Objective: What is a Bundle
The new concept of the Bundle within the Platform arises with the idea of being able to create assets within the Platform that can be shared between projects, environments, facilities…
A Bundle is a collection of Platform elements packaged either as a ZIP or in a folder in a Git repository that you can create from one Platform Environment via the Control Panel and then import into another Environment.
Let's assume you have developed a Platform application that has several Entities, APIs, gadgets, a dashboard and a DataFlow (like this demo). Through the Bundles functionality, you can select these elements, package them and publish them on Github so that other users can deploy them in their platform installation.
How it is used in Platform
From the Control Panel, you have access to three functionalities:
Bundle Catalog.
Bundle Generation.
Bundle Load.
Bundle Catalog
From the Control Panel, you can visually explore the different public Bundles available in the Bundles Repository of the Platform Community version and from there install them in your instance.
By using the centralized configuration, other private repositories can be configured where an area (e.g., Territories) can make its Bundles available.
Bundle Generation
In this UI, you can select the elements that will be part of your Bundle, even searching by Tag, and from there generate the Bundle.
The Bundle consists of:
Elements that make up the Bundle.
Name that identifies the Bundle.
Short Description of the Bundle.
Version, either of the Bundle, or of the platform.
Directory of the GIT repository to push into.
Bundle Description: It is a README.md file that will contain a description.
Bundle Image: A representative image of the Bundle.
Meta-inf: Bundle’s meta information.
External files: Here you can upload files that are necessary for the operation of the Bundle, including the instructions in the README. For example, if the Bundle needs master or sample data to work, like a gadget or dashboard, you would leave that here.
Bundle Load
In this UI, you can select a ZIP or Git repository path to load the Bundle into your Platform installation.
In future versions
In future versions, we will include:
Automatic loading in RealTimeDB of data in Entities that need it.
Inclusion of microservices in Bundles to be able to package complete applications.