sap-sac-custom-widget

name	sap-sac-custom-widget
description	SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) Custom Widget development skill. Use when building custom visualizations, interactive components, extending SAC with Web Components, or creating Widget Add-Ons to customize built-in widgets. Covers JSON metadata configuration, JavaScript Web Components, lifecycle functions, data binding with feeds, styling panels, builder panels, property/event/method definitions, custom types, script API data types, third-party library integration, hosting options, security, performance optimization, and debugging. Includes Widget Add-On feature (QRC Q4 2023+) for extending built-in widgets without creating from scratch. Provides templates for basic widgets, data-bound charts, styling panels, and KPI cards. Supports Optimized Story Experience and Analytics Designer. Prevents common errors: missing lifecycle functions, incorrect JSON schema, integrity warnings, CORS failures, property type mismatches, data binding issues, and performance anti-patterns. Keywords: sap analytics cloud, sac custom widget, custom widget development, web component sac, json metadata widget, widget lifecycle functions, onCustomWidgetBeforeUpdate, onCustomWidgetAfterUpdate, onCustomWidgetResize, onCustomWidgetDestroy, sac data binding, widget data binding, dataBindings feeds, getDataBinding, getResultSet, styling panel widget, builder panel widget, widget properties events methods, propertiesChanged event, dispatchEvent custom widget, sac echarts integration, sac d3js integration, third party library sac, widget hosting sac, sac hosted widget, integrity hash widget, sha256 integrity, widget security cors, sac widget debugging, custom visualization sac, sac analytics designer widget, optimized story experience widget, sac widget api, widget add-on, sac script api widget, custom types enumeration, MemberInfo ResultMemberInfo Selection, widget installation admin, sac performance optimization, shadow dom web component, sac tooltip customization, plot area addon
license	GPL-3.0
metadata	{"version":"1.2.0","last_verified":"2025-11-26T00:00:00.000Z","sac_version":"2025.21","token_savings":"~75%","errors_prevented":"25+","official_docs":["https://help.sap.com/docs/SAP_ANALYTICS_CLOUD/0ac8c6754ff84605a4372468d002f2bf/75311f67527c41638ceb89af9cd8af3e.html","https://help.sap.com/doc/c813a28922b54e50bd2a307b099787dc/release/en-US/CustomWidgetDevGuide_en.pdf"],"samples_repo":"https://github.com/SAP-samples/analytics-cloud-datasphere-community-content/tree/main/SAC_Custom_Widgets"}
allowed-tools	["Read","Write","Edit","Bash","WebFetch"]

SAP Analytics Cloud Custom Widget Development

Overview

This skill enables development of custom widgets for SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC). Custom widgets are Web Components that extend SAC stories and applications with custom visualizations, interactive elements, and specialized functionality.

Use this skill when:

• Building custom visualizations not available in standard SAC
• Integrating third-party charting libraries (ECharts, D3.js, Chart.js)
• Creating interactive input components for SAC applications
• Implementing specialized data displays or KPI widgets
• Extending Analytics Designer applications with custom functionality
• Troubleshooting custom widget loading or data binding issues

Requirements:

• SAC tenant with Optimized Story Experience or Analytics Designer
• JavaScript/Web Components knowledge
• External hosting (GitHub Pages, AWS S3, Azure) OR SAC-hosted resources (QRC Q2 2023+)

---

Quick Start

Minimal Custom Widget Structure

A custom widget requires two files:

1. widget.json (Metadata)

{
  "id": "com.company.mywidget",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "name": "My Custom Widget",
  "description": "A simple custom widget",
  "vendor": "Company Name",
  "license": "MIT",
  "icon": "",
  "webcomponents": [
    {
      "kind": "main",
      "tag": "my-custom-widget",
      "url": "https://your-host.com/widget.js",
      "integrity": "",
      "ignoreIntegrity": true
    }
  ],
  "properties": {
    "title": {
      "type": "string",
      "default": "My Widget"
    }
  },
  "methods": {},
  "events": {}
}

2. widget.js (Web Component)

(function() {
  const template = document.createElement("template");
  template.innerHTML = `
    <style>
      :host {
        display: block;
        width: 100%;
        height: 100%;
      }
      .container {
        padding: 16px;
        font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
      }
    </style>
    <div class="container">
      <h3 id="title">My Widget</h3>
      <div id="content"></div>
    </div>
  `;

  class MyCustomWidget extends HTMLElement {
    constructor() {
      super();
      this._shadowRoot = this.attachShadow({ mode: "open" });
      this._shadowRoot.appendChild(template.content.cloneNode(true));
      this._props = {};
    }

    connectedCallback() {
      // Called when element is added to DOM
    }

    onCustomWidgetBeforeUpdate(changedProperties) {
      // Called BEFORE properties are updated
      this._props = { ...this._props, ...changedProperties };
    }

    onCustomWidgetAfterUpdate(changedProperties) {
      // Called AFTER properties are updated - render here
      if (changedProperties.title !== undefined) {
        this._shadowRoot.getElementById("title").textContent = changedProperties.title;
      }
    }

    onCustomWidgetResize() {
      // Called when widget is resized
    }

    onCustomWidgetDestroy() {
      // Cleanup when widget is removed
    }

    // Property getter/setter (required for SAC framework)
    get title() {
      return this._props.title;
    }
    set title(value) {
      this._props.title = value;
      this.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent("propertiesChanged", {
        detail: { properties: { title: value } }
      }));
    }
  }

  customElements.define("my-custom-widget", MyCustomWidget);
})();

⚠️ Production Note: The ignoreIntegrity: true setting above is development only. For production deployments, generate a SHA256 integrity hash and set ignoreIntegrity: false.

---

Community Sample Widgets

SAP provides 15+ ready-to-use custom widget samples:

Repository: SAP-samples/SAC_Custom_Widgets

Category	Widgets
Charts	Funnel, Pareto, Sankey, Sunburst, Tree, Line, UI5 Gantt
KPI/Gauge	KPI Ring, Gauge Grade, Half Donut, Nested Pie, Custom Pie
Utilities	File Upload, Word Cloud, Bar Gradient, Widget Add-on Sample

Requirements: Optimized View Mode (OVM) enabled, data binding support

Note: Check third-party library licenses before production use.

---

Key Concepts

Lifecycle Functions

Essential functions called by SAC framework:

• onCustomWidgetBeforeUpdate(changedProperties) - Pre-update hook
• onCustomWidgetAfterUpdate(changedProperties) - Post-update (render here)
• onCustomWidgetResize() - Handle resize events
• onCustomWidgetDestroy() - Cleanup resources

Data Binding

Configure in widget.json to receive SAC model data:

{
  "dataBindings": {
    "myDataBinding": {
      "feeds": [
        {
          "id": "dimensions",
          "description": "Dimensions",
          "type": "dimension"
        },
        {
          "id": "measures",
          "description": "Measures",
          "type": "mainStructureMember"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

Access data in JavaScript:

// Get data binding
const dataBinding = this.dataBindings.getDataBinding("myDataBinding");

// Access result set
const data = this.myDataBinding.data;
const metadata = this.myDataBinding.metadata;

// Iterate over rows
this.myDataBinding.data.forEach(row => {
  const dimensionValue = row.dimensions_0.label;
  const measureValue = row.measures_0.raw;
});

Hosting Options

1. SAC-Hosted (Recommended, QRC Q2 2023+)

• Upload files directly to SAC > Files > Public Files
• Use relative paths: "/path/to/widget.js"
• Set "integrity": "" and "ignoreIntegrity": true

2. GitHub Pages

• Create repository with widget files
• Enable GitHub Pages in Settings
• Use URL: https://username.github.io/repo/widget.js

3. External Web Server

• AWS S3, Azure Blob, or any HTTPS server
• Must include CORS headers: Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *

Security: Integrity Hash

For production, generate SHA256 hash:

# Generate hash
openssl dgst -sha256 -binary widget.js | openssl base64 -A

# Update JSON
"integrity": "sha256-abc123...",
"ignoreIntegrity": false

---

Common Errors & Solutions

Error	Cause	Solution
"The system couldn't load the custom widget"	Incorrect URL or hosting issue	Verify URL is accessible, check CORS
"Integrity check failed"	Hash mismatch	Regenerate hash after JS changes
Widget not appearing	Missing connectedCallback render	Call render in onCustomWidgetAfterUpdate
Properties not updating	Missing propertiesChanged dispatch	Use dispatchEvent with propertiesChanged
Data not displaying	Data binding misconfigured	Verify feeds in JSON match usage

---

Debugging

Browser DevTools

1. Open Chrome DevTools (F12)
2. Sources tab: Find widget.js, set breakpoints
3. Console tab: View console.log output
4. Network tab: Check if files load (200 status)

Debug Pattern

onCustomWidgetAfterUpdate(changedProperties) {
  console.log("Widget updated:", changedProperties);
  console.log("Current props:", this._props);
  console.log("Data binding:", this.myDataBinding?.data);
  this._render();
}

---

Widget Add-Ons (QRC Q4 2023+)

Widget Add-Ons extend built-in SAC widgets without building from scratch.

Use Cases:

• Customize chart tooltips
• Add visual elements to plot areas
• Override built-in styling

Supported Charts: Bar/Column, Stacked Bar/Column, Line, Stacked Area, Numeric Point

Key Differences:

• Only main and builder components (no styling)
• Must specify extension target (tooltip, plotArea, numericPoint)
• SAC provides chart context data via methods

See references/widget-addon-guide.md for complete implementation.

---

Bundled Resources

For detailed templates and examples, see:

1. references/json-schema-reference.md - Complete JSON schema documentation
2. references/widget-templates.md - Ready-to-use widget templates (6 templates)
3. references/echarts-integration.md - ECharts library integration guide
4. references/widget-addon-guide.md - Widget Add-On development (QRC Q4 2023+)
5. references/best-practices-guide.md - Performance, security, and development guidelines
6. references/advanced-topics.md - Custom types, script API types, installation
7. references/integration-and-migration.md - Script integration, content transport
8. references/script-api-reference.md - DataSource, Selection, MemberInfo APIs

---

Official Documentation Links

Primary References (for skill updates):

• Custom Widget Developer Guide
• Developer Guide PDF
• Widget API PDF (2025)

Sample Widgets:

• SAP Samples Repository
• SAP Custom Widget GitHub

---

Version History

v1.2.0 (2025-11-26)

• Updated SAC version reference to 2025.21
• Optimized SKILL.md length from 563 to ~200 lines
• Added Table of Contents to all 8 reference files
• Improved progressive disclosure architecture

v1.1.0 (2025-11-22)

• Added Widget Add-On feature documentation (QRC Q4 2023+)
• Added best practices guide (performance, security, development)
• Added advanced topics (custom types, script API types, installation)
• Enhanced description with additional keywords
• Increased error prevention coverage to 25+

v1.0.0 (2025-11-22)

• Initial release
• Complete JSON metadata reference
• Lifecycle functions documentation
• Data binding guide
• Styling panel implementation
• Hosting options (SAC-hosted, GitHub, external)
• Security (integrity hash, CORS)
• Common errors and debugging

---

Last Verified: 2025-11-26 | SAC Version: 2025.21 | Skill Version: 1.2.0