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Process of Creating a Browser-Based Configurator Application

Using Interactive Designer, you can create an Configurator application that allows users to configure a product or solution.

An Configurator application displays UI controls populated with data contained in Feature tables. As users make selections, rules stored in the Configuration table determine which selections are valid. Guidance messages stored in the Configuration tables are displayed based on the user's selections. For example, if a user selects a red luxury sedan, and the luxury sedan is not available in red, the guidance message appears: "The luxury sedan is available in only black or silver. Please select one of these colors or select a different model." In the Outputs page, you can display the current product or solution based on the user's selections.

Figure 4 shows an example of an Configurator application at runtime.

Figure 4.  An Configurator Application at Runtime

To create an Configurator application, go through the following process:

1. Create a project. For more information, see Creating an Interactive Designer Project.
2. Create a pageset. For more information, see Creating Interactive Designer Pagesets.
3. Create feature tables. For more information, see Process of Creating Interactive Designer Feature Tables.
4. Create and set up configuration tables. For more information, see Process of Creating Interactive Designer Configuration Tables.
   1. Add an output column to the MAIN Configuration table or to a subtable, to store product IDs for your products or solutions.
   2. Add a link UI control to the Results page of the pageset and reference the column that stores product IDs.
   3. In the Configuration table, enter all valid and invalid combinations of your features.
5. Create the contents list. For more information, see Creating a Contents List Record.
6. Add input UI controls. Add UI controls for the features to the Inputs page. For more information, see About Interactive Designer Input UI Controls.
7. Add output UI controls. Add UI controls to the Results page to display information about the product or solution that results from the user's selections. For more information, see About Interactive Designer Output UI Controls.
8. Preview the project. For more information, see Previewing an Interactive Designer Project.
9. Deploy the application. For more information, see Deploying an Interactive Designer Project.
10. Link the application to quotes, the shopping cart, and other Siebel products. For more information, see Working with Deployed Interactive Designer Applications.