# Create an Entando Platform Capability

An Entando Platform Capability, or EPC, is a packaged capability in the form of a bundle that adds functionality to the platform with additional UX controls. An EPC simplifies the addition of menu options, an API management page, or WCMS integration like Strapi, all from the App Builder. This tutorial demonstrates how to build a simple EPC from a React micro frontend bundle.

# Prerequisites

  • A working instance of Entando
  • An existing React MFE

# Create a Simple EPC

Working with the React MFE Tutorial, the following steps convert the React bundle into an EPC by modifying the bundle descriptor and customizing the public path to serve static assets.

# Configure the Bundle Descriptor

Edit the bundle descriptor entando.json in the root bundle directory.

  1. Change the type to app-builder:
  "type": "app-builder"

  1. Remove the titles attribute

  2. Add the fields in the code snippet below:

"slot": "content",
"paths": ["/YOUR-MFE-NAME"],
"nav": [
    {
        "label": {
          "en": "YOUR EPC LABEL IN ENGLISH",
          "it": "YOUR EPC LABEL IN ITALIAN"
        },
        "target": "internal", 
        "url": "/YOUR-MFE-NAME"
    }
],
  • type: Use app-builder for an EPC
  • slot: Placement of the EPC on a page
  • paths: The URL path to the EPC in the App Builder. An external URL can be entered
  • nav: The visible label for the navigation item in the App Builder Menu

For more details on attributes, see the Bundle Details page.

Note: To continue with the same name as the React bundle, update the version number in the bundle descriptor entando.json. Otherwise, change the bundle name to avoid name conflicts in your Local Hub.

# Optional: Configure the Custom Element Paths

If you have static assets such as images or PDFs in your MFE, modify the public-path.js file in the microfrontends/YOUR-MFE-NAME/src/custom-elements directory.

  1. Retrieve the bundle ID using your information for the fields in all-caps:

    ent ecr get-bundle-id https://registry.hub.docker.com/YOUR-DOCKER-ORGANIZATION/YOUR-BUNDLE-NAME

    YOUR-BUNDLE-ID will be an 8-digit string of numbers and letters.

  2. Determine the bundle and widget codes. The CODE is simply the name followed by a dash and YOUR-BUNDLE-ID.

    YOUR-BUNDLE-CODE: YOUR-BUNDLE-NAME-YOUR-BUNDLE-ID
    YOUR-WIDGET-CODE: YOUR-WIDGET-NAME-YOUR-BUNDLE-ID

    e.g. With a bundle named bundleOne, a widget named mfeTwo, and bundle ID of 4986eb9c: YOUR-BUNDLE-CODE: bundleOne-4986eb9c
    YOUR-WIDGET-CODE: mfeTwo-4986eb9c

  3. Using your CODEs, replace the contents of public-path.js with the following:

if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'production') {
    let publicpath = '/entando-de-app/cmsresources/bundles/YOUR-BUNDLE-CODE/widgets/YOUR-WIDGET-CODE/'
    // eslint-disable-next-line no-undef
    __webpack_public_path__ = publicpath || './';
}

e.g. for the example from Step 2:
publicpath = '/entando-de-app/cmsresources/bundles/bundleOne-4986eb9c/widgets/mfeTwo-4986eb9c/'

# Build and Install the EPC

  1. From the root directory, build and install the bundle: 

    ent bundle pack
    ent bundle publish
    ent bundle deploy
    ent bundle install

  2. Log in to your App Builder to see the new EPC:

    • Go to EPC from the left menu and choose Uncategorized
    • Click on your EPC label
      You should see the spinning React logo inside the App Builder.

Congratulations!

You now have an EPC running on Entando!

Next Steps

← Introduction →