UI extensions

Import a ready-made extension from the Content Library, or write your own. An extension has access to the same models and functions as a plugin and can use any third-party library installed on the Python path. Writing an extension calls for Python and a working knowledge of Django views, URLs, and templates.

Import an extension from the Content Library

1. Go to Admin > Manage UI Extensions.
2. Select Import from the Content Library.
3. Select the download icon for an extension, then confirm with Import.

The extension, along with all of its views and templates, is imported, replacing any extension with the same name. It appears in the UI Extensions list on the Extensions Management page.

Create an extension

1. Go to Admin > Manage UI Extensions.

2. Select Add > Create a package.

   (opens full-size image in a new tab)

3. Enter a Label, the name displayed in the UI, and a Name, the folder and database name. Use lowercase letters, with optional underscores.

4. Enter a Description, and add any Labels you want. Type to find a label or create a new one.

5. Select one or more entries under Extension Type: Admin Page, Dashboard, Detail View Tab, Microfrontend App, Microfrontend Module, or Report. Each one adds a stub function to the package.

6. Select Create. The package is created on the appliance at /var/opt/cloudbolt/proserv/xui/<name>/, containing __init__.py, views.py, and a templates folder if you selected Admin Page.

Write your extension by editing those files on the appliance, or work on a copy: select the download icon in the package’s row, edit the files, zip them with the same folder structure, and then Upload.

A zip with no JSON metadata file still installs. CMP warns you that the metadata is missing and asks you to confirm.

Restart the Apache HTTP Server to pick up Python changes. If your extension ships CSS, JavaScript, or images, select Sync Static Assets on the Extensions Management page to copy them to the web server.

systemctl restart httpd

Labels

Labels group extensions in the UI Extensions list. Select a label in the list to show only extensions with that label. To change an installed extension’s labels, open the extension and select the pencil icon next to Labels on its Overview tab.

Labels are saved in the package metadata, so they are kept when you download, upload, or import an extension, including from a repository or the Content Library.

Package metadata

A downloaded package includes a JSON file that describes the extension. CMP generates it from the extension’s record and reads it back when the package is uploaded or imported, so a value you change in the file becomes the value in CMP.

{
    "description": "Test for Documentation",
    "enabled": true,
    "icon": "doc_test.svg",
    "id": "XUI-zx4tm7f7",
    "label": "Documentation Test",
    "labels": [
        {
            "name": "Reporting"
        }
    ],
    "last_updated": "2023-02-15",
    "maximum_version_required": "",
    "minimum_version_required": "8.6",
    "name": "documentation_test",
    "package_contents": [
        "doc_test/__init__.py",
        "doc_test/templates/admin_page.html",
        "doc_test/views.py"
    ],
    "version": "1.0"
}

Troubleshoot an extension

Watch the application log while you work, then reload the page and look for Python errors in the live stream.

tail -f /var/log/cloudbolt/application.log

A traceback from a failing extension is also shown in place of the extension, so a CloudBolt admin can read it without leaving the page.