ERP Connector Setup Projects
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Source code for the ERP Connector Solution Starter for Microsoft Office Project Server 2007 includes Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 projects for setup and merge modules. The complete code and setup projects are included in the Project 2007 SDK download.
This topic includes the following sections:
Building the ERP Connector
- Using the SetupConnector Project and Merge Modules
Creating the Developer Documentation
The Visual Studio setup and merge module projects build an installation package for deployment of the ERP Connector application, Windows service, supporting library and plug-in assemblies, and developer documentation. For information about using the installation package, see Installing the ERP Connector on Project Server.
Building the ERP Connector
The ERP Connector 2007 solution for Visual Studio includes six Microsoft Visual C# projects, eight merge modules, and the SetupConnector project. The SetupConnector project collects all of the merge modules into a single installation package, which provides the standard Windows Installer user interface.
Following are the Visual C# projects in the ERP Connector 2007 solution:
Connector creates the Connector library for the core functionality of ERP Connector.
ConnectorService creates the ERP Connector 2007 Service for watching the drop folder and automatically running ERP Connector.
ConnectorTool creates the ConnectorTool.exe application for initializing and running ERP Connector.
SapCOPlugIn handles XML requests for creating projects and tasks.
SapFIPlugIn handles XML requests for exporting work actuals.
SapHRPlugIn handles XML requests for synchronizing human resource data with resources on Project Server.
For more information about the ERP Connector components, see Core Components of the ERP Connector and the topics for each plug-in in Functional Specifications. For developer information compiled from class member comments in the Visual C# projects, see the ERPConnectorComponents.chm HTML Help file in the ERPConnector\doc subdirectory of the Project 2007 SDK download.
When you modify any of the ERP Connector Visual C# projects, you can rebuild the entire Visual Studio solution to update the setup files, or you must do the following, in this order:
Recompile the modified Visual C# project.
Recompile the merge module associated with the Visual C# project.
Recompile the SetupConnector project.
If you copy the ERPConnector subdirectory in the installed Project 2007 SDK download to C:\ERPConnector on your development computer, for example, the Visual Studio solution and projects are all in C:\ERPConnector\src. When you build the default SetupConnector project, it creates the setup.exe and ERP Connector 2007.msi files in the directory C:\ERPConnector\Setup\Debug\Image.
Using the SetupConnector Project and Merge Modules
The SetupConnector project specifies the default submenu for the ERP Connector in the Windows Start menu, the default subdirectory in the Program Files directory for all of the directories and files installed by the ERP Connector merge modules, and other properties for the setup application. For a production implementation of ERP Connector, you should change properties in the SetupConnector project, as described in Procedure 1.
Procedure 1. To modify properties of the SetupConnector project
Open the Properties window in Visual Studio, and then click the SetupConnector project in the Visual Studio Solution Explorer.
Change properties for your implementation of the ERP Connector such as ManufacturerUrl, PostBuildEvent (for example, for scripts to copy additional files to the documentation directory), ProductName, Subject, SupportUrl, and Title.
Right-click the SetupConnector project, click View, and then click File System.
In the File System on Target Machine pane of the File System (SetupConnector) tab, click Application Folder. The TARGETDIR property is the base folder for installation of files on the target Project Server computer. The DefaultLocation is [ProgramFilesFolder]ERP Connector Solution Starter. Change the default folder name and location for your implementation.
Click SDK Programs Menu on the File System (SetupConnector) tab. The TARGETMENU property is the main folder for the ERP Connector in the Windows Start menu. The DefaultLocation is [ProgramMenuFolder]ERP Connector Solution Starter; change the default menu name and location for your implementation.
The sample implementation of the SetupConnector project does not install anything on the User's Desktop or the User's Programs Menu folders.
Each of the merge modules adds items to the target installation directory and to the target menu. To see the properties and items for installation, right-click the merge module in the Solution Explorer, and then view the file system, as in Step 3 of Procedure 1. Open the Module Programs Menu and the Module Retargetable Folder, and then open the subfolders. Following are the merge modules in the ERP Connector 2007 solution:
MMConnector is the merge module for the Connector project.
