Develop > Presentation layer > Management Center framework > Customize the Management Center user interface
Customize an existing Management Center tool
You can customize the Management Center Catalogs, Marketing, Promotions, and Assets tools to meet the business needs. You cannot customize the Installments tool.
If you create new OpenLaszlo files as part of the Management Center customization, include them in the tool library class. The library allows the Management Center to recognize all OpenLaszlo files and its class contents.
- Changing the display name for a business object
The Management Center framework uses the display name of a business object when that business object is shown in the Management Center user interface.
- Changing the text style of labels
The Management Center framework uses the display name of a business object when that business object is shown in the Management Center user interface. You can change the text style (such as the color or font style) used for business object display names in the explorer tree so that business users can see key information about a business object without looking at the list view or properties view.
- Add a column to a list view
You can add a new table column to an existing Management Center list view.
- Changing a column name in a list view
Change the column heading of an existing Management Center list view.
- Add or changing options in a drop-down list
Add or change a list option used in an existing list within a Management Center properties view. Management Center business users can select the customized option from the list.
- Rearrange the contents of a properties view
You can rearrange the contents within a Management Center properties view. For example, you can move tabs, sections, or widgets within a properties view to suit the business needs.
- Add a tab to a properties view
You can add a new tab to an existing Management Center properties view. The Management Center framework includes properties views to allow a business user to create and update business objects.
- Move contents from a tab in a properties view to another tab
You can move the contents from an existing tab, within a Management Center properties view, to a new tab. The Management Center framework includes properties views to allow a business user to create and update objects.
- Changing the section name within a properties view
You can group information under collapsible sections within a Management Center properties view. You can change the section name to meet the business needs. For example, you can change the name of a General Information section to Basic Properties.
- Add or changing a widget label within a properties view
You can include various widgets within a Management Center properties view, such as a field, a rich text editor, a radio button, and so on. You can customize a properties view with a new or changed widget label. For example, you can change a field called Name to Description.
- Changing the search definition for a business object
You can change the search definition for a business object.
- Changing validation logic
You can include client-side validation logic for the Management Center. Create validation rules for information that users provide using the user interface. For example, validate that users have entered text, not numbers; that a start date is not later than an end date; or that a mandatory field is not empty).
- Add a new custom service to the Management Center
You can define a custom service and associate it with a Management Center business object definition. Use a custom service to perform a processing action on a business object. For example, to activate a promotion. Do not use a custom service to perform the basic business operations: Create, Update, and Delete.
- Hide classic attributes in the Management Center
To use the attribute dictionary without the classic attributes, you can hide them in the Catalogs tool in the Management Center. Classic attributes are attributes that are not defined the attribute dictionary.
- Changing existing Management Center messages and labels
You can change existing messages and labels within the Management Center tools. Rather than hard-coding UI text in the OpenLaszlo class files, include all message text in resource properties files, and associate the files with resource keys. This way, you maintain the UI code in one area (the OpenLaszlo file) and the messages in another (properties file). This is particularly useful if you have messages that will change often or require translation.
- Add a new library to the Management Center
If you create new OpenLaszlo library files as part of the Management Center customization, include them in the extensions library for the tool you are changing.
- Customize the Management Center spell checker
The Management Center spell checker checks the spelling of text in a text editor or rich text editor embedded into a Management Center properties view or editable list view. The spell checker opens the Spell Check dialog to display each misspelled word within the text that a business user is editing; the business user can use the dialog to replace each misspelled work with one of the suggested words or skip the misspelled text. You can customize the spell checker to add new words to the dictionary so that these words are no longer flagged as misspelled words.
- Catalogs tool
You can customize some aspects of the Catalogs tool to suit the business needs.
- Assets tool
You can customize some aspects of the Assets tool to suit the business needs.
Related concepts
Management Center user interface
Management Center user interface views