Entity browser acts as a central hub for inserting and manipulating data, page elements, and translations, all within the context of your current work. Think of it as a context-aware toolbox that adapts to what you're building.
Let's break down the key tabs within the entity browser:
1. Data components & input variables
In the first tab, you get access to the underlying data structure of your application. Here, you can:
- Choose available models: It displays the data models (entities) accessible through the data components you've placed on the surrounding page or within your current workflow. This allows you to interact with your application's data directly
- Access input variables: You'll also find a list of input variables that are specific to the current page you are working on. These variables often hold data passed into the page or collected through user interactions.
Essentially, this tab connects you to the data you need to insert or reference, whether it's coming from your defined data structure or the immediate context of the page.
As an example, you could add a property value referencing to Project (model) > Name (property) to a text field using the entity browser:
When applying filtering, your entity browser will also pop up:
2. Page & input variables
The second tab focuses on the dynamic data available within the current page's scope. This includes:
- Page variables: These are variables defined specifically for the current page. They can store various types of information relevant to the page's functionality. A common example, as shown in the image, is information about the logged-in webuser, allowing you to access their properties. Learn more about page variables here
- Input variables (revisited): This tab also provides access to the same input variables listed in the first tab, offering another convenient way to work with them.
3. Page components
The third tab allows you to access and modify page components: You'll see a list of the data components that are present on the page you are working on.
For example, you use a page component to see more information about a record in your data table.
- Create a page variable with the same record as your data table (in our case, it's Number)
- Set up the filter rule where you match Number.id with the data table
- In your data table, add the following interaction:
- Finally, add the data you want to display from your new page variable to a text field
4. Translations
The final tab provides tools to manage translations. You can access the different language versions of your application's text content. This ensures that your application can cater to a global audience by providing translations for labels, messages, and other textual elements. Learn more about translations here.
Entity browser as a tool simplifies working with data models, page-specific variables, UI components, and translations. By providing context-aware access to these elements, it gives flexibility and interactivity you can build into your applications.