Promoting methods to ExpressionBuilder via dll

Hello everyone!

I'm trying to extend the designer functionality. I've already noticed that you can write methods in server scripts and promote them to the ExpressionBuilder using promotion attributes.

So far it worked fine, but when I tried to write a .net 3.5 library in Visual Studio and added it to the designer’s CustomLib directory it did not appear in the ExpressionBuilder. (The necessary dlls for the promotion attributes were referenced)

Is it possible to promote methods to the ExpressionBuilder by including a .net library or only via server scripts?

Thanks.

Regards,

Andreas

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Comments

Ethan Beisher

I believe you need a combination of the two.

After you have put the .dll in the Designer's CustomLib directory, you can "Import" the class in a server script. (In fact, intellisense for your new class should work at this point). Then, create a method within the server script that uses your class from the .dll. Then, promote this method.

Note that you will need to put this .dll in the Deployment and Engine custom directories in order to deploy this solution.

Andreas Mielemeier

Many thanks for your answer!

I actually hoped to find a way without proxy methods in server scripts, but it works.

Regards

Andreas

Jerome_Pearce

It would be a bit much to expect to be able to promote an external DLL function to the Designer. You have no reference to the Designer interface as exposed within the Designer.

In theory there could be a setup where you could import that, and then put a reference in your code, but it seems a great deal easier to just build a simple wrapper to promote the function IMO.

We typically put such wrappers into a library and just include the library in the solution. That way we can reuse it without any additional code.