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How to Add Scripting Functoids to a Map

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The Scripting functoid enables you to use custom script or code at run time to perform functions otherwise not available. For example, you can call a COM object at run time by using the Scripting functoid and writing your own custom script.

For conceptual information about the Scripting functoid, see Scripting Functoid.

To add the Scripting functoid to a map and configure it

  1. With the Visual Studio Toolbox active, click the Advanced Functoids tab to select that category of functoids.

    The list of advanced functoids in the chosen category appears.

  2. Drag the Scripting functoid Image that represents the Scripting functoid. from the Toolbox to the appropriate location on a grid page.

    Note

    The functoid will be placed on the displayed grid page. If you want to put the functoid onto a different grid page, you need to display that other grid page first.

    Note

    If you are constructing a map using more than one functoid together, you need to consider their relative left-to-right placement. Functoids are executed from left to right. The output of a functoid can only be input to another functoid that is farther to the right.

  3. Select the Scripting functoid that you just added to the displayed grid page.

  4. In the Visual Studio Properties window, click the ellipsis (...) button associated with the Script property.

    Note

    Alternatively, you can right-click the functoid, and then click Configure Functoid Script in the context menu. The Configure Scripting Functoid dialog box appears with the Script Functoid Configuration tab selected.

  5. In the Configure Scripting Functoid dialog box, in the Select script type drop-down list, select the type of your script.

    Note

    Depending on your selection of script type, different subsets of the remaining dialog box fields will be enabled and disabled.

  6. If you selected External Assembly as the script type, use the Script assembly, Script class, and Script method drop-down lists, in that order, to select the assembly, class, and method, respectively, to associate with this Scripting functoid.

    Warning

    The code in the external assembly must be thread-safe. Under stress conditions, multiple instances of a map may be running concurrently.

    Note

    After you have selected an assembly, the Script class drop-down list will be populated with the classes in that assembly. Likewise, after you have selected a class, the Script method drop-down list will be populated with the methods in that class.

    Note

    The Inline script text box is disabled when you select External Assembly as the script type.

    If you selected something other than External Assembly as the script type (one of the inline choices), use the Inline script text box to enter your script in the language you selected.

    Note

    The inline language choices for the Scripting functoid include C# .NET, JScript.NET, Visual Basic .NET, XSLT, and XSLT Call Template.

    Scripting using C# does not allow "using" statements. If the script needs to use any special .Net classes, then the corresponding assemblies and their dependent assemblies should be added to "References" in the BizTalk project, and the script code should use fully qualified names. If you write a script to perform culture-sensitive lowercase conversion, the corresponding code fragment should be written as below. Similar limitations apply to all supported scripting languages.

    string x = y.ToLower(System.Globalization.CultureInfo.CurrentCulture);

    In the script, to use classes from any assembly, ensure you add the corresponding assembly and its dependent assemblies to “References” in the BizTalk project containing your map.

    Note

    You can create your custom script directly in the Inline script text box, or you can create your script elsewhere, and paste it into the Inline script text box.

    Note

    The Script assembly, Script class, and Script method drop-down lists are disabled when you select one of the inline choices (something other than External Assembly) as the script type.

    Important

    If you create a script containing multiple functions, the first function will be treated as the main or primary function; other functions are only called if they are called in the execution of the primary function.

    Click OK.

  7. If your script or the associated method in an external assembly requires input parameters, create the appropriate number and type of input links as you would for a basic functoid.

  8. In most circumstances, your Scripting functoid will produce an output value used to populate a field in the destination schema, or as input to another functoid, in much the same way that basic functoids do.

See Also

Adding Advanced Functoids to a Map