About the Oracle Analytics Extension Development Environment

Workflow to Set Up the Oracle Analytics Extension Development Environment

Here are the tasks you need to complete to set up your extension development environment. You can begin creating your extensions after you've successfully set up your environment.

Task	Description	More Information
Install Oracle Analytics Desktop	Provides the scripts you need to create your environment and create an extension skeleton. Oracle Analytics Desktop also functions as a local environment where you run and test your extensions.	Install Oracle Analytics Desktop on Mac Install Oracle Analytics Desktop on Windows
Install Java JDK	Provides the Java tools and libraries required to build your extensions.	Install Java JDK on Mac Install Java JDK on Windows
Set variables on your computer	Ensures that the Oracle Analytics Desktop scripts work properly. For Mac you configure bash profile, and for Windows you set user variables.	Update Bash Profile or ZSHRC File and Create the Development Directory on Mac Set User Variables and Create a Development Directory on Windows
Add a directory to contain your development environment	Provides a location where you create your development environment.	Update Bash Profile or ZSHRC File and Create the Development Directory on Mac Set User Variables and Create a Development Directory on Windows
Create your extension development environment	Provides the framework and resources you use to create and develop extensions.	Create the Extension Development Environment on Mac Create the Extension Development Environment on Windows

Oracle Analytics Extensions Development Scripts

Your installation of Oracle Analytics Desktop includes the scripts you use to create your development environment and create and work with extensions.

bicreateenv - Run this script to create the environment where you develop your extensions.
bicreateplugin - Run this script to create a skeleton extension. For information about the types of extensions that you can create with this script, see Types of Oracle Analytics Extensions.
bideleteplugin - Run this script to delete an extension from your development environment.
bivalidate - Run the gradlew validate command to call this script. The bivalidate script validates that the JSON configuration files are properly formatted and contain the appropriate extension configuration.

Types of Oracle Analytics Extensions

This topic lists the types of extensions you can create when you run the bicreateplugin script.

Visualization Extensions

Runing the bicreateplugin command creates a folder containing the files that you use to develop your visualization extension. The entry point of the visualizations is the render() method on the file <vizName>.js. The render() method is invoked during the creation of the visualization and during events like resize, data update, and so on.

You can create the following types of visualization extensions.

basic - Creates a visualization that doesn’t use any data from Oracle Analytics or any data model mapping. This is like the Image and Text visualization types delivered with Oracle Analytics.

For example, you can use this visualization type to show an image or some text that’s coded into the extension or from a configuration. You can use this type of visualization to improve formatting.
dataviz - Creates a visualization that renders data from data sources registered with Oracle Analytics into a chart or table or some other representation.
embeddableDataviz - Creates a visualization that renders data from data sources registered with Oracle Analytics into the cells of a trellis visualization.

Workbook Extension

You can create a workbook extension.

workbook - Creates the base structure that you use to develop a workbook-scoped extension. The extension's entry point is the performMainAction method. This code exists in the .js file created by the extension command, for example workbook.js.

Oracle Analytics Extension Development Resources

Oracle Analytics provides information to help you develop your extensions.

circlePack sample - The circlePack sample is included in your development environment to help you learn how to develop a visualization extension. You can deploy and use this sample immediately. You can also copy the sample and use it as a template for the visualization extensions that you want to create.

The circlePack sample is located in your development environment, for example <your_development_directory>\src\sampleviz\sample-circlepack
Extensions library - Extensions are available for you to download from the Oracle Analytics Extensions library.
JS API documentation - The API documentation contains JavaScript reference information that you need to develop an extension.
Oracle Analytics product documentation - These resources contain information about how to create workbooks and visualizations:

For Oracle Analytics Cloud, see Begin to Build a Workbook and Create Visualizations in Visualizing Data and Building Reports in Oracle Analytics Cloud.

For Oracle Analytics Server, see Begin to Build a Workbook and Create Visualizations in Visualizing Data in Oracle Analytics Server.

For Oracle Analytics Cloud, see Create Your First Visualization tutorial.

For Oracle Analytics Cloud and Oracle Analytics Server, see Get Started with Visualizations video.

Oracle Analytics Extensions Limitations

The extensions that you create are custom code and may not work properly in all browsers or on all devices.

When creating an extension, you as the developer must test all of the browsers and devices that you want the extension to render on.

Also, in some cases extensions may not work in the Oracle Analytics mobile application due to application restrictions that don't apply to browsers.