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Custom Functoid (BizTalk Server Sample)

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The Custom Functoid sample demonstrates how to write a custom functoid for BizTalk Mapper. You can add the functoid to the Visual Studio Toolbox. The functoid will be displayed in the Toolbox when BizTalk Mapper is in focus.

A custom functoid should reside in a BizTalk Mapper assembly to recognize it. It can be written in any .NET-compliant language, such as C# or Visual Basic.

Also, a custom functoid must derive from the Microsoft.BizTalk.BaseFunctoids class, and it must provide implementation for some methods by overriding them. (The BaseFunctoid class is defined in the Microsoft.BizTalk.BaseFunctoids.dll assembly included with BizTalk Server.)

What This Sample Does

The Custom Functoid sample implements several functoids, each deriving from the BaseFunctoid class and overriding several methods.

When implementing a custom functoid, you can expose its code inline. The inline code is what performs the computation for the functoid. The BizTalk Mapper compiler extracts inline code from a functoid and embeds it in the compiled XSLT when you build the project.

If your custom functoid does not expose any inline code, BizTalk Mapper generates XSLT that calls into the assembly where the custom functoid resides. In this case, you must be sure your custom functoid assembly is available in the global assembly cache (GAC) so the XSLT engine can find it. A custom functoid must also have a unique GUID attribute. BizTalk Mapper uses the GUID to identify which assembly to load.

Important

If you reuse the Custom Functoid sample code to implement your own functoid(s), you must be sure to change the GUID attribute to one that is unique.

Where to Find This Sample

<Samples Path>\XmlTools\CustomFunctoid

The following table shows the files in this sample and describes their purpose.

File(s) Description
AssemblyInfo.cs Assembly information C# source code.
CBuildArray.bmp Toolbox bitmap.
CConcat.bmp Toolbox bitmap.
CExtractArray.bmp Toolbox bitmap.
Cleanup.bat Used to undeploy assemblies and remove them from the global assembly cache (GAC) and to delete CustomFunctoid.dll.
CLongestString.bmp Toolbox bitmap.
CMultiply.bmp Toolbox bitmap.
CustomFunctoid.cs Custom functoid C# source code.
CustomFunctoid.csproj Custom functoid C# project.
CustomFunctoid.sln Custom functoid solution.
CustomFunctoidResources.resx Custom functoid resources.
Setup.bat Used to build, deploy, and start the sample.

Building and Initializing This Sample

Use the following procedure to build and initialize the Custom Functoid sample.

To build and initialize this sample

  1. In a command window, change directory (cd) to the following folder:

    <Samples Path>\XmlTools\CustomFunctoid

  2. Run the file Setup.bat, which performs the following actions:

    • Builds the sample project.

    • Copies the generated assembly to the Developer Tools\Mapper Extensions directory.

    • Adds the generated assembly to the GAC.

      Note

      You should confirm that no errors were reported during the build and initialization process before attempting to run this sample.

Running This Sample

Use the following procedure to run the Custom Functoid sample.

To run this sample

  1. From a Visual Studio BizTalk project, click the Tools menu, and select Choose Toolbox Items.

  2. In the Choose Toolbox items dialog box, select the BizTalk Mapper Functoids tab.

  3. Click Reset, and then click OK.

    Note

    If your custom functoid does not expose any inline code, make sure its assembly is made available in the GAC.

  4. From the File menu, select Exit to close Visual Studio.

  5. Start Visual Studio Command Prompt.

  6. At the command prompt, type devenv /setup.

  7. Start Microsoft Visual Studio.

    The custom functoids (Custom concatenate functoid, Longest String, Build array functoid, and Extract array functoid) appear on the String Functoids tab of the Toolbox, and the Cumulative Multiply functoid appears on the Cumulative Functoids tab.

Removing This Sample

Use the following procedure to remove the Custom Functoid sample.

To remove this sample

  1. Remove the functoids from the Visual Studio Toolbox.

    Warning

    If after running Cleanup.bat, you still see the stale custom functoids in the toolbox (probably due to internal caching by Visual Studio), then follow the procedures below:

    1. From a Visual Studio BizTalk project, click the Tools menu, and select Choose Toolbox Items.

    2. In the Choose Toolbox items dialog box, select the BizTalk Mapper Functoids tab.

    3. Find the custom functoids (Custom concatenate functoid, Longest String, Build array functoid, Extract array functoid, and Cumulative Multiply) in the list. Click the respective check box to remove the functoids, and then click OK.

      If the above procedure does not work, follow the below procedure.

    4. From the Visual Studio BizTalk project, click the Toolbox tab while editing a map to bring up the Toolbox Palette.

    5. Right-click the tool box and select Choose Items.

    6. In the Choose Items dialog box, click Reset, and then click OK.

    7. Close all instances of Visual Studio.

      If the above procedure does not work, follow the below procedure.

    8. Start Visual Studio Command Prompt as an administrator.

    9. Close all the running instances of Visual Studio.

    10. Give the following commands:

      devenv /resetsettings

      devenv /setup

    11. You can manually select the unwanted functoids from the toolbox. Then, right click the functoid, and click Delete.

      If the above procedure does not work, follow the below procedure.

    12. From a Visual Studio BizTalk project, click the Toolbox tab while editing a map to bring up the Toolbox Palette.

    13. Click the Cumulative Functoids group.

    14. Right click the functoid you want to remove and then choose Delete or press the delete key.

    15. Click the String Functoids group.

    16. Right click the functoid you want to remove and then choose Delete or press the delete key.

  2. In a command window, change directory (cd) to the following folder:

    <Samples Path>\XmlTools\CustomFunctoid

  3. Run the file Cleanup.bat, which performs the following actions:

    • Deletes the assembly from the Developer Tools\Mapper Extensions directory.

    • Removes the assembly from the GAC.

Classes or Methods Used in This Sample

Microsoft.BizTalk.BaseFunctoids.BaseFunctoid

See Also

Using BaseFunctoid
XML Tools (BizTalk Server Samples Folder)