Compat UI

This module provides UI layout, grid, and AJAX capabilities to the BoxLang language, making it easy to create rich, interactive web applications with familiar CFML syntax.

📋 Table of Contents

• Features

• Installation

• Quick Start

• Components Reference

  • Layout Components

  • Grid Components

  • AJAX Components

  • UI Components

• Built-In Functions (BIFs)

  • AJAX BIFs

  • Grid BIFs

• Examples

  • Layout Examples

  • Grid Examples

  • AJAX Examples

  • Complete Application Examples

• Advanced Features

• Troubleshooting

• Contributing

• Support & Resources

• License

✨ Features

• 🎨 Layout Management: Tab, accordion, border, hbox, and vbox layouts with nested content areas

• 📊 Data Grids: Sortable, editable data grids with pagination and column management

• 🔧 AJAX Support: Client-server communication with JavaScript proxy generation and content loading

• 🎯 Pod Containers: Flexible content containers with title bars and body areas

• 📱 Responsive Design: Components adapt to different screen sizes and containers

• 🔗 CFML Compatibility: Familiar syntax for Adobe ColdFusion and Lucee developers

• 💪 Production Ready: Built by Ortus Solutions with enterprise-grade quality

• 🚀 Zero Configuration: Sensible defaults get you started quickly

📦 Installation

Requirements

• BoxLang 1.0.0 or higher

• Web support enabled (for HTML generation and AJAX functionality)

• bx-esapi module (automatically installed as a dependency)

Install via CommandBox

box install bx-compat-ui

The module will automatically register and be available in your BoxLang applications with the following components:

• bx:layout, bx:layoutarea - Layout management

• bx:grid, bx:gridcolumn, bx:gridrow, bx:gridupdate - Data grids

• bx:ajaxproxy, bx:ajaximport - AJAX functionality

• bx:pod, bx:div, bx:tooltip - UI containers and elements

🚧 Rewrites CAUTION

If you are using a URL rewriting mechanism (like .htaccess for Apache or URL rewrite rules in Nginx), ensure that requests to static assets (JavaScript and CSS files) are properly routed. The module serves assets from the following paths:

/bxModules/bxCompatUI/public/

Make sure these paths passthrough with no rewrites.

🚀 Quick Start

Here's how to create your first UI layout in just a few lines:

<bx:layout type="tab" fillHeight="true">
    <bx:layoutarea title="Dashboard">
        <h2>Welcome to My App</h2>
        <p>Dashboard content goes here</p>
    </bx:layoutarea>
    <bx:layoutarea title="Data">
        <bx:grid name="myGrid" pageSize="10">
            <bx:gridcolumn name="id" header="ID" width="80" />
            <bx:gridcolumn name="name" header="Name" width="200" />
        </bx:grid>
    </bx:layoutarea>
</bx:layout>

That's it! 🎉 You now have a tabbed interface with a dashboard and a data grid.

📚 Components Reference

Layout Components

📐 <bx:layout> Component

The main container component for creating structured layouts

Attributes

Attribute	Type	Default	Description
type	string	Required	Layout type: "tab", "accordion", "border", "hbox", "vbox"
align	string	""	Content alignment: "left", "center", "right", "justify"
fillHeight	boolean	false	Fill available height
fitToWindow	boolean	false	Fill entire window viewport
height	string	""	CSS height value (e.g., "400px", "50%")
width	string	""	CSS width value (e.g., "600px", "100%")
style	string	""	Additional CSS styles
id	string	auto-generated	HTML element ID
class	string	""	Additional CSS classes
name	string	""	Component name identifier

Layout Types

• tab - Tabbed interface with clickable headers

• accordion - Collapsible panels with headers

• border - Five-region layout (top, bottom, left, right, center)

• hbox - Horizontal box layout (flex row)

• vbox - Vertical box layout (flex column)

📋 <bx:layoutarea> Component

Defines content areas within a Layout. Must be nested inside <bx:layout>.

