---
Title: Form extensibility and customization
Added: v2.0.0
---
# Form Extensibility and Customization
This page describes how you can customize ADF forms to your own specification.
_Note: it is assumed you are familiar with Alfresco Process Services (powered by Activiti) form definition structure._
- How components and widgets are rendered on a [`Form`](../../lib/process-services/src/lib/task-list/models/form.model.ts)
- Replacing default form widgets with custom components
- Replacing custom stencils with custom components
## Contents
- [How components and widgets are rendered on a Form](#how-components-and-widgets-are-rendered-on-a-form)
- [Component type resolvers](#component-type-resolvers)
- [Default component mappings](#default-component-mappings)
- [Replacing default form widgets with custom components](#replacing-default-form-widgets-with-custom-components)
- [Replacing custom stencils with custom components](#replacing-custom-stencils-with-custom-components)
- [Creating custom stencil](#creating-custom-stencil)
- [Creating custom widget](#creating-custom-widget)
- [See Also](#see-also)
## How components and widgets are rendered on a Form
All form field editors (aka widgets) on a [`Form`](../../lib/process-services/src/lib/task-list/models/form.model.ts) are rendered by means of [`FormFieldComponent`](../core/components/form-field.component.md)
that takes an instance of a [`FormFieldModel`](../core/models/form-field.model.md):
```html
<form-field [field]="field"></form-field>
```
This component depends on [`FormRenderingService`](../core/services/form-rendering.service.md) service to map [`FormFieldModel`](../core/models/form-field.model.md) to UI component
based on field type or metadata information.
### Component type resolvers
[`FormRenderingService`](../core/services/form-rendering.service.md) maps field types to corresponding instances exposing `ComponentTypeResolver` interface:
```ts
export interface ComponentTypeResolver {
(field: FormFieldModel): Type<{}>;
}
```
Typically a `ComponentTypeResolver` is a function that takes [`FormFieldModel`](../core/models/form-field.model.md) and returns corresponding component type.
This can either be a predefined component type or dynamically evaluated based on the field properties and metadata.
#### Static component mapping
You can (re)map fields like in the following:
```ts
let customResolver: ComponentTypeResolver = () => CustomWidgetComponent;
formRenderingService.setComponentTypeResolver('text', customResolver, true);
```
or simply:
```ts
formRenderingService.setComponentTypeResolver('text', () => CustomWidgetComponent, true);
```
#### Dynamic component mapping
Alternatively your resolver may return different component types based on [`FormFieldModel`](../core/models/form-field.model.md) state and condition:
```ts
let customResolver: ComponentTypeResolver = (field: FormFieldModel): Type<{}> => {
if (field) {
let params = field.params;
}
return UnknownWidgetComponent;
};
formRenderingService.setComponentTypeResolver('text', customResolver, true);
```
### Default component mappings
| Stencil Name | Field Type | Component Type |
| ------------ | ---------- | -------------- |
| Text | text | [`TextWidgetComponent`](../../lib/core/form/components/widgets/text/text.widget.ts) |
| Number | integer | [`NumberWidgetComponent`](../../lib/core/form/components/widgets/number/number.widget.ts) |
| Multi-line text | multi-line-text | [`MultilineTextWidgetComponentComponent`](../../lib/core/form/components/widgets/multiline-text/multiline-text.widget.ts) |
| Checkbox | boolean | [`CheckboxWidgetComponent`](../../lib/core/form/components/widgets/checkbox/checkbox.widget.ts) |
| Dropdown | dropdown | [`DropdownWidgetComponent`](../../lib/core/form/components/widgets/dropdown/dropdown.widget.ts) |
| Date | date | [`DateWidgetComponent`](../../lib/core/form/components/widgets/date/date.widget.ts) |
| Amount | amount | [`AmountWidgetComponent`](../../lib/core/form/components/widgets/amount/amount.widget.ts) |
| Radio buttons | radio-buttons | [`RadioButtonsWidgetComponent`](../../lib/core/form/components/widgets/radio-buttons/radio-buttons.widget.ts) |
| Hyperlink | hyperlink | [`HyperlinkWidgetComponent`](../../lib/core/form/components/widgets/hyperlink/hyperlink.widget.ts) |
| Display value | readonly | DisplayValueWidgetComponent |
| Display text | readonly-text | [`DisplayTextWidgetComponentComponent`](../../lib/core/form/components/widgets/display-text/display-text.widget.ts) |
| Typeahead | typeahead | [`TypeaheadWidgetComponent`](../../lib/core/form/components/widgets/typeahead/typeahead.widget.ts) |
| People | people | [`PeopleWidgetComponent`](../../lib/core/form/components/widgets/people/people.widget.ts) |
| Group of people | functional-group | [`FunctionalGroupWidgetComponent`](../../lib/core/form/components/widgets/functional-group/functional-group.widget.ts) |
| Dynamic table | dynamic-table | [`DynamicTableWidgetComponent`](../../lib/core/form/components/widgets/dynamic-table/dynamic-table.widget.ts) |
| N/A | container | [`ContainerWidgetComponent`](../../lib/core/form/components/widgets/container/container.widget.ts) (layout component) |
| Header | group | [`ContainerWidgetComponent`](../../lib/core/form/components/widgets/container/container.widget.ts) |
| Attach | upload | AttachWidgetComponent or [`UploadWidgetComponent`](../../lib/core/form/components/widgets/upload/upload.widget.ts) (based on metadata) |
| N/A | N/A | [`UnknownWidgetComponent`](../../lib/core/form/components/widgets/unknown/unknown.widget.ts) |
## Replacing default form widgets with custom components
This is a short walkthrough on replacing a standard `Text` [widget](../../lib/testing/src/lib/core/pages/form/widgets/widget.ts) with a custom component for all APS forms
rendered within `<adf-form>` component.
