What's New for Developers in XNAT 1.7?

XNAT 1.7 is very much a codebase in transition, as we are actively stepping toward an "XNAT 2.0" destination on the development roadmap. As such, there is a combination of old and new under the hood. For example, there are still Velocity templates for common report pages, but the new Admin UI is built in JSP using a YAML spec and a new-fangled widget spawner. 

As such, expect to find a lot of new content and controls in this section. 


Building a Dev Instance

XNAT build instructions for developers is much the same as the Vagrant Quick-install instructions for users, but with more customization options available. 


XNAT Under The Hood

External XNAT Development 

With the advent of a mature XNAT REST API, it is easier for external developers to create a free-standing UI using whatever technology they choose, and connect all functions of that front end to an XNAT backend using REST. It is even possible, using CORS, to connect that front end to a remote XNAT. 

Best Practices for Development