In the vSphere Web Client, a global view extension is a way to create a free-form data view. You can use a global view extension to create your own custom solution for the vSphere Web Client user interface.

A global view extension can have nearly any function, including aggregating data about different types of vSphere objects onto a single screen, or displaying data from sources outside the vSphere environment. A global view can be a simple single-level data view that uses the entire vSphere Web Client main workspace, or a complex nested view with its own internal navigation structure and organization. Creating a global view extension has a few restrictions.

Global views are displayed in the vSphere Web Client main workspace, but exist outside of the virtual infrastructure hierarchy. The user selects a global view directly, either through a pointer in the object navigator or a shortcut on the vSphere Web Client home screen.

To create a global view extension, you must define the extension by using the XML elements in the plug-in module manifest file, and create the Flex code that appears in the main workspace.

You can use global view extensions to create dashboard-style data views or console-style applications.

A dashboard aggregates data from different sources in the vSphere environment together in one unified data view. For example, you can create a dashboard that provides status information about all custom company-branded objects in the vSphere environment.

Console-style applications are displayed in the vSphere Web Client main content area. For example, the vSphere Web Client Task Console and Event Console are console-style applications.

Each global view extension is an independent Flex element that must communicate with the vSphere environment to retrieve data, or send commands, that the view requires. The vSphere Web Client SDK includes an MVC framework and a Flex library that you can use when creating global view Flex classes. Flex classes can use the Data Access Manager library to retrieve data from the vSphere environment and to send commands to the virtual infrastructure.

You can create a global view class by using any pattern or framework, but using the vSphere Web Client SDK MVC framework and Data Access Manager is a best practice for Flex classes. See Creating Data View Extensions.

To make your global view extension accessible to users, you must create a pointer to the global view somewhere in the vSphere Web Client user interface. You can create a pointer as either an object navigator extension or a home screen shortcut extension. If you create a pointer in the object navigator, you can add the pointer to either the top level Solutions category, or to the virtual infrastructure level. For more information about how to create a pointer to a global view, see Extending the Object Navigator and Creating Home Screen Shortcuts.