Attributes

Attribute	Type	Default	Description
title	string	""	Area title (used for tabs/accordion headers)
align	string	""	Content alignment within the area
collapsible	boolean	true	Whether area can be collapsed (accordion)
initcollapsed	boolean	false	Start in collapsed state
source	string	""	URL to load content from (AJAX)
position	string	"center"	Position for border layout: "bottom", "center", "left", "right", "top"
size	string	""	CSS size for border layout regions
splitter	boolean	true	Show splitter for border layout
minsize	string	""	Minimum size constraint
maxsize	string	""	Maximum size constraint
id	string	auto-generated	HTML element ID

Grid Components

📊 <bx:grid> Component

Creates a data grid with sorting, editing, and pagination capabilities

Core Attributes

Attribute	Type	Default	Description
name	string	Required	Grid control name
query	query	null	Query object to populate the grid
pageSize	number	25	Number of rows per page
sortable	boolean	true	Enable column sorting
editable	boolean	false	Enable cell editing
autoWidth	boolean	false	Auto-size columns to fit content
height	string	""	Grid height (CSS value)
width	string	""	Grid width (CSS value)
stripeRows	boolean	true	Alternate row colors
showHeaders	boolean	true	Show column headers
selectMode	string	"single"	Row selection mode: "none", "single", "multi"

Event Attributes

Attribute	Type	Default	Description
onLoad	string	""	JavaScript function called when grid loads
onEdit	string	""	JavaScript function called when cell is edited
onSort	string	""	JavaScript function called when column is sorted

Styling Attributes

Attribute	Type	Default	Description
bgColor	string	""	Background color for grid
bold	boolean	false	Bold text formatting
colHeaderBold	boolean	false	Bold column headers
colHeaderFont	string	""	Column header font family
colHeaderFontSize	number	12	Column header font size
colHeaderItalic	boolean	false	Italic column headers
colHeaderTextColor	string	""	Column header text color

Advanced Attributes

Attribute	Type	Default	Description
bind	string	""	Data binding expression for AJAX
bindOnLoad	boolean	true	Whether to bind data on initial load
collapsible	boolean	false	Whether grid is collapsible
delete	boolean	false	Allow delete operations
appendKey	boolean	false	Append key field to form data

📋 <bx:gridcolumn> Component

Defines a column within a grid. Must be nested inside <bx:grid>.

Attributes

Attribute	Type	Default	Description
name	string	Required	Column name (maps to query column)
header	string	name	Column header text
width	string	"auto"	Column width (CSS value)
sortable	boolean	true	Enable sorting for this column
editable	boolean	false	Enable editing for this column
type	string	"string"	Data type: "string", "numeric", "date", "boolean"
format	string	""	Display format for values
align	string	"left"	Text alignment: "left", "center", "right"

🔄 <bx:gridrow> Component

Defines a data row within a grid (for manual data input)

🔧 <bx:gridupdate> Component

Handles grid update operations for editable grids

AJAX Components

🔗 <bx:ajaxproxy> Component

Creates JavaScript proxies for server-side components and executes bind expressions

Attributes

Attribute	Type	Default	Description
cfc	string	""	The CFC for which to create a proxy (dot-delimited path)
jsclassname	string	cfc name	Name for the JavaScript proxy class
bind	string	""	Bind expression for CFC method, JavaScript function, or URL
onError	string	""	JavaScript function to execute if bind fails
onSuccess	string	""	JavaScript function to execute if bind succeeds

📦 <bx:ajaximport> Component

Imports JavaScript and CSS files required for BoxLang AJAX tags and features

Attributes

Attribute	Type	Default	Description
tags	string	""	Comma-delimited list of BoxLang AJAX tags for which to import supporting files
cssSrc	string	"/bx-compat-ui/css"	URL of the directory containing CSS files
scriptSrc	string	"/bx-compat-ui/js"	URL of the directory containing JavaScript files
params	string	""	Parameters to pass, such as API keys

