Posted on by givenscj

Building Custom SharePoint 2007 Document Converters

Module #09: Custom
Document Converter Lab #02
(Optional)

 

 

Course:           Programming
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server

Estimated Time to Complete:  45 minutes

Objectives:

·        
Create/Deploy a
Custom Converter

Operating
Notes:  

 

·        
Document Converters do not run on Domain Controllers!
Therefore, you will be able to create and install the converter, but not test
it with this image

Deliverables:

·        
None

 

Overview:         Learn
to create your own Document Converter

Exercise 1 – Create the Converter

Purpose:
        Create
a converter to transform a document

Result:            A document converter

Task 1 – Create a Console
Application

  1. Open Visual Studio
  2. Create a new project
    • Click “File->New->Project”
    • Select “Console
      Application”
    • For name, type “MyConverter”
    • For location, type “D:Lab
      Work”

    • Click “Ok”
  1. Add a reference to
    WindowsBase
    • Right click the
      project, select “Add reference”
    • On the .NET tab,
      select “WindowsBase”
    • Click “Ok”

Task 2 – Update the
code

  1. Update the program.cs file to
    the following:


using System;

using System.Collections.Generic;

using System.Text;

using System.IO;

using System.IO.Packaging;

using System.Xml;

 

namespace MyConverter

{

    class
ConverterShell

    {

        #region
Private Members

 

        private
string[] inputArgs = null;

        private
string localPathtoFile = null;

        private
string localSettings = null;

        private
string localLogPath = null;

        private
string localOutputFullPath = null;

        private
const string ConverterName = "Xml to Xml";

        private
const string InputExtension = ".xml";

        private
const string OutputExtension = ".xml";

        private
const string InputArgInText = "-in";

        private
const string InputArgSettingsText = "-settings";

        private
const string InputArgOutText = "-out";

        private
const string InputArgLogText = "-log";

        private
StreamWriter streamLog = null;

 

       
#endregion

        #region
main

        static
void Main(string[] args)

        {

            //
Create New Converter

           
ConverterShell localConverter = new ConverterShell();

           
localConverter.inputArgs = args;

            //
Get command line

            localConverter.GetCommandLine(localConverter.inputArgs);

            //
Verify the files and copy

            if
(localConverter.VerifyFilesExist())

            {

XmlToXml myConverter = new
XmlToXml(localConverter.localOutputFullPath);

            }

           
return;

        }

       
#endregion

 

        #region
support routines

        bool
VerifyFilesExist()

        {

           
StreamReader streamIn = null;

           
bool disableCopy = false;

 

            if
(this.localPathtoFile.Equals(this.localOutputFullPath))

            {

               
disableCopy = true;

            }

            if
(this.localOutputFullPath.Length.Equals(0))

            {

               
LogResult(" Output file " + this.localOutputFullPath +
"is null ");

               
LogResult(" Please use a different file for the output file
");

               
return false;

            }

 

            try

            {

               
Stream streamInTmp = File.OpenRead(this.localPathtoFile);

               
streamIn = new StreamReader(streamInTmp);

               
streamIn.Close();

            }

           
catch

            {

               
LogResult("Error Input File for reading" +
this.localPathtoFile);

               
return false;

            }

           
LogResult(" Converting file " + this.localPathtoFile +
" to " + this.localOutputFullPath);

            //
Copy the file to the output path

            if
(!disableCopy)

            {

               
try

               
{

                   
File.Copy(this.localPathtoFile, this.localOutputFullPath, true);

               
}

               
catch

               
{

                   
LogResult("Error copying file to " +
this.localOutputFullPath);

                   
return false;

               
}

            }

           
return true;

        }

        // Get
Command Line Parameters

        public
void GetCommandLine(string[] args)

        {

            int
i = 0;

            //
Get all of the command line arguments

           
//           
Console.WriteLine(" args " + args[0] + " " +
args[1] +

           
//                " "
+ args[2] + " " + args[3] + " " + args[4] + " "
+ args[5]);

            try

            {

               
while (i < 8 && args[i] != null)

                {

                   
if (args[i] == InputArgInText && args[i + 1] != null)

                   
{

                        this.localPathtoFile
= args[i + 1];

                        i += 2;

                        continue;

                 
  }

                   
if (args[i] == InputArgSettingsText && args[i + 1] != null)

                   
{

                        this.localSettings =
args[i + 1];

                        i += 2;

                        continue;

                   
}

                    if (args[i] ==
InputArgOutText && args[i + 1] != null)

                   
{

                       
this.localOutputFullPath = args[i + 1];

                        i += 2;

                        continue;

                   
}

                    if (args[i] == InputArgLogText
&& args[i + 1] != null)

                   
{

                        this.localLogPath =
args[i + 1];

                        i += 2;

                        continue;

                   
}

                   
i += 2;

               
}

            }

           
catch (IndexOutOfRangeException e)

            {

               
// Need to eat the exception since we do not want to end because of
insufficient args

               
return;

            }

           
return;

        }

        void
LogResult(string value)

