Frontend Development
Simplicité supports two distinct frontend development scenarios. Understanding which one applies to your project determines which tools, APIs, and pages are relevant.
The two scenarios
In-platform customization
You are working inside a Simplicité instance — customizing its interface, building components embedded in views, or creating pages backed by the platform's backend.
This covers:
- Theming and visual identity (Theme Editor, complementary styles)
- Custom components and pages built as External Objects (HTML, CSS, JavaScript resources + optional Java class)
- The in-platform JavaScript API (
$app,$ui,$view) for interacting with the backend from resources
Relevant pages: Theme Editor, Complementary Styles, In-platform Development, Ajax Library, Custom Components & Pages
NPM library projects
You are building an application that connects to a Simplicité backend from outside the platform — standalone frontends, server-side integrations, or framework-based projects (Vue.js, React, Angular, etc.).
This covers:
- Authentication and session management via the NPM package
- CRUD operations on Business Objects
- Standalone project setup
Relevant pages: NPM Library
Both scenarios share the same underlying JavaScript API. The NPM package and the in-platform Ajax library expose the same core interface — the context of use differs, not the API itself.
UI structure
When customizing within the platform, Simplicité's interface is organized into four zones:
| Zone | Role |
|---|---|
| HEADER | Global navigation, search, shortcuts, user info |
| MENU | Application sections, sub-menus, domains |
| WORK | Main content area — forms, lists, External Objects |
| FOOTER | Static footer. Accepts an optional FOOTER_ADDON resource for custom content |