SAPUI5 is a powerful framework for building enterprise-ready web applications. However, as applications grow in complexity, developers often need effective tools to debug, analyze, and optimize their UI5 apps. One such essential tool is the UI5 Inspector — a browser extension designed to give deep insight into the internal structure of SAPUI5 applications.
This article introduces the UI5 Inspector, explains how to use it to analyze UI structure, and highlights key features that can enhance your SAPUI5 development and troubleshooting process.
The UI5 Inspector is a browser developer tool extension (available for Chrome and Edge) created by SAP to help developers explore and debug SAPUI5 applications. It provides a detailed hierarchical view of UI5 controls, models, data binding, and event handlers.
Unlike standard browser dev tools that inspect DOM elements, the UI5 Inspector visualizes the SAPUI5 control tree and metadata, helping developers understand how the application is constructed at runtime.
- For Chrome: Search for "UI5 Inspector" in the Chrome Web Store or visit UI5 Inspector Chrome Extension.
- For Edge: Available via the Edge Add-ons store similarly.
- After installing, open your SAPUI5 app, then launch DevTools (F12) and look for the UI5 tab.
- Displays the hierarchical structure of UI5 controls.
- Allows searching controls by ID or type.
- Expands/collapses control nodes to explore nested layouts.
- Select a control to inspect properties, aggregations, associations, and events.
¶ 2. Properties and Aggregations Panel
- Shows detailed properties (e.g., text, enabled) and aggregations (child controls) of the selected control.
- Lets you edit properties live and see immediate UI updates.
- Useful for tweaking UI during development without code changes.
¶ 3. Binding and Model Inspection
- Displays data bindings linked to controls.
- Shows which model (JSON, OData, Resource) is used and the binding path.
- Helps trace data flow and troubleshoot binding issues.
¶ 4. Event Handlers
- Lists event listeners attached to the control.
- Useful to debug interaction issues like button presses or navigation events.
- Some versions provide insights on loaded resources and potential performance bottlenecks.
- Helps optimize app loading and runtime behavior.
Load the app you want to analyze in your browser.
Press F12 or right-click > Inspect, then select the UI5 tab.
- Use the tree view to browse controls rendered on the page.
- Controls are organized according to their aggregation relationships.
- Use the search box to find controls by ID, class name, or control type (e.g.,
sap.m.Button).
Click any control node to view:
- Properties and their current values.
- Aggregations showing child controls.
- Data bindings and associated models.
- Event listeners attached.
Modify property values (e.g., change button text) and watch the UI update instantly — a fast way to prototype changes or debug issues.
¶ Step 6: Check Bindings and Models
Review the model bindings to verify if data is correctly bound. Identify broken paths or incorrect model references.
- Debugging UI Issues: Quickly identify which control is causing layout or interaction problems.
- Understanding Complex UI: Explore unfamiliar or large applications to grasp UI5 control hierarchy and relationships.
- Performance Tuning: Check loaded controls and resource usage.
- Learning and Documentation: Understand best practices and control usage by analyzing SAP-provided apps.
- Testing Data Bindings: Verify that UI elements are bound to the correct model data.
¶ Tips and Best Practices
- Use the search feature extensively to quickly jump to controls by ID or type.
- Combine UI5 Inspector with standard browser dev tools to inspect CSS and HTML when needed.
- Remember that some controls may render differently or aggregate invisible elements; inspect aggregations carefully.
- Regularly update the UI5 Inspector extension to get the latest features and fixes.
- Use live editing cautiously in production debugging, and always test changes in source code.
The UI5 Inspector is an indispensable tool for SAPUI5 developers seeking to deepen their understanding of UI structure and debug applications efficiently. By providing a rich, control-centric view into SAPUI5 applications, it bridges the gap between the rendered UI and the underlying SAPUI5 control logic.
Whether you’re troubleshooting data bindings, exploring control hierarchies, or fine-tuning UI behavior, mastering the UI5 Inspector will significantly boost your SAPUI5 development productivity and application quality.