SPEAK 2.0 Part 1 - Introduction

Greetings Reader!!

This is the first blog in the SPEAK 2.0 series. In this blog, we will understand what is SPEAK, what it is built with and what it offers to Sitecore developers.

What is SPEAK?

SPEAK is an acronym for "Sitecore Process Enablement and Accelerator Kit". Sitecore provides a library of SPEAK compatible components, visual layouts, and styles that developers need in order to implement applications.

SPEAK uses latest browsers standards and HTML5, CSS3 and Javascript libraries like Require JS to build the interface for the controls

The main goal of SPEAK is,

• Consistent UI (Look and Feel) across all Sitecore applications
• Standardized & streamlined approach for application development
• Reusable controls. You can extend Sitecore SPEAK libraries to create your own custom reusable SPEAK component.

Some Examples of SPEAK at Action

Sitecore uses SPEAK framework to build its own applications available with Sitecore out-of-the-box. Some of the examples are Marketing Applications (Launchpad > Marketing Applications)

Out-of-the-box SPEAK Component Library

Group	Description
Authentications	Components related to validating the identity of an application user.
Charts	Components that display business graphics.
Common	The bulk of the simple controls that developers use to implement pages.
Containers	Components that group and organize other components on the page.
Data	Components that retrieve data from the server to the application when running on the client, and make that data available to other components.
Dialogs	Components used to display application dialog windows.
Forms	Components that assist end-users in providing data to the application.
Lists and Grids	Components that display multiple entities of the same type.
Navigation	Components that assist application end-users in moving between the pages that make up the application.
Resources	Components that provide specialized application functionality used by developers.
Searching and Filtering	Components that implement search and filtering capabilities in applications, often through interaction with other components.
Structures	Components that define the visual layout of elements on a page.

More References on SPEAK

SPEAK documentation is bundled with your Sitecore installation. You can find it here,

https://sitecorehostname/sitecore/client/Business%20Component%20Library/version%202/Content/Guidance/Dashboard

This documentation explains which properties are exposed by each SPEAK control.

Let's explore each of these groups in detail with an example SPEAK app.