UI Components

🎨 <bx:pod> Component

Creates a container with optional title bar and body content

Attributes

Attribute	Type	Default	Description
title	string	""	Text to display in the pod's title bar
name	string	""	The name assigned to the pod control
height	string	""	Height of the control in pixels
width	string	""	Width of the control in pixels
bodyStyle	string	""	CSS style specification for the pod body
headerStyle	string	""	CSS style specification for the pod header
overflow	string	"auto"	How to display child content that overflows: "auto", "hidden", "scroll", "visible"
source	string	""	URL that returns the content of the pod
onBindError	string	""	JavaScript function to execute if bind expression results in error

📦 <bx:div> Component

Creates a flexible content container with AJAX loading capabilities

💬 <bx:tooltip> Component

Adds interactive tooltips to elements

🔧 Built-In Functions (BIFs)

AJAX BIFs

ajaxLink(url)

Generates a URL that causes link results to display within the current AJAX container rather than replacing the current page content.

Parameters

• url (string, required) - The URL to load when the link is clicked

Return Value

Returns a JavaScript URL that handles AJAX loading into the nearest suitable container.

Examples

<bx:script>
ajaxURL = ajaxLink("content/page1.bxm");
</bx:script>

<a href="#ajaxURL#">Load Content</a>

<!-- In a pod or layout -->
<bx:pod name="myPod">
    <a href="#ajaxLink('data.bxm')#">Load Data</a>
</bx:pod>

ajaxOnLoad(functionName)

Specifies a JavaScript function to run when a page loads in the browser.

Parameters

• functionName (string, required) - The name of the JavaScript function to execute on page load

Return Value

Returns an empty string (outputs JavaScript to the page buffer).

Examples

<script>
function initializePage() {
    console.log("Page loaded!");
    // Initialize your UI components here
}
</script>

<bx:script>
ajaxOnLoad("initializePage");
</bx:script>

Grid BIFs

queryConvertForGrid(query, page, pageSize)

Converts a query object to a format suitable for grid display with pagination and sorting.

Parameters

• query (query, required) - The query object to convert

• page (number, optional) - The page number (1-based, default: 1)

• pageSize (number, optional) - The number of rows per page (default: 25)

Return Value

Returns a structure containing the converted grid data with pagination information.

Examples

<bx:script>
// Convert query for grid display
myQuery = queryNew("id,name,email", "integer,varchar,varchar", [
    [1, "John Doe", "[email protected]"],
    [2, "Jane Smith", "[email protected]"]
]);

gridData = queryConvertForGrid(myQuery, 1, 10);
</bx:script>

<bx:grid name="userGrid" query="#gridData.query#">
    <bx:gridcolumn name="id" header="ID" width="80" />
    <bx:gridcolumn name="name" header="Name" width="200" />
    <bx:gridcolumn name="email" header="Email" width="250" />
</bx:grid>

💡 Examples

Layout Examples

📑 Tab Layout

<bx:layout type="tab" fillHeight="true">
    <bx:layoutarea title="Home">
        <h2>Welcome</h2>
        <p>This is the home tab content. Perfect for dashboard or overview information.</p>
    </bx:layoutarea>
    <bx:layoutarea title="Profile">
        <h2>User Profile</h2>
        <p>User profile information and settings go here.</p>
    </bx:layoutarea>
    <bx:layoutarea title="Settings">
        <h2>Application Settings</h2>
        <p>Configure your application preferences.</p>
    </bx:layoutarea>
</bx:layout>

💡 Use Case: Perfect for organizing related content into easily accessible tabs, like user interfaces with multiple sections.

