Connect for Lawson Software User's Guide
CHAPTER 3
To create a Component that utilizes the Integration ManagerTM Connect for Lawson Software, you need to do three things:
Create a Connection Resource (to allow your component to connect to a Lawson Software system)
Create the Component itself (containing your business logic)
Each of these processes is discussed in detail in this section.
Before creating a component that interacts with a Lawson Software system, you need to create a Connection Resource, which is a lightweight Integration Manager object (xObject) that encapsulates basic connection information (parameter values) associated with a connection to a back-end system.
In addition to a connection resource, a Lawson Software Component requires that you have already created XML templates so that you have sample input and output documents for use in designing your component. For more information, see "Creating an XML Template" in the Novell Integration Manager User's Guide.
If your component design calls for any other resources, such as custom scripts, XSL, XSD, etc., you should create these before creating the Lawson Software Component. For more information, see "Creating Custom Scripts" in the Novell Integration Manager User's Guide.
You create different types of connection resource depending on the type of interaction with the Lawson system that is desired. If your application needs to initiate Lawson business events, you need to create a Lawson Connection resource. If your application needs to process data when a business event occurs within the Lawson system, you need to create a Lawson Service File Connection resource.
You can specify Connection parameter values in one of two ways: as Constants or as Expressions. A constant-driven parameter uses the value you type in the Connection dialog every time the Connection is used. An expression-driven parameter allows you to set the value using a programmatic expression, which can result in a different value each time the connection is used at runtime. This allows the Connection's behavior to be flexible and vary based on runtime conditions each time it is used.
For instance, one very simple use of an expression-driven parameter in a Connection would be to define the User ID and Password as PROJECT Variables (e.g. PROJECT.XPATH("USERCONFIG/MyDeployUser"). This way when you deploy the project, you can update the PROJECT Variables in the Deployment Wizard to values appropriate for the final deployment environment. At the other extreme, you could have a custom script that queries a Java business object in the Application Server to determine what User ID and Password to use.
To switch a parameter from Constant-driven to Expression driven:
Click the right mouse button in the parameter field you are interested in changing.
Select Expression from the context menu and the editor button will appear or become enabled.
Click on the button and then create an expression that evaluates to a valid parameter value at runtime. (Strings should be wrapped in double-quotes.)
To Create a Lawson Software Connection Resource:
Select File > New > xObject. The New xObject dialog box is displayed.
Double-click on Connection. The "Create a New Connection Resource" Wizard is displayed.
Enter the host name or IP address of the Lawson Software server in the Host or IP Address field.
Enter the port number used in your Lawson Software configuration (e.g., 8080) in the Lawson Port field.
Enter the root directory name for the Lawson CGI (e.g., /ibilawson/cgi-lawson) in the CGI Root field.
Enter a valid User ID to sign on to the selected Lawson Software server in the User ID field.
Enter the password for the user specified in the Password field.
If the Lawson environment is set up to use HTTPS communications, select HTTPS.
Enter the desired maximum pool size in the Maximum Pool Size field. This is a JCA setting that specifies the maximum number of connections to be allowed in the connection pool (not applicable for non-managed environments).
If desired, select Test to see if your connection parameters and network environment allow you to create a live connection. Integration Manager displays a message indicating the success or failure of the test. The test connection is discarded immediately after the test. You can continue working with the connection resource, even if the connection fails.
NOTE: This test does not test the connection pool.
Select OK. The newly-created resource connection object appears in the Integration Manager Connection Resource detail pane.
To Create a Lawson File Service Connection Resource:
Select File > New > xObject. The New xObject dialog box is displayed.
Double-click on Connection. The "Create a New Connection Resource" wizard is displayed.
Optionally, type a description of the connection object in the Description field.
Select Lawson Service File Connection from the Connection Type list.
Use the Browse button next to the Polling Location field to select the target file system location for the Lawson XML file.
In the File Mask field type the file name to be used for the output file generated as a result of this operation. The default is ".*".
Select REQUEST, REQUEST_RESPONSE, or REQUEST_ACK from the Synchronization Type list. Select the option that is correct for the system with which you are integrating (e.g., if your system is set up to process a response, select REQUEST_RESPONSE). The Synchronization Type selected also determines the tabs that are displayed in the Service Request Native Environment pane (e.g., if REQUEST_RESPONSE is selected, both Request and Response tabs are displayed).
Use the Browse button next to the Response/Ack Directory field to select the directory to which responses or acknowledgements from your application will be written.
Use the Browse button next to the Error Directory field to select the directory to which error information will be written.
In the Poll Interval field, type the interval (in milliseconds) in which the Polling Location is checked for input. The default is 3000 (3 seconds).
Select Threaded or Sequential from the Processing Mode list. Threaded indicates processing of multiple requests simultaneously. Sequential indicates serial processing of requests.
If Threaded processing mode is selected in the Processing Mode list, use the Thread Limit field to specify the maximum number of requests that can be processed simultaneously.
From the Metadata Connection list, select a connection resource from the list of defined connection resources. This connection is used for acquiring metadata from the system.
Type the desired maximum pool size in the Maximum Pool Size field. This is a JCA setting that specifies the maximum number of connections to be allowed in the connection pool (not applicable for non-managed environments).
Before creating a Lawson Software Component, you should create any XML templates that might be needed. XML templates are used to tell Integration Manager which XML sample documents (e.g., input, output, scratch pad, fault, XSD, or DTD) to use. Once you've specified the XML templates, you can create a component that uses the sample documents to represent the inputs and outputs processed by your component. For more information about XML templates, see "Creating a New XML Template" in the Novell Integration Manager User's Guide.
As part of the process of creating a Lawson Software Component, you can select an existing Lawson Software connection resource, or you can create a new one. If you create the connection beforehand, it is available for use by any Lawson Software Components in the current project. If you have not already created at least one Lawson Software connection resource in the current project, you will be prompted to do so when you try to create a Lawson Software Component.
NOTE: You can still create a Component without first creating a Connection Resource, but you won't be able to use any debug features that depend on a live connection.
To Create a New Lawson Software Component:
Select File>New>xObject. The New xObject dialog box is displayed.
NOTE: Alternatively, under Component in the Integration Manager Navigator pane (Explorer view), you can highlight Lawson, click the right mouse button, then select New.
If you have not previously defined a connection resource, you are prompted to do so now (see Creating a Connection Resource).
If you have already defined a connection resource, the "Create a New Lawson Component" Wizard is displayed.
Select Next. The XML Input/Output Message Property Info panel of the New Lawson Software Component Wizard is displayed.
Specify the Input and Output templates as follows:
Type a name for the template under Part if you wish the name to appear in the DOM as something other than "Input"
Select a Template Category if it is different than the default category.
Select a Template Name from the list of XML templates in the selected Template Category.
To add additional input XML templates, click Add, then choose a Template Category and Template Name for each.
To remove an input XML template, select an entry and click Delete.
Select an XML template for use as an Output DOM using the procedure described in the previous step.
NOTE: You can specify an input or output XML template that contains no structure by selecting {System}{ANY} as the Input or Output template. For more information, see "Creating an Output Document without Using a Template" in the Novell Integration Manager User's Guide.
Select Next. The Temp and Fault XML Template panel is displayed.
If desired, specify a template to be used as a scratch pad under the "Temp Message" pane of the dialog box. This can be useful if you need a place to hold values that will be used temporarily during the execution of your component. Select a Template Category if it is different than the default category. Then select a Template Name from the list of XML templates in the selected Template Category.
Under the "Fault Message" pane, select an XML template to be used to pass back to clients when an error condition occurs.
To add additional input XML templates, click Add and choose a Template Category and Template Name for each. Repeat as many times as desired. To remove an input XML template, select an entry and click Delete.
Select Next. The Connection Info panel of the Create a New Lawson Component wizard is displayed.
Select a Lawson Software connection from the Connection list. The Connection list displays the names of the Lawson Software connection resources that have been defined in this project.
Select Finish. The component is created and the Lawson Software Component Editor is displayed.
The Lawson Software Component Editor includes all of the functionality of the XML Map Component Editor. It contains mapping panes for Input and Output XML documents, as well as an Action Model.
The Lawson Software Component Editor also includes a Native Environment pane, which appears as a grey pane until you create a Lawson Software Request action, at which time it will show a tabs for Request and Response panes with corresponding XML trees.
The Native Environment pane shown in the illustration is blank, because no Lawson Software Request action has been created.
You can create all the normal Integration Manager actions in the Action Model of your Lawson Software component (e.g., XML Map, Function, Log, Send Mail). In addition, you can create a Lawson Software Request action.
The Lawson Software Request action communicates requests (XML request documents) to your Lawson Software system and fetches responses back from the same system.
The Integration Manager GUI for creating a Lawson Software Request action allows you to
Specify the type of Lawson Software business function that you want to invoke
Automatically generate XML schemas (request and response) for the particular business function that you want to use
Use the generated schemas to fine-tune the exact structure of the actual request document you want to use (a request document that conforms to the schema but reflects your own "setup" choices and initialization parameters, etc.)
Automatically generate XML request and response documents that conform to the schemas and choices that you've made
You will see how this works in the following procedure.
To Create a Lawson Software Request Action
Right-click in the Action Model at the location in which you want the new action to appear, then select New Action > Request.
The Function pane of the Request dialog box is displayed. This page displays the Lawson components for the system to which you are connected.
Click on the plus (+) sign to the left of the topmost node in the tree view to expand the tree view.
NOTE: If no nodes are displayed on the Function page, there may be an incorrect parameter in your connection resource. Check the parameters needed for connecting to your Lawson Software server, then update your connection resource if necessary (see Creating a Connection Resource).
You will see a list of product names. Position the mouse pointer over a node to receive ToolTip information about the node. ToolTips display the following information, depending on the node type:
Click on the plus sign to the left of a product name to see the business functions for that product name.
Right-click on the desired business function, then select Get Schemas from the context menu.
After a few seconds, the Request and Response tabs of the Request dialog box are enabled.
Type a name for the request message in the Request Message field, or accept the default as shown in the preceding illustration.
Expand the nodes of the Request Tree by clicking on the plus signs to the left of the nodes.
Select the elements that you want to include in the Request document by selecting or deselecting the check boxes in the node tree. Some nodes are greyed out (disabled) while others are not. This is because the document schema determines the nodes that you can edit.
Integration Manager strictly enforces schema rules. In other words, Integration Manager will not let you specify an invalid request document. Items that you should not edit are disabled, and items that you can edit have context-menus that non-customizable nodes do not have. For example:
Mandatory elements and attributes are marked selected and disabled.
All child nodes are left unselected and disabled if the parent node is not selected.
A parent element, once selected, will autoselect mandatory elements and attributes of its children.
When a parent node is selected, you will need to select optional elements manually.
ToolTips are an important aid in using the Request and Response panes, because they display document-structure rules from the request/response document schema. Familiarize yourself with the ToolTip feature by letting the mouse hover over various nodes, as shown in the following illustration.
NOTE: The ToolTips that appear in this tree are also available in the Native Environment pane.
If a node has Maximum Occurrence property of greater than one, a command called "Create new..." is available by right-clicking on the node. Selecting that command brings up the following dialog box:
Enter the number of additional instances of this node-type that you want to insert in the document, then click OK. New nodes are added to the document structure.
CAUTION: There is no Undo for this operation.
If an enumeration button (
) is displayed to the right of a given node, you can click the button to choose from the list of appropriate (schema-allowed) values for that enumeration.
A common situation is that an enumeration offers choices of Update, Insert, or Delete. An example of this is shown in the following illustration, which shows the dialog that appears when you click an Enumeration Button.
Visit all of the nodes in the request tree that are of interest to you, and use the Integration Manager user interface features described in the preceding steps to customize the request document structure.
Click the Response tab at the top of the dialog box to bring the Response document pane forward. This pane shows a tree view of the Response document, similar to the one shown for the Request document. The same user interface features that applied to the Request document pane apply to the Response document pane.
Type a name for the response message in the Response Message field, or accept the default response message name.
Select or deselect Filter Response, as desired. Filter Response is selected by default. If deselected, the tree will be disabled and greyed (no longer editable), indicating that a default schema configuration will be used. If selected, you can customize the structure of the request document by selecting the nodes to be included in the response document.
Visit all of the nodes in the Response document tree and customize the settings as desired.
Select OK. The dialog closes and a new action appears in the Action Model of your component. The Native Environment Pane changes to show the Request and Response tabs along with tree views of the request and response documents.
To map a node of the Input document to a node in the Request document, drag a node from the Input pane and drop it on a node in the Request tab of the Native Environment pane. This automatically creates a new XML Map Action in the Action Model.
To map a node of the Response document to a node in the Output document, drag a node from the Response tab of the Native Environment pane and drop it on a node in the Output pane. This automatically creates a new XML Map Action in the Action Model. You can cut, copy, or delete the actions once they appear in the Action Model pane.
Add or remove actions from the Action Model to create the desired business logic.
Once you have created a Request Action in your Action Model (see Creating Actions in the Component Editor), you can go back and edit the Request and Response schema trees by double-clicking the Request Action in the Action Model. Double-clicking causes the Request dialog box to be displayed. You can use the Request and Response tabs to navigate the request- and response-document schemas and change your customizations as desired. When you exit from of the dialog box, your changes are reflected in the Native Environment Pane.
NOTE: If you manually edit the Request or Response documents in the Native Environment Pane (see Manually Editing the Request and Response Documents), you will not be able to reopen the Request Action dialog. Avoid manually editing request/response documents. Instead, make modifications through careful use of the XML Map Action or by using Request.createXPath( ) and DOM methods in a Function Action.
After you have created a Request Action (see Creating Actions in the Component Editor), the Native Environment Pane portion of the Integration Manager editor view displays Request and Response documents in tree-view form, as shown in the following illustration.
You can drag and drop data from the Input document to the Request document to create XML Map actions. You also can use drag-and-drop mapping to map from Response to Output. In the preceding illustration, some nodes are displayed in red. The red color indicates that data has been mapped to the nodes.
If you right-click anywhere inside the Request or Response tree views in the Native Environment Pane, a menu is displayed.
The Edit Document command in this menu opens the document in a text-editor, as shown in the following illustration.
In this window, you can manually edit the Request or Response document.
CAUTION: If you manually edit the document, it may no longer conform to the original schema. As a result, you will no longer be able to open the document in the Request Action dialog box.
If you have manually edited a Request or Response document, double-clicking on the corresponding Request Action in the Action Model will cause the following message to be displayed:
If this message appears, and you want to work with the document using the Request Action dialog box, you must recreate the action in order to see the original Request or Response document. Manual edits will be lost.
To prevent this situation from occurring, avoid making manual edits to Request or Response documents. Instead use XML Map Actions and Function actions to modify documents or node contents. Be aware that doing so may violate schema constraints. This will not necessarily cause runtime problems for your component when executing in the Integration Manager Enterprise Server environment, because Integration Manager does not validate the request document against the schema at runtime. However, your Lawson system may validate incoming requests, in which case a manually-edited Request document can cause errors that are difficult to troubleshoot.
Whenever a Lawson Software Request action is created in the Action Model, Integration Manager adds two additional lines to the action list: Before Execute Actions and After Execute Actions. These are header labels (grouping labels) for blocks of actions that occur before the request is sent to the Lawson Software system, or after a response document has come back, respectively. Typically you will want to map data fields from Input to Request and have those actions be grouped under the "Before Execute Actions" header. Likewise, any map actions or other action logic that you need to perform on the Response document after the Lawson Software system executes your request should be grouped under the "After Execute Actions" heading.
This section describes how to use the Integration ManagerTM Connect for Lawson Software to create a Lawson Service component to connect to Lawson Software and listen for events. As part of the process of creating a Lawson Service, you can select an existing Lawson File connection resource, or you can create a new one. If you create the connection beforehand, it is available for use by any Lawson Services in the current project. If you have not already created at least one Lawson File connection resource in the current project, you will be prompted to do so when you try to create a Lawson Service.
