GUI extensions
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- Configuration files for SDL Tridion user interfaces
An overview of the various configuration files that you can edit to configure the browser-based interfaces (Content Manager Explorer, Experience Manager and any custom extensions). - GUI extension concepts
SDL Tridion has a GUI extensibility mechanism that supports a wide range of extensions, from one new button, linked to existing functionality, to a completely new user interface built from scratch. This section describes the concepts involved in extending the GUI. - Setting up an Editor
Create an Editor as a container for your extension resources. An Editor takes the shape of a Visual Studio solution that also contains a configuration file. The Editor's configuration file specifies which resources this Editor uses, and how they relate to each other and to the existing GUI. - Implementing and configuring a command
Implement a command by creating a JavaScript file that implements your custom functionality. Such a file may call Content Manager functionality or hook into an external application. Create a resource group for your JavaScript file, a command set to name your command, and if needed, another resource group to contain your command set. - Extending a Ribbon toolbar
Both the Content Manager Explorer interface and the Experience Manager interface contain Ribbon toolbars. Ribbon toolbar appear in the main screen of each GUI, but also in some dialogs. You can add both organization elements and controls to any Ribbon toolbar. - Extending a context menu
Both the Content Manager Explorer interface and the Experience Manager interface contain a context menu. You can add both organization elements and controls to any context menu. - Extending tabs in a dialog
Add a tab to a dialog, such as a Component dialog or a Schema dialog, to populate it with controls and/or information. - Creating a custom area in the slide-out navigation Welcome screen
The slide-out navigation has a Welcome screen with a sidebar on the right. You can create an ASCX resource and refer to it from your Editor configuration to make its contents appear in the lower half of the sidebar. - Internationalizing GUI extension strings
Internationalize strings in GUI extensions to ensure that, say, Japanese users see Japanese GUI labels when they use your extension. - Data Extenders
Data Extenders intercept and change a GUI request to the Content Manager, or a response back. Data Extenders cannot modify a command, only its parameters. For example, you can makeGetList()retrieve different items, but not save them. Configure Data Extenders in your Editor configuration or in your Model configuration. - Creating a Model
For more advanced GUI extensions, such as completely customized GUI views, create a Model. Models can contain: Data Extenders; new Web services; and new or extended item types that call these Web services. You can either integrate your Model with your Editor, or it can be a standalone software component with its own virtual directory and configuration. - Forward compatibility of your GUI extension
Upgrading to a newer version may break your GUI extension: the XML format of content items may change, and the API and behavior of GUI controls may also change. Your own changes to the GUI remain unaffected, as do your Models. - Skinning the Content Manager Explorer
To make a clear, visible distinction between the different environments, you can skin the user interface. - Improving GUI performance
To optimize the Content Manager Explorer Web-based interface, cache resources that rarely change, disable monitoring of configuration files, and manually trigger updating of static resources. - Application Host
The Application Host is a Web page that creates and loads SDL Applications into iframes so that users can access multiple SDL Applications from a single URL. Typically, you add your SDL Applications to a single Application Host: this URL becomes the entry point for users to access their applications. The Application Host is already installed in SDL Applications that use it to define the application navigation structure that appears in the slide-out navigation pane.
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