OpenWGA 7.6 - OpenWGA Concepts and Features

The point in customizable application designs is that you are able to modify some of the code that the application provides. This is the process of creating a customization for a customizable design which you normally do while working in OpenWGA developer studio.

While running the integrated OpenWGA Server you open the OpenWGA admin client and create a new application based on a plugin design which is customizable. This is how the design configuration may look like, including the additional field "Design directory for customization":

The directories offered in this additional field are directories below the "designs" folder of your OpenWGA installation/runtime. To create a design directory for customization you simply have to do the following:

• Create a new empty folder the "designs" folder of your running OpenWGA runtime project. You can do this via file manager or in OpenWGA Developer Studio by selecting the "designs" folder, then clicking Menu "File > New... > Folder".
• Refresh the configuration editor in OpenWGA admin client, so it will fetch available directories again. You can do this by opening the select box of field "Plugin:" and choosing your desired design plugin again.
• Choose your newly created folder from the list
• Save the configuration once you finished all desired settings

OpenWGA will now automatically fill the newly created design directory with copies of all designs from the source application that are intended for customization. To customize the application you now simply need to modify the files in this directory. Your changes will instantly be online. OpenWGA will now use the design files from your customization directory instead of those from the original application. This directory is also called an overlay directory, because it's resources are "layed over" the original resources of the source application.

If you ever want to return a design file to the original state, in which it was copied from the source application, you simply need to delete the file, then reconnect the application. OpenWGA will again copy the initial state of the design file to your customization directory.

Customization directories have the structure of normal design directories. However some functionalities that are available to normal design directories are not available when those are used for customization. Other things work a bit different here. The following pages highlight the differences.