Umbraco Manifest Picker
What is it?
The <umb-input-manifest> component provides a picker UI for selecting registered extensions from the Umbraco extension registry. It allows users to pick from any extension type (workspaces, dashboards, property editors, etc.) and returns the selected manifest. This is useful for configuration UIs where users need to reference other extensions.
Documentation
Always fetch the latest docs before implementing:
-
Extension Registry: https://docs.umbraco.com/umbraco-cms/customizing/extending-overview/extension-registry
-
Foundation: https://docs.umbraco.com/umbraco-cms/customizing/foundation
Reference Example
The Umbraco source includes a working example:
Location: /Umbraco-CMS/src/Umbraco.Web.UI.Client/examples/manifest-picker/
This example demonstrates a dashboard that lets users browse and select extensions by type.
Related Foundation Skills
Extension Registry: For understanding how extensions are registered
-
Reference skill: umbraco-extension-registry
Umbraco Element: For creating picker UIs
- Reference skill: umbraco-umbraco-element
Workflow
-
Fetch docs - Use WebFetch on the URLs above
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Ask questions - What extension types to pick? How to use selection?
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Generate files - Create element with manifest picker
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Explain - Show what was created and how selection works
Basic Usage
import { html, customElement, state } from '@umbraco-cms/backoffice/external/lit'; import { UmbLitElement } from '@umbraco-cms/backoffice/lit-element'; import type { UmbInputManifestElement } from '@umbraco-cms/backoffice/components';
@customElement('my-manifest-picker-example') export class MyManifestPickerExampleElement extends UmbLitElement { @state() private _selectedManifest = '';
#onChange(event: { target: UmbInputManifestElement }) { const selectedManifest = event.target.value; this._selectedManifest = selectedManifest?.value ?? ''; }
override render() { return html` <uui-box> <umb-property-layout label="Select a workspace"> <div slot="editor"> <umb-input-manifest .extensionType=${'workspace'} @change=${this.#onChange} ></umb-input-manifest> </div> </umb-property-layout>
${this._selectedManifest
? html`<p>Selected: <code>${this._selectedManifest}</code></p>`
: ''}
</uui-box>
`;
} }
Dynamic Extension Type Selection
import { html, customElement, state, when, nothing } from '@umbraco-cms/backoffice/external/lit'; import { umbExtensionsRegistry } from '@umbraco-cms/backoffice/extension-registry'; import { UmbLitElement } from '@umbraco-cms/backoffice/lit-element'; import type { UmbInputManifestElement } from '@umbraco-cms/backoffice/components'; import type { UUISelectEvent } from '@umbraco-cms/backoffice/external/uui';
interface Option { name: string; value: string; selected: boolean; }
@customElement('my-extension-browser') export class MyExtensionBrowserElement extends UmbLitElement { #options: Option[] = [];
@state() private _selectedExtensionType = 'dashboard';
@state() private _selectedManifest = '';
constructor() { super();
// Build list of available extension types from registry
this.observe(umbExtensionsRegistry.extensions, (extensions) => {
const types = [...new Set(extensions.map((x) => x.type))];
this.#options = types.sort().map((x) => ({
name: x,
value: x,
selected: x === this._selectedExtensionType,
}));
});
}
#onTypeSelect(event: UUISelectEvent) { this._selectedManifest = ''; this._selectedExtensionType = event.target.value as string; }
#onManifestChange(event: { target: UmbInputManifestElement }) { const selectedManifest = event.target.value; this._selectedManifest = selectedManifest?.value ?? ''; }
override render() { return html` <uui-box> <umb-property-layout label="Extension Type"> <uui-select slot="editor" label="Select type" placeholder="Select type..." .options=${this.#options} @change=${this.#onTypeSelect} ></uui-select> </umb-property-layout>
${when(
this._selectedExtensionType,
() => html`
<umb-property-layout
label="Select Extension"
description="Pick a ${this._selectedExtensionType}"
>
<div slot="editor">
<umb-input-manifest
.extensionType=${this._selectedExtensionType}
@change=${this.#onManifestChange}
></umb-input-manifest>
</div>
</umb-property-layout>
`,
() => nothing
)}
${when(
this._selectedManifest,
() => html`
<umb-property-layout label="Selected Manifest">
<div slot="editor">
<code>${this._selectedManifest}</code>
</div>
</umb-property-layout>
`,
() => nothing
)}
</uui-box>
`;
} }
Getting All Extension Types
import { umbExtensionsRegistry } from '@umbraco-cms/backoffice/extension-registry';
// In your element constructor this.observe(umbExtensionsRegistry.extensions, (extensions) => { // Get unique extension types const types = [...new Set(extensions.map((x) => x.type))]; console.log('Available types:', types);
// Filter by type const dashboards = extensions.filter((x) => x.type === 'dashboard'); console.log('Dashboards:', dashboards);
// Get extension by alias const specific = extensions.find((x) => x.alias === 'Umb.Dashboard.Welcome'); console.log('Specific extension:', specific); });
Common Extension Types
Type Description
dashboard
Section dashboards
workspace
Entity workspaces
workspaceView
Views within workspaces
workspaceAction
Workspace action buttons
propertyEditorUi
Property editor UIs
propertyEditorSchema
Property editor schemas
entityAction
Context menu actions
tree
Navigation trees
treeItem
Tree item renderers
section
Backoffice sections
sectionView
Section views
headerApp
Header bar apps
modal
Modal dialogs
condition
Extension conditions
UmbInputManifest Properties
Property Type Description
extensionType
string
The type of extension to pick from
value
ManifestBase | undefined
The selected manifest
Events
Event Detail Description
change
{ target: UmbInputManifestElement }
Fired when selection changes
Accessing Selected Manifest Data
#onManifestChange(event: { target: UmbInputManifestElement }) { const manifest = event.target.value;
if (manifest) { console.log('Alias:', manifest.alias); console.log('Name:', manifest.name); console.log('Type:', manifest.type); console.log('Full manifest:', manifest); } }
Use Cases
-
Configuration screens - Let users select which dashboard/workspace to show
-
Extension management - Browse and inspect registered extensions
-
Dynamic routing - Configure navigation targets
-
Condition configuration - Select conditions to apply
-
Package development - Test extension registration
Best Practices
-
Clear selection - Reset _selectedManifest when type changes
-
Handle undefined - Check if value exists before accessing properties
-
Use property layout - Wrap in <umb-property-layout> for consistent styling
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Show feedback - Display selected manifest alias/name to confirm selection
-
Sort types - Sort extension type options alphabetically for usability
That's it! Always fetch fresh docs, keep examples minimal, generate complete working code.