Active Workspace Customization & Extensions

AWC Architecture Recap

Active Workspace is a web client built on a modular JavaScript stack. Customization options include AWC client extensions, server-side services, and embedding third-party components via iFrames or widgets.

When to Customize AWC

To add context-sensitive UI components (e.g., custom part summary panels)
To embed analytics or dashboards within the AWC UI
To integrate lightweight third-party viewers

AWC Extension Types

1. Client-side (JavaScript/React) Extensions

Create React components that plug into AWC extension points. Keep them stateless where possible and use Teamcenter REST APIs to fetch data.

2. Server-side Extensions

Develop services (SOA/REST) that the AWC client can call for heavy-lift operations or data transformation.

3. Embedded Widgets / iFrames

Use iFrames for third-party dashboards (Power BI) or add lightweight widgets that load from a trusted origin.

Sample: Simple AWC Client Extension (Pseudo-code)

// register a custom panel
awp.registerPanel('my.custom.panel', {
  render: (container, context) => {
    // fetch data from Teamcenter REST
    fetch('/tc/odata/Service/PartService(123)')
      .then(res => res.json())
      .then(data => container.innerHTML = `${data.name}`);
  }
});

Best Practices

Keep extensions modular and under version control.
Respect AWC lifecycle hooks to avoid memory leaks.
Use HTTPS and validate origins for any embedded iFrame content.
Document extension points and provide config-driven options.

Testing & Deployment

Bundle client extensions as part of your awc.war or deploy them through the AWC extension mechanism if your Teamcenter version supports remote extension loading. Run cross-browser tests and verify performance under load.

Integration Patterns

Synchronous API Calls: REST or SOA calls for immediate requests (e.g., part lookup, session login).
Asynchronous Messaging: Use queues for heavy or long-running tasks (JMS, Kafka).
Middleware / Adapter Layer: Centralize transformation and security in a thin middleware (Flask, Spring Boot, Node.js).

Teamcenter SOA vs REST

Teamcenter provides both SOA services and REST/ODATA endpoints. Use REST for web-native integrations and SOA for deeper platform interactions where available.

Sample REST call (login)

POST /tc/soa/service/com/teamcenter/services/core/SessionService/login
Content-Type: application/json
{
  "user":"myuser","password":"mypassword"
}

Middleware Example (Node.js / Express)

// minimal middleware proxy example
const express = require('express');
const fetch = require('node-fetch');
const app = express();
app.use(express.json());

app.post('/api/part-sync', async (req, res) => {
  // transform and call Teamcenter REST
  const tcResp = await fetch('https://plm.example.com/tc/odata/PartService', { method:'GET' });
  const body = await tcResp.json();
  res.json({ success:true, data: body });
});

Security & Governance

Use centralized authentication: OAuth2 / SAML (SSO).
Enforce TLS for all endpoints and encrypt sensitive payloads.
Implement rate limiting and input validation at middleware.

Testing Strategies

Contract testing for API consumers (Postman, Pact).
End-to-end smoke tests for critical flows (login, BOM fetch).
Performance tests for high-volume integrations.