Architecting Data Views

When you create a data view extension to the vSphere Web Client user interface layer, you must provide Flex classes for the actual GUI elements that appear in the main workspace area of the interface. Data view extensions that require you to provide Flex classes include global view extensions, extensions to existing object workspaces in the Virtual Infrastructure browser, and custom object workspaces that you create.

Flex classes for GUI elements in the vSphere Web Client are implemented using the MVC software architecture pattern. In the MVC pattern, the business logic and graphics components of a GUI element are separated into different classes. The Flex classes in vSphere Web Client data views use an internal MVC framework called Frinje to create the associations between the classes used in the MVC pattern.

The vSphere Web Client SDK provides an event-driven API, based on the Frinje framework, called the Data Access Manager. Data view Flex classes can use the Data Access Manager library to query data from sources inside or outside of the vSphere environment.

While you can use any Flex MVC framework to build vSphere Web Client data view extensions, using the Frinje framework is a best practice. By using the Frinje framework and implementing a similar MVC architecture, your extensions can use the built-in Data Access Manager library provided with the vSphere Web Client SDK to retrieve data and send commands to the virtual infrastructure.

Note that the MVC architecture pattern applies only to vSphere Web Client extensions that add data views to the GUI. Other extensions such as shortcuts for the Home Screen or Object Navigator, are defined only in metadata and do not require you to create MVC Flex code.

This chapter contains the following topics:

■	About the MVC Architecture

■	MVC in the vSphere Web Client: Frinje Framework

■	Using the Data Access Manager Library