NOTE: You can still create a Lawson Service without first creating a connection resource, but you won't be able to use any debug features that depend on a live connection.
To Create a New Lawson Service:
Select File > New > xObject. The New xObject dialog box is displayed.
NOTE: Alternatively, under Service in the Integration Manager Navigator pane (Explorer view), you can highlight Lawson Service, click the right mouse button, then select New.
Double-click on "Lawson Service."
If you have not previously defined a connection resource, you are prompted to do so now (see Creating a Connection Resource).
If you have already defined a connection resource, the "Create a New Lawson Service" Wizard is displayed.
Select Next. The XML Input/Output Message Property Info panel of the New Lawson Service Wizard is displayed.
Specify the Input and Output templates as follows:
Type a name for the template under Part if you wish the name to appear in the DOM as something other than "Input"
Select a Template Category if it is different than the default category.
Select a Template Name from the list of XML templates in the selected Template Category.
To add additional input XML templates, click Add, then choose a Template Category and Template Name for each.
To remove an input XML template, select an entry and click Delete.
Select an XML template for use as an Output DOM using the procedure described in the previous step.
NOTE: You can specify an input or output XML template that contains no structure by selecting {System}{ANY} as the Input or Output template. For more information, see "Creating an Output Document without Using a Template" in the Novell Integration Manager User's Guide.
Select Next. The Temp and Fault XML Template panel is displayed.
If desired, specify a template to be used as a scratch pad under the "Temp Message" pane of the dialog box. This can be useful if you need a place to hold values that will be used temporarily during the execution of your component. Select a Template Category if it is different than the default category. Then select a Template Name from the list of XML templates in the selected Template Category.
Under the "Fault Message" pane, select an XML template to be used to pass back to clients when an error condition occurs.
To add additional input XML templates, click Add and choose a Template Category and Template Name for each. Repeat as many times as desired. To remove an input XML template, select an entry and click Delete.
Select Next. The Connection Info panel of the Create a New Lawson Service wizard is displayed.
Select a Lawson Service File connection from the Connection list. The Connection list displays the names of the Lawson connection resources that have been defined in this project.
Select Finish. The component is created and the Lawson Service Editor is displayed. The features of this window are identical to the features described in About the Lawson Software Component Editor Window. The following sections describe the steps required to create a Lawson Service Action.
You can create all the normal Integration Manager actions in the Action Model of your Lawson Service (e.g., XML Map, Function, Log, Send Mail). In addition, you can create a Lawson Service Request action.
The Lawson Service Request action is similar to a Switch action (see "The Switch Action" in the in the Novell Integration Manager User's Guide). A Switch action allows program control to branch to a block of actions based on a match between an input value and a Case value. In a Lawson Service Request, Integration Manager receives a DOM, and compares a series of cases against the DOM. If an exact match occurs between the DOM and a case, execution branches to the actions listed underneath the case in the Action model. Cases are tested in the order listed; and once a match is found, execution of the match logic precludes execution of any other logic in the Lawson Service Request.
To Create a Lawson Service Request Action
Select Edit Action. The Service Request dialog box is displayed.
In the Function tree, click on the plus (+) sign to the left of the product node to expand the tree view for that node.
Right-click on the desired function name and select Add Case, or double-click on the function name. The Adapter Service Request dialog box is displayed. This dialog box is similar to the Lawson Request dialog box (see Creating Actions in the Component Editor).
Select or deselect Filter Request, as desired. Filter Request is selected by default. If deselected, the tree will be disabled and greyed (no longer editable), indicating that a default schema configuration will be used. If selected, you can customize the structure of the request document by selecting the nodes to be included in the request document.
Expand the nodes of the Service Request Tree by clicking on the plus signs to the left of the nodes.
Select the elements that you want to include in the Service Request document by selecting or deselecting the check boxes in the node tree. Some nodes are greyed out (disabled). This is because the document schema determines the nodes that you can edit.
If the Service Response tab is enabled (this depends on the Synchronization Type setting in the Connection resource), click the Service Response tab at the top of the dialog box to bring the Service Response document pane forward. This pane shows a tree view of the Response document, similar to the one shown for the Request document. The same user interface features that applied to the Request document pane apply to the Response document pane.