🎯 Accordion Layout

<bx:layout type="accordion">
    <bx:layoutarea title="Getting Started" collapsible="true">
        <h3>Welcome to BoxLang UI</h3>
        <p>This section helps you get started with the basics.</p>
        <ul>
            <li>Installation guide</li>
            <li>First steps</li>
            <li>Basic examples</li>
        </ul>
    </bx:layoutarea>
    <bx:layoutarea title="Advanced Features" initcollapsed="true">
        <h3>Advanced Functionality</h3>
        <p>Learn about advanced features and customization options.</p>
    </bx:layoutarea>
    <bx:layoutarea title="FAQ" initcollapsed="true">
        <h3>Frequently Asked Questions</h3>
        <p>Common questions and their answers.</p>
    </bx:layoutarea>
</bx:layout>

💡 Use Case: Great for FAQ sections, help documentation, or any content where you want to conserve vertical space.

🎨 Border Layout

<bx:layout type="border" height="500px">
    <bx:layoutarea position="top" size="60px">
        <header style="background: #333; color: white; padding: 15px;">
            <h1>My Application</h1>
        </header>
    </bx:layoutarea>
    <bx:layoutarea position="left" size="200px">
        <nav style="padding: 10px;">
            <h3>Navigation</h3>
            <ul>
                <li><a href="#dashboard">Dashboard</a></li>
                <li><a href="#reports">Reports</a></li>
                <li><a href="#settings">Settings</a></li>
            </ul>
        </nav>
    </bx:layoutarea>
    <bx:layoutarea position="center">
        <main style="padding: 20px;">
            <h2>Main Content Area</h2>
            <p>This is where your primary content goes.</p>
        </main>
    </bx:layoutarea>
    <bx:layoutarea position="right" size="150px">
        <aside style="padding: 10px;">
            <h4>Sidebar</h4>
            <p>Additional information or tools.</p>
        </aside>
    </bx:layoutarea>
    <bx:layoutarea position="bottom" size="40px">
        <footer style="background: #f5f5f5; padding: 10px; text-align: center;">
            © 2024 My Application
        </footer>
    </bx:layoutarea>
</bx:layout>

💡 Use Case: Ideal for complete application layouts with header, footer, sidebar navigation, and main content areas.

↔️ Box Layouts (HBox/VBox)

Horizontal Box Layout:

<bx:layout type="hbox" width="100%" style="gap: 10px;">
    <bx:layoutarea>
        <bx:pod title="Statistics" width="200px">
            <p>Users: 1,234</p>
            <p>Sales: $45,678</p>
        </bx:pod>
    </bx:layoutarea>
    <bx:layoutarea>
        <bx:pod title="Recent Activity" width="300px">
            <ul>
                <li>User registered</li>
                <li>Order placed</li>
                <li>Payment processed</li>
            </ul>
        </bx:pod>
    </bx:layoutarea>
    <bx:layoutarea>
        <bx:pod title="Quick Actions" width="200px">
            <button>Export Data</button>
            <button>Generate Report</button>
        </bx:pod>
    </bx:layoutarea>
</bx:layout>

Vertical Box Layout:

<bx:layout type="vbox" height="400px">
    <bx:layoutarea>
        <h3>Header Section</h3>
    </bx:layoutarea>
    <bx:layoutarea style="flex: 1;">
        <p>This area will expand to fill available space.</p>
    </bx:layoutarea>
    <bx:layoutarea>
        <button>Action Button</button>
    </bx:layoutarea>
</bx:layout>

💡 Use Case: Perfect for arranging content horizontally or vertically with consistent spacing and alignment.

Grid Examples

📊 Basic Data Grid

<bx:script>
// Create sample data
employeeQuery = queryNew("id,name,department,salary", "integer,varchar,varchar,numeric", [
    [1, "John Doe", "Engineering", 75000],
    [2, "Jane Smith", "Marketing", 65000],
    [3, "Bob Johnson", "Sales", 55000],
    [4, "Alice Brown", "Engineering", 80000]
]);
</bx:script>

<bx:grid name="employeeGrid" 
         query="#employeeQuery#" 
         pageSize="10" 
         sortable="true" 
         stripeRows="true">
    <bx:gridcolumn name="id" header="ID" width="60" sortable="false" />
    <bx:gridcolumn name="name" header="Employee Name" width="200" />
    <bx:gridcolumn name="department" header="Department" width="150" />
    <bx:gridcolumn name="salary" header="Salary" width="120" type="numeric" format="currency" align="right" />
</bx:grid>

💡 Use Case: Perfect for displaying tabular data with sorting and pagination capabilities.

