Part II: Advanced Customizations

Part I: Fundamentals of customization covers how to use the configuration files and components shipped with MicroStrategy Web products. The concepts discussed in this section of the MSDL are more advanced and generally require Java programming and compiling to implement successfully. They involve using the Web Beans and Web Objects APIs extensively to give you the ability to change existing or add new functionality (via events), dramatically alter the output of MicroStrategy data (via transforms), or radically alter the default workflow of the application (via add-ons).

Performing customizations based on the information in this section involves writing custom code and adding custom classes. The Development in a .NET environment topic provides information on the best practices and guidelines to follow when writing custom code in a .NET environment. The Adding custom classes topic discusses approaches for adding your custom classes to the application so they are used by the MicroStrategy Web products.

This section is divided into two broad categories:

Comprehensive technical content

Using the Web Beans API:

Discussion of the Web Beans API that exposes programming interfaces for creating Web components and Web beans which allow for finer manipulation of underlying data. Includes details on creating different types of Web beans along with code samples.
Using the Web Objects API:

Discussion of the Web Objects API that exposes object-oriented programming interfaces which can be used for developing Web applications as well as client-server based applications. Also includes information about sessions.

Customizing Transforms:

To alter the data rendering logic beyond what transform parameters support out-of-the-box, you may need to create a new transform or extend an existing transform. This section explains how to use the objects in the transform infrastructure package and objects in the transform implementation package, and describes how you can customize the rendering of report grids and prompt questions.

Customizing Events:

Altering or adding functionality to the application requires the creation of new events that are recognized by extended event handlers. This section presents information on events, event handling, event processing, and customization examples involving events.
Customizing Add-ons:

Discussion on implementing add-ons, which allow you to utilize components in custom code that alters the flow of data in the application.
Additional Application Functionalit:

Discussion of functionality and features that are important for customizations.

Customization scenarios

The Customizations Explorer provides a quick way to find any customization scenario.

The customization scenarios in this section are organized in the categories given below. These scenarios use the information discussed in the comprehensive technical content above:

As a prerequisite to completing a customization scenario, read the comprehensive technical content for important and fundamental application properties and settings that are governed based on concepts presented in these sections.

Before making any customizations, read the Best practices for customizing Web products. This section contains information on minimizing the impact of upgrades and tips on viewing your customization changes. You can also see the Troubleshooting reference for resolving issues.