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.