Explore the Functional Area Spec

There is not much to explain with Functional Area Specs. These specs consist of an ID attribute that is referenced by tasks. In this way, the tasks are associated with the functional area. A Functional Area Spec also has a Name and Description attribute, as you would expect. Another important attribute is Sequence, which defines the order the functional areas in the shell. The table below lists more information on the attributes of the FunctionalAreaSpec element.

Attribute	Type	Description
xmlns	bb_appfx_functionalarea	The xmlns determines what tags are available.
xmlns:c	bb_appfx_commontypes	Reference common tools for the SDK.
ID	Unique GUID	Required. The database ID to use for this item in the catalog table.
Name	String	Name of the functional area. The name you enter appears in the Name column on the Functional areas tab and the Functional Area field of the tasks property screen (accessed from the Tasks tab), where you to assign tasks to the area.
Description	String	Describes the functional area. It appears in the Description column of the Functional areas tab.
AppendSeparator	Boolean	Status of separator appended to the area, setting it off from other areas on the page: False = not visible; True = visible.
DescriptionResourceKey	String	Appears if you add a ResourceFile. Identifies the resource file that contains the localized functional area Description.
HelpKey	String	Optional. The path and file name for the help topic for this functional area. Use the file name of an html file located in the web server deploy help folder or specify a fully qualified URL to an external file.
ImageKey	String	Name and icon associated with the selected action. In Design Mode, you can choose to include an image in most page design areas: pages, tabs, action groups, etc. Using the Image field included on these various properties screens, you can choose the image to include in the selected area. Within the spec, this attribute indicates the image to use for the functional area. Use RES:<resource name> to use an existing resource image, or use CATALOG:<server catalog assembly name>,<resource name> for an embedded resource in a server-side catalog assembly. For custom images, use the file name of an image in the web server deploy folder.
IsCustomizable	Boolean	Optional. Default value = "true". Determines whether or not a functional area supports customization and can be updated using the page designer.
NameResourceKey	String	Appears if you add a ResourceFile. Identifies the resource key that contains the localized functional area Name.
ResourceFile	String	Identifies the resource file that contains the strings required for localization.
Sequence	Integer	Where in the list of functional areas included on the tab you want the new area to fall. For example, if you want the new area to appear at the top of the list, enter "0." Sequence number does not have to be unique. In the case that the same sequence number is used for two or more functional areas, the program displays them alphabetically based on name.
SmallImageKey	String	Smaller image (if any) associated with the functional area/task. Wherever applicable (such as on the functional area toolbar drop-down menus and system menus), the system uses the small image if present. If no small image is present, the system defaults to the selected image. The small image allows the system to tune smaller images for a better display, rather than scaling the larger Image.
Visible	Boolean	Is the functional area visible: False = not visible; True = visible. The attribute is optional. Indicates whether to display the functional area. This provides a convenient way to hide a functional area (and associated tasks) without deleting it.

<FunctionalAreaSpec
    XMLns="bb_appfx_functionalarea"
    XMLns:common="bb_appfx_commontypes" 
    ID="fd013388-b8db-436b-a1a1-201e73d211e7"
    Name="Widgets"
    Description="A sample functional area for managing widgets."
    Author="SDK Author"
    ImageKey="CATALOG:Widget.Catalog,Widget.Catalog.widget.png"
    Sequence="100"/>

Example: Functional Area Spec example