Create a Custom Save Button

Last modified: October 12, 2023

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 using a microflow. You will replace a default save button with the save button that shows a message to end-users after they click it.

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

  • Recreate the logic of the default Save button
  • 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 One

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

  1. Open the Customer_Detail page:

  2. Select the Save button press Delete to remove it.

  3. Right-click the drop-zone under the Cancel button, 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, open its Properties pane.

  6. Change the Caption property to Save:

  7. Set a floppy disk as the Icon:

You have created a button that calls a microflow.

4 Recreating the Default Save Behavior

You need to recreate the default Save behavior to customize it afterwards. Do the following:

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

  2. Open the Toolbox and select the Commit object(s) activity there:

  3. Drag a Commit object(s) action from the Toolbox to the flow between the start and end events.

  4. Double-click the Commit object(s) activity to open its properties.

  5. In the Input section, select Customer for Object or List, and click OK:

  6. Open the Toolbox, find the Close page activity there, and drag it into the flow after the Commit object(s) activity:

You have recreated the default Save button logic.

5 Extending the Microflow with Your Own Functionality

To extend the logic with a custom message that will be shown when end-users click the button, do the following:

  1. Open Toolbox, find the Show message activity, and drag it after the Close page activity.

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

  3. In the Template property enter a text that will be displayed in the message. Type in Customer is saved!

  4. Click OK to save the changes.

Congratulations! You have created a microflow and customized the Save button:

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