Create Custom View

SkillDev tools

Create a custom view for Datagrok by extending ViewBase

Available today. Use it from your connected AI after setup.

Connect ahel once, and every AI you use reads what you have installed.

Then ask your AI: use the Create Custom View skill

What this skill tells your AI

The instructions your AI receives, as published by datagrok-ai/public in .claude/skills/create-custom-view/SKILL.md and read by ahel’s review.

Create a custom view for the Datagrok platform that can be opened via URL, saved in projects, and added to navigation.

Usage

/create-custom-view [view-name] [package-path]

Instructions

When this skill is invoked, help the user create a custom view by extending DG.ViewBase.

Step 1: Create the view class

Create a new file in the package's src/ directory (e.g., src/my-view.ts).

The class must extend DG.ViewBase and implement:

  • get type() - view type identifier string
  • get name() - display name
  • get path() - URL path for the view (used for routing)
  • get helpUrl() (optional) - link to help page
  • getIcon() (optional) - returns an HTMLElement for the view icon
  • saveStateMap() / loadStateMap(stateMap) - state serialization for project saving
  • handlePath(path) - restore view from a URL path
  • acceptsPath(path) - return true if this view handles the given URL path
export class MyView extends DG.ViewBase {
  private TYPE = 'MyView';
  private PATH = '/myview';

  constructor(params: any, path: string) {
    super(params, path);
    this.TYPE = 'MyView';
    this.PATH = '/myview';
  }

  get type() { return this.TYPE; }
  get helpUrl() { return '/help/path/to/help.md'; }
  get name() { return 'My View'; }
  get path() { return `${this.PATH}/${this.viewId}`; }

  getIcon(): HTMLElement {
    let img = document.createElement('img');
    img.src = '/images/entities/my-icon.png';
    img.height = 18;
    img.width = 18;
    return img;
  }

  // State serialization for project saving
  saveStateMap(): Record<string, any> { return {'viewId': this.viewId}; }
  loadStateMap(stateMap: Record<string, any>) { this.open(stateMap['viewId']); }

  // URL routing
  handlePath(path: string) {
    let id = path.replace(`${this.PATH}/`, '');
    this.open(id);
  }

  acceptsPath(path: string): boolean { return path.startsWith(this.PATH); }
}

Step 2: Register the view

Add a factory function in package.ts with the view tag:

//name: My View
//description: Creates a My View
//input: map params
//input: string path
//tags: view
//output: view result
export function myView(params: any = null, path: string = '') {
  return new MyView(params, path);
}

The registration rules:

  • Must have the view tag
  • Must accept params (map) and path (string) inputs
  • Must return output of type view

Step 3: Build and populate the view

Add UI content to the view in the constructor or an open() method:

this.root.appendChild(ui.divText('Hello from My View!'));
this.root.appendChild(ui.button('Click me', () => grok.shell.info('Clicked')));

For ad-hoc views (quick prototyping without a class):

let view = grok.shell.newView('My Quick View', [ui.divText('Hi!')]);

Key points

  • saveStateMap / loadStateMap enable saving views as part of a project
  • handlePath / acceptsPath enable URL-based routing (opening views from links)
  • The path property should return a unique URL that can reconstruct the view state
  • For real examples, see the Notebooks package: public/packages/Notebooks/src/package.js

Behavior

  1. Ask the user what the view should display if not specified
  2. Create the view class with proper state serialization and URL routing
  3. Register the view factory function in package.ts
  4. Add appropriate UI components to the view
  5. Ensure imports are correct (import * as DG from 'datagrok-api/dg', import * as grok from 'datagrok-api/grok', import * as ui from 'datagrok-api/ui')

Signals

GitHub stars
72
Forks
32
Last commit
Sep 2026
Advanced
Catalog kind
skill
Gateway key
create-custom-view
Source
github.com/datagrok-ai/public