Leveraging .NET in SalesLogix

Leveraging .NET in SalesLogix Building Customizations in .NET for your Current Version of SalesLogix and a Look at the Future Ryan Farley Customer FX Corporation

CPE Credit • To receive CPE credit for this session you must attend the entire session • Session code: CRM120 • CPE credit = 1 • Delivery Method = Group-Live • Field of Study = Specialized Knowledge and Applications • Enter your credits at the CPE kiosks available in the Tennessee and Presidential Lobbies

Introduction • Ryan Farley - Customer FX Corporation • customerfx.com – CRM and SalesLogix News & Training • “.NET Advocate” – Developed in .NET (C#) since first public beta • Worked with SalesLogix since first public release • slxdeveloper.com – SalesLogix Articles & Forums • saleslogixblog.com – My blog on SalesLogix development • ryanfarley.com – My blog on .NET development

Objectives • After participating in this session, you will be able to: • Understand the benefits of using .NET for SalesLogix customizations • Identify cases where customizations in .NET make more sense than customizations built in Architect • Understand what is available today to develop for SalesLogix using .NET • Understand what changes for all this in version 7

Session Perspectives • Managers, SalesLogix users, SalesLogix Administrators • Benefits, pros & cons • Examples of .NET customizations in SalesLogix • Developers • “Geek speak” detailing: • Tools available today for developing in .NET for SalesLogix • How this changes in SalesLogix version 7 • Pre-Requisites: • SalesLogix familiarity and basic .NET experience

Benefits of using .NET • Lessens the learning curve • Utilize in-house developers • Abundance of .NET references, resources, & training available • Take advantage of modern tools & technology • Developing in Visual Studio vs. Architect • Using C#/VB.NET/Chrome/etc vs. VBScript • Debugging, Source Control, Unit Testing, list goes on… • .NET Framework

Benefits of using .NET (Continued) • Think “outside the box” • Make the presentation of your data “make sense” for end users • Make difficult tasks easy for complex customizations • Build the kinds of customizations that “are not possible” in SalesLogix

Sample .NET Customizations Sample Customizations • Better Presentation of Data • Make difficult tasks easy • Do what can’t be done

Development Tools Available • SalesLogix COM Library • SalesLogix.SlxApplication • SalesLogix OLE DB Provider • Win32API for embedding in SalesLogix • .NET ComVisibleAttribute and registering .NET assemblies for COM

SalesLogix COM Library • SalesLogix “Application” object • Same object exposed in scripts • Only available while the SalesLogix client is running.

SalesLogix COM Library SalesLogix.ISlxApplication slx = null; try { slx = new SalesLogix.SlxApplicationClass(); MessageBox.Show(“Current AccountID: “ + slx.BasicFunctions.CurrentAccountID()); //access anything available in SalesLogix scripts (ie: Application object) //invoke a plugin slx.BasicFunctions.DoInvoke(“Form”, “System:MyForm”); } finally { Marshal.ReleaseComObject(slx); }

SalesLogix OLE DB Provider • Standard OLE DB Provider • Used by all SalesLogix application for data access • Enforces SalesLogix rules • Provides record access security • Ensures data will synchronize • Use with ADO.NET classes (DataSets, OleDbDataReader, OleDbConnection, OleDbCommand, etc) • Connection Strings – provides all details and login info to provider (See slxdeveloper.com for samples)

Win32 API • Provide ability to embed in SalesLogix • Gives info about host form in SalesLogix to .NET code

Win32 API • SetParent • Change parent of your .NET control to a control in SalesLogix [DllImport("user32.dll”)] public static extern IntPtr SetParent(IntPtr hWndChild, IntPtr hWndNewParent);

Win32 API • GetWindowRect • Get bounds/size of parent control where your .NET control is embedded [DllImport("user32.dll”)] public static extern bool GetWindowRect(IntPtr hWnd, out RECT lpRect); • RECT struct [Serializable, StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)] public struct RECT { public int Left; public int Top; public int Right; public int Bottom; }

COM Exposed .NET Assemblies • ComVisibleAttribute (found in System.Runtime.InteropServices) • Marks a class as “accessible via COM” (use a .NET class via a COM reference in a SalesLogix VBScript) • You can make a class “COM visible” and registration is not required • Can also specify ProgId attribute [ComVisible(true), ProgId(“MyNamespace.MyClass”)] public class MyClass { //… }

COM Exposed .NET Assemblies • Registering Assembly for COM Interop • Registers the assembly to be instanciated via COM (can be instanciated via CreateObject in VBScript plugins) • Required to instanciate the .NET class in script [.NET] [ComVisible(true), ProgId(“MyNamespace.MyClass”)] public class MyClass { public void DoSomething() {} } [VBScript] Dim obj Set obj = CreateObject(“MyNamespace.MyClass”) obj.DoSomething() Set obj = Nothing

What Changes in SalesLogix version 7? • How do these concepts apply to .NET Extensions in SalesLogix v7? • What does the .NET Extensions feature offer for .NET development?

Discussion • Questions or Comments?

Additional Learning Opportunities • To discuss & learn more about building customizations for your SalesLogix system using .NET visit http://www.slxdeveloper.com/ • Articles • Forums • Associate with the best in the SalesLogix community! • Webcasts on SalesLogix development topics via http://www.customerfx.com/Events/Webcasts.fx

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Leveraging .NET in SalesLogix