Prerequisites for How-tos

Last modified: November 19, 2024

Introduction

This document describes the prerequisites for the create-custom-action how-tos. Each section gives a description of what is expected in that prerequisite.

Mendix Rapid App Developer

General knowledge of the Mendix Platform is a must when creating custom actions. The HTML of a Mendix app is a direct representation of your app as you see it in the Modeler.

In the Become a Rapid Developer learning path, you learn all the fundamentals of the Mendix Platform, including how the different widgets work and how to adjust them. This is a great advantage when looking at a widget through the HTML.

You must be signed in to the Mendix Platform to see the above learning path.

Guidelines for Building a Custom Action

Guidelines for Building a Custom Action is a best practice document that describes the guidelines you must follow when building custom actions. These guidelines deliver the best results.

Google Chrome and Chrome DevTools Basics

The how-tos make use of the Google Chrome web browser and the Chrome DevTools. You must have a basic understanding of the Chrome DevTools to get the full experience from each how-to.

When you use the Chrome browser, you can follow the how-tos in detail. You may use other browsers and their DevTools, but those might not be compatible with the how-to.

Google provides how-tos for learning more about the DevTools.

Understanding the HTML Structure

The how-tos use the debugger to see the HTML of the page. An understanding of HTML helps a lot when creating custom actions. An understanding of the following points is sufficient:

HTML hierarchy
Basic structure (different types of elements, etc.)

For more information, see W3Cschools.

ATS Selectors

The how-tos use jQuery selectors to find elements in the browser. Next to the standard jQuery selectors, ATS also uses pseudo-selectors. You can find these pseudo-selectors in the ATS Selector documentation.

For more information on selectors, see Helpful Resources.

General ATS Knowledge

The how-tos describe how to create custom actions, but they do not describe every step. If the how-to says to add an action, you must add the action, but the how-to may not describe the whole process. Make sure you know the basics of ATS (for example, how to search for actions).

Custom Action Basics

The how-tos don’t explain everything in detail. Simple things like adding an input parameter are not explained. Make sure you have completed the Custom Action Basics how-to.