Web resources for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015

Article
06/05/2017

Applies To: Dynamics CRM 2015

Web resources are virtual files that are stored in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM database and that you can retrieve by using a unique URL address.

In This Topic

Capabilities of web resources

Web resource types

Reference web resources

Capabilities of web resources

Web resources represent files that can be used to extend the Microsoft Dynamics CRM web application such as html files, JScript, and Silverlight applications. You can use web resources in form customizations, the SiteMap, or the application ribbon because they can be referenced by using URL syntax.

The URL syntax for web resources allows for relative path references. With your development tools, you can create a group of interdependent files on a development server by using file types compatible with web resources. Then, if you use a consistent naming convention and relative path references, the website will function after you upload all the files into Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

Because web resources are stored in Microsoft Dynamics CRM and are solution components, they can be easily exported and installed to on-premises deployments of Microsoft Dynamics CRM or to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. Web resources are also available to users of Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Microsoft Office Outlook with Offline Access when offline because they are synchronized with the user's data.

You can use the form editor to add and configure form-enabled web resources into your entity forms.

Because web resources are stored as records in the database, they can be managed programmatically by using the standard techniques to create, retrieve, and update records. Text-based web resources (JScript, CSS, XML, XSL, and HTML) can be edited and saved in the application.

Limitations of web resources

There is no type of web resource that supports the capabilities of an ASP.NET (.aspx) page to execute code on the server. Web resources are limited to static files or files that are processed in the browser. A web resource can contain code that is processed in the browser to execute web service calls to interact with Microsoft Dynamics CRM data. For more information, see Use web service data in web resources (OData and Modern app SOAP endpoint),

Web resources are only available by using the Microsoft Dynamics CRM web application security context. Only licensed Microsoft Dynamics CRM users who have the necessary privileges can access them.

Size limitations

The maximum size of files that can be uploaded is determined by the Organization.MaxUploadFileSize property. This property is set in the Email tab of the System Settings in the CRM application. This setting limits the size of files that can be attached to email messages, notes, and web resources. The default setting is 5 MB.

Web resource types

You can use ten file formats to create web resources. The following table lists each file format, the allowed file extensions, and the type value that you use for each.

File	File extensions	Type
Webpage (HTML)	.htm, .html	1
Style Sheet (CSS)	.css	2
Script (JScript)	.js	3
Data (XML)	.xml	4
Image (PNG)	.png	5
Image (JPG)	.jpg	6
Image (GIF)	.gif	7
Silverlight (XAP)	.xap	8
StyleSheet (XSL)	.xsl, .xslt	9
Image (ICO)	.ico	10

Reference web resources

There are several methods that you can use to reference web resources.

Note

When possible, use the $webresource directive. Only references that use the $webresource directive in the site map or ribbon commands will establish dependencies. Dependencies are not created when web resources reference each other.
To display a Silverlight web resource outside an entity form or chart, create an HTML web resource to be the host page for the Silverlight web resource. Then use the $webresource: directive to open the HTML web resource.

$webresource directive

You should always use the $webresource directive when referencing a web resource from a ribbon control or from a SiteMap sub area. Use the $webresource directive anywhere the XML allows a URL value. The following sample shows how to use it.

$webresource:<name of Web Resource>

Note

When using the $webresource directive, Microsoft Dynamics CRM will create or update solution dependencies.

Xrm.Utility.openWebResource

The Xrm.Utility.openWebResource function will open an HTML web resource in a new window with parameters to pass the name of the web resource, any query string data to be passed in the data parameter, and information about height and width of the window.

The URL generated includes the unique GUID token so that the cached web resource will be loaded.

Relative URL

When referencing a web resource from areas that do not support using the $webresource: directive, a relative URL can be used. To enable this, we recommend that you use a consistent naming convention for the web resources that reflect a virtual file structure. The solution publisher’s customization prefix will always be included as a prefix to the name of the web resource. This can represent a virtual ”root” folder for all web resources added by that publisher. You can then use the forward slash character (/) to simulate a folder structure that will be honored by the web server.

From another web resource, you should always use relative URLs to reference each other. For example, for the web page web resource new_/content/contentpage.htm to reference the CSS web resource new_/Styles/styles.css, create the link as follows:

<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../styles/styles.css" />

For the web page web resource new_/content/contentpage.htm to open the webpage web resource isv_/foldername/dialogpage.htm, create the link as follows:

<a href="../../isv_/foldername/dialogpage.htm">Dialog Page</a>

Note

Do not use a relative URL using the WebResources folder as the root path for the URL. For example, do not use this: /WebResources/<name of web resource>. When a user belongs to more than one organization on a server, this path will always refer to the users default organization. If the user is not using their default organization and the expected web resource is not included in the user’s default organization, a “File Not Found” error occurs even though the web resource does occur in the organization the user is currently working in.

Full URL

The following sample shows the style of URL you can use to view web resources.

<Microsoft CRM URL>/WebResources/<name of web resource>

The application will process this URL and return the file that contains the latest version of the web resource. This URL will look like this:

<Microsoft CRM URL>/%7B<GUID value>%7D/WebResources/<name of web resource>

The GUID value is updated when you publish customizations and ensures that the browser uses the latest cached version of the web resource. Because of this, use a relative path to a web resource, the Xrm.Utility.openWebResource function, or the $webresource directive (when possible) because the GUID value will automatically be included. For large web resources such as Silverlight web resources, there can be significant performance implications if you don’t use the cached version of the file.

The following sample shows a URL for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, where MyOrganization is the name of your organization, and new_/test/test.htm is the name of the web resource:

https://MyOrganization.crm.dynamics.com/WebResources/new_/test/test.htm

Note

Including the ‘/’ character and a file name extension in the name of the web resource is an optional best practice.

The following sample shows a URL for on–premises Microsoft Dynamics CRM, where myServer is the server name:

http://myServer/MyOrganization/WebResources/new_/test/test.htm

When you write code to reference a web resource that will need to work for either Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online or on–premises Microsoft Dynamics CRM, you should use the d7d0b052-abca-4f81-9b86-0b9dc5e62a66#BKMK_getClientUrl function.

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Web resources for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015

In This Topic

Capabilities of web resources

Limitations of web resources

Size limitations

Web resource types

Reference web resources

$webresource directive

Xrm.Utility.openWebResource

Relative URL

Full URL

See Also

Additional resources