This interface must be implemented by a presentation-level class. A presentation-level class represents something that occupies physical space in the page container, such as the content of a panel or a dialog box. Component extends the module:ct-component/ComponentLifecycleEvents interface which defines the life cycle events that may be raised by the container in response to the user's interaction with it. The Component is automatically registered with its container so that it receives these life cycle event callbacks.

Each implementation of a Component represents a different Component type, for example a Grid or a Trade Panel.

Each subclass of Component must have an createFromSerializedState method which is responsible for constructing new instances of the Component.

The windowing environment, which provides the container within which the component exists, may only use a subset of the Component interface. A component therefore should be implemented so that it will work even if the (mandatory) methods module:ct-component/Component#getElement and module:ct-component/ComponentLifecycleEvents#onOpen are the only methods the windowing environment will invoke.

The windowing environment determines whether the event methods are called immediately after or immediately before the event they refer to.

Component instances that have been configured via XML or saved as part of a layout are instantiated by the ComponentFactory. As such a Component must be registered with the using the factory's module:ct-component/ComponentFactory#registerComponent method, passing in the name of the root XML tag that represents the component and a suitable static factory method can instantiate it.