Automating Web Role Assignments in Dynamics 365 with a Custom Plugin

Purpose of the Plugin

The plugin aims to streamline the user management process by automatically assigning a default web role to every new contact created in Dynamics 365. This is particularly useful in environments where new contacts need immediate and predefined access to certain parts of the system, ensuring they have the necessary permissions from the start.

Record Creation for N:N Relationships in Dynamics 365 with JavaScript and Custom Plugins

 This comprehensive guide provides a detailed approach to automate the creation of many-to-many (N:N) relationship records in Dynamics 365 using a custom plugin and a JavaScript action. The solution streamlines the association of multiple records through a straightforward interface, making it indispensable in scenarios requiring batch processing or integration tasks.

Safely Handling AliasedValue in Dynamics 365 Plugins

 Developing plugins for Dynamics 365 often involves extracting and manipulating data from linked entities using FetchXML. One common challenge in this scenario is handling the AliasedValue objects that Dynamics 365 returns when querying attributes from these linked entities.

Enhancing Dynamics 365 Plugin Reliability with Specific Exception Logging

 When developing plugins for Dynamics 365, handling exceptions robustly and providing clear, actionable error messages can significantly improve the maintenance and usability of your solutions. This article discusses a practical tip for logging specific exceptions to streamline troubleshooting and enhance system reliability.

Optimizing Large-Scale Data Updates in Dynamics 365 with Asynchronous Plugins and Flexible FetchXML

Introduction

In Dynamics 365, it's not uncommon to encounter scenarios where vast quantities of records require updates or complex manipulations. Naively processing large volumes in a single operation can strain performance and lead to timeouts. This article presents a strategy to tackle such challenges, emphasizing asynchronous processing, plugin chaining, and flexible FetchXML-driven initiation.

Understanding Relationship Types in Dynamics 365: N:N vs. 1:N & N:1

 

Understanding Relationship Types in Dynamics 365: N:N vs. 1:N & N:1

When modeling data relationships in Dynamics 365, understanding the distinction between N:N (Many-to-Many) and 1:N & N:1 (One-to-Many & Many-to-One) relationships is crucial. These relationship types serve different purposes and have unique characteristics.

 

Dynamics 365 Data Retrieval: Comprehensive Guide

Retrieving data effectively in Dynamics 365 (D365) is crucial for custom solutions' performance and scalability. This article explores different methods for data retrieval - QueryExpression, FetchXML, RetrieveMultiple, and direct record retrieval, providing complete sample codes for each scenario and a comparative analysis to help choose the right approach for specific needs.

Integrating Client-Side Scripts with Server-Side Plugins in Dynamics 365

 

Integrating Client-Side Scripts with Server-Side Plugins in Dynamics 365

Introduction

Integrating front-end actions with back-end server plugins in Dynamics 365 allows for robust process automation and enhanced user interaction. This article presents a generalized approach, showcasing a client-side script that triggers a custom action, subsequently invoking a server-side plugin for comprehensive business logic execution.

 

Pagination Methods in Dynamics 365 Integration: An In-Depth Guide

Introduction

When working with Dynamics 365, especially when integrating it with other systems, you'll often have to retrieve large sets of data. However, due to performance considerations, APIs usually impose a limit on the number of records you can fetch in a single request. This necessitates the use of pagination to get the entire dataset. This guide aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of different pagination methods, their advantages and drawbacks, and how to apply them in Dynamics 365 integration scenarios.

[TIPS] 3 Ways to Filter Subgrid

 [TIPS] 3 Ways to Filter Subgrid

1. View: Edit Filter Criteria
2. JavaScript
3. Plugin 

       View: Edit Filter Criteria

• No customization
• Out of the Box feature

JavaScript

• Easier to implement
• For medium complex requirements
  

Sample Code:

function onLoadFunction(executionContext)

{

    var formContext = executionContext.getFormContext(); // get the form context

    var tabContext = formContext.ui.tabs.get("tab_Bed_Assignment"); // get the tab context by its name

 

    // Register the event handler for the tab's state change event

    tabContext.addTabStateChange(filterSubgridBedAssignments);

    filterSubgridBedAssignments(executionContext);

 

   

   

}

 

function filterSubgridBedAssignments(executionContext)

{

    var formContext = executionContext.getFormContext();

    var currentBooking = formContext.getAttribute("tri_bookingid").getValue();

    var subgrid = formContext.getControl("subgrid_BedAssignments");

   

    //Check if Current Booking Lookup Field is not null

    if (currentBooking != null)

    {

        //Get Lookup Field Id

        var currentBookingId = currentBooking[0].id.replace("{", "").replace("}", "");

 

        if (subgrid)

        {

            //Set Filter XML for Subgrid

            var fetchXml = "<fetch version='1.0' output-format='xml-platform' mapping='logical' distinct='false'>"

            + "<entity name='tri_bedassignment'>"

            + "<filter type='and'>"

            + "<condition attribute='tri_bookingid' operator='eq' value='" + currentBookingId + "' />"

            + "</filter>"

            + "</entity>"

            + "</fetch>";

 

            subgrid.setFilterXml(fetchXml);

            subgrid.refresh();

