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Create a Custom Save Button

Last modified: April 18, 2024

1 Introduction

Mendix uses visual models called microflows to define the logic of your application. A microflow is a visual way of expressing what traditionally would be written in code. This how-to explains how you can create a custom save button on a detail page by utilizing microflows.

This how-to teaches you how to do the following:

  • Create a custom Save button

2 Prerequisites

Before starting with this how-to, make sure you have completed the following prerequisites:

3 Replacing the Default Save Button with a Custom Save Button

To replace the default Save button with a custom one, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Customer detail page, which should look like this:

  2. Right-click the Save button and remove it by selecting Delete.

  3. Right-click the drop-zone under the Cancel, select Add widget, and then select Call microflow button.

  4. In the Select Microflow dialog box, click New to create a new microflow called Customer_Save.

  5. After the button is created, double-click it to open its properties editor.

  6. Change the Caption to Save.

  7. Change the Icon to an image of your choice.

  8. Click OK to save the new microflow button.

4 Re-creating the Default Save Behavior

  1. Right-click the new Microflow button and select Go to microflow to open the new microflow. The Microflow should look like this:

  2. Open the Toolbox from the lower-right corner of the Modeler:

  3. Drag a Commit object(s) action from the Toolbox to the line between the green start and red end events, which will insert a commit action activity.

  4. Double-click the new activity to open its properties:

  5. In the Input section, select Customer for Variable and click OK. The microflow should now look like this:

  6. Drag a Close page action from the Toolbox to the line between the green start and red end events, which will insert a close page action activity. You have now re-created the default save behavior, and the m should look like this:

5 Extending the Microflow with Your Own Functionality

  1. Drag a Show message action from the Toolbox to the line between the start and end events, which will insert a show message action activity.

  2. Double-click the new activity to open its properties:

  3. Select the Type of message.

  4. Enter a message as a Template value.

  5. Click OK to save the properties. The microflow should now look like this:

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