sap-sac-custom-widget

SAP Analytics Cloud Custom Widget Development

Related Skills

• sap-sac-scripting: Use when custom widgets interact with SAC scripting, widgets, or story/application APIs
• sap-sac-planning: Use when widgets participate in planning workflows or planning table interactions
• sapui5: Use for Web Component/UI5 frontend implementation patterns and browser-side quality
• sap-dependency-security: Use when adding third-party charting or build dependencies to widget projects

Table of Contents

• Overview
• AI-Assisted Generation
• Widget Discovery and Evidence Intake
• Local Custom Widget Builder
• SAP Sample Widget Lessons
• Browser Design Runtime
• CSS and Styling Compliance
• SAC Import and Packaging
• Plugin Components
• Quick Start
• Community Sample Widgets
• Key Concepts
• Common Errors & Solutions
• Bundled Resources

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.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Building custom visualizations not available in standard SAC
• Generating prompt-driven widget ideas, branded widget packages, or composite-ready widget designs
• 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+)

---

AI-Assisted Generation

For prompt-driven widget creation, first classify the widget role and data-source mode, then suggest 2-3 role-aware options before generating the selected complete package. Keep AI-generated code SAC-compatible, preserve data-binding order when used, and validate/repair before import. See references/ai-assisted-composite-generation.md for output contracts, RAG context patterns, brand styling, and composite caveats.

---

Widget Discovery and Evidence Intake

Before generating a table, chart, KPI, menu, sidebar, filter, or hybrid control, select both its widget role and data-source mode. Request dimensions, measures/key figures, dates, versions, filters, and feed order only for SAC-bound widgets. For pure UI controls, collect interaction, navigation, state, method/event, accessibility, and responsive-layout requirements instead. Accept user-provided screenshots, PDFs, images, brand guides, and sanitized data as evidence, but confirm technical IDs, feed mappings, asset rights, and licenses before code generation. See references/widget-discovery-intake.md for the Widget Brief, evidence boundaries, and hosted-tool safeguards.

---

Local Custom Widget Builder

For enterprise or locked-down local environments, offer templates/local-builder/ as the standard no-install scaffold builder. It runs as static HTML/CSS/vanilla JavaScript, avoids public CDNs and external packages, and exports SAC upload artifacts as two separate downloads: widget.json and a Resource-ZIP containing only root-level component JavaScript files. Use Node's server.mjs fallback when direct file:// use is blocked. When a user explicitly permits public-web use for a non-sensitive desktop prototype, optionally suggest the Custom Widget Builder or live demo; never send tenant material or trust its exports without local validation. See references/local-builder-workflow.md for builder boundaries, export rules, hosted-tool safeguards, and validation checks.

---

SAP Sample Widget Lessons

Before generating a chart, KPI, hierarchy, input utility, Widget Add-On, or build-based widget, consult references/sap-sample-widget-lessons.md. It audits every SAP sample folder and distills reusable lessons for Data Binding-first scaffolds, root-relative Resource-ZIP URLs, styling/builder panel separation, support flags, custom types, script methods/events, add-on extensions[], and build-based app caveats. Use the lessons for structure and risk checks only; do not copy SAP sample code or assets into generated packages.

---

Browser Design Runtime

Generated widget packages should include templates/design-runtime/ as a no-build, file-first browser preview scaffold. Use it after generation to mock custom-widget essentials outside SAP, adjust properties/design tokens/sample data/viewports, compare multiple widgets, and export an agent iteration payload. See references/browser-design-runtime.md for runtime boundaries and configuration/export contracts. Use templates/local-builder/ for scaffold generation/export; use templates/design-runtime/ for preview and iteration.

---

CSS and Styling Compliance

Style custom widgets inside their Web Component/Shadow DOM boundary. Do not rely on SAC optimized story theme CSS, SAP shell selectors, or global story CSS to style widget internals. For generated packages, confirm the hosting mode before splitting CSS/HTML into separate files, because SAC ZIP upload packages support component JavaScript and PNG/JPG icons only. See references/css-and-styling-compliance.md for SAP Help-backed allowed/restricted styling rules.

---

SAC Import and Packaging

Decide the delivery mode before generating widget.json: SAC Resource-ZIP upload and external HTTPS hosting use different URL rules. For SAC Resource-ZIP upload, deliver widget.json separately, upload it first, and only then upload a Resource-ZIP containing root-level component JavaScript files such as widget.js, builder.js, and styling.js. Do not include widget.json, subfolders, tests, README files, CSS, or HTML in that Resource-ZIP.

