The next chapter, Approaches to Customization guides the developer on the choice of approach to achieving the required customization of the user-interface while minimizing the development effort.
How Widgets Work, presents more detailed information about the components of a widget and their configuration.
An E-Mail Address Widget introduces the fundamental principles of the widget development process and the subsequent widget configuration. The chapter shows how to create a simple widget that presents an e-mail address more appealingly in the context of a typical UIM page.
The Sample Context Panel Widgets presents some samples of context panels used within the tabbed user interface. These sample context panels are constructed using several complex widgets that are supplied with data in XML form. The development and configuration of each of these widgets is covered in the following chapters. Each chapter introduces new concepts in widget development that build upon what has gone before until the complete context panels have been created and configured.
All of the widgets described to that point are used to present read-only values. A Text Field Widget with No Auto-completion introduces a widget for editing values on a form page. Widgets used to edit values have some unique requirements that are not applicable to widgets that present read-only values. To edit a value, a widget must ensure that, once the user submits a form page containing the widget, the entered field value reaches its destination on the server interface and that any validation errors are handled correctly.
Often, the deployed Cúram application must comply with local regulatory requirements for the localization of text and the accessibility of the user-interface. While the details differ between jurisdictions, the general principles are common to all. Internationalization and Localization and Accessibility Concerns outline the main principles.
This is not a comprehensive reference manual for widget development. References to external sources of information, such as the published Javadoc of the CDEJ, will be used to draw the attention of the developer to additional information when necessary. The developer should also study the primary companion guide, the Cúram Web Client Reference Manual, before embarking on custom widget development. Several appendixes at the end of this guide supplement these other sources where they lack specific information related to widget development. Throughout this guide, the developer's attention will be referred to the relevant appendix as appropriate.