        }        

    }

    else

    {

        subgrid.setVisible(false);

    }

}

Plugin

• For higher complex requirements

Sample Code:

using Microsoft.Xrm.Sdk;

using Microsoft.Xrm.Sdk.Query;

using System;

using System.Collections.Generic;

using System.Linq;

using System.Xml.Linq;

public class Filter_MovementsPlugin : IPlugin

{

    public void Execute(IServiceProvider serviceProvider)

    {

        IPluginExecutionContext context = (IPluginExecutionContext)serviceProvider.GetService(typeof(IPluginExecutionContext));

        IOrganizationServiceFactory serviceFactory = (IOrganizationServiceFactory)serviceProvider.GetService(typeof(IOrganizationServiceFactory));

        IOrganizationService service = serviceFactory.CreateOrganizationService(context.UserId);

        ITracingService tracingService = (ITracingService)serviceProvider.GetService(typeof(ITracingService));

        tracingService.Trace("Filter_MovementsPlugin: Plugin started.");

        if (context.InputParameters.Contains("Query") && context.InputParameters["Query"] is FetchExpression fetchExpression)

        {

            var fetchXmlDoc = XDocument.Parse(fetchExpression.Query);

            var entityNode = fetchXmlDoc.Descendants("entity").FirstOrDefault();

            var attributeLatestOnly = fetchXmlDoc.Descendants("attribute").FirstOrDefault(attr => attr.Attribute("name")?.Value == "kc_latestonly");

            if (attributeLatestOnly == null)

            {

                tracingService.Trace("Filter_MovementsPlugin: required attribute not found in FetchXML query. Skipping Latest Movement Filter plugin execution.");

                return;

            }

            if (entityNode != null && entityNode.Attribute("name")?.Value == "tri_offendermovement")

            {

                tracingService.Trace("Filter_MovementsPlugin: tri_offendermovement entity found.");

                EntityCollection originalResults = context.OutputParameters["BusinessEntityCollection"] as EntityCollection;

                // Filter the original results to include only the latest created records for each subject

                var modifiedResults = new EntityCollection();

                modifiedResults.EntityName = "tri_offendermovement";

                var subjects = originalResults.Entities.Select(e => e.GetAttributeValue<EntityReference>("tri_offenderid")).Distinct();

                foreach (var subject in subjects)

                {

                    var subjectId = subject.Id;

                    // Get the latest created record for each subject from the original results

                    var latestCreatedEntity = originalResults.Entities

                        .Where(e => e.GetAttributeValue<EntityReference>("tri_offenderid").Id == subjectId)

                        .OrderByDescending(e => e.GetAttributeValue<DateTime>("createdon"))

                        .FirstOrDefault();

                    if (latestCreatedEntity != null)

                    {

                        modifiedResults.Entities.Add(latestCreatedEntity);

                    }

                }

                // Set the modified results as the output of the RetrieveMultiple message

                context.OutputParameters["BusinessEntityCollection"] = modifiedResults;

            }

            else

            {

                tracingService.Trace("Filter_MovementsPlugin: tri_offendermovement entity not found.");

            }

        }

        else

        {

            tracingService.Trace("Filter_MovementsPlugin: FetchExpression not detected.");

        }

        tracingService.Trace("Filter_MovementsPlugin: Plugin execution completed.");

    }

}

[Tutorial] Azure Functions

 [Tutorial]  Azure Functions

[TIPS] Notifications within Power Apps

Notifications within Model-driven apps and Canvas apps

 

Use the Microsoft Dataverse Web API

• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
•    Reference

 Note

Unsure about entity vs. table? See Developers: Understand terminology in Microsoft Dataverse.

Call third party webapi from plugin using secure/ unsecure configuration (Sample C# code)

 Call third party webapi from plugin using secure/ unsecure configuration (Sample C# code)

Reference

Create a note in Dynamics 365 using C# Plugin

 

Create a note in Dynamics 365 

//add a note

Entity Note = new Entity("annotation");

Note["objectid"] = new EntityReference("contact", ent.Id);

Note["objecttypecode"] = 2;

Note["subject"] = "Latest Currency Exchange Data";

Note["notetext"] = "USDEUR : " + USDTOEUR +" " + _url + "?" + query + " " + content;

service.Create(Note);

 

What's the $ in front of a string in C#?

Reference

$ is short-hand for String.Format and is used with string interpolations, which is a new feature of C# 6. As used in your case, it does nothing, just as string.Format() would do nothing.

 What's the @ in front of a string in C#?

Reference

It marks the string as a verbatim string literal - anything in the string that would normally be interpreted as an escape sequence is ignored.

 Utilising Pre/Post Entity Images in a Dynamics CRM Plugin

Lets take a closer look at how Pre and Post Images can be implemented as part of a CRM Plugin…

Reference

Tutorial: Write and register a plug-in

 Tutorial: Write and register a plug-in

• Article
• 08/16/2022
• 
  

This tutorial is the first in a series that will show you how to work with plug-ins. 

Sample Workflow Acitivity C# code

 Sample Workflow Acitivity C# code

The following sample workflow activity returns the next birthday. Use this in a workflow that sends a birthday greeting to a customer.