✏️ Editable Grid with Events

<bx:script>
function handleGridEdit(grid, row, col, newValue, oldValue) {
    console.log("Cell edited:", { row, col, newValue, oldValue });
    // Handle the edit - save to database, validate, etc.
}

function handleGridLoad(grid) {
    console.log("Grid loaded successfully");
    // Initialize any additional functionality
}
</bx:script>

<bx:grid name="editableGrid" 
         query="#productQuery#" 
         editable="true"
         pageSize="15"
         onEdit="handleGridEdit"
         onLoad="handleGridLoad"
         selectMode="multi">
    <bx:gridcolumn name="id" header="Product ID" width="80" editable="false" />
    <bx:gridcolumn name="name" header="Product Name" width="250" editable="true" />
    <bx:gridcolumn name="price" header="Price" width="100" type="numeric" format="currency" editable="true" />
    <bx:gridcolumn name="active" header="Active" width="80" type="boolean" editable="true" />
</bx:grid>

💡 Use Case: Ideal for administrative interfaces where users need to edit data directly in the grid.

AJAX Examples

🔗 AJAX Proxy for Server Communication

<bx:ajaximport tags="ajaxproxy" />

<bx:ajaxproxy cfc="components.UserService" 
              jsclassname="UserProxy" />

<script>
// Use the generated JavaScript proxy
var userProxy = new UserProxy();

function loadUserData() {
    userProxy.call("getUsers", {department: "Engineering"}, function(result) {
        console.log("Users loaded:", result);
        // Process the result data
        displayUsers(result);
    });
}

function displayUsers(users) {
    var html = "<ul>";
    users.forEach(function(user) {
        html += "<li>" + user.name + " (" + user.email + ")</li>";
    });
    html += "</ul>";
    document.getElementById("userList").innerHTML = html;
}
</script>

<button onclick="loadUserData()">Load Users</button>
<div id="userList"></div>

💡 Use Case: Perfect for creating rich client-server interactions without page refreshes.

🔄 AJAX Content Loading

<bx:ajaximport />

<bx:layout type="tab">
    <bx:layoutarea title="Static Content">
        <h2>This content is loaded immediately</h2>
        <p>No AJAX required for static content.</p>
    </bx:layoutarea>
    <bx:layoutarea title="Dynamic Content" source="content/dynamic-data.bxm">
        <p>Loading...</p>
    </bx:layoutarea>
</bx:layout>

<bx:pod title="Navigation" width="250px">
    <ul>
        <li><a href="#ajaxLink('pages/dashboard.bxm')#">Dashboard</a></li>
        <li><a href="#ajaxLink('pages/reports.bxm')#">Reports</a></li>
        <li><a href="#ajaxLink('pages/settings.bxm')#">Settings</a></li>
    </ul>
</bx:pod>

💡 Use Case: Great for loading content dynamically while maintaining the overall page structure.

Complete Application Examples

🏢 Enterprise Dashboard

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>Enterprise Dashboard</title>
    <bx:ajaximport tags="layout,grid,pod" />
</head>
<body>
    <bx:layout type="border" fitToWindow="true">
        <bx:layoutarea position="top" size="70px">
            <header style="background: #2c3e50; color: white; padding: 15px; display: flex; justify-content: space-between; align-items: center;">
                <h1>Enterprise Dashboard</h1>
                <nav>
                    <a href="#ajaxLink('logout.bxm')" style="color: white;">Logout</a>
                </nav>
            </header>
        </bx:layoutarea>
        
