Enabling extension of application definitions

You can develop applications on BMC Helix Innovation Studiothat are customizable, non-customizable, or extendable. You can create extendable applications so that developers can leverage the out-of-the-box application definitions to make additive changes in the definitions such as adding new fields. 

Extendable applications ensure that the out-of-the-box definitions remain unchanged so that the customizations are not lost when your application or server is upgraded. You can easily move the customizations to other environments by Creating-install-packages-to-deploy-entire-applications and deploying the install packages to other environments.


Related topics

Leveraging-extendable-application-definitions-to-allow-additive-changes

Glossary

Defining-the-user-interface-through-view-definitions

To enable extension in a view definition

Add the Extension Container component to the out-of-the-box view definition. You can add multiple Extension Containers to a view definition.

Important

Make sure you have administrator permissions when you add an Extension Container component in a parent view and test the view in the preview mode. If you do not have administrator permissions, the fields in the extension container are displayed as editable regardless of the permission set for the field.

  1. Log in to BMC Helix Innovation Studioand navigate to the Workspace tab. 
  2. Select an application in which you want to extend a view.
    For Example: Lunch order application
  3. Click the Views tab, and select the view that you want to extend.
    For Example: Restaurant Information Create view 
  4. Select the Record Editor component on the canvas.
  5. From the Palette, drag the Extension Container component inside the Record Editor component on the canvas. 
    The Extension Container component cannot be used with components other than the Record Editor component. 
  6. Click the element properties tab Element properties tab.png.
  7. In the Name field, provide a meaningful name that describes the fields that will be displayed in this container.
    For Example: Add restaurant details
  8. Click Save.

You must repeat this procedure for all view definitions that you want to enable for an extension. 

How extendable application definitions are used

After you enable extension in a view definition, developers can leverage the out-of-the-box definitions to make additional changes by creating the following definitions:

  • Extension record definition—A regular record definition with new fields that you want to add to the record definitions and view definitions that are being extended.
    For Example: Additional Restaurant Information record definition with new fields
  • Extension association definition—A direct association between the record definition that is being extended and the extension record definition.
    For Example: Association between Restaurant Information definition (that is being extended) and Additional Restaurant Information (extension record definition)
  • Extension view definition—A view definition that displays both the fields in the view that is being extended and the extension record definition. 
    For Example: Additional Restaurant Information Create to include fields from Restaurant Information and Additional Restaurant Information

    For more information about how applications can be extended, see the Leveraging-extendable-application-definitions-to-allow-additive-changes. 

 

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