Extender Screens

Extender Custom UIs require integration with the Screen Permissions Customization, but it is straightforward.

All Extender Custom UIs look the same from the inside, so it is impossible to tell which screen is running to apply the permissions correctly.

To work around this, we need to provide some hints to the permissions manager.

Creating Permissions for Extender Screens

If you’re working with a Custom UI that is already integrated with the Screen Permissions customization, you can skip to the end and starting creating permissions for your screen.

You’ll know if your Custom UI is integrated by checking the code for a constant called PERMISSIONS_SCREEN_NAME. This defines the name you will use in the Screen field of the permission definition.

To open a UI script to see if the constant is defined:

1. Open Extender –> Setup –> Scripts.

2. Right click on the script that defines the UI and select Open.

3. The file will be opened in the default editor. Search it using Ctrl+f for PERMISSIONS_SCREEN_NAME.

4. If the constant is present, note the value.

Note

The Permission Screen Name must begin with VI! If it does not, the permission will not be usable.

A UI script that uses the Screen name VINAME will likely start like this:

from accpac import *
try:
    from poplar_screenperms.screen_permission_ui import ScreenPermissionUI
    parent = ScreenPermissionUI
except ImportError as e:
    parent = UI

TABLE = "VINAME.VITABLE"
PERMISSION_SCREEN_NAME = "VINAME"

def main(args):
    CustomTableUI()

class CustomTableUI(parent):

    def __init__(self, permission=PERMISSION_SCREEN_NAME):
        super().__init__()
        self.createScreen()

        if hasattr(self, 'set_program'):
            self.set_program(permission)

With the name in hand, define a permission as you would any other. To create a Screen Permission for this Custom UI, just use VINAME as the screen name.

Configuring a Screen Permission for the VINAME screen, Users without Read permissions cannot open the screen.

To create a field level permission, you’ll need the control name. If you’use using a Poplar Custom Table UI, the control name will always be x1{FIELD}, where {FIELD} is replaced with the database table field name.

For the datasource, use your table name. To continue our example and create a permission to manage the FIELD field in the VINAME.VITABLE table:

Configuring a Control Permission for the VINAME screen FIELD field, Users without Read permissions cannot see the field.

Making a Screen Permission Compatible Custom UI

If you’d like to add screen permissions to an existing UI, make the following changes to your Custom UI script:

1. Inherit from ScreenPermissionUI instead of UI. All Custom UIs are subclasses of UI. Using the ScreenPermissionUI instead, all the permission enforcement is automatically added to your UI, in addition to all the standard functionality.

2. Call super().__init__() instead of UI.__init__().

3. After the screen has been created, call self.set_program(PERMNAME).

It is easy to create a Custom UI that will use permissions if they are available, but otherwise fall back to a standard UI. See the code block above, which falls back on UI if the poplar_screenperms package is not installed.