Business Manager Extensions Skill
This skill guides you through creating Business Manager (BM) extension cartridges to customize the admin interface.
Overview
BM extensions allow you to add custom functionality to Business Manager:
| Extension Type | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Menu Items | Add top-level menu sections |
| Menu Actions | Add functional links under menus |
| Dialog Actions | Add buttons to existing BM pages |
| Form Extensions | Add fields to existing forms |
File Structure
/bm_my_extension
/cartridge
bm_extensions.xml # Extension definitions (required)
/controllers
MyExtension.js # Controller for menu actions
/templates
/default
/extensions
mypage.isml # Custom BM pages
/static
/default
/icons
my-icon.gif # Menu iconsBasic bm_extensions.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<extensions xmlns="http://www.demandware.com/xml/extensibility/2013-04-24">
<!-- Menu Item: Creates section in navigation -->
<menuitem id="my-tools" name="label.menu.mytools"
site="false" position="10">
<icon path="icons/my-icon.gif"/>
</menuitem>
<!-- Menu Action: Creates link under menu item -->
<menuaction id="my-dashboard" menupath="my-tools"
name="label.action.dashboard">
<exec pipeline="MyExtension" node="Dashboard"/>
<sub-pipelines>
<pipeline name="MyExtension"/>
</sub-pipelines>
</menuaction>
</extensions>Menu Items
Create top-level navigation sections:
<menuitem id="custom-tools"
name="label.menu.customtools"
site="false"
position="10">
<description>Custom administration tools</description>
<icon path="icons/tools-icon.gif"/>
</menuitem>| Attribute | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
id | Yes | Unique identifier |
name | Yes | Resource key for display name |
site | No | true = Site menu, false = Admin menu (default: true) |
position | No | Sort order (higher = higher in list) |
Menu Actions
Add functional pages under menu items:
<menuaction id="product-export"
menupath="custom-tools"
name="label.action.productexport">
<description>Export products to CSV</description>
<exec pipeline="ProductExport" node="Start"/>
<sub-pipelines>
<pipeline name="ProductExport"/>
</sub-pipelines>
<icon path="icons/export-icon.gif"/>
</menuaction>| Attribute | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
id | Yes | Unique identifier |
menupath | No | Parent menu item ID |
name | Yes | Resource key for display name |
Note: For controllers, use pipeline="ControllerName" and node="ActionName".
Dialog Actions
Add buttons to existing BM pages:
<dialogaction id="order-export-btn"
menuaction-ref="order-search"
xp-ref="OrderPage-OrderDetails">
<exec pipeline="OrderExport" node="Export"/>
<icon path="icons/export.gif"/>
<parameters>
<parameter name="OrderNo"/>
</parameters>
</dialogaction>| Attribute | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
id | Yes | Unique identifier |
menuaction-ref | Yes | Parent menu action ID |
xp-ref | Yes | Extension point ID |
Common extension points: OrderPage-OrderDetails, ProductPage-Details, CustomerPage-Profile
Form Extensions
Add fields to existing BM forms:
<formextension id="order-search-extension">
<valueinput type="string" name="customOrderField">
<label xml:lang="x-default">Custom Field</label>
<label xml:lang="de">Benutzerdefiniertes Feld</label>
</valueinput>
<valueinput type="string" name="exportStatus">
<label xml:lang="x-default">Export Status</label>
<option>Pending</option>
<option>Exported</option>
<option>Failed</option>
</valueinput>
</formextension>Controller Example
'use strict';
var ISML = require('dw/template/ISML');
var URLUtils = require('dw/web/URLUtils');
exports.Dashboard = function () {
ISML.renderTemplate('extensions/dashboard', {
title: 'My Dashboard',
data: getReportData()
});
};
exports.Dashboard.public = true;
exports.ProcessAction = function () {
var params = request.httpParameterMap;
var itemId = params.itemId.stringValue;
// Process the action
var result = processItem(itemId);
// Redirect back or show result
response.redirect(URLUtils.url('MyExtension-Dashboard', 'result', result));
};
exports.ProcessAction.public = true;Template Example
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>${pdict.title}</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="${URLUtils.staticURL('/css/bm-custom.css')}"/>
</head>
<body>
<div class="bm-content">
<h1>${pdict.title}</h1>
<table class="bm-table">
<thead>
<tr>
<th>ID</th>
<th>Name</th>
<th>Actions</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<isloop items="${pdict.data}" var="item">
<tr>
<td>${item.id}</td>
<td>${item.name}</td>
<td>
<a href="${URLUtils.url('MyExtension-ProcessAction', 'itemId', item.id)}">
Process
</a>
</td>
</tr>
</isloop>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
</body>
</html>Localization
Add resource bundles for labels:
templates/resources/bm_extensions.properties:
label.menu.customtools=Custom Tools
label.action.dashboard=Dashboard
label.action.productexport=Product Exporttemplates/resources/bm_extensions_de.properties:
label.menu.customtools=Benutzerdefinierte Werkzeuge
label.action.dashboard=Instrumententafel
label.action.productexport=ProduktexportEnabling the Extension
- Add cartridge to Business Manager site's cartridge path:
- Administration > Sites > Manage Sites > Business Manager - Add cartridge ID to cartridge path
- Grant permissions to roles:
- Administration > Organization > Roles - Select role > Business Manager Modules - Enable your custom modules
Best Practices
- Prefix IDs with your organization name to avoid conflicts
- Use resource keys for all displayed text (localization)
- Keep cartridge separate - don't mix with storefront cartridges
- Test permissions with different user roles
- Don't reference internal BM URLs - they may change
Detailed Reference
- Extensions XML Reference - Complete XML schema and examples