        <bx:layoutarea position="left" size="280px">
            <bx:layout type="accordion">
                <bx:layoutarea title="Navigation">
                    <ul style="list-style: none; padding: 10px;">
                        <li><a href="#ajaxLink('dashboard/overview.bxm')#">📊 Overview</a></li>
                        <li><a href="#ajaxLink('dashboard/analytics.bxm')#">📈 Analytics</a></li>
                        <li><a href="#ajaxLink('dashboard/users.bxm')#">👥 Users</a></li>
                        <li><a href="#ajaxLink('dashboard/reports.bxm')#">📋 Reports</a></li>
                    </ul>
                </bx:layoutarea>
                <bx:layoutarea title="Quick Stats" initcollapsed="false">
                    <div style="padding: 10px;">
                        <bx:pod title="Today's Stats">
                            <p><strong>Active Users:</strong> 1,234</p>
                            <p><strong>Revenue:</strong> $45,678</p>
                            <p><strong>Orders:</strong> 89</p>
                        </bx:pod>
                    </div>
                </bx:layoutarea>
                <bx:layoutarea title="Tools" initcollapsed="true">
                    <div style="padding: 10px;">
                        <button onclick="exportData()">📤 Export Data</button><br><br>
                        <button onclick="generateReport()">📊 Generate Report</button><br><br>
                        <button onclick="backupSystem()">💾 Backup System</button>
                    </div>
                </bx:layoutarea>
            </bx:layout>
        </bx:layoutarea>
        
        <bx:layoutarea position="center">
            <bx:layout type="tab" fillHeight="true">
                <bx:layoutarea title="📊 Overview">
                    <div style="padding: 20px;">
                        <h2>System Overview</h2>
                        <bx:layout type="hbox" style="gap: 20px;">
                            <bx:layoutarea>
                                <bx:pod title="Revenue Metrics" height="300px">
                                    <p>Monthly Revenue: $123,456</p>
                                    <p>Growth: +15.3%</p>
                                    <!-- Chart would go here -->
                                </bx:pod>
                            </bx:layoutarea>
                            <bx:layoutarea>
                                <bx:pod title="User Activity" height="300px">
                                    <p>Active Sessions: 456</p>
                                    <p>New Users: 23</p>
                                    <!-- Activity graph would go here -->
                                </bx:pod>
                            </bx:layoutarea>
                        </bx:layout>
                    </div>
                </bx:layoutarea>
                <bx:layoutarea title="📋 Data Management">
                    <div style="padding: 20px;">
                        <h2>User Management</h2>
                        <bx:grid name="userManagementGrid" 
                                 pageSize="15" 
                                 sortable="true" 
                                 editable="true"
                                 selectMode="multi">
                            <bx:gridcolumn name="id" header="ID" width="60" editable="false" />
                            <bx:gridcolumn name="username" header="Username" width="150" />
                            <bx:gridcolumn name="email" header="Email" width="250" />
                            <bx:gridcolumn name="role" header="Role" width="120" />
                            <bx:gridcolumn name="lastLogin" header="Last Login" width="150" type="date" />
                            <bx:gridcolumn name="active" header="Active" width="80" type="boolean" />
                        </bx:grid>
                    </div>
                </bx:layoutarea>
                <bx:layoutarea title="📈 Analytics">
                    <div style="padding: 20px;">
                        <h2>Performance Analytics</h2>
                        <p>Detailed analytics and reporting tools will be displayed here.</p>
                        <!-- Analytics charts and reports would go here -->
                    </div>
                </bx:layoutarea>
            </bx:layout>
        </bx:layoutarea>
        
        <bx:layoutarea position="bottom" size="50px">
            <footer style="background: #ecf0f1; padding: 15px; text-align: center; border-top: 1px solid #bdc3c7;">
                <p>&copy; 2024 Enterprise Dashboard | Built with BoxLang UI Compatibility Module</p>
            </footer>
        </bx:layoutarea>
    </bx:layout>

    <script>
    function exportData() {
        alert("Exporting data...");
        // Implement export functionality
    }
    
    function generateReport() {
        alert("Generating report...");
        // Implement report generation
    }
    
    function backupSystem() {
        alert("Starting system backup...");
        // Implement backup functionality
    }
    </script>
</body>
</html>

💡 Use Case: Complete enterprise application interface with navigation, data management, and analytics all in one unified interface.

