You can access the Package Installer from Tools > Utilities > Package installer. Use it to select packages for installation, view currently installed packages, and view failed installations. Although making iParts deployable is the most common use for packages, they can also include:
■ iMIS document system objects, such as queries, business objects, and content types
■ SQL Scripts, which run against the iMIS database during installation
■ Files, such as ASCX pages, images, and Word templates
To install a package
You can use the Package Installer to update the iParts on a system and to revert them. When you run the installer multiple times on the same package, it installs only one iPart. When you run the installer with multiple packages that install the same iPart, only one iPart is created, using the data in the last package you installed.
Note: Where you see local paths specified, be sure to use the path appropriate for your system, such as C:\Program Files (x86)\ for C:\Program Files\.
1. Stop the ASI Publishing Service.
2. Save the .ipackage file to the C:\Program Files\ASI\iMIS\Net\package\pending folder. Create the pending folder if it does not exist yet.
3. From Tools > Utilities > Package installer, select Packages to be Installed from the Show list.
4. Click Install.
5. Restart the Publishing Service.
6. If you installed any ActiveX controls, register the OCX files.
7. If your package includes a control (iPart or ActiveX), repeat this process on each additional application server that needs to host it. For example, if you host your staff site on your production iMIS application server and your Public view on an external webserver, add the Package Installer iPart to a content record that displays in both websites. Make sure you set up the correct security permissions to the iPart's page so that only authorized users are able to access it.
Since iMIS runs with a single database, you do not have to install a package on multiple servers if it only includes database-related objects. But a control is an application component, so you need to deploy it on each server that hosts it. A package can install multiple times on the same database.
To create a package
1. From the command line, change the directory to the following folder:
cd C:\Program Files\ASI\iMIS\Net\bin
2. Execute the command to create the manifest: PackageBuilder.exe -create <packageFolder>
□ Replace <packageFolder> with a path to the folder that contains the source files to be included in the package. For example:
PackageBuilder.exe -create C:\MyNewiPart
□ A package.manifest file is created for you in the <packageFolder> location.
Note: If a package.manifest file already exists in that folder, it is overwritten when you run this command.
3. In a text editor, edit package.manifest to specify the package description and the install path for each of the package's files.
Note: The install path is relative to the Net directory, which defaults to C:\Program Files\ASI\iMIS\Net
□ Tips:
■ ASCX files (iParts) usually install to: <InstallPath>iparts/Custom</InstallPath>
■ DLL files usually install to: <InstallPath>bin</InstallPath>
■ For <Type>Document</Type>, the <InstallPath> refers to a path in the document system. You can either enter a file system path or a document system path, such as $/Folder/SubFolder.
■ For <Type>Sql</Type>, the <InstallPath> is not required, because the SQL in the file specified by <Name> is executed. If the <InstallPath> is specified, then the corresponding SQL file is saved to that path. Additionally, the file extension for an SQL file must be .sql, or it will be treated as the File type during the PackageBuilder -create step.
4. Execute the command to build the package: PackageBuild.exe -build <packageFolder> <packageFileName>
□ packageFolder is the path to the folder that contains the source files to be included in the package, such as: C:\MyNewiPart
□ packageFileName is the pathname of the package file to be generated (which must have the extension .ipackage), such as: C:\Program Files\ASI\iMIS\Net\package\pending\ASIEUGiftAidWebPart.ipackage
Sample package.manifest file: