Use the following procedures to create an Open DTP data source project. If you have not already done so, review the following topics before performing the procedures:
Procedure 1 (Optional) - Mapping a Drive to the OS 2200 Server
The View source file or COBOL source file that is the input to the OS 2200 Open DTP View Data Source Wizard or OS 2200 Open DTP COBOL Data Source Wizard can be on a disk on an OS 2200 server or on the PC containing the ClearPath ePortal Developer software. Use Common Internet File System (CIFS) to map to a share on an OS 2200 server when the source file resides on the OS 2200 server. Refer to CIFS for ClearPath OS 2200 User, Programmer, and Administrator Reference Manual.
Procedure 2 - Creating a Project
On the File menu, point to New, and click Project.
In the Create a new project dialog box, do the following:
Notes:
Select C# or All Languages from the Language list.
Select Windows or All Platforms from the Platform list.
The ePortal templates are not displayed if other values are selected.
Select ePortal Data Source from the Project Type list.
The ePortal Data Source templates are displayed.
Do any one of the following to select the template:
From the templates list, select OS 2200 Open DTP Data Source, and then click Next.
Enter OS 2200 Open DTP Data Source in the search option, select the template from the search result, and then click Next.
In the Project name box, type a name for the project. The name must be a valid C# name.
Note: The project name should not contain any special characters.
In the Location box, identify the path to the location where the project should be saved.
(Optional) In the Framework box, select the desired .NET Framework version from the list. For information on selecting the .NET version, refer to Multi-Targeting Issues.
Note: If you do not select a desired Framework, a default Framework version is selected.
Click Create. The project appears in the Solution Explorer.
Procedure 3 (Optional) – Set Project Properties
Open the solution explorer window.
Right-click the Data Source project name and select Properties. The ePortal Message View box opens.
Procedure 4 - Importing Open DTP Records
To import an Open DTP record:
Open the project and the ePortal Message View.
Right-click the Server Messages node, and click New.
For the first import only, the OS 2200 Open DTP Configuration Dialog box appears.
Next, the Add Open DTP Server Message Dialog box appears.
Procedure 5 (Optional) - Editing an Open DTP Record
Perform the following steps to edit an Open DTP Record
Configuring String vs Binary Treatment
When you use the OS 2200 Open DTP View Data Source Wizard or OS 2200 Open DTP X_OCTET Data Source Wizard to create an ePortal server message, one or more of the fields may be capable of being treated as either character strings or as binary bytes. Refer to Translation Considerations.
If you want to change the way a particular field is treated:
In Solution Explorer, expand the <ClearPath ePortal data source project> node, point to Server Messages, and double-click the appropriate <server message name>.dtpxml file.
In the <server message name>.dtpxml tab, select the field that you wish to edit.
Go to the property window. If it is not already open, you can press Alt-Enter to open the property window.
In the property window, change the NetDataType from String to Byte[] or from Byte[] to String, as appropriate.
Save the message.
Note: If you plan to use binary data, you cannot use a Web application presentation; you are restricted to the presentation project types which implement a Web Service. Refer to Creating Web Service Application Projects.
Configuring String Properties
When you use the OS 2200 Open DTP View Data Source Wizard to create an ePortal server message, one or more of the fields may be strings. For each field which is to be treated as a string, you can configure the following properties:
RightJustified – If this property is True, the string value from the client is right-justified within the field before sending it to the OS 2200 server. If this property is False, the value is left-justified. The default is False.
TruncationAllowed – If this property is True, and the client provides a string value which is too long for the field size, the ePortal runtime software truncates the value before sending it to the OS 2200 server. If this property is False, and the client provides a string value which is too long for the field size, the ePortal runtime software throws an exception. The default is False.
Note: The string properties only effect input fields, for example, fields which are sent to the OS 2200 server. These properties have no effect on field values received from the OS 2200.
If you want to change a string property:
In Solution Explorer, expand the <ClearPath ePortal data source project> node, point to Server Messages, and double-click the appropriate <server message name>.dtpxml file.
In the <server message name>.dtpxml tab, select the field that you wish to edit.
Go to the property window. If it is not already open, you can press Alt-Enter to open the property window.
In the property window, change the RightJustified and/or TruncationAllowed property value as appropriate.
Save the message.
Procedure 6 - Next Steps
Creating client messages is optional, since ePortal automatically creates a client message for each server message by default. Refer to Data Source Project Property Pages Dialog. If client messages must be created or modified, and orchestration done, start the process by going to Understanding Client Messages.
Otherwise, go to Getting Ready to Build a New Presentation Project.