private function hideShowMetrics($columns, $emptyColumns = array())
    {
        if (!is_array($columns)) {
            return $columns;
        }

        // remove columns if hideColumns query parameters exist
        $columnsToRemove = $this->getColumnsToRemove();

        // remove columns if showColumns query parameters exist
        $columnsToKeep = $this->getColumnsToKeep();

        return $this->hideShowMetricsWithParams($columns, $columnsToRemove, $columnsToKeep, $emptyColumns);
    }