Customizing the Welcome Console (Classic UI)

Last update: April 17, 2024

Topics:
Developing

CREATED FOR:

Developer

CAUTION

This page deals with the classic UI.

See Customizing the Consoles for details on the standard, touch-enabled UI.

The Welcome console provides a list of links to the various consoles and functionality within AEM.

cq_welcomescreen

It is possible to configure the links that are visible. This can be defined for specific users and/or groups. The actions to be taken are dependent on the target type (which correlates to the section of the console they are in):

Main Consoles - Links in the main console (left pane)
Resources, Documentation and Reference, Features - Links in the sidebar (right pane)

Links in Main Console (Left Pane)

This lists the main consoles of AEM.

cq_welcomescreenmainconsole

Configuring whether Main Console Links are Visible

Node level permissions determine whether the link can be seen or not. The nodes in question are:

Websites: /libs/wcm/core/content/siteadmin
Digital Assets: /libs/wcm/core/content/damadmin
Community: /libs/collab/core/content/admin
Campaigns: /libs/mcm/content/admin
Inbox: /libs/cq/workflow/content/inbox
Users: /libs/cq/security/content/admin
Tools: /libs/wcm/core/content/misc
Tagging: /libs/cq/tagging/content/tagadmin

For example:

To restrict access to Tools, remove read access from

/libs/wcm/core/content/misc

See the Security section for more information on how to set the desired permissions.

cq_welcomescreensidebar

These links are based on the existence of and read access to nodes under the following path:

/libs/cq/core/content/welcome

There are three sections (spaced slightly apart) provided by default:

Resources

Cloud Services

/libs/cq/core/content/welcome/resources/cloudservices

Workflows

/libs/cq/core/content/welcome/resources/workflows

Task Management

/libs/cq/core/content/welcome/resources/taskmanager

Replication

/libs/cq/core/content/welcome/resources/replication

Reports

/libs/cq/core/content/welcome/resources/reports

Publications

/libs/cq/core/content/welcome/resources/publishingadmin

Manuscripts

/libs/cq/core/content/welcome/resources/manuscriptsadmin

Documentation and Reference

Documentation

/libs/cq/core/content/welcome/docs/docs

Developer Resources

/libs/cq/core/content/welcome/docs/dev

Features

CRXDE Lite

/libs/cq/core/content/welcome/features/crxde

Packages

/libs/cq/core/content/welcome/features/packages

Package Share

/libs/cq/core/content/welcome/features/share

Clustering

/libs/cq/core/content/welcome/features/cluster

Backup

/libs/cq/core/content/welcome/features/backup

Web Console

/libs/cq/core/content/welcome/features/config

Web Console Status Dump

/libs/cq/core/content/welcome/features/statusdump

It is possible to hide a link from specific users or groups by removing read access to the nodes that represent the link.

Resources - remove access to:

/libs/cq/core/content/welcome/resources/<link-target>
Docs - remove access to:

/libs/cq/core/content/welcome/docs/<link-target>
Features - remove access to:

/libs/cq/core/content/welcome/features/<link-target>

For example:

To remove the link to Reports, remove read access from

/libs/cq/core/content/welcome/resources/reports
To remove the link to Packages, remove read access from

/libs/cq/core/content/welcome/features/packages

See the Security section for more information on how to set the desired permissions.

Link Selection Mechanism

In /libs/cq/core/components/welcome/welcome.jsp use is made of ConsoleUtil, which executes a query on nodes that have the property:

jcr:mixinTypes with the value: cq:Console

NOTE

Execute the following query to see the existing list:

select * from cq:Console

When a user or group does not have read permission on a node with the mixin cq:Console, that node is not retrieved by the ConsoleUtil search, hence it is not listed on the console.

Adding a Custom Item

The link selection mechanism can be used to add your own custom item to the list of links.

Add your custom item to the list by adding the cq:Console mixin to your widget or resource. This is done by defining the property:

jcr:mixinTypes with the value: cq:Console

recommendation-more-help

Links in Sidebar (Right Pane)

Configuring whether Sidebar Links are Visible

Link Selection Mechanism

Adding a Custom Item