BizTalk Adapter Development
Installing a BizTalk App can be quite a challenge. You have options of 1) Manual, lots of documentation needed. But then you were going to create docs anyway, right? This is good when you only need to install it once. 2) BizTalk-generated MSI. This is simple and quick to produce. My main issue is that this is not customizable with regard to the application name and product version (think Add/Remove programs) nor can you specific the installation folder. Another huge problem is that *if* the deployment...
Posted On Thursday, November 15, 2007 8:31 AM | Feedback (0)
I've been working hard to document my biztalk adapter, to ensure I can release a self-sufficient downloadable beta version. Of course, I got distracted: Turbo Demo 7 -- I am playing with the free eval copy right now. Its quite fun, I recorded a scenario and decorated it with all kinds of instructional balloons, highlights, etc. I probably spent around 4 hours on it. If you are curious, check out my result here: Blackberry Adapter Auto Demo (Preview version). Obviously now I have to find the cash...
Posted On Wednesday, June 14, 2006 4:57 PM | Feedback (1)
As I get ready to release a downloadable version of my adapter, I am working to make a setup .exe. How to make a setup for your adapter? Easy (sort-of). Start with a MS Visual Studio setup project. As usual, add your project outputs and any other obvious stuff. Then go to the registry editor and add the necessary info for the adapter -- the info you may have generated using the "Adapter Registry Wizard" that comes with BTS. If you are copying and pasting, beware that the config string has some escaped...
Posted On Monday, May 29, 2006 7:50 AM | Feedback (1)
As an intro, I have been building a BizTalk 2006 adapter (http://www.zouak.com/Produ... starting from the new framework and base adapter code. The adapter is a transport-type adapter. One of the initial challenges was wrapping my head around the property definitions. With BTS, each adapter has two types of properties: Handler and Location (aka Port). In addition, at runtime there is the message content itself and the message "Context" properties which can be considered. Once you add an adapter...
Posted On Monday, May 29, 2006 7:49 AM | Feedback (0)
During development installing your adapter into the GAC makes all the difference. If you don't you will find during your test and rebuild cycles, the assemblies will inevitably get hopelessly locked by either BTS, the Admin console or even Visual Studio. I had often killed all possible non-critical processes (an even some critical ones) and still have been unable to delete the adapter dll from the file system. Enough of that, the solution is to install the assembly into the GAC, then you just need...
Posted On Monday, May 29, 2006 7:48 AM | Feedback (2)
When you write a custom adapter, chances are you want to have some custom context properties. Context properties are handy when you want to do dynamic routing or change any port info inside an orchestration. The problem is that how to do this with a custom adapter is not very clear. Here are my tips: First, you need to create a "property schema". To do this, first create a BizTalk project then add a new "property schema". Property schemas are different from regular schemas. Most importantly, they...
Posted On Monday, May 29, 2006 7:47 AM | Feedback (1)