ToolsSubApp descriptor

The tools subapp is a special type of subapp which contains a list of tools. A tool is a small functional block which is defined by a ToolDefinition and is rendered as a subtab of the subapp.

Tools provide you with UI elements, basically forms, for working with configuration and content. You can use the form fields to enter and edit values and save them or trigger other actions. It also provides the ability to validate the form input thereby helping users enter correct data and reducing errors.

You can create a tool with a few lines of YAML configuration and at least one custom Java class. This reduces effort compared to creating a completely custom app.  

Tool usage examples: 

• Modify your module's configuration such as setting SMTP settings for a Mail module.
• Query or report the usage of content items. 
• Configure a connector to an external system.
• Start batch processes and execute complex commands that may require user input.

In this example, the tools subapp lets you query groups and permissions associated to a given user:

The tool definition class is i18n-ized and comes with its own key generator class ToolDefinitionKeyGenerator .

ToolsSubApp definition

subApps:
  main: 
    class: info.magnolia.ui.framework.tools.ToolsSubAppDescriptor
    subAppClass: info.magnolia.ui.framework.tools.ToolsSubApp
    tools:

Example of an app with a tools subapp

Here is a complete example of a YAML based app which contains a tools subapp.

appClass: info.magnolia.ui.framework.app.BaseApp
label: Sample Tools
icon: icon-development-app
subApps:
  main:
    class: info.magnolia.ui.framework.tools.ToolsSubAppDescriptor
    subAppClass: info.magnolia.ui.framework.tools.ToolsSubApp
    tools:
      dashboard:
        presenterClass: info.magnolia.documentation.apps.toolssubapp.presenters.DashboardToolPresenter
      i18n:
        class: info.magnolia.ui.framework.tools.FormToolDefinition
        actions:
          reloadTranslations:
            implementationClass: info.magnolia.documentation.apps.toolssubapp.actions.ReloadTranslationsAction
      helloworld:
        class: info.magnolia.ui.framework.tools.FormToolDefinition
        presenterClass: info.magnolia.documentation.apps.toolssubapp.presenters.HelloWorldPresenter
        description: This is the hello world example for configured tools
        form:
          label: HWP
          tabs:
            - name: mainTab
              fields:
                - name: name
                  class: info.magnolia.ui.form.field.definition.TextFieldDefinition
                  required: true
        actions:
          commit:
            implementationClass: info.magnolia.documentation.apps.toolssubapp.actions.SayHelloAction
          reset:
            implementationClass: info.magnolia.documentation.apps.toolssubapp.actions.ResetFormAction

Properties:

This example displays as follows in the Magnolia interface:

Tool definition

A tool is a small functional block which exists within a tools subapp. Tools subapps may have one or several tools.

Each tool is defined by a ToolDefinition in which you have to define the presenter class that must implement ToolPresenter . The tool definition class is i18n-ized and comes with its own key generator class: ToolDefinitionKeyGenerator .

Tools usually have some custom Java code to implement the logic of the task you want it to accomplish. The logic can be in a presenter class or in an action class depending on the type of the tool definition class.

Tool examples

Each tool defined in the tools subapp example above is different:

• Dashboard tool

• i18n tool

• Helloworld tool

Dashboard tool

The dashboard tool uses the default configuration class (property class), and therefore must provide a presenterClass. This is the YAML excerpt for this tool definition from the example:This is the custom presenter:

i18n tool

The i18n tool has the value info.magnolia.ui.framework.tools.FormToolDefinition set for the class property.  FormToolDefinition (or actually its implementation  ConfiguredFormToolDefinition ) provides a default presenterClass.

FormToolDefinition also requires a list of action classes. This tool example provides one custom action: info.magnolia.documentation.apps.toolssubapp.actions.ReloadTranslationsAction.

Helloworld tool

Like i18n, the helloworld tool also has the value info.magnolia.ui.framework.tools.FormToolDefinition set for the class property. Like the dashboard tool, helloworld provides a custom presenterClass : info.magnolia.documentation.apps.toolssubapp.presenters.HelloWorldPresenter .

HelloWorldPresenter extends info.magnolia.ui.framework.tools.FormToolPresenter (which is the default presenterClass for FormToolDefinition ).

Other tool implementation examples

Magnolia provides the following implementations based on FormToolPresenter in the Security app that you can use for inspiration:

• permission/PermissionToolPresenter
• group/GroupMemberPresenter
• RoleAssignmentPresenter

You typically have to implement your own presenterClass to fulfill your requirements. However, extending FormToolPresenter may be a good starting point.