Can I extend saved components???

[worthlutz]

Can I extend saved components in Architect?

Say I create a new component and add some configs and methods. I then save this component to the toolbox.

How can I use this component in the project by using it as a base component and extending it into more new components?

I'd like to drag it to the inspector and have it create a new object extending my original one.

Is this possible? Or am I barking up the wrong tree?

Worth

[jjohnston]

Unfortunately this is not yet possible in Architect. You are also unable to extend top-level components in the inspector, which is essentially the same thing. We do have plans to fully support deep extension of project classes in a near future release, though it won't be in the upcoming 2.2.

[worthlutz]

If I cannot extend components yet, is there a way where I could add an item to view by xtype in Architect?

I'll define the components manually and then add them as a resource.

It would be nice to have a item in the toolbox like "generic item" or "xType" component or whatever it should be called.

Upon dragging this item from the toolbox to a existing component in the project inspector they would be added to the items array like this:

{
    xtype: 'mycustomwhatever'
}

This item could not be a top level item and would only be added to components with an items array.

"xtype" could be the only required config.

All the rest of the config items would be custom as Architect does not know what is in that item.
But I do!

Worth

[jjohnston]

As it turns out, we're introducing something very much like that in the upcoming 2.2 release. When you add a child component, you can specify a 'createAlias' which essentially overrides the xtype in its config object in the generated code. A screenshot:

Screen Shot 2013-01-07 at 2.37.25 PM.png

[worthlutz]

GREAT!

This is something I've needed.

Any time soon?

Worth

[Gil Gordon]

createAlias is now in Architect 2.2

[worthlutz]

And it works good!

NOTE: If you have a top level item in the inspector, createAlias does not show up. Child items will have this config property.

For example, drag a toolbar to the view area. No createAlias property.
Then drag a button to the toolbar. This button will have a createAlias property and you can use a component save in a file somewhere and pointed to by the loader path.

Worth