Visit all of the nodes in the Response document tree and customize the settings as desired.
Click the Case Expression tab at the top of the dialog box to bring the Case Expression pane forward. This pane provides an Expression Builder that you use to build a case expression.
Type the static string values or the ECMAScript expressions that will be checked against the input DOM.
Select the OK button. The Service Request dialog box is displayed.
To add another case, repeat Step 4 through Step 12. The cases are listed from top to bottom in the order in which they are evaluated. Each Case value will be checked in turn, in the order you list them.
For optimal performance, list the most likely matches first.
You can change the order in which the cases are listed by clicking on the name of a case, then clicking the up or down triangle icons.
To edit a case, select the name of the case, then press the Mapping button. You can also select the name of the case, then select the Expression Builder button.
When you have finished adding cases, select OK. The Service Request dialog box closes and a new action appears in the Action Model of your component. The Native Environment Pane changes to show the Request and Response (if the Synchronization Type is set to REQUEST_RESPONSE in the Connection resource) tabs along with tree views of the request and response documents.
In the Action Model, add actions to be performed to each case to create the desired business logic.
To map a node of the Input document to a node in the Request document, drag a node from the Input pane and drop it on a node in the Request tab of the Native Environment pane. This automatically creates a new XML Map Action in the Action Model.
To map a node of the Response document to a node in the Output document, drag a node from the Response tab of the Native Environment pane and drop it on a node in the Output pane. This automatically creates a new XML Map Action in the Action Model. You can cut, copy, or delete the actions once they appear in the Action Model pane.
When all of the Actions for a case have been evaluated, Integration Manager sets the Service Response DOM.
The final case in the Action model is always labeled Default. This case is generated automatically and cannot be removed. Actions placed under Default are executed if and only if the none of the other cases are matched. While you are not required to place actions under Default, it is good programming practice to have at least some kind of fallback logic for the Default case, even if it's only a Log action or a Raise Error action.
The Request and Response document displays for Service Requests work similarly to the displays for Requests (see Request and Response Documents).
Once a project containing Lawson Services has been deployed (see "Deploying Your Project" in the Novell Integration Manager User's Guide), the Listener objects actively listen for messages each time you start your server. To manually start and stop these services you need to use the Integration Manager Lawson Services Console. This browser-based console allows you to see the list of Lawson Services, the status of each service (running or not running), the running tally (Count) of messages received, other administrative information, and a Start/Stop button.
To display the Integration Manager Lawson Services Console:
Make sure that you have installed the Integration Manager Enterprise Server to your application server (see the Novell Integration Manager Installation Guide) and that your application server is running.
Start the Integration Manager Enterprise Server (for example, if you are using the JBoss application server, you would use a Web browser to access http://localhost:8080/exteNdComposer). A dialog box for entering the application server administrator ID and password is displayed.
Type your administrator ID and password, then select OK. The Integration Manager Server Console page is displayed.
Scroll down the About Products list on the left side of the page until you see the link titled "lwsnservice".
Select the "lwsnservice" link. A page is displayed that provides information (e.g., version, license number, copyright) about the Connect. It also displays a Console button.
Select the Console button. The Lawson Service console page is displayed. This page lists any Lawson Services that have been deployed.
To stop a Lawson Service, select the appropriate Stop button (the button will then change to Start).
NOTE: If messages are being handled by a service at the time of the Stop command, there may be some delay before the service actually exits. Select the Refresh button periodically until the "Running" column of the console says No for the service.
Make sure that you have installed the Integration Manager Enterprise Server to your application server (see the Novell Integration Manager Installation Guide) and that your application server is running.
Start the Integration Manager Enterprise Server (for example, if you are using the JBoss application server, you would use a Web browser to access http://localhost:8080/exteNdComposer). A dialog box for entering the application server administrator ID and password is displayed.
Expand the database containing the deployed objects that you want to manage:
See Appendix A to this guide for a list of ECMAScript extension methods that can be used with the Lawson Connect.
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