The User Interface Extensibility Framework

Overview

A technical reference website is available which provides detailed information such as interface members. This website focuses instead on the practicalities of developing applications using the UIX.

Use cases

The User Interface Extensibility Framework is used to develop additional client-side functionality. This may include:

• Buttons in the Task Area that perform common, or complex routines.
• Context-menu items that allow custom processing for selected objects.
• Display of dashboards that contain custom user interfaces. These user interfaces may be context-sensitive, such as showing a burndown chart for a project when the project is selected in M-Files.

Versions

There are two versions of the User Interface Extensibility Framework. Version 1 is compatible with M-Files Desktop and - with some restrictions - M-Files Classic Web. Version 2 is compatible with M-Files Web. Whilst the core concepts are transferrable between the two versions, the development practices and API models vary significantly.

Version 2

The User Interface Extensibility Framework version 2 will be made available more widely in 2024. There are some significant differences between the older version and this newer version, including:

• The API model uses the gRPC structures and methods, replacing the older COM API structures. The gRPC API structures are often more verbose, but there is some wider functionality available.
• The API methods, and many methods within the UIX object model (e.g. ShellFrame), now return Promises and are designed to be used in an asynchronous manner.
• M-Files is looking to improve the developer experience by enabling TypeScript and other technologies as first-class citizens.

Development practices

Developing User Interface Extensibility Framework applications uses a different set of technologies and approaches compared to server-side development such as VBScript or the Vault Application Framework.

• Asynchronous API programming
• Object Lifecycle
• Debugging
• Deployment of applications to the M-Files Server
• Event registration and module entry points
• Using a local development folder
• Platform targeting

Samples and tutorials

Various samples are available within our Samples and Libraries User Interface Extensibility Framework section.

Application structure

User Interface Extensibility Framework applications consist of a number of files deployed in a .zip or .mfappx package (an .mfappx package is simply a renamed zip file and is used to easily identify deployable M-Files applications). The package must have one Application manifest (appdef.xml) file, one or more modules, and may also contain one or more dashboards, and their supporting files.

The main file types contained within a User Interface Extensibility Framework application are:

Application definition file (appdef.xml)

The application definition/manifest file contains information that the M-Files server uses to register and execute your application, such as the unique identifier for the application (its GUID), publisher information, information on the platforms it targets (desktop or web), and the modules and dashboards that make up the application itself.

More information on the application definition/manifest file is available in the dedicated page.

Modules (.js files)

These modules contain the application code. There are three types of module: VaultCore modules, VaultUI modules, and ShellUI modules. Most modules are ShellUI modules.

More information on modules is available in the dedicated page.

Dashboards (.js, .css, .html files)

Dashboards are user interfaces that are shown to the user, either when the module starts or on an associated event (e.g. an object of a specific type is selected).

More information on dashboards file is available in the dedicated page.