Windows

The Layouts API is accessible through the io.layouts object.

All Layouts by Type

To get all Layouts by type, use the getAll() method and specify the Layout type. It resolves with a collection of LayoutSummary objects, which don't contain the extensive objects describing the actual Layout components:

const allGlobalLayouts = await io.layouts.getAll("Global");

Specific Layout

To get a specific Layout, use the get() method and provide the name of the Layout and the Layout type as arguments. It resolves with the requested Layout object or undefined if a Layout with the specified name and type doesn't exist:

const name = "My Layout";
const type = "Global";

const myLayout = await io.layouts.get(name, type);

Save & Restore

⚠️ Note that if you haven't already handled programmatically the process of requesting a permission from the user for the Window Management browser functionality, the first time either the save() or the restore() method is invoked, the Global Layouts library will automatically ask the user for permission. This default behavior isn't recommended, as it isn't ideal for the user experience.

To save a Layout, use the save() method and pass a NewLayoutOptions object with a required name property. If a Layout with that name already exists, it will be replaced. The method resolves with the saved Layout object:

const layoutConfig = {
    name: "My Layout"
};

const savedLayout = await io.layouts.save(layoutConfig);

To restore a Layout, use the restore() method and pass a RestoreOptions object specifying the name of the Layout (required) and other restore options:

const restoreOptions = {
    name: "My Layout",
    // Specify whether to close all running apps before restoring the Layout. Defaults to `true`.
    // The Main app is an exception and will never be closed when restoring a Layout.
    closeRunningInstance: false
};

await io.layouts.restore(restoreOptions);

Rename

Available since io.Connect Browser 3.3

To rename a Layout, use the rename() method. You must pass the Layout object to rename as a first argument and the new name for the Layout as a second argument:

await io.layouts.rename(myLayout, "My New Layout");

Remove

To remove a Layout, use the remove() method. You must pass the Layout type and the name of the Layout as arguments:

await io.layouts.remove("Global", "My Layout");

Export & Import

You can export all currently available Layout objects with the export() method. Exported Layouts can be stored to a database and then be used as restore points, or can be sent to another user and imported on their machine.

const layouts = await io.layouts.export();

To import exported Layouts, use the import() method. Pass the collection of Layout objects to import and specify an ImportMode:

const mode = "merge";

await io.layouts.import(layouts, mode);

The ImportMode controls the import behavior. If set to "replace" (default), all existing Layouts will be removed. If set to "merge", the imported Layouts will be added to the existing ones, replacing any Layouts with conflicting names.

Update Metadata

Available since io.Connect Browser 3.3

To persist any changes made to the metadata of a Layout object, use the updateMetadata() method and provide the Layout as an argument:

// Changing the metadata of a Layout.
myLayout.metadata = { io: 42 };

// Updating the metadata of a Layout so that it will be persisted.
await io.layouts.updateMetadata(myLayout);

The Layouts API allows your app to react to Layout events like adding, removing, updating or renaming a Layout. Use the returned unsubscribe function to stop receiving notifications about the respective event.

Added

To subscribe for the event which fires when a Layout is added, use the onAdded() method:

io.layouts.onAdded(console.log);

Removed

To subscribe for the event which fires when a Layout is removed, use the onRemoved() method:

io.layouts.onRemoved(console.log);

Changed

To subscribe for the event which fires when a Layout is changed, use the onChanged() method:

io.layouts.onChanged(console.log);

Renamed

Available since io.Connect Browser 3.3

To get notified when a Layout is renamed, use the onRenamed() method:

io.layouts.onRenamed(console.log);

When a Layout is saved, apps can store context data in it. When the Layout is restored, the context data is also restored and returned to the apps. Context data can be saved in all Layout types.

⚠️ Note that saving large volumes of custom data as window context (e.g., thousands of lines of table data) can lead to significant delays when saving a Layout. A Layout usually contains several (in some cases - many) apps and/or Workspaces (which can also contain many apps) and if one or more of the apps saves large amounts of context data each time a Layout is saved, this will significantly slow down the saving process. The methods for saving custom context work best with smaller amounts of data. If your app needs to save large amounts of data, you have to think about how to design this process better - for instance, you may store IDs, indices, etc., as context data, save the actual data to a database and when you restore the Layout, fetch the data using the data IDs saved as window context.

Saving Context Data

To save context data, apps can subscribe for Layout save requests using the onSaveRequested() method. A Layout save request event is fired when the user attempts to save a Layout or close a window, Workspace, etc. The on onSaveRequested() method accepts a callback which will be invoked when a Layout save request is triggered. The callback will receive as an argument a SaveRequestContext object containing the Layout name, type and context. Use it to determine the type of the Layout and instruct your app to react accordingly:

const saveRequestHandler = (requestInfo) => {
    // Get the Layout type.
    const layoutType = requestInfo.layoutType;

    // Check the Layout type and return data.
    if (layoutType === "Global") {
        return { windowContext: { gridWidth: 42 } };

    } else {
        // Return if not interested in other Layout types.
        return;
    };
};

io.layouts.onSaveRequested(saveRequestHandler);

The callback must return a SaveRequestResponse object that has a windowContext property.

After the Layout has been restored, the saved context data will be available in the window context:

// Extracting previously saved data from the window context.
const windowContext = await io.windows.my().getContext();
const gridWidth = windowContext.gridWidth;

io.Connect Browser allows you to specify a default Global Layout that will be automatically loaded on start. You can get, set and clear the default Global Layout programmatically.

To get the current default Global Layout, use the getDefaultGlobal() method:

// May return `undefined` if no default Global Layout has been set.
const defaultLayout = await io.layouts.getDefaultGlobal();

To set a default Global Layout, use the setDefaultGlobal() method:

io.layouts.setDefaultGlobal("My Layout");

To clear the default Global Layout, use the clearDefaultGlobal() method:

io.layouts.clearDefaultGlobal();

To check whether the Main app has loaded and initialized the Global Layouts library that enables io.Connect Browser to save and restore Layouts of type "Global", use the getGlobalTypeState() method. It returns an object with an activated property holding a Boolean value:

const state = await io.layouts.getGlobalTypeState();

if (state.activated) {
    // Global Layouts are available.
} else {
    // Global Layouts aren't available.
};

The Layouts API provides methods with which you can ask the user to allow the Window Management browser functionality, which is mandatory for the Global Layouts to work properly. This allows you to handle the permission request process at the right moment, in a well-designed manner.

To check whether the user has already granted or denied permission for the Window Management browser functionality, or this permission is yet to be requested, use the getMultiScreenPermissionState() method and extract the value describing the current permission state from the state property of the returned object:

const permission = await io.layouts.getMultiScreenPermissionState();

switch (permission.state) {
    case "prompt":
        // Permission hasn't been requested yet.
        break;
    case "granted":
        // Permission has already been granted.
        break;
    case "denied":
        // Permission has already been denied.
        break;
    default:
        break;
};

To request a permission from the user for the Window Management browser functionality, use the requestMultiScreenPermission() method. It returns an object with a permissionGranted Boolean property:

const result = await io.layouts.requestMultiScreenPermission();

if (result.permissionGranted) {
    // The user has granted permission.
} else {
    // The user has denied permission.
};

⚠️ Note that requestMultiScreenPermission() should be called only by the Main app in order to guarantee that the browser will indeed display the appropriate prompt. If any other Browser Client invokes requestMultiScreenPermission(), then the corresponding Main app will try to request the permission, but will almost certainly fail to display the prompt, because of the transient activation requirement for displaying permission prompts employed by most major browsers.

For a complete list of the available Layouts API methods and properties, see the Layouts API Reference Documentation.