Developing Custom Tools

Agenda...

• Dekho Architecture

• Custom Tools Overview

• Communication & Working with the Esri Flex API

• Working with the Dekho Web Services API

• Consideration and Best Practices

Dekho Architecture Overview

Dekho Geo-App Portal

Dekho Application Manager

Map Services Spatial Information Corporate data Web Services Tools Gallery Report Gallery Search Tasks

Geo-App configuration

Roles and access rights definition

Geo-App publishing

Dekho Application

Manager

Custom Tools Overview

The Basics

• A way of customising Dekho

• Built as a .swf file which runs alongside Dekho

Parent Application

Dekho Custom Tool

Flash Runtime

The process

• Write (SWF)

• Deploy (Application Server i.e. Tomcat)

• Add a button (Dekho Studio)

Start-Up sequence

Application Server Client Browser

Dekho UI

Tool A

Tool B

Tool C

Dekho Server URL

Dekho swf

Tool ‘A’ click (URL to swf on server)

Tool ‘A’ swf

Dekho Page

Dekho UI

Tool A

In memory… now what?

Application Server Client Browser

Dekho UI

Tool A

Tool B

Tool C

Dekho Page

Dekho UI

Tool A

Option 1: Do you thing… clean up and destruct

Option 2: Persist and clean up on - Dialogue close or… - Second click or… - App shut down

Second click – unload…

Application Server Client Browser

Dekho UI

Tool A

Tool B

Tool C

Dekho Page

Dekho UI

Tool A

What can you use a custom tool for?

• Launching another browser application

• Launching another client side desktop application

• Creating a custom workflow

• Change layers, extent, selection…

• Loading WMS layers

Deploy…..

• Deploying your tool means making it available within the application server i.e. tomcat

• Common practice to add your custom too to the root of the same domain as Dekho

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Add…..

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• Add tool to Dekho via Dekho Studio

• Complete Tool Wizard

Use….

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• Custom tool available on main Dekho Interface

Building your first “Hello world” custom tool

Communication & Working with the Esri Flex API

How does my custom tool interact with Dekho?

• Broadcast out to the parent application i.e. browser

• Receive messages from Dekho

• Send messages to Dekho

• Communicate with Dekho via the Services API

• Communicate with any web services

Broadcast out to the parent application

• Parent application can control Dekho

• Parent application can receive messages from Dekho

JavaScript or C# client

stubs provided

Working with the Dekho application

• Listening to messages

• API methods made public by Dekho SWF

Intercepting messages from Dekho

• messageFromDekho Function.

Dekho broadcasts the event as

<eventtype>,<sessionid>

E.g:

Session, 125482993879

parentApplication

• The Dekho SWF element that loads your custom tool

Working with the Esri Flex API

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1

2

Working with Dekho selection and the Esri Flex API

Working with the Dekho Web Services API

Using Dekho Services API

Parent Application

Dekho Custom Tool

Flash Runtime

Dekho Services API

The Process

• Create channel and remote object

• Get Session Information from parentApplication

• Use session information to call Dekho Web Services API

Example: Saving selection as a redline

Application Server Client Browser

Establish AMF Channel

DrawRedlines

Dekho Page

Dekho UI

Tool A

ClearSelection

SaveBookmark Ref

resh

Map

Get

Ses

sio

nIn

Using the Dekho Services API You are responsible for creating and opening a channel.

Your responsible for creating a remote object to the correct service i.e.

“SessionService”

Finally make the call to the Dekho Services and specify the response handlers

Working with Dekho Web Service API

Custom Tool Summary

• Dekho’s client extensibility model.

• Ways to communicate with Dekho and the parent application: – Broadcast out to the parent application

– Dekho Flex API + Receive & Send messages

– Communicate with the Dekho Services API

• Your custom tool can use the Esri Flex API

• Your custom tool can use the Dekho Web Services API

Considerations and Best Practices

Code…

• messageFromDekho Function.

Mandatory method!!

Clean-up practice

The Dekho Simulator & Debugging

• Simulator is a test harness for custom tools

• Please refer to documentation

• Don’t forget:

– Server Address URL and Tool URL

– Map Service Address

• Simulator is limited – mock as necessary

Handling web services

• Tell the user when you’re waiting

• Chose the right channel (for performance and environment)

• Assign fault handler functions for service calls

Security

• Security

– Cross Domain – understanding if your tool needs to pull data from another source

Maintenance & Deployment

• Maintenance

– Make your tool portable, configure external Web Services URL address

– Flex SDK version

– Esri Flex API version

• Deploying into a scaled environment

Product Information:

www.esriaustralia.com.au/dekho

www.esriaustralia.com.au/dekhohelp

www.esriaustralia.com.au/dekhoblog