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Package files are special text files that are used to deliver customizations made with the Modifier, VBA, and the Report Writer. A developer can create a package file that contains their customizations, move the package file to the destination workstation, then import the customizations into the installation.
A package file can contain the following items:
Modified forms Forms that have been customized with the Modifier.
New or modified reports Reports that have been created or customized with the Report Writer.
VBA forms Forms that have VBA code attached.
VBA reports Reports that have VBA code attached.
VBA components User forms, code modules or class modules created with the VBA development environment.
References References to external components used by VBA. A package file cannot contain the actual components referenced by the VBA customization. Those components must be delivered separately.
Package files are created using the Customization Maintenance window. Complete the following procedure to create a package file.
Open this window by pointing to Customize in the Tools menu and choosing Customization Maintenance.
The Customization Maintenance window lists all of the components that have been customized with the Modifier, Report Writer or VBA. Select all of the components that are required for your customization.
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To select non-contiguous items in the list, hold down the cCTRL key and click the items. |
Click Export. A file dialog will appear, allowing you to specify the name of the package file. Be sure the file has the .package extension. The results of the export operation will be displayed in the status area at the bottom of the window.
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Note that some global changes you make with the Modifier and Report Writer can’t be included in a package file. For instance, changes to picture resources or global data types won’t be included in package files. |
To import the contents of a package file, complete the following procedure.
Open this window by pointing to Customize in the Tools menu and choosing Customization Maintenance.
Click Import in the Customization Maintenance window to display the Import Package File window.
Click Browse to open a file dialog that allows you to select the package file you want to import. The contents of the package will be displayed in the Import Package File window.
An “X” in the Overwrite column indicates that a customized version of a component already exists for the system, and will be overwritten by the contents of the package file. Refer to Package file import/export issues for details about overwriting existing customizations.
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If any of the package file items contain VBA code, the user importing them must have appropriate user privileges to update the .vba files in the Microsoft Dynamics GP installation. Typically, this means being part of the Administrators group or the Power Users group on Windows XP. On Windows Vista, it means launching Microsoft Dynamics GP with Administrative privileges. |
Click OK to start the import process. If any errors occur during the import process, the Errors window will be displayed. The results of the import operation will also be displayed in the status bar of the Customization Maintenance window. To view the list of the last errors that occurred, click the Errors button in the status bar.
If necessary, use the security features in Microsoft Dynamics GP to grant access to any modified forms or modified reports that are part of your customization.
