You can customize the Web client in several ways, as summarized in this section. For details about how to customize the Web client, see the chapter "Customizing the Web client" in the MQ Workflow Programming Guide.
In the same way, you can develop your own JSP to provide the input data needed to start activity implementation instances. If the input data needed is only a user action, you can provide appropriate HTML controls for the actions (without the need to display an HTML data entry form).
Creating your own JSPs to provide input data to start processes or activity implementations is the easiest way to customize the Web client.
You can use the Rapid Deployment wizard to quickly create JSPs for Web client activity implementations or starting process instances. The wizard reduces the effort needed to program Java code in the JSPs, so the JSPs can be created by Web page Designers instead of Programmers. The Rapid Deployment wizard runs integrated in WebSphere Studio; it is also available as MQ WorkFlow SupportPack WA83 from the WebSphere MQ SupportPack Web site at http://www-1.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=171&uid=swg24006602&loc=en_US&cs=utf-8&lang=en.
You can change the presentation of the provided Web client by customizing the provided listViewer.jsp and other JSPs and HTML files while still using the provided JSPViewer. You can also change the provided JSPs to extend or redefine the functionality of the Web client in response to the provided commands. Such customized JSPs can also be used by custom commands, if those commands do not need to output customized elements to Web client pages on the Web browser.
You should only make limited changes, if any, to the provided JSPs and HTML files in case they are changed by future Web client service updates.
You can change the presentation or related functionality of the provided Web client, by creating your own Viewer and JSPs for built-in commands. Your own Viewer can customize the list-driven model of the provided Web client or can generate a different presentation model of your own design.
You can add your own custom commands to the Web client or extend the built-in commands, by implementing and registering your own custom CommandHandlers and any command-specific JSPs. To display responses for a custom command, you may need to implement your own Viewer method for the command. To use more than one CommandHandler you can also use the provided CommandHandlerAdapter class, which searches for a custom command in the registered order of custom CommandHandlers.
The Web client provides several sample CommandHandlers and a CommandHandlerAdapter that enables you to use several CommandHandlers at the same time. You can use these CommandHandlers as provided or use one as the base from which to develop your own CommandHandler.
The main configurable properties of the Web client are set in the WebClient.properties file. You can use some of the properties to customize your Web client; for example, to the change the format for generated time fields or to specify the name of your own custom Viewer or CommandHandler class.
If you develop your own Viewer or CommandHandler class, you can add their properties to the WebClient.properties file and access those properties by using calls to the Config class, typically from within the init() method of your class. If you want to add other custom properties to the WebClient.properties files, for use by your JSPs, you should add a new section that contains those property settings. You can then specify the section name on Config() calls to retrieve the properties from that section.
You can also use your own custom catalogs with the Web client; for example, to use your own message catalogs or to create a catalog specific to the locale of a user's Web browser.
If you have developed your own custom JSPs, Viewers, or CommandHandlers, you can reuse them in the IBM MQ Workflow Portal client. To reuse your own custom Web client JSPs in the Portal client, you need to first make some minor changes, as described in the section "Converting your Web client JSPs for use with the Portal client" in the MQ Workflow Programming Guide.