Displaying and Modifying Data with Frontend Data Sets

Modern Liferay applications often require sophisticated data presentation and interaction. To address these needs, Liferay Frontend Data Sets provides low-code capabilities for displaying, filtering, and interacting with Liferay data. By leveraging out-of-the-box (OOTB) components and extending functionality through client extensions, developers can create complex data views with minimal coding effort. Understanding the key features and benefits of data sets is essential for building efficient and maintainable modern applications.

Understanding Frontend Data Sets

Frontend data sets act as virtual containers for aggregating data from multiple sources using headless APIs. This includes data from custom objects, documents, web content, and more. Once you've selected your data source, you can configure which fields to include and whether the data appears in a table, list, or card format.

Here are some key data set features:

Low-Code/No-Code Configuration: Configure data sets through the Liferay UI, minimizing development effort.
Out-of-the-Box Data Presentation: Quickly create table, list, and card views with built-in support for sorting, filtering, pagination, and search.
Object Support: Data sets support custom objects so you can integrate your custom data models with external applications through automatically generated APIs.
Customizable Cell Renderers via Client Extensions: Use client extensions to create custom cell renderers that extend default table functionality and appearance. These renderers can modify icons, buttons, and interactive components.
Interactive User Experience: Provide interactive table elements such as expandable rows, inline editing, and actions like delete or edit.
Responsive and Accessible Design: Ensure usability across devices with responsive tables and improve inclusivity with accessibility features that adhere to web standards.

Together, these features make data sets ideal for complex data management and interaction requirements.

Benefits for Modern Liferay Application Design

Frontend data sets enhance modern Liferay applications by simplifying data presentation through readily available components, enabling developers to rapidly build functional views. This helps ensure consistent data presentation across applications. By combining low-code configuration with client extensions, you can also reduce development overhead and minimize custom code maintenance. Moreover, you can easily adjust data set configurations via the Liferay UI, enabling applications to adapt to evolving business needs.

Here are some example use cases that demonstrate the versatility of frontend data sets:

Admin Dashboards: Streamline administrative tasks by displaying and managing user records, permissions, and system logs in a clear, organized format.
Product Catalogs: Enhance product displays by presenting inventory data with dynamic, sortable, and filterable tables.
Customer Support Interfaces: Empower support teams with quick access to customer interactions and issue histories, improving response times and issue resolution.
Data-Driven Applications: Develop robust interfaces for applications that depend heavily on object-based data, enabling seamless data interaction and management.

Conclusion

Frontend data sets embody modern Liferay application design by maximizing out-of-the-box capabilities and minimizing custom development. Their integration with Liferay objects and client extensions provides a streamlined, low-code solution for configurable data presentation. This makes them essential for building scalable, maintainable applications.

Next, you'll explore how to leverage Liferay headless APIs in modern application design.