        {

            try

            {

               
Stream streamLogTmp = File.Open(this.localLogPath, FileMode.Append);

               
this.streamLog = new StreamWriter(streamLogTmp);

               
this.streamLog.WriteLine(value);

               
this.streamLog.Close();

            }

           
catch

            {

               
Console.WriteLine(value);

            }

        }

       
#endregion

    }

}

 
  1. Add a new class called
    XmlToXml.cs
    • Right click the
      project, click “New->Item”
    • Select “Class”
    • For Name, type
      “XmlToXml.cs”

    • Click “Add”
  1. Modify the class code to the
    following:


using System;

using System.Collections.Generic;

using System.Text;

using System.IO;

using System.Xml;

 

namespace MyConverter

{

    class
XmlToXml

    {

        private
string filePath = null;

       

        public
XmlToXml(string pathName)

        {

           
filePath = pathName;

        }

 

        public
void AddNode()

        {

            try

            {

               
XmlDocument doc = new XmlDocument();

               
doc.Load(filePath);

               
doc.LastChild.AppendChild(doc.CreateNode(XmlNodeType.Element, "NewNode",
"A new node"));

               
doc.Save(filePath);

            }

           
catch (Exception ex)

            {

               
throw ex;

            }

           
finally

           
{               

            }

        }       

    }

}

 
  1. Review the code you just
    pasted in, mainly review the “Main” method
  2. Right click the project, select
    “Properties”
  3. Click the “Debug” tab
  4. For Command line arguments,
    copy the following:


-in C: arget.xml –out c:output.xml –log c:converter.log
  1. Compile the code, fix any
    errors
  2. Copy the executable (“D:Lab WorkMyConverterMyConverterinDebugMyConverter.exe”)
    to the “C:program filesMicrosoft office servers12.0TransformApps”
    directory.
    • NOTE: this is where
      your document converters should reside, notice the other converters that
      reside here:
      1. DocXPageConverter
      2. InfoPathPageConverter
      3. XslApplicatorConverter

Task 3 – Set
permission on HtLauncher directory

 

1.      Open
the “c:Program FilesMicrosoft office Servers12.0Bin” directory

2.      Right
click the HtmlTrLauncher directory, select “Properties”

3.      Click
“Security”

4.      Add
everyone with Full Control

5.      Click
“Ok”

 

Task 4 – Create a
feature and elements file

  1. Create a new directory called
    MyConverter in the /template/features directory of the 12 hive
  2. Create a file called
    feature.xml, paste the following into it:


<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>

<Feature 
Id="[new guid]"

         
Title="My Converter"

         
Description="Converts xml to my own format"

         
Version="1.0.0.0"

         
Scope="WebApplication"

         
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/">

   
<ElementManifests>

       
<ElementManifest Location="MyConverter.xml"/>

   
</ElementManifests>

</Feature>

 
  1. Also note that you need to
    replace the [new guid] with a new GUID
    • Run the D:Lab Files09_Lab02guidgen.exe
      tool
    • Click “Radio #4”
    • Click “Copy”
    • Paste the GUID into
      the feature.xml file
    • Remove the curly
      braces ({})
  2. Create another file called
    MyConverter.xml, paste the following into it:


<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>

<Elements
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/">

   
<DocumentConverter

       
Id="[new guid]"

       Name="Xml
to Xml"

       App="MyConverter.exe"

       From="xml"

       To="xml"
/>

</Elements>

 
  1. Be sure you create another
    guid id for the converter!
  2. Run the following commands:


stsadm –o installfeature –filename MyConverterfeature.xml

stsadm –o activatefeature –filename
MyConverterfeature.xml –url http://servername:100

 
    • NOTE: if you copy and paste
      and get an error when running the command, replace the dashes!
  1. Perform an IISRESET
  2. Your new document converter
    is now installed!

Task 5 –Enable
Document Converters

  1. Open the Central
    Administration Site
  2. Click “Application management”
  3. Click “Manage Web Application
    features”
  4. For the “My Converter”
    feature, click “Activate”
    • NOTE: Ensure you are
      in context of web application on port 100
  5. Click “Document Conversions”
  6. Ensure that the web
    application is set to your team site web app
  7. Check the “Yes” radio button
  8. Select a load balancer server
    (you likely only have one to pick from)
  9. Notice your new converter is
    listed (“Customize “Xml to Xml” (xml into xml))
  10. Open in a new tab/windows the
    link for the converter, note the settings you can apply
  11. In the original central
    administration window, click Apply

Task 6 – Test the
converter

  1. Open your team site (http://servername:100)
  2. Add an xml document to the
    “Shared Documents” document library called TheirXml.xml with the following
    text inside the file:

 

<?xml version="1.0"
encoding="utf-8" ?>

<WatchThis>

</WatchThis>

 
  1. In the JavaScript dropdown
    for the item, select “Convert Document->Xml To Xml”

  1. For document name, type
    “OurXml”

  1. Click “Ok”
  2. A timer job will pick up the
    conversion request and put the converted document in the Pages document
    library.  As we mentioned previously
    before, a document converter will not run on a domain controller properly.
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