Contentbox Boxlang Admin Extension

ContentBox Admin Extension (BoxLang)

Extend the ContentBox admin interface using BoxLang. Add custom panels, modify existing screens, inject HTML into admin layouts, hook into content lifecycle events, and register new admin functionality.

Admin Module Overview

The admin module lives at modules/contentbox/modules/contentbox-admin/ with entry point cbadmin. It provides:

• 30+ handlers for managing content, authors, settings, security, etc.
• Admin layouts with consistent navigation and UI
• Interceptors for request processing, 2FA enforcement, menu management
• Interception points for extending every part of the admin UI

Admin Extension Points

1. Layout HTML Injection

Inject custom HTML into the admin layout at specific points:

Example: Inject Custom CSS/JS

// interceptors/AdminAssets.bx
component {

	function configure(){
	}

	function onCbadmin_beforeHeadEnd( event, data, buffer, rc, prc ){
		buffer.append( '<link rel="stylesheet" href="/modules/mymodule/includes/css/admin.css">' )
	}

	function onCbadmin_beforeBodyEnd( event, data, buffer, rc, prc ){
		buffer.append( '<script src="/modules/mymodule/includes/js/admin.js"></script>' )
	}

}

2. Content Editor Extension

Extend the content editor (entry/page editing screens):

Example: Add Custom Sidebar Panel

// interceptors/EditorSidebar.bx
component {

	function configure(){
	}

	function onCbadmin_contentEditorSidebarAccordion( event, data, buffer, rc, prc ){
		content = '
			<div class="accordion-section">
				<h4>My Custom Panel</h4>
				<div class="accordion-content">
					<p>Custom panel content here</p>
				</div>
			</div>
		'
		buffer.append( content )
	}

}

3. Content Lifecycle Events

Hook into content save, remove, and status change events:

Entry Events

Page Events

Example: Post-Save Hook

// interceptors/EntryAudit.bx
component {

	property name="log" inject="logbox:logger:EntryAudit"

	function configure(){
	}

	function onCbadmin_postEntrySave( event, data, buffer, rc, prc ){
		// data.entry contains the saved entry
		entry = data.entry
		log.info( "Entry saved: #{entry.getTitle()}# by #{entry.getAuthor().getUsername()}#" )

		// Could also trigger external API, send notifications, etc.
	}

}

4. Author Extension

Extend author management screens:

Example: Add Custom Author Field

// interceptors/AuthorExtension.bx
component {

	property name="authorService" inject="authorService@contentbox"

	function configure(){
	}

	function onCbadmin_onAuthorEditorSidebar( event, data, buffer, rc, prc ){
		content = '
			<div class="form-group">
				<label>Department</label>
				<input type="text" name="department"
					value="#{prc.author?.getDepartment() ?: ''}#"
					class="form-control">
			</div>
		'
		buffer.append( content )
	}

	function onCbadmin_postAuthorSave( event, data, buffer, rc, prc ){
		// Save custom field
		if( structKeyExists( rc, "department" ) ){
			data.author.setDepartment( rc.department )
			authorService.save( data.author )
		}
	}

}

5. Dashboard Extension

Add content to the admin dashboard:

6. Admin Menu Registration

Register custom menu items via cbadmin_onAdminMenuLoad:

// interceptors/AdminMenu.bx
component {

	function configure(){
	}

	function onCbadmin_onAdminMenuLoad( event, data, buffer, rc, prc ){
		// data.menuItems is the array of menu items
		arrayAppend( data.menuItems, {
			name       : "My Module",
			link       : event.buildLink( "cbadmin/myModule" ),
			icon       : "star",
			permission : "MYMODULE_ACCESS",
			order      : 50
		} )
	}

}

Registering Admin Interceptors

Register your interceptors in your module's ModuleConfig.bx:

// ModuleConfig.bx
interceptors = [
	{
		class : "mymodule.interceptors.AdminAssets",
		name  : "AdminAssets@mymodule"
	},
	{
		class : "mymodule.interceptors.EditorSidebar",
		name  : "EditorSidebar@mymodule"
	},
	{
		class : "mymodule.interceptors.EntryAudit",
		name  : "EntryAudit@mymodule"
	}
]

Creating Custom Admin Handlers

Extend baseHandler for admin handlers:

// handlers/MyModule.bx
component extends="contentbox.modules.contentbox-admin.handlers.baseHandler" singleton {

	function index(){
		prc.pageTitle = "My Module"
		setView( "myModule/index" )
	}

	function settings(){
		prc.pageTitle = "My Module Settings"
		prc.settings  = settingService.getSettings()
		setView( "myModule/settings" )
	}

}

Admin Routes

Define routes in your module's ModuleConfig.bx:

routes = [
	{ pattern : "/cbadmin/myModule", handler : "myModule", action : "index" },
	{ pattern : "/cbadmin/myModule/settings", handler : "myModule", action : "settings" },
	{ pattern : "/cbadmin/myModule/:action", handler : "myModule" }
]

Admin Security

Admin handlers inherit security from the admin firewall. Configure permissions:

// In your module's ModuleConfig.bx
settings.cbsecurity = {
	firewall : {
		rules : {
			provider : {
				source     : "model",
				properties : {
					model  : "securityRuleService@contentbox",
					method : "getSecurityRules"
				}
			}
		}
	}
}

Best Practices

1. Use interception points — don't modify core admin files
2. Register interceptors in your module's ModuleConfig.bx
3. Extend baseHandler for admin handlers
4. Use prc scope for passing data to admin views
5. Check permissions before rendering admin content
6. Use buffer.append() for HTML injection interceptors
7. Follow admin UI patterns — match existing styling and structure
8. Test with all engines — Lucee, Adobe CF, BoxLang
9. Use provider: injection to avoid circular dependencies
10. Document custom interception points in your module

Engine Compatibility

This skill targets BoxLang engine. For CFML-specific syntax (Lucee 5+, Adobe ColdFusion 2018+), see the CFML variant of this skill.

Key BoxLang advantages:

• Cleaner script syntax without <cfcomponent> / <cffunction> tags
• No parentheses needed for zero-argument function calls
• #{...}# for inline expression output in .bx templates
• Modern syntax: ?: null coalescing, ?. safe navigation
• Native support for modern data structures