Procedure for Creating an App

This topic provides you with information and tips about the steps know-how app creators should follow to be able to create, preview, test and publish their app.

Note: Read the Know-how Apps Components User's Guide. All interactive steps are detailed inside this guide.

The table below describes the steps to be followed when creating an app.It also shows what happens in the developer’s environment at a high and a low level.

This page discusses:

See Also
Creating a "Hello, World!" App
StepsImpacts on the Runtime ViewImpacts on DataWhat the app creator can see

1- Create a package with a know-how application and a component.

2- Save your work.

-Three objects are created:
  • a package
  • an application
  • a component
These objects can be queried using the following keywords:
  • kconf
  • kapp
  • kcomp
  • The creation of two resources zip. One corresponding to the whole package, and the other one to the component.
  • The creation of a package among packages, an application among applications, and also under the package newly created, a component among Elements>components and also under the application newly created.

3- Set as current package.

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4- Open your component modify it (create your type, attributes and operations)

5- Create your custom user app

6- Edit the zip to add your icons, and update the catrsc with the right names

7- Save your component

- Creates objects inside the know-how app component.

You can see:

  • What you create (types, attributes or example) is added to your component.
  • Your user app is added to your component.
  • The names of the uploaded icons.
8- Toggle Exposition
  • xml added to the runtime view in: code\apps\development.
  • xml added to: resources\knowledge\workbench.
  • CATNls and CATRsc added to\resources\msgCatalog (not with the last changed).
- The app is added to the workbench but without any icon.
9- Generate installation data--

This command saves a manifest, which is a code that indicates the version of the app. If you modify the package and you generate install data, this code changes and the end user will have to deploy his app again to get the latest changes.

This command generates an index that references elements like the types dialogs for example declared in the component.

10- Publish your app- Creates a link in database between the package and a collaborative space. You associate your package to a collaborative space. To know more see Information Intelligence: 3DEXPERIENCE Platform: 3DSpace: Behavior: Data Setup.

More About Icons

In addition to adding the app to the workbench, the Toggle Exposition command copies the resources (catnls, catrsc) to the runtime view.

Important: Toggle Exposition does not copy the graphic resources from your zip to the runtime view. For example, you will not be able, as an app creator, to see your user app icon in the workbench by uploading the icon, checking the catrsc and toggling the exposition of your user app.

If you want to preview the icon, do one of the following :

  • Copy the resources manually to your runtime view. To do so, do the following:
    1. Modify the dpcRuntimeView environment variable using the CATIA installer Environment editor.
    2. Copy your files to your runtime view repository, in win_b64\resources\graphic\icons and in win_b64\resources\graphic (+\icons for icons).
    Note: Your runtime view is the folder/repository pointed by the dpcRuntimeView environment variable.
  • Deploy your app by deploying it and test it as a regular user. To do so, do the following:
    1. Use another dpcruntimeview. To do so, change this variable in your environment, using the environment editor. To know more, see Installation and Administration: 3DEXPERIENCE Platform: 3DEXPERIENCE Platform - Installation: Native Apps Installation: Configuring the Software: Configuring Environments: What Is An Environment?
    2. Deploy the app to test it as a regular end user without corrupting your "admin/creator" runtime view. If you want to switch back to the app creator role, get back to the other runtime view repository by setting back the former dpcruntimeview value.

More about CATRSCs

It is recommended that you edit catrscs (if necessary) before you perform the toggle exposition. When toggling the exposition, you copy the catrsc files to your runtime view only if they do not already exist. If the catrsc files already exist in the runtime view, they are not replaced by the latest ones. If you modify the content of your catrsc, your runtime view is not updated, even if you click toggle the exposition again.

Notes:
  • Change your catrsc the first time you toggle your exposition.
  • If you already performed the toggle exposition and you want to change your catrsc, change the internal name of the app after changing your catrsc and before toggling the exposition again.