documentation

Add entry to visual-templates/README.md:

| `[template-name].json` | [Visual Type] | [Description] |

Document any unique placeholders for this template.

Example: Extract a Bar Chart

Source visual.json:

{
  "$schema": "https://developer.microsoft.com/json-schemas/fabric/item/report/definition/visualContainer/2.4.0/schema.json",
  "name": "SalesByRegionBar",
  "position": {
    "x": "100",
    "y": "200",
    "z": "2000",
    "height": "300",
    "width": "400",
    "tabOrder": "1"
  },
  "visual": {
    "visualType": "barChart",
    "query": {
      "queryState": {
        "Category": {
          "projections": [
            {
              "field": {
                "Column": {
                  "Expression": { "SourceRef": { "Entity": "dim_region" } },
                  "Property": "region_name"
                }
              },
              "queryRef": "dim_region.region_name",
              "nativeQueryRef": "region_name",
              "active": true
            }
          ]
        },
        "Y": {
          "projections": [
            {
              "field": {
                "Measure": {
                  "Expression": { "SourceRef": { "Entity": "Fact_Sales" } },
                  "Property": "Total Sales"
                }
              },
              "queryRef": "Fact_Sales.Total Sales",
              "nativeQueryRef": "Total Sales"
            }
          ]
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Extracted template:

{
  "$schema": "https://developer.microsoft.com/json-schemas/fabric/item/report/definition/visualContainer/2.4.0/schema.json",
  "name": "{{VISUAL_NAME}}",
  "position": {
    "x": "{{X}}",
    "y": "{{Y}}",
    "z": "{{Z}}",
    "height": "{{HEIGHT}}",
    "width": "{{WIDTH}}",
    "tabOrder": "{{TAB_ORDER}}"
  },
  "visual": {
    "visualType": "barChart",
    "query": {
      "queryState": {
        "Category": {
          "projections": [
            {
              "field": {
                "Column": {
                  "Expression": { "SourceRef": { "Entity": "{{CATEGORY_TABLE}}" } },
                  "Property": "{{CATEGORY_COLUMN}}"
                }
              },
              "queryRef": "{{CATEGORY_TABLE}}.{{CATEGORY_COLUMN}}",
              "nativeQueryRef": "{{CATEGORY_COLUMN}}",
              "active": true
            }
          ]
        },
        "Y": {
          "projections": [
            {
              "field": {
                "Measure": {
                  "Expression": { "SourceRef": { "Entity": "{{TABLE_NAME}}" } },
                  "Property": "{{MEASURE_NAME}}"
                }
              },
              "queryRef": "{{TABLE_NAME}}.{{MEASURE_NAME}}",
              "nativeQueryRef": "{{MEASURE_NAME}}"
            }
          ]
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Handling Complex Visuals

Multiple Measures

For visuals with multiple Y values, use numbered placeholders:

{{MEASURE_1_TABLE}}, {{MEASURE_1_NAME}}
{{MEASURE_2_TABLE}}, {{MEASURE_2_NAME}}
{{MEASURE_3_TABLE}}, {{MEASURE_3_NAME}}

Conditional Formatting

Keep conditional formatting rules but placeholder the references:

"rules": [
  {
    "field": {
      "Measure": {
        "Expression": { "SourceRef": { "Entity": "{{TABLE_NAME}}" } },
        "Property": "{{MEASURE_NAME}}"
      }
    }
  }
]

Default Values

Some formatting values should remain hardcoded (good defaults):

• Font family: Keep as-is (e.g., "Segoe UI")
• Default colors: Keep unless user wants custom
• Axis show/hide: Keep as-is

Quality Checklist

Before finalizing template:

• $schema property preserved at top
• name → {{VISUAL_NAME}}
• All position values → placeholders
• All table names → placeholders
• All column/measure names → placeholders
• Filter GUIDs → {{FILTER_GUID}}
• Title text → {{TITLE}}
• JSON validates successfully
• Template follows naming convention

Contribution to Template Library

When adding new templates:

1. Test the template by creating a visual with it
2. Verify it opens correctly in Power BI Desktop
3. Add to visual-templates/README.md
4. Document any unique placeholders
5. Add to the "Available Templates" table

Constraints

• Never modify the source visual.json
• Always preserve the schema version
• Use consistent placeholder naming
• Test templates before adding to library