🛒 E-commerce Admin Panel

<bx:layout type="border" fitToWindow="true">
    <bx:layoutarea position="top" size="80px">
        <header style="background: linear-gradient(90deg, #667eea 0%, #764ba2 100%); color: white; padding: 20px;">
            <h1>🛒 E-commerce Admin Panel</h1>
        </header>
    </bx:layoutarea>
    
    <bx:layoutarea position="left" size="250px">
        <bx:pod title="Quick Actions" height="200px">
            <div style="padding: 10px;">
                <button style="width: 100%; margin: 5px 0; padding: 8px;">➕ Add Product</button>
                <button style="width: 100%; margin: 5px 0; padding: 8px;">📦 Process Orders</button>
                <button style="width: 100%; margin: 5px 0; padding: 8px;">👥 Manage Users</button>
                <button style="width: 100%; margin: 5px 0; padding: 8px;">📊 View Reports</button>
            </div>
        </bx:pod>
    </bx:layoutarea>
    
    <bx:layoutarea position="center">
        <bx:layout type="tab" fillHeight="true">
            <bx:layoutarea title="📦 Products">
                <div style="padding: 15px;">
                    <bx:grid name="productGrid" 
                             pageSize="20" 
                             sortable="true" 
                             editable="true">
                        <bx:gridcolumn name="id" header="ID" width="60" />
                        <bx:gridcolumn name="name" header="Product Name" width="250" />
                        <bx:gridcolumn name="category" header="Category" width="120" />
                        <bx:gridcolumn name="price" header="Price" width="100" type="numeric" format="currency" />
                        <bx:gridcolumn name="stock" header="Stock" width="80" type="numeric" />
                        <bx:gridcolumn name="active" header="Active" width="80" type="boolean" />
                    </bx:grid>
                </div>
            </bx:layoutarea>
            <bx:layoutarea title="📋 Orders">
                <div style="padding: 15px;">
                    <bx:grid name="orderGrid" 
                             pageSize="15" 
                             sortable="true">
                        <bx:gridcolumn name="orderNumber" header="Order #" width="120" />
                        <bx:gridcolumn name="customerName" header="Customer" width="180" />
                        <bx:gridcolumn name="orderDate" header="Date" width="120" type="date" />
                        <bx:gridcolumn name="total" header="Total" width="100" type="numeric" format="currency" />
                        <bx:gridcolumn name="status" header="Status" width="100" />
                    </bx:grid>
                </div>
            </bx:layoutarea>
            <bx:layoutarea title="👥 Customers">
                <div style="padding: 15px;">
                    <bx:grid name="customerGrid" 
                             pageSize="20" 
                             sortable="true">
                        <bx:gridcolumn name="id" header="ID" width="60" />
                        <bx:gridcolumn name="name" header="Name" width="200" />
                        <bx:gridcolumn name="email" header="Email" width="250" />
                        <bx:gridcolumn name="city" header="City" width="120" />
                        <bx:gridcolumn name="totalOrders" header="Orders" width="80" type="numeric" />
                        <bx:gridcolumn name="totalSpent" header="Total Spent" width="120" type="numeric" format="currency" />
                    </bx:grid>
                </div>
            </bx:layoutarea>
        </bx:layout>
    </bx:layoutarea>
</bx:layout>

💡 Use Case: Perfect for e-commerce administration interfaces with product management, order processing, and customer management all in one place.