First let's create a simple APS form with `Text` widgets:
Every custom [widget](../../lib/testing/src/lib/core/pages/form/widgets/widget.ts) must inherit [`WidgetComponent`](../insights/components/widget.component.md) class in order to function properly:
```ts
import { Component } from '@angular/core';
import { WidgetComponent } from '@alfresco/adf-core';
@Component({
selector: 'custom-editor',
template: `
<div style="color: red">Look, I'm a custom editor!</div>
`
})
export class CustomEditorComponent extends WidgetComponent {}
```
Now you will need to add it to the application module or any custom module that is imported into the application one:
```ts
import { NgModule } from '@angular/core';
import { CustomEditorComponent } from './custom-editor.component';
@NgModule({
declarations: [ CustomEditorComponent ],
exports: [ CustomEditorComponent ],
entryComponents: [ CustomEditorComponent ]
})
export class CustomEditorsModule {}
```
Every custom [widget](../../lib/testing/src/lib/core/pages/form/widgets/widget.ts) should be added into all three module collections: `declarations`, `exports` and `entryComponents`.
If you decided to store custom widgets in a separate dedicated module (and optionally as separate redistributable library)
don't forget to import it into your main application one:
```ts
@NgModule({
imports: [
// ...
CustomEditorsModule
// ...
],
providers: [],
bootstrap: [ AppComponent ]
})
export class AppModule {}
```
Now you can import [`FormRenderingService`](../core/services/form-rendering.service.md) in any of your Views and override default mapping similar to the following:
```ts
import { Component } from '@angular/core';
import { CustomEditorComponent } from './custom-editor.component';
@Component({...})
export class MyView {
constructor(formRenderingService: FormRenderingService) {
formRenderingService.setComponentTypeResolver('text', () => CustomEditorComponent, true);
}
}
```
At runtime it should look similar to the following:
## Replacing custom stencils with custom components
This is a short walkthrough on rendering custom APS stencils by means of custom Angular components.
### Creating custom stencil
First let's create a basic stencil and call it `Custom Stencil 01`:
_Note the `internal identifier` value as it will become a `field type` value when corresponding form is rendered._
Next put some simple html layout for [`Form`](../../lib/process-services/src/lib/task-list/models/form.model.ts)`runtime template` and [`Form`](../../lib/process-services/src/lib/task-list/models/form.model.ts)`editor template` fields:
```html
<div style="color: blue">Custom activiti stencil</div>
```
Now you are ready to design a test form based on your custom stencil:
Once wired with a new task it should look like the following within APS web application:
### Creating custom widget
If you load previously created task into ADF `<adf-form>` component you will see something like the following:
Let's create an Angular component to render missing content:
```ts
import { Component } from '@angular/core';
import { WidgetComponent } from '@alfresco/adf-core';
@Component({
selector: 'custom-stencil-01',
template: `<div style="color: green">ADF version of custom Activiti stencil</div>`
})
export class CustomStencil01 extends WidgetComponent {}
```
Put it inside custom module:
```ts
import { NgModule } from '@angular/core';
import { CustomStencil01 } from './custom-stencil-01.component';
@NgModule({
declarations: [ CustomStencil01 ],
exports: [ CustomStencil01 ],
entryComponents: [ CustomStencil01 ]
})
export class CustomEditorsModule {}
```
And import into your Application Module
```ts
@NgModule({
imports: [
// ...
CustomEditorsModule
// ...
],
providers: [],
bootstrap: [ AppComponent ]
})
export class AppModule {}
```
Now you can import [`FormRenderingService`](../core/services/form-rendering.service.md) in any of your Views and provide new mapping:
```ts
import { Component } from '@angular/core';
import { CustomStencil01 } from './custom-stencil-01.component';
@Component({...})
export class MyView {
constructor(formRenderingService: FormRenderingService) {
formRenderingService.setComponentTypeResolver('custom_stencil_01', () => CustomStencil01, true);
}
}
```
At runtime you should now see your custom Angular component rendered in place of the stencils:
## See Also
- [Form field model](../core/models/form-field.model.md)
- [Form rendering service](../core/services/form-rendering.service.md)
- [Form component](../core/components/form.component.md)
- [Widget component](../insights/components/widget.component.md)