Creating custom tools with the UI framework

You can extend the capabilities for the user interface in IBM® Product Master by using the UI framework and the Java™ API for Product Master.

Custom tools provide a custom user interface in the Product Master Server system. You can use custom tools to extend the user interface of the Product Master Server system. For example, you can use custom tool to present item and category together on a screen when the client wants to view item and category together on a screen.

The Product Master Server system comes with standard user interfaces to render the catalog items. The ready-to-use user interfaces try to address most of the common scenarios but does not address specific client-specific scenarios. The custom tools help bridge the gap between native Product Master Server system's functionality and the client requirements. Most of the Product Master Server system implementations use custom tools to their advantage to enhance the client experience in the Product Master Server system.

You typically create a custom user interface to address a business need that native Product Master screens are unable to address.

Tip: Before you create a custom interface, be sure that you define the use case. Identify the process that cannot be addressed by the native user interface. You need to ensure that the custom user interface is built to satisfy specific needs and requirements rather than a particular solution or design.

Keep in mind that Custom tools are 100 percent scripted and it is your responsibility to integrate that custom tool with the native Product Master Server system functionality programmatically.
Custom tools take much time to develop, integrate, and test. You should use the custom tools only when you have ample time.
Custom tools must be implemented strategically at various points of the implementation to help address client requirements. Custom tools are not meant to replace the interfaces of the Product Master Server system.

Architecture of the UI framework

The UI framework adapts the Model, View, and Controller architectural pattern and Web 2.0 UI styling of presenting the UI.

The architecture of the UI framework consists of the following:

Model: The model represents enterprise data and the business rules that govern access to and updates of this data. The model is a Java object, which directly makes the calls to the IBM Product Master Java API layer.
View: The view renders the contents of a model. It accesses enterprise data through the model and specifies how that data should be presented. JavaServer Pages (JSP) along with the Dojo toolkit are used for the presentation layer.
Controller: The controller converts interactions with the view into actions to be performed by the model. In a Web application, they are GET and POST HTTP requests. The actions that are performed by the model include activating business processes or changing the state of the model. Based on the user interactions and the outcome of the model actions, the controller responds by selecting an appropriate view. The controller is a Java servlet.