Slides to accompany this post: http://www.dekho.com.au/how-to-build-custom-tools-for-dekho/

1. Developing Custom Tools

2. Agenda...
• Dekho Architecture
• Custom Tools Overview
• Communication & Working with the Esri Flex
API
• Working with the Dekho Web Services API
• Consideration and Best Practices

3. Dekho Architecture Overview

4. Dekho Geo-App Portal
Dekho Application Manager
Geo-App publishing
Roles and access rights definition
Dekho
Application
Manager
Geo-App configuration
Map Services Spatial Information Corporate data Web Services Tools Gallery Report Gallery Search Tasks

6. Custom Tools Overview

7. The Basics
• A way of customising Dekho
• Built as a .swf file which runs alongside Dekho
Parent Application
Dekho Custom
Tool
Flash Runtime

8. The process
• Write (SWF)
• Deploy (Application Server i.e. Tomcat)
• Add a button (Dekho Studio)

9. Start-Up sequence
Client Browser Application Server
Dekho Server URL
Dekho Page
Dekho swf
Dekho UI
Tool ‘A’ click (URL to swf on server)
Tool A
Tool ‘A’ swf
Tool B
Tool C

10. In memory… now what?
Client Browser Application Server
Dekho Page Option 1:
Do you thing… clean up and
Dekho UI destruct
Dekho UI
Option 2:
Tool A Persist and clean up on Tool A
- Dialogue close or… Tool B
- Second click or…
- App shut down Tool C

11. Second click – unload…
Client Browser Application Server
Dekho Page
Dekho UI Dekho UI
Tool A Tool A
Tool B
Tool C

12. 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

13. 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
December 10 // www.esriaustralia.com.au

14. Add…..
• Add tool to Dekho via Dekho Studio
• Complete Tool Wizard
December 10 // www.esriaustralia.com.au

15. Use….
• Custom tool available on main Dekho Interface
December 10 // www.esriaustralia.com.au

16. Building your first “Hello
world” custom tool

17. Communication & Working with the Esri Flex
API

18. 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

19. Broadcast out to the parent
application
• Parent application can control Dekho
• Parent application can receive messages from
Dekho
JavaScript or C# client
stubs provided

20. Working with the Dekho application
• Listening to messages
• API methods made public by Dekho SWF

21. Intercepting messages from Dekho
• messageFromDekho Function.
Dekho broadcasts the event as E.g:
<eventtype>,<sessionid> Session, 125482993879

22. parentApplication
• The Dekho SWF element that loads your
custom tool

23. Working with the Esri Flex API
1
2
December 10 // www.esriaustralia.com.au

24. Working with Dekho selection
and the Esri Flex API

25. Working with the Dekho Web Services API

26. Using Dekho Services API
Parent Application
Dekho Custom
Tool
Flash Runtime
Dekho Services API

27. The Process
• Create channel and remote object
• Get Session Information from
parentApplication
• Use session information to call Dekho Web
Services API

28. Example: Saving selection as a redline
Client Browser Application Server
Dekho Page Establish AMF Channel
Dekho UI
DrawRedlines
Get SessionIn
Refresh Map
ClearSelection
SaveBookmark
Tool A

29. 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

30. Working with Dekho Web
Service API

31. 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

32. Considerations and Best
Practices

33. Code…
• messageFromDekho Function.
Mandatory method!!

34. Clean-up practice

35. 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

36. 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

37. Security
• Security
– Cross Domain – understanding if your tool needs
to pull data from another source

38. 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

39. Product Information:
www.esriaustralia.com.au/dekho
www.esriaustralia.com.au/dekhohelp
www.esriaustralia.com.au/dekhoblog