Introduction

Pega Constellation represents the next generation of application development, offering modern UI features and streamlined workflows. However, to ensure a smooth development experience, certain updates and best practices must be followed in App Studio and Dev Studio. This guide provides step-by-step instructions and actionable insights for a seamless Pega Constellation setup and development.

Prerequisites for Development (Cloud)

Before building your Constellation application in cloud, ensure to verify the following items and update if necessary in Dev Studio:

Update OOTB Service Packages

• Search for the service package named “dev” in Dev Studio.
• Ensure the following configurations:
  • Access Group: PRPC:Administrators
  • Require Authentication: Enabled
  • Authentication Type: OAuth
• Apply the same updates for the “api” service package.

Update CORS Instances

• Access the Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) instances in Dev Studio.
• Enable the Patch checkbox under “Allowed Methods” for the following instances:
  • APIHeadersAllowed
  • AllowAllOrigins
  • Default

Tip: This is crucial when you are accessing Pega Infinity URL with an alias name.

Update Constellation DSS Instances

• For Pega Cloud users, ensure the following DSS instances are left blank.
• For custom cloud setups, update them to point to appropriate URLs.

Update Application Content Security

• After creating the Constellation application, navigate to the Security tab in the application instance.
• Update the Content Security block as shown below:

Best Practices for Pega Constellation Development

To familiarize yourself with the latest features and limitations of Pega Constellation, please refer to the official Pega Constellation Limitations documentation mentioned below,

Pega Constellation Limitations

Design Core Elements Before UI Design

Prioritize the design of below items before you start the UI development :

• Data models
• Data retrieval logic
• Business logic
• Validations, etc

This minimizes time spent on UI configuration.

Maintain Separate Branches for UI Changes

Ensure to work with branch development and for each screen or view modification, create and work with a separate branch.

Manage Localization Rules Effectively

• Avoid deleting or altering Rule-UI-Localization rules generated during view modifications.
• Always update the Localization rules through Excel or JSON imports in App Studio, especially for frontend localization.

Note: From version 24.2 onwards, manual editing of Localization rules in Dev Studio is disabled.

Work Exclusively in App Studio for Data and Case Types

• Always create, modify, or delete data types and case types in App Studio.
• Avoid Dev Studio for these operations to maintain the integrity of Localization rules.

Avoid Modifying Theme-Cosmos Case Types in Constellation

• Do not modify Theme-Cosmos case types within the Constellation application. This might corrupt the assets needed for coexistence and also your constellation case type as well.
• Switch to the appropriate application for updates.

Enable Tracer Debugging

• We cannot use the Clipboard tool from User Portal due to the stateless behavior of constellation application. Alternatively, once the case is persisted you must open it from Dev Studio and then look at the clipboard.
• With this change, it’s important to Debug using Tracer Tool and Browser’s Developer Tools.
• To enable the Tracer in User Portal, you must open the pxEnableC11nDev Rule, continue with a Private edit, and then set the value equal to true.
• For more details, read this below article in PDN, Debugging in Constellation Debugging in Constellation

Skin, UI Look and Feel

• Constellation applications no longer support Skins.
• Use the Themes landing page in App Studio to update themes.

Organize Views for Reusability

• Use nested views for fields and layouts, similar to nested sections in older versions which simplifies view maintenance and enhances reusability.
• Understand the importance of Full page view, List view, Partial and Form views so that you can create your views in according section.
• Do not modify the Rule-UI-View rules in Dev Studio as they are automatically generated as per the configuration implemented in App Studio.

Assign Meaningful Test IDs

Assign clear and descriptive Test IDs to UI elements to support automation testing efforts.

Localization Limitations, Best practices and Workarounds

Localization in Pega Constellation presents certain limitations that developers must address as mentioned in the below article

Troubleshooting Constellation Localization

Please note that the above limitations apply as of version 24.1.1 and may be resolved in future updates. Always verify the version you are working on before proceeding with development.

1. Exporting Localization Documents:
   • To export localization documents (Excel or JSON) through the App Studio landing page, the latest application ruleset version must be open.
   • Document generation through a branch is unsupported.
2. Changes to Localization Rules:
   • In version 24.1, manual editing of Localization rules in Dev Studio is possible.
   • Starting with version 24.2, manual editing in Dev Studio is disabled, and Localization rules can only be modified by importing Excel or JSON files via the landing page in App Studio.
3. Two Variants of Localization:
   • Frontend Localization: For localizing front-end views, rely on the Rule-UI-Localization rules generated automatically after importing the JSON or Excel file in App Studio.
   • Backend Localization: Use Field Values for backend localization tasks, such as custom validation messages and email content.

Conclusion

By following these prerequisites, updates, and best practices, developers can ensure a seamless development experience with Pega Constellation. From managing configurations to adhering to localization standards, this guide provides the foundation for efficient and error-free development.

Author Credits 

Jayachandra Siddipeta

Vice President, technology

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayachandra-siddipeta-hyd