2342168 - [MDF] How to configure the URL Links on custom MDF portlet via UI screen?

• How to add URL links on MDF portlet?
• Can external links be added using MDF UI screen?
• "Add Link" on Manage configuration UI.
• How to pass URL parameters using tokens for links?
• URL links and labels getting truncated.

Image/data in this KBA is from SAP internal systems, sample data, or demo systems. Any resemblance to real data is purely coincidental.

• SAP SuccessFactors HXM Suite
• Metadata framework (MDF)

MDF allows customers to Add Links to the MDF object based UI screen, along with setting up tokes/parameters for the URL link where the users can be directed to, internally or externally. Below are the steps for creating URL Links on MDF objects.

1. Identify all the required parameters that are needed for your URL and create a GO (Generic object) definition, where you can add/ store all your Parameter values.

        Here we will try to use the URL : https://www.javatpoint.com/immutable-string and use the part "immutable-string" as a parameter.

        2. Create data for this MDF object in advance.

      3. In the Object where you would like to have the URL links configured on the UI, add a custom field of Generic Object type. The Valid Value Source for this field should be the object code you created for storing the URL parameter values. (in step 1 above)

     4. Now create a UI screen for the main MDF object where you would like to add the link. Once saved click on Add Link

      5. Click on Edit Properties for the added link.

       6. Enter the required details (like below example) and then Save the UI.

The URL Tokens will use the values from the MDF object where the required parameter values were added/ stored (in Step2)

IMPORTANT:

The value for storedparams should be set (selected) before clicking the URL link.

NOTE:

1) Presently, the configured URL does not work on the PP3. Engineering is working on that and this KBA will be updated once the issue is fixed.

2) These URL links on custom MDF portlets are not at all related to Deeplink fucntionality as these are not for navigating to the profile or a particular block in the profile.

Other key points:

1) To direct the users to an external link, append the url with https in Enter URL section above.

2) If you have a requirement where you need to provide long labels for the URL links or fields, we recommend creating a separate UI group rather than creating a nested UI group.

3) Form layout renders the content in a label-value pair (vertically) and it trims/ truncates the fields/ labels so as to accommodate the pair in one single row.

4) Whereas, in Flow layout, you can keep on adding more and more fields and the group will keep on accommodating them by expanding itself in firstly horizontal and then vertical area. => that is why the name "FLOW". However truncation of the labels can happen in any layout (flow or form), if the label size itself is greater than until cell size.

• 2553102 - Employee Central - Manage Configuration UI (MDF object UI)
• 2211616 - How to Configure a UI for a Generic Object in metadata Framework - SuccessFactors
• 2438887 - Metadata Framework - How to create a custom field for a MDF Object?
• 2691586 - Limitation on number of characters in Object Definition UI 
• 2610031 - What falls within the purview of Product Support team for MDF Features?

MDF: Metadata Framework, Links, URL, hyperlink, URL links, UI screen, Add link, truncated labels, long field names, flow, form, custom UI group, Metadata Framework (MDF), URL links, Add link, tokens parameters, dynamic , KBA , LOD-SF-MDF-UI , UI Config, Layout & Rules , LOD-SF-EC-MDF , MDF & EC2MDF Migration , How To