🚀 Advanced Features

📊 Dynamic Data Loading

Components support AJAX data loading through the source attribute:

<bx:layoutarea title="Dynamic Content" source="api/get-content.bxm">
    <p>Loading content...</p>
</bx:layoutarea>

<bx:pod title="Live Data" source="api/get-stats.bxm">
    <p>Fetching latest statistics...</p>
</bx:pod>

🎨 CSS Integration

All components generate semantic CSS classes for easy styling:

/* Layout styling */
.bx-layout-tab .bx-tab-header.active {
    background-color: #3498db;
    color: white;
}

/* Grid styling */
.bx-grid .bx-grid-row:nth-child(even) {
    background-color: #f8f9fa;
}

/* Pod styling */
.bx-pod .bx-pod-title {
    background: linear-gradient(90deg, #667eea 0%, #764ba2 100%);
    color: white;
}

🔗 Event Handling

Components support comprehensive JavaScript event handling:

<bx:grid name="myGrid" 
         onLoad="handleGridLoad"
         onEdit="handleCellEdit"
         onSort="handleColumnSort">
    <!-- grid columns -->
</bx:grid>

<script>
function handleGridLoad(grid) {
    console.log("Grid loaded:", grid.name);
}

function handleCellEdit(grid, row, col, newValue, oldValue) {
    // Validate and save changes
    if (validateValue(newValue)) {
        saveToServer(row, col, newValue);
    }
}

function handleColumnSort(grid, column, direction) {
    console.log("Sorted by:", column, direction);
}
</script>

📱 Responsive Design

Layouts automatically adapt to different screen sizes:

<bx:layout type="border" fitToWindow="true">
    <!-- Content automatically adjusts to viewport -->
</bx:layout>

<bx:grid name="responsiveGrid" autoWidth="true">
    <!-- Columns resize based on content and container -->
</bx:grid>

❓ Troubleshooting

Components Not Rendering

Problem: Components appear as raw tags or don't render properly.

Solutions:

• ✅ Ensure the module is installed: box install bx-compat-ui

• ✅ Verify BoxLang web support is enabled

• ✅ Check that component tags use the correct bx: prefix

• ✅ Ensure required attributes are provided (e.g., type for layouts, name for grids)

AJAX Functionality Not Working

Problem: AJAX links or content loading fails.

Solutions:

• ✅ Include <bx:ajaximport /> or <bx:ajaximport tags="layout,grid" /> in your page

• ✅ Ensure URLs are accessible and return valid content

• ✅ Check browser console for JavaScript errors

• ✅ Verify that the BoxLang AJAX namespace is initialized

Layout Areas Not Displaying

Problem: Layout areas don't appear or appear incorrectly.

Solutions:

• ✅ Ensure <bx:layoutarea> components are nested inside <bx:layout>

• ✅ Check that position attributes are valid for border layouts

• ✅ Verify title attributes are provided for tab and accordion layouts

• ✅ Include appropriate CSS for styling (or use default CSS)

Grid Not Showing Data

Problem: Grid renders but shows no data or incorrect data.

Solutions:

• ✅ Verify the query object has data: query.recordCount > 0

• ✅ Check that column names in <bx:gridcolumn> match query column names

• ✅ Ensure the query is properly passed to the grid's query attribute

• ✅ Use queryConvertForGrid() if pagination is needed

Styling Issues

Problem: Components don't look right or lack styling.

Solutions:

• ✅ Include component CSS files or create custom styles

• ✅ Check for CSS conflicts with existing stylesheets

• ✅ Use browser developer tools to inspect generated HTML and classes

• ✅ Verify CSS classes are being applied correctly

JavaScript Errors

Problem: Interactive features not working, console shows errors.

Solutions:

• ✅ Ensure <bx:ajaximport /> is included before using AJAX features

• ✅ Check that JavaScript function names are spelled correctly in event attributes

• ✅ Verify that referenced JavaScript functions are defined before components load

• ✅ Use ajaxOnLoad() to ensure initialization happens at the right time

Performance Issues

Problem: Large grids or complex layouts are slow.

Solutions:

• ✅ Use pagination with reasonable page sizes (25-50 rows)

• ✅ Consider lazy loading for layout areas with source attribute

• ✅ Optimize database queries that populate grids

• ✅ Use autoWidth="false" for grids with many columns