Customization

You can create or customize the screens of Application Console.

You may want to do so for the following reasons:

• You want to reduce processing or the screen size - From the usage scenario studies above, you may find that your users need a subset of a detail screen (e.g., order detail). Further, you expect a very large number of users to be located at a remote call center in a different continent. To reduce server processing and the amount of bytes send across the network, you can create a new screen that only has the information needed.
• In conjunction with simplifying the screens, you can also customize an APIs output XML using templates. This not only reduces the number of bytes returned but can also reduce server and database processing. See API output XML files.
• You may want to control the types of searches that the general users can issue. The default search facility allows users to build up searches by picking different criteria. For example, the order search allows users to look for orders based on many criteria including status, enterprise code, and so forth. Some permutation of criteria can result in queries that require a lot of resources. You can create a search screen for general use that has a list of searches that you and the DBA have tested and have deemed to be "safe" for general use. You can further develop a screen with greater search capabilities for supervisors or application administrators. This search screen could mandate entering the enterprise code and a date range for the search to limit the number of records returned. Additionally, you may want to remove certain searches such as looking for orders in a particular status.

For more information about extending or customizing the screens, see About extending the swing user interface.