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Terms, Icons, and Labels

Many classes have shortcut names used when creating (instantiating) a class with a configuration object. The shortcut name is referred to as an alias (or xtype if the class extends Ext.Component). The alias/xtype is listed next to the class name of applicable classes for quick reference.

Access Levels

Framework classes or their members may be specified as private or protected. Else, the class / member is public. Public, protected, and private are access descriptors used to convey how and when the class or class member should be used.

Member Types

Member Syntax

Below is an example class member that we can disect to show the syntax of a class member (the lookupComponent method as viewed from the Ext.button.Button class in this case).

lookupComponent ( item ) : Ext.Component
protected

Called when a raw config object is added to this container either during initialization of the items config, or when new items are added), or {@link #insert inserted.

This method converts the passed object into an instanced child component.

This may be overridden in subclasses when special processing needs to be applied to child creation.

Parameters

item :  Object

The config object being added.

Returns
Ext.Component

The component to be added.

Let's look at each part of the member row:

Member Flags

The API documentation uses a number of flags to further commnicate the class member's function and intent. The label may be represented by a text label, an abbreviation, or an icon.

Class Icons

- Indicates a framework class

- A singleton framework class. *See the singleton flag for more information

- A component-type framework class (any class within the Ext JS framework that extends Ext.Component)

- Indicates that the class, member, or guide is new in the currently viewed version

Member Icons

- Indicates a class member of type config

- Indicates a class member of type property

- Indicates a class member of type method

- Indicates a class member of type event

- Indicates a class member of type theme variable

- Indicates a class member of type theme mixin

- Indicates that the class, member, or guide is new in the currently viewed version

Class Member Quick-Nav Menu

Just below the class name on an API doc page is a row of buttons corresponding to the types of members owned by the current class. Each button shows a count of members by type (this count is updated as filters are applied). Clicking the button will navigate you to that member section. Hovering over the member-type button will reveal a popup menu of all members of that type for quick navigation.

Getter and Setter Methods

Getting and setter methods that correlate to a class config option will show up in the methods section as well as in the configs section of both the API doc and the member-type menus just beneath the config they work with. The getter and setter method documentation will be found in the config row for easy reference.

History Bar

Your page history is kept in localstorage and displayed (using the available real estate) just below the top title bar. By default, the only search results shown are the pages matching the product / version you're currently viewing. You can expand what is displayed by clicking on the button on the right-hand side of the history bar and choosing the "All" radio option. This will show all recent pages in the history bar for all products / versions.

Within the history config menu you will also see a listing of your recent page visits. The results are filtered by the "Current Product / Version" and "All" radio options. Clicking on the button will clear the history bar as well as the history kept in local storage.

If "All" is selected in the history config menu the checkbox option for "Show product details in the history bar" will be enabled. When checked, the product/version for each historic page will show alongside the page name in the history bar. Hovering the cursor over the page names in the history bar will also show the product/version as a tooltip.

Search and Filters

Both API docs and guides can be searched for using the search field at the top of the page.

On API doc pages there is also a filter input field that filters the member rows using the filter string. In addition to filtering by string you can filter the class members by access level, inheritance, and read only. This is done using the checkboxes at the top of the page.

The checkbox at the bottom of the API class navigation tree filters the class list to include or exclude private classes.

Clicking on an empty search field will show your last 10 searches for quick navigation.

API Doc Class Metadata

Each API doc page (with the exception of Javascript primitives pages) has a menu view of metadata relating to that class. This metadata view will have one or more of the following:

Expanding and Collapsing Examples and Class Members

Runnable examples (Fiddles) are expanded on a page by default. You can collapse and expand example code blocks individually using the arrow on the top-left of the code block. You can also toggle the collapse state of all examples using the toggle button on the top-right of the page. The toggle-all state will be remembered between page loads.

Class members are collapsed on a page by default. You can expand and collapse members using the arrow icon on the left of the member row or globally using the expand / collapse all toggle button top-right.

Desktop -vs- Mobile View

Viewing the docs on narrower screens or browsers will result in a view optimized for a smaller form factor. The primary differences between the desktop and "mobile" view are:

Viewing the Class Source

The class source can be viewed by clicking on the class name at the top of an API doc page. The source for class members can be viewed by clicking on the "view source" link on the right-hand side of the member row.

Architect 4


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Creating User Extensions

This guide gives instructions for creating custom user extensions; see the using user extensions guide for information about using these facilities in a project.

User extensions enable you to package up components that implement non-standard functionality to be easily reused.

Sencha Architect also provides facilities that share individual classes or components with other projects and other users. These are discussed in the Working with Classes guide.

Creating a User Extension

User extensions are user interface components that are developed outside of an Architect project. In earlier releases of Sencha Architect, components could be included as Resources in an Architect project but they were static. Additionally, they did not display in the Canvas and could not be used and manipulated like the components that are included in Architect.

As of Sencha Architect 3.0, properly packaged user extensions can be integrated into an Architect project. Full interactivity with components is not supported. For instance, you cannot click on and manipulate elements as if they are active within an application, but the components can be dragged to and displayed in the Canvas and you can set configs for the components in the Config Panel.

An individual class/component can be easily exported to a file and saved to the toolbox.

A user extension package, or .aux file, is appropriate when one or more of the following is true:

  • You need to share more than just a class/override. For instance, when you want to expose new or special configs, or automatically create "sub" or "related" components.
  • It is important that people who import this code can render the functionality in the Canvas and/or have it work well when they preview an app.
  • You want to share and reuse components that do more than the built-in components for a framework can do.

The steps for creating an Architect user extension are:

  • Use Sencha Cmd to generate the user extension (UE) package.
  • Create the JavaScript files (one for each class) to use in the Extension.
  • Add the JavaScript files to the src folder in the UE package.
  • Add an architect directory to the root directory of your UE package and create a JSON definition file for each class defined in your user extension. You would then put these definition files in the architect directory.
  • Add any CSS files that are specific to your UE to the resources/css directory.
  • Populate the package.json file with information about your UE.
  • Package your user extension.
  • Test your user extension package.

Each of these steps are discussed in detail below.

Create the Extension Package

If you do not already have a Sencha Cmd workspace set up, choose the directory you want to use as your workspace and type the following into:

sencha generate workspace /path/to/directory

To create a package, navigate to the newly created workspace and type the following (replacing “FooExtension” with the name of your Extension):

sencha generate package -type code FooExtension

This creates a packages folder in your workspace if one does not already exist, with a directory under packages named for your package (e.g. “FooExtension”)

Sencha Cmd does most of the work, but you must create a few directories and add some data manually. The format of an Extension package is shown in user extension structure.

Add .js and CSS Files

Populate the Extension package by copying the .js files for all the classes into the src directory. Most User Extensions only contain one or two classes, but you can include virtually any number of classes.

Add any CSS files that are specific to your Extension to the resources/css directory.

Create Definition Files for all Classes

Each class in the user extension package must have a JSON definition file in order to be utilized via the toolbox in Architect. Definition files are located in the architect directory that you created earlier in the root directory of your package tree. The definitions define the characteristics and behaviors of a user extension as it is integrated into the Sencha Architect infrastructure. They may be extremely simple files that simply give the item a name in the toolbox and correspond to a class, but more complex behavior is also possible.

See user extension structure for detailed information about the definitions files and the fields that must be populated.

Populate the package.json File

The sencha generate command sets up a skeletal package.json file. You must manually edit the file to provide additional information about your Extension.

See user extension structure for detailed information about the package.json file and the fields that must be populated.

Create the Readme.md File

Every user extension package should include a Readme.md file with the following information:

  • Description of the package and its components.
  • Specification regarding the ownership of the UE and any relevant licensing information.
  • Any known issues with the package.
  • When you update the package, describe what is new in this version of the package and any compatibility issues.

Test Your User Extension Package

To test your user extension package, follow these steps:

  • Install it on your test system by copying it into the directory specified in your Architect settings for Extension storage, and then, into a versioned folder. For example:

      C:\Users\YOURNAME\Documents\Architect\Extensions\MyExtension\1.0\
    
  • Open an Architect project that uses a compatible framework, and use your user extension in the project.

Be sure to adhere to the following checklist:

  • Verify that your definitions are properly loaded and show up in the Toolbox under "Extensions".
  • Add each component from the user extension into a project and Save/Build the project.
  • Verify that all JavaScript and CSS files are properly referenced in a previewed version of the application.
  • Modify values of any configs that are available for the components and verify that the new values are implemented.
  • Try setting config values to invalid values to ensure that the error is handled appropriately.
  • Export the project to an archive and/or check it into source code management. Then download the project to another system and ensure that all components are included and available.

Package Your User Extension Package

To package a user extension from Architect:

  • Simply "right click" the extension name and choose "Package Extension"
  • Choose a file and path to save the extension

The resulting .aux file can now be shared with other users of Architect!

To package your user extension manually (not recommended):

  • Zip up all the files in your package, from the directory that contains package.json. Do not zip from a directory above the extension. When unzipping the extension, its contents must be decompressed at the working directory level.
  • Rename the .zip file to have an .aux extension.

When packaging a new version of your user extension:

  • Increment the value of the version field in your package.json file. Architect compares version numbers upon installation, and skipping this step will result in users being unable to install your newly updated extension.

Architect 4