Extending the vCenter
Object Workspace
The
vSphere Client
displays a standard object workspace for each type of vSphere object. Your
plug-ins can extend the object navigator with new categories, such as
Settings
,
Custom Objects
List
, and so on.
The object workspace is a
collection of data views with a tabbed navigation structure and detailed views
with table of contents entries. The workspace for a given vSphere object
appears in the
vSphere Client
main workspace for a selected object from the virtual infrastructure.
Each vSphere object type has
Summary
,
Monitor
,
Configure
, and
categorized object relations top-level tabs , and may contain additional
detailed views within each tab. You can add extensions to create your own
sub-views and detailed views within the
Monitor
and
Configure
tab
views. You can also create new object workspaces with the default top-level
tab, sub-tabs and detailed views structure.
Use Cases
You can either add a new data
view to the existing object workspace for any type of vSphere object, or you
can create an object workspace for a plug-in specific object navigator item or
entry point.
In general, you add a data
view extension to an existing object workspace to convey additional information
about a vSphere object that is not included in the standard workspace of the
object.
To implement a new workspace,
you add an object navigator item that links to a global view extension. Within
the global view extension, you have the freedom to implement any view structure
you want, including a view with tabs and nested views.
When you create an object
workspace, use XML extension templates as demonstrated in the sample code.