Extending the Object Navigator

The Object Navigator is the user’s primary navigation interface for reaching solutions and applications in the vSphere Web Client, and for finding and focusing on objects in the virtual infrastructure. The Object Navigator control contains a collection of nodes in various categories. Nodes in the Object Navigator can be simple pointers to global views and other solutions that can appear in the vSphere Web Client main workspace. Nodes can also be expandable collections for vSphere object types.

The Object Navigator Home page appears when the user logs in to the vSphere Web Client, and contains a pointer node for the Home Screen, an entry point to your environment’s virtual infrastructure through vCenter, and pointer nodes for other major solutions in the vSphere Web Client. The Object Navigator Administration page appears when the user clicks the Administration application, and contains categories and pointer nodes specific to that application. The Object Navigator vCenter page appears when the user browses the objects in the virtual infrastructure. On the vCenter page, the Object Navigator displays the available objects in the vSphere environment in collections, such as inventory tree nodes and inventory list nodes.

You can extend the Object Navigator by creating new nodes and categories on each page. You can add both pointer nodes and object collection nodes to the Object Navigator control.

This chapter contains the following topics:

■	Scenarios for Extending the Object Navigator

■	Defining an Object Navigator Extension

■	Using a Template to Define an Object Collection Node

■	Adding Custom Icons and Labels to an Object Collection Node