Components

Similar to packages in other programming languages (e.g., Java), which allow for the grouping of related classes into a folder, Components group various configuration entities into a folder in a similar manner. Those folders represent a unit that logically belong together (such as dashboard, Groovy library, price list type, quote type, etc.).

The Components enable configuration engineers to:

• Better structure the delivered functionalities by categorizing them into folders.

• Deliver solutions more efficiently by reusing existing configuration packages.

• Provide an overview of common implementations to solution architects.

Ideally, from now on, all project deliverables should now be categorized using Components. Instead of throwing all entities in the root folder (which was the only way until now), each entity should belong to a Component folder.

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The Components are available since version 11.4.

How to Create a Component in Studio

1. Right click on your project’s root folder.

2. Navigate to the Pricefx menu and click Create Component.
   
   

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3. Enter the name of the Component you want to create and click Create.

4. The folder with the specified name is created within the .PfxComponents folder in your project. Also, the documentation template (README.md markdown file, Documentation folder, and the Screenshots subfolder) is created to help you to document the solution for publishing. If you don’t plan to publish the component, you can simply delete the README.md file and the Documentation folder.
   
   

    

5. Add a logic or any other entity to the Component.

6. When you have all the information about your new Component and you want to publish the Component in the Components Marketplace, complete the required information in the README.md file.
   It should contain:

   • Overview: Describe what the Component does from the end-user’s point of view. Consider adding a screenshot. Remember that this is the first section the user sees in the Marketplace.

   • Prerequisites: Requirements or conditions that should be met in order to use this Component.

   • How to adopt: Describe all steps that need to be followed just after importing to the local drive.

   • Dependencies: Specify all required dependencies on other components (typically libraries) or accelerators.
     
     

After you are done with the adoption, you can deploy the whole Component (or its part) to the desired partition.

If you use the Automated Deployment Using Pipelines using Gitlab, all present components from .PfxComponents folder will get deployed together with entities from the root folder.

How to Deploy a Component

The Component can be easily deployed to the partition using the PfxDeploy tool window.

1. Open the PfxDeploy Toolbar.

2. Select the Component you want to deploy and the target partition.

3. Click Select All Visible Entities to mark all entities within the given Component for deployment or select individual entities.

4. Click the Deploy button to deploy the Component to the target partition.
   
   

    

Components Marketplace

Components Marketplace serves as a collaboration tool among different teams (e.g., Demo Team, Project Teams, Industry Catalogue Team, Education Team, …) enabling them to reuse the solutions that they have built.

List of Available Components

All available Components in the marketplace can be viewed by opening the PfxComponents toolbar:

In the PfxComponents table, you can see an overview of all components. Each Component has its Name, Group (referring to subgroups in the Gitlab repository), Stars (representing the popularity of the Component), and Topics (tags/keywords in Gitlab that improve searchability).

Please vote every time you use the Component in real project or if the component did save you time. You will appraise the author and help to identify the most valuable components. See How to Give a Star.
PfxComponents allows you to filter desired Components using the Search field.

Components Repository can also be accessed via Gitlab at https://gitlab.pricefx.eu/components/. One Component represents one individual repository. This is for now available only for the configuration engineers and solution architects with access to Pricefx Gitlab.

Component Detail

Offers an overview of the selected Component.

The Component Detail view provides the following information:

• Name of the Component

• Name of the Component in the Pricefx Gitlab repository (hyperlink)

• Author

• Date of the creation

• Version: e.g. 0.1.0 – a draft (a concept only), 0.9.0 – almost ready to use, 1.0.0 and higher – ready to use in a real project

• Contributor names

• Topics (tags)

• Tabs:

  • Overview – The content of the component’s readme file README.md. See the Step 6 in the How to Create a Component in Studio above.

  • Provides – An overview of all entities the Component provides. This content is auto-generated based on the inner folder structure.

  • Table Schema – If the Component contains tables (for example, Data Sources, Company Parameters, Product Extensions tables, etc.), the generated Table Schema displays the structure of these tables.

  • What’s New – A version history. Retrieves information from CHANGELOG.md, if provided.

How to Import a Component

A Component can be imported from the Components Marketplace to your local project.

1. Select a Component from the List of Available Components.

2. Click the Import button in the Component Detail view.
   
   

   The Component (including all files and sub-folders) is immediately imported to your local .PfxComponents folder.

3. Perform the instructions described in the How to adopt section (individual for each component).

4. Deploy the component to the partition, see: How to Deploy a Component.

How to Give a Star

If you used the component in a real project or the component simply saved you time or development effort, please give it a star. You will appraise the author and help to identify the most valuable components.

1. Open the repository in Gitlab by clicking the hyperlink below the name.

2. Click the Star button.

How to Contribute to the Marketplace

Currently, only Pricefx staff can contribute; here is the guide: https://gitlab.pricefx.eu/components

If you are a partner or a customer willing to contribute, please let us know, we definitely want to gather all useful components to expand our platform.