Getting started building mashups

This topic assumes you are using Qlik Sense Desktop to build your mashup.

Creating the container

Create a folder named helpdesk to contain your assets:

C:\Users\<UserName>\Documents\Qlik\Sense\Extensions\helpdesk

Creating the QEXT file

The next step is to create a QEXT file in the folder you just created and name it helpdesk.qext.

It should look something like the following:

{
    "type": "mashup",
    "name": "helpdesk",
    "description": "Basic responsive mashup template",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "author": "",
    "homepage": "",
    "keywords": "qlik-sense, visualization, mashup",
    "license": "",
    "repository": "",
    "dependencies": {
        "qlik-sense": ">=3.0.x"
	 }
}

Anatomy of the QEXT file

name

Mandatory.

Defines the name of the mashup. Default is to use the file name.

type

Mandatory.

Should always be "mashup" for mashups.

description

Optional.

Description of the mashup. Default is to use the file name.

version

Optional.

Defines your individual version handling of the mashup. This setting is manually defined.

author

Optional.

Defines the author of the mashup. This setting is manually defined.

homepage

Optional.

Defines a URL to a web site.

keywords

Optional.

Defines the keywords for the mashup.

license

Optional.

Defines the license that applies to the mashup.

repository

Optional.

Defines information about the repository.

dependencies

Optional.

Defines if the are any dependencies that apply to the mashup.

Creating the main script file

Then it is time to create the main JavaScript file. This is also placed in the same folder as the QEXT file and we name it helpdesk.js.

Configuring your Qlik Sense host

The Qlik Sense host being used must be configured in your mashup. This is needed for the following reasons:

• To define the actual Qlik associative engine connection, which is used when you open an app or get a list of apps. This is covered by the config JavaScript object, used as a parameter in the openApp call.
• To define where the Qlik Sense client side software and extensions should be loaded from. This is achieved by configuring RequireJS with the require.config call and setting the baseUrl.

In most cases, you use the same server for both purposes which means you can create the baseUrl from the config object. If the Qlik Sense server also is hosting the mashup, you can take the necessary parameters from the browser URL, as shown in the following example:

var config = {
	host: window.location.hostname,
	prefix: window.location.pathname.substr( 0, window.location.pathname.toLowerCase().lastIndexOf( "/extensions" ) + 1 ),
	port: window.location.port,
	isSecure: window.location.protocol === "https:"
};
require.config( {
	baseUrl: ( config.isSecure ? "https://" : "http://" ) + config.host + (config.port ? ":" + config.port : "") + config.prefix + "resources"
} );

If the mashup is deployed to an external web server, this configuration needs to be modified:

• host should be set to your Qlik Sense host.
• prefix should be set to your virtual proxy, terminated by /, or just / if you do not use a virtual proxy.
• port should be set to the port that your Qlik Sense server is using.
• isSecure should be true if your server is using https (which is recommended), or false if using http.

Setting the global require and alert

The JavaScript file is loaded in the browser when your mashup is used. RequireJS is used as a module loader.

require( ["js/qlik"], function ( qlik ) {
	qlik.on( "error", function ( error ) {
		$( '#popupText' ).append( error.message + "<br>" );
		$( '#popup' ).fadeIn( 1000 );
	} );
	$( "#closePopup" ).click( function () {
		$( '#popup' ).hide();
	} );
    //open apps -- inserted here --
    //get objects -- inserted here --			
} );

Connecting to the Qlik Sense app

You need to connect to the Qlik Sense app containing the objects you want to display on your web page.

//open apps -- inserted here --
var app = qlik.openApp( 'Helpdesk Management.qvf', config );

Retrieving the Qlik Sense objects to use

You then need to fetch the objects you want to display.

//get objects -- inserted here --
app.getObject( 'QV06', 'uETyGUP' );
app.getObject( 'QV04', 'xfvKMP' );
app.getObject( 'QV05', 'rJFbvG' );
app.getObject( 'QV03', 'PAppmU' );
app.getObject( 'QV02', '298bbd6d-f23d-4469-94a2-df243d680e0c' );
app.getObject( 'QV01', 'hRZaKk' );

Creating the main HTML file

We create an HTML file, name it helpdesk.html, and save in the same folder as the QEXT file.

Defining the relationships

The relationship between the current document and the linked Qlik Sense defined style sheet is specified in a link rel tag inside the head of the HTML file.

       
<link rel="stylesheet" href="../../resources/autogenerated/qlik-styles.css">
<script src="../../resources/assets/external/requirejs/require.js"></script>
<script src="helpdesk.js"></script>

Adding an internal style sheet

Add some internal styling inside the head of the HTML file to organize the presentation of the charts.

<style>
div.flex-container {
    display: flex;
    flex-wrap: wrap;
    margin: 0 45px 45px 0;
}
div.qvobject {
    flex: 1 1 auto;
    height: 300px;
    min-width: 400px;
    margin: 45px 0 0 45px;
}
</style>

Placing the Qlik Sense objects

The Qlik Sense objects that have been defined in the JavaScript file are placed inside div tags inside the body of the HTML file.

<div class="flex-container">
	<div id="QV01" class="qvobject"></div>
	<div id="QV02" class="qvobject"></div>
	<div id="QV03" class="qvobject"></div>
	<div id="QV04" class="qvobject"></div>
	<div id="QV05" class="qvobject"></div>
	<div id="QV06" class="qvobject"></div>
</div>

Testing the mashup

Now is a good time to test your mashup. The URL to your mashup uses the following syntax:

Syntax:  

http://<ComputerName>:Port/extensions/<MashupName>/<MashupName>.html

Example: Path to Helpdesk example

http://localhost:4848/extensions/helpdesk/helpdesk.html