App descriptor

An app descriptor describes an app. The descriptor assigns the app a name, icon and implementation class. The name of the app content node must be unique as it is used to refer to the app across the system. This means you cannot name your own app pages since a Pages app already exists.

This app descriptor is part of the Magnolia 6 UI framework. The fully qualified class name is info.magnolia.ui.api.app.registry.ConfiguredAppDescriptor.

If you work with the Magnolia 5 UI framework, see App descriptor for Magnolia 5 UI instead.

Example descriptor

icon: icon-app
class: info.magnolia.ui.api.app.registry.ConfiguredAppDescriptor
appClass: info.magnolia.ui.framework.app.BaseApp
label: Base App
subApps:

Descriptor properties

Property Description

Property	Description
`subApps`	required Node containing subapps.
`appClass`	required Fully qualified name of the class that contains the app business logic. The class must implement the info.magnolia.ui.api.app.App interface.
`name`	optional App name. If no value is specified, either the file name (without the suffix `.yaml`) or the JCR node name will be used.
`class`	optional, default is `info.magnolia.ui.api.app.registry.ConfiguredAppDescriptor` App descriptor class that reads the configuration. The class must implement the info.magnolia.ui.api.app.AppDescriptor interface. Use the fully qualified class name. Another possible value is `info.magnolia.ui.contentapp.configuration.ContentAppDescriptor`.
`datasource`	optional Connects the app to a data source. For this to work, you have to use the `info.magnolia.ui.contentapp.configuration.ContentAppDescriptor` class.
`enabled`	optional, default is `true` When `false`, the app is disabled.
`icon`	optional CSS class that identifies an icon used for the app. See How to add SVG icons for apps.
`label`	optional Text or message bundle key displayed on the app icon in the app launcher.
`permissions`	optional Provisions the app to certain users. See Permissions.
`theme`	optional Name of a custom app theme.

subApps

required

Node containing subapps.

appClass

required

Fully qualified name of the class that contains the app business logic. The class must implement the info.magnolia.ui.api.app.App interface.

name

optional

App name. If no value is specified, either the file name (without the suffix .yaml) or the JCR node name will be used.

class

optional, default is info.magnolia.ui.api.app.registry.ConfiguredAppDescriptor

App descriptor class that reads the configuration. The class must implement the info.magnolia.ui.api.app.AppDescriptor interface. Use the fully qualified class name.

Another possible value is info.magnolia.ui.contentapp.configuration.ContentAppDescriptor.

datasource

optional

Connects the app to a data source. For this to work, you have to use the info.magnolia.ui.contentapp.configuration.ContentAppDescriptor class.

enabled

optional, default is true

When false, the app is disabled.

icon

optional

CSS class that identifies an icon used for the app. See How to add SVG icons for apps.

label

optional

Text or message bundle key displayed on the app icon in the app launcher.

permissions

optional

Provisions the app to certain users. See Permissions.

theme

optional

Name of a custom app theme.

Permissions

The permission to use an app is granted in the permissions configuration. The subnodes are roles. This allows you to provision the app to certain users in your organization.

In the following example, the app is provisioned to the travel-demo-editor and travel-demo-publisher roles. The property names (editors and publishers) are arbitrary—you can use any name you like. The value must be a valid role name.

appClass: info.magnolia.ui.framework.app.BaseApp
class: info.magnolia.ui.api.app.registry.ConfiguredAppDescriptor
icon: icon-app
label: Base App
permissions:
  roles:
    editors: travel-demo-editor
    publishers: travel-demo-publisher

App descriptors for content-type apps

In Magnolia, app descriptors can also be used to create apps based on Magnolia Content Types. For this, a special directive must be used in the YAML descriptor: !content-type.

There are several advantages to configuring an app this way. Such an app:

Always leverages a well-defined content type definition.

Data of content type based apps can be accessed not only using Delivery API, but also through GraphQL API.
Allows the editors to start entering content right away.

Usually has a very short descriptor and therefore needs less development time. There is no need to specify further app properties.

You can, of course, tailor the app descriptor within the same file by adding additional configuration which will overwrite any configuration with the same name coming from the !content-type directive. Alternatively, you can create a decoration.

Example extended configuration

/my-tours-light-module/apps/tours.yaml

!content-type:tour
label: tours.app.label
icon: icon-language-app
permissions:
  roles:
    - travel-demo-editor
    - travel-demo-publisher
subApps:
  browser:
    actions:
     addItem:
       appName: tours
     editItem:
       appName: tours
  detail:
    form:
      properties:
        name:
          i18n: true

6 UI content-type directive

In Magnolia 6.3.x, the !content-type directive generates a 6 UI app.

/my-tours-light-module/apps/tourGuides-app.yaml

!content-type:tourGuide
name: tourGuides-app

5 UI content-type directive

If you needed to create a 5 UI app, you must use the m5-marked variant of the directive.

/my-tours-light-module/apps/tourGuides-app.yaml

!content-type-m5:tourGuide
name: tourGuides-app

In this case, the app will be interpreted as a 5 UI app and the app descriptor must be defined using the 5 UI descriptor properties.

Even though you can still use apps built in the 5 UI framework in Magnolia 6.2.x, this framework has been deprecated.

Feedback

DX Core

App descriptor

Example descriptor

Descriptor properties

Permissions

App descriptors for content-type apps

6 UI content-type directive

5 UI content-type directive

Location

Main doc sections