For Resource-ZIP manifests, use root-relative component URLs such as "/widget.js"; for external hosting, use complete HTTPS URLs. Keep local-preview paths like "widget.js" in preview-only configs unless the target SAC flow explicitly documents that resolution mode. Model simple configurable colors as string properties with hex defaults such as "#f4f7fa"; use the Color type only after the exact SAC tenant and target panel flow accepts it. Browser preview and Node tests are useful, but they are not proof of SAC importability. For widgets with builder/styling panels, preserve focus and collapse state during text edits, keep component JS self-contained, and validate final outputs/ artifacts rather than source-only previews. When the widget is done, the final chat response must offer both completed upload artifacts for download: the widget.json manifest and the Resource-ZIP. See references/sac-import-packaging-lessons.md for upload sequence, ZIP content checks, final-artifact tests, builder/tree rules, final download handoff, and SAC error triage.

---

Plugin Components

This plugin provides specialized agents, commands, and validation hooks for comprehensive widget development support.

Agents

Agent	Color	Purpose	Trigger Examples
widget-architect	Blue	Design widget structure, metadata, and integration patterns	"design custom widget", "plan widget architecture"
widget-debugger	Yellow	Troubleshoot loading, data binding, CORS, and runtime issues	"widget won't load", "CORS error", "data not binding"
widget-api-assistant	Green	Write JavaScript widget code, lifecycle functions, API integrations	"write widget code", "implement lifecycle functions"

Commands

Command	Usage	Description
/widget-validate	/widget-validate [file]	Validate widget.json schema and widget.js structure
/widget-generate	/widget-generate	Interactively generate widget scaffold with JSON, JS, local builder, and browser design runtime
/widget-lint	/widget-lint [file]	Performance, security, and best practices analysis

Validation Hooks

Automatic quality checks triggered on Write/Edit operations:

• widget.json: Required fields, tag naming, property types, data binding config
• widget.js: Lifecycle functions, Shadow DOM, propertiesChanged dispatch
• Performance: Resize debouncing, chart disposal, XSS prevention
• Context Reminders: Template suggestions, command recommendations

Templates

Ready-to-use scaffolds in templates/ directory:

• basic-widget.js - Minimal Web Component with all lifecycle functions
• data-bound-chart.js - ECharts widget with data binding
• styling-panel.js - Runtime customization panel
• builder-panel.js - Design-time configuration panel
• local-builder/ - Static local scaffold builder and SAC artifact exporter
• design-runtime/ - Browser preview and design iteration runtime
• widget.json-minimal - Bare-minimum metadata
• widget.json-complete - Full-featured metadata with all options

---

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 a community sample repository with 17 custom widget sample folders:

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: Most samples assume Data Binding and Optimized View Mode (OVM) or Optimized and Unified Story Experience.

Note: Check third-party library licenses before production use, adjust hosted component paths when moving samples, and treat live SAC import/runtime validation as tenant-specific. See references/sap-sample-widget-lessons.md for the per-sample audit and creation lessons.

---

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
for (let i = 0; i < this.myDataBinding.data.length; i++) {
  const row = this.myDataBinding.data[i];
  const dimensionValue = row.dimensions_0 ? row.dimensions_0.label : "";
  const measureValue = row.measures_0 ? row.measures_0.raw : 0;
}

Hosting Options

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

• Upload files directly to SAC > Files > Public Files
• For Resource-ZIP upload flows, upload widget.json first, then upload a separate Resource-ZIP when SAC enables the Resource File button
• For Resource-ZIP upload flows, use root-relative URLs such as "/widget.js"; do not use local Windows backslashes or bare local preview paths in the production manifest
• 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 a SHA256 integrity value with Node.js for Windows/macOS/Linux:

# Generate integrity hash for widget.js
node -e "const fs=require('node:fs');const crypto=require('node:crypto');const file=process.argv[1]||'widget.js';console.log('sha256-'+crypto.createHash('sha256').update(fs.readFileSync(file)).digest('base64'));" widget.js

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

On macOS/Linux or Git Bash, OpenSSL is also acceptable; prefix the output with sha256- before adding it to the manifest:

openssl dgst -sha256 -binary widget.js | openssl base64 -A

---

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
"Color" is not a valid type or default expected as Color	Tenant/import flow rejected simple color properties	Use string plus hex defaults for simple configurable colors
Main component could not be loaded	Resource URL, ZIP content, or JS syntax problem	Check root-relative webcomponents[].url, Resource-ZIP root contents, then node --check
Resource File upload is disabled	widget.json has not validated yet	Upload and validate widget.json first, then upload the Resource-ZIP
Resource-ZIP imports/later load fails	ZIP contains manifest, folders, CSS/HTML, or unrelated files	Keep only root-level JS component files and optional PNG/JPG icons
Builder input loses focus or collapse state	Text edits trigger full render	Update field/row/JSON text directly; reserve full render for structural changes
Preview works but SAC component fails standalone	Preview depends on a shared source helper not present in bundled JS	Test final widget.js, builder.js, and styling.js without preview-only helper scripts
Duplicate menu items collide	Subtree duplicate rewrote only root ID	Rewrite descendant IDs and test uniqueness across the whole tree

---

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 && 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

Templates (Ready-to-Use Code)

• templates/basic-widget.js - Minimal Web Component scaffold (~60 lines)
• templates/data-bound-chart.js - ECharts widget with SAC data binding (~120 lines)
• templates/styling-panel.js - Styling panel for runtime customization (~150 lines)
• templates/builder-panel.js - Builder panel for design-time configuration
• templates/local-builder/ - No-install local builder for metadata, feeds, properties, methods, events, and SAC two-file export
• templates/design-runtime/ - No-build browser preview, design-token controls, scenario switching, and agent iteration export
• templates/widget.json-minimal - Bare-minimum metadata (~25 lines)
• templates/widget.json-complete - Full-featured metadata (~100 lines)

Reference Documentation

1. references/json-schema-reference.md - Complete JSON schema documentation
2. references/widget-templates.md - Additional widget template patterns (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
9. references/ai-assisted-composite-generation.md - Prompt-driven generation, RAG, brand styling, validation, and composite-ready output guidance
10. references/local-builder-workflow.md - Enterprise-safe local builder workflow, export contract, and validation checklist
11. references/sap-sample-widget-lessons.md - SAP sample widget audit matrix, reusable generation lessons, and add-on/build-based routing caveats
12. references/browser-design-runtime.md - Non-SAP browser preview runtime, sidecar config, and agent iteration export
13. references/css-and-styling-compliance.md - SAP Help-backed CSS, theme, Shadow DOM, and packaging guidance for generated widgets
14. references/sac-import-packaging-lessons.md - SAC-hosted Resource-ZIP upload sequence, URL rules, ZIP hygiene, builder/tree state rules, self-contained component checks, final-artifact tests, and SAC error triage
15. references/widget-discovery-intake.md - Widget role/data-source selection, attachment intake, Widget Brief, and hosted-tool safeguards

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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

Unreleased

• Added an enterprise-safe templates/local-builder/ scaffold for local widget metadata, property/feed configuration, and SAC two-file artifact export
• Added templates/builder-panel.js so builder panel generation has a bundled self-contained template
• Added local builder validation coverage without advancing last_verified; live SAC upload/runtime validation remains pending
• Added SAP sample-widget lessons and local-builder pattern hints for data-bound charts, KPI/gauge widgets, flow/hierarchy widgets, input utilities, Widget Add-ons, and build-based apps without copying upstream sample code

v2.3.2 (2026-07-06)

• Added SAC Resource-ZIP import lessons from the Configurable Menu Navigation project
• Clarified separate widget.json and Resource-ZIP upload flow, root-relative SAC-hosted URLs, Resource-ZIP content hygiene, and simple color property portability
• Added hook warnings for bare Resource-ZIP component URLs and risky Color property usage
• Expanded Configurable Menu Navigation lessons for builder focus/collapse state, tree duplicate ID rewrites, self-contained component JS, preview parity, stale panel cleanup, layout/styling property sync, safe output cleanup, and artifact naming
• Required final chat handoff to offer both the widget.json manifest and Resource-ZIP as separate downloadable artifacts

v2.1.0 (2026-06-12)

• Refreshed to SAC Q2 2026 (version 2026.8)
• No custom-widget framework changes in QRC1/QRC2 2026; lifecycle functions and JSON schema unchanged
• Documented previously missing root-level properties: eula, imports, supportsMobile, supportsExport, supportsLinkedAnalysisFilterOnSelection, supportsViewportLoading, supportsBookmark, types
• Documented webcomponent type property for ES module loading
• Documented includeInBookmarks per-property flag, boolean[]/integer[] types
• Added serializeCustomWidgetToImage() and customWidgetRenderComplete to advanced topics
• Confirmed: all four lifecycle functions unchanged, feed types unchanged, templates valid

v2.0.0 (2025-12-27)

• Added 3 specialized agents: widget-architect, widget-debugger, widget-api-assistant
• Added 3 slash commands: /widget-validate, /widget-generate, /widget-lint
• Added validation hooks for automatic quality checks on Write/Edit
• Added 5 docs-audited templates in templates/ directory
• Enhanced plugin structure to match comprehensive plugin pattern
• Updated last verified date

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

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SAC Version: 2026.8