Installs copies of the Microsoft.Office.Project.Server.Library.dll and Microsoft.SharePoint.Security.dll assemblies in the [TARGETDIR]\bin directory.
Installs the ErpConnector.Connector.dll assembly output and localized resources from the Connector project in the [TARGETDIR]\bin directory.
Installs the User-Level Configuration shortcut in the [TARGETMENU] menu location. The shortcut Target property is the SettingsFolder. The DefaultLocation value of the SettingsFolder is [LocalAppDataFolder]\ErpConnector.
Note
The [LocalAppDataFolder] macro expands to %UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data. Because each library assembly name for the ERP Connector begins with ErpConnector (ErpConnector.Connector.dll, ErpConnector.SapCOPlugIn.dll, and so forth), the User-Level Configuration item in the Windows Start menu opens the folder that contains subdirectories for all of the user configuration files for ERP Connector.
MMService is the merge module for the ConnectorService project.
Installs the ConnectorService.exe assembly output and localized resources from the ConnectorService project in the [TARGETDIR]\bin directory.
Installs the start.cmd and stop.cmd files in [TARGETDIR]\bin.
Creates the ERP Requests Drop directory in [TARGETDIR]\bin.
Installs the Default ERP Requests Drop Folder shortcut in the [TARGETMENU] menu location.
Installs the Start Connector Service shortcut in [TARGETMENU].
Installs the Stop Connector Service shortcut in [TARGETMENU].
MMTool is the merge module for the ConnectorTool project.
Installs the ConnectorTool.exe assembly output and localized resources from the ConnectorService project in the [TARGETDIR]\bin directory.
If the ERP Requests Drop directory does not already exist, creates it in [TARGETDIR]\bin.
Installs the Configure Server Connection shortcut in the [TARGETMENU] menu location.
Installs the Connector Tool shortcut in [TARGETMENU].
MMSapCOPlugIn is the merge module for the SapCOPlugIn project.
Installs the ErpConnector.SapCOPlugIn.dll assembly output and localized resources from the SapCOPlugIn project in the [TARGETDIR]\bin directory.
Installs in the [TARGETDIR]\tests\CO directory all files in the SapCOPlugIn project that are specified as Content files in the Build Action file property. The 28 Test*.xml files are specified as Content files.
Installs the mySAP CO Requests shortcut in the [TARGETMENU]\Example Requests menu location.
MMSapFIPlugIn is the merge module for the SapFIPlugIn project.
Installs the ErpConnector.SapFIPlugIn.dll assembly output and localized resources from the SapFIPlugIn project in the [TARGETDIR]\bin directory.
Installs in the [TARGETDIR]\tests\FI directory all files in the SapFIPlugIn project that are specified as Content files in the Build Action file property. Only the one FI Request.xml file in the SapFIPlugIn project is specified as a Content file.
Installs the mySAP FI Requests shortcut in the [TARGETMENU]\Example Requests menu location.
MMSapHRPlugIn is the merge module for the SapHRPlugIn project.
Installs the ErpConnector.SapHRPlugIn.dll assembly output and localized resources from the SapHRPlugIn project in the [TARGETDIR]\bin directory.
Installs in the [TARGETDIR]\tests\HR directory all files in the SapHRPlugIn project that are specified as Content files in the Build Action file property. The 11 *.xml files are specified as Content files.
Installs the mySAP HR Requests shortcut in the [TARGETMENU]\Example Requests menu location.
MMConnectorDoc is the merge module that installs the HTML Help file for developer documentation of the ERP Connector libraries. For information about building the HTML Help file, see Creating the Developer Documentation.
Installs the ERPConnectorComponents.chm file in the [TARGETDIR]\doc directory.
Installs the ERP Connector Components shortcut in the [TARGETMENU]\Documentation menu location.
MMSapSystemSrc is the merge module that installs the source files for creating the ERP Connector modules that are required on the mySAP™ ERP Human Capital Management and mySAP ERP Financials systems. For information about using the source files, see Installing the Components for mySAP ERP.
Installs the ABAP™ script files and installation hint files in the [TARGETDIR]\src\SapSystem directory.
Installs shortcuts to the English and German mySAP Install Hints files in the [TARGETMENU]\Documentation menu location.
Creating the Developer Documentation
Class members in the ERP Connector Visual C# code projects contain triple-slash comments. Because the XML documentation file is specified on the Build tab of the property page for each code project, Visual Studio saves a documentation file when you build each assembly. For example, when you build the Connector project, it saves the Connector.xml file in the ..\..\doc\ relative path and also in the ..\..\bin\ output path.
The Sandcastle documentation compiler is a set of command-line tools that can generate HTML Help or Help 2.0 files from managed code assemblies and XML documentation files. The Sandcastle Help File Builder on CodePlex provides a graphical user interface for Sandcastle. The ERPConnector\doc directory in the Project 2007 SDK download includes the ERPConnector.shfb configuration file for the Sandcastle Help File Builder, which is used to build the ERPConnectorComponents.chm HTML Help file. For more information about Sandcastle and a link to the Sandcastle download, see Sandcastle - Documentation Compilers for Managed Class Library.
The ERPConnector.shfb file specifies that Sandcastle documents only the Microsoft.SolutionStarters.Project.Erp namespace, not, for example, the Microsoft.SolutionStarters.Project.Erp.PsiProject namespace or other namespaces of Project Server Interface (PSI) proxies in the ERP Connector solution.
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To see documentation of the Project namespace in the PSI, for example, you can use WebSvcProject in the Project 2007 SDK; you do not need to duplicate PSI documentation of Web service proxy assemblies with Sandcastle. |
Among other settings, the ERPConnector.shfb file also configures Sandcastle to add the Copyright.htm page, and a link to the copyright page in the footer of every other page, to the output ERPConnectorComponents.chm file.
When you modify the ERP Connector code, it is a good idea to keep triple-slash comments up to date, and then use the Sandcastle Help File Builder to rebuild the ERPConnectorComponents.chm file when your modifications are complete. You can also add additional content to a custom HTML Help file for your implementation of the ERP Connector.
When you run Sandcastle Help File Builder using the ERPConnector.shfb configuration file, Sandcastle creates the doc\Help, doc\Help\Working, and other subdirectories, and then generates intermediate files that HTML Help Workshop uses to build the final HTML Help file. The following files in the doc\Help\Working subdirectory are the primary files used by HTML Help Workshop:
Help1x.hhp is the HTML Help definition file. It includes the general definition of the HTML Help output plus a list of image files and HTML files used to build the ERPConnectorComponents.chm file.
ERPConnectorComponents.hhc contains the table of contents.
ERPConnectorComponents.hhk contains the index entries.
To change styles in the HTML Help output file, you can edit Presentation.css in the [Program Files]\Sandcastle\Presentation\vs2005\Styles directory. For example, to make the page footer font size a little smaller than the normal font, set font-size: 90% in the div#footer section and set font-size: 100% in the html>body div#footer section.
Because the SdkLinkType property in the ERPConnector.shfb file is set to create links to .NET Framework topics in MSDN online, building the HTML Help file can take a few minutes to several hours. When Sandcastle Help File Builder is done, it saves ERPConnectorComponents.chm in the doc\Help subdirectory.
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To include the updated HTML Help file when you build the SetupConnector project, you must copy ERPConnectorComponents.chm to the doc directory. |
See Also
Concepts
Installing the ERP Connector on Project Server
Installing the Components for mySAP ERP
Core Components of the ERP Connector
Plug-in: Human Resources Integration
Plug-in: Finance Integration on a Project and WBS Level
Plug-in: Finance Integration with Work Actuals
Other Resources
Sandcastle - Documentation Compilers for Managed Class Library