Cosmos React (early adopter)
Pega Platform version 8.6 introduces Cosmos React and its underlying view-based architecture to support the latest open-source technologies and solutions. This still-evolving UI features a curated authoring experience that helps early adopters build an application in the low-code App Studio environment with less effort.
Feature set
View-based applications combine a new UI architecture with Cosmos React, a dedicated version of the Cosmos design system. Cosmos React applications use the latest technology, but offer fewer functionalities compared to section-based Theme Cosmos builds. Consequently, Cosmos React is best suited for early adopters who understand its narrower feature set and capabilities. As a best practice, use Theme Cosmos for complex applications and a mature, reliable architecture.
For more information on Pega Platform architectures, see Understanding UI Capabilities in Pega 8.6.Theme Cosmos
Theme Cosmos is a section-based version of the Cosmos design system that helps you build powerful case management applications in compliance with best practices and guidelines. By relying on a library of ready-to-use templates, patterns, and themes, Theme Cosmos helps you reduce development effort and focus on your section-based application.
When creating a new application, you can choose between an early-adopter Cosmos React UI, a hybrid Theme Cosmos UI, or a traditional Theme UI-Kit application.
For more information on other UI setups, see Theme Cosmos and Theme UI-Kit.
Constellation UI Service
Cosmos React relies on the Constellation UI Service, a static content microservice that delivers front end components and other static content to the browser. For more information, see Constellation UI service.
- Designing with Cosmos React
Cosmos React offers early adopters a new low-code paradigm for developing applications quickly by using out-of-the-box components and behaviors. This still-expanding framework creates products that require less maintenance and upgrade effort, but supports a narrower feature set and requires a slightly different approach to development when compared to Theme Cosmos.
- Configuring portals
Portals represent the main interface of your application, and provide users, such as case workers, managers, and customers, with the tools that they need to do their work. By configuring portals, you can set up an optimal environment for each of these user groups with minimal effort.
- Configuring forms and views
Forms and views enable your application to display and collect information, for example, to fulfill requests or process cases. By setting up intuitive forms and views, you help users process their work with less effort.
- Branding your application
Design systems help you introduce consistency to the applications that you build. By choosing to use a design system, you can scale your designs to maintain a unified presence across a number of platforms with less effort.
- Configuring an accessible UI
Reach the broadest audience for your application by building a user interface that addresses the needs of users with disabilities. Designing a UI for assistive technologies, such as screen readers, is important for compliance and provides essential access to users who have visual impairments.
- Constellation UI service
Cosmos React applications rely on a static content microserivce that delivers front-end components and other static content to the browser.
Next